Red Bull chief Christian Horner backed Max Verstappen's denial of George Russell's allegations against the four-time world champion before the Qatar Grand Prix last week. 

Russell escalated his war of words with Verstappen on Thursday ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, calling the Dutchman a "bully" following a stewards meeting.

Verstappen claimed that Russell's conduct during a stewards' hearing in Qatar, which saw the Dutchman given a grid penalty, made him "lose all respect" for the Mercedes driver. 

The British driver also accused the four-time world champion of threatening to put him “on your f*****g head in the wall”, a claim Verstappen told Dutch media was not true.

Verstappen stood by his stance that he found Russell’s attempts to get him a penalty in Qatar unacceptable, and Horner gave his view on the situation on Friday. 

"Max does nothing but tell the truth, so I believe 100 per cent what he said to be accurate," Horner said. "Of course, there were other people in those steward rooms as well.

"They also came back and reported that they were quite surprised at the approach that was taken (by Russell)."

"The thing with Max… He tells you straight, tells you as it is. He never lies, always tells you the truth."

"A lot's been made of it. It's pantomime season," Horner added. 

"We are getting ready for Christmas, so there's maybe an element of end of term blues there, but I don't think it will have any effect on the grand prix itself."

The Red Bull boss also responded to Toto Wolff, after he slammed Horner's leadership, with the Austrian calling him a "yapping little terrier".

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Horner was presented with an opportunity to bite back at those remarks. 

"I'm not going to rise to the bait of that. Everybody manages their teams in different ways. We've won 122 races, 14 world championships - I think we're doing alright," he said. 

"To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing? They are not afraid of having a go at the bigger dogs. I would rather be a terrier than a wolf."

George Russell said "someone needs to stand up a bully like this" as his ugly row with Max Verstappen from the Qatar Grand Prix escalated.

Red Bull driver Verstappen qualified fastest in Qatar but was later demoted a spot after being given a rare grid penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding Mercedes' Russell in qualifying.

Four-time world champion Verstappen later said he had "lost all respect" for the British driver, accusing Russell of essentially setting out to earn him a demotion in the stewards room.

Russell has now reacted to the explosive comments in an interview with Sky Sports ahead of the season-ending Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi and accused the Dutchman of threatening to intentionally crash into him in an X-rated retort.

"What he was doing was pretty clear. He was going too slow. He was on the racing line, and we all had the rules to follow, and he didn't follow it," Russel began. 

"I find his comments pretty ironic when he comes out and says 'I'm going to purposely crash into you, I'm going to put you on your f****** head in the wall'.

"For me, that is unacceptable, and he's gone beyond the line here, and I'm not going to accept it.

"So somebody's got to stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control."

Verstappen is reported to have denied the allegation to the Dutch media.

Russell added when asked what further steps he would want to take: "I don't want to go to the stewards' office.

"I had no intention of bringing this up. He said this to me on Saturday night and I woke up on Sunday morning feeling fine. But to come out of those press interviews saying that I'm two-faced, I'm the f-word, and this and that, he's taking this personal.

"What happens on track is professional, what happens in the stewards' is professional, and like Carlos [Sainz] said to him on Sunday morning, 'you would have done the exact same thing'.

"On Sunday in the race he lifted for a yellow, Lando [Norris, who received a penalty which took him out of the fight for the race victory] doesn't lift for a yellow, and he says to the team 'check what Lando does'.

"That's not personal against Lando, that is just racing.  I've known Max for 12 years. I respected him all this time, but now I have lost respect for him. We are all fighting on track, and it's never personal," he added.

"Now he's made it personal and someone needs to stand up to a bully like this - and so far people are letting him get away with murder."

Michael Malone labelled the manner of the Denver Nuggets’ 145-118 loss to the New York Knicks “embarrassing” as they fell to their second straight defeat at home.

The 145 points scored by the Knicks were the most by a visiting side at the Ball Arena since April 2022, when the Los Angeles Lakers racked up 146 in an overtime victory.

While the Nuggets had the NBA's joint second-best record at home last season at 33-8, their record this season tells a different tale at 5-4.

Malone vowed the home team would not just move past the blowout, telling reporters: "F*** that man, no. No, we're not flushing.

"You don't flush when you get embarrassed, you don't flush when you gave up 145 points, you don't flush when you didn't play hard, didn't play with effort, physicality, I'm not flushing anything."

The Nuggets allowed the Knicks to beat records all over the court. OG Anunoby made a career-high 40 points, while Jalen Brunson also attained a career-best in supplying 17 of New York’s 45 assists.

Malone’s focus remained on the efforts of his own players, however. He called for better leadership from his starters.

"Russell Westbrook, he's vocal -- but we need more than Russell Westbrook. I need Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, I need guys that have been here in that starting lineup to be vocal. And you know tonight we got embarrassed,” he explained.

"We're 16 games in and we're talking about effort, we're talking about toughness, we're talking about physicality. ... And regardless of who's in, who's out, who do we want to be as a team?

“So, yeah, leadership would be great, toughness would be great, physicality would be great, playing like you actually care would be great, and we didn't do that tonight."

Westbrook totalled 27 points off the bench for the Nuggets, but Jokic finished with a career-low seven rebounds and a 22-point total.

"We didn't show up tonight. It's always a good punch in the face just to wake up," Jokic said.

"Coach was right. We are in the games, and we are always down 20 at a half. I don't know [what's going on]. We don't warm up, we don't wake up, or we just don't play hard enough. I don't know what it is, but collectively, we need to do a better job."

James Harden may consider himself one of the most confident players in the NBA, but he does not expect to overhaul Stephen Curry's all-time 3-pointer record after going second in the charts.

Curry made a pair of 3-pointers as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Utah Jazz 116-105 on Sunday, finishing with 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

His first 3-pointer of the evening, made with around six minutes to go in the first quarter, was the 2,794th of his NBA career, the second-most in league history.

Having surpassed Ray Allen's total of 2,973, Harden only trails Curry – who has hit 3,782 3-pointers ahead of his Golden State Warriors facing the Clippers on Monday.

Asked about his feat after Sunday's game, Harden said: "Unbelievable accomplishment. It's just a testament to the amount of work that I've been putting in. 

"As I get older and just chip away at an unbelievable career, I start to accomplish things like that. So I don't ever want to take it for granted.

"I just want to give motivation to the youth and every other person that's chasing a dream to play professional basketball or whatever it is, so it's an honour."

But when asked if Curry's mark was now within his sights, Harden – who is just a year younger than the all-time record holder – said nobody will ever take that honour, adding: "I'm one of the most confident guys that we have in this league, but no, I probably won't catch Steph.

"I don't think anybody will honestly. He can shoot the s*** out of the ball. Granted a lot of these guys are on that list for being catch-and-shoot players, so they came off pindowns, they were spot shots or whatnot. 

"Now, where the game has evolved, guys like Steph are coming off pindowns, he's creating off isos, he's coming off pick-and-rolls. 

"There's so many different variables to be able to shoot the 3, make shots and do it at an efficient high level.

"Somebody has to have an unbelievable career, shoot the ball well and make a lot of 3s. If it happens, it's going to be when we're not here anymore. So that'll be in there for a minute."

Marc Casado praised Barcelona’s daring high line following a resounding 4-0 Clasico victory against Real Madrid in LaLiga.

The win put an end to Madrid’s aspirations of a record unbeaten run in the league as they were unable to equal Barcelona’s streak of 43 games without loss between 2017 and 2018.

Instead, the Santiago Bernabeu witnessed a finessed Hansi Flick offside trap as the hosts were caught offside a whopping eight times in the first half, representing their joint most on record (since 2003-04) in a single LaLiga match, equalling their tally against Celta Vigo in March 2013. 

They were ultimately caught out 12 times in total, and Barcelona midfielder Casado, who bagged an assist, was enamoured by his side's defensive display.

"It's incredible, to have the b**** to have the defensive line this high," he said in the mixed zone.

"We've been doing it all season, the defensive work of this team is spectacular. It's incredible and at the moment it's working for us."

His delight was unsurprising. Barcelona managed to nullify the Real Madrid threat with forward Kylian Mbappe caught offside eight times through the duration of the match.

It is the most by any player in a single game in Europe's top five leagues since Karim Benzema against Eibar in November 2018.

Barcelona were firing at the other end too, as Robert Lewandowski bagged a brace before Lamine Yamal and Raphinha doubled their margin of victory late on.

It means Barcelona now have 10 wins in 11 games so far this season under Flick, leaving them six points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who came through the ranks at Barcelona, has been impressed by the turnaround in form since the coach's off-season arrival.

"I'm super happy now, I am a proper Culer. We suffered a lot towards the end of last season, it was a tough time," he told Barca's official media channels.

"Flick came in and just told us how much we had to believe in ourselves, on a personal level and on a collective level."

Both Casado and Pena came through La Masia, which remains a key source of talent for the Catalan giants.

"We know that this club always brings out very good players from the academy, I don't know how it happens but it always comes out. The work at La Masia is spectacular and that's why we arrive so prepared for the elite," Casado added.

Cheryl Reeve lashed out at the officiating after her Minnesota Lynx team lost 67-62 to the New York Liberty in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

The Liberty clinched their first championship with an overtime victory on Sunday.

Yet Reeve, who has won four titles with the Lynx, was left seething after a disputed foul handed New York's Breanna Stewart the chance to restore parity with 5.2 seconds of the game remaining in regulation time.

She did not hold back during her postgame media duties.

"We know we could have done some things, right, but you shouldn't have to overcome to that extent," Reeve said.

"This s*** ain't that hard. Officiating is not that hard.

"Bring it on, because that s*** was stolen from us.

"This is for a championship, for both teams. Let them decide it. What contact is legal should be the same for both teams."

Reeve was not the only big name to criticise the officiating.

LeBron James posted on X: "I'm sorry but that wasn't a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battle-tested game."

Damian Lillard posted on X, too.

"Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the second half boy. Great game," he wrote.

While Reeve and the Lynx will have to accept defeat, the Liberty celebrated a famous moment in their history.

"This is something special right here and I'm trying not to cry," said Stewart, who finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.

"We had some ups and downs. This series was tough but we fought through because we wanted to bring it home to this city and this crowd."

Jonquel Jones top-scored with 17 points and was named the WNBA Finals MVP.

"I could never dream of this," said Jones. "It's the biggest moment and you have to lock in if you want to be a champion. It was all about this and us winning together because we really love each other."

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has said the FIA was wrong to punish Formula One world champion Max Verstappen for swearing. 

The Red Bull driver, who won his third world championship title last year, was asked to do community service by the motorsport’s governing body for swearing in a news conference during last month’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen then protested against the punishment by giving short answers during an official news conference and termed the penalty "ridiculous", going on to say that such decisions could speed up his exit from the sport. 

Now, the former Haas boss has weighed in, saying that the FIA should not have “made a big story out of it.”

“Max didn't swear at anybody. He used the f-word about his car. So nobody got offended by it, in my opinion,” said Steiner, who departed Haas at the start of the year. 

"The best way [to handle it] would have been not to make a big story of it. Sit down with the drivers, they have a meeting every weekend, and say: 'Hey, guys, can you tone it down a little bit? We are the FIA, we don't really like this.' 

"But don't say: 'If you do, you get a fine, a penalty, whatever.' Because you know these guys, they've got an ego as well. And they say: 'I don't want to do that.' And then what do you create? All this controversy - for nothing."

Red Bull would be "foolish" not to consider an approach for George Russell when his Mercedes contract expires next year, says team principal Christian Horner.

While three-time world champion Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, the poor form of team-mate Sergio Perez has cast doubt on their lineup.

Perez started 2024 with four podium finishes in his first five races, but he has since endured a run of 13 outings without a top-three finish to slip to eighth in the drivers' championship.

Russell is set to become Mercedes' lead driver for 2025 when Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari, but with the Silver Arrows' team principal Toto Wolff repeatedly talking up the possibility of moving for Verstappen, his long-term future is in doubt.

With Russell's contract expiring after next season, Horner says Red Bull could swoop for him to fill a "gap" between their current drivers and those coming through their academy.

"We've got a gap now but we just want to take time to consider what those options look like for the future," Horner told Sky Sports F1.

"And we're not afraid to go out of the pool. You know, George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration.

"There are other talented drivers that could well be out of contract as well."

Russell claimed his second F1 race win in Austria earlier this year and currently sits seventh in the drivers' standings, 11 points ahead of Perez.

Horner's comments on Russell were put to Mercedes boss Wolff, who accused his counterpart of "stirring".

"He is always stirring s*** up on his part," Wolff said. "It's part of the game.

"George is a Mercedes driver, has been forever and hopefully will be forever. He has a long contract with the team."

The Silver Arrows endured a frustrating outing at last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton finishing fourth and Russell sixth after early difficulties with the team's split strategy. 

Ja'Marr Chase has committed to giving his all for the Cincinnati Bengals this season despite failing to agree a contract extension with the franchise.

Chase, who caught seven touchdown passes and tallied 1,216 receiving yards last season, described his current situation as "aggravating" to reporters.

The Bengals kickstart their 2024 season this weekend against the New England Patriots, and Chase suited up for practice on Friday after skipping a workout earlier this week.

"It's my decision," said Chase, whom the Bengals listed as questionable to play.

Chase compiled 3,717 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons with the Bengals. 

In 2023, he caught a career-high 100 passes, tying for second-most in a season in Bengals history.

He is also one of only eight players in NFL history who have reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of their first three seasons in the league.

The Bengals are keen to keep one of their prized assets, with Chase indicating talks are continuing as their Week 1 assignment draws closer. 

"It's a small chance, but who knows what'll happen in these next couple hours?" Chase said.

Chase still has two years remaining on his rookie deal as he had his fifth-year option picked up, which will see him earn $9.8million this season and $21.8m in 2025.

This offseason, though, has seen several receivers get big-money deals, including A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles (three years, $96m), CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys (four years, $136 m), and Chase's former LSU team-mate Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings (four years, $140m). 

Asked about a report that suggested he wanted to top Jefferson's $140m deal by one cent, Chase said: "If I want to beat Justin, I'm gonna beat the s*** out of Justin. 

"Not by a penny, brother."

Joel Embiid is out to silence a hostile French crowd when Team USA face the hosts in the men's basketball gold medal match at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. 

Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but was granted US citizenship in 2022, declared for Team USA late last year after his home country failed to qualify. 

That decision came after he also sought French citizenship, amid suggestions president Emmanuel Macron had called the Philadelphia 76ers star to convince him to represent the hosts.

Embiid has been jeered by French fans throughout the basketball tournament, with the USA winning all five of their games to date, reaching the final with Thursday's comeback victory over Serbia.

On the eve of Saturday's gold medal match, Embiid said: "Frankly, I don't understand why I've gotten a lot of criticism from the crowd. 

"They're going to boo me. I'm going to go back at them and tell them to 'suck it.' It's going to be fun."

Reflecting on his decision to link up with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and company in representing the USA, Embiid said he would have played for Cameroon if they had qualified.

"Having lived half of my life in the US and the other half in my country, Cameroon, it just looked like it was, 'you could go two ways'," Embiid said. 

"I said from the beginning that if Cameroon would've qualified, that would never have been a choice. Then having the family [in the US] and having built a lot of things and having accomplished a lot of things, knowing the group of guys deeply, it just made it easy.

"I think a lot of people wanted to make it an issue because of the storyline and all that stuff.

"But to me it's whatever it takes to win gold. So that's what I'm focused on. It's all about Team USA against France."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was "not interested in listening to the Class of '92" during his stint at Manchester United.

Ibrahimovic spent two years with United between 2016 and 2018, helping them win the EFL Cup and Europa League under Jose Mourinho.

The Swedish striker scored 29 goals in 53 appearances for the Red Devils.

However, he paid little attention to their illustrious past during his time at the club.

"In my mindset, I want to make my own history. I was not interested in what happened before, with all respect," he told The Athletic.

"[It] brings pressure to live up to what they were used to, but I was not interested in listening to the Class of '92.

"That doesn't help me because I wanted to [make] my own history. I wanted people to say, 'You won and United won this together.'"

Ibrahimovic's career spanned an impressive 24 years, with his move to the Premier League heavyweights coming when the striker was already 35.

He added: "People said I'm too old, I should retire, blah blah blah. But this triggers me. This — I will prove you wrong."

During his time in Manchester, Ibrahimovic won his first major European trophy, and he credits manager Mourinho for the success he experienced during his stint in England.

"Jose was a machine. He brings the best out of you. He's that person — manipulative. He knows how to get in your head. He knows how to treat you, independent of your level," Ibrahimovic said.

"He reminded me of [Fabio] Capello. But a newer version. Discipline. Hardcore. Intense. Not the soft types. This is what I like."

Ibrahimovic played under ex-England manager Capello while at Juventus from 2004 to 2006. And those disciplinarian values that were on display under Mourinho, also spurred him on in Italy.

"[Capello] was destroying me. But at the same time building me. How? Easy. 'Today you were s***. Tomorrow you’re the best.' And it would go like that," he recalled.

"So, when you think you're the best, he would destroy you. Then it becomes confusion and you don’t know: 'F***, am I really the best or am I s***?' So, when you were down, he was building you up.

"I didn’t understand it. There was no balance. But it made me always give 200%. He shaped me."

The five-time Serie A champion is now working as an advisor to Milan's board. While he was not overawed with United's history, he has learned from his former club's winning culture.

"You need an identity, culture and a tradition from the club, as well as a coach. A winner creates winners. Losers don't create winners. That's a culture," Ibrahimovic explains.

"When you come into the club, as a young talent or a player with potential, the club will shape you because you grow to understand the way a club works and the surroundings. At Milan, we want to create this in a positive way."

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has lashed out at his exclusion from the NFL's Top 100 list for the 2023 season, describing the omission as "bull****".

Johnson enjoyed a career-best campaign in 2023 despite the Bears going 7-10 and finishing bottom of the NFC North, being selected for the second All-Pro team.

However, he did not make the league's annual list of the top 100 players, which is voted for by players and was released last week.

Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill topped the list ahead of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his second MVP award after also claiming the prize in 2019.

Johnson was not among those to make the cut, leaving him to question the decision to vote in New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers – who suffered a season-ending injury in Game 1 – at number 92.

"It's bull****. There ain't no way. I don't know how you make Pro Bowl, All-Pro and not [be] a Top 100 guy," Johnson said. 

"I could've been 101 I guess, but goddamn, Aaron Rodgers didn't even play in the season and he was voted.

"I mean, hey, everybody makes mistakes, it ain't just the media that do it. Players clearly, if they voted for it, they made some goddamn mistakes. 

"But it is what it is. At the end of the day I know the truth and it's all right, I got some more for them."

However, Johnson insists his omission will not serve as his primary motivation for 2024, with Chicago approaching the campaign with renewed hope after taking highly-rated quarterback Caleb Williams first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

"It's disrespectful because I go out there, line up and I know receivers go out there and can't say that I'm not one of best players that they play against," Johnson said. 

"Whatever it is, it happened. Doing it wouldn't have moved me to where I'm complacent, but just to see it… there ain't no way there are 100 guys who are better.

"Especially guys who didn't play, who were hurt, played half, ain't no f***** way. Excuse my language. Ain't no way."

Max Verstappen raged at Red Bull's strategy after finishing fifth at the Hungarian Grand Prix, declaring the team are no longer able to rely on a pace advantage.

Verstappen recorded his joint second-worst finish of the year at the Hungaroring as Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris in a McLaren one-two.

The three-time world champion's race was defined by a collision with old rival Lewis Hamilton, coming into contact with the Mercedes on lap 63 when he overshot a corner on an attempted overtake.

Verstappen vented his frustrations over team radio, telling race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase: "You gave me this s*** strategy. I'm trying to rescue what's left."

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, the Dutchman refused to apologise for those comments as he said: "I don't think we need to apologise. 

"I just think we need to do a better job. I don't know why people think you cannot be vocal on a radio. This is a sport. If some people don't like that, then stay home."

Verstappen, who also dropped below Charles Leclerc late on, continued: "I'm not happy.

"On a day when we're lacking pace compared to McLaren, you hope we do the right things with strategy, which was not the case.

"You can't rely on a little pace advantage. Maybe last year when the car was quite a lot faster than everyone else, but in the position we are in now, we can't do that.

"Naturally that frustrates me because I want things to be done better. I'm realistic.

"Today we couldn't have beaten the McLarens, but a P3 was on the cards if we were on it a bit more."

Trent Alexander-Arnold admits England's players agreed with Gary Lineker's controversial description of the Three Lions' Euro 2024 performances as "s***".

Lineker hit out at England's display in a 1-1 group-stage draw with Denmark on his podcast, The Rest is Football, in comments that attracted a fierce response from captain Harry Kane.

Kane responded by saying former England players in the media had a "responsibility" when it came to discussing the national team, calling on them to be more supportive.

Alexander-Arnold, however, says many in the camp agreed with Lineker's criticism and feels some used it as motivation as the Three Lions grew into the tournament, finishing as runners-up to Spain.

"We had all seen it and heard it and felt it," the Liverpool ace told The Daily Mirror. "We all knew that we could be playing and performing better. 

"It is never nice for someone to point that out but everyone deep down knew it within ourselves, too.

"It was something we were already thinking about, we knew we needed to be better. We had to add that to our performances, some players may have used that as motivation."

England created chances worth just 6.15 expected goals (xG) in their seven games in Germany, with only Scotland (0.32), Serbia (0.7), Slovenia (0.81), Albania (0.82) and Italy (0.84) averaging a lower xG figure per game than their 0.88.

The Three Lions needed a stoppage-time overhead kick from Jude Bellingham to overcome Slovakia in the last 16, a penalty shoot-out to advance against Switzerland in the quarter-finals and a last-minute Ollie Watkins winner to beat the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

After England's dramatic run ended with a 2-1 final loss to Spain, manager Gareth Southgate announced his resignation following eight years at the helm.

Alexander-Arnold believes the Three Lions' aim for the 2026 World Cup must be to finally get over the line, promising the squad will give their all for Southgate's successor.

"Everyone has a high expectation with England now and rightly so, it is true of us as players," he added.

"We feel we should be winning tournaments, that is the goal and standard we have set ourselves. That will be there for the new manager."

Alan Shearer believes England have gone through all the things winning teams go through at Euro 2024, as they target glory in Sunday's final.

England face Spain in the European Championship showpiece in Berlin, aiming to claim a first major international honour since the 1966 World Cup.  

But the Three Lions' journey until this point has been far from straightforward. 

Having taken five points from their three Group C games, Gareth Southgate's side were moments away from being eliminated from the tournament until Jude Bellingham's spectacular injury-time equaliser against Slovakia in the last 16. 

After winning that match in extra time, the drama continued in the quarter-finals as they beat Switzerland on penalties following a 1-1 draw, having trailed with 10 minutes to play.

But arguably the best was saved until last. Again coming from behind, Ollie Watkins' late strike secured a 2-1 semi-final win over the Netherlands in Dortmund. 

Watkins' 90th-minute winner steered England into back-to-back European Championship finals, achieving more major tournament finals in four attempts under Southgate (two), than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros (one). 

Despite their results arguably being better than their performances, Shearer believes England have experienced enough in Germany to get the job done on Sunday. 

"One of Gareth’s greatest strengths as England’s manager has been recalibrating our expectations," Shearer told The Athletic. 

"He came into the job at the lowest of ebbs, but his humility and good sense have helped reduce any sense of entitlement. We’re good tourists now.

"We’re not aloof or arrogant, which was how we were perceived for a very long time. We’re decent and we know it, but we want to be in the thick of tournaments. We want to be part of them.

"In our first few games in Germany, the old fear was back. 

"My theory, my hope, is that England have gone through all the things that winning teams go through. You need a bit of luck and we had it with the decision for Harry Kane’s penalty the other night. 

"We’ve had a shoot-out and navigated it, we’ve had a sluggish start and improved. You can see why people are saying maybe this is our time.

"I’ll be in the stadium for the final and I’ll be fizzing and fidgeting.

"It might sound a bit morbid but I said to my son not too long ago, that I just want to be around when the Newcastle or England teams I so proudly represented win a f***ing trophy. Surely one isn’t too much to ask?"