Rangers were beaten 1-0 at home to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership over the weekend and it has led to a fierce debate over the future of manager Michael Beale.

Did Rangers deserve to lose to Celtic?

The Gers were hoping to overtake their rivals in the SPL table on Sunday afternoon, knowing that victory would take them two points ahead of them, giving them an early advantage in the title race in the process.

Instead, it proved to be a hugely frustrating afternoon at Ibrox, with Kyogo Furuhashi's late first-half strike ending up being the difference between the two sides.

Kemar Roofe had seen a goal ruled out by VAR before Celtic had opened the scoring – it was either a harsh or a fair decision, depending on your stance or level of bias – and Beale's side never truly threatened to consistently create chances after that goal, despite some half-decent openings.

The defeat has cranked up the pressure on Beale, who was already feeling the heat going into the match, having overseen a dreadful 5-1 loss away to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last week.

There is now much debate of whether the Englishman should keep his job or not, and it is certainly a talking point that is creating plenty of anger among the Rangers fanbase.

What has Barry Ferguson said about Michael Beale?

Speaking in response to an angry caller on The Go Radio Football Show on Sunday, former Rangers captain Ferguson reacted angrily to being told he was a "cheerleader" for Beale, claiming calls for the manager's head are "absolute garbage":

"What are you talking about cheerleader? You are four games into a season and you are wanting a manager out? I totally disagree with you, there you go. I totally disagree with you and I am allowed my opinion. How am I a cheerleader for him? Don't say I am a cheerleader. You are talking absolute nonsense mate."

The behaviour from the Gers fan accusing Ferguson of being a cheerleader is indicative of the modern football supporter, with so many feeling that former players try too hard to defend managers and generally stick up for the club they used to be play for.

This is largely nonsense, of course, and Ferguson is simply showing some patience with Beale, feeling that sacking a manager just four games into the new season would be knee-kerk by Rangers, at a time when there is no need to panic and stability is needed at Ibrox.

Granted, the last two matches clearly haven't been good enough, and the manager deserves a lot of the criticism that has come his way, but while in the past bosses were given more time to overcome a difficult period for their team, there are now calls for sackings to take place as soon as a slightly iffy spells arrive.

For now, Beale arguably has enough credit in the bank to keep his job, but if results don't improve a lot once the international break is over, a decision may have to be made.

Karachi is set to become the second Pakistani city to play host to a major cricketing nation in recent times, with West Indies playing a series of three T20Is there starting on April 1. High-profile cricket is becoming slightly more commonplace in the country, something head coach Mickey Arthur believes is “very special”.West Indies are set to land in Karachi on Saturday to play three back-to-back-to-back T20Is at the National Stadium, which recently hosted the Pakistan Super League final. It will be the first time international cricket will be played in Karachi since 2009, and the first T20I to ever be played at the venue. “We are all extremely excited and the buzz around Karachi when we arrived today was amazing,” Arthur said after a training session at the ground. “We are very excited to see some new faces within our Pakistan team. These young guys are bringing fresh energy into the squad and they are incredibly talented.”For the young guys, there is nothing like playing at home. I know that they have been very excited about the opportunity and I just can’t wait to see the stadium full of green flags with “Dil Dil Pakistan” [a popular patriotic song] playing and our boys performing. This will be fantastic and they are very happy to be where they are at the moment. We have got a squad of 15, it’s a very strong squad, and it’s a squad of players that are all in some sort of form as well.”Pakistan will line up without Imad Wasim or Rumman Raees, with both failing to recover from injuries in time. Mohammad Hafeez was axed for the home games, while Kamran Akmal, the second-highest runscorer in the PSL was overlooked. Arthur said neither player fulfilled the requirements of the team. “We laid down a marker. If we look at the squad we’ve got, the doors are not closed on Mohammad Hafeez at all and he knows it. I had a chat with him about it, and if he is bowling, he becomes a very good option for us. If he isn’t bowling, it becomes a problem. Hafeez is still a quality cricketer.”[About Kamran] we often said that we are not going to pick players who just do well in one discipline. We want players who are able to excel in all disciplines and fielding is a non-negotiable point. If you can’t field, you can’t play for Pakistan. It’s as simple as that. Kamran is a very good batsman but he can’t field and Sarfaraz Ahmed is our wicketkeeper. So I qualify this by saying that we gave him a go in the West Indies and he didn’t perform as well as he could have. He tried hard, as he does in domestic cricket all the time, but unfortunately as I said earlier if you can’t field, you can’t play for Pakistan.”

Leeds United have been handed a boost after learning that one of their senior players could be available for this weekend’s Championship game vs Millwall, according to a reliable journalist.

What's the latest injury news at Leeds?

At Elland Road, Daniel Farke has had Stuart Dallas, Liam Cooper and Patrick Bamford all out of action, whilst Sam Byram was forced off the pitch during the club’s only second-tier win of the season against Ipswich Town back in August.

Despite Daniel James, Ian Poveda and Mateo Joseph also being on the sidelines, albeit with less serious problems, the boss could be set to have them back at his disposal in a positive triple update that recently emerged, but they aren’t the only ones that are looking to stage their comeback over the next few days.

Junior Firpo has been out of action ever since the 4-1 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of last season after picking up a knee injury, meaning that he is yet to feature under the new manager, and reports from those with knowledge of the injury have suggested he would be out until October.

However, the Dominican Republic international could be about to get that opportunity to showcase his talents as the team travel to The Den to take on Gary Rowett’s side on Sunday, with a club reporter claiming that the 27-year-old has put himself in contention to secure a place in the squad.

How long is Junior Firpo out for?

Writing for LeedsLive, Beren Cross delivered an update on the fitness of Firpo and revealed when he believes the defender is likely to be back at his best. He said:

“The left-back could well be one of those hoping to sneak onto the bench at The Den. Firpo has not been seen in Leeds colours since the final day of last season, having spent virtually all of pre-season in the treatment room. The matches with Watford or Southampton may be more realistic return dates for Firpo in the matchday squad.”

How good is Junior Firpo?

Whilst Leeds have had to cope without Firpo since the start of the new season, Farke will know that it’ll be a huge boost having him available once again. He’s previously been hailed as “aggressive” by journalist Josh Bunting for the impact he makes at both ends of the pitch, and his experience could prove vital.

The Yorkshire outfit’s £60k-per-week earner ranks in the 94th percentile for both tackles and interceptions amongst players in his position, showing his desire to get stuck in, but he also loves to use his energy to burst down the flank, where he’s posted six contributions (four assists and two goals) at senior level in LS11.

Sponsored by Nike, the left-footed ace is even a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including slightly higher up in the midfield, at right-back and at centre-back alongside his usual role, so his return would allow the boss to be more flexible in his team selection and formation.

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Com problemas para montar a defesa, Bruno Lazaroni vai recorrer a um reforço caseiro. O Botafogo não poderá contar com Marcelo Benevenuto e Rafael Forster diante do Grêmio na próxima quarta-feira, pelo Campeonato Braisleiro. Com apenas dois zagueiros disponíveis, Wesley, capitão do sub-20, vai integrar o plantel que viajará ao Rio Grande do Sul.

A dupla de zagueiros titular será composta por Kanu e Sousa. Benevenuto, titular, está suspenso pelo terceiro cartão amarelo. Rafael Forster, que vem jogando como volante mas é zagueiro de origem, foi expulso contra o Sport e cumprirá suspensão automática.

Wesley é o capitão do time sub-20 do Botafogo. Durante a paralisação das competições por conta do novo coronavírus, em agosto, ele participou ativamente dos treinamentos da equipe profissional no campo anexo do Estádio Nilton Santos.

Assim como Luís Henrique, vendido recentemente ao Olympique de Marselha, Wesley pertence ao Três Passos Atlético Clube, do Rio Grande do Sul, e está emprestado ao Botafogo, que possui parte dos direitos federativos do zagueiro por vitrine e tem uma opção de compra para tê-lo em definitivo no futuro.

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The coach Darren Lehmann is reportedly planning to announce his resignation. Meanwhile, former captain Steve Waugh has called for Cricket Australia to uphold the spirit of the game

Daniel Brettig27-Mar-2018Steven Smith’s ban from the Johannesburg Test has forced the call-up of Matt Renshaw into the Australian squad, as the former captain Steve Waugh called for Cricket Australia to refocus on the importance of the spirit of the game.Dropped at the start of the summer for Cameron Bancroft, Renshaw now finds himself thrown into the middle of the ball tampering fiasco likely to force multiple changes to the national team.The team flies to Johannesburg on Tuesday, with CA’s chief executive James Sutherland set to meet them on arrival and digest the findings of a code of behaviour investigation by the head of integrity Iain Roy.The coach Darren Lehmann is reportedly planning to announce his resignation, while it is also understood the assistant coach David Saker was the only other member of support interviewed by Roy. Smith, David Warner and Bancroft were among the players Roy interviewed. Sutherland is expected to speak publicly about the affair late on Tuesday.The events of the Newlands Test have brought an unprecedented level of outrage from the Australian public, moving Waugh to speak about the need to realign the spirit of cricket as a priority for the team and CA.”Like many I’m deeply troubled by the events in Cape Town this last week, and acknowledge the thousands of messages I have received, mostly from heartbroken cricket followers worldwide,” he said. “The Australian cricket team has always believed it could win in any situation against any opposition, by playing combative, skilful and fair cricket, driven by our pride in the fabled baggy green.”I have no doubt the current Australian team continues to believe in this mantra, however some have now failed our culture, making a serious error of judgement in the Cape Town Test Match. In 2003, we modified the Spirit of Cricket document originally created by the MCC, to empower our players to set their own standards and commit to play the Australian way.”We must urgently revisit this document, re-bind our players to it and ensure the Spirit in which we play is safeguarded for the future of the sport, and to continue to inspire the dreams of every young kid picking up a bat and ball and for every fan who lives and breathes the game.”Waugh called for consideration to be given to the “social impact and mental health” of all players involved in the episode.”A focused and balanced perspective is needed in the condemnation on those involved in this, with a clear and critical consideration to the social impact and mental health of all players,” he said. “I will support all positive action to ensure an outcome for the betterment of the game, regaining the trust and faith of every fan of cricket.”Renshaw hit the winning runs for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield final, finishing unbeaten on 81 off 83 balls. Earlier in the season, he struck three successive centuries – 170 against Victoria, 112 against South Australia and 143 not out against Western Australia – to lead his team into the title clash.

Celtic kicked off their Champions League campaign with a disappointing defeat away to Feyenoord as they lost 2-0 on Tuesday night.

The hosts took the lead through Calvin Stengs as his free-kick from distance curled and bounced up in front of Joe Hart, which prevented the former England international from being able to keep it out.

Hart then made up for his error as he saved a penalty from Igor Paixao but he could do nothing to stop Alireza Jahanbakhsh from smashing the ball into the top corner after a clearance fell kindly for him in the box not long after Odin Thiago Holm was sent off for a late challenge. However, he wasn't the only one to head for an early bath.

Why was Gustaf Lagerbielke sent off against Feyenoord?

The Swedish summer signing was given his marching orders by the referee after he was adjudged to have fouled the Feyenoord player racing through on goal, which led to the saved penalty.

It was his second booking of the match and resulted in a red card. However, it was a contentious decision as the opposition forward appeared to go down rather easily under minimal contact from the central defender, although Lagerbielke put himself in a dangerous position by holding onto him at all.

1 tackle

0 interceptions

1 duel won

2 duels lost

The 23-year-old stopper only won one duel in his 63 minutes on the pitch and recorded a game-low Sofascore rating of 5.7 out of all starters, which illustrates just how poorly the ex-Elfsborg titan performed on the night.

That said, alongside Lagerbielke, another player who let Brendan Rodgers down badly on the night was Honduras international Luis Palma as he struggled on the wing.

How well did Luis Palma play against Feyenoord?

The summer signing from Aris FC was handed a big opportunity to put a marker down after his move to Scotland and failed to do so.

He left much to be desired in and out of possession against Feyenoord in his 58 minutes on the pitch before Rodgers decided to haul the 5 foot 10 forward off.

As per Sofascore, Palma lost eight of his 11 duels (73%) and failed to make a single tackle, block, or clearance, whilst he was also dribbled past twice. This suggests that he did not provide Greg Taylor with much protection from the opposition forwards down that side of the pitch.

The 23-year-old did not make up for his lack of defensive work with quality wing play either. As per Sofascore, the former Aris star only completed two of his six attempted dribbles and did not create a single chance for his teammates. To make matters worse, his 38 touches were also fewer than Hart's 52.

Throughout the match, Feyenoord dominated Palma as they prevented him from being able to dribble past them or play dangerous passes to his teammates, meaning that he was ineffectual on and off the ball throughout the 58 minutes he was on the pitch.

The score was only 1-0 to Feyenoord until the 76th minute and there was plenty of time for Celtic to find an equaliser to change the game but Palma, along with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda, failed to provide the requisite quality to make something happen in the final third.

أعلن خافيير تيباس، رئيس رابطة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، عن موعد بداية البطولة في الموسم الجديد 2024\2025، أغسطس المقبل.

سيبدأ الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم في أغسطس كما جرت العادة، ولكن ما أكده خافيير تيباس هو أنه سيكون مع يوم 16.

يؤكد تيباس أن الدوري الإسباني 2024-25 سيبدأ يوم 16 أغسطس، على أن تقام مباريات الجولة الأولى أيام 16 و17 و18 من الشهر ذاته، أيام الجمعة والسبت والأحد.

طالع أيضًا.. فيديو | تشافي يرفض توجيه رسالة إلى خوان لابورتا

ما لم يحدده خافيير تيباس هو ما إذا كانت المباراة التي سينطلق بها الموسم ستكون يوم الجمعة أو السبت، ولكن هذا ما سيتم الكشف عنه في غضون 10 أيام.

وأكد رئيس رابطة الدوري الإسباي: “سيتعين علينا رسم الجدول لنرى كيف ستكون المباريات ومن يلعب على أرضه ومن يلعب خارج الأرض، وسيتم التعرف على مواعيد المباريات خلال 10 أيام وفي أقرب وقت ممكن”.

جدير بالذكر أن بطل الدوري الإسباني في الموسم المنصرم، كان ريال مدريد، على حساب برشلونة الذي فقد لقبه الذي حققه في موسم 2022\2023.

Liverpool are in the running to sign an exciting new forward next summer, but a fresh report has revealed the other clubs also in the race to secure his services.

What's the latest transfer news at Liverpool?

Alongside West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen and Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie, Jurgen Klopp’s side were recently linked with Liverpool Montevideo’s former midfielder Fabricio Diaz having held talks over the summer, though they missed out on his signature having eventually joined Qatari side Al-Gharafa.

In terms of potential exits, Mohamed Salah continues to be associated with a switch to the Saudi Pro League, in particular Al-Ittihad, whilst Joel Matip has also hinted during an interview with Sky Sports Germany that he could be heading for the exit door in the near future.

With FSG likely already assessing their options ahead of 2024, a name to have entered the fold is Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix, who despite having been at the club for four years, he’s had two loan spells out on the road, the first at Premier League rivals Chelsea and the second at Barcelona where he currently is now, via Transfermarkt.

The Portugal international, who is naturally a second striker, was previously the subject of rumours suggesting that Reds chiefs wanted him in a swap deal involving Darwin Nunez going the other way, but after these claims were firmly shut down, it all went quiet.

Are Liverpool signing Joao Felix?

According to Spanish reports (via The Liverpool Echo), however, Liverpool, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are all “in the equation” to sign Felix in the summer of 2024. The Atletico attacker is currently excelling for Barcelona, and as a result, Xavi’s side are hoping to make his move permanent.

Diego Simeone’s outfit will have a decision to make regarding their prized asset’s future, though as it stands, they are “expected to cash in”, which will no doubt have his four potential suitors on high alert.

Is Joao Felix a good player?

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Felix is a “nightmare for defenders” to play against and he’s already shown that at the start of this season since joining Barcelona, so there’s no doubt that he’s a fantastic forward and one that could flourish at Liverpool.

The Viseu native, who earns just £6.5k-per-week after taking a "staggering pay cut" to join Barca, has already posted four goal contributions (three goals and one assist) in three outings at the Camp Nou, whilst ranking in the 99th percentile for shots, highlighting both his desire and ability to hit the back of the net.

Sponsored by Adidas, the 23-year-old also has a great record when playing against Klopp’s side having recorded two assists when part of the opposition team, so if he’s capable of performing to that level when he’s on the other side, imagine what he could do at Anfield.

Finally, Felix shares the same agent, Gestifute, as both Nunez and Diogo Jota, so this existing connection that his representative already has to the club could give the board a small advantage over their competitors should they decide to pursue a deal next summer.

Southampton are expected to sanction the exit of another senior squad member, and a fresh report has revealed how quickly the departure is likely to take place.

Who is leaving Southampton?

On the south coast, Sport Republic have already completed the permanent sales of James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, Nathan Tella, Mohammed Salisu, Moussa Djenepo and Mislav Orsic over the summer, whilst also giving the green light for both Armel Bella-Kotchap and Duje Caleta-Car to go out on loan, as per Transfermarkt.

Russell Martin's side have made a promising start to life in the Championship having won three, drawn one and lost just one of their opening five games, but one of the players who is yet to make his mark in the second tier and therefore could be the next on his way out is Paul Onuachu.

This season, Nigeria's international is yet to make a single appearance in the league, so whilst he still has another three years remaining on his contract, his lack of game time shows just how out of favour he is and he will know that the only way he can increase the minutes he's getting under his belt is by sealing a departure.

The St. Mary’s outfit also already have Che Adams, Adam Armstrong, Sekou Mara and the recently signed Ross Stewart from Sunderland in the building, so the chance of the attacker getting a look in over the remainder of the campaign seems highly unlikely.

Is Paul Onuachu leaving Southampton?

According to Turkish outlet Fanatik (via Sport Witness), Trabzonspor have made contact with Southampton to enquire about a deal to sign Onuachu, with the Turkish window open until next weekend.

The Super Lig outfit are “looking for a striker” and have turned their attention towards the Saints star having previously failed to reach an agreement for Fulham’s Carlos Vinicius.

Championship chiefs paid €18m (£15.4m) for their prized asset so the chances of him being permanently sold are “slim to none”, but the option of sending him out on loan is definitely on the table.

Martin’s attacker “wants to play” on a more regular basis so he would be “happy to go” overseas, and it’s stated that the deal is “expected to be finalised this week”.

How good is Paul Onuachu?

When Nathan Jones recruited Onuachu, Southampton’s former manager dubbed him a “significant signing” considering the money he cost, but having failed to live up to expectations, Sport Republic and Martin sanctioning his departure would be completely the right decision, regardless of if it was permanently or a loan.

The Owerri native has recorded zero goals or assists since putting pen to paper and ranked as the club’s 19th best-performing player out of 36 squad members last season, via WhoScored, so he isn't really bringing anything positive to the side when given the opportunity to play and showcase what potential he has to offer.

Furthermore, Onuachu is currently pocketing £30k-per-week which is a lot for a second tier team to be cashing out on a fringe player, so the clu need to get him off the books as soon as possible and put his salary towards generating funds for fresh faces in January.

أكد محمد طارق، عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، أن القلعة البيضاء حاليًا تمتلك شيئًا أقوى من الأهلي، يجذب اللاعبين الجدد للانضمام للفريق الأول لكرة القدم.

وقال محمد طارق، في تصريحات عبر قناة “النهار”: “في نقطة الناس تغفل عنها، إمكانيات النادي الأهلي المالية أقوى من الزمالك، لكن الأبيض عند شيء أقوى من الأحمر، وهو الجمهور”.

وتابع: “شغف وحالة جمهور الزمالك في الفترة الأخيرة، ظهر في تصريحات ناصر ماهر وعبد الله السعيد، جمهور الزمالك مختلف، وصنع حالة غير طبيعية”.

طالع أيضًا | الزمالك يرد عبر “بطولات” على أنباء وجود أزمة في تفعيل بند شراء محمد شحاتة

وأضاف: “جمهور الزمالك يجذب لاعبين كثيرين للانضمام للنادي، جمهور الأهلي قوي بالتأكيد، لكن هناك مشاكل في مدرجات جمهور المارد الأحمر في الفترة الحالية، أتمنى أن يعود بنفس القوة التي كان عليها”.

وأشار: “جمهور الزمالك عنده اتحاد قوي ويعرفون كيف يتقدمون للأمام ويتطورون، وحتى أغانيهم أصبحت معروفة للجميع ويحفظونها، فلو الأهلي عنده قوة مالية لشراء اللاعبين الجيدين، على الناحية الأخرى الزمالك عنده قوة جماهيرية تجذب اللاعبين، وهذا واقع”.

واختتم: “أرى أن رمضان صبحي لاعب بيراميدز، يحتاج للانضمام إلى الزمالك من أجل أن يستعيد مستواه، لو انضم للأبيض سيستعيد مستواه، وبالتأكيد أن الفريق يحتاج تدعيماً في الفترة القادمة”.