Roy Keane showed off his soft side by assisting old foe Ian Wright who is wheelchair-bound after knee surgery.
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Keane assisted wheelchair-bound Wright Ex-Arsenal star underwent knee surgeryThe duo appeared in latest episode of Stick to FootballFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Wright appeared in a studio in a wheelchair post knee replacement surgery, to feature in the latest episode of Stick to Football along with Roy Keane and Gary Neville. As the former Gunners star was entering the room, Keane assisted his old foe by pushing his wheelchair. The ex-Manchester United captain was also seen hugging the 60-year-old and sharing a light moment with him.
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my guy man 🥹❤️ first day back after my knee op 💪🏾 @Jill Scott @Gary Neville @The Overlap
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While the duo were fierce rivals during their playing days, they now share a close bond and frequently appear for punditry on ITV. Wright, however, did call out Keane's comments on Arsenal defenders after the Gunners' Premier League clash against Manchester City last month.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
The Gunners are set to lock horns with an in-form Liverpool side in a mega Premier League encounter on Sunday at Emirates Stadium. While Mikel Arteta's side are plagued with injuries and suspensions, Arne Slot's men are on an eight-match winning streak.
da pinnacle： O Sport está negociando a contratação do jovem Jadérson, de 19 anos, com o Atlético Paranaense. As conversas estão em um empréstimo de um ano, para a disputa da Série B. Quem confirmou como tratativas foi o presidente do Leão, Yuri Romão.
RelacionadasVaivémRaniel, Patrick, Nathan… Veja quem já fechou e quem pode mudar de camisa no futebol brasileiro para este anoVaivém02/01/2022Futebol LatinoCom passagens por CAP e GreNal, artilheiro brasileiro vai defender clube sul-americanoFutebol Latino01/01/2022Athletico ParanaenseEmpresário confirma nova contratação do Athletico: “Fechamos hoje”Athletico Paranaense01/01/2022
da bet sport： “Manifestamos o interesse junto ao seu conceito, junto ao presidente Petraglia. Mas ainda não chegamos a um denominador comum. Temos interesse no atleta, embora não tenhamos fechado ainda”, afirmou o mandatário.
Jadérson tem contrato com o Furacão até 2024 e jogou em 21 oportunidades em 2021. Uma delas foi na segunda partida da final da Copa do Brasil, anotando o gol de honra da equipe de Alberto Valentim.
Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has just over a month to go until he will have the opportunity to make his first signing since arriving at Ibrox to replace Russell Martin.
The German tactician came through the door well after the summer transfer window had been and gone, after sporting director Kevin Thelwell provided Martin with a host of signings.
Rangers, as shown in the graphic above, had a high turnover of players in and out of Ibrox after they failed to win any trophies in the 2024/25 campaign, under Philippe Clement or Barry Ferguson.
Unfortunately, though, Martin was unable to get a tune out of the squad after those changes in the summer and was eventually sacked last month after a run of five wins in 17 games.
With Rohl now in the building, the former Sheffield Wednesday head coach will have time to assess those summer signings and decide where he wants the club to strengthen the squad when the January transfer window opens.
One of those Martin and Thelwell signings whom the manager may deem needs to be replaced in the winter is experienced central midfielder Joe Rothwell.
Why Rangers need to replace Joe Rothwell already
Rangers swooped to sign the 30-year-old midfielder from Premier League side Bournemouth on a permanent deal during the summer window for Martin, who had worked with him on loan at Southampton in the 2023/24 campaign.
Unfortunately, the English lightweight has flopped at Ibrox, on current evidence, and is yet to play a single minute of action in the Scottish Premiership since Rohl came through the door.
He was ill and unavailable for selection against Dundee last time out, but the midfield flop was an unused substitute in the wins over Kilmarnock and Hibernian in the manager’s first two matches in the dugout.
This means that Rangers have now won one of the eight league matches he has played in and won all three of the games that he has not featured in so far this season.
25/26 Premiership
Rothwell
Percentile rank vs CMs
Tackles
7
Bottom 29%
Interceptions
8
Top 29%
Duels won
16
Bottom 27%
Duel success rate
47%
Bottom 37%
Aerial duels won
4
Bottom 29%
Possession won in the final third
1
Bottom 18%
Ball recoveries
22
Bottom 40%
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, Rothwell has struggled off the ball throughout the Premiership campaign, ranking poorly among his positional peers in the majority of the key defensive metrics, aside from interceptions.
On top of his defensive woes, the Englishman has no goals and one assist in eight appearances in the league, per Sofascore, which shows that he has not offered outstanding quality on the ball to make up for his defensive deficiencies.
This is why Rohl may already be considering replacing Rothwell in the January transfer window, and why the midfielder has been an unused substitute in the last two league games that he has been available for.
Rangers eyeing move for Premiership midfielder
The Scottish Premiership giants may be able to replace the former Bournemouth and Southampton flop amid reported interest in a star who plays in his position.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
According to TEAMtalk, Rangers are one of the clubs exploring the possibility of a deal to snap up Kilmarnock central midfielder David Watson in the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Light Blues are in talks over a possible move for the Scotland U21 international, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
It reveals that Rohl is a big fan of the midfield starlet and wants to add him to his squad in the winter market, with the Gers looking to seal a cut-price deal due to his contract situation.
However, TEAMtalk adds that Hearts, Aberdeen, and unnamed clubs in the English Championship are also keen on signing the £1.5m-rated Kilmarnock star, which means that there is plenty of competition for his signature.
Why Watson would be an upgrade on Rothwell for Rangers
Thelwell could land a huge upgrade on Rothwell for Rohl if he is able to beat the likes of Aberdeen and Hearts to the signing of Watson ahead of the second half of the season.
For a start, the Scotland U21 international is ten years younger than the English flop. He has far more years left ahead of him to develop as a player and offer quality on the pitch for Rangers than Rothwell does.
This also means that there is the potential for his value to grow so that he could be sold on for a profit in the future, like a Hamza Igamane or Calvin Bassey, and that may not be the case with the Bournemouth man, as he is in the latter stages of his career.
In terms of the here and now, Watson could come in as an upgrade on Rothwell from an offensive perspective. The Scottish star has scored three goals in 12 Premiership matches this season, after netting four last term, with the Rangers dud yet to get off the mark at Ibrox.
The Scotland U21 international, who Kilmarnock commentator Andrew Milligan claimed has “no ceiling”, would also come in and offer a huge upgrade on the English flop defensively.
25/26 Premiership
David Watson
Joe Rothwell
Appearances
12
8
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.1
1.9
Clearances per game
0.9
0.1
Duels won per game
6.0
2.0
Ground duel success rate
51%
46%
Fouls won per game
2.3
0.1
Blocks per game
0.5
0.1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Watson has excelled out of possession in comparison to Rothwell in the 2025/26 campaign, making far more defensive contributions at a more efficient rate.
It is, therefore, easy to understand why Rohl is such a big fan of the Kilmarnock star and why he wants Thelwell to get a deal over the line for him when the January transfer window opens.
Watson’s offensive and defensive statistics suggest that he would arrive at Ibrox as a huge upgrade on Rothwell, who has struggled since his move to the club, and provide the likes of Connor Barron, Nico Raskin, and Mo Diomande with genuine competition for the midfield spots.
Thelwell let Rangers star go for £0, now he'd walk into the XI over Aasgaard
This former Rangers star who was released by Kevin Thelwell would walk into the current team over Thelo Aasgaard.
Pant was the main attraction on Tuesday before Kohli hit the nets on Wednesday afternoon
Tristan Lavalette13-Nov-20242:06
Straight Talk: Will the lack of warm-up matches cost India?
While the shiny 60,000-seat Optus Stadium, the site of the series-opener in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, takes centre stage in Perth these days, the WACA ground – that old warhorse located on the opposite bank of the Swan River – remains the spiritual home of Western Australian cricket.Walk along Braithwaite Street in East Perth and you pass the famed WACA nets where there is the familiar sight of cricketers – ranging from state to junior players – going through the paces.But on Tuesday it was rather an eyesore, with the nets completely covered by black shade cloth that snaked around near a construction site amid the ground’s major redevelopment, which is expected to be completed before next season.Related
Fast and furious: A spicy pitch awaits India in Perth
India shelve intra-squad match in favour of training, centre-wicket
It was day one of India’s tour of Australia and the secrecy was reminiscent of their last visit to Perth during the 2022 T20 World Cup when a similar effort to thwart prying eyes took place. On that occasion, however, India did play two matches against a WA XI side that attracted near capacity crowds with the entry fee donated to the WA Cricket Foundation.This time around India have opted for total privacy, though the BCCI clarified* that no instruction was given by the team to the WACA stadium authorities or the media that Wednesday’s training would be behind closed doors.As ESPNcricinfo had reported earlier in the month, India opted to scrap a three-day intra-squad game – which would have been played behind closed doors – at the WACA from November 15 to 17 and instead the squad will train during those three days.It was unclear exactly what their training plans are this week, but India decided to get to work quickly having had staggered arrivals into Perth at the weekend. After the WACA ground staff spent Tuesday morning getting the nets into shape, India arrived in the early afternoon to a quiet reception with only a sprinkling of fans greeting them off the team bus.The WACA was in a state of “lockdown”, as splashed around the media, although perhaps slightly alarmist as its front gates were open and staff strolled in and out. But staff – with the ground doubling as WA Cricket’s headquarters – and construction workers have been told not to film or take photos of the training sessions.India have been training behind a black cloth at the WACA in Perth•Tristan LavaletteWhile the massive tarp obscured most of the public view, there were several vantage points along Nelson Crescent – right behind the batters in the nets. The secret training session suddenly became a free for all although onlookers had to take turns standing along a retaining wall with limited space.India’s net session lasted a few hours on Tuesday, but experienced players such as Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin were not present. Among those in the nets were Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. They faced around six deliveries at a time and spent about an hour in total in the nets.With fast and bouncy conditions expected at Optus Stadium, the WACA nets are hoped to acclimatise India’s batters. Several local Perth club quicks, undoubtedly selected for their pace, unleashed hostile bowling with a back of a length seemingly encouraged. But bouncers were rare.Jaiswal was intent on aggression and one of his mighty blows cleared the nets and sailed onto Braithwaite Street which at that time of day is usually teeming with cars and students around the nearby school. Fortunately, the street was momentarily quiet as a keen fan scurried to pocket a memento. Pant was in fluent touch but did cop a blow to his body, while another fierce delivery also hit his bat flush and flew out of his hands. He glanced at the onlookers, some of whom giggled, and sported a wry smile.With Kohli not around on Tuesday, Pant became the main attraction although perhaps in an indication of cricket’s standing in an Australian-rules-football-obsessed city, many locals didn’t seem to know who he was.”Do you know which one is Pant?” an exasperated photographer asked me. “I thought I’ve been shooting him, but it’s actually Jaiswal!”
Virat Kohli has started his Test preparations. He’s in the nets along with India’s other senior players.
Kohli is looking sharp against some short of a length quick bowling pic.twitter.com/JcTTpza7Ga
— Tristan Lavalette (@trislavalette) November 13, 2024
After he was done training, Pant was spotted walking down a major road near the ground amid the post-work rush but those around him seemed oblivious that they were in the presence of one of the most famous cricketers in the world. While the photographers and cameramen started to trudge off amid the late afternoon heat, those hanging around clung on to hope that Kohli would make a late appearance.”Good shot, Virat!” said a construction worker who had leapt onto a hedge along the perimeter. It sparked a frenzy with numerous fans quickly finding vantage points only to be left disappointed when the batters in the nets were all left-handed. Eventually, a security guard came around and it was quite clear our welcome had worn thin.By Wednesday morning, with India set to train through the day, those vantage points from the previous day had been covered by more black shade cloth. Kohli finally appeared on Wednesday afternoon along with India’s other main Test players, including Bumrah, Jadeja and Ashwin. He looked sharp batting for more than an hour as he spent time in each of the four nets. He was mostly tested by back-of-a-length and full deliveries, with a member of the coaching staff occasionally positioned behind him.Despite the measures taken to protect India’s training from eager eyes, some keen fans came equipped with ladders. The same security guard was on patrol but it appeared no local law had been broken.”It’s going to be a long week,” he muttered as he trudged past the shade cloth and down Braithwaite Street.
The fast bowler talks about the responsibilities of supporting his family, and being a senior seamer in the squad in the West Indies
Firdose Moonda07-Aug-2024Lungi Ngidi had just turned 22, and earned his first central contract with South Africa and his first IPL contract, when his father, Jerome, died. Life had changed forever when he returned home to his mother and three older brothers.At the time Ngidi was only a year into his international career, a true South African success story: born shortly after democracy came to the country; to parents who worked as caretaker and housekeeper at his primary school; the recipient of a scholarship to the prestigious Hilton College; and a professional sportsperson.In eight games for South Africa, he spread stardust as a speedy fast bowler and brought unprecedented joy to his parents, who were for the first time in their lives able to take a flight and stay in a hotel to watch him play.Ngidi promised to take care of them financially now that he was earning more than they ever had. And when his father, suffered complications from a back operation and passed away, Ngidi found himself taking on the role of the head of the family sooner than he might have expected.Related
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'Big, strong, strapping' Stubbs to be South Africa's new Test No. 3
“My dad passing helped me mature a lot quicker. I realised that cricket’s not the be-all and end-all for me. Life goes on off the field,” Ngidi says from Trinidad, where South Africa will play West Indies in the first of two Tests this month.Although Ngidi is the youngest of four sons, he was the one with the best-paying job. He had already bought his parents a house with his first provincial contracts, and went on to take greater responsibility after Jerome’s death. In South Africa there is a term that relates to this: “black tax”. The phrase stands for the money that people of colour, often the first graduates and white-collar workers in their families, use to support their parents, who were denied the opportunity to work high-paying jobs because of apartheid.It’s not something that weighs on Ngidi. “I’m in the position that allows me to support my family. It’s what has been put on my plate, so I’m happy to do it,” he says. “My family is my main priority, so making sure that they’re okay is always top of my list. And cricket helps me do that.”But while sport is a means to a bigger end for him, with time he has realised he can also allow himself to enjoy it. “If I’m going to let cricket drag me down every day – and this is something I do every day – then I’m going to be a very miserable person. There’s a lot more to my life than just cricket. That helped me take things into perspective and understand that at the end of the day, it is a sport.”It has taken six years, multiple injuries, missing tournaments, and being dropped from the national team for Ngidi to get to this point.
Look who arrived to watch the final test match, 1st time in a hotel, 1st time in joburg
Parents showing support #NgidiFamily pic.twitter.com/CodjQ0rZkt
— Lungisani Ngidi (@NgidiLungi) January 23, 2018
In 2018, after saying his final goodbye to his father, he returned to the IPL and took 11 wickets in seven matches at a team-best average of 14.18 in CSK’s tournament-winning campaign. He missed the next season with a side strain but luckily, CSK kept him on the books for 2020 (the year he was named South Africa’s ODI and T20I cricketer of the year) and 2021, but in 2022, when he moved to Delhi Capitals, he didn’t get a game for two seasons. This year he was ruled out of the competition again, with a back injury, this latest absence coming after a prolonged period of poor form when he was dropped from South Africa’s Test squad following lean tours of England and Australia.”At the time, I probably felt a lot of anger and frustration,” Ngidi says of being left out. “Initially I wasn’t too sure as to what was happening, but when you see the guys that have replaced you, you think it is their time to get an opportunity. Once I actually had the conversation with the coach [Shukri Conrad] about what he expects from me, it was very easy to move on.”The most important thing is just the clarity in what coaches want from you. Once you have that as a player, it makes it very easy to move forward. Whereas if you’re in a dark space and no one’s communicating with you, then it becomes very difficult.”It’s likely that Conrad mainly wanted him to be more attacking and take more wickets because even when he was not striking, Ngidi still had the ability to keep things tight. Against England and Australia in 2022, he was South Africa’s most economical seamer, but he only took 11 wickets in six Tests compared to his 22 in five in 2021.Ngidi took eight wickets at 13.25 in two Tests in the West Indies in 2021•Phil Magakoe/AFP/Getty ImagesNgidi says he can do both – dry up the runs and take wickets. “I provide a controlling role and I try to make sure that I build as much pressure as I can, especially when I’m opening the bowling with someone like KG [Kagiso Rabada], who’s a natural wicket-taker.”If I’m creating pressure on the other end, it obviously makes it very difficult for teams to get away from us. I’m very happy with that role. When it comes to wickets, my numbers speak for themselves. I do take wickets, but I also see myself as someone who provides control and support to KG.”Ngidi returned to five-day cricket for the Cape Town Test against India in January, but got to bowl only six overs in the match, which finished in under two days. After that he took 21 wickets in franchise and domestic T20s, but it was not enough to get him into the T20 World Cup side. Instead, SA20’s breakout star, Ottneil Baartman, and Anrich Nortje, who at the time was out of form, were picked and Ngidi went as a travelling reserve.With the recent experience of a Test snub, Ngidi took missing out on the final 15 in his stride. “You don’t select yourself, which is always the most difficult thing as a player. Not making the World Cup squad was a bit disappointing but it’s just a matter of who they’re going to pick to play. That doesn’t really bother me anymore.”Instead, he enjoyed doing what he could from the sidelines to help South Africa make it to their first men’s World Cup final.”Being a reserve, you know that if anything were to happen to anyone, you’re next in line, so it’s about staying on your toes, making sure that you’re ready. And we were able to help the guys prepare well. Myself and Nandre [Burger, the left-arm fast bowler] would help the guys out in the nets. Whoever wanted to face a few more balls or if they wanted something specific, we could bowl that for them. It felt like we were contributing, but from behind the scenes.”On his role in the Test side: “I try to make sure that I build as much pressure as I can, especially when I’m opening the bowling with someone like KG, who’s a natural wicket-taker”•AFPNow, both Burger and Ngidi are expected to be in the starting XI for the Tests in the West Indies. Ngidi is eager to get back to the format, especially as a senior player in a largely inexperienced squad. “Test cricket has always been my first love. And I’ve toured the West Indies before, so I know what these guys bring to the table. Other guys [in the South Africa squad] seem to ask me a lot more questions and that’s when I started to realise that the older I get, my opinion is valued more.”Of the seamers in South Africa’s squad only Rabada has played more Tests than Ngidi. Between them, they took 19 wickets in South Africa’s last Test series in the West Indies, in 2021 – a 2-0 win – including a five-for each in the first match.Since then, South Africa have failed to win five out of eight series, and see this tour as the opportunity for a fresh start.”We understand the expectation people have of us and I’m very excited for it,” Ngidi says. “It’s a new group. There’s a lot of new faces. The energy in the environment is what I think is most important for success, and we’ve got a good one right now. I guess it’s just down to putting the results down when you get on the field.”But for Ngidi, it’s also now about something more. At 28, he is the breadwinner of his family, but with the experience of seven years in the international game, he is allowing himself the space to soak all the good things in and leave the rest behind.”I’m having a lot more fun now. I stress a lot less. I get the opportunity to actually enjoy my cricket. Not much tends to worry me these days, people’s opinions and all that stuff. It doesn’t get to me like it used to when I was younger. I’m very chilled. And hopefully I sound a bit more mature.”
Thomas Frank says Tottenham's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal was the "complete opposite" of what he had intended for this north London derby. Eberechi Eze grabbed a hat-trick in a very one-sided encounter at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as Spurs barely laid a glove on their bitter rivals. Now, manager Frank has apologised for this "painful" defeat.
Frank apologises to Tottenham fans
Tottenham put in one of their worst performances of the season in arguably their biggest game of the campaign. They mustered an Expected Goals tally of just 0.07 and a paltry three shots on goal to Arsenal's 17. Other than Richarlison's wonder goal, there was very little to be positive about. Spurs approached the game with a 'try not to lose' attitude but ended up being ripped apart by the Gunners. And after the contest, the former Brentford boss struck a contrite tone.
He told Sky Sports: "I think it is extremely painful. I won't talk away from that. It was a bad performance. It was completely the opposite of what the intention was when we came here. We can only apologise to the fans for the performance. I think no matter if both teams wanted to play shirt, they got more out of that and we couldn't get out. When the team went long, we didn't win enough duels. That is exemplified by the 2-0 goal and the 3-0 goal, where a player went through two or three players. Bad performance and we lost. I have seen a lot of character and fight in this team but we didn't win enough duels. We can call that whatever we want but we didn't win enough."
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Tottenham's creativity issues continue
In Tottenham's 1-0 loss to Chelsea earlier this season, Spurs were widely criticised for producing next to nothing in attack. That happened again against Arsenal, but the scoreline was much less flattering. And Frank stressed they need to address this problem right away.
He said: "That [lack of creativity] has been an ongoing theme that we are working hard to improve. It doesn't look good today or against Chelsea. We need to keep working on it. There were a lot of things in this game we need to do better. We are four months into it and they are further in their journey as a team and that was very obvious today. Of course there will be noise. We played against our biggest rivals and we lost badly. But we keep noise out and we focus. I know this tam is very competitive. I know this team is competitive and we showed that against Man City and PSG. Of course it looks bad today and it was not good enough."
Tottenham's plan failed to deliver
Frank also took full responsibility for getting his approach to the game wrong. However, he felt the way his players performed would have meant that any strategy would have come unstuck against Arsenal.
The Dane added: "I tried to play a 5-4-1. I will always take responsibility as my choice in the end to take the system then and we changed it at half-time. My view is that no matter what formation we play today, we don't have enough duels or intensity in the decisive moments, and it is very difficult to win a football match. The goals I want to see more in detail. The whole game I need to watch tonight an it will be a difficult watch. We were not aggressive and stepped forward when we could and they played it round us."
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Daunting PSG test looms
For the Arsenal game, Frank admitted that he tried to replicate the tactics Tottenham deployed so well in their narrow UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August. But as they fell well short of that against the Gunners, this trip to PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday may be quite daunting.
He said: "That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me."
da 888casino： Who will replace Brendan Rodgers as Celtic manager?
da cassino online： Well, most supporters would like to see Ange Postecoglou return, having won five trophies during his two seasons in Glasgow, very much still, almost inarguably, the most popular Celtic boss of modern times.
However, according to widespread reports, the Aussie is highly unlikely to return to the club at this time, seeking time away from football following his ill-fated 39 days in charge of Nottingham Forest, failing to win any of his eight matches in the East Midlands.
Other names, including Kieran McKenna, Craig Bellamy, Kjetil Knutsen and Nicky Hayen, appear to be high up on the board’s wish list, but getting them out of their current positions will not be easy, so should Celtic target a “box office” title-winning coach currently out of work, who could repeat Postecoglou’s success?
What made Ange Postecoglou a success at Celtic
Given that Celtic had been a total mess the season before, when Postecoglou was appointed manager in the summer of 2021, most, including all Rangers supporters, were laughing.
Well, they weren’t laughing for long because, after losing his first three Premiership away games, the Australian then oversaw a 38-match unbeaten streak in the league, winning 32 of these matches, departing having picked up two league titles, two League Cups and a Scottish Cup.
His charisma and personality completely won over a then-divided fan base, very much playing the role of a cult leader, while his now infamous Ange-ball high intensity, high-possession, relentless style of play was like nothing seen in Scottish football before or since.
Also, Postecoglou’s knowledge of lesser-known markers, specifically the Japanese league, helped him sign Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Kyōgo Furuhashi, while, in a cosmopolitan squad, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota, Matt O’Riley, Aaron Mooy, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Alistair Johnston and others from all across the globe thrived.
All of this culminated in creating, arguably, the most thrilling and unstoppable Celtic side anyone has enjoyed watching for a very long time, ending the 2022/23 season with 99 points, having scored 114 goals, the most the club have managed in a single league campaign since 1916.
However, it was Postecoglou’s cult of personality that instantaneously enamoured him with supporters from day one, which was crucial considering his lack of prior name recognition, so should Celtic now seek to appoint a coach who possesses similar characteristics?
Celtic's next Ange Postecoglou
According to a report by Sky Sports, seven names are under consideration for the vacant Celtic job, including the aforementioned Bellamy, Knutsen, McKenna and Hayen.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
They also state that Damien Duff is ‘being assessed’, noting that he has ‘strong ties with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond’.
The Irishman began his coaching career as youth manager at Shamrock Rovers before joining Celtic, briefly working with the B team before serving as Neil Lennon’s assistant when he replaced Rodgers in February 2019.
After Lennon was sacked, he had a short stint on the Republic of Ireland’s coaching staff, before joining Shelbourne, where he truly made a name for himself.
In just over three seasons in charge of Shels, overseeing 151 games, Duff enjoyed unparalleled success, as the table below documents.
Duff’s Shelbourne statistics
Stats
Duff at Shels
Matches
151
Wins
60
Draws
50
Loses
41
Goals for
189
Goals against
157
LOI points-per-game
1.49
2022 LOI finish
7th
2023 LOI finish
4th
2024 LOI finish
Champions
FAI Cup best
Runners-up
Stats via Transfermarkt
When Duff was appointed Shelbourne manager, they were a newly-promoted club, leading them to a first FAI Cup Final for 11 years at the end of his first season, ultimately beaten 4-0 by Derry City at the Aviva.
Nevertheless, this would prove to be the start of something special because, last year, the Reds were crowned League of Ireland champions for the first time in 18 years, pipping serial champions Shamrock Rovers on the final day by two points.
As a player, Duff won two Premier League titles with Chelsea and was part of the Fulham side that reached the Europa League Final, as well as accumulating 100 international caps, only six Irishmen have more.
Nevertheless, considering the Reds were 25/1 rank-outsiders before the season began, Duff described this as both the greatest achievement and the “pinnacle” of his career, adding that it was like something out of a Hollywood script.
Despite being a beloved figure among the Tolka Park faithful, Duff resigned as manager in June, following a sequence of five wins from 20 league matches, stepping away just days before the start of their Champions League qualifying campaign.
Still very popular in Drumcondra, Shelbourne technical director Luke Byrn described Duff as “box office”, while Miguel Delaney of the Independent asserted that his personality is ‘intensely captivating’ and ‘compelling’ to listen to, comparing him to José Mourinho, who was of course his manager at Stamford Bridge.
Meantime, Samuel Hutchinson of Total Football Analysis documents how Duff favours a style revolving around high possession and high intensity, very similar to that of Postecoglou.
Thus, Duff has both the personality and playing style to replicate Postecoglou’s success in Glasgow.
Of course, his lack of elite-level coaching experience is a concern, but he has worked at Celtic before and, possibly most crucially of all, is available.
Postecoglou himself was not first-choice, the Celtic board spending months attempting to woo Eddie Howe before that fell through, so Duff could ultimately prove to be the right man at the right time.
O'Neill 2.0: Celtic chasing "one of the best coaches" as Ange alternative
Rather than Ange Postecoglou, should Celtic appoint “one of the best coaches” in the EFL who would repeat Martin O’Neill’s success from 2 decades ago?
Byron Buxton put on a show for his bobblehead day at Target Field.
The Minnesota Twins outfielder hit for the cycle during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, doing so for the first time in his career. Buxton began the cycle by hitting a triple during the bottom of the second inning. He added a ground rule double in the third, and hit a single in the fifth.
With three quarters of the cycle done, Buxton completed the cycle by hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Overall, Buxton has compiled five hits, three runs and two RBIs—all on his bobblehead day. It will be hard to find a more special bobblehead day than this one.
Buxton's complete cycle marked the first hit for the cycle by a Twins player since 2019, and the first hit for the cycle by any team at Target Field. The Twins currently hold a 12-3 lead over the Pirates, and are on track to earn their 47th victory of the season.
Matt Henry defended six runs in the last over against South Africa as New Zealand claimed the Harare tri-series trophy, and remained the only side to successfully defend a total at this venue. In a thrilling contest, South Africa were cruising on 92 without loss in the tenth over in pursuit of 181, but lost 4 for 39 after that.That left them needing 50 runs to win off the last 29 balls. A 43-run stand off 25 deliveries between Dewald Brevis and George Linde put South Africa on the doorstep of victory, but both holed out in the final over as the pressure told, and New Zealand held on.Brevis was on 31 off 14 balls as Henry stepped up to bowl the 20th over, and could not get the first ball away. He lashed out at the second one, which was dug in short, and sent it towards Michael Bracewell at deep midwicket. Bracewell caught it just inside the rope, and the catch was deemed clean to send Brevis on his way.Corbin Bosch hit the first ball he faced in the same area, and a misfield from Bracewell allowed two runs before another aerial shot put Linde on strike. Linde sent Henry to long-on, where Daryl Mitchell took a good, low catch, and left it to Senuran Muthusamy to score four off the last ball. Henry took pace off, Muthusamy swung too early and found fresh air, and New Zealand’s 100% record in the series remained intact. Henry finished as the leading wicket-taker with ten in four matches.Lungi Ngidi got two wickets, and was economical•Zimbabwe Cricket
After comprehensive wins in the four games before this, New Zealand were properly tested in the decider, and will know they could have made things trickier for South Africa with a more challenging total. After Tim Seifert and Devon Conway put on 75 for the first wicket and laid a solid foundation for New Zealand, the subsequent partnerships did not kick on as well as they would have liked. South Africa pulled New Zealand back from 68 without loss in eight overs, and conceded only three boundaries in the last three overs. New Zealand’s innings ended with five wickets in hand.While Henry was the standout bowler of the series, Lungi Ngidi was South Africa’s best bowler. His four overs in the final cost just 24 runs, and across South Africa’s attack, there are still some areas to address. South Africa’s seamers sent down eight wides, totalling 13 runs.
South Africa’s spectacular catching
New Zealand were off to a rollicking start courtesy some poor discipline from South Africa’s seamers in particular. They scored 52 runs in the powerplay, 23 in the 2.3 overs that followed, and threw their bats at anything short and wide. Seifert, the series’ leading run-scorer, was on 30 off 27 balls, and there did not seem to be any way of stopping him – especially as he was using his feet well.Seifert advanced on a wide ball from Muthusamy but took his bottom hand off the bat as he tried to slice it over extra cover and did not get the elevation he wanted. Rassie van der Dussen, fielding there, reacted quickly as he dived to his left and pouched the ball between both palms. Seifert had to go.Tim Seifert and Devon Conway had a 75-run opening partnership•Zimbabwe Cricket
Five overs later, New Zealand lost Conway for 47, caught at short fine-leg off a top edge. But they were still progressing steadily at 127 for 2 in the 14th over. Ngidi took pace off to Mark Chapman, who played too early and dragged the ball down to deep midwicket. Rubin Hermann appeared to have over-ran the chance but then stood still and stretched overhead, where he plucked the ball from the sky as he fell backwards. Chapman was out for 3.Then, in the final over, with New Zealand pushing towards 180, Bracewell flogged Kwena Maphaka into the covers but didn’t see Linde. He got down low to his left to snatch the ball from close to the ground to snaffle a third stunning grab.
Ravindra raids the leg side
While Seifert and Conway have been in the headlines for providing the big runs for New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra has more than done his bit – and did so with some flair in the final. He used his wrists to perfection, and punished anything on a leg-stump line. Ravindra scored 47 at a strike rate of 174.07, and threatened to take the game completely away from South Africa. The third ball he faced, from Bosch, was pacy, and was sliding down. But instead of powering it over midwicket, Ravindra guided it fine for four.When Nandre Burger erred with the same line, Ravindra was quicker on the ball, and hit over mid-on. But it was his takedown of Muthusamy which was the most impressive. Ravindra shimmied down the pitch to hit him over long-on, and then swept him strongly over deep-backward square leg to collect two sixes in the over. Two more fours came off Ngidi and Burger. before Ravindra toe-ended Burger to Brevis at deep midwicket.Lhuan-dre Pretorius hit his maiden T20I fifty•Zimbabwe Cricket
Ravindra missed out on what would have been his second successive fifty in the series, and a third in T20Is this year. Against South Africa on Saturday, 38 of his 47 runs came on the leg side.
Pretorius’ promise pays off
After managing only 32 runs from his first four T20I innings, and being shifted from opening the batting to No. 5, all eyes were going to be on Lhuan-dre Pretorius when he was installed back at the top for the final. He started off with a piece of exquisite timing when he hit Henry past mid-on to open South Africa’s scoring with a four, but then faced serious challenges from New Zealand’s attack.Henry found Pretorius’ outside edge, Jacob Duffy hit him on the toe with an inswinging yorker, and Zakary Foulkes shaved the inside edge. Pretorius top-edged Duffy over Seifert with an ugly swing, couldn’t get Adam Milne away, and watched while his opening partner Reeza Hendricks collected 18 of his first 20 runs in sixes. After the powerplay, Pretorius showed his intent when he slog-swept Mitchell Santner for his first six. More convincing boundaries followed off Milne before Pretorius hit Bracewell over long-on to bring up fifty off 33 balls.Pretorius couldn’t get away with trying things for too much longer, and was caught behind as he tried to smash Bracewell out of the ground. But his 92-run opening stand with Hendricks put South Africa in a commanding position to push for the win.Jacob Duffy’s first two overs cost just 13 runs•Zimbabwe Cricket
Duffy shows why he’s No. 1
Jacob Duffy, the recently-anointed leading bowler in the ICC’s T20I rankings, opened with a ball that surprised Pretorius. He only conceded a single in his first over to show why he has summited the rankings. Duffy changed up his pace in the second over and Pretorius could not get him away. He then had Pretorius top-edging, and only really erred when he put the last delivery of that over in Hendricks’ slot and was sent over the sightscreen for six.Duffy’s first two overs cost just 13 runs. He returned for the 16th over, just after Milne had van der Dussen caught at long-on, and dismissed Hermann in exactly the same fashion. Hermann simply did not get enough on it, and South Africa were suddenly in some strife. Duffy thought he had Brevis caught behind later in the over but the ball was called wide. He probably should have bowled the 18th, which cost Foulkes 15 runs and swung momentum South Africa’s way.When Duffy returned for the 19th over, his attempted yorkers went awry, and Brevis hit him for two sixes to put South Africa in a position of advantage. But they could not see it through in what may be put down to inexperience against New Zealand’s more seasoned hands.
Chamari Athapaththu explains how her side defended 12 runs off the last two overs to make the women’s Asia Cup final
Mohammad Isam13-Oct-2022Nida Dar goes down on her haunches after getting run-out off the last ball. The Sri Lanka players are running towards each other from all directions, arms aloft, screaming loud, smiling. The big screen at the Sylhet International Stadium flashes the result. Those in the stands are open-mouthed. Some have their hands on their head. Whether it happens in front of a few hundred people, or millions, there’s something unpretentious about last-ball finishes.Particularly when the contest was so tilted against the winners even just 15 minutes previously. The first ray of hope for Sri Lanka came when Sugandika Kumari removed Bismah Maroof in the 18th over. She was in two minds and missed the ball. Bowled for 42. Inoka Ranaweera was magnificent in the 19th over, picking up another wicket. Pakistan needed nine off the last six balls. And up stepped Achini Kulasuriya, slinging yorker after yorker until she made history.After the match, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu was beaming, with her deputy Oshadi Ranasinghe in tow, at the press conference. A little while before, Aliya Riaz had expressed just how sad it was to be in the Pakistan dressing room at that point. They were almost there, in the Women’s Asia Cup final, only to be denied off the last ball.Athapaththu said that Kulasuriya followed her directions word for word. It was all about denying the batters Riaz and Dar the room they needed to hit the ball over the 25-yard circle, which became doubly important because, at that moment, Sri Lanka were also dealing with an over-rate penalty. They could have only three fielders (one less than the usual four in women’s cricket) outside the circle in the last over.”After 14 years, we are in the final of the Asia Cup,” Athapaththu said. “So it’s really good for us as a team, as a nation. We are really excited today. And I’m very happy about my team’s performance today. All players doing really well today.”We planned a few things yesterday. We know Nida is a hard-hitter of Pakistan. Achini Kulasuriya is a really good, experienced bowler in our bowling line-up. I always trust her, and I know she can do it.”
#ApeKello celebrating in style
Sri Lanka qualified for the finals of the Women’s #AsiaCup2022 after winning against Pakistan by 1 run. pic.twitter.com/WXHkGcQJdd
— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) October 13, 2022
Riaz, who was at the non-striker’s end when Pakistan needed three off the last ball, said that since it was hard to find boundaries, they might as well have tried for the two needed to take the game into the Super Over.”I and Nida talked that if the boundary did not come, we would go for two runs,” Riaz said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. [Kulasuriya] bowled well, she bowled yorkers. On the last delivery, Nida tried to put it over extra cover but unfortunately, she could not connect well enough.”Sri Lanka reacted impressively to take the lifeline they had earned thanks to Maroof’s wicket and it was all down to their captain urging the players to stay relaxed.”I just told my team to stick with our plans,” Athapaththu said. “We did not want to do more things. Just relax, calm and cool, do our things. They do whatever they wanted to do, but we want to stick with our plans.”Inoka bowled really well in that [19th] over. I have two good spinners and two good senior players especially vice-captain Oshadi and Inoka. If I have to take a decision, they advise me about taking them.”All things happen from hard work. In the last year, we struggled as a men’s team, a women’s team, and a country. But now we are happy because the men’s team won the Asia Cup and we will try to do our best in the final.”Riaz said that Pakistan had a good tournament but it would have been better had they made it to the final to face India. “Of course, it’s very disappointing. Everyone is sad. Everyone is very emotional and it’s very hard for everyone.”The whole tournament was very good for us. We collapsed against Thailand but we came back strong against India. After that, we carried the momentum. But then, today… It was a very great chance for us to reach the final. All batters and bowlers are in good shape.”