Monday cannon fodder: quirky rule misses

Premier League/England

7 new rule changes are coming to the Premier League – but are they good or bad? | FourFourTwo
Drop balls drop dead, goalkeepers must stand completely still, and handball controversies are finally over (possibly).

Nikita Parris and Jill Scott give England timely boost against Denmark | Football | The Guardian
Goals either side of half-time by Nikita Parris and Jill Scott gave England a 2-0 win over Denmark in their World Cup warm-up.

Connor Jennings heads Tranmere into League One with extra-time winner | Football | The Guardian
Connor Jennings scored in dying moments of extra-time to give Tranmere 1-0 win over 10-man Newport in League Two play-off final.

Coventry City announce groundshare agreement is in place for next season | Football | The Guardian
Coventry City have announced they have a groundshare agreement in place for next season, in case they are unable to reach a deal to stay at the Ricoh Arena.

Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League winners: where are they now? | Football | The Guardian
United’s match-winner against Bayern is now their permanent manager, but what of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s former teammates?

Charlton return to Championship after Patrick Bauer scores last-gasp winner | Football | The Guardian
Patrick Bauer scored in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time as Charlton beat Sunderland 2-1 to return to the Championship.

How every PL and Champ club’s wage bills compare to their league positions - Planet Football
Which clubs have over-performed and under-performed according to their wage budgets?

Jack Grealish will cost ‘a lot of money’ if Aston Villa lose play-off final, says Smith | Football | The Guardian
Dean Smith has insisted Jack Grealish will not be sold on the cheap if Aston Villa lose to Derby County in the Championship play-off final.

The death of the 72? Why football outside of the Premier League is on its knees | The Independent
It’s not as simple as “because money”, although that’s a huge part of it.

Trolley parks, trains, buses, crocodiles, castles - Football’s quirkiest grounds - BBC Sport
Teversal FC’s ‘Tesco trolley away end’ caused a stir on Twitter this week but they’re not the only club with a quirky ground.

Sterling: I want to play in MLS one day
The Football Writers’ Player of the Year told a conference in New York he was surprised by the enthusiasm for football in the U.S.

The sale price of Bolton Wanderers revealed - Lion Of Vienna Suite
Yours, if you can prove the funding.

Man Utd 1999 Treble: Near misses, determination & ‘pure luck’ - BBC Sport
Giggs’ semifinal goal still haunts me.

PSG boss Al-Khelaifi charged with athletics corruption - BBC News
SHOCKED I AM that such a thing could happen in the pristine, pure world of top level soccer. SHOCKED.

Europe

Celtic: Neil Lennon offered manager’s job after sealing treble treble - BBC Sport
Neil Lennon is offered the Celtic job less than an hour after guiding the club to a domestic treble treble.

Europa League final: Chelsea won’t endorse Baku travel plans for fans - BBC Sport
Chelsea says it cannot endorse official plans to help fans attend the Europa League final against Arsenal in Baku.

Bayern Munich set to test Manchester City with £70m bid for Leroy Sané | Football | The Guardian
Bayern Munich have made Leroy Sané their No 1 target for this summer and the Germany winger is thought to be keen on the move.

Massimiliano Allegri leaves Juventus as one of their great managers | Football | The Guardian
Allegri has not always been popular with fans but not even Giovanni Trapattoni or Marcello Lippi won five straight titles.

FC Barcelona to open new youth academy in Orlando | Pro Soccer USA
FC Barcelona on Thursday announced it was establishing an academy in Orlando, it’s 50th youth academy across the world and its newest in the U.S.

‘Worse than Ronaldo’s’: fans mock George Best statue in Belfast | Football | The Guardian
Apparently, it’s really hard to make a statue that looks like a person.

Real Madrid’s Bale: Footballers are ‘robots’
Out-of-favour Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said top players these days are “robots.”

Konrad De La Fuente: the US winger making waves at Barcelona’s academy | Football | The Guardian
The Miami-born winger is known for his quick-footed skill at La Masia. But this summer his focus will be on winning the U-20 World Cup for his country.

MLS/Americas

USWNT embraces challenges, evolves as it chases rare back-to-back World Cup titles | Pro Soccer USA
As the U.S. women’s national team aims to win back to back World Cups, they have had to change and improve along with the rest of the world’s teams.

Nobody’s Lionel Messi, But LAFC’s Carlos Vela Sure Is Trying | StatsBomb
Bob Bradley wants his team taking ideas from Barcelona, he’s asking Vela to be as good as Messi, and so far in 2019, Vela is coming closer than you’d expect, and closer than MLS has ever seen.

Other

Marouane Chamakh: Former Arsenal/Morocco striker confirms retirement - BBC Sport
Former Morocco international Marouane Chamakh confirms his retirement from football at the age of 35 after not playing for almost two-and-a-half years.

Women’s football and the systematic girlifying of the sport - All For XI
Long live the sweaty, the dirty, and the bruised.

Lionel Messi to open “The Messi Store” - Barca Blaugranes
The Argentine star will have his own apparel collection

Lothar Matthäus: ‘With Putin I talked football, judo and Brexit' | Football | The Guardian
The German legend discusses Bayern’s defeat by Manchester United 20 years on, Maradona and meeting Russia’s president.