CaaC - John

9 minutes ago | Aston Villa Villa confirmed MacDonald, 58, will not be in charge of the team pending an independent investigation. Ex-midfielder Gareth Farrelly alleged MacDonald was "relentlessly negative" to him as a youth coach in the 1990s. MacDonald was placed in caretaker charge of the first team earlier this season after Steve Bruce was sacked. Former Aston Villa academy graduate and Republic of Ireland international Farrelly, now a qualified solicitor, claimed MacDonald was "incredibly aggressive, with constant verbal and physical bullying". "It took me to a place at 20 that nobody should have to go to and I wouldn't wish it on anybody," Farrelly told The Guardian. Villa has referred the allegations to the local and football authorities. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46561139

Fixed

La Liga & Serie A: Eleven Sports trying to renegotiate rights By Mandeep Sanghera BBC Sport 3 hours ago | European Football Eleven Sports is trying to renegotiate its TV sports rights in the UK to online-only streaming deals. Having won the rights to show La Liga and Serie A games earlier this year, the company was hoping to sub-license the rights to broadcasting companies such as Sky, BT Sport, and Virgin Media. But a failure to strike a deal has led to the streaming platform to look again at its rights deals. "We are in discussion with our rights partners," a spokesperson confirmed. "Without carriage agreements with the existing platforms, alongside the challenges posed by rampant piracy, the market dynamics in the UK & Ireland are very hostile for new entrants," they added. Meanwhile, mixed martial arts series UFC has pulled out of a deal with Eleven Sports, which was supposed to start in January, after the latter did not agree a contract to redistribute its events. It is understood Eleven Sports is not in financial difficulties and the problems in the UK are in isolation rather than impacting on other markets in which it operates. The company is owned by Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani and the issues are not expected to affect the Championship club. Sky held the La Liga rights, and BT Sport those for Serie A, before Eleven Sports signed three-year deals in May to show top-flight matches from Spain and Italy. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46555111

Nice read this 'I celebrate like every football fan!' - blind Liverpool supporter on becoming viral hit By Alex Bysouth BBC Sport 2 hours ago | Liverpool Mike Kearney has been registered blind since he was seven years old There was no doubt in Mike Kearney's mind that Liverpool had taken the lead when Anfield erupted on Tuesday night, he just wasn't sure who the scorer was. The lifelong Liverpool fan was born with sight problems and has been registered blind since he was seven years old. But while it was Mo Salah who slotted the ball past Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina to ultimately seal Liverpool's passage to the Champions League knockout stages with a 1-0 win, it is Mike's phone that hasn't stopped since. Nearly three million people have watched a clip on Twitter of his cousin Stephen leaning over to tell him who netted for the Reds, sending the pair's touching exchange viral. "I'm like every other football fan - it doesn't matter if I can't see clearly, I still celebrate," he told BBC Sport. "It was just relief that we scored." The 26-year-old, a regular at Anfield, has a degenerative eye condition which has got worse as he has got older. "I wish I could see more but that doesn't mean I can't form an opinion of my own," he said. "It's difficult for people that can see to understand, but I think of it as normal to me and I have been like that all my life. It's just the way I watch the game." Mike admits he has been surprised at the level of interest following the clip being posted, with Salah's involvement meaning even media outlets in Egypt have got in touch. But it would have been easier for the Liverpudlian to distinguish the scorer had Salah's strike not come at the Anfield Road end of the ground. "It was very blurry," he added. "Up close at the Kop End I am OK, but further away the ball gets harder to see. It wasn't hard to work out what happened with noise." Mike used to use the club's live commentary service for blind and partially sighted spectators, but now prefers to immerse himself in the atmosphere. "It's there if I really want it," he said. "I like just being involved in the atmosphere and hearing what my cousin thinks - and anyone else, whether it's five rows back and a pleasant comment or not. "If it's not my cousin Stephen with me then it's other friends, it's just normal for us. I find it weird the reaction. It's nice, but a little bit strange!" https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46549613

Lol, Chelsea has made 10 changes as they know they are through so this B team will more than likely still thump MOL Vidi, Jose of United take note 17:07 Team news MOL Vidi v Chelsea (17:55 GMT) Chelsea make 10 changes from the side who beat Manchester City 2-0, with only Willian having to play again. Highly rated teenagers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu start. The Blues have such a strong squad that this 'B' team includes Alvaro Morata, Cesc Fabregas, Andreas Christensen, Ross Barkley and Italy full-backs Emerson Palmieri and Davide Zappacosta. They have a strong bench too, with just teenager keeper Jamie Cumming and George McEachran the only unfamiliar faces. MOL Vidi make one change from their defeat by Ujpest in the league. Macedonian midfielder Boban Nikolov is in for Mate Patkai. Vidi: Kovacsik, Fiola, Juhasz, Vinicius, Stopira, Nego, Anel Hadzic, Nikolov, Milanov, Marko Scepovic, Huszti. Subs: Tujvel, Kovacs, Berecz, Hodzic, Patkai, Tamas, Hangya. Chelsea: Caballero, Zappacosta, Christensen, Ampadu, Emerson Palmieri, Barkley, Fabregas, Loftus-Cheek, Willian, Morata, Hudson-Odoi. Subs: Cumming, Alonso, Jorginho, Pedro, Giroud, Luiz, McEachran. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/45685409

Another form of a grease monkey California man rescued after spending two days trapped in a Chinese restaurant grease vent Sean Morrison 13 hrs ago A man has been rescued after spending two days trapped inside a grease vent at a vacant Chinese restaurant in California. He was freed from the vent after emergency services responded to reports of someone crying for help, police said. Officers arrived to find the man stuck inside the metal roof-top vent. He was taken to hospital for checks. It took firefighters just under an hour to free the man, who officials said was physically exhausted and suffering from dehydration. When first responders arrived on the scene, they could hear the voice and quickly determined it was coming from a roof vent atop the restaurant (Alameda County Sheriff's Office) Police said the man, who has not been identified, may have been trespassing and trying to burglarize the empty restaurant. An investigation was under way into whether he had planned to vandalize or steal from the property. The man may not have survived another day in the vent “given the circumstances”, Alameda County Sheriff Department said. He is expected to make a full recovery. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/california-man-rescued-after-spending-two-days-trapped-in-chinese-restaurant-grease-vent/ar-BBQSXvs?ocid=chromentp

Goodbye Ashley.

Not seen it yet but I don't think it could ever beat the real thing in Freddie & Queen, one of my all-time great performer and group, I was gutted when Freddie passed away.

Jo-Anne Rowney 17 hrs ago © Credits: 20th Century Fox Brian May has revealed his favorite moment in Bohemian Rhapsody - and it wasn't in the script. The movie biopic tells the story of Freddie Mercury's rise to fame, and his falling out with Queen - as well as their famous Live Aid. May, speaking to Louder Sound, said there was one stand out moment for him - and it was a moment from Rami Malek. He said: "My favorite Rami moment is when Freddie is plucking up the courage to tell us he’s going off to do his solo album. Video: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody Official Video (People)

BRING ON THE SNOW Brrrace yourself: Heavy snow and blizzards to hit the UK this weekend 4 hrs ago © Other The warnings are in place from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning There are warnings of heavy snow and blizzards this weekend with a risk of freezing rain causing travel chaos, the Met Office says. Yellow weather warnings are in place for Scotland and northern England on Saturday and Sunday, and some rural communities are at risk of being cut off. The Met Office also says there is a chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces, and bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled, with some road closures and longer journey times possible. It also warned about untreated pavements and cycle paths being hazardous because of black ice. The yellow warnings are in place between 12 pm on Saturday and 10 am on Sunday. © Other Snow could be heavy at times, especially over hills. Pic: Met Office There is a risk of snow developing with strong southeasterly winds affecting northern parts of the UK on Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning. The Met Office says the snow could be heavy at times, especially over hills. Across northern England and southern Scotland, snow may turn to freezing rain above 200m to 300m, leading to widespread ice developing on Saturday night. It is also likely that 2cm to 5cm of snow will fall at lower levels, while higher ground could see 10cm to 20cm. Sky News weather producer Chris England said: "It's turning colder, with an easterly wind bringing air in from northern Europe. "Things look set to change at the weekend, with rain spreading across the UK and Ireland from the Atlantic. "That will bring a spell of snow as the rain moves into the colder air later on Saturday and into Sunday." https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brrrace-yourself-heavy-snow-and-blizzards-to-hit-the-uk-this-weekend/ar-BBQTW9V?li=AAnZ9Ug

Nasa's Jupiter mission Juno reveals giant polar storms By Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News, Washington DC 2 hours ago Nasa's Juno mission to the gas giant Jupiter has reached its halfway mark and has revealed new views of cyclones at the poles. As it orbits the planet every 53 days - Juno performs a science-gathering dive, speeding from pole to pole. Its sensors take measurements of the composition of the planet, in an effort to decipher how the largest world in our Solar System formed. Mapping the magnetic and gravity fields should also expose Jupiter's structure. But images from JunoCam - a camera that was intended to capture images that could be shared with the public - has already given us some surprising insights. Dr. Candice Hansen, from the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, is leading the JunoCam project, which she described as "our little outreach camera". She presented some of the remarkable images from the camera - raw images downloaded and processed by members of the public - at the American Geophysical Union meeting here in Washington DC. "When we made our first pass over the poles, we knew we were seeing a territory on Jupiter we had never seen before," said Prof Hansen. "What we did not expect was that we would see these orderly polygons of cyclones; huge storms - twice the size of Texas. "We thought, wow - that's spectacular." And 16 passes later, she added, those orderly arrangements of giant storms are still there. These "pretty pictures" are starting to teach scientists about how the largest planet in the Solar System formed and evolved. "The objective for the Juno mission is to study the interior structure of Jupiter and how that structure expresses itself out on the cloud tops. That's the kind of connection we're trying to make. But we're not there yet." Jack Connerney, Juno deputy principal investigator from the Space Research Corporation in Annapolis, Maryland, said that the second half of the mission would provide an even more detailed view of "what makes the whole of Jupiter tick". You can find more of these amazing images of Jupiter on the JunoCam site. More images in the link below vv https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46547904

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