Wrexham director Shaun Harvey has revealed how much work will be required if the club gains promotion

Wrexham director Shaun Harvey has revealed huge changes would be required if the club makes it to the Premier League, while insisting promotion can never come too soon.

The Red Dragons have enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent seasons, climbing from the National League to the Championship via three consecutive promotions. Phil Parkinson’s side now find themselves in the thick of the play-off race in the second tier as they look to continue their remarkable climb.

That surge has inevitably sparked talk of what would be required if Wrexham were to complete the job and reach the Premier League, with the scale of the challenge extending far beyond the pitch. The Racecourse Ground is currently operating at a reduced capacity of around 10,500, making it the smallest stadium in the division this season.

Work is under way on a new 7,750 capacity Kop Stand, but it is not expected to be completed until next year. As a result, significant upgrades would be needed to ensure the historic ground meets top-flight requirements, while further investment in the playing squad would also be essential to compete with the elite.

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Discussing the prospect of Premier League promotion on the Fearless in Devotion podcast, Harvey said: “You can never get promoted too early. We’ve proved over the last three seasons that we’ve managed to go from one league to another and prosper.

“Now, there would be a mammoth amount of work to do inside the stadium. There would also be a mammoth amount of work potentially to do with the playing squad, but I don’t think you’ll find anybody at the Racecourse Ground who isn’t actually looking forward to having that opportunity should it come our way.”

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac completed their takeover five years ago this week, Wrexham were a non-league club dreaming of a return to the Football League. Harvey says the scale of what has followed has inevitably reshaped the owners’ outlook.

He said: “They were very nervous when they first came in. You think, ‘How can two people who spend the majority of their time in front of a camera actually be nervous?’ But they were. The bottom line is they are now fans at heart.

“They wanted to love it when they started and fell in love very quickly. The only thing that’s really changed is their view on what the magnitude of failure is. They’ve bought into Wrexham, its story and its success.

“The price of failure is such now that I think their biggest concern is just letting anybody down. The hardest part for all of us has been managing the success and the speed of it.”

Harvey added: “We’ve had numerous plans that have been ripped up, not because the plan was flawed, but because we’d gone beyond the scope of that plan.

“That’s on the field and off the field. We’re still catching up and we’ll probably always be catching up in in reality.”

Igor Tudor has agreed a deal to become Tottenham interim head coach until the end of the season.

Thomas Frank was sacked earlier this week, with Spurs five points above the relegation places.

Sources told BBC Sport that Spurs wanted an interim manager in place for the players’ return to training on Monday.

Tudor has been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in October 2025 following an eight-match winless run, leaving the club eighth in Serie A.

The 47-year-old has had a varied managerial career, having had stints at Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray and Udinese among others.

During a nine-year stint as a player with Juventus he won Serie A twice and finished runner-up in the 2003 Champions League final.

Tudor was part of the Croatia squad that was knocked out of the 1998 World Cup at the semi-final stage, eventually finishing third.

The Fitzwilliam Place homes to be built by Taylor Wimpey, Redcar, will be remotely launched from the developer’s Marske Sands site on Saturday, February 21.

The scheme includes a mix of two, three, and four-bedroom homes.

Nicki Hope, sales and marketing director at Taylor Wimpey North Yorkshire, said: “Fitzwilliam Place is set to be a great addition to the local area.

“We’re certain it will be a popular choice for a variety of buyers.

“The development is in a great location for those seeking village life whilst still being close to the beach, which is only 1.2 miles away, and the towns of Redcar and Saltburn are both under 4 miles away.”

The homes feature energy-efficient insulation and heating systems, helping to reduce energy bills and environmental impact.

The plans also include wildlife-friendly features such as hedgehog highways, swift boxes installed on 50 per cent of homes, and bat boxes on 10 per cent of properties.

Ms Hope said: “The location also benefits from excellent local amenities, a number of primary schools and strong transport links via road, bus, and rail.

“All of this, plus access to green open spaces and leisure facilities, makes it a desirable choice for all buyers.

“By launching from Marske Sands, we can give prospective buyers the opportunity to secure their home early, whilst work continues on site.

“We look forward to speaking with potential customers over our launch weekend.”

The Fitzwilliam Place development is on Silverdale Gardens in Redcar, at postcode TS10 2UF.

Once complete, it will deliver a “thriving new community”, with landscaped public open space, new footpaths and cycleways.

The launch will give buyers the chance to view development plans, speak with the Taylor Wimpey sales team, and secure their dream home.

Further information about the Fitzwilliam Place development, including available plots, pricing, and launch event details, can be found at the Taylor Wimpey website.  

One of the greatest tennis players of all time has landed a job at budget supermarket chain Lidl

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Tennis legend Steffi Graf, who won an incredible 22 Grand Slam titles, has made an unexpected return to the spotlight by accepting a new role with discount supermarket Lidl.

The 56-year-old German icon, who hung up her racquet in 1999 and has maintained a largely low-profile lifestyle since, has been appointed as a brand ambassador for Lidl’s budget-friendly sportswear line Crivit.

In this new capacity, Graf will spearhead a significant international advertising campaign showcasing the brand’s newest clothing and activewear collection.

The campaign, which launched in mid-February 2026, features the inspirational tagline “Find your move” and is being deployed across more than 30 nations.

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Graf, frequently celebrated as one of the finest female tennis players of all time, holds numerous unmatched records.

She remains the sole player in the Open Era to complete the Calendar-Year Golden Slam – capturing all four major championships (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) alongside Olympic gold within a single year.

She achieved this remarkable milestone in 1988, a season widely considered as one of the best in tennis history. Graf also maintained the world No. 1 position for a record-breaking 377 weeks on the WTA Tour.

With 22 major singles championships, she stands as the third-most accomplished women’s singles player in history, trailing only Margaret Court (24) and Serena Williams (23).

From 1988 to 1996, Graf secured 20 of the 36 Grand Slam tournaments held. Beyond her historic four-title clean sweep in 1988, she captured three of the four majors in 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996 – a period of dominance rivalling the peak years of Novak Djokovic in the 2010s and Roger Federer in the 2000s.

After retiring from professional tennis, Graf has predominantly stayed out of the public eye, concentrating on family life with her husband, fellow tennis icon Andre Agassi (himself an eight-time Grand Slam winner). The couple began their relationship in 1999 and married in 2001, shortly before Steffi gave birth to their son. Their daughter arrived two years later.

Whilst Agassi has maintained a higher profile in recent years through coaching, commentary and events such as the Laver Cup, he couldn’t contain his admiration for his wife’s latest endeavour. He posted on social media: “Beyond proud to see you as the new brand partner of @crivit” whilst commending her work in the promotional content.

Graf becomes part of an expanding roster of prominent celebrities collaborating with Lidl, which already features Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heidi Klum. The retailer’s Crivit brand, which delivers substantial turnover whilst establishing itself as a competitor in the budget-friendly sports and outdoor sector, views the partnership as an ideal match.

The broadcaster is making major cuts across the corporation amounting to approximately 10% of its costs

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The BBC is implementing significant cuts, totalling roughly 10% of its costs, as it grapples with “substantial financial pressures”. The broadcaster acknowledged that savings must be achieved over the coming three years.

Whilst a spokesperson did not specify the precise sum required, it is anticipated to run into hundreds of millions of pounds. The corporation’s total public service expenditure last year exceeded £4 billion.

No additional information has been provided regarding which programmes or services may be impacted, reports the Express. These fresh cuts are in addition to the £150 million that still needs to be identified by March 2028 as part of an existing savings scheme.

The announcement follows US President Donald Trump securing a court date for his $10million (£7.5million) lawsuit against the BBC. The hearing has been scheduled for February 15, 2027, according to court filings.

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The Republican leader is pursuing the British broadcaster for defamation after they combined two sections of his January 6 speech during a 2025 episode of Panorama. Despite the corporation having apologised to the 79-year-old politician for the edit, the President is demanding damages for the edited speech, which his legal team has argued was “false and defamatory”.

Departing director general Tim Davie, who is set to leave the corporation in April, informed staff about the savings on Thursday (February 12).

A BBC spokesperson further stated: “Over the last three years, we have delivered more than half a billion pounds worth of savings, much of which we’ve been able to reinvest into our output across the BBC.

“In a rapidly changing media market, we continue to face substantial financial pressures. As a result, we expect to make further savings over the next three years of around 10% of our costs.

“This is about the BBC becoming more productive and prioritising our offer to audiences to ensure we’re providing the best value for money, both now and in the future.”

The revelation emerges as the BBC holds discussions with Government about its future direction, alongside that of the licence fee following the recent price increase, ahead of the renewal of its Royal charter at the end of 2027.

Ministers recently launched a consultation seeking public views about the broadcaster’s future and its funding model.

Currently, the corporation derives most of its revenue from the licence fee, though the number of TV licences purchased has been falling in recent years. The BBC has acknowledged that the licence requires reform, but insists any modifications must “safeguard the BBC as a universal public broadcaster”.

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The four astronauts that make up SpaceX Crew-12 have began their journey to the International Space Station (ISS).

Nasa’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, the European Space Agency’s Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos’s Andrey Fedyaev are all aboard the Falcon 9 rocket as it travels 34 hours to its destination.

The crew will spend eight months on the ISS, replacing a team that evacuated the station last month due to a medical emergency.

“Crew-12 is grateful and ready for the journey ahead”, mission commander Jessica Meir said after the launch.

In the Middle East, nothing is ever straightforward, and so it was. 

Benjamin Netanyahu had barely landed back in Tel Aviv when his friend in the White House was launching a stinging attack upon the man at the top of Israeli politics.

No, not Netanyahu, who Donald Trump continues to treat as a close friend.

No, the target of Trump‘s ire was Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.

The American leader said that Herzog should be “ashamed of himself” for failing to pardon Netanyahu, who hasn’t actually been convicted of anything.

Netanyahu certainly has been accused of crimes by the courts in Israel, namely bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The criminal action against him has been rolling on for nearly six years, interrupted constantly by delays and excuses.

The Israeli prime minister has regularly failed to turn up for court, citing the argument that running his country takes up a lot of his time.

He always maintained that he wanted to prove his innocence in court, but then, at the end of last year, he formally requested a pardon for the charges.

He said the case had become a distraction; his opponents insisted that “only the guilty ask for a pardon”.

By this time, Trump had already laid the ground, making it clear that he thought a pardon was deserved.

As a president who has issued pardons to the best part of 2,000 people, charged or convicted, over the past year, he might think it’s a pretty straightforward job. The Israeli president seems to disagree.

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Herzog issued a statement that made it clear that the legal process behind the decision was long and unwieldy, and that he couldn’t just make up his mind for himself.

He also said he “deeply appreciates President Trump”, the man who had just told Herzog he should be ashamed of himself.

It’s hard to imagine what level of insult it would take for an Israeli politician to actually publicly condemn Trump, but we’re not there yet.

But there are tensions.

This was Netanyahu’s sixth visit to Washington DC since Trump’s return to office, but it was the lowest profile.

He arrived with no fanfare, and there was no press conference after the meeting.

The nuances were clear, though.

Netanyahu, along with colleagues in the Israeli cabinet, is worried that the Americans will end up going soft on Iran, giving them a deal on nuclear enrichment, easing sanctions and doing nothing to limit their arsenal of ballistic missiles or their control of proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen.

“I will not hide from you that I expressed general scepticism about the nature of any agreement with Iran,” said Netanyahu, possibly the most critical comment he has ever made about Trump.

Moments later, as if to mollify the American, he described him as “a great friend of the State of Israel, who was like no other”.

There is no hiding the schism that now lies between these two countries, for so long, so allied.

Israel is desperate for action against Iran’s growing stockpile of missiles, America is focused on stopping nuclear enrichment.

JD Vance has poured a lot of cold water on the US taking military action, fearful of American casualties should Iran respond by targeting the country’s various bases in the Middle East.

Which, almost certainly, it would.

Israel, behind the scenes, is making plans for what would happen if it felt it had to take unilateral action, and that still needs the buy-in of Trump’s administration.

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Even if the Americans don’t actually fire the weapons, for instance, would they be prepared to restock the missiles that are crucial to Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system?

You’d assume the answer is yes, but do we know that for sure?

But Netanyahu must tread carefully.

He has a general election later this year, and he is certainly not guaranteed to be prime minister beyond it.

He is not only facing criminal charges in Israel, but he is also indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court.

There are many countries he cannot visit for fear of being arrested.

Israel’s prime minister is a pariah in the eyes of many, with very, very few high-profile diplomatic friends, other than one – the most powerful man in the world.

York Outer MP Luke Charters has welcomed what he called the biggest overhaul of the veterinary sector in more than 60 years, designed to make veterinary services clearer, fairer and more affordable for families and pet owners.

The proposed changes will improve price transparency, strengthen regulation, and modernise outdated rules, while also supporting vets and veterinary nurses.

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His comments follow a meeting with VetPartners, one of the UK’s largest veterinary groups, which is headquartered in his constituency York Outer.

Mr Charters said: “Anyone who has a pet knows how stressful it can be when you’re worried about their health – and that stress is made worse if costs aren’t clear. I’m a pet lover myself, so this matters to me personally.

“It was useful to meet VetPartners recently and hear directly about the pressures vets and nurses are facing, and how these reforms could make a difference.

“These reforms will make a real difference for pet owners here in York – giving people clearer information, more confidence in the care their animals receive, and reassurance that the system is fairer and more transparent.”

The MP and industry leaders discussed key challenges in the sector, including workforce shortages, rising costs for pet owners, and safeguarding high standards of animal welfare.

British Veterinary Association president Dr Rob Williams also voiced strong support for legislative changes.

Dr Williams said: “Vets play a vital role in society, from caring for the nation’s animals and supporting our farmers and food production, through to assisting international trade, disease control and public health.

“If we’re to continue delivering this work effectively, we urgently need reformed veterinary legislation, and those changes will impact how we go about all aspects of our work.

“It’s therefore imperative that colleagues engage with Defra’s proposals, ensure their voices are heard and grasp this opportunity to shape veterinary legislation that’s fit for the 21st century.”

The reforms follow findings from the Competition and Markets Authority, which said issues in the veterinary market could be costing households up to £1 billion over five years, with fees rising much faster than inflation.

The new rules aim to give pet owners clearer information about pricing and options while boosting accountability across the sector.

Lt Col Teeton said he was told by medical staff it was a “miracle” that he survived the attack having been left with a very large wound to the right side of his neck and further stab wounds to the front and back of his chest, front and back of his abdomen, left side of his lower abdomen, right groin, right upper arm and left thigh.

Haxby will once again have a permanent post office after it was announced that a new branch will open at the former Dutch Nurseries store in The Village on Monday, March 30.

It comes after a temporary post office was set up at the Oaken Grove Community Centre after the Morrisons Daily branch, which housed the previous post office, closed last May following nationwide cuts by the supermarket. 

The temporary post office will remain in place until the permanent post office opens.

Haxby and Wigginton’s ward councillors and the MP for York Outer, who all campaigned to reopen a permanent post office in the town, welcomed the news.

Cllr Andrew Hollyer said he and his fellow Liberal Democrat councillors had worked with residents to reopen a new post office in The Village, “which is the most accessible location for residents”.

Cllr Richard Watson said the councillors are aware that the location in The Village has some “parking pressures”, and that a “bottleneck can form near the pharmacy at busy times”.

But he said the councillors will “continue to work with the Post Office and the council to make sure access for all residents, including those on foot or with mobility issues, is as safe and convenient as possible”.

“The new permanent post office on The Village will provide certainty for residents and businesses who rely on these essential services,” he added. “We are proud to have delivered this outcome for our community.”

Cllr Hollyer urged residents to fill out the Post Office’s consultation on access to the new site.

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Meanwhile, Cllr Ian Cuthbertson praised everyone who supported the campaign. “Without that support, residents could have been left without a local post office for far longer,” Cllr Cuthbertson said.

Luke Charters, the MP for York Outer, said he was “delighted” that a permanent post office had been secured for Haxby.

“This is fantastic news for our community,” he said, adding: “Thank you to everyone who completed the consultation I shared last October, following the opening of the temporary service at Oaken Grove Community Centre. That temporary branch was an important step forward while we worked to secure a permanent solution.

“I would also like to thank Haxby Town Council for their tireless efforts in helping to establish the temporary service.”

Luke Charters, MP for York Outer (Image: Supplied)

The Labour MP added: “Although the decision has now been made to reopen the branch, the Post Office has launched a further consultation on the proposed location. I would encourage residents to take part and share their views.”

To take part in the consultation, visit: https://www.postofficeviews.co.uk/national-consultation-team/haxby-yo32-3hs-380349engage/