Troy Deeney has been appointed Forest Green head coach following the departure of David Horseman.
Deeney joined the Sky Bet League Two club as player-coach in August after playing over 600 games for Walsall, Watford – where he spent 11 years from 2010 to 2021 – and Birmingham.
“I am very pleased and honoured to be appointed as the new head coach,” Deeney told the official Forest Green website.
“I know the fans will have many questions, which will be answered as soon as possible.
“We will not hide from the task at hand and will be open and honest along the way.
“One thing I can assure everyone is that we will work our very hardest to bring this wonderful club back to success.
“This is an exciting new role with many challenges that I’ll embrace and there’s a lot of work for us to do, which has already started.”
Horseman was appointed in July after Forest Green made headlines by putting academy manager Hannah Dingley in caretaker charge to become the first woman at the helm of an English Football League club on a brief interim basis.
Assistant coach Louis Carey has also left the club with Forest Green one place off the foot of League Two in 23rd position.
Forest Green chairman Dale Vince said: “I’d like to thank David and Louis for all they have done here and wish them the best for the future.
“I wish we had more time, but we’re at the halfway mark of the season and need to act decisively to improve our performances and league position.
“Troy came to us to begin his career in coaching and take the next step of his career – this is happening sooner than expected but he’s built strong relationships already with our staff, squad and fans – and is well placed for the challenge.
“We’ll strengthen our squad in the coming transfer window as well, to give ourselves the best chance of first securing our place in League Two before looking upward once more, toward League One and beyond.”
Deeney will take charge for the first time at home to Gillingham on Friday.
Arne Slot confirms he is taking charge at Liverpool
Arne Slot has confirmed he is taking over at Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp will manage his final game at Anfield on Sunday, when the Reds host Wolves.
Liverpool have not yet officially confirmed the German's replacement, but as expected, it will be Slot.
The Feyenoord coach confirmed in a press conference on Friday that he will be joining Liverpool.
"I can confirm that I will become the coach there next year," Slot said.
The Reds are certain to finish third in the Premier League this season, with the EFL Cup – achieved with a victory over Chelsea on penalties – their lone silverware in 2023-24 despite a commendable push for title glory, with Manchester City and Arsenal pulling clear in the closing stages of the campaign.
Liverpool also had hopes of success in the Europa League and FA Cup before losing in the quarter-finals in both competitions to Atalanta and Manchester United respectively.
Feyenoord confirmed Slot's departure, posting a video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: "The Arne Slot era is coming to an end. Let's enjoy the last moments."
Slot's final game will see Feyenoord take on local rivals Excelsior. His team are second to PSV in the Eredivisie but they are ending the season in sensational form.
They have five straight league wins going into Sunday's last match and are on a 19-match unbeaten top-flight run, with their last defeat coming against champions PSV on December 3.
Sunday's match will be Slot's 150th in charge of Feyenoord in all competitions. He has won 97 (65.1 per cent) of his 149 games so far.
Van Persie lands first head coach role with Heerenveen
Robin van Persie has landed his first head coach role after being appointed the new boss of Eredivisie team Heerenveen.
Van Persie has agreed a two-year contract that will start at the end of the 2023-24 season, with the Dutch club confirming the deal on Friday.
Heerenveen missed out on European qualification this season and can finish no higher than 10th when the top-flight campaign concludes this weekend.
The club said in their statement they were convinced by the ambition and motivational skills of Van Persie, who starred for Arsenal and Manchester United in his playing career, winning the Premier League Golden Boot with both clubs, and the league title at Old Trafford.
That was as well as earning 102 caps and scoring a record 50 goals for the Netherlands at international level.
Van Persie said: "The coaching profession is comprehensive and challenging, and I've practised it with great passion and pleasure.
"I would like to continue my development and the role of head coach fits in perfectly with that goal. I am therefore pleased with the opportunity that Heerenveen offers me.
"Heerenveen is a very nice club with a rich tradition and loyal supporters.
"It is a fantastic challenge to contribute to the sporting ambitions and development of the club."
While this is the 40-year-old’s first senior coaching role, he has been working under Liverpool-bound Arne Slot as a youth coach with Feyenoord.
He succeeds Kees van Wonderen – who announced his impending departure in March ahead of the expiry of his contract – at Heerenveen.
The club will finish their league campaign away against Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday.
"Although Robin is at the start of his career as head coach, he immediately convinced us," said general manager Ferry de Haan.
"He is ambitious, passionate and eager to learn. I think he knows how to enthuse and motivate a squad of players."
Van Persie retired in 2019 and had two spells with Feyenoord at either end of his career, as well as a period playing in Turkey for Fenerbahce.
Al-Ittihad pegged back as winless run rolls on
Mohamed Sherif scored late on as Al-Ittihad's winless run in the Saudi Pro League stretched to four games after a 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej.
Al-Ittihad have endured a miserable title defence, and with just two games remaining, the highest the big-spending, PIF-backed club can finish is fourth.
Muhannad Al Shanqiti put them ahead on the stroke of half-time, yet despite having a further eight shots and accumulating 1.07 xG in the second half, Al-Ittihad could not add another.
Their profligacy proved costly in the 81st minute, with Egypt international Sherif snatching an equaliser for 11th-placed Al-Khaleej.
Al-Tai moved out of the relegation zone with a surprise 3-1 win over seventh-placed Al-Fateh, with Bernard Mensah scoring twice.
Al-Raed, meanwhile, claimed a 1-0 win at Al-Wehda.
Data Debrief: Kante the creator?
On the day he received a surprising France recall, N'Golo Kante created three chances for Al-Ittihad, leading the team.
On the flip side, Kante only attempted one tackle, with the midfielder showing a different side to his game, not that it proved fruitful for his team.
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