Category: Sports

Welbeck’s statistics this season are certainly impressive.

His two goals for Brighton took his tally in the league this season to 12, his outright most in a single campaign.

Indeed, it’s the third time he’s netted more than one goal in a league game this term, also his outright most in a season.

Key to Welbeck’s scoring form this season is just how clinical he is. His first six goals of the season came from just seven shots on target and against Liverpool he had two shots on target, scoring both.

But for Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler, the veteran offers much more than just the goals.

He said: “Not only scoring goals – he is in brilliant shape of course – but also being there as a team-mate, finding good connections between team-mates, creating a good togetherness.

“He is a great connector, he is so valuable on and off the pitch and he can help every team in the world, including England.”

Former England striker Wayne Rooney praised Welbeck’s all-round play, saying: “He scores goals, he works really hard, he links the play really well.

“He’s certainly an option for England.”

At the end of every season the Premier League’s stakeholders – that’s coaches, captains and fans, among others – are asked for their opinion on how the game is refereed.

Last summer the high threshold for VAR intervention was supported by 80%.

Clubs may feel they have been wronged, as Manchester United were at Bournemouth.

But they don’t mention the times they benefited from this high threshold.

Like the push by Leny Yoro before United scored at Fulham, or the penalty for Jaydee Canvot’s hold on Cunha (which also led to a VAR red card), or Diogo Dalot’s potential red-card challenge on Jeremy Doku.

Clubs have selective memory when decisions go against them.

There have been fewer VAR interventions this season, but the accuracy has remained the same at 94%.

PGMOL would probably say that shows more decisions are being made on the field rather than being left to VAR.

The independent Key Match Incidents Panel results say that on-field accuracy has remained stable, at 86%, since 2023-24.

Take that on face value and on-field standards have neither improved nor regressed.

English football’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t know what it wants.

It doesn’t like VAR getting involved in games.

The Premier League has the lowest intervention rate in Europe, but then you get clubs saying it must intervene more when a decision doesn’t go their way.

Clubs are always unhappy when a decision goes against them.

But they are strangely silent when they are the beneficiaries.

Charlton Athletic have insisted football needs to “alter the economics” of the game after reporting an increased operating loss in their latest annual accounts after promotion to the Championship.

The operating loss at The Valley rose from £13.9m in the previous financial year to £16.7m in the year to June 2025, despite revenue being up a healthy 27% from £8.8m to £11.2m.

The Addicks insist they remain in a decent position, crucially with no external debt, but their statement came with a warning about the future for all aspiring clubs unless costs are brought down to more sustainable levels.

“The club entered the Championship better positioned than at any point in recent years, with modern facilities, a competitive squad, financial stability and a clear strategic direction,” chief financial and operations officer Ed Warrick told the club website., external

“What our financial results do highlight, however, is the cost of football.

“We are grateful to the club’s ownership for backing the board’s vision and putting us in a position to achieve what we did last season and prepare us for 2025-26 with a significant input of resource.

“That resource commitment is unsustainable in the long-term for any club, and it is a challenge for all of football to alter the economics of the game to reduce this level of cash loss.”

Charlton reported £3m investment in stadium and training ground improvements and said staff bonuses for promotion and increased wages in the second tier have impacted their financial figures.

On the plus side, the club also reported rises in both attendances and season ticket sales on 2023-24 and increased broadcast revenues after achieving promotion via the play-offs in May last year.

Nathan Jones’s side currently sit in 18th place in the Championship.

Tuchel, who has made clear his love of the physical nature of English football alongside his want of a solid backline referenced Jarrell Quansah, Djed Spence and Tino Livramento as the players in front of Alexander-Arnold.

And although predominately a centre-back, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa played at right-back in the comfortable win over Wales in October and is an option there too.

“A slightly different profile,” Tuchel said when asked by BBC Sport about what the other players bring.

“It’s not what Trent cannot offer us. I know very well what Trent can offer.

“I suffered when he played against my teams with Liverpool. I know very well about his strengths and what he can give.”

Livramento played the second-half of Newcastle’s 7-2 defeat by Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League tie on Wednesday, but he has already impressed the England boss.

Tuchel is big on players having “credit” for what they have previously done for him and Livramento played in England’s 5-0 away win against Serbia, arguably the most impressive performance since he took charge.

“It is a sporting decision that we stick with Quansah, Livramento and Spence who all can play in camp in the right full-back position,” added the German.

“We have evidence with how good we were in September, October and November and the players who are in camp have to push for their ticket. They have to show again that they deserve this spot.”

Available for over a year

John Murray & Ian Dennis are joined by producer Gary Flintoff. Also hear from Thomas Tuchel after he names his England squad. Gary gives a behind-the-scenes insight into what a football producer does and dishes the dirt on his most interesting post-match interviews. Plus more unintended pub names and terms for our Great Glossary of Football Commentary. Messages, questions and voicenotes welcome on WhatsApp to 08000 289 369 & emails to TCV@bbc.co.uk

03:00 What does a football producer do?
10:45 Gary’s face is his accreditation!
14:05 What’s it like interviewing Premier League managers?
19:55 Who’s the most difficult to interview?
27:30 5 Live commentaries this weekend,
29:05 History already in the League Cup Final,
32:00 Thomas Tuchel names his England squad,
34:15 Thomas Tuchel INTERVIEW,
44:45 Unintended pub names,
51:15 Great Glossary of Football Commentary.

5 Live / BBC Sounds commentaries:
Sat 1200 Man City v Spurs in WSL on Sports Extra,
Sat 1500 Fulham v Burnley,
Sat 1730 Everton v Chelsea,
Sun 1415 Spurs v Nottingham Forest,
Sun 1415 Aston Villa v West Ham on Sports Extra,
Sun 1630 League Cup Final – Arsenal v Man City.

Great Glossary of Football Commentary:
DIVISION ONE
Agricultural challenge,
Back of the net,
Back to square one,
Booked,
Bosman,
Bullet header,
Channel of joy,
Coupon buster,
Cruyff Turn,
Cultured/educated left foot,
Dead-ball specialist,
Draught excluder,
Elastico/flip-flap,
False nine,
Fox in the box,
Giving the goalkeeper the eyes,
Grub hunter,
Head tennis,
Hibs it,
In a good moment,
In behind,
Magic of the FA Cup,
The Maradona,
Off their line,
Olimpico,
Onion bag,
Panenka,
Park the bus,
Perfect hat-trick,
Piledriver,
Put his cap on it,
Rabona,
Roy of the Rovers stuff,
Schmeichel-style,
Scorpion kick,
Spursy,
Stick it in the mixer,
Sweeper keeper,
Target man,
Tiki-taka,
Towering header,
Trivela,
Where the kookaburra sleeps,
Where the owl sleeps,
Where the spiders sleep.

DIVISION TWO
2-0 can be a dangerous score,
Asterisk,
Back on the grass,
Ball stays hit,
Beaten all ends up,
Blaze over the bar,
Business end,
Came down with snow on it,
Catching practice,
Camped in the opposition half,
Cauldron atmosphere
Coat is on a shoogly peg,
Come back to haunt them,
Corridor of uncertainty,
Couldn’t sort their feet out,
Easy tap-in,
Daisy-cutter,
Drubbing,
First cab off the rank,
Giant-killing,
Goalkeepers’ Union,
Good leave,
Good touch for a big man,
Half-turn,
Has that in his locker,
High wide and not very handsome,
Hospital pass,
Howler,
In the dugout,
In the hat,
In their pocket,
Johnny on the spot,
Lackadaisical,
Leading the line,
Leather a shot,
Middle of the park,
Needed no second invitation,
Nice headache to have,
No-look pass,
Nutmeg,
On their bike,
One for the cameras,
One for the purists,
Played us off the park,
Points to the spot,
Prawn sandwich brigade,
Purple patch,
Put their laces through it,
Queensbury rules,
Reaches for their pocket,
Rolls Royce,
Root and branch review,
Row Z,
Screamer,
Seats on the plane,
Show across the bows,
Slide-rule pass,
Staving off relegation,
Steal a march,
Sting the palms,
Straight in the bread basket,
Stramash,
Taking one for the team,
Telegraphed that pass,
Tired legs,
That’s great… (football),
Thunderous strike,
Turns on a sixpence,
Walk it in,
We’ve got a cup tie on our hands.

UNSORTED
After you Claude,
All-Premier League affair,
Aplomb,
Bag/box of tricks,
Brace,
Brandished,
Bread and butter,
Breaking the deadlock,
Bundled over the line,
Champions elect / champions apparent,
Clinical finish,
Commentator’s curse,
Denied by the woodwork,
Draught excluder,
Elimination line,
Fellow countryman,
Foot race,
Formerly of this parish,
Free hit,
Goalmouth scramble,
Honeymoon Period,
In and around,
In the shop window,
Keeping ball under their spell,
Keystone Cops defending,
Languishing,
Loitering with intent,
Marching orders,
Nestle in the bottom corner,
Numbered derbies,
Opposite number,
PK for penalty-kick,
Postage stamp,
Rasping shot,
Red wine not white wine,
Relegation six-pointer,
Rooted at the bottom,
Route One,
Sending the goalkeeper the wrong way,
Shooting boots,
Sleeping giants,
Slide rule pass,
Small matter of,
Spiders web,
Stayed hit,
Steepling,

Stonewall penalty,
Straight off the training ground,
Taking one for the team,
Team that likes to play football,
Thruppenny bit head / 50p head,
Two good feet,
Turning into a basketball match,
Turning into a cricket score,
Usher/Shepherd the ball out of play,
Walking a disciplinary tightrope,
Wand of a left foot,
Wrap foot around it,
Your De Bruynes, your Gundogans etc.

Programme WebsiteShow less

“We have to believe, because if we don’t believe, no-one else will, and that’s how we have to approach the game.”

When Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland step foot in Bergamo for their World Cup play-off with Italy, few will expect them to defeat the four-time champions.

Gennaro Gattuso’s side may not be the all-conquering team of old, but they still cannot be underestimated with a squad littered with Serie A and Premier League players.

O’Neill admits it is “very difficult to win” in Italy’s backyard, but he is thankful that Northern Ireland “are still in the fight”.

“I’ve always said to the players, don’t waste the opportunity,” O’Neill told BBC Sport NI.

“Every time you step on the pitch as an international player, you never know when it will be your last opportunity.

“So make sure that you embrace it and you do everything possible.”

Rangers want talks with other Scottish Premiership clubs over this season’s standard of refereeing in the top flight. (The Herald – subscription required), external

Glasgow councillors have begun talks with the police regarding plans for the city centre should Celtic or Rangers win the league. (Scottish Sun), external

Inspired by “one in a million” Martin O’Neill, former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is not considering retirement any time soon following difficult spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest. (The Herald – subscription required), external

Former interim manager Peter Leven’s departure from Aberdeen is nothing personal, says new boss Stephen Robinson. (Daily Record – subscription required), external

Bristol City are likely to listen to offers for Scotland international Ross McCrorie this summer, with former club Aberdeen holding a 20% sell-on clause. (Daily Record – subscription required), external

New Zealand boss Darren Bazeley says Motherwell midfielder Elijah Just “looks like the best player in the league at the moment”, with Rangers and Celtic both interested in the 25-year-old. (Daily Record – subscription required), external

Dundee have opened talks with players who are out of contract at the end of the season. (The Courier – subscription required), external

Dinamo Zagreb chief scout Tomislav Sokota claims the Croatian league leaders have had offers of £10m for Scotland defender Scott McKenna, although the 29-year-old insists he is very happy at the Maksimir Stadium. (Aberdeen Live), external