Ben White's return to the England fold after his lengthy self-imposed exile borders on the insulting to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who continues to be overlooked by Thomas Tuchel at right-back.
Reece James injured, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier retired internationally and now the withdrawal of Jarell Quansah (seen as right-back cover by Tuchel). And Alexander-Arnold still not called. Real Madrid's right-back in the Champions League. A player whose passing can change games. A tournament shootout penalty-taker.
White drafted into squad because of injury to Quansah. Be interesting to see the reaction of England fans - let alone Alexander-Arnold. White has to explain why he turned his back on England for three and a half years. Expect some skilled FA video content.
Gareth Southgate said in March 2024 that White had indicated to him that he didn't want to be considered for England. There's always been speculation about a fall-out between White and Southgate's assistant Steve Holland (Southgate denied this).
Tuchel clearly doesn't rate Alexander-Arnold, a situation that gets ever stranger. White obviously a more defensive full-back; can get forward but lacks Alexander-Arnold's impact. He did well when coming on for Dani Carvajal against Atletico last night. Made Vinicius Junior's second goal.
Harvey Barnes, who has one cap, comes in for the injured Eberechi Eze for the squad to face Uruguay on Friday and Japan on March 31. #ENG
#OnThisDay: #Wolves 4-0 Hull City [1967]
⚽️ Derek Dougan (38’, 60’, 73’)
⚽️ Peter Knowles (81’)
A debut hat-trick for the Doug on this day 59 years ago
“It’s just the luck of the Irish,’ he said after the win 🍀
#WWFC
Run it back to when Under-11 Ajax youngster Zinedine Chaiat did 2424 keepy-ups in front of the Cruyff Arena. 😳
⏰ He impressed the first team so much, they paused their warm-up to congratulate him and it even delayed kick-off. 😂
"For Arsenal today if they were to win this one there's no reason why they then can't believe they can win it all" 💪
Jamie Redknapp on Arsenal ahead of the Carabao Cup final 🏆
#OnThisDay: #Wolves 2-1 Juventus [1972]
⚽️ Danny Hegan (34’)
⚽️ Derek Dougan (54’)
A famous win under the lights at Molineux 54 years ago today 🐺
#WWFC
Nelson so close to victory. Misdirected header a big miss on many levels. Wasted a fine Henderson cross. Wasted an opportunity for Brentford to take all 3 points & one step closer to Europe for 1st time. Good comeback from Wolves tbf. Not playing like a relegation team #BREWOL
"There is nothing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition"
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior reacts to the bizarre moment referee Paul Tierney was caught in the middle of his players' huddle before the Premier League game against Newcastle 🎙️
What was Nuno really like at Wolves? 🇵🇹
A deep dive into former Wolves managers, as told by @TimSpiers and @NathanJudah, available for Patreon subscribers right now! 🎙️
Absolutely disgusting scenes from Cheltenham Races, sadly it has turned into a piss up and a punch up event and is full of Chavs completely off their heads.
Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest football clubs in the world, their famous name woven into the tapestry of the game. Formed in 1867, elected to the Football League in 1892, founder members of the Premier League, four times champions of England, three times winners of the FA Cup, and the League Cup once. Such honours may be far back in history but Wednesday remain a powerful force in many lives, in families, communities, in Sheffield and beyond.
It would be devastating to Wednesday supporters and deeply damaging to the reputation of English football if Wednesday lost their membership of the EFL because of the behaviour of an owner in Dejphon Chansiri who passed initial EFL ownership tests, was welcomed (let’s not forget), but turned out to be shamelessly irresponsible. Wednesday fans fear the club's existence might be at risk if the EFL imposes further punishments and restrictions that deter potential buyers.
Stronger oversight of owners is clearly required and the EFL and PL did tighten their rules in 2023. The new Independent Football Regulator will introduce a proper licensing system for clubs and better oversight of owners. Unfortunately, the IFR did not come into force early enough to prevent Wednesday's downward slide under Chansiri.
Wednesday are currently in administration and threatened with further EFL sanctions – a 15-point deduction for next season. This season's 18-point deduction all but guaranteed relegation from the Championship (confirmed on Feb 22). The League applies sanctions as punishment for debts and also as a deterrent to other clubs/owners.
The EFL emphasises it is working with all parties to “try and find a solution that can see Sheffield Wednesday continue as a member of the League....but ultimately we have to also apply the terms of the League’s insolvency policy…which seeks to balance the interests, not only of Sheffield Wednesday, but also of the other 71 clubs”.
Sheffield Wednesday Supporters' Trust, fighting hard for their club’s survival, has now released a copy of the EFL’s insolvency policy and argues that it gives the League, in the Trust’s words, “absolute discretion when determining how to deal with clubs experiencing an insolvency event”.
The Trust argues that “…further punitive sanctions risk undermining the very factors the EFL states it must consider - including the effect on supporters, the impact on the local community and the wider credibility of the league itself.
“Sheffield Wednesday supporters are not seeking advantage over other clubs. It is entirely right that all EFL clubs should be treated fairly and consistently. That principle must include Sheffield Wednesday that has already suffered enormously during a decade in which the EFL’s own regulatory oversight failed to prevent the damage that unfolded.
“We urge the EFL to apply its own guidance responsibly and ensure that the focus now is on allowing the club to recover, stabilise and move forward under new ownership. Sheffield Wednesday supporters have suffered enough.” #SWFC#EFL@SWFCTrust