Latest news with #RoyalAntwerp
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bayer Leverkusen to appoint Andries Ulderink as Erik ten Hag's assistant coach
kicker reports that Bayer Leverkusen are set to appoint Andries Ulderink as Erik ten Hag's new assistant coach. Ulderink is currently the head coach of Royal Antwerp in the Belgian Pro League, having taken over in March to rescue their season and just missed out on the Conference League. Ulderink also has experience as an assistant coach, having previously held the role at Antwerp, Twente and Rangers. Advertisement The reason for Ulderink's hire is that he shares similar principles to ten Hag. The Dutchman likes to play a 4-2-3-1 and favours attacking football as well as having the ability to develop young players. What's clear is that Leverkusen are going back to the idea of developing young players, whilst also trying to compete for another Bundesliga title. So far, the only senior signing they have made is Mark Flekken, who joined from Brentford. The other signings in Ibrahim Maza, Tim Oermann and Axel Tape are all players who will be used in the first team eventually, but, apart from Maza, are not expected to have an immediate impact. GGFN | Jack Meenan
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celtic transfer explosion as Balikwisha talks 'personal terms', striker on brink and Angulo brings the house down
Persistent Celtic have restarted talks with long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha with discussions over personal terms underway – according to a leading report in Belgium. The Royal Antwerp winger has been on the Parkhead signing radar over the previous two windows and now the former Red Devils' U21 star is expected to leave his homeland this summer. Advertisement Now signing insider Sacha Tavolieri states the Premiership champions have triggered dialogue with the coveted wide man. READ MORE: Lennon Miller to Celtic transfer bid poised for relaunch as James Penrice scouted amid left back hunt READ MORE: Panicked Rangers diehard drops £40m transfer bomb after Cerny KO as Tierney suffers brutal Hotline slapdown Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Royal Antwerp -Credit:Photonews via Getty Images Balikwisha directly addressed Celtic earlier this year but admitted his injury issues kiboshed any potential switch to Glasgow. Celtic are honing in on fresh impetus in wide areas with Jota out for the long term and fellow starter Nicolas Kuhn widely expected to attract interest from elsewhere in the coming months. Advertisement And that means Balikwisha isn't the only winger on the agenda with fellow Jupiler Pro League star Nilson Angulo attracting interest with reports in Belgium claiming Celtic had an initial bid tossed out. The 21-year-old started Ecuador's gutsy 0-0 draw away to Peru which sealed their qualification for the World Cup in North America. And now Anderlecht are braced for fresh interest in a player who has enjoyed a stratospheric rise since leaving him homeland in 2022. Nilson Angulo of RSC Anderlecht takes a shot at goal -Credit:Alex BierensAnother winger who could also be back in the mix is Sondre Ørjasæter with Sky Sports claiming the £7m-rated Sarpsborg star remains high on the agenda. Advertisement Boss Brendan Rodgers appears to be getting the front-foot window he craves with Kieran Tierney signed, sealed and delivered and Ross Doohan soon to follow as the third-choice goalkeeper after Scott Bain's exit. And the next signing appears imminent with Callum Osmand set to sign a long-term deal after being tempted north from the Fulham B team. The Wales youth international turned heads last season but will join the Premiership champions despite being wanted to become a part of the Cottagers' first team. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. Advertisement You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
Irish Examiner
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Luke Chadwick on facing up to abuse and lifts to Old Trafford with Roy Keane
Luke Chadwick racked up over 500 professional appearances and an immensely successful football career. But the majority of conversations he has - including this one - still revolve around his seven years at Manchester United and the 39 appearances he made under Alex Ferguson. 'I never get bored of it', Chadwick says. 'I'm not naive to think anyone would know who I am if I hadn't been lucky enough to represent the club and it's something I'm very proud of. I'm really grateful. The life lessons I learned helped shape the person I am today.' Chadwick can look back fondly now, but the scars from that period took a long time to heal. It was October 1999 when Ferguson continued his contempt for the League Cup and selected the youngest-ever side in club history for a trip to Villa Park, with wiry winger Chadwick handed his debut. The 3-0 drubbing saw Ferguson deliver a forceful post-mortem, reminding the novices that such a defeat was wholly unacceptable. Chadwick was dispatched to United's partner club Royal Antwerp and would wait an entire year before seeing first-team action again. But in Belgium, Chadwick's excellent performances stirred some media attention and after a major interview with one of the national papers, he raced to a newsstand later that week to proudly grab a copy. 'I couldn't understand Flemish but I skimmed the article nevertheless,' Chadwick recounts in his recently-released autobiography Not Just A Pretty Face. 'I froze when I saw a paragraph containing words and phrases that I could understand. 'Dentures a la Bugs Bunny'. 'Acne''. Read More Matheus Cunha completes move to Manchester United on a five-year deal Embarrassed and ashamed, Chadwick hoped that it would be the first and last time the media would target him because of what he looked like. It wasn't. After being summoned back to Manchester early in the 2000/01 season, Chadwick was frequently involved and found the net twice as United cantered their way to another Premier League title. He had earned Ferguson's trust, negotiated a lucrative new contract and should have been savouring every moment. Instead, he was struggling with his mental health, becoming reclusive and withdrawn and dealing with paralysing levels of anxiety. All because of an incident that occurred the night before a home fixture against Derby County. Chadwick, then just 20 years old, received a text from a friend, who congratulated him on his 'appearance' on the BBC's light-hearted sports panel show They Think It's All Over. In the pit of his stomach, Chadwick knew what was coming. He waited to catch a repeat and sat in horror as his picture came on screen and host Nick Hancock did the rest. 'This photo of Luke Chadwick was ruined…when Luke Chadwick showed up'. Zing. Chadwick writes in the book that despite being so embarrassed, he 'perversely' kept watching. And a few minutes later, Hancock delivered another insult. Luke Chadwick's book 'Iron Maiden's biggest hit is The Number of the Beast. And if you want to know the number of the beast, Luke Chadwick wears the number 36'. Chadwick's self-esteem started to unravel. He would turn down invitations from team-mates to head out and socialise, the numbing fear of abuse ensuring he'd order a takeaway and hunker down in his flat instead. He would even avoid shopping. But every Friday night, without fail, he would sit in front of the TV and tune into They Think It's All Over, agonisingly waiting for the inevitable mockery. Afterwards he'd sit in silence and wonder when it would all stop. Instead, it started to spread, from national television to magazines and newspapers. At one point, The Guardian described a blow-up between Ryan Giggs and goalkeeper Roy Carroll at a festive knees-up. 'Manchester United's Christmas party turned ugly on Wednesday night, though it had nothing at all to do with the presence of Luke Chadwick'. The media instigated the abuse and others were empowered. Chadwick was teflon on the pitch, unaffected by any verbals from the crowd. But, getting back on the team bus after away games now became a jarring experience. He avoids the specifics, but describes the toxic abuse from rival supporters as 'really awful stuff'. On trips back home to Cambridge - a consistently safe space for Chadwick - he started to hear the occasional smart comment. As a defence mechanism, he'd proudly boast about earning £12,000 per week. He admits the entire ordeal changed him as a person 'for a short period'. Years later, as the world grappled with the mental toll of isolation amidst persistent lockdowns, Chadwick finally opened up via social media, discussing his struggles during that period. Hancock apologised, as did Gary Lineker - one of the team captains on They Think It's All Over. 'I was never watching telly thinking, 'I hate these guys'', Chadwick says. 'There was never any grudge like that because I'm just not that type of person. All I wanted was for it to stop because it filled me with so much dread and shame. But I'm 100% responsible for how I feel. I didn't have the emotional intelligence to deal with it internally. I wasn't able to show vulnerability because I felt so embarrassed about it. So it wasn't about the TV show. It was about me and trying to stop how I felt and not knowing how to do that'. Chadwick is quick to admit his off-field struggles did not contribute to his subsequent exit from United in 2004, following loan spells with Reading and Burnley. Known for his pace, he'd begun to feel pain in his pelvis and hips. Surgery inevitably followed and when Chadwick returned for pre-season, he noticed a seismic change in his game: a substantial drop in his explosiveness. Roy Keane advised him to grin and bear it, that playing through an injury was part of the life of a Manchester United player. Ironically, Keane would be forced to retire because of a persistent hip problem. Keane provided plenty of counsel to Chadwick throughout his time at the club, putting him in touch with his solicitor Michael Kennedy during contract negotiations and acting as an unofficial chauffeur on plenty of occasions. Memorably, it was Chadwick in the passenger seat on the drive home following Keane's infamous retribution on Alf Inge Haaland in the Manchester derby in April 2001. PRESENTING: MUTV Presenter Luke Chadwick is seen prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at London Stadium. Pic: Visionhaus/Getty Images 'That was a quiet car ride back to my flat', he says with a laugh. 'But he was the ultimate captain. Some players are just moaners, whinging about everything. And you never felt that way about him. It's hard in the moment, when he's shouting at you and telling you off. But you listened to him and understood why he was doing it. More than anything, you wanted to impress him because he was such an influence on the club.' Though there was plenty of advice on some things, few at United seemed interested in delving too much into the abuse Chadwick was still receiving. During a reserve game against Manchester City, he played poorly and was replaced. As he sat on the bench, confidence completely extinguished, the insults began from the City fans. The abuse was so bad, and so personal, that in an effort to quell the vitriol, Brian McClair - United's reserve boss at the time - turned around to chastise them. Chadwick describes it as 'probably the lowest point of my United career'. When he left the club and signed with West Ham, it was an escape from the goldfish bowl, the intensity of the spotlight. Chadwick never played top-flight football again but went on to enjoy an impressive career with Stoke, Norwich and most notably MK Dons. And he also developed the maturity to look back on his struggles with a fresh perspective. Read More Roy Keane: England players were having a chat like they were in Starbucks Chadwick is now director of the Football Fun Factory, a nationwide company specializing in using sport as a way for children to express themselves in a relaxed environment, and has developed the maturity to look back on his struggles with a fresh perspective. 'The understanding of self is the most important thing we can ever accomplish, really', he says. 'There should probably be more work done within that field when you're growing up to ensure you develop into a grounded young adult. My whole life was about football. And it's all you think about. But when something happens, do you have the emotional intelligence to handle it? With the abuse I received, I didn't know how to deal with it. And it's not just being about a footballer but on a wider scale. It's having a better sense of your emotions and feelings to lead a happy and fulfilling life.' Not Just A Pretty Face is out now and available via Pitch Publishing.
Daily Record
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Celtic transfer explosion as Balikwisha talks 'personal terms', striker on brink and Angulo brings the house down
The Premiership champions are racing ahead in their pursuit of fresh arrivals with three wingers linked Persistent Celtic have restarted talks with long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha with discussions over personal terms underway – according to a leading report in Belgium. The Royal Antwerp winger has been on the Parkhead signing radar over the previous two windows and now the former Red Devils' U21 star is expected to leave his homeland this summer. Now signing insider Sacha Tavolieri states the Premiership champions have triggered dialogue with the coveted wide man. Balikwisha directly addressed Celtic earlier this year but admitted his injury issues kiboshed any potential switch to Glasgow. Celtic are honing in on fresh impetus in wide areas with Jota out for the long term and fellow starter Nicolas Kuhn widely expected to attract interest from elsewhere in the coming months. And that means Balikwisha isn't the only winger on the agenda with fellow Jupiler Pro League star Nilson Angulo attracting interest with reports in Belgium claiming Celtic had an initial bid tossed out. The 21-year-old started Ecuador's gutsy 0-0 draw away to Peru which sealed their qualification for the World Cup in North America. And now Anderlecht are braced for fresh interest in a player who has enjoyed a stratospheric rise since leaving him homeland in 2022. Another winger who could also be back in the mix is Sondre Ørjasæter with Sky Sports claiming the £7m-rated Sarpsborg star remains high on the agenda. Boss Brendan Rodgers appears to be getting the front-foot window he craves with Kieran Tierney signed, sealed and delivered and Ross Doohan soon to follow as the third-choice goalkeeper after Scott Bain's exit. And the next signing appears imminent with Callum Osmand set to sign a long-term deal after being tempted north from the Fulham B team. The Wales youth international turned heads last season but will join the Premiership champions despite being wanted to become a part of the Cottagers' first team. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Associated Press
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
After 90-year wait, tiny Union can seal Belgian title on final weekend for European soccer leagues
Maybe this is the year that Union Saint-Gilloise finally wins the Belgian league title. It's been a 90-year wait. The small club in Brussels loved by the city's international community takes a one-point lead into the final round Sunday after near misses in the past three seasons — their first in the top tier since 1973. 'The fact that we are in this position is the reward for the hard work that has been going on here for years,' Union's 37-year-old coach Sébastien Pocognoli said Friday, in comments reported by Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad. Elsewhere, league titles in Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Poland will be decided this weekend before the European club season peaks with the Champions League final. Union's time has come? Twice, in 2022 and 2024, Union led the regular season standings then faded in the championship playoffs to let Club Brugge take the title. The epic 2023 title race had a dramatic ending when a helicopter carrying league officials and the trophy had to turn away from Union's tiny Joseph Marien Stadium. Three teams separately held the lead in the in-play standings in the closing minutes — including Union in the 89th — before Royal Antwerp seized the title in stoppage time. Only Union and Brugge are in contention Sunday when both have home games. Union hosts Gent and Brugge plays Antwerp. Union will seal its first title since 1935 with a win. A tie on points sends the title to Brugge on a tiebreaker of higher position in the regular season. Union had a slow start under new coach Pocognoli, after more sales of star players for eight-figure fees. Led by goals from Promise David, Union moved up to third in the regular standings. This time, Genk was the leader that collapsed in the playoffs. Union surged with a run of five clean sheets including a 1-0 win at Brugge on April 24 to go top for the first time. 'We have everything in our own hands, that is the reality,' said Pocognoli, who won a Dutch league title with AZ Alkmaar when coached by Louis van Gaal. Salzburg's slump The decline of Salzburg seems more than a one-season blip, even if the team is heading to the FIFA Club World Cup next month. A 10-year run of Austrian Bundesliga titles ended last year, finishing runner-up, and Salzburg is fourth entering the final round. Qualifying rounds for the third-tier Conference League beckon. 'The way we've performed this season, we probably have no place in the Champions League,' Salzburg coach Thomas Letsch acknowledged. Letsch arrived in midseason to replace Pep Lijnders, an assistant to Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, who lasted just a few months and oversaw a series of Champions League losses. Salzburg finished 34th in the 36-team league and Sturm Graz was 30th. Sturm enters the final Bundesliga round Saturday three points clear, needing a draw at home to third-placed Wolfsberg to retain its title. Austria Vienna in second hosts last-place Linz and will win the title on head-to-head tiebreakers if points are tied. It could be a three-way tie if Wolfsberg beats Sturm. Can Poznan do it in Poland? To this generation of fans, Lech Poznan is best known for a unique celebration that was adopted by Manchester City supporters after their Europa League games in 2010. Doing 'The Poznan' means fans turn their backs to the field, link arms and jump up and down in unison. It has never been done in the Champions League by Lech fans. Maybe next season. Lech goes into the final round with a one-point lead over Rakow Czestochowa, the 104-year-old club which won its first title in 2023. On Saturday evening, Lech hosts mid-table Piast Gliwice and Rakow hosts Widzew Lodz. If they finish tied on points, Rakow wins on head-to-head record. Keane in Hungary Ferencvaros coach Robbie Keane's team needs only a draw to clinch the Hungarian title, after he took over the club in January. Ferencvaros's final game is Saturday evening at ETO Gyor, when second-place Puskas Akademia hosts Diosgyor. Seeking a seventh straight title, Ferencvaros can miss out only with a loss and a win for Puskas, which would take the title on a tiebreaker of most games won. Puskas is from the tiny village of Felcsút that has close ties to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Dinamo's drive Entering May, Dinamo Zagreb was third in the Croatian standings and had just fired coach Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian 2006 World Cup-winning captain. Somehow, Dinamo kicks off the final games Sunday on top of a three-way race. Dinamo has beaten both title rivals, Hajduk Split then Rijeka, this month ahead of hosting fourth-placed Varaždin under interim coach Sandro Perković. Rijeka could have sealed the title last weekend but lost 2-1 at Hajduk, whose coach Gennaro Gattuso – another 2006 World Cup winner – says he will leave. Rijeka, which is tied on points with Dinamo, hosts Slaven Belupo. Hajduk is two points back and goes to relegated Šibenik. If all three contenders finish on 63 points, Gattuso's Hajduk will be champion. ___ AP soccer:
