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A significant update has now emerged regarding Raphael Wicky becoming Middlesbrough’s next manager, as the Championship side look to find the right replacement for Rob Edwards in the near future.

The exit of Edwards to Wolves has knocked Boro for six at an important point in the season, but it is vital that they don’t allow it to derail their Championship promotion push in the coming weeks and months.

A number of candidates have already been mentioned as potential options as the Englishman’s successor, including former Young Boys manager Wicky.

It has been claimed that Boro are serious about appointing the 48-year-old as their next boss after he impressed during talks, although he is far from the only candidate being mentioned for the job.

Former striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a contender for the Championship side, with the Dutchman reportedly given Gareth Southgate’s endorsement, following their time working together with the England national team. Steven Gerrard, Gary O’Neill and Carlos Corberan are some of the other names to have been thrown around.

Wicky keen on taking Middlesbrough job

Now, according to a fresh claim from The Northern Echo, Wicky is keen on becoming Middlesbrough’s next manager, with the Swiss very much in the mix to come in.

He is said to be one of a host of overseas bosses who are “interested” in taking charge at the Riverside Stadium, following his exit from Young Boys last year, having spent two years at the club.

Wicky stands out as a strong option for Boro, with journalist Graeme Bailey describing him as an “impressive” individual, following a successful managerial career to date.

He won both the Swiss league title and Swiss Cup with Young Boys in the 2022/23 season, outlining his winning mentality, and at 48, he is still a relatively young manager who will bring fresh ideas to the Riverside.

It remains to be seen if the 4-4-2 diamond-playing Wicky will ultimately be Boro’s pick as their new boss, but the fact that the job appeals to him can only be a good thing, and his trophy-winning pedigree isn’t something that should be ignored.

Middlesbrough now considering move for ex-QPR manager recommended by Southgate

He’s been out of a managerial job since 2022.

1 ByTom Cunningham Nov 14, 2025

It is vital that the club don’t rush into the decision, however, instead ensuring that they have the best possible choice of manager to hopefully spearhead their return to the Premier League, rather than making a quick call and bringing in the wrong man.

How Middlesbrough feel about Raphael Wicky as Swiss manager holds Riverside talks

Newcastle United’s topsy-turvy campaign continued away at Brentford on Sunday afternoon.

Fresh off collecting another Champions League victory versus Athletic Club at St James’ Park in mid-week, the hope would have been that Eddie Howe’s Magpies would travel to the Bees and start to turn around their stuttering domestic campaign.

Unfortunately for the travelling masses at the Gtech Community Stadium, Newcastle would, instead, crash to their fifth defeat of the Premier League season already, as an Igor Thiago-inspired comeback clinched a 3-1 win for Keith Andrews’ hosts.

Eddie Howe has nowhere to hide after “another awful away day” as journalist Craig Hope brutally put it, with Dan Burn’s sending off late on starting the demise, which saw Brentford sneak home two quickfire efforts inside the final 12 minutes.

The 6-foot-7 warrior wasn’t on his own, though, in putting in another disastrous defensive display, as one of his partners on the day in Sven Botman, was also exposed as a weak link throughout the 3-1 loss.

Botman's poor performance in numbers

This is the second Sunday in a row where Newcastle have travelled to London and surrendered a one-goal lead, with West Ham United also getting the better of them by the exact same scoreline to start November.

In both defeats, the Dutchman has looked shaky and susceptible, with Botman even managing to score an own goal against the Hammers.

While he was spared his blushes in this regard against the Bees, he was still a liability in the centre-back positions throughout, as Thiago’s late 95th-minute game-clinching strike saw the below-par number 4 fail to keep a close eye on the action.

Away from being run ragged by the 24-year-old hotshot, Botman also trudged off at the end with only two of his six duels being won, alongside failing to win a single tackle to try and stop a Brentford side who only grew in confidence, the more the game went on.

Howe might well be tempted to throw Fabian Schar back into his starting XI if Botman keeps up these shoddy performances, with the 25-year-old only managing to collect a slim two clean sheets in league action this season when featuring for the up-and-down Magpies.

With Burn now suspended for Newcastle’s next league tie after the international break against Manchester City, and Nick Pope taken off towards the latter stages of the 3-1 loss, it could be a new-look defence that takes to the field against the revitalised Citizens, as another underperformer at the back fears Howe’s selection wrath.

Newcastle star was just as bad as Botman

Howe is now being stung for being too loyal towards long-standing St James’ Park servants, with Burn very visibly not at the required level anymore to be a starting left-back.

Kieran Trippier also struggled throughout on the right flank against Andrews’ hosts, with the return of Tino Livramento from injury – who Howe stated could be back for the clash against Pep Guardiola’s men – only troubling the 35-year-old’s starting position going forward even more.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

81

Accurate passes

47/60 (78%)

Accurate long balls

2/5 (40%)

Accurate crosses

0/5

Possession lost

20x

Dribbled past

2x

Total duels won

4/11

Often, the ex-Atletico Madrid defender’s saving grace is his ability to conjure up an opening from nowhere, with an inch-perfect free-kick delivery getting the ball rolling in the Champions League last Wednesday night, as Burn then headed home the right-back’s inviting delivery.

Against Brentford, though, this split-second creativity was nowhere to be found, with Trippier failing to register a single accurate cross, which led to Nick Woltemade cutting an isolated figure up top, once more.

Trippier also gave up possession a high 20 times, while also looking rusty when Brentford attacked with pace and energy – much like Botman – with only four of his 11 duels being successfully won.

Livramento’s return from injury has possibly come at the perfect time, so Howe doesn’t have to persist with selecting his declining captain, with Burn also fearful he will be removed from the team for good, for Lewis Hall to take over left-back duties.

Howe stated at the full-time whistle that there are “no excuses” after the Toon succumbed to their fifth Premier League defeat of the season to date, with Newcastle needing to return after the international break refreshed and ready to break out of their inconsistent form, with both Trippier and Botman dropping down to the substitutes bench.

Newcastle star dubbed "utterly embarrassing" was just as bad as Burn vs Brentford

An afternoon to forget for the Magpies.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 9, 2025

The rich get richer. 

With the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline on Tuesday, July 30, World Series favorites Los Angeles Dodgers fortified its roster by way of adding prized right hander Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers. The Dodgers, littered with talented pitchers, have been dealing with injuries throughout its starting rotation and want to leave as little holes in the roster as possible in hopes of winning the World Series this fall. 

The Dodgers odds continued to shorten on the news that the team landed Flaherty, who was sought after by several contenders ahead of the deadline. Meanwhile, teams like the Philadelphia Phillies had a quieter deadline, seemingly satisfied with the current roster. 

The Yankees were quiet at the actual deadline, but did land Jazz Chisholm over the weekend, who is off to a scorching start in pinstripes, belting four home runs in three games with his new team. 

New York’s AL East rival, Baltimore Orioles, bolstered its starting rotation with Zach Eflin from the Rays and are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with slugger Eloy Jimenez from the White Sox. 

Teams further down the odds board were busy, most notably the Astros, who landed Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays, and the Mets, who landed a hoster of different depth pieces to both their rotation and lineup. 

Here is where the current World Series odds stand at FanDuel Sportsbook following the end of trade season. 

2024 World Series Odds

• Los Angeles Dodgers: +300
• Philadelphia Phillies: +500
• New York Yankees: +550
• Baltimore Orioles: +600
• Atlanta Braves: +1200
• Houston Astros: +1300
• Cleveland Guardians: +1800
• Minnesota Twins; +1800
• Milwaukee Brewers:+2400
• Seattle Mariners: +2900
• San Diego Padres: +3000
• Arizona Diamondbacks: +4500
• Kansas City Royals: +5500
• Boston Red Sox: +5500
• New York Mets: +6000
• Texas Rangers: +6000
• St. Louis Cardinals: +800

Curtis Jones says Liverpool have to keep calm and carry on as Arne Slot’s side look to recover from back-to-back defeats in Saturday’s “huge game” at Chelsea.

The Premier League champions had made a storming start to the season, having won seven straight matches following their penalty shoot-out loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.

But things have gone awry in recent days for the Reds, whose 100 per cent start to their title defence ended with Saturday’s last-gasp 2-1 loss away to Oliver Glasner’s Eagles.

That Selhurst Park setback was compounded on an ear-splitting evening in Istanbul as Liverpool’s first Champions League trip of the season ended in a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray.

Skipper Virgil van Dijk said “there shouldn’t be panic” after their second straight loss but stressed the need for improvement – sentiments echoed by midfielder Jones.

“It’s just part of the game,” the homegrown star said. “I say it all the time, you must be mad if you think you can win every game.

“You’d obviously like to, but the reality is these teams you play are world-class teams and it’s normal if you lose. It’s just how you bounce back.

“We’ve got a huge game again in three days, the lads have to stay calm.

“It’s part of it, it’s not fine that we lose but we just have to stay calm and it will all change. It will all change, of course it will.”

Victor Osimhen’s first-half spot-kick proved the difference against the sloppy Reds, who looked overawed at times on a hostile evening at rocking Rams Park.

The VAR’s intervention ended up with a late penalty won by Ibrahima Konate being overturned but even if Liverpool had converted it would not have papered over a poor performance.

Jones taking "positives" ahead of Chelsea clash

“If you look left and right, there’s world-class lads all around,” Jones told LFCTV. “But it’s not all about that, it’s about lads who want to go and win.

“It’s OK if you’re nice on the ball and stuff like that but you have to go and win, work hard and run more and that is what the lads know, of course they do.

“But as I have said already, there are games like this, and it won’t be the last as well.

“We would be mad to think we can turn up and just win these games. It’s about how much we want to win.

“Of course we’re upset, but there are positives to take and there is a game again in three days and we have to go again.”

Carragher reveals £200k-a-week Liverpool star must be dropped "right now"

He had another evening to forget.

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 1, 2025

Slot’s side stayed in Istanbul following Tuesday’s game, with Liverpool’s starters doing recovery work and the rest of the group training before flying back to Merseyside on Wednesday afternoon.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker is being assessed after being forced off with an injury that Slot says will rule the Brazil international out of Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge.

Lively forward Hugo Ekitike is also being assessed after limping off later in the second half.

Thirteen wickets fall on opening day as Essex slump redresses balance

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 09-May-2025

James Wharton stood resolute at one end while wickets fell all around him as Yorkshire pressed the self-destruct button after a promising start, before battling back with the ball, on a difficult Chelmsford wicket.The 24-year-old right-hander came in when the first wicket fell at 71 and was still there 55 overs later on 63 not out from 145 balls when Matt Critchley wrapped up Yorkshire’s innings on 216 with his fourth wicket.The heart had been ripped out of Yorkshire’s innings when four wickets fell in six overs, three of them in nine balls, as a promising 108 for 1 became 128 for 5 and continued in the same vein at the same time as Wharton painstakingly racked up his second Rothesay County Championship half-century of the season. Only opener Adam Lyth, with 58 from 148 balls, showed any similar resolve.Watched by a bumper first-day crowd of 2,612, bolstered by a number of school parties, Essex lost both openers and the nightwatchman in the 16 overs remaining in the evening session while reducing the arrears by 27 runs.Charlie Allison nicked Ben Coad behind, Dean Elgar fished at one from George Hill to be caught at second slip and nightwatcher Jamie Porter was beaten for pace by the same bowler.Yorkshire had taken one look at the wicket, which had plenty of grass left on it, and decided to bat. It played dead for a session and a half and then suddenly became more responsive for bowlers who had toiled previously.Yorkshire also had gone into the game without either of their overseas players, the seamers Ben Sears and Jordan Buckingham, plumping instead for an extra batter in Jonny Tattersall for his first outing of the season. It was a plan that backfired spectacularly.However, before the mid- and late-afternoon clatter of wickets, the openers had moved along serenely for the initial 23 overs during which Lyth, on 36, had been dropped at wide mid-off by a running Tom Westley. Both Lyth and Finlay Bean had already come down the wicket and lofted Simon Harmer in similar directions for boundaries. The seamers had generally been despatched through the covers.The chance did not prove costly and, three overs later, Bean looked to drive Shane Snater but played down the wrong line and was lbw.From scoring without trouble, Yorkshire went into their shell and Lyth and Wharton added just nine runs in the eight overs that preceded lunch. Lyth had been particularly watchful,but stirred after lunch and reached his half-century from 120 balls when he lent back and cut Harmer for his ninth four.Lyth added one more boundary, a leg glance off Kasun Rajitha, before the Sri Lankan pace man trapped him lbw, playing an indeterminate prod.Bringing in Tattersall did not pay the dividend required as he departed for four to the second ball of a Critchley spell, wafting one that turned into leg slip’s hands.Jonny Bairstow and Hill departed to successive balls from Porter, the captain lbw on the back foot, and Hill getting an inside edge that carried to the wicketkeeper.Wharton and Matty Revis knuckled down to steady things for a while before two self-inflicted wounds heralded another slew of wickets. Revis carelessly top-edged Critchley to point where Harmer was steady under the steepling ball. And Dom Bess followed almost immediately, leaving alone a straight delivery from Rajitha and being surprised when it rapped him squarely on the pads.Wharton took more than three hours over his fifty, late-cutting Rajitha for four to reach the milestone from 138 balls. But he lost three more partners in quick succession when Coad pulled Critchley to short midwicket and Dan Moriarty’s cameo embracing six fours in 24 ended when he was lbw playing around one from Noah Thain. Critchley finished with figures of 4 for 49 when he had Jack White caught at chest height by slip.

It was always going to be interesting to see which way Frank Lampard would turn when his ill-advised, ill-fated second spell in interim charge of Chelsea came to a sorry end in May 2023. With his managerial reputation in tatters following his January sacking by Everton, would he throw himself at the next Premier League vacancy that cropped up, or would he take stock and aim to come back stronger? Two years on, he will be overjoyed that he pipped for the latter.

Having taken a much-needed 18-month break from coaching, Lampard wisely took the step back down to the Championship – where he had enjoyed a successful spell in charge of Derby County – in November 2024, returning to the dugout at Coventry City.

He was by no means a popular appointment at the CBS Arena, with the ownership accused of going for the flashy, big-name option when the club found itself in the kind of sticky situation that required experience and know-how. But in the 11 months since, Lampard has gone about demonstrating his pedigree at that level and restored his long-lost status as arguably one of the most exciting younger English coaches around.

With the October international break now upon us, Coventry sit at the summit of the Championship table; they have got there by playing an irresistible brand of attacking football that has blown their rivals out of the water in the opening weeks of the season, and suddenly they look like serious contenders for promotion after suffering play-off heartbreak last term.

After swallowing his pride, Lampard's redemption arc could well lead him back into the promised land of the Premier League with his reputation rebuilt, and in charge of one of the most exciting teams in the country…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Upward trajectory

  The first thing that's worth mentioning is that this is no fluke; Coventry were marooned in 17th in the Championship and just two points above the relegation zone when Lampard was appointed in November 2024, facing the unenviable task of replacing hugely popular long-serving boss Mark Robins, who had been unceremoniously sacked.

  After a challenging start, they started putting some record-breaking results together in early 2025 and surged up the table and into the play-off places, managing to stay there despite a late wobble that almost proved costly.

  However, the four-way lottery to reached the promised land of the Premier League ultimately ended in heartbreak as Sunderland prevailed in their semi-final, courtesy of Daniel Ballard's agonising 122nd-minute equalising goal in the second leg that secured an aggregate victory for the Black Cats.

  But it's clear that Coventry haven't dwelt on that huge disappointment in the months since, instead continuing that momentum by making a flying start to 2025-26 to put themselves in pole position for automatic promotion in the early stages of the marathon race that is the Championship season.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goals, goals, goals

  Given Lampard is the highest-scoring midfielder in the history of the Premier League with a ridiculous 177 top-flight strikes to his name, it will come as very little surprise that an intensive attacking philosophy has been the backbone of his success so far this season.

  A purposeful, possession-based approach has seen Coventry create more chances, have more shots and land more efforts on target than anyone else in the hyper-competitive 24-team second tier, and perhaps unsurprisingly that has resulted in them scoring a heap of goals – 27, to be precise, which is at least 12 more than anyone else in the division. That has seen them build up a ridiculous +20 goal difference after just nine games, thanks in no small part to a 7-1 dismantling of QPR and consecutive big wins over Birmingham, Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday.

  It helps that the Sky Blues have three of the Championship's current five top goal-scorers in their ranks: the USMNT's Haji Wright, who leads the way overall with eight goals in nine games, and Brandon Thomas-Asante and Viktor Torp, who have both bagged five times so far. Meanwhile, right-back Milan van Ewijk has the joint-most assists in the league with five.

  Lampard's 4-2-3-1 shape seems to complement the personnel perfectly, with Asante-Thomas slotting in behind Wright and Torp contributing from a deeper, box-to-box role. All three are examples of how the manager has improved players, too, with Wright's finishing and work-rate coming on leaps and bounds, Asante-Thomas successfully stepping in to cover for the injured Ephron Mason-Clark and Torp being far more effective going forward than last season.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Striking a balance

  While Lampard has never really struggled to implement an attacking philosophy, defensive issues have arguably been his downfall in his previous roles at Chelsea and Everton. However, at Coventry he seems to have struck the right balance.

  The Sky Blues have won their last three matches by an aggregate score of 12-0, with centre-back Bobby Thomas particularly impressive both on the ground and in the air alongside Liam Kitching, and goalkeeper Carl Rushworth – on loan from Brighton – catching the eye behind him (he has the most clean sheets in the Championship with nine).

  Their staunchness is reflected in the fact that three of the seven goals the Midlands club have conceded came in the same game – the helter-skelter 5-3 victory over Lampard's former club Derby back in mid-August.

  Defensive solidity is something the legendary midfielder has worked hard on. "When you get in, you try and analyse the problems quickly and we were conceding too many goals," the coach told last season.

  "We weren't compact enough, we weren't aggressive enough, so we tried to really prioritise our off-the-ball work. The players have done it because they've bought into everything we've tried to say. I have to say, this group of players, the humility, the application of them is absolutely amazing."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Perfect mix of detail and freedom'

  So, what is the secret formula? Coventry certainly didn't spend big in the transfer market to transform the squad, with many supporters concerned by the lack of incomings during the summer. Rushworth arrived from Brighton and defenders Luke Woolfenden and Kaine Kesler-Hayden were signed from Ipswich and Aston Villa respectively, but neither has seen significant minutes.

  Instead, Lampard seems to have instilled a real belief in the existing, fairly thin squad and pushed them to be better, while keeping hold of the likes of attacking midfielder Jack Rudoni and Van Ewijk – both linked with exits – has been vital. "It's incredible, you can see the amount of confidence our front lads are playing with at the minute," midfielder Matt Grimes, himself a key January signing, told recently.

  "We've been really good in both boxes – not just the amount of goals we've scored but also that's four clean sheets in a row now, so all good signs. We're playing with the perfect mix of detail and freedom and that's what you're seeing. The attacking players are an absolute force at the minute."

  Grimes was made captain in September, with the Sky Blues collecting 13 points from a possible 15 in the weeks since. "It's been a good start for all of us," he continued. "I know there was a lot of noise in the summer about us not starting too well [in past seasons], and we've done that this year so we can just get our heads down, keep working and crack on."

2025 US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz has weighed in on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate, revealing which football ‘GOAT’ he is inspired by.

Alcaraz wins sixth major title in New York

Alcaraz picked up the sixth major title of his career with a victory in the US Open final against long-time rival Jannik Sinner on Sunday, winning the competition for the second time.

The Spaniard defeated Sinner 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 in the presence of Donald Trump, with the US president’s attendance causing the final to be delayed, before eventually starting in front of thousands of empty seats due to ramped-up security measures outside.

The 22-year-old may have a rivalry with the Italian on the court, but he took the time to praise the runner-up after clinching the victory in New York City.

Away from tennis, the World No.1 is well-known to be an avid supporter of Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants taking the time to congratulate the star on his recent success in the USA.

As such, it is no surprise Alcaraz’s list of the top five footballers of all-time may be considered a little Real Madrid-centric, with Ronaldo making the list, alongside Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Ronaldinho and Neymar, with Messi being omitted entirely.

The tennis star also said: “I love Cristiano Ronaldo. The confidence he has is unbelievable. He always believes in himself. When I hear he is the first player to go to training and the last one to go home, that shows the hard worker he is and that inspires me a lot.”

Ronaldo has one last chance to reignite GOAT debate

In many people’s minds, the GOAT debate was already settled prior to the 2022 World Cup, given that the Inter Miami star eclipses the Portugal legend in terms of Ballon d’Ors, but Argentina’s triumph out in Qatar arguably ended the conversation.

Ballon d'Or 2025 Final Rankings

Where did the 30 nominees finish?

ByCharlie Smith Sep 23, 2025

With the Al-Nassr star now 40-years-old, the 2026 World Cup will almost certainly be his last, meaning he has one final opportunity to lead Portugal to glory, which would perhaps mean there is a debate there to be had once again.

Albeit in Saudi Arabia, the record-breaking 222-time Portugal international is showing few signs of slowing down, despite his age, maintaining a fantastic goal-scoring record throughout the three previous seasons he has spent with Al-Nassr in the Gulf state.

Ronaldo in Saudi

League appearances

Goals

2022-23

16

14

2023-24

31

35

2024-25

30

25

However, given that Messi led Argentina to 2022 World Cup glory, and has three more Ballon d’Ors to his name, it has become much more difficult to make a case for Ronaldo, and Alcaraz’s preference is likely due to the fact he is a Real Madrid supporter.