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The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is the main award of the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is judged by a vote from the public to have achieved the most that year. The video below shows who was nominated for the award in 2019. Who will be shortlisted in 2021?   Let's take a look at some of the footballers who might be in contention in 2021. Raheem Sterling Sterling hasn't had a great impact for Manchester City in recent months but was superb for England in 2020 and also done lots of great community work. Marcus Rashford Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford was recognised in 2020 for his achievements off the field this year with an Expert Panel Special Award at the Sports Personality of the Year award. His great work off the pitch has been well documented. Greater Manchester Football is so proud of Marcus Rashford. Harry Kane A definite outside bet but Kane played a big part in England's run to

Celtic's Champions League hopes ended in the second qualifying round for the second consecutive year as they were beaten in extra time by Denmark's Midtjylland. Defensive frailties cost them again as Awer Mabil levelled before Onyedika pounced to leave Celtic floored and bound for the Europa League. Former Celtic forward Chris Sutton spoke on Premier Sports about the result and performance.  This is what the fans are saying: One Celtic fan on the Green Brigade forum gave his thoughts on a poor night for Celtic. Many other Celtic to various other forums and social media platforms to criticise the overall running of the club. Many fans were upset that they didn't win the magical 'Ten In A Row' and this anger has built-up into the new season.  No leadership on the park. McGregor is never a Celtic captain. We need two experienced hard men in the middle of the park. Ferguson and Mooy would do the trick. Bain was very good. No.1 goalkeeper now. Edouard should be sold now.

Jadon Sancho had some great seasons playing in the Bundesliga. Let's have a look at some of his best moments and get Manchester United fans very excited. During his time at Borussia Dortmund, he scored 50 goals in 137 appearances. Sancho signed for Dortmund in August 2017 for a fee reported to be around £8 million and was immediately included in the first-team squad. Sancho later stated that he felt confident in making the move abroad due to his previous experiences in relocating with Watford and Manchester City. More Manchester City news can be found here Sancho made his debut for the club against Eintracht Frankfurt on 21 October, coming on as a substitute with six minutes left of the match, becoming the first Englishman to play a Bundesliga match for them. The video below takes a look at some of his best moments during that first season. During his last two seasons at the club, he scored 35 goals in just over 80 appearances. It was at the of this period where he won the second

Manager Postecoglou received a decent welcome from a 9,000 crowd as Celtic played a competitive game in front of their fans for the first time since March 2020 More Champions League stories from Greater Manchester Football After the match, Postecoglou gave his verdict after the 1-1 draw in the 1st leg. Liel Abada gave Celtic a first-half lead but were down to ten men after Nir Bitton was sent off.   Midtjylland were level after da Silva Ferreira scored on the 66th minute. Midtjylland winger was also sent off in the second half, meaning that both teams finished with ten men. The return leg will take place next Wednesday in Denmark. The winners face a potentially tough next round against either PSV Eindhoven or Galatasaray in the third qualifying round.  More reaction from Celtic fans One Celtic fan on YouTube said: "I think this was an excellent performance by the Bhoys tonight, considering before the game. "I was doubtful that we would get any type of result at all, since w

Brentford began their pre-season campaign with a 1-0 win over AFC Wimbledon A single goal late in the first half was enough to give Brentford the victory. More football news The game was played in some intense conditions and the first half failed to capture the imagination, but Brentford scored in the dying moments. The second period was much livelier and threatened further goals, but none came in the end. The goal came as Brentford started to take control of the game. While The Bees would probably have wanted to do more in attack, they were solid at the back. David Raya was untroubled and as the half wore on,  After a fairly dull start to the game, the Premier League side eventually started to play more on the front foot and in Wimbledon territory. This enabled them to take the lead before the break.  Ultimately, it was a decent test for Brentford in testing competitions. They said: "It was a perfect test for us right now." 🗣️ "It was a perfect test for us right no

Paul Pogba, Dele Alli and Kemar Roofe are all in the running Who else is? Porto's Mehdi Taremi goal v Chelsea ultimately meant nothing but it was a stunning strike. The spectacular 93rd-minute overhead kick gave Porto a 1-0 win in their quarter-final second leg. Chelsea advanced 2-1 on aggregate on their way to winning the Champions League. Pogba's stunning finish from outside the box for France against Switzerland at Euro 2020 is among 10 nominees for the prize. The goal gave France a 3-1 lead on the night. If only it had finished like that... Roofe's goal from the halfway line in a Europa League group game with Standard Liege on 22 October 2020 features. Alli's bicycle kick against Wolfsberger in the same competition on 24 February also makes the 2020-21 list. This was the highlight of a fairly poor season for Ali.  One female player makes the list - Bayern Munich's Sarah Zadrazil for her finish against Chelsea in the Champions League. You can view all the goa

Tottenham drew 1-1 with Leyton Orient in the JE3 Foundation Trophy More Spurs news can be found here In a useful workout for the Spurs squad - their first outing of pre-season and first match under new Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo - the young Dane Scarlett's fine finish gave them the lead in scorching heat at The Breyer Group Stadium, before substitute Ruel Sotiriou levelled for the O's with 18 minutes remaining. Nuno named a mix of first team and Under-23 players in the squad, with many of their senior campaigners still away after this summer's international action.   Academy teenagers Maksim Paskotsi - a full international with Estonia - and Kallum Cesay started in the full-back positions, their first senior appearances in Spurs colours, while Nile John impressed in central midfield as another youngster in an otherwise more experienced initial eleven. Goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman was introduced for Joe Hart at half-time and made a great save to keep out Dan Kemp's fr

Arsenal had to settle for a draw in their second pre-season friendly, despite creating many chances in an entertaining match at Ibrox. In their previous match, they lost 2-1 against Hibernian FC so this was a much improved performance and result.  Leon Balogun had headed Rangers ahead early on, but Arsenal struck back when new signing Nuno Tavares burst into the box to fire home right-footed. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came close to giving The Gunners the lead on several occasions before Rangers scored again from a corner in the second half. Arsenal finally got the goal their attacking endeavour deserved though, when Eddie Nketiah smashed home through a crowd. 💬 "We're going to have some new faces arriving probably, so very positive..." @m8arteta reflects on Scotland and looks ahead to our Florida trip 👇 — Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 18, 2021 More Arsenal news from News Ball  More reaction from Arsenal One Arsenal fan gave his opinion on Arsenal's transfer targets:

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side lost their pre-season opener at Easter Road Goals from Martin Boyle and Daniel Mackay gave hosts advantage; Nicolas Pepe had late penalty saved before Emile Smith Rowe grabbed late consolation; Arsenal's pre-season continues at Rangers on Saturday afternoon. You can watch the highlights below. With much of the focus on fitness,  Arsenal started brightly enough and had a golden chance when Eddie Nketiah raced clean through on goal – only for the striker to shoot wide. Out of nowhere, they gifted Hibs the lead when Arthur Okonkwo failed to deal with a tricky backpass from Cedric, and Martin Boyle had the simple task of collecting the loose ball and rolling it in from close range. In the second half, Arsenal were hit by another suckerpunch when a deep corner swung in from the right was headed back across goal by Paul Hanlon, and Daniel Mackay headed in from close range to give the home side a 2-0 lead. The Gunners gor a consolation with seven minutes

The Euros are finished and people are already looking ahead to the upcoming Premier League campaign. There will be a number of clubs desperate to stop City retaining the trophy.This article will see us look at some of the inevitable stories that are expected to take place over the course of next season. As the season gets closer, we'll continue to adapt this page with all the latest news as the build-up to the season gets closer.  The current champions - Manchester City They did win the league in a fairly comfortable fashion despite a fairly poor start to the season. It will be interesting to see how they replace Aguero and whether they place a higher level of priority on the Champions League. Will this have an impact on their league form? More news from Manchester City The challengers Manchester United - Throughout the next season Greater Manchester Football will have the latest news and stories from the often chaotic world of Manchester. Whilst it was an improved season for the

England's hopes of ending a 55-year wait for a major trophy are crushed in heartbreaking fashion as they lose 3-2 on penalties to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley. A truly memorable tournament ended in heartbreak for England and Gareth Southgate On a night of incredible tension that was played amongst a feverish atmosphere, England looked on course for their most joyous day since the 1966 World Cup final when Luke Shaw gave them the dream start after only two minutes. Italy eventually edged their way back into the game and were level in the 67th minute when Leonardo Bonucci pounced after England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford turned Marco Verratti's header on to a post. Read, listen & watch: Euro 2020 final. The story of a crazy day After a stressful period of extra time where both teams failed to find a winner, it was on to the relative lottery of penalties. It was ultimately bitter disappointment for England manager Gareth Southgate and his players, who had gone i

England face Italy in Euro 2020 final at 20:00 BST. You can watch live on BBC One and ITV We are going to update this page throughout the day and in the build-up to the final Pre match update 4 - This is the place for all the latest tweets We've put all the latest tweets from the match in one convenient  place. Of course, you're gonna be watching the face but we'd love it if you came our little blog on occasion.  A Twitter List by UKNewsBall Pre match update 3 - This is the reported England team for final.  What are your thoughts on the team? Correct decision to play Mount over Saka? What about Trippier at Right Wing Back? #ENG XI: Pickford, Shaw, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier, Rice, Phillips, Mount, Kane, Sterling Pre match update 2 - atmosphere outside the ground and across the country is really starting to build now Fans have already packed out London's Leicester Square as excitement builds ahead the Euro 2020 final against Italy. There have also been repor

The evolution of the England national team has been quite extraordinary  News Ball UK have taken a look at England have improved in recent time and the impact that Gareth Southgate has had. Greater Manchester Football has loads more Euros stories  The failure of the 'golden generation' Between 2002 and 2006, many argued that England had some truly world class players. However, they never quite performed at their best when representing their country. Their best performance came at Euro 2004 when a young Wayne Rooney was on fire. Even then, they couldn't get beyond the Quarter Final. The low point of not qualifying for Euro 2008 Despite having a number of players that were still in their prime, England failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Discussions regarding the need for a complete overhaul and revolution were becoming increasingly common.  More failure England's qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup was promising enough. They put in some decent performances but st

Ahead of England's historic Euro 2020 final, we spoke with a number of people about their favourite football matches. Finals, semi-finals and last day relegation battles are all mentioned here. Manchester United 2 - 1 Bayern Munich. 1999 Champions League final On the 26th May 1999, Manchester United won the Champions League in rather dramatic circumstances. They sealed an historic Treble. Ryan Thomas said: "It was the greatest night of my life. Nothing has ever come close." More Manchester United news and stories can be found here>>> Wigan Athletic 1 - 0 Manchester City. 2013 FA Cup Final Dave Whelan's dreams had come true. Wigan Athletic have won the FA Cup. Marcus Thompson, a Wigan fan and occasional contributor, told this blog: "You grew up as a Wigan fan not expecting to ever do or win anything. Getting to the Premier League in 2005 was great but this was another level entirely." Oldham Athletic 4 - 3 Southampton. Oldham stay in the Premier Le

The Manchester United left back played a huge part in England's Euro 2020 tournament Things haven't always gone according to plan for him though. Let's have a look at how he became first choice for club and country. Signing for Manchester United Luke Shaw signed for Manchester United in the summer of 2014. After impressing for Southampton, United beat Chelsea to the signature of Shaw. Big things were expected of him. At the time, he became one of the world's most expensive teenagers. However, a terrible injury in his second season sadly disrupted his development. More Manchester United news can be found at Greater Manchester Football. First goal for United Shaw scored his first goal for Manchester United v Leicester in August 2018. This was a big moment and you could see how delighted he was. Despite this happy moment, you could obviously tell things were never quite 100% between Shaw and the then United manager Jose Mourinho. Improvement under Ole In December 2018,

How did you celebrate England reaching the final of Euro 2020? A few drinks with friends? Go into your local town/city centre and dance/sing the night away?  Let's see some of the best social media posts and comments What happened in London? For those people who weren't lucky enough to be at Wembley but were in the same city, many went into the streets to celebrate. Claire, 28 from Reading, said: "Those scenes were amazing. Everyone was getting a little carried away but there was no harm, it's not often England reach a major final!" Perhaps this tweet sums up what Claire and other were feeling? London is sooooo lively tonight. Everywhere you look there are England fans celebrating. #ENG pic.twitter.com/0aR93KkPfe — Caoimhe O'Neill (@CaoimheSport) July 7, 2021 Click here for more Euros news and stories from Greater Manchester Football Scenes in Manchester  As expected, those were replicated in Manchester. Sophie, 27 from Middleton in Greater Manchester, sa

It has been reported that Barcelona’s finances are in such a mess that they can’t even register new signings Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia, Sergio Aguero, and Emerson yet.  The same goes for Lionel Messi and his new two-year contract. More Barcelona news Barca apparently now need to cut the wage bill by €200 million to comply with a league salary cap and to be able to register the new signings. Many players have already left, but more departures are needed. The players that Barca are desperate to get rid of are Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic, and Philippe Coutinho. However, they are struggling to find any takers because of the wages involved. It is believed that they want to sell Antoine Griezmann, while stories persist that PSG and Manchester City being keen on Messi seem to be on the way back. Greater Manchester Football have already explored the possibility of Messi signing for Manchester City. Whatever happens over the next few weeks, next season could prove to be a difficult one for

England has been home to some of the greatest players ever. Since the creation of the Premier League in 1992, this has only increased. Let's have a look at some of the best. Jamie Vardy The rise of Jamie Vardy through the football pyramid to become a Premier League champion is one of the best football stories in recent history. Watch this video to see him in his Non League days.  Ruud van Nistelrooy Greater Manchester Football recently asked the question:  How good was Ruud van Nistelrooy?  The striker scored 150 times for Manchester United and won the Premier League in 2003. He also won the FA Cup in 2004.  Cristiano Ronaldo Some believe that Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest footballer of all time. He spent 6 years at Old Trafford and scored over 100 goals for Man United. He also won the Premier League on three consecutive occasions alongside the Champions League in 2008. Despite leaving the club in 2009, Manchester United fans still sing his name. Greater Manchester Football h

There has been over 700 episodes of The Simpsons and there is often heated debate about which are the best episodes.  Let's have a look at some of the best episodes and other iconic moments. Last Exit To Springfield So many iconic lines and moments in this episode. It is generally ranked as being one of the best of all time and is on several Top 10 lists. The BBC stated it is "frequently cited as the show's best-ever episode." "Dental plan, Lisa need braces..." That scene from the first episode of Zeta Gundam be like: https://t.co/1W6BKcIH28 — Called "Turn O" Brien (@iamnotatwit) June 29, 2021 Homer At The Bat An episode with one of the greatest songs from any Simpsons episode. "Well, Mr. Burns had done it, The Power Plant had won it, With Roger Clemens clucking all the while, Mike Scioscia's tragic illness made us smile, While Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the bar-room tile..." You Only Move Twice Homer moves the family after

A match caught in the middle of that wonderful afternoon against the Dutch and the ultimate heartbreak of the semi-final defeat against Germany.  The video below contains a clip of the fans arriving at Wembley for the Euro 96 quarter final against Spain.  In the build up to the game England's fans were  infuriated by reports that the Spanish manager Javier  Clemente had said that his team would be playing against a crowd of "seventy  thousand drunks." The match itself  England beat Spain 4-2 on penalties to move into the semi-finals. You can read a match report here and watch the highlights below.  It was certainly a nervy day but England progressed and most people were smiling at Wembley. There was a small matter of a match against Germany to come next.  Read more news from Euro 2020 at Greater Manchester Football

Nobby Stiles played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign.  The last and only time they won a major tournament. Can they repeat the fate in 2020? You certainly won't see any players like Stiles this summer.  In the semi-final of the 1966 World Cup against Portugal, he was given the job of marking Eusébio. His incredible performance resulted in Eusébio being nullified for most of game. Stiles then played in the final, which England won 4–2 against West Germany.  His post-match jig and dance at Wembley, holding the famous World Cup trophy in one hand and his false teeth in the other, was widely broadcast. It has also been referenced in a fairly popular song... Stiles spent the majority of his club career for Manchester United , spending 11 years at Old Trafford, where he became renowned for his tough tackling and ball-winning qualities. He was crucial in United's success during the

As England prepare for their quarter final, we take a look back at some of the recent (and not so recent) encounters between the two countries. Head to GreaterManchesterfootball.blogspot.com for more Euros news! 10 Sep 2013: Ukraine 0-0 England – World Cup qualifying The last meeting between the two countries was a rather dull and uneventful qualifier.  11 Sep 2012: England 1-1 Ukraine – World Cup qualifying (Lampard) (Konoplyanka) 19 Jun 2012: England 1-0 Ukraine – Euro 2012 (Rooney) 10 Oct 2009: Ukraine 1-0 England – World Cup qualifying (Nazarenko) This was Ukraine's first win over England. Then managed by Fabio Capello, England rested several players due to the already qualifying for the World Cup 01 Apr 2009: England 2-1 Ukraine – World Cup qualifying (Crouch. Terry) (Shevchenko) 18 Aug 2004: England 3-0 Ukraine – Friendly (Beckham, Owen, Wright-Phillips) 31 May 2000: England 2-0 Ukraine – Friendly (Fowler, Adams) The first meeting between the two countries. They only beco