European Super Football

We have some good news for Ipswich fans Kieran McKenna has signed a new four-year contract to stay as the manager of Ipswich Town, following the club's remarkable rise to the Premier League. We are delighted to announce that Manager Kieran McKenna has signed a new long-term contract at Portman Road. — I(P)SWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) May 30, 2024 The 38-year-old's new agreement at Portman Road was confirmed a week after it seemed likely he might decline the club's offer. McKenna had been linked to the managerial vacancy at Brighton and was shortlisted by Chelsea to replace Mauricio Pochettino. However, he withdrew from the race for the Stamford Bridge role on Sunday. EFL: Ipswich promoted to Premier League (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Premier League news and stories: 2023/2024 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) This is the place for all the latest EFL news and stories (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Under McKenna's leadership, Ipswich achieved consecutive automatic...

Ipswich Town 2 - 0 Huddersfield Town Ipswich Town soared back into the Premier League by cruising to a win over Huddersfield at Portman Road. Wes Burns gave the home side a first-half lead. This was then doubled by Omari Hutchinson early in the second with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Click here to discover more news from the English Football League. Ipswich have finished the Championship season on 96 points. This is just one less than champions Leicester. They have become the first team since Southampton in 2011-12 to go from League One to the Premier League in successive seasons.  McKenna is also only the fifth manager in the club's history to win promotion to the top flight. This follows Alf Ramsey - later Sir Alf - in 1961, Bill McGarry in 1968, John Lyall in 1992 and George Burley in 2000. He is certainly is some great company there. From a Huddersfield perspective, the result also confirmed that they will be playing in League One next season. They were a Pre...

St Johnstone 1 - 0 Celtic St Johnstone pulled off a surprise victory over Celtic, denying the reigning champions the chance to wrap up the Scottish Premiership title in front of their home support next weekend. Author - Sean M Stadium - McDiarmid Park Brendan Rodgers’ side knew that a win at McDiarmid Park would have set up the opportunity to clinch a fourth consecutive league crown when they host Kilmarnock on Saturday. But an early thumping header from Daniels Balodis, following a well-delivered free-kick by Graham Carey, gave the hosts a crucial lead. That goal, combined with a resilient defensive display, saw the league’s bottom side move to within five points of Dundee. Celtic could still secure the title next weekend if they beat Kilmarnock and Rangers drop points away to Aberdeen on Sunday. However, Balodis’ first goal for the club has, for now at least, postponed any plans of celebrating on home turf. The early breakthrough seemed to energise the Perth side. While Celti...

Coventry City 1 - 4 Ipswich Town Ipswich Town cruised into the FA Cup fifth round with a dominant display, easing past Frank Lampard’s Coventry City. Author - Marcus Stadium - The Coventry Building Society Arena Boss Kieran McKenna opted for a completely rotated XI against their Championship opponents, but the Tractor Boys’ second-string side showed no signs of disruption as they secured a convincing victory. They got off to the perfect start, winning a penalty just 22 seconds in, which George Hirst calmly dispatched. Coventry responded quickly through Joel Latibeaudiere, but Ipswich soon regained control. Jack Clarke struck twice before half-time, and January signing Jaden Philogene, formerly of Aston Villa, netted his first goal for the club to put the tie beyond doubt. That result sees Ipswich, FA Cup winners in 1978, reach the fifth round for the first time since 2007—knocking out last season’s semi-finalists in the process. A closer look at what happened Ipswich fans celebra...

Ipswich Town 1 - 2 Wolves Wolves moved a step closer to securing their Premier League status with a hard-fought 2-1 comeback win over Ipswich Town at Portman Road, leaving the hosts in serious danger of relegation to the Championship. Author - Marcus  Stadium - Portman Road Second-half goals from Jørgen Strand Larsen and Pablo Sarabia overturned Liam Delap’s early opener, deepening the troubles for Kieran McKenna’s side . Ipswich remain third from bottom and now sit 12 points from safety with just seven matches left to play. Victory for Wolves, who have now won three league games in a row, means they are almost certain to avoid the drop with 21 points still available. Ipswich made a promising start and went ahead after 16 minutes. Liam Delap scored his 12th goal of the season , reacting quickly to finish from Dara O'Shea’s knockdown inside the box. The goal gave Ipswich early momentum, but their composure soon faded. Goalkeeper Alex Palmer nearly handed Wolves a gift when he mi...

The race for automatic promotion to the Premier League is shaping up to be a nail-biter. Last season's relegated teams Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton are all eager to make a swift return to the top flight.  However, Kieran McKenna's Ipswich side currently holds the lead at the top of the table in a tense four-way contest. As the new year rolled in, Enzo Maresca's Leicester seemed destined to secure promotion straight back to the Premier League. They were sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table, boasting a commanding 13-point lead over Southampton in third place. However, after Southampton's victory over Preston on Tuesday, the promotion battle has tightened considerably, with four teams now in the mix and only a handful of games left to play. The best place to find more news from the Championship  What do the fans think? Jamie, a Leicester City fan, said: "The league has been so unpredictable that making any predictions is foolish. I d...

It will be all change for Manchester United this weekend Their match against Ipswich will see a new face in the dugout as Rúben Amorim takes charge for the first time. Flickr user  freeela sawkaka | Flickr  explores the new manager's tactics The deal to bring Amorim from Sporting Lisbon was finalised on 1 November, but the Portuguese club requested he remain until the international break before moving. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had been serving as interim manager following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, has also departed. The former United striker was not included in Amorim’s plans for his backroom staff. Amorim's first challenge will be this trip to Ipswich Town. He's expected to introduce his favoured 3-4-3 formation, marking a significant shift from the four-man defence United played under Ten Hag. However, preparations for the match has been disrupted. Many United players have been away on international duty and might only return two days before the game. United fans will...

How's life been for Ipswich Town since their return to the Premier League? After earning promotion under manager Kieran McKenna, expectations were cautiously optimistic; the Tractor Boys aimed to retain their top-flight status and solidify their position among England's elite. Author - Marcus Closer look at their match v Spurs. They put in a brilliant display to claim their first Premier League win of the season with a 2-1 victory. Goals from Sam Szmodics and Liam Delap in the first half set Town on course, and they held their ground admirably in the second half to secure three valuable points, showing strength in both attack and defence. Axel Tuanzebe’s return from a thumb injury provided a welcome boost, as he took his place on the right of a backline that included Dara O’Shea, Cameron Burgess, and Leif Davis, with Aro Muric between the posts. Captain Sam Morsy anchored the midfield alongside Jens Cajuste, with Ben Johnson operating on the right. Omari Hutchinson and Szm...

Wolves 1 - 2 Ipswich Town Jack Taylor's last-gasp header earned Ipswich a priceless win at Molineux, a match that resulted in the sacking of Wolves manager Gary O'Neil. Author - Liam C 🚨🟠 BREAKING: Wolves have sacked head coach Gary O’Neil following defeat vs Ipswich Town. #WWFC pic.twitter.com/dghhjHTMqw — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 15, 2024 Taylor's winner in the 93rd minute secured the Tractor Boys' second victory of the season, and tensions flared on the pitch between the two teams at full-time. The now former Wolves boss watched on helplessly as the second-to-last place Wolves conceded a disastrous opening goal due to Matt Doherty's unfortunate own goal. Additionally, Taylor's late winner from a corner has left Wolves three points behind Ipswich and four points away from safety.  Why are Wolves making a managerial change? This was their 11th Premier League defeat of the season – with only two wins to their name – leaving the Black Co...

Nottingham Forest 1 - 1 Ipswich Town (Nottingham Forest won 5 - 4 on penalties) Nottingham Forest secured their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Ipswich Town, setting up a trip to Brighton in the last eight. Author - Josh T Stadium - City Ground Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero, saving Jack Taylor’s low effort as Forest triumphed 5-4 on penalties after Ryan Yates’ second-half equaliser had forced extra time. The visitors had taken the lead through George Hirst, but ultimately fell short on a night of fine margins at the City Ground. Watching from the stands was England manager Thomas Tuchel, who is preparing to name his first squad next week ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. However, with the game slow to ignite until the second half, the new Three Lions boss may not have taken much away from the contest. Click here for more FA Cup news and stories from European Super Football Taylor’s missed spot-kick proved ...

Chelsea have announced the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new head coach The Italian takes over from Mauricio Pochettino, who left by mutual agreement on 21 May after just one season at Stamford Bridge. Maresca, 44, assumed control of the Foxes in June 2023 and guided them to the Championship title last season. Maresca celebrates his former club's Championship title win. Picture from  fuji.tim | Flickr Starting his new role on 1 July, Maresca becomes Chelsea's  sixth managerial appointment in five years and the fourth since May 2022. Chelsea had a mixed 2023-24 season but finished strongly, winning their last five matches to secure sixth place and qualify for the Europa Conference League. The Blues also finished as runners-up in the Carabao Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Following Pochettino's departure, several candidates were considered, including former Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, and Brentford's Thomas ...

Ipswich 2 - 4 Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest strengthened their grip on the Premier League’s top four with a commanding victory over relegation-threatened Ipswich at Portman Road. Author - Marcus Stadium - Portman Road The result had moved Forest to within a point of second-placed Arsenal (before their win over Chelsea) and edges them ever closer to securing Champions League football next season. On the day Nuno Espírito Santo marked his 50th Premier League game in charge, his side ruthlessly exposed Ipswich’s defensive vulnerabilities in a devastating seven-minute spell during the first half. Nikola Milenković set Forest on their way, capitalising on a fortunate deflection to fire home from eight yards after Ipswich forward Liam Delap had inadvertently nodded the ball into his path. Barely two minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead as Ipswich crumbled. Elliot Anderson released Anthony Elanga down the right, and the Swedish winger was inexplicably allowed to charge un...

Leicester City 1 - 1 Ipswich Town Jeremy Sarmiento scored a late equaliser against Championship leaders Leicester City at the King Power Stadium and guided his Ipswich team back into the coveted automatic promotion spots. Initially, Leicester seemed on the verge of extending their lead by 10 points , courtesy of an own goal by Leif Davis in the first half. The second half had more excitement, featuring Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen's spectacular save from Wes Burns and Kasey McAteer's valiant effort cleared off the line at the other end. When Hermansen could only parry a Massimo Luongo shot in the area, Brighton loanee Sarmiento seized the opportunity, swiftly scoring a shot that eluded the Danish goalkeeper. This marked the second time in four weeks that Ipswich snatched a late draw against Leicester, following a similar feat on Boxing Day at Portman Road. The draw this time elevated Ipswich above Southampton, reclaiming second place, while Leicester maintained a seven-poi...

Scotland 2 - 3 Poland Scotland's tough 2024 continued in heartbreaking fashion as Poland were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, crushing a spirited Nations League comeback at Hampden. Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay scored second-half goals to revive Scotland after Sebastian Szymanski's long-range strike and Robert Lewandowski's expertly-taken penalty put the visitors ahead. However, as Steve Clarke's men pushed for a late winner , Nicola Zalewski was brought down by a reckless challenge from Grant Hanley. Zalewski, who had also won the earlier penalty, stepped up to slot home the decisive goal in the 97th minute. Scotland, who made a tame exit from this summer's Euros with just one point from three group games, now face a daunting trip to Portugal on Sunday. They have managed only one win in 13 matches in 2024, suffering five defeats. The manner in which this game ended was hard to believe, especially given Scotland’s poor first-half performance.  Clarke'...

Manchester United 3 - 2 Ipswich Town Ten-man Manchester United recovered from gifting Ipswich a fourth-minute opener at Old Trafford to come out on top in a five-goal thriller thanks to Harry Maguire's header. Author - Josh T Stadium - Old Trafford It was a rainy night ai Old Trafford This win for United was achieved despite having Patrick Dorgu sent off before the break following the intervention of VAR Craig Pawson after his awful tackle on Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson.  Within a few moments, Ipswich capitalised on the extra man to level when Jaden Philogene's touchline cross curled in at the far corner as Andre Onana failed to react once Liam Delap had missed it. Maguire gave United the lead again when he powered home Bruno Fernandes' corner two minutes into the second half. This gave Ruben Amorin only his third home Premier League win. He would have been relieved with the win but could have probably done with a more relaxed evening at Old Trafford, So much more...

 Germany 5 - 1 Scotland There were six goals in the first game of Euro 2024. Unfortunately for Scotland, they only managed one. Pictures from the Euro 2024 Opening Ceremony The atmosphere at Allianz Arena was electric right from the start. Just ten minutes in, Florian Wirtz effortlessly found the net to open the scoring. Shortly after, Jamal Musiala unleashed a powerful shot that almost broke both Angus Gunn’s net and the hearts of the stunned Scottish fans behind the goal. Before half-time, Kai Havertz made it three from the penalty spot, following Ryan Porteous’ red card which left Scotland facing an uphill battle. Substitute Niclas Fullkrug added a fourth for Germany with a high shot into the net, though Antonio Rudiger’s late deflected own goal offered a glimmer of hope for Scotland. Their joy was short-lived, however, as Emre Can silenced the Scottish supporters deep into injury time. This result marked the biggest win in the opening game of a European Championships. ...

There was big news from Stamford Bridge on May 21st It was announced that Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has parted ways with the club by mutual agreement after just one season at Stamford Bridge. Picture from  Football Pictures | Flickr The 52-year-old Argentine, who took over on 1 July, had signed a two-year contract with an option for an additional 12 months. Despite a challenging first half of the season, Pochettino managed to turn things around with five consecutive wins to close the season, securing a sixth-place finish in the Premier League. Premier League news and stories: 2023/2024 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Under his leadership, Chelsea were also runners-up in the Carabao Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The club is now on the lookout for a new manager, with recent interest shown in Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, Sporting’s Ruben Amorim, and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany. Chelsea is aiming for a younger head coach and has ruled out the possibilit...

Nottingham Forest  1 - 1 Manchester City Manchester City missed the opportunity to return to the top of the Premier League with a draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Chris Wood's late goal cancelled out Bernardo Silva's rocket from 20 yards, with the visitors missing chances in abundance to put the game to bed. Erling Haaland volleyed against the crossbar and ballooned the rebound over the top after Aymeric Laporte's header was brilliantly saved by Forest keeper Keylor Navas. Forest claimed a stunning later point. Morgan Gibbs-White's fizzed cross was tapped in at the far post in the 84th minute for Wood's first Forest goal. Premier League news (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Forest scored with their only attempt on target, having created four chances to City's 23 The draw extended Forest's unbeaten home run to eight games and meant City dropped to second after Arsenal returned to the top with a 4-2 comeback win against Aston Villa earlie...

Southampton 1 - 1 Ipswich Town Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy delivered a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser, denying Southampton their first Premier League victory of the season. The home side had lost their opening four matches of the 2024-25 campaign, but capitalised on an Ipswich error to go ahead just five minutes in, with Tyler Dibling netting his first goal for the club. Click here for more Ipswich Town stories A closer look at what happened Ipswich's Axel Tuanzebe lost the ball inside his own penalty area, allowing Southampton to retain possession. Veteran Adam Lallana, 36, set up 18-year-old Dibling, who calmly slotted past Arijanet Muric. Cameron Archer, who missed a penalty in last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, came close to doubling Southampton’s lead, only to hit the post. Still searching for his first goal since a £15 million summer move from Aston Villa, Archer had another opportunity after being played in by former Ipswich midfielder Flynn Downes,...

Ipswich Town 1 - 1 Fulham Ipswich Town secured their first point since returning to the Premier League, but couldn't find a way to beat Fulham in a scrappy contest at Portman Road. Liam Delap's superb strike in the 15th minute put Ipswich ahead, marking his first goal since his summer move from Manchester City. However, Fulham's impressive Adama Traore brought the visitors level with a low, drilled shot just before the break. After half-time, Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno produced several crucial saves to deny Ipswich their first top-flight win since April 2002. He managed to tip a deflected Delap effort wide, dived bravely at Chiedozie Ogbene's feet, and then blocked a last-gasp attempt from substitute Omari Hutchinson deep into injury time. Latest Premier League news and stories -  Premier League: 2024/2025 season  What else has been happening at Portman Road?  - Ipswich Town Football Club news A closer look at the action from Portman Road Despite a shaky start to ...