Leeds United picked up a crucial win on Wednesday night, as they beat Chelsea 3-1 to go outside of the relegation zone. With 14 points to their name in as many games, it has certainly been a struggle for Daniel Farke’s side this season.

However, they are in good form. Of course, they beat the Blues this week at Elland Road, and last Saturday were unlucky to drop points away to Manchester City.

Only a goal in the 92nd minute from Phil Foden could sink Farke’s team, who were close to the ideal week in their relegation fight.

Indeed, there have been some standout players over the past few days for the West Yorkshire side.

Leeds’ best players in their last two games

It is hard to pinpoint just a couple of players who have excelled for Farke’s side against two of the Premier League’s title challengers, with the whole squad impressing. However, one player who shone was defender Jayden Bogle.

Against City, he played as a right-back, and won 100% of his tackles and three ground duels coming up against Jeremy Doku. On Wednesday, he had more of an advanced role and made great use of it.

Operating as a wing-back on the right flank, Bogle assisted Ao Tanaka, who made it 2-0 to Leeds on the stroke of half-time.

Another standout from the impressive performances this week was summer signing Lukas Nmecha. The German striker has been in good form this term and added to his goal tally at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. He’s now bagged four times in the top flight this season.

Whilst he didn’t find the back of the net against the Blues, Nmecha still made a real nuisance of himself for the Chelsea backline.

The German was not the only Leeds attacker who stood out in the last week.

From "Bang average" to undroppable

The Whites are not short of attacking options after a busy summer. They already had the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnoto, three of the players at Farke’s disposal, who all played a big role in their promotion.

Chalkboard

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

Nmecha was brought in to add to that depth, as was Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The former Everton star made the move to West Yorkshire upon the expiry of his contract on Merseyside. It was a tough start to life at Leeds, though.

The 28-year-old did not exactly set the world alight with his start in a Leeds shirt. He’d only managed one goal in his first ten Premier League games, and that was away to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It meant the England international had to face some criticism for the lack of form in front of goal.

Earlier in the campaign, defender-turned-pundit Michael Dawson said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday he was looking “bang average”, following the defeat to Fulham.

However, that form has recently taken a huge upturn. In what have arguably been his side’s two toughest games so far this season, Calvert-Lewin got himself on the scoresheet against both City and Chelsea.

It wasn’t just his goals that made these performances impressive, but the manner in which he played. He was a handful off the ball, winning 15 duels on Wednesday night, and six at the weekend.

He won three fouls in each game, too, making an impact despite having minimal touches.

Touches

15

35

Shots

1

3

Duels won

6

15

Fouls won

3 (1 penalty)

3

Goals

1

1

His performances were enough to earn him a pair of 9/10 ratings from journalist Graham Smyth. Against the Citizens, he praised Calvert-Lewin for the fact that he ‘gave Leeds much more presence’ and said he ‘brought others into play’ superbly against the West Londoners.

With two goals in as many games and some good centre-forward performances outside of that, it is easy to see why Calvert-Lewin could be considered undroppable for Leeds. After a tough start, it seems like he has finally begun to show his best form.

It does seem unlikely that Farke will omit the striker from his starting XI ahead of the game against Liverpool on Saturday. Instead, he will be hoping he provide further troubles for Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the Reds’ defenders.

If Calvert-Lewin can replicate such a performance again, it will go a long way to helping Leeds achieve their goal of Premier League survival.

Best signing since Raphinha: Leeds star is one of "the best" players in PL

Leeds look to have struck gold with one of Farke’s summer signings.

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 4, 2025

هاجم خافيير تيباس، رئيس رابطة أندية الدوري الإسباني ريال مدريد بسبب قرار المحكمة العليا الأخير برفض طعنها على استئناف النادي العاصمي بشأن البث التليفزيوني.

وأعلنت المحكمة العليا، أمس الجمعة، أنها أيدت جزئيًا استئناف ريال مدريد ورفضت طعن رابطة الدوري الإسباني بشأن تعديل نظامها الأساسي الذي أقره المجلس الأعلى للرياضة في عام 2015.

وقضت المحكمة بإلغاء البند الإضافي الثاني من النظام الأساسي لرابطة الدوري الإسباني، والذي يحدد شروط توزيع بعض الحقوق السمعية والبصرية الإضافية لموسم 2015/2016، معتبرة ذلك مخالفًا للقانون.

وعلق تيباس، حول صفحته الرسمية عبر موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “إكس”: “بخصوص حكم المحكمة العليا، من الصعب اختلاق كل هذه الأمور كما يفعل ريال مدريد، لا 8.8 مليون لريال مدريد، ولا 88 مليونًا لبعض فرق الدرجة الثانية، الحكم لا ينص على ذلك، ولا يُستنتج منه”.

اقرأ أيضًا | تطورات مفاجئة في صفقة انتقال حمزة عبد الكريم لاعب الأهلي إلى برشلونة

وأضاف: “ينسى ريال مدريد اجتماعات هيئة الرقابة، ومجالس الأقسام، والجمعيات العمومية لعامي 2015 و2016، التي حضرها والتي تمت فيها الموافقة على تسويات البث التلفزيوني لموسم 2015-2016”.

وأكمل: “ينسون أيضًا أن كل هذا بدأ كطُعم لأندية الدرجة الثانية لمحاولة منع توقع آثار المرسوم الملكي للبث التلفزيوني لموسم 2015/2016، هذه ليست حالة معزولة، لقد انخرطوا في حملة تضليل تستهدف جماهيرهم منذ فترة”.

وأتم: “إنه نمط أفعالهم مثل دوريات السوبر التي كان من المفترض أن تبدأ “فورًا” لكنها لم تبدأ أبدًا، صيغ تتغير كل بضعة أشهر، مطالبات مستحيلة قانونيًا ضد الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم (يويفا) بمبلغ 4.5 مليار يورو، مجرد تكتيك ضغط، ناهيك عن قناة ريال مدريد، إنه نمط تتبعه إدارة ريال مدريد، تهديدات بملايين اليورو “للضغط” عليهم، وهذه ليست المرة الأولى”.

Sobre la sentencia del Supremo: es difícil inventarse tantas cosas como hace el Real Madrid. Ni 8,8 millones para el RM, ni 88 millones para algunos equipos de Segunda. La sentencia NO dice eso, ni se concluye de la misma.
El RM “olvida” las reuniones del órgano de control,… pic.twitter.com/BMMn3WQ08C — Javier Tebas Medrano (@Tebasjavier) December 6, 2025

Legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has been added to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the T20I tri-series in Pakistan as cover for allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who has a hamstring injury.Hasaranga has not been ruled out of the series yet. He picked up the hamstring niggle during the second game of the ODI series against Pakistan and subsequently missed the third ODI as Sri Lanka suffered a 3-0 defeat.Related

• Injured Muzarabani out of Pakistan tri-series, Nyamhuri named replacement

• Rawalpindi takes centre stage as Pakistan, SL and Zimbabwe scramble for World Cup spark

Viyaskanth will join the team directly from Qatar, where he was playing for Sri Lanka A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. He has represented Sri Lanka just once in senior cricket, making his debut in the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023.Viyaskanth first rose to prominence in December 2020, when he became the youngest player at 18 years and 364 days to feature in the Lanka Premier League for Jaffna Stallions. In that tournament, he also became the first born-and-bred player from Jaffna to appear in an internationally televised game. Viyaskanth was also the second highest wicket-taker in the SLC T20 League in August 2025. Overall, in 59 T20 games, he has taken 67 wickets at 20.98 with an economy of 7.18.Sri Lanka are also missing their regular T20I captain Charith Asalanka for the tri-series. He flew home with an illness and Dasun Shanaka will fill in as captain. Sri Lanka play their first game of the tri-series on November 20 against Zimbabwe. The series starts on November 18 with each team playing the other twice before the final on November 29.

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Tite comandou o terceiro treino do Flamengo neste período de Data Fifa. O atacante Gabigol participou das atividades nesta manhã de sábado (8). Nos últimos dias, o camisa 99 foi liberado dos treinamentos para ir à Europa (Suíça) participar do seu julgamento no CAS. No entanto, a audiência foi adiada e Gabigol retornou ao Rio de Janeiro na noite desta última sexta-feira (7).

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Flamengo

Graças ao efeito suspensivo, Gabigol segue livre para treinar e atuar pelo Flamengo. O atacante segue aguardando a decisão do CAS sobre as acusações de fraude do exame antidoping. O jogador iniciou o dia na academia e posteriormente se dirigiu ao campo, para completar o planejamento da comissão técnica.

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Buckingham took 4 for 49 to help bowl Tasmania out for 195 despite Kellepotha’s 50 on debut for Tasmania

AAP05-Dec-2025South Australia seamer Jordan Buckingham bagged four wickets to put South Australia on top of their Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania at Adelaide Oval.Tasmania debutant Ruwantha Kellepotha led a rescue mission for his new team, scoring a half-century but it was the home side’s day.Batting at No.8, Kellepotha top-scored with 50 as Tasmania could only manage 195 after winning the toss on Friday.They slumped to 86 for 6 before Jake Doran made 44 at No.6 and tailender Gabe Bell posted his highest first-class score of 27.Buckingham led the attack with 4 for 49, and South Australia at stumps were well-placed at 116 for 3.Jake Lehmann had made 37 and Jake Fraser-McGuirk was also looking well-set on 26.Kellepotha moved from Sri Lanka, where the legspinner played first-class cricket, in 2013.The 34-year-old played one Shield game for Victoria, and also had three games with the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, but moved south ahead of this season and broke into the Tasmanian team.He hit two fours and three sixes in his 104-ball innings. Lehmann gave him a life on 31 when he dropped a chance in the deep off legspinner Lloyd Pope.SA player Hanno Jacobs had to leave the field after he was hit on the head while trying to take a catch. He was later cleared of injury.After his important contribution at No.10, Bell then struck twice to remove Henry Hunt and fellow SA opener Mackenzie Harvey, making his Shield debut.Billy Stanlake snared the wicket of Jason Sangha to leave the home side in early strife at 63 for 3.But Lehmann, who scored at faster than a run a ball, and Fraser-McGurk batted through to stumps. Tasmania must break up their partnership early on Saturday to have any hope of a first-innings lead.SA fielded a recast batting line-up, with captain Nathan McSweeney away on Australia A duties. Tasmania similarly made several changes because of injury and national commitments.After five games, SA are fourth on the Shield ladder in their title defence with only one win, and Tasmania are third.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

There were extremely mixed fortunes for the Britons on the continent this weekend. While there was a hat-trick for a certain Three Lions captain, other England internationals came under fire for their disappearing acts, while there were two red cards for us to sink our teeth into.

Every Monday this season, GOAL brings you the latest on British stars abroad, what they're getting up to, who is reaching the greatest heights and who needs to come home. Let's dive in…

Kane off the bench to hit Bayern treble

There would have been a few eyebrows raised among Bayern Munich supporters when it was announced Harry Kane would begin Saturday's match at Stuttgart among the substitutes, with Nicolas Jackson drafted into the starting XI in his place. The visitors led by only a single goal – a delightful flick from Konrad Laimer – by the time the England captain was introduced on the hour mark, while their hosts had already threatened and had a strike of their own ruled out by VAR in the first half.

From the moment Kane took to the pitch, Bayern raced away with the three points. His first contribution was an old-school goal on 66 minutes, finding space around 25 yards out and picking out the bottom corner with a low drive clocked at 128 km/h. Josip Stanisic added a third when his speculative effort trickled through the arms of goalkeeper Alexander Nubel, who is still contracted to Bayern, before Lorenz Assignon's red card for a handball on the line set up Kane's finale. The striker converted from the penalty spot and then guided in a low cross from Michael Olise to ensure the reigning Bundesliga champions ran out 5-0 winners on the banks of the River Neckar.

"It's something I'm not used to, but I did it a couple of times this season," Kane told the press of coming on as a substitute. "The boss wanted to keep me fresh and save energy. I came on after 60 minutes with a couple of other guys and we were able to exploit the space and get the goals. We had a tough battle in the cup midweek and today we faced one of the best teams in the league away, but we looked stronger in the last half an hour and punished them."

Of course, Vincent Kompany was asked to explain this decision in his press conference, to which he said: "I had this change in mind before the game started. We have four games in 11 days. If I start Harry every game and he plays 90 minutes, I'll get questions about why he always plays. Every time we played Stuttgart, we've always grown stronger as the game progressed. I felt the spaces would be bigger when Harry came on, it was a good moment for him to come. And he did what he does."

Kane received a perfect player rating from Germany's premier sports outlet and made team of the week for a sixth time already this season, while Stuttgart counterpart Deniz Undav hailed him as the 'best striker in the world'. "Ice cold in front of goal and good with the ball, that makes him so good. Great player and striker," the former Brighton forward added.

An extraordinary Saturday means Kane has now set a new record of 58 goals in a calendar year, with Bayern still to play three more times before their Christmas break. This is far from a striker in decline.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRashford fires blank on rare Barca start

While Kane has been finding the back of the net from all angles lately, his England team-mate, Marcus Rashford, has now gone eight games without a goal for club and country. Having managed to shake off some rust that had compromised his fitness in recent weeks, he was handed his first Barcelona start since before the November international break for Saturday's trip to Real Betis.

It turned out to be a cracking affair that went down as one of the games of the weekend, with Barca eventually securing a 5-3 win. They went behind early on to a fine strike from Rashford's former Manchester United colleague Antony, though Betis would go into the half-time break 4-1 down following a hat-trick from Ferran Torres and a first La Liga goal from summer signing Roony Bardghji. A late effort from Diego Llorente and a stoppage-time penalty from Cucho Hernandez saw Betis reduce the final deficit to only two goals.

For a match of such chaos, it was surprising that Rashford didn't contribute it. He missed all of his five shots and didn't even come up with an assist, losing his grip atop La Liga's standings to Lamine Yamal, whose tally of seven moved him ahead of the Englishman's six.

Talk of making Rashford's move from United permanent has cooled considerably since mid-autumn, with focus now centred on how Barcelona plan to replace the ageing Robert Lewandowski ahead of the expiry of his contract. Catalan outlet have touted Ferran as a longer-term solution up top, which could theoretically free up the funds needed to keep Rashford, though this isn't referenced in their reporting.

Getty Images SportBattered Bellingham goes missing

The pressure is ramping up on Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, though he has hardly been helped by the performances of some of his star players. In Sunday's game at home to Celta Vigo, none of them turned up.

Los Blancos' triumvirate of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham are making difficult work of fitting in the same team. It is typically the Frenchman that pulls the rabbit out of the hat to save their skin, but even he couldn't break down a stubborn Celta side.

Nerves jangled around the Bernabeu when the teams went into the break on level terms, perhaps fear creeping in that the hosts would fail to keep pace with La Liga leaders Barcelona. When Williot Swedberg fired the Galicians ahead on the other side of the restart, that shaken home crowd grew restless, and its energy translated to the pitch.

There was fury when Borja Iglesias' elbow to Bellingham's face, which left the midfielder bleeding profusely, yielded no punishment. Minutes later, Fran Garcia was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence after charging into the back of Swedberg. Madrid huffed and puffed in their search for a leveller despite their one-man disadvantage, only for Alvaro Carreras to be sent off for dissent as the game entered five minutes added time. Endrick, an unused sub, was also shown a red card for his protestations on the sidelines.

Swedberg's second of the evening to round off the 2-0 win for Celta saw the Bernabeu turn mutinous, with Madrid now four points behind Barcelona and just one ahead of third-placed Villarreal, who have a game in hand on Alonso's men. Bellingham was roundly criticised by the Spanish press for his loose touch and inability to keep the ball, losing a match-high eight duels. "He's having trouble turning quickly when receiving the ball in midfield," was notable criticism, though he was also praised for upping his work ethic when Madrid went down to 10.

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Getty Images SportMcTominay battles through pain

Another Brit in the wars this weekend was Scott McTominay. The Scotland midfielder complained of muscle discomfort during Napoli's crunch clash against Juventus at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, yet soldiered on and completed the full 90 minutes regardless.

His impact on the game was subdued compared to his usual headline-grabbing exploits, though he still managed to rattle the woodwork and see a free-kick whistle narrowly wide. Instead, it was fellow Manchester United alumni in Rasmus Hojlund who stole the show, with the Dane scoring both of the champions' goals in a 2-1 victory to send them back up to first in the Serie A standings.

Antonio Conte reserved special praise for the ragged McTominay in his post-match presser, claiming the midfielder has stepped up in a 'state of emergency' at Napoli with seven key players, including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, out injured.

"McTominay, like everyone else, is certainly doing something important and extraordinary in terms of understanding the situation, taking responsibility, and growing," Conte said. "It shows in everyone… We played against Atalanta, Qarabag, Roma, Cagliari, and Juventus- strong teams – while we were in a state of emergency. I'm amazed by the enthusiasm and energy the team is putting in. Now we need to rest because Benfica awaits us, and we'll try to prepare better. We need to recharge our batteries."

McTominay turned 29 on Monday and will be able to celebrate his birthday knowing he remains the best player in Serie A at present. In the longer term, he also has a World Cup showdown with Brazil to look forward to following Friday's group-stage draw. Some life, that.

Mohamed Salah is set to return to the Liverpool squad for this weekend's clash with Brighton after holding peace talks with manager Arne Slot. The Egypt international claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" by manager Slot last weekend, and was left out of their Champions League clash with Inter Milan as a result.

• Salah to return

  Per widespread reporting, Salah is poised to return to the Liverpool squad this weekend. The Reds superstar sent a bombshell message at the weekend as he claimed that he was "thrown under the bus", but has since held clear-the-air talks with his manager, and is set to be reintegrated into the squad. It is the final opportunity for Salah to play before he jets off to the African Cup of Nations with Egypt. The news could end the ublic spat which has shrouded Liverpool in recent weeks, set against the backdrop of a woeful run of league, cup and European results, which has seen the club all-but surrender their Premier League title. 

  And while it isn't clear if he will be named in the starting XI or on the bench, the positive update will come as a huge relief to Liverpool coaching staff and fans ahead of the weekend clash with Brighton at Anfield. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Slot confirms hopes for reunion

  The Liverpool boss spoke to the press earlier in the day and confirmed he was scheduled to speak with the Egytian icon before making any decision about including him in the team for the weekend. And while he was happy to admit to wanting Salah back, he baulked at the suggestion of making an apology for the mess, whoch has been an embarrassing episode for the club. 

  Slot told reporters: "I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome determines how it will look tomorrow."What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. There's not much more I can say. I speak to him today and the outcome determines how things will look tomorrow. You can try in multiple ways but I just said the next time I speak about him should be with him. I think there's been a lot of conversations since the last week between his reps and ours. An apology? Normally I'd say you've had your three questions. I have no reason for not wanting him to stay."

• Carragher: 'Maximum damage'

  The great and the good have weighed in on the Salah debate in recent weeks, including both Jamie Carragher and Alan Shearer, who have been highly critical of Salah. Carragher initially labelled Salah a "disgrace" and "selfish" for comments made after being left on the bench against Leeds United. Carragher argued that Salah and his agent strategically time public outbursts to "cause maximum damage" and pressure the club, potentially to secure a new contract or even force the manager out. The ex-Liverpool defender later offered a conditional apology, saying he "adores" Salah the player but maintains the forward needs to "behave himself off the pitch". 

  All-time Premier League top goalscorer Alan Shearer echoed Carragher's sentiments, largely agreeing that while he understood Salah's frustration at being benched (having experienced it himself), the player was wrong to air his grievances publicly to the press. Shearer believes the matter has escalated to the point where Salah may have played his last game for Liverpool, and that his explosive remarks have "tarnished" his legacy at the club.

  Shearer said: "He'll go down as a Premier League great whether he has played his last match or not and it'd be such a shame for him to go out like this after what he's done for Liverpool. One thing I will say though is that it won't be forgotten all of this, but I don't think it'll ruin his legacy. He's achieved so much, and Liverpool wouldn't have won what they have without him so I don't think it'll ruin his legacy, but it will be tarnished. I think Slot has handled the situation really well. I thought he spoke well before and after the game on Tuesday. It was a very, very difficult situation for everyone but I thought he spoke with precision, honesty and openness – I thought he got things absolutely right." 

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• AFP
  

  Seagulls test awaits Salah, Slot and co

  Liverpool's erratic form this season sees them languishing tenth in the Premier League table and are desperate for victory over Brighton at Anfield this weekend. As well as their well-documented defensive frailites, the Reds have struggled in front of goal this season, having not scored in the opening 45 minutes in any of their last five Premier League matches, their longest run without a first half goal since between January and March 2021. And while Brighton beat Liverpool 3-2 in their last meeting in May, they have never beaten the Reds in consecutive league matches before. 

Cal Raleigh has become arguably the most valuable player in baseball.

Yes, Aaron Judge still exists. But it's worth considering the positional value the Seattle Mariners catcher brings to the table. The average major league catcher these days is below average at the plate. Meanwhile, Raleigh has been destroying the poor saps he's facing on the mound. He's on pace to make some serious history in the process.

Through 78 games, Raleigh is slashing .277/.382/.658 with an MLB-best 32 home runs and 69 RBIs. Yes, Judge's numbers are better overall and he's likely headed for his third MVP award in the last four years, but Raleigh's relative value is through the roof. He also won a Platinum Glove in 2024 as the American League's best defender at any position. The 28-year-old is a legitimate two-way star.

We decided to go inside the numbers put up by the man they call the Big Dumper during his remarkable first half.

32 — Raleigh's home runs through 78 games.

34 — Raleigh's career high in home runs, set last season.

17 — Number of home runs by the next closest catcher, Los Angeles Angels backstop Logan O'Hoppe. Only six catchers are in double figures, meanwhile, the switch-hitting Raleigh has 21 from the left side of the plate alone.

28 — Home runs hit in the first half of the 1970 season by Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, which was previously a record for catchers.

39 — Barry Bonds's record for home runs before the All-Star break, set during his BALCO-fueled 2001 season.

48 — Record for home runs in a season by a catcher, set by Salvador Perez in 2021.

20 — Percentage of batted balls Raleigh hits on the barrel, which is in the 98th percentile across MLB.

5.4 — Raleigh's fWAR in 153 games during the 2024 season, tied for the best among catchers.

5.4 — Raleigh's fWAR through 78 games in 2025, which ranks second behind Aaron Judge (6.1) among all players.

3.1 — fWAR of Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who ranks second at the position. There are only three qualified catchers with an fWAR higher than 1.8.

If Major League Baseball's postseason began today the New York Yankees would be in the American League field. That's the good news for pinstripe supporters. The bad is that they have to hang on to a one-game advantage for the final Wild Card spot for several weeks and their recent play has left a lot to be desired.

The spotlight is always brighter in New York and this year Aaron Boone is taking even more criticism than usual for failing, to this point, to capitalize on the golden opportunities his roster provides to sail into the playoffs without much stress.

Chris "Mad Dog" Russo joined with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman to talk hardball this week and the conversation drifted over to Boone. Thankfully, the legendary radio host had his list of top-10 MLB managers handy and ticked through them.

"Rank Boone as a manager," Russo said. "He's not better than Cora, he's not better than Bochy, he's not better than Francona, he's not better than Dave Roberts, he's not better than Luvello, he's not better than A.J. Hinch. He's probably not better than Counsell, although postseason's been spotty. How do the Yankees have a manager who's the eighth-best manager?"

"He is barely in the top 10," Russo said of Boone. "These are the New York Yankees."

It's unclear exactly how scientific this list of managers is upon review. Being in the top-10 would still put Boone in the top third of dugout generals in the league, so there is a bright side. And despite what a lot of people would have you believe, the Yankees are not guaranteed to get the absolute best person at every position even if they have a storied history.

Russo conceded that some might have Boone higher in the rankings, yet a lot of Yankees fans would happily put him lower if they had the time and energy to make their own list.

He also added that the Yankees could have pulled the trigger on Francona, who is leading a resurgent Cincinnati Reds team this year, during the offseason.

"Did the Yankees put a call in to see if Francona — ‘Hey, Terry, we had a bad World Series, our manager killed us in Game 1.’ He killed them in Game 1 guys, that was awful. And Francona ends up in Cincinnati. Everybody loves Boone and he’s not a bad manager, but he’s been there a long time with one World Series win and, in my opinion, seven or eight managers are better than he is."

The only thing about that is Francona was hired by the Reds last year on October 7 and the Yankees played baseball up until they lost Game 5 of the World Series the day before Halloween—so it would have been a pretty wild move to replace their manager mid-playoffs.

Projections said the league would have many more matches per season but we’re still at 74 and that doesn’t look likely to change soon

Matt Roller23-Apr-2025Something almost unheard of happened in the world of sports broadcasting recently. The number of IPL games a season, stipulated to increase to 84 in 2025, according to the IPL’s lucrative media-rights contract of 2022, remained at 74 for the fourth successive year.The decision defied a global trend of incessant growth in sports leagues and events: football’s World Cup and Champions League have both swelled in recent years, while the Club World Cup is growing from seven matches to 63. But in the IPL, even an incremental expansion has been treated with caution, to the point of being deferred.This has been true across the league’s 18-year history. The IPL has become a commercial behemoth since its launch in 2008, but its season has only grown from 59 matches between eight teams to 74 between ten. In fact, the current format is two matches than that used in 2012 and 2013, soon after the IPL’s first expansion to include additional franchises.Related

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Jadeja in no-man's land as CSK's plans just won't work

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A significant change has been the dramatic decline in the number of double-headers. The past two seasons have seen only 12 games played in the afternoon slot, less than one in six; back in 2011, that proportion was more than one in three. The result is a longer IPL window, with the season now stretching past nine weeks.Players much prefer evening games, as demonstrated by Ishant Sharma’s obvious discomfort after bowling in the 40-degree Ahmedabad heat on Saturday. But the decline in the number of afternoon games owes primarily to the decline in broadcast ratings for games that start at 3.30pm compared to 7.30pm – around 30-40% percent lower for the earlier-starting matches.