Newcastle United have signed French winger Allan Saint-Maximin from Nice for a reported sixteen-and-a-half million knicker. Saint-Maximin, a France Under-Twenty One international, has signed a six-year deal at St James' Park. 'He has all the attributes you would want in an attacking player,' Steve Brucie (nasty to see him, to see him, nasty) said. Earlier on Friday Newcastle announced the signing of Netherlands defender Jetro Willems on a season-long loan from Eintracht Frankfurt with a subsequent option to buy. The twenty five-year-old left-back - who has twenty two international caps - made thirty six appearances in the Bundesliga last term.
This blogger's beloved (though, tragically unsellable) Newcastle concluded their pre-season programme on Saturday with a two-one victory over French opposition St Etienne which was somewhat more emphatic than the final scoreline suggests. New signing Joelinton and teenager Matty Longstaff netted for The Magpies before Les Verts pulled one back after a rare foray upfield, Gallowgate old boy Mathieu Debuchy being on target. However that margin of victory could have - and should have - been far greater; Miguel Almiron's first goal for Th' Toon continues to elude him despite several chances, he and Jonjo Shelvey rattling the woodwork and last-ditch interventions denying Isaac Hayden and Yoshinori Muto among others. St James' Park was bathed in sunshine for the first home game in charge of The Magpies for Stevie Brucie (nasty to see him, to see him, nasty), but his entrance was low key and without any fanfare. Clad in their new orange change kit, the game began with United's latest signings Allan Saint-Maximin and Jetro Willems on a subs bench which also included Christian Atsu for the first time in pre-season. However Matt Ritchie was omitted after limping off at Hibernian in midweek and pre-season ended with no pitch time at all for the injured trio of Dwight Gayle, Lejeune Florian or DeAndre Yedlin. Martin Dubravka returned in goal but had virtually nothing to do in the first half. At first it seemed that the visitors who finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season might dominate but St Étienne created little against Newcastle's three-five-two formation. Having scored his first goal for the club at Easter Road, Joelinton came close to another on twenty minutes after Fabian Schär 's long-range effort was blocked and fell to him, only for his shot to be scrambled away for a corner. Hayden then rounded the visiting keeper, only for his goalbound effort from a narrow angle to be headed clear by Wesley Fofana. Record signing Joelinton wasn't to be denied however and scampered forward to reach Schär's excellent through-ball before forcing it beyond the advancing keeper and into the Leazes End goal on thirty nine minutes. Shelvey then came close to a second when his powerful free kick bounced down off the crossbar and on the goal line before being cleared to safety. Almiron was causing problems with his pace but his end product remained wayward and he was denied once again two minutes into the second half, taking Shelvey's through-ball but failing to beat the keeper. The Paraguayan then had another effort blocked soon after before bursting into the box again in the fifty seventh minute and unleashing a shot that grazed the crossbar. Almiron and Joelinton then made way as new pair Willems and Saint-Maximin arrived, along with Muto - who quickly had the ball in the net, only to be denied by an offside flag. Willems and Saint-Maximin then combined for the latter to see his shot well saved, before the moment of the afternoon arrived for the sixteen thousand crowd. Matty Longstaff had been on the field just a matter of seconds when he took a pass from his older brother, Sean, on the edge of the St Etienne area before hitting a screamer which flew into the roof of the net. Further goals seemed likely but after Muto was denied from close range by an instinctive block, it was the Ligue 1 side that broke their duck; Debuchy was allowed to head in a corner as the defence lost concentration with five minutes remaining. The game ended with Saint-Maximin limping off in the company of a physio after coming a cropper while twisting and turning in the box. The afternoon was punctuated on the hour by loud anti-Mike Ashley chanting from a sparsely-populated Strawberry Corner, followed by a couple of lacklustre choruses of 'Stevie Bruce's black and white army.'
Meanwhile, following the Daily Scum Mail's suspiciously-timed 'exclusive' Mike Ashley interview with regular Ashley-apologist Martin Samuel in which some - frankly, Stalinist-style - rewriting of history was done at Rafa Benitez's expense it was interesting, this week, to see comments coming from the two most high-profile departures from Tyneside this summer. Speaking to his own website, Rafa The (Former) Gaffer talked about the 'good times' he had in Newcastle and of 'the ongoing kindness and positivity' he received (and, continues to receive) from the fans. 'They appreciated the commitment we had when choosing to stay at Newcastle and the efforts we made to continue being there, but unfortunately, as they say in England, "a leopard can't change its spots." A lot of things kept us attached to the club, to the city and to its fans, but a lack of project as well as unfulfilled promises meant we had to look forwards and follow a different path, as others such as Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan have done whilst continuing to be supported and to support the team. There is nothing wrong with thinking about the past, but it's also important to look to the future. For this reason, all I have left to say is that I truly wish the team and Steve Bruce the best for the following season.' Classy, in a way that Ashley can only dream of appearing. And, jolly clever use of two other Newcastle icons who were, similarly, used and abused by That Awful Ashley Individual in previous years. He's a smart man, is Rafa and if Ashley thinks for a second that he has any chance of winning a public relations war against Benitez, he's a bigger fool than most Newcastle fans had previously suspected. Later that same day in an interview with The Athletic, Ayoze Pérez made the following observation: 'Things could be done better over there at Newcastle, but Leicester have given me the opportunity to do great things hopefully. There is big ambition. I think how football works, the way you have to look at football, that is the difference between Leicester and Newcastle. There is big motivation here to keep growing and to get better here at Leicester. I didn't feel they had it at Newcastle.' It was interesting to note when these comments were reprinted in the Evening Chronicle, some spawny-eyed parrot-faced wazzocks wittering on about how Ayoze had swapped Newcastle for 'a smaller club.' Leicester City, of course, won the Premier League in 2016. That's a full ninety years after the last time Newcastle achieved the same feat. Of course, there are many things which make a club 'big'; support through the turnstiles, turnover, how many replica shirts you sell in Malaysia alongside simply counting what's been in the trophy cabinet recently and only a foolish fool would attempt to claim that, under most criteria, Newcastle are not a 'big' club (they are reported to be among the twenty richest clubs in Europe, for example). But, then again, Blunderland are also a 'big' club and, look where they are at the moment. Bottom line, it would be nice if The Magpies could manage to turn that impressive support and all of those sales of replica shirts into, you know, a League Cup win, or something. Not that this is at all likely under the current regime, obviously.
Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee a major men's European match when she takes charge of the UEFA Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea on 14 August. Frappart will lead a team that also includes two female assistant referees when the Champions League winners face the Europa League holders in Istanbul. The thirty five-year-old Frenchwoman refereed July's Women's World Cup final in Lyon. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he was 'delighted' by her appointment. 'I have said on many occasions that the potential for women's football has no limits,' he added. 'As an organisation, we place the utmost importance on the development of women's football in all areas. I hope the skill and devotion that Stephanie has shown throughout her career to reach this level will provide inspiration to millions of girls and women around Europe, and show them there should be no barriers in order to reach one's dream.' The assistant referees will be Frappart's compatriot Manuela Nicolosi and Michelle O'Neill of the Republic of Ireland. Leading male referee Cuneyt Cakir, who took charge of the 2015 Champions League final, will be the fourth official. Frappart became the first female referee to take charge of a Ligue 1 match in April and is in the pool of officials for the top flight of men's football in France for the 2019-20 season. In 2014, she was also the first woman to referee a Ligue 2 fixture. 'Stephanie has proved over a number of years that she is one of the best female referees, not just in Europe but across the world,' said UEFA chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti. 'She has the ability to officiate on the biggest stage, as she proved at this year's Women's World Cup final.' Swiss former female referee Nicole Petignat took charge of three UEFA Cup qualifying round matches between 2004 and 2009.
Promotion favourites Poor Bloody Fulham Haven't Got A Chance suffered a blast of Championship reality with a shock opening-weekend loss at Barnsley. Former Derby midfielder Luke Thomas struck a debut goal for the hosts to stun Scott Parker's Fulham, back in the Championship after a solitary Premier League campaign. Fulham have retained the bulk of the squad that could not fend off top-flight relegation last term, but failed to gel on a frustrating afternoon at Oakwell. Cardiff also suffered a bloody nose on their return to the second tier, as Wigan Not very Athletic pulled off a fine three-two win at the DW Stadium. Michael Jacobs and Josh Windass both scored in four second-half minutes to put Wigan ahead, after Joe Ralls had handed Cardiff the early lead. Omar Bogle levelled for Cardiff as Neil Warnock's Bluebirds rallied again. But just when the visitors started to think about chasing a winner, up popped Wales midfielder Lee Evans with a fine long-range effort to seal Wigan's victory. Kadeem Harris fired a debut goal as ten-man Sheffield Wednesday claimed a three-one win at Reading. After Harris had opened the scoring, Yakou Meite headed Reading level after the break. But just two minutes later Sam Hutchinson headed in Barry Bannan's cross to put Wednesday back in front. Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood was sent off with ten minutes to play, but Wednesday not only managed to hold out - replacement forward Lucas Joao fired in a third for the visitors. Promoted Charlton sealed a battling two-one win at Blackburn Vindaloos, with defender Ben Purrington and striker Lyle Taylor on target. Purrington grabbed the equaliser at Wembley en route to Charlton's thigh-slappingly hilarious League One play-off win over Blunderland in May and was back on the scoresheet at the start of the new campaign. Taylor's close-range strike spared Dillon Phillips' blushes, after the Charlton goalkeeper had put through his own net to gift Blackburn an equaliser. Two goals in as many minutes turned the tide for Swansea to secure a two-one home win over Hull. Kamil Grosicki had the visitors ahead after just three minutes, a lead they held until the break. But after the interval Swansea took control, with Spanish striker Borja Baston equalising from close range and then Mike van der Hoorn nodding in Nathan Dyer's cross for the winner. Kristian Pedersen headed home the only goal as Birmingham beat Brentford, with full-back Steve Seddon laying on the crucial cross. Jed Wallace fired Millwall to a home win over Preston, with summer recruit Connor Mahoney teeing up the winner. Jordan Hugill and Eberechi Eze both found the net as Queens Park Strangers saw off Dirty Stoke two-one at the Bet365 Stadium. Sam Clucas clawed one back late on for Stoke, but the hosts could not conjure an equaliser. Nottingham Forest lost two-one to West Bromwich Albinos in the evening kick-off. The Championship kicked-off on Friday evening with a thrilling three-three draw between newly-promoted Luton Town and Middlesbrough Smog Monsters. James Collins scored a late equaliser to deny Jonathan Woodgate a winning start as Boro boss. Boro were made to pay for Britt Assombalonga's missed penalty while they were leading three-two, as Collins struck from ten yards with five minutes left to secure a draw. Four goals were shared in the opening thirty seven minutes of an entertaining contest at Kenilworth Road.
Blunderland were held by Oxford as they started their second quest to escape from the mire of League One. Tariqe Fosu scored on his Oxford debut after his summer move from Charlton Not very Athletic to give the visitors a surprise lead. Lynden Gooch levelled from the spot four minutes after the break for The Mackem Filth after he was fouled by Josh Ruffels. But Jack Ross' side, who lost to Charlton in the play-off final in May, extremely failed to find a winner. Portsmouth slipped to a surprise defeat to Shrewsbury at the New Meadow. John Giles' stunning strike condemned Pompey to an opening-day loss and their disappointing afternoon was compounded when Ross McCrorie was sent off with nine minutes left. Stricken Notlob Wanderings, who start the season with minus twelve points, lost two-nil at Wycombe. Paul Smyth struck just after the break and Fred Onyedinma added a late second for The Chairboys. The Trotters went to Adams Park only after the EFL gave the game the go-ahead following Bolton providing financial assurances. Phil Parkinson's side travelled to the game with only three contracted senior outfield players and eight of the squad made their debuts. Bury's game with MK Dons had already been suspended after Bury failed to convince the league of their own financial viability. Ipswich Town, relegated from the Championship last season, began life in the third tier for the first time since 1957 with a one-nil win at Burton Albinos. Luke Garbutt scored an early winner while Stephen Quinn was dismissed late on for the hosts. Ian Henderson's double - one from the penalty spot - and Rhys Norrington-Davies' second-half strike earned Rochdale a three-two win at promoted Tranmere. Sid Nelson conceded an early penalty for Henderson to score and he added a second after the break before Norrington-Davies got in on the act. Dale needed to survive a late Rovers rally though after Stephen Dooley's own goal and Connor Jennings' injury-time goal before Rushian Hepburn-Murphy was sent off to end the hosts' hopes. Darren Moore's Doncaster reign started with a draw with Gillingham as he needed Kieran Sadlier to rescue a point after Alex Jakubiak put the visitors ahead. Freddie Ladapo scored a debut goal and Clark Robertson struck a late winner for Rotherham in their two-one win at AFC Wimbledon. Loanee Robertson fired in with six minutes left to cancel out Joe Piggott's leveller for The Dons. Jay Spearing's penalty and Armand Gnanduillet's goal gave Blackpool the perfect start to the season in their two-nil win over Bristol Rovers. Joey Barton's Fleetwood also secured an impressive three-one win at Peterborough. Harry Souttar and Josh Morris put The Cod Army two ahead; Ivan Toney pulled one back for the hosts but Danny Andrew's free-kick banked the points for Fleetwood. Elsewhere, Zain Westbrooke's second-half winner gave Coventry victory over Southend.
Salford beat Stevenage two-nil in their first-ever Football League match. Emmanuel Dieseruvwe's historic double gave his side a winning start in League Two in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off. Mansfield came back from a two-goal deficit at half-time to secure a draw with Newport despite finishing the game with ten men after Jacob Mellis' red card. Joss Labadie put Newport ahead, before Padraig Amond scored from the spot to double his side's lead but Mansfield struck back in the second half with goals from Krystian Pearce and Danny Rose. A Callum McFadzean double inspired Plymouth to a three-nil win at Crewe Alexandra. First-half goals from McFadzean and Joel Grant gave Plymouth a solid base before the former added a third in stoppage time to seal the victory. Swindon began their league campaign with a two-nil win at Scunthorpe. Jerry Yates fired The Robins ahead before Keshi Anderson's seventieth-minute goal ensured the win for Swindon. Leyton Orient marked their return to the Football League with a victory against Cheltenham. The club's late manager Justin Edinburgh's last signing Josh Wright scored the only goal of the emotional game, which saw Cheltenham's Luke Varney and Rohan Ince sent off within the space of two minutes in the second half. Grimsby Town scored two second-half goals in a win at Morecambe And Wise. A close-range finish from Elliott Whitehouse and an added-time effort from Max Wright was enough to give The Mariners the points. Carlisle held on to record a two-one win over ten-man Crawley. Harry McKirdy put Carlisle ahead in the sixth minute and though Beryly Lubala equalised, Stefan Scougall restored the lead for Carlisle before Lewis Young was dismissed for Crawley in injury time. Colchester secured a point in a one-all draw with Port Vale. Vale have not lost on the first day of a season since 2004 and took the lead in the fifth minute through Tom Pope's penalty before Luke Norris equalised for Colchester. Walsall got off to a winning start under new manager Darrell Clarke, with James Clarke scoring in his side's win over Northampton. Forest Green also got off to a winning start, with substitute Taylor Allen firing in the only goal of the game to give his side a victory over Oldham Not Very Athletic. Ryan Bowman secured all three points for Exeter with an eighty eighth-minute strike as they ground out a win over Macclesfield. Relegated Bradford were held to a goalless draw by ten-man Cambridge after Liam O'Neil's dismissal.
A giant pie has been revealed as Wigan Not Very Athletic's new mascot for the upcoming season. More than ninety primary schools were invited to submit ideas - with over half of the entries opting for a pie. Crusty The Pie was chosen as the winner of the competition, after the Championship club decided against using a mascot last season. It made its debut at The Latics' season opener against Cardiff City. Local children Cayden, eight and Neve, nine, designed and presented the mascot and walked out alongside Crusty on Saturday. 'We designed Crusty like this because everyone in Wigan loves pies,' the schoolchildren said. 'It took us about thirty minutes or an hour to design - it took a long time to choose the exact colours.' Wigan Not very Athletic's Head of Business Development and Customer Experience, Jonty Castle, added: 'It should put a smile on people's faces. It is a bit of light-hearted fun and a great opportunity for the children involved.'
Notts County endured a miserable start to life in the National League as they had two men sent off in a narrow defeat at Eastleigh. Relegated County, who made six signings on Thursday after a takeover of the club was finally completed, were handed an early reality check to life in the National League when Reda Johnson headed Eastleigh in front after getting on the end of Jack Payne's corner. The (other) Magpies were reduced to ten men when Michael Doyle was sent off. Debutant Damien McCrory followed Doyle down the tunnel in stoppage-time. Magpies manager Neal Ardley said he would not make excuses following the defeat, but added that County need to add to their squad. Quickly.
A Europa League qualifying match was suspended for more than thirty minutes after a Northern Irish referee was hit by an object thrown from the crowd. Hungarian side Honved said the 'scandalous' scenes during the match against Romanian outfit Universitatea Craiova should have seen it called off. A mass brawl broke out between players in the last minute of extra time and a smoke bomb was thrown from the stands. Referee Arnold Hunter was struck by an object and needed treatment. An ambulance arrived on the pitch and the match did not restart for more than half-an-hour. The fourth official then took charge and when the game resumed Craiova won three-one on penalties to reach the third qualifying round. Honved said in a statement that the delay took place while referees, UEFA delegates and club representatives discussed whether it should be called off. 'What was unacceptable to our club was what happened at the end of the meeting to put the referee or our players at risk,' the statement added.
A referee improvised by using a harmonica instead of a whistle during Tiptree Engaine FC and Stanway Rovers Reserves' pre-season friendly. The original referee was running late and needed a stand-in for the beginning of the match. But the substitute ref didn't have a whistle and had to make do with a harmonica. And, boy, could that cat blow.
Goals Soccer Centres, which runs outdoor football centres in the UK, has uncovered 'improper behaviour' in the preparation of its financial accounts stretching back to 'at least' 2010. The firm has blamed 'a number of individuals' for the behaviour. Following the revelations, the company's shares are set to be kicked off the stock exchange. The news will be a blow for Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley, who owns a nineteen per cent stake in the firm. Goals said that, as the issues with the accounts stretch back nearly a decade, there was 'material uncertainty' surrounding its historical financial statements. Dealing in the firm's shares was suspended in March when Goals revealed that 'substantial' VAT errors were likely to cost it twelve million knicker. At the time, it claimed the blunder 'may have an impact on future profitability' and it delayed the publication of its financial results for last year as it worked to revise them. It had until the end of September to release those results but now it expects to miss that deadline. 'The directors do not now believe this timeframe for the audit is achievable,' the firm told shareholders. As a result Goals no longer expects its shares to resume trading. The listing of its shares on the AIM market is 'expected to cease and cancellation will be effective from 30 September 2019.' Goals, which has forty five pitches in the UK, said 'conversations' were continuing with HMRC over its tax bill but revealed there had been 'no material developments' in those talks. Nevertheless, it said UK sales had increased over eleven per cent so far this year. They were up almost fifteen per cent in the US where it runs sites in California. In January, the East Kilbride-based firm warned on profits after it said that selling food and drink and offering children's birthday parties, had increased costs as it had to hire more staff.
A warning message attached to gambling adverts does 'little or nothing' to reduce the amount that people bet, according to research. Academics at the University of Warwick measured the effect of the industry's responsible gambling slogan: 'When the fun stops, stop' and found it 'did not show any significant effect on gambling behaviour.' No shit? Because telling someone who is addicted, 'you wanna stop that, mate' has such a one hundred per cent success rate in all areas, doesn't it? They also pointed to the fact that the word 'fun' is printed in much larger font than any other word in the message, which is meant to promote 'more responsible gambling.' But, doesn't. Researchers from the university's psychology department asked five hundred and six people, who said they were fans of Premier League football and also had experience of sports betting, to place small wagers after viewing adverts, some of which contained the warning label and some of which did not. They found that those who had seen the, allegedly, 'responsible' gambling message bet more often than those who had not. While the difference was 'not statistically significant enough to indicate conclusively that the message is counterproductive,' the researchers concluded that it 'did not achieve its aim of promoting more responsible gambling behaviour.' Gillian Wilmot, who chairs the industry's Senet Group, which is responsible for the slogan, said it had 'generated substantial awareness of the link between negative emotional states and problem gambling, giving young men an accessible phrase to challenge each other's behaviour in a way that has now passed into popular culture.' Whatever the fuck all of that corporate-speak drivel means. 'Discouraging all betting was never its purpose,' she added. Again, no shit? Instead, it 'aims to get gamblers to pause and reflect, in much the same way as the Bet Regret messaging.' However, she claimed that the group was considering upgrading the warning message, including shrinking the size of the word fun. 'Last year, we initiated a review of the campaign, informed by a substantial behavioural study and the new creative will reflect a change to the relative size of the word fun in response to feedback.' One of the report's authors, Doctor Lukasz Walasek, said: 'The purpose of the "When the fun stops, stop" warning labels is to encourage more responsible gambling behaviour. Yet there is hardly any evidence suggesting that such labels are effective.' The slogan is likely to appear much less often on television in future after the industry introduced a voluntary ban on advertising during sports events in response to concern about the impact on children and vulnerable people. Which, if it means those bloody annoying Bet365 adverts with that spotty oik wittering on about his 'smarts' appear less frequently on the Stately Telly Topping Manor gogglebox, will be a real bonus. Many - this blogger included - having become increasingly concerned about the complex relationship that, in particular football, has with the betting industry. And, the hypocrisy of, for example, handing out bans to players found to have engaged in betting, or fines to clubs whose sponsors are betting companions if their juniors teams wear strips containing the sponsor's logo whilst, seemingly, having no problem whatsoever with all three of the EFL leagues being sponsored by SkyBet. And, thus, seeing every single player in the Championship and League's One and Two running around with the SkyBet logo on their shirts.
Kilmarnock and Police Scotland are reportedly investigating after the roof of a shelter covering disabled supporters collapsed as Glasgow Rangers fans went geet mental and celebrated a stoppage-time winner at Rugby Park in, shall we say, an exuberant fashion. Connor Goldson's ninety first-minute header secured a two-one Scottish Premiership victory for the Ibrox side and sparked an invasion of the pitch. A roof covering disabled Rangers fans caved in, with one man being injured. 'He received medical treatment at the ground,' said a police statement. Meanwhile, four men were extremely arrested for alleged breach of the peace offences but these were not related to the pitch invasion. There were 'issues' before the game with Rangers fans getting into Rugby Park because of problems with electronic turnstiles. Police Scotland confirmed that they 'assisted' Kilmarnock officials and that all away supporters were in the ground fifteen minutes after kick-off.
Seven allegedly naughty men have been very arrested after 'a large fight,' which is 'thought to have involved football fans,' broke out on a Tube train in Central London. The mass brawl took place while the train was at Great Portland Street Station on Sunday. The men were all held on suspicion of violent disorder and general punching and remain in custody, British Transport Police said. Supporters of Sheikh Yer Man City and Liverpool Alabama Yee-Haws, who were playing at Wembley, were in the station at the time. The two clubs met in the Community Shield match with Sheikh Yer Man City ultimately winning on penalties. Metropolitan Line trains, which serve Wembley Stadium, travel through Great Portland Street. The BTP said that no injuries were reported. Despite all the punching.
