Glasgow Rangers made it three wins in a week with their 1-0 victory in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon against St Mirren.

Philippe Clement’s men were not at their best, but all that mattered was three points in a game which could have been a banana skin for the Gers.

The Belgian made a few changes from the win against Hibs, and it was Cyriel Dessers who proved he deserved a start as he slotted home the only goal of the match.

Having endured some criticism during the early stages of his spell in Glasgow, could this perhaps be a turning point?

Cyriel Dessers has scored twice this week for Rangers

Since the return to domestic football following the winter break, Dessers has found the net in all three competitive matches the Light Blues have played, taking his total to 12 for the season.

Along with his goal against the Buddies, Dessers also hit the woodwork and succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts, as he could have easily added to his tally.

It was tough going for the Ibrox side at times and the Nigerian striker looks as though he is beginning to finally showcase his talents on a more consistent basis.

The 29-year-old will be Clement’s main source of goals until Danilo returns from his injury, and his third strike in as many games this afternoon will give him plenty of confidence ahead of future matches.

It was John Lundstram, however, who proved that he was the real hero against St Mirren, and it is evident that he deserves an extension to his current deal, which expires at the end of the campaign.

John Lundstram was excellent against St Mirren

The Englishman delivered a lovely pass over the opposition defence which Dessers latched on to and rounded the goalkeeper to open the scoring, proving that Lundstram can still deliver moments of quality during otherwise stale matches.

Going forward, the midfielder was in the mood as he created a big chance and made one key pass, along with taking two shots during the clash as he looked to extend their lead.

His forward runs meant he did lose possession 15 times throughout the game, but he more than made up for that with his defensive work, which included winning eight of his nine duels, as well as making one tackle and one interception, while he was not dribbled past once in 90 minutes.

The former Sheffield United gem also showed his desire to constantly get on the ball by taking 82 touches, and his performance was one that the supporters had come to expect from him under Clement.

This version of Lundstram is reminiscent of the one which helped power the Gers to a Europa League final two years ago, and should he maintain this level over the coming weeks, Clement may have no choice but to give him an extended contract.

Gerrard's 5 ft 11 "cult hero" has seen his value soar at Rangers

One Rangers player has seen his value rise since joining and he has been impressive under Clement

ByRoss Kilvington Nov 16, 2023

When the 29-year-old is at his best, he improves the whole team, and with the chance of securing a treble during the next few months, he has more than just his future to play for.

تحدث مارسيل كولر، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، عن صعوبة التتويج ببطولة الدوري الموسم الماضي.

واستلم الأهلي، درع بطولة الدوري اليوم السبت، عقب مباراة جورماهيا الكيني في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع.. خاص | جوميز يضم 4 صفقات لقائمة الزمالك لمباراة الأهلي

وقال كولر، في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورت”: “الدوري كان من أصعب البطولات التي لعبتها، خضنا مباريات كثيرة وكان لا بد أن نتغلب عليها، وهذا جعل البطولة صعبة، وصعوبتها كانت تكمن بأنه كان مفروضًا علينا الفوز بكل مباراة”.

وتابع: “الفريق قدم أداءً رائعًا وأظهر شخصيته الحقيقية، كانت عندنا مباريات كثيرة في فترة قصيرة جدًا، وأنا فخور بهؤلاء اللاعبين”.

وأضاف: “موضوع صعب أن يتنبأ أحد بأنه سيفوز ببطولة، لكن الأهلي باسمه وقيمته مرشح دائمًا للفوز بأي بطولة، اللاعبون نفذوا تعليماتي جيدًا لذلك استطعنا أن ننجح ونفوز باللقب”.

وأكمل: “سعيد جدًا لأن مصطفى شوبير قدم عروضًا رائعة في الفترة التي أصيب بها الشناوي، ويستحق الانضمام لمنتخب مصر، نحن لدينا حارسين على مستوى عالي جدًا”.

واستطرد: “مهم بالنسبة لنا أن تتاح فرصة للاعبين الناشئين لكي يلعبون ويكتسبون خبرات للعب، لكن كان صعب أن يلعبوا معنا، وكون أنهم يشاركون في البطولة التي نلعب بها هذا أفضل بكثير لهم مقارنة بأن يتدربوا معنا ولا يلعبون مباريات رسمية، لديهم فرصة جيدة للعب مع أنديتهم، سنراقبهم ولو قدموا أداءً جيدًا قد نُعيدهم”.

واستمر عن ما يرتدد بشأن خلافاته مع بعض اللاعبين: “الكلام أسهل شيء، لكن بالنسبة لي أداء فريقي أهم رد على كل ما يتردد، وهذا هو الصعب أن يكون ردي على هذا الأمر من خلال الأفعال وليس الأقوال”.

وتابع: “هل هناك صفقات أخرى؟ لو الأمور سارت بشكل طبيعي ولم تحدث أي إصابات سنستمر بقائمة اللاعبين، ولن نقيد صفقة جديدة إلا لو حدث أمرًا استثنائيًا”.

وأتم عن مباراة السوبر المُقبلة: “موضوع أن الجماهير تركز على الكأس دائمًا، هذا الأمر يحدث معي منذ سنتين، خاصة وأن منافسنا سيكون الزمالك، الجمهور متحفزين جدًا للفوز عليهم”.

Former Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi has reportedly agreed in principle to become Marseille's new manager on a three-year deal.

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De Zerbi left Brighton in MayLinked with Chelsea and Man UtdLooks set to take over at MarseilleWHAT HAPPENED?

The Italian left Brighton at the end of last season, after failing to find an "agreement" with club owner Tony Bloom. The 45-year-old was linked with Manchester United, amid the uncertainty over Erik ten Hag's future, and Chelsea, before Enzo Maresca succeeded Mauricio Pochettino, but now journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi says an agreement has been struck for him to join Marseille.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Bouhafsi claims De Zerbi could be appointed within the next 48 hours after discussions weren't progressing fast enough for Marseille in their efforts to recruit former FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao. The ex-Sassuolo coach reportedly turned down another English team this month and has met with the Ligue 1 side's representatives repeatedly. Ergo, his time out of the game could be very short.

DID YOU KNOW?

De Zerbi joined Brighton in October 2022 after leaving Shakhtar Donetsk earlier that year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In his first season in charge of the Seagulls, he led them to their highest-ever Premier League finish of sixth and oversaw their first-ever Europa League campaign before parting ways with Albion last month.

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Ex-Shakhtar Donetsk boss De Zerbi is known for his obsessive work and attention to detail so even though the new season does not begin until August, he is likely to begin preparations for the upcoming campaign straight away.

Kent coach defends ‘docile’ pitch as teams add valuable survival points

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2019Warwickshire 574 for 7 dec (Sibley 244, Rhodes 109) drew with Kent 585 for 7 dec (Bell-Drummond 166, Dickson 161) A match where willow totally dominated leather petered out into an inevitable draw in Canterbury where Division One rivals Kent and Warwickshire shared the Specsavers County Championship spoilsWith a joint ambition of avoiding demotion to the second tier both teams were perhaps content with a no-result, with Kent banking 10 points, while Warwickshire, with seven first-choice bowlers injured, will be equally pleased with nine points toward their survival tally.However, it was a placid Canterbury pitch that had the major say in proceedings, enabling Dominic Sibley to hit a career-best 244 as well as his fourth successive Championship hundred against Kent in as many matches.Sibley’s opening partner Will Rhodes also chipped in with his first Championship hundred of the summer allowing the visitors to reach 574 for 7 before a declaration allowed the teams to shake hands on the draw at 4.50pm with Warwickshire still 11 runs behind on first innings.Kent’s top order filled their boots too. Sean Dickson and Daniel Bell-Drummond both reached the 160s in their season’s best total of 585 for 7 declared, while youngsters Zak Crawley and Ollie Robinson both eased to half-centuries.It was the bowlers, therefore, who toiled without reward as only 14 wickets fell over the four days. James Wainman, the former Yorkshire left-arm paceman, flourished better than most with 3 for 112 for the Bears, while Grant Stewart was the only Kent bowler to take more than a single wicket.So, it was Sibley’s marathon ten-and-half hours that dominated the final three days of the match. The tall right-hander faced 491 balls and hit 34 fours to ensure the stalemate. He moved past 242 – his previous career-best for Surrey posted at The Kia Oval against Yorkshire in 2013 – with a single to deep point, after Warwickshire had posted their 450 from the 1,000th delivery of the innings.The 23-year-old from Epsom finally came unstuck when, in attempting a lap-pull against medium pacer Bell-Drummond, he skied one off the top edge to be caught at short fine leg by Heino Kuhn running back from first slip.Earlier in the final day, Kent snared Adam Hose and Matt Lamb leg before to Ollie Rayner and Stewart respectively, then, in the mid-session, Tim Ambrose was run out chancing a single to extra cover.Sibley, who played through Surrey’s ranks from the Under-13s through to the 1st XI before joining Warwickshire in 2017, said that batting for long periods has always been part of his armoury.”I’ve never found concentrating for several sessions that difficult, it’s something that has come naturally to me from a very young age,” he said. “There are elements to my game that may seem negative to some that I see as a positive and something I do really well is concentration.”Of course, there have to be other things that I do well, but concentration is something that’s always there and is a foundation to build on. I got a double ton for Surrey quite early in my career and that seems like a lifetime ago now. So, it was nice to get another one here and spend time out there with Will.”It’s always difficult for bowling attacks when they’re trying to contain right and left-handers. He scores in different areas to those that I do and most of all we enjoy each other’s company out there.”Despite watching Sibley hog centre stage, Kent’s head coach Matt Walker defended the pitch and applauded his own side’s batting prowess. He said: “It’s been a tough four days for the bowlers for sure, but I’ve got nothing but praise for our groundsman, Adrian Llong, who has been brilliant since taking over in the close season.”We’ve asked him to take more moisture out of the wickets here, which he’s achieved and we’ve asked to play on better wickets. The fact is, this is just a bit docile and it’s ended up as a bore draw. Sometimes that happens, there’s no blame attached to it at all.”The bottom line is we’ll walk away with 10 points and with a number of our top-order batsmen feeling in good touch and move on to The Oval next week with a good draw behind us. We said at the start of the season that if we can’t win a game, then we must ensure we don’t lose and come away with batting points in the bank, and that’s what we’ve achieved this week.”Walker also confirmed that Kent’s overseas all-rounder, Wiaan Mulder, has been recalled from his short championship stint with Kent by Cricket South Africa after the 21-year-old picked up a slight Achilles heel injury.

In the summer of 2021, Manchester City broke their transfer record – and the British transfer record, too – to sign Jack Grealish for £100m. While the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Declan Rice have since either matched or surpassed Grealish in the Premier League leaderboard, he remains at the top for City.

Josko Gvardiol, signed for £77.5m from RB Leipzig last summer, has come closest since, but now another Bundesliga player, Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz, could set a new benchmark. His father, Hans-Joachim Wirtz stated in November that "it makes sense" for the attacker to remain with Leverkusen "for a while", but that may not be a completely accurate reflection of sentiment behind the scenes.

City among clubs watching Wirtz like a hawk

According to German outlet Sport Bild, Manchester City are following Wirtz closely. Along with other "top clubs" in Europe like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, they're "watching Wirtz's every move".

There's nothing "concrete" taking place at the moment either in terms of contract negotiations or talks over a move away, but the player's camp have made sure to "leave a back door open" for an exit. Despite what they're saying publicly, they're not "100 percent committed" to the Werkself.

Whether Wirtz leaves this year or in 2025, Leverkusen will demand a fee in excess of €130m, which is the equivalent of about £112m. Xabi Alonso's side are focused on tying him down to a new deal, one that would see him become the highest earner in the club's history, rather than preparing for a sale.

"Magician" Wirtz can become world-class under Pep Guardiola

The big question, then, is whether Wirtz would be worth the outlay. He started really catching the eye across Europe in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons when he notched 40 direct goal contributions (18 goals, 22 assists) in 71 games across all competitions and won the Bundesliga's Newcomer of the Season award, while also making the competition's best XI.

An anterior cruciate ligament injury in the spring of 2022 halted his progress, keeping him out for the best part of a year. When he returned, he quickly played his way back into form with four goals and eight assists in the 2022/23 run-in, earning the Europa League Young Player of the Season prize despite missing the entire group stage as he helped his side reach the semi-finals.

That brings us to this year, where prior to this weekend, Wirtz had already reached 20 goal involvements for the season (eight goals, 12 assists) in just 24 appearances for Xabi Alonso's men, who lead the Bundesliga and remain unbeaten following their 3-2 success at Leipzig. He sits second in the Bundesliga at the time of writing for assists (seven), and fourth in Europe's big five leagues.

Teammate Victor Boniface has described him as a "magician" who does "crazy" things on a daily basis in training, while talent scout Jacek Kulig regards him as an "absolute jewel". Still just 20 years old, he's a truly generational talent who could yet become world-class under Pep Guardiola, repaying City's investment over a long-term stint at the Etihad.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Sport vive uma grande crise. Como se não bastasse a dificuldade financeira do clube, dentro de campo o time não consegue jogar bem e vê a pressão aumentar em cima do técnico Jair Ventura.

+ Confira os 100 melhores escudos de clubes da história do futebol segundo revista inglesa

Para entender a situação delicada, a última vez que o Leão ganhou uma partida foi no dia 24 de fevereiro, quando bateu o Vera Cruz por 3 a 1. Na ocasião, a equipe era reserva e nem o técnico Jair Ventura comandou o time.

Desde então, o Sport acumula nove partidas sem vencer com direito a eliminação precoce na Copa do Brasil, ao ser derrotado pela Juazeirense-BA.

Desempenho

Neste período de seca, o Leão foi superado em seis oportunidades e empatou outras três. O ataque marcou apenas seis gols e a zaga foi vazada 17 vezes.

+ Olhos neles! Saiba quem são os artilheiros dos estaduais pelo Brasil

Central

Neste domingo, a chance de quebrar a série negativa é contra o Central. Em caso de nova decepção, a permanência de Jair Ventura deve ficar insustentável.

Whilst Everton's focus may well be on the potential punishment awaiting them for breaking the Premier League's Financial Fair Play rules for a second time, reports suggest that they could still strengthen through the addition of a top-flight champion.

Everton break FFP rules for a second time

Having been handed a 10-point deduction earlier in the season, before fighting back to remain outside of the relegation zone, the last thing Everton needed was to face another punishment. Fighting back after losing 10 points was defiant. Climbing back after another deduction may prove to be an impossible task. Yet, here they are, in breach of the rules again.

The Premier League released a statement confirming the news that Everton and Nottingham Forest had breached their profit and sustainability rules, which read via BBC Sport:

"This is as a result of sustaining losses above the permitted thresholds for the assessment period ending season 2022-23. In accordance with Premier League rules, both cases have now been referred to the chair of the judicial panel, who will appoint separate commissions to determine the appropriate sanction."

Everton, in turn, issued a response, posting a club statement on X:

It remains to be seen just what Everton's punishment could be if they are indeed hit with another one. Currently one point above the dropzone, any deductions could prove to be fatal to their survival chances this season.

Everton make first move to sign Phillips

Even amid the aforementioned chaos away from the pitch, the Toffees could still sign Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City this month. According to Ben Jacobs, Everton have made contact over a deal for Phillips, with Atletico Madrid and West Ham United doing the same. Jacobs posted the news on X:

Given Phillips' lack of game-time, it's more clear than ever that he desperately needs a move away from the Etihad this month if he is to stand any chance of earning a place in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 team this summer. And what better way to impress the England boss than by helping to keep Everton afloat in England's top flight?

If Sean Dyche can secure the defensive midfielder's signature and get him back to the type of form that initially earned the interest of Manchester City, then he could discover the key to survival even amid further FFP punishment. The fact that Jordan Pickford's agent is the same as Phillips' could also go a long way in helping the potential move.

At his best, Phillips has earned high praise, including from Southgate. The Three Lions boss previously said: “He’s been excellent. The way he has taken to international football, it hasn’t surprised us because what we’d seen with Leeds, even in the Championship, we felt could convert into our team. We felt he could play an important role with us."

West Ham United are eyeing up a potential late move for one club's 15-goal forward, and he's a new target on the board's radar.

Moyes keen on new attacker at West Ham

Hammers boss David Moyes has been heavily-linked with bringing in a new winger in the January transfer window, with many names being mentioned as targets for the role over these past few weeks.

West Ham now in deadline day transfer talks to sign club captain for Moyes

They’re making a quick late move.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 1, 2024

Indeed, the likes of Ajax captain Steven Bergwijn, Sunderland star Jack Clarke, FC Norsjaelland's Ibrahim Osman and Al-Ittihad forward Jota have all been floated as possible signings by the national media and beyond this window.

"Moyes has made clear his desire to sign a new left winger," wrote Evening Standard journalist Malik Ouzia before the window opened.

"Patience appears to have finally run dry with Said Benrahma, who has been on the fringes this term, while Maxwel Cornet has never made a serious breakthrough following his arrival 18 months ago.

"Lucas Paqueta has been superb playing out of position, but a specialist arrival on the left would allow the Brazilian to return to a central berth and add to Moyes’s rotation options, with Jarrod Bowen and Kudus also capable of playing across the line."

Tax complications appear to be blocking Jota's move to West Ham (Fabrizio Romano), while talks for Osman are widely reported to have stalled recently. However, before making any formal moves, the east Londoners may have to make room for a possible new arrival in that area by selling anyway.

West Ham have agreed to offload winger Said Benrahma to Lyon, but it is believed the Algerian still hasn't decided on whether he's going to join the Ligue 1 club.

There are a few hurdles to overcome before technical director Tim Steidten can sign Moyes his desired new wide forward, but that hasn't stopped West Ham from weighing up alternative targets.

Obstacles stand in the way of West Ham signing Osman or Jota as things stand, so another player who's come into the club's thinking late on is Plymouth Argyle star Morgan Whittaker.

West Ham eyeing late Whittaker move

The 23-year-old, formerly of Swansea City, has been in sensational form under head coach Ian Foster – scoring 15 goals and bagging six assists in the Championship this season.

Journalist Pete O'Rourke, writing in a Football Insider column, states West Ham are one of the sides interested in a late move for Whittaker alongside both Fulham and Brentford. Plymouth, though, will be demanding around £10-15 million for their star player as they do not wish to lose him mid-season.

Plymouth 6-2 Norwich

9.46

Plymouth 3-2 Rotherham

9.21

Plymouth 3-3 Watford

9.13

Plymouth 3-1 Huddersfield

8.93

Cardiff City 2-2 Plymouth

8.63

Called a "really positive" player by Russell Martin, the Englishman has really been one to watch in the Championship this season, and it will be interesting to see if he can seal a late deadline day move to world football's most prestigious league.

The USMNT suffered a 5-1 thrashing by Colombia in what boss Greg Berhalter dubbed a pre-Copa America "wake-up call".

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• Berhalter left angered after heavy defeat
• Colombia scored three in final 13 minutes
• USMNT's Copa campaign begins June 23

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Berhalter's side were humbled in their penultimate Copa America warm-up match, causing the coach to bemoan his team's attitude in the closing stages. The USMNT trailed 2-1 going into the final 15 minutes, but a late collapse saw Colombia seal a big win.

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  WHAT BERHALTER SAID

  Berhalter said: "From the 75th minute on, it was I think a lack of respect for our opponent [and] the game of soccer, what we were doing. We’re not framing it a lesson learned, we’ll frame it as a wake-up call."

  The 50-year-old added that the late collapse“overshadows how we got back into the game, how we were aggressive, how we had them on their heels. They were struggling for a moment when it was 2-1, and we weren’t able to capitalize on it, and then the game went to pieces. There were some positive chunks of the game, but again, what I’m looking at right now, 5-1? It’s not good enough, that’s for sure.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Saturday night defeat saw the USMNT concede five goals in a single match on home soil for the first time since 2009, as the team were punished for making individual errors. Another worrying issue for Berhalter going into this month's Copa America is his side's continuing failure to beat a top team, with the USMNT still waiting to beat a top-25 side outside CONCACAF since Berhalter took change in 2019.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BERHALTER AND THE USMNT?

  The USMNT go again on Wednesday, when they face Brazil in their final Copa America warm-up match, knowing they will need to put in a much-improved performance if they are to avoid another heavy defeat. It will then be on to the tournament itself, with the team beginning their campaign against Bolivia on June 23 before further group stage clashes against Panama and Uruguay.

James Emmerson deputises after official match scorer fails to show up for World Cup game

George Dobell12-Jun-2019

The press-box scorer at Taunton received a last-minute call-up•Getty Images

Match organisers in Taunton were forced to turn to the press box when it became apparent they were missing a scorer for the World Cup match between Pakistan and Australia.Moments before the toss, James Emmerson – a stewardship officer with the Church of England – was asked to deputise when it became apparent that one of the official scorers wasn’t going to arrive. The original choice claims he had no knowledge he was expected to score the game.Emmerson is no stranger to scoring. His detailed scorecards and knowledge of statistics make him a popular figure in the press box, where he has worked from time to time as the media’s scorer, while he has previously deputised as an official scorer for two Tests and an ODI at Old Trafford when the Lancashire scorer has been busy on county duty. In one of those Tests he demonstrated the unflappable temperament which served him so well in Taunton by somehow managing not to miss a single delivery despite his fellow scorer vomiting heavily over both him and his scorebook during play.Remarkably, Emmerson managed not just to fulfil his duties as official scorer in Taunton (alongside Gloucestershire stalwart Keith Gerrish, who was the other official scorer) but fulfil his original role keeping the media updated on any items of statistical interest as they arose.”He did an amazing job in tough circumstances,” Sally Donoghue, the Chief Operating Officer at Somerset told ESPNcricinfo. “It was all very last minute, but he was very calm and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.”Emmerson said: “I did enjoy it. It was a great honour to score such a prestigious match and I hope I gave a good account of myself.”