‘The old place will live on – but this was end of an era for Goodison Park’

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Nearly four hours before kick-off, the blue smoke was visible circling Goodison Park. A day of history and high emotion would never pass by unapologetically in this grand old arena, which was not designed for peaceful farewells.

A brief football match broke out between celebrations marking the end of 133 years of men’s senior football, with Everton saying fitting farewell as Southampton accepted the mood and scored two goals in the first half.

As Evertonians made their way to this richly atmospheric location three miles outside the city center, whether they had match tickets or not, the familiar sights and sounds of Goodison Park still enthralled the senses.

Ten minutes’ walk to the parking lot? That’s almost an hour long.

Everton’s team had to take a different route into the stadium as a crowd poured into the streets from 8am, Goodison Road nearly impossible, with the coach hiding behind more blue smoke plumes rising into the Merseyside sunshine.

Fans of Everton were drawn to the famous landmarks.

Both the “Holy Trinity” statue, which is in honor of Alan Ball, Colin Harvey, and Howard Kendall’s 1970 title-winning midfield, and opposite St. Luke’s the Evangelist church, was damaged, as is former striker Dixie Dean, who still has the record for 60 league goals in 1927-28.

Fans outside Goodison ParkImages courtesy of Getty

Before those fortunate enough to have the golden farewell ticket made their way into Goodison Park, the old Everton strongholds of The Blue House and The Winslow Hotel, which also had its Howard Kendall Bar, were packed. Over the years, the Blue Dragon Fish Bar and The Goodison Cafe, two traditional gathering places, saw unprecedented growth.

The former home of Everton’s women’s team will remain, but some rituals were taking place as the crowds made their way through the terraced houses that encircle Winslow Street, Eton Street, Neston Street, and Andrew Street’s neighborhoods.

Before kick-off, the stadium was packed as the familiar drumbeat introduced Everton’s famous “Z Cars” anthem. The air raid siren blared out as tears were shed as they gathered inside.

The enormous Main Stand, which was regarded as state of the art when it opened in 1970, and the famous Scottish architect Archibald Leitch’s signature criss-cross designs along Bullens Road Stand, packed in a sea of royal blue, set the tone for the park.

With the game winning, there was an almost eerie silence as Everton fans prepared for the final celebration. A wall of sound erupted as the board reached its final four minutes before referee Michael Oliver’s whistle cut the curtain.

Fans outside Goodison ParkImages courtesy of Getty

Former Everton players Carlo Ancelotti and former manager Mikel Arteta and former manager of Arsenal Carlo Ancelotti received warm ovations as well, as did other former players who were now living elsewhere.

More than 70 former players gathered before being paraded in front of the fans as a violinist performed a moving rendition of the “Z Cars” theme.

They traveled from all over the world to share the occasion’s emotions.

Tim Cahill and Gary Stevens, who both won the FA Cup and the European Cup with two titles, flew in from Australia, while Paul Rideout, who won the 1995 FA Cup final against Manchester United, did the same. From Germany, Bob Latchford, who scored 30 goals in the 1977-78 season, received a prize of £10, 000 from a newspaper.

After a brief exile when his time on the board ended in acrimony, Graeme Sharp, once again, attended.

Wayne Rooney was greeted like the youngster who had already won the title with his famous goal against Arsenal, rather than the youngster who had abandoned his hometown to pursue success and ended up as Manchester United’s all-time top goalscorer. Of course, he returned to Everton after that.

Fans inside Goodison ParkImages courtesy of Getty

In his second spell in charge, Everton manager David Moyes captured the atmosphere.

He admitted, “This was an extraordinary atmosphere.” “The crowd was incredible inside Goodison Park as it was outside before the game. Simply unbelievable. The goal was to succeed in the game and present Goodison well.

I believed there to be a “come-together as one club” feeling. Standing together, everyone.

“Everton provides a tremendous amount of support. It requires some sort of success. They have been anticipating this day for a while, and a new stadium is coming.

Never did I think I would be the one to welcome Everton to the new stadium, the 62-year-old Scot added.

I’m honored to have the chance to. It’s viewed by everyone as a second chance. Everton needs to be rebuilt once more.

“We’ve accomplished the job of staying up,” he said. Next year, we must work toward expanding on that. We will have a better chance of winning games if this atmosphere is created in the new stadium.

The man who first christened Everton “The People’s Club” when he arrived from Preston North End in March 2002 then brought up the old theme.

Fans celebrate Everton goalImages courtesy of Getty

Moyes also wants The Friedkin Group’s new American owners to use the passion, color, and emotion of this day as a model.

The owners should be aware of what they are seeing, he continued. This ought to be bottled up, wrapped, and transported to the Mersey. This organization needs to resurrect.

“This team has 100 outstanding players,” the statement reads. We must re-create that situation.

Everton must now work to recreate Bramley Moore Dock, Goodison Park’s heart and soul, along the banks of the Mersey.

It will be challenging.

The Goodison Park structure had something special thanks to the old Leitch architecture, but bricks and mortar couldn’t.

Andy Gray, a former Everton striker who won the FA Cup, European Cup, and top-flight titles, said: “We will leave Goodison Park. We will never forget Goodison Park.

A lone trumpet player performed a final, melancholy rendition of “Z Cars” to end the show, leaving thousands of fans standing in their seats and unable to leave their permanent homes.

At Goodison Park, tears of joy, desperation, and relief have been shed. It was a mix of emotions this time.

Tony Bellew, Duncan Ferguson and Wayne RooneyImages courtesy of Getty

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Winning first trophy like a switch going off – Kane

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Harry Kane, the top scorer for Bayern Munich, is sat in the Munich mayor’s office as he considers winning the Bundesliga as the first major trophy of his career.

He’s sporting the club’s traditional, celebratory brown lederhosen. As the club’s title parade comes to an end on Sunday afternoon, music is blaring through the speakers.

To be honest, it was an incredible experience.

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The England captain, who is 31 years old, won the German league title for the fifth time while also adding another Golden Boot to his collection of Golden Boots in both English and German club football.

Kane said, “I enjoy every one.”

“We won the title with it as well,” I think this one is even more unique.

Kane acknowledged that the emotions were sobering after Bayer Leverkusen’s 4 May defeat to Freiburg confirmed Bayern as champions.

He tells BBC Sport, “It almost felt like a switch suddenly went off, and all of a sudden it was just a lot of emotion, a lot of joy.”

“That night, we had a fantastic night. Due to my journey, of course, I’m the one in the spotlight.

Germany’s Kane family

Kane left Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern for £86.50 in 2023.

It was one of the most well-known transfers in Europe at the time, but Kane acknowledges that there were some early difficulties.

He claimed to have been “tough” when we first relocated to Germany.

“I think the first six months I spent here were difficult because my family was still in London and I was staying in a hotel, so I had to work there.”

“We’ve all been together in a house for more than a year, and the kids are enjoying it,” says the statement.

Harry Kane stands with a Bayern Munich shirt after signing for them in 2023Getty Images
Kane’s individual brilliance was frequently accompanied by the concoction of not having won a trophy, with some arguing that this would harm his legacy.

Does he feel justified now that the narrative has been discredited?

“I’m not sure”. Says Keane.

“From my perspective, I believe that my career is still the same. I continue to improve. Every year, I make an effort to improve. Maybe the perception will now be a little different from the outside, in my opinion.

“You know, I’ve received some incredible comments and messages from many people,” I’ve heard. Many people are starting to see me win my first title, he said, according to him.

On the cards for a return to the Premier League?

Numerous articles have a connection between Kane and a return to England.

He has 213 goals in the Premier League, which is second. With 260, Alan Shearer is in command of the table.

When asked if he plans to make the record-breaking run-off, he doesn’t divulge much.

No, I really don’t think about it.

You just do what you can, as I believe I have learned in my career as you have gained experience. You are essentially taking your own journey with football. Kane continues, “I really enjoy my time here, and I’m not considering moving anywhere else.”

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Rangers confirm Ferguson will leave manager’s role

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After it was confirmed that Saturday’s draw against Hibernian was Barry Ferguson’s last game as Rangers’ interim manager, he says he has “loved this experience.”

Ferguson had expressed his desire to continue playing the role when Philippe Clement was fired in February, but those hopes have been thwarted.

The 47-year-old leaves with Allan McGregor, Billy Dodds, and Neil McCann, his coaches.

Ferguson said, “I’ve already lived the dream as a player and as Rangers’ captain, and it’s been a great honor to do so as head coach in these last three months.

“There have been some ups and downs, but I’ve always enjoyed this experience.” I have a lot of support, thank you.

No matter how this time went, I pledged to support the club a lot and look forward to serving as a Rangers ambassador.

A consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group, who want to acquire 51% of Rangers, is currently in the process of doing so.

And Davide Ancelotti, 35, who works for his father Carlo at Real Madrid, has just come to mind when it comes to managing the Ibrox.

The search is “progressing well,” according to Rangers’ CEO Patrick Stewart, and we look forward to the completion of our process in the near future.

He also expressed gratitude to Ferguson and his coaching staff, citing “several memorable moments,” including reaching the Europa League semifinals and Old Firm winning at Celtic Park.

Stewart added, “The club, and I’m sure all of our supporters,” will be forever grateful to Barry for stepping up and playing head coach.

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Verstappen takes dominant win in Imola

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Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix with a dominant victory in the first lap of an audacious overtaking move.

After the start, the four-time champion controlled the race from the outside of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, passing pole-sitter Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.

Verstappen’s tail was closed by a late safety car and included Lando Norris and the McLarens of Piastri.

However, Verstappen’s flawless restart gave him the opportunity to break free while Norris, who was much more recent, fought for three laps before passing the Australian.

Verstappen’s second victory of the season reduces Piastri’s championship lead over Norris to 13 points, placing him nine points clear of the Briton.

After they pitted Piastri and Verstappen early in the race when he was second behind him, but they were starting to lose time, there will be questions about strategy for McLaren.

Piastri acknowledged that Verstappen had made some “wrong calls” and that he had “braked too early” on the opening lap.

Verstappen had a comfortable 10-second lead over Norris, who was unable to stop the Red Bull, and forced Piastri to resurrect through the midfield cars to regain his position.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen moves alongside Oscar Piastri to pass him at the start of the Emilia-Romagna Grand PrixGetty Images

Red Bull’s 400th grand prix was a fitting occasion for the drive.

The McLaren drivers and second-place drivers engaged in a see-sawing battle during the two caution periods.

When the Briton made his only pit stop, Piastri appeared to have passed Norris, who would later return to Piastri on new tires.

Esteban Ocon’s Haas stopped just before Norris’ stop, which caused a virtual safety car (VSC) pause between the Tosa and Piratella corners.

Because Piastri stopped to change tyres to avoid leaving cars behind, Norris was ahead after the VSC.

Then, when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes stopped in exactly the same spot as Ocon, officials made the decision to deploy a full safety car.

Verstappen and Norris stopped for fresh tires this time, but Piastri did not because he had no longer available, so that resulted in Norris moving back behind Piastri, but this time with 16-lap fresher tires.

Behind the safety car, Norris argued that Piastris’ tires “looked pretty dead” and that they should not compete with Verstappen for the win.

However, after three laps of fighting, McLaren made the decision to ignore team orders, before Norris finally made it to Verstappen’s exit with five laps to go.

The field alternated between drivers using new tires and those using old tires during the final laps, which were fascinating to watch.

Hamilton could move up because of this. He had already made his first stop under the VSC and the safety car after running long on hard tires.

At the flag, he passed Albon’s Williams and Leclerc, and he was only 1.4 seconds ahead of Piastri.

Leclerc worked hard to hold back Albon, but when they were side by side through Tamburello, Ferrari handed him the job, giving Albon fifth place.

Carlos Sainz, the team-mate from Anglo-Thai, finished eighth, ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bull, who scored the winning point after suffering a significant crash in qualifying.

Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso, who had a stellar fifth place on the grid, were also severely harmed by the timing of the two safety cars.

What comes next?

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