Manchester United legend and pundit Gary Neville savaged Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez for his "naive" performance against Chelsea. Liverpool suffered their third consecutive loss across all competitions as they went down 2-1 against the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Kerkez featured in Arne Slot's starting lineup but was subbed off in the 55th minute.

Kerkez' slow start to life at Liverpool

Kerkez had a tremendous outing with Bournemouth last season, as the Cherries finished ninth in the Premier League. His impressive performance earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year and subsequently Liverpool signed him for £40 million ($54m) in the summer transfer window. The Hungarian full-back has featured in all of Liverpool's matches this season, but his performance has been below par. Against Chelsea, he featured in the starting lineup but had to be taken off in the 55th minute.   

AdvertisementGetty Images SportNeville calls Kerkez 'naive'

Speaking on , after the Reds' loss at Stamford Bridge, Neville said: "The boy Kerkez, to be honest with you, at this point in time, he looks like a youth-team player. I know he’s a good player, but he looks like he’s playing for the youth team, or the Under-21s. He looks so naïve; he looks like a baby out there. He’s losing 50-50s with Neto! He’s had Premier League experience; it’s not like he’s come in from another country.  

"He’s got a lot of games under his belt, he’s played at these grounds before, so I expected him to slot in. One, he’s playing alongside Virgil Van Dijk, the best centre half in the world, so if you want to play in a back four, you want to play with great defenders and he is doing. And he’s got players who work hard on that side, it’s not like he’s playing on the right with Salah in front of him, which is always a bit more difficult because you always get a little bit more exposed. But I have to say from the first ten minutes of that game against Bournemouth on the first game of the season, he’s struggled."

Slot defends Kerkez

Amid all the criticism, Reds boss Slot came to the defender's defence, as he said on : "Milos was more and more tired. He played 90 minutes in two games and now, for the third game in a week, which he’s not used to when he played at Bournemouth. You could feel and see it got more and more difficult to keep going and their wingers are a threat so we decided to make a change over there." 

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Getty ImagesFresh injury setback for Liverpool

After new defensive signing Giovanni Leoni picked up an ACL knock last week, Ibrahima Konate is the latest Reds defender to pick up an injury that forced Slot to replace him in the second half against Chelsea.   

Big Picture: Can Pakistan stop New Zealand’s charge?

Even against a depleted New Zealand squad, Pakistan’s revamped T20I side managed to hit a new low of getting bundled for 91 in the series opener. Even against a New Zealand side without the flying Glenn Phillips, Pakistan have been handing out catches incessantly through the two games so far – for all ten dismissals in the first game and eight out of nine in the second.If this new-look Pakistan side wants to keep the five-match T20I series alive in Auckland on Friday, they need to step up on all fronts and prove to the world – and even perhaps to themselves – that it’s not all doom and gloom with less than a year to go for the next T20 World Cup.Pakistan themselves are a depleted side, in the early days of learning to live without Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam in this format, and without the injured Saim Ayub. It’s still early days to judge the new opening pair of Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris, but their inability to cope with the pace and bounce in Christchurch before poor shot selections in Dunedin doesn’t bode well.Related

• Pakistan slide feels like a terminal, slow decline

• Neesham, Allen, Seifert 'very hungry' to play for NZ as 2026 T20 World Cup prep begins

• Rauf backs Pakistan's youngsters: 'Give them 10 to 15 matches, that is how they become players'

Salman Agha’s blitzy 46 off 28 and cameos from the experienced Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi down the order in the second game helped them to 135 for 9 in a rain-reduced 15-overs-a-side game. However, the ineffectiveness of their bowling attack – which holds a lot more promise than their batting – to contain the New Zealand batting places a big question mark over who can really help them keep the series alive.New Zealand’s openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen were devastating in both games, exemplified by Seifert carting Afridi around for 26 runs in an over in the second game. Given the sunny forecast in Auckland, Pakistan will first hope they win the toss, which they haven’t so far this series, and then try to remove the openers early to test their middle order.New Zealand have not had much to worry about so far; their bowlers have worked like a well-oiled machine in favourable conditions and even though they put down three catches in the first match, they have held on to 18.Pakistan will also be desperate to lift their hopes after a forgettable home Champions Trophy campaign and put an end to their five-match losing streak in T20Is, which started in Zimbabwe in December last year.

Form guide

New Zealand WWLWW
Pakistan LLLLLJames Neesham picked two wickets in the second T20I•Joe Allison/Getty Images

In the spotlight: James Neesham and Hasan Nawaz

After last playing T20Is in the 2024 T20 World Cup, James Neesham returned to the side in the absence of the stars that are in India for the IPL. He got to play only in the second game, picking two wickets towards the end and scoring just 5 in the chase before holing out. Once a game-changer in New Zealand’s white-ball squads, Neesham has fallen out of favour in ODIs but he has committed himself for next year’s T20 World Cup. The onus remains on him to prove that form is something he can turn around quickly, especially in home conditions, as he has not scored over 40 in the format since December 2023.Hasan Nawaz has had as poor a start to his international career as anyone could: two ducks in two games. It’s the nature of dismissals in both games that might disappoint him and the team management as he dished out wild swings to miscue the ball on both occasions. The 22-year-old came into this series with runs for Lions in Pakistan’s Champions T20 Cup, finishing second on the run-scorers’ list and with the second-most sixes, too. The challenge now will be to keep his place in the Pakistan XI for the remaining games and try to earn his runs in more hostile conditions.Mohammad Ali has been carted for 59 runs in five overs across the two T20Is•Getty Images

Team news

Since it’s a five-match series and there was a quick turnaround between the first two games, New Zealand rested Kyle Jamieson and Tim Robinson to bring in Ben Sears and Jimmy Neesham for the second match. They could bring Jamieson back and rest Jacob Duffy for the third game.New Zealand (probable): 1 Tim Seifert, 2 Finn Allen, 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 James Neesham, 6 Mitchell Hay (wk), 7 Michael Bracewell (capt), 8 Zakary Foulkes, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Jacob Duffy/Ben SearsPakistan changed the mix of their bowling attack to pick fast bowler Haris Rauf for legspinner Abrar Ahmed for the second match. Mohammad Ali has been expensive in both games, leaking nearly 12 runs in both games put together. Abbas Afridi is the one option in their squad if they wish to replace Ali.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Haris (wk), 2 Hasan Nawaz, 3 Salman Agha (capt), 4 Irfan Khan, 5 Shadab Khan, 6 Khushdil Shah, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Jahandad Khan, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Mohammad Ali

Pitch and conditions

Even though New Zealand bowled in the first two games and won both, the last four matches (barring a tie between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 2023) in Auckland were won by teams batting first. Eden Park in general is known as a high-scoring ground and with no rain predicted for Friday, and temperatures expected to dip below 20 degrees at night, the crowd should be entertained for a full 40 overs.

Stats and trivia

• Finn Allen has scored 433 runs in 11 innings against Pakistan in T20Is, the most by him against any opponent, including two fifties and a hundred. He is already in the top five list of batters to score most runs against Pakistan
• If he plays on Friday, Ish Sodhi will become joint second-most capped player for New Zealand in T20Is
• Haris Rauf needs two more to reach 200 international wickets

West Ham have been told that they missed their chance to sign Jose Mourinho as their head coach, but they have signed the next best option in Nuno Espirito Santo, who has replaced Graham Potter at the helm. The Hammers made a disastrous start to the 2025-26 campaign as they lost four out of their first five Premier League matches and were languishing in 19th position.

• Nuno replaced Potter after terrible start to new season

  Days after his sacking as Nottingham Forest boss, Nuno Espirito Santo returned to the Premier League as he replaced Potter at West Ham. The 51-year-old's stock was at an all-time high after he marshalled Forest to a seventh-placed finish in the top tier last term, while they flirted with Champions League qualification for much of the campaign. Ironically, the Portuguese's last game in charge of the club was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Potter's Hammers at the City Ground.

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• Getty
  

  Mourinho was linked with West Ham job

  After Fenerbahce parted ways with Mourinho at the start of the season, the legendary manager was briefly linked with a move to West Ham as they continued to struggle under Potter. However, by the time the club actually sacked the English coach, Mourinho was no longer available as he returned to his homeland and took charge of Benfica. 

• West Ham told Nuno was next best option after Mourinho

  Speaking to , former West Ham and England star Joe Cole said of Nuno's likelihood of reaching Europe with his new side: "Well, I don't think it'd be a European spot, but to safety, certainly. I think he'll do a good job. I don't believe the way that the club handled or treated Graham Potter was correct. But unfortunately, it seems to be par for the course for not just West Ham, but a lot of football clubs. The way that head coaches are sort of up there with a target on their back, with not as much control as you probably need to implement your vision. And Graham Potter can certainly walk away from that club and say, 'I didn't get the time, I didn't get the backing.' 

  "Nuno coming in, on the other hand, I think, is a very smart appointment by the club. I think he’s the right man. Once Joseph Mourinho wasn't available, I would have probably gone for Nuno – Nuno or Sean Dyche. Someone who understands the league, and somebody who was very strong in the areas that West Ham needed to improve – the defensive unit, defending set pieces. So, Nuno or Sean Dyche – it would have been a pick between those two for me."

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  Nuno's difficult start to life at West Ham

  Despite Nuno's arrival at the club, West Ham are yet to end their winless run. In his first match in charge, the Hammers held Everton to a 1-1 draw, but went down 2-0 against Arsenal last weekend. The club will hope that they register their second win of the season after the international break when they take on Brentford on October 20.

أعلن الحساب الرسمي لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا عن تشكيل الأسبوع من الجولة الثالثة لمرحلة الدوري لمسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وكان فيرمين لوبيز لاعب خط وسط برشلونة قد أختير كلاعب الجولة الثالثة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، بعد أن حصل على أعلى نسبة تصويت من الجماهير.

وشهد التشكيل المثالي أيضاً للجولة الثالثة انضمام فيرجيل فان دايك قائد ليفربول الذي حصد جائزة رجل المباراة بين ليفربول وفرانكفورت، وقد سجل هدف التقدم الثاني لفريقه في هذه المباراة.

اقرأ أيضاً.. إعلان لاعب الجولة الثالثة من دوري أبطال أوروبا التشكيل المثالي للجولة الثالثة من دوري أبطال أوروبا

That defence 😮‍💨🔒

Introducing your Team of the Week! 🌟@cryptocom | #UCLTOTW pic.twitter.com/YRMsFV92WS — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 23, 2025

في حراسة المرمى: فيكاريو “توتنهام هوتسبير”.

خط الدفاع: دينزل دومفريس “إنتر ميلان” – فيرجيل فان دايك” ليفربول” – جابرييل “آرسنال” – نونو مينديز “باريس سان جيرمان”.

خط الوسط: كارل “بايرن ميونخ” – نميشا “بوروسيا دورتموند” – فيرمين لوبيز “برشلونة”.

خط الهجوم: دينيس مان “آيندهوفن” – جوركا جوروزيتا “أتلتيك بلباو” – أنتوني جوردون “نيوكاسل يونايتد”.

West Ham United manager Graham Potter could be sacked by the Hammers very shortly, on one condition, with a potential timeline shared by one media source.

Graham Potter under growing pressure in east London

This time last year, David Moyes’ replacement, Julen Lopetegui, was in a very similar situation to Potter as critics and supporters alike called for the Spaniard to be axed following a poor start to 2024/2025.

Now, his successor, Potter, is facing the same pressure. Under the former Chelsea boss, West Ham have recorded their second-worst win percentage since the Premier League’s inception, with Avram Grant’s relegated side from 2010/2011 coming as the only Hammers team to fare worse.

Worst West Ham managers in the Premier League

Win percentage

9. Sam Allardyce

30.7%

10. Julen Lopetegui

30%

11. Gianfranco Zola

27.8%

12, Graham Potter

27.3%

13. Avram Grant

18.9%

via StatMuse

The east Londoners have also leaked goals left, right and centre — conceding more than any other top-flight outfit thus far — with Potter’s West Ham also looking extremely vulnerable when it comes to set pieces.

Potter did give himself some breathing room with an impressive 3-0 win away to Nottingham Forest, which turned out to be Nuno Espírito Santo’s final game in charge, and the Portuguese is now being linked to the West Ham job after leaving the City Ground.

As well as Nuno, ex-West Ham player Frank Lampard has been mentioned as a candidate to replace Potter, with other reports suggesting Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna was in attendance at the London Stadium during their 3-0 derby defeat to Spurs.

However, any hope of a blockbuster move for big-name serial winner José Mourinho is being quashed by the special one’s imminent move to Benfica, so if West Ham are to sack Potter, they’ll need to decide quickly and avoid the other best-possible free agents being snapped up by other clubs.

Taking that into account, West Ham chair David Sullivan is apparently keen to avoid another Lopetegui-style saga, amid a major concern he has behind-the-scenes.

When West Ham could sack Graham Potter and it may be imminent

That is according to Hammers News, who shared an update on Potter’s future via one of their sources.

The informant, as quoted by HN, reveals that West Ham could sack Potter if they lose to Crystal Palace this weekend.

The 50-year-old’s unceremonious departure would bring his stock down even further after he was sacked by Chelsea, with Potter’s stellar days growing Brighton into an established Premier League side far behind the tactician.

It would be hard to envisage Potter getting another immediate big job if he’s given a P45 after Saturday, but as we’ve seen with ex-West Ham hero Moyes, you can always bounce back in the long-term.

Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel were at the crease, again, as Rajasthan Royals failed to close out a game they should have

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-20253:09

Rayudu: RR panicked under pressure

For the second game in a row, Rajasthan Royals (RR) failed to close a chase out.Three days ago, against Delhi Capitals (DC), RR needed 23 runs off the last 12 deliveries, with seven wickets standing. But the match ended in a tie, and RR lost the Super Over. While chasing 181 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Jaipur on Saturday, RR required 25 runs from 18 balls, and had eight wickets in hand. Yet, they lost by two runs.After the latest reversal, RR’s stand-in captain Riyan Parag said such results were “really kind of hard to process”. “I don’t know what we did wrong. I felt we were in the game probably till the 18th over and 19th over, actually,” Parag said at the post-match presentation. “But yeah, I don’t know.”Related

RCB look for Chinnaswamy joy against still-tinkering RR

Avesh Khan wins a Russian roulette of yorkers at the death

With three overs to go against LSG, RR had two set batters at the crease. Yashasvi Jaiswal was batting on 74, and Parag on 38. But the 18th over from Avesh Khan began with Jaiswal bowled by a yorker, and ended with Parag trapped lbw by another yorker, as he looked to scoop but missed. In the last over, against Avesh again, Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel could score only six runs out of the nine required.Did Jaiswal and Parag falling at a critical time make the big difference?”I think it’s something along those lines,” Parag said. “I blame myself for this. I probably should have finished it in the 19th over. But then, I don’t know if that was a bad decision for myself. I mean, we [have] just got to put one game together collectively for 40 overs. Only then can we expect a win.”But Parag also pointed to the one big over with the ball – the last – for taking the target beyond RR. The experienced Sandeep Sharma was taken for 27 runs in that over, with Abdul Samad smashing him for four sixes. That took LSG to 180.”I think we did really well [with the ball]. The last over was unfortunate,” he said. “I kind of thought we would stop them at like 165, [or] 170 max. The last over was unfortunate. Sandy is trusted. I think he just had one bad game, and Abdul Samad batted really well. So I thought we were like probably 20 runs over par [or] 15 runs over par. But we should have chased that down.”This was RR’s fourth loss in a row, and left them at eighth on the points table. They have won just two games out of eight so far, and head into their next match, an away fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 24, after a five-day break.

Lionel Messi made a bold claim when talking about the best player England have ever produced, naming a 114-cap star as the “greatest”, ahead of Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and a storied list of strikers.

Messi continues to light up the global game

The great Argentine may now be 38 years of age but he’s continuing to perform remarkably well, standing the test of time compared to some of his peers.

He scored twice during Inter Miami’s recent 4-0 victory over Atalanta United in MLS, taking his tally across his last ten outings to nine goals and seven assists. He notably picked up a hat-trick of assists during their 4-1 win over New England Revolution at the beginning of October.

He also starred for Argentina in October’s international break. Although he did not score, Argentina defeated Puerto Rico 6-0.

The Inter Miami star is yet to decide whether he will go to the 2026 World Cup, but if he is able to do so, Argentina should be in a strong position to go all the way once again, having blitzed their way through qualification.

England, on the other hand, officially qualified for the tournament in America with a 5-0 win over Latvia. The Three Lions will be hoping 2026 is finally the year when football ‘comes home’, but talisman Harry Kane will need to be at his best.

England have a great recent record of producing top strikers, with Rooney scoring 53 goals in 120 international appearances, but Messi has suggested a different Liverpool-born player is the best-ever.

Four England stars Thomas Tuchel could rescue after Southgate struggles

The former Chelsea boss isn’t afraid to make some bold choices…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 7, 2025

Speaking after Steven Gerrard’s retirement in 2016, Messi picked Gerrard as England’s greatest player of all time.

Gerrard without doubt among England's best-ever players

It is arguably a bold claim to suggest Gerrard is the Three Lions’ greatest-ever player, but he is certainly in the conversation, given the instrumental role the 114-cap star played in Liverpool competing for major honours until the mid 2010s.

Of course, it will probably haunt the 45-year-old that he never managed to win the Premier League title, but the former Liverpool captain certainly wasn’t unsuccessful, winning 11 trophies during his time with his boyhood club, including the FA Cup in 2006.

Most famously, the Whiston-born midfielder instigated the comeback in arguably the greatest final in Champions League history, with the Reds coming from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan on penalties in 2005.

Not only did the Liverpool legend always step up when required, scoring a number of crucial goals in finals, but he has also received praise for the impact he had on his teammates, with Gerard Houllier once saying: “He is a natural born leader, a very inspirational leader. He is somebody you want to follow.”

After a slow start out of the blocks this season, everything seemed to click into place for Leeds United away at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the Premier League.

Obviously, the 3-1 win will have to be taken with a slight pinch of salt – considering Vitor Pereira’s Old Gold have now lost all five of their opening league clashes – but it was still a breakneck performance from Daniel Farke’s men, especially in that blistering first 45 minutes.

Staggeringly, before their trip to the West Midlands, Farke and Co. had only fired home one goal in league action all season. Those same nerves weren’t present at all at Molineux, however, as three strikes were put away by the visitors in quick succession.

Even more pleasing for Farke would be the nature of those goalscorers, with all three heroes on the day being brand-new recruits who can now kick on even more in West Yorkshire.

Leeds' standout new recruits

While there were grumbles among the Elland Road contingent when activity was sparse on transfer deadline day, there does need to be some recognition that Leeds have made a couple of standout purchases here and there.

Farke will be desperately hoping that Dominic Calvert-Lewin now finds himself deep in a purple patch of goalscoring form after heading home the equaliser at Molineux, with the ex-Everton marksman going down as an astute purchase if so on a free transfer.

Calvert-Lewin might well have steered Leeds back onto the initial road to recovery, but it was the combined efforts of both Anton Stach and Noah Okafor that would stylishly secure the three points.

Indeed, Stach would show no hesitation on the big stage when hammering home a sublime free-kick for 2-1, with the £20m purchase looking a Premier League-calibre talent already.

Okafor also justified his high £18m price-tag with the game-clinching strike on the stroke of half-time, with both the Swiss international and his German teammate hopeful they can continue putting in top-quality displays together to ensure survival is clinched.

The new midfield pairing also boasts hefty salaries – with the duo earning £72.5k-per-week and £45k-per-week respectively – but there is one high earner who rakes in even more who will now be worried about his long-term security in the first-team.

The Leeds star who earns more than Okafor & Stach

It isn’t the most shocking development that both Okafor and Stach can perform at the highest level of English football; however, considering both players in question have shone in the Bundesliga, the Serie A, and the Austrian Bundesliga previously, to name but a few of their past European destinations.

In stark contrast, Daniel James has never quite looked at ease in the Premier League, and with injury difficulties already getting the better of him so far this season, the 27-year-old could soon find it hard to nail down a first-team spot.

This isn’t to say that James hasn’t produced some moments of unbelievable magic at Leeds, with this spectacular effort last season seeing the Whites collect a promotion-boosting 3-1 victory.

But, it’s very clear when looking at the table below, that the hit-and-miss Welshman is a far more of an electric attacking threat in the EFL than he is when making the daunting step up to the Premier League.

Games played

110

109

Goals scored

12

29

Assists

13

25

In the EFL’s elite league to date, James has managed to collect a weighty 54 goal contributions from 109 overall clashes, with the spotlight often beamed down on him as Leeds’ main man down the right channel.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t been as devastating in the Premier League as a full-throttle option, with just nine of his 25 goal contributions in the unforgiving division coming in West Yorkshire.

His regular hiccups in the top-flight even saw TalkSPORT’s outspoken Simon Jordan label him as a “fundamental disappointment” in 2022, with those words still ringing true when you consider the one-time Manchester United attacker has also collected zero goals or assists this season when fit.

When further realising James also pockets a steep £75k-per-week pay packet, which is more than both Okafor and Stach earn, it’s clear that Leeds are handing out an unnecessarily excessive salary.

With his current contract in play until 2029, it’s unlikely that Farke will part ways with James anytime soon.

But, with Okafor proving that the new guard at the German’s disposal are instantly Premier League ready, don’t expect the Welshman to instantly jump back into his first-team plans.

49ers buzzing: Leeds "very happy" with £72,500-a-week star who loves Farke

He’s already bagged his first goal.

ByCallum Kemp Sep 22, 2025

Could we be looking at the shortest permanent managerial tenure at Ibrox in Glasgow Rangers’ 153-year history?

Not including caretakers, Pedro Caixinha is the shortest-serving Rangers manager of all-time, for now, overseeing 26 matches in 2017, but could Russell Martin smash that record?

Well, things have not gone very well for Martin in his 11 matches in charge of the Gers, ignominiously dumped out of Champions League qualifying by Club Brugge, demolished 9-1 on aggregate, while he is yet to win a Premiership fixture, drawing all four so far.

Martin’s 26th match would be a Europa League home game against Braga on 27 November, but many are forecasting he’ll be long gone by then, so could 49ers Enterprises turn to an experienced Premier League manager instead?

What is going wrong for Martin at Rangers?

Back on 23 February, Philippe Clement was sacked, following a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of St Mirren.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Barry Ferguson took caretaker charge for the remainder of last season, actually producing some exceptional results, during which time 49ers Enterprises completed their takeover of the club.

Thus, after a thorough recruitment process, Martin was appointed 102 days on from Clement’s dismissal and, well, supporters were pretty underwhelmed.

Speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Ewan Murray asserted that never before has a managerial appointment been so instantaneously “doomed” from day one as this, noting that Rangers fans never wanted Martin in the first place, and he has certainly not won them over.

The Gers have failed to win any of their first four league outings for the first time since 1983, going on to finish fourth back then, lucky to salvage draws at St Mirren and Motherwell, outplayed by both for long periods.

Also, the aforementioned 9-1 annihilation at the hands of Club Brugge is the Light Blues’ heaviest aggregate European defeat since a 12-4 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the European Cup semi-finals 65 years ago.

After the international break, Rangers welcome both Hearts and then Hibs to Ibrox, the latter a League Cup quarter-final, before commencing their Europa League campaign against Genk in Govan, but, should results continue to deteriorate and Martin’s position become untenable, who should the 49ers turn to?

Rangers' ideal Russell Martin replacement

When looking at the current out-of-work managers, some names immediately leap off the page.

José Mourinho, Erik ten Hag, Marco Rose, Sérgio Conceição, Steven Gerrard, even Ange Postecoglou (could you imagine?), but surely the most sensible appointment for Rangers, given their current predicament, would be Sean Dyche.

The 54-year-old was sacked by Everton in January, but undeniably did a good job on Merseyside, keeping the Toffees in the Premier League during a period of austerity at Goodison, with the Blues finishing 17th and then 15th with a very poor squad.

Dyche is most well known for his decade as Burnley boss before that, taking charge of 425 games, the third most of any manager in Clarets’ history, behind only Harry Potts (1958-70) and John Haworth (1910-24).

Under Dyche, Burnley twice won promotion from the EFL Championship, enjoying six successive seasons in the Premier League, their longest continuous period in the top division since the early-70s, most notably finishing seventh in 2018, thereby qualifying for Europe for the first time since 1966.

The Clarets were known for being defensively organised and tough to beat, with Dyche getting the best out of his players, elevating them to become better than they ever believed possible. He did so on a shoestring budget too, much like current Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers did with Swansea City.

Well, these are all qualities one cannot say about the current Rangers team, who are all over the place at the back, with Max Aarons and Nasser Djiga’s red cards against Brugge and Dundee respectively epitomising this chaotic approach.

Dyche’s Premier League record, when compared to Martin’s, tells the story.

Matches

332

16

Wins

93

1

Win %

28%

6.25%

Goals scored

323

11

Goals per game

0.97

0.69

Goals conceded

467

36

Conceded per game

1.41

2.25

Points

370

5

Points-per-game

1.11

0.31

As the table documents, Dyche is exponentially more experienced than Martin at Premier League level so, while the latter does only offer a small sample size, the way his Southampton team were going, they would’ve conceded 747 goals had he reached 332 matches; that’s 280 more than Dyche.

The main issue for Rangers right now is that, frankly, they have a poor squad, but even their competent players like John Souttar, who was excellent for Scotland in Denmark on Friday night, are not suited to Martin’s style of play.

Thus, what the Gers need right now is a pragmatist, not a dogmatic idealist who sticks to their principles at all costs.

So, if the Light Blues are going to fight for silverware domestically and make a deep run in the Europa League, they need a manager who can get the best out of players, and Dyche appears perfectly suited to that role.

Rangers must rue losing star who's worth millions more than Chermiti

Rangers must rue losing this “incredible” star who would now be their most valuable player.

ByDan Emery Sep 6, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Na apresentação de Diego Aguirre, nesta terça-feira (27), o novo técnico do Santos disse que não vê possibilidade de saída do atacante Marcos Leonardo, que está balançado por uma proposta da Roma.

– Sinceramente não considero possível a saída de Marcos Leonardo. Ele é um dos melhores jogadores do time, sem nenhuma dúvida. Compreendo que é uma situação difícil. Também fui jogador, sei do que pensa. Imagino Marcos Leonardo jogando e marcando muitos gols – comentou o treinador uruguaio.

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O novo líder do Alvinegro Praiano ainda falou compreender o lado do jogador, mas ponderou ao falar que poderia ajudar e valorizar o camisa 9 do clube.

– É uma situação que temos que ter muito cuidado. São muitas partes envolvidas. Compreendo a situação do jogador. Tem uma oportunidade muito boa para sua família e para sua família, mas também temos que entender a situação do Santos. Eu preciso muito dele. Ninguém tem dúvida que preciso muito dele, ele é um craque. Gostaria muito que ficasse comigo. Compreendo e vou tentar ajudar para fazer muitos gols e ser vendido por 30 (milhões) – disse o novo comandante.

VEJA MAIS RESPOSTAS DO TÉCNICO:

DESAFIO DE PEGAR O SANTOS

É um momento de dificuldade, de depressão.Eu estou acostumado a dirigir times grandes e com pressão. Tenho muita confiança que vamos recuperar. Com o tamanho do Santos, não tive nenhuma dúvida de aceitar a proposta. Falei para o presidente e os jogadores que para mim é um orgulho. Me sinto com muita responsabilidade.

ATUAÇÃO DO CLUBE NO FINAL DESTA JANELA

A janela fechou e contratou cinco jogadores importantes. Agora é um momento que pode vir algum reforço, mas teria que ser alguma situação especial.

O QUE VIU DESSE ELENCO DO SANTOS

Prefiro responder mais adiante. Ainda tenho dúvidas. Ainda estou confirmando coisas. Hoje foi meu primeiro treino. Agora pensar no jogo de domingo e assim, com mais tempos, vamos pensar em ideias e coisas táticas.

FOCO NO JOGO CONTRA O FORTALEZA

A primeira coisa é que temos que pensar. Tenho ideia, mas ainda não temos um time definido. Ainda tenho dois ou três dias de trabalho. É a primeira das vinte finais. Seguramente tenho um time muito competitivo e com a confiança de ter um bom resultado.

REINTEGRAÇÃO DE SOTELDO

Não fui eu que pedi para incorporá-lo. Cheguei e ele já estava no treino. Vamos ver como ele se mostra nos treinos e nos jogos. São coisas que temos que decidir, mas depende dele e não de mim. Se ele está comprometido e se treina bem, sabemos que é um jogador com qualidade para jogar muito.

DEIVID E MARCOS LEONARDO

Não. Sinceramente não considero possível a saída de Marcos Leonardo. Ele é um dos melhores jogadores do time, sem nenhuma dúvida. Compreendo que é uma situação difícil. Também fui jogador, sei do que pensa. Imagino Marcos Leonardo jogando e marcando muitos gols.

COMO BOTAR A “CASA EM ORDEM”?

Temos que estar todos juntos, unidos e acreditar. É um momento bastante difícil. Falei com os jogadores que eles precisam ter confiança e acreditar. Temos que nos entregar ao máximo para que as coisas aconteçam.

PROJETO

Não tinha tempo para muitas análises. Obviamente que sabia do momento e acompanho o futebol brasileiro. Tenho muitos amigos para perguntar, questionar e saber informação. Sei que é uma situação muito difícil, mas também é espetacular. Com o Santos ganhando, saindo desse momento e toda torcida desfrutando esse time. Temos que estar unidos em um momento que juntos vamos seguir adiante.

FORÇA DO ELENCO

Não falei que era uma equipe forte, falei que tem bons jogadores. Vamos trabalhar para uma equipe forte.

O QUE VAI FAZER DE DIFERENTE PARA SAIR DESSA FASE

O que acontece no Santos acontece em todos os times do Brasil. Depois todos times do Brasil tem dois ou três treinadores.

POUCA UTILIZAÇÃO DO NONATO

São outros momentos. Ele é um bom jogador, no momento não tinha espaço no Inter e acabei saindo. É um bom jogador, passaram quase dois anos e meio, ele amadureceu e seguramente tem coisas para mostrar

PROBLEMAS NO BASTIDORES DO SANTOS

O que aconteceu já foi, começar uma nova etapa, uma nova ideia. Não queria falar publicamente de coisas feias da equipe. Temos que melhorar, obviamente, formar um time forte. Os mesmos jogadores que não estão bem podem jogar muito de um dia para o outro. Acredito que vai acontecer e por isso falo de confiança, que temos que pensar assim. Transmitir ideia positiva para todos. Qualidade eles têm muita e precisam recuperar os bons momentos.

UTILIZAÇÃO DE PROMESSAS

Todos os treinadores perguntam quais meninos o Santos tem, quem é o novo Neymar. São muitos jogadores incríveis e estou aberto a que eles joguem, mesmo nesse momento de dificuldade. É momento de pressão e talvez não dê tantas oportunidades no começo, mas os meninos terão seu espaço e vão ajudar o clube a qualquer momento.

PASSAGEM PELO OLIMPIA

O grande objetivo era a Libertadores, o time estava no meio da tabela. Fizemos uma copa muito boa, mas depois as coisas não aconteceram, teve coisa interna que prefiro não falar. As situações não deram certo e acabei saindo, com a tranquilidade de que o grande objetivo de classificar na Libertadores foi cumprido.