Will a change of manager signal a change in fortune for Ibrox side Rangers?

On Sunday night, following the weekend home defeat at the hands of St Mirren, it was announced that Philippe Clement had been sacked as manager of the Gers, having been, as Findlay Marks of the Scottish Football Show put it, a “dead man walking” ever since the Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park.

The following morning, the club confirmed that former captain Barry Ferguson, who made 409 appearances for the Gers across two spells, would be in interim charge for the rest of the season, alongside Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor, all of whom are also ex-players.

The Ferguson-era begins at Rugby Park on Wednesday, a ground at which Rangers have lost six of 12 visits since December 2017, so they certainly cannot take Kilmarnock lightly, and the new caretaker boss’ first big decision should be to drop a stalwart of the starting lineup.

The Rangers star Ferguson must drop

Jack Butland joined Rangers in June 2023, simply looking to reinvigorate his career, having played just 17 matches across the previous three seasons, spending the second half of the previous campaign bench warming at Manchester United.

Fair to say he made an instant impression in Glasgow, pulling off a string of outstanding saves, instantaneously known colloquially as ‘Super Jack Butland’.

That is because, Christopher Jack of the Rangers Review believeds he ‘has been a huge figure between the sticks’, asserting that Butland is ‘the best keeper in Scotland by some distance’, while Stephen Halliday of the Times simply labelled his performances as ‘outstanding’.

Meantime, Ewan Murray of the Guardian notes the Englishman has been a ‘virtually an ever-present since joining’, while Archie Rhind-Tutt of ESPN & TNT Sports thought his ‘excellent form’ was going to earn him an England recall, having not featured for the Three Lions since September 2018, although this ultimately did not come to pass.

However, in more recent times, as Joshua Barrie of the Rangers Review puts it, ‘Butland’s form has suffered’.

Speaking on Sky Sports, new Rangers assistant manager Neil McCann described his performance at Motherwell in December as “unconvincing”, the goalkeeper’s ‘blushes spared’ by the fact the Steelmen had a late winner disallowed by VAR for rather soft foul by Tony Watt.

Butland has made a few high-profile mistakes, gifting Celtic the Scottish Cup back in May with former Rangers striker Ally McCoist describing his own goal at Old Trafford in January as a “howler”, leading to journalist Luke Hatfield labelling him ‘error-prone’.

This led to him being heavily criticised by supporters, so let’s analyse how Butland’s numbers compare this season to last.

Appearances

58

35

Minutes

5,220

3,180

Matches missed

1

9

Goals conceded

53

34

Goals conceded per 90

0.89

0.93

Clean sheets

25

14

Clean sheet %

43.5%

41.4%

Saves

105

62

Save %

73.9%

69.4%

Post-shot xG – goals allowed

+1.9

-1.4

Save % (Europa League only)

77.1%

63%

As the table outlines, Butland’s statistics are unanimously worse this season than last, with his post-shot xG – goals allowed figure having nosedived from almost +2 to around -1.5, this the biggest indicator of his drop-off in form.

So, should new manager Ferguson unleash Butland’s deputy at Rugby Park on Wednesday night?

Jack Butland's back-up ready and waiting at Rangers

Back in early January Butland missed the New Year’s Old Firm due to internal bleeding, a match in which Rangers demolished fierce rivals Celtic 3-0, putting in, by far, their best performance under Clement.

Deputising for Butland that day was Liam Kelly, who was described as ‘reliable’ and ‘assured with the ball at his feet’, while Laura Brannan of the Scottish Football Show believes the 29-year-old to be a ‘fantastic’ goalkeeper.

As well as a clean sheet in the Glasgow derby, Kelly also enjoyed shutouts against Dundee and Aberdeen leading to, as noted by Aasif Rahman of Football Insider, supporters questioning why Clement has restored Butland after the understudy had ‘proven himself’ during the Englishman’s absence.

Since arriving from Motherwell in the summer, Kelly has made seven appearances in a Rangers jersey, keeping three clean sheet and conceding just six goals, making nine saves, which translates to a save percentage of 69.2%, higher than Butland’s aforementioned season figure of 63%.

Kelly himself stated “I’ve done alright”, adding he is “looking to go under the radar” by doing “whatever I need to do when called upon.”

Thus, with little left to play for in the Premiership, Ferguson should certainly give his backup goalkeeper opportunities to prove what he can do.

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ByCharlie Smith Feb 26, 2025

Mikel Arteta opted to play what was effectively a b side for Arsenal’s Champions League second-leg game against PSV Eindhoven and got the sort of result and performance you’d expect from such a decision.

The Gunners were already 7-1 up on aggregate going into the match and all but through the quarter-finals, so it would be hard to describe the display as all that surprising.

The 2-2 scoreline was probably just about a fair enough reflection of the encounter, as both sides had chances to claim victory.

Moreover, while some squad players made a good account of themselves, like Raheem Sterling, others probably played themselves out of the lineup for Sunday.

Sterling's performance vs PSV

It’s no secret that this season has been something of a disaster for Sterling, and so going into last night, it was potentially the last chance he’d had to show Arteta that he still has something about him, and while the circumstances made it a bit of a nothing match, that’s what he did.

For what felt like the first time in months, if not the entire campaign, the Chelsea loanee looked full of life, and even though it didn’t pay off every time, he was trying to make things happen whenever he got the ball.

The Kingston-born star provided the assists for both goals and could have scored two of his own thanks to a well-timed run in the first half that left him one-on-one with the keeper and then a determined drive late in the second half that saw his close-range effort saved by the keeper once again.

The 30-year-old left an impression on GOAL’s Sean Walsh, who awarded him an 8/10 at full-time, writing that he worked ‘extremely hard’ for his two assists.

On top of the praise from the press, the experienced dynamo’s statistics also make for great reading, as in 94 minutes of action he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.80, provided two assists, took two shots on target, played three key passes, created one big chance, took 47 touches and made one interception.

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.57

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.23

Assists

2

Shots on Target

2

Touches

47

Key Passes

3

Big Chances Created

1

Interceptions

1

Overall, while Sterling almost certainly won’t feature in the lineup at the weekend, that won’t be because of his display last night, which might not be the case for one of his teammates.

The Arsenal starter who's played themselves out the team

Unfortunately, while the game wasn’t all that bad, and the result was ultimately meaningless, a few starters likely played themselves out of contention to start on the weekend.

One of those players was Jorginho, who had an uncharacteristically poor night in the middle of the park for the hosts.

The Italian ace was entirely ineffective in attack and utterly hopeless when it came to the more important defensive side of his game, switching off and losing his runner for Ivan Perišić’s goal and then losing the ball entirely for Couhaib Driouech’s impressive lob.

Unsurprisingly, Sean Walsh was equally unimpressed with the former Chelsea man, awarding him just a 3/10 on the night, a rating more than validated by his statistics.

In 94 minutes of football, the 33-year-old amassed an expected assists figure of just 0.04, completed just 86% of his passes, made no key passes, failed to take a single shot, failed 100% of his dribbles, lost 100% of his ground duels, lost the ball 11 times, committed one foul and made one mistake that led directly to a goal.

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.00

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.04

Assists

0

Shots

0

Passing Accuracy

48/56 (86%)

Key Passes

0

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Lost Possession

11

Fouls

1

Errors Leading to a Goal

1

Ultimately, while Sterling put in arguably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt last night, Jorginho put in one of his worst in some time, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t start a game again for a while.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 12, 2025

Rishabh Pant won’t be fit to play the upcoming World Cup but former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist is still fascinated by the impact he has had in his six years with the Indian team.Pant, 25, made his international debut in February 2017 and has risen to be one of the first names down on the team sheet, especially in Test cricket. A strike rate of 73 in the longest format shows the kind of threat he poses to the bowlers and his performance against Australia – 274 runs in five innings, including a series-winning 89 at the Gabba – was crucial to one of India greatest achievements: taking home the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21.”I think Rishabh has inspired a lot of wicket-keeper batters around the world to play that [aggressive] way. It is fascinating for such a young man to have such an impact that Rishabh has had, and others are responding and playing in that positive manner,” Gilchrist, who is in India on a promotional visit, told PTI.Pant is currently out of action having met with a horrific car accident last December. He is working his way back to full fitness at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is expected to make a comeback sometime next year.Related

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In Pant’s absence, KL Rahul is likely to keep wicket for India in the World Cup. Ishan Kishan also has experience behind the stumps but it appears his role in the first team will be limited to that of a middle-order batter. Gilchrist was impressed with how Kishan has shaped up despite knowing that he is behind Rahul in the pecking order.”They [India] are well stocked,” Gilchrist said. “They have got a couple of [wicketkeeping] options there, obviously, when KL was out with his injury, Ishan Kishan took his opportunity and played really well, and now they find themselves in the team together so that’s a wonderful case of taking an opportunity.”Being positive, and then, forcing the selectors into keeping you in the team [is impressive]. It seems like KL is gonna be the one who is going to continue with the gloves but it does not seem to hinder Ishan Kishan’s batting, he seems to be playing really well, carefree, attacking and dangerous.”Gilchrist reckons Australia will bounce back from the loss in South Africa•AFP/Getty Images

Gilchrist picks his World Cup semi-finalists

With the tournament less than three weeks away, and having won it three times, Gilchrist was asked to pick his final four. “I think India and Pakistan could feature, Australia and England are another two teams,” he said.Gilchrist is hopeful that Australia, five-time champions, will do well in India, where they won a bilateral series 2-1 in March 2023. He added that Adam Zampa, who finished with 0 for 113 and 3 for 70 in his last two ODIs in South Africa, will bounce back in more favourable conditions.”Australia will learn a lot from their efforts in South Africa when they come to India. They have got three games before the World Cup against India. So, they will have a bit more of a full-strength squad there, that might tell us a bit about where they are at.”Adam Zampa, in South Africa, was at the receiving end a little bit but it’s different conditions out here in India with different pitches and he is a world-class spin bowler, and he has shown that particularly across T20 cricket, and now he gets his chance in the 50-over World Cup. So it’s a very knowledgeable group and they are going to have to use all that experience against batting line-ups across the globe and play without fear.”There have been some suggestions about Australia pushing David Warner down the order but Gilchrist isn’t a fan. “He [Warner] looked really good in South Africa for the most part of what he did,” he said. “I think he has got to bat at the top, there has been some sort of discussions that he bats down the middle order but I think he has got to open. He showed in South Africa a couple of times that he is [as] aggressive and dominant at the top of the order as he has ever been. So, I think they bring with him a lot of experience and a lot of confidence, and I think he should play at the top of the order for Australia and if he plays really well then our opposition will fear that.”

Indian coach lauds “exceptional leader” Rohit Sharma for “giving so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys”

Yash Jha19-Nov-20235:24

Dravid: ‘We gave it everything we had’

India fell “30-40 runs short” of a good total in the final, but it wasn’t because of a safety-first approach in the middle overs – that’s the line Rahul Dravid took in the wake of his team’s defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup title bout in Ahmedabad.”I won’t agree that we played with fear. We had 80 runs in ten overs. We had lost wickets, and when you lose wickets you have to change your strategy,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference.Rohit Sharma’s 31-ball 47 had set India on their way, with the team reaching 80 at the end of the first powerplay. But they only managed four boundaries in the rest of their innings to eventually finish on 240. Dravid attributed the slowdown to the loss of wickets at regular intervals, and not a lack of intent.Related

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“We haven’t played any fearful cricket in this final. In the middle overs, they bowled really well and we had lost three wickets. So a period of consolidation was needed, and every time we thought we could get on the attack, we would lose a wicket,” he said. “If you lose wickets, you have to rebuild. We didn’t set out to play defensively.”While Australia eventually coasted to the target with seven overs to spare and six wickets in hand, Dravid reckoned the game would have played out differently had India got 30-40 more runs on a surface he believed was tougher to bat on in the afternoon.”Just felt like the ball was stopping in the afternoon a little bit more than it did in the evening,” he said. “It felt like the ball came on to the bat a lot better in the evening. There was that period where the ball was stopping and we weren’t able to get boundaries. We were able to rotate the strike but we weren’t able to get those boundaries.”If we had got to 280-290 and they were 60 for 3 then it might have been a very different game. But 240, I think they were always one partnership away from getting there.”Sunday’s loss extended India’s run of near-misses at global events; in the last 13 months alone, they have faced a semi-final exit at the T20 World Cup, lost the World Test Championship final, and now the ODI World Cup final.”I’ve been involved in three… and I think we haven’t played really well on the day,” Dravid said. “I thought we were a bit short in Adelaide, in the semi-final [of the T20 World Cup, against England]. We lost the first day in the World Test Championship [final]. We didn’t bowl particularly well after Australia were three down. And here we didn’t bat well enough.”There’s not one particular reason you can pin it down to. I didn’t feel at any stage going into this game that there were any nerves or the guys were intimidated by the game. I thought the energy and the mental space the boys were in leading into this particular game was spot on.”Dravid, whose two-year contract as head coach runs out this month, heaped praise on Rohit for his leadership and his batting throughout the World Cup.”I think he has been an exceptional leader, always felt he’s led this team fantastically well,” Dravid said. “He’s given so much of his time and energy in the dressing room to the boys. There’s been a lot of planning, a lot of strategy, he’s always committed to those things.2:06

Should one of Kohli or Rahul have taken charge?

“His batting as well, I thought it was fantastic the way he set the tone for us. We knew that we wanted to play a certain way, we wanted to play a positive, attacking brand of cricket, and he was very committed to doing that. He wanted to lead by example, and I thought right throughout the tournament he was superb. Can’t speak more highly of him, as a person and a leader.”Dravid, who had made the walk towards the press-conference room even as Australia were being handed their winners’ medals, admitted that emotions were running high in the Indian dressing room.”There was a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach, because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they’ve put in, the sacrifices they’ve made,” he said. “But that’s sport. That happens. It can happen. And the better team won on the day. I’m sure the sun will come up tomorrow morning.”We’ll learn from it, we’ll reflect, and we’ll move on. That’s what you do as sportsmen. You have some great highs in sport, and you have some lows in sport. And you keep moving on. You don’t stop.”

Pep Guardiola was not happy with how his side lost the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, giving little away in his post-match conference.

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• City lose 1-0 to Palace in FA Cup Final
• Guardiola unhappy with key decisions
• Palace lift first major trophy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A single goal from Eberechi Eze was enough to win the game for Crystal Palace, despite Manchester City dominating possession for large periods of the game. The Eagles withstood the City attacks, but were perhaps fortunate to still have 11 players on the pitch at the end of the game after Dean Henderson looked to have denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity for Erling Haaland. The Palace keeper was in the spotlight again shortly after, making a crucial stop to deny Omar Marmoush from the penalty spot – the Egyptian a surprise taker given Haaland's success from the spot. After the game, Guardiola refused to address either moment with much thought.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID ABOUT THE RED CARD

  On Henderson's handball and potential red card, Guardiola said: "Ask the referee."

  The City boss had angrily confronted Henderson after the game, but refused to say anything about the incident.

• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID ABOUT THE PENALTY

  On why Marmoush took the penalty over Haaland, Guardiola said: "I don't know, I didn't speak to them. They made a decision. They decide."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The moods in the two camps could not be more different. Whilst Guardiola gripes, the Palace players and staff were celebrating the club's first ever major honour after being FA Cup runners-up twice.

The contracts of Mike Hesson and Sanjay Bangar, director of cricket operations and head coach respectively, have not been renewed

Shashank Kishore04-Aug-2023Andy Flower has been appointed head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore as the franchise looks to overturn a disappointing IPL 2023, where they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Flower has come on board on a three-year term to begin with.The decision follows a “comprehensive three-year performance review” following IPL 2023, where the team finished sixth and missed the playoffs narrowly. At RCB, Flower will reunite with Faf du Plessis, the captain, who he worked with earlier during his time as head coach of St Lucia Kings in the CPL.Flower replaced Sanjay Bangar, the former India allrounder, in the job after having also been in talks with Rajasthan Royals for a similar position under Kumar Sangakkara. The franchise is set to appoint a new director of cricket operations who will replace Mike Hesson. This could happen “over the next couple of months,” RCB vice-president Rajesh Menon said.The new director is expected to appoint the specialist coaches, which also puts a question mark over the future of the incumbents: Adam Griffith (bowling coach), S Sriram (assistant coach) and Malolan Rangarajan (lead scout and fielding coach).

We are beyond thrilled to welcome and winning coach as the of RCB Men’s team.

Andy’s experience of coaching IPL & T20 teams around the world, and leading his teams to titles… pic.twitter.com/WsMYGCkcYT

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) August 4, 2023