Manchester Originals 140 for 3 (Buttler 70, Ravindra 47*) beat Northern Superchargers 139 for 8 (Patel 42, Aspinwall 3-17) by seven wicketsWith the return of Sir James Anderson to the Manchester Originals’ line-up, there was an extra frisson at Headingley for the local derby as the Northern Superchargers looked to record eight wins from eight for the women and men at their northern fortress. Alas for Harry Brook’s side, although they will still be in the Eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday, it was not to be.Starting on the same points total as the Trent Rockets but with a significant deficit in net run rate, the Superchargers were looking for a big win to give themselves a decent chance of finishing second in the group stages.The Originals won the toss and chose to field, with Anderson bowling the first ten, and rapidly picking up his first and second wickets in The Hundred, accompanied by a broad grin. He then had Brook dropped in the deep before seeing England’s white-ball captain try his falling-over scoop, the ball merely dribbling a few feet from the bat, Brook ending up on his bottom and Anderson in stitches.Brook (20 off 20) was then caught off Scott Currie and Zak Crawley (17 off 17) holed out, and at 73 for 5 off 67 balls, the Originals were in the box seat.Enter the 40-year-old Samit Patel, three years younger than Anderson perhaps, but still very much a senior citizen in professional cricketing terms. When he was dismissed off the penultimate delivery, he had pummelled four fours and three sixes in his 19-ball 42 and, along with David Miller (30 off 22), given the Superchargers something to defend despite Tom Aspinwall’s impressive 3 for 17.The Superchargers’ opening pair of Jacob Duffy and Matthew Potts were tidy, Phil Salt (9 off 13) and Ben McKinney (6 off 8) struggling to break free but once they had gone, Jos Buttler and Rachin Ravindra (47* off 23) showed just why they are rated two of the best white-ball batters in the world, a thrilling partnership of 99 off 48 ensuring the Originals finished the competition on a high and consigning the Superchargers to a third-place group finish, barring a catastrophic defeat by the Rockets to the Phoenix tomorrow at Trent Bridge.Buttler was imperious, smiting seven fours and five sixes in his 37-ball 70 before being bowled by Adil Rashid, at which point only 10 were needed off 21 balls. Rashid conceded 39 from his 20, the most he has ever leaked in The Hundred, and successive boundaries from Ravindra sealed the deal with seven wickets and 16 balls to spare.Meerkat Match Hero Jos Buttler said: “The surface was a bit tricky, a bit slow. I thought we bowled exceptionally well apart from three or four balls and that allowed us to chase it down. We showed our best cricket in this last game when we were already out of the tournament, which is frustrating.”Overall, over the course of the tournament, we left a lot out there. In a couple of games, we failed to get over the line and we are where we deserve to be in the end. Tonight we showed what we are truly capable of as a team.”

Chelsea star Axel Disasi, who was long relegated to the club’s infamous "bomb squad", was reportedly spotted training with the first team despite Enzo Maresca repeatedly insisting there is "no way back" for the French defender. The 27-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, has been frozen out since the summer. But fresh images from Cobham appear to show Disasi back among the first team players as he was spotted sprinting after Liam Delap in a drill, as reported by the Daily Mail.

• How Disasi landed in Chelsea's bomb squad

  Disasi was signed from Monaco in January 2023 for £38.5m. He made 61 appearances before his sudden demotion with the other outcasts. He had the opportunity to go out on loan again last summer, with West Ham, Bournemouth and Sunderland all interested. But he rejected each offer as he preferred a move abroad instead. That move never materialised, and now he waits for a January escape.

  During the summer, several senior players were told to train away from the squad while their futures were sorted, banished to the so-called "bomb squad". Disasi was among those axed, joining Raheem Sterling, Renato Veiga and others in the outcast group. In August, Disasi made headlines by giving supporters a rare look inside the bomb squad’s makeshift quarters. In an Instagram post simply captioned "Life", he shared pre-season photos and one of which showed the barren room changing room. There were no plush leather chairs, but just wooden benches, small windows, and an old air-conditioning unit.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Disasi's professionalism wins admirers

  Despite being exiled, Disasi has not sulked. In fact, he has embraced a mentoring role within the academy. Recently, he captained the Under-21s to a commanding 4-1 win over Reading. He earned praise internally for his attitude, and his professionalism has not gone unnoticed. 

  However, Chelsea legend Pat Nevin warned that the outcasts must be handled with care, as he feels that they could negatively impact the spirit of the dressing room. 

  He told BetIdeas.com: "The PFA is not the main problem. The main problem is bigger than that. Your main problem is if you treat two players like that and the rest of the team sees it, which they will, because it's their mates – and I know players can be selfish and are selfish and have to be selfish – they all know that's what I'm going to get. Now, management doesn't always think along these terms because it's short term. There's a big danger there. And it is a warning. Being on just about every side of the game and seeing it, it can damage spirit. 

  "Players are selfish and they take care of themselves. But Raheem Sterling is liked, he's popular within that dressing room. You certainly don't just blank your mates. So Chelsea need to be careful because in the end if they have got these players that are in six, seven, eight year contracts. Nicholas Jackson was the main man. He's great. And then suddenly he's in the bomb squad. And then he's not, ‘We want you back in’. So be careful because everybody now knows that's what happens. I promise you that's dangerous. When you treat workers like that, the other workers know this. Just be careful."

• No way back at Chelsea

  Maresca didn’t mince his words when questioned last month about the bomb-squad players.

  He said: "They are Chelsea players because they have a contract with the club," the Blues boss said. "In this moment, they are still training apart. The idea is to continue in exactly the same way. Since we started the season, I didnt see one of them. I didn't see Renato (Veiga), I didn't see Axel (Disasi), I didn't see Raheem (Sterling), because they train at a different time on a different pitch. I haven't seen them since we started the season."

  When asked whether any could return, the Italian was blunt: "With us? No."

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  The January exit plan

  Although the defender trains with the first team, Chelsea reportedly intend to offload him when the January window opens. However, the Blues have registered both Disasi and Sterling in their Premier League squad, which could benefit them in the busy festive period, which includes two Champions League games against Barcelona and Atalanta and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City. In the short term, the Blues return to Premier League action on November 22 with a trip to Burnley. Whether Disasi will be anywhere near the matchday squad remains to be seen.

Women’s Blast will also see reduction from 14 games to 12 amid reshuffle of white-ball competitions

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Aug-2025The men’s Vitality Blast will be reduced from 14 to 12 group-stage matches next season as part of a broad overhaul of English domestic white-ball cricket in the men’s and women’s game. However a mooted revamp of the men’s first-class cricket has yet to be agreed upon, with parties hopeful of a decision before the end of the month, ahead of the return of the County Championship in September.Following agreements from the required two-thirds majority of the 18 Professional County Cricket Clubs (PCCCs) and in collaboration with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), the men’s county T20 competition will shift from two groups of nine to three six-team regional groups, as it was during the Covid-affected summer of 2020.Each county will play the others in their group home and away (a total of 10 matches), with an additional home-and-away fixture against a side from the two other groups. The top two teams in each group plus the best two third-placed teams will progress to the quarter-finals. The winners of the quarter-finals will progress to Finals Day. The competition will be played in a block and completed in July, before the start of the Hundred.Related

Croft bemoans 'stupid' schedule as county review gathers pace

Players want cut to 12 County Championship games, says PCA

Reduced County Championship on agenda for latest domestic review

The reduction in group matches follows recommendations from the county-led men’s Domestic Playing Programme (DPP) review. While the limited-overs portion of the review has been heeded, the PCCCs are yet to agree upon a preferred layout of the County Championship.It is understood that at present there are three red-ball options on the table, with no clear favourite. There is a strong desire out of necessity to establish a preferred option by the end of August to ensure counties know what they are playing for in the final rounds of this season.The most innovative would see a 12/6 split between Division One and Two, with the top-tier made up of two groups of six. Each Division One team would play home and away plus two further fixtures against teams in the other group. The top two will then go into a final for the County Championship title, mooted for the middle of September.The bottom team in each Division One group would subsequently be relegated, replaced by the team that finished top of Division Two, with the last promotion spot determined by a play-off between second and third. Despite only having six teams, Division Two sides will also play 12 fixtures; home and away against the other five teams, followed by home-and-away fixtures against two others.The other alternatives are a two-division split (10 in Division One, eight in Division Two) with 12 matches played; or a continuation of the existing 14-match set-up. At present, four counties – Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey and Yorkshire – have publicly stated their preference to retain a 14-match County Championship season.In a statement released by the ECB on Tuesday, Mark McCafferty, chair of the Professional Game Committee (PGC), which was set up in 2023, lauded the changes confirmed so far. He said: “These changes to the men’s Vitality Blast will be a springboard to further investment in a historic and much-loved domestic T20 competition which is recognised as one of the world’s best.”The new group format intensifies the importance of many of these local derbies, and brings the quarter-finals and the iconic Finals’ Day back into July, so improving the sporting and commercial narrative for sponsorship and TV partners, as well as meeting player wellbeing objectives by improving the group-stage schedules and travel demands to allow players to perform at their very best.”The revamp is part of the current work to further strengthen all our men’s and women’s domestic competitions and on behalf of the PGC, I’d like to express my thanks and appreciation to the counties and to the PCA for their ongoing collaboration on this work, as we progress in the next phase to the Rothesay County Championship and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.”The women’s Vitality Blast will also reduce to 12 matches next season in Tier 1, the result of a separate vote from the 18 PCCCs that was not linked to the men’s changes. With Yorkshire moving up from Tier 2 in 2026, making nine teams in the top tier, each county will play six home and six away matches, playing four counties twice and four counties once.Tier 1 Finals Day will expand to house two semi-finals and the final, meaning the top four teams progress to the showpiece event. Previously the team finishing first went through to the final automatically, to play the winner of second versus third earlier in the day. The Vitality Blast Women’s League 2 (Tier 2) will maintain eight group-stage matches, but move to a single group – changing from North and South Groups in 2025 – with a second-versus-third eliminator before the final.The Tier 1 Metro Bank One-Day Cup competition will increase to 16 matches from 14, with a shift to an eliminator instead of two semi-finals. League 2 will be reduced from nine to eight group-stage games with each county playing each other once. The top four at the end of the group stage will progress to the knockouts stages. The winners of the two semi-finals progress to the final.”The changes for 2026 were developed in consultation with the game and the players,” Beth Barrett-Wild, ECB director of the women’s professional game, said. “The player representatives did voice a desire to increase the volume of cricket, to allow an even home-and-away Vitality Blast in Tier 1, but also recognised the scheduling challenges that would cause.”There was always going to be a settling-in period across Tiers 1 and 2 during these first few seasons, and these changes are set to be for next summer only with a planned review again ahead of the 2027 season, when Glamorgan will move from Tier 2 into Tier 1. This will also follow another phase of learning as the new women’s competitions embed into the overall county structure.”Speaking on the overall changes to limited overs cricket, ECB chief executive Richard Gould said: “County cricket in England and Wales has long been the gold standard and it has been important that the counties have led the discussion in consultation with the game as we look to make all of our men’s and women’s county competitions the best they can be.”Men’s Vitality Blast from 2026Group A: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws, Yorkshire
Group B: Bears, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Somerset, Worcestershire Rapids
Group C: Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex SharksWomen’s Vitality Blast (Tier 1)Bears, Durham, Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, YorkshireWomen’s Vitality Blast League 2 (Tier 2)Derbyshire Falcons, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire Foxes, Middlesex, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids.Women’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup (Tier 1)Bears, Durham, Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, YorkshireWomen’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup League 2 (Tier 2)Derbyshire Falcons, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire Foxes, Middlesex, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids

MatériaMais Notícias

Um golaço feito por Guilherme Madruga, do Botafogo-SP, em plena Série B do Brasileirão, conquistou o mundo e ficou entre os finalistas do Prêmio Puskás, que celebra o gol mais bonito da temporada.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Diante do Novorizontino, o volante teve a felicidade de acertar uma bicicleta de longa distância que encobriu o goleiro e estufou as redes sem encostar no chão. Veja abaixo o vídeo do lance:

➡️ Confira finalistas anunciados pela FIFA para o Prêmio The Best

A eleição será definida pelos votos dos fãs e pela escolha de um conselho técnico de ex-jogadores, que possuem o mesmo peso na votação do grande vencedor.

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OUTROS FINALISTAS!

A disputa engloba outros dois concorrentes: Julio Enciso, do Brighton, e Nuno Santos, do Sporting. Confira os gols que levaram os jogadores até a final do prêmio Puskás!

🇵🇾 Julio Enciso
⚽ Brighton v Manchester City
📆 May 2023

Footage courtesy of the Premier League pic.twitter.com/R3NFcdP9le

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 14, 2023

🇵🇹 Nuno Santos
⚽ Sporting v Boavista
📆 March 2023

Footage courtesy of Liga Portugal Betclic & Sport TV pic.twitter.com/ulDSo3CTHe

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 14, 2023

QUANDO SAI O RESULTADO?

O vencedor da premiação será anunciado durante a cerimônia do Prêmio The Best, que está marcado para acontecer no dia 15 de janeiro de 2024.

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Bryan Mbeumo cut a heartbroken figure after Cameroon's World Cup hopes collapsed in dramatic fashion, with the Manchester United star storming off alone after a stoppage-time defeat to DR Congo. The Indomitable Lions suffered a crushing 1-0 loss in the CAF play-offs, ending their bid to reach the 2026 tournament and leaving their talisman visibly emotional in the rain.

Cameroon knocked out of World Cup qualifying

Cameroon’s bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup ended in brutal fashion as they fell to a late 1-0 defeat against DR Congo in the CAF knockout play-offs. Having finished second in their group behind first-time qualifiers Cape Verde, the Indomitable Lions entered the play-offs as favourites but struggled to create clear chances in a tense, cagey encounter. One minute into second-half stoppage time, Chancel Mbemba headed home from a corner, crushing Cameroon’s hopes of reaching the expanded 48-team tournament across North America.

The late goal sparked despair among the Cameroonian players, many of whom fell to the turf in disbelief as DR Congo celebrated wildly. Manchester United winger Mbeumo, who had been one of Cameroon’s key performers throughout the campaign, reacted with visible frustration as he walked straight off the field. A video shared on social media showed him leaving alone in the pouring rain, needing to be consoled as he headed toward the tunnel after one of the toughest nights of his international career.

AdvertisementMbeumo cuts a heartbroken figure after the loss

AFPTurbulence surrounding the Indomitable Lions

The defeat marked the end of a turbulent qualification journey in which Cameroon won only five matches and struggled for consistency despite the presence of top talents such as Mbeumo, Andre Onana and Carlos Baleba. Their failure to top Group D, as they finished four points behind Cape Verde, forced them into the play-off path, where their hopes evaporated in the most agonising manner imaginable. It leaves a talented squad and manager Marc Brys facing intense scrutiny after missing out on a World Cup for only the fourth time since 1982.

Their elimination carries heavy symbolic weight, given their long-standing history as Africa’s most frequent World Cup participants with eight qualifications. The disappointment is amplified by the fact that the 2026 tournament will feature 48 teams and additional African berths, making this one of the most accessible routes to a World Cup in modern history. Yet despite the expanded format, the Indomitable Lions were unable to navigate a qualification campaign that exposed their tactical flaws and organisational instability.

The responsibility for the failure will fall not just on the players but also on the chaotic backdrop surrounding the national team setup. Brys’ appointment by the Ministry of Sports against the wishes of federation president Samuel Eto’o created internal tension from the outset, affecting preparation and harmony.

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AFCON: A chance for Cameroon to bounce back

DR Congo’s triumph sends them into the final stage of CAF qualifying, where they will face Nigeria in their own bid to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Cameroon must now regroup and confront the structural issues that contributed to their undoing in the qualifiers, starting with the uncertainty surrounding the head coach position. Brys’ tenure has been defined by controversy, and his future will likely come under immediate review following the failure to reach the World Cup, as the Indomitable Lions look ahead to the Africa Cup of Nations next month.

For Mbeumo, the focus shifts back to club football with Manchester United, but the emotional toll of missing a World Cup cannot be understated. As one of the squad’s leaders, he will be central to Cameroon’s rebuilding efforts. He has scored seven goals in 26 international appearances and is widely regarded as Cameroon’s attacking talisman, but he now faces the reality of missing out on the sport’s biggest stage.

Chelsea had the chance to build on their impressive win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, but as they have done so many times this season, they faltered.

On paper, a game against Qarabağ looked like an easy three points for Enzo Maresca’s side, but in the end, they had to settle for just one.

The draw leaves them 12th in the Champions League, but the worst thing to come out of the match was another injury to Roméo Lavia.

The Belgian has been extremely unlucky during his time at Chelsea, and unless his luck improves, he could eventually be replaced by one of Cobham’s most promising prospects.

Lavia's Chelsea career

Chelsea signed Lavia from Southampton, and from under Liverpool’s nose, in the summer of 2023.

At the time, it seemed like money well spent, as the youngster was one of the most exciting midfielders in the Premier League the previous season and, as journalist Sam Tighe pointed out, “a shining star despite playing in terrible circumstances most of the time.”

Unfortunately, the youngster suffered a muscle tear and then an ankle injury in September 2023 and couldn’t make his competitive debut for the club until the 27th of December.

However, he wouldn’t kick on from there, as, thanks to a hamstring injury, he wouldn’t make another appearance all season.

Last season was marginally better, but even then, five injuries limited him to just 22 appearances, four of which came at the Club World Cup.

To nobody’s surprise, this year has not been much better, as the 21-year-old missed the first five league games with a muscle strain and came off the pitch on Wednesday night with another muscle injury.

Across the last two and a half years, Lavia has made just 30 appearances for the Blues, coming to a total of 1341 minutes.

23/24

1

32′

24/25

22

1069′

25/26

7

240′

It would be hard to describe his time at Chelsea as anything other than a failure at the moment, and if he continues to be unreliable over the coming years, he could see himself replaced by an upcoming Cobham gem.

The Cobham gem who could eventually replace Lavia

While the results for the senior side have been frustratingly inconsistent, the good news for Chelsea is that they have several exciting prospects coming through the academy at the moment.

In The Pipeline

The likes of Chizaram Ezenwata, Shim Mheuka and Reggie Walsh could all make as first team regulars in a few years.

However, when it comes to a potential Lavia replacement, it’s hard to look past Reggie Watson.

The hugely exciting talent may still be just 15 years old, but is already making waves in the academy and could become a part of the first team squad a few years from now.

The up-and-coming ace has demonstrated an ability to play in several different positions, from central midfield to centre-back, but, like the Belgian, is primarily a defensive midfielder.

According to one analyst, the “excellent” prospect has several key strengths which could make him an ideal long-term six for Marseca, such as being an “excellent ball retriever,” having “good passing and vision”, and having a knack for “dictating the tempo of the game.”

As if that wasn’t enough, the youngster is also “physically strong” for someone his age, and with all that in mind, it’s easy to see why he’s been described as being “so complete.”

Finally, on top of doing the business for the Blues’ youth sides, the teenager has also won six caps for England’s U16s, in which he’s scored three goals, primarily from defensive midfield.

Ultimately, it will be a few years yet until Watson is playing for the first team, but if Lavia remains injury-prone at that time, the Belgian could find himself replaced by the youngster.

He was as bad as Hato: Maresca must now ruthlessly drop 5/10 Chelsea dud

It was a night to forget for the Chelsea ace, who was as bad as Jorrel Hato.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 6, 2025

David Moyes’ blistering start back to life in the Everton dug-out feels like a very long time ago now.

Indeed, the Scotsman was just the antidote the Toffees needed after the wheels came off Sean Dyche’s miserable reign, with just two defeats picked up from his opening ten games back in charge of the Premier League titans last season, steering them comfortably away from relegation.

The Merseyside outfit is still six points clear of that dreaded relegation zone in the here and now, but there are concerns in the air at the Toffees all the same, with Everton only coming out on top with a win in the league once across their last five matches.

A 3-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday would have only added to those worries, as former Everton hero Richarlison stood out for Thomas Frank’s away side.

Richarlison's potential Everton return

Richarlison has often found his time at Tottenham Hotspur to be fraught with bumps, but he would put the game beyond all doubt on Sunday evening when heading into the path of Pape Matar Sarr to make it 3-0.

The passionate Brazilian only has 23 goals next to his name for Spurs from 104 total appearances, but recent reports – as perTEAMTalk – suggest that the North Londoners are willing to cash in on their one-time £60m buy in January, and that Everton are circling.

It would well be a masterstroke of a return as the Toffees attempt to feel comfortable about their striker options again.

While Richarlison might be remembered most fondly by those on Merseyside for his gung-ho performances down either wing, it feels unlikely that the South American – despite his previous heroics at the club – would be able to displace the likes of Jack Grealish on his favoured left channel at the moment.

Consequently, he stands his best chance at making waves on his return as an out-and-out centre-forward, when assessing Richarlison’s previous goal tally as a striker at Everton, with 23 goals picked up from 77 outings, leading to one of his ex-managers at Goodison Park in Carlo Ancelotti, hailing him as a “fantastic” finisher of chances.

Despite murmurs that Spurs want to offload their hot-and-cold number nine in the coming months, he is also able to boast a healthy haul of three goals and two assists next to his name from nine clashes this season.

Bringing back such a former beloved figure could signal the end for Beto in Everton blue, with the Lisbon-born striker struggling once again to get going yesterday evening, to the dismay of his impatient fanbase.

Why Beto is on borrowed time at Everton

You would think a striker in Moyes’ current set-up would be licking their lips at the prospect of how many goals they could put away, with the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and the aforementioned Grealish tricky customers intent on putting chances on a plate for the chosen marksman leading the line.

Unfortunately for Moyes and Co. though, Beto often fluffs his lines when a golden opportunity comes his way, with the former Udinese striker desperately unlucky not to find the back of the net on Sunday evening, when an acrobatic effort in the second half – with the scoreline still standing at 2-0 – was somehow clawed away by an alert Guglielmo Vicario.

That’s about as good as it gets for the under-fire 27-year-old, however, with his minimal 14 touches of the ball meaning he often cut an isolated figure at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, so much so that Jordan Pickford even managed to accumulate more touches himself, having tallied up 36 in total.

With just one goal next to his name in the Premier League this season, it isn’t a great shock to read all the widespread backlash he is receiving for his recent dismal displays, with Everton-based podcaster Paul Brown stating at full-time that the goal-shy number nine is “hopeless”.

Moreover, another Toffees podcaster in the form of Steven Kelly also stated that the ongoing striker situation is “killing” Moyes’ side at the moment.

It really does look like Beto is on borrowed time on Merseyside, therefore, with his precarious position in the starting XI becoming ever more shaky if the passionate South American potentially returns to the blue half of Liverpool shortly.

Alongside Beto: Moyes must drop 4/10 Everton star who lost possession 19x

Everton were humbled on their own patch as Tottenham Hotspur ran out convincing 3-0 winners.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 27, 2025

Tommy Brown, a former shortstop, left fielder and pinch hitter for three MLB teams from 1944 to '45 and 1947 to '53, died Wednesday, according to a Wednesday afternoon social media post from Ben Lindbergh of . He was 97.

A native of Brooklyn, Brown was the final living member of the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers—the team for which Jackie Robinson debuted at first base on April 15, integrating the National League.

Additionally, Brown was the last living major leaguer whose career began during World War II. With able-bodied men in short supply on the home front, Brown debuted for the Dodgers in '44 at the age of 16. In 1945, he hit a home run at the age of 17; he's still the youngest player ever to homer in the major leagues.

After a one-year stint in the army, Brown played in 15 games for Brooklyn in '47. In 1949, he saw his only postseason action, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout as a pinch hitter in the World Series against the New York Yankees.

Brown finished his big-league career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, and his baseball career more broadly with a quartet of minor-league teams.

Newly signed New York Mets star Juan Soto wasted no time getting on the board with a home run with his new team, as he blasted a 2-1 fastball over the left centerfield fence in his first plate appearance in Saturday's spring training action against the Houston Astros.

Soto turned on a 91 mile-per-hour fastball and belted it out of the park to a chorus of cheers in front of the Mets' home crowd in Port St. Lucie, FL.

Mets fans are hoping for plenty of Soto home runs this season as the Mets look to once again compete for a National League crown after falling just short to the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Soto inked a 15-year, $765 contract in the offseason to leave the New York Yankees for the crosstown rival Mets in the most lucrative contract in professional sports history.

Barry Ferguson will always be inextricably linked with Rangers.

As a player, he made 422 appearances for the Gers across two spells, winning five Premiership titles as well as five Scottish Cups and five League Cups, leading the team out in Manchester for the 2008 UEFA Cup Final against Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Then, last season, following the sacking of Philippe Clement, Ferguson was appointed interim Rangers manager, winning only six of 15 matches in charge, but knocking Fenerbahçe out of the Europa League and enjoying a victory over Celtic at Parkhead.

He wanted the managerial role full-time but did not get it; he almost certainly would not have done a worse job than Russell Martin, had he been given the opportunity.

As a player, Ferguson boasted all the intangibles supporters love to see, determination, commitment, passion and a will to win, something Danny Röhl’s current squad certainly lacks, but is Rangers’ “best player” starting to show signs of replicating Ferguson?

James Tavernier's role at Rangers

Since joining the club, when they were still in the SPFL Championship, from Wigan Athletic in 2015, James Tavernier has now made 537 appearances for Rangers, scoring a staggering 136 goals and registering 145 assists.

He has won all three domestic honours, while also captaining the team in the Europa League Final in Seville in 2022, as Ferguson had done 14 years earlier, his most recent goal for the club coming at Hampden in defeat to Celtic in the League Cup semi-finals earlier this month.

Last season, for the very first time, Tavernier’s place in the Rangers side came under scrutiny, with some questioning, now 34 years old, if he is the force he once was.

During his brief interim period, Ferguson trialled the Englishman in various positions, right-back, right-wing-back and right-sided centre-back in a three, which was essentially foreshadowing what was to come once Röhl arrived.

The captain has started five of the six matches under the German, the sole exception coming at Easter Road, when he was introduced at half time.

Since Röhl has switched to a back three, Tavernier has most commonly been deployed as a wing-back, although not exclusively, starting as part of the back three against both Kilmarnock and Roma, which is more reflective of Rangers’ lack of high-quality centre-backs, as this role doesn’t get the best out of him.

Nevertheless, as Röhl continues to figure out how to best use his skipper, another of his stars has come to the fore in a way that is reminiscent of Ferguson.

Rangers' "best player" who is Barry Ferguson-esque

It may only be the middle of November, but Nicolas Raskin has already enjoyed, and endured, a roller coaster campaign.

At international level, he has started each of Belgium’s last three World Cup qualifiers, scoring against Kazakhstan in Brussels, establishing himself as a key figure in Rudi Garcia’s team ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

Meantime, back in Glasgow, Raskin remains a key figure for Rangers, starting all six matches since Röhl was appointed, heading home his second goal of the campaign at Dens on Sunday.

The statistics below emphasise the midfielder’s importance to this team.

Minutes

1,669

5th

Goals

2

5th

Assists

4

1st

Shots per 90

1.4

5th

Big chances created

2

4th

Key passes per 90

1.9

2nd

Tackles per 90

2.2

2nd

Interceptions per 90

0.8

5th

Average rating

7.39

1st

As the table documents, Raskin ranks highly for a wide variety of statistics this season.

He is the club’s leading player in terms of assists, while also second for key passes and tackles per 90, underlining that he is an all-round midfield player.

Following Sunday’s victory at Dundee, speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage, Kris Boyd believes that Raskin is starting to rediscover his “outstanding” form from last season since the appointment of Röhl, while Chris Sutton asserts that he remains Rangers’ “best player”.

So, while the Belgian is stylistically similar to Ferguson, both all-action midfielders, that is not where the similarities end.

In an interview last year, Ferguson revealed that he was informed he should leave Rangers in 2007 following a falling out with manager Paul Le Guen, told “you won’t play for Rangers again”, only for the Frenchman to be sacked soon after, brought straight back into the team under interim boss Ian Durrant.

Well, Raskin endured a near-identical situation, seemingly frozen out by Russell Martin, left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, before being excluded from the matchday squad altogether for home games against Celtic and Hearts.

The Martin vs Raskin battle was when supporters really turned against the manager they never wanted in the first place, very much the beginning of the end for him.

Now back in the side, the Belgian has once again taken on a talismanic leadership role, so Rangers supporters will be hoping he can carry on this excellent form for many more months and years, even if he still requires 306 more appearances to match Ferguson’s legacy.

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