Blasphemy! A wee club in the north-east threaten sir Alex Ferguson's dominance!

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English Title Contenders European Watch

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Tuesday 24th November 2026

Group E
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Zeljeznicar - Anderlecht 1-1

Juventus - Blackburn 1-3
Iodice (70); Obi (13), Aguilar (75), Ekrem Tayfur (89)
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Group H
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Bayern - Aberdeen 2-0

Leeds - Wisla 3-0
Le Gac (2), Messina (35), Herrera (45+2)
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Wednesday 25th November 2026

Group A
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Inter - Schalke 3-2

Galatasaray - Chelsea 0-4
Simon (5, 82), Gabriel (24, 42)
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Group D
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FH - Milan 0-1

Newcastle - Sevilla 6-1
Pilar (6, 12, 19), Vallejo (pen 11), Ibáñez (45+2), Dong Dexin (56); Vrsaljko (44)
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Premier League
Round 15

Friday 27th November 2026:

Tottenham - Manchester United 2-3
Pacak (45+1), Fierro (51), Daehli sent off (69); Amadou (24), Gillespie (37), Shoretire (86)
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Saturday 28th November 2026:

Everton - Newcastle 0-2
Lampi (1), Priestley (19)
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Chelsea - Sheffield Wednesday 3-2
Simon (22, 60), Viviano (90); Kljestu (12), Amrani (30)
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West Ham - Blackburn 0-4
Zouma sent off (76); Boccaccini (7, 86), Zouma o.g. (27), Obi (82)
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Sunday 29th November 2026:

Sunderland - Liverpool 0-1
Bruma (23)
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Derby County - Leeds 0-4
Shea (11), Foose (15), Herrera (16), Rivière (70)
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League Table:

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Zouma madness as Rovers hammer hosts
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By Kevin Gallacher......................6:58 PM Sunday 29th November 2026 in Sport
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Former Rovers transfer target Kurt Zouma will certainly want to forget this game. He probably thought it couldn't be worse when he scored an own goal when the Hammers were pushing for an equalizer in the first half. And usually that would be right. Not this time. Whatever his manager told him at half time it backfired spectacularly. Zouma went on to gift us a penalty which Espinoza took over the bar to spare him the blues. But Kurt wasn't done yet. He proceeded with collecting two stupid yellow cards in the space of 4 minutes and headed off the pitch with the home fans on his back.

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PoM for all the wrong reasons​

Even then it wouldn't have been so much of a nightmare but to rub more salt in the wound West Ham were still in contention and fell apart only after Zouma's dismissal. The final score could have been different and yet Blackburn managed to take a convincing 4-0 victory at a generally tough place to go.

While I feel for Kurt I'll take the gift with open arms as it allowed us to cut a little bit of Newcastle's astonishing goal difference and it is very much possible that will play some role in the future.
 

First half murder and walk away with it

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Rob Lee
Published at 7:12PM, November 29 2026

I like what I see from the lads in recent games. Most big clubs suffer from complacency issues and Hristov is aware of that. He has come up with an interesting solution: put the game beyond the opposition's reach in the first half. Then go on and put a show for the fans. And the players applied that strategy to perfection. I am still wondering how we don't have any of them accused of first half murder in criminal court.

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Good "too good" ain't criminal offense!​

London media are worried we will take it again. You can tell by their virtual disgust with our clean bill of health. But first team depth is not the only reason to pick up a single senior injury so far this season. Hristov complements rotation and timely subs with powerful starts to the games which allows the players to spare energy in the latter stages.

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How long can they keep up?​

I will be very interested to see how Blackburn cope with the Boxing day - New year cycle. Mark my words, December and early January will play key role to where the title goes. And I can tell even then we will see a fresh Newcastle side. Could you apply the same for Rovers?
 
English Title Contenders Cup Watch

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Third Round Draw

Stoke - Manchester United
Newcastle - Arsenal
Portsmouth - Blackburn
Liverpool - Aldershot
Leeds - Derby County
Sheffield United - Chelsea​
 
English Title Contenders Cup Watch

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Quarter Final

Monday 30th November 2026

Arsenal - Manchester City 4-1
Pettersen (4), Yu Yubo (34), Ahn Jung-Ho (pen 57), Glazer (59); Hutchinson (5)
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Oxford - Everton 2-2
Castro (84), Beto (86); Bakkali (27), Mjømen (89)
(Oxford win 3-2 on penalties)
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Tottenham - Manchester United 2-3
Beresford (38), Fierro (79); El Alagui (18), Blasi (35), Ashby (83)
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Newcastle - Blackburn
Postponed​
 
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November Watch

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Premier League Table

The Contenders:

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Newcastle (1st; 39pts; +43) 5 from 5 for the Magpies and they make first place their own, even though they would have liked such a form to have commanded a bigger margin.
0 Current first team injuries.

Blackburn (2nd; 37pts; +26) excellent month for Rovers as they drop points only in a draw away at tough Leeds. Keeping up in touching distance with Newcastle is a major, major accomplishment.
0 Current first team injuries.

Leeds (3rd; 33pts; +18) strong month for Leeds as they only drop points against Blackburn. Could have been closer to the top if it wasn't for a rough patch of inconsistent form earlier in the season.
0 Current first team injuries.

Chelsea (5th; 30pts; +9) fluctuating form sees the Blues lose for the first time this season and pick just 8 points this month. Top 4 is still in their reach but they dropped 2 positions and will need to improve if they want Champions League football next season.
1 Current first team injury:
Leonardo Martínez (DC) 4-5 weeks (strained knee ligaments)

Manchester United (6th; 28pts; +15) decent month sees the Devils unbeaten and threatening the top 4 once again. If they can win their game in hand they will suddenly find themselves in a commanding position in that battle.
1 Current first team injury:
Gabriel Lopez (MC) 2-7 days (sprained ankle)

Liverpool (9th; 21pts; -3) another inconsistent month for the red half of Merseyside sees them pick up just 7 points. Not good enough and after a summer of heavy spending Liverpool somehow find themselves in serious danger of missing out on Europe.
0 Current first team injuries.

Other teams to watch:​

Manchester City (4th) keep impressing walking side by side with teams expected to threaten the title this season. Certainly in the mix for top 4.

Everton (7th) are beginning to lose ground on European slots but remain in the game.

Arsenal (14th) are still closer to relegation than Europe. Which one will it be, Gunners?

Stoke (17th) stare at relegation despite a managerial change this month. They are above the line on merit of goal difference.

Crystal Palace, Birmingham and Derby occupy the bottom three but have done enough to pull clubs above them in the scrap so there is hope.

November Player of the Month:
Savio Barreto (Blackburn)
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November Young Player of the Month:
Adem Yigit (Crystal Palace)
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November Manager of the Month:
Dimiter Hristov (Newcastle)
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Leading Goalscorers:
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Premier League
Round 16

Saturday 5th December 2026:

Blackburn - Chelsea 1-0
Aguilar (41), Angelidis sent off (78)
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Newcastle- Sunderland 2-0
Dong Dexin (9), Priestley (71)
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Leeds - West Ham 4-0
Pöyry (15), Herrera (19, 33), Shea (84)
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Liverpool - Tottenham 3-1
Mork (41, 78, 87), Stevens sent off (57); Fierro (25)
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Sunday 6th December 2026:

Manchester United - Middlesbrough 2-1
Traoré (10), Sedgemore (38); Camps (79)
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League Table:

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Last edited:
Quick question? If I wanted to do a club, A. How should I lay it out? (Like do I just write down a copy of the way in which I'll write it then I'll send it to you and then you'll modify it to fit the whole BBC Sport layout) and B. Does it matter how **** the club is? (Because I wouldn't mind doing Walsall.)
 
You can handle it any way you see fit mimefan, if you need assistance you can let me know. I can't provide info for clubs outside the Premiership though as only that league is loaded.
 
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PUBLISHED: 23:00 GMT, 6 December 2026 | UPDATED: 23:01 GMT, 6 December 2026

Spurs Morked apart as Liverpool chase Wednesday wonderkid

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Liverpool needed to remind the fans we are still fighting for something this season as it increasingly looks it will be written off as another one of "transition". After the game against Spurs they will certainly hope to see a lot more of the same.

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Norwegian hat trick sink Spurs​

Truth is the lads have done little different than previous games but this time there was a focal point to attacks which seemed a bit chaotic before. Eirik Mork claimed to make that role his own with a convincing hat trick of goals. Watching his performance I can only hope we can keep him fit and firing at the same level next season as his years are advancing.

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Wednesday wonderkid - bring him in!​

In the meantime the board have finally acknowledged the need to bring in sufficient cover in central defense. They were heavily criticized for failing to do so before the transfer window slammed and I still consider it a serious mistake. The scouting team has identified a possible replacement after the unexpected sale or Robin Pettersen to Arsenal and hopefully key figures at Anfield can move quick enough to trash out a deal and introduce the lad early January. He is a well known figure from early season - Sheffield Wednesday wonderkid Mike Pritchard. Mike has a number of clubs casting envious eyes on him with composed performances which brought him the Young Player of the Month award two times in a row when the season started. I say he would be an excellent buy and can develop even further for seasons to come.
 
Future looking bright with hungry youngsters integral to the first team

Gary Neville
Published at 7:36PM, December 6 2026

I'd like to take a small step sideways from my usual reviews of our season and the matches. There is little to look at at this point as some layers in the table will definitely move around come Christmas. Let me return to one of the main questions at the start of the season - academy product.
Ferguson openly spoke about giving a chance to a number of youngsters and implied they are ready. He even branded them as the "new golden generation". Fifteen games into the season plus additional European and domestic cup matches and we can look at how close they are to that label.

Universal winger Joel Ashby (17) is with the first team and shows early promise to become a regular. He has had 11 starts and 5 inclusions from the bench to grab 2 goals and 2 assists with an average rating of 6.95;
Enthusiastic midfielder Keith Sedgemore (17) has grabbed a regular place in the first team. He pulled 16 starts and came on from the bench on 8 occasions to grab 2 goals and 1 assist with an average rating of 6.90;
Attacking full back Raymond McFadden (17) is with the first team and made 8 starts plus 1 inclusion from the bench. He is doing reasonably well with an average rating of 7.14;
Right winger Dylan Connery (18) is becoming an important player with his 15 starts and 4 bench appearances. He impressed with 3 goals and 4 assists so far and commanded an average rating of 7.18;
Young striker Martin Callaghan (18) is playing with the reserves after a short spell in the first team mainly due to injuries and suspensions of other players but managed to get 2 goals from 2 starts and 6 inclusions from the bench to record average rating of 7.21;
Left midfielder Fraser McCarthy (16) is currently with the youth team but has had some taste of first team football with two starts and 5 introductions from the bench. His tender age has limited him from more game time but he did show glimpses of quality and might still have a role to play this season. Average rating of 7.03, 50% passing and no goals or assists.
While it is perhaps a little too early for a couple of these lads, most of them are living up to Sir Alex's words. Hopefully we will keep hold of them for years to come even if that may prove difficult for the board with Ashby already attracting interest from Blackburn Rovers.
 
English Title Contenders European Watch

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Tuesday 8th December 2026

Group A
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Schalke - Galatasaray 3-1

Chelsea - Inter 0-0
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Wednesday 9th December 2026

Group E
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Anderlecht - Juventus 1-1

Blackburn - Zeljeznicar 4-0
Josué (9, 54), Angelidis (11), Boccaccini (82)
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Group H
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Wisla - Bayern 1-2

Aberdeen - Leeds 1-1
Jamieson (48); Jones (75)
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Premier League
Round 17

Saturday 12th December 2026:

Manchester City - Blackburn 3-4
Torres (18, 73), Rabinovich (88); Boccaccini (22, 30, 39, 53)
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Middlesbrough - Liverpool 1-3
Pedro Emanuel (55); Tassi (43), van Bremen (66), Villa (77)
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Stoke City - Manchester United 2-2
Bikwani (36), Coelho (87); Traoré (39, 57)
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Sunday 13th December 2026:

Chelsea - Leeds 2-3
Viviano (59), Benoist (79); Jovetic (7), Herrera (50), Grueso (77)
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Newcastle game postponed

League Table:

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Blues face tough December after failing to keep players fresh
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Tony Cascarino Commentary
Last updated at 10:02PM, December 13 2026

It isn't nuclear physics. If you don't rest your players every now and then, they will gradually find it harder to produce the same level of performance. Especially when they are facing a busy Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday cycle. Chelsea failed to recognize this principle and it hit them in the face against a determined Leeds squad.

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Body language says players are jaded​

Of course throwing all the blame on squad management would be too simplistic. Marcelino has the ill fortune to see players in the same position pick injuries and doesn't really have options to "manage". He could throw in young lads but then the results would suffer and the youngsters may lose belief and confidence. Or he can wait and hope no further injuries occur before the absentees return to action. Either way Chelsea have to cope until January.

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Marcelino needs divine inspiration​

And it doesn't look good. Some players already appear jaded and they are yet to face the real congested fixture list. Djalma and Gabriel to name a few seem like a small break could work miracles but they will need to put up with it and play. To make things worse, influential players like Gutiérrez have voiced concerns with Marcelino's decisions. Three more are rumoured to have asked for loan moves. All this adds up to a potential dynamite situation for the manager and if he can't find a way to please the dressing room and channel the pressure in a positive way, he may in fact be the first outgoing transfer come January.



 
Cruel Luca punishes Citizens
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By Kevin Gallacher.....................10:08 PM Sunday 13th December 2026 in Sport
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Every now and then you are totally beaten and the usual outcome would be to hang your hands up and admit it. We were outplayed by Manchester City and credit must go to them for playing the way they did. But once in a while from those every now and thens you get that extra little bit of luck to survive and somehow walk away with all points.

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Rovers struggled in midfield​

In our case luck has a name and it is Luca Boccaccini. His lethal touch made the difference in a game we could and probably should have lost. Citizens defenders will be left wondering how they couldn't prevent at least one of those four goals but on his day Luca is unstoppable. City goalkeeper Kaplanis only managed to parry one of his six shots, the last going to the woodwork. It is worth noting with Rovers midfield struggling to match City's possession football Luca could not count on the usual supply. It didn't discourage him as he worked tirelessly and created three of these goals on his own.

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Luca singlehandedly sinked City​

This unexpected but welcome win sees us return to first place in the league. But it has additional value for the team as now the players will believe a little more a miracle could happen and we could walk all the way. Pressure is well on Newcastle's shoulders now and let's see how they cope with it.
 
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