Five things to look out for in EFL: Steel City struggle & Norwich’s new era

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After the international break, you want some Championship action? We do too.

Clubs in the second tier have been busy in their leisure time, with goodbyes and hellos offered in the dugout, while Sheffield’s finest have brought in new faces for Steel City derby day at Hillsborough on Sunday.

In League One, a well-known face returns to Plymouth, and in League Two, the ex-Original Rovers of Bristol face a familiar face.

A clash of blunted steel

Patrick Bamford playing for Leeds United last season in their home kitShutterstock

The first Steel City derby of the season will take place in Hillsborough on Sunday, but it’s difficult to predict which way it will fall given that both contestants currently reside in the bottom three.

Sheffield Wednesday (29) is the only Championship team to have scored more goals. On the other hand, Sheffield United have found the net the fewest number of times (11).

Both clubs must overcome their flaws in order to succeed, and it appears they both have looked in the same direction: north.

The Blades signed striker Patrick Bamford until January after the 32-year-old left the Whites in August, while Wednesday signed former Leeds United defender Liam Cooper to strengthen their backline for the rest of the season.

Though perhaps the difference at play could be nothing to do with personnel, but with the energy the fans emit around the stadium.

Despite being in administration and whether or not they will be able to make it to League One next season, the Owls are sensing the beginning of the end of their troubles while the Blades are feeling stuck in the mud.

Henrik Pedersen, the administrator’s manager, reported to BBC Radio Sheffield, “There has been a significant change of energy since the administrator took over.”

“There is freedom again and there is belief again. The future is anticipated by everyone. Now, the stadium is feeling a different kind of energy.

Can Clement sing the Canaries’ songs?

A close-up of Philippe Clement Getty Images

Norwich is not doing much better than Sheffield is doing lately if it isn’t having a good time.

The Canaries have won just 11 games this season, placing them second bottom of the standings.

Their loss to Leicester City was their seventh at home and fan frustration hit boiling point, chanting for sport director Ben Knapper’s exit from the club as they left the ground and even starting an online petition for his removal.

Instead, Liam Manning, the boss, was chosen, allowing Knapper to make the necessary transition to relieve the building’s growing pressure on his departure from angry fans.

His choice: Philippe Clement, a former Rangers manager, who will take over the starting role on Saturday when Birmingham City visits them.

“I’m under no illusions about my situation here, and where we are – we need to arrest the situation quickly and climb up the table and Philippe is exactly the kind of head coach that can help us do that”, Knapper told BBC Radio Norfolk.

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In the interim

Southampton interim boss Tonda Eckert on the touchlineShutterstock

Not just Norwich, which has recently removed an underperforming manager from their position, is.

Southampton’s performance after Will Still’s dismissal has caused Tonda Eckert to receive an extended stay in the front office while the Saints search for a replacement.

Saints won both their two games under the German before the break and will be looking to continue that form in a visit to a tricky Charlton Athletic side on Saturday lunchtime (12: 30 GMT).

Of course, Nathan Jones is one of six managers who has previously sat in Eckert’s seat during Sport Republic’s somewhat turbulent ownership of Southampton.

Swansea will also travel to Bristol City after losing to Alan Sheehan on November 11 and Maritimo head coach Vitor Matos being the favorite to succeed them.

Though the Swans will be nursing some disappointment after talks with Hammarby boss Kim Hellberg bore no fruit.

Instead, the Swede appears to be taking over as manager of Middlesbrough, a club that is likely still reeling from Rob Edwards’ abandonment of their promotion fight with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Must win at either end of the League One standings.

A close-up of Derek AdamsShutterstock

With their excellent season opener, Bradford City had taken League One by surprise, but are the gaps now forming?

They are winless across their past five league games (D4 L1), have slipped to third and in danger of exiting the play-off spots all together.

Given that the Trotters are on a three-game winning streak, they will need to defeat fourth-placed Bolton Wanderers on Saturday (15:00 GMT) to end their dry spell and ensure their place in the top six.

Even at the other end of the table, things appear just as dangerous.

Plymouth Argyle have lost four matches on the bounce to put them in the basement, now adding former boss Derek Adams to their ranks as their new director of football to try to put out the fire.

Adams will act as “a soundboard” for under-pressure boss Tom Cleverley as Argyle earns promotion to League One in 2017.

He’s previously received promotions in lower leagues, and I wouldn’t be foolish to ask him for advice on how to build a squad capable of competing at this level. I believe Derek should have given us some real important advice on these issues.

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    • November 12th

The Gas must defeat an old foe to end a terrible losing streak.

A close-up of Cheltenham Town boss Steve CotterillShutterstock

Rovers of Bristol have lost six straight League Two games but is there any better way to say farewell to a bad patch with a victory over someone they would dearly love to take down?

Steve Cotterill won the League One title in 2015, dividing Bristol City’s hearts and earning them the EFL Trophy that year.

Although the former Cheltenham Town boss is now a different kind of Robin, north Bristol’s reputation for his legacy at Ashton Gate is undoubtedly different.

The Gas will make the 40-mile trip to Whaddon Road on Saturday (15: 00 GMT) to visit Cotterill under the guidance of Darrell Clarke, a man who knows Cheltenham Town all too well after a seven-month spell at the helm in the 2023-24 season.

However, the Robins will have more to play for than resentments. If they win, they can slam ahead of Rovers and put an end to their own two-game losing streak.

On the BBC Sport website and app, live text coverage of Preston North End v. Blackburn Rovers on November 21 at 19:30 GMT will start with live coverage of the weekend.

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Explosion at glue factory in eastern Pakistan kills at least 16

According to Pakistani media reports, an explosion at a glue-making factory in Pakistan caused at least 16 injuries and caused fires to rage nearby homes.

On Friday, at around 5 a.m. (GMT) in the Malikpur district of Faisalabad, west of Lahore, in Punjab province, the explosion took place in the west of Lahore.

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Local media reports that Faisalabad Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar was one of the people who first learned a gas leak inside the factory’s chemical warehouse was the cause of the explosion.

Authorities detained the factory manager, but they were still looking for the owner, who quickly fled the scene.

According to Pakistani channel Aaj TV, the blast flattened the factory’s roof and those of a few other nearby homes, sparking fires in at least three of them. Rescue teams crowding into the interior of a burning building from a central blast site in photos that the channel released.

According to authorities, six children were among the victims, the majority of whom were from nearby homes.

According to the TV station Geo News, rescue teams dug people out of piles of rubble and searched for them. A nearby hospital was treating the seven injured patients.

Fake Soldier Arrested For Defrauding Victim Of Retirement Benefits In Ondo

Temigbe Jamiu, 35, allegedly posed as a member of the Nigerian Army during his arrest, according to Ondo State Police Command agents.

Olusola Ayanlade, the command’s spokesperson, made this known to journalists in Akure, the state capital, in a statement.

Ayanlade claims that the suspect extorted one Mr. Temiloluwa for $1, 200, 000.

He claimed that the funds represent the mother’s hard-earned retirement benefits, which had been invested in real estate.

READ MORE: Police Arrest Man Fleeing With “Wife’s Corpse” On Motorcycle In Ogun.

Ayanlade explained that the victim had engaged the suspect to help with the retirement benefits by providing more information about the arrest.

However, Jamiu abused the victim’s trust, collected it, and used it for personal gain while working with accomplices who are still at large.

The suspect, who had previously served at the 82 Divison, Enugu, admitted to the fraud after being arrested. He reportedly admitted to the fraud.

Ayanlade added that investigations are ongoing to find and prosecute the other suspects in the scheme.

“The suspect is currently being held in legal custody and will be taken into custody in court after the investigations are finished. According to him, efforts to apprehend the remaining accomplices are still being made, which shows how committed the Command is to bring all those responsible for criminal activity to justice.

How Stone Roses’ Mani’s devastating personal tragedy led to band reunion after bitter row

Legendary bassist Gary ‘ Mani ‘ Mounfield has sadly died aged 63. In a time of deep crisis, his feud-ridden bandmates came together for the star and the emotional moment sparked a reunion

Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield suffered many heartbreaks during his incredible career, but one devastating loss changed the trajectory of his life.

The legendary bassist for the Stone Roses and Primal Scream has sadly died aged 63, leaving his two twins orphaned. Mani’s wife Imelda passed away from cancer in 2023 at just 52-years-old. Their children, Gene Clark and George Christopher, are believed to be around 12 years old.

The rocker revealed in one of his final interviews that he was “itching to get back” into music, perhaps inspired by Oasis’ stunning reunion that has mesmerised the industry this year. Mani had said in a chat last month that he had recently been to his lock-up and looked at his bass guitars and was being encouraged by other musicians to pick it up again.

READ MORE: The Stone Roses’ Mani’s love life with wife Imelda and tragic orphaned twinsREAD MORE: Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield’s neighbours speak out after star’s sudden death

The Stone Roses enjoyed their last gig together in 2017, and although they didn’t officially call it quits immediately after their final show, guitarist John Squire confirmed the split in a 2019 interview. The band had been fractured by a bitter feud between John and singer Ian Brown, with a series of bust-ups sealing the Stones ‘ fate.

But before parting ways, they had an incredible comeback, reuniting for a tour for the first time in 15 years. Mani left Primal Scream to rejoin Stone Roses for the big hurrah in 2011, and it soon became clear that a tragedy in his personal life sparked the decision to get back on stage with the iconic rock band.

The bassist was wracked with grief when his beloved mother died earlier that same year, and his old friends were right by his side to help him get through it.

Mani admitted at the time that her passing what “the cloud that gave us the silver lining” to settle their differences, as he opened up about the upcoming world tour. Fellow Stone Roses members Ian and John were spotted together at Mani’s mum’s funeral, putting their own issues aside to support their pal.

The bassist told The Sun: “It’s weird how it can be one mad thing that starts a chain of events. It was amazing and bizarre when John and Ian started speaking at my mum’s funeral. I always wanted them to do it, even if we never reformed I wanted them to reform the friendship. Rock ‘n’ roll is more than just music.”

A source also added at the time: “It was an emotional reunion. There were no harsh words. It was a heartwarming breaking of bread. They had a lot to catch up on and have been in regular contact since”.

The band pioneered the “Madchester” scene with hits such as I Am The Resurrection, Waterfall, Made Of Stone and Fools Gold. John, whose feud with Ian insiders blame for the band’s long separation, confirmed at the time that they had finally buried the hatchet.

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Despite famously saying he had no wish to “desecrate the grave” of The Stone Roses, he revealed: “Everything changed when me and Ian started seeing each other again – it was surreal, we went from crying and laughing about the old days to writing songs. It’s a friendship which defines us both, and it needed fixing. We did, and two phone calls later the band was no longer dead”.

At least three killed as magnitude 5.5 earthquake hits Bangladesh

Springboks a ‘great marker’ for Ireland – Sheehan

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Ireland vs. South Africa in the Quilter Nations Series

Dublin’s Aviva Stadium Kickoff Time: 17:40 GMT on Saturday, November 22

Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan claims the game’s scheduled meeting with world champion South Africa at the Aviva Stadium will serve as “a great marker” for the intensity of his side.

Ireland’s November internationals will be finished with the Springboks’ match.

In their first three games, Andy Farrell’s side lost to New Zealand in Chicago before falling to Japan and Australia in Dublin.

Over the past few years, we’ve engaged in some serious combat, according to Sheehan.

“It’s always a thrilling game to play, and I think everyone is eager to get up for the world champions to come to town and see how we’re doing.”

We’ve been progressing nicely, though, despite a slow start.

Ireland’s line-out had received some negative reviews in recent weeks, but the Leinster forward was happy with how the set-piece turned out in the 46-19 victory over the Wallabies over the weekend.

I’ll admit that I didn’t like the media coverage of the camp’s recent weeks because I thought it was overblown and there were many panic stations outside, but it hasn’t been like that inside,” he continued.

We all knew that the errors were essentially human errors, not minor adjustments. You simply get on with life as it is.

“We had the right people in the room to sort things out, and it all came together over the weekend,” said the manager.

We take confidence from a strong performance on our end, and there are definitely improvements to be made in our own game, particularly how we handled the second 20 in the first half, and how we handled our discipline and defense when our 22-team defense are required.

Sheehan put emphasis on the fact that Ireland would “go out” with a hostile attitude toward South Africa.

Like most test games, it’s. Physicality is always on the minds of those wearing Irish jerseys, but it’s also important when facing world champions.

“But you can’t let it take over your mind; we must concentrate on ourselves and ensure that we have a game plan in place rather than waiting and seeing what they have.”

The defense in and around the ruck is likely to play a significant role in the weekend game.

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