Nottingham Forest took a giant leap towards Premier League safety, following a huge 3-1 victory away at already relegated Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

The Reds fell behind early on after Gonzalo Montiel produced a needless challenge in the penalty area, with former Forest striker Ben Brereton Diaz stepping up to fire home the spot kick.

However, Nuno Espírito Santo's side produced a brilliant comeback, after a double from Callum Hudson-Odoi and a first Premier League goal from Ryan Yates secured a vital three points for the Reds.

The victory moves Nuno's side three points clear of the relegation zone, with just two games remaining this season, whilst having a considerably better goal difference and still having to face Burnley, who currently occupy a place in the drop zone.

However, two players produced a disappointing display in Yorkshire, with Nuno needing to look at alternative options ahead of the last two fixtures of the 2023/24 season.

Chris Wood's stats against Sheffield United

Despite being the club's top goalscorer in the Premier League this season, striker Chris Wood has endured a tough couple of weeks, including a performance against Manchester City that saw him miss multiple clear-cut opportunities.

He suffered a similar fate in the clash against the Blades yesterday, missing two big chances, that could have further added to the Reds' win at Bramall Lane.

Wood also only managed to win six of his 16 duels during the victory, a success rate of just 38% – with the striker failing to make his mark on the win.

He was subsequently replaced just before stoppage time, with fellow striker Taiwo Awoniyi returning from injury after missing the last eight games following a recurrence of his ongoing groin issue.

However, should the Nigerian be fit enough to start, Nuno should look to deploy the former Union Berlin up front for the clash against Chelsea in the hope of the 26-year-old being able to repeat his end-of-season form in 2022/23 that saw him score six goals in the last four matches – including the crucial strike against Arsenal that secured survival.

Despite Wood's poor performance, one Forest player produced a dismal display, potentially playing his last game in the Garibaldi Red, with his deal expiring over the summer.

Gonzalo Montiel's stats against Sheffield United

After joining the club on loan from Sevilla following his World Cup triumph, defender Montiel arrived at the City Ground with hopes of the Argentinian becoming the club's regular right-back.

However, yesterday's display in Yorkshire summed up his time so far at Forest, falling to impress in his first Premier League start since the 30th January.

The 27-year-old started in place of Neco Williams after the Welshman limped off with an injury in the 2-0 defeat against Manchester City last weekend.

Montiel was the player who gifted the hosts the chance to take an early lead after he was adjudged to have impeded Brereton Diaz.

His performance failed to get any better as the afternoon went on, only winning 25% of the four duels that he contested and also losing possession 14 times.

Montiel's stats against Sheffield United
Statistics	Tally
Minutes played	83'
Dribbled past	1x
Duels won	1/4 (25%)
Possession lost	14x
Penalties conceded	1x
Passes completed	31/42 (74%)
Stats via Sofascore

Montiel was subsequently handed a 5/10 rating by Nottinghamshire Live journalist Sarah Clapson, with the Forest correspondent claiming he made a "daft" challenge for the host's opener.

Nuno's side could potentially clinch Premier League survival for the second straight season next weekend at home against Chelsea, but if they are to have any chance of doing so, the boss should look to withdraw the full-back after his horror show yesterday.

Nottingham Forest must rue not hiring "incredible" manager ahead of Nuno

The club made a huge mistake not hiring him…

By
Ethan Lamb

May 1, 2024

انتهت مباراة الريان القطري مع الوصل الإماراتي، بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لمثله، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا.

الريان حل ضيفًا على فريق الوصل، في ملعبه بالإمارات، في إطار مواجهات الجولة السادسة من عمر مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال آسيا للموسم الحالي.

وبهذا التعادل، يواصل الريان القطري نتائجه غير الجيدة في بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا، حيث يظل في المركز السابع في ترتيب مجموعة أندية الغرب برصيد 5 نقاط.

الريان القطري الذي يضم في صفوفه المصري الدولي محمود حسن تريزيجيه خاص 6 جولات، فاز في مباراة واحدة وتعادل في مباراتين وخسر في 3 مواحهات.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، حصد فريق الوصل الإماراتي نقطة هامة في مشواره ببطولة دوري أبطال آسيا، إذ يتواجد في المركز الرابع برصيد 11 نقطة.

طالع | الفرق المتأهلة لدور الـ16 في دوري أبطال آسيا (محدث باستمرار)

المباراة شهدت مشاركة تريزيجيه بشكل كامل في المباراة، وحصل على تقييم في اللقاء 6.5 بحسب شبكة “سوفا سكور”.

وكان فريق الوصل تقدم بالهدف الأول عن طريق لاعبه كايو كانيدو كريا في الدقيقة 77، من تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء بعدما تلقى تمريرة رائعة من زميله جوناتاس سانتوس.

وجاء هدف تعادل الريان القطري، عن طريق سالم جمعة لاعب الوصل بالخطأ في مرماه وذلك في الدقيقة 85. أهداف مباراة الريان والوصل اليوم في دوري أبطال آسيا

Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered yet another Premier League defeat over the weekend as Manchester City secured a 5-1 win which puts them in the driving seat to claim yet another league title.

The result means the Old Gold have won just once in the top flight since the beginning of March, and it appears their hopes of finishing in the top half are diminishing.

Gary O’Neil’s side struggled throughout the clash against City. Although he has enjoyed a solid debut campaign in charge of the Midlands side, it is clear he could do with adding some more quality players to his first team squad.

Opponent

Result

Man City

Lost 5-1

Luton Town

Won 2-1

Bournemouth

Lost 1-0

Arsenal

Lost 2-0

Nottingham Forest

Drew 2-2

West Ham United

Lost 2-1

Burnley

Drew 1-1

Aston Villa

Lost 2-0

Via Sky Sports

Might the former Bournemouth manager need to sell a player or two during the summer window in order to fund new arrivals? Rayan Ait Nouri could be one of their most sellable commodities at the minute.

Rayan Ait Nouri’s game in numbers vs Man City

The Algerian didn’t enjoy the best of displays against the champions, failing to really contribute effectively going forward.

Despite playing the full match, Ait-Nouri managed just 48 touches while completing 26 of his 31 attempted passes, indicating that his distribution was poor.

Not only that, the youngster failed to deliver an accurate cross or long ball during the match, all while creating zero big chances or making a single key pass in what was a performance that lacked any sort of intensity.

Even defensively, Ait-Nouri struggled, losing possession 11 times, being dribbled past three times, and winning just three of his nine contested duels during the clash.

In truth, the majority of the Wolves side underperformed at the Etihad as it appears fatigue is setting in among the squad.

Ait-Nouri’s performance may have been poor, but the defender has been one of the most consistent players in the first-team squad this season, and he has been attracting interest.

Rayan-Ait Nouri's transfer value in 2024

According to Football Transfers, City are currently weighing up a move for the player this summer as Pep Guardiola seeks to bolster his squad.

Arsenal and Liverpool are also monitoring the left-back ahead of the summer transfer window, and it looks as though his performances this season for the Old Gold could make them a small fortune.

O’Neil has reportedly slapped a staggering £60m price tag on his head in order to deter potential suitors, but judging by their need to comply with financial fair play regulations ahead of next season, if they receive an offer anywhere near that amount, the club will clearly be moving him on.

This type of fee could allow O’Neil the opportunity to add a few more players to his squad in key positions, giving him plenty of leeway in the transfer window.

The talented defender first joined the Molineux outfit on a season long loan deal in October 2020 from French side Angers.

Across his first season at the club, he made 21 Premier League appearances, scoring once and grabbing one assist, which convinced the club to secure a permanent deal for him ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

He ended up costing the club around £9.5m, signing a five-year contract and technical director at the time, Scott Sellars, hailed the youngster, saying:

"We think Rayan is a great signing for the football club. He proved last season that he’s a very talented player, with lots of potential.”

This potential has grown into a player who is attracting interest from some of the finest clubs on the continent, with his displays during the 2023/24 campaign justifying his lavish price tag.

Rayan Ait-Nouri’s statistics for Wolves this season

So far this term, Ait-Nouri has played 36 games for the club – the most in a single campaign since he joined – while scoring three goals and grabbing two assists.

The defender currently ranks in the top ten among the Wolves squad for accurate passes per game (27.7) and big chances created (two) while ranking as high as fourth for key passes per match (0.7) and third for successful dribbles per game (1.8), indicating how much of an attacking threat he poses.

Not only does he shine in his current team, but the 22-year-old has impressed in several metrics when compared to his peers.

Indeed, compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Ait-Nouri ranks in the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90 (2.41), along with ranking in the top 11% for pass completion percentage per 90 (84.9%), suggesting that he loves taking on opposition defenders when he bursts forward down the flanks.

Journalist Dougie Critchley even praised O’Neil’s tactical thinking when it came to deploying Ait-Nouri in a more advanced role, saying:

“I’m really enjoying Gary O’Neil’s use of Rayan Ait-Nouri in 2024. Go where you want to go, do what you want to do, use your technical ability and excellent understanding of space to cause damage. Think he’s been one of the Premier League’s best players in 2024.”

One display in particular stands out recently, and it wasn’t even in the Premier League. Against Coventry City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, Ait-Nouri was sensational.

During the game, he ended up getting on the scoresheet, grabbing an assist, making two key passes, and creating a big chance. The defender was a menace down the left side and was arguably Wolves’ finest performer on the day, despite suffering a 3-2 defeat to the Sky Blues.

If he could deliver performances like this more often, then perhaps O’Neil would be able to slap a bigger price tag on his head.

He is still young and developing, however, but performances such as the one against Coventry have clearly garnered plenty of attention from the big clubs and this summer could be the ideal time for the Old Gold to cash in on one of their most prized possessions.

Indeed, their £60m valuation means Ait-Nouri is worth five times more or 531% more than what they paid for him three years ago. Not a bad piece of transfer business at all.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is one game away from achieving his goal of earning promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The German tactician was brought to the club last summer to spearhead the charge back to the top-flight, after the club had been relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

Farke had won two Championship titles with Norwich City and now has his eyes set on a third promotion from the division, by beating Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley.

He was backed by the board last summer, with stars like Glen Kamara, Ethan Ampadu, Joel Piroe, and Joe Rodon signed, but not every signing made was a success.

Right-back Djed Spence was snapped up on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and he ended up being a big flop, as the defender played even fewer minutes than Jaidon Anthony.

How much Leeds spent on Djed Spence

The Athletic, as relayed by SB Nation, reported last summer that the club splashed out a loan fee of £1m to take the former Middlesbrough star for the 2023/24 campaign.

It was also claimed that Leeds would be covering his entire wage packet, which Capology have at roughly £25k-per-week, and this shows that it was far from a cheap deal for the Whites, despite it only being a loan.

Spence ultimately only stayed at Elland Road between the end of August and the start of January, which meant that the Yorkshire-based outfit spent roughly £450k in wages on him in that period, taking the total amount of money spent on the signing to around £1.45m.

It was money wasted down the drain as Leeds were rinsed by the versatile full-back, who was sent back to Tottenham at the start of the January transfer window.

Djed Spence's nightmare with Leeds

The 23-year-old flop endured the worst possible start to his career in Yorkshire as he suffered ligament damage in his knee in September and was immediately ruled out for ten matches, having made his debut against Sheffield Wednesday just before that.

After his return from that injury, Spence only went on to play six more league games for Leeds and only one of those came in his favoured position at right-back.

Appearances

7

Starts

5

Goals

0

Assists

0

Big chances created

0

Duel success rate

57%

He ended his time at Elland Road with just 390 minutes played in the Championship. Even Anthony, who has started two league matches on loan from Bournemouth, has played more minutes – with 519.

According to The Athletic, Spence was late to some team meetings and training sessions during his spell with Leeds and failed to turn up to an 'off-field event', which may have contributed to their decision to send him back to Spurs in January, although the outlet stated that Farke's main concern was his performances on the pitch.

The Leeds academy sensation who could eventually replace Gnonto

Daniel Farke may already have his heir to the Italian whiz in the club’s youth set-up.

ByDan Emery May 13, 2024

Irrespective of the true reason they cut the loan short, the Whites paid around £1.45m in a loan fee and wages for a player who barely played and was then sent back five months earlier than expected. They were, therefore, rinsed by the expensive loan as that money went straight down the drain.

Allrounder claims three wickets in an over to derail Warwickshire, finishing with 11 for 96

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2020Ryan Higgins struck three times in an over on his way to career-best figures of 7 for 42 as Gloucestershire clinched a 78-run Bob Willis Trophy victory over Warwickshire at the Bristol County Ground.The former Middlesex allrounder claimed wickets with the first, third and sixth deliveries of his second over with the new ball to reduce the visitors to 4 for 3 in their second innings, chasing a victory target of 239 from a minimum of 65 overs.Warwickshire never fully recovered and were eventually dismissed for 160, Matt Taylor removing Alex Thomson and Henry Brookes with successive deliveries to finish with 2 for 27. Skipper Will Rhodes top-scored with 48, while Higgins ended with match figures of 11 for 96 as Gloucestershire took 20 points and Warwickshire just four.It was all rather hard on Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who earlier in the day had completed even more impressive match figures of 12 for 110 by claiming all four wickets after Gloucestershire had resumed on 197 for 6 in their second innings.Jack Taylor, unbeaten on 23 overnight, fell lbw for 34 in Hannon-Dalby’s opening spell and the tall seamer later returned to clean up the tail with the second new ball. Tom Smith was leg-before for six after a stand of 36 with George Scott and it was 267 for 9 when Josh Shaw was bowled for 11.Last man Matt Taylor came out to hit successive boundaries off Hannon-Dalby, who then took revenge by having him caught in the slips by Tim Bresnan. Scott ended 44 not out, a crucial contribution to a total of 275 on his debut for the hosts.Lunch was taken before Warwickshire began their second innings. Whatever Higgins tucked into is sure to be on the menu at Gloucestershire’s next home game.His second over proved a triple-wicket maiden as he had Rob Yates caught off a leading edge for two and quickly followed up by dismissing Sam Hain leg-before and Ian Bell caught behind.Warwickshire were in disarray. Rhodes and Matt Lamb staged a partial recovery and had taken the score to 50 in the 19th over when Lamb was bowled for 14 by a full delivery from Josh Shaw.Rhodes was unbeaten on 48 at tea. But Higgins again emerged from an interval inspired and struck with the first ball of the evening session, the Warwickshire captain nicking a low leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick.At 80 for 5, the visitors had the choice of continuing the run-chase or trying to bat out for a draw. The latter became a more obvious course when Michael Burgess departed lbw to Higgins for 15 with the total on 101.Taylor then struck his double blow, helped by a strange choice of shot in the circumstances from Alex Thomson, who pulled a short ball straight to the bowler’s brother Jack Taylor at deep square and fell for three.The next delivery saw Brookes trapped leg-before for his second duck of the game and, with the score 104 for 8, Gloucestershire had 23 overs to claim the last two wickets. Their former player Craig Miles was brilliantly caught low at first slip by Chris Dent for 12 to give Higgins a sixth wicket.Last man Hannon-Dalby and the stubborn Bresnan battled away for almost 12 overs, but it was all over when Hannon-Dalby edged Higgins through to Roderick with a possible 4.5 overs remaining.

AI has been used to develop images of a state-of-the-art new 35,000-capacity Wrexham home stadium.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• AI platform Midjourney created new stadium images
• Worked with ChatGPT to develop design
• Currently no plans for Wrexham to move grounds

• OLBG
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  OLBG utilised the AI platform Midjourney with the assistance of Chat GPT to produce these slick images of an imaginary new Wrexham home stadium. With eco-friendly features and an in-built cinema and casino, the proposed new venue would be a flash modern alternative to the Racecourse Ground.

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• OLBG
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There are currently no plans for the Red Dragons to move out of their historic home, the Racecourse Ground. Earlier this year, the brand new Kop Stand was given the all-clear after lying in disrepair for years. But with the club hopping up the English pyramid with its sights set on the Premier League, there's certainly a chance that Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and the rest of the Wrexham hierarchy will consider building a state-of-the-art new facility in the future.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In July, Wrexham's home ground went down in the history books, receiving a Guinness World Record for the 147 years of international football played there. The Racecourse Ground is the oldest stadium on the planet that is still used for international fixtures.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  The Red Dragons have made a strong start to life in League One after winning promotion from the fourth tier last season. They're currently top of the league after five games; however, this weekend they face their sternest test yet with a trip to much-fancied West Midlands side Birmingham City.

Sporting director Edu and Arsenal have now been offered the chance to sign a £17 million midfielder who's drawn comparison with Gunners legend Santi Cazorla.

Arsenal seeking to sign new midfielder for Arteta this summer

A new midfielder is one of four key signings which Arsenal are looking to make when the transfer window reopens on June 14 (Simon Collings).

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The Gunners are moving quickly pre-summer.

ByEmilio Galantini May 15, 2024

As well as in the middle of the park, it is believed that a new goalkeeper, defender and forward are also on the agenda – but a potential opening in Mikel Arteta's midfield has seen a host of big names linked with a move to the Emirates lately.

Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for Thomas Partey(GiveMeSport), and with the Ghanaian entering the final 12 months of his contract, Premier League stars like Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes are being targeted by Edu.

Arsenal have apparently held discussions with Guimaraes and his entourage already, with the Brazilian's contract set to include a £100 million release clause from the end of May to the last week of June (Fabrizio Romano), though they will have to fend off rival interest from Manchester City.

He is by no means the only midfielder linked with a move to north London, though, as reports have also surrounded Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi. Tuttosport boldly claimed this week that Arsenal have already made a formal bid to sign Zubimendi, with the Spaniard's contract including a far more affordable exit clause of around £52 million.

£50-£60 million Everton ace Amadou Onana is believed to be on Arsenal's transfer shortlist as well, but former defender Mikael Silvestre believes he isn't quite ready to step up to that level.

"He’s (Onana) improved a lot," said Silvestre. "I’m not sure he’s at the level to improve the current squad. If you’re chasing the Premier League title with City and with Liverpool, I don’t think he’s fully ready to improve the midfield. He still has some work to do. Number one would be concentration.

Burnley 0-2 Everton

8.52

Everton 1-0 Sheffield United

7.71

Everton 3-0 Bournemouth

7.69

Brentford 1-3 Everton

7.42

Everton 1-2 Luton Town

7.33

"Sometimes he loses the ball too easily and his decision-making is not 100% there yet. It’s a bit too early for him to be a contender in midfield for Arsenal."

All of the aforementioned players have one thing in common – they're all valued at around £50 million-plus. As Edu looks to strengthen multiple areas of the squad, he'll be looking to save money where possible, and it appears he's been presented with a potential bargain opportunity.

Arsenal offered chance to sign PSG midfielder Carlos Soler

According to HITC, Arsenal have been offered £17 million Paris-Saint Germain midfielder Carlos Soler.

The Spaniard, who's struggled for consistent chances in Luis Enrique's starting elevens this season, is available to sign for Arsenal and other interested sides. He's been likened to former fan favourite Cazorla, which may endear him to the Gunners faithful immediately.

Arsenal also have a historic link to Soler, as it is believed Arteta was keen on signing the 27-year-old all the way back in 2020 (Lyall Thomas, Sky Sports).

Caribbean heads of state lend support in quest for Test series victory

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Jul-2020The question left Jason Holder somewhat disgruntled.The question, asked during the virtual media briefing on Wednesday, was: “The West Indies, you are pretty much on the verge winning a Test series. I mean it is unbelievable to be saying this, but are the guys gee-ed knowing that they are just one Test win away from winning a Test series in England in some 30-odd years?”Holder heard it stone faced. He did well to put on a smile as he started to respond, but made it clear that he was not impressed with the usage of one specific word.”Not sure I like the words in terms of ‘unbelievable’,” Holder said, rubbing the back of his head with his two fingers, trying hard to hide his annoyance. “But, look, this series is still wide open. There’s 10 days of cricket left. It is one day at a time for us. England is a very good cricket team, they have got some world-class players, so we have got our work cut out in order to win another game. Again, I don’t like the word you use in terms of ‘unbelievable’, but if that’s the word you choose to use, fair enough.”ALSO READ: England chase as WI seek historic winWhether he likes it not, though, Holder’s team now stands on the cusp of history after taking the series lead in Southampton, a significant achievement in itself. Not since 1995 have West Indies won a Test series against a major Test-playing country, a feat achieved Courtney Walsh’s team which won 1-0 against New Zealand. But in a series involving three or more Tests, West last emerged victorious under Richie Richardson when they pipped Australia 2-1 to win the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1992-93.West Indies started their training on Monday in Manchester, but not once has Holder uttered the word history in the dressing room or various group chats he has been part of. He wouldn’t say it, but it might be because he does not want to saddle his team with any added pressure.”No, I haven’t mentioned anything about history to the guys. Again, it is hard for us to get caught up in the peripheral stuff. We are here to play cricket. And we are here to win the series,” Holder said. “That’s the only thing I am going to shout to the guys, I’m going to spoon feed: how are we going to win a cricket game, what do we need to do in order to win a cricket game. I know once the guys share as much information together, to get that end result, afterwards we can look back and we can feel pleased with whatever we achieved as a group.”As much as he would want the pulse of the dressing room to be in check, Holder cannot and will not be able to control the excitement, the emotions, the joy that victory in Test cricket can bring in the Caribbean. The joy is double now in time of the pandemic where the fans are deprived of the pleasure of living a normal life.The Southampton win also had heads of some of the Caribbean states stop all other important work to take a moment to “rejoice” and join the happiness that spread fast and thick on the final day of the first Test on Sunday.Among those who celebrated the victory were three premiers: Mia Amor Mottley (Prime Minister of Barbados), Dr Ralph Gonsalves (Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines) and Dr Keith Mitchell (Prime Minister of Grenada).Talking on the Mason and Guests show, hosted on a Barbados-based radio station, on Monday, all three politicians pointed out discipline, maturity, commitment and pride were the characteristics that stood out in the Southampton victory. Listening to them, from Manchester, in awe and surprise was Holder.Mottley felt she could “cross the ocean” and hug Holder because she was “so, so, so proud” of him. Motley had seen Holder and his team beat England at Bridgetown in three days last year when West Indies won the Wisden Trophy.According to Motley, the best part of the Southampton Test came at the end when Holder and John Campbell kept their heads and stayed calm to cross the finish line after Jermaine Blackwood departed five runs short of a deserving century and 11 runs adrift of the target. “You are just carrying us to greater heights,” Motley said. “For me the highlight was just how long you took to make the winnings runs, the last 10-11 runs. That said to me that the maturity is there – to understand that unless you finish the mission you have not achieved what is required of you. You brought that sense of hope in us again that this is a team that is now going to carry us on a pathway to victory because what you showed was the maturity and the discipline to keep the mission in focus.”As for Mitchell, he was not surprised to see the “discipline and approach” of West Indies’ bowling unit. Mitchell said that this West Indies has been “different” because of its commitment to the cause.Gonsalves said he has been “very happy” since the win. “I rejoice in the victory. Cricket is cultural and sporting institution of our Caribbean civilisation. When I saw that Jason and his team took a lead on the question of Black Lives Matter – and this is a great cause, and great causes have never been won by doubtful men and women – I said these young men are on the right track. And when I saw that the English team were persuaded to join Jason and his colleagues, I said, ‘well, yes, this is a historic moment’. And I felt a supreme confidence in the whole confluence of circumstances that we were in for a game of historical proportions. And this what we had.”Gonsalves pointed out that even when West Indies were reeling at 27 for 3 chasing 200 for victory, he remained confident. “I didn’t think at all that this was another West Indian collapse. We had played with such, to use Mia’s words, discipline. We had played with such commitment that I felt it. There was something in me which said the purposefulness with which the players as a team went about their job that I felt absolutely confident that we are going to make the 200 runs.”Motley summed up the emotions stirred by the feats of Holder’s men and that had unified the Caribbean. “You have lifted in our hearts a pride even as we face this pandemic (which) is indescribable. We the Caribbean people want to be wind beneath your wings.”Jason Holder takes a single•AFP via Getty Images

Obviously politicians do like to be on the winning side, but the feelings expressed by the three reflect the fact that Holder and his men are not just playing for the result. No matter the result, if the players put up a fight, show resolve and show daring to do the impossible, then the fans will stand by you.On Wednesday, Holder said he was “blown away” speaking in such company. “To be on the show with the three Prime Ministers it was great,” Holder said. “Great knowing that they are 100% behind us. Great knowing that they pay so much attention it. I was actually blown away and amazed at how much they actually followed it and how closely they followed it. It tells us a lot about our Caribbean people. It is great again, to have their support.”The reception that we got not only particularly from the heads of the government but the people in the Caribbean has been tremendous. This Covid period has really put a dampener on things for the world per se. Things like cricket especially in the Caribbean, unified Caribbean, and it is really good to see how many hearts we have really pleased in the Caribbean so far. But in order to take it a step further now they all want us to win this series. So we have got a lot more to play for.”For Holder and his men nothing is unbelievable.

Wrexham co-owner Robert McElhenney has revealed how he marks each of the The Dragons' 'special games' with a particular memento.

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• McElhenney reveals how he marks games
• Takes patches of grass from 'special games'
• Wrexham on top of the League One table

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  McElhenney and fellow Hollywood icon Ryan Reynolds have been co-owners of Wrexham for almost four years. The duo have managed to guide the Football League's once-fallen behemoth to League Two from the National League, capping a 15-year wait. Last season, the Red Dragons achieved back-to-back promotions, securing their return to League One for the first time in 19 years.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The duo have always been very actively involved in the operations of the club with McElhenney managing to make it to a number of Wrexham matches at SToK Cae Ras. The 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' star has now revealed that he makes a collection of patches of grass from the club's special games, with the most recent addition coming from the Red Dragons' promotion-clinching win over Forest Green Rovers last season.

• WHAT MCELHENNEY SAID

  On the Men in Blazers podcast, McElhenney said: "Every game, I take a little piece of the pitch with me. This marks all of the special games."

  On the Forest Green win: "I actually wasn't there for that game because we weren't sure that that was going to be the clincher. So I had Humphrey [Ker] grab me a bunch of grass and he put it in a plastic bag for me. Every other game I've been to, and it goes all the way back to our first home win. Wrexham five Maidstone nil."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  The Red Dragons have gone unbeaten through the start of their League One campaign having won four and drawn once. They will now take on fellow celebrity-backed side Birmingham City, when they face off against each other on Monday, September 16.

Glasgow Rangers decided to splash the cash in the transfer window to sign more goalscorers last summer to back Michael Beale in the market.

The Light Blues swooped to sign Sam Lammers from Serie A side Atalanta for £3.5m, Danilo from Feyenoord for a reported deal worth up to £6m, and centre-forward Cyriel Dessers from Cremonese for a fee of £5.4m.

Danilo has missed 32 games and counting through injury so far, Lammers has been loaned out to FC Utrecht, and Dessers has had mixed success on the pitch.

The Nigeria international has scored 14 goals in 24 starts in the Scottish Premiership, and has missed a staggering 24 'big chances' in that time, which shows that he has offered some quality in front of goal but has also been very wasteful with the chances that have come his way.

Rangers have had mixed success over the years with their attempts to sign a prolific goalscorer, with Alfredo Morelos one example of terrific recruitment in that position. The Light Blues landed him for just £1m from Helsinki in 2017, and he went on to be a terrific performer for the club.

Whereas, the Scottish giants were once rinsed by a centre-forward who cost even more to sign than the Colombian marksman – James Beattie.

How much Rangers paid for James Beattie

In the summer of 2010, the Gers decided to splash £1.5m on English striker James Beattie from Stoke City as Walter Smith looked to bolster his goalscoring options.

32 at the time, the Daily Mail reported that there were doubts over the signing from some supporters, who were not convinced that he would have the hunger or sharpness to succeed at Ibrox in the final years of his playing career.

That came after the experienced forward had managed two goals in 22 Premier League matches for the Potters during the 2009/10 campaign.

Beattie had scored nine goals and produced three assists in 40 appearances for Stoke in all competitions during his two years with the club before the switch to Rangers.

The talented marksman had enjoyed a superb career in the Premier League prior to his move to the Potters, with five seasons with ten or more top-flight goals for Everton and Southampton combined, including one 23-goal season in the 2002/03 campaign.

In his 30s with Stoke, Beattie could not replicate his fantastic form from his early playing days and Rangers snapped him up for £1.5m, possibly hoping that they could help him to get back to his best.

Jamie Beattie's form for Rangers

The Gers ended up being rinsed by the veteran centre-forward as they splashed £1.5m and paid his wages, which remained undisclosed, and were not rewarded with much in return.

Upon signing for the Scottish giants, Beattie said that fans could hopefully "expect goals" from him as he looked to lead the line and offer a reliable goal presence for Smith's side.

Unfortunately, the English attacker endured a rough first half of the campaign as he missed out on 16 matchday squads in all competitions with fitness issues.

The 32-year-old forward was restricted to making just ten appearances across all competitions for the Light Blues, with seven of those coming in the Premiership.

His only goal contribution was an assist in a 3-0 win over Hibernian in August – his second league game for the club – as he failed to score a single goal.

As you can see in the table below, Beattie played over 500 minutes of action in all competitions during the first half of the season without finding the back of the net.

James Beattie (Rangers)
Competition	Premiership	SFA Cup	Champions League
Appearances	7	1	2
Minutes played	383	67	29
Goals	0	0	0
Assists	1	0	0
Stats via Transfermarkt

He was then sent out on loan to Premier League side Blackpool for the second half of the campaign, where he produced zero goals and three assists in nine top-flight outings.

By September 2011, Rangers and Beattie agreed to mutually terminate his contract with the club as, per their statement, it was 'clear' that he did not have a future under then-manager Ally McCoist at Ibrox.

This meant that the forward lasted just over a year with the Glasgow giants and cost £1.5m per goal involvement, with zero goals and one assist, after being snapped up from Stoke on a permanent deal.

Therefore, the Gers were rinsed by the former Southampton marksman as he did not give them much in return for the £1.5m fee spent on him and was released after just one full season.

It was a particularly poor piece of business by the club when you consider that they paid just £1m to sign Morelos from Helsinki back in 2017.

Alfredo Morelos' goalscoring record at Rangers

The then-21-year-old arrived at Ibrox ahead of the 2017/18 campaign after a terrific return of 46 goals and 13 assists in 62 appearances for Helsinki.

Rangers brought in the promising youngster to lead the line for them after his sensational goalscoring form in Finland, and they were richly rewarded for their £1m investment.

Whilst Morelos eventually departed on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, which meant that the club did not profit from him from a financial point of view, the Gers profited from his talent on the pitch for a number of years.

The Colombia international racked up an eye-catching 124 goals and 58 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants in seven years, which is a fantastic return of one goal or assist every 1.48 matches on average.

His best season for goals and assists came during the 2018/19 campaign as he came close to averaging a goal involvement every game with 42 in 48 matches.

Alfredo Morelos (2018/19 season)
Competition	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Premiership	30	18	8
Europa League	13	4	4
League Cup	2	4	0
SFA Cup	3	4	0
Total	48	30	12
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Morelos was a prolific scorer, with 30 goals in 48 games, and provided his teammates with quality creativity to go along with his strikes.

Overall, the now-Santos forward was a hugely successful signing for the Gers due to his consistent level of production in the final third over the course of more than half a decade at Ibrox.

His fantastic goalscoring record after being signed for just £1m further illustrates how Rangers were rinsed by Beattie, who was signed for £500k more and offered significantly less on the pitch.