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Corrie legend Simon Gregson among rumoured names in ‘leaked’ I’m A Celebrity 2021 lineup

Those taking part will arrive at Gwrych Castle campsite ahead of the expected launch date of mid-November.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 8th November 2021

Coronation Street actor Simon Gregson is among the rumoured crop of contestants set to compete on this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Although ITV is yet to officially announce which stars will take part in the 2021 series of the smash-hit competition show, The Sun has shared what it claims to be the full “leaked” lineup list online – and to be fair, it does have a history of getting it completely, or near enough, right.

Celebrities rumoured to be taking part have also apparently been photographed arriving at the show’s set in Gwyrch Castle in Wales.

Leading the charge of celebrities is said to be pop star Frankie Bridge, who is best known for her time in The Saturdays, regular Good Morning Britain co-host Richard Madeley – who already revealed the news live on-air a couple of weeks ago, and soap stars Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale in EastEnders), and Danny Miller (Aaron Dingle in Emmerdale) are also said to be taking part.

Following in the footsteps of Ian Wright, French former footballer David Ginola has also been grabbing headlines over the weekend after he was one of the names rumoured to be taking part.

Gold medal winning athletes Kadeena Cox and Matty Lee are also on the rumoured lineup, alongside Prestwich-born former Strictly judge Arlene Phillips, former BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin, music producer Naughty Boy, and Rudimental’s DJ Locksmith.

But the name sure to mean the most to Mancunians and soap fans across the UK is that Simon Gregson – who is best known for his role as fan-favourite character Steve McDonald on Coronation Street – is also set to be battling it out to be crowned ‘King of the Castle’.

Coronation Street actor Simon Gregson is among the rumoured crop of contestants / Credit: ITV Coronation Street

Last year, the hit ITV show relocated from its usual location of the Australian jungle to the Welsh countryside as a result of the travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and will do so again for the 2021 edition.

The celebrities will arrive at Gwrych Castle campsite ahead of the expected launch date of mid-November.

Keep your eyes peeled to see if any of the lineup rumours turn out to be true.

Featured Image – ITV I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

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Rugby Football League to merge second and third divisions from next year

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The Rugby Football League (RFL) has officially announced that it will be combining the Championship and League One divisions next year as part of a larger restructuring.

Besides the push for phasing out automatic promotion and relegation with the top flight, these will be among the biggest changes in the RFL since the creation of the Super League.

Revealing their plans earlier this week, the rugby authority confirmed that the second and third-tier divisions will be merging, with the changes set to be implemented from 2026 onwards.

You can see the statement in full down below, which has been met with a mix of

Confirmed in a lengthier statement online this past Wednesday, 27 August, the update reads: “The RFL Board have confirmed that the Betfred Championship and League One competitions will be combined in a single division outside the Betfred Super League (BSL) in 2026.

“This follows the decision to expand Super League from 12 clubs to 14, subject to conditions – which was taken by the existing Super League clubs last month.

“A number of fixture formats are being developed following consultation with the Championship and League One clubs, but there will be no final announcement until after the number and identity of clubs in each of the two expanded competitions is confirmed, on Thursday, October 16.

“However, the reversion to a single division outside Super League means the Middle Eights that had been scheduled for the end of the 2025 season, as a means of determining promotion and relegation between Championship and League One, will no longer take place.”

It’s also worth noting that these changes will also see the proposed Super 8s end-of-season fixtures scrapped, as the 12 teams set to compete in the playoff-style tournament are obviously now being combined into one league moving forward.

As detailed in the latest communication from the RFL, the League One champions’ prize of £25,000, as well as the usual trophy and medals promised at the start of the season, are still up for grabs; the Championship Play-Offs will still also take place as scheduled.

The winners of the Betfred Championship Grand Final are to receive £100k and 0.25 club grading points.

Commenting on the impending overhaul, Rugby League Commercial Chair Nigel Wood OBE – who headed up the latest strategic review – said: “Following the decision of the Betfred Super League clubs that the elite competition should expand to 14 clubs in 2026, subject to conditions, this is a logical and equally exciting next step.

“The Championship and L1 clubs have been extensively consulted and were virtually unanimous that the two divisional structure for the part-time game wasn’t working as well as it ought, particularly League One – and it is a great credit to the Championship clubs that they recognised that position.”

Reiterating the belief that this is the best way to support and promote “historic and ambitious clubs” outside of the BSL, helping boost attendances, finances and hopefully future investment. It remains a touchy subject for some, though.

Greater Manchester Mayors deliver update on Salford Red Devils situation
The RFL merging divisions may not yet even matter for some.

Speaking of clubs looking for further backing, questions remain over the vetting process for investors and the ‘fit and proper persons tests’ in both rugby and football, especially with the ongoing crisis at Salford Red Devils.

With all that being said, while everyone will have the chance to win the new Championship and perhaps Super League promotion, the likes of Salford are just trying to stay afloat.

Regardless, what do you make of the RFL merging the Championship and League, and do you think it’s the right step for the future of rugby league?

Read more:

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Featured Images — RFL

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Ruben Amorim has explained why he refused to watch Man United’s penalty shootout against Grimsby

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ruben Amorim explains why he didn't watch Man United's penalties against Grimsby

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has explained the reason why he didn’t watch his team’s penalty shootout against Grimsby Town as they crashed out of the EFL Carabao Cup.

It was yet another night to forget for Man United as the Premier League outfit conceded the first two goals against the League Two side in a fixture that hadn’t been played since 1947.

Even a late comeback through new signing Bryan Mbuemo and Harry Maguire’s late header – an increasingly frequent scenario, it would seem – wasn’t enough to spare their blushes, as the Carabao‘s straight-to-penalties format meant that they couldn’t even rely on extra time.

You already know the rest, and if you were watching on telly, you will have seen head coach Ruben Amorim rocking back and forth as he refused to watch his squad’s spot-kicks. Like the rest of the game, it’s not gone down as a particularly great look.

While there were plenty at home who felt similar reluctance to watch the pens, many supporters have been left understandably frustrated by the Portuguese head coach’s behaviour, accusing him of a lack of leadership.

Admittedly, it doesn’t project great optics, especially given all the talk of ‘storms clearing’ and ‘good days coming’ spouted via club media in recent weeks and months.

However, the 40-year-old has at least given some reasoning for not watching his players take a total of 12 penalties, though we’ll leave it up to the fans.

Speaking to ITV in one of the few post-match interviews he conducted on Wednesday evening, Amorim said: “The penalty shootout was not important, if I’m there trying to see if we win the game, it doesn’t matter. The beginning of the game, during the game, that’s what mattered.

“If we win this game, it’s so unfair on these guys – the opponents. So today, the football was fair; congratulations to them. We move on to the next game, and then we have time to decide things.”

You see Amorim’s post-match interview with ITV in full right here:

As you can see, he went on to explain that he was “not thinking about the penalties, to go to the next stage”, choosing instead to add that his side “spoke really loud about what they want today. It’s really clear, I think it’s really clear to everybody what happened today.”

Being probed further on the precise meaning of this turn of phrase, he told multiple reporters that “a good team can win anything”, suggesting instead that those he fielded were, in the end, merely a collection of players who failed to chime with each other.

Many would argue this has been a common theme not only since he joined the club, but for the last few managers who have taken charge at Old Trafford.

Besides that, he signed off by insisting that there was little he could say to soften the blow of the result, besides apologising to them directly and adding, “something has to change, and you’re not going to change 22 players again.”

Be it as a begrudging Red, an amused rival, or just a neutral, you can either hate-watch or simply study the shocking defeat on what was a historic night for some very happy Grimsby fans down below.

Amorim may not have wanted to sit through the penalty shootout, but MUFC weren’t great to watch in regulation time either.

Read more:

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)

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