News about Paul Lambert

The surreal and the all too real collided over three days in Dortmund. It may be best to focus first on the former as reality can bite. And it did with some ferocity in the Westfalen stadium. But, first, the scenes before the mauling were of gaudy expectation, inventive organisation and premature celebration. There is a constant question on such a trip: how did we get here?

A volleyball pro is among eleven people who have been charged with attempting to smuggle 300 kilos of cannabis into the UK over the span of two days.  Athlete, Raekelle Powell, 22, was one of several people apprehended after allegedly trying to smuggle class B drugs into the country via Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The Canadian, who was flying from Toronto to Britain last Saturday, was the third person to be arrested that day for smuggling, after 19 kilos of cannabis was found in her suitcases.

A team of Manchester United legends, managed by former captain Bryan Robson, will return to Old Trafford on Saturday. They will face a Celtic side managed by Paul Lambert, in a match that will raise money for the Manchester United foundation.  The team includes some members of United's Treble-winning side in 1999, as well as stars who enjoyed success under Sir Alex Ferguson in the 2000s and early 2010s.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY CRAIG HOPE: If Dortmund's journey to this final is storied and heroic, it still does not compare to that of Lambert's own odyssey from unknown and unemployed to Champions League winner in just 10 months. It is remarkable that the tale has never been dramatised on screen - 'Martin Compston could play me, I think' - but at least that means Lambert can relive his adventure with us. It is one of implausible odds, beginning in the summer of 1996. So, who and what was Paul Lambert back then? 'Skint, for starters!' he says. 'I was actually tapping my mum and dad for a few quid. My dad was a roof tiler and my mum a housewife - and their son, the footballer, is asking them for money!'

On Mail Sport's podcast It's All Kicking Off, Chris Sutton has selected his top five British footballers to play abroad. With the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham flying the flag in both Bundesliga and LaLiga respectively, there's a lot of debate to be had over the best exports from these shores. Two Welshmen appear in Sutton, and his former colleague Paul Lambert makes the cut for his Borussia Dortmund heroics.

IAN HERBERT: Most players will not know that they have been given a coveted and indelible position in what will be a crucial volume of football social history this week amid the countless glories of a Premier League career, the opulent wealth, the sculpted brands, and the PR gloss. In the 2024 Panini sticker book, which was released on Wednesday, it might not seem much now - a 10cm by 5cm head shot. But, in years to come, the fortunate few will see it as something that captures them at an extraordinary moment in their lives - young, vibrant, fresh-faced, believing.

Pedro Martins and Ruben Amorim, two of the early front-runners for Wolves' jobs, are among the job candidates. Both have the required qualifications. They are Portuguese. Steve Davis and James Collins are the current team's leaders for the time being. Just by their names, you can tell they will have a problem surviving in these senior roles long-term. Davis was the former boss of Leyton Orient and Crewe, where Collins was his assistant. They work as a team from under-18 to under-21, and together they are responsible for the final development of Wolves' age group teams. And, at that time, Wolves also use for English coaches. However, the first-team hasn't had an English manager since Terry Connor left at the end of the 2011-12 season, or a British one since Paul Lambert's departure in 2017. Wolves had a handful of Portuguese players back then, but none of whom were particularly important.

IAN LADYMAN: Reece James of Chelsea is a better nuts and bolts full back and should therefore be selected ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in Gareth Southgate's World Cup team. It will be on the back of defensive stability if England does well in Qatar.

BY IAN LADYMAN: BY IAN LADYMAN: Gabriel Agbonlahor knew the storm was coming because American news network CNN said they wanted to get him on air. 'The day it all happened CNN wanted to do a live Skype?' Agbonlahor says so. 'I just thought: "What's going on? Have I offended the president or something?" Agbonlahor, formerly of Aston Villa and now of talkSPORT, did not upset America's president. But Jurgen Klopp, the king of Liverpool, had riled him.

Nottingham Forest's return to the Premier League after 23 years apart would not be dull. Steve Cooper's side's transfer operation remains to be one of the summer's best news, with eyebrows raging throughout English football. The former Wolves starlet was the 16th new arrival at the City Ground, raising their outlay up to £150 million as they announced the club's record signing of Morgan Gibbs-White for £42.5 million.