Sam Allardyce has said “the fear of relegation” should motivate his Leeds United players to “fight hard” in their bid to avoid dropping out of the Premier League.
In his first game in charge last week, Allardyce saw his new team lose 2-1 at title-chasing Manchester City and, after relegation rivals Everton and Nottingham Forest both picked up victories on Monday, Leeds find themselves second bottom of the table, two points from safety.
Allardyce – who became Leeds' third manager of the season after both Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia were sacked during a disastrous campaign – now has three games left to prevent the dropping down to the second tier.
“What I am hoping for is good mental resilience that allows them to perform at their highest quality,” said Allardyce, who takes on former club Newcastle at Elland Road on Saturday, before facing West Ham United away and then Tottenham Hotspur at home on the final day of the season.
“The fear needs to drive them on. The fear of relegation, the fear of losing their Premier League status, which should make them hopefully fight, and fight hard for their status and their position at Leeds United. But I am very pleased with the attitude of the players.
“We have got nine points to go for. We know if we get nine points, which is a massive ask, we will stay up. If we get six we might do, or maybe if we get five.
“I don't know, but at this moment in time, I want to be still in it when we play Tottenham [in the final game of the season on 28 May]. That's what I want. I would be very satisfied if, when we play Tottenham, we are still in it.
Man City 2 Leeds 1: Player ratings
“I have said it to the players – we can't afford to lose on Saturday.”
Next up for Leeds will the high-flying Magpies, who are third in the table and looking to secure Champions League football next season for the first time since 2004.
“Newcastle have got some talented players on the front three, with more to come on,” said Allardyce, who has also managed Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Bromwich Albion in the English top-flight.
“They have a big goalscorer in Callum Wilson, which we have to manage, but then at the other end you can get in behind them and down the side of Newcastle if you can break through their midfield.
“It depends on our quality when we get to the final third and what we decide to do with that final ball.
“Hopefully, we can have something to go forward with because I would like us to score the first goal if we can, that is very important. Getting the first goal would be a big lift.
“I'm not saying we would win but to go a goal down would be a very difficult job, mentally, for the players to come back from.”
Allardyce's spell on Tyneside was a short one after the club was sold to British businessman Mike Ashley soon after his appointment with the new owner replacing him with local hero Kevin Keegan eight months later.
“It's a long time ago, 2007. Was I disappointed? Yes. What did it do to my career? A massive knock-back, but I always recover and move on,” Allardyce said of his reign that lasted from May 2007 to January 2008.
“In the end, I couldn't avoid a change of ownership, which was unexpected. I have no criticism of Mike Ashley, it was his club and he wanted to do what he wanted to do with it at that time.
“For me, it was a blow to my career at that time because I wanted to take Newcastle as far as I possibly could, like it is doing now. That was the ambition for me and [former chairman] Freddy Shepherd at the time, but it wasn't meant to be.”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Grand slam winners since July 2003
Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam
Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)
Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)
Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)
Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)
Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open)
Gaston Gaudio 1 (1 French Open)
Marat Safin 1 (1 Australian Open)
Juan Martin del Potro 1 (1 US Open)
Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
