davieG

The great gig in the past: 47 photos from Leicester's long-lost music venue The Charlotte https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife/gallery/great-gig-past-47-photos-4514180

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https://celtsarehere.com/dermot-desmond-breaks-silence-on-rodgers-departure-and-lennon-return/ He is every bit of a silent majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond keeps a low profile when it comes to Celtic and what he allows out in the public eye. This week he sat down for a rare long form interview with The Athletic and it was quite the eye opener in many ways. We will bring you the most important quotes from Celtic’s main man throughout the weekend. He spoke about everything from the state of Scottish football, European failure and the changing landscape of football in the UK. He was asked about the manager upheaval which saw Brendan Rodgers leave under a cloud and Neil Lennon return to the hot seat after giving up the job five years prior. The majority shareholder speaks fondly of Brendan but does confirm the hearsay that the Irishman was nearly exiting Celtic Park not long after the double treble when a club in China offered him a lucrative deal. As the story goes, Moussa Dembele warned supporters shortly after the event because Rodgers sounded out the striker to go to China with him. Desmond can’t speak highly enough of Rodgers and states the manager’s wage outstripped anything any other Celtic manager has received – including the current one: “What the fans saw was a Celtic man coming to Parkhead. Brendan brought in his team, a system of playing and the players responded to him. As an ex-Liverpool manager he had gravitas, status. He also had the detail – ‘This is how we want to play’ – which the players took on board. He did a fantastic job and was highly professional in his approach to everything. “He was approached the previous summer with an unbelievable offer from China. I mean, financially transformational for him. He told me about it. We talked it through and it didn’t come to pass for various reasons. But I knew then that it was always likely he was going to go, because he was undoubtedly going to be offered a more lucrative contract in the future. “It should be stated that no Celtic player or manager ever earned as much as Brendan Rodgers. He was a quality individual who did a quality job. “So we had prepared ourselves. We knew it was only a matter of time before clubs would make an offer because he is the commodity every club needs — a first-class manager. “Lenny was always on our radar. Lenny has been a work in progress for us. He’s been that person we have kind-of tutored and he’s learned along the way. The advice we gave him he’s now realised was good advice, and he’s matured and everybody’s allowed to make mistakes. None of them were fatal. “So we took him back in even though some of the fans thought it was a retrograde step. But you learn more from mistakes, it can change your personality, your modus operandi. We saw that with Lenny and he has repaid our belief in him.”

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/ambitious-plan-expand-national-forest-4526095 Ambitious plan to expand The National Forest unveiled Land will be sought where more trees could be planted ByNick Dawson 04:00, 18 SEP 2020 The National Forest could be branching out southwards into more parts of Leicestershire. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council has resolved to seek Government support for its ambitions to extend the green area, as it works to make the region carbon neutral. Councillors want to extend the woodland eco-project into areas to the north of Hinckley, down to the A47, to join with Charnwood Forest to the east, as well as west to the A5, to the extent of the borough's borders. The authority has committed to drawing up plans with the National Forest and Woodland Trust to identify sites. Officials from the council will also be working to find grants and other funding to buy land and resources for the project, and to cover the costs of planting and the legal framework required. Landowners will also be sought to take part and provide space to plant more trees. Central Government is already drawing up plans with Defra for subsidies to encourage landowners and farming communities to take part in similar projects. The borough council declared a climate emergency in July 2019. Councillor Russ Roberts presented the motion to extend the forest to the council. He said: “With rapidly rising and increases of traffic and congestion, much tougher and much more ambitious plans will need to be implemented if the borough is to become carbon neutral within the intended time scale. “Currently the Government has expressed an interest in extending and creating new woodland and forests to help mitigate some of these issues, along with extensive technology and infrastructure changes. Thorton reservoir, near the south east border of The National Forest. "25 years ago, large swathes of the Midlands landscape had been left scarred by centuries of coal mining and other heavy industry. “But a passionate group of people had a vision: a forest. “The first forest to be created at scale in England for over 1,000 years, it transformed the landscape from black to green. But the story doesn't stop here. “This is Our National Forest. It belongs to us all.” The National Forest covers some 200 square miles of the Midlands, including parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. It covers a large portion of North West Leicestershire, including Ashby, Coalville and Measham, and extends to Bagworth and Thornton reservoir in Hinckley and Bosworth borough and up to Nanpantan in Charnwood district. Councillor Stuart Bray, leader of the borough council, said: “Whilst I support the sentiments of the motion, I am also keen to see more green corridors created across the area to complement any extension to the forest. “This could include key opportunity areas in Hinckley along the Battling Brook corridor, Clarendon Park and areas under the control of Severn Trent. “I have discussed this with my executive lead for planning with a view to exploring further green corridor opportunities in our emerging local plan.” During the councillors’ discussion of the motion, councillor Bill Crooks said: “I am fully in support of the proposed expansion but we should name the areas proposed i.e. which parishes. “This would help some parishes, as being in The National Forest and planting up of trees could protect some of their fields from housing development.” There were previous talks between the borough council and The National Forest Company about identifying further gateways into the forest from the Hinckley area, and how to embed national forest educational programmes into schools.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54193074 Tom Watson hired by gambling giant Paddy Power as adviser Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has been appointed as an adviser to one of the UK's biggest gambling firms. Mr Watson, who left Parliament last year, was a campaigner for stricter rules on gambling while he was an MP. He is joining Flutter, which owns brands like Paddy Power and Betfair. The firm said he will "bring a fresh and robust voice into the business, as it looks for ways to protect "vulnerable customers," while serving those who enjoy gambling safely. Flutter, which also owns Sky Bet and Poker Stars, saw its pre-tax profits slump 70% to £24m in August, after being hit by coronavirus and the costs of a merger. The company is seeking to expand further into online poker and gaming. 'Positive change' Mr Watson said: "I have a long-standing interest in this sector and consistently called for action to protect those that may be potentially vulnerable to harm. "In taking on this role in Flutter, I intend to get under the bonnet of the business. He added: "I strongly believe that working collaboratively with Flutter in this way will allow me to continue to drive positive change". Mr Watson has previously called for an end to gambling advertising on football shirts, and a ban on television ads during live events and called gambling was a "hidden epidemic".

Nice work if you can get it. Ex-Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has landed a £100,000 job advising the owner of some of the UK's top ports. The Conservative MP is working for Hutchison Ports, which operates Harwich and Felixstowe among other terminals. According to the MPs' register of financial interests, he will be paid for seven hours work a week for a year. The appointment has been approved by a Whitehall watchdog despite it raising concerns of a "perceived risk" that it may give the firm an unfair advantage. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) said Mr Grayling had reassured them he would not be advising the company on its commercial maritime activities or risks and opportunities associated with Brexit. The watchdog said the role would be limited to advising the firm, which also operates London Thamesport, on its environmental strategy and its engagement with local enterprise bodies. It said the MP must comply with these and other conditions, including a ban on him lobbying ministers on behalf of the company or giving advice on UK government tenders, until July 2021, two years after he left the cabinet. Mr Grayling stepped down as transport secretary when Boris Johnson became PM in July 2019, having served under his predecessor Theresa May for three years.

David Smith History of Leicestershire in Images · My new book FINALLY LEICESTER is currently at the printers. It is due out in October. It covers all of the finals contested by Leicester's leading football, rugby, cricket, basketball and speedway teams. 336 pages, retail price £20, but can by pre-ordered directly from the publishers at www.bluearmypublishing.com at a 10% discount with all pre-orders being signed by me. After publication it should be available directly from the publisher but also on Amazon and at selected book shops. Hopefully, a decent new contribution to the recording of Leicester's history. Right, that's the marketing speech over - here's the cover: can you spot the stars depicted?

http://sportwitness.co.uk/complications-sign-watford-player-force-club-open-talks-leicester-deal-sign-foxes-player-advanced/ Valencia??? ‘Complications’ in Watford talks sees club approach Leicester – Deal for Foxes player ‘advanced’ By Naveen Ullal - 17th September 2020 Javi Gracia is an admirer of Étienne Capoue and wants to sign him for Valencia this summer, that has been reported for some weeks now. Marca explains the Watford midfielder is the one chosen by the La Liga side’s manager because he sees the 32-year-old as a ‘key piece’ to strengthen his squad. Gracia, who managed the Frenchman at Vicarage Road, has been ‘behind him’ for months. The ‘delicate economic situation’ of the Spanish club has seen them offer no guarantees to their new manager. This has not gone down well with the coach because he ‘only wants’ Capoue, reports Marca. Gracia is of the belief the Watford player’s signing can bolster Los Ches midfield, despite his age and price tag. Therefore, Valencia have revisited his file. Valencia have already started negotiations with the Championship side. ‘Another try. But with many conditions’, states Marca, providing no details about those ‘conditions’. He earns in excess of €2m net per year and that has become a ‘problem’. Super Deporte also explains Capoue is a ‘priority’ target for Gracia. However, his side are facing ‘complications’ reaching an agreement with Watford. Valencia’s search for a midfielder has now seen them start negotiations with two other clubs, with the approval of their manager. One club is Leicester City, as Adrien Silva has emerged as a target. Silva is not in Brendan Rodgers’ plans, and the Foxes have made him available in the transfer market. It’s claimed the operation to sign the Portuguese midfielder is ‘most advanced’. According to Super Deporte, Silva could either leave Leicester as a free agent this summer or extend his contract for one more year. The latter would suggest Valencia are in negotiations with Leicester to take him on a loan deal.

Probably but wasn't going to read a thread full of fluff and clickbaits, sooner just another clickbait to it

Linked to Sampdoria with Ranieri by the Merc https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-close-offloading-outcast-4523186

Sure, it was just my natural cynicism coming out.

For @UHDrive Not good news though. http://sportwitness.co.uk/leicester-city-player-limbo-transfer-opportunity-snatched-away/ Rachid Ghezzal finds himself in a difficult situation. Not in Brendan Rodgers’ plans at Leicester City, he spent last season on loan with Fiorentina. He had a mixed time with the Tuscany club but they were willing to take him back for the new campaign, so long as a good deal could be found with the Foxes. Fiorentina were keen on another loan and has asked Leicester about this possibility. They didn’t get the reply they wanted quickly enough, with the Premier League club probably concerned about loaning out a player whose contract expires in June 2022. Not wanting to wait any longer to secure an extra attacking option, the Serie A club have now signed Giacomo Bonaventura from AC Milan on a permanent deal. TMW report that following this, Fiorentina have completely dismissed the idea of signing Ghezzal. His agents will now need to look for other options, with it pretty clear he’s not going to be given many opportunities at Leicester.

Wouldn't have happen in the past wont happen in the future. Stop dreaming Izzy.

Yeah there are some positives but it also weakens the kudos for playing Europe. I guess conversely it'll add to status of the Europa League. Perhaps after it's been running a few years they'll then get less opposition to the idea of making the CL a closed shop, a sort of Euro League which they are seemingly on their way too anyway.

I think it's to get even more money for UEFA. Which they'll probably to line their pockets and add to the CL prize money.