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Jude Bellingham’s relationship with England boss Thomas Tuchel has been compared to the one that Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson once experienced at Old Trafford. Wes Brown witnessed that at close quarters and has, during an exclusive interview with GOAL, been discussing Bellingham’s role in the Three Lions squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup group stage draw.

Character questions: Will Bellingham make England's World Cup squad?

Tickets to that event next summer were booked while Bellingham was watching on from afar. Despite recovering from shoulder surgery and returning to action at Real Madrid, the 22-year-old midfielder was left out of Tuchel’s plans in October.

He returned in November, as a faultless passage through qualification was completed, before more questions were asked of his character and temperament after a 2-0 victory over Albania – in which Bellingham made his first international start since June 7.

AdvertisementGettyKeane & Ferguson: Bellingham vs Tuchel likened to Man Utd legends

Tuchel has made it clear that he will not be selecting anybody that threatens to rock the boat and disturb group harmony, with a happy camp required in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That has led some to suggest that Bellingham may be overlooked, despite his obvious talent.

Asked for his take on that debate, former United and England defender Brown – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “First of all, when it comes to a player and a manager, there needs to be respect. You look over the course of my Man United career, with Keano and the gaffer – they weren’t the best of mates, but there is an understanding that they are both here to win and both can play a big part in that.

“You still need respect between the manager and the player. We all know how good Jude is and he’s a big part of the squad and a big player in the team – who the manager knows that he needs, by the way. He does need him in the team. At the same time, it comes down to making sure that the respect levels are right. Maybe that’s what it is. I’m sure it will be fine. At the same time, they have to come to an understanding. At any normal football club, if two people are not getting on then you find a way to work it out and fix it.”

Too good: Bellingham expected to get England call

Another former England international, Danny Murphy, told GOAL recently when asked if there are any concerns regarding Bellingham and his place in England’s plans: “I find the narrative around his character and any problems a little bit strange because when I have watched England – I have watched them a lot at tournaments and watched him closely, he is, by far, the best character on the football pitch when England play, in terms of producing big moments, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, leaving everything out there.

“If you could have 11 Jude Bellinghams, you would win most tournaments. The element of not talking to the press or not doing interviews or the odd swear word or rant or a little bit of what some people would call arrogance, that is what creates the player on the pitch. They are just rumours because a lot of the feedback from the players – Jordan Henderson recently said how much he likes him and how great a character he is – I think some of it has been exaggerated.

“From a footballing perspective, we have a much better chance of winning the World Cup if he is in the team. I don’t mean just in the squad, I mean in the team. He is a phenomenal talent. We should be – as pundits, fans, press – building him up, applauding him and being thankful that we have got him, not trying to pull him down because he is the best one we have got. He is the game-changer in our side. He is the one that can make things happen. He’s just a phenomenal player.”

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GettyWorld Cup draw: Date England will discover group stage opponents

The expectation is that Bellingham, who has 46 senior caps to his name, will be handed a place on the plane heading over the Atlantic next summer. For now, he – and the rest of the England hopefuls – are waiting to discover who they will face in the World Cup group stage. All will be revealed when the draw is held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on December 5.

The San Diego Padres have been struggling lately and when things aren't going well for you, sometimes a little luck can be exactly what you need.

That's just what the Padres got in the bottom of the 11th inning Monday night at home against the Miami Marlins when they found a wild way to get a walk-off win.

With one out and runners on first and third, Miami's Cade Gibson threw a wild pitch that bounced away from his catcher. Nick Fortes was able to quickly get to the ball and tried to make a play at the plate but San Diego's Tyler Wade slid in safely to end the game.

Here's how that played out:

The Padres are just 3-7 in their last 10 games so maybe this type of win is just what they need to get things going in the right direction.

Minority owners Red Bull have reportedly told Leeds United to replace Daniel Farke with a manager who has worked with Thomas Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Leeds set fresh Farke sack timeline

The pressure is on Farke, who’s looking to avoid his very own Groundhog Day in the Premier League. The German is yet to achieve survival in the Premier League, despite previous attempts with Norwich City, and will be desperate to silence any doubters at Elland Road this season.

It looked for a moment as though the Leeds boss was about to do exactly that against Manchester City last time out, to his credit, only for Pep Guardiola’s side to turn on the style and secure a late 3-2 victory. A point at the Etihad would have been invaluable for those in Yorkshire, but they now play host to Chelsea this Wednesday with Farke under increasing pressure.

According to The Guardian, defeat against both Chelsea and Liverpool could spell the end for Farke at Elland Road. On paper, that may seem harsh. After all, Leeds are facing the world champions who just earned a point against Arsenal with 10 men and the Premier League champions, albeit during a tumultuous period for the Reds.

That is the harsh reality of the Premier League, though, and Leeds are seemingly willing to act as early as possible in an attempt to avoid the drop. As such, names like Ange Postecoglou have already been mentioned as potential candidates recently, but Red Bull have reportedly recommended Zsolt Low instead.

Red Bull tell Leeds to hire Zsolt Low

As reported by TeamTalk, Red Bull have told Leeds to hire Low to replace Farke if they decide to part ways with the German. The minority owners don’t have a say on sporting matters but are there for the 49ers to lean on, should they please.

Leeds eyeing move for 4-3-3 Farke successor who has admirers at Elland Road

The Whites are struggling for form in the Premier League and could now change tact in the dugout.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 28, 2025

It seems that, if they choose to do exactly that, then Low could be an option. The 46-year-old won’t be a name that many are familiar with at Elland Road, but he is someone that PSG, Bayern Munich and Chelsea know well.

Low was Tuchel’s assistant at all three clubs and is known by Red Bull thanks to his time as the interim boss at RB Leipzig at the end of last season and his time as Adi Hutter’s assistant at Red Bull Salzburg.

Games

8

Wins

2

Draws

3

Defeats

3

Goals scored

13

Goals conceded

17

Out of the options available, Low would arguably be the greatest gamble. He’s had just eight games as a manager and won just two of those games at Leipzig last season – using a 4-4-2 system.

His work as an assistant is admirable, but Leeds must replace Farke with a far more experienced candidate.

Leeds lining up January spending spree for "phenomenal" Farke replacement

On a hard-fought day at the SCG, Victoria fought back strongly after Starc had made major inroads

Andrew McGlashan10-Nov-2025Mitchell Starc revealed he has been working on ironing out some technical issues ahead of the Ashes as he warmed up for the Test series with some hostile bowling on the opening day against Victoria at the SCG.Starc ended the opening day with 4 for 91 from 18 overs, including a particularly rapid spell after lunch, but New South Wales paid the price for dropping Peter Handscomb before he had scored as he forged an impressive century to leave the visitors handily placed on a hard-fought day.”[I’ve been] working on a few things, getting that rhythm back,” Starc said. “Probably my longest layoff injury-free for a long time so trying to find that rhythm through the ODIs [against India]. Just felt like something wasn’t quite clicking there and it felt pretty close today. So, yeah, reasonably happy.Related

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“I tend to be someone [for] who continuous bowling keeps me in rhythm. It was a quick return to playing…I wasn’t going into the ODI series thinking I was cherry ripe.”Starc, who had asked for side-by-side footage of his most recent Test spell in Jamaica where he took 6 for 9 and the ODI in Adelaide to try and see if he could pick out an issues, added he had spoken to Australia coach Andrew McDonald after play to say he felt close to finding his best form again.”I think I’ve sorted it out. It’s just getting the engine going again,” he said. “I couldn’t really pick up too much in the action [from the footage]. I felt like I was pretty close and today I feel like I’m even closer.”Starc, playing just his fourth match since the West Indies tour, struck twice in quick succession after lunch to leave Victoria wobbling on 106 for 4. But Sam Harper, who counterattacked with a 40-ball 54 which included taking 22 off five balls against Starc, added 92 with Handscomb. Then Fergus O’Neill, whose batting has flourished this season, helped put together 84 with Handscomb for the sixth wicket.Shortly after coming to the crease Handscomb edged Josh Hazlewood low to first slip where Jack Edwards, who handed the NSW captaincy to Steven Smith for this match, spilled a regulation catch. Handscomb made it count, reaching his second Shield century of the season from 208 balls with a drive down the ground against Hazlewood. Shortly after, he fell to a Nathan Lyon delivery with a relatively new ball which slid past the outside edge.”Nice to come out here and face such a quality attack,” Handscomb said. “To score runs is always nice, but to do it against those boys was special for me.”Starc provided New South Wales with their first wicket of the day when he trapped Harry Dixon with a searing yorker. Then after lunch he was involved in an engrossing contest with Campbell Kellaway, the 23-year-old opener who is establishing himself as one of the most promising among Australia’s next generation, with the left-hander repeatedly having to sway out of the line of well-directed bouncers.Peter Handscomb celebrates his century•Getty ImagesHowever, one short ball Kellaway couldn’t avoid slammed him on the left hand causing significant pain and a lengthy delay. But he was able to resume and brought up a 96-ball fifty before gloving Starc down the leg side. It was a clear deflection and Kellaway began to walk but then stopped leaving the umpire to raise his finger.”Old Starcy fired up a bit there and got the ball whizzing through, which with the summer of cricket coming up, it’s exciting to see,” Handscomb said. “[It was] amazing from Campbell. You take a few body blows, a few finger blows, it’s never nice.”For him just to knuckle down and keep fighting and keep trying to just focus on the next ball, sticking to his process and putting everything else out of his mind was a class act. Sort of showing that he is going from strength to strength as a batter and doing some pretty amazing things at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield, which is a tough ask.”Starc struck again at the start of his next over when Ollie Peake slashed to gully where Kurtis Patterson took an excellent catch. His figures took a dent after tea as Harper began the session in dramatic fashion with two fours and two sixes. It included a huge hook which lost the ball in the stands, in the process racing to a 38-ball fifty, before picking out deep square leg when he couldn’t resist having another dip.Among other members of Australia’s Test attack, Hazlewood ended wicketless after seeing the early opportunity against Handscomb go begging but again looked in excellent rhythm as he had during the recent white-ball matches against India.Lyon had struck in the morning session when he had Marcus Harris caught at short leg off an inside edge. He finished with 2 for 65 from 21 overs. Sean Abbott, one of the reserve quicks for Perth, initially went at more than four an over but clawed things back and struck to remove O’Neill via an inside edge.Shortly after lunch, Will Salzmann was subbed out of the game with a hamstring injury under the trial being run by Cricket Australia for the first five rounds of the Shield season. He was replaced by Ryan Hicks. It was the second time NSW had made use of the rule after Abbott suffered a split webbing against Victoria in Melbourne.

Wolves' home ground Molineux was half-empty during the first half of their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Monday. Wolves have made a nightmare start to their 2025-26 campaign as they are yet to win a match in the Premier League after 15 games and are placed at rock bottom on the league table with only three points, as they stare at possible relegation.

Wolves fans turned up late for Man Utd clash

Wolves' famous fan group the Old Gold Pack (OGP) organised a protest where they encouraged fellow supporters not to enter Molineux for the first 15 minutes of their Premier League fixture against United on Monday evening. Some fans stayed outside the ground at kick-off as empty seats were spotted in the South Bank and parts of the North Bank. The protest was aimed at owners Fosun and club chairman Jeff Shi as the club struggle at the bottom of the Premier League table, with the possibility of relegation from the top flight growing more real every week.

AdvertisementAFPWolves fans protest explained

Speaking to , Kieran Newey from the OGP said: "We’ve arranged the 15-minute boycott because we care deeply about Wolves and feel the club’s leadership is ignoring key issues raised by fans. By missing the first 15 minutes, we’re sending a clear, peaceful message that fans want better for Wolves and won’t accept this continuing trend. It shows that supporters are united together and serious about wanting change. An empty stadium or empty seats, even for a short time, is a powerful visual that says we’re not being listened to, and we won’t just sit back and watch the club drift away any further than it already has. 

"We hope this makes the owners realise how much fans care, and sparks real dialogue. A lot of supporters don’t feel confident that Jeff Shi is the person to take this club forward. Our aim is for the owners and club to reconnect with the wider group of supporters, listen to our concerns, and restore the ambition and pride Wolves deserve."

He added: "It’s heartbreaking. Wolves means everything to us, and it hurts to have to do this just to feel like we’re being heard. We’re doing this because we care, and because we want to see our club competing, with a solid plan and leadership model for everyone who loves it."

Protest gaining traction

While the initial plan to protest came through OGP on social media, it was quickly backed by other Wolves supporters' groups like the Wolves 1877 Trust, Talking Wolves, Wolves Fancast, The Wolves Report, Wolves 77 Club, Always Wolves, Punjabi Wolves and The Wolfpack, who all released a joint statement, encouraging fans to take part.

The fan groups, however, conducted a peaceful protest and urged the masses gathered to remain respectful of those fans who wished to watch the game from kick-off.

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Getty Images SportMan Utd eye full points

After a heartbreaking result against West Ham last weekend which saw United drop crucial two points after Soungoutou Magassa equalised for the Hammers in the 83rd minute. Ruben Amorim will now hope that his team walks away with all three points against the struggling Wolves side and move up in the league table.

The Detroit Tigers' mascot Paws tried to do his part to distract Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes as he was dealing on the bump at Comerica Park on Thursday. He threw six innings and tied a season-high with nine strikeouts, but will record yet another no decision after the Tigers tied the game after Skenes's exit.

The Pirates ace had it going though, amidst a clever, yet audacious distraction attempt from Paws behind home plate. Skenes makes up one half of debatably the most notable couple across sports with his girlfriend, former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne.

As Skenes toed the rubber Thursday, Paws held a big sign that said "sup Livvy Dunne" adorned with hearts to try and get in the NL Cy Young favorite's head. A bold and pretty hilarious attempt. It turned out to be just a failed attempt as Skenes set Tigers' batters down on strikes left and right, giving up two earned runs in his six-inning outing.

Dunne quickly took notice and posted the perfect response to the Tigers' mascot.

"Sorry… not my type of tiger," the LSU alum wrote on her X account.

Skenes and Dunne recently made the trip to Omaha to cheer on their LSU Tigers in the men's College World Series. LSU is set to meet Coastal Carolina in the championship final round, which is a best-of-three series and begins Saturday.

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe committed two defensive errors during the team's 7-5 win over the Rays on Tuesday. Volpe has now made 15 errors this season, which is tied for the most in MLB.

Though Volpe's home run and two hits were crucial in the Yankees' win, he gave the Rays another chance with a poor throw to first base during the ninth inning. The 2023 Gold Glove winner has not played up to his previous defensive standard, and been a key part of the Yankees' overall struggles this season, a major concern as the team looks to return to the World Series in October.

Despite Volpe's woes, Yankees manager Aaron Boone is not planning to bench Volpe or sit him as a mental reset.

"Clearly, he's gone through some struggles here and in some key moments not made some plays," Boone said Wednesday. "I think Anthony's super tough, and I think he's wired for this. We think of slumps or struggles more offensively, it happens with even really good players on that side of the ball."

Boone continued, "My message to him is, 'You're really good at this.' And that's reality. He's a Gold Glove player, he makes plays that people can't make. He's a playmaker out there. He's made some mistakes on some balls that he needs to nail down, but it happens to guys at different points of their career. I believe his mental toughness and his wiring will get him through this, and we'lI all work right there with him to get through it too. I believe his best days are in front of him this year and beyond."

Volpe remains determined as well to turn around his performance defensively. “I’ve never really experienced something like this,” Volpe said Tuesday. “But I’ve got really good guys around me. I know what I’m capable of. It’s obviously frustrating, but it’s not discouraging. I know the standard I have for myself. I’m going to keep pushing until I prove it to myself every day."

Aaron Boone has responded to the harsh assessments levied on his team by two former New York Yankees veterans.

On Fox's pregame show before Saturday night's Speedway Classic, the panel discussed the Yankees' recent struggles. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were harsh in their assessments of the current roster and its manager. They didn't hold back.

"They make way too many mistakes," Jeter said. “And you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams. It just doesn’t happen. They had baserunning mistakes today—you saw [Trent Grisham] getting thrown out at home plate. You can’t continue to do it. You have to clean it up."

Rodriguez similarly said the team makes too many mistakes and there don't seem to be consequences for them.

"If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench," Rodriguez said. "I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences."

When asked about those comments, Boone accepted the criticism and said it comes with the territory of being the team's manager.

"Look, we’re the Yankees," Boone said. "When we lose games, if it’s in and around a mistake, that criticism is fair game. At the end of the day, we have all the pieces to be a really good team. That’s on me and all of us to get the most out of that."

He did say he disagreed with Rodriguez's characterization of there being no accountability, but that there were no excuses, and results are all that matter.

Perhaps making things worse, Boone and Jeter were teammates on the 2003 Yankees team that lost the World Series to the then-Florida Marlins. After Boone was injured in the offseason, the Yankees traded for Rodriguez to take his third base spot, and Boone was released soon after. So, yeah, there's some history here between the three men.

The Yankees made significant additions to their bullpen at the MLB trade deadline, but if the team continues to make simple mistakes, it won't matter.

The Tigers' slide heading into the end of the regular season has made manager A.J. Hinch's job a bit tricky.

They snapped an eight-game skid Thursday with a win over the Guardians in their series finale in Cleveland where the AL Central lead officially changed hands. With the 4-2 win Thursday, the Tigers evened things back up in the division with Cleveland, although the Guardians hold the tiebreaker.

Detroit's final regular-season series began Friday against the Red Sox against Fenway Park. They can clinch a playoff berth with a win and an Astros loss, but there's a chance that the Tigers can go into Sunday's finale still looking to get into the playoffs. If that comes to fruition, the good news for Detroit is their ace Tarik Skubal is scheduled to pitch Sunday following his most recent start Tuesday in Cleveland.

If Detroit's season is on the line, there's certainly nobody else they'd rather have on the bump. However, if they are able to clinch before Sunday, Hinch can save Skubal for Game 1 of their three-game wild-card series. On Friday, Hinch left nothing up for debate on the plan for Skubal. He'll pitch Sunday if needed. If not, he'll be on the shelf for the playoffs.

"It’s pretty clear," the Tigers manager said Friday via 's Cody Stavenhagen. "If we need to get into the playoffs, we’re going to pitch Tarik. If we’ve clinched a playoff berth, then we won’t pitch him."

Hinch and the Tigers did schedule gymnastics last year during their magical run to the postseason to ensure they could have their ace available for critical moments while on optimal rest. Last year, Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award with an 18-4 record and a 2.39 ERA while striking out a league-high 228 batters. This season, he's the Cy Young Award frontrunner with a 13-6 record, 2.21 ERA and 241 punchouts.

It's not a surprising move to play Skubal's Sunday start by ear, but opponents can be certain they'll see the dominant lefthander when it matters most.

A series of unforeseen events went against the tournament, but it also got a lot of things right

Sidharth Monga26-Jun-2020Come to Think of itWhen comparing the 2007 World T20 to the 50-over World Cup that had taken place a few months before it, the BBC’s Jonathan Agnew delivered the bigger event a blow in the solar plexus. It is rumoured, Agnew said, that the 50-over cup is still going on in some remote Caribbean island. He was deriding the length of the tournament: 51 matches played in four stages over 47 days.The 2007 edition is widely considered the worst of the 50-over World Cups. The first World Cup in the party capital of cricket, the West Indies, this one came with big expectations, under whose weight it soon began to crumble. Everything that could go wrong did. The ICC micromanaged it to the extent that it barred music and joy in the stands. Pakistan’s coach died during the World Cup, and the investigation that followed was both farcical and insensitive. There weren’t many close matches. India and Pakistan failed to make it past the first round. The final ended in the dark, a victim to the game’s regulations and interpretations. During the tournament’s last press conference, an advertising unit bearing the logos of the sponsors – to protect whom, arguably, the ICC banned atmosphere in the stands – symbolically fell on the ICC chief.The 2007 World Cup brought about a new world order where draws were fixed to make sure India and Pakistan did not get knocked out in the first round. The draws even began to make sure the two played each other in the first round. Just in case, you know. The “World” Cups began to shrink – to the extent that the number of teams came down to ten for the 2019 edition. All this to make sure the disaster of 2007 was not repeated.But was the 2007 World Cup really that disastrous or was it just an opportunity for the opportunists waiting to get rid of the Associates?ALSO READ – Sidharth Monga: Was Shannon Gabriel’s ‘brain fade’ in Dominica a calculated move gone wrong?The 2007 World Cup had a fair bit going for it. Apart from being the most inclusive World Cup of all, this one had a better format than the two that followed it: in 2011 and 2015, the first round , with two groups of seven teams from which four went through, was a glorified warm-up. It was not quite the perfection of the Super Six of the two earlier events – where only three teams made it out of each group, and played the best teams from the other group – but to accommodate 16 teams they had to improvise. All games were meaningful, and lesser teams had a fair chance to progress to the next round. Unfortunately for the ICC’s broadcast partners, Bangladesh and Ireland played out of their skins and grabbed that chance.In terms of playing conditions, this was the first World Cup with powerplays instead of the stale mandatory 15-over field restrictions. In a round table after the World Cup, England captain Andrew Strauss and Sri Lanka vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara both agreed it was a fine addition, revitalising the ceasefire middle overs and forcing captains to innovate.Dimly fades the Cup: the two captains and the umpires discuss the light rules at the dingy end of the final•Getty ImagesOn the field, a broader transition was taking place in terms of white-ball batsmanship. Australia kept pushing on from where they had left off in the 2003 final, trying to set the bar of the average ODI total even higher. That didn’t mean we didn’t have low-scoring thrillers. In fact some of the better matches were played on slower pitches that made 250 an excellent total. Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls but was denied by South Africa in a heart-stopper. Dilhara Fernando bowled a great last over to help Sri Lanka prevail over England. Zimbabwe and Ireland tied their game.While close games are always welcome, they can neither be an indicator of the quality of a tournament nor can they be designed into existence. All you can do is provide a fair format and hope the teams are evenly matched. If India and South Africa are not good enough on the day against Bangladesh, you don’t blame the format but sit back and enjoy the breathtaking batting of Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful.If close games didn’t come about with regularity, it was also down to the surreal quality of the cricket Australia played. If you went into an auction today with no cap on spending, you’d still struggle to put together a better team. Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist redefined fear for bowlers, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke were in the middle order should things go wrong or should conditions demand a little circumspection, there were two allrounders in Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson, and Michael Hussey batted at No. 7 (enough said). The bowling attack had a left-arm swing bowler, a right-arm metronome, a wild thing, and a left-arm wristspinner. That team was as far ahead of any other side as a team has been in the history of limited-overs cricket.ALSO READ – Andrew Miller: Did England waste the talents of Devon Malcolm?Complaints about the length of the tournament are disingenuous, raised in hindsight to suit a narrative. The next two World Cups had 14 teams playing 49 matches over 43 and 44 days respectively. Last year’s event took ten teams 48 matches and 46 days to decide a winner. Yet they are remembered as better tournaments, largely because there were no upsets to deny the big teams the final stages. The 2007 format was not too different from 2019’s – the eight teams in the Super Eights played each other once – and yet it allowed for six more teams with just three extra games. The 2019 World Cup had a similar number of matches over a similar number of days; they were just played by teams that are good for business.A close final might have elevated the 2007 World Cup in the pundits’ estimation. Or if there had been a story they could get behind. Pakistan’s great surge helped them overlook all the flaws in the 1992 World Cup: a daft rain rule, the consequent disproportionate premium on winning the toss and cynical manipulation of over-rates, and several meaningless matches because teams eliminated themselves too soon. The 2019 edition came within one match of containing a full month of dead rubbers. But those two tournaments are remembered for their great finishes, and 2007 – in which a semi-final spot was up for grabs till the 44th match – for the confusion in the dark.Apart from the criminal alienation of local crowds, the 2007 tournament got most things right: the format, a range of pitches that allowed for big-scoring and low-scoring thrills, and the playing conditions. That a coach died during the tournament, that two of the biggest draws couldn’t make it past the first round, that the final could not be played to its natural conclusion, were unfortunate and unforeseeable events. Even today, that format is likelier to provide you a better World Cup than the formats that followed.Come to Think of it