IT IS easy to forget, after eight serene years of Gareth Southgate, that the default mode for the England football team, and the FA, is one of utter chaos.
After last week’s bewildering, headless-chicken home defeat by Greece and the endless, dizzying ramblings from Lee Carsley about whether or not he wants to be Southgate’s full-time successor, it seems like deja vu all over again.
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Gareth Southgate’s eight-year stint as England boss came to an end this summerCredit: Reuters
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Lee Carsley has offered confusing answers as to whether he wants the jobCredit: Getty
Because this was what following England used to feel like.
Before Southgate took over — and the Three Lions became supremely competent and professional on and off the field — it really always was stark, raving bonkers.
Under Southgate it could be a little boring, a little too cautious, at times.
But England rarely lost football matches, always featured at the sharp end of tournaments and were always a serious, rational set-up.
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It was never the long-running, hopes-up, trousers-down, clown show we endured for decades until one decent, intelligent man in a waistcoat arrived and decided enough was enough.
Southgate banked tens of millions as England boss and we can safely assume that he hasn’t custard-gunned it all on drink, drugs and loose women.
He confirmed he wants a sabbatical of at least a year before he returns to coaching.
And, therefore, he wouldn’t touch the Manchester United job with a bargepole, despite having significant allies on the Old Trafford board.
ENGLAND secured a commanding 3-1 win over Finland following their horror show at home to Greece
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay assessed the Three Lions’ stars performances.
Dean Henderson – 6
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Only his second cap after long-time No1 Jordan Pickford was dropped. Not a lot to do, but pretty assured when he was called into action, including a smart, first-half stop to repel a Benjamin Kallman strike – even if the Finn was later flagged offside. Could do little to prevent Finland’s goal.
Kyle Walker – 6
After the calamity against Greece, it was no surprise to see Lee Carsley turn to his most experienced defender. Now just nine caps shy of a century, Walker was solid. Could have had an assist late on but his cushioned down header was poor.
John Stones – 6
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England’s more conventional system meant the defence was far less exposed – though Carsley’s attacking approach did still see the Finns create chances. Stones made a good early block to deny Kallman after Angel Gomes gave the ball away.
Marc Guehi – 6
Our best defender in the Euros group stages, Guehi was back in here with Levi Colwill dropping out. Pretty assured for a player who by his own admission has not started the season particularly well for his club.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7
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We saw him in midfield at the Euros, and here the Liverpool right-back was shunted to left-back. Looked vulnerable defensively at times but who cares when he produces such quality on the ball – epitomised by his terrific free-kick to kill off this game.
Angel Gomes – 8
The big success story of the Carsley era, however long it lasts, has been bringing Gomes into the fold. He created Jack Grealish’s opener with a beautiful, flicked-pass round the corner and was excellent in possession – barring one sloppy early pass.
Declan Rice – 7
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Looked far more comfortable with Gomes playing in behind him, as opposed to the one-man defensive operation he was forced to put up against the Greeks. Looked proud as punch after stroking home England’s third from Watkins’ cross.
Cole Palmer – 5
Played in a more familiar wide right position compared to his central-midfield experiment against Greece. Yet it reduced him to a peripheral figure, adding more questions than answers as to where best to deploy him, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Jude Bellingham – 6
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The Real Madrid superstar played off Harry Kane and had the occasional, exciting link-up with Grealish, but this was not one of his more memorable games overall.
Jack Grealish – 8
No doubt will be hoping Carsley does get the job full-time as his fellow Brummie seems to appreciate his talents. His composed finish was his second goal in three games under Carsley – doubling his overall haul from 39 caps.
Harry Kane – 6
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Cap 101 for the captain but not one he will remember particularly fondly. He offered the presence the team lacked against Greece when they played with no striker, but did not get much of a sniff in front of goal.
Subs
Noni Madueke (for Palmer, 69) – 7 This game was made for him to make an impact off the bench and he almost teed up Watkins after one fine run but the Finns cleared.
Ollie Watkins (for Kane, 69) – 7
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Low cross for Rice’s third was right on the money.
Rico Lewis (for Gomes, 80) – 6
Slotted in at centre midfield when coming on and looked busy.
Phil Foden (for Bellingham, 80) – 5
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Embraced the post ruefully after Madueke opted to shoot instead of crossing to him for a tap-in seconds after Finland’s goal. Was marking Arttu Hoskonen when the Finn headed home a consolatio.
Conor Gallagher (for Rice, 89) – 6
His first appearance under Carsley but too late to make an impact.
Lee Carsley – 7
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His tactical gamble backfired against Greece but he held his hands up and went more conventional here. It paid off as England were relatively comfortable – although his teams have looked defensively vulnerable at times in all four of his games and this was no different.
But the three best players, Gomes, Grealish and Alexander-Arnold, were all given starring roles by Carsley when used sparingly or not at all by predecessor Gareth Southgate – and for that, the interim boss should take credit.
Southgate is enjoying life away from the madhouse.
He’s been seeing the family, walking the dogs, watching the cricket and plans to give a talk at Harvard University.
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How to cure England’s Bellingham, Foden and Palmer headache
Those sort of Gareth things. And good for him.
Some of us knew England would miss Southgate dearly but perhaps we didn’t realise quite how soon, and quite how deeply, we would regret his exit.
The FA relied on him to a greater extent than they ever realised.
As a statesman, a figurehead, a beacon of good sense and decency, as well as a very useful football manager, who was extremely popular with his players.
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And whatever happens next — whether more interim Carsley, or Graham Potter, or perhaps the colourful loose-cannon Thomas Tuchel arrives from Germany — history tells us that we will probably go back to bedlam.
Pep Guardiola? Now that might be a different, if unlikely, prospect.
Because the England manager’s role wasn’t called ‘the impossible job’ without good reason.
Remember Sam Allardyce resigning after one match, having been caught out acting exactly like Sam Allardyce, boasting over a pint of wine during a covert sting?
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Remember the Iceland debacle and, before that, the disastrous Brazil World Cup campaign under Roy Hodgson — which had been pretty much predicted by FA chief executive Greg Dyke performing a throat-slitting gesture when the draw was made?
Remember the John Terry fiascos under Fabio Capello — when the Chelsea man was stripped of the captaincy for having allegedly diddled the former girlfriend of the reserve left-back, only to be reinstated as captain.
And then to be accused of racially abusing the brother of his central defensive partner and for Capello to resign rather than sack Terry as captain again?
That was Capello, who claimed he only needed to know 100 words of English and who agreed to take extra money for rating his own players out of 100 in something on the internet called ‘the Capello Index’ at the 2010 World Cup.
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Yes, kids, all this actually happened.
And before that, Steve McClaren, under an umbrella, failing to qualify for the 2008 Euros.
And before him, the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and the peak era of low farce — the fake Sheikh, the Beckham circus, the WAGs table-dancing in Baden-Baden, the Faria Alam scandal which ended with FA chief executive Mark Palios resigning after he and Eriksson had both diddled the same secretary.
And that was after Kevin Keegan quit in the Wembley toilets, after Glenn Hoddle had resigned for making bizarre comments about disabled people and reincarnation, having employed faith healer Eileen Drewery to lay hands on his players.
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And dentist chairs and turnips and gambling cultures and missed drug tests and threatened players’ strikes and so on and so, so farcical.
Thirty years of hurt have turned into 60 years because Southgate — despite reaching successive Euros finals and overseeing two very decent World Cup campaigns — couldn’t quite get his hands on a trophy.
And now the impossible job feels impossible again.
Because this is a nation obsessed with the game.
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Because this is a nation which — I think we’re still allowed to say — was the birthplace of organised, competitive football.
Because this is a nation which is home to the richest and most popular league on the face of the Earth.
And because this is a nation which still craves the ultimate glory of a first major international title since 1966.
As Southgate has frequently reminded us, the England manager’s job brings a uniquely sharp focus.
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There are 60 million armchair bosses and, when it’s an international break or a summer tournament, England is the only show in town.
Expectations, which had dipped after all those years of nut-casery, are now limitless because Southgate came so close, so often.
All of this is surely too big for Carsley. It feels too big for Potter, too.
And for Tuchel, or most unsuspecting overseas candidates, all of this lunatic history feels too big to comprehend.
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So if Guardiola really wants a serious new challenge.
And if he is really prepared to take a major pay cut, then he is one of the few men truly capable of being up to the job.
If not, it will just be back to bedlam again.
If not, we might be missing Southgate for a long time to come.
RORY MCILROY caught an outrageous stray during a discussion about the upcoming US Presidential election on ABC.
The PGA golfer found himself at the centre of a brutal swipe at Vice President Kamala Harris during the latest episode of This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
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Rory McIlroy caught a bizarre stray during a discussion about the Presidential election
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Reince Priebus used McIlroy’s US Open meltdown to take a swipe at Kamala Harris
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The former White House Chief of Staff criticised Democratic nominee Harris’ appearance on ‘The View’
Reince Priebus, a former White House Chief of Staff under Donald Trump was criticising Harris’ recent appearance on US talk show The View.
Holding a two-shot lead during the final round, McIlroy carded three bogeys across the final five holes – missing two putts from a combined distance of seven feet.
Rory McIlroy comforted by daughter Poppy after PGA Championship play-off defeat
Inside Rory McIlroy’s whirlwind love life
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RORY MCILROY enjoyed a high-profile romance with former tennis world number one Caroline Wozniacki before their split in 2014.
The following year, the golf ace began dating Erica Stoll, who he had first met on the PGA Tour in 2011.
Erica often interacted with players through her role as the PGA’s manager of championship volunteer operations.
She even prevented McIlroy from missing his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup after some confusion over the time zone.
The incident began a firm friendship between the pair, four years before their relationship turned romantic.
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McIlroy and Erica were spotted on a string of dates in Rochester, New York, in the early days of their relationship.
Just eight months later, the couple got engaged in Paris and walked down the aisle at Ashford Castle in Ireland in 2017.
The pair then welcomed daughter Poppy into the world three years later.
Throughout their time together, McIlroy and Erica have kept their relationship to themselves, with the golfer keen to protect his family from the cameras during filming of Netflix’s Full Swing documentary series.
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However, after seven years of marriage, McIlroy filed for divorce from Erica.
The reasons for the divorce were not disclosed, but the Northern Irishman submitted documents to a court in Florida.
However, a few weeks later, performed a U-turn on their decision to divorce.
McIlroy told the outlet: “Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
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Responding to the random gibe, one fan wrote on X: “McIlroy catching strays while political pundits talk about Kamala Harris.”
A second said: “Rory McIlroy just caught an unnecessary / awesome stray.”
A third added: “Damn! Why is poor McIlroy being dragged into this?”
While another replied “We’ve reached a point in the election cycle where even McIlroy is catching strays.”
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Rory McIlroy’s career achievements
By Ian Tuckey
Rory McIlroy spent more than 100 weeks at World No1 – and has scooped four Majors and won 40 tournaments in all SO FAR.
Only all-time greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have matched his feat of winning one of the big four by the age of 25.
And after winning the 2011 US Open, the Northern Ireland ace added the PGA Championship the following year – adding the Open and PGA crowns in 2014.
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Here’s a rundown on the glittering career of the 35-year-old, five-time Ryder Cup winner, who was also a strong critic of the rival Saudi-backed LIV tour:
2007 – topped the world amateur rankings aged 17.
Turned professional in September.
Became the youngest Affiliate Member in the history of The European Tour to earn a tour card.
2009 – reached the world top 50.
2010 – won his first PGA Tour title via the Quail Hollow Championship.
Made a winning Ryder Cup debut.
Became the youngest player to reach $10m earnings on the PGA Tour.
2011 – Famously blew a four-stroke lead on the final day of the Masters in May.
But won his first major the following month – the US Open.
Named Sports Person of the year by RTE – Ireland’s main broadcaster.
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2012 – lifted the PGA Championship.
Named PGA Tour player of the year and picked up more Ryder Cup glory.
2013 – signed a huge sponsorship deal with Nike.
2014 – his best year to date, majors wise.
Won the Open at Royal Liverpool.
Then clinched back-to-back PGA crowns, beating Phil Mickelson by one stroke.
Named RTE Sports Person of the year for a second time.
Again helped Europe win the Ryder Cup.
2016 – Ended the season winning the Tour championship, putting him top of the FedEx Cup and landing him the $10m bonus pool.
Suffered Ryder Cup defeat.
2017 – failed to win all year.
But gained top 10 finishes at the Masters, The Open and 3 WGC events.
And with Nike largely withdrawing from the golf market, he landed an £80m endorsement deal with TaylorMade.
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2018 – More Ryder Cup joy.
2020 Overtook Brooks Koepka to become World No1
2021 – A Ryder Cup loser.
2022 – runners-up at the Masters and finished third at the Open.
2023 – helped Europe thrash the USA 16.5-11.5 in the Ryder Cup.
2024 – struggled early in the season, finishing just joint-22nd in the Masters.
But then won two tournaments – the Zurich Classic for his 25th PGA title and the Wells Fargo Championship.
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was already a big favorite to defeat Stipe Miocic. Now he’s a massive one.
When the odds were released for the UFC 309 main event after it was officially booked last month, Jones (27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) opened as a -410 favorite and Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) a +320 underdog via DraftKings on Sept. 16, but those odds have drastically changed in the past month to make Jones a massive favorite, with DraftKings currently listing Jones -550 and Miocic +410.
Those odds are even wider at two other prominent online sportsbooks, FanDuel and BetMGM. FanDuel lists Jones -620 and Miocic +400; BetMGM has Jones as a whopping -700 favorite and Miocic +500. The major shift in Jones’ favor indicates that public money has come in heavy on the champ.
Perhaps Miocic’s age and inactivity are the reasons why. The former UFC heavyweight champion, now 42, hasn’t competed since March 2021 when he lost the title to Francis Ngannou by vicious second-round knockout.
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Jones, 37, has competed just once since February 2020. The former longtime light heavyweight champion debuted at heavyweight and submitted Ciryl Gane to win the title vacated by Ngannou in March 2023. Jones is returning from a torn pectoral that canceled the originally scheduled fight with Miocic last November at UFC 295.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Bristol Bears winger Gabriel Ibitoye said he has had no contact from England head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of November’s autumn internationals.
Ibitoye scored a show-stopping hat-trick in just nine minutes during Bristol’s comeback win against Exeter on Saturday to completely turn the game at Sandy Park around.
Borthwick names his 36-player squad for the four upcoming Autumn matches on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old topped many of the Premiership’s individual statistics last season, including most metres made, most offloads and most defenders beaten, by some distance.
His four tries so far this campaign put him joint second on the Premiership’s running tally, and he sits second to only Exeter’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for metres made (310) across the league’s opening four games.
“Looking at England, Steve definitely wants something from his wingers. I think I am different as a total package, I don’t know what the nuts and bolts are,” Ibitoye said.
“The wingers he’s got in there are obviously class but I know I might have to be less risky on the field and not take as risky decisions.
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“The way I see it I’m just playing what I see in that moment, in that picture, so for me it’s not that risky because in the week I practice it a lot.
“When I first joined Quins I was doing it and it wasn’t come off but I stuck at it and now passes are starting to go to hand and my teammates know what I’m going to bring on the training field and matchday.”
M-Sport’s driver line-up for the 2025 World Rally Championship is “totally up in the air” as speculation mounts around the future of its current lead driver Adrien Fourmaux.
The Ford squad often makes its moves in the driver market late into the year and this season is no different as it plans to field two Ford Puma Rally1 cars next year.
The decision to promote Fourmaux back to its Rally1 programme this year after his 2023 season in Rally2 has paid dividends, with the Frenchman reeling off eight top-five finishes including four podiums (Sweden, Kenya, Poland and Finland).
The run has seen the Frenchman amass only six points fewer than Ott Tanak’s 2023 tally at this stage of the campaign, having replaced the 2019 world champion this year.
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Fourmaux’s impressive rise has made the 29-year-old a valuable commodity in the service park, with the 2023 British rally champion linked with a move to Hyundai to pilot the Korean marque’s third car for next season.
When asked about his team’s 2025 plans, M-Sport’s team principal Richard Millener maintains that “nothing has been signed with anybody” at the minute.
“It is totally up in the air and nothing is signed with anybody, all options on the table as usual for M-Sport at this point in the year,” Millener told Motorsport.com. “We want the strongest possible team we can get for two cars for next year and that is the goal and what we continue to push on.”
Adrien Fourmaux, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Photo by: M-Sport
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The team wishes to agree a new deal with Fourmaux and has not given up on retaining his services. However, should it need to look elsewhere the squad appears to have a shortlist of options to fill its two seats.
Its other full-time driver Gregoire Munster delivered arguably his best Rally1 performance to date in Chile, where he ran as high as fourth, matching stage times at the top of the leaderboard, before finishing seventh.
The performance arrived after a inconsistent campaign to date which could bode well for his future, although Millener says the Luxembourger should remain focused on the final two rallies of the season.
“He just needs to concentrate on one rally at a time now. He shouldn’t be thinking about how he makes sure he gets a drive next year,” added Millener. “It needs to be a case of just doing the best he can on each rally and see what comes at the end of the year.”
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Another driver that M-Sport is keeping an eye on is Martins Sesks following his trio of Rally1 outings with the team. The 25-year-old’s drives to fifth in Poland, followed by a podium challenge in Latvia before a mechanical issue struck, has turned heads.
Sesks admitted after his latest outing in Chile that he was unsure where his future lay.
“Like he says, he doesn’t know what is next and I don’t know what is next, there is a lot up in the air but it was good to give him that opportunity as well and now we need to see what happens in the next few weeks,” said Millener.
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Outside of those two drivers, Motorsport.com expects WRC2 title contenders Oliver Solberg and Yohan Rossel to be on the team’s 2025 driver shortlist.
A HUMBLE stable lad is on the brink of becoming a millionaire – if his bargain basement horse can land a ‘massive’ gamble at Ascot.
Trainer Dylan Cunha’s four-year-old colt Prague has been one of the stars of the season.
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Superstar colt Prague is taking on the big boys in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot – and could make his humble owner a millionaireCredit: Getty
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Amedeo Dal Pos’ fairytale story with his bargain basement horse Prague could reach an amazing climax on Champions DayCredit: PA
Previously trained by Aidan O’Brien and owned by the all-conquering Coolmore group, his incredible rags-to-riches run has seen him go from handicapper to Group 2 winner in just five runs.
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And his remarkable progress has come while under the ownership of unheralded Amedeo Dal Pos, who bought the son of Galileo for just £10,500.
Dal Pos is head lad to Newmarket-based Cunha.
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It’s fair to say he’s hardly living the millionaire lifestyle under the up-and-coming trainer – but he could soon be thanks to his star colt.
Dal Pos, who is listed as the sole owner of Prague, has paid a staggering £70,000 supplementary fee so he can run in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.
He used some of the £114,000 Prague has won so far in his career to cover the cost.
Bookies make Prague an 8-1 chance for the mile race currently headed by 5-4 market leader Charyn.
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Victory in the prestigous contest is worth a shade over £655,709.
But, as ever with top Flat horses, it’s the prospect of what they could achieve at stud that the money really starts racking up.
If Prague wins he’ll be in high demand as a stallion, given he would stand as a Group 1 winner proven over a mile at Ascot and Newmarket.
Cunha told The Mirror: “It’s a massive gamble for him, isn’t it?
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“If the horse wins he is worth a few million being a Galileo colt, but if he loses the whole £70,000 is gone and the whole horse’s value is gone.
“But Amedeo has confidence in the horse.
“He rides him every day and when he galloped him on Saturday he had the biggest smile on his face. It’s all in the stars now.
“The horse is on the up, he is going to get his ground.
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“You may never get the chance in your life again. I think you’ve got to go for it.
“I look at it like this. You pay £10,000 for the horse. You can now say you paid £80,000 for the horse and it’s running in a Group 1. That’s not a bad little purchase.”
Not bad – but it could be about to get so much better on Saturday.
Dal Pos wouldn’t be the first stable lad to strike it rich.
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Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
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