The Dutch model of developing young footballers: let them sink or swim
5 DAYS AGO - The best teenagers at Ajax, PSV, AZ and Utrecht do not play in a youth league. They face men in Expand
5 DAYS AGO - The best teenagers at Ajax, PSV, AZ and Utrecht do not play in a youth league. They face men in the country’s second divisionBy Gavin Willacy for Playing in the ShadowsDespite Ajax going desperately close to reaching the Champions League final, the Eredivisie seems to be out of fashion with Premier League recruiters. Only two players moved from the Dutch league to the Premier League this summer. Coincidentally, they went to last season’s top two, with Manchester City paying PSV £5.3m for Angeliño and Liverpool signing 17-year-old Sepp van den Berg from Zwolle for £4.4m. In contrast, six players arrived from Belgium at a cost of £98m.Below the top six clubs in the Eredivisie, budgets are small, ranging from €7m to €17m, similar to clubs towards the top of League 1 and bottom of the Championship. The Eredivisie has been a source of talent in the past. Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Luis Suárez were all top scorers in the league before lighting up the Premier League. And both Collapse
Burton Albion 0-1 Manchester City (agg 0-10): Carabao Cup semi-final second leg – as it happened
23/01/2019 - Sergio Aguero scored the only goal of the second leg as Burton salvaged a little pride after their Expand
23/01/2019 - Sergio Aguero scored the only goal of the second leg as Burton salvaged a little pride after their nine-goal nightmare. 10.10pm GMT And that, my good friends, is your lot. Peter Lansley was our man at the match, and his report is here. Congratulations to Manchester City on reaching their seventh League Cup final; commiserations to Burton Albion, though take nothing away from their wonderful run to the semis, and the way they bounced back from despair to give a great account of themselves tonight. Thanks for reading; sweet dreams, wherever you are! Related: Sergio Agüero puts icing on cake for Manchester City against Burton 10.07pm GMT And now Cloughie Jr. gives his verdict. “We came very close a couple of times, I’m very pleased with the way we played tonight and went about it. We got a bit of pride back. We showed a lot of spirit, some good youngsters as well. I thought we pressed them and did everything we could tonight. The pressure was off, of course, with the tie being over. Collapse
Benjamin Mendy could make Manchester City return against Burton
22/01/2019 - • Defender has not featured since November injury• ‘This is an unusual situation to be in when it Expand
22/01/2019 - • Defender has not featured since November injury• ‘This is an unusual situation to be in when it is a semi-final’Pep Guardiola has confirmed Benjamin Mendy has the opportunity to begin his comeback from his latest injury in Manchester City’s Carabao Cup second leg semi-final at Burton.The Premier League club are 9-0 up from the first leg and appear to be as good as in next month’s final already, but Guardiola intends to use the fixture to give match time to Mendy, Kevin De Bruyne and a handful of youth players. Related: Pep Guardiola says Manchester City must improve to win the league Continue reading... Collapse
Gabriel Jesus shows Guardiola he can be Manchester City’s shooting star
09/01/2019 - Brazilian hits four goals past Burton after manager challenges him to dislodge Sergio Agüero from Expand
09/01/2019 - Brazilian hits four goals past Burton after manager challenges him to dislodge Sergio Agüero from the central striking roleThis was Gabriel Jesus’s first four-goal haul for Manchester City could not have been better timed. After Pep Guardiola’s pre-game stance that the Brazilian and Sergio Agüero have to compete to be his centre-forward it was a big chance to bid for the XI when Wolverhampton Wanderers visit on Monday evening.Turn in the kind of high-energy display his manager loves and Jesus might begin to convince Guardiola he should dislodge Agüero, who was absent due to flu but is expected to train on Thursday. And, if Jesus could add to his eight strikes his case could be made even stronger – and Guardiola’s choice more difficult. Related: Pep Guardiola hopeful of contract extension for Vincent Kompany Related: Manchester City 9-0 Burton Albion: Carabao Cup semi-final – as it happened Continue reading... Collapse
Gary Crosby: “Sir Alex Ferguson called and told me what a mistake I’d made’
08/01/2019 - The Burton Albion assistant manager turned down Manchester United as a player and ended up Expand
08/01/2019 - The Burton Albion assistant manager turned down Manchester United as a player and ended up embarrassing Manchester City, who he faces again in the Carabao Cup semi-finalsGary Crosby looks slightly baffled when asked what he thinks comes up when his name is typed into Google. “I don’t know, I’ve never looked myself up once,” Burton Albion’s assistant manager says. “I’ve never watched any games back that I’ve played in – no point. So I haven’t got a clue. ‘Joiner’, hopefully, because that’s what I am.”A friendly and refreshingly down-to-earth character, Crosby has been talking candidly at Burton’s Pirelli Stadium for nearly an hour, reminiscing about the days when he was running down the right flank against miners one week and signing for Brian Clough and upsetting Alex Ferguson the next. Plucked from non-league football at 23, the winger racked up more than 150 games for Nottingham Forest between 1988 and 1994, in a period when cup finals were so commonplace for Clough and his players Collapse
Scott Fraser keeps cool to send Burton past Forest and into last eight
30/10/2018 - Nigel Clough has brewed up another heady upset, guiding Burton to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals Expand
30/10/2018 - Nigel Clough has brewed up another heady upset, guiding Burton to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at the expense of the club he and his father helped to worldwide fame. It was no fluke. This was a deserved triumph for Burton, secured thanks to an own goal by Saidy Janko and excellent efforts by Scott Fraser and Jake Hesketh. Replies for Forest by Lewis Grabban and Arvin Appiah could not save the Championship side.Burton had never reached the last 16 of the competition before while Forest were aiming to progress to the last eight for the first time in nearly 25 years – before which they lifted the trophy four times, all under the management of Brian Clough and twice with Nigel in the team. To advance Forest would have to score at the Pirelli Stadium, which they had failed to do on their two previous visits. Continue reading... Collapse
Cardiff City promoted after Fulham defeat by Birmingham – as it happened
06/05/2018 - Cardiff pipped Fulham to promotion to the Premier League as Bolton came from behind against Expand
06/05/2018 - Cardiff pipped Fulham to promotion to the Premier League as Bolton came from behind against Nottingham Forest to secure safety 2.46pm BST What a breathless final day that was. It was brilliant drama. Cardiff City have been promoted alongside Wolves, four years after being relegated from the Premier League, and Bolton Wanderers have somehow managed to stay up at the expense of Burton Albion and Barnsley, who join Sunderland in League One. As for Fulham, it was a deflating end to their 23-match unbeaten run. They’ll need to dust themselves down for the play-offs. Their semi-final is against sixth-placed Derby County. The other one is between fourth-placed Aston Villa, who will have the luxury of the second leg at Villa Park, and Tony Pulis’s Middlesbrough. That’s all from me. Thanks for reading. Bye! 2.42pm BST Here’s Stuart James with the all-important verdict on Cardiff’s promotion. Related: Cardiff City back in Premier League as Neil Warnock seals eighth promotion 2.41pm BST Here’s Collapse
Championship roundup: Sunderland go bottom after Bolton defeat
20/02/2018 - • José Morais loses first game in charge of Barnsley• Aston Villa held to 1-1 home draw by Expand
20/02/2018 - • José Morais loses first game in charge of Barnsley• Aston Villa held to 1-1 home draw by PrestonBurton condemned José Morais to defeat in his first game in charge of Barnsley with a 2-1 victory which moved Albion off the bottom of the Championship.The Portuguese, appointed as Paul Heckingbottom’s successor last week, suffered a dismal start to life at Oakwell as Jamie Allen’s screamer put the visitors 1-0 ahead inside a minute. Jacob Davenport doubled Burton’s advantage with a free-kick on the stroke of half-time and they held on despite Daniel Pinillos’ 75th-minute goal. Burton leapfrogged Sunderland and Barnsley but remain in the bottom three, below Hull only on goal difference. Continue reading... Collapse
Carabao Cup: third-round action plus fourth-round draw - as it happened
20/09/2017 - No shocks tonight, but the fourth-round draw threw up a few tasty ties. 10.11pm BST The Expand
20/09/2017 - No shocks tonight, but the fourth-round draw threw up a few tasty ties. 10.11pm BST The fourth-round draw in full:Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham UnitedBristol City v Crystal PalaceSwansea City v Manchester UnitedArsenal v Norwich CityChelsea v EvertonManchester City v Wolverhampton WanderersLeicester City v Leeds UnitedBournemouth v Middlesbrough 10.08pm BST Bournemouth v Middlesbrough. And that completes the fourth-round draw, ties to be played the week commencing October 23. 10.07pm BST Leicester City v Leeds United. 10.07pm BST Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers. 10.06pm BST Chelsea v Everton. 10.06pm BST Arsenal v Norwich City. 10.06pm BST Swansea City v Manchester United. 10.06pm BST Bristol City v Crystal Palace. 10.05pm BST Here we go, then! Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson will make the draw for the fourth round. And the first tie is: Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United. 9.56pm BST Stay awhile, please, will you? Because the draw for the fourth round is coming up soon! Collapse
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League One 2019-20 season preview
30/07/2019 - Sunderland, so near after going so far last season, are fancied again with Portsmouth while Expand
30/07/2019 - Sunderland, so near after going so far last season, are fancied again with Portsmouth while Peterborough and post-Oyston Blackpool could challenge for play-off spotsIt was little solace to a sore Sunderland dressing room at Wembley in May when Jack Ross said play-off heartbreak would strengthen his team but now, 10 weeks on, is the time to prove the bruising was not lasting. They froze that day, being too predictable, sheepish and slovenly in possession. Ross’s side came away empty-handed after a 61-game campaign despite losing only five times in the regular season. Nineteen draws hamstrung their automatic promotion hopes but they look primed to challenge for a top-two finish this time and the biggest question marks surround Ross and not his squad. Related: League Two 2019-20 season preview Continue reading... Collapse
Sergio Agüero puts icing on cake for Manchester City against Burton
23/01/2019 - Manchester City may have completed one of the more predictable processions through to a Wembley Expand
23/01/2019 - Manchester City may have completed one of the more predictable processions through to a Wembley final but strangely enough this felt like Burton Albion’s night. Nigel Clough’s side made light of the 55 rungs between themselves and the Carabao Cup holders to come out with their heads held high, producing an outstanding display to limit Pep Guardiola’s rejigged side to a single Sergio Agüero goal. If only this had been the first leg.Cries of “Brewers” finally rang out from the freezing sell-out crowd as the League One players, humbled so utterly in their 9-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, did themselves proud. Related: Burton Albion v Manchester City: Carabao Cup semi-final second leg – live! Continue reading... Collapse
Pep Guardiola 'satisfied' after Manchester City thrash Burton 9-0 – video
10/01/2019 - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was pleased to see his side effectively reach the final of Expand
10/01/2019 - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was pleased to see his side effectively reach the final of this year's Carabao Cup after his side thrashed third tier outfit Burton Albion 9-0 - with four goals from striker Gabriel Jesus - at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.The first-leg result marked the largest margin of victory in the semi-final stages of any English cup competition, and the heaviest League Cup defeat suffered by any side since Liverpool beat Fulham 10-0 back in September 1986 Continue reading... Collapse
Manchester City 9-0 Burton Albion: Carabao Cup semi-final – as it happened
09/01/2019 - Manchester City closed in on the League Cup final after showing their League One opponents Expand
09/01/2019 - Manchester City closed in on the League Cup final after showing their League One opponents absolutely no mercy in the first leg 9.48pm GMT Here’s Daniel Taylor’s match report from the Etihad Stadium. That’s all from me tonight. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye. Related: Gabriel Jesus hits four in merciless Manchester City’s destruction of Burton 9.46pm GMT Just the 16 goals for Manchester City in the last four days. Poor Rotherham. Poor Burton Albion. The second leg on 23 January will be a sight to behold. 9.40pm GMT Burton tried so hard after going 9-0 down. And they kept it to single figures with a backs-to-the-wall effort. A victory of sorts, I suppose. 9.38pm GMT Embarrassment for City as they fail to hit 10 against the League One side. 9.37pm GMT 90 min+1: David Silva has a shot blocked. 9.37pm GMT 90 min: There will be two added minutes. Burton have everyone back. They really don’t want to concede again. 9.33pm GMT 87 min: Zinchenko’s header, Otamendi’s header, Collins’s Collapse
Jake Hesketh makes Burton Albion history at expense of Middlesbrough
18/12/2018 - Middlesbrough supporters know better than to underestimate a Clough and, by the end, there was a Expand
18/12/2018 - Middlesbrough supporters know better than to underestimate a Clough and, by the end, there was a sense that few on Teesside begrudged Nigel Clough’s achievement in leading League One Burton Albion into the semi-finals.Which is not to say they exempted Tony Pulis or his players from blame on a night when Related: Jake Hesketh happily playing his part in Burton’s Carabao Cup adventure Continue reading... Collapse
Marvin Sordell: 'I felt dead inside. Writing is a way to get emotions out’
10/09/2018 - Marvin Sordell has played in the Premier League but also experienced depression. Here he talks Expand
10/09/2018 - Marvin Sordell has played in the Premier League but also experienced depression. Here he talks about football’s ‘ruthlessness’ and how writing and film-making has helped himWe sit in a park near Kings Cross, next to a church and a graveyard, and Marvin Sordell takes a deep breath. He feels ready, but this is not easy. Sordell is a former Premier League footballer, who now plays for Burton Albion in League One, and he is a writer. This dual identity shapes him. Professional football has scarred Sordell; and the secret world of writing has helped him.A sunlit September afternoon leaves dappled little shadows around our feet as his words flow. Everything else falls away beneath this gripping, distressing and ultimately uplifting story. Sordell suffered from depression for years, even when being bought and sold for millions of pounds, playing for England Under-21s and representing GB at the London Olympics, and he endured misconceptions and racism. At his lowest he attempted suicide; but Collapse
Burton put reality check on hold in bid for Championship miracle | Ben Fisher
02/05/2018 - Nigel Clough’s side looked down and out but three wins have put them within sight of survival in a Expand
02/05/2018 - Nigel Clough’s side looked down and out but three wins have put them within sight of survival in a league where the odds are stacked firmly against themIt was last month, two days after a 5-0 humbling by Hull on home turf that left Burton marooned at the bottom of the Championship and eight points adrift of safety with four games remaining, that Ben Robinson, the club’s chairman, penned an open letter to supporters. In short, he says, it was a message that served as a reality check, a reminder of the challenge given their extraordinary journey from the Unibond League to here.In the last line, he referenced the need to generate another miracle if Burton had any hope of preserving their status. The manager, Nigel Clough, sounded resigned to their fate. “We are nearly done now, I’d say,” he said, after that loss extended their winless run to nine. It looked as though they had left themselves too much to do, the writing on the wall. Related: Blackburn’s Mowbray out to crack Venky’s Collapse
Championship roundup: Robert Snodgrass winner lifts Aston Villa
30/01/2018 - • Midfielder’s 90th-minute goal gives Villa victory at Sheffield United• Derby draw 0-0 at Expand
30/01/2018 - • Midfielder’s 90th-minute goal gives Villa victory at Sheffield United• Derby draw 0-0 at Millwall as Sunderland stumble again at BirminghamRobert Snodgrass scored a 90th-minute winner to give in-form Aston Villa a 1-0 win at Sheffield United. The Scotland midfielder curled in a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area to snatch three points and secure a victory that lifts Villa up to third following a fifth straight victory.Steve Bruce’s side are now only a point behind second-placed Derby who missed the chance to close the gap on the leaders Wolves as they were held to a goalless draw at Millwall. The Australia international Tim Cahill, who left Millwall in 2004 to join Everton, was paraded to supporters after sealing a return to the club until the end of the season. Continue reading... Collapse
Manchester United and Marcus Rashford allow Burton little consolation
20/09/2017 - Manchester United swatted Burton Albion aside in what is becoming familiar fashion this season. Expand
20/09/2017 - Manchester United swatted Burton Albion aside in what is becoming familiar fashion this season. Their fourth four-goal haul of the season made it a total of 24 in eight outings in all competitions, as they began their defence of the League Cup.José Mourinho had said United would be taking the competition seriously and by the close there was no disputing they had done so. Marcus Rashford scored twice and terrorised Burton to be the top performer on the night and Mourinho, the only current manager in the four top divisions who has previously claimed the trophy, may fancy his chances of doing so for a fifth time. Continue reading... Collapse
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‘I will be a happier man’: Marvin Sordell retires from football at age of 28
26/07/2019 - • Sordell: ‘ugly side of football has affected my mental health’• Burton manager Nigel Clough pays Expand
26/07/2019 - • Sordell: ‘ugly side of football has affected my mental health’• Burton manager Nigel Clough pays tribute to retiring forwardFormer England Under-21 striker Marvin Sordell has described football as “a beautiful game with an ugly persona” after citing his mental wellbeing as a big factor behind his decision to retire aged just 28.Sordell has announced his retirement after terminating his contract with League One side Burton Albion, and is keen to help others who may be experiencing mental health issues. Related: Marvin Sordell: 'I felt dead inside. Writing is a way to get emotions out’ Continue reading... Collapse
Burton rallies around Clough’s men as City arrive with 9-0 head start
23/01/2019 - Locals applaud Albion’s run to the Carabao Cup semi-finals while the manager pledges to enjoy Expand
23/01/2019 - Locals applaud Albion’s run to the Carabao Cup semi-finals while the manager pledges to enjoy Wednesday’s second legBurton Albion may face a 9-0 deficit to Manchester City but Nigel Clough is so upbeat he stops for an impromptu chat alongside Bobbie, his chocolate‑coloured Hungarian Vizsla dog who is riding shotgun in the manager’s car.The Brewers may be into serious damage-limitation territory when the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg starts on Wednesday night, but Clough’s mood remains as bright as the sun over the Pirelli Stadium and reflects a town relishing the prospect of seeing Kevin De Bruyne and company strut their stuff. Continue reading... Collapse
Nigel Clough: ‘I hope Guardiola’s got more than a glass of wine for me’
09/01/2019 - • Burton manager sees funny side after 9-0 semi-final defeat• Pep Guardiola: ‘It’s an honour to Expand
09/01/2019 - • Burton manager sees funny side after 9-0 semi-final defeat• Pep Guardiola: ‘It’s an honour to play against a Clough’Nigel Clough managed to retain his sense of humour after Burton’s 9-0 trouncing by stating he hoped Pep Guardiola had “more than one glass” of wine on offer for the post-match drink. Related: Gabriel Jesus shows Pep Guardiola he can be Manchester City’s shooting star Continue reading... Collapse
Gabriel Jesus hits four in merciless Manchester City’s destruction of Burton
09/01/2019 - Long before the end, it was difficult not to feel a certain amount of sympathy for the players of Expand
09/01/2019 - Long before the end, it was difficult not to feel a certain amount of sympathy for the players of Burton Albion. They had desperately wanted to cherish the memories of their first semi-final and maybe, in time, they will. Not here, though. Not with Manchester City swatting them aside as if dismissing a bothersome fly. Related: Manchester City 9-0 Burton Albion: Carabao Cup semi-final – as it happened Related: Transfer window January 2019 – every deal from Europe's top five leagues Continue reading... Collapse
Jake Hesketh happily playing his part in Burton’s Carabao Cup adventure
18/12/2018 - On-loan midfielder hopes he can jog a few memories at Southampton when Burton visit Middlesbrough Expand
18/12/2018 - On-loan midfielder hopes he can jog a few memories at Southampton when Burton visit Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals on TuesdayJust over two years ago Jake Hesketh was among the Southampton squad waiting at Ben Gurion airport, just outside Tel Aviv. It was the day after a 0-0 draw against Hapoel Beer Sheva in the Europa League and after an overnight stay there were understandably itchy feet. Barack Obama did not get the memo, though, with Air Force One arriving and Israel rolling out the red carpet.“We were stuck for a little bit while the US president was sat on the runway,” Hesketh says. “For about half an hour we were just looking out waiting for the plane to go. The game itself was a totally different atmosphere, a unique place. It was just a surreal couple of days. I remember all of the whistling; it was a very intimidating stadium to play in.” Related: Fraser and Hesketh send Burton past Nottingham Forest and into last eight Continue reading... Collapse
Shaun Barker bids farewell after showing playing is not everything
09/05/2018 - The defender is retiring six years after his knee was smashed with Derby. He battled back at Expand
09/05/2018 - The defender is retiring six years after his knee was smashed with Derby. He battled back at Burton, where his influence was far greater than his few substitute appearancesAt the end of the season a 35-year-old Burton Albion defender who has made only one appearance this season and five last retired. Those bare facts suggest it is not a particularly notable event but that Shaun Barker was able to make the decision himself is a near miracle of persistence, mental strength and managerial faith.Barker’s right knee was obliterated in a freak collision when he was captaining Derby County against Nottingham Forest in 2012. As he told the Guardian three years ago, the top and bottom halves of his leg were “pretty much held together by the skin alone”. Related: Shaun Barker: ‘The only thing that held my leg together was the skin’ Continue reading... Collapse
Sunderland relegated as Liam Boyce’s injury-time winner gives Burton hope
21/04/2018 - Hostile chants of: “Are you watching Ellis Short?” echoed around the ground as late goals from Expand
21/04/2018 - Hostile chants of: “Are you watching Ellis Short?” echoed around the ground as late goals from Darren Bent and Liam Boyce consigned Sunderland to a second successive relegation while offering Burton an, albeit extremely frayed, Championship lifeline.As the Sunderland manager, Chris Coleman, stared at the ground and with the home fans’ anger at their absentee landlord swiftly exhausted, an eerie silence descended. Burton manager Nigel Clough simply looked bemused. Related: Macclesfield Town promoted back to the Football League Continue reading... Collapse
Football League roundup: Ipswich pile pressure on Sunderland’s Grayson
26/09/2017 - • Aston Villa extend league unbeaten run to seven with 4-0 win at Burton• Millwall strike twice Expand
26/09/2017 - • Aston Villa extend league unbeaten run to seven with 4-0 win at Burton• Millwall strike twice late on to beat Reading, Preston win at Hull CityIpswich romped to a 5-2 victory over struggling Sunderland, who are now without a win in eight. Former Black Cat Martyn Waghorn headed the home side into a sixth-minute lead which was soon cancelled out by Billy Jones. However, goals from Jordan Spence and Bersant Celina put Mick McCarthy’s men in control and further efforts from David McGoldrick and Grant Ward either side of Aiden McGeady’s strike cemented the win.Kenneth Zohore fired Cardiff back to the top of the Championshipas Leeds, the leaders before kick-off, capitulated in South Wales. Related: Cardiff back on top as Kenneth Zohore’s double takes Leeds down a notch Continue reading... Collapse
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