Daily Archives: April 5, 2026

Newcastle United in profit, but challenges persist

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“THE current season had been something of an anti-climax for Newcastle United. After winning their first trophy since 1969 in 2024-25, expectations were relatively high at the club, but they look likely to fail in their bid for a Champions League place and they might not have enough in them to qualify for any of the European competitions. The club has yet to fully capitalise on having wealthy owners but you sense that this will come in time – Newcastle’s loyal followers would argue securing silverware is a sign that the process is working. However, there is talk of manager Eddie Howe leaving in the summer and some people have some reservations about the club’s finances. …”
Game of the People

Ranking the eight 2025-26 Champions League quarter-finalists

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Can PSG become the first team other than Real Madrid to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990?
“We are down to the final eight in the Champions League after a riveting round of 16 that saw an astonishing 68 goals scored across 16 matches. Seven of the eight ties saw one team score at least four goals. Two teams scored eight while Bayern Munich hit double figures against Atalanta on aggregate. We don’t know if the quarter-finals will be as explosive, but we do know that they will provide us with some classic matchups. Throughout this Champions league campaign, The Athletic’s projections — powered by Opta — have assessed each team’s chances of making it out of the league phase and each knockout round. So here, with just eight storied clubs remaining, we rank their chances of lifting the famous trophy in Budapest on May 30. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

From Viv Anderson to Max Dowman: The first player born in each year to score in the Premier League

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Michael Owen scored on his Liverpool debut on May 6, 1997
“The last of the 3,653 days of the 2000s featured no Premier League football but did, we know now, see the birth of the competition’s youngest goalscorer. This is because Max Dowman entered the world on December 31, 2009 and 16 years and 73 days later, playing for Arsenal against Everton on March 14, 2026, ran more than three-quarters of the pitch before sliding the ball into an empty net to earn this coveted distinction. Dowman’s goal also means the Premier League, which began in August 1992, has now had a scorer born in every year of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s (the 1950s becomes the only incomplete decade and, despite notable recent advancements in sports science, is likely to remain so). So, The Athletic explores the first player born in each year to have scored in the competition: from Viv Anderson in 1956 to Dowman in 2009, and the 52 individuals in between. …”
NY Times/The Athletic