Hall of Fame winners and losers

GM football fans. Route One here. We spread football news like jam on toast - smooth, even and covering every corner.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England face Belgium in a friendly tonight live on Channel 4, kick-off is 19:45 GMT.

All feedback will be read at [email protected].

Head Start

Premier League Hall of Fame: winners and losers

The Premier League Hall of Fame (HOF) is exactly like the NBA Hall of Fame, but at the same time, completely different.

You know… it tries to be Hollywood but misses at every mark. Where’s the ceremony, red carpet, and mic-drop moment speeches? Instead, all we get is a press release with the usual “I went through my career just trying to give my best and be good enough” quotes.

No, really. That’s what Ashley Cole when he was announced as the latest inductee to the Premier League HOF yesterday (Watch).

Anyway, let’s take a quick look at the winners and losers of this year’s HOF cohort.

Winners:

Of course, the inductee Ashley Cole is the biggest winner. The former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back has won the league three times (twice with Arsenal and once with Chelsea), and he was also part of the 2003-04 Arsenal ‘Invicincles’ team. He’s the 22nd player to be added to the list… about time! 

Well, that’s all the winners for now. But you can vote for your Hall of Famer here and the next will be announced in 12 days. 

Losers:

Ryan Giggs didn’t even make the 15-player shortlist for the HOF nominations, despite continuing to hold the record of 13 Premier League winners’ medals. The Premier League HOF was launched in 2021 and Giggs wasn’t considered for the first three cycles due to ongoing legal proceedings. 

And while John Terry is on the short-list, we can’t help but think that 22 inductees before him (22!) is outrageous. No matter your allegiance, it’s hard to deny he was one of - if not the - best captains in Premier League history…

Then there’s Denis Irwin. Like Giggs, he hasn’t even made the shortlist after winning the treble with Man United, played for 12 years under Ferguson and (more importantly) was Roy Keane’s favourite roommate.

Fixture flop

Feeling itchy? Sleepless nights? Irritable? Yup, we’re missing the Premier League too. But if you’re looking for a good ‘ol rant, we’ve got just the one - well, that is, if you’re an Arsenal or Liverpool fan….

What’s happened? The Premier League has rescheduled fixtures as a result of FA Cup semi-final commitments… and people are questioning it.

The rescheduling means that Arsenal and Liverpool will have to face a bunch of games in quick succession. The Gunners will play seven games in April before the north London derby on the 28th.

Arsenal’s fixture list before the end of April is looking - uh - rough: City (A), Luton (H), Brighton (A), B. Munich (H), Villa (H), B. Munich (A), Wolves (A), Chelsea (H), Spurs (A)... and maybe a UCL semi-final. Eeesh…

To rub salt in the wounds… Spurs will have 15 days of rest before their match with Arsenal.

Similarly, Liverpool will play in the Merseyside derby with Everton on Wednesday, April 24 and then West Ham at the lunchtime slot three days later. 

Plus…

France manager Didier Deschamps has defended his decision to use William Saliba so sparingly as he believes the Arsenal man does things “he does not like” (More)

Nottingham Forest are launching an appeal against their four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s financial rules (More)

Transfer Gossip

Manchester City have joined the race to sign Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite (More)

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that he turned down a €200 million bid for rising star Lamine Yamal (More)

Bayern Munich have given left-back Alphonso Davies until next week to sign a new contract, amid links with Real Madrid (More)

Sources have told ESPN that Madrid are willing to sign the Canadian international, but unwilling to pay more than €40 million (More)

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne could be offered an “astronomical” salary to join Saudi club Al Qadsiah, per French outlet Sport Zone (More)

Arsenal and Chelsea will both look to sign Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande, per Record - he is 20 years old, 6ft 3 and has 91% passing accuracy (More)

Manchester United face competition from Inter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen to sign Barcelona defender Mikayil Faye - in 24 games for Barcelona Athlétic he was 8 yellow cards and 2 red… (More)

Off The Pitch

✈️ Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to step down following a host of quality and manufacturing flaws on Boeing planes (More)

🤣 A man has changed his name to Literally Anybody Else and announces US presidential run (More)

🚨 Florida will ban anyone under the age of 14 from owning a social media account from January 2025 (More)

🔭 When astronauts return to Earth, they often faint or simply forget that gravity exists (More)

💰 If you like sports business, you’ll enjoy this story of two brothers who turned $1 million into $800 million as basketball owners (More)

😬 The UK government has formally accused China of cyber-attacks which accessed the personal details of millions of voters (More)

🍁 Canada’s maple syrup reserve hits a 16-year low (More)

FPL Corner

The Premier League has released a new game called Fantasy Challenge. The game mode is designed to engage casual FPL fans… A.K.A. your mates that have thrown the towel in your mini-league.

It’s essentially a Free Hit every week - and it’s completely separate from the standard FPL and FPL Draft. 

Each week, there is a new challenge every Gameweek which acts as a one-off event. The challenge might be something like an unlimited budget or double points for certain players. 

No long-term rank concerns. No season derailed for missing a week. Sounds like every FPL player’s dream, right? Apparently not according to some FPL experts.

Extra Time

Real Madrid has released a Muset Ozil assist compilation… You’re welcome.

Ashley Cole has been added to the Premier League Hall of Fame. Let’s remember that Cristiano Ronaldo said he was the hardest opponent he’s faced in his career.

Graeme Souness talks about rumours that Gareth Southgate is heading to Manchester United. He thinks he should stick with England. 

Yakubu claims Mohamed Salah is not world-class and is “not good with the ball”. But Dejan Lovern was quick to back his former teammate.

Kyle Walker speaks about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing. He also claims that France are England’s only threat.

A player rarely has Wayne Rooney’s confidence at such a young age. Here’s a reminder of Rooney’s talent against France at 18.

Game Face On

Question: Which football club has a stand named after Sir Elton John?

Hint: The club made their Premier League debut in 1999, but were relegated in the same season.

Scroll below for the answer.

On Today

FOOTBALL

Friendly: England v Belgium (19:45 GMT, Channel 4)

Friendly: Scotland v Northern Ireland (19:45 GMT, BBC 2)

EURO 2024: Wales v Poland (19:45 GMT, BBC iPlayer)

Friendly: Spain v Brazil (20:30 GMT, Viaplay)

EURO 2024 and other friendlies: Multiple Matches (17:00 and 20:00 GMT, Viaplay)

TENNIS

ATP: Miami Open (15:00 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event)

BASKETBALL

NBA: Milwaukee Bucks v L.A. Lakers (23:30 GMT, TNT Sport 2)

NBA: Sacramento Kings v Dallas Mavericks (00:20 GMT, TNT Sport 2)

HOCKEY

NHL: Multiple Matches (00:00 GMT, Viaplay)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer: Watford F.C.

“It’s a no-win game for us. Although I suppose we can win by winning.”

-Tony Adams