An Irish pub in Boston closed on Tuesday to give a staff a well deserved break after a fortnight catering for the needs of the Tartan Army - but English supporters in town for their World Cup clash with Ghana didn’t see the funny side of it.
The Dubliner became the unofficial Scottish hub for the two weeks they were based in Boston around their opening World Cup games against Haiti and Morocco.
As the visitors from Scotland drank Boston dry and regaled the locals with their bagpipes and songs, the staff at the Dubliner worked tirelessly according to a report carried in several US papers and on the Irish website The Journal.
By Tuesday, with the Scots moved on to Miami, the pub owners decided to give their staff a day off even if that meant losing out on revenue from the English supporters.
In a notice posted online, the pub said: “Thank you to our incredible staff! Over the past two weeks, you showed up, stepped up, and gave it your all. Your hard work does not go unnoticed.”
The Journal reports that the message was accompanied by a drawing of the pub decked out with US, Irish and Scottish flags.
“Thankfully there’s nothing happening in Boston today so we will be back tomorrow,” the pub continued, with the hashtag ‘no Scotland no party’.
The report says that was seen to be a swipe against the England-Ghana match that took place on Tuesday.
Reece James is the big injury doubt for England ahead of their final World Cup group game against Panama on Saturday - and Declan Rice will also have his fitness monitored.
James has struggled with a hamstring injury of late while Rice may be rested as he also fights against a long term hamstring problem.
Rice’s Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka is likely to be fit for Saturday according to a report in the Guardian and could start.
“He seems to be more and more ready, and will hopefully push, and then we will see what is coming,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said. “He’s getting there, and there’s more and more training sessions, so he needs to have more sessions now. Two sessions to be ready for Panama. It’s not only about Bukayo, but it was good he got some minutes under his belt. Hopefully, there is no reaction and he is good to go.”
A Spanish football account has turned Mayo gaelic football legend Lee Keegan into a social media phenomenon in their bid to discredit Argentina and record World Cup goalscorer Lionel Messi.
As reported by the Irish Sun, the tweet features a compilation of Keegan’s mazy runs with the ball and was used sarcastically to suggest that Messi and Co will benefit from a few refereeing decisions as the tournament progresses.
The paper states that the tweet translates to: “The most legal goal that Argentina is going to score starting from the round of sixteen.”
Arsenal are leading the chase for Cork City’s Irish under 21 international midfielder Cillian Murphy, still just 16 and already a first team star at Turners Cross.
The Irish Examiner reports that Murphy is close to agreeing a move across the water that will see him remain at City on loan until his 18th birthday in July, 2027.
John Fallon writes that scouts from Arsenal and Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund watched Murphy deliver a player of the match performance against Treaty United last weekend.
Welsh FA Chief Executive Noel Mooney is set to start the search for a new national team manager after Craig Bellamy engaged in advanced talks with Burnley to become their new boss.
The relegated side approached the FAW for permission to talk to their former coach Burley about replacing Scott Parker in time for their return to the Championship in August. Former Wolves boss Rob Edwards and Steve Cooper are the frontrunners to replace Bellamy.
