Category: Sports

McGregor added: “The top five teams are really competitive, so there’s points to play for there.”

However, when it was put to McGregor that Celtic might have to win all seven of their remaining matches, he replied: “We’ll see if we need to win them all or not, but I think we have to go on a run.

“Certainly, you’ve got to win at least five or six to have a good chance.”

Celtic, whose latest loss incurred the wrath of their travelling support, return to action after the international break when they travel to face Dundee on Sunday, 5 April.

“We know where we are and I think now’s the time for calm heads,” McGregor said. “I get it, it’s emotional, people will be emotional and angry about the result.

“None more so than the players. It’s their life, what they give to the game and what they give to the club. But, in a time like this, you need to be calm. We’ve been here many, many times.”

McGregor believes a rare three-way title race is largely down to Celtic – who are 17 points worse off than at the same stage last season – underperforming.

“I think we’ve probably manufactured it ourselves a wee bit, if I’m being honest,” he said.

“Now there’s a big challenge. We’ve had tight ones over the years, but probably only really two teams [Celtic and Rangers] going for it.

“Now there’s obviously three and you have to be competitive in every game.

“We need to come back from the break, train well and make sure we do enough, get the team looking the way that we want and attack the last seven games and see where we get to.”

Newcastle may be in favour of the new rules, but they will still be well behind on spending power.

Analysis by Swiss Ramble, external shows that, based on the 2023-24 accounts, the Magpies’ SCR budget ranked ninth (£243m) in the Premier League.

Compare that with the big six: Manchester United (£597m), Manchester City (£580m), Arsenal and Liverpool (£449m), Chelsea (£407m) and Tottenham Hotspur (£397m).

Unless Newcastle generate higher income, the status quo will always be able to spend more, paying higher wages.

“Look at Newcastle‘s wages of £220m [in 2023-24],” Maguire added. “It’s £100m less than Arsenal and Chelsea. And it was £200m less than Manchester City. So that is the problem.

“The desire to narrow the gap is a challenge. Football is a talent game. Talent follows the money in terms of both recruitment and wages – and it makes it difficult for Newcastle to make that step up.”

Newcastle face a battle to qualify for Europe – but not making it could be a positive.

Stay with us while we explain.

Uefa’s SCR system limits clubs in European competition to spending 70% of their income.

A club not in Europe would be able to go to 85% or above under the Premier League rules, designed to give teams not in continental competition some extra space to compete.

To show the impact by analysing the 2023-24 figures, West Ham (£267m) and Brighton (£276m) would have had bigger budgets than Newcastle, had these rules been in place.

And this is further underlined by another quirk which means being in the Conference League could be the worst thing financially.

The winners of the competition only earn about £20m, yet must work to the 70% rule. The difference between 70% and 85%, based on the 2023-24 figures? At least £33m less to spend.

Newcastle would prefer the riches of the Champions League, though even that competition further entrenches the position of the biggest clubs.

Uefa gives bonus payments under the ‘value pillar’, partly based on a club’s coefficient. It rewards historical success.

For this season’s league phase, Swiss Ramble calculated, external that Newcastle received £47m. But Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City were all paid in excess of £79m.

Everywhere you turn it seems the football establishment wins again.

Corinthians striker Memphis Depay has explained why he was using a mobile phone while on the substitutes’ bench during a Brazilian top-flight match.

The Netherlands forward was pictured by television cameras using a phone in the second half of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Flamengo.

Depay, 32, had been taken off in the 22nd minute of the game and has said he was providing the Dutch camp with an update on his fitness before the international break.

“Just to clarify my moment with the phone was pure to communicate with the medical staff in the Netherlands at that moment,” Depay wrote on X, external.

“I came outside to show support to my team while I could’ve stayed inside the dressing room with the injury.”

Depay added that he was “upset with the result of the game” and will “keep working for better days”.

The former Manchester United and Barcelona forward, who has been capped 108 times by the Netherlands and is their record goalscorer, joined Corinthians in September 2024.

John O’Shea says he is confident the Republic of Ireland can carry the momentum gained in November into Thursday’s World Cup play-off semi-final against the Czech Republic (19:45 GMT).

In danger of missing out, the Republic of Ireland pulled off stunning victories over Portugal and Hungary to reach this stage.

The 3-2 win in Budapest was a rare success on the road for the Republic of Ireland, but O’Shea has faith that the players can replicate that heroic performance and keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

“Without a doubt, but you have to reinforce that [idea of momentum] straightaway,” said O’Shea.

“The boss [Heimir Hallgrimsson] had a meeting with the boys this morning and we’ll reinforce that in the training sessions and video meetings we’ll have over the next couple of days to transport themselves back to that moment in Hungary, but then fast forward to what’s ahead of us in Prague, tough opposition but one we can have success against.”

The Republic of Ireland will set up a play-off final at home to Denmark or North Macedonia on 31 March with victory in Prague.

There are no fresh injury concerns from the weekend’s club action following Hallgrimsson’s squad announcement on Thursday.

“The boys are in a good place,” added O’Shea, who won 118 Republic of Ireland caps but was not included in the 2002 World Cup squad.

“Training today was almost reminding me of that cup final scenario. Everyone’s wanting to get into the team, the intensity, the noise and the atmosphere around the boys is brilliant.

“There’s a quiet confidence in the group growing together, it’s great to see but we know there’s a lot of hard work to come.”

Tottenham have offered condolences to interim head coach Igor Tudor following the death of his father.

The 47-year-old Croatian did not undertake post-match media duties following Spurs’ 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest on Sunday for personal reasons.

“Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Igor Tudor’s father, Mario,” said Spurs in a statement.

“Our thoughts and condolences go out to Igor and his family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Former Juventus boss Tudor was appointed Tottenham boss until the end of the season on 13 February.

Italian club Juventus expressed sympathy for Tudor.

“Juventus stands with Igor Tudor and his family at this difficult time,” the Bianconeri said in a statement on X.

“Juventus joins in mourning the passing of his father.”

Assuming Paddy McNair will start regardless of Ballard’s injury, O’Neill has a number of options available to him.

Norwich City’s Ruairi McConville is the most likely replacement for Ballard in Bergamo.

The 20-year-old was also an injury doubt but played the full 90 minutes of the loss to Southampton on Wednesday, and again in Saturday’s win over Charlton Athletic.

He made his debut in 2024 and has won nine caps, and has been a regular for Norwich since breaking into the first team in November.

Another option at centre back is Eoin Toal, who started the World Cup qualifier in Germany.

The Bolton Wanderers captain has helped the club to third in League One, and has won 10 caps.

Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown has often been used as a reliable back up for O’Neill when others are out injured, and is a natural left-sided centre back.

He possesses a long throw and has scored twice in his last six matches for Oxford, so is a threat at both ends of the pitch.

Tom Atcheson has been called into the squad as Ballard’s replacement from the Under-21s and is a know quantity to O’Neill, who is his manager at Blackburn Rovers.

Atcheson, 19, was named man of the match in Saturday’s goalless draw with Championship front runners Middlesbrough.

White has not played for England since a 3-0 friendly win against Ivory Coast in March 2022.

He replaces Jarell Quansah in Thomas Tuchel’s expanded 35-man squad after the Bayer Leverkusen defender was ruled out with a thigh injury.

Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was overlooked for the fourth successive England squad.

After Real’s derby victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday, he wrote on Instagram: “Madrid. And nothing else.”

White has made only seven Premier League appearances for leaders Arsenal this season.

However, he has played in eight of their 10 Champions League games in their run to the quarter-finals and started Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City.

Former France and West Ham attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet has retired, at the age of 38.

Payet joined the Hammers from Marseille for £10.7m in June 2015 before he rejoined the French club in January 2017 for £25m.

He scored 15 goals, external in 60 games as he became a fans favourite at West Ham but left against the club’s wishes to “return to his roots”.

Payet won 38 caps for France and helped them reach the final of Euro 2016, which his country lost to Portugal.

He announced his retirement during a half-time interview in the match between Marseille and Lille on Sunday.

“I want to take two minutes to thank everybody, to thank all those who shared these 20 years with me. It was something exceptional,” said Reunion-born Payet.

“I come from an island and my dream was to become a professional. I made it and did it for 20 years at the highest level.

“I managed to play for the national squad, and today is the end of a beautiful journey.”

Payet also played for Nantes, St-Etienne, Lille and Brazilian side Vasco da Gama, who he left last summer and were the final club of his career.

BBC Sport pundits Fara Williams and Nia Jones explain why Bunny Shaw is the best forward in the game right now, after the Manchester City forward scored the fastest hat-trick in Women’s Super League history against Tottenham Hotspur.

Watch The Women’s Football Show in BBC iPlayer.

BBC Sport NI’s Andy Gray

There’s no way of sugar coating it – losing Dan Ballard is a massive blow to Northern Ireland’s hopes of reaching a first World Cup in 40 years.

The Sunderland defender has been integral to the progress of Michael O’Neill’s young side and he has an impact in both boxes.

While he has always been a physical presence, his composure on the ball has also improved from playing Premier League football this season.

Excluding Kieran Morrison, who has only played in the cup competitions for Liverpool, losing two of his four Premier League players is awful luck for O’Neill, after Conor Bradley was sidelined with a knee injury in January.

Thankfully for NI, Ruairi McConville, who was also an injury doubt when the squad was announced, has played two sets of 90 minutes for Norwich City in the past week.

He will be an option for stepping in for Ballard and has impressed in his short international career to date, as will Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown and Bolton’s Eoin Toal.