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David Warner and Rashid Khan are no longer in the team, but Sunrisers boast a potent bowling attack. Will that be enough?

Shashank Kishore23-Mar-2022

Where they finished

Sunrisers Hyderabad finished last in a season where little went right. David Warner lost his place midway, with Kane Williamson taking over the captaincy. Then there were the off-field murmurs over their handling of Warner and benching of youngsters even after they were eliminated. All of this may have led to Trevor Bayliss’ exit along with a slew of other changes in the coaching staff. This season has started on a controversial note already with Simon Katich resigning as assistant coach after being unhappy over their auction strategy. Can the Sunrisers turn it around on the field?

Potential First XI

1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Umran Malik

Player Availability

Injury management, not player availability, is the bigger concern. Williamson has a long-standing elbow niggle. T Natarajan is returning from long stretches of rehabilitation for knee troubles. Washington Sundar is returning from a hamstring injury he picked up in February during the West Indies ODIs at home. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has also had a troubled two years with various injuries.Related

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Batting

For all their riches earlier, there was a sense of dependency around Warner and Williamson to do the heavy lifting. They’ve given a huge boost to Abdul Samad by retaining him, along with the likes of Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma, who have been bought back. Role clarity will be key for their younger players as they seek to identify a new template that helps them put behind the disappointment of 2021. Rahul Tripathi’s inclusion comes as a massive boost in their quest to identify this early.Aiden Markram and Washington give them multi-skilled abilities, while Pooran, who has had the experience of playing on Indian wickets for a while now, is expected to keep wickets and shore up the middle order.They also have the uniquely different Glenn Phillips. Apart from being an excellent keeper and a bristling batter, he can offer overs of offspin, both with the new ball and at other times, something he has done for New Zealand. This is a definite possibility because the Sunrisers’ squad composition allows them the luxury of picking primarily an Indian attack.Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for IPL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bowling

Bhuvneshwar is the new-ball specialist, Natarajan the death-overs king. Umran Malik’s hustling pace adds to the exciting variety. They have the all-round abilities of Washington, Samad and Markram to boot. Marco Jansen is coming off an impressive maiden home season as an international cricketer, and will be looking to build on his initiation. If they go slightly left-field, they can look at Romario Shepherd, who offers a fast-bowling option and handy lower-order hitting.The absence of a pedigreed legspinner – no Rashid Khan, remember – could be a bit of an issue. They do have Shreyas Gopal in the line-up, but the Karnataka legspinner has been up and down on form, and hasn’t been the same potent force he was with Rajasthan Royals a few years ago. Although this could be an opportunity for him to make a name for himself.

Young Players to Watch Out for

Umran Malik was raw and unpolished when he burst into the scene late last year. Since then, he’s become more aware of his body, the technicalities of his action, load-up, follow through and other areas having trained for a better part of the last three months under National Cricket Academy coaches. He has also been a net bowler with the Indian team, and had a stint with Jammu & Kashmir during the domestic season. Can he build on his impressive initiation?Abhishek Sharma was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning batch of 2018, but hasn’t always garnered the same kind of attention as the more-established Shubman Gill or Prithvi Shaw. Having worked on his bit-hitting – he was always a clean striker – under Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek comes with renewed hope and confidence of impressing, like he has for Punjab in domestic cricket. Key to getting the best out of him will be to give him a role and back him with games, which hasn’t always happened in the past

Coaching staff

Tom Moody (Head coach), Dale Steyn (bowling coach), Brian Lara (batting coach), Muttiah Muralidaran (spin bowling coach), Hemang Badani (fielding coach)

Australia were halfway towards their target to launch a home World Cup campaign with a win before Yadav turned it around

Andrew McGlashan in Sydney21-Feb-20202:47

Spinners can always turn the game for us – Kaur

Alyssa Healy was back in the runs, Australia were halfway towards their target with a run-a-ball needed and eight wickets in hand to launch a home World Cup campaign a long time in the making. Then it all changed.The ball after bringing up her fifty with a six, Healy chipped a flighted leg-break back to Poonam Yadav who held her nerve following a big full toss. From there, Australia’s innings unraveled as she caused havoc with her googly. Yadav, the leading wicket-taker in T20Is over the last two years, picked up three more in her next 11 deliveries and was only denied a hat-trick when wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia made her one mistake on an evening where she was otherwise outstanding behind the stumps.The Law that denied Yadav a fifth wicket

Over 17.3: Poonam Yadav to Gardner, 1 no ball, what was that? Grubber, bounces twice, sneaks through the legs and rattles the timber. Gardner hangs on and chats to the umpire. Since it bounced twice before reaching the crease, it is a no-ball

Law 21.7: Ball bouncing more than once, rolling along the ground or pitching off the pitch: The umpire shall call and signal No ball if a ball which he/she considers to have been delivered, without having previously touched bat or person of the striker…bounces more than once or rolls along the ground before it reaches the popping crease

The fact Australia were all but out of the chase come the last over showed how complete the shift to India had been. In the moment it is easy to overstate the importance of something, but this had the feel of a very significant start to the tournament.With victory in front of a record-breaking crowd for a standalone women’s game in Australia of 13,432 – a healthy proportion cheering for the side in blue – India secured a sizeable step towards making the semi-finals. Conversely, if Australia are going to win a World Cup where there is so much expectation they are going to have to take a much harder route than many envisaged just a few weeks ago. They can’t afford another slip-up now.Not that the result itself should be considered a huge shock. Australia were favourites – rightly so – but only a couple of weeks ago India dusted them up in the tri-series (only to lose a final they probably should have won) and have now beaten them in the last three global events: the match at the 2017 World Cup is famous for Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171, the match at the 2018 T20 World Cup was less significant as it didn’t impact progression for either team – this one feels much closer to the former for impact, although they could yet have to do it again if they want to claim the title.

“She [Poonam Yadav] bowled the first over pretty regulation as a legspinner then slowed it up immensely after that. We probably didn’t adapt well enough.”Alyssa Healy

Yadav had not played in the tri-series earlier this month as she nursed an injured finger on her left hand that remained bandage as she smiled her way through the post-match press conference alongside Kaur. “It is painful, but when I play the match I forget it,” Yadav said. “Bowling-wise I was confident I could bowl at any time.”During her time sidelined, fitness has been her focus which has included a gluten-free diet that hasn’t exactly been to her tastes. “I am surviving on rice which I don’t like at all. [They] scold me saying, “no, you are not allowed to eat gluten.” They take it off my plate, but I understand that they are doing this for the sake of the team.”Poonam Yadav celebrates•Getty ImagesHer absence meant Australia had not seen her recently – last facing her in the group match at the 2018 tournament where she claimed 2 for 28 – and when the injury was referenced to Healy she admitted being unaware, saying she thought the tri-series non-selection may have been tactical. As it’s turned out, maybe it was a useful coincidence for India.”We prepared really well,” Healy said. “She bowled the first over pretty regulation as a legspinner then slowed it up immensely after that. We probably didn’t adapt well enough. We don’t get legspinners coming down at 60kph very often and she’s incredibly skillful.”While Yadav, who was held back until the 10th over, bowled beautifully after the early full toss, the Australians produced some poor batting and were unable to read her wrong ‘un – Rachael Haynes missed by a long way and Ellyse Perry, who slipped down to No. 6 in a curious reshuffle of the batting order, played a loose stroke across the line. Looped up at around 60kph, dipping late on the batters (and even being called no-ball for bouncing twice at one point which denied her a five-wicket haul), it preyed on their eagerness to put bat to ball on a surface that was sluggish and probably aided spinners more than the hosts would have liked.”We went out thinking it was a flat wicket and played some shots we shouldn’t have,” Healy said. “Most of the wickets that fell today were batters playing across the line in both innings, so for us we’ll have a look at that and say we didn’t adapt.””Poonam did a great job for us, credit goes to our bowlers – they trusted themselves and won the game for us,” Kaur said. “She is a very good T20 bowler, she always bowls for the team and it’s not easy to play, she is a little slower in the air. When you have to hit her, you have to show patience and very good skill.”Yadav praised the role played by Narendra Hirwani, the former India legspinner, who is on the team’s coaching staff. “Mentally he helps us a lot. He talks about understanding the bounce. He talks about we all have variations, but when to use them how to use the bounce and the right areas to pitch.”As it is for Australia, this is just one game for India, but given their victory was also fashioned after a top-order collapse, which was repaired by a career-best 49 from Deepti Sharma in the much-criticised middle-order, it was a win that made a statement. The next couple of weeks will show if they live up to it.

TORONTO — Remember, Shohei Ohtani wanted to remain an Angel. Freddie Freeman all but begged to stay in Atlanta. Mookie Betts thought he would spend his entire career in Boston. 

Max Muncy was released by the A’s. Tommy Edman was traded while on the injured list. Blake Snell was available to anyone on the open market—twice. 

And it’s the who are ruining baseball?

Sure, the money helps. The team that is headed to its second straight World Series, and fifth in the last nine years, with a chance to win three in that span, boasts, at $329 million, the highest payroll in the sport. After winning the World Series last season, they added $450 million worth of new players. Their local TV deal pays them $334 million a year, and this year they launched a paid fan club in Japan, with membership tiers ranging up to $500 per person. 

But the No. 2 Mets ($323 million) didn’t make the playoffs. The No. 3 Yankees ($288 million) were bounced in the American League Division Series. And 48% of that TV money and 97% of that fan club money goes into revenue sharing, so everyone else is benefiting from it, too. 

Meanwhile, the Dodgers have given out only three of the top 30 most lucrative deals, and so far all three look worth it: $700 million over 10 years for Ohtani (and that is an unusual case, because 97% of the money is deferred, so the contract functions as a credit card), $365 million over 12 years for Betts and $325 million over 10 years for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani is the biggest star in sports. Betts is a three-time World Series champion, twice for the Dodgers, an eight-time All-Star and a finalist for this year’s National League Gold Glove at shortstop—a position he never played professionally before last season. Yamamoto is their ace and just threw a shutout in the National League Championship Series. 

Mostly the Dodgers excel at evaluating players, and then they excel at developing them. And then, once they’ve done all that, they excel at keeping them. 

Angels owner Arte Moreno, incredibly, reportedly balked at the deal structure Ohtani offered. Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos didn’t want to give Freeman the sixth year he sought. Red Sox owner John Henry—estimated net worth: $5.7 billion—wasn’t interested in coughing up the $350 million or so it would take to lock up the franchise’s best homegrown young player since Ted Williams. Those were all mistakes of evaluation. 

Are Manchester City rediscovering the form that made them simply unstoppable not so long ago?

In the Champions League, the Sky Blues have now accumulated seven points from nine matches, following Tuesday night’s commanding 2-0 victory over Villarreal; Erling Braut Håland and Bernardo Silva on target during the first half at Estadio de la Cerámica.

​​​​​​

Meantime, in the Premier League, having collected 13 points from the last 15 available, the Citizens have climbed up to second, looking to continue their winning streak at Villa Park on Sunday.

Some may argue that Pep Guardiola’s team are over reliant on one player, although what a player to be reliant on, but could the return of an “extraordinary” talent make the goalbot himself truly unstoppable?

How Erling Haaland compares to Europe's best

We all already knew that Håland was a goal-scoring machine, but he may be taking this to a whole new level this season.

He has netted in each of his last nine international outings, scoring 17 times across these matches in total, while Tuesday’s opener in Spain took his tally to 15 club goals for the campaign already.

Håland is currently averaging a goal every 63 minutes in Manchester City colours this season and, at this current rate, he’ll bag 52 in the Premier League alone, annihilating his own single-season record of 36 set in 2022/23.

Across a top five European league and the Champions League, he is actually not the top scorer, level with Kylian Mbappé who also has 15, but both are being outshone by a certain Harry Kane, who is currently on 17.

Nevertheless, Håland’s importance to Manchester City is underlined by the fact he has scored 65% of their Premier and Champions League goals this season, while no other player at the club has scored more than a solitary goal across the two competitions.

So, one could certainly argue that Man City are overly reliant on Håland’s goal but, if you’ve got to be reliant on one player, he isn’t a bad choice.

So now, which forgotten sky blue star could make the Norwegian truly unstoppable?

Manchester City's new "extraordinary" talent

In 2025, Manchester City have spent around £385m on 11 new signings, the majority of whom have made little impact so far.

Omar Marmoush did impress after arriving in January, Gianluigi Donnarumma has instantaneously proved why he is considered to be a world-class goalkeeper, while Tijjani Reijnders has been a useful addition to midfield.

However, could Rayan Cherki, who joined from Olympique Lyonnais in June for £34m, prove to be the best of the bunch?

Since the start of this season, the Frenchman has seen just 80 minutes of action due to a thigh injury, but has come off the bench towards the end of the last two matches against Everton and Villarreal as he eases back to full fitness.

Having joined hometown club Lyon at the age of seven, Cherki has been touted as a talent to watch for many years, making 185 appearances for les Gones, scoring 29 goals and registering 45 assists, despite still only being 22 years old.

Last season was certainly his most productive in Ligue 1, as the table below documents.

As the table highlights, while he is a goal threat and a high-quality dribbler, Cherki is primarily a creator.

In Ligue 1 last season, he ranked first in all sorts of metrics to support this, namely assists, expected assists, big chances created, passes into the opposition penalty area and shot-creating actions, second only to Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.

Following his arrival in the summer, Gillian Kasirye of Total Football Analysis asserted that Cherki is the natural heir to Kevin De Bruyne’s throne as Manchester City’s primary chance creator, ahead of existing players, namely Phil Foden.

Meantime, after the Sky Blues’ 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day of the season, the Frenchman marking his Premier League debut with a goal, Guardiola asserted that his talent is “unbelievable”, adding that his “creativity in the final third [is] extraordinary”.

Well, if this rocket against Spain during June’s Nations League semi-finals in Stuttgart doesn’t underline what Cherki is capable of, nothing will!

Thus, following an injury-blighted start to life in Manchester, the Frenchman, on his way back to full fitness, will be looking to start making a serious impact.

For now, he’ll probably become a mere member of the fabled “Pep rotation” alongside Foden, Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and others.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Nevertheless, based on his talent, Cherki should be right at the front of the queue for starting minutes and, if he rediscovers last season’s creative numbers, Håland will become truly unstoppable, if he isn’t already.

100% dribbles, 5 key passes: 8/10 Man City star showed he's "Sane-esque"

Manchester City beat Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and one of Pep Guardiola’s stars underlined that he is Leroy Sané-esque.

By
Ben Gray

Oct 22, 2025

Liverpool have now received the green light to make their move for a defensive reinforcement in the January transfer window, according to reports.

Slot: Teams "think they can get a result" against Liverpool

It wasn’t a disaster at Anfield as Liverpool came from behind to rescue a draw against Sunderland, but it was hardly an inspiring performance from the Premier League champions yet again.

Despite breaking their transfer record to sign Alexander Isak in the summer, the Swede was back to his subdued ways just days after netting his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham United. And whilst Florian Wirtz at least played a part in the equaliser and looked bright throughout, Liverpool’s attack was a far cry from their scintillating best of past campaigns.

What should concern Arne Slot the most is his own admission that teams now believe they can “get a result” against his Liverpool side. That should never be the case at the home of the champions, but the Dutchman also denied that Anfield’s fear factor has evaporated this season.

He told reporters: “No, not Anfield. For sure. But it’s clear that teams that play us now think they can get a result. Not only think, because that has been shown this season.

“And even in the games we’ve won, they also fuelled the confidence for other teams like, ‘Hmm, something is possible’ because the wins we had at the beginning of the season weren’t easy ones as well.”

The only positive for Slot to take from the Sunderland game is that his side, whilst found wanting in attack, were harder to break down defensively. With fixtures coming thick and fast, that defensive foundation will be important but so will any depth that Liverpool add in that area in January, especially if they sign Joel Ordonez.

Liverpool receive green light to make Ordonez move

As reported by TeamTalk, Liverpool have received a green light to make their move for Ordonez after maintaining contact with the defender’s camp. Racing alongside Tottenham Hotspur in pursuit of the Club Brugge defender, the Reds could land an ideal alternative for Marc Guehi.

Fewer touches than Alisson & only 2 passes: Liverpool flop must be dropped

Arne Slot has a huge call to make about one player after his showing for Liverpool last night.

2 ByEthan Lamb Dec 4, 2025

Despite reportedly reopening talks to sign the Crystal Palace man, Liverpool may be forced to wait until next summer when his contract expires to secure his signature. If that does prove to be the case, then those at Anfield should turn to Ordonez.

Although Como scout Ben Mattinson aired caution around Ordonez’s “aggressive” nature last year, it’s the exact trait that Liverpool have been lacking this season. The Reds have been physically outmatched and the arrival of the 21-year-old would go a long way towards solving that problem.

Jamie Carragher slams £280k-p/w Liverpool star who had no "excuses" vs Sunderland

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy will have plenty of big decisions to make on Thursday night when Italian giants Roma come to Parkhead in the Europa League.

It will be the Frenchman’s second match in charge of the Hoops and his first ever game in a European competition, having only managed in the MLS previously.

The former Columbus Crew head coach implemented his 3-4-2-1 system in a 2-1 defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, and will have learned a lot about which of his players do and do not suit certain roles.

Ranking the worst Celtic performers against Hearts

Football FanCast have already suggested that the new manager should drop Arne Engels from the team, because he gave the ball away a staggering 23 times, per Sofascore.

The Belgian midfielder was hugely ineffective in the middle of the park, but he was not the only one, as Benjamin Nygren did not create a single chance for the team in 65 minutes on the pitch.

1

Arne Engels

2

Sebastian Tounekti

3

Daizen Maeda

4

Liam Scales

5

Benjamin Nygren

As you can see in the table above, we have ranked Daizen Maeda in third, despite missing two ‘big chances’ (Sofascore), because he did assist Kieran Tierney’s goal by winning a header.

Liam Scales was also among the worst performers on the day, losing 100% (1/1) of his ground duels, and losing possession 15 times as a centre-back, per Sofascore.

Sebastian Tounekti, meanwhile, was the second-worst performer after Engels. The Tunisia international was given a 3/10 player rating by 67HailHail, and he should be dropped against Roma, as Hyun-jun Yang has proven himself to be a better option.

Why Sebastian Tounekti should be dropped

The summer signing from Hammarby should be ruthlessly dropped by Nabcy because his performances have not been good enough of late for the Scottish giants.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

In the summer, journalist Anders Lindberg claimed that Tounekti has “the X Factor”. That was clear to see in his early outings for the club, as he completed five dribbles and created four chances, per Sofascore, on his debut against Kilmarnock.

Tounekti followed up on that promising debut with a goal against Partick Thistle in the League Cup in his second match for the Hoops, which only heightened the excitement around him at Parkhead.

Unfortunately, the 23-year-old forward has done very little since his first couple of appearances for Celtic. He is currently on a run of eight matches without a goal contribution, and has not assisted a goal in 18 matches for the club so far, per Sofascore.

Tounekti was subbed off after 59 minutes against Hearts so that Yang could switch over to the left side to play as the left wing-back, instead of on the right, and their recent performances suggest that he would be a better option there.

Goals

0

1

Key passes

2

1

Assists

0

0

Dribbles completed

3/13

6/10

Duels won

12/35

22/39

As you can see in the table above, the South Korean international has been significantly more effective in his physical duels and in his dribbles, which suggests that he is better suited to playing as a wing-back.

In this new role created by Nancy’s system, there is more of an onus on the player in that position to carry the ball up the pitch and to compete in more physical duels, which Yang is more equipped to do.

Tounekti, unfortunately, has failed to prove that he can be relied upon to be efficient in his duels or as an offensive threat, with his lack of goals and assists, as well as his struggles in physical contests with opposition defenders.

This is why he should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting line-up by Nancy for this clash with Roma on Thursday in the Europa League, with Yang moved over to the left.

Worse than Maeda: Nancy must drop Celtic flop who lost the ball 23 times

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy must drop this flop who was even worse than Daizen Maeda against Hearts.

ByDan Emery Dec 8, 2025

That would then open up a space on the right flank for another player to be brought in and given a chance to impress the new boss, who is still learning about his players.

Eight matches into his Rangers tenure, is Danny Röhl any closer to figuring out which players he can trust and who he cannot?

On Thursday night, the Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Braga at Ibrox, despite taking the lead through James Tavernier’s spot-kick in first half stoppage time; the fact that only 38,014 spectators were in attendance encapsulates the mood.

So, with just one point on the board after five games, a frankly pitiful effort, unless they somehow manage to beat Ferencváros, Ludogorets Razgrad and then Porto, which seems unlikely if we’re being honest, the Gers’ Europa League adventure will be coming to a premature end in January, having got all the way to last season’s quarter-finals.

This will allow them to concentrate on domestic matters, which may be a good thing, given that they’ve slipped down to fifth in the Premiership table, despite having won all four league matches since Röhl’s arrival in Glasgow.

So, ahead of a visit from Falkirk, who would actually leapfrog their hosts with a shock victory at Ibrox on Sunday, what changes should the German head coach make?

Youssef Chermiti's uninspiring form

Back on Monday, it was announced that both chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been sacked, after overseeing a chaotic summer of recruitment, with the £8m, potentially rising to £10m, paid to sign Youssef Chermiti among the more egregious and baffling of their decisions.

So far, he has scored just one goal for the club, on target against Kilmarnock last month, already surpassing his tally of zero goals during two seasons at Everton, also brought to Merseyside by Thelwell for £14m when he was working at Goodison.

Aside from his lack of goals, the striker simply isn’t offering enough, often allowing matches to pass him by and putting in anonymous performances.

Following this week’s draw with Braga, Mark Atkinson of the Scotsman asserted that he is driving supporters ‘demented’, adding that he ‘spurned a couple of presentable’ opportunities and is so far proving to be a mere baffling expensive purchase.

So, ahead of a sequence of three Premiership matches in seven days, facing Falkirk, Dundee United and then Kilmarnock, Chermiti should be stood down and Röhl must instead deploy the “best player in the league” up front.

Rangers' superior Chermiti alternative

Of the 13 players Rangers signed in the summer, many are young and inexperienced, hoping to grow and improve in the coming years, but Bojan Miovski was supposed to be a ready-made starter, brought in to produce right away.

The 26-year-old, returning to Scottish football after a season at Girona, is a proven goalscorer at both club and international level, bagging his ninth goal for North Macedonia against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium earlier this month.

Meantime, at club level, prior to his season in Catalonia, he had been outstanding during two years at Aberdeen, as the table below documents.

Bojan Miovski’s stats for Aberdeen

Stats

Miovski

Appearances

98

Goals

44

European goals

4

Goals vs Rangers

4

Goals vs Celtic

3

Shots on target per 90

1.1

Big chances missed

31

Average rating

6.9

Stats via Transfermarkt & SofaScore

As the table makes clear, Miovski was an elite-level finisher during his time at Pittodrie, scoring 32 Premiership goals, while his strike rate in Europe as well as against the two Glasgow giants underlines his quality.

Then-teammate Nicky Devlin asserted that Miovski was “the best player in the league in his position”, firing the Dons to a third place finish in 2022/23, before being sold for £6.8m, the Dons’ record outgoing transfer.

However, we are yet to see very much of that from Miovski in a Rangers jersey, scoring his first goal for the club against Hibs in the League Cup, while his only Premiership goal came at Falkirk Stadium in October, the day Russell Martin was sacked.

Since the appointment of Röhl, the North Macedonian has featured in all eight matches but has started just once, this coming at Dens Park before the international break, substituted at half time with the Light Blues leading Dundee 2-0.

So, for whatever reason, the German head coach appears to favour Chermiti and Danilo, despite the fact that Miovski is a proven goalscorer at both Premiership and European level, something this team desperately needs given that, 26 matches into this campaign, Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama are the only squad members who have four or more goals to their name.

Thus, when Falkirk visit Ibrox this weekend, surely Röhl has to bring Miovski back into his XI, ditching the ineffective Chermiti, with the former looking to net as he did against the Bairns once again, just as he did in Stirlingshire just last month.

Related Not just Djiga: Thelwell flop who lost ball 17x looks finished at Rangers

Rangers’ wait for a first Europa League victory goes on, held to a 1-1 draw by Braga at Ibrox, and a summer signing was just as bad as Nasser Djiga.

Posts ByBen Gray Nov 28, 2025

Manchester United are four games unbeaten in the Premier League. Since Ruben Amorim last tasted defeat, Anfield has been conquered, and it was goals galore during that thrilling win over Brighton at Old Trafford.

Here have been the first baby steps in a long and arduous journey toward the future, and with that exciting thought dancing at the back of the fans’ minds, we are inevitably turned back to the past.

Because it’s been a long, long time since the Red Devils enjoyed consistency at the top of the table, battling year on year for the biggest titles. Sir Alex Ferguson has not celebrated a Premier League or Champions League title from the stands.

If Amorim hopes to lead United back to such elusive glory, he will need more than just a string of favourable results to his name. He will need to rethread the Fergie feeling into the club’s DNA.

Curiously, there are signs this is taking place, with a number of United stars showing elements of that bygone era in recent weeks.

The Fergie-esque Man Utd stars

Topically, Amad Diallo would fancy himself worthy of a place in one of Ferguson’s one-time squads. The Ivory Coast international has developed something of a penchant for late goals, after all.

In fact, all ten of Amad’s Premier League goals have come in the second half.

However, he’s not alone in that regard. The frontline has been a place of contention for the Theatre of Dreams in recent years, and especially so since Amorim arrived and ousted the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho.

Matheus Cunha looks a cut above, and even though the Brazilian has not yet found his Midas touch in front of goal, his quality is undeniable, with writer Wayne Burton claiming he has the “potential to be an all-timer”, so talented that he might be “the best player we’ve had since Fergie retired”.

Lofty praise, but undoubtedly wearing a ring of truth. This is all to say that there are promising signs at Old Trafford. Bryan Mbeumo looks a star, and given that he has singled out Cristiano Ronaldo as one of his biggest influences, you can see him succeeding in the long run. The Cameroonian plays with the same kind of robust potency as CR7 once did when cutting his teeth under Fergie’s wing.

United still need to make more improvements though, and the current struggles of wing-back Diogo Dalot emphasise the need for new blood on the flanks to help Amorim realise his lofty ambitions.

Once, Gary Neville dominated for the elite outfit; so underrated nowadays, the retired Three Lions star is one of the finest full-backs of his generation.

Dalot, 26, doesn’t look like he’s going to make that grade after once arriving from Porto as a teenager with such promise.

He’s not the only one, though. This is a recurring problem, and one which recalls a time when Sir Alex felt he had landed the next version of Neville, only for this player to fail to kick on.

The Fergie flop who was billed as the next Neville

The Fergie era at Manchester United was defined by meteoric highs. On the transfer front, the Red Devils had the ascendancy within the English game, but a few potential stars fell by the wayside.

One of which would be Rafael Da Silva, who did spend seven seasons at Old Trafford after graduating from the Carrington ranks, but perhaps failed to ever reach the potential his manager saw in him.

Time was when Rafael was viewed as having the potential to become a superstar. He and his twin brother Fabio had been brought over from Brazilian club Fluminense in February 2007, and he would make 170 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals and supplying 14 assists.

Rafael’s time at the club could hardly be defined as a failure, but he probably served as more of a bit-part player than an instrumental cog in the machine.

14/15

10

590′

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19

1,418′

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28

2,317′

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12

914′

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16

1,201′

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8

682′

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16

1,055′

A three-time Premier League champion he may be, but Ferguson believed he was destined for greatness. The retired manager said in 2012, “I think Rafael will eventually be compared to Gary Neville.”

This didn’t end up being the case. Rafael ended up leaving when under louis van Gaal’s management, at odds with the Dutch manager, and several contentious career events beforehand, coupled with injuries, left his former manager’s prediction untrue.

There’s no question that he is fondly remembered, even considered by some supporters to be something of a cult hero, but Rafael was abundantly talented, and there really was a chance that he could have filled the void that was left when Neville wound down.

A fearless and tenacious attitude, coupled with a burning desire to make things happen and excite the crowd, won the Manchester crowds over instantly, and maybe why we look back now with an air of ruefulness about Rafael’s fizzled-out finish at the club, leaving for French side Lyon in 2015 for a small £2.5m fee.

In any case, it’s funny that you might say his robust and dynamic profile would be well-suited to the current Amorim-led system, but this only emphasises the need for a Neville-esque figure to ensure this new chapter at the club keeps moving forward after such interminable turmoil.

Because sadly, it feels like Dalot has fallen down a similar route, with content creator Liam Canning saying recently that the Portugual international is “becoming a worry long term”, given that he “doesn’t look like he suits the wing back role”.

Neville might be modest about his ability as a Premier League footballer, but it would take to knock him off that all-timer pedestal.

Carrington's "best talent" is a big Sesko upgrade in the making at Man Utd

Manchester United could yet improve further in attack under Amorim’s wing.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 3, 2025

Hurricane Milton left a path of destruction in its wake across Florida. Among the areas impacted by the Category 3 hurricane was Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to Marc Topkin of the , the damage to the stadium is still being assessed, though it's been made clear that the Rays won't be able to play at the stadium on Opening Day in 2025, which is scheduled for March 27.

Among the areas of the stadium most impacted by the storm was the roof, which was massively disfigured by Hurricane Milton, as well as some of the team offices, which Topkin indicated sustained "extensive" damage.

Topkin reports that it's not immediately clear where the team will play at the start of next year, nor how long they'll be displaced as the stadium undergoes repairs. It's possible they'll play at a nearby minor league stadium, though they'd likely need to play in a stadium that has a roof, something most minor league parks lack.

It seems, as more information about the condition of Tropicana Field is discovered, that the Rays have another potential obstacle to overcome before the start of next season, which figure to have significant impacts on the upcoming campaign.

Brathwaite scored just 0 and 7 in Grenada following 4 and 4 in Barbados with Sammy acknowledging a discussion would be had about his spot for Jamaica

Alex Malcolm07-Jul-2025

West Indies coach Daren Sammy says there will be a serious discussion around Kraigg Brathwaite’s position ahead of the Jamaica Test, while remaining hopeful that his struggling batting group can find a way to back up the performances of the fast bowlers following a series-conceding defeat to Australia in Grenada.West Indies were bundled for 143 in the fourth innings, chasing 277 to win, on the fourth day with the margin of victory flattered slightly by Shamar Joseph’s late-innings hitting in the same manner it was in the first Test in Barbados.The hosts’ top order was against steamrolled by Australia’s relentless fast-bowling cartel, slumping to 33 for 4 at lunch on the fourth day. But while West Indies’ top-order struggles have mirrored Australia’s, the middle and lower-order were unable to rescue them as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood ripped the game away in a six-over burst in the middle session to leave West Indies 99 for 7 and without a recognised batter left.Related

Starc, Hazlewood make quick work of West Indies to help Australia retain Frank Worrell Trophy

Lights for Sabina Park day-night Test need final approval

Sammy acknowledged that there was pressure on former captain Brathwaite, who is the only West Indies batter not to reach double-figures in the series to date. His 100th Test was a forgettable one, with scores of just 0 and 7 following 4 and 4 in Barbados. Brathwaite averages 18.68 in his last 35 Test innings with just three half-centuries.”He hasn’t looked good this series, and in a team where you are searching for performances, you get very close to say ‘okay, do we give somebody else a chance?'” Sammy said after the loss in Grenada. “But we will really have a good discussion, myself, the selection group, and the captain himself, about that particular situation.”Sammy conceded that it was a tough ask for his batting line-up to handle Australia’s attack on the two pitches that have been presented in the series so far and noted that most of the new-look line-up were at the start of a journey to becoming a more reliable Test batting unit. But he cited the example of Steven Smith in terms of how to make technical adaptations on a difficult surface to have success.1:08

Starc stars from around the wicket

“But I do understand the journey that I took on, and Rome is not going to be built in a day. So a little bit of patience, a little bit of reality as to where we are at is something that we are aware of, and then continue to put in the work.”The way the guys have bought into what we’re trying to do, yes, the results have not shown, but some of the attitudes that are changing and understanding what we’re trying to do, it gives me hope.”Sammy said there was a need for first-class pitches in the Caribbean to be better so that West Indies could produce some stronger batting stocks for Test cricket.”It’s hard to produce the quality of batters that we want to compete,” Sammy said. “When you look at the surfaces that we play on, it’s hard. If you look at all the averages, we barely have guys averaging 40-plus in [first-class] cricket. Those type of pitches, it doesn’t allow you to come up technically sound, because you’re really unsure. There’s always doubt. And in an ideal world, you want to see our guys perform because of, not in spite of.”It’s something myself, the director of cricket, the franchise system, we’ve looked at very, very closely in trying to change that, trying to send the head groundsmen all over, trying to get the sort of wickets that allow batters to trust their techniques and stuff like that. And we also have some probably technical deficiencies that carry on from the Under-19, the youth level up to the national team.”In spite of all of that, we still find ourselves in positions to win and compete, and that’s where you will need more of the mental toughness of the game to restrict you from getting too ahead of your stroke-play and show a little bit more fight and understand that we are playing against the No. 1 team, and be a little tighter, and when opportunities present to score then we do that.”1:36

Cummins heaps praise on ‘warrior’ Starc and ‘prolific’ Carey

Sammy was delighted with his team’s bowling performance overall after they bowled Australia out for 286 and 243 in Grenada to give themselves a chance at victory, although he was hopeful they could tighten the screws against the visitors’ middle order, having twice let Australia off the hook following early breakthroughs.”For some reason, after lunch, that session, whether we bat or bowl, we’ve been really poor,” Sammy said. “If you put our bowling between yesterday’s last 12 overs and this morning’s session, however many we bowled, this is a level of consistency we look at.”Our bowling, we can’t fault them, they’ve gotten 40 wickets. I don’t know when last we got 40 wickets against a top-three team in two Test matches. So the bowlers are doing the job.”Like Australia, Sammy said his side had yet to procure any pink Dukes balls ahead of the day-night pink-ball Test in Jamaica. But despite some concerns surrounding the preparation of the ground at Sabina Park, Sammy said it would be a historic event and was confident the match would be played under lights as planned.