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Harry Redknapp Sacked By Birmingham
Harry Redknapp: Birmingham City sack manager after poor run
Veteran manager Harry Redknapp was sacked by second-tier Birmingham City on Saturday after a 3-1 home defeat by Preston, the club announced.
Harry Redknapp Sacked By Birmingham
Harry Redknapp
The 70-year-old, whose coaching career has included Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth, was briefly hailed as a saviour after he kept Birmingham in the division last term having taken over following a disastrous spell in charge by Italian Gianfranco Zola.
However, despite an influx of players in the close season, Birmingham suffered a sixth successive defeat and have just four points from eight league matches.
“Blues have parted company with manager Harry Redknapp,” read a terse statement form the club.
Redknapp, who had been in charge for just 13 matches, had appeared not to be aware of an impending decision although he accepted the blame for the abject display in Saturday’s match.
“The players have got to adjust to the Championship if they are going to survive in this league. It was horrendous defending in the middle of the park,” he said.
“I didn’t tell them to do that, that’s for sure, but I take the blame — that’s the way the game is.”
Less than five months in charge
Birmingham signed 14 players during the summer transfer window, but six defeats from their first eight league games in 2017-18 saw Redknapp become the first managerial casualty of the Championship season.
Saturday's 3-1 home loss to Preston was the ex-West Ham and QPR boss' final match in charge of the Blues.
Redknapp initially worked without asking for payment from Blues for the final three games of 2016-17, having replaced Gianfranco Zola.
Birmingham are 23rd in the table after their first eight league games, above only winless, newly-promoted Bolton Wanderers.
Carsley, 43, who was previously head coach at Brentford on an interim basis in 2015, steps up from the role of development squad manager at Birmingham.
Redknapp 'enjoying the job'
Speaking after the loss to Preston but before his departure was announced, Redknapp told BBC WM 95.6: "Fans deserve better and that was my motivation to carry on this season.
"I do not come to work because I need the money, I enjoy the job and leaving home at 5.15 every morning. I would love to be the manager to bring some success to Birmingham."
Redknapp had replaced Zola 16 hours after the Italian's resignation in April, following the Blues' dismal run of two wins in 24 matches under the former Chelsea forward.
When Gary Rowett was sacked in December, Blues had been seventh in the table, outside the play-off places only on goal difference, but they narrowly survived relegation on the final day thanks to a 1-0 win at Bristol City.
Birmingham's next match on Saturday, 23 September is away to Rowett's current side, Derby County.
Chelsea are among Champions League 'favourites', says Qarabag coach
Antonio Conte's Chelsea should be considered among the front-runners to win the Champions League this season, according to Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov.
Conte was able to rest a number of regular starters against Qarabag on Tuesday night, with a rotated Chelsea XI still sauntering to a 6-0 Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from Pedro, Davide Zappacosta, Cesar Azpilicueta, substitute Tiemoue Bakayoko and Michy Batshuayi ascertained a comfortable return to Europe's elite after last season's first absence since 2003-04.
Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in 2012, and Gurbanov believes that the Premier League champions deserve to be labelled as one of the favourites to wrestle away Authentic Madrid's crown this season.
Verbalizing with heralds after the match, Gurbanov verbally expressed: "The game was very arduous for us.
"Chelsea played very good. Chelsea is a favourite for the tournament.
"We made lots of errors and I accept we must play even preponderant. But I am gratified with the way we played."
Conte was delectated with Chelsea's performance, verbally expressing: "It was a good commencement, an impeccable start for us.
Conte’s trust is rewarded on Chelsea’s Champions League return
"To play the first game (of the) Champions League, then to win with a good result, to score many goals, to culminate the game with an immaculate sheet. I visually perceived an abundance of positive things tonight.
"Now we have to perpetuate, we have to repose tomorrow and then to commence to cogitate the next game, a vigorous game, a tough game against Arsenal (on Sunday)."
OZIL'S GERMANY PERFORMANCES SHOW HOW WENGER SHOULD USE HIM
The 28-year-old has always sparked debate on how good he really is. It’s clear that someone who has made the most final third passes completed (3015), created the most chances (409),
made the most successful crosses (229) and recorded the most assists (42) in the Premier League since joining in 2013 is undoubtedly a world class player whose statistics cannot be argued with.
The midfielder will always incite an array of opinion, but his performances for Germany show he can perform better than he has shown at Arsenal
Actions verbalize louder than words and no one kens that better than Mesut Ozil. People will always have an array of opinion on the best players in world football and the German international’s sizably voluminous convivial media presence and fame makes him a facile win for ex-players, pundits who probe for someone to criticise when things are going erroneous.
The negativity circumventing Arsenal at the moment has been brought on by years of frustration at the Gunners inability to maintain a consistent challenge for a major trophy. There have been immensely colossal victories, terrible defeats and, somewhere in between, major signings, with Ozil arriving in north London for a then-club record fee of £42.5m four years ago.
The 28-year-old has always sparked debate on how good he authentically is. It’s clear that someone who has made the most final third passes consummated (3015), engendered the most chances (409), made the most prosperous crosses (229) and recorded the most avails (42) in the Premier League since joining in 2013 is indubitably a world class player whose statistics cannot be argued with.
“I believe there are different types of leaders on the field. You have the technical leader, you have the vocal one, you have the one who doesn’t talk but shows it in his desire and how he competes.
“I’m more like that: the one who isn’t as vocal as Tony Adams but will show it how he competes on the field. And you have the type of leader who will want to take a penalty in the 95th minute — this is part of being a leader as well.”
Wenger’s main problem in getting the best out of Ozil is refusal to bring in a player who can offset some of the German’s weaknesses. He would be more effective if a central midfielder with defensive qualities could play behind him, but the Frenchman continues to stick with the vulnerable midfield pivot of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey – neither of whom are defensive midfielders.
Let's not forget that this is a player who topped the league's assist chart two seasons ago with 19 - one short of Thierry Henry's record for most in one season.. Wenger certainly knows how to utilise his strengths but there is the fact that Arsenal's defensive side has been neglected in the past couple of seasons which saw them finish fifth in the last campaign.
He's been coerced to play from deep in recent games due to Arsenal's defensive deficiencies and failure to get the ball in the final third expeditiously enough. That isn't an issue for the German national team where they play with two holding midfielders and possess a defensive unit which infrequently concedes goals.
Ozil has consistently shown what he can do for club and country. He engenders an abundance of opportunities for his team-mates, opens up the pitch with his perspicacious runs and pin-point passing while he showed last season that he isn't trepidacious to score a goal - recording his best goalscoring tally at club level during the antecedent campaign.
He will always elicit, exhilarate, regale and frustrate, but that's what makes Ozil so enigmatic. Those who feel this will be his last season at Arsenal should appreciate what they have afore it's gone because once the No.10 leaves Emirates Stadium they will virtually certainly be worse off as a team and overall assailing unit.
I’m finished, says Mayweather after McGregor rout
Floyd Mayweather insisted he would head into a permanent retirement after sealing his place in boxing history with a 50th straight win against Conor McGregor on Saturday.
The 40-year-old American boxer outclassed McGregor over 10 absorbing rounds at the T-Mobile Arena to defeat Irish mixed martial arts by technical knockout.
The win sees Mayweather, who had come out of a two-year retirement to face McGregor, surpass heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano with a perfect record of 50-0.
Afterward former welterweight king Mayweather insisted he would never be seen in a ring again.
“This was my last fight tonight. For sure,” Mayweather said, praising his beaten opponent.
“Tonight was my last fight. Tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with.
“Conor you are a hell of a champion.”
Mayweather also rejected suggestions that his 50th victory — against an opponent who had never boxed professionally before — would be destined to have an asterisk against it.
“A win is a win, no matter how you get it,” Mayweather said. “Rocky Marciano is a legend and I look forward to going into the Hall of Fame one day.”
Mayweather meanwhile revealed the fight had followed a tactical plan as he took his time and allowed McGregor to become fatigued before pouncing in the later rounds.
“Our game plan was to take our time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the stretch,” Mayweather said.
“We know in MMA he fights for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, he started to slow down. I guaranteed to everybody that this wouldn’t go the distance.”
Mayweather also said he had felt obliged to “put on a show” after being accused of contributing to an underwhelming spectacle in his 2015 “Fight of the Century” against Manny Pacquiao.
On that occasion Mayweather was accused of being overly cautious, cagily keeping Pacquiao at arm’s lengthen route to a comfortable win.
“I could have made it boring. I didn’t want to do that,” Mayweather said. “I felt like I owed the fans a last hurrah. So I went out there and that was the game plan. I wanted to go out with a bang.”
Mayweather insisted that his legacy as one of boxing greats would remain intact following his controversial meeting with McGregor, which had been panned by many in boxing.
Hummels:- 'I can't go to Klopp's birthday party - it's my wedding anniversary!'
Jurgen Klopp's 50th birthday party will not be attended by his former Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels.
Mats Hummels will not be attending a 50th day of inception celebration for his former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp as it clashes with his wedding anniversary.
Klopp plans to mark his 50th day of inchoation with a bash on June 15, but Bayern Munich advocator Hummels verbally expressed he cannot go to the party as he will instead be celebrating with wife Cathy.
Hummels was Klopp's captain when the duo collaborated at Dortmund but, despite the Germany international expressing a wish to attend, they will not be reunited at the party.
"On June 15 it is his celebration," Hummels told German television station ZDFneo. "He certainly knows this, it is not a surprise party.
"And he had to choose my wedding day, which is why I cannot come. I would have been at Kloppo's 50th, of course."
Hummels also stated that he would not have played in Dortmund's Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie against Monaco, which was postponed by just a day following an attack on the team's coach.
The defender was critical of the decision to play the fixture so soon after the incident.
"I thought it was bad, I would not have played it, I would not have it," Hummels added. "It is, of course, the question whether there was an alternative to play or fly out, whether it would have been tolerated. But I would have had to take a break.
"I do not know whether it would have been difficult organisationally or financially. But I think that there were interests ranked higher than what those who were sitting [on the bus] have felt, and that is a pity."
