Everton fans can't win, it's wretched owner Farhad Moshiri or a takeover by USA failures 777 Partners... while Oliver Holt explains why England fans should be full of hope heading into Euro 2024: Get the best of Mail+ Sport

By Ben Willcocks

Published: 11:11 GMT, 20 March 2024 | Updated: 07:19 GMT, 27 March 2024

With one friendly against Brazil under their belt, England's journey towards this summer's European Championship has taken another step forward.

Just one tie against Belgium stands between Gareth Southgate's side and their pre-tournament friendlies against Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the finals firmly in sight.  

Whether it is Sami Mokbel running the rule over the manager's England squad and choosing the starting XI he thinks should open the Three Lions' campaign against Serbia, or Matt Barlow meeting the eighth-tier club looking for their own blockbuster breakthrough after Wrexham's smash success, Mail+ Sport has the best content on offer in terms of unrivalled insight, interesting opinions and exclusive interviews.

Here's the best from Mail+ Sport over the last few days... 

READ: A chink of light for Everton after years of scandalous decline... and dismal 777's record suggests they should be nowhere near, writes IAN HERBERT

Looking back is something Everton fans are having to do more and more these days, because the future doesn’t really bear thinking about.

Ian Herbert looks at the future of the Toffees as they continue continue to be limbo under current owner Farhad Moshiri and prospective owners 777 Partners' track record not painting them in the best of light.

READ: OLIVER HOLT's definitive 100 greatest footballers - so who comes out on top and do you agree?

Any list - your list as well as my list - can become dominated by those who are not on it. But really, it should be about the players who are on it. This list is meant as a celebration of them and of football’s rich, rich history and of what the game means to all of us and of what players mean to us and why they capture something in us. 

Mail Sport's Oliver Holt counts down his 50-1 greatest male footballer's of all-time in part two of his top-100 list. Do you agree with his selections? 

READ: Why Jude Bellingham is streets ahead of a young Wayne Rooney 

Bellingham won’t win the European Championship on his own but England have got a hell of a lot of a better chance of doing it now that he is at the heart of the team.

Mail Sport's Oliver Holt explains why the Real Madrid star could lead the Three Lions to tournament glory this summer and surpass a young Wayne Rooney, who could not get his team over the line at Euro 2004. 

READ: At 15 I was the football league's youngest player. 10 years later I was contemplating suicide 

In the late summer of 2008, Reuben Noble-Lazarus picked up a surprising honour when his 84th minute substitution for Barnsley against Ipswich made him the youngest-ever player to play in English football. 

But as Matt Barlow found out when the pair met, the word he chose after much pondering to describe his playing career was 'unfulfilled'. 

READ: Why THIS team should start at the Euros. SAMI MOKBEL picks his England XI for the tournament opener in 84 days

England may not have had a night to remember against Brazil at Wembley on Saturday, but Southgate's selection allowed for Sami Mokbel to consider the future. 

Mail Sport's chief football reporter shares his thoughts on the strongest starting XI ahead of the Three Lions' summer trip to Germany.  

READ:  Meet the eighth-tier club hoping to become the next Wrexham - and why their 100,000 followers can't get enough of their 'soap opera'

The astonishing success of Wrexham after their Hollywood fairytale takeover has left a number of lower-league strugglers open-mouthed in admiration and jealousy. 

But after Farnham received their own big-money investment - and featured in their own documentary - the eighth-tier side are keen to have a run at emulating their meteoric rise, as Matt Barlow found out. 

READ: Jay Bothroyd reveals the impact of playing football with an epilepsy diagnosis 

The scars on Jay Bothroyd's body tell a story. Many stories in fact, of searing pain and melting skin, perhaps even one of police brutality. Some of the scars you can see and feel, like the thickened ridges on his arms and legs, or the crack in his skull.

In an astonishing interview with Chris Cutmore, JAY BOTHROYD reveals how he played professional football for 23 years with a secret health battle - and holds an extraordinary record. 

READ: Potter's appointment would be deemed woefully underwhelming to many if he ends up at United... but I would love it

It seems inevitable that Graham Potter's appointment would be deemed woefully underwhelming to many if he ends up at Manchester United. Same goes for England. Doubly so. But that seems misguided. He is a manager who found Brighton in 17th and took them into the Premier League's top 10 playing brilliant, attacking football.

Riath Al-Samarrai reveals why Potter really is perfect for Manchester United or England and insists we must forget about what happened at Chelsea's burning circus. 

READ: Gareth Southgate should forget about Manchester United. He's better off staying with England

England will be the team to beat at the European Championships this summer, but could the tournament be Gareth Southgate's swansong as Three Lions manager? The 53-year-old is reportedly Sir Jim Ratcliffe's preferred candidate to replace Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, should the Dutchman depart at the end of the season.

In his Mail+ Sport column, GRAEME SOUNESS argues Southgate should ignore interest from Old Trafford and remain in charge of England instead. This Three Lions squad have at least two more tournaments in them - going by their age - and he should hang around and enjoy the fruits of that.

READ: How the pit lane turned into a pit of vipers. F1 is mired in backstabbing, sexism, leaks and lawsuits

Everything in Formula One has been real forked-tongue vengeance these past few weeks. It is by tradition a sport beset by – or indeed set alight by – scandal over the years, but arguably never on so many fronts as in 2024. 

JONATHAN McEVOY peels back the curtain on the scandal that have dominated the sport this season, from Christian Horner's sexting imbroglio to a power struggle involving the sport's top executives. 

READ: The murky reason why Brazil's Beatles haven't been here more

The 25-year-old Pele cut a bashful figure as he stepped out from a wooden cabin on Scotland’s west coast in the summer of 1966, immaculately attired as the Brazilian football team always were back then, boots polished to a shine, white towel in hand.

From that day to this, there has been something unique and irresistible about having the Brazilians, their samba football and that iconic canary yellow shirt within these shores. Mail Sport's IAN HERBERT analyses why they haven't been here more often.

READ: The men who put the F in Formula 1 

The new series of Drive to Survive has provided Formula One fans more content to binge watch with the Netflix cameras already documenting the furore over Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

OLIVER HOLT examines how the modern version of F1 has changed from the swashbuckling Playboy drivers, rebels, lunatics and dreamers from the sport’s heyday. Read his analysis exclusively on Mail+ Sport.

READ: 10 reasons Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull 

Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull has been the subject of speculation amid the Horner scandal. The three-time world champion is believed to have toyed with the notion of a move.

JONATHAN MCEVOY outlines the reasons why Verstappen will likely stay put, as well as news of a tribute for the legendary Sir Stirling Moss and the conceited Drive to Survive star who gives clowns a bad name. Read his latest Pole Position column on Mail+ Sport.

READ: Ange Postecoglou takes on the 'plastic fans' trolls

Price rises at Premier League clubs have led to a backlash from some who have claimed overseas supporters are attending matches in place of more local fans. Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has since spoken in defence of so-called ‘plastic fans’ and highlighted their passion for Premier League clubs.

Mail Sport’s Football Editor Ian Ladyman agrees that critics have an ‘outdated view’ and explains why overseas fans have become key to the Premier League. Read his column exclusively on Mail+ Sport.

READ: Why football is in danger of killing itself

Financial regulation, such as it is, might end up killing the Premier League if we're not careful. If we are getting to the point where you cannot believe the table until the accountants and lawyers have ruled then the thrill of the competition becomes an illusion.

Delving into the topic is our columnist SIMON JORDAN, explaining what could befall the sport, if we give the suits and lawyers too much of a say. Read his column exclusively on Mail+ Sport. 

READ: The unique insight into what makes Jim Ratcliffe tick

There aren’t many who can lay their hands on more gold than Sir Ben Ainslie, but he’s thinking back to the day he found one. It still makes him smile. ‘It was a great gin and tonic,’ Ainslie tells Mail Sport, and with it comes the origin story of his relationship with Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Sir Ben Ainslie spoke exclusively to Mail Sport's RIATH AL-SAMARRAI about his close relationship with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, what makes the billionaire tick and what Man United fans can expect him to bring to Old Trafford. Read the full interview on Mail+ Sport now.

READ: The Ineos Wheel behind Sir Jim Ratcliffe's success

New Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe uses an innovative word compass to help inspire best practices at his INEOS company. The INEOS Compass was created by chairman Ratcliffe as ‘a fun way of attempting to capture how the company works’. 

It contains more than 100 phrases, words and terms that are either heavily encouraged or discouraged inside the company, in order to promote the best possible practices. DOMINIC HOGAN has broken down what is on the compass, which you can read on Mail+ Sport here.

READ: How Newcastle came crashing back down to earth

At Newcastle, the Saudi-backed ownership have got a lot right and they beat modern football convention by taking the club from 19th to fourth in just 19 months.

READ: How Barry McGuigan's son is no longer living in his shadow

When Barry McGuigan turned 63 two weeks ago, he remained the stand-alone undisputed No 1 trainer in his family. Not any more. On St Patrick's Day, Shane McGuigan - son and protege - won his second British Boxing Board of Control Trainer of the Year title, so it's now 2-2. And you sense it might not stay that way for long.

Barry and Shane spoke exclusively to Mail Sport's CHARLOTTE DALY about their family business and how the 36-year-old stepped out of his father's shadow. Read and watch the full interview on Mail+ Sport now.

READ: Inside story of Kobbie Mainoo's stratospheric rise 

Gareth Southgate has reversed his decision to leave Kobbie Mainoo out of his senior England squad, promoting the Manchester United youngster to his ranks after another superb display against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

The 18-year-old's impressive and short career to date has been the story of a gifted boy who has cleared every obstacle put in front of him by some distance. CHRIS WHEELER takes you inside the life of England's new humble star on Mail+ Sport.

READ: Why Raducanu has fallen from glory to 288th in the world 

Emma Raducanu was forced to pull out of the Miami Open due to another injury setback - this time a lower back issue - and it seems like a lifetime ago since the Brit shocked the tennis world to win the US Open as an up-and-coming teenager.

Raducanu has battled for the right formula ever since her triumph in 2021, chopping and changing her coaching team, but has struggled to replicate anywhere near the levels she once displayed on the court. NATHAN SALT dives into the questions haunting her declining career.

READ: How to fix VAR

Did it actually take five minutes and 37 seconds to decide whether Tomas Soucek had handled the ball before scoring what would have been West Ham's winner against Aston Villa last weekend? Compare VAR in the Premier League to the calm, confident and correct chalking off of two Irish tries in the Six Nations, and football has plenty to think about.

IAN HERBERT proposes a simple fix that would stop VAR ruining football for fans on Mail+ Sport.

READ: Jordan Pickford is an England great who must be cherished

Not that there was ever really any question, but Nick Pope's injury-plagued season and Aaron Ramsdale's fall to the Arsenal bench has made one thing abundantly clear ahead of the Euros: Jordan Pickford will start in goal again for England.

But the Everton star is not without his critics. Pundits ridicule Pickford for his abrasive and mouthy style between the sticks. BRIAN VINER insists on Mail+ Sport that Pickford is an England great who deserves to be praised more.

READ: How Arsenal are trying to close the financial gulf on Spurs 

It's a good time to be an Arsenal fan. Sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table and through to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in well over a decade, it seems like there's nothing but good news rolling through the Emirates doors.

But Arsenal are still behind north London rivals Tottenham financially and are working hard to change that. ISAAN KHAN takes a look at how the Gunners are closing the gap.

READ: What victory over Liverpool means for Erik ten Hag

It's no secret that Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival as Manchester United's new part owner has ramped up the pressure on Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman is essentially on trial between now and the end of the season.

Beating archrivals Liverpool 4-3 in the FA Cup - and in such thrilling circumstances after an 120-minute epic at Old Trafford - has given Ten Hag something to build on. But what does this mean for his United future? Read IAN LADYMAN's verdict on Mail+ Sport.

READ: How Nottingham Forest lost the plot

Even when Brian Clough walked the City Ground’s narrow corridors like a colossus, Nottingham Forest were capable of blowing a hell of a lot money in the transfer market to relatively little effect.

Now, after their four-point sanction for breaking Premier League financial rules, Forest find themselves inside the relegation zone ahead of the final international break of the season. IAN HERBERT analyses where it all went wrong over three crazy transfer windows.