Scott Hogan has seen enough clean slates to roof a housing estate but the Aston Villa striker is hopeful of a few more as he looks to kickstart a career that has been starved of momentum at club level and with the Republic of Ireland.

Smith, a lifelong Villa fan, leaves Brentford, while Terry moves into coaching having just announced his retirement as a player. Jesus Garcia Pitarch has also been appointed as sporting director.

Bruce had a cabbage thrown at him before last night's game.

“And does it mean anything more than that we have a very good team and an even better manager? Probably not, although I’d like to make the point – not for the first time – that there’s nothing wrong with Britain. It’s just the politicians who keep letting us down.”

Conte has left the Blues 55 days after lifting the FA Cup in his final match in charge - and having taken pre-season training earlier this week.

It was a shameless act. Premeditated. Despicable, disgusting, dastardly. Did he mean it? Of course he did.

Former England captain John Terry will leave Aston Villa this summer.

It may have cost him dearly, but Robbie Henshaw has no regrets over the try he scored against Italy last month even if it reduced him to a watching brief for the next five weeks as Ireland completed the Grand Slam.

Martin O’Neill said recently that he didn’t want to put any undue pressure on Declan Rice to decide his international future.

Chelsea produced the kind of attacking performance in Europe that Manchester United fans were screaming for 24 hours earlier, but found centurion Lionel Messi was still too good for them, as they lost 3-0 in the Nou Camp in what was the harshest of Champions League lessons.

Fantasy Premier League managers everywhere love a good moan about the allocation of bonus points - usually when one of their players gets short-changed. This week was very different, though.

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1 

Do you remember who said: “That five years as an electrician probably just grounded myself”?

Our man inside the game hasn’t too many positive memories of the festive season

Antonio Conte hopes Andreas Christensen can have as successful a career with Chelsea as John Terry.

Chelsea will keep faith with manager Antonio Conte for the long term, according to the club's former captain John Terry.

Birmingham and Aston Villa fought out a goalless draw in an entertaining Sky Bet Championship derby at St Andrew's.

A Cork inventor is stretching more than half the Premier League with his ‘BackBaller’ product now in use by 13 clubs, including giants Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.

The drama came late in Croke Park yesterday, the old promise issued by B-movie producers coming back into vogue at the very end of this camogie All-Ireland senior camogie final.

They are supposed to be embroiled in yet another ‘crisis’ at Stamford Bridge, but a dramatic victory over London rivals Tottenham at Wembley, inspired by two-goal Marcos Alonso, showed pretty emphatically that the Chelsea spirit is very much alive, even in the post-John Terry era.

Tottenham and Chelsea play at Wembley Stadium on Sunday in the Premier League.

Cardiff maintained their 100% start to stay top of the Sky Bet Championship with a 2-0 home win over Sheffield United, but Aston Villa dropped into the relegation zone after losing at Reading.

John Terry insists adding a Championship promotion with Aston Villa to his decorated CV would rival his other significant achievements in the game.

Aston Villa have signed Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan in a deal which could rise to £2m (€2.2m).

Here's your lunchtime news bulletin.

Former England captain John Terry has rejected more lucrative offers from Chelsea’s Premier League rivals to join Championship club Aston Villa on a one-year deal.

Former England and Chelsea captain John Terry has signed a one-year deal with Championship club Aston Villa.

Aston Villa appear close to announcing the signing of John Terry after owner Tony Xia welcomed him to Birmingham on Twitter.

Aston Villa are making a determined effort to bring John Terry to the club.

Everton splashed the cash yesterday, announcing the signing of Ajax attacking midfielder Davy Klaassen for a fee of £23.5m (€26.9m) just hours after they completed the signing of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from Sunderland for a club record £30m (€34.3m) fee.

All the latest transfer rumours from the papers and online.

Chelsea will reach a big moment in their history when they arrive at Wembley today not just because of the opportunity to complete a ‘Double’ but because it marks the first game in a new era without captain John Terry, the man behind so much of their modern success. So, the big question is who will step up to replace him?

Here's your lunchtime news bulletin.

It was truly a Gameweek like no other. Gameweek 37 was a wild ride, as the thrill of massive points totals was tempered with a pang of regret for most. 

John Terry scored for a 17th successive Premier League season as champions Chelsea beat Watford 4-3 courtesy of Cesc Fabregas’ late strike.

Martin O’Neill says he recognises his younger self in Antonio Conte.

John Terry scored for a 17th successive Premier League season as champions Chelsea beat Watford 4-3 courtesy of Cesc Fabregas' late strike.

Cesc Fabregas admitted he feared Michy Batshuayi’s stunning late goal to beat West Brom and secure Chelsea the Premier League title would never come.

If there was any tension remaining in the title race — and let’s be honest there wasn’t a lot — Chelsea’s comfortable victory over Middlesbrough has seen it totally evaporate and opened up an opportunity for Antonio Conte’s side to be crowned champions at West Brom on Friday before rivals Tottenham even kick a ball again.

We’ve all nodded along sagely to warnings that Double Gameweek players don’t necessarily outscore their single-fixture counterparts, but it takes a week like this to make us actually believe it.