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Fifties from Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Asghar Afghan helped them go 142 ahead before getting the wicket of William Porterfield

The Report by Varun Shetty16-Mar-2019Stumps
Ireland made a brief comeback but the late wicket of captain William Porterfield followed an Asghar Afghan counterattack to dull the effect in a session where six wickets fell. Asghar made 67, batting mostly with the lower order, and helped Afghanistan go 142 ahead. In response, Ireland were 22 for 1 with Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie at the crease.The Afghanistan captain was aggressive as his team fell from 226 for 3 to 280 for 8, before digging into the spinners and switching to a full-blown attack. He hit three sixes and a four – stepping out for each one of them and going straight – as he stretched the score to 311 before edging Stuart Thompson behind. Asghar made 31 off his last 21 balls.At the start of that collapse, Rahmat Shah fell agonisingly short of a historic maiden century – it would have been Afghanistan’s first in Tests – when he chopped Tim Murtagh on for 98, but his 130-run stand with Hashmatullah Shahidi had put Afghanistan firmly ahead by then. The pair, arguably Afghanistan’s best batsmen, used the middle session to dominate an Irish attack that had kept them to 20 off 16 overs in the first hour of the day. That plan from Ireland – full and straight – proved unsustainable as the first session went on, and completely came apart in the second.Rahmat had hit 15 boundaries and looked in complete control before chasing Murtagh’s short and wide ball, following an extended stop in play as Ireland waited for a helmet to come on for their close-in fielder. The inside edge hit off stump, a moment that left everyone in the Afghanistan camp shaking their heads.Rahmat Shah chops on•Getty ImagesJust as Afghanistan had failed to manage the game in the middle session on Friday, so did Ireland on Saturday. And Rahmat made use of that period with efficiency, playing close to his body for the most part, but attacking in bursts as the spinners seemed to lose control. At one point, he hit five boundaries in four overs, including two elegant drives either side of extra-cover – shots that had earlier seemed impossible on this track. Between those cover drives, he smashed a short ball past mid-on to take Afghanistan into the lead shortly after the pair had brought up 100 for the third wicket.It was a dominant phase in the middle of the day, with even the watchful Shahidi opening up to pick up boundaries with ease. Most of these came against James Cameron-Dow who consistently bowled short deliveries through the day, allowing both batsmen to escape any pressure from a pitch that was slowly showing signs of sharp turn. So off-colour was Cameron-Dow that after going steadily for over five an over, he resorted to a leg-side line against Rahmat. In the 79th over, this cost him: umpire Richard Illingworth deemed it negative bowling and called him for wides three balls in a row.But there was an unlikely upside. Afghanistan’s willingness to push the rate opened up a vulnerability and when Andy McBrine was brought on to replace Cameron-Dow, his floaty middle-stump ball caught a sweeping Shahidi on the back leg. Batsmen found it increasingly difficult to get in after that. Immediately after Rahmat’s wicket, Mohammad Nabi flicked a leg-stump half-volley to square leg, and McBrine returned again to completely tie up Ikram Ali Khil. After a lot of indecisive footwork, the left-hander ended up yorking himself against McBrine, who looked by far Ireland’s best bowler on the day with his attacking lines to both right- and left-hand batsmen.Rashid Khan and Asghar made it clear they would look to make quick runs and push the lead up, but George Dockrell stopped Rashid in his tracks. After being hit for 10 off 2, including an inside-out six that was one of the best plays of the day, Dockrell slid an arm ball past Rashid’s inside edge to trap him in front. But Ireland couldn’t stop the bleeding and the lead – just a touch over 100 at that point – grew to an imperious figure.

The Test specialists, who will be involved later, shouldn’t have a problem, but the ODI regulars might be undercooked, feels Bangladesh coach

Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2019Bangladesh are headed for New Zealand next month, but might not have the ideal preparation for the tour, according to their coach Steve Rhodes.Their top players currently engaged in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which is being played in conditions vastly different from those they will encounter on their travels. The BPL will end on February 8, and Bangladesh’s warm-up game in Lincoln is slotted for February 10, followed by the first ODI on February 13 in Napier.The group stage of the BPL finishes on February 2, and the touring players whose teams will exit the tournament then will leave for Christchurch early. The players who will be playing in the knockout stage, meanwhile, are likely to miss the practice match and get straight into the three-match ODI series, which will be followed by a series of three Test matches.Rhodes accepted that the team could have trained in more appropriate conditions before the tough tour, but were left with no choice.”Let’s keep that quiet from the New Zealanders that we’ve been playing on these wickets,” he joked. “It is far from ideal preparation, the way that we go straight from the BPL into ODIs in New Zealand. But what can we do about it? This tournament is a fantastic tournament, it needed fitting in, and it was the only slot available. We understand that, [those of us] involved in the national team, and we’ll deal with that.”We know that the preparation is going to be very rushed for the ODIs against New Zealand but we’ll put up with that and we’ll give it our best shot and try and win the games that are put in front of us. The Test boys are different. They’ve got a little bit longer to prepare and acclimatise in New Zealand, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”Rhodes suggested that the performances in the BPL shouldn’t be an indicator for judging the quality of the players.Soumya Sarkar works one on the off side•AFP”I don’t think we should get too carried away with the performances in BPL, whether the players do well or not so well. It’s a very different format to 50 overs,” he argued. “We have been doing quite well recently in ODIs, so I’m not getting too carried away. It doesn’t reflect too much on selection for World Cup, but it doesn’t do any harm if you play well in this tournament.”One point of concern is that Rajshahi Kings had dropped Soumya Sarkar, the top-order batsman, from their last game after he returned 35 runs in five innings. Sarkar, however, will be on the trip to New Zealand.”Most of the (franchise) owners are Bangladeshi and therefore you would think they have a strong interest in playing Bangladeshi players. But, having said that, they are here to win as well and if it means that some of the foreign stars get a go and Soumya doesn’t, then that’s because maybe Soumya hasn’t scored the runs that they wanted,” said Rhodes.”I can understand it, you can only play so many players, and it’s up to Soumya and others to make sure they stay in that team and do well.”On the subject of Sarkar, Rhodes said that the player must also try and figure out what role he wants to see himself in. “He is a player that can play all formats, he can bat in lots of different positions. I think, sometimes, being the player that does that, sometimes you don’t quite nail that position. Is he an opener, is he a middle-order player, is he an all-rounder?”Those are the questions that still remain maybe unanswered. There is only one guy who can answer that and that’s Soumya, to hopefully get some consistency and success regularly in one position. But he’s a very good player to have because of that simple fact that he could do several things.”

Arsenal have seemingly been offered the chance to sign a bargain alternative to Brentford star Ivan Toney, with the player's agent reaching out for talks.

Edu's rumoured transfer plans for January

The Gunners, according to recent reports, have their eyes on a new marksman and midfield replacement for Thomas Partey next month. Arsenal are not traditionally busy in the January window, but as they chase a first Premier League title in 20 years, that could soon change.

Arsenal could sign "dream" £50m striker in repeat of Rice masterclass

The 26-year-old could be the clinical striker Arsenal need this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 18, 2023

Sporting director Edu's "dream" target for midfield is Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa (Fabrizio Romano), though a deal may be very difficult to do mid-season so other more affordable options like Monaco ace Youssouf Fofana could come into play (Ryan Taylor, via FootballFanCast).

Meanwhile, in the striker position, it's reported that Arsenal are keen on signing a proven goalscorer next month, as their only senior options are Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus right now. Manager Mikel Arteta is a rumoured admirer of Toney to upgrade Arsenal's front line. The 27-year-old, who was prolific for Brentford last season, stands out as the most regularly-linked number nine.

Ivan Toney

90min

Dusan Vlahovic

Football Transfers

Marcos Leonardo

90min

Santiago Gimenez

TV Play

Boulaye Dia

Le Cronache

Some reports suggest Arsenal have held talks with Toney's agents over a possible January move, but Sky Sports claim he'll cost a seismic £100 million. A fee that high would be a huge challenge for Edu and co to navigate, especially factoring in FFP and their £200m-plus spending in the summer window.

Arsenal offered Guirassy chance

Now, according to 90min, it appears Arsenal could be offered a chance to sign Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy as a cheaper alternative. The Guinea international, who's bagged 16 goals in just 13 Bundesliga appearances this term, is in fantastic form and his entourage are now contacting clubs to discuss a January deal.

One of them is Arsenal, with Guirassy's agents now reaching out to the north Londoners in an attempt to get their client a big move away mid-season.

The prolific forward's contract also contains a £15m release clause, which could come as a very enticing fee considering Guirassy's form this season. He's been called "outrageous" by reporter Seb Stafford-Bloor, while other members of the press claim half of England are currently weighing up a move for Guirassy.

"The race to sign Guirassy is getting quite interesting because half the Premier League are now considering whether they should be signing him in January," added journalist Dean Jones on GiveMeSport recently.

"But I’m learning that this will probably come down to big pay offers. The release clause makes an actual transfer relatively easy to get going, but because of that, the player himself will probably be looking for a handsome package that lands in his account, and as such, I think it’ll come down to who can put the best terms on the table.

"But he’s on fire, a European boot contender, and goals are hard to find these days at the top level.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta quinta-feira, na Fazendinha, em São Paulo, Corinthians e Atlético-MG fizeram o primeiro jogo da semifinal do Brasileirão sub-20 e o resultado foi um empate em 1 a 1, que acabou sendo um ótimo placar para os visitantes, que perdiam por 1 a 0 até os 42 minutos do segundo tempo, quando Wesley igualou. Já o gol do Timão foi marcado por Cauê, no início da primeira etapa.

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TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

GALERIA
>Quem vem por aí: veja promessas que podem aparecer nos clubes brasileiros

Primeiro tempo com domínio do Timãozinho

O Corinthians iniciou a partida comandando as ações ofensivas, logo aos três minutos, Lucas Pires trabalhou a bola pela esquerda, driblou dois jogadores e, ao cruzar, o zagueiro conseguiu desviar para escanteio. Na batida, Reginaldo tocou curto para Vitinho, que chutou direto para o gol, no entanto o goleiro Jean conseguiu fazer a defesa, espalmando para fora.

Poucos minutos depois, Lucas Pires novamente criou a jogada no meio-campo, pela esquerda, tocou para Vitinho, que lançou para a outra ponta, onde Julio cruzou à meia altura para Cauê, que tentou uma fez, mas na segunda pegou o rebote para balançar a rede do Atlético-MG e abrir o placar para os paulistas.

Melhor no jogo, o Corinthians chegou mais três vezes com perigo, mas não conseguiu ampliar a vantagem no marcador. Oprimeiro ataque do Galo aconteceu numa cobrança de falta aos 32 minutos, quando Guilherme Santos bateu falta e a bola explodiu no travessão. Foi a melhor chance dos visitantes.

Jogo muda no segundo tempo e Atlético-MG não perdoa

Na volta do intervalo, o Galo retornou bem melhor e em 15 minutos teve duas chegadas perigosas ao gol de Guilherme Pezão, duas vezes com Guilherme Santos, o artilheiro da competição. Os dois técnicos fizeram mudanças para tentar alterar os rumos do jogo, mas somente o Atlético-MG viu resultado.

Aos 22 minutos, Wesley tentou marcar um gol olímpico e quase surpreendeu Guilherme Pezão. Pouco tempo depois, Guilherme Santos voltou a levar perigo em um chute colocado após saída errada da defesa do Corinthians, mas a bola foi para fora. Em seguida, no primeiro lance de perigo do Timão na segunda etapa, quase ampliou o placar com Alemão, em cabeio que raspou a trave.

Com os corintianos bem abaixo da crítica, o Atlético-MG se manteve no ataque e aos 35 minutos Pezão precisou trabalhar novamente, quando o atleticano Luiz Filipe fez grande jogada e chutou forte para a defesa do goleiro. O empate parecia cada vez mais próximo e ele veio aos 42, após lateral cobrado para área. A bola sobrou para Wesley bater colocado e marcar: 1 a 1 no placar.

Hiago Ribeiro ainda teve uma chance para marcar o gol da virada, após cruzamento de Luiz Filipe, mas a bola passou tirando tinta da trave corintiana e a igualdade permaneceu. Com o empate, a decisão fica para a partida de volta, na próxima segunda-feira, às 15h, no Estádio das Alterosas, em Belo Horizonte. Quem vencer, fica com a vaga na final, já um novo empate leva aos pênaltis.

Manchester United have sent scouts to watch a talented defender as Erik ten Hag ramps up his search for quality additions ahead of the mid-season window, according to reports.

Man Utd updates: Joao Neves price, Sheffield Utd victory, Maguire praised

According to a Man Utd transfer update, Benfica midfielder Joao Neves has been lined up as a potential replacement for Red Devils midfielder Casemiro and it has been revealed how much boss Ten Hag may need to shell out to land the 19-year-old. The report states that the club could have to pay a fee in the region of £61million for the Portugal international, which they would be willing to pay as the long-term future of their midfield becomes a priority at Old Trafford.

On Saturday night, the Red Devils secured a vital three points in the Premier League away to Sheffield United, with strikes from Scott McTominay and Diogo Dalot enough to rubber stamp a 2-1 victory at Bramall Lane despite an Oliver McBurnie equaliser from the penalty spot. United now find themselves eighth in the league table at the time of writing and have achieved back-to-back wins in the English top flight for the first time this campaign.

England international Harry Maguire has been praised by Manchester United boss Ten Hag for his impact against the Blades after a man-of-the-match performance against his former employers. Ten Hag said:

"I have to say Harry is playing like we want him to play. Very proactive out of possession, dominating his opponent, stepping in when necessary, reading the game, good covering but also in possession very proactive, stepping in, delivering good passes, switching, yes, I am happy with his performance."

Harry Maguire key statistics vs Sheffield United (Sofascore)

Aerial duels won – 5 from 7 attempted

Shots blocked – 3 successful blocks

Accurate passes – 79 accurate passes from 96 attempted (82%)

Accurate long balls – 12 accurate long balls from 16 attempted

Sofascore match rating – 7.5/10

Man Utd transfer update – Sacha Boey

A new Man Utd transfer update from Turkey, via Sport Witness, have claimed that the Red Devils are believed to have sent scouts to watch Galatasaray full-back Sacha Boey in action against Besiktas, where the home side emerged 2-1 victors. Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley also sent delegations to be in attendance at the derby clash, while officials from unnamed clubs in Spain, France and Italy also took in the encounter to examine the 23-year-old.

Described by TurkishFootball.com as somebody who has great technical ability and the capacity to read the game perfectly, Boey has made 69 appearances in all competitions for Galatasaray, registering three goals and four assists in the process (Boey stats – Transfermarkt).

This term, the Frenchman has been in impressive form for his current employers, averaging around 2.6 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per match in the Turkish Super Lig, as per WhoScored. Boey is clearly highly regarded around Europe, and it will be interesting to see whether Manchester United decide to formalize their interest in the right-sided defender.

MatériaMais Notícias

A morte de Diego Armando Maradona na última quarta-feira (25) tem transcendido toda e qualquer barreira de rivalidade entre clubes, sensibilizando o mundo do futebol e rendendo lindas homenagens como a que foi protagonizada pelo Internacional.

No momento em que aconteceria o embate diante do Boca Juniors pela ida das oitavas de final da Libertadores, o protocolo de um minuto de silêncio e a homenagem a Maradona foi mantido pelo clube com a imagem do ex-atleta no telão e o comunicado da locução do estádio.

Além da iniciativa, as luzes tradicionalmente vermelhas que iluminam a estrutura que fica à beira do Rio Guaiba em dias de jogos do Inter trocaram de cor e deram lugar ao azul celeste e o branco em homenagem as cores da bandeira da Argentina.

Com o adiamento do confronto, Inter e Boca se encontram somente na próxima quarta-feira (2) às 21h30.

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Maradona é único, como são os gênios. Se hoje estaríamos em lados opostos, dentro de campo sempre compartilhamos da mesma paixão: o futebol.

Na hora do apito inicial, oferecemos a reverência a um gigante. Gracias por todo, Diego! pic.twitter.com/iFcPHy9l6U

— Sport Club Internacional (@SCInternacional) November 26, 2020

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo pode conquistar o título simbólico do primeiro turno caso vença o Botafogo, nesta quarta-feira, às 21h30, no Morumbi, em jogo adiado da 18ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Com 18 pontos na primeira metade do torneio, o Tricolor é terceiro colocado, um ponto a menos que Internacional e Flamengo, com 19.

O título do primeiro turno vale o Troféu Osmar Santos, honraria dada pelo LANCE! ao vencedor da primeira metade do Brasileirão desde 2004. O São Paulo tem trêsOsmar Santos (2006, 2007 e 2018), sendo o segundo maior ganhador do troféu. O Corinthians tem quatro conquistas(2005, 2011, 2015 e 2017) e o Tricolor pode se igualar no topo da lista nesta noite.

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VEJA A CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Resta ao Tricolor um dos três jogos atrasados da primeira parte da disputa desta temporada. O primeiro jogo adiado foi contra o Goiás. na estreia das duas equipes no Brasileiro. Porém, um surto de Covid-19 no elenco do Esmeraldino fez o STJD adiar a partida. As equipes se enfrentaram na semana passada e o Tricolor venceu por 3 a 0, em Goiânia.

Depois, o São Paulo teve o jogo contra o Ceará adiado, devido a uma reorganização no calendário, já que o clube paulista estrearia na Copa Sul-Americana na mesma semana. No dia 25 de novembro, as equipes se enfrentaram e empataram por 1 a 1, no Castelão, com direito a polêmica com o VAR.

No Brasileirão de pontos corridos, apenas quatro vezes o time que terminou com o título não venceu o primeiro turno – nas outras 17, o melhor conjunto da primeira metade se manteve no topo até o fim.Grêmio (2008), Internacional (2009), Atlético (2012) e o próprio São Paulo (2018), não foram campeões do Brasileiro mesmo conquistando o primeiro turno.

* Sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini

Tottenham Hotspur have spent big in their pursuit of a return to the top, and saw it finally come to fruition under the careful guidance of Mauricio Pochettino.

Joining from Southampton, the tactician quickly went about cultivating not just a squad but an atmosphere worthy of a club their size, helping to usher in a refreshing regime that not only would see them thrive, but also help players feel comfortable enough to play their best football free from burden.

As such, the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Dele Alli were all transformed into some of the Premier League's finest in their roles, whilst even Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen, who were left over from the previous management, were integrated too.

All the years of preparation finally seemed to be geared towards earning that elusive silverware until, spurred on by their failure in the Champions League final and inability to capitalise on the weakness of the division when Leicester City secured the title, Daniel Levy changed directions.

The appointments of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte outlined a vast shift in the club's mindset, abandoning steady progression in favour of winning now. However, in brushing aside the journey, when the end result fell short, they were left with little to go back on.

Ange Postecoglou's entrance notes a return to what they know, as they seek to expunge those failures of the past in order to enjoy a brighter future.

Who is Spurs' worst-ever signing?

During that stint, and indeed whilst Pochettino was in charge, there were some true transfer howlers as additional money began being pumped into the game.

The 2017 sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain completely altered the landscape of the transfer market, and since then, anything has become possible.

Selling clubs can seemingly command any fee, with Declan Rice's £105m move, and Moises Caicedo's £115m switch just weeks later, startling proof of this.

Whilst Spurs are yet to be so brazen with their funds, the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Davinson Sanchez and Moussa Sissoko are all examples of a huge expenditure that offered very little return across their respective periods in N17.

Although his actual transfer fee might not have been as lofty as any of that aforementioned trio, that does not excuse the car crash of an acquisition that Sergio Reguilon was, and still proves to be, with the Spaniard still on Levy's books.

Joining from Real Madrid under Mourinho's ill-fated tenure, the 26-year-old came with an impressive pedigree, expected to offer huge experience down that left flank alongside an injection of dynamism to benefit both ends of the pitch.

After all, in a recent loan spell with Sevilla before moving to England, the 5 foot 8 flop was named the best left-back in La Liga.

However, what they actually received was a nervous defender lacking in confidence, and seemingly incapable of retaining defensive shape or winning a 1-on-1 duel. As such, he was lambasted as recently as 2022 by pundit John Wenham: "He’s so average it’s untrue. I always go back to these constant rumours about Barcelona or Real Madrid being interested in him. There’s always stuff about them paying a premium for him, it’s nonsense.

"He’s just not that good. For me, he is the worst of the bunch."

Having since made 67 senior appearances, it should come as no surprise that Postecoglou was willing to sanction his swift exit in the summer, with the left-back moving on loan to Manchester United.

After all, his debut year in England saw him struggle, losing possession 16.1 times per game whilst being dribbled past 0.9 times per game, and only providing a disappointing 0.6 key passes per game too, via Sofascore.

Little altered as he remained at the club, as his chaotic and somewhat thoughtless presence at full-back was typified through his ridiculous own goal against Aston Villa in May 2021, as he needlessly swung at a clearance under no pressure, only to see the ball slice off his boot and beat Hugo Lloris in goal.

Offering little composure or offensive impetus, it should come as no surprise that he has since been banished.

How much did Spurs pay for Sergio Reguilon?

What makes the deal so disappointing, other than the fact that his woeful form has seen fans' expectations shattered given they were taking a young star from the Spanish giants, is the financial side of it.

Per Game

£559k

Per Minute

£7400

Per Goal

£18.75m

Per Assist

£4.1m

Per Yellow Card

£3.4m

After all, they were forced to unload a mouth-watering £32m to secure his services, in a deal that was somewhat overshadowed by the loan return of Gareth Bale.

This would perhaps explain the lack of uproar surrounding such foolish spending, which is made all the more laughable given Los Blancos inserted a buy-back clause into the deal, suggesting that they obviously had some faith that he could flourish.

What is Sergio Reguilon's salary at Spurs?

Whilst with big acquisitions an equally large salary usually follows, Reguilon strangely bucked the trend, likely due to the negotiations of the ever-frugal Levy.

As a youngster yet to truly prove his quality at a consistently elite level, a £53k-per-week deal made perfect sense, allowing for plenty of scope for improvement should he fulfil his potential.

However, that has obviously failed to occur, and it is now the Red Devils who are being forced to unload that figure as he sees out his season-long loan at Old Trafford.

Amid his failure to make Erik ten Hag's struggling and threadbare first team due to injury, his parent club are shining, although they have already forked out £5.5m on his wages previously.

Does Sergio Reguilon deserve to earn £53k-per-week?

It's certainly fair to say that Reguilon has done little to merit either his wage or transfer fee, given the lack of positive input offered.

After all, he was acquired by Mourinho in an effort to usher in a prosperous, trophy-laden era for a club, and obviously failed in that venture given they are still going 15 years and counting without tasting silverware.

To combine the initial money spent to tempt him from Madrid with the two full years he has actually spent playing for the Lilywhites, and the defender has actually snagged a frustrating £37.5m from Levy's pocket.

A truly woeful piece of business that arguably typifies a period completely devoid of any long-term strategy.

Glasgow Rangers are on the search for a new head coach during a season for the third campaign in succession after they decided to part ways with Michael Beale on Sunday.

The Light Blues kicked off this run of bad luck in the dugout when Steven Gerrard was poached in November 2021.

He was replaced by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who had previously played for the Light Blues, but the Dutchman only lasted until November of the following year.

Despite winning the SFA Cup and leading the club to the final of the Europa League, Rangers sacked the former defender during the break for the 2022 World Cup and appointed Beale as his successor.

Rangers Manager

Date of departure

Steven Gerrard

13/11/2021

Gio van Bronckhorst

21/11/2022

Michael Beale

01/10/2023

That move has turned out to be an error on Ross Wilson's part as the sporting director, who has since gone on to join Nottingham Forest, failed to bring in a suitable replacement for the Dutch boss.

Current chief executive James Bisgrove is now tasked with finding a manager who can bring success back to Ibrox and, hopefully, not be sacked by November 2024.

Who could replace Beale at Rangers?

Speaking on the BBC Radio 5 Live Monday Night Club (2 October), New York Times journalist Rory Smith named Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen as one of the managers who is likely to be under 'consideration' by the Scottish giants, among a number of options.

This comes after the Norwegian boss was tipped as one of the 'frontrunners' to replace Van Bronckhorst during the 2022/23 campaign by The 4th Official.

He was also named as a possible alternative to the Dutch tactician in 2021 after Gerrard's move to Villa, as Ross Wilson was a fan of his work, but the club ultimately opted for the former Light Blues full-back instead.

It could now be third time lucky for Rangers if they decide to go through with a swoop for the 54-year-old to take on the role this month.

Bisgrove could get Ibrox rocking with a move for Knutsen as he plays an exciting brand of football and would come in with a proven track record of coaching teams to win trophies.

What is Knutsen's style of play?

Bodo/Glimt captain Ulrik Saltnes once described his manager's style of play as “kamikaze” as his team is based around an intense, high-energy, press, a far cry from the turgid football of Beale's Rangers tenure.

Knutsen's side wants to dominate possession and control the game and do so by winning the ball back quickly after they lose it, which allows them to stop the opposition from countering them whilst providing themselves with more chances to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.

The 54-year-old typically deploys a high-pressing 4-3-3 set-up and this, along with his excellent attacking coaching, has led to them being a free-scoring team in recent seasons.

Journalist Connor McGilligan once claimed that his brand of football would be "fantastic to watch" for supporters, which is backed up by the statistics.

Bodo/Glimt scored a mind-boggling 103 goals in 30 Eliteserien matches throughout the 2020 campaign as they won the title with only one loss to their name and a positive goal difference of plus 71.

Whereas, Rangers have not scored more than 82 Scottish Premiership goals across 38 league games since their return to the top flight at the start of the 2016/17 campaign.

Meanwhile, Celtic scored 103 league goals on their way to the title under Ange Postecoglou during the 2022/23 season and this shows that it is possible for Knutsen to replicate his success with Bodo/Glimt in Scotland, as the Hoops have proven that you can dominate the division as a free-scoring, prolific, side.

How many trophies has Knutsen won?

The Gers managerial target has won two league titles in the Norwegian top-flight with his current club and his side are currently one point clear at the top of the table with seven games left to play in the 2023 campaign.

Knutsen won the Eliteserien in 2020 and 2021 but finished second in 2022 as Molde ran away with the title by 18 points. However, he is now closing in on a third title in four years and has proven himself capable of instilling a winning mentality within his squad.

The former Asane head coach has been able to deploy an exciting style of play based on pressing high and getting the fans onside with aggressive play and a constant stream of goals to dominate and win matches, which has led to excellent success on the pitch and trophies on top.

Therefore, Bisgrove could get Ibrox rocking by appointing a manager whose brand of football could resonate with supporters and get them to buy into the process, due to the style and his proven track record of implementing it.

How many trophies has Beale won as a manager?

The fans in Glasgow did not have many reasons to get behind Beale's future at the club as he arrived without trophies to back his pedigree and failed to deploy an attractive style.

He has not won a single piece of silverware in his managerial career to date, with QPR or Rangers, and journalist Derek Clark claimed, earlier this season, that there was no sign of a clear way of playing from the English boss' team.

Reporter Graham Spiers also described Beale's style of football as "hapless" and the results on the pitch did not make up for the dull football as the Gers lost three of their first seven Premiership matches.

The Light Blues also failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League as they were hammered 5-1 by PSV in the second leg of their play-off tie, which shows that Beale struggled domestically and in Europe.

This suggests that it was the right decision by Bisgrove and the club to part ways with the former Aston Villa assistant manager as the performances and results were not going in the right direction.

There was very little for supporters to cling to in order to have faith that Beale would eventually be a success at Rangers and the Light Blues can now get the fans back onside by bringing Knutsen and his 'Kamikaze' style to Ibrox.

How dose the DLS system work? And would the VJD method have made a difference to KKR’s chances?

S Rajesh22-Apr-20181:27

Surprised asking rate dropped after rain – Karthik

The DLS method only takes into account three factors when calculating a target: The number of overs lost The stage of the innings when those overs were lost The wickets in hand at the time of the interruptionThe runs scored at the time of the break is immaterial. This is because it works on the basis of opportunity-cost of the overs lost to the batting team due to the interruption: the runs already scored do not come into the equation.In this case, Kings XI Punjab lost seven overs with ten wickets in hand; they had the potential to score many more runs compared to a case where they would have lost seven overs with, say, only three wickets in hand. DLS recognises this and allocates a certain percentage of resources lost by the batting team due to this interruption. The target is then reduced by the same percentage.How was the calculation performed in this case?Given the stage at which Kings XI lost those seven overs, and the fact that they had all ten wickets in hand, DLS calculated that they lost about 35% of their run-scoring potential. Hence, the revised target was about 65% of their original target. The target of 125 would have remained the same even if they had been 50 without loss or 75 without loss. If they had been 75 for no wicket, they would have required 50 off the last 28 balls, which would have been a much tougher ask.Thus Kings XI got the benefit of being way ahead of par score – which was 65 without loss – at the time of the break.How would the target have been different if Kings XI had lost more wickets, or if the seven-over break would have happened at the different stage of their innings?The difference would have been marginal if Kings XI had lost one or two wickets – 127 if they had been one down, and 129 if two – but had they been 96 for 4 at the time it rained, the revised target would have been 140, which would have meant 44 more runs in 28 balls. The fact that they racked up so many runs helped them hugely.If the seven-over interruption had happened just two overs into the innings, then Kings XI’s target would have been 136 (with all wickets in hand). However, had it rained after 11 overs instead of 8.2, and the same number of overs had been lost, the revised target would have been 117 (with all wickets in hand). That’s because, according to DLS calculations, the opportunity-cost of a break early in the innings is lesser than one that happens during the later stages of an innings.Karthik also mentioned that the VJD method – an alternative rain-rule system devised by V Jayadevan, which is used in Indian domestic cricket – should be used in the IPL. Would there have been a different target had VJD been used here?No, the VJD target in this case would also have been exactly the same – 125. The 8.2 over par score according to that method, though, was 71; DLS calculated it as 65. Incidentally, the VJD method also doesn’t look at the runs scored at the time of the interruption, so the situation for Karthik and for KKR would have been exactly the same regardless of which system was in use.