Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou expects Saturday’s clash with Rangers to bear all the usual Old Firm hallmarks despite the title being in the bag already.

The newly-crowned cinch Premiership champions have the chance to go a whole season unbeaten against Rangers and Postecoglou feels their trip to Ibrox presents the chance to give their supporters another memorable moment.

Celtic have beaten their city rivals twice at Hampden this season as well as taking seven points in the league and Rangers manager Michael Beale is under pressure to get one over on his opposite number for the first time.

Postecoglou, who has a fitness concern over midfielder Aaron Mooy, said: “If we were going there to win it (the title) there would probably be more hype around it so from that perspective it doesn’t feel as intense in terms of the build-up, but I don’t think that will diminish the game itself.

“I still think it will have all the elements you expect in a derby game.

“All these things have context. Our goal every year is to be champions. The last couple of years it gets you into the Champions League and everything that brings with it.

“That’s where the ambitions lie but within that you have these individual contests that you know are important and significant to the club and every derby is that kind of game.

“It’s an opportunity to win against a very good team and the team closest to us in the table, a game that always means something to our supporters.

“It’s an opportunity to create another significant moment for us.”

Celtic are six games unbeaten against Rangers but Postecoglou does not feel that extending that run would have a lasting impact.

“I don’t think it gives you any sort of significant edge in terms of next year,” he said.

“We just want to finish the season strong and it’s a chance to have a look at a couple of things as well from a team perspective building into next year.

“We will use these games to make sure we are ready for the cup final and also have a look at a few things that we want to work with.”

The 57-year-old was earlier nominated for the PFA Scotland manager of the year award.

Two days earlier Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor were nominated for the top Premiership player, and Liel Abada and Matt O’Riley were shortlisted for the young player prize.

Postecoglou said: “It’s recognition for all the staff, everyone involved and all the players and reflective of the year we have had.

“We want to be successful every year, in many ways that’s demanded of us. So if you perform at those levels, the individual recognition comes along with it.

“I am pleased for the lads who got nominated. We could have had another half dozen in there because it’s been a real collective effort.”

Meanwhile, Postecoglou dismissed early speculation over his transfer business after being linked with a move for 25-year-old Japanese midfielder Ryotaro Ito of Albirex Niigata.

Postecoglou said: “It’s fair to say if they are taking punts now they are well, well, well off the mark. Well off the mark. Without talking about specific players.”

Southampton boss Ruben Selles admits it is getting more difficult to motivate players as relegation looms, but stressed everyone will continue to fight until the end of the season.

A 4-3 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Monday left the Saints on the brink of relegation, eight points adrift of safety at the bottom with just three games left.

A return to the Sky Bet Championship for the first time in since 2012 will be confirmed if Southampton fail to beat Fulham on Saturday or results elsewhere over the weekend go against them.

Despite the bleak outlook on the back of a 10-game winless run, Selles insists there is a determination to get the best possible results.

“It is our job and our privilege to fight until the very last minute and that is what we are going to do,” the Southampton boss said.

“We know it (relegation) is very close, but we still have our chances, it is not mathematically there.

“It is getting harder, of course, because the situation is not helping and it has been a tough week for us.

“We put all we have in against Nottingham Forest and we didn’t get the result that we wanted.

“Always when you get hit like that it is difficult to go to work the day after and to be super motivated, but I think we are in a good place that we can go tomorrow to compete and try to win the game.”

Selles accepts Saints could struggle to keep hold of key men like captain James Ward-Prowse in the Championship, but feels things are in place to be strong contenders for a swift promotion.

“I think the club has everything to bounce back very quick and be in the Premier League (again) the year after,” he said.

“We have our stadium with our fans that will support us, we have the organisation inside, the technical staff, the players and the future players, if it happens, that can help.

“We have a good structure with values, with philosophy and then it is just to put the things in place to go to the next chapter.”

Selles added at a press conference: “If we go to the Championship, of course we have players that the other teams in the Premier League will come and look for.

“It is not always easy to keep them for different reasons, in terms of budget or motivation for the player, so it is going to be (done on) a very individual case.”

Spanish coach Selles, who took over from Nathan Jones in mid-February on a deal until the end of the season, would like to stay and help the club rebuild.

“It is not for me to decide, but I would like to carry on in the Championship and bounce back to the Premier League in the year after,” he said.

“But right now we are just focusing on our daily job and trying to get the team being competitive tomorrow, and then we will talk about it if we need to talk about it at the end of the season.”

Bournemouth will still be without Marcus Tavernier for the visit to Crystal Palace.

Tavernier picked up a hamstring injury in the win over Southampton and is not yet fit, but Kieffer Moore returns to the squad after he was unavailable for last week’s defeat to Chelsea due to concussion protocols.

Boss Gary O’Neil said on the club’s official website: “Marcus Tavernier is still out for this one, as is Hamed Traore.

“We are very hopeful that we will see Traore before the end of the season. Elsewhere the rest of the squad are in a good place and they’re available.

“Kieffer Moore is back as well after his concussion protocol, he’s come off the bench recently and he gives us another outlet so I’m pleased to have Kieffer back.”

Bournemouth travel to Selhurst Park knowing they are safe from relegation following an impressive run.

Their opponents are also no longer in danger following the return of Roy Hodgson, who, according to O’Neil, has “got a real good tune out of them”.

“Fantastic players, real individual talent in there,” he said.

“You look at the attacking threat they have, not only on the top line, but from the midfielders as well as (Jeffrey) Schlupp, (Wilfried) Zaha, (Michael) Olise.

“(Cheick) Doucoure has been excellent as a sort of holding midfielder since he’s come in there.

“They have some really good players like the centre-back pairing as well of (Joachim) Andersen and (Marc) Guehi. They’re a good side.

“Roy’s obviously gone in there, managed to freshen things up a little bit.

“Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes, he knows the group well, as well, from when he was there before and has managed to get a real good tune out of them.

“We’ll be in for a tough afternoon. Selhurst Park is never an easy place to go.

“Always an intense atmosphere, but, yeah, a good opportunity for us to win another game of football, hopefully and push onwards up the league.”

Michael Beale challenged Rangers to reach their highest heights in the final Old Firm game of the season at Ibrox on Saturday.

The Rangers boss has not won in four games against the cinch Premiership champions since taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst in November and the Light Blues have failed to register a victory in the last six Glasgow derbies.

Beale is looking for a marker win against their city rivals to end the sequence of disappointment and take into the start of next season, where as runners-up the club will go into Champions League qualifiers.

“In the main I have been pleased,” said the former QPR manager.

“We have had a couple of really sore results and sore days since I have come in but in terms of attitude and commitment, I can’t fault that.

“It is important that we start to show that we can win against opponents of similar level or a higher level than us.

“That’s the challenge for this group, now and in the next four or five months, to prove that in the days when the game is in balance that we have the big moments and in games in Europe where you might see another team’s name and you might think their squad is worth more or whatnot, that this team stands up and show it.

“They have done it in the past, they have upset the odds in big European games and domestic ones, I would say to this group that they need to start doing it again.”

Beale refused to confirm a new contract for fit-again midfielder Ryan Jack.

But he did say: “The talks are ongoing. I have stated publicly that I would like Ryan to stay so that would probably give you a steer as to where that will end up.”

Asked about reports that Rangers are set to sign 23-year-old Chelsea defender Dujon Sterling, whom Beale coached when the full-back was a kid at the London club, he said: “There is a lot of speculation and names but until anything is concrete we don’t want to talk about any individual players.

“He is a good player but I don’t want to say any more than that.

Beale, who will keep Robby McCrorie in goal at the expense of veteran keeper Allan McGregor and will be without Ben Davies and Ryan Kent, was more expansive about outgoing striker Alfredo Morelos, whom he criticised last week following the 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Ibrox.

The Colombia striker came off the bench with Scott Arfield, Glen Kamara and Scott Wright just after Todd Cantwell’s winning goal and Beale said afterwards: “I think you saw a difference when Alfredo came on in terms of energy but not a positive difference as well.

“Alfredo will still be in the squad and available for selection.

“I spoke to him before I made those comments. I didn’t think it was his best performance in terms of energy. I have not had to say that too much working with him.

“Our relationship is really honest. There is no issue between me and him but like with any player if their energy needs to be better I will say it.

“Alfredo is quite robust, he has lived and worked in Scotland for five or six years.

“A lot worse has been said about Alfredo in that time and I thought he could have made a more positive impact. He is fine. He is a Rangers player until he moves on. There is no drama between me and Alfredo.”

On McCrorie retaining the number-one spot, he said: “I have faith in Robby. He wasn’t available for the majority of time I have been here.

“We are at the stage where it is a moment for Robby to have a run of games and showcase what he has and I thought last week was a good step in the right direction for him. I thought he was excellent.”

Marcus Rashford is a major doubt for Manchester United’s match against Wolves on Saturday, handing Erik ten Hag a new injury headache just as Raphael Varane returns after a month out.

Ten Hag said that Rashford, United’s top scorer this season with 29 goals, is struggling with a leg injury and is “more than doubtful” to play in a fixture United need to win to keep Liverpool at bay in the fight for a top-four place.

The injury comes at a time when United have been struggling for goals anyway, with only six in their last nine games.

“He’s a big question mark for tomorrow but we are happy Rafa is back,” the manager said.

Varane has been out since being forced off at half-time in the first leg of United’s Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla at Old Trafford on April 13, and United have won only two of their seven games without the Frenchman.

“He has experience, he knows how to win and will lead us in how to win, he will guide us,” Ten Hag said.

After an often indifferent season Liverpool have won six league matches in a row to close to within a point of United, albeit having played one game more.

United have offered Jurgen Klopp’s men hope by losing back-to-back games 1-0 to Brighton and West Ham, but Ten Hag insisted he had no interest in Liverpool’s form.

“Of course we can ignore it,” he said. “Why not? Because it’s not important. We have everything in our hands and as long as we have things in our hands, so we are in control, as long as that, we are not dependent on them. We are dependent on ourselves.”

Liverpool do not play until Monday when they head to struggling Leicester, by which point United will hope to have a four-point cushion. The pressure is on, but Ten Hag said he had no sense of nervousness creeping into his squad.

“We are convinced with what we are doing, we have a lot of success, we have won a lot of games,” he said.

“The way we work, the way we’re playing, the structures are really clear but we have to execute them and show 100 per cent discipline in rules and principles. When we do that, we are successful.”

Wolves were bottom of the Premier League at Christmas but have defied the recent convention which suggests that spells doom, and are now assured of their Premier League status having moved on to 40 points with three games left to play.

“We have to take them seriously,” Ten Hag said of Julen Lopetegui’s side. “They have done a great job, but they also have deficits and we have to take advantage of that.”

United have enjoyed a rare full week of preparation for this match in a packed season that has seen them already play 57 matches. After affording his players some time off, Ten Hag said he could see a difference this week.

“We had a week and we needed it to reset, to reload, to recharge and to get energy back because we had a lack of it in the last two games,” he said. “I see a lot of energy, joy on the pitch, we could also work in detail on some facts, so was good.”

Ten Hag insisted that good mood extended to goalkeeper David De Gea, who is out of contract this summer and who has seen his position questioned after his mistake proved decisive in the defeat at West Ham.

“We can’t ignore it but individual mistakes are part of football and there was in the Brighton game also a big individual mistake,” Ten Hag said.

“But sometimes it’s happening, it shouldn’t happen, when you are in the right focus it will not happen. That is part of the reset of this week.”

David Moyes has admitted for the first time that there is a “good chance” Declan Rice will leave West Ham this summer.

Hammers captain Rice has ambitions to play for a Champions League club but has a price tag of around £100million.

Nevertheless, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are all understood to be interested in the England midfielder.

“We honestly hope he stays,” said Moyes. “We’d love for him to be a West Ham player but we are aware that might not be the case at the end of the season.

“So that’s one of the scenarios around planning. There are plans that we have Dec here but we’re also fully aware there is a good chance we won’t have him.”

Moyes has been unable to formulate plans for next season while West Ham’s Premier League status remains unclear, although last week’s win over Manchester United has left them all but safe.

“The planning has been put on the back burner. It’s always been about making sure you’re a Premier League club,” added the Scot. “Your planning will go completely if you weren’t.

“A lot of it will only start to go into place once we’ve realised we have kept our Premier League place. We’re watching a lot of players, a lot of games, doing a lot of scouting, but the truth is the focus has been on staying in the Premier League.”

West Ham head to Brentford on Sunday on the back of Thursday night’s 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final.

Moyes is set to make changes with the second leg in the Netherlands in mind, with Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio – who was limping after the AZ match –  expected to be rested.

“We are still assessing a lot of players, we are less than 24 hours from the game,” he said. “There are obviously knocks and bruises but I am hoping Michail is not too bad.

“We will assess him but he should be good for Sunday.”

Pep Guardiola insists all thoughts of Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid have been put to one side ahead of Sunday’s trip to Everton.

City will hope to claim a place in the final when they host the Spanish giants next Wednesday after drawing 1-1 in the first leg of their last-four tie on Tuesday.

Yet the Premier League leaders have little opportunity to ease up beforehand as they face the relegation-threatened Toffees in a clash crucial at both ends of the table.

Guardiola said at a press conference: “My thought is just Everton – no more than that.

“It’s 11 months working for the Premier League. We don’t have much time to Madrid because we play Sunday – thank you so much – but it’s a real, real priority, Goodison Park.”

Real have an extra day’s rest before the second leg as they are in action on Saturday this weekend.

Guardiola would have preferred to play on Saturday too but says he is beyond complaining about the schedule.

He said: “I can’t understand it but I’m not going to fight it anymore.

“I don’t understand it but we have to adapt. The schedule, it is what it is.”

Hibernian veteran Lewis Stevenson is adamant he remains as fit, strong and sharp as he was during his 20s.

The 35-year-old – a one-club man who sits fourth on the Hibees’ all-time appearance list – this week signed a one-year contract extension keeping him at Easter Road for yet another season.

Stevenson acknowledges he is nearing the end of his career but the marauding wing-back has no plans to take his foot off the gas and is fully focused on continuing to improve aspects of his game under boss Lee Johnson.

“The manager has spoken to me quite honestly about the things he needs me to improve on, and that’s what you need,” he said. “He’s not asking me to be a different player, it’s just little tweaks in my game, and I’ve been trying to do that.

“Even at my age, you can still learn things. I’ve learned from every single manager I’ve had here. I’m maybe a slightly different player now but I do feel I’m as good a player as I was 10 years ago.

“Niggles-wise, I feel as good as I ever have. About eight years ago, I was playing with Achilles problems, groin problems, calf problems but I honestly don’t really have those problems anymore.

“I’m sure there are things I could have done 10 years ago that I can’t do now but vice-versa I think I know the game a lot better now and there are things I’ve improved.

“I feel good just now but I understand it could hit me like a tonne of bricks at some point so we’ll see how long I keep going.”

Stevenson, who made his debut in 2005, feared his long Hibs career was drifting to an end when he found himself playing second fiddle to Marijan Cabraja in the early months of Johnson’s reign, but the veteran has firmly re-established himself as a regular starter since the World Cup break.

“There were times this season, even quite recently, when I thought it might have been the end of my time here,” he said when asked about his new deal. “But I’ve managed to bite down on the gum shield and grind out for another year.

“It’s helped that the team has picked up recently and the manager has showed his faith in me by playing me in recent games when the team has been doing well.”

Stevenson has faced stiff competition from the likes of Josh Doig and Cabraja in recent seasons and he knows there will come a time when Hibs have to cut him loose, but he still feels he has the hunger and ability to make a positive impact.

“It has happened at times, even this season it was probably looking bleak for my future,” he said of losing the left-back jersey to other players. “But things can change.

“I’ve said before that the club needs to evolve, I understand that. But I’ve got a role in the squad, and whether it’s playing or supporting the person playing in front of me, I’ll do that.

“It’s a privilege to be here and I don’t take that for granted. I’m still wanting success and I still feel pretty good and I think I can keep going a bit longer.”

Unai Emery says Aston Villa are determined to grasp the possible “last opportunity” of European football next season.

Villa have slipped to eighth in the Premier League after back-to-back away defeats to Manchester United and Wolves, eight points behind fifth-placed Liverpool with three games remaining.

But overtaking sixth-placed Tottenham remains very much a target, and that would happen as early as Saturday if Villa could beat them at home by three goals.

Boss Emery said: “We’re three points behind Tottenham, everybody wants to enjoy this moment and play this match with the supporters.

“The last two matches against Manchester and Wolves we lost, but it’s not changed our good moments we are taking at home with our supporters.

“We deserve this opportunity because the last five matches we won at home and those 15 points have helped us be here.

“We have to be positive, to be happy and very focused because it could be the last opportunity.

“Or maybe it could be a very good opportunity to keep playing key matches, where me as a coach and the players can improve and build and take challenges in the new direction.

“We are playing for one place in Europe and playing against teams like Tottenham, Liverpool and Brighton.

“They are different teams but they’re amongst the biggest teams in the Premier League this year.”

Emery took charge at the start of November with Villa in free fall.

They had won only two of their first 11 league games under Steven Gerrard before his sacking.

Emery brought in defender Alex Moreno and striker Jhon Duran during the January transfer window, but the Spaniard has largely been working with players who served under Gerrard and he is likely to strengthen the squad this summer.

“The club is working to try to build and create a great way for the progression and the next years,” said Emery.

“Of course, we are trying to use my experiences as well to build with the players we have now and the work we’re doing here.

“The club will work thinking about the next year, but we have to be focused 100 per cent on the next match because the football is now.”

Villa have rattled off five home wins – against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Fulham – since losing to Arsenal on February 18.

Emery said: “We were very successful away and were competitive. We started to have some doubts at home before the last five matches we won.

“And now it’s exactly different. At home we’re feeling very strong and competitive and we’re winning difficult matches and playing very well.

“Away in the last three matches we haven’t been playing like we have been doing. That is one issue I’m working on and analysing with the players.

“Overall we are making very good progress individually and collectively as a team.”

Sam Kerr says she loves the pressure of the big occasion and having the opportunity “to do something great” as the Chelsea striker prepares for Sunday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United.

Among the numerous important goals Kerr has scored for the Blues since joining in 2019-20 are a brace in each of the last two finals, when Emma Hayes’ side overcame Arsenal 3-0 and then Manchester City 3-2 after extra-time.

The prolific Australian also netted twice in stunning fashion on the final day of the 2021-22 Women’s Super League season as Chelsea came from behind to beat United 4-2 and claim the title for a third successive year.

Ahead of what is the first women’s FA Cup final to sell out Wembley, Kerr said: “I play this game to score goals and I love the pressure, I love the big games, I love being able to have a moment in the palm of your hands and be able to do something great.

“So I get excited about these games. People are still talking about that Man United last game of the season, and for me that was so exciting. I think it’s exciting when there’s another moment like that on the horizon.”

The 29-year-old also scored in Chelsea’s two WSL wins over United this term, including the only goal in March’s encounter at Kingsmeadow.

On the build-up to big matches, she added: “You can’t think about losing ever – that’s number one sin of a footballer.

“If you think about that, that’s going to happen. I only think about the good things. Once you start thinking negative thoughts, that’s the only way you’re going to go.

“I visualise scoring a goal, the celebration, seeing my family after the game, all the things that make me play football.”

Kerr, who is keen to stress she is a “very lucky player” in terms of getting “the most amazing service” from her team-mates, has scored 87 times for Chelsea and helped them win seven major trophies in her three-and-a-half years with the club so far.

And she has emphasised she feels like she still has “a lot more to give and a lot I want to achieve”, adding: “For me it’s about still getting better.

“Obviously you can’t look into the future, but I see myself going bigger and better than what I am now, and hopefully continue winning trophies with this team.”

After the conclusion to a season that could see Chelsea secure another double – they are currently second in the WSL, a point behind Marc Skinner’s United with a game in hand – Kerr is set for some summer, skippering her country as they co-host with New Zealand the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

She said: “It’s a bit crazy to think about it all to be honest.

“I think (I’ll reflect) after this whole summer, after it’s all said and done, but it’s been an amazing journey to get here.

“It’s not just about 2023. I think last year was amazing and then this year is obviously going to probably be the biggest year of my career and my life and something I’ll remember forever.

“It’s a whirlwind, but I’m enjoying it and I’m really proud to be a part of all of this change in women’s football.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits his side “were around when miracles happened”, but accepts their destiny is not in their hands this time when it comes to Champions League qualification.

A month ago the club were in eighth, 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, but six successive victories have propelled them to fifth and only a point behind their rivals, who have a match in hand.

It was suggested to Klopp his squad have performed remarkable comebacks before, not least when overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League they won in 2019.

They also came from a seemingly impossible position in the Premier League in 2021 when they they made a late run into the top four, registering eight wins and two draws in their final 10 matches – which included goalkeeper Alisson Becker scoring a 90th-minute winner at West Brom – having been completely out of the running in March.

“It is not that we mention it but everyone who was involved in these moments will never forget it in our entire lives,” said Klopp.

“That means it is part of us and, you are right, we were around when miracles happened, that is true, but it was then still in our hands.

“We had to score against West Brom and we had to win against Barcelona. Now we have to win but that does not mean anything changes because the other teams could win all their games.

“I knew weeks ago it was completely out of sight, I couldn’t see it at all, but that did not mean we would not try to get closer. That’s the only thing we did, we got closer.”

Klopp recalls Liverpool being in the position of the team being chased in his second full season in 2017-18, and he knows it is not easy for the clubs in possession of the qualification places.

However, he does not believe their recent run, coupled with recent defeats for third-placed Newcastle and United, has been able to exert that much pressure on their top-four rivals.

“I am pretty sure we were in a situation like that years ago. I think Chelsea was winning all the time behind us so we had to win all the games,” he said.

“It’s not comfortable but in the end we made it anyway. Newcastle and United would be happy if we would not be there any more, but still it is more likely they will do it.

“I respect that. If they finish the season above us, they deserve it and that’s how I see it.”

Forward Roberto Firmino is set to return to training next week ahead of what could be his final Anfield appearance.

The Brazil international is leaving when his contract expires at the end of the season but has missed the last five matches with a muscle problem.

With Liverpool having only one more home game, against Aston Villa next Saturday, there was a chance the 31-year-old would not get to say his goodbyes on the pitch.

But Klopp raised hopes Firmino could be in his squad for an emotional send-off.

“I saw Bobby in training yesterday and it looks like pretty much he is nearly there, but I don’t think he will be in for the weekend,” said the Reds manager.

“If I go out of here and he will be in the session, I would be surprised.

“I assume that we start with him team training-wise after the Leicester game.”

Eddie Howe is confident his Newcastle players will not be daunted by the challenge of securing Champions League qualification as the season draws to a close.

The Magpies have four games in which to cement a top-four Premier League finish as they, Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton and outsiders Tottenham jockey for position behind top two Manchester City and Arsenal.

A 2-0 home defeat by the Gunners last weekend may have dented their charge and prompted hopes among the chasing pack of a late-season wobble, but head coach Howe was having none of it.

Asked if the air around the training ground was a little heavier as a result of what is at stake in Saturday’s trip to relegation-threatened Leeds, he said: “The air should be lighter, not heavier.

“We’re excited, that has to be our emotion. We’re looking forward to the challenges ahead, we’re not in any way, I don’t feel, daunted by it.

“In sport, sometimes the more you think the more you damage yourselves, so play the game. These players have played all their lives and played because they enjoy it, so let’s strip away everything and let’s just perform well in our next game.”

Newcastle head into the latest round of fixtures sitting in third place and knowing two more wins would almost certainly secure a place in European club football’s biggest competition next season – which would represent a significant upgrade on their target when they set out in August.

Howe admitted: “The aim was to not be in another relegation battle, try to stay clear of that and then build a lot of aspects of the team and play to be successful and sustain that success long-term.

“Things have snowballed, now we sit where we do and we’ve done incredibly well.”

In the process, the Magpies have found themselves thrust into the limelight with opposition managers having taken aim at both their game-management and physicality.

Asked if he felt they had people rattled, Howe said: “We hope to be a nuisance for all teams. We don’t want to be nice to play against.”

Howe’s players will need to bring all that to bear at Elland Road, where Leeds are engaged in a desperate fight for top-flight survival with former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce having been parachuted in to engineer a rescue mission.

He and Howe were touted for the vacant England manager’s job back in 2016 before Allardyce got the nod for what proved to be the briefest of reigns.

“Without remembering, I’d probably say I felt I shouldn’t maybe have been in that frame at that stage of my career,” Howe said. “I felt I had so much to achieve and experience before being elevated to that position.

“But it’s always a compliment and you always take it in the right way, that it must mean you’re doing something right in your job to be elevated to those levels.”

A bullish Allardyce ventured on his appointment at Leeds that he was as good a manager as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta, but Howe says he was not disappointed to be left off the list.

“I wouldn’t be arrogant enough to push my name into that list,” he said.

Coventry have been preparing for their Premier League assault as popular Sky Blues kitman Chris Marsh fights sepsis.

The former Walsall defender was admitted to University Hospital Coventry this week with the infection which stemmed from a problem in his neck.

He missed Monday’s final day 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough but will be in the dressing room for Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg against the same opponents at the CBS Arena on Sunday, although cannot work as he recovers.

The effervescent Marsh credits club doctor Ganeshan Ramsamy for acting quickly and knows there could have been a very different outcome.

He told the PA news agency: “I thought it was a wasp sting but I had a really bad night’s sleep so when I came into the training ground the next day (Sunday), I saw the club doctor and he said ‘we need to rush you to A&E’.

“He was worried it was Mastoiditis (a serious infection that affects the mastoid bone behind the ear).

“I was in overnight and they released me so I watched the Boro game on TV before the doc asked me to send him a picture of my neck.

“He told me I was still in trouble – my neck was blistering – and I needed to go back to hospital. I went back and they’d given me the wrong medication so kept me in and it was sepsis.

“They got to it quickly. If I had left it which I probably would have done, it would have been serious. The club doctor was outstanding. He is top-drawer. He cares and I’ve got a lot of time for him, he’s brilliant.

“I’m back home and feeling better. My appetite returned on Wednesday so that tells you you’re on the mend. I can’t work for the next week but they want me in the dressing room on Sunday which is great.”

It is not the first time Marsh has survived a traumatic experience having suffered a slow bleed on the brain on Christmas Day in 2016.

Three days later wife Sabina took him to a walk-in centre where – after she demanded treatment – his blood pressure was found to be dangerously high and he was rushed to hospital. It was a decision which saved his life.

“I was in hospital for a week and on the fifth or sixth day when I was better the consultant sat on my bed,” said Marsh.

“He said ‘I’ve heard all the stories, heard off your wife that she kicked up a fuss at the walk-in clinic and you wanted to go home. Categorically, had you gone home that night and slept like you wanted to do, you weren’t waking up’.

“The bleed was that bad, I would have been gone.

“I’ve always said my wife saved me then. They always know, right? She sensed there was something wrong and she acted upon it right away.”

Soon after his recovery, and unable to do his day job as a driver, the ex-Northampton man joined the Sky Blues as kit man having played with manager Mark Robins and assistant Adi Viveash at Walsall.

There, he was a key part of promotion squads, including the Saddlers’ famous 1998-99 season when they finished runners-up behind Fulham and ahead of Manchester City in the old Second Division.

Coventry are now seeking to end their 22-year exile from the Premier League.

They have never been closer since their 2001 relegation, despite playing seven of their opening nine games away because the Commonwealth Games’ Rugby Sevens wrecked the CBS Arena pitch.

“One thing with this management team, not just Robbo, it’s Adi, Dennis Lawrence, everyone, they don’t take anyone for granted,” said Marsh, who has been a restaurateur and sandwich shop owner since retiring from playing.

“The players are not allowed to take the foot off the gas. Especially with the start we had, we were bottom, the pitch, we had to play so many away games at the start.

“To climb the table and be consistent, every single member of that team has played a part, every single one.

“Talk about David v Goliath or whatever analogy you want. We haven’t just swum The Channel, we’ve swum the Atlantic already – there and back.”

Marc Skinner believes stripping the emotion out of a sold-out Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley can help Manchester United claim their first major trophy.

Sunday’s showdown between United and Chelsea is a 90,000 sell-out, setting a new attendance record for a women’s domestic club match outside the Women’s Champions League.

But United boss Skinner has promised to treat the occasion as a “business-like event”, saying he has learned lessons from Manchester City beating his Birmingham team 4-1 in the 2017 FA Cup showpiece at Wembley.

Skinner said: “What we got wrong at Birmingham is that we made it a massive event. We made it bigger than it should have been.

“Everyone knows it’s a big deal, but we put quotes on the wall from players and families. We made mistakes, and that was naivety.

“It became an emotional event rather than a clear business-like event.

“You can celebrate after if you win the cup and be as emotional as you want, but the reality is there’s going to be enough emotions in the game that we need to save them up.

“I’ve learned from that and we have to manage stages of the game better than we did at Birmingham. These are the factors we are looking to develop for this one.”

United’s women’s team have had a remarkable rise since their formation in May 2018.

They were promoted from the Championship in their inaugural season and currently top the Women’s Super League, holding a one-point lead over serial winners Chelsea who have a game in hand.

Emma Hayes’ Chelsea are chasing a third successive league and cup double, but Skinner insists the Wembley clash will have no bearing on the title race.

He said: “I’m not thinking about that at all. I am solely focused on a one-off game.

“For the first time I’ve allowed our players to separate the games and we are looking at this before two difficult games in the league (against Manchester City and Liverpool).

“This has no effect in our league and we are going to treat it as such, play it as the one-off event that it is.”

Skinner is adamant there is no extra pressure on him on Sunday, even though women’s football will be under a fierce spotlight both in the stadium and around the country with a nationwide television audience.

“It’s not pressure I don’t have every day,” said Skinner. “I even think there’s more pressure on us than Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester City because we are Manchester United.

“I feel that because every Manchester United fan will want us to win and we are huge around the world.

“I’m sure there will be some nerves, but I’m fuelling my focus and attention to maximise this because, if we win, it will be massive.”

United captain Katie Zelem is available after suspension as Norway defender Maria Thorisdottir misses out with the foot injury that ended her season prematurely.

Andrew Shinnie is relishing his leadership role within the Livingston squad after he signed on earlier this week for a third season with the West Lothian club.

The 33-year-old joined the Lions in 2021 and manager David Martindale sees the former Inverness, Birmingham and Luton midfielder as one of the senior figures in a dressing room that is about to lose captain Nicky Devlin – among others – under freedom of contract this summer.

Shinnie, who penned a one-year extension to the end of next term, is aware he might not be the first name on the team-sheet every week, but he is happy to help guide his younger colleagues.

“We’ll probably lose a couple of important players but Davie and the staff will hopefully recruit some gems like they normally find, and we’ve also got the nucleus of a strong squad that will still be here,” said Shinnie.

“As a senior pro, I want to really help the group kick on next year, on and off the park.

“I’ve spoken about it with Davie and I know I might not play as regularly as I’d have wanted when I was younger but I’ll still be doing my all to be on the pitch every week and if not, I’ll be there to try to push the boys on and support them in every way.”

Asked if leadership came naturally to him, Shinnie – whose brother Graeme is the captain of Aberdeen – said: “Probably, yes, but I’ve definitely developed it since I came to Livingston.

“There are quite a lot of young players here so I’ve taken that onus on. Davie’s helped me with it as well, he’s put a lot of responsibility on me, so I definitely think I’ve developed it.

“I think boys feel comfortable pulling me for little chats if they need advice or whatever, and I’ve quite enjoyed that side of it since I came here.

“You need to take that ownership as a more older, senior player to be there for the group and try and be a calming influence at rough times because football can be difficult. You need to be level-headed.”

Shinnie is currently trying to guide his team-mates through their toughest spell of the season. The Lions head to Kilmarnock on Saturday on the back of a run of eight defeats in 11 games in all competitions.

“We were really disappointed to miss out on the top six after having such a good two-thirds of the season,” said Shinnie. “We’ve tailed off a bit at the wrong time which has killed us.

“We’re still a couple of points ahead in seventh and we want to finish best of the rest (top of the bottom six).

“Killie are another team fighting for their lives and they have a great home record so it’s going to be hard. It’s another challenge for us.”