Blackburn said on Tuesday they would ideally like another British coach to step into the shoes of sacked Sam Allardyce, given the boot on Monday after barely two years in charge.

The chairman of the club s new owners, India-based poultry firm Venky s, said the plan was to secure someone who could provide more entertainment from the team, as well as a top five finish but also someone British, which would rule out potential candidates such as Dutchman Martin Jol and Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson and Diego Maradona.

Anuradha Desai told Tuesday s Lancashire Telegraph: We want good football and Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better.

The fans should trust us because this is in the best interests of the club. Our thinking now is that it will be a Br…

Michu has admitted he is yearning for a return to Premier League club Swansea City.

The Spaniard, who now plays in the fourth tier in his homeland, said he felt he owed the supporters more after the way they greeted him back in 2012.

Michu arrived at the Liberty Stadium as a relative unknown when he signed from Rayo Vallecano but became an instant sensation as he scored twice on his league debut in a 5-0 win over QPR.

He finished the season with 22 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions.

I was really happy in Swansea, it was the best season of my life and my career. I miss the crowd, I miss the team-mates, I miss the city as well, Michu told the BBC.

I miss the Premier League and if I can play at the highest level again, I will play for…

Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne will look to continue their perfect starts this weekend as they battle for Ligue 1 s top spot.

Both sides have won their first two matches of the new campaign, scoring five goals and conceding one in the process.

Spirits are particularly high at Bordeaux, who came from behind to beat last year s runners-up Monaco 4-1 on Sunday.

Uruguay forward Diego Rolan scored twice in the impressive fightback and Bordeaux could be boosted – ahead of their trip to the fourth-placed Nice by the arrival of Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori.

Ilori, who joined the Anfield outfit from Sporting Lisbon for a reported fee of £8million in September, signed a season-long loan deal at the club on Tuesday.

[The Monaco win] was very impressive. A …

Brighton and Hove Albion s winless run was stretched to five Premier League matches as they were held to an unremarkable 0-0 draw at home to Watford on Saturday.

Chris Hughton s men just about shaded proceedings and appeared slightly more positive going forward, but a goalless draw seemed fair on the balance of play in a poor game at the Amex Stadium.

There were few moments of excitement in a generally dull first half, though Brighton did look marginally more threatening and went close through Jurgen Locadia just before the break.

Brighton were the brighter of the two sides again after the break, but they were unable to find a way past the excellent Ben Foster, as Javi Gracia s Watford side drew three days on from a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.

Quality wa…

Malaga have confirmed the appointment of Juande Ramos as the club s new coach.

Ramos, who managed the Andalusian club during the 2003-4 campaign, returns for a second spell having been out of work following his departure from Dnipro at the conclusion of the 2013-14 Ukrainian season.

The 61-year-old replaces Rubin Kazan-bound Javi Gracia at La Rosaleda having signed a three-year deal.

The highlight of Ramos first stint in charge was a 5-1 thrashing of Frank Rijkaard s Barcelona. 

Since then he has enjoyed spells at Sevilla, with whom he claimed back-to-back Europa League titles, Tottenham, Real Madrid and CSKA Moscow.

…

Melbourne City have signed former Athletic Bilbao forward Markel Susaeta for the remainder of the A-League season.

City announced the transfer on Thursday following Susaeta s brief stint with Japanese giants Gamba Osaka, who the Spaniard joined in September.

Athletic great Susaeta – a one-time Spain international – is a coup for City following his 507 matches for the LaLiga side, where he sits fifth on the all-time appearances list.

Susaeta had planned to see out his career with Athletic but the 32-year-old left the Basque club at the end of the 2018-19 season, going on to play just 165 minutes of football for Gamba.

I m excited to be joining Melbourne City for the rest of the season and can t wait to get started in Australia, he said.

I m h…

Stoke City have appointed Nathan Jones as the club s new manager after the sacking of Gary Rowett.

Jones has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the bet365 Stadium after Stoke agreed a compensation package with Luton Town.

Rowett was sacked on Tuesday after just eight months in charge, leaving them 14th in the Championship and eight points outside the play-offs. His last game in charge was a 1-1 FA Cup draw at League One Shrewsbury.

A joint statement from Stoke chairman Peter Coates and his son, vice-chairman John Coates, said: Nathan is an incredibly driven and passionate individual and we are delighted to have secured his services for Stoke City.

Nathan Jones is the new manager of Stoke City, the Club are delighted to confirm.

Read more  …

Market: Barrow win

Odds: 10/11 @

Hoping to extend on their recent purple patch in midweek, Barrow will welcome Colchester to Holker Street on Tuesday night.

Starting with the hosts, laying down a real marker over the weekend, there is no doubt that the mood in Barrow s camp should be at a real high. Eventually breezing their way to a routine 3-0 victory at home against Crewe, Pete Wild s men have gained plenty of praise from across League Two since opening the 2022/23 campaign. Although the Bluebirds might have only just clung to their fourth-tier status last season, the Cumbria-based outfit have now taken 10 points from their last four outings. With their stellar run of form highlighted by an eye-catching 2-0 victory at home against Carlisle on October 18th, Ba…

Real Madrid are used to making Champions League history, and they wrote another chapter in the competition s record books on Wednesday.

Karim Benzema gave them the lead against Shakhtar Donetsk in the 14th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu, tapping in after Marlon Santos gave possession away to Vinicius Junior in his own box.

The goal may not have been one to live long in the memory, but it was a landmark one as it brought up Madrid s 1,000th in the Champions League/European Cup.

Madrid, who have won the competition a record 13 times, are the first team to reach four figures in the Champions League, and Shakhtar s play at the back in the first half suggested they could add to that tally before full-time in the Group D encounter.

1000 have become the first…

Uzbekistan international Server Djeparov has won the AFC s Player of the Year award for the second time in four years.

The 29-year-old midfielder clinched the honour ahead of Iran s Hadi Aghily at Wednesday s ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.Al-Shabab player Djeparov, who won the award in 2008, played a key role in helping Uzbekistan to their best-ever Asian Cup finish, placing fourth at the 2011 tournament in Qatar.Nominees Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa, Koo Ja-Cheol and Yeom Ki-Hun were unable to attend the evening and were subsequently ineligible.Aya Miyama won the women s AFC Player of the Year award, as a reward for her role in Japan s 2011 Women s World Cup triumph.Japan won both the men s and women s national Team of the Year honours, while Al Sadd claimed the club award.

…