The word was infamously uttered by England captain Tony Greig in 1976, and it’s made a reappearance nearly 50 years later

Martin Williamson25-Nov-2025Barely a sporting contest passes without someone making a cocky boast in the build-up. People are used to it – almost expect it – but in 1976 England captain Tony Greig overstepped the line on the eve of England’s series against West Indies. He made a comment that galivanised not only the opposition but also the tens of thousands of their supporters who flocked to grounds to see his words rammed back down his throat.West Indies arrived in May 1976 after a humiliating 5-1 drubbing in Australia the previous winter. They had beaten India in between, but that had been a struggle, and Clive Lloyd, their captain, hatched a plan based on all-out pace. He possessed a crop of outstanding – and fast – bowlers, and in the early tour matches they destroyed everything put in front of themAs the first Test loomed, Greig was interviewed for the BBC’s Sportsnight programme. Irked by a stream of newspaper articles highlighting the strength of West Indies, Greig let rip. “I’m not really sure they’re as good as everyone thinks,” he said. “These guys, if they get on top they are magnificent cricketers. But if they’re down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey [Brian Close] and a few others, to make them grovel.”The remark was highly inflammatory for a number of reasons, the main one being that Greig’s words, coming from a white South African, were seized on for racist overtones. “The word ‘grovel’ is one guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of any black man,” Lloyd said. “The fact they were used by a white South African made it even worse. We were angry and West Indians everywhere were angry. We resolved to show him and everyone else that the days for grovelling were over.”Most of the West Indies team felt Greig’s words were deliberate and not an off-the-cuff quip. “Everyone was stunned,” recalled Viv Richards, on his first tour of England. “This was the greatest motivating speech the England captain could have given to any West Indian team.”Behind the scenes, the England players were equally livid. Pat Pocock, the Surrey spinner who played twice in the series, said his immediate reaction was: “You prat …what have you done? You don’t do that sort of thing, winding them up for no reason.” Mike Brearley, who made his debut in the first Test, said that the words “carried an especially tasteless and derogatory overtone”.While the British media initially treated the comments as pre-series bravado, it was soon clear that they had not gone down at all well with the Caribbean population. Greig apologised, even appearing on a black London radio station to try to diffuse the situation. “I’m a press-man’s dream,” he admitted, “if you talk to me long enough I will say something controversial. I am bound to offend someone and get myself into deep water. ‘Grovel’ was simply an instance of that.”Close – aged 45 but recalled for the series – said that what irked some of the England side was not the remark, but that having made it Greig didn’t back his words with actions. “Everyone knew what he meant,” Close reflected. “If you get on top of West Indies the odds are that you stay on top. But the astonishing thing was that Tony, having made his point, made no attempt to drive it home once he got on the field.”After draws at Trent Bridge and Lord’s, West Indies took control of the series as England wilted in the heat – 1976 was one of the hottest and driest summers of the century – and were blown away by West Indies’ battery of fast bowlers. At Old Trafford and Headingley, England lost heavily, and Greig was subjected to increasing barracking, mostly good-humoured, from the large Caribbean contingents in the crowds.At that time The Oval, the scene of the final Test, was more Kensington than Kennington for West Indies matches, with the large Caribbean population of south London making the game a virtual home-from-home for the tourists. To the accompaniment of bugles, horns, cans and calypso singing, the crowd partied as West Indies flayed England for two days.By the time Greig came out to bat on Saturday evening England had mounted a recovery, but after cracking two stinging cover-drives off Michael Holding, he was bowled off his pads. As he left the field several hundred spectators, mainly young and West Indian, ran onto to the pitch and headed for the departing Greig, jostling and mocking him, and play was suspended in what Wisden described as a “disgraceful scene”.On the Monday, West Indies, who led on the first innings by 252 runs, did not enforce the follow-on, preferring to let Roy Fredericks and Gordon Greenidge cut loose in an unbeaten first-wicket stand of 182 in 32 overs. As the noise from the spectators increased in the afternoon heat, Greig slowly walked towards the open stands on the Harleyford Road side of the ground and sunk to his knees, grovelling to the crowd. They roared their delight. Greig, always the showman, had made his peace. “I realise that I made a mistake in using that word at the start of the series and they haven’t let me forget it,” he told the press that night.But it was too late for England, who were blown away by Holding the following morning, his 6 for 57 in the second innings giving him 14 wickets in the match.Within nine months Greig had thrown in his lot with Kerry Packer and had been stripped of the England captaincy – his international career ended at the end of the following summer. He went on to become a leading commentator, although he continued to court controversy. In 1990-91, while covering the England tour of the Caribbean, he was criticised for blurting out “Goodnight Charlie” when West Indian batsmen were dismissed.”Anyone who wants to suggest it was my South African background that was behind my comment and put any racist tone to this thing just doesn’t know me,” Greig said three decades later. “None of the West Indies players ever confronted me about my comments at the start of the series – they were just faster and nastier whenever I came to the crease.”Bibliography
David Tossell (Know The Score, 2007)
I Don’t Bruise Easily Brian Close (MacDonald & Jane’s, 1978)
My Story Tony Greig and Alan Lee (Stanley Paul, 1980)

Nuno Espírito Santo’s Herculean task of keeping West Ham United in the Premier League this season could be about to get much harder.

On top of having to arrest the East Londoners’ terrible form, the Portuguese manager could be without the brilliant Lucas Paqueta once the winter window opens.

At least, that is according to recent reports claiming that the Brazilian wants to leave the London Stadium before the campaign is over.

However, it might not be all doom and gloom, as the academy could provide West Ham with the perfect replacement.

West Ham's Paqueta solutions

If Paqueta really is set to leave in January, then Nuno has to start looking at possible solutions as soon as possible, and the good news is that he might already have a few in his squad.

For example, while it would be a bold move, the manager could start giving the young Luis Guilherme more opportunities to play and start in attacking midfield over the next month.

After all, while he is looked at as more of a winger at the moment, he is no stranger to playing in the ten, having done so in Brazil and even for the Hammers before.

Moreover, even though he is nowhere near the finished product just yet, respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described the 19-year-old prospect as a player who “thrives on transitions” and can “turn past players with ease” thanks to his “elite ball manipulation.”

On top of that, while he’s not the most shot-happy player, when he does let one off in a dangerous area, it’s often of “high calibre.”

Like Guilherme, Nuno could also move summer signing Mateus Fernandes back into an attacking midfield role, which is an area of the pitch he spent plenty of time in during his time with Southampton.

With all that said, there is another young player, someone who might be the most exciting of all, who could be West Ham’s perfect Paqueta replacement.

West Ham's perfect Paqueta replacement

There are certainly other options when it comes to replacing Paqueta for West Ham, but perhaps the most exciting one would be to play George Earthy.

Chalkboard

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

Yes, it would undoubtedly be something of a gamble to hand the 21-year-old prospect far more game time than he’s ever had before, but he’s one of, if not the most exciting, players in the club’s academy.

Moreover, before his recent injury, his record in the youth sides was nothing short of incredible.

For example, in 60 appearances for the U18s, totalling 4804 minutes, he scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 111.72 minutes.

Then, upon moving up to the U21s, he has scored 17 goals and provided 13 assists in 51 appearances, totalling 3444 minutes.

Earthy’s Junior Record
Team	U18s	U21s
Appearances	60	51
Minutes	4804′	3444′
Goals	25	17
Assists	18	13
Goal Involvements per Match	0.71	0.58
Minutes per Goal Involvement	111.72′	114.8′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

In other words, he’s averaging a goal involvement every 1.7 games, or every 114.8 minutes, which is more impressive when taking into consideration the fact that he mainly plays in attacking midfield.

However, it’s not just the output that makes the young prospect so “priceless,” in the words of coach Steve Potts, but his overall game.

For example, according to Mattinson, he’s become a “creative left-footed #10 with good ball manipulation and retention” who “does well in tight spaces.”

On top of his efforts in the academy and the technical foundation, which should serve him well in the Premier League, the youngster also has a decent amount of senior experience.

For example, he spent last season on loan with Bristol City and ended up making 40 appearances across all competitions.

Ultimately, even though it would be something of a gamble, West Ham should look to play Earthy in place of Paqueta if he ends up leaving, as he could be a future superstar.

West Ham brewing Noble 2.0 who knows "what it means to wear the shirt"

The academy product might be able to add some much-needed fight and heart back into Nuno’s West Ham side.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 28, 2025

Ngidi took 5 for 42 as Australia were bowled out for 193, with Inglis making 87 after South Africa were set up by half-centuries from Breetzke and Stubbs

Firdose Moonda22-Aug-2025

Lungi Ngidi added to his excellent record against Australia with 5 for 42•Getty Images

South Africa completed a fifth successive bilateral ODI series win over Australia, dating back to 2016, and this one, with a game to spare. Their 84-run victory in the second match followed a similar pattern to their triumph on Tuesday which was set up by a strong batting effort that was well defended under lights.Half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs, who also shared in an 89-run fourth wicket stand, took South Africa to a competitive total on 277, with Breetzke becoming the first player in men’s ODI history to pass 50 in his first four ODI matches. Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi then led the way in defence. Ngidi was player of the match with 5 for 42, his second five-for in ODIs and second against Australia.Australia have now lost their last three bilateral ODI series and will be concerned about a lack of contributions from their line-up. As was the case in match one, there was only one individual score of note, this time Josh Inglis’ 87.Related

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South Africa’s performance, while trophy-winning, was far from flawless. After a good start, they faded away with the bat and lost 5 for 44 in the last 10 overs and dropped three catches, to add to a growing tour tally. Stubbs, who scored his first fifty 16 international innings across all formats, put down two and has grassed six across the five matches in Australia so far.Still, South Africa will be pleased with their performance in the field which came with regular captain Temba Bavuma being rested for workload management and senior seamer Kagiso Rabada out of the series with an ankle injury. In Rabada’s absence, Burger and particularly Ngidi stepped up.Burger bowled with good pace to start proceedings and had early success. In the third over the chase, Travis Head tried to loft him over mid-on and was caught by a backpedalling Aiden Markram. Seven balls later, Ngidi offered Marnus Labuschagne some width, Labuschagne drove hard and edged to Ryan Rickelton. Australia were 7 for 2 in the fourth over, and things could have got a lot worse.Lungi Ngidi had Marnus Labuschagne caught behind•Getty ImagesCameron Green edged Ngidi’s next ball to Stubbs at second slip but he could not keep his hands on the ball. Three overs after that, Mitchell Marsh, on 13, drove Burger to Stubbs in the covers and he dropped another. Luckily for Stubbs only the first would prove somewhat costly. Marsh added five more runs before he pulled Wiaan Mulder to Corbin Bosch at mid-on and left Australia 39 for 3 after the first 10 overs.Markram brought himself on in the 18th over and Inglis took a liking to him. He reverse-swept the second ball over backward point, and then played one of the shots of the match when he danced down the track to lift Markram over cover for six. Markram took himself off and brought Mulder back and the move should have paid off when Inglis, on 42, chipped Mulder to cover where Tony de Zorzi spilled the chance.There was some relief for South Africa when Green was caught by Senuran Muthusamy in his follow-through to end Australia’s best partnership on 67 but Inglis continued to pose a threat. He top-edged Mulder short of deep third and then pulled and cut him for back-to-back fours and his fifty came off 46 balls. What Inglis lacked was someone to stay with him.Alex Carey flayed Burger to backward point where Dewald Brevis took a good catch. Inglis responded by taking 19 runs off Keshav Maharaj’s next two overs to enter the 18s. But it was all Ngidi from there.He deceived Aaron Hardie into popping a slower ball back to him and then took a low return catch. He also accounted for Inglis, who made room for himself on the drive but bottom-edged to Rickelton, and then had Xavier Bartlett caught at mid-on. Ngidi’s fifth came in the 38th over when Adam Zampa skied him to mid-on and Australia were bowled out with more than 12 overs remaining in their innings.Matthew Breetzke pulls behind square•AFP/Getty ImagesThat made South Africa’s batting effort, which Breetzke initially thought was 20 runs short, appear far above-par against a well-resourced Australian attack. Australia made use of seven bowlers, including three spinners. Between them, Zampa, Head and Labuschagne bowled 17 overs for 94 runs and took five wickets. Nathan Ellis was the standout seamer, with 2 for 46, and Xavier Bartlett did a good job upfront in the absence of Ben Dwarshuis, who was rested.Playing in his third ODI, Bartlett opened the bowling and enjoyed early success. Markram chipped him to midwicket for a fourth-ball duck before Rickelton was caught behind in his third over.Breetzke announced himself when he took on Hardie, with a four down the ground and two sixes flicked over fine leg in a signature show of his strength on the leg side. At the other end, de Zorzi also showed off his stroke-play with clean straight hits and a couple of cracking square drives.Breetzke and de Zorzi demonstrated some excellent, proactive run-scoring but also rode their luck. Breetzke charged Bartlett and top-edged a bouncer over Inglis while de Zorzi pulled a half-volley just short of midwicket. Their partnership had grown to 67 when de Zorzi gifted Zampa a simple return catch off a leading edge.Breetzke and Stubbs went five overs without scoring a boundary, during which time Breetzke brought up a 46-ball fifty, and it allowed Stubbs to settle. His confidence grew when flicked a Zampa googly over midwicket for six as South Africa targeted spin. Breetzke swept and pulled Zampa for successive fours and Stubbs reverse-swept Head.Xavier Bartlett made early inroads on his return to the side•Getty ImagesMarsh brought Ellis back at the halfway stage and it worked. Breetzke, who had pulled well throughout the innings, could not control one off Ellis that found Carey at deep square leg. Breetzke remains ODI cricket’s best performing batting newcomer scoring more runs than any other player in history across four matches from debut.Stubbs brought up his fifty with a single off Labuschagne and found a good finishing partner in Mulder, albeit he could have been out for 3. Mulder pulled Labuschagne to Marsh at midwicket but the captain put it down. In the next over, Labuschagne dropped Mulder on 5.Stubbs and Mulder put on 48 together and took South Africa to 233 for 5 with 10 overs to go but neither finished the job. Mulder was the first to go when he slog swept Labuschagne to Green at long-on. Muthusamy sent a full toss to Hardie at deep midwicket. Stubbs skied Zampa to midwicket and Burger holed out to long-off where Green completed his fourth catch of the innings, equalling the most outfield catches for Australia in ODIs.But that won’t be the statistic that grabs the headlines. For the first time since 2009, Australia had lost four consecutive ODIs at home, having been bowled out in four consecutive home ODIs for just the second time in history and for the first time without passing 200 in any of them. They have also lost seven of their last eight ODIs in total.

It would be fair to say that this season is going about as well as any Arsenal fan could’ve hoped for back in the summer.

Mikel Arteta’s side are three for three in the Champions League without conceding a goal and currently sit atop the Premier League, seven points ahead of defending champions Liverpool.

However, the North Londoners have to shift their focus from the major competitions ahead of their League Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.

The Gunners must do better in the domestic cups this season, but even so, Arteta should look to replace Declan Rice in the lineup with another international star.

Changes Arteta should make to the team

While this isn’t a game Arteta should take lightly, it is nowhere near as important as the league, and therefore, with the squad he has at his disposal, he should be looking to make some changes.

Chalkboard

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

Starting in goal, Kepa Arrizabalaga should be given another start, and to ensure William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães are given a rest, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie should start together for the first time.

Likewise, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are in need of a rest, and in their place, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White should come back into the side.

At the base of midfield, Martin Zubimendi should be replaced by fellow summer signing Christian Nørgaard, and while there is an argument to also rest Eberechi Eze, it might be good for him to stay in the team following his goal on the weekend.

Moreover, by keeping the former Crystal Palace star in the lineup, Arteta can start Ethan Nwaneri on the right in place of Bukayo Saka, who was reportedly unwell against the Eagles, and therefore shouldn’t be anywhere near the team on Wednesday.

Finally, injuries once again leave the manager with few options when it comes to changing the striker and left-wing setup.

For example, while it would be great to hand Viktor Gyokeres a rest, the fact that Gabriel Martinelli is now out means he’s unlikely to get one.

This is because Leandro Trossard will now have to stay out wide instead of starting down the middle.

With all that said, there is one more regular starter who should be replaced: Rice.

The Arsenal star who should replace Rice

Like many of the other stars in the team, Arteta simply must drop Rice to the bench for the game against Brighton on Wednesday for a couple of reasons.

First of all, he just needs a rest as he’s already played 937 minutes of football for Arsenal this season, and he came off with a slight knock on the weekend.

Second, his importance to the side is massive, as on top of everything he does in open play, his deliveries are also one of the main reasons the team have been so utterly incredible at set-pieces.

With that said, who should come in to replace him?

Well, with Norgaad replacing Zubimendi and Eze potentially keeping his place in the team, the most obvious and best option would be Mikel Merino.

The Spanish international might be just a step below the former West Ham United captain, but he remains a top-level midfielder and someone who is capable of impacting the game in all phases of play.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won, the top 2% for non-penalty goals and touches in the opposition’s penalty area, the top 11% for through ball and more, all per 90.

Average Shot Distance

11.10

Top 1%

SCA (Shot)

0.39

Top 1%

Aerials Won

3.08

Top 1%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.32

Top 2%

Touches (Att Pen)

3.92

Top 2%

Goals

0.32

Top 3%

Goals + Assists

0.49

Top 3%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.24

Top 3%

Shots on Target

0.74

Top 3%

GCA (Shot)

0.07

Top 3%

xG: Expected Goals

0.24

Top 5%

npxG + xAG

0.35

Top 6%

Goals – xG

+0.08

Top 6%

Goals/Shot

0.17

Top 7%

Non-Penalty Goals – npxG

+0.08

Top 7%

Progressive Passes Rec

4.52

Top 8%

Shots Total

1.82

Top 8%

npxG/Shot

0.13

Top 8%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.56

Top 8%

Penalty Kicks Won

0.04

Top 8%

Shots on Target %

40.4%

Top 11%

Through Balls

0.42

Top 11%

Moreover, he has also transformed into a lean, mean goalscoring machine for club and country this year.

Since the start of 2025, he has scored nine goals and provided three assists for the Gunners.

On top of that, the 6 foot 2 titan has scored eight goals and provided one assist for Spain this year, which is a run of form that has seen his manager, Luis de la Fuente, claim he is “on the same level as Pedri and Rodri.”

Ultimately, Merino has proven himself to be an excellent player in most areas of the pitch, and therefore, he should be the one to come in for Rice against Brighton.

Arteta's £120k-p/w "wild horse" looks like this season's Timber at Arsenal

Just like Timber, the international monster is having an incredible season at Arsenal this year.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 28, 2025

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru back-room boss talks about the franchise’s strategy at this year’s auction

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi19-Dec-20244:08

Mo Bobat: ‘We switched from being slightly cautious to being more aggressive through all phases’

Why have Royal Challengers Bengaluru never won the IPL? Every RCB captain, head coach and team director has had to deal with this question, including the franchise’s current leadership group comprised of team director Mo Bobat, head coach Andy Flower, mentor Dinesh Karthik and former captain and key batter Virat Kohli. In the following conversation, Bobat, who took over the role in September 2023, explains that while winning the IPL remains the primary target, he wants RCB’s players to instil in themselves a culture of playing aggressively.Both you and Andy are now in your second season. Based on what happened in 2024, where you came back to make the playoffs after a horrendous first half, what were the areas you wanted addressed that would define your approach towards retention and the auction?
We want to win the IPL, that’s what we are here for. RCB has a somewhat unique background in that for a team that has quite a big status, we obviously haven’t won the competition, and it ends up being a narrative that plays out a lot. One of the reasons I came to RCB was, I’m excited by that challenge. I’m certainly not daunted by it. The same is true for Andy. There’s a fine line between being excited by that challenge and making sure you’re not obsessed by it. I think if we get obsessed by that, it ends up being an additional pressure.What I want us to be obsessed with is how we are going to play our cricket. Some of the ingredients that we think are going to help us to deliver on all of that – and this came across in some of the things we shared around the auction – was that we wanted to develop a strong Indian core to our team.Related

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If you look at just our Indian players, a big proportion of our IPL caps were sat in two players – in Virat and DK [Dinesh Karthik, now retired]. And it’s brilliant to have guys of that level of experience, but we wanted to even that out slightly and have more Indian players with experience, and preferably leadership experience as well, to strengthen that core.We started with retaining three Indian players, which I don’t think RCB has ever done before. Another thing was – and a few teams clearly had this mantra – trying to spend money on our starters [playing XI] and trying to make sure that you have high quality on the field. That might mean slightly smaller squads. It might mean not quite as much experience on the bench. So if we spent big money on top-order batters like RCB may have done in the past, we might not have achieved that Indian core, we might not have achieved the balance and variety, and we might not have strengthened our bowling attack enough.Do you agree that you had a data-based approach in picking your potential first XI in the auction? Looking at things like balls per boundary, dots bowled in the last four overs, yorker percentage at the death, and so on? This was something RCB possibly did not whole-heartedly embrace before.
I don’t fully agree with that. The precursor to your data is the vision and our vision is how we want to play. Now that could get overlooked once you get into the micro details of a single recruitment and this player over that player. We’ve spent a lot of time leaning on our own experiences of the past and the wisdom and experience of the people in our group, whether that be Andy as head coach or other coaches; DK, who’s obviously got an influential role now. Even input from people like Virat as a senior player who’s been retained – us all being aligned on how we want to play is the first thing.And then once you’ve got that vision of how you want to play, you can afford to think about the various key roles in your team. So yes, we would have used data, but the only reason we would have used data as we did was: Andy and I are both pretty strong on evidence and rigour. And some decisions might lean towards our observations on the player, whether that be observations from our scouting team, from our coaches, and other elements that will lean quite heavily on data. And I would always say that no two selections are the same, or no two recruitments are the same.”Virat scored runs throughout the [2024] competition. Midway through, he said, ‘Right, I’m going to lead the way here, we can all be more aggressive'”•Idrees Mohammed/AFP/Getty ImagesThe underlying element common to your batting picks is power. Is that because of the desire to keep that aggressive intent running through the innings?
Without a doubt. We found last year that some of the big improvements we made with our aggression was actually through that middle phase, [for instance, with] Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar. So it is our intent to do that. And look, there were other teams that did that last year too: KKR were a good example of that, as were SRH, they just kept coming at you. And when we played well, we did the same thing.When I look at T20 cricket now, that’s the way it’s going. Ultimately the intensity and the run rate that batters achieve, now you are looking to maintain that through the innings. There isn’t really this consolidation phase in the middle (overs 7-16) unless conditions dictate that or if there’s a flurry of early wickets.Also, you are not relying on one individual. Like, it is only not up to Liam Livingstone to play the power-hitter or finisher, as you now have others around him who can share that responsibility.
Absolutely, and that means you are more likely to achieve what we described, and without that pressure being on one individual. I think they’ll probably display a healthier relationship with risk that they won’t worry about the consequences of getting out, because they’ll know there’s more power to come. And it’s the other reason why we wanted depth in our batting order, to have the likes of Rajat, Livingstone, Jitesh [Sharma], Tim David, Krunal [Pandya], even someone like Jacob Bethell.Last year Kohli shed his traditional approach of batting deep and struck at a high tempo in the powerplay. With the kind of power-hitters you now have, does Kohli drop anchor so the rest can play around him explosively, or would you like him to continue the way he played last season?
Firstly, Virat’s got a wealth of experience and incredibly high skill. I trust him to figure things out in the middle and to know what to do. You are right, last year, Virat and Faf [du Plessis] role-modelled brilliantly the intent that was required. Virat scored runs throughout the competition, even in that initial period when we weren’t getting results. But even he, midway through, said, “Right, I’m going to lead the way here, we can all be more aggressive.” It was brilliant to see him talk that through with the rest of the batting group and back his words up with action. I’ve got no doubt that he’ll want to maintain that moving forward. I certainly won’t be, and Andy certainly won’t be, sending the team out with somebody having the intent to drop anchor. That isn’t what’s required. We want to make the most of every delivery. Players can be trusted to assess the situation, the conditions out there, and Virat will be no different to anybody else. A unique challenge for RCB is their high-scoring home ground. Did that play a role in the kind of bowlers you went for at the auction?
Our mantra is to not think too much about defending and to try and think about attacking with bat and ball.Mo Bobat (left) on RCB’s auction approach: “We started with retaining three Indian players, and trying to spend money on our playing XI and trying to make sure you have high quality on the field”•RCBFor the 2024 season, the fast bowlers you had picked were tall, could bowl 140-plus and be the point of difference, especially at the Chinnaswamy. This auction you have gone with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. Is there a clear shift towards experience?
Given what I said about our reflections of last year, of us wanting to be able to take wickets, particularly early on to get ahead of the game, having bowlers that are highly skilled through all phases is really important, particularly with the new ball, and of course, at the death. And also having the experience and the resilience to deal with the pressure that comes with bowling at the Chinnaswamy. Both Bhuvi and Josh Hazlewood are very threatening upfront with the new ball. But they can bowl through [all] phases, and both have a track record of [bowling well] at the death.What about the middle overs? There seems to be a hole there. Yes, you have Krunal, and possibly one of the two uncapped spinners – Swapnil Singh and Suyash Sharma. Who plays the main role in that phase?
Krunal is a highly experienced bowler, has played a number of games at Chinnaswamy, has got a track record over a number of years of being very economical, and also has taken wickets. [It’s] always good to have the left-arm spin angle. Also happy with Swapnil, who did really well for us last year.With wristspin, we tried to recruit Yuzi Chahal, but unfortunately we pulled up [entered] quite deep into that bidding process, but not deep enough to get him [RCB made a single bid at Rs 14.25 crore (US$1.67m approx.) before pulling out]. But we were always pretty happy with Suyash Sharma as our back-up if we weren’t able to get Yuzi. He’s an attacking legspinner, bowls good pace, attacks the stumps. We also have Livingstone, who bowls both offspin and legspin, depending on whether he’s bowling to left-handers or right-handers. So that’s a good threat.Chahal has been a consistent match-winner in the IPL, including at RCB before. Can you give us a bit more insight into your bid for him? Do you also think Chahal being a single-skill player was a factor in determining how much you spent on him?
Yeah, look, we were very keen on Yuzi and that’s reflected in the fact that he was a key target for us and we went quite high for him. We actually didn’t want to overspend on any one individual. In his case, of course, like you are describing, he’s a single-skill player, but it’s an important skill. Like most teams, you set a budget for a role, and we exceeded that budget quite a bit in our bidding, but we could only go so far.And the other surprise loss was Mohammed Siraj. You had three Right-To-Match cards, but you did not use one to get him back. RCB have played a role in developing his bowling and he also has a very good relationship with the franchise. What went into deciding not to retain him and to not get him back at the auction?
It is important to recognise what Siraj has done for RCB over a number of years. He’s been a champion player for us. I massively enjoyed working with him last year, and I think I might have mentioned publicly that not retaining him was one of our tougher decisions, if not the toughest. We had Bhuvi quite high on our list and we wanted to give ourselves a chance to get him. Unfortunately, the way auctions work out, with Bhuvi coming quite late, it’s like a game of poker, to hold your nerve and see whether you can hold on and wait for a player, and sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t.Bobat explains bidding for Bhuvneshwar Kumar as RCB wanting “bowlers having the experience and resilience to deal with the pressure that comes with bowling at the Chinnaswamy”•BCCIUnfortunately it didn’t work out for us to get Siraj just because of our priorities, auction order and the spending pattern. That’s again quite similar for a couple of other players, both Faf and Will Jacks were definitely guys we were considering right-to-matching (RTM) if things fell a certain way.But the lesson I’ve learned is, you can’t be too precise with who you think you’re going to get. Will Jacks is a great example. I’m incredibly fond of Will, and he was brilliant last year when he came into the team. He was definitely someone we were thinking of right-to-matching, but if you wait as deep as he was coming up in the auction, having not filled a role, that is a risk, and given the way the spending pattern works out and given that we missed one or two of our targets and we had probably a bit more money than we anticipated, you have to make decisions. So regrettably, Faf, Jacks and Siraj were guys we had in our minds for right-to-matches, but it just didn’t fall that way and you end up building your team slightly differently, which is a shame.Venkatesh Iyer became the headline of the mega-auction after KKR bought him back for a massive Rs 23.75 crore ($2.8m). The losing bid was 23.25 crore ($2.7m), made by RCB. While you stuck to the policy of not going overboard with bidding high for one single player, for Iyer, you went massive. Can you explain that and why you eventually pulled out?
[Among] those we had identified to add to the three retained players as part of our Indian core were Yuzi and Venky Iyer, who was a high priority for us for a number of reasons. One, he’s someone that can bat in the top order, and he’s left-handed – there aren’t too many of those. He’s very experienced and he’s got a very consistent track record and he very strongly fit with how we want to play. His aggressive intent was exactly how we wanted to play.In addition to him, we had a couple of other core Indian targets. We had Jitesh in the middle order, we had Krunal as a spin allrounder who was going to give us balance, and we also wanted to have a good crack at Bhuvi, if we could afford to by the time he came up in the auction. So when you have a template like that to your team and an overview of those Indian players, you have to then work out your spending pattern.”We were always pretty happy with Suyash Sharma as our back-up if we weren’t able to get Yuzi. He’s an attacking legspinner, bowls good pace, attacks the stumps”•BCCINow Yuzi came up quite early. I don’t think Yuzi in IPL history had gone for more than six [crore INR, $700,000] in auction, so we set a pretty healthy budget for him, more than double that was our budget for him. Now when we didn’t get Yuzi, I was quite keen to use whatever money we were going to save, because we weren’t expecting to pay that amount for the back-up legspinner. We used that towards trying to make sure we got Venky Iyer. We pulled out at a point where we thought it was getting a bit too excessive because it was going to compromise those other Indian core targets.Kohli has been part of the leadership group at RCB for over a decade. What was the feedback he gave on the auction?
He’s someone I have spoken to regularly since the end of the [2024] season. [We are] really quite fortunate in some ways that Virat spends a good amount of time in the UK, so we have been able to meet face-to-face and have discussions with myself, him and Andy. We were all very aligned on the types of players and discipline we were looking for, building a strong Indian core, those unique skill sets for the Chinnaswamy. That fed quite easily into our retentions. Even on auction days [he was] interacting with us at the table, in particular interacting with DK.To sum up, your focus and priority during retention and auction was on picking players who can help RCB win the IPL. Is that accurate?
Winning the IPL is our target, but the way we play is our obsession. We want to get our competitive identity, and if we do that, it’ll take care of itself. Now, the proof will be in the pudding. We’ll find out when we get into the competition, but if you want a different outcome, you’ve got to have a different approach.Maybe you need to find a new home ground!
Why? I love playing at the Chinnaswamy. For me, that just adds to the intrigue: can we do it with that constraint? It’s exciting.

Every so often, sports fans are reminded of just how entertaining hot mics are during sports games.

Fox's nationally-televised broadcast of the Houston Astros' 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday served as one such reminder, as the mics briefly gave fans a fly-on-the-wall experience for an exchange between home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi and the Astros dugout.

It was the top of the eighth inning with two outs, Astros righthander Bryan Abreu on the mound and Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien at the plate. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Abreu threw a four-seam fastball in on the hands that appeared to catch the inner half of the plate. Semien checked his swing and Astros catcher Yainier Diaz appealed to first-base umpire Clint Vodrak, who ruled that Semien didn't swing, a somewhat controversial call.

The Astros certainly didn't agree and let home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi know it. But Cuzzi, who was uninvolved with the call, didn't want to hear it.

"What are you yelling at me for?!" Cuzzi loudly asked the Astros dugout. The veteran umpire then appeared to indicate that the Astros should be directing their complaints to Vondrak, who made the call. We're sure Vondrak appreciated that!

In all seriousness though, as the broadcast went on to point out, the Astros' gripe with Cuzzi was that he didn't initially rule the borderline pitch a strike, putting the call in Vondrak's hands. Had Cuzzi ruled the pitch a strike, there would be no need for the check swing appeal.

Semien went on to belt a solo homer two pitches after the controversial first pitch of the at-bat, but the Astros ultimately prevailed in 11 innings.

Hooray for hot mics!

Rapper Snoop Dogg has opened up about investing in Celtic, also talking up the idea of one manager he wants to see at Parkhead.

The Hoops’ search for their next boss is ongoing, as they look to find the perfect successor to Brendan Rodgers, following a disappointing end to his reign.

Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen has arguably emerged as the front-runner to take charge at Parkhead, with Celtic willing to give him big wages, enticing him to the club in the process.

Hayen is far from the only contender to come in, though, with England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley mentioned as an option, having been praised by Roy Keane in the past: “For England, it’s all positive. The big players performed, young players stepped up. Lee Carsley deserves huge praise. They really looked like they enjoyed it. They didn’t seem to be under that much pressure and played with freedom.”

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou is currently out of work and has been linked with a return to Celtic, and now a new claim has dropped regarding a potential reunion.

Snoop Dogg wants Postecoglou back at Celtic

In quotes provided by The Daily Record, Snoop Dogg discussed Postecoglou coming back to Celtic, as well as opening up about investing in the club.

Opinion may be split regarding Postecoglou coming back to Celtic, although it does look unlikely, not least because his reputation has been damaged compared to when he left Parkhead last time around.

The Australian may have won the Europa League with Tottenham, but he also finished 17th in the Premier League, which ultimately cost him his job, before lasting no time at all at Nottingham Forest.

For that reason, this could be a sensible time for Celtic to avoid Postecoglou, instead looking at Hayen or someone else, bringing new ideas to the club in the process.

Celtic chiefs line up Lee Carsley approach amid "huge praise" from Roy Keane

Would he be the ideal choice for the Hoops?

ByHenry Jackson Nov 1, 2025

Of course, some would love to see him back with the Hoops, given the success he achieved there, and the football he played, but there would be a risk in rehiring him after a tough few years.

Celtic chiefs readying drastic action in Nicky Hayen pursuit with huge wages on offer

MatériaMais Notícias

Técnico interino do Botafogo, Fábio Matias concedeu entrevista coletiva após a vitória sobre o Boavista, que rendeu ao clube a conquista da Taça Rio. O treinador avaliou a participação alvinegra no Campeonato Carioca e falou sobre o período à frente do Glorioso, que espera a chegada de Artur Jorge, novo comandante do time.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

– Uma das coisas principais que a competição nos deu foi a minutagem dos atletas. Um clube como o Botafogo tem que ter atenção à base, sou suspeito para falar. Essa questão da rodagem dos meninos, atletas que estavam no DM, atletas que precisam de ritmo, hoje tivemos atletas que têm condição de serem titulares na quarta-feira. Isso é fundamental para o Botafogo e fundamental para o tamanho que o Botafogo terá daqui para frente, com Copa do Brasil e Libertadores – comentou Fábio Matias.

– Todas as situações relacionadas a quem virá a melhor pessoa para responder é o John, é concentrado tudo nele. Sou funcionário do Botafogo, não de treinador. Fiz o meu melhor para o Botafogo, fazemos tudo pelo clube. Sou funcionário do clube, sou staff permanente. Em situações de crise, você tem o permanente para sustentar – falou o interino do Glorioso, sobre a chegada de Artur Jorge.

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– Tem quarta-feira, você tem que entregar bem. Posteriormente, você tem que perguntar para o John. Se eu elogiar mais, vão achar que é conveniência (risos). Tem que deixar tudo organizado, e fizemos isso. Cabe dizer ao John como as coisas vão funcionar daqui para frente – continuou Fábio Matias.

– John está muito feliz do que está sendo feito, o Alessandro (Brito, head scout) é nosso interlocutor principal nas conversas. John tem confiança. Se ele não tivesse confiança, não ficaríamos tanto tempo à frente. Sem sombra de dúvidas, é um voto de confiança – encerrou.

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Fábio Matias deve fazer seu último jogo como comandante do Botafogo na quarta-feira (3), no primeiro compromisso da fase de grupos da Libertadores, contra o Junior Barranquilla, no Nilton Santos. Depois disso, o portguês Artur Jorge – que se despede do Braga em partida contra o Portionense nesta segunda-feira (1) – irá assumir o time. Contudo, apesar de ter sete vitórias e um empate em oito partidas, o interino diz que não existe sentimento de “missão cumprida”.

– O trabalho continua, independente de estar à frente como treinador. Nunca é dever cumprido, nossa obrigação é entregar da melhor forma. Tenho que dar suporte para as pessoas que estão vindo. É um início bom com todos os percalços que tivemos. Olha quantos meninos jogaram, isso vale muito. O lateral-esquerdo que jogou hoje estava na Dallas Cup, tiramos ele de lá e ele jogou, olha quanto ganho. Dever cumprido é o que você entrega e larga, eu não sou assim. Minha forma de ser é ajudar. Hoje temos dois profissionais da base, Rafael e Lucas. Além de formar jogadores, estamos formando profissionais dentro do clube para que as pessoas reconheçam o DNA do clube. O Botafogo está fazendo isso.

Diante do Boavista, o Botafogo teve retornos de jogadores importantes que estavam no departamento médico. Luiz Henrique, Jeffinho e Patrick de Paula (este não entrava em campo há 400 dias) participaram da partida após períodos de lesão. Além disso, Rafael fez sua segunda partida de volta do DM.

– Tiveram um ritmo muito bom, mas temos que tomar cuidado porque não queremos que esses jogadores voltem para o departamento médico. Hoje combinamos que seriam 45 minutos para Rafael, Jeffinho e Luiz Henrique. Foi determinado pela performance. Não posso mudar de ideia dentro de campo, aí eu coloco o jogador em risco.

Confira outras respostas de Fábio Matias na entrevista coletiva após Botafogo x Boavista.

– Não estava aqui no ano passado, é difícil comparar (os títulos da Taça Rio). Temos que tirar proveito das situações, mas nós tiramos proveito da Taça Rio. Tinham meninos da base que a torcida não conhecia, serviu para isso. Comparar com o ano passado eu acho ruim. O clube está cada vez mais com uma estrutura maravilhosa, com grandes jogadores, temos jogadores do cenário nacional aqui, que daqui a pouco estarão no nível de Seleção. Mas tudo depende dar continuidade ao processo, também tem que valorizar o que foi feito antes. Hoje nós preparamos para quem vem, minha função é essa. Sempre deixei isso claro durante os 30 e poucos dias que fiquei no Botafogo.

– Temos cinco ou seis meio-campistas que estão entre os melhores do Brasil. Para quem quer ser campeão, são competições difíceis, há essa ideia de equilíbrio. Em jogo tal, joga fulano, no outro, joga ciclano. Temos hoje os melhores meio-campistas, melhores atacantes. Temos um grande trabalho de scout. A missão que os atletas têm está muito clara. Os caras são acima da média, ótimos em termos de trabalho e dia a dia. Eles compram tudo e são ótimos jogadores. Não vejo problema em relação a isso, quanto mais jogadores bons, melhor.

– Precisava quebrar a barreira da base para o profissional. Tínhamos um trabalho muito sólido na base, trabalhei com bons jogadores na base, mais de 20 que estão na Europa, é um privilégio isso. Meu momento é ótimo, sou auxiliar técnico permanente do clube, mas minha ideia a médio e longo prazo é ser treinador. Essa é a experiência que eu preciso hoje. O auxiliar técnico tem que servir hoje, e isso não é fácil. Você tem que ter humildade, compreensão e saber falar. Tudo isso está me capacitando para em médio prazo dar um salto na carreira. Mas muito pelo o que o Botafogo faz por mim.

– Tudo que a gente construiu foi relacionado à questão da Libertadores. Quando a gente vai para o jogo do Boavista lá foi para ter dias de treinos, mas para transferir situações de jogo. Tivemos uma situação facilitada no segundo jogo pelo resultado. Nosso plano era zerar o departamento médico e dar ritmo de jogo a esses jogadores, então é um processo de organização interno que conseguimos executar. Quanto mais jogadores bons tivermos, melhor somos. Vejo como acréscimo. Quanto mais dúvidas tivermos, melhor. Temos 24 atletas de nível alto. Hoje faz você ter condição de brigar por título, e mais de um. Não vejo problema, vejo solução.

– Clube está vivendo um momento muito bom. Temos o foco na Libertadores. A equipe está em uma boa fase, o período de Data Fifa é muito bom para se treinar, avalio que a equipe está em crescimento. Ainda há coisas para melhorar. Fisicamente, vejo os caras um pouco mais soltos. Estamos em um momento bom, mas com margem de crescimento. Ainda temos mais dois cilcos de três para fechar o ano, não adianta dar tudo agora, temos que terminar o ano bem.

Tudo sobre

BotafogoCampeonato CariocaFábio Matias

Jeff Stelling has criticised Unai Emery as a result of one moment in Aston Villa’s 1-0 victory against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Cash leads Villa to victory over Man City

Emery continued his stellar record at home against Man City on Sunday, with the manager overseeing his third straight victory against Pep Guardiola’s side at Villa Park, courtesy of Matty Cash’s first-half strike from just outside the box.

It was a stellar performance from the full-back, who was voted the Player of the Match, and the Poland international has since put pen to paper on a new contract which lasts until 2029.

The Villans have really turned a corner in recent weeks, having picked up victories against some top teams, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on the road earlier this month, and the Premier League table now makes for much better viewing, having moved up to eighth.

The manager has also silenced the talk about his future, after it was reported last month that Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers were all unhappy with the Spaniard, given the slow start they made to the campaign.

The 53-year-old has certainly turned the corner, but Stelling was still left unimpressed with some of the decisions he made on Sunday, calling out the decision to substitute Jadon Sancho in the second-half, having only introduced the winger just before the 30-minute mark.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Stelling came to Sancho’s defence, saying: “He’s a soft target, because over the years it’s been easy to point the finger at him, but I think on this occasion it was wrong to point the finger at him.”

Sancho's Villa career yet to truly take off

It was always going to be a risk signing the 25-year-old, given that he was unable to live up to his huge price tag at Manchester United, and his Villa career is yet to take off, having only featured for 226 minutes across five matches in all competitions.

Emery defended the decision to substitute the former Man United man by pointing out he has done the same thing with other players before and wants to introduce the Englishman slowly: “Yes, sure he’s (Sancho) not happy but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday,”

Aston Villa take hilarious swipe at Haaland after victory against Man City

The Villans defeated Pep Guardiola’s side 1-0 at Villa Park on Sunday.

ByDominic Lund Oct 27, 2025

“Today when he (Buendia) was injured, my plan was maybe in case he (Sancho) was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.”

That said, given the scale of media attention Sancho received at Man United, it was a strange decision from Emery, who risks damaging his summer signing’s confidence, even if the manager didn’t substitute him due to being unhappy with his performance.

Crystal Palace have now identified Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa as a target, amid the uncertainty surrounding Marc Guehi’s future at Selhurst Park.

Guehi was expected to leave Palace in the summer transfer window, with the captain’s move to Liverpool falling through on deadline day, but he has remained a consummate professional, most recently putting in a stellar performance at Anfield.

Indeed, the centre-back was solid at the back as the Eagles progressed to the EFL Cup quarter-final with a 3-0 victory against Liverpool on Wednesday night, making five interceptions and two tackles to help his side pick up a clean sheet.

The south Londoners will have their work cut out in the next round, however, having been handed arguably the most difficult tie possible, with Oliver Glasner’s side set to travel to Premier League leaders Arsenal in the week commencing on the 15th of December.

Should Crystal Palace manage to defy the odds and add the EFL Cup to their trophy cabinet, there may be some feint hope that Guehi will pen a new deal, but his future remains very much in doubt, with Liverpool and Real Madrid eyeing moves.

Crystal Palace join race for Ezri Konsa

As such, Glasner is likely to be tasked with bringing in a replacement for the 25-year-old, and Crystal Palace have now joined the race for Aston Villa defender Konsa, who is attracting interest from a plethora of Premier League clubs.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have also expressed an interest in the centre-back, as there is now a feeling that Villa may be forced to cash-in, given their need to comply with PSR regulations.

The Villans are extremely reluctant to sell the 28-year-old, as he is one of their key players, but if they have to sanction a departure, it is suggested they will look to hold out for between £40m – £45m.

The Englishman has started to establish himself at international level, having amassed 16 caps for the Three Lions, with teammate Luke Shaw being left very impressed by his performance in the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland.

No Palace fan will want to see Guehi leave, but if the 25-year-old does move on, it would make sense to bring in a replacement who is proven in the Premier League, and the Villa star fits the bill, having now made 205 top-flight appearances.

Last season, the former Brentford man also cut his teeth in the Champions League, scoring the Villans’ third goal as they nearly completed a dramatic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.

Konsa’s top-level experience could make him the ideal heir to Guehi, but it could be difficult to win the race for his signature, amid interest from some top clubs.

Crystal Palace targeting Yann Bisseck to replace Marc Guehi Related Crystal Palace now keen on "insane" £22m defender who pocketed Erling Haaland

Palace are looking to sign a new centre-back, with Marc Guehi heading for the exit door.

Posts ByDominic Lund Oct 16, 2025