WEMBLEY HO’WAY
When Football Daily heard that Newcastle United had invited a celebrity saxophonist to play their iconic walkout music before Wednesday night’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal, it was beside itself elves with excitement. Sadly, our favourite blue-haired horn-tooter, Zoot from The Muppet Show, failed to materialise and it was left for local muso Johnny “Blue Hat” Davis to step into the breach and play Going Home instead. A lifelong Toon fan, he provided more than adequate cover for the terminally stoned and famously unreliable sax-man from Electric Mayhem, who wasn’t alone in failing to turn up at St James’ Park. For all Gabriel Martinelli’s pre-match talk about Arsenal looking to “score three, four, five” in order to overturn their two-goal first leg deficit against Newcastle, the Gunners failed to land anything resembling a glove on their hosts, with Mikel Arteta’s players possibly still basking in the afterglow of the open-topped bus parade that followed their emphatic weekend win over Manchester City.
While Arsenal supporters can console themselves with the fact that they have bigger fish to fry this season, the fact that Eddie Howe and Newcastle appear to well and truly have their team’s number ought to be a source of concern. The strikerless Gunners have fired blanks in three consecutive defeats at the hands of Newcastle already this season and still have to face them again in the penultimate match of a league they still entertain hopes of snatching from under Liverpool’s nose. “We need to swallow this one,” sighed Arteta, who was trolled throughout the game by Newcastle fans. “It’s a tough one. We had a lot of expectations. We knew the difficulty of the task because of the result we brought from London but there’s nothing we can do right now. Now we have to look forward.”
Having earned their latest trip to Wembley the hard way, with four of their five victories in the competition coming against top-flight sides, Newcastle fans can now book their tickets for a big day out in London, with their giddy excitement only slightly tempered by the potential ignominy of losing a Wembley final to fellow trophy-dodgers Spurs. “We had a gameplan we thought would work,” roared Anthony Gordon, before preaching a need for humility that some cynics have interpreted as a b@nterific dig. “Everyone knows we press. It is important for us to stay humble now. It will be a big occasion but it’s so far away.” Having sat out the pre-match niceties to make way for Johnny Blue Hat, if Newcastle’s stadium DJ didn’t round off the evening with a rendition of Kendrick Lamar’s Fragile, then he certainly missed a trick.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Rob Smyth from 8pm GMT for hot Milk Cup semi-final second leg updates from Liverpool 4-1 Tottenham (agg: 4-2).
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The only contact I’ve had was an email saying they’d accepted my resignation. I contacted the club, who said the owners had told him I’d resigned. But I never did. I’ve not heard from them since. I can’t get a job and I’ve got no money. Part of me wishes I said yes, and done the extra work for no extra money. It’s turning into a nightmare” – Crawley Town’s former kitman Pete Reynolds accuses the club of breaking the Modern Slavery Act in a claim for unfair dismissal and age discrimination that will be heard at an employment tribunal.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Tottenham’s recent signing of Mathys Tel might well be a good omen since the former Spurs legend and England manager was an FA Cup winner in both 1967 (as player) and 1991 (as manager). Of course, only time will, ahem, tell” – Adrian Irving.
While I have sympathy with Jane Beer as regards supporting one team (Tuesday’s Football Daily letters), I feel that if you move across the UK such that your new local club is unlikely to play your previous team, and it’s not exactly near, it is acceptable to at least follow another side. Having lived in Derby for 15 years (County, third from bottom in the Championship), now residing just outside Maidenhead for the last 20 (United, third from bottom in the National League), I’m not sure I can be accused of any sort of glory hunting. Like Peter Harris (Monday’s letters) I just enjoy going to watch live football with some skin in the game, even if we get thrashed with alarming regularity. Nine defeats from a 10 combined games this year, since you ask” – Adrian Bradshaw.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Adrian Bradshaw. Terms and conditions for our competitions – when we have them – can be viewed here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Join Robyn Cowen, Barry Glendenning and the rest of the pod squad for the latest instalment of Football Weekly Extra.
RECOMMENDED SHOPPING
Big Website’s bookshop has a host of great new tomes waiting to be added to your basket. There’s Anoraknophobia by Rob Grillo and David Squires’s latest brilliant collection of cartoons: Chaos in the Box. Get shopping!
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Sam Kerr has denied using “whiteness as an insult” in a heated exchange with police which saw her call one officer “stupid and white”. The Chelsea and Australia striker is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to PC Stephen Lovell during an incident in south-west London in January 2023.
Teammates of Jenni Hermoso have corroborated her account of being distraught and angered by the forced World Cup kiss from former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales when they testified at his sexual assault trial.
Chelsea fans have accused Todd Boehly of a “breach of trust” and a potential conflict of interest over his co-ownership of a website selling tickets to the club’s games and other Premier League matches to foreign tourists.
Former Brazil and Madrid defender Marcelo has called time on his playing career at the age of 36. “I still have so much to give football,” he cheered.
Manchester United will be without Lisandro Martínez until next season after the defender did his cruciate ligament.
Chelsea remain unbeaten in all competitions after booking their place in the Women’s League Cup final at West Ham’s expense.
Celtic are 13 points clear on top of the Scottish Premiership with 13 games left after dealing out a 6-0 gubbing to Dundee. “It was a tough one in the end,” sighed the visitors’ boss Tony Docherty. “We lost poor goals and addressed that with the group after the game. We take full responsibility and have to be more resolute defensively, but we need to get back on the horse now.”
João Félix is up and running with Milan after scoring on his debut during their 3-1 Coppa Italia quarter-final triumph over Roma. Real Madrid are also through to the Spanish Cup last four after edging out Leganés 3-2.
Neymar’s second spell with boyhood club Santos has begun with an underwhelming 1-1 draw against Botafogo in the Paulista Championship. “I love Santos very much and I can’t find the words to describe the feeling I felt when I stepped out on to the pitch today,” he parped. “It was a very difficult game. I had even commented [to] my father there on the side: they’re marking a lot at the back, they’re a team that defends a lot, a lot of hitting. And they found a ball and scored. I think it’s time for me to be patient and get some practice.”
And under pressure to reduce how many games top footballers are made to play, Uefa has donned its fabled thinking-cap and is contemplating scrapping extra time in the Bigger Cup knockouts. Out of 45 eligible ties in the last three seasons, this would have affected a princely seven.
THE ONLY WAY IS UP?
Which is the strongest team in English football? Carlisle United, they’re holding everyone else up. And a gag from the 80s feels like a good segue into the news that, in a bid to remedy the situation, the league’s most northerly club have appointed one of the players of the 80s, Mark Hughes, as their new manager. Naturally, Hughes has sustained the vibe by bringing Glyn Hodges in as his assistant, and between them they will hope to return the club to the glory glory days of their Eddie Stobart sponsorship. “His experience and stature in the game speaks for itself,” whooped Rob Clarkson, Carlisle sporting director. “He is someone who will instantly command respect from all staff and players and I am really excited to work with him.” Hughes takes over from the less heralded Mike Williamson, " target="_blank" class="link"> the Stoke Sammer, who was famously accused by the great John Carver " target="_blank" class="link"> of getting himself sent off deliberately when playing for Newcastle against Leicester. But perhaps he’s got " target="_blank" class="link"> more in common with Hughes than Carlisle suits think …
STILL WANT MORE?
“He just said he’d had enough.” Donald Walker goes in search of the diehard fans who stopped going to matches.
Instead of hurling obscene money at ageing stars, the Saudi Pro League is now hoping young players will forsake their love of football to accept the dizzying wages on offer. The Daily is choking up! John Duerden has more.
And up on Tyneside, Jonathan Liew takes a look at the volatile and mystifying substance known as Total Bruno.
MEMORY LANE
Today is the 67th anniversary of the Munich air crash in which eight Manchester United players, three members of staff, eight journalists and the co-pilot died. In the photo, we see United’s team after the FA Youth Cup final of 1955 – they beat West Brom 7-1 on aggregate to lift the trophy for the third consecutive year since its inception. Duncan Edwards and Eddie Colman, both of whom died in the disaster, are back row far left and front row with the cup respectively, while Wilf McGuinness and Bobby Charlton, the former of whom missed the flight injured and the latter who survived, are front row, far right.
