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After the make-believe atmospheres of first two Tests, this was a day for the home supporters

Cameron Ponsonby24-Mar-2022It was almost the perfect day for West Indies. Winning the toss and bowling, they dismissed England for 204. And how could that possibly be bad?But the order in which things happen matter. This was an innings reminiscent of those reverse poems that, when read forward, mean something completely different to when read backwards. West Indies bowling England out on day one is undoubtedly a good news story. But, oh, England were 90 for 8. And England’s No.10 Jack Leach scored 41 not out. And England’s No.11 Saqib Mahmood scored 49. His highest ever first-class score? Which included his first ever first-class six? Oh.”For me and I think for the team, it’s a bit of bittersweet”, Jayden Seales said after the game. “Because if someone had come to us and said we’ll bowl England out for 204 we’d be very pleased. But on the other hand if someone told us they’d be 110 for 9 and they get to 200 you’re disappointed in yourself. So it’s just a matter for us of, once we’re getting into these positions, to close off the game and get the job done.”It was a desperate end to what had been an otherwise fantastic day in the spectacular settings of Grenada. Opting to go for an all-seam attack by replacing spinner Veerasammy Permaul with all-rounder Kyle Mayers, West Indies took three wickets before lunch before reducing England from 53 for 3 to 67 for 7 in the afternoon. Their decision to leave out the spinner had been justified. Even more so that Mayers took the first two wickets of the day by having Zak Crawley caught at cover before getting Joe Root to edge behind for a duck. To make matters even more emphatic, Mayers didn’t even concede a run from his opening five-over spell.What followed was a combination of high-class bowling and mediocre batting. Where Ben Stokes will curse himself for a poor pull shot that ended up back in the hands of bowler Alzarri Joseph, the likes of Ben Foakes, Craig Overton and perhaps even Jonny Bairstow will acknowledge they were dismissed by bowlers operating at the top of their game. The delivery from Kemar Roach to clean bowl Overton seamed in viciously from back of a length and would likely have dismissed any batter, on any day, anywhere in the world. It was fantastic bowling in a fantastic part of the world.Because this is a comically beautiful island. The hills are steep and the views are vast. Houses stick out of hillsides that appear accessible only via jetpack. In fact, everything in Grenada is steep. To take a pew in the top row of the main stand is to sign up to a healthy dose of vertigo, which is made that much worse by the rusted barrier which is all that’s separating you from becoming a much flatter version of yourself. It probably holds your weight. But I wouldn’t recommend trying to find out.”It has to be up there, top two for me [after Sabina Park, Jamaica] I’d say”, Seales explained after play, with Sabina only getting the nod due to Seales’ heroic past performances there. “I’d never played here before and it’s a beautiful island.”Related

• Lawrence shaping up as the homespun hero of Root's new England

• Root praises England progress as Kraigg Brathwaite takes pride in resilience

• West Indies name unchanged squad for third Test against England

• Leach seeks attacking mindset after growing back into England role

• Robinson ruled out once more as England hand reprieve to Woakes

The day was noticeable also for the much larger percentage of local fans in attendance. Don’t let the TV cameras fool you, just because there are plenty of empty seats doesn’t mean this wasn’t an event. Grenada is an island of 112,000 and this stadium has a capacity of 20,000. To expect it to be anywhere close to full is nonsensical. And yet here, for the first time in the series, sizeable cheers were accompanying moments of West Indian success.Schoolchildren were scattered around the ground in their uniforms, a local fan berated Jason Holder for not going around the wicket, another yelled “pressure” relentlessly as England began to crumble in the afternoon session. It was Caribbean cricket as opposed to cricket being played in the Caribbean.”We knew coming into this game that there would be a big local support for the team,” Seales said. “And every time we got a wicket you could feel the energy and the buzz coming from the locals. It was really good to see the fans out.”The sight of 8,000 Barmies taking over Bridgetown last week was spectacular, but much in the same way that Disneyland is spectacular – it was quite the spectacle, but it wasn’t exactly real. This, however, is the recommendation given to you by a local where all your dreams do actually come true. And for West Indies, they so nearly did.

Cal Raleigh is re-writing the record books once again—this time for the Mariners.

Raleigh hit his 57th home run of the season off Astros pitcher Framber Valdez on Saturday, and now passes Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise's single-season home run record.

Griffey Jr., a Hall of Famer and 13-time All-Star that played for Seattle from 1989-99 and 2009-10, hit 56 home runs in a season for the Mariners in both 1997 and 1998. Now, Raleigh has passed that mark and his 57 long balls are tied for the 17th-most in a single season by any player in MLB history.

Earlier this week, Raleigh tied Griffey Jr.'s record and also broke Mickey Mantle's record for the most home runs in a single season by a switch-hitter. Mantle hit 54 home runs in 1961 to set the record, and over 60 years later, Raleigh has broken that mark and become the second switch-hitter to surpass 50 home runs in a season.

Along with these records, Raleigh previously broke Salvador Perez's record for most home runs in a season by a catcher. Perez hit 48 home runs in 2021, and Raleigh surpassed that nearly a month ago.

If there were an Academy Award for the year's best pitching performance, Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal surely sewed it up Sunday.

The 28-year-old southpaw dazzled against the Cleveland Guardians, striking out 13 and allowing just two hits in a 5–0 complete-game shutout. He seemed to get more effective as the game went on, striking out Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias on a 102.6-mph fastball to end the game.

When the dust settled on Skubal's opus, the reigning American League Cy Young winner took a moment to acknowledge how far he's come.

"You get a little teary eyed out there, honestly," Skubal said after the game via Cody Stavenhagen of about fans chanting his name before the ninth inning. "I just thought to myself 12-year-old me wouldn’t believe (there) was an opportunity to have a fanbase support you the way it does and be in that moment."

Skubal made a quantum leap from 2023 to 2024; last year, he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts to win the AL's Triple Crown. This year, he is as good if not better: he leads the AL in FIP and strikeouts per nine innings and leads the majors in walks per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio.

There is, all told, a reason why the Tigers have the best record in their league.

The Boston Red Sox lost their second game in a row and eighth in their last 10 on Tuesday night in a one-run loss in extra innings vs. the Los Angeles Angels. The narrow defeat dropped the Red Sox to 29-34 on the season, where they sit in fourth place in the AL East and 10 games back from the division-leading New York Yankees.

Following the 4-3 loss to the Angels at Fenway Park on Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora looked internally and blamed himself amid his team's recent struggles.

“We keep making the same mistakes," Cora said postgame, via MassLive's Christopher Smith. "We’re not getting better. At one point it has to be on me I guess, right? I’m the manager. I’ve gotta keep pushing them to get better. They’re not getting better. They’re not. We keep making the same mistakes.”

The Red Sox committed three errors Tuesday night, which brings their season total to 53 and surpasses the Colorado Rockies (51) for the most in the MLB. The Red Sox and Rockies have given up over 10 more errors than the next closest teams—the Chicago White Sox and Angels have each committed 40 total errors.

Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello gave up three runs to the Angels in the third inning on Tuesday before center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela eventually tied the game in the sixth with a 426-foot two-run home run over the Green Monster. The game remained tied through nine innings before L.A. played small ball to get a run across in the top of the 10th, which turned into the winning run.

Boston wraps up their quick three-game home stand Wednesday as they hope to avoid a sweep to the Angels. The Red Sox then get a day off to regroup before they head to the Bronx for a weekend series with the Yankees.

That was certainly an entertaining game, but not for the reason Chelsea would’ve been hoping for.

Enzo Maresca’s side travelled to Baku to take on Qarabağ in the Champions League, but instead of building on their derby win at the weekend, they drew 2-2.

While there were a few players who looked good on the night, such as Estevao, most of the team played seriously poorly.

In fact, some of the team, like Jorrel Hato, have almost certainly played themselves out of the team for the Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Hato's dire display vs Qarabağ

When Chelsea signed Hato from Ajax in the summer, there was considerable excitement from the fanbase, as the 19-year-old is regarded as one of the best young defenders in world football.

After all, before the move, he had already made over 100 appearances for the Amsterdam side and won six senior caps for the Netherlands.

However, even with this experience, he’s years away from being in his prime years, and so there was an expectation that he would make mistakes for the Blues, and unfortunately, that is what happened on Wednesday night.

Appearances

111

Starts

102

Minutes

9121′

Goals

4

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

Minutes per Goal Involvement

701.61′

Points per Game

1.86

For Qarabağ’s first goal, the Dutchman was outmuscled and left on the floor for the first shot and then out of the way entirely for the rebound.

Now, one mistake in a game can be down to bad luck and happen to anyone.

Unfortunately, it was the teenager who, via a handball, gave away the penalty for the hosts’ second goal just ten minutes later.

In all, it was, as one content creator put it, a “horror” showing from Hato on Wednesday and one that should see him dropped for Saturday.

Unfortunately for Maresca, other starters also played themselves out of the team.

The Cheslea star who played himself out of the team

There really are a few players you could name here, such as Hato’s defensive partner, Tosin Adarabioyo, who looked just as inexperienced at the back.

Chalkboard

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

However, in this instance, the starter who has to be on the bench for Wolves on the weekend is Tyrique George.

The Cobham graduate was preferred to Marc Guiu and Liam Delap from the start on Wednesday night, and unfortunately, he did not repay the manager’s faith in him.

In his defence, he did not make a mistake that cost the side a goal, but he also did nothing to help them score one, which, given his position and the opposition, is just as bad.

In fact, the youngster was so anonymous that Maresca decided to hook him at halftime, and while Liam Delap didn’t set the world alight either, he was at least noticeable when the Blues had the ball.

That might sound overly harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by football.london’s Bobby Vincent, who gave the Englishman a 5/10 match rating and generously described it as ‘a fairly quiet evening’ for the striker.

Unfortunately, his statistics don’t make for pleasant reading either, as in 45 minutes of inaction, he produced a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.22, took a single shot which was blocked, took just 13 touches – 26 fewer than Robert Sanchez – lost the ball four times and completed just six passes.

Minutes

45′

Expected Goals

0.05

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.17

Assists

0

Shots on Target

0

Touches

13

Lost Possession

4

Passes Completed

6/7

Dribbles

0

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Ultimately, George isn’t a bad player, but he was utterly anonymous against Qarabağ and, therefore, must be dropped for the Wolves game.

Enzo Maresca makes January claim with Chelsea star "out for a while" through injury

The west Londoners could be without him until 2026.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 5, 2025

Martin O’Neill marked his Celtic homecoming with a comprehensive win at Parkhead, and there has been a claim on the chances of him landing the Hoops job on a permanent basis.

O’Neill Celtic return begins with 4-0 win over Falkirk

The 73-year-old former Hoops manager was installed along with ex-Celtic player Shaun Maloney as the interim management team following the stunning resignation of Brendan Rodgers on Monday night.

Irish striker Johnny Kenny scored twice in the first half before goals after the break from midfielder Benjamin Nygren and wide-man Sebastian Tounekti took the Hoops to within six points of William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts, who drew 2-2 at St Mirren. O’Neill, who was Hoops boss between 2000 and 2005, said:

O’Neill joked about being nervous before the game. He added: “Well, first of all, I jokingly said – maybe true – I have not been as nervous since I sat my 11-plus but, again, I think I passed that when I was 48.

“But honestly, really concerned about the game, naturally. Concerned about the usual thing about letting myself down, which is I’ve done so many times it’s untrue, and letting other people down here at the football club.

“Just coming in a bit of a whirlwind and to play in the manner which we did when I thought was great and obviously most important thing was winning the game. Naturally, I couldn’t be more pleased. I thought the players did really brilliantly.”

Martin O’Neill’s record as permanent Celtic manager

Games

266

Wins

200

Draws

26

Losses

40

Trophies

7

Players used

56

Next up for O’Neill and Maloney is Sunday’s League Cup semi-final against rivals Rangers, who are also showing early promising signs under new manager Danny Rohl.

Chances of Celtic making Martin O’Neill permanent manager

Talking to Sky Sports, Tino Callaghan from the Celtic Exchange said that conversations could be had over O’Neill staying on as permanent Celtic manager if the Hoops defeat Rangers on Sunday.

However, Callaghan also added his personal opinion, believing those at Parkhead need to ‘go in a different direction’.

A number of managers have been linked with the permanent job, such as Club Brugge’s Nicky Hayen, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Wales’ Craig Bellamy.

How Nicky Haven feels about taking Celtic manager job

O’Neill looks set to be in the dugout at Hampden Park, and if Callaghan’s claim is correct, another positive result may see Celtic chiefs take note and explore the idea of keeping the Irishman on.

Club Brugge and Barcelona played out a six-goal thriller on Wednesday night as the spoils were shared in an entertaining 3-3 draw. The Belgian side responded to back-to-back Champions League defeats with a solid point. Barcelona, meanwhile, came from behind three times to secure what could prove a precious result in their bid to book their place in the last 16 of the competition.

Brugge raced into an early lead as Carlos Forbs beat the offside trap and presented Nicolo Tresoldi with an easy chance to tuck past Wojciech Szczesny. The lead, though, lasted just two minutes as Barcelona hit back with a bang through Ferran Torres, who easily beat Nordin Jackers from close range.

And Barca missed the chance to go ahead in the 10th minute as Fermin Lopez, who provided the assist for Torres, struck the outside of the left post. The hosts made the Spanish champions pay for their profligacy as they were ahead again in the 17th minute following a rapid counter. Forbs and Christos Tzolis linked up well, with the former on hand to follow up his early assist with a well-taken effort past Szczesny.

Barcelona huffed and puffed for an equaliser in the second half as Fermin forced a fine Jackers stop six minutes after the break, and their pressure finally paid off on the hour mark as Lamine Yamal slalomed his way through a sea of Brugge bodies, played a neat one-two with Fermin before finishing superbly past Jackers.

Parity, though, lasted just two minutes as Forbs again ruthlessly exploited Barcelona's high defensive line to delicately dink past Szczesny to score his second and Brugge's third.

Barcelona were again level with a little over 10 minutes to go as Yamal's cross was turned past Jackers by Tzolis as the La Liga giants looked to claim a pressure victory in Belgium. And while Barca dominated, they rode their luck late on as Szczesny came close to committing a costly error in injury time in an entertaining stalemate.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Jan Breydelstadion…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Wojciech Szczesny (4/10):

Was left exposed by Barcelona's high defensive line for all three goals. Did deny Seys at his near post minutes after the break. Came very close to committing a costly effort in second-half injury time.

Jules Kounde (6/10):

Played Forbs onside for Tresoldi's opening goal. Hit the crossbar midway through the first half.

Ronald Araujo (5/10):

Captained Barcelona on the night but struggled to marshal the Blaugrana backline against this rapid Brugge attack.

Eric Garcia (5/10):

Made a vital clearance early on from a Tzolis cross. Hit the bar in the second half but looked lost at the back whenever the Belgian side pushed forward.

Alejandro Balde (4/10):

Really struggled against Forbs. All three Brugge goals came down his side and almost conceded a second-half penalty.

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Frenkie de Jong (7/10):

Dictated the tempo in the middle of the park and linked the defence and attack well.

Marc Casado (6/10):

Tidy on the ball but offered little going forward. Came off after an hour.

AFPAttack

Lamine Yamal (9/10):

Hauled Barcelona level on the hour mark with a fine finish following neat link-up play with Fermin and forced the third with a cross from the right that was inadvertently turned past Jackers by Tzolis. Saved the Spanish side in Belgium.

Fermin Lopez (8/10):

Provided the assist for Ferran's equaliser and clipped the post shortly after. Forced a good Jackers save after the break and linked up well with Yamal for the winger's goal.

Marcus Rashford (6/10):

Had a few first half chances, the best of which forced Jackers into a low stop shortly before the beak.

Ferran Torres (7/10):

Bagged a rapid leveller after Barcelona had gone behind with a well-taken finish. Came close to adding a second on the stroke of half-time after rounding Jackers. Replaced after an hour.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Robert Lewandowski (5/10):

Saw a low drive blocked by Ordonez with 15 minutes to play. Evidently still short of match fitness.

Dani Olmo (6/10):

Offered Barcelona more drive from midfield after replacing Casado on the hour mark.

Pau Cubarsi (N/A):

Came on for Garcia in added time.

Gerard Martin (N/A):

Replaced Balde for the final seconds.

Hansi Flick (5/10):

Got his tactics completely wrong as the Barcelona defence looked completely exposed whenever Brugge pushed forward. Yamal spared his blushes.

Whilst many opt for either the Saudi Pro League or the MLS these days, there remains a select few players who have decided to drop down divisions to complete some of the most unexpected moves away from the Premier League.

Related Premier League Player Power Rankings 2025/26

The best players in the Premier League right now.

Posts 2 ByBen Goodwin Dec 4, 2025

We’ve seen players go from Liverpool to the Isthmian League and even watched on as Paul Konchesky joined Billericay Town as a player before becoming the assistant manager there alongside Jamie O’Hara. So, it’s not always the sunny beaches of Miami that come calling. Ocassionally, it’s a cloudy away day at Southend.

Andy Carroll has also made some interesting moves over the years. The 36-year-old has reiterated time and time again that he simply wants to play football rather than chase a higher paycheck. He revealed that “it’s never been a question of money” when asked about his move to fourth-tier French side Girondins Bordeaux.

Now playing at Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League South, the former Newcastle United striker has stayed true to that verdict and has since watched on as others have followed in his path.

Perhaps in the most unexpected move yet, however, one former Liverpool player has now been spotted playing for a United Arab Emirates third division side, having only been a Premier League midfielder two years ago.

Shelvey opens up about shock third-division move

Jonjo Shelvey didn’t quite get the memo of moving to the likes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE for the chance to earn a life-defining amount, did he? In fact, he’s done the complete opposite. The former Liverpool midfielder has made the move – playing for Arabian Falcons in the third division – but revealed that his “brother earns more” working in a London hotel.

To put into context the difference in his earnings from 2023 to now, Shelvey reportedly brought in around £75,000-a-week at Nottingham Forest. Based on his verdict about the current pay in the UAE third division, it would take him around four years to earn that amount these days.

That said, like Carroll, it’s not about the money from Shelvey. He’s enjoyed the highs of his career, from Anfield to St James’ Park, and is now enjoying the quiet life whilst still playing the game he loves.

Coventry boss Frank Lampard slammed Portsmouth manager John Mousinho for his behaviour after overseeing a 2-1 victory at Fratton Park on Tuesday. The win continues Coventry's unbeaten start to the Championship campaign and, while Lampard was thrilled with the three points, he was not impressed with his counterpart after clashing with Mousinho on the touchline during the match.

• Managers clash in touchline row

  The two managers were spotted exchanging words and having to be separated in a heated touchline row during Coventry's victory over Portsmouth. Mousinho was unhappy at the failure to award a penalty for his side with the score still at 0-0 after Jay Dasilva appeared to block Yang Min-hyeok's cross with his arm. However, referee Gavin Ward did not point to the spot and the game continued. Coventry then went on to win thanks to two goals from Brandon Thomas-Asante, while Makenzie Kirk pulled one back deep into stoppage for the hosts. The penalty call sparked a confrontation between Lampard and Mousinho, which lasted for several minutes and did not go down well with the Coventry boss.

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  Lampard slams Mousinho for behaviour

  Lampard shared his take on the incident after the game, telling reporters: "I haven't seen it again. I didn't think it was one at the time. I think it is a stadium where the crowd can put pressure on the referee and I don't think added pressure on the fourth official was necessary."

  Mousinho also offered up an explanation and said he had no problem with Lampard: It looks a clear penalty to me. The ball strikes his arm way outside of the body. I spoke to the referee and he wasn't looking at the incident – he was looking at the box – but I still expect someone from the officiating team to pick it up. I was trying to speak to the fourth official about it but I couldn't do it. But there is no needle with Lampard. I just spoke to him there and my main problem is with the officiating team for not dealing with it differently. It is a disappointing result, but I think it was a fair result overall. We got ourselves back into the game too little, too late."

• Coventry flying high in the Championship

  Lampard may not have been happy with Mousinho, but was thrilled to see his side pick up a fifth straight win in the Championship. The Sky Blues now lead the way and sit four points clear of Middlesbrough, although Rob Edwards' side do have a game in hand. Thomas-Asante scored both goals for Coventry, to take his tally to eight for the season, but Lampard warned his side after the match they can't afford to relax despite their great start to the new campaign.

  "I thought we played well. To come here and look as powerful and dangerous in front of goal, and we could have scored one or two more, was good," he said. "People will get excited, and that ramps up when you win games but our job is to stay on it and stay diligent. We are happy with the start to the season with the performances and results, but we know what this league does if you relax."

  There was also praise for Thomas-Asante after his brace, as Lampard added: "From day one of pre-season, he has been amazing. He's been fit, hungry and fresh. For us as staff to have someone who moves from left side to right side to number 10 to number nine, gives us everything. Then you add his talent and his confidence at the moment and he deserves a lot of credit. All he needs to do now is stay humble and keep doing it. We need the talent he is showing at the moment to continue."

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  Lampard rebuilding reputation at Coventry

  Lampard is currently rebuilding his managerial reputation at Coventry. The Sky Blues were 17th, and just two points above the drop zone, when he took over, but are now flying high in the Championship and look set to challenge for promotion to the Premier League. There is still a long way to go, of course, but Coventry's next three fixtures are against teams in the bottom half of the table, meaning Lampard will be confident his team can maintain their current hot streak.

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