John McGinn has promised fans will see a "different Scotland" in their second Euro 2024 group game against Switzerland following a 5-1 Germany defeat.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
McGinn defiant after Germany lossMidfielder admits he played sub-par Scotland now to face Switzerland WHAT HAPPENED?
McGinn seemed to suggest that Scotland have identified the cause of their heavy opening loss in the first game of the tournament. There is now an opportunity to right those wrongs in Wednesday's clash with Switzerland, potentially getting their Euros campaign back on track.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Scotland fans have descended on Germany in their many thousands, which made it all the more painful when the hosts were 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, then 3-0 ahead and with a man advantage by half-time. In the end, a late Antonio Rudiger-own goal was a scant consolation given that Germany finished with five goals.
WHAT McGINN SAID
"It doesn't take a genius to work out where it went wrong," McGinn told . "On Wednesday, you'll see a different Scotland. A team with a point to prove, probably more to ourselves than anything else. Seeing the amount of Scotland fans in Munich, that's the disappointing thing, feeling like we've let them down. We can't forget the opportunity is still there.
"It's been quiet in the camp but I think that's determination," he added.
"As I get older, I get more used to dealing with these situations. It doesn't get easier. I always say the lows in football make the highs higher. The lows are brutal. I don't look at the opinions of anybody else. I'm sure we've had a lot of criticism and deservedly so. It's about how we react. Knowing I could have given more is what's been stewing in my mind. If the manager gives me the opportunity again, it has to be a completely new version of myself."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
DID YOU KNOW?
Scotland are attempting to make history for themselves at Euro 2024. No senior Scottish national team – male or female – has ever gone beyond the group stage of either a World Cup or European Championship in 13 previous attempts.
Glamorgan made their lowest T20 score as Tom Curran, Imran Tahir and Gareth Batty ran through them
ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2019Surrey 141 (Jacks 40, Salter 4-23, de Lange 4-26) beat Glamorgan 44 (Curran 3-3, Batty 3-7, Tahir 3-8)Surrey’s second near-25,000 sell-out crowd in three days at the Kia Oval roared their approval as Tom Curran took a spectacular hat-trick in his opening new-ball over to set up a dramatic 97-run victory against Glamorgan, who subsequently crashed to 44 all out in 12.5 overs – their lowest total in T20 cricket.South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir then completed a triple-wicket over himself, removing Graham Wagg, Andrew Salter and Marchant de Lange in the space of five balls in an almost-as-remarkable 12th over, to send Glamorgan hurtling from 40 for 6 to 40 for 9.Offspinner Gareth Batty quickly completed the rout, bowling last man Michael Hogan in the next over to finish with figures of 3 for 7. Tahir’s figures were 3 for 8 and Curran’s 3 for 3 in two overs. It was Surrey’s first Vitality Blast win of the season, in their third south group game, while Glamorgan remained winless after three matches.Curran’s memorable hat-trick came when he first bowled David Lloyd for 4 with a beauty and then, with the fourth ball of the second over of Glamorgan’s innings, had Colin Ingram held by Rikki Clarke at slip as he tried to force into the off side. Remarkably, new batsman Billy Root also edged to Clarke next ball in an almost carbon copy of Ingram’s dismissal – leaving Curran to sprint away in celebration towards the Peter May Stand, followed by his jubilant team-mates.When Surrey captain Jade Dernbach then had Owen Morgan caught at the wicket for 2, in his second over with the new ball, Glamorgan were a sickly 9 for 4. And it got worse for the Welsh county when, in the eighth over, Pakistan left-hander Fakhar Zaman lofted Batty to long-on after making just 17 on his Glamorgan debut.From 33 for 5, Glamorgan’s chances were slim, but it was still shocking when Chris Cooke then holed out at 39 for 6 and they fell away so rapidly against the spin of Tahir and Batty to what was a humiliating defeat.Offspinner Salter had earlier taken a career-best 4 for 23 as Surrey were bowled out for 141, with Glamorgan putting in a fine performance in the field with some excellent catching and ground fielding.Fast bowler de Lange also impressed, taking the last three Surrey wickets in five balls in the final over to finish with 4 for 26. De Lange bowled Dernbach for 2, removed Batty next ball when the veteran former Surrey captain hit his own wicket as he tried to make room to cut and, from the final ball of the innings, had Tahir caught at mid-off.It was Salter’s four-wicket burst in mid-innings, however, which derailed Surrey’s effort after Will Jacks and Aaron Finch had added 61 in 6.4 overs for the second wicket after de Lange had dismissed opener Mark Stoneman in the second over, caught for 5 at third man from a slashed square cut that he could not keep down.From 73 for 1 they slumped to 99 for 6 after Jacks’ sparkling 26-ball 40, which featured two sixes and four fours, had ended with a tickle to keeper Cooke from a leg-side ball from Wagg that would have been a wide had the batsman not touched it.Salter then struck with his first delivery, at the start of the 10th over, to have Finch brilliantly caught on the leg-side boundary by Root for 28 from 20 balls. From the last ball of that over, he forced Clarke to chip a tame return catch and, in his next over, Curran also fell for 1 when he was superbly held by a diving Lloyd at extra cover.Ollie Pope went for 12, miscuing a reverse flick at Salter to short third man, and Surrey’s seventh wicket pair of Jordan Clark and Liam Plunkett tried hard to put some sort of total on the board – dealing mainly in ones and well-run twos in a stand of 38 in five overs.Plunkett did, though, hit Salter’s final ball for six over long-off in his 18, which ended in the 19th over when he lofted Wagg’s left-arm medium pace to long-on. Wagg took 2 for 28 and Clark ended unbeaten on 26, from 27 balls.The match had begun 40 minutes late at 7.10pm, initially because of a threat of lightning in steamy temperatures, which remained in the low 30s centigrade despite an early evening build-up of cloud that then, five minutes before play was originally due to start at 6.55pm, produced a short but torrential downpour which sent many people in the capacity crowd – Surrey have attracted full houses for both this week’s T20 home games against Middlesex and Glamorgan – scurrying for cover.Play was also held up for a few minutes towards the latter part of Surrey’s innings when a fox ran on to the outfield, and would not move. It also made a deposit on to the Oval turf, which itself had to be removed with a shovel after the animal had been driven away by stewards.
AC Milan are rumoured to be formalising their longstanding interest in Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
AC Milan in contract with Chelsea
Chukwuemeka talks ongoing
Blues seeking transfer with guaranteesWHAT HAPPENED?
According to , Milan are in talks with Chelsea, "negotiating" over a potential deal for Chukwuemeka after first taking an interest in the 20-year-old last summer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
But the clubs are yet to agree on how a deal might look. Milan seemingly want Chukwuemeka on an initial loan, but Chelsea don't appear interested in sanctioning anything that has a non-binding option to buy at the end of it. As a counter, Milan are said to be proposing an obligation to buy linked to appearances. In other words, once Chukwuemeka plays a predetermined number of games, the transfer would have to become permanent.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chelsea paid £20 million ($25m) to sign Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 and tied the then teenager to a six-year contract. But his time at Stamford Bridge has been ravaged by injuries, limiting him to 27 total appearances across two seasons and only four Premier League starts during that time.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHUKWUEMEKA?
Chukwuemeka's future will depend on how talks between Chelsea and Milan unfold. From the latter's point of view, it could be a good opportunity to raise some cash to allow Todd Boehly and co. inject some fresh energy into the squad for new boss Enzo Maresca, who is a rookie as a top flight manager.
Celtic needed two late goals in stoppage time to secure a 3-1 win over Motherwell at Fir Park in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers brought Norwich City loanee Adam Idah on for Kyogo Furuhashi at half-time and the Ireland international scored twice put the Hoops in front, having been 1-0 down.
The 23-year-old marksman has already scored four goals in four league appearances for the club, and appears to be on course to become one of the manager's best signings of the season.
Norwich forward Adam Idah.
Most of the boss' key players – including Matt O'Riley, Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Kyogo Furuhashi – were brought to the club by his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian tactician rarely missed in the transfer market with some fantastic signings in his two years at the club, with O'Riley, Kyogo, and Jota among the most impressive moves.
However, Postecoglou did not always get it right and Argentine left-back Alexandro Bernabei is one example of that, as the flop has endured a tough time in Glasgow and is worse than current first-choice Greg Taylor.
How much Celtic paid for Alexandro Bernabei
The Scottish giants swooped to sign the defender from Lanus, in his home country, for a fee within the region of £3.75m in the summer of 2022.
Upon signing for the Hoops, Bernabei revealed that the manager had faith in him and his ability to adapt to life in Scotland quickly to make an impact on the pitch.
It was a significant fee to pay for a young left-back, particularly when you consider that the club paid £3m to sign Taylor from Kilmarnock back in 2019, who had yet to reach 100 first-team appearances.
The Argentina U23 international had played 88 senior games for Lanus prior to Celtic deciding that they wanted to bring him over to the Premiership.
He had established himself as a regular starter for his former club in the Liga Profesional during the 2021 campaign, though, with 23 league starts that year.
Appearances
24
Goals
Zero
Assists
Two
Dribbled past
34 times
Duel success rate
48%
Sofascore rating
6.64
As you can see in the table above, there were some warning signs for Celtic in his performances in his home country as opposition players found it a little bit too easy to get the better of him at times.
He was dribbled past 1.4 times per game and lost more than half of his physical duels across those 24 league outings throughout the 2021 season.
These statistics did not suggest that Bernabei was set to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch as an attacking left-back, with a lack of goals and assists, or that he would be able to deal with the physicality of Scottish football.
Of course, the young full-back was signed at the age of 21 and Postecoglou may have viewed him as a long-term signing who could develop his game in and out of possession.
Alexandro Bernabei's Celtic career in numbers
It has not gone to plan for the now-23-year-old defender, though, as he has struggled badly in the Premiership and failed to establish himself as a regular option for either of his managers.
Postecoglou handed him 15 appearances and nine starts in the Scottish top-flight during the 2022/23 campaign as Taylor retained his place as the first-choice at left-back.
The Argentine dynamo did provide an attacking threat down the left flank with one goal and three assists in those nine league outings, which is a return of one assist every three starts on average.
Celtic defender Alexandro Bernabei.
However, Bernabei struggled out of possession as he failed to step up to the level of physicality required of a left-back in the Scottish league.
The 23-year-old dud lost 60% of his duels, including 63% of his battles on the deck, in his 15 Premiership appearances, which shows that opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him.
He was also dribbled past 14 times and gave away a penalty in those nine starts as the young flop failed to provide a solid defensive presence at the back for Postecoglou.
Appearances
Eight
Starts
Three
Goals + assists
Zero
Dribbled past
Five times
Duel success rate
47%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Bernabei has also struggled to find his top form under Rodgers in the Premiership so far during the 2023/24 campaign.
The Argentine defender, who was recently criticised for his "weak" defensive work by ex-Hoops full-back Mark Wilson, has not offered much in an attacking sense and has still been poor off the ball as the opposition have got the better of him too easily.
Put simply, Postecoglou endured a rare transfer howler by signing him as he cost more than £750k more than Taylor, yet is worse than the Scotland international.
Greg Taylor's season in numbers
The former Kilmarnock star has been the first-choice option for Rodgers in the number three position and been an excellent performer for the Hoops.
Celtic defender Greg Taylor.
Only Luis Palma (12) has created more 'big chances' for their teammates than Taylor (eight) in the Premiership so far this season, which highlights the impressive work the Scottish ace has done at the top end of the pitch.
The 26-year-old whiz, who has scored two goals, has produced 1.9 key passes per game and produced the assist for Idah's equaliser against Motherwell on Sunday with an excellent left-footed cross.
Defensively, Taylor has only been dribbled past 19 times in 24 league starts, which is less than once per start on average. Whereas, Bernabei has been dribbled past 19 times in 12 starts since the start of last season in the top-flight.
He has also won 54% of his duels on the ground in the Premiership this term, which shows that the current first-choice left-back can hold his own on the deck and deal with the physicality of the division.
Therefore, Taylor is a better option for Rodgers than Bernabei as opponents find it harder to dribble past him, win a lower percentage of their duels against him, and the Scottish gem has the quality to offer more in possession.
Therefore, Postecoglou had a howler with the signing of the Argentine dud as he cost more than the Scotland international, despite currently being worse than the ex-Killie ace.
Promotion-chasing Gloucestershire dismiss the hosts for 221 before limping to 87 for 4 in reply
Jon Culley at New Road16-Sep-2019Gloucestershire 87 for 4 (Barnard 3-16) trail Worcestershire 221 (Wessels 72, Higgins 4-55) by 134 runs Only Leicestershire have endured a longer exile from county cricket’s first division than two of the contenders for promotion this year. Gloucestershire and Glamorgan were both relegated in 2005, the last season of three up and three down before it was decided that the clubs in the upper tier should feel a little more secure.The converse of that has been an increased degree of difficulty for the teams trying to make the transition in the opposite direction. Clearly, the change has disadvantaged this trio in particular, in which case Gloucestershire, in third place going into the final two rounds, will feel they ought not to miss the opportunity.They meet second-placed Northamptonshire at Bristol next week, which might yet have one promotion place riding on it depending on how the table looks in a few days. Win this one first, however, with Northamptonshire and another contender, Durham, locking horns at Wantage Road, and the prize could be within touching distance.Momentum is said to count for a good deal at this stage of the season and although they were beaten by Sussex last week, Gloucestershire had won three matches in a row before that one. They defeated Worcestershire by 13 runs in a thrilling finish at Cheltenham in July, a result which ended any lingering hope that Worcestershire themselves might still sneak into the race.Yet after an opening day largely dominated by seamers under a cloudy sky, Gloucestershire had control for a while only to have it taken from them in a difficult final session in which Ed Barnard undermined them three times by taking wickets with the last ball of an over. Any optimistic notions entertained in the visitors’ dressing room that the home side might have been distracted in their anticipation of defending their Vitality Blast crown at Edgbaston on Saturday, a date that Gloucestershire had pencilled into their diary before Derbyshire surprised them in the quarter-final at Bristol, proved without foundation.Gloucestershire’s bowlers had given them the upper hand in the first session, delayed by one hour after a damp morning, to the extent that when Ben Cox was out four overs after lunch, falling to the second of two fine catches by Tom Smith at third slip, Worcestershire were 71 for 5. Ryan Higgins, the allrounder whose runs and wickets are a large element of why his side are in contention, had taken three, going round the wicket to pin the left-handed Hamish Rutherford leg before and two balls later bringing one back sharply to bowl Alex Milton, who shouldered arms.Without Moeen Ali, taking time out to nurse some minor “niggles” ahead of Saturday, Worcestershire’s often fragile batting appeared in danger of caving in rather rapidly.That they did not was down to Riki Wessels, whose approach to batting is consistently to attack. It comes off less frequently in the red-ball game than it did in white-ball cricket in his pomp but on this occasion it did, bringing him a 58-ball half-century and 72 off 89 deliveries before, attempting the reprise the slog-sweep that had brought him six off Higgins earlier, he found Ben Charlesworth on the square-leg boundary.After a brief experiment opening, Wessels is back in the middle order and looks more comfortable there. His sixth-wicket partnership with Barnard (30) gave the innings some substance. With the game evolving quickly, Gloucestershire had their three bowling points – their first objective – in the 48th over, but Joe Leach and Adam Finch built on the impetus provided by Wessels enough to ensure it was the basis of a genuine recovery. Higgins, with 4 for 55, had been Worcestershire’s most dangerous opponent with the ball. Shannon Gabriel, the West Indian Test fast bowler brought in for the final push, proved as ineffective as he had against Sussex.The downside for Gloucestershire of bowling the home side out by tea was two hours of batting in light that did not really brighten until the last throes. James Bracey and Chris Dent weathered the new-ball threat but when Barnard came into the attack as first change, he immediately broke through as Bracey was caught behind and Dent edged to third slip.Mitchell took his first Championship wicket of the season by having Smith leg before and Barnard combined again with Cox to leave Gloucestershire four down for 56, before Gareth Roderick and Charlesworth survived until the close.Umpire Nick Cook, who was suffering from a sore knee, was replaced by Mike Burns mid-way through the afternoon session.
Switzerland's goalkeepers have been spotted using an unusual 'secret weapon' in training as they prepare for their quarter-final clash with England.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Switzerland face England on SaturdaySwiss 'keepers using 'secret weapon' for Kane and co.England have scored 3 goals in regulation timeWHAT HAPPENED?
First-choice 'keeper Yann Sommer was spotted wearing a pair of dark sunglasses in training. The thought that he was simply trying to protect his eyes from the sun was quashed, though, when Sommer's backup Gregor Kobel was also seen wearing the glasses.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
There's more to it than avoiding the glare from the sun. According to The Sun, the special battery-powered glasses can create a slow-motion effect when a ball is struck, and can help goalies improve their anticipation. They appear to be working, too. Switzerland have only conceded three goals so far at the Euros and kept a clean-sheet in their last-16 win over Italy.
DID YOU KNOW?
Sommer and Switzerland's 'keepers also donned the futuristic shades at Euro 2020. The glasses, produced by Japanese company VisionUp and costing upwards of £350, have also been used by tennis and baseball players.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty WHAT NEXT FOR SWITZERLAND?
Switzerland have the chance to reach the semi-finals of a European Championship for the first time in their history when they take on England in Dusseldorf on Saturday. Murat Yakin's side will enter the tie full of confidence following impressive displays against Germany and Italy.
As things stand, Ipswich Town are on course to secure sensational back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier League under Kieran McKenna. But that success could come at the ultimate cost with a European club now eyeing a move for their impressive manager.
Kieran McKenna's Ipswich future
It's no surprise that McKenna has been linked with a move away. A manager of his calibre, who has transformed Ipswich, is destined for the top. It just seems a matter of when and not if he'll become a top-flight manager, whether that is with Ipswich or elsewhere in years to come.
Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season
Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.
ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025
Crystal Palace were, of course, reportedly interested in securing his signature to replace Roy Hodgson earlier this year, before eventually turning to former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner. McKenna remained at Portman Road and now looks set to finish the Championship promotion job that he started.
Amid any potential celebrations, however, clubs will undoubtedly begin to circle once more as the manager is left weighing up his options yet again. Among the clubs that could circle is VfB Stuttgart, who have enjoyed an excellent Bundesliga campaign so far this season. But, like Ipswich, Stuttgart's success could come at a managerial cost, with Sebastian Hoeness already linked with the Bayern Munich job.
Sebastian Hoeness for Stuttgart.
Now, according to Sport Bild via Sport Witness, Director of Football Fabian Wohlgemuth and Stuttgart have placed McKenna on their shortlist of options to replace Hoeness should they need to this summer. Given that Hoeness has taken the Bundesliga club from 16th all the way up to third this season and just four points adrift of Bayern Munich, he would be some act to follow. But McKenna has more than proven his credentials at Portman Road.
In a summer of mass managerial change, McKenna could complete a shock switch to deal Ipswich a major blow.
Ipswich can't afford to lose McKenna
It almost goes without saying just how vital it is that Ipswich keep hold of McKenna for as long as possible. He has been the key to their recent rise and he is the one who is most likely to unlock the Premier League doors sooner rather than later. If Ipswich do fail in their bid for promotion, however, then luring McKenna away should be far easier, given his own ambitions of managing at the best level.
Stuttgart are an ideal next choice too. Whilst on paper, they may seem an unorthodox choice, Stuttgart's rise isn't dissimilar to that of Ipswich's, who also went from a struggling side to one of their division's best teams under the guidance of a young manager. Now, McKenna is perfectly placed to pick up where Hoeness potentially leaves off this summer, should Stuttgart need to make their move.
What's more, the Ipswich Town manager's preferred system also uses a 4-2-3-1 like Honess' does in another concerning similarity for those at Portman Road hoping to keep the man who has already achieved so much at the club. As things stand, McKenna's future is at Ipswich, but if Stuttgart are in need ot a new manager this summer, then the promotion hopefuls will have every right to be concerned.
Outgoing CoA member says her public differences with Vinod Rai weren’t anything personal, but just based on principles
Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai22-Oct-2019Among the first four members of the now outgoing Committee of Administrators (CoA), Diana Edulji has agreed with new BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s view of giving priority to first-class cricketers in India. Edulji said the CoA was working towards that but “could not finish” it. The CoA is set to hand over the reins of the BCCI to the new office bearers on October 23.Speaking on her penultimate day in the BCCI after meeting the other two CoA members to wind up their duties, Edulji also looked back at her 33-month period, including their achievements and even the differences she had with Vinod Rai, saying she did not expect her “nightwatchman” duties to last so long.”Yes, a lot more work [has to be done], we were working on that but could not finish it,” Edulji said in Mumbai at the BCCI headquarters about the first-class circuit. “The players, the domestic structure does need a look in, so we can attract more cricketers to the game and let’s hope for the best.”Among the numerous issues Ganguly has already addressed even before officially taking over as the president, was “taking care of” the share of revenue the BCCI gets from the ICC, which reduced in 2017. When asked if the CoA was somehow responsible for the drop in the BCCI’s revenue share, Edulji said, “I would not want to comment on that because I would not want to say I have done something wrong or they are saying something wrong. Let’s see how it goes forward, all the best to them (new administrators).”Appointed by the Supreme Court in January 2017, Edulji and Rai had taken over, along with Ramachanda Guha and Vikram Limaye, to oversee the running of the BCCI. Guha later resigned while Limaye moved on, and Lt Gen (retd) Ravi Thodge joined the duo of Rai and Edulji earlier this year.”It was a good experience and a long journey,” Edulji said. “Didn’t think that the journey would last so long, but I am happy with the end result that elections and office bearers are coming back and BCCI will be run by them now.”No, not all (no regrets). We (Rai and Edulji) have had our differences and we aired it openly also. In any organisation, that works. And I have always batted on the front foot or bowled my armers well, but no nothing personal. It was just (on) principles that stands were taken and that’s it.
“We (Rai and Edulji) have had our differences and we aired it openly also… I have always batted on the front foot or bowled my armers well, but no nothing personal.”Diana Edulji on her equation with Vinod Rai
“If I wanted to say something, I have always called a spade a spade and I don’t hold back. I have enjoyed my journey of 33 months, I never expected it to be so long, and as Mr Rai said, it was a nightwatchman, but this was more than a nightwatchman also. I’ve never heard of a nightwatchman scoring a double-hundred or triple-hundred (laughs). It was a great learning experience, handling BCCI and I hope I can do something more after I finish my cooling period (laughs).”Was the CoA able to implement all the reforms as they were defined by the Supreme Court and the Lodha Committee’s recommendations?”Yes and no,” she said.The CoA had taken over the supervision of the BCCI during troubled times after the board was hit by a betting scandal in the IPL and the matter was taken to the Supreme Court, but Edulji steered clear of blaming previous office bearers, under whom the board had landed in trouble.”I would not want to run down the people before, I wouldn’t say that we have done a better job than them,” she said. “Whatever role we had, we tried to complete our duties, let’s hope it goes forward and they take in the right spirit whatever we have done and move on. Life has to move on.”It is good that a [former] player [has become a president], he knows in and out what players’ require…when he was a player what he expected from BCCI, and now when he is sitting on that seat, I wish him all the best and let’s hope that he will do well and cricket should do well.”The final official CoA meeting with the three members lasted about two hours on Tuesday afternoon after which Lt Gen Thodge said they had finished implementing “almost” all of their tasks and responsibilities.”We’ve almost implemented things the way we wanted to,” Thodge said. “There are certain things to be done, our status report has been submitted to the court and we’ll see whatever comes.”Thodge also elaborated on the conflict of interest issue that’s been coming up time and again, and was even mentioned in the CoA’s 11th and final status report they submitted to the Supreme Court last week.”We (CoA and Ganguly) are in agreement with it and the last time when we had a meeting here, Sourav attended on video conference from Calcutta and we had lots of discussions on that issue,” Thodge said. “He’s aware, and it’s one thing that needs to be addressed otherwise we’ll have a problem in having anybody as a coach or for any BCCI appointment it will be an issue.”So to facilitate cricketers being involved in the cricket administration, it is essential that conflict of interest has to be relooked into, it’s not that it should totally go. Where the personal and financial benefits are there, those will be taken care of. But if the interest of cricket suffers because of conflict of interest then it needs to be addressed. I think he (Ganguly) has mentioned that same point because we had almost a three-hour discussion at that time and he’s got his views on that.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has shed selfish tears, been carried by his team-mates and Roberto Martinez is not “brave enough” to drop him, says Sam Allardyce.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
All-time great now 39 years of ageYet to score a goal at Euro 2024Questions asked of role for countryWHAT HAPPENED?
Ronaldo is taking in an 11th international tournament at 39 years of age. He has figured in every game for Portugal at Euro 2024, but is yet to open his goal account. He missed an extra-time penalty in a last-16 showdown with Slovenia, leading to an emotional breakdown, and there have been suggestions that his nation would fare better if he were to be benched.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT ALLARDYCE SAID
Ex-England boss Allardyce agrees with that assessment, telling the podcast from William Hill of Ronaldo’s theatrics and the need for stronger management: “Given the talent that Portugal have in their squad, I think they’ve been quite disappointing. They’ve got so much talent and so much ability on the ball, but they’re having to carry Ronaldo now. Even though he is still very fit for his age, he simply doesn’t have the same energy levels anymore. The other players have to carry him and they’re good enough to do it, but he still hasn’t scored yet.
“Roberto Martínez won’t be brave enough to drop Ronaldo. When I was at Bolton I had to sit down Youri Djorkaeff – who was a World Cup winner – and tell him I thought his legs had gone. He didn’t take it very well and it’s not easy for the manager either. It’s a tough one for the manager in that position.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Former Premier League boss Allardyce, who has faced Ronaldo on plenty of occasions down the years, added on the sight of CR7 crying on the field before eventually helping Portugal through in a penalty shootout: “I think Ronaldo’s tears were primarily down to what he wanted to achieve personally, rather than with Portugal as a team. At his level you have to be selfish, but where he didn’t do himself any favours was the last World Cup because he was throwing his hands around and dismissing everyone when they got knocked out. He’s passionate and wants to win. He never really played a part when they won the Euros in 2016 so he’ll want to win this for himself as much as the country.”
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
GettyWHAT NEXT?
While Ronaldo is yet to score at this summer’s European Championship, Portugal are into the quarter-finals. They are preparing to face France in a heavyweight knockout encounter on Friday, with that contest set to see five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo come up against Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe.
Board president Nazmul Hassan also lists out further major changes in BPL, including preferable batting positions to Bangladesh batsmen
Mohammad Isam17-Oct-2019The BCB have dismissed two NCL coaches for failing to carry out the board’s directives. Rangpur Division coach Masud Parvez Razan didn’t pick Fardeen Hasan, and legspinner Rishad Hossain, while Dhaka Division coach Jahangir Alam also lost his job for not picking legspinner Jubair Hossain in the playing XI during the second round that began on Thursday.BCB president Nazmul Hassan said both coaches have been issued with a show-cause notice for not picking the legspinners, with the BCB keen on implementing certain rules in domestic cricket to help strengthen the national side. ESPNcricinfo has learned that both Masud and Jahangir have already been replaced by Zafrul Ehsan and Mohammad Salim, as the Rangpur and Dhaka coach, respectively.”We gave clear instructions to play legspinners in the NCL, but neither [Jubair Hossain] Likhon nor Rishad [Hossain] were picked in the XI in this round,” Hassan said. “We have show-caused two coaches from Dhaka and Rangpur for not selecting the legspinners despite being told to do so. We have to give them game time. How else can they improve otherwise?”BPL set for further radical changes
The BCB have already put in place a rule for quick bowlers and legspinners in the BPL, and Nazmul Hassan said batting orders too would be mandated based on the national team’s interest. “They must have a legspinner in the squad and if he is a local, he must be picked in the best XI. Teams should also set a batting order which is consistent with how the Bangladesh players are suited or needed in international cricket,” Hassan said. “We will give preference to fast bowlers who bowl 140kph. You can call this season’s BPL as preparation, a trial for the World T20.”
This is the first time that the BCB has taken such drastic action against coaches for not picking a legspinner. Over the years, domestic sides in Bangladesh have mostly opted for left-arm spinners and offspinners, leading to a paucity of legspinners in domestic cricket that has been lamented by players, coaches and selectors. Jubair did make his international debut in 2014, but though he had the backing of Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza and then coach Chandika Hathurusingha, he didn’t get the same backing in domestic cricket.The BCB has reportedly made it mandatory for first-class sides to pick legspinners in their XIs in the 2019-20 season. Minhajul Abedin Afridi, whom the chief selector first spotted as a net bowler in Chittagong last year, made his first-class debut in Chittagong Division’s previous match, while Aminul Islam Biplob, who made his T20I debut last month against Zimbabwe, made his debut for Dhaka Metropolis.Hassan said that in keeping with their plan to troubleshoot weaknesses, the BCB have also put in place rules for BPL teams to pick a local or foreign legspinner in every game, as well as give preferable batting positions to Bangladesh batsmen, whether in the top or middle-order.”They must have a legspinner in the squad and if he is a local, he must be picked in the best XI. Teams should also set a batting order which is consistent with how the Bangladesh players are suited or needed in international cricket.”We will give preference to fast bowlers who bowl 140kph. You can call this season’s BPL as preparation, a trial for the World T20,” he said.Hassan said that players will also require a fitness test to play in the Dhaka Premier League from this season, a first in the tournament’s history, while the bleep test level will be raised further next year. “We will raise the fitness level next year too but we will inform them at least a year in hand.”Players have to pass fitness test to play Dhaka Premier League too, and all of them have to be done in Dhaka,” he said.”Suggestions from the senior team’s coaching staff are being taken seriously,” Hassan said. “After the World Cup, our fielding coach pointed out that there’s a basic lack in fitness and understanding of fielding’s basics among our national team. Some of them can’t even throw properly. We are working on all the suggestions from the support staff. Initially we will stumble, but it is the best for the long-term,” he said.Hassan said that the board’s focus is building a side by 2021, so that they have a settled group by the 2023 World Cup in India.”We have been playing to win, but now we will do some experiments, as part of our long-term plan. Some of our decisions may seem different but by 2021, we want to build a solid team for the 2023 World Cup. A team that can serve Bangladesh for at least four or five years,” he said.