7 days agoBlogsComments Off on ‘Rangers employed a very good manager’ – Celtic boss Rodgers on his relationship with Clement as he gives honest verdict
BRENDAN RODGERS has now seen off FIVE Rangers managers after Philippe Clement became the latest gaffer to get the boot at Ibrox.
The Belgian joins Mark Warburton, Graeme Murty, Pedro Caixinha and Michael Beale in the list of managers who have been shown the door in Govan with Rodgers at the helm across the city.
AlamyRodgers has opened up on his relationship with Clement[/caption]
PAHe’s disappointed to see his rival get the boot[/caption]
It’s an impressive statistic for Rodgers as it proves just how dominant his Celtic teams have been over the years.
But the Hoops boss has admitted that he never wants to see a manager loss his job – even if it’s his biggest rival.
He has confessed that he feels sympathy for Clement following his exit but reckons the decision from Ibrox chiefs was in response to Clement failing to keep up with his own high-flying team.
He said: “Like it is for any manager, I’m always disappointed when a manager loses his job.
“Obviously, Philippe has been in there for the period of time that he has and I’m disappointed for him as a coach. I think we all know the conditions up here.
“You have to be winning and show that consistency to win. I’m always sad when another manager loses his job.
“Philippe has shown previously, coming into the Rangers, that he’s a very good manager. He’s won titles. He’s not just a good coach, he’s a winning coach and has won.
“Like I say, we know the conditions up here. There’s relentless pressure on you to win at Celtic and Rangers. Expectation is there.
“That doesn’t stop on a daily basis. You have to then come out and be a consistent winner.”
Clement leaves Rangers with them 13 points behind Celtic in the league and out of both domestic cups.
He had the chance to close the gap to 10 points on Saturday after Hibs beat the Hoops at Easter Road – only for Gers to lose at home to St Mirren in the later kick-off.
Rodgers believes his team’s electric form both domestically and in Europe piled even more pressure on Clement across the city.
He continued: “I think that’s been key too. I think we didn’t get off to the best of starts last season when I came in, certainly in terms of consistency and performance level.
“I think when Philippe came in, obviously, they had that bounce and had a really good run.
“But then once we started to find our feet and get our rhythm, then I think how we dealt with pressure, we dealt with it really, really well.
“From that moment, we’ve continued to grow and improve.
“It’s a great credit to the players and how they’ve coped with that and how they’ve consistently performed.”
Asked whether he was close with Clement or not, Rodgers replied: “You don’t really have that (relationship). That’s the honest answer.
“I think that you actually play enough times, you come up against each other quite a lot, of course. But in terms of the interaction, there isn’t so much.
“But like I say, I’ve seen his work outside of Rangers as well.
“You need to look at that in his CV to show that Rangers employed a very good manager. That’s what they felt at the time and that’s why they gave him the job.”
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Woman, 27, kidnapped, chained to bed, raped & made to drink from dog bowl in horror Fritzl-like three-month ordeal
A WOMAN has spoken of her hellish three month ordeal of being kidnapped, raped, and forced to drink from a dog bowl after a desperate early morning escape.
The unnamed 27-year-old was allegedly snatched and tortured by a sick and twisted truck driver Karel N. from Sirem in the northwest of the Czech Republic.
Not known, clear with picture deskA truck driver has been arrested after a woman claims to have been kidnapped, raped, and tortured for three months in the Czech Republic[/caption]
After fleeing the house of horrors around 3 am on February 16, the woman, who had a chain around her neck, begged neighbours for help before recounting the Fritzl-like hell she had endured.
The woman was allegedly kept in the basement of the Sirem house for over three months where she was chained up and held in filthy conditions and forced to drink from a dog bowl.
A neighbour who helped rescue the woman told the Czech newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes: “She had no hair and a thick chain with a huge lock around her neck; she was just skin and bones.
“She said he shaved her head and rarely gave her anything to eat, just sometimes a little bread and water from a bowl, like a dog.
“He stripped her naked, chained her up, beat her, raped her and did other crazy things to her.”
The woman told her neighbours how she managed to escape using the chain that had held her hostage on a bed.
“She [said she] was tied to a heavy bed,” the neighbour said.
“She managed to pull the chain out and use it to climb out of the window.”
Her abuser was not home when she managed her escape, another local said.
After approaching the neighbours, they helped remove the chain from her neck and phoned the emergency services.
Her ordeal appears to echo that of Elisabeth Fritzl who was abused by her evil father Josef for years in his cellar in Austria.
Karel N has since been arrested and reportedly knew the victim.
Locals have described the truck driver as “sociable” but local media has brought his dark past to light.
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on USC’s Eric Musselman channels Mick Cronin with rant on brutal travel schedule
When USC basketball dealt Michigan State its first and still only conference loss on Feb. 1, it appeared they were playing themselves into the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation. Fast forward to present day, and the Trojans (14-13) are in danger of not even qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament after losing at Rutgers on Sunday […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Perfect trade Lions must complete in 2025 NFL offseason
The Detroit Lions are coming off one of their best seasons in franchise history. Detroit won 15 games in 2024, claimed their second consecutive NFC North title, and secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. All of those are firsts for the Lions as a franchise. Unfortunately, the Lions also had one of […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Cardinals 3-round 2025 NFL Mock Draft with trades, according to PFN simulator
The Arizona Cardinals’ 2024-25 NFL season became lost after the Week 11 bye. The Cardinals were gaining steam from October to November, with four-straight wins and a 6-4 record. But inconsistency is what drew head coach Jonathan Gannon and Co. out of playoff contention – losing their first three games after the bye week, ultimately […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Yankees’ Gerrit Cole reacts to facing Aaron Judge in live batting practice
Losing Juan Soto has defined the New York Yankees’ offseason. While Soto’s 41 homers will be missed, his record-breaking contract has taken away from the star power the Bombers do have. As spring training games begin, the veterans are ramping up and almost ready for game action. Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole squared off on […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Why bummer of a Gregg Popovich update isn’t surprising
Two days after the San Antonio Spurs announced that Victor Wembanyama was out for the rest of the season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Gregg Popovich won’t return this season either. The winningest coach in NBA history hasn’t been with the team since suffering a mild stroke at the beginning of November. Unlike the Wemby […]
7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Man Utd confirm 200 MORE job losses as devastating financial situation hits home amid latest Sir Jim Ratcliffe cuts
MANCHESTER UNITED have confirmed as many as 200 staff will lose their jobs as part of a second wave of cost-cutting since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.
Last summer saw 250 staff made redundant in a brutal first wave to save costs.
PAMan Utd are cutting another 200 jobs under Sir Jim Ratcliffe[/caption]
But the list of casualties is now set to increase by between 150 and 200 after a statement revealed the next steps in the club’s transformation plan.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
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7 days agoBlogsComments Off on Chelsea vs Southampton: Get £60 in football free bets and bonuses with William Hill
WILLIAM HILL
CHELSEA welcome rock-bottom Southampton to Stamford Bridge for Tuesday’s Premier League showdown.
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Southampton are the visitors to Stamford Bridge for this midweek round of Premier League fixtures.
And that will be a blessed relief for Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who is desperately in need of a win to maintain the club’s Champions League ambitions.
The Italian, 45, wanted a big response to their 3-0 defeat at Brighton, which he described as the “worst” game of his tenure.
And although the performance did improve, the result was the same as Aston Villa came from behind to secure maximum points at Villa Park.
It was the third time that Chelsea lost a Premier League game in which they’ve scored the first goal this season.
The London club now find themselves in seventh position with the likes of Aston Villa, Brighton and Newcastle all enjoying positive momentum in the battle for a top-five finish.
Chelsea have only beaten West Ham, Wolves and League Two Morecambe in 2025 but they’ll be pleased to welcome Southampton to west London given they’ve won 11 of their last 14 Premier League games against sides starting the day bottom of the table.
With Nicolas Jackson still sidelined, the Blues will hope to see a revival from Cole Palmer, who is without a goal involvement in any of Chelsea’s last five top-flight fixtures.
As for the visitors, Southampton arrive off the back of yet another chastening defeat.
The Saints lost 4-0 to Brighton last time out with the visitors registering 12 shots on target to their one and an xG of 4.01 to Southampton’s 0.13.
Ivan Juric’s side look dead and buried with perhaps their only target now avoiding the Premier League’s lowest ever points tally of 11, set by Derby County in 2007-08.
Chelsea have lost two of their last three Premier League games against Southampton, as many defeats as in their previous 18 against them (W11 D5). However, they did win the reverse fixture 5-1 in December.
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Chelsea vs Southampton preview betting tips and predictions
Back of the Neto
Pedro Neto looked pretty sharp against Aston Villa in an unfamiliar role in the absence of Nicolas Jackson.
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He’s also enjoyed a good record against Tuesday’s visitors, netting three goals in five career appearances against Southampton.
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First goalscorer and correct score predictions
Chelsea vs Southampton
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Assist
Cole Palmer would be the first option for an assist this week, but given he’s around 7/4 I’ll take a chance on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella at a sizeable 6/1.
The 26-year-old has provided three assists this season and has created four goalscoring opportunities for this colleagues over the last six Premier League matches – only two less than Cole Palmer.
Nobody has created more “big chances” than the full-back (2) in that period, while he also boasts the highest cross completion of any Chelsea player.
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