Big Sam says England job is his ‘biggest challenge’, Yeovil Town Ladies striker to miss season through pregnancy and Didier Drogba hat-trick inspires cringe-inducing commentary…

1. Sam Allardyce has been officially unveiled as the new England manager and has described his appointment as the ‘biggest challenge’ of his managerial career. The former Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers boss also went on to describe his man management skills as his ‘biggest asset’.

2. The first ever Manchester derby to be played outside of England has been postponed due to safety concerns after heavy rainfall rendered the pitch unplayable, forcing the friendly between United and City to be cancelled.

3. Outgoing Hull City manager Steve Bruce claims he left the newly promoted Tigers for ‘the sake of the club’, and also used a statement as an opportunity to thank the fans for their ‘unwavering support’.

4. Former Partick Thistle defender Jordan McMillan who was given a ban for testing positive for cocaine during a drugs test has had the ban, which was due to end in December, reduced, meaning he is now free to resume training.

5. 25-year-old Yeovil Town Ladies striker, the leading goalscorer in this season’s WSL Two, will miss the remainder of the season as she has confirmed she is pregnant.

6. They say real men wear pink, and if this theory holds true Celtic must be the manliest side in Britain as they have unveiled their very pink third choice kit (DailyRecord).

7. Somebody must have shown the aforementioned pink kit to new Celtic signing Kolo Touré, as the former Arsenal and Liverpool man looks thrilled to have joined the Parkhead club (WhoAteAllThePies).

8. British comedian and host of ‘Last Week Tonight’ John Oliver is a big Liverpool fan. Here he is encouraging fans in America – where he now resides as the host of a popular TV series – to watch his beloved Reds if only to watch Jürgen Klopp’s animated antics on the touchline (RollingStone).

9. Try as they might it seems Major League Soccer commentators just can’t compete with their European and South American counterparts. This celebration of Didier Drogba’s hat-trick for Montreal Impact just cringe-inducing (Mirror).

10. And finally…Lionel Messi has joined the ranks of elite footballers who for some reason best known to themselves thought dying their hair blonde was a good idea (Joe.ie).

By Chris Horricks (@chrishorricks31).