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MI New York showed it’s possible to be successful while using USA players, but will MLC mandate their inclusion in future?

Peter Della Penna30-Jul-2023As the first year of Major League Cricket builds to a crescendo on Sunday night in Grand Prairie, Texas, the tournament final will feature an MI New York side whose stars have dominated the stats columns in the event.Nicholas Pooran enters as the leading scorer with 251 runs as well as the most sixes in the tournament with 21, while Tim David is also in the top five in runs scored with 199 at an average of 49.75 and a strike rate of 171.55 and the second most sixes in the tournament with 16. Trent Boult is the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 19, eight more than the nearest bowler. There’s also a spinner in the MI New York squad who is very impressively leading an important category in T20 cricket. But it isn’t Rashid Khan.This name might not have been on the tip of the tongue of any casual fan at the start of the tournament when asked to name one of the event’s best bowlers. But left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige’s league-leading 5.58 economy rate stands out for another very important reason in this fledgling American T20 franchise league.Related

• MLC final week: Nicholas Pooran, and a bit of this and that

• Kenjige: 'We have a responsibility to do the right things all the time'

• Who qualifies as a local cricketer in MLC?

Dallas metroplex resident Kenjige, 32, is one of just nine US-born players on MLC rosters, and one of only two to actually make anyone’s starting XI along with MI New York team-mate Steven Taylor. He has been a USA national team player since 2017, much-loved and respected within the US community for his unrivalled work ethic, yet one who was very much unheralded on the global stage before this tournament began. But the support that he and other USA players have received from MI New York management is a blueprint for promoting local players in MLC going forward.”I think you have to win and develop at the same time,” MI New York head coach Robin Peterson said during a post-match press conference at the halfway stage of the tournament when discussing his team’s selection policy regarding the visibility of USA players in their squad. “It’s not either or. That’s the job we’re here to do. Players from the Associate nations and the USA national team, they need to become used to and ingrained in the pressure of having to perform. That’s part of their development in this league. Yes, we do have a keen development angle, but at the top of our mind is always trying to win and you can learn a lot from winning.”When other franchise leaders were asked the same question during the tournament, the answer was generally that winning comes first. But MI New York has shown that it is possible to walk and chew at the same time.Heading into the tournament final, a total of ten players with USA caps have made 56 appearances in the starting XI in 18 matches. But MI New York have led the way with 21 of those selections spread across four players. Aside from Kenjige, opener Shayan Jahangir is third on the team’s runs chart behind Pooran and David with 154 at an average of 25.66. MI New York has also picked Taylor and USA captain Monank Patel for more than half the matches played. They also took three other USA players in the draft – Kyle Phillip, Jessy Singh and Saideep Ganesh – and when Phillip was ruled out of the tournament after his bowling action was reported at the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, his place was taken by another US-eligible player in Slade van Staden.Saurabh Netravalkar’s scalps this tournament have included Nicholas Pooran•SportzpicsBut most of the other franchises have fallen short when it comes to giving USA players a platform to shine. San Francisco Unicorns, who failed to make the playoffs, did not start a single capped USA player. Yet it is not just the what but the how this has come about that is of particular note.On one hand, players like Saurabh Netravalkar for Washington Freedom and Cameron Gannon for Seattle Orcas have shown that, given a chance, USA players are more than capable of holding their own. Former USA captain Netravalkar registered the tournament’s best bowling figures of 6 for 9 against Unicorns and ended with a team-best ten wickets. Dual national Gannon, who last represented USA in 2019 but on either side of that appearance has committed his time to Sheffield Shield cricket in Australia, is the joint-leading wicket-taker for the other tournament finalist Orcas with 11 wickets at an average of 14.09.On the flip side, most franchises have exploited MLC’s nebulous definition of “domestic player” to mainly pick non-USA eligible players – many of whom had a negligible impact – to fill their domestic quota. Contrary to the Global T20 Canada and the UAE’s ILT20, a pair of leagues who mandate a minimum number of three and two domestic players respectively in each starting XI – and clearly define them as someone who is eligible for or has been capped for Canada or the UAE – MLC officials determined that a player could meet that standard simply by merely pledging to “hold a ‘qualified visa’, have established their ‘primary and permanent residence’ in the US, and will continue to satisfy the ICC’s guideline regarding ten out of 12 months for three consecutive years”.It opened the door for the farcical situation of Chaitanya Bishnoi, who landed in the USA merely days before the MLC draft for domestic players in March but was taken in the fourth round for $40,000. Though not as egregious an example, former Pakistan international Mukhtar Ahmed was playing domestic cricket in Faisalabad as recently as September 2022 before being taken as a domestic player in March’s MLC draft for the second round price tag of $65,000.Bishnoi went on to make 52 runs in four innings (entering at No. 8 in three of his four innings) and bowled three overs for Unicorns. Mukhtar’s returns were perhaps even more negligible: occupying prime real estate at No. 3 in the batting order every match for Freedom, he scored 78 runs at an average of 13.00 and a strike rate of 105.40 with a best of 20.This raises pertinent questions. A: Why are players who have played internationals for other countries being regarded as locals if they have not qualified yet by ICC rules to play for USA? B: Shouldn’t a player like Mukhtar, who is currently ineligible to play for USA and has played for Pakistan previously, be regarded as overseas and have to compete for overseas slots with the likes of Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf? C: Did any such player genuinely raise the standard of the league, thereby perhaps justifying the leniency in the rules that allows such picks in place of a US-eligible player?There is another wrench in the equation of local players though. There are cases like England’s Liam Plunkett, New Zealand’s Corey Anderson and Sri Lanka’s Shehan Jayasuriya – players who married American citizens and migrated to the USA for family reasons totally unrelated to MLC.Liam Plunkett – he of 2019 World Cup England fame, now at MLC•Getty ImagesPlunkett has made considerable efforts to establish links in the local Pennsylvania sports cricket community, mainly through academy coaching, and the same is true of Anderson in the Dallas area. But Plunkett is not eligible to play for USA and few, if any, promotional media segments organised in the build-up to the tournament have attempted to identify him as anything other than one of England’s heroes from the 2019 World Cup final win. He was even introduced in his opening spell of the tournament to TV audiences around the world by MLC broadcast commentator Pommie Mbangwa as the “50-over World Cup winner from England”.It would not seem unreasonable to establish a middle-ground category for players like Plunkett who are in a type of limbo: England international career done, but now firmly entrenched in the US cricket community despite not being eligible to play for USA. Why not ensure a minimum number of US-eligible players in the XI while also making room for a few “wildcard domestic” players? At least it would go some way towards ending the charade of pretending to portray Plunkett as something he is not, nor has Plunkett ever tried to be, while also curbing the practice of declaring players “domestic” at the 11th hour.It’s also worth noting that the Global T20 Canada’s policy of three Canadian players in the starting XI was not always so. In year one, the GT20’s original rules stated that four Canada players needed to be drafted into each squad, but there was no mandate to play any of them in the starting XI, and many teams chose not to. It was only Saad bin Zafar’s magical Player-of-the-Match performance in the tournament-final win by Vancouver Knights that seemingly opened eyes to the fact that Canada players could and would shine, if only given a chance.Time will tell if MLC adjusts their roster policy for the second year of the league to mandate a minimum number of US-eligible players in the starting XI in the same way that GT20 and ILT20 do. Until that time comes, MI New York have led the way in showing that whether by force or by choice, USA players are capable of holding their own both against and alongside some of the biggest names on the global T20 franchise circuit.

Erasmus and Wiese have learned at this World Cup that Namibia belong at the highest level

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-20213:50

Morkel: ‘Namibia have exceeded expectations at T20 World Cup; players have become national heroes’

Gerhard Erasmus had a choice. After breaking the ring finger on his right hand in a “freak accident” in Namibia’s final warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup, he could go home, have surgery and heal up or numb the pain, play on and risk more damage. For him, the decision was easy.”The immediate diagnosis was that I should fly back and get an operation but that wasn’t an option. I just had to get some injections and play,” Erasmus tells ESPNcricinfo.He remembers the incident in graphic detail.Related

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“It was during the latter part of our fielding innings against Scotland. The ball was thrown at the wrong end of the stumps and I tried to collect it so there wouldn’t be overthrows. I tripped over the stumps and the ball hit me from the front here,” he says, holding up his finger to the camera. It’s swollen, a little skew, and the nail bed is bloodied from a subungual hematoma. It looks painful but most of the time it isn’t. “I take numbing injections so I don’t have feeling in that part of the hand.”But it does present him with a more technical challenge. “I had to reinvent my grip on the bat and use the other fingers a bit more to really get some power out of there. Mentally I’ve had to be strong and not let it get to me. Physically, I can’t feel it so I don’t have pain when I am batting or fielding but cricket is very much a touch game and obviously you have to have control.”That’s one of the more unusual lessons Erasmus has learnt from this tournament, which has, most importantly, taught Namibia that they belong at the highest level. For a country that did not have ODI status until two years ago, it’s understandable that Namibia had doubts about how well they would match up.”It’s just about the unknown because obviously things at the associate level operate a little below this level,” David Wiese, Namibia’s highest-profile player, who qualified to represent them through ancestry, said. “Here, you get guys bowling 145+ and spinners who do something different. In the Associate teams, you don’t get exposed to that much so when you do it for the first time, you feel like you don’t belong.”Gerhard Erasmus has been playing with “numbing injections” so he doesn’t feel the pain in “that part of the hand”•AFP/Getty ImagesThat was an attitude that needed to be changed if Namibia planned to progress to the Super 12s and it was up to Wiese to drive that process. His status as a former international for South Africa and a PSL superstar helped, as well his ability to take on a senior role and run with it.”He was so essential in making us believe and blending us into a big tournament like this,” Erasmus says. “He soaks up a lot of pressure but also he just allows the guys to free up their minds. He says to us, ‘You are on this big stage because you belong here and we are going to (do it) this here on the field with Babar and with Shaheen Shah Afridi.”Erasmus’ use of Afrikaans colloquialisms reveals a small splice of Namibia’s storied history. A former British and German colony, Namibia used to be called South West Africa and was under South African rule until 1990. In that time, it was considered a province of the Apartheid state. The same rules of segregation that existed in South Africa, were in place in Namibia, creating a white elite who enjoyed the best resources in the country, and an underclass of people of colour. You don’t have to look much further than the cricket team to see the legacy of that policy.Namibia’s 15-man squad includes only three players of colour – Pikky Ya France, Zane Green and Ben Shikongo. Their wider 18-man group includes a fourth player of colour, Mauritius Ngupita, and Erasmus is aware that transformation is a topic that must be touched on.”As a captain and a guy who has been involved with Cricket Nambia from age 16 it’s been so inspirational to see a guy like Pikky Ya France,” he says. “He has carried the mantle for so long and then we’ve had two youngsters came through over the last two years – Ben and Mauritius – those are the guys who are heroes for the people back home.”We need to continuously have players like that so we can create a brand for people to connect to. That’s what we try to do in our culture. If we create a brand of cricket that people love and follow, you will get more people playing cricket and if we will get a lot more cricketers, then cricket won’t be a white man’s sport, it will be a Namibian sport.”For that to happen, Namibia need to build infrastructure, especially outside of their capital city, Windhoek. That’s where the national team play all their matches and where four of the five domestic clubs in the country are based. Erasmus would like to see cricket facilities elsewhere, specifically in the densely populated (as densely as a country of 2.5 million people can be populated) northern Owambo region.Building a ground will take money, something which Cricket Namibia has in limited supply, although that is changing. By attaining ODI status in 2019, Namibia qualified for ICC funding and now, by making it to the Super 12s, they are also attracting sponsors. Immediately after qualifying, an Indian company, Ebco, signed on as the national men’s team’s main sponsor. And that is not the only opportunity that may come their way through performances at this tournament.For all they have achieved as a unit, Namibia’s players are also hoping for some individual glory, if they catch the eye of T20 franchise teams. “That’s the beauty of us playing against teams like Pakistan or India,” Wiese says. “As a player, if you have a big performance there, you never know. All it takes is one innings from anybody here and your life can be changed forever.”Essentially, that’s what happened to Wiese. “I signed Kolpak [in 2017] with the intention of playing in these franchise tournaments and I went through my first year and I didn’t get picked up anywhere. Nothing came along. That was a bit of a wake-up call. At the end of my second year, I got a replacement gig with Lahore Qalandars when Carlos Brathwaite got called up to the West Indies.”I played my first game in Sharjah and me and AB [de Villiers] had a partnership and I had the six off the last ball to win the game and that was a massive turning point in my career. After that, things started clicking. I got a T10 deal, and BPL and from there it snowballed.”

“That’s the beauty of us playing against teams like Pakistan or India. All it takes is one innings from anybody here, and your life can be changed forever”David Wiese

It’s a chapter that has included a second stint at international cricket, five years after Wiese thought that was behind him, for a country he considers a second home. “When I was a child, in the holidays, we went to Namibia quite often. My family was in Henties Bay and there was a big holiday home down there. As we got older and we had cricket weeks, we couldn’t really go there as much but I’ve still got a lot of family in Namibia, aunts and uncles and cousins.”He is also contracted to play there until at the least the end of 2022, which is how long Namibia will retain their ODI status. Though Wiese is committed to the T10 and the PSL, he will play in as many of Namibia’s ODIs as possible, and is aiming for the 2022 T20 World Cup, which they have automatically qualified for.By then, Namibia would have had another year of cricket under their belts and Wiese expects them to be even more competitive. “We beat Scotland and cemented ourselves as the best Associate in this tournament. And to see how the guys have grown, playing against better oppositions and realising they can compete. This tour has been a massive success.”That victory also earned them a mention from their President, Dr Hage G Geingob, who predicted they would also beat Afghanistan. They didn’t, and in fact put in their worst performance of the Super 12s there, but they have since pushed other teams harder. For Erasmus, their performance against Pakistan was stand-out.”The Pakistan game for me as a whole was one of the greatest moments on this tour. We were in the battle for 30 of the 40 overs. The way we held them in the powerplay and until over 10 or 11, gave my bowlers the sense that we belong. Then with the bat, we really had a crack at them at one stage. We were probably not in the chase all the way, but it still gave us a sense of belonging. After that match, I could look into my players eyes and see that these guys now feel like they can dance with the best.”After that match, members of the Pakistan team went into the Namibian dressing room to congratulate them on their journey. While most of the Namibian squad were taken by surprise, Wiese knew what Pakistan had planned. “The Pakistan team manager is also involved with Lahore and he mentioned that a couple of the guys really want to come and congratulate our team.”It was such a special moment to see the mutual respect they showed us and to spend a little bit of time with them. It was invaluable to see our [players] speaking to Mohammad Hafeez and Shaheen Shah Afridi. It’s moments like that that you can’t take for granted because they don’t go into every team’s changeroom. You have to earn a bit of respect from the opposition to come in and applaud you. That’s a moment the guys should hold onto and be proud of.”Erasmus certainly is. “As a captain, it’s awesome to see my guys learning and getting exposure at the highest level because I know that will make everyone better individually, and that makes a better team. Many knock on effects will come from this because we have been exposed to the greatest of players around in the T20 circuit and some of the best teams.”David Wiese believes victory against Scotland cemented Namibia as the best Associate team in the T20 World Cup•ICC via GettyAnd they have also had the better of some of them. Among the many history-making moments at this tournament, Namibia also collected their first win against a Full Member, when they beat Ireland to progress to the Super 12s. That victory was Wiese’s moment of the tournament. He was named Player of the Match for his 2 for 22 and unbeaten 28 off 14 balls, but dedicated his award to Erasmus, who scored 53 not out in the chase.”He is the heart and the backbone of this team. I have been really impressed with him,” Wiese says. “He is only 26 and his maturity as a leader has been phenomenal. The guys look up to him. He leads by example in everything that he does. And that does not even take into account that he is a fantastic player, probably the best associate batter around.”At this tournament, Erasmus is second only to Wiese in the Namibian run-scoring charts. And he has been doing all this with a broken finger. Every time the ball is hit Erasmus’ way in the field, he could suffer another break and he may not even be able to feel how bad it is.”That’s the risk I have been taking. I had to put it in my mind that it’s already broken and it’s just what I have to do. I do have respect for my own body but there is grace in the situation in that I am playing in the World Cup and it’s a special journey and these kind of chances don’t come everyday. I just have to fix it after this. I will probably go for surgery next week, but I don’t know what the specialist will say. I don’t
know how long I will be out for. I don’t think I will lose the finger.”Fingers crossed. Except, as Erasmus reminded us, he can’t do that quite yet.

After sacking Liam Manning, Norwich City have reportedly conducted an interview with former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil and set a managerial deadline.

The Canaries made the decision to sack Manning after 15 Championship games in charge. The former Bristol City manager arrived off the back of an excellent campaign with the Robins, in which they secured a playoff place, but was unable to replicate that form in charge of Norwich.

Instead of the top six, the Canaries have found themselves in the bottom two courtesy of Manning and only above Sheffield Wednesday, who were hit with a 12-point deduction after entering administration.

After two wins in 15 league games, Manning’s tenure suddenly makes former manager Johannes Hoff Thorup’s time at the club look rather promising, on reflection. Whether there’s some regret that those at Carrow Road didn’t give the latter more time is up for debate, however.

Sporting director Ben Knapper released a statement after sacking Manning, telling fans that they “tried absolutely everything possible” to turn things around under the former Bristol City boss.

Meanwhile, the search for a new manager is very much underway with reports going as far as to claim that the Canaries have already interviewed two candidates for the job.

Norwich interview Gary O'Neil

As reported by The Telegraph’s John Percy, Norwich have now interviewed O’Neil for their vacant managerial role and are keen to make an official appointment in the next 10 days.

The ex-Premeir League manager was recently linked with a second stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but turned his former club down. Now, he could be on his way to Carrow Road.

Former Blackburn Rovers manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has also reportedly been interviewed, but O’Neil’s Premier League experience should make him Norwich’s number one choice.

Dubbed “fantastic” by former Wolves winger Jordan Graham during his time in the Midlands, O’Neil has all the credentials needed to finally turn things around at Norwich, who sit four points adrift of safety in the Championship.

Live football streams: Watch Premier League, the Championship & more

Jamie Carragher has delivered his verdict on Arsenal and their Premier League title challenge after their dramatic 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.

Arsenal suffer first defeat in 18 games as five-point lead slips

Arsenal’s agonising defeat at Villa has ended the Gunners’ 18-game unbeaten streak whilst threatening their title aspirations, with Man City’s subsequent 3-0 dismantling of Sunderland now reducing the gap to just two points.

Emiliano Buendia’s 95th minute winner highlighted familiar weaknesses that have plagued previous title challenges.

Mikel Arteta’s makeshift defence, deprived of William Saliba and Gabriel through injury, conceded soft goals that championship-winning teams simply cannot afford.

Matty Cash’s thunderous opener exploited Eberechi Eze’s defensive negligence, whilst Buendia’s late intervention punished Arsenal’s inability to clear.

Leandro Trossard’s second-half equaliser briefly sparked hope of a hard-fought victory in the Midlands, yet Arsenal ultimately succumbed to Villa’s relentless pressure.

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The Gunners are looking to bolster their attacking options.

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While Arsenal have only lost twice this campaign, Arteta will be hoping Saturday’s defeat doesn’t sap his squad’s confidence given the manner of their slip up.

Cristhian Mosquera’s ankle injury compounds their current defensive crisis, forcing 16-year-old Marli Salmon onto the bench against Villa.

Man City ruthlessly capitalised on Arsenal’s hiccup, delivering their arguable most complete performance this season against an in-form Sunderland side.

Rúben Dias opened the scoring with a spectacular 25-yard thunderbolt before Josko Gvardiol doubled the advantage through a towering header from Phil Foden’s corner.

Foden completed the scoring after 65 minutes, converting Rayan Cherki’s outrageous rabona cross for a serious highlight reel moment.

Pep Guardiola praised it as potentially City’s finest 95-minute display this season, emphasising how it is consistency rather than individual results that determines success.

The title race has dramatically intensified, with Aston Villa themselves now genuine contenders sitting third, merely three points behind Arsenal following seven consecutive wins in all competitions.

Make no mistake, it is all to play for, and Carragher is convinced that Arsenal have a ‘huge problem’ in the form of Foden.

Jamie Carragher says Phil Foden is a 'huge problem' for Arsenal

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher insists that the England international, alongside Erling Haaland, poses a massive threat to Arsenal’s quest to win a first Premier League title in 22 years.

After a difficult 2024/2025, Arsenal have every right to be concerned, as Foden is now back to his imperious best.

Foden has emerged as City’s most potent attacking threat bar Haaland during their resurgent title challenge, scoring nine goals across all competitions so far this term.

The 25-year-old has also notched six Premier League goals in thirteen appearances, averaging 0.51 goals per ninety minutes whilst contributing two assists.

His recent purple patch has been particularly devastating, with five goals scored in his last three league games. His goal involvement rate of 0.69 per ninety minutes highlights his constant influence in the final third, with Guardiola praising his exceptional qualities following Saturday’s performance.

Foden already surpassed his career milestone of 100 City goals during the summer’s Club World Cup, cementing his status amongst the club’s elite scorers.

His personal renaissance couldn’t have come at a worse time for Arsenal, but luckily for Arteta, the title is still theirs to lose.

Newcastle United’s December fixture list is looking extremely busy already.

By the time the action-packed month closes, Eddie Howe’s Toon will have played eight games in all competitions, with Bayer Leverkusen up next for the frantic Magpies in the Champions League.

So far for Howe and Co, it’s been one draw and one win in the hectic month, with the 2-1 win over Burnley secured last time out in the Premier League far more nervy than it needed to be, after the hosts had gifted the ten-man Clarets a penalty right at the death.

Thankfully, no late fightback was on the cards, but with fixture congestion obviously going to become a big issue the more the month goes on, some changes could be on the agenda for the trip to Germany on Wednesday night, whether it’s because of tired legs or an actual drop in performance.

Where Eddie Howe needs to rotate against Leverkusen

With 17 shots tallied up on the Burnley goal throughout, Newcastle, arguably, should have notched up a far more comprehensive win against Scott Parker’s valiant visitors.

Nick Woltemade didn’t cover himself in much glory up top, in this regard, with just 18 touches of the ball passing him by, leading to zero on-target shots being powered at Martin Dubravka’s busy goal.

With Yoane Wissa back and available for selection after a lengthy injury, too, it could well be the perfect time to test out the ex-Brentford striker from the start against Leverkusen, with the German dismissed as having a “sloppy” performance, as per the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.

He wasn’t the only performer on the pitch that stood out for all the wrong reasons, though, with Jacob Ramsey struggling throughout, next to Bruno Guimaraes, who grabbed another memorable Toon strike.

Sandro Tonali and Joelinton will likely walk back into the midfield spots ahead of Ramsey, who would give up the handball that gifted Zian Flemming a 94th-minute lifeline.

Anthony Elanga also continues to look lost in Newcastle black and white, with just one of his seven dribbles coming off against Burnley, but other Newcastle faces managed to cement their first-team position even more on Saturday afternoon, as this often hit-and-miss attacker continues to turn around his initially underwhelming season.

Newcastle's "best player" is now undroppable again

Newcastle have been very hit and miss so far this season, but with three Premier League victories now from their last four clashes in the tough division, Howe will hope his wobbly team have turned a corner.

Anthony Gordon certainly has, with the ex-Everton winger’s days of drawing blanks in league action this season firmly over, as he has now converted two crucial penalties back-to-back at St. James’ Park.

Without the England international’s ice-cold precision from the spot, the Magpies might well have been staring at two completely different results.

It’s been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for the 24-year-old, with one analyst claiming that Gordon had entered “Gabriel Obertan territory” earlier in the campaign when he was consistently drawing blanks in the Premier League.

Obertan would only go on to score three goals for the Toon across a difficult 77-game spell, having never lived up to his early hype in England, when on the books of Manchester United.

Thankfully, Gordon now looks to have recaptured his gung-ho best, away from looking passive down the channels, with Howe – come the full-time whistle of the Burnley win – even labelling the Liverpool-born forward as the “best player” on the pitch as his “direct running” ultimately helped Newcastle overcome a stern Clarets battle.

Looking at the table above, too, Gordon has the chance to firm up why he deserves to be one of Howe’s first names on the teamsheets by putting in another memorable showing in the Champions League at the BayArena, having mustered up a sublime four goals and one assist this season in Europe’s first-class competition.

With a whirlwind 37 goals and assists amassed over his previous two seasons on Tyneside, too, Gordon will hope he can enter into another purple patch of form after suffering from some shaky moments here and there this campaign, off the back of his manager’s glowing words.

There’s certainly plenty of action ahead for Gordon to sink his teeth into, as he prays more words of praise come his way soon from his manager and beyond, alongside Newcastle continuing to pick up more wins.

Fewer touches than Ramsdale & 1 duel won: Newcastle star could be dropped

This Newcastle star struggled in the 2-1 win vs. Burnley

By
Joe Nuttall

Dec 7, 2025

Los Angeles Angels shortstop Nicky Lopez was standing in the batter's box after taking a ball against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday when he was suddenly hit in the head by his own bat.

How could something like that happen? Well, Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera went to throw the ball back to the pitcher but instead he threw it right into Lopez's bat, which then struck him in the head so hard that his helmet popped off.

This was easily one of the weirdest moments of the young 2025 season and it took a slo-mo replay for us to figure out what in the world happened during what is normally such a basic move in a baseball game.

Making matters worse for Lopez was that he struck out swinging a few pitches later.

Double ouch.

The grey clouds that have been hanging over West Ham United this year might just be starting to shift.

It’s still very early on in Nuno Espírito Santo’s tenure, but in the draw away to Everton and, more crucially, the win over Newcastle United, he’s shown enough to excite the fans.

More importantly, though, the win over the Toon suggests that the Portuguese coach might just be able to keep the Hammers in the Premier League.

Another huge positive to come out of that game was the display of Freddie Potts, and it’s already looking like the academy is brewing another talent like him.

Why Freddie Potts is such an exciting talent

Potts had made a few fleeting appearances for West Ham before Sunday’s game, but that was his first competitive start for the club.

However, he’s no inexperienced youngster, as he spent last season on loan with Portsmouth in the Championship, where he made 38 appearances, and the season before that with Wycombe Wanderers, where he made 43 appearances.

That experience clearly paid off against the Toon, as despite them being a Champions League side, the Barking-born ace looked completely unfazed.

Minutes

90′

Key Passes

2

Crosses

2

Passes

33/39

Touches

57

Tackles (Won)

3 (2)

Interceptions

1

Clearances

6

Recoveries

1

Ground Duels (Won)

4 (3)

In fact, he thrived, and from the first minute to the last, he was practically faultless, putting in a perfect all-action midfield performance.

One analyst claimed he had a “similar aura to Rice” and was particularly impressed with his “confidence and ability to create time and space on the ball.”

He was so good, in fact, that he got special attention on Match of the Day, and it feels like it won’t be the only time that happens this season.

In all, while it is still early on in his career, it looks like West Ham have an unreal midfield talent in Potts.

So, fans should be excited that the academy appears to be producing another prospect who could be a lot like him.

West Ham's next Potts in the making

The good news for West Ham and the fans is that there are currently several genuinely exciting players in the academy.

Bowen thinks he's "special": West Ham are brewing a bigger gem than Potts

The incredible gem could be an even bigger star for West Ham United than Freddie Potts.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 3, 2025

For example, Preston Fearon appears to have the potential to become a midfield destroyer one day, Emeka Adiele has been providing assists with ease at left-back, and Josh Landers seems to be a natural centre-forward.

However, another youngster, less well-known but with the potential to be a future Potts-esque star, is Isaac Thomas.

The 16-year-old Welshman made his debut for the club’s U18S over the weekend, and to say he impressed would be an understatement.

The young Hammers beat Ipswich Town 8-2 away from home, and instead of scoring one, a brace or even a hat-trick, the exciting prospect ended up with four goals to his name.

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Amazingly, three of his goals were headers, with the fourth coming off his foot in the dying embers of the match. However, what makes the whole thing even more remarkable is that he was playing at centre-back.

Perhaps a little unsurprisingly, Thomas is not a natural defender, but stepped in to play there for the team regardless.

It’s this ability to be something of a utility player so young that makes him feel similar to Potts, as he, too, played at the back for the U21s and U18s on occasion.

Furthermore, if the “brilliant” teen, as dubbed by his coach, Lauris Coggin, possesses both the tactical awareness to play in defence and the technical ability to score four goals in a game, there is no reason he couldn’t eventually thrive in the middle of the park.

Ultimately, it is still so early in his career, but in Thomas, West Ham look to have another hugely promising talent, much like Potts.

Manchester United had held talks with Robert De Zerbi and Thomas Tuchel to replace Erik ten Hag as their head coach last year, before turning to Ruben Amorim for the role. On November 1, 2024, days after Ten Hag's sacking, the United hierarchy confirmed Amorim's arrival at Old Trafford from Sporting CP. After a disappointing start to their 2024-25 season, Ten Hag was shown the door in October.

United under Amorim

Amorim endured a nightmare start to his tenure at Old Trafford as United ended the 2024-25 season trophyless and 15th in the Premier League, their worst finish in half a century. A loss in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur also meant that the Red Devils would be without European football in the 2025-26 campaign. In the new season, the English giants once again experienced a tough start but they have now revived their form by winning three league matches in a row, including a win against champions Liverpool at Anfield.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesUnited's search for Ten Hag's replacement

According to Andy Mitten, the United hierarchy was convinced that they needed a new head coach by May 2024 due to a series of poor results under Ten Hag. Omar Berrada, who was yet to formally join United as their CEO, along with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, acknowledged that Ten Hag's time was up at Old Trafford. The management met in a meeting in Monaco, where the decision was finalised.

United implemented a full data analysis on the managerial market, although they had to be careful as their in-house data capabilities are not at the highest level. The search for a new manager was based on the team playing a 4-3-3 formation. Six candidates were soon shortlisted as managers like Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, De Zerbi, Thomas Frank, Marco Silva and Graham Potter were on the Red Devils' radar.

Amorim was not on United's initial shortlist as the club at that point prioritised Premier League experience, which the Portuguese coach did not have. Director of football Jason Wilcox, however, later spoke to his contacts about who the next great coach was and that is when the 40-year-old's name came up, alongside Thiago Motta.

Why De Zerbi and Tuchel rejected United?

In the column, Mitten added: "United leaned towards Tuchel and De Zerbi — the latter considered a bit of a maverick but ultimately a top coach. Tuchel came to Monaco for a meeting with United’s leaders two weeks after the FA Cup final, in which Ten Hag’s side outsmarted and defeated Manchester City for a momentous win. Tuchel came across incredibly well, but no terms were agreed and the German wasn’t ready for the United job. He was to take a short break from football after a difficult time at Bayern Munich that led to him leaving that club only the previous month. 

"So De Zerbi became the frontrunner, and financial terms were discussed with the Italian in line with what United felt was fair. Those terms were rejected, and the club chose not to improve them. De Zerbi’s next job was instead at Marseille in France, where he’s unlikely to be on the same level of pay as a United head coach would be getting."

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How Man Utd signed Amorim?

In October, the leadership finally met at INEOS HQ in central London, where the approval came to terminate Ten Hag's deal. Another meeting was held in Barcelona later that month, where the consensus of the football executive landed on Amorim, and Berrada was charged with finalising the deal. The process started with assessing crucial details for any agreement — if Amorim was interested in taking the job immediately, his buyout clause in Lisbon, what his wage demands were likely to be, and who he’d want to bring with him and when.

The officials then met the Portuguese coach in Seville in a private house and the encounter went on for five hours. Amorim presented his idea and plans in detail, which impressed the Red Devils bosses. Amorim had even asked why the club wanted to appoint him midway into the season, to which they said that he would get acclimatised with the new league and the squad in the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.

Wolves’ turbulent season hit another twist after Vitor Pereira’s sacking, with reports linking Sporting Lisbon boss Rui Borges to Molineux. The Portuguese tactician has firmly rejected the move. With Wolves winless after 10 games and bottom of the Premier League, Borges’ refusal underscores the club’s deepening crisis and Sporting’s determination to stay focused on their title defence.

• Wolves in crisis after winless start in the Premier League

  Wolves' dismal Premier League campaign has reached breaking point. The club sits 20th with just two points from ten matches, the worst start in their Premier League history and the first time a side has gone winless in their opening ten games for two consecutive seasons. Pereira, who took charge in December 2024, was shown the door after Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Fulham, marking Wolves’ eighth loss of the season.

  Under Pereira, Wolves endured a dramatic fall from grace. His debut season ended with a six-game winning streak and survival in 16th place, earning him a Manager of the Season nomination. But the optimism evaporated this term with Wolves scoring just five goals and conceding 26, the weakest attack and defence in the league. Pereira’s exit, along with his entire backroom staff, came just 45 days after signing a three-year extension.

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  Sporting manager Rui Borges says “no” to Wolves

  According to Notícias ao Minuto, Wolves reportedly approached Sporting Lisbon manager Borges. But the 42-year-old swiftly ruled out any Molineux move, insisting his focus remains on Sporting’s Primeira Liga title defence and their Champions League clash against Juventus next week.

  Sporting officials, confirmed Borges’ commitment to the club, where he has a contract until 2027 with a €20 million buyout clause. His refusal doesn’t come as a surprise as Sporting are second in the league with 25 points from 10 matches, just three behind Porto, and Borges is chasing a third consecutive league title.

  Since arriving in December 2024, Borges has transformed Sporting with disciplined defensive tactics and player development. Last season, his side registered 28 wins from 43 matches, scoring 67 goals and conceding only 32. His success in domestic and European competitions, including an promising Conference League run, has elevated his reputation, making Wolves’ interest logical but ultimately futile.

• Inside Borges' rise as a coach

  Borges’ story has been one of steady rise through Portugal’s football pyramid. Since beginning his coaching career in 2017, he’s managed over 325 games with a total of 162 wins, 81 draws, and 82 losses. His stints at clubs like Vitoria de Guimaraes with 18 wins, seven draws, five losses in 30 games and Moreirense with 16 wins, eight draws, and 12 losses in 36 games demonstrated his tactical discipline, with teams known for compact defences and structured transitions.

  At Sporting, Borges’ methods have drawn comparisons to his predecessor Ruben Amorim. His 4-4-2 formation emphasises positional structure and calculated counter-attacks, while fostering growth in young talents like Manu Silva and Bruno Gaspar. His analytical approach and reputation for player development make him one of Europe’s most coveted names – but unlike many peers, Borges remains deeply committed to Portugal’s football project.

  For Wolves, missing out on Borges reflects a growing challenge which is attracting top-tier coaching talent amid instability. With the club’s recruitment misfires and limited budget under scrutiny, the gap between their ambitions and reality is widening.

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  Who can be Wolves next manager?

  With Borges out of the running, Wolves’ search for a new head coach intensifies. Gary O’Neil, sacked less than a year ago, has emerged as a shock candidate for return who is still admired by owners Fosun International for his man-management and survival instincts. Other names in contention include Brendan Rodgers, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Erik ten Hag, while Championship boss Rob Edwards and Steven Gerrard are also reportedly on the shortlist.

  The club’s next appointment could define their season. Wolves are eight points adrift of safety, and their upcoming fixtures against Burnley and Bournemouth may determine whether they can salvage survival hopes before Christmas. The rejection from Borges is a reality check for a side once known for its ambitious, Portuguese-driven project.

Nottingham Forest have made a frustrating start to life under Ange Postecoglou, albeit they will feel hard done by after a controversial defeat to Sunderland on Saturday evening.

Nottingham Forest lose out in tight contest with Sunderland

Balancing commitments domestically and in the Europa League, the Tricky Trees found themselves on the end of a narrow loss to Sunderland at the City Ground on Saturday courtesy of Omar Alderete’s first-half winner.

Admittedly, Nottingham Forest were the dominant side against the Black Cats and created far more on the day. However, Postecoglou has been left with plenty to ponder after making it five games without a win since taking charge.

Hovering just above the relegation slots in the Premier League, the Australian boss made it clear that his side are on the right trajectory despite losing out on a frustrating day in the East Midlands.

He told BBC Sport: “It was one of those evenings where we should’ve got the outcome we wanted. We had enough chances to certainly win the game.

“We conceded a really poor goal, albeit from a poor decision from the official, but after that we had enough chances to win the game. We are in a cycle at the moment where we are getting every outcome out of the game except the win – and that is the most important thing.”

While Nottingham Forest are producing encouraging signs, football is ultimately about winning and supporters will feel that points are an infinitely better outcome than performance, albeit the latter may suggest their long-term future under Postecoglou is looking bright.

Even with that in mind, it would be remiss not to delve into some of the refereeing controversies on show at the City Ground, something that individuals within their camp feel contributed to their defeat.

Neco Williams fumes at officials as Sunderland defeat Nottingham Forest

Speaking after the match on Sky Sports, Neco Williams made it clear that he feels Sunderland’s goal should’ve been ruled out for two reasons, claiming the Black Cats were awarded an unjust free-kick and that he was fouled in the build-up to Alderete’s decisive effort.

The £65,000-a-week full-back also made clear that he has ‘never seen’ such a decision made to award a free-kick during his career, indicating how furious he was at the controversial indicent.

He stated, cited via BBC Sport: “It’s a tough one to take. It was a game where we just didn’t finish off our chances. We created many chances but just couldn’t put it to bed.

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“We should have defended the free-kick better but, at the same time, I’ve never seen a referee give one of those free-kicks before in all my time of playing football.

“There was contact, so he got it wrong, and for the goal I was held back. He had two arms around my waist and that played a key factor in their goal. It is two poor decisions, especially by the referee and then the people on VAR.”

In truth, the Welsh international may have a point as he was visibly tugged back in an attempt to stop the ball, albeit supporters will never know if he would’ve covered the ground needed to intercept the situation at hand.

Either way, Nottingham Forest will rue missing a whole host of missed chances, which is something they will hope to use as fuel for their upcoming Europa League encounter against FC Midtjylland on Thursday.