The Mariners are calling up their No. 4 prospect catcher Harry Ford, MLB.com reported on Monday. It's unknown when Ford will make his MLB debut.

This decision by Seattle may appear puzzling as the team's catcher Cal Raleigh is the AL MVP favorite and leads the league with 50 home runs. Raleigh isn't hurt or anything, so calling up Ford sounds like a backup situation. Ford will likely be placed as designated hitter or will play as catcher when Raleigh needs a rest day.

Ford is definitely thriving in the offensive side of things in Triple A Tacoma this season. He's played in 97 games, posting averages of .283/.408/.460. He has 106 hits, 68 runs, 74 RBIs, 16 home runs and seven stolen bases. This is his fifth minor league season in the Mariners' organization since being drafted in the first round in 2021.

Over the course of his five minor league seasons, Ford has stolen 92 bases, which is quite impressive for a catcher.

The Tigers finally did it.

For the first time since Sept. 14 and for just the second time in the last two weeks, Detroit won a baseball game Thursday night, defeating the rival Guardians 4-2 at Progressive Field. The victory halted an eight-game losing streak for the Tigers and finally cooled off Cleveland, which has soared back into the postseason picture by winning 17 of its last 20 games.

The Tigers, who had a 10.5-game lead in the AL Central on Sept. 1, entered the night one game behind the Guardians after dropping the first two games of the series. With the win, Detroit climbs back into a tie for first place with Cleveland with an 86-73 record.

The Guardians, however, clinched the tiebreaker over the Tigers by winning their head-to-head series this season. If the two teams end the 162-game schedule with the same record, Cleveland will be crowned AL Central champs.

Before Thursday night's game, Fangraphs gave the Tigers a 70.6% chance to make the playoffs and an 18.6% chance to win the AL Central. But after the win, Fangraphs estimates the Tigers now have an 84.1% chance to make the playoffs and a 33.5% chance to win the division.

A huge, huge win.

Elsewhere in the American League, the Mariners officially clinched the AL West on Wednesday night—their first division title since 2001. The Blue Jays and Yankees have both secured playoff berths, but the AL East is still up for grabs, with Toronto holding the tiebreaker.

Toronto took care of business Thursday night, defeating the Red Sox 6-1, while the Yankees beat the White Sox 5-3. The Red Sox remain in the second of three AL wild-card spots, sandwiched between the Tigers and rival Yankees. The Astros, who beat the Athletics 11-5 earlier Thursday afternoon, sit one game back of the Tigers for the final wild-card spot.

Here's how everything looks after Thursday's slate of games:

American League Playoff Picture

AL DIVISION LEADERS

AL WILD CARD

أبدى حازم إمام مدرب الزمالك الأسبق، استيائه من تصريحات يانيك فيريرا المدير الفني السابق لـ الفريق الأبيض، موضحًا حقيقة وجود أزمة في تحليل الأهلي قبل مباراة القمة بينهما في الدوري المصري.

وقال حازم إمام في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة النهار: “تعجبت من تصريحات فيريرا، فهناك مدربين كبار سبق لهم تدريب الزمالك، وغادروا النادي وكانت لهم مستحقات، لكنهم دائمًا تحدثوا عن الزمالك بأفضل الكلام”.

وأضاف: “الملعب لم تكن أرضيته سيئة كما ذكر يانيك فيريرا، فقد تدربنا على ملعب الكلية الحربية ثم العاصمة الإدارية خلال فترة إعداد 15 يومًا، وعند العودة كان الملعب أفضل مما طلب بكثير”.

وبسؤاله عن أزمة تحليل مباراة الأهلي في الدوري، أوضح: “في الفترة بين مباراة الجونة والأهلي حدث انقطاع في الاشتراك بمنصة تحليل الأداء، لكن هذا ليس مبررًا، حيث يمكن متابعة مباريات الأهلي عبر يوتيوب أو بث مباشر، وحلت المشكلة قبل مباراة الأهلي بيومين، وأجرينا محاضرات لمتابعة طريقة لعب الفريق، ولا أرى حجة لذلك”.

طالع | ميدو ينتقد رحيل صلاح مصدق عن الزمالك.. ويصرح: تصريحات فيريرا تكشف شخصيته

وواصل: “أيمن الرمادي عمل لمدة شهر في الزمالك وما زال يتحدث عن أسلوب التعامل داخل النادي، ولم أكن أحب أن يتحدث فيريرا عن الزمالك بهذا الشكل”.

وزاد: “الفريق لم يتم إعداده بدنيًا بشكل جيد خلال فترة الإعداد، وبعض اللاعبين تحدثوا معي عن انخفاض اللياقة البدنية في الشوط الثاني، وتحدثت معه عن ذلك”.

وأشار: “شخصية فيريرا صدامية مثل ما حدث مع سيف الدين الجزيري عندما تحدث معه حدث مشكلة معظم اللاعبين كانوا لا يريدوا الحديث معه، عندما تحدثت مع فيريرا بشأن شكوى اللاعبين كان يقول لي إن هذه فلسفتي الذي العب بها”.

وأتم: “كنت أذهب للتعلم من فيريرا، لكن مجالي في التدريب كان صفرًا، ولم أستفد منه شيئًا”.

Captain’s poor form with bat typified off-colour display and leaves questions to be answered before Lord’s

Matt Roller06-Jul-20251:46

Harmison: England’s top-order returns a worry

Ben Stokes was surrounded. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed convinced that he had edged Washington Sundar down the leg side in the over before lunch, and Indian fielders converged on England’s captain. Ravindra Jadeja pointed to Stokes’ thigh pad. Shubman Gill decided against using his final review. Stokes chewed his gum, hand on hip, and glared.One ball later, India’s fielders went up in appeal again. Stokes was dumbfounded when umpire Sharfuddoula raised his finger, and held out his left hand in bemusement before reviewing. But the decision was spot on: DRS confirmed that Washington’s in-drifter had hit his pad before his bat. He shook his head as he walked off, past a fan waving an India flag in Edgbaston’s South Stand.Stokes’ innings was a grimly compelling watch, a public disavowal of his previous stance that he was “not interested” in drawing Test matches as captain. With every high-elbow defence and exaggerated leave off the seamers, he made ever more clear the extent to which his team had been backed into a corner by India. After three years, the option of last resort had finally arrived.Related

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The trouble for Stokes was that Gill knew he could attack him with spin. Stokes never settled in England’s run chase in Leeds, compulsively reverse-sweeping – he played the shot 16 times in 51 balls, the last of which brought about his dismissal. He has always been a stronger player against pace but his numbers against spinners have fallen off a cliff.Here, Stokes put his reverse-sweep away against Jadeja, but was never in control. He shifted his guard, batting across his stumps, and was caught between stools when confronted with a rough patch outside off. He lunged forward to sweep, missing as many as he hit, and gloved one ball just short of Gill at leg slip as he looked to defend.Just briefly, Stokes had started to look like his old self when back-cutting, driving and pulling Mohammed Siraj for boundaries, finally exerting his dominance on a bowler. But his dismissal to Washington felt almost inevitable: 16 of his 25 Test dismissals since the start of last year have been to spinners, and he is averaging 18.43 against spin in that time. It has been a barren run, and it was telling that Gill pushed his fielders back at the end of overs, allowing Stokes singles that would keep him on strike.

“The task today was batting out the 80 overs. The result we always try to push towards and look forward [to] was beyond [us]… It just wasn’t meant to be”

Stokes has had a bad week in Birmingham. He took five wickets in the first Test at Headingley but admitted that bowling 35 overs left him as “a shadow of my normal self”, and after 15 more on day one at Edgbaston, managed only 11 overs thereafter. Uncharacteristically, he seemed to run out of ideas in India’s second innings as the game drifted away from him slowly.His decision to bowl first at the toss backfired, with India enjoying the best batting conditions and grinding England into the ground. “As the game got deeper and deeper, it was pretty obvious that [the pitch] was not playing the way that we thought it was going to,” Stokes said. Brendon McCullum was clearer, saying: “We probably got it slightly wrong.”India’s relentlessness with the bat left England facing an unprecedented situation under Stokes’ captaincy, attempting to bat out the final day to secure a draw with a win off the table. “The task today was batting out the 80 overs,” he said. “The result we always try to push towards and look forward [to] was beyond [us]… It just wasn’t meant to be.”4:11

Stokes: We weren’t able to deliver our skills when needed

His team now faces a quick turnaround to Thursday’s third Test at Lord’s. Stokes does not expect the 336-run margin of defeat to affect their performance next week, but he needs to step up with the bat. Gill, his opposite number, does not look a natural leader in the field, but his runs have bought him scope to make mistakes that Stokes is not giving himself.The opening day of this match marked the two-year anniversary of Stokes’ most recent Test hundred, a rage-fuelled 155 in defeat to Australia at Lord’s, and he has not scored a century in any format of the game since the 2023 World Cup. He declined the opportunity to play for Durham or England Lions ahead of this series to manage his body, but his batting has suffered.Since the start of last year, Stokes has faced only 1280 balls in professional cricket, limited heavily by knee and hamstring injuries; the next fewest among England’s top seven is Zak Crawley with 2414, while Joe Root has faced 4523. If batting is a skill that relies on rhythm and tempo, then Stokes has been dancing to a very different tune.Stokes shrugged off a post-match question about his own form with the bat but his five Test scores this year read 9, 20, 33, 0 and 33, and his career batting average has dipped to its lowest mark (35.31) since the 2019 Ashes. He has been an inspirational and tactically astute captain, but Stokes’ leadership alone cannot mask his struggles with the bat.

Can Rangers continue their Premiership winning run?

Well, the Gers did bring to an end their seven-match losing streak in Europe on Thursday, albeit a 1-1 draw with ten-man Braga at Ibrox did little to boost their hopes of reaching the Europa League knockout phase.

Back in the Premiership, Danny Röhl has won four out of four since arriving in Glasgow, albeit his team will kick off down in fifth place when Falkirk visit Ibrox on Sunday.

This is followed by clashes with Dundee United at Tannadice and then Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in the next week, presenting the Light Blues with a golden chance to climb up the standings, so which forgotten summer signing should Röhl unleash in these matches?

Can Rangers rely on Mohamed Diomandé?

Most would agree that, in a squad that otherwise lacks quality, the strongest part of this Rangers team is their midfield pairing of Nicolas Raskin alongside Mohamed Diomandé.

However, while the Belgian continues to impress, the same cannot be said of the Côte d’Ivoire international.

On Thursday, Diomandé was sent off in the dying embers of the underwhelming 1-1 draw with Braga, a pretty harsh dismissal in fairness, but this was his second red card of the Europa League already, having also been dismissed for a tackle on Zakaria El Ouahdi when Genk were 1-0 winners in Govan.

Thus, having now been sent off twice, the Ivorian will miss the next two Europa League fixtures against Ferencváros and then Ludogorets Razgrad.

That aside, he more broadly is not showing his best form this season, scoring his first goal of the campaign to snatch victory against Livingston last weekend.

Nevertheless, as a reflection of this, Diomandé has not been called up by les Éléphants manager Emerse Faé since June, putting his participation at both next month’s Africa Cup of Nations and the summer’s World Cup in doubt, unless his form improves.

Thus, searching for solutions as he attempts to configure a winning team, perhaps Röhl should leave Diomandé on the bench against Falkirk on Sunday, instead starting Rangers’ forgotten summer signing.

Rangers' forgotten new recruit deserves an opportunity

Given that Rangers brought in 13 new recruits during a busy and expensive summer, the first of those new recruits has been overlooked.

Back in January, 23 year old midfielder Lyall Cameron agreed to join Rangers on a pre-contract from Dundee, thereby arriving in the summer for mere compensation, having established himself as one of the Premiership’s most outstanding young players.

Of course, at the time he put pen to paper, Philippe Clement was still the manager, with a lot of change happening during the intervening six months, later admitting that the knowledge Russell Martin “didn’t sign” him was being used as extra motivation to prove his worth.

During his final season at Dundee, Cameron scored 14 goals across all competitions, an impressive return considering the Dark Blues finished tenth, narrowly avoiding relegation, certainly showcasing his talent.

Kai Watson was very much impressed, noting that “ball carrying, chance-creation, tenacity and vision” are his primary attributes, praising his “ability to be in the right place at the right time” in the penalty area, calling the signing a “no-brainer”.

Well, towards the start of the season, Cameron appeared set to be a key figure, starting three Champions League qualifiers and two of the first three Premiership matches, scoring his first goal for the club against Viktoria Plzeň on the road.

Overall, the Scotland under-21 international accumulated 409 minutes of action across July and August, but has seen a miserly ten minutes on the park subsequently, introduced as a late substitute by Röhl during home Premiership wins over Kilmarnock and Livingston.

Nevertheless, he surely deserves more of an opportunity, so let’s compare his statistics to those of Diomandé.

Goals

0.3

0.2

Assists

0.2

Zero

Shots

1.2

0.7

Shots on target

0.7

0.4

Chances created

1.8

0.9

Big chances created

0.19

0.17

Passes completed

32.1

39

Forward passes

16.3

10.4

Duels won

4.1

4.9

Ball recoveries

5.8

4.9

Tackles

1.2

1.4

Ground duels won %

44.5%

45.5%

Touches

63.8

65.4

Average rating

7.12

6.54

Note: all stats are Premiership only and per-90.

As the table documents, Cameron’s Premiership statistics last season are pretty much universally more impressive than those of Diomandé this time round, all on a per 90 basis, the Scotsman doing so for struggling Dundee, making it all the more impressive.

Cameron scored more goals and registered more assists, as well as coming out on top for a wide variety of underlying metrics, including shooting, chance creation, passing and ball recoveries.

Thus, considering Rangers’ lowly league position and, at best, mixed form, it is frankly baffling that Cameron has been given pretty much no playing time by Röhl, a fact that the German head coach should rectify against Falkirk on Sunday.

​​​​​​​

Rohl must bin Chermiti for Rangers star who was the SPFL's "best player"

After another anonymous performance by Youssef Chermiti against Braga, Danny Röhl must start the “best player in the league” against Falkirk on Sunday

ByBen Gray Nov 29, 2025

Sri Lanka have never beaten Australia in ODIs but they have the advantage of playing at home

Madushka Balasuriya03-Oct-20252:44

Can the Australia batting juggernaut be stopped?

Big picture: Sri Lanka need to up their gameIf there were even the faintest doubt about who the favourites for the 2025 Women’s World Cup were, they were put to bed as swiftly as an Ashleigh Gardner blade swing after Australia’s dominant win over New Zealand in their tournament opener.In Indore, Australia started fast and stumbled, but like an unrelenting force, they just kept coming. In the end, their victory was less about outplaying New Zealand and more about brute-forcing the result. As far as early tournament markers go, it was an impressive one.Against India in their opener, Sri Lanka too set an early marker of the sort of side they are. They had India reeling at 124 for 6 but then proceeded to drop each of the next four chances that came their way to let the hosts claw themselves back into the contest and register a fairly comprehensive win eventually. Discipline followed by indiscipline; bad undoing the good.Related

'Good to start with best teams' – Sri Lanka's Athapaththu ready for Australia after India

Sri Lanka have not played an ODI against Australia since 2019, but they know what they need to do. Resilience has been a buzzword for Chamari Athapaththu, and in that sense it’s clear that any lingering hang-ups from that opening defeat will be well behind them come Saturday. But execution might be the more pertinent declaration if they’re to show their best selves against the defending champions.With free entry being granted to the stadium, Sri Lanka will also be hoping for substantial home support. They’re also very familiar with the Khettarama surface, as the high-performance centre where the national players train is located there. So while Sri Lanka have never beaten Australia in an ODI, the conditions for an upset are nevertheless in place.Form guideAustralia WWLWW (last five ODIs most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLLWWVishmi Gunaratne’s form is a concern for Sri Lanka•ACC

In the spotlight: Ashleigh Gardner and Vishmi GunaratneLike the surprise manifestation of a final boss’ second health bar after you think you’ve finally got them beat, Ashleigh Gardner sits spearheading Australia’s lower middle order. Her 115 off 83 against New Zealand served to highlight not just the resilience of this Australian outfit, but their entire aura. While her role is a challenging one, it’s invaluable in that it affords the licence for those above her to play with freedom, while allowing her to provide guidance to those below her. And it means that while she is at the crease, Australia are never beat.In August 2024, Vishmi Gunaratne struck her maiden ODI hundred against Ireland. Her three innings in the lead-up to that read 40, 50, 44. But in ten innings since then, she has not been able to cross 36. While Athapaththu would be the obvious pick for this section, if Sri Lanka are to challenge Australia, they need the rest of their batting to chip in in a big way. Gunaratne has been out of sorts, but Sri Lanka will be banking on her rediscovering her groove even though it’s her first ODI against Australia.Team news: Brown or Schutt?Australia are unlikely to make any changes to the batting, though it remains to be seen if Darcie Brown continues in place of Megan Schutt.Australia (probable): 1 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Beth Mooney, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Alana King, 11 Darcie BrownSri Lanka played their first-choice XI against India, and it’s unlikely there will be any changes.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Hasini Perera, 2 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 3 Harshitha Samarawickrama, 4 Vishmi Gunaratne, 5 Kavisha Dilhari, 6 Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), 7 Nilakshika Silva, 8 Sugandika Kumari, 9 Inoka Ranaweera, 10 Achini Kulasuriya, 11 Udeshika PrabodhaniAshleigh Gardner scored a brilliant hundred against New Zealand•Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: Rain could play spoilsportThe pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium has traditionally offered up an even contest between bat and ball. However, efforts have been made recently to make it more batting-friendly, so there may not be as much in it for the spinners as usual. As for the weather, there is a distinct chance of rain in Colombo throughout the afternoon.Stats and trivia: Australia 11-0 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka have lost each of their 11 ODIs against Australia. Athapaththu is 80 runs away from 4000 ODI runs. Gardner’s 51 wickets are the most by an Australian since the 2022 World Cup. They are the joint-third-most in that period among all players.Quotes”The beauty of a World Cup is you play every different side and you have to prepare. You don’t really get time to learn. You’ve got to come out firing. But I think our group’s got some awesome heads on our shoulders and we are able to assess conditions and adapt to whatever’s thrown at us.”
“We’re playing against the best team. The world champions. But if we can execute the right plan at the right time, I know we can beat any team. But execution is the most important thing, rather than the skill and the mindset. So we’ll have to play our best game tomorrow.”

South Africa will play two matches in Colombo, first against Sri Lanka and then against Pakistan

Madushka Balasuriya16-Oct-2025For the first time this World Cup, South Africa will be playing in Colombo. While this is going to be a fairly significant change in conditions as far as batters are concerned with the pitches at the Khettarama having shown to be tougher to score on, South Africa are banking on the knowledge gained on their recent tour of Sri Lanka to help them manage.”I think now we as a team, we kind of know the players, especially me as a bowler. I know there are ways to bowl, their strengths and their weaknesses,” stated Nonkululeko Mlaba on the eve of their match against Sri Lanka. “So yeah, it was very important for me to actually read and to know the players.”Mlaba is likely going to play a crucial role if South Africa are to come away victorious, with the left-arm spinner having picked up eight wickets across the first four games of the tournament. With those wickets coming in India, she would have been forgiven for being excited by the prospect of bowling on the spin-friendly surfaces in Colombo, however she’s happy to focus on keeping things simple. After Sri Lanka, South Africa will face Pakistan in Colombo on Monday, before moving to Indore to meet Australia.Related

• Rain, redemption and a race for the semis: SL face SA in crucial Colombo clash

“I think it’s my second time playing here. Because we had a tri-series against Sri Lanka and India, and yeah, it’s always good to come back here and hopefully this time around I’ll just do well for the team.”One thing that I normally do best is just sticking to my good lines and lengths, and the rest will take care of itself.”South Africa have faced some tough challenges already across this tournament, most notably in their heavy opening game loss to England. But even in their three wins, they have been forced to work hard for the results.Against India and Bangladesh, it was a strong rearguard that saw home two tricky chases, while it was only against New Zealand where the win was relatively comfortable. Mlaba believes there are no easy games in this tournament”I just feel like each and every team is very hard to play against because we played against Sri Lanka in a tri-series and also played against them at home, and they beat us in a few games.”They definitely have a good team – the spinners, they’re very good. And [Chamari] Athapaththu herself, she’s quality. So as a team we don’t underestimate any team, we just play our own game and try our best to win the game.”One running theme across South Africa’s matches this tournament has been a tendency to allow teams back into the contest from a position of strength, most recently when Bangladesh fought back from 78 for 5 to post a total of 232. Mlaba, however, is not unduly concerned.”That’s obviously part of the game,” she said. “You know we as a team, you start off well and then sometimes you just lack here and there, but then it’s just a matter of trying to bring the team together and just try and focus and do well in that certain period.”I’ve watched a lot of games and a lot of teams, they’ve also been going through the same as us. So, it’s just part of the game, it’s cricket.”

Eddie Howe has now reportedly told Newcastle United to go and sign a Serie A midfielder who Tyneside scouts have already watched in action.

Eddie Howe delivers Nick Pope verdict after Marseille mistake

It’s been one step forward and two steps back for Newcastle this season. The Magpies defeated Manchester City in an excellent display last weekend, before picking up where they left off to take the lead against Marseille. It looked as though they were finally back on track. But that’s when it all fell apart.

Nick Pope’s moment of madness allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to equalise from wide, before the former Arsenal man was at it again to score what proved to be the eventual winner for the French hosts.

It’s not the first time that Pope has come under fire in a Newcastle shirt this season, but Howe decided to back his shot-stopper in his post-match interview, saying: “I think it’s a concern when we concede goals, regardless of who’s at fault. I think we have to look at everything with a balanced head.

“He (Pope) saved us many times. He made some really good saves against Manchester City just two days ago. That’s the life of a goalkeeper. But I’ll certainly back him.”

With Aaron Ramsdale waiting in the wings, however, it remains to be seen just how many more chances Pope will receive. Up next, Newcastle travel to the Hill Dickinson stadium for the first time to face an Everton side who just defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It’s a game that the Magpies will be desperate to win to at least make it back-to-back victories in the Premier League. Alas, it’s also one that may expose their lack of depth in midfield once again.

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It’s a fairly open secret that Howe’s targeting reinforcements in that area ahead of 2026 and reports are now claiming that he’s told the club to go and sign Serie A star Manu Kone.

Howe tells Newcastle to sign Manu Kone

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Howe has now told Newcastle to sign Kone after sending his scouts to watch the impressive AS Roma midfielder.

The midfielder would instantly add depth to the Magpies’ midfield, but Roma have already reportedly dealt those at St James’ Park a frustrating blow in pursuit of his signature. Unsurprisingly, Roma are keen to keep hold of Kone and have told Newcastle that he is not for sale in 2026.

Whether Newcastle test the waters despite Roma’s stance is the big question. Kone would certainly be worth the chase. The Frenchman was dubbed “composed” by Como scout Ben Mattinson ahead of arriving in Serie A in the summer and could yet be on his way to the Premier League.

As bad as Pope: Howe must drop 4/10 Newcastle dud who made just 14 passes

Spinner revealed last week that England had released him from his deal after Ashes omission

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2025Jack Leach has signed a contract extension with Somerset after revealing that he has been released from his England central contract.Leach has played 39 Tests for England, most recently on their tour to Pakistan a year ago, and was the only spinner to take 50 County Championship wickets this season. But he has slipped down the pecking order to the extent that England have opted to take the allrounder Will Jacks to Australia as their back-up spin option ahead of him.He has been centrally contracted since the start of the 2021-22 winter but will fall back onto his county deal with Somerset next year. Leach was already under contract with his hometown club until the end of next season, but the county announced on Monday that he has now signed a two-year extension until the end of 2028.Related

Shoaib Bashir set to leave Somerset when contract expires

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England have not yet announced their central contracts for 2025-26, but Leach told the BBC last week that he had been informed by managing director Rob Key that his deal would not be renewed. “My contract was up, so he obviously told me that and at the same time, said about the Ashes squad and that I wasn’t going to be in it,” Leach said.”I was gutted about that. That was really my aim for the summer, and it wasn’t to be, so [now] it’s time to reflect and try to keep getting better and get myself back in there… I don’t know from their point of view whether they have completely moved past me, but I believe I’m still getting better and I need to keep showing that in county cricket.”Shoaib Bashir, who has leapfrogged Leach to become England’s first-choice spinner, is widely expected to leave Somerset after he did not feature for them in any format this season. He is likely to retain his central contract for 2025-26, meaning that the ECB – rather than whichever county he joins – will pay his salary.Elsewhere, Sussex have announced the signing of batting allrounder Jack Leaning from Kent on a three-year contract, while legspinning allrounder Calvin Harrison has signed a permanent deal with Northamptonshire after impressing on loan from Nottinghamshire earlier this year.

Newcastle United meet Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend. Always a fun one.

The November international break has curtailed and now it’s domestic action right through until March. By that stage, so much could have happened: the Magpies may have defended their Carabao Cup title and made headway in the Premier League to press for Champions League qualification, for example.

But the upswing in form needs to start now. United have been out of sorts this season, and languish in 14th place. Still strong at St. James’ Park, this stands as a fantastic chance to underpin Eddie Howe’s fifth chapter on Tyneside with a statement victory that tells of durability and a will to win which is as fervent as ever.

24/25

Premier League (A)

4-0 loss

24/25

Premier League (H)

1-1 draw

23/24

FA Cup

2-0 loss

23/24

Premier League (H)

3-2 loss

23/24

Carabao Cup (H)

1-0 win

23/24

Premier League (A)

1-0 loss

And Newcastle will need all their strength against a Man City side who have foiled them many times in recent years, losing just one match to the Northern outfit across 15 matches in all competitions. In fact, Newcastle have only recorded one top-flight victory over City since 2005/06.

SJP will be a cauldron of deafening noise, for sure, and it will need to be, especially with Howe contending with a glut of injuries.

Newcastle team news vs Man City

Rodri and Mateo Kovacic are both out for the visitors, and so Howe will know the importance of a fiery central display to overwhelm and negate much of the away side’s creative threat.

However, the Toon may be forced to put their plan into action without the power and physicality of Joelinton, who may be sidelined after being forced off during the defeat at Brentford before the break.

The Brazilian’s nasty leg injury isn’t thought to have eliminated him from contention here, but Howe will be wary of unleashing his midfield monster if it’s clear he lacks full fitness and ferocity.

Sandro Tonali is fit to play, while Nick Pope has been given the green light following concussion protocols. However, Anthony Gordon is “touch and go”, and wide duo Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento may not be risked from the opening after bouncing back from respective setbacks.

City are going to try and overwhelm the Magpies, but with Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes on form, there’s little question that the hosts have the tools to get the job done. Albeit, Yoane Wissa is still not quite ready to make his debut, months after completing a big-money transfer from Brentford, as he completes the final laps of his recovery process after a knee injury sustained on international duty with DR Congo.

And if Joelinton is kept out of action, or even benched, Howe has the perfect alternative to unleash in the middle of the park.

Howe could unleash Joelinton replacement

Newcastle need an emphatic performance against City, who have taken the spoils so often in this meeting. What Newcastle could do with is some uplifting flair to complement the grit of Howe’s wider system.

Well, while Jacob Ramsey will be gunning for a starting berth, it’s Lewis Miley who should be given the nod, with his deep-lying playmaking qualities allowing the senior midfielders beside him to play with freedom and dynamism.

Miley came under flak across the early weeks of the campaign, some segments of the fanbase questioning his levels, but he has grown in confidence over the past few months, particularly impressing in starts over Benfica and Fulham, both wins for United.

After that mature showing against Benfica, journalist Liam Kennedy hailed his “coming-of-age performance in the number six role”, proving that he’s now “ready for serious minutes”.

The 19-year-old is a silky ball-playing midfielder with convincing signs of defensive play. He is raw, yes, and lacks the polish of a midfielder grown into their skin. And yet he’s also got something special about him, a game-changing quality that has led one Magpies Podcaster to hail him as being Howe’s “own Phil Foden”, given his English talent and growing reputation as his side’s starboy.

Miley emerged before he had even reached adulthood, and he confirmed that he has potential in Howe’s Newcastle system.

If Howe does engineer his first-ever Premier League victory over Manchester City (for Newcastle and Bournemouth), this could be a sensational turning point for a club whose residual issues from the summer transfer window are continuing to plague the team’s fluency and confidence.

Many eyes will be on Nick Woltemade, on Tonali and Bruno in the centre. The big hitters. But this is a game for a breakthrough, and Miley could finally announce himself, properly, as a star in the making on Tyneside.

He’s hardly unknown. The academy graduate has already racked up 58 senior appearances for Newcastle, and he has scored three goals and provided five assists.

He might not have Foden’s gusto and world-renowned reputation, but Miley is an exciting and creative player, strong in the duel and bringing a unique flavour that perhaps no one else in the squad can quite match.

Foden, for sure, will be a threat, and perhaps someone Pep Guardiola will look to use as a focal point. After all, Erling Haaland might have scored on his first appearance against Howe’s Newcastle, but he has blanked across five outings since.

Miley has the opportunity to stand his countryman up and take control on a big evening for Newcastle. They cannot afford to slip to a defeat on home turf ahead of successive away trips to Marseille and then Everton.

This might just be his moment.

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1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 21, 2025