While many would blame Russell Martin, the primary reason behind Rangers’ catastrophic start to this season is poor recruitment.

In attacking areas, Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igamane and Václav Černý, who scored 63 goals between them last season, have all departed, replaced by Djeidi Gassama, Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti, who are simply not of the same quality.

Elsewhere, Joe Rothwell has been cast aside since the appointment of Danny Röhl, while defence remains a major issue too, with Max Aarons and Jayden Meghoma appearing out of their depth, while a solid and reliable central partnership is yet to be unearthed.

So, when the Gers return to action against Livingston after the international break, should Röhl ditch an error-prone defender and begin to entrust his “colossus”?

Nasser Djiga's Rangers career so far

Nasser Djiga arrived at Rangers with a pretty decent reputation; a Burkina Faso international joined on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had signed him for around £10m from Crvena zvezda as recently as January.

Well, he certainly did not make the ideal start to life in Glasgow, sent off on his home Premiership debut during a dismal 1-1 draw with Dundee at Ibrox.

Just ten days later, Djiga was then at the scene of a catastrophic error.

The centre-back seemingly denounced any responsibility as the ball bobbled through the heart of the Rangers defence, allowing Romeo Vermant to open the scoring, the first of nine goals Club Brugge would bag across the two legs of the harrowing and ignominious Champions League play-off tie.

Djiga thereby found himself out of the team for a few weeks thereafter, albeit he has been reintegrated for recent matches by Röhl, after he switched to a back three, requiring a third member of this back-line alongside Derek Cornelius and John Souttar.

Nevertheless, he has not impressed, with the Scotsman labelling him ‘unconvincing’ following Rangers’ recent Europa League defeat to Roma, having previously outlined that the defender endured a ‘really difficult’ afternoon against Celtic at Hampden in the League Cup semi-finals a few days earlier.

That has sparked suggestions that his season-long loan could be terminated as early as January, a scenario that could well be sped up if Röhl gives one of Rangers’ forgotten summer signings an opportunity to stake a claim.

Rangers' forgotten colossus deserves a chance

Considering Rangers signed 12 players in the summer, a few of these new recruits have been overlooked and forgotten about.

Well, this is certainly the case when it comes to centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez.

The 24-year-old had already bounced around numerous lower league English clubs, Sheppey United and Spalding United to name just two, before making the move north of the border from Peterborough United, following an outstanding campaign in EFL League One.

He cost a reported £3.5m, a not insignificant fee for Rangers, but has barely featured for the Glasgow giants.

Fernandez made his debut against Alloa Athletic in the League Cup, marking the occasion with this towering header in front of the Broomloan Road Stand, starting at St Mirren the following weekend, but seeing a mere one-minute cameo at Easter Road since 24 August, an unused substitute on 12 occasions in total.

Upon his arrival, then-manager Martin labelled Fernandez a “commanding defender” who boasts a “strong physical presence”, while Darragh MacAnthony, Chairman of his former club Peterborough, described him as a “colossus”, adding that the “gentle giant” is a “great organiser and talker”.

So, let’s assess his statistics from EFL League One last season.

Goals

5

2nd

Tackles (per 90)

1.24

63rd

Interceptions (per 90)

0.91

46th

Clearances (per 90)

6.83

19th

Passing accuracy %

85.35%

20th

Passes (per 90)

65.93

5th

Aerial duels won (per 90)

4

27th

Aerial duels won %

62.24%

25th

Ground duels won (per 90)

2.87

35th

Note: rankings are defenders only.

As the table documents, despite only seeing 2,380 minutes of action out of a possible 4,140, Fernandez boasted pretty impressive statistics at Posh last season.

He scored five goals, including this rocket at Exeter City, while also ranking highly when it came to clearances, passing and aerial duels, helped by the fact that he is 194 cms (6 ft 4 in) tall when it comes to the latter.

So, given a chance, Fernandez could really flourish at Ibrox, hoping to replicate the career Calvin Bassey enjoyed in Glasgow.

When Bassey arrived at Rangers from English football in 2020, costing a mere £230k in compensation, he had never previously played senior first-team football, having merely plied his trade in Leicester City’s youth teams.

Initially signed as Borna Barišić’s left-back deputy, Bassey would ultimately become the club’s best central defender, a key figure in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team that won the Scottish Cup and reached the Europa League Final in 2021/22.

That summer, the Nigerian international was sold to Ajax for around £20m, which remains the club’s biggest sale of all-time.

Fernandez is certainly more experienced now than Bassey was when his Rangers career began five years ago, given that he has a full season in EFL League One under his belt, a division that Global Football Rankings believes is comparable in level to the Scottish Premiership, just eight spots below.

Thus, considering the scarcity of other options, especially with Röhl electing to deploy a back three, Fernandez certainly deserves an opportunity to stake a claim, likely to prove more reliable than Djiga in the long run.

Bassey emerged from obscurity and the periphery to flourish at Ibrox – why can’t Fernandez now do the same?

Not Chermiti: Rangers flop is Ibrox's biggest waste of money since Lammers

This Glasgow Rangers flop is the club’s biggest waste of money since the signing of Sam Lammers.

ByDan Emery Nov 11, 2025

India overseas star underpins hosts’ reply, to leave Durham looking towards Southampton clash

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Sep-2025Yorkshire 314 for 5 (Agarwal 175, Lyth 69) trail Durham 346 (Raine 101, White 5-69) by 32 runsYorkshire had the better of day two of their final-round Rothesay County Championship clash with Durham at Headingley to boost their hopes of avoiding relegation, with Mayank Agarwal’s superb 175 in turn increasing their visitors’ fear of the drop.This was a batter’s day in sunny Leeds, where two men posted centuries. Durham allrounder Ben Raine was the first, advancing from 87 not out overnight to a superb 101. Unfortunately for him, though, Durham could only convert a 322 for 7 score into 346 all out, with new-ball seamer Jack White completing an impressive 5 for 69.Indian overseas batter Agarwal – 20 fours and five sixes in 195 balls – followed Raine to three figures as the hosts then replied with a commanding 314 for 5 from 86 overs. He shared a second-wicket 127 either side of lunch with opener Adam Lyth, whose 69 came on his 38th birthday.Yorkshire started this week seventh in Division One on 146 points, six clear of second-bottom Durham but with a better most-wins tiebreaker record. They needed 10 points to survive. Five of those have been accrued, and a draw will be enough from here.For Durham, although it’s not yet certain, they will likely have to win this game to stay up. Should Hampshire lose to Surrey, a draw would be enough. Hampshire have the advantage in Southampton.Durham’s innings was wrapped up inside an eventful first eight overs of the day which saw White claim all three wickets and Raine reach his second career first-class century.White bowled Matthew Potts and Daniel Hogg in the 100th over, his second of the day. Potts, bowled through the gate, lost his middle stump and Hogg was beaten on the outside edge and lost off. Raine and Potts had shared 87 for the eighth wicket from late evening onwards on day one, aggressively advancing Durham from 245 for 7.Raine reached his hundred off 101 balls as he took the majority of the strike away from last man Shafiqullah Ghafari before top-edging a swish at White to third-man to end the innings.Raine’s influence on the contest was extended amidst a tight start to Yorkshire’s reply, him trapping Fin Bean lbw stuck on the crease as the score slipped to 9 for 1 after seven overs. Potts and Raine started with three successive maidens before the latter’s strike.So, despite good batting conditions, Lyth and Agarwal had to be watchful. They were, but not so much that the runs didn’t come. Lyth was strong through the off side and Agarwal full of touch as he recovered from two ducks in three previous innings for Yorkshire.Touch, yes. But there was also increasing power. Both he and Lyth reached afternoon fifties, the latter first off 102 balls. Agarwal’s came off 84 balls with a six down the ground off Afghan Ghafari’s legspin.Shortly afterwards, Ghafari had Lyth caught at slip by Potts via a deflection off wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson – 136 for 2 in the 41st over. But Durham needed more.Agarwal then took on Ghafari, hitting him for three more sixes before tea – two down the ground in an over and another pulled over midwicket to get him to a 122-ball century.Yorkshire reached the break at 198 for 2. But shortly afterwards, Raine bowled James Wharton and then had Jonny Bairstow caught behind with 203 on the board.Agarwal’s presence was a calming influence, however, and went on to 150 off 176 balls. He pulled Potts for another six. Ghafari did gain revenge for the earlier sixes when the 34-year-old right-hander miscued to long-on at 281 for 5 in the 75th over, Yorkshire’s deficit now 65.Matthew Revis and George Hill whittled that down further to 32 through to close and will begin day three on 28 and 23 respectively.

Sutherland was inspired by peak Perry, now she’s getting up there herself

Alex Malcolm31-Jan-2025Annabel Sutherland took a breath and paused as she thought about the opening question of a press conference after she scored 163 at the MCG in an Ashes Test.She was asked how it feels to be the first woman to score a century at Test cricket’s original venue, and one of it’s grandest and most storied as well.”Pretty strange, to be honest,” Sutherland said. “But I think just given the occasion and being a Victorian as well, it’s pretty cool. And I’m sure I’ll reflect over it over the next few days.”Related

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In some ways it is fitting it is Sutherland. She has grown up at this venue. Her father James was Cricket Australia chief executive for the first 17 years of her life. CA’s offices are literally across the road.”The amount of time I’ve spent at the ‘G as a young kid, watching a lot of cricket, a lot of Boxing Day Tests, and then watching the [Geelong] Cats play too at the ‘G in the winter [in the Australian Football League],” Sutherland said.”I love the venue and what it means, I guess, as a Victorian so definitely this will sit pretty high up there I’d say.”In other ways, as Sutherland noted, it’s strange. There has been no women’s Tests here since 1949 when Australia’s best player was another allrounder Victorian in Betty Wilson, who Sutherland equalled today with three Test centuries, the most for an Australian woman alongside another in Jill Kennare.So many great female players have played for Australia in between times and never got the chance to play a Test match at this venue. Meg Lanning is Victoria’s greatest ever female batter, and arguably Australia’s, yet in a 13-year career she played just six Tests in total and none of them here.Annabel Sutherland batted like she would never get out•AFP/Getty ImagesIt is significant too that Ellyse Perry, arguably one Australia’s finest athletes let alone female cricketers, is playing her first Test here too.And it is because of Perry’s hip injury that Sutherland got her first chance to bat at No. 3 in a Test match.”I said yes pretty quickly, before Shel[ley Nitschke] could even ask the question,” Sutherland said. “Just a good opportunity to get up there.”It feels like the baton has been passed from Perry to Sutherland over the last year in all formats. Perry had long been Australia’s best Test player. That title belongs to Sutherland now scoring back-to-back Test centuries, becoming the first woman in history to post consecutive 150 plus scores.Perry’s dominance had meant Sutherland had to bide her time, scoring Test centuries at No. 8 and then No. 6 and now No. 3. Perry’s exemplary standards as a professional have also helped shape Sutherland into the player she is. She loves Test-match batting as much as Perry does.”Just the time I think that you’ve got to build an innings,” Sutherland said. “I absolutely love batting, and I think you’ve got time to work through those waves of ebbs and flows of the game. And I think just recognising those moments is something I do pretty well and trying to grind out those tougher periods and then cashing in when you can.”Like Perry, England are now finding it near-on impossible to bowl to Sutherland as Ryana MacDonald-Gay articulated.”It’s very difficult,” MacDonald-Gay said. “She batted very well today. She was hard to sort of try and figure out where to bowl, because you just felt that you were never going to get her out. It was hard.”There have been 23,561 people come through the gates over the past two days, a world record for a women’s Test match, and all of them got to see Sutherland bat.She seems destined to inspire a whole new generation and be a household name at the MCG.

Newcastle United’s win over Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League on Wednesday evening was much-needed, but Eddie Howe knows his side have not yet responded to the bitter Premier League defeat at West Ham United last weekend.

Now, they have the opportunity to do that against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. This is a tough match, with Keith Andrews’ side rallying after a difficult summer transfer window and defying a few by easing away from the relegation pack so far this season.

The Bees have lost just one of their five home fixtures in the Premier League this term, a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, and, alarmingly, United have not won away from St. James’ Park, losing three in a row in the top flight. They do, however, have a strong recent record against the Londoners.

24/25

Premier League (H)

2-1 win

24/25

Carabao Cup (H)

3-1 win

24/25

Premier League (A)

4-2 loss

23/24

Premier League (A)

4-2 win

23/24

Premier League (H)

1-0 win

With the November international break looming large, this is the perfect opportunity for the Toon to prove they have what it takes to establish consistency both on Tyneside and on the road.

However, they will have to do this without Anthony Gordon, who has been ruled out after injuring his hip in midweek.

The latest on Anthony Gordon's fitness

Gordon has not been in great form for a while. Across his past 19 Premier League outings, the England international has failed to score or assist a goal.

But the 24-year-old is still one of the most talented wingers in the country, and he will be missed against a resilient Brentford outfit.

Howe intimated in his pre-match press conference that Gordon will be unavailable, having suffered a recurrence of the hip injury that has plagued him this year after about an hour of action in the Champions League.

Of course, we can’t ignore the frustrating watch that preceded the setback. Chronicle Live gave Gordon a 5/10 match rating and commented that he didn’t look right down the left channel.

Gordon will be sidelined for this one, but Howe may well have considered replacing him anyway after a tough spell.

Harvey Barnes is the most likely candidate to move onto the left wing, but there’s an even more left-field option that the manager may want to consider, especially after Joelinton found form in the centre of the park several days ago.

Howe can unleash Gordon replacement in new role

Newcastle have enough resources available to find that elusive away win without Gordon in the mix. But it will require a big performance, with players stepping up and kick-starting their season.

Among these is Jacob Ramsey, who joined Newcastle from Aston Villa for £39m plus £4m in add-ons this summer. The Boyhood Villa fan has struggled with injuries over the past few years, but he was a popular and talented figure in the Midlands, and there’s a sense from Newcastle’s rivals that they have lost a potential superstar.

Fitness issues have plagued him at the start of his career in a new setting, and because of this, Ramsey has only featured seven times across all competitions, with just one start in the Premier League.

It was a dour day in the capital for Newcastle last weekend, but Ramsey showed something of his quality when entering the fray after the interval, with Sofascore recording that he completed two dribbles, made three recoveries and won four of six duels throughout the second half.

Given the robustness of Newcastle’s central engine room, it would be foolish to unleash Ramsey in the ten berth against tough-tackling Brentford. However, he has the dribbling ability and creativity to service Woltemade from the left, leaving Howe to pick one of Barnes or Jacob Murphy to play from the right flank.

The former Villan played like a man with a desire to nail down a starting spot at the London Stadium, and while his efforts were to no avail, his commitment cannot be questioned.

This is a versatile playmaker whose skills could damage the home side from the wing. When played out wide, Ramsey has historically had something of a penchant for an evenly spread output.

Left midfield

70

12 (12)

Central midfield

67

11 (4)

Attacking midfield

59

17 (10)

Left wing

8

1 (2)

Right midfield

4

0 (0)

Centre-forward

2

2 (0)

Hailed as a “monster” of an attacking midfielder by analyst Ryan McKeown, Ramsey’s pace, fluid movement and impressive athleticism – when at full fitness – now need to be channelled into something prolific. Howe signed the player with a vision in his mind, and now he must put that plan into action.

After all, despite a tough year on the Englishman’s part, he has shown his quality through his underlying data, with FBref revealing he ranks among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past yerar for pass completion, the top 9% for tackles and the top 6% for success rate when taking on opponents per 90.

Now, the impetus is on building up match fluidity and avoiding another injury setback. Should Ramsey succeed in this, he might even come to pile pressure on Gordon for a place on the left flank.

Newcastle have options as they prepare to take on Brentford at the Gtech, and after signing a talent such as Ramsey for a hefty fee this summer, surely this is the perfect time for him to announce himself in the Premier League under Howe’s wing.

PIF's "massive overpay" is quickly becoming the new Almiron at Newcastle

Newcastle have struggled to get the best out of this star this season.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

The KKR match-winner did it all, hit sixes, pick up wickets, run people out and even captain his team

Matt Roller29-Apr-20251:36

Rayudu: Narine completely dismantles oppositions

Anukul Roy turned around to embrace his team-mate. Varun Chakravarthy slapped him on the back. Rahmanullah Gurbaz beamed from ear to ear, while Ajinkya Rahane and Rinku Singh both cheered in celebration. Only Sunil Narine remained unmoved as ‘OUT’ flashed up on the big screens, utterly emotionless as he pursed his lips.It is easy to get caught up in IPL 2025’s delirium: sold-out crowds, bright floodlights, cheerleaders, smoke machines, and the strains of over a deafening public-address system. But Narine has seen and heard it all before across 186 IPL appearances; he will soon overtake Kieron Pollard as the most-capped overseas player in the league’s history.Yet even Narine’s calmness could not conceal the significance of the moment. He has spent most of his career looking utterly ambivalent to the very idea of fielding, but his dead-eye pick-up-and-throw from short fine leg was perfection. It caught KL Rahul just short of his ground at the striker’s end, and put Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on track to defend 204.Related

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“I’m obviously not the greatest fielder,” Narine said with a smile at the post-match presentation. “But it’s always good to give a good run-out whenever it’s possible.” His thought process, he said, was as simple as it could be: “Just pick up and swing, and throw the ball as hard as possible.”Two nights after a stellar all-round performance from Krunal Pandya defeated Delhi Capitals (DC), Narine delivered an even better one. His run-out came after he had cracked 27 off 16 balls from the top of the order, and shortly before he was pressed into captaincy duties with Rahane (struck on the hand) and Venkatesh Iyer (subbed out) both off the field.KL Rahul was run-out by a direct hit from Sunil Narine•Associated PressBut Narine’s biggest contribution came with the ball. His first 13 balls cost 25 runs, including three towering sixes from Axar Patel; after the third, DC needed 69 off 41 and were ahead of the game. In his next seven deliveries, Narine had put KKR in control: Axar miscued to extra cover, Tristan Stubbs was done on the inside edge, and Faf du Plessis picked out deep midwicket.Narine has been opening the batting on and off in the IPL since 2017, and opposition captains know what to expect from him by now. But his potential to wreak havoc is still enough to make bowlers – and captains – second-guess themselves: after opening the bowling two games in a row, Axar did not dare bring himself on while Narine was at the crease.He hit the first ball he faced for six – a feat nobody has done more often in the IPL – by swinging Dushmantha Chameera straight back over his head, and his opening stand with Rahmanullah Gurbaz was worth 48 in just under three overs. Kevin Pietersen, DC’s mentor, said that Narine’s presence had prompted Axar to give Mitchell Starc a third over in the powerplay; he gave the strike to Rahane, who slog-swept him for six then whipped him for four.And with the ball, Narine remains a banker for any captain under pressure – including, on this occasion, himself. His lengths are typically immaculate, and while analysts now have more than 500 T20 matches worth of footage on Narine across nearly 15 years, batters still struggle to read his variations out of the hand.”He’s been a champion bowler for this franchise,” Rahane said. “It’s so good to have him and Varun in the team: I can always go back to them whenever we are in trouble… He’s been working really hard, coming early for the practice sessions, bowling for hours and hours in the nets.”Tristan Stubbs was bowled by Sunil Narine•Getty ImagesNarine has never been an expressive player: he has very rarely given interviews outside of contractual obligations, and wears his emotions lightly. But it is all too easy to make assumptions about players’ character without knowing them: Andre Russell, the man who has played more with Narine than anyone else, believes he is misunderstood.”He’s very active when he’s on the field,” Russell said. “A lot of guys maybe misjudge him. He’s a quiet individual when he is in a certain environment, where he’s not comfortable. But on the park, he’s a leader. He’s been more talkative over the last five years, and it just goes to show that when you express yourself, you enjoy the game and your performance shows as well.”Narine is largely motivated by “self-pride” at this stage in his career, aged 36. “I always want to be able to give the captain an option that any time you’re in a pressure situation, you have someone – and that comes with hard work,” he said. “If you want to be that kind of player, you have to put in hard work.”If Narine has not quite lived up to his performances of last season, that is largely because he had set himself such a high bar: 488 runs and 17 wickets in a title-winning campaign, securing an unprecedented third MVP award. Even in what has been a relatively quiet year by his standards, Narine sits sixth in ESPNcricinfo’s own MVP rankings.It is easy to take Narine’s consistency for granted, but consider this a mark of his longevity. When KKR first signed Narine at the 2012 auction, Vaibhav Suryavanshi was yet to celebrate his first birthday. Now, Suryavanshi is an IPL centurion for Rajasthan Royals – and Narine is still winning games in purple and gold almost single-handedly.

When Tarik Skubal toes the rubber, you rarely see the ball leave the park.

Heading into his start Thursday against the Twins, he had given up just 12 homers through 145 1/3 innings pitched this year. And each long ball was delivered by a right-handed batter. That was the case until Twins infielder Edouard Julien stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the third inning at Target Field.

On just his third homer of the year—a no-doubter to right field—Julien became the first lefty batter to leave the park against Skubal this season.

In 23 starts this year, last season's AL Cy Young Award winner has an 11-3 record and a 2.35 ERA while retiring 187 batters on strikes. He's right near the top of the league in punch outs alongside Zack Wheeler (189) and Garrett Crochet (188). Heading into Thursday's start, only Paul Skenes had a better ERA at 2.13.

Last season, when Skubal won the Cy Young Award, he gave up just one home run to a left-handed batter and 14 against righties. As one of the best pitchers in baseball, a slip against a lefty only happens once in a blue moon. Julien should remember this one for a long time.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras encara o Independiente Del Valle nesta quarta-feira (24), em jogo válido pela 3ª rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores 2024, e o time do Verdão pode ter novidades em relação a equipe que empatou com o Flamengo por 0 a 0, no último domingo.

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Abel Ferreira revelou em coletiva que o meia Raphael Veiga não está 100% e que a culpa pela queda de desempenho do meia é do treinador, que não poupou o camisa 23 da desgastante maratona que o Verdão teve neste mês de abril.

Mas caso Raphael Veiga seja poupado do duelo diante do Del Valle, quem que Abel Ferreira pode colocar no lugar do camisa 23? O Lance! te ajuda a desvendar esse mistério!

continua após a publicidade

A primeira grande opção que surge no elenco é o nome do meia Rômulo. Recém contratado do Novorizontino, o camisa 20 ainda não ganhou nenhuma chance como titular, mas foi adquirido pelo Verdão muito por conta de poder se tornar a sombra ideal de Veiga no elenco.

Outra opção que Abel Ferreira tem em mãos é Luis Guilherme. A joia de 18 anos entrou muito bem como meia no empate em 1 a 1 diante do San Lorenzo, e pode atuar tanto na vaga de Veiga como jogando mais como um ponta pelos lados.

continua após a publicidade

Jhon Jhon é outra opção para atuar na vaga de Veiga, apesar de não jogar desde o empate por 2 a 2 contra o Corinthians, em fevereiro. A cria da Academia está sendo preservada pela comissão técnica, que recusou uma proposta do Bragantino pelo futebol do camisa 40.

Por último, Abel Ferreira pode utilizar Lázaro atuando um pouco mais recuado ou mesmo o jovem Estevão, que apesar de possuir pouca experiência e ter apenas 16 anos, foi um dos melhores do Verdão na última vitória alviverde pela Libertadores, sobre o Liverpool-URU.

As revealed by former manager Philippe Clement, Rangers “tried” to sign Kenny McLean during his time at the club only to miss out on the Norwich City midfielder.

It’s a case of what might have been for those at Ibrox, who have endured a tumultuous time since not only missing out on their target, but also sacking Clement. After hiring Russell Martin to replace the Belgian, the Gers were forced to make another decision less than three months into the season – giving Martin his marching orders.

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Now, with Danny Rohl in charge, Rangers have already won more points in the Scottish Premiership than they did in the entirety of Martin’s rein. Sporting director Kevin Thelwell will be hoping that the German’s arrival has at least made up for a disappointing summer of decisions.

He told reporters during the international break: “Yeah, I still feel very confident. The situation is clearly that we felt that we weren’t going in the right direction previously and so unfortunately we had to make that change.

“We’ve changed for an individual who’s got very good experience despite his young years and I think he’s proven that with some of the things that we’re seeing on pitch. I think there’s a clear difference in terms of the way in which we’re playing at the moment and fundamentally that’s leading to getting some good results.”

With Livingston up next, Rohl has the chance to make it four wins from four in the Scottish Premiership and potentially move up to third if results go Rangers’ way. As January approaches and targets such as Kilmarnock’s David Watson reportedly emerge, there’s no doubt that a change in fortunes on the pitch will be doing the Gers a world of good.

As Clement found out not so long ago, however, Rohl may not get the chance to welcome every top target.

Clement reveals Rangers wanted Kenny McLean

As revealed by Clement, Rangers tried to sign McLean during his time at the club, but missed out after the midfielder decided to stay put at Norwich City. Now, the former Ibrox boss has finally received the chance to work with the Scot after taking the vacant role at Carrow Road and revealed his long-term admiration for his talents.

If Rangers did secure McLean’s signature then they would, of course, have a World Cup midfielder in their ranks these days. The 33-year-old recently played his part as Scotland secured World Cup qualification in dramatic fashion against Denmark, scoring a stunning half-way line goal.

Given how much talent they welcomed from the Championship last summer that hasn’t worked out, losing out on a player of McLean’s quality should be seen as a real blow at Ibrox.

Dubbed “great” by former Norwich player Iwan Roberts, the 33-year-old will always have his part in Scottish football history after his goal against Denmark to secure a World Cup place.

£5m Rangers flop is bigger waste of money than Miovski and Chermiti

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Crystal Palace future is in doubt with an insider revealing the player and his agent are “testing the waters over a move”.

The 28-year-old has grown into such an important player for the Eagles, helping them win the FA Cup last season and already scoring six goals in 12 Premier League appearances this time around.

In fact, former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino has called the Frenchman Palace’s “most improved” player in the recent past, and in fact of all time, hailing his impact leading the line at Selhurst Park.

“Again, Mateta, in my opinion, is probably the most improved player I’ve ever watched, I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched Mateta two years ago and the one I’m witnessing now, completely different.”

Mateta’s rise has unsurprisingly seen him linked with a move away from Palace of late, and now a new update has shared some concern for the Eagles.

Jean-Philippe Mateta eyeing Crystal Palace exit

Insider Mick Brown reports that Mateta is “testing the waters” over leaving Palace, as he eyes a new challenge.

Palace must do all they can to convince Mateta that staying put is best for his career, with the Eagles certainly doing enough of late to suggest as much, not least sealing FA Cup glory last season.

That said, the France international may look at Eberechi Eze leaving for Arsenal in the summer, and Marc Guehi continually being linked with a move to Liverpool, and feel that now is the right time for him to move on.

Arsenal now eyeing another Crystal Palace star as contract talks in danger

He’d be an excellent addition.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 22, 2025

Palace supporters will desperately hope this isn’t the case, as will manager Oliver Glasner, but at 28, he will know that he has reached a key point in his career, in terms of sealing one big move before he passes his peak.

Liverpool now eyeing Mateta deal amid fresh Crystal Palace contract concern

He capped the occasion with an unbeaten 44 that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award

Mohammad Isam28-Oct-2025Rovman Powell marked his 100th T20I in style, sticking to his “batting template” of a late surge to guide West Indies to a 16-run win over Bangladesh in the first T20I in Chattogram. On Monday, he became only the third West Indian to reach the milestone of 100 games, capping the occasion with an unbeaten 44 that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.Powell, however, didn’t make a great start to his innings against Bangladesh. He couldn’t time the ball properly, striking just one four as he made 18 runs off his first 22 balls. It was in the 19th over when Powell finally struck his first six – a mow across the line against Mustafizur Rahman.Then, when he got the strike in the final over, he hammered Tanzim Hasan for three sixes in a row, ending up unbeaten on 44 off 28 balls. He made 26 runs in his last six balls. The late momentum took West Indies to 165 for 3 in 20 overs, before their bowlers helped dismiss Bangladesh for 149.Related

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“I am very happy,” Powell said. “It is not always that someone gets to play 100 T20Is, especially for West Indies. It shows the hard work that I have done in the duration of my career. A lot of credit goes to my family and friends, and the players with whom I have played these 100 matches. It is very special to get Man-of-the-Match award in my 100th game.”I think it’s a batting template that I have used in the last year or two. I have had good success with it. I try to get a start and get into the last five overs when I try to hit as many sixes as possible.”Powell also noted that heavy dew affected the West Indies’ bowling effort. He added that they would have felt pressure had Bangladesh kept wickets in hand towards the end of the 166-run chase.”If one of the main Bangladeshi batters had stayed at the wicket for longer, we would have been under pressure,” he said. “It was very wet in the end. Having said that, a lot of the credit goes to our bowlers. They stuck to their plans and picked up wickets at critical times.”We had information about the ground but we didn’t know it would get this wet. Maybe that’s something that we keep in consideration.”Instead, Bangladesh lost four wickets in the powerplay and lost all their frontline batters by the 12th over. Fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib top-scored for Bangladesh, making 33 runs.Tanzim said that Bangladesh could have done with a better powerplay and with specialist batters in the final overs.”Of course, when there was dew, the ball came on to the bat more easily,” Tanzim said. “If we had one set batsman at that stage, the game would’ve been much easier. In the last couple of overs, a settled batsman always keeps you in the game. We lost four wickets in the powerplay. Even if it had been two, the chase could still have been managed.”Powell, meanwhile, looked forward to a series win for West Indies on Wednesday. He said that they have the opportunity to get over their recent T20I record – they have lost their last seven T20I bilateral series – if they can win the second game against Bangladesh to clinch the series.”Whatever the stats say, it doesn’t leave a good taste in our mouth. Myself and the guys are eager to turn that around. Being 1-0 up against Bangladesh will provide the opportunity for us to turn it around. Bangladesh are a tough side at home. We will see if we can continue improving to win the series in the next game.”.