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The wait to clinch the Scottish Premiership title will have to drag on even longer, with league leaders Celtic missing the chance to close in on that crown following Sunday’s shock defeat to bottom side St Johnstone.

A victory for the visitors would have ensured that a further win against Kilmarnock next week at Parkhead would have been enough to seal the deal, yet a rare off day for those in green and white has now delayed that title party.

Right from the off, Brendan Rodgers’ side didn’t appear to be at the races, with the hosts grabbing what was a deserved lead following a fine flicked header from centre-back, Daniel Balodis.

Typically, the Hoops tend to find a way in such fixtures, even when falling behind, yet up against an inspired Andrew Fisher in the home goal, the Old Firm side were unable to break down their stubborn opponents, with the Englishman notably keeping out James Forrest and Luke McCowan in expert fashion late on.

While that result matters little in the grand scheme of things, not least with title ‘rivals’ Rangers losing at home to Hibernian, there are some worrying signs creeping in among the high profile stars in Rodgers’ ranks.

Celtic's worst performers vs St Johnstone

The dismal nature of Celtic’s display was epitomised by the Northern Irishman’s decision to hook both Jeffrey Schlupp and Nicolas Kuhn at the break, with the latter man having been particularly poor once again amid his ongoing woes in 2025.

While the German winger still boasts 32 goals and assists in all competitions in 2024/25,he has now gone seven Premiership games without scoring for the champions elect.

Against the Saints, the former Rapid Vienna star was notably denied in the first half with the goal gaping, while also at one stage producing what Sky Sports commentator Ian Crocker described as an “awful” wayward attempt after cutting in onto his favoured left foot.

It would be unfair to suggest that the 25-year-old was the only villain on the day, however, with 30-goal man Daizen Maeda also rather muted after registering just 19 touches in total, as per Sofascore, while fellow forward, Jota, was far from at his brilliant best after completing just one of his six attempted crosses, and completing just two of his five attempted dribbles.

Elsewhere, meanwhile, club-record signing Arne Engels also failed to grab a foothold in the game prior to his withdrawal just after the hour mark, while the returning Auston Trusty endured a difficult afternoon after winning just seven of his 12 total duels.

Touches

Trusty (144)

Accurate passes

Carter-Vickers (119)

Key passes

Hatate (4)

Duels won

Carter-Vickers (11)

Aerial duels won

Carter-Vickers (9)

Possession lost

Fisher (27)

Defensive actions

Balodis (15)

Dribbled past

Kuhn (4)

The American centre-back may find himself ousted by the resurgent Maik Nawrocki next time out, with Reo Hatate another figure who should finally find himself on the substitutes bench.

The Celtic star who now needs to be dropped

It’s fair to say that Hatate looked like a player who has only scored once in his last 11 league outings, with the Japanese playmaker having been particularly profligate in front of goal at McDiarmid Park.

While the 27-year-old did pose a threat at times for the Hoops, he was simply far too wasteful, having fired three shots off target in total as the away side went in search of an equaliser.

In truth, the midfield maestro may have been somewhat fortunate not to be among those replaced by Rodgers in the second half, with Hatate’s woes particularly laid bare as he lost the ball on 20 occasions from his 82 touches – effectively losing the ball once every four touches.

That erratic display on the ball did yield four key passes for the diminutive playmaker, although little came of those openings, as he also failed to attempt a single dribble during his 90-minute outing.

With young Paulo Bernardo now waiting in the wings, it does beg the question as to why Rodgers continues to put faith in Hatate instead, with this stage of the season perhaps offering the ideal chance to shuffle the pack and experiment.

With the aforementioned McCowan – who replaced Engels in the centre of the park – putting in another lively cameo, including his late prod towards goal, it could well be that both the Scotland star and Bernardo come into the side next weekend.

As for Hatate, if the £16k-per-week star continues to blow hot and cold, he could find himself on borrowed time at Celtic Park, having showcased a real lack of urgency and athleticism on Sunday afternoon.

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

Kuhn, it must be said, is the obvious figure in decline at present, yet it could be argued that Hatate is quietly proving even more disappointing in the engine room.

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The left-hander’s white-ball form at the top of the order continues to be spectacular and he’s increasingly at the centre of the major Test debate

Matt Roller19-Sep-2024As Travis Head placed his helmet on top of his bat handle and raised both to the sky in the style of Chris Gayle, it prompted a tantalising thought. Opening the batting against England in this ODI in Nottingham, Head cruised to his hundred in the 30th over: what is to stop him doing the same thing for Australia in the first session of a Test against India later this year?There is a growing sense that Steven Smith will return to the middle order when India arrive in Australia for a five-match series, with Andrew McDonald admitting last week that conversations have taken place. There has been a clear indication from McDonald that Australia will continue with the same six batters, meaning that Smith sliding down to No. 4 would require someone else to shift up.Related

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Usman Khawaja, the only incumbent, has made his own view clear. “I feel like Travis Head might be best suited,” he said last week. “He’s obviously been very successful opening the batting in one-day cricket… The confidence transfers over. When you’re seeing the ball well, scoring lots of runs and not much is going through your head, it’s a great place to be.”Perhaps that is to underplay the difference between the formats. Head was facing two white balls on Thursday night rather than one red one, at a ground with boundaries that are barely half as big as those at Australia’s home grounds. There are no fielding restrictions in a Test match, and India’s attack is a clear upgrade on the one England put out in Nottingham.Yet there were signs in this innings of the traits required of a Test opener – as there have been throughout his remarkable last 12 months as a white-ball dasher. His return to fitness at last year’s World Cup had a transformative effect on Australia’s campaign, culminating in his crowd-silencing 137 against India in their six-wicket win in the final.Head faced two balls early in his innings from Jofra Archer which were borderline unplayable, angling in from around the wicket then shaping away late off the seam to beat the bat. He was also dropped on 6, with Brydon Carse 20 yards off the backward point boundary and failing to cling onto an acrobatic effort as he leapt back over his head.But Head has a remarkable ability to put the last ball out of his mind, as he demonstrated with the series of plays-and-misses against Jasprit Bumrah in Ahmedabad which still play on the minds of Indian supporters. At Trent Bridge, he cruised to a run-a-ball half-century and gradually accelerated towards the finish line, reaching a 92-ball hundred and then a 123-ball 150.Travis Head on Jofra Archer: ‘Jof’s way too good for me’•AFP/Getty Images”It was difficult at the start,” Head said. “Jof’s way too good for me, so I’ve experienced it a few times. I even thought in the T20s, the couple of overs I faced him in Southampton, he’s an exceptionally good bowler. You’ve got to take the good with the bad… there wasn’t much in those first couple of overs, so I just tried to back my technique and tried to stay out there.”England have found Head incredibly difficult to close down over the past 10 days: his 90 runs in the T20I series came off just 37 balls, and he has been merciless against any width. It is his unorthodox technique which presents the challenge: “Sometimes ‘width’ is even middle-and-off stump for him, because he creates that room so well,” Marcus Trescothick, England’s coach, explained.Head has gone through phases of looking vulnerable to the short ball, and England hardly used the bouncer against him on Thursday night: “We’re trying desperately,” Trescothick said. “Eventually, the worm will turn.” If he were to open in Tests, there is no doubt that India would bombard him with short balls at some stage – particularly with no fielding restrictions to worry about.The biggest potential obstacle is Head himself. He has previously distanced himself from the role, suggesting that he should only be considered to open in the subcontinent – having done so five times in India at the start of last year – and was cagey when asked about the prospect of shifting up the order in the aftermath of Australia’s win in Nottingham.”Yes,” he said, when asked if he was aware of the speculation in the media at home. “Keep the chatter: it makes it interesting.” After spending three hours on the attack, he played with a dead bat when asked if his stance had shifted since he appeared to rule himself out of contention: “I’m not going to dive into that. I’ll just let that play out.”Head gave nothing away, on or off the pitch. But as Australia look to find an opening partner for Head in white-ball cricket who can replicate David Warner’s output, there is a growing sense that Head himself could have the same impact as Warner across formats. Whatever decision Australia’s selectors make, it could define their home summer.

Nervy chase highlights importance of bowlers’ fightback on used pitch at Sydney

Andrew McGlashan05-Nov-20223:56

Uthappa: Curran always ‘comfortable’ to ‘take on the pressure situation’

On a used pitch at the SCG where England were going to have to chase, Sri Lanka sat at 52 for 1 after five overs. The pressure was squarely on Jos Buttler’s team and there will have been a few interested Australians taking notice.Eventually they got the win to book a semi-final in Adelaide, though they made sure those Australians watching will have kept the television on longer than looked likely. When Moeen Ali fell, 31 were needed from 33 balls with Dawid Malan carrying a groin injury; when Sam Curran hooked to long leg it was 13 off 12.”I’m not a great watcher to be honest,” Buttler said, having been spotted chewing his nails in the dugout. “So I didn’t enjoy that much but we knew we had to find a way to win the game coming here today, so thankfully we did that.”The strain to get over the line emphasised how important it had been that they weren’t chasing anything more challenging. For a while, as Buttler and Alex Hales compiled the highest powerplay score of the tournament, it looked as though the win would be capped by the white-ball batting that has become England’s trademark, but the fact it became a scramble brought into focus that it was a victory for the bowlers.”If we could have maybe nipped one more wicket there, it would have made things very interesting,” Sri Lanka head Chris Silverwood said, after a first meeting with his former team. “We thought if we could have got 20 more runs, maybe 160 would have been a very competitive score.”Whichever way it is broken down, the manner in which England squeezed after the opening five overs was outstanding: Sri Lanka made 89 off 15 overs and 61 from the final 10. From the 16th into the 19th over, there was a 20-ball period where nothing more than a single was scored.Although Chris Woakes removed Kusal Mendis in the fourth over, Sri Lanka had flown away inside the powerplay and Buttler was desperate to reassert some control. Adil Rashid started the repair work by conceding just two runs off the last over of the fielding restrictions to begin what was a superb spell. It finished as the fourth time in his T20I career that he had bowled a boundary-less four overs and they have all come against Sri Lanka. What made that more noteworthy was that he was always bowling with the shorter boundary to the off side, therefore a hit with the turn for the Sri Lankans, but they couldn’t manage it.”Having lost the toss, we knew the wicket would probably slow up as the game went on being a used wicket,” Buttler said. “I thought it was a fantastic over from Adil Rashid at the back end of the powerplay to change the momentum.”Coming into the match Rashid had figures of 1 for 168 from the five games he had played on this trip to Australia, although he had bowled better than those suggest, and the vital wicket of Pathum Nissanka took him level as England’s leading men’s bowler in the format with Chris Jordan, who took the catch as a substitute.Sam Curran is congratulated after he dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva•Getty ImagesBut when Rashid finished after the 16th over, England still needed to close out well to ensure they weren’t chasing something upwards of 160 which would have left less room for error. The previous over of seam in the innings, the 15th from Woakes, had gone for 12 even as he varied his pace and used cutters, which have been effective on this surface throughout the last three matches.For the last four overs, though, Buttler entrusted the job to two highly contrasting bowlers; the left-arm skiddiness and low angle of Curran and the high-octane pace of Mark Wood whose previous over had gone for 17 amid Sri Lanka’s early onslaught. They produced a masterclass in closing out an innings.Wood was too quick for Dasun Shanaka and the lower order, with only one delivery in his two overs going for more than one run either off the bat or as an extra. At the other end, Curran continued what is becoming one of the performances of the World Cup – his evolution as a go-to death bowler from a player who may not have been in the first-choice XI. Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa could barely connect with his combination of slower balls and yorkers, the latter with which he has shown tremendous control. The only boundary he conceded in his final 12 balls was when Wanindu Hasaranga inside-edged one of those yorkers down to fine leg.Related

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“He’s someone who keeps growing and growing,” Buttler said. “He’s that sort of fierce competitor who wants to be in the tough moments. He’s got real method to what he’s doing and he’s got a lot of different options which makes him tough to line up.”Since arriving in Australia, Curran has taken 15 wickets at 10.26 with an economy of 6.79, 10 of them coming in the World Cup. He is the joint-leading wicket-taker among those who have played only in the Super 12s. The death-over figures across those four matches mark him out even further: he has bowled 41 balls and conceded just 34 runs. For bowlers who have sent down at least 20 balls in the death phase (overs 17-20) he is the most miserly.In a tight T20 game there are many moments and small phases of play that can be picked out as critical. Hales’ impact in the powerplay gave England what became vital breathing space and Ben Stokes, not for the first time, was there when it really mattered. But for a team that has made its name on their free-wheeling white-ball batting, it has been the bowlers that have got them into the semi-finals.

Australia has always been the land of the legspinner but Lyon has shown the more conventional art can succeed

Daniel Brettig14-Jan-20212:34

Nathan Lyon: I’ll continue bowling the way I do – with a smile on my face

In the week of his 100th Test match and perhaps his 400th wicket, Nathan Lyon finds himself on familiar ground: the unsteady kind.Lyon is currently mired in one of the worst series of his career, as India take him for near enough to 60 runs per wicket with one Test to play. He is facing the types of critiques that have been familiar throughout a tenure in which he has not bowled a doosra or carrom ball, and occasionally lapsed into bouts of predictability that have caused observers to pine for that more traditionally Australian variety of spin bowler: the leggie.Perhaps the most indecipherable wristspinner of them all, Muttiah Muralitharan, chimed in via an interview with Michael Vaughan: “Will we see another golden age of Test spin bowling? Will a spinner reach 700 or 800 wickets? Ashwin has a chance because he is a great bowler. Other than that I don’t think any younger bowler coming in will go to 800. Maybe Nathan Lyon is not good enough to reach it. He is close to 400 but he has had to play many, many matches to get there.”The reference to R Ashwin was pointed, given that in this series, India’s offspinner has had comfortably the better of things, with plans and execution that have at times run rings around the likes of Steven Smith and, most dramatically, Matthew Wade. By contrast, Lyon has found himself bowling too straight and perhaps at times too fast, while also losing the sort of drift that might have usually dragged Indian bats away from their front pads for bowled, lbw or caught in close.Most critically, Lyon was unable to bowl India out on the final day of the SCG Test, not helped by uncharacteristic dropped catches by his captain Tim Paine, and also the lack of a sizeable foot hole outside the off stump to the right-handers. Such scenarios have followed Lyon around to an extent over his career, from Adelaide against South Africa in 2012, to Headingley against England in 2019 and now the SCG against India.Related

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So the reaching of the 100 Tests milestone only previously achieved by Shane Warne among Australian spin bowlers is cause for reflection that, paradoxically, should help Lyon move forward from his current malaise. No matter what Muralitharan or others might think, the evidence carved in hard Test match numbers is that Lyon is good enough, and has proven to be more so than any other Australian offspinner this side of Ashley Mallett or perhaps Bruce Yardley.”I have had a chance to reflect on it, because when I first made my Test debut I thought ‘jeez how amazing is this’ – I was very grateful and humble to play one Test for Australia, but after completing my 99th a couple of days ago, and looking forward to Friday, it’s been very exciting,” Lyon said. “I look at the 12 other guys who have played more than 100 Test matches of cricket for Australia and they’re pure legends in my eyes. Not just for Australia, but all around the world.”I’m going to pinch myself each and every day to see my name up against those fellows and being the 13th player to do so, it’s pretty amazing. I’ve tried in the past not to look too far ahead, but I’m pretty excited about this one. I’m really hoping we can play the positive brand of cricket that we know we can play and walk away with a series win.”ESPNcricinfo LtdA return to the Gabba for the final Test of the series is fitting, for it is here that Lyon, like Warne, has prospered so often because of the bounce on offer. In the Brisbane Ashes Tests of 2013 and 2017 Lyon put on two of his finest displays: the latter arguably his best on home soil, combining sharp spin, devilish drop and a perceptible change to a quicker pace that made it even harder than usual to dance down the pitch.Where some Australian batsmen of recent vintage – notably Michael Clarke and David Warner – have rightfully been questioned for major differentials between their home and away records, Lyon’s achievements as an orthodox offbreak bowler on a selection of the hardest pitches for spin bowlers in the world really should be cause for greater celebration. As summed up by Paine, Lyon has been defying perceptions for a decade.”The first time I saw him was in a Big Bash game, watching it on telly,” Paine said. “And I thought ‘geez this bloke looks pretty average, he’s lobbing up these off-stump offspinners and getting a bit of drift’. He didn’t look that flash, old Gaz. But then not long after he was picked sort of from nowhere on a A tour to Zimbabwe of which I was captain, the one-day part of it. He absolutely bowled the house down.”And within two or three games, we knew that he had something special in his hands and literally the next tour he was picked to play in the Test in Sri Lanka so my very first impression was geez, I hope that bloke plays against Tassie because I’ll line him up and two months later I was wicketkeeping to him in Zimbabwe and I had a completely different opinion of him. He’s amazed everyone with his journey. For a guy Darren Berry picked off a roller at the Adelaide Oval it’s an amazing story.”

“I know when I finish my career I’ll be able to sit there with a smile on my face and say I gave it my all, but this is my 100th and I’m far from being done in my eyes”

Only five spin bowlers in history have taken more than 100 Test wickets in Australia; Warne’s 319 at a strike rate of 60.8 is unsurprisingly at the top of the list, given his standing as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century. But after him, Lyon is the only other one to have claimed more than 150 wickets down under; 197 wickets taken every 66.2 deliveries. These are, in terms of contemporary spinners, magical figures.For one thing, the rest of the top five are all legspinners. Stuart MacGill was most unfortunate to have lived his cricketing life in Warne’s shadow but still fizzed past 135 batsmen at home with the eye-popping strike rate of 53.3 balls per wicket. Clarrie Grimmett’s mastery between the world wars was neatly balanced by Bill O’Reilly, who is only a little further down the list, and Richie Benaud’s commitment to the craft brought some rewarding days but plenty of hard graft: 104 victims, sure, but only arriving every 86.9 balls bowled.Yardley and Mallett have stood as twin peaks among recent Australian offspinners, with Nathan Hauritz and Tim May not far behind them. Both took more than 70 balls per victim in Tests at home, but did so with plenty of economy, the better to work in concert with the pacemen more commonly seen as dominant forces in Australia. Lyon has managed similar feats as a support bowler, but over a far longer period of time against batsmen with far more licence to clear the boundary and, in many cases, shorter distances over which to do so.While the figures for overseas visitors are somewhat warped by the vagaries of how much and how often the Australian Cricket Board and then Cricket Australia deigned to host them, there are remarkably few success stories to match Lyon’s. Since the 1940s, Anil Kumble’s strike rate is closest, but at greater cost, 37.73 runs per wicket. Bishan Bedi’s 35 victims at an average of 27.51 and a strike rate of 68.3 mark him as a truly singular talent, with Erapalli Prasana not too far behind. Otherwise, though, it is a tale of the sort of mediocrity Lyon is too often accused of.Take Ashwin’s overall record in Australia: 39 wickets at a strike rate of 86.2 including the current series. Graeme Swann, something of an inspiration for Lyon as a fellow classical offspin bowler, required 98.5 deliveries for each of his 22 wickets. As for Muralitharan, spooked as he was by being called for throwing at the MCG in December 1995, 12 wickets in five matches required 131 deliveries each to prise out.The 2017 Ashes Test in Brisbane was one of Nathan Lyon’s finest at home•Getty ImagesThis is not to say that Lyon is without problems at the current moment. He has not done well enough against India’s left-handers Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, and his lines to the right-handers have seemed to aim too much for catches at leg slip rather than slip, gully, silly point or in the covers. He will also be dealing with the heavy cloaks of bubbles and back-to-back Tests, meaning among other things that the usual Brisbane one-on-one with his mentor John Davison was not possible even before the coach joined the Sydney Thunder.Appearing in the rearview mirror, too, is the first serious rival for Lyon’s place since he ended speculation about his spot once and for all on the 2017 India tour. In the early part of the season, Mitchell Swepson was a dominant force for Queensland in a Sheffield Shield bracket Lyon was also part of. Swepson’s leg breaks, top spinners and occasional flippers scooped 23 victims at 21.17, striking every 52.5 deliveries, to place Lyon’s own return (nine wickets at 43.55, strike rate 84) very much in the shade. A Gabba renaissance will be vital on lots of levels.”It’s the amazing thing about Test cricket, it’s an amazing ride. Lots of ups and downs but I know when I finish my career I’ll be able to sit there with a smile on my face and say I gave it my all, but this is my 100th and I’m far from being done in my eyes – I’m still hungrier than ever,” Lyon said. “I want to go out there and play as much cricket for Australia as I can, and keep playing my role and hopefully win a lot of Test series for Australia.”Lyon did, in time, emerge from the shadow of Warne, proving himself to be the spin bowler Australia wanted as well as needed. But not even a tally of wickets that goes well beyond 400 will truly break the notion that on hard wickets down under, it is the extra rip provided by a wristspinner that will ultimately have the national selectors looking again for a fourth innings saviour. Lyon’s achievements, then, have been extremely hard won, not only in the face of conditions but also perceptions.

In stark contrast to this time last international break, the mood around Arsenal is incredibly positive.

Mikel Arteta’s side are unbeaten in the Champions League, and more importantly than that, sit atop the Premier League table a point clear of Liverpool.

Moreover, it’s not as if the Gunners have ground their way to the top, as they have not only conceded fewer goals but also scored one more than the Reds.

Mikel Arteta has his side playing fun, exciting football. Yet, even though you might expect Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze to be their most creative players, it’s someone else who holds that title at the moment – someone far more surprising.

Odegaard vs Eze last season

Before getting to the player currently leading the team in a creative sense this season, it’s worth looking back at how the club’s chief creators got on last year.

Eze was still plying his trade with Crystal Palace at the time, and ended up having the season of his life, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists in 43 appearances.

In contrast, Odegaard was only able to amass a tally of six goals and 12 assists in 45 appearances for the Gunners, in a season in which some in the fan base felt like he underachieved.

However, when taking a look at their underlying numbers from last season, which midfielder ends up looking like the better creator?

Well, it might come as something of a surprise to many, given the way their respective campaigns were viewed, but when it comes to purely creative metrics, it’s the Norwegian who came out on top last year.

For example, across all competitions, he performed better in various aspects, including progressive passes and carries, expected assists, passes into the penalty area, key passes, and more, all per 90.

Now, there are likely a couple of reasons why he performed so much better than the Englishman, such as the team they both played for and the fact that that Oliver Glasner relied on his former star to be more of a goalscorer. However, these numbers still prove Odegaard is a creative tour de force.

With all that said, neither he nor Eze top the list of creative Arsenal players this season.

Arsenal's most creative player this season

So, with Eze and Odegaard already out of the running, you might have expected Bukayo Saka to be Arsenal’s most creative player this season, or maybe even Noni Madueke before he went down injured.

Chalkboard

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

However, you’d once again be wrong. Moreover, even though Declan Rice tops the list for chances created in the Premier League, that is primarily down to his set-pieces.

With all that said, who has been Arteta’s chief creator this season?

Surprisingly, it’s been Jurrien Timber, who, according to Squawka, has created the most chances from open play in the entire team this season, clocking up eight chances at the time of writing.

The Gunners’ “game-changing signing,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has been exactly that so far this season, marrying his most monstrous defensive displays with this newfound creativity.

Perhaps the best display of this came in the game against Newcastle United, as he not only kept the Toon quiet on his side of the pitch but also continuously got forward to help create chances for his team.

It’s not just the eye test where the Dutchman impresses, though, as his underlying numbers really help to demonstrate just how complete he is as a player.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 2% of full-backs in the Premier League for actual and expected non-penalty goals, shot-creating actions, progressive passes and tackles, the top 7% for total shots and pass completion, the top 11% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, even though he doesn’t get quite as much attention as some of the other stars in the team, Timber is undoubtedly one of Arsenal’s most important and now creative players.

Arsenal can fix Odegaard blow by starting their "best attacker" in new role

The exceptional Arsenal star can help solve Mikel Arteta’s Martin Odegaard problem by playing in a new position.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 9, 2025

Tasmanian in line to become Usman Khawaja’s seventh opening partner in last two years

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-2025

Jake Weatherald and Usman Khawaja batted alongside each other in adjoining nets at Perth Stadium on Monday.There are similarities in their stances but that is about where the similarities end, both as players and as people. However, they have struck up a rapport already, at least publicly via the media, as two unique individuals willing to have some fun with each other.Weatherald went first, stating on the Grade Cricketer podcast that he wasn’t sure if Khawaja knew his name despite playing against him for 10 years. The clip went viral on Instagram. Khawaja struck back with a comment on the post, “Who this?”Related

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Doggett awaits his day as Perth Test debut looms into view

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Weatherald, on his first day in an Australian dressing room, continued the fun.”He still calls me Jack, so we’ll get there eventually,” Weatherald told reporters on Monday. “Hopefully, if I get a game, he can find Jake there somewhere.”Jokes aside, Khawaja could be forgiven for not remembering names given Weatherald is potentially going to be his seventh Test opening partner in the last two years.That Weatherald still doesn’t know if he playing four days out from the first ball is an indicator of how unsettled Australia’s opening pair has been.In Weatherald’s favour is that he is the most experienced opener of the six since David Warner retired, at least in first-class cricket. Every one of his 145 first-class innings have come opening the batting. He has more first-class innings and more centuries, 13, than Khawaja does in the position, albeit nine of Khawaja’s 11 have come in Test cricket where he has turned into one of Australia’s best ever.Despite all that experience, though, a debut in an Ashes Test in Perth is a different beast. Even for a 31-year-old who has experienced some serious challenges in life, Weatherald went through what every new kid at school does on his first day.There was a moment before he spoke to reporters, where he leaned on the fence and stared up at the gargantuan Perth Stadium stands and imagined what it would look like on Friday when all 60,000 seats are occupied.”I’ve played a little bit of Big Bash cricket here, but at the same time, to represent your country in a place like this, it’s such a cool stadium,” Weatherald said. “To look out and see what it looked like, obviously with everyone full and obviously walking out to bat, I was sort of imagining what it’d be like to go out there.”He was wearing his brand-new Australia whites, with his initials, JW, embossed on them and number 66 on the back. The same number worn by his potential opponent this week, Joe Root. It could very well be a nod to Chuck Berry and “Route 66″, given Weatherald’s passion for rock-and-roll guitarists.There was, however, a number missing on his shirt. Eleven of Australia’s 13 squad members in Perth on Monday that had assembled for various media commitments also had their Test numbers embossed.Weatherald and Brendan Doggett did not. They may well do by the end of the week. But it was a subtle reminder that this school is different.He might have played BBL cricket at Perth Stadium before, with a match-winning half-century for Adelaide Strikers to win an elimination final against Perth Scorchers in his last outing at the venue. He also has a century at a full Adelaide Oval in a BBL final. But Test cricket is another level and Weatherald is aware that replicating what has made him the best Sheffield Shield opener of the past 12 months under Ashes pressure will be a huge challenge.”It’s certainly going to be a difficult thing,” Weatherald said. “That’s a part of being an international cricketer, I guess, the fact there’s lot more to it. But at the same time, I think that’s going to be the true test for myself, to go out there and just try and operate the same way. And if I walk out there and nick off first ball then I walk out the innings after and try to repeat the same thing again, in terms of my process.”Trusting his process is what has got Weatherald to the brink of a Test debut. He did not change a thing in his first net session with the team. While Khawaja, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and most others opted to face a majority of throw downs from the coaches on spicy surfaces, Weatherald stayed true to what he has been doing for Tasmania, facing the best bowlers he can in the nets to replicate match conditions as best he can.He took on a brutal spell from Pat Cummins, facing a lion’s share of his eight overs. Beau Webster found nip and awkward bounce at a slightly less venomous, but no less nickable pace. Nathan Lyon found spin and bounce as well. Weatherald took it all on. It looked incredibly hard work. But he endured with the same positive mindset he has shown for Tasmania in recent times.”He’s been a revelation for us at the top of the order,” Webster said of his Tasmanian team-mate.”We were sort of crying out a little bit for someone who can take the game away early in the innings, and he does that. We saw even a couple of knocks this year to go with his exceptional year last year, where he puts the pressure back on the bowlers. And he does it quickly. He bats how you want to as an opening of batter in Australia right now. He punishes the bad ball, and he’s really selective when the ball’s around the stumps. So he’s been excellent for us.”

It’s never easy being manager of Tottenham Hotspur, is it? Just ask Ange Postecoglou.

The Aussie won an elusive European trophy for Spurs but after a dismal domestic campaign where the Lilywhites finished 17th, he was given his marching orders.

League proceedings threatened to get better during the early stages of Thomas Frank’s reign. Spurs were more organised and looked compact at the back.

How quickly things change. Last weekend, Frank’s side ended a run of five straight games in all competitions without winning by defeating Brentford. They won again in the Champions League in midweek but were brought back down to earth when they visited Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Spurs were pulled this way and that by Postecoglou’s former employers. With Sean Dyche now at the helm, he more than got the better of Frank who saw his side slip to a dire 3-0 loss.

What went wrong for Spurs at Forest

During the first few weeks of the new regime at Spurs, they looked far better at the back but that solidity appears to have alluded them in recent weeks. They have kept just two Premier League clean sheets in their last eight games to really hammer home the pressure on Frank.

At the City Ground, things didn’t get much better and they had Guglielmo Vicario to blame.

The Italian has made a number of crucial interventions in Spurs colours this season but arguably turned in one of his worst performances for the club in Nottingham at the weekend.

For the opener, Vicario played a very sketchy ball into the path of Archie Gray who was under pressure. He was ultimately caught in possession and Forest ended up finding the net.

Then, for the second, Hudson Odoi appeared to aim a cross into the area but it ended up goalbound and soared over Vicario whose positioning was all wrong.

While the goalkeeper did not help matters, even when Spurs had the ball in the final third they did not do an awful lot with it.

Striker Richarlison managed just two shots, none of which were on target. He also completed a dismal two passes during the game.

As for Mohammed Kudus, he could only carve out one key pass and didn’t manage a shot on target either.

Truth be told, Frank looks out of his depth. His tactics are limited and it may well be time for a change in the dugout.

The man to replace Thomas Frank at Spurs

The Dane may well have only been in charge since the summer but it’s time for a replacement. Frank did a wonderful job at Brentford but for a club that wants to be challenging for honours, they need someone progressive, someone with a better style of football.

Manager Focus

Enter Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. Daniel Levy allegedly interviewed the Spaniard at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, as per TalkSPORT, who confirmed a few weeks ago that he has his sights set on a move up the Premier League, although with the caveat that he wants to see out the season.

Well, if Spurs play their cards right, that time could be now. Hailed as “the best coach in the Premier League” by European football expert James Horncastle for his exploits on the South Coast, the Cherries manager looks ready to be an elite name in the sport.

Since taking over at Bournemouth, he has turned them into a top-half club. They finished ninth in the table last season, just nine points off a European spot.

It was a brilliant accomplishment for such a small club, but like Iraola, they are growing in stature with the Basque-born coach in charge.

Frank has been accused of playing rather boring football since moving to Spurs. It’s the opposite of Postecoglou’s reign. That’s a positive for sure, yet there also has to be a level of ambition to their play. That’s where Iraola could come in.

Bournemouth writer, Sam Davis, once noted that ‘we were told that we would see “rock and roll” football and “organised chaos” when the new boss joined the ranks at Vitality Stadium – they weren’t kidding!’

On that evidence, he could well be the perfect hybrid between Ange and Frank. Structure and organisation to the defence but crucially, a desire and ambition to attack and play free-flowing football.

Spurs must look away from Frank and roll their dice on Iraola; it could be a match made in heaven.

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Tottenham are entering a new era with new up-and-coming superstars.

ByAngus Sinclair 2 days ago

Newcastle United have not been at the races this season. Wheeling off quickly at times – mostly at St. James’ Park – but suffering from dismal away form that is pulling Eddie Howe’s squad away from their potential.

We all know this, and Howe most of all. However, identifying solutions and then finding the right answers can be two wholly different things in football.

But the English tactician has done so countless times across his four years on Tyneside, adapting and overcoming obstacles that fall into his path.

Take, for example, the fumbled signing of Chris Wood from Burnley in 2022. One of the first to establish this new PIF era, the Kiwi striker flattered to deceive.

Remembering Chris Wood's time at Newcastle

Wood is one of the most consistent Premier League strikers of his time. Something of a journeyman, he has nonetheless enjoyed success throughout his career, truly coming into his own over the past several years with Nottingham Forest.

However, a brief stint at Newcastle stands as a blot on the copybook. Howe purchased the New Zealand star from Burnley for £25m in January 2022, right at the start of this new era.

Sometimes, it’s just not your day. And Wood simply didn’t click in black and white. The veteran goalscorer only scored five times across 39 appearances before leaving for Forest on loan and then making the move permanent.

Pundit Tam McManus said that he looked “a bit lost” at St. James’ Park, and the one bit of solace from the misfire of a signing was that Newcastle were otherwise going from strength to strength, and they signed Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad after realising Wood wasn’t going to make the grade.

Of course, no one would deny that Wood is a top-class Premier League striker. He was one of the most prolific in the division last season, after all.

But this only emphasises the blunder on Newcastle’s part, one they would not wish to repeat.

For the most part, they haven’t. Newcastle’s success under Howe’s wing has been a product of care and accuracy in the market. But they don’t always get it right, having signed the new Wood this summer.

Newcastle's biggest disaster since Chris Wood

Maybe there’s just something that isn’t working for ex-Forest stars moving to Newcastle.

Anthony Elanga has not been a success since joining the club from the City Ground for £55m this summer, yet to score or assist across 16 appearances.

Renowned for his “special ability” on the ball, as said by Nuno Espirito Santo, the Swedish winger simply hasn’t succeeded in translating his physical strengths over to St. James’ Park.

It’s not just his output causing concern. As per Sofascore, Elanga has succeeded with only 17% of his attempted dribbles in the Premier League this season. For a player whose standout skill is his fleet-footedness on the ball, this isn’t good enough.

Elanga, 23, must be afforded more time, but given the desperate need for an efficient right winger in recent years at the club, his woes have been a concern, salvaged only by the ever-industrious Jacob Murphy’s consistency.

He’s still relatively young, and he has proven himself capable in the Premier League across the past two terms with the Tricky Trees.

But the early readings are not all that promising, with analyst Raj Chohan picking up on the winger’s poor form and claiming that the deal was a “massive overpay” on PIF’s part.

While he is young and with much potential still untapped – unlike Wood – Newcastle expected bang for their buck when filling a hole on the right wing.

If Elanga doesn’t improve quickly, the Toon are going to need to dig back into their pockets.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 28, 2025

In the wake of a second World Series title in the last five years, the Los Angeles Dodgers appear to have locked down their manager for the foreseeable future.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is nearing an extension, according to a Thursday evening report from Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.

Roberts, 52, is in his ninth season as Los Angeles's manager. Under his guidance, the Dodgers have won two World Series titles—in 2020 and '24—and four pennants.

The skipper has received National League Manager of the Year votes in every year of his tenure, winning the award in 2016.

Roberts has arguably eclipsed his profile as an outfielder, constructed during a career that lasted from 1999 to 2008. He is best known in that role for his stolen base in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees, which kick-started the Boston Red Sox's improbable run to their first World Series title in 86 years.

Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague on Tuesday made it four wins from four in the Champions League for the high-flying Gunners so far in 2025-26. Bukayo Saka, captain for the night, got the ball rolling from the penalty spot, before Mikel Merino took over as the Spain international, playing in place of Viktor Gyokeres, scored twice in a clinical performance in the Czech capital.

Gabriel Magalhaes has made his name in recent seasons as a force with his head at attacking set-pieces, but the centre-back almost gave Arsenal a very early lead in spectacular fashion – his left-footed drive after the ball was only partially cleared by Slavia just narrowly missed the target.

Slavia pressure in response didn't test David Raya as shots were either blocked or flew off target, before the Gunners regained a creative foothold and Saka had a pair of efforts saved by goalkeeper Jakub Markovic midway through the first half. Leandro Trossard was also denied in a spell of pressure that would have pleased Arteta on the touchline.

Arsenal were also peppering the Slavia box with corners, which directly led to making the breakthrough. A delivery from Saka was met at the near post by Gabriel and deflected behind, which prompted a VAR intervention after striking Lukas Provod’s arm before it went out of play. The referee pointed to the spot after consulting the pitchside monitor and Saka showed no mercy as he smashed the subsequent spot-kick into the net.

Slavia, disappointing since the very early stages, unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty of their own a couple of times, but Arsenal were firmly in control by the time the half-time whistle came. The second goal came, meanwhile, straight after the restart and was as simple as you like as Trossard supplied the cross from the left and Merino, somehow completely unmarked in the middle, turned the ball in six yards out.

Merino's second of the night, and Arsenal's third, was another simple one. Declan Rice's floated ball into the box looked like it should have been Markovic's to claim, only for the goalkeeper not to make it before Merino got his head there instead, flicking into the empty net.

The Gunners survived a late penalty decision when substitute Ben White seemed to upend Provod, but appeared harsh on second look and VAR intervened to determine it was not a foul.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Fortuna Arena…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

David Raya (6/10):

Slavia didn't manage a shot on target until deep into stoppage time, so his goal was pretty much unchallenged. Commanded his area well.

Jurrien Timber (6/10):

Saw surprisingly little of the ball in possession, with only 35 touches until being withdrawn after 73 minutes.

William Saliba (6/10):

One his easier nights after Slavia's early impetus seemed to fade after the opening 15 minutes.

Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):

Typically made himself an attacking threat as much as he was a defensive force and was directly involved in winning the penalty that broke the deadlock.

Piero Hincapie (6/10):

Made his full Champions League debut for the Gunners. Departed the pitch shortly after being left in a heap, but it appeared to be a planned substitution anyway.

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Ethan Nwaneri (6/10):

Made tidy use of the ball in midfield but struggled to impose himself physically.

Christian Norgaard (5/10):

Gave the ball away more easily than Arteta would have liked. Only won three of nine duels on the ground and in the air.

Declan Rice (8/10):

Completed more passes than anyone else and the pitch, and by extension created the most chances. Comes away with an assist for the ball into the box that gave Merino the second of his brace.

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Bukayo Saka (8/10):

Continues rising to the occasion and is now the first-ever Arsenal player to score in four successive Champions League away games.

Mikel Merino (9/10):

Back in the No.9 role after Gyokeres was ruled out due to the injury and repaid that faith from his manager. Probably couldn't believe how much space he was given when doubling Arsenal's lead, but crucially made sure to make the opportunity count. His second showed just as much striker's instinct. The ball didn't really stick when it was fired into him, but with two goals what does it matter?

Leandro Trossard (7/10):

Assist for Merino's goal aside, the Belgian was consistently involved in promising Arsenal attacks, including a previous attempted cross towards the stand-in striker that was only just cut out before it reached its mark.

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Eberechi Eze (5/10):

Hardly involved off the bench.

Max Dowman (6/10):

This monumental season keeps getting better for the 15-year-old, who is now the youngest player in Champions League history.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (6/10):

On at left-back as Arteta looked to freshen things up for the final stages.

Ben White (5/10):

Both full-backs were replaced simultaneously, with White going to the right. VAR saved him from conceding a penalty.

Andre Harriman-Annous (6/10):

Another Champions League debut, but at 17 a relative veteran compared to Dowman.

Mikel Arteta (9/10):

Gyokeres made it seven injured players, plus Zubimendi's suspension, so the boss really had to rely on his squad's depth for this one. Made other changes too, opting to rest Calafiori and Eze from the start. Everything worked as hoped and he could then rotate again at 3-0 up.