England

Rob Webber captains England against the Barbarians on Sunday aiming to put down a marker ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

Abandoned after neo-Nazis caused chaos, England's last match in Dublin was a hateful low point that shocked the gameNeil Fraser watched the England fans making Nazi salutes, leering, jeering and sneering. He heard the boos and the goading battle cries: "No Surrender to the IRA", "Judas! Judas!" And then, when David Kelly – one of eight England-born players in the Republic of Ireland team that night – put his side 1-0 up, and the chants and coins raging down from Lansdowne Road's upper west stand were replaced by wood and metal and iron, he did what any press photographer would do: moved closer, camera cocked, seeking the shot that would capture the chaos.Then it all went black.An iron bar, part of a back support for one of the wooden seats in the stand, had hit him in the head.The next thing Fraser remembers is lying on his back in the goal mouth, being bandaged by an ambulance medic and watching, through blurry panoramic vision, a full-scale riot. "It was very surreal," he admits. "And very wild."While he was knocked out, the photographer became the photograph. A picture of Fraser – bloodied and blotto, his skull fractured – became one of the enduring images of the night, along with that of a baffled boy crying into his Ireland scarf as the violence flared around him.After the match was abandoned after 27 minutes, with the home side 1-0 ahead, Ireland's manager, Jack Charlton, called it a "disaster", adding: "I've seen a lot in football but I've never seen anything like that. Every Englishman should be ashamed." Terry Venables, then in charge of England, also looked bewildered as he said: "There is no word to describe what I feel about people like that. It's sickening."Dozens were injured and 40 people arrested. Yet, strange as it seems now, both managers wanted the match to be replayed. A date that May was mooted, with Graham Kelly, the FA's chief executive, calling it "unfinished business." In a sense it still is. When the two countries meet at Wembley on Wednesday night, it will be their first encounter since that bitter February evening 18 years ago.The scale of the violence in Dublin that night, and the wicked glee of the perpetrators as they ripped up the upper west stand came as a shock to most people. But the warning dots were there; it was just that nobody connected them. There had long been a hard core of England fans who viewed football as war by proxy and Ireland as the enemy. They had caused trouble at the World Cup in 1990, Rotterdam in 1993, and other places in between. In Dublin their ranks were swelled by members of the neo-Nazi group Combat 18, who had not come for the craic, or the football.A lack of segregation, caused by the Football Association of Ireland reselling tickets in English sections to Irish fans, and a security operation that was not just complacent but outright dozy, did not help either. As Fraser, then a 21-year-old working for the Star, recalls: "There was a very tense atmosphere. When you see a bunch of guys doing a Nazi salute you know it's not going to be a normal match."An official public inquiry by the former chief justice of Ireland Thomas Finlay concluded the violence was caused solely by English fans, without any provocation. Yet Finlay also blamed the Irish police for refusing assistance from the National Criminal Intelligence Service in Britain and failing to act on information about Combat 18 travelling to Ireland. As a letter in the Guardian from the Labour MP Peter Hain two days later put it: "Wednesday night's events were not mindless thuggery but organised political violence. Leaflets were circulated at football matches in London last Saturday which advertised the Ireland match and actively encouraged violence."A significant number of the 4,500 England fans at Lansdowne Road were horrified at what they saw. Anne-Marie Mockridge, who has been to every England game since 1992, remembers cowering under the lower tier of the west stand as her fellow countrymen appeared "hell-bent

Hard work lies at the heart of their careers but they might also have what it takes to make it as managersThe national obsession with football managers, never more crazed than in the past fortnight, is the popular expression of the cult of leadership that keeps business schools busy and airport bookshelves full. Like corporate CEOs, the occupants of technical areas are examined exhaustively for those seven (or five, or 12) highly effective habits that could ensure competitive advantage (though, as in the business world, the evidence for any of them making a difference out of proportion to luck or spending power is patchy at best). Still, fans, like shareholders, keep the faith in their next messiah. So it is telling which individuals are earmarked for future greatness, what qualities the national game most prizes in its leaders.In the past few days, a new candidate on the shortlist of possibilities – in addition to the ever-present Hugheses and McCarthys and Benítezes – has emerged to give an insight into this question. Phil Neville, at 36, sensing that it may be time to call it a day as a player, has apparently found his way into the mix for the vacant manager jobs at Everton and Stoke City. He is, too, reportedly wanted by David Moyes as a right-hand man at Old Trafford. And he has simultaneously been fast-tracked into the England hierarchy to sit alongside Stuart Pearce with the Under-21s. What, you might wonder, makes him so likely a special one?One answer seems to be some of the same, somewhat elusive qualities, that characterised him as a player. That old chant that used to follow Manchester United around the country: "If the Nevilles can play for England – so can I," never sounded too outlandish, but the brothers amassed more caps between them (144, no goals) than Bobby and Jack Charlton (141, 55 goals). Though it might be a challenge to come up with a YouTube clip's worth of Phil Neville's 59 international appearances, successive managers saw something in Phil they needed. He was a world-class gap-plugger, a stellar space-filler. If there was a hole in the international side, for a decade or so it was instinctively felt to be Neville-shaped.The apparently fated rise of the Nevilles in the game for years to come also seems to betray a kind of collective guilty nostalgia for a link between effort and reward. Both brothers have always looked like a blunt corrective to the surreal fantasy land of Premier league football, archetypal multimillionaire journeymen. They never made success look like anything other than hard work and determined graft. If the excesses of the Premier League have a morality tale then it is generally told through the former United player Lee Sharpe, who was as profligate with his talent as the Nevilles were nurturing of theirs. The story goes that once, knocking off from training, Sharpe, already showered and changed and heading for his car, heard the repetitive thud of a ball hitting a wall and went to investigate. It was Gary Neville, practising his long throw. Sharpe mocked his dedication, but the 600 games Neville went on to play, long after Sharpe's career was over, famously gave him the last laugh.It is an odd fact that not one England player of the past 20 years is currently coaching in the Premier League. It says something about our football then that hopes for a Pep Guardiola or a Johan Cruyff, leaders who might set the tone and philosophy of the national game for a generation, seem, for better or worse, currently lie with one or other of the Neville brothers.What might that philosophy consist of? In an interview, Phil Neville set out some of his thinking. He has apparently been collecting wisdom for the past five years, writing things down. "I pick his [Moyes's] brains constantly," he said. "What it is like when your team goes on a night out? Do you set curfews?" Or: "You go and watch a training session and you think, 'That looks easy'. But then you think, 'How big is the pitch to make it w

Paul WellerGlastonbury Festival, England June 25th, 1994 Excellent Audience RecordingEncoded: 192 Kbps MP3 Track List: (Artwork Included)The Weaver Has My Fire Really Gone Out? Bull-Rush/Magic Bus This Is No Time Out Of The Sinking Remember How We Started/Dominoes Above The Clouds Hung Up Sunflower Wild Wood Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)/War 5th Season You Do Something To Me Into Tomorrow Foot Of The Mountain Shadow Of The Sun LINK

• Italian under pressure after poor performances at Euro 2012• England play Republic of Ireland on Wednesday at WembleyRoy Hodgson has described Giovanni Trapattoni as a "coaching legend" before England's friendly against the Republic of Ireland.The two sides meet at Wembley on Wednesday night for the first time since 1995, when the game had to be abandoned at Lansdowne Road due to England supporters rioting, with Trapattoni under pressure following the Republic's poor performance at last year's European Championship.Hodgson, however, insists that the Italian should be regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, although he has a good record against Trapattoni when the two have met at club level."He's a friend of mine, he has been a friend for many years since I went to Italy all those years ago," said Hodgson. "He's one of the world's outstanding coaches. If you ever want to talk about legends in coaching terms then Giovanni Trapattoni's name will be up there. You show me a national team coach that's not getting stick somewhere."Wednesday's match is part of the Football Association's 150th-anniversary celebrations and Hodgson has urged England supporters not to sing anti-IRA chants during the game.Giovanni TrapattoniRoy HodgsonRepublic of IrelandEnglandJames Riachguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Fans kitted all in red or black and yellow were in high spirits as thousands braved the weather to watch the final in GermanyCheers of elation and screams of frustration echoed across Berlin as the final whistle blew on a Champions League final featuring two of the country's most loved – and hated – teams for the first time. In the end it was fans of Bayern Munich celebrating into the night after Arjen Robben's decisive goal.While Germans had expected Bayern to win the game, more than two-thirds had hoped the underdogs Borussia Dortmund would prosper. Pubs decked out in yellow and black erupted in cheers as Ilkay Gundogan's penalty hit the back of the net, but in the end they were left disappointed as Bayern won."It's very emotional," said Donya Zahireddini, a 37-year-old Dortmund supporter. "Dortmund have become so much better. It was a special game because it's the first time two German teams have made it through together. England is like the motherland of football and it's special to play at Wembley."It was a slow start to the festivities on Saturday as rain fell throughout the day and Germans marvelled that the weather in Germany could actually be worse than that greeting fans in London. But defying the damp and news of threats of potential terror attacks at public viewings, fans kitted all in red or black and yellow were in high spirits, pushing noisily into the Fan Mile – the long road stretching up to the Brandenburg Gate – decked out with huge screens.On Saturday morning Germany's news magazine Der Spiegel reported that the Federal Criminal Police had warned fans that Islamists planned to plant bombs in Germany, with possible targets including public viewing sites in German cities – although the Federal Interior Ministry later denied there was a threat.But despite the warnings and the increased police presence, shouting and singing echoed across the square, and although the hundreds of thousands did not turn out as expected, instead opting for watching the game from the shelter of a pub, tens of thousands still made it out with their rain coats and umbrellas to watch the highly anticipated match at the Brandenburg Gate.In Dortmund more than 12,000 fans gathered around a 20x7 metre screen set up in the Westfalenhalle venue, while another 45,000 watched on televisions set up around the city. "Everything is decorated in black and yellow," said a correspondent speaking from Dortmund on Berlin's Radio Eins. "Fans have been singing since midday."Meanwhile in Munich, around 75,000 supporters were expected to turn out at the Allianz Arena to cheer on Bayern Munich as they battled for the title for the fifth time in the Champions League. Outside the cities dedicated to their home teams, Germany was divided on who to support. Bild led with a front page asking readers whether they would be supporting the reds – Bayern Munich – or the yellows – Borussia Dortmund – running answers from famous actors, politicians and other personalities as well as citizens. "I am for the reds," Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton said. "When I have played football on the computer, I've often played as Bayern."Meanwhile, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a national paper produced in Munich, ran a supplement on Friday, directing the 50,000 Germans visiting London to German pubs and places to eat, such as fast food German takeaway Herman ze German, but looked at the darker side of the city for Saturday's edition.The paper reminded visitors that as they travelled from Heathrow Airport to Wembley they would be watched by the 422,000 CCTV cameras looking over the streets of London – public surveillance is a subject vigorously fought over in Germany. Still, Berlin's local paper, Berliner Morgenpost, mulled over the game and quoted Gary Lineker after the English semi-final defeat in the 1990 World Cup, perhaps referring to the economic crisis that has wracked Europe but allowed Germany to emerge on top. "And in the end the Germans always win."Champions LeagueBayern Mu

After Thursday night’s pulsating 4-3 comeback win for Manchester City against Chelsea in St Louis, the anticipation is building for tonight’s match between the two clubs, which will be played at Yankee Stadium in New York City. For viewers in the United States, the kick-off time is tentatively scheduled for 5:30pm ET on FOX Soccer. However, the exact kick-off time will depend on what time the UEFA Champions League Final finishes and whether the game will go into extra time and/or penalty kicks. In team news, Chelsea are missing Ashley Cole, Gary Cahill and Frank Lampard who have returned to London to meet up with the England national team. This will be Manchester City’s first match in New York City since their announcement that they’re purchasing a MLS franchise, so it’ll be interesting to see what the reaction is to the team in Yankee Stadium. Before, during or after tonight’s match, join the conversation in the comments section below. Manchester City vs Chelsea Exhibition Game in New York City: Open Thread is a post from EPL Talk - Independent voice of EPL soccer fans since 2005.

Bayern Munich have won the 2013 UEFA Champions League after a thrilling final came to an end with an 89th-minute winning goal, courtesy of Arjen Robben.One of the best finals of recent years was played out in England between two German clubs, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern providing a fantastic spectacle to close the season with.After a goalless first half, the match sparked into life with goals after the break from Mario Mandzukic and Ilkay Gundogan, the latter from the penalty spot, before Robben scored the deciding goal with less than 60 seconds left of the 90 minutes.Neither side sprung any surprises with their starting XI, with Mario Gotze and Toni Kroos missing out for either side through injury, with Kevin Grosskreutz and Arjen Robben the lucky two who came in to take their places respectively.Both of the German Bundesliga teams went with a familiar 4-2-3-1 system, with Marco Reus moving infield for Dortmund to accommodate Grosskreutz on the flank, and Thomas Muller doing the same for Bayern.With a packed Wembley stadium in London noisy from kick-off, the first chance of the game came within three minutes after Robert Lewandowski saw his shot blocked behind for a corner. It set the tone for what was a fairly frantic opening, but without any consistent execution of attacking moves or crisp midfield passing.Dortmund had the better of the opening stages of the game, but other than Manuel Neuer taking a high corner confidently in his penalty area there was little work for either goalkeeper. Quick distribution from the Bayern goalkeeper looked to give them a threat on the break, but Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery couldn't make the most of the one-on-one chances they had with the Dortmund defence.Robert Lewandowski got into action on the quarter-hour mark with a run down the left and then a fierce shot from range, tipped over by Neuer—and from the ensuing corner Reus crossed low for Jakub Blaszczykowski to strike a low effort, forcing a smart low save from the German No. 1.It was certainly the best chance of the game's opening 20 minutes, and Bayern owed their goalkeeper a debt of thanks.Sven Bender and Marco Reus also both tested Neuer with low efforts before the half-hour mark, with Bayern struggling to make any sort of impression on the match as an attacking force at all—until out of nothing Mario Mandzukic had a header tipped onto the crossbar by Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller and from the resulting corner, Javi Martinez headed over.Ribery might have been lucky to escape without a card for a flailing arm, which left Dortmund fans irate.Arjen Robben then had a great chance to open the scoring, one-on-one with Weidenfeller, but could only hit the goalkeeper with his shot.It looked as though Bayern had weathered the early storm from Dortmund and would finish the half stronger, but Lewandowski almost immediately found himself free on goal—only for Neuer to yet again deny him.Robben wasted another chance to cross or shoot less than a minute after, and Muller glanced a header wide of the far post with Dortmund struggling to match Bayern aerially from set pieces.The final big chance of the first half fell to Robben once more, just 10 yards from goal, but he cracked a shot high and central and straight at the goalkeeper who made another terrific reaction stop, albeit with his face. Whether by luck or good positioning, Weidenfeller had played—along with opposite number Neuer—a big part in the first half remaining goalless.The second half opened in as frantic fashion as most of the first 45 had been played at, but neither stopper was seriously called upon this time until Mandzukic had another unmarked header off a corner just shy of the hour mark.Weidenfeller grasped it quickly, but it was yet further evidence that Dortmund were struggling with Bayern's set piece attacks.And then, on the hour mark, Wembley stadium exploded in a sea of red.Ribery and Robben combined to get the latter in the area,

Art Tate Liverpool saved my life. In my memory my first visit to Tate Liverpool, and you’ll have to forgive me but it was twenty-five years ago, I was thirteen and most of anything which happened back then is submerged in a love of Transformers and Kylie Minogue, but in my memory, I visited on its first weekend of opening. I remember it being very busy, I remember that much. I remember laughing a lot. Boldly, Tate Liverpool’s opening exhibition was Surrealism In The Tate Gallery Collection, which as a statement of intent ranks with Lady Gaga turning up for an awards ceremony dressed in raw beef. My thirteen year old self, submerged in a love of Transformers and Kylie Minogue, thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. One of the pieces on display was Michael Craig-Martin’s An Oak Tree, a glass of water on a shelf above head height. Which was hilarious then and still is because as I now know, for reasons which later became apparent to me, the whole field of “conceptual art” is about challenging the viewer’s beliefs in the construct of the art world and themselves. Did I innately understand that? No. What was hilarious then was that an artist was able to put the glass of water on the shelf, put it on that wall, have a card which says “An Oak Tree”, other stuff, and people would turn up to see it. Even as I type that, I can’t quite believe it despite now thinking it’s one of the greatest pieces of art ever ushered into reality, even if it must be a bugger for the technicians to keep clean. How I got from one reason for finding An Oak Tree hilarious to the other reason I find An Oak Tree hilarious, is the reason Tate Liverpool, amongst other things, because there had to be a qualifier, because everything has a qualifier, saved my life. Perhaps this something which happens to everyone. Perhaps all of this is just part of growing up. Perhaps I’m just trying to find something to write. What I do remember is never being very good at school. Apart from the bullying, apart from that, I wasn’t an especially academic kid and easily distracted, by Transformers and Kylie Minogue, and not easily able to retain information. All of this is still true. I’m not an especially academic adult really, still easily distracted by Doctor Who and the Spotify, and barely able to retain information. But for the purposes of this story, let’s assume that in fact, I was a different person, that the premise of Michael Apted’s 7 Up series doesn’t apply to me. At the age of thirteen, when Tate Liverpool opened, another strong memory I have is of my parents returned from parents evening and telling me that the head of year, who didn’t even teach me, had said that “Stuart won’t amount to much.” Which wasn’t an especially nice thing to say, but you should also know that the school I went to, an old style grammar school despite being classified as a comprehensive, not fee paying but selective, was very much geared towards producing Oxbridge candidates, the rest of us, no matter how had we’d worked to get there, sometimes felt like the flotsam and jetsam of humanity. Not that I was old enough to really understand the implications of those words. I was thirteen and “not amounting to much” at that point didn’t really have a context. What I do know is that mum and dad weren’t worried, this wasn’t some moment when they thought I’d need a private tutor or anything like that. I just wasn’t academic. Not everyone is academic. Meanwhile, school continued. My grades, when I’m finally graded, which wasn’t something which happened then as often as it does now, are minimal. When I’m “setted”, I’m in the fourth set for French, fourth for Maths. I simply couldn’t learn. I remember working really, really hard sometimes, but not being able to retain anything. This now looks like something diagnosable but not then. It wasn't then. But one of the constants was art class. I wasn’t very good at that either. I certainl

Jim O’Connor – USA TODAY Sports Much has been made about the New England Patriots connection with former Rutgers University players. The Patriots selected three players from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights program in the 2013 NFL Draft. New England also recently signed two undrafted free agents from Rutgers, totaling eight former Scarlet Knight players on the Patriots’ roster. The linking to Rutgers is obvious for head coach Bill Belichick as his son played college football for the Scarlet Knights. Belichick has also grown close to former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who is about to enter his second year as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Belichick has a strong belief that these former Rutgers players can produce for the Patriots because of their football background. Belichick trusts the foundation at Rutgers, and thus has no problem giving as many players from that program the chance to make the Patriots roster. What can we expect production wise from the former Scarlet Knights on the Patriots this season? Well, six of the eight players from Rutgers are on the defense side of the ball and have a chance to impact an improving defensive unit. Devin McCourty, a 2010 draftee from Rutgers, has cemented his status as a starting safety on the Patriots. McCourty is a defensive captain and is on pace to have a strong season after moving away from the cornerback position. Defensive end Justin Francis, a 2012 undrafted free agent, was a starter by the end of the regular season with all the injuries to the defense. He is renowned for his work ethic and should make a decent contribution to the Patriots’ defense in 2013. All three Rutgers draftees on the Pats’ roster from the 2013 class could play a major role in the defense, particularly third-round picks Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon. Cornerback Ryan and safety Harmon may see significant playing time in their rookie seasons’, especially if injuries pile up on the secondary. Seventh-round pick Steve Beauharnais is a physical linebacker that has a great chance to make the 53-man roster come September. The remaining former Scarlet Knights players are long shots to make the team. Offensive tackle Kevin Haslam, who played sparingly for the San Diego Chargers last season, is far down on the depth chart for one of the top offensive lines in the league. Cornerback Brandon Jones and wide receiver Mark Harrison also face uphill battles to make the roster. But both players do not have to look far to find a source of motivation as former Scarlet Knight Justin Francis thrived in the Patriots’ system, despite not being drafted. The production of the Rutgers players will be watched closely throughout the season to evaluate another unorthodox experiment from the highly-intelligent football-minded Bill Belichick. Tyler Ash is a New England Patriots Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on twitter @TyAsh34 Like His Facebook Page, or add him to your network on Google Plus