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“Pure class”: Fans praise what Kalvin Phillips did after Euro 2020 disappointment
"I’m a Villa fan and a bit bitter our star didn’t get more time but Kalvin was the rock in that team absolutely brilliant a credit to himself and his club"
Fans have issued messages of support to Kalvin Phillips following the team's crushing defeat at Wembley last night.
Kalvin Phillips and his Three Lions teammates were dealt with a hard pill to swallow as England was beaten on penalties in the Euro 2020 final.
An early Luke Shaw goal took Italy by complete surprise, sending the whole of Wembley into a raucous celebration just a minute and 37 seconds into the game.
The game reached fever-pitch excitement early with Gareth Southgate's team playing well in the first half but became slowly subdued as the Italians returned from halftime with new tactics that ultimately led to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.
What happened next pulled the bottom out from under England's supporters, leaving the entire country with a huge lump in its throat after the Three Lions exited the competition in second place.
Whilst there was clearly a huge amount of disappointment and heartbreak at Englands' exit from the Euros on penalties, Leeds United and Englands fans were quick to rally around one of the team's freshest faces: Leeds man Kalvin Phillips.
Phillips has started all seven matches for the team, fielding off a second yellow card for the team in the quarter-final versus Ukraine.
For those who'd previously doubted his midfield proficiency, he's more than proved himself in this tournament - winning the hearts of many fans along the way.
Following the penalty shoot out, which left relatively inexperienced 19-year-old Bukayo Saka to take the last shot for the country, Leeds and England fans were quick to notice that the 25-year-old went straight to Saka to hug him.
Many have commented online that as a young player, Phillips had conducted himself brilliantly throughout.
@_DAFCN summed it up: "Saka missed the penalty and was immediately surrounded by Italian staff and players. While the entire team and coaching staff stayed at half way to feel sorry for themselves, Luke Shaw and Kalvin Phillips immediately ran to the spot to console Saka."
@BeautyInLonely said: "He's been immense all tournament, but him hugging Saka after the shootout was pure class."
Someone else wrote: "Kalvin has been amazing the whole way through. So proud of him."
Another fan said: "He's been immense all tournament, but him hugging Saka after the shootout was pure class."
"Hold it high Kalvin lad. Amazing young man. Even this bitter Irishman was said to see you on the wrong side of it," said another.
"From a Newcastle Fan the lad did us proud !! Hands down one of the best players for England at this tournament!" wrote another.
They were joined by @Andrewvarley who said: "Awesome all the way"
@Warge6 chimed in: "I’m a Villa fan and a bit bitter our star didn’t get more time but Kalvin was the rock in that team absolutely brilliant a credit to himself and his club"
@reece_mumbysaid:"You did the country proud Kalvin I’m so proud of you, you played well this tournament gutted we didn’t win it but you can hold your head up high you have played class #lufc#eng"
@janwhiteley1: "Kalvin has been amazing the whole way through. So proud of him."
@CalverVictor: Kalvin been absolutely outstanding as was yesterday once again! World Cup 2022 Qatar, we go again! You deserve a month on the beach now, unfortunately you may just have to settle for a fortnight, as do all the England Squad #WeAreSoProud “We’ve always shouted it out Loud “
News
Leeds band Yard Act announce 2026 UK tour including homecoming gig
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024.
We are so, so back.
It's been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a small selection of UK gigs for later in the year including a homecoming gig at the O2 Academy on Friday 6 November.
The dates follow the band’s first show of the year at the 6Music Festival this Friday across The Pennines in Manchester.
After Leeds, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on Friday 13 November before making their way down south to the O2 Academy in Brixton on Thursday 26 November.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album Where’s My Utopia? with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August 2024.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy. It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have remained active, whether writing Where’s My Utopia’s follow-up on scratching the itch to get back on stage, heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives, which was preceded by an intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to the Autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait.
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday 27 March. Sign up here.
Estimated to be worth around £45 million, the Grade II-listed structure renovations won't begin for a little while just yet, but it is set to increase the capacity of the space by more than 50%.
Announced on Tuesday, 24 March, the major refurb will be partly funded by public money and topped up by the private sector and "philanthropic partners".
The UK government and Sheffield City Council will be pumping in approximately £35m, with a further £10m being added through the investment mentioned above.
Soon to allow the theatre to scale up or down in size, the hope is that the new 'in the round' format will enable the Crucible to serve its arts and sporting audiences for decades to come, as well as opening the big Northern stage up to new opportunities.
Due to start in the summer of 2028, it's still unclear as to the exact completion date, but the plans are in support of confirmation that the annual snooker tournament will stay put.
A fresh agreement with the WSC will see them stay in Sheff until at least 2045, with the Crucible's number of seats set to jump from just under 1,000 to 1,480.
It's also said there is an option in the deal to extend the contract until 2050, and as one of the biggest competitive events that comes to the city year in and year out, you would expect them to push hard for the Council and partners to push hard for this, too.
Credit: Bread and Butter PR (supplied)
Dan Walker, Chair of Sheffield Theatres Trust, said in a statement: "The Crucible is a wonderful theatre with a brilliant reputation, and the positive impact of this investment will be seen for years to come.
"As a proud resident of Sheffield, I know the importance of snooker to our city, but this isn’t only good news for Sheffield: this is amazing news for the north of England and the whole of the UK."
If all goes to plan, the overhaul should take around 18 months, with productions being hosted in the Lyceium and the newest room, the Montgomery.
All the while, the Sheffield Theatres will continue to present new work both domestically and around the globe over this period, with more details coming this autumn 2026.
Georgina Pellant -
12th July 2021 
