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Heading into 2026, Ryan Mason would have been praying that he could turn around West Bromwich Albion’s dismal fortunes.

Indeed, the now departed Baggies boss was on very shaky ground regarding his long-term Hawthorns future as the New Year approached, with four defeats coming his inconsistent team’s way across a largely bumpy December.

Unfortunately for the rookie head coach, he has now been put out of his misery, with a last-minute defeat to Leicester City proving to be the final straw.

That 2-1 loss on the road at the King Power Stadium was, staggeringly, the Championship club’s tenth league away defeat in a row, as the powers that be at West Brom desperately try to seek out a season-saving appointment, with the West Midlands outfit currently sat just six points shy of the relegation spaces.

Who West Brom could appoint to replace Mason

With how wildly competitive the second tier can be, West Brom are also only ten points off the coveted playoff spaces, and the Baggies now at a major crossroads for how the rest of their season could play out.

It makes the next appointment one that the West Brom hierarchy must get spot on, with Michael Carrick continuing to be linked with the job.

He might well have bigger fish to fry, as he’s tipped to be a temporary solution to Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim horrors, but he would be seen as a statement replacement for Mason, considering he consistently had Middlesbrough in and around the playoff spots during his tenure at the Riverside Stadium.

He’s far from the only interesting name being tipped to replace Mason, though, with former Baggies great Carlos Corberan also being linked with a spectacular return to England, having found his ongoing managerial stint at Valencia to be fraught with trouble.

Reports from Spain, which have been relayed by Sport Witness, indicate that the Spaniard could well be on borrowed time in the Estadio Mestalla hot-seat, with continued poor results in La Liga pushing the 42-year-old ever closer to the brink.

This would be welcome news for West Brom, who loved Corberan during his first spell in charge, with unfinished business on the end of the 42-year-old at the Hawthorns, potentially making him a better option to appoint than Carrick.

Why Corberan would be a better appointment than Carrick

West Brom have, arguably, never recovered from Corberan’s departure to Spain, with Tony Mowbray and the aforementioned Mason only managing to collect a low 14 wins combined as his successors.

Re-appointing the passionate Spaniard to pick up the pieces could be the best call moving forward; therefore, with the ex-Huddersfield Town boss breathing life back into West Brom’s faltering situation in some style during his first spell, as he turned the Baggies into playoff contenders, over relegation fodder.

A sensational winning run of eight wins from his first ten games in charge would catapult the West Midlands side back into promotion contention, leading to Corberan being labelled an “elite” coach by scout Petar Petrov.

Carrick has also been known to pull off an equally impressive run of form as a Championship manager, with Middlesbrough becoming a regular promotion challenger under the 44-year-old’s watchful eye, which saw him further be labelled as “insanely talented” by ex-Boro player Lukas Engel.

Corberan Championship record vs Carrick

Stat

Corberan

Carrick

Games

195

124

Wins

81

57

Draws

55

24

Losses

59

44

Points accumulated

298

195

Goals scored

252

200

Goals conceded

217

154

Playoff finishes

2x

1x

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Yet, Corberan has even more experience under his belt of what it takes to turn an underdog into a top Championship side, when managing the Terriers, with a Wembley visit via a playoff final also on his resume when managing in West Yorkshire.

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As a result, he can boast 24 more wins in the second tier than Carrick, albeit from 68 more games, with Corberan’s possible re-entry onto the scene perhaps just what is needed at the Hawthorns to turn around another unfortunate demise.

After all, it would be an appointment that would likely immediately bring a fractured fanbase back together, with Carrick not guaranteed to be instantly as likeable, as his final season record at Middlesbrough saw him lose a high 18 Championship games.

Whereas, as the Second Tier podcast, once boldly put it, Corberan has “single-handedly dragged the whole club out of the dirt” before, and he would be willing to do so again, as the short-lived Mason era at West Brom is hopefully pushed to one side.

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Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson

It’s a new year, and fans will be hoping for a new Tottenham Hotspur, one whose attacking play is sharper and whose home form in the Premier League is sterner for opponents.

Spurs shouldn’t be too gloom and doom about their fortunes, only four points behind fifth-place Chelsea at the season’s midpoint, but Thomas Frank’s football has left much to be desired so far, and the Danish coach has been candid in his assertion that he is not enjoying his time at the helm given the sombre mood about N17.

Frank will be given time, but those in the ENIC head offices will have considered the possibility that Frank will be axed down the line, should results and performances not improve this term.

Who could replace Frank at Spurs

The managerial market is slim right now, and the Lewis family will be hesitant to pull the plug on a project they started at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, boldly dismissing Ange Postecoglou after he led Tottenham to the Europa League, albeit finishing 17th in the Premier League too.

But this hasn’t stopped murmurings of new names circulating, with Premier League trio Oliver Glasner, Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola all shortlisted in December, as per Football Insider.

However, prising any of these names away will come with risks, and Spurs could instead look to land a manager with an understanding of what it takes to lead this club and champion the culture, so important to the fans.

Perhaps that’s why rumours of a return to the club have been touted for Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine coach is currently preparing USMNT for a 2026 World Cup that will be principally held in the United States, but this hasn’t stopped Caught Offside from revealing last month that his name has popped up during internal managerial conversations, and that he is actually the frontrunner should push come to shove.

Frank may not be sacked any time soon, with the January transfer window sure to bring new additions in line with Frank’s vision, but continued poor results and performances might force the club’s hand/

Why Pochettino would be the right fit for Spurs

Some Tottenham supporters might voice concerns about going back to an ex – and one who has since been with Chelsea – but Pochettino knows the club and understands that To Dare Is To Do.

The 53-year-old has managed 294 matches in the Premier League, and he led Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final, creating a balanced and exciting team who were lauded for their initiative and easy-on-the-eye play.

Journalist Alex Keble rather brazenly remarked in 2019 that Poch was a “genius” who was “too good” for Tottenham, though this related to former chairman Daniel Levy’s miserly reputation, consistently pegged as a man who would not spend and match the ambitions of Premier League rivals.

Now, this new version of Tottenham are ready to challenge the big boys and establish themselves at the very top of domestic and European football, and Pochettino could be the perfect man to achieve this, bringing a brand of attacking football that could far surpass Frank’s more pragmatic tactics.

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Rooted in stability and adaptability, the Spurs boss did great things with Brentford, but he’s failed to translate that shrewd coaching ability to north London, with Tottenham among the least effective creators in England this year.

Premier League 25/26 – Lowest xG Table

Team

Goals Scored

xG Total

(16) West Ham

21

20.2

(17) Tottenham

27

17.8

(18) Burnley

20

17.3

(19) Wolves

11

17.2

(20) Sunderland

20

16.3

Data via FBref

It’s not good enough, and while Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison continue to await their seasonal debuts as they recover from long-term injuries, Frank knows that things need to improve promptly if he is to build a long-term tenure.

Should that not be the case, Pochettino might be the perfect pick. He has a hunger to win silverware in the English game, and that might be the perfect combination with a deep connection and love for the Lilywhite club.

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Posts ByDan Emery

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:06

Manjrekar: Jadeja’s batting a lesson for Indian batsmen

Not long into the first hour of the third Test, the Nagpur pitch looked like it had been played on for days. The dry surface, spider-webbed like a cracked windshield, had already developed significant rough patches because of the bowlers’ follow-throughs and once Morne Morkel found the right length for the conditions, and offspinner Simon Harmer the ideal pace, survival was an ordeal for the batsmen. India did not make it through the day, lasting only 78.2 overs.In the nine overs South Africa faced before stumps, they glimpsed the severity of the challenge ahead, having lost a crucial toss. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja spun the ball plenty and got it to bounce too. Stiaan van Zyl fell to Ashwin’s drift and turn, prodding an offbreak to slip, and the nightwatchman Imran Tahir was bowled by Jadeja’s accurate left-arm spin. They ended the day on 11 for 2, the deficit of 204 acquiring formidable proportions.India did not look like they would get as far as 215 – the highest total of this spinner-dominant series – at one stage. Had there been more bounce to go with the prodigious turn, the pitch would have been near unplayable, but South Africa took a while to figure out the best method of attack. During that time India progressed to 50 for 0: M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan bringing up their second consecutive half-century stand. They then lost six wickets for 75 runs.Morkel and Kagiso Rabada had pitched too short in their first spells. While they were quick through the air, their 140kph-plus deliveries deflated after pitching, and the batsmen enjoyed the luxury of time. One short delivery from Morkel took so long to arrive that Vijay simply hung back and swatted it to the wide mid-on boundary, and even the short stuff from Kagiso Rabada, who had harried the Indian batsmen in the limited-overs games, was easily dealt with by Dhawan. There was just no carry.India were 33 for 0 in eight overs when Harmer, playing ahead of Kyle Abbott, and left-arm spinner Dean Elgar began their tandem act. There were bursts of dust from the surface, and balls spun sharply to beat the bat or hit the pad, but Elgar’s pace was a bit too slow for the surface, while Harmer’s line from round the wicket to the right-handers was too straight for the lbw to come into play.Vijay was lucky when he charged Harmer and missed, the ball grazing his inside edge and beating the wicketkeeper Dane Vilas by a long way, but he attempted the shot again two deliveries later and cleared long-on. It was the start of a tough day for Vilas, who conceded 15 runs in byes. The 50 partnership came up in 13.4 overs, but success came two balls later for South Africa.Dhawan stepped out of his crease and pushed too hard at a slow one from Elgar, the turning delivery lobbing back off the inside edge to the bowler, who dived across the stumps to take a sharp catch. While Elgar and Harmer were economical, Imran Tahir’s first two overs were a disappointment – a full toss and long hop allowed Cheteshwar Pujara to flick and cut to the boundary – and he did not bowl again until after tea.When Morkel returned for his second spell, he bowled fuller lengths and was immediately a greater threat than he had been with the new ball. Hanging back in the crease was dangerous now and Vijay fell – hit on the knee roll by the fullest delivery Morkel had bowled until then, one that straightened and kept so low, rendering it unplayable.Pujara and Kohli took India to 85 for 2 at lunch, but South Africa were accurate after the break and struck regularly. While Rabada kept it tight – ending with 1 for 30 in 17 overs – Harmer got the ball to spit viciously. One such delivery from round the wicket spun past Kohli’s leg stump for byes – Vilas barely moved – and another beat Pujara’s inside edge to trap him plumb in front.Ajinkya Rahane was jittery, charging to loft Harmer over long-on off his sixth delivery, and eventually lost his off stump to Morkel, the full ball swinging in sharply through the gap between bat and pad as he played a loose drive. Despite the pitch offering so much turn, South Africa attacked Kohli’s vulnerability outside off stump persistently with pace and it paid off. Morkel produced another full ball, swinging away this time, and Kohli chased and edged to Vilas.Morkel was now hooping reverse-swing yorkers to the right-handers, but Rohit Sharma managed to keep them out. He could not keep out a sharp offbreak from Harmer, though, and was caught at bat-pad, leaving India 125 for 6. Having bowled 20 overs in the day, however, Harmer began to tire and dropped short frequently to Jadeja, who capitalised with three quick boundaries before tea.The early part of the final session was good for India, as South Africa’s spinners bowled ordinary lengths, and Morkel went off the field because of a niggle after bowling the first ball of his 17th over. Jadeja had lofted Morkel straight and slashed him to third man, before he inside-edged Rabada on to his stumps. He had added 48 with Wriddhiman Saha for the seventh wicket, the second-highest partnership of the innings. Saha was the only Indian batsman to play more than 100 deliveries, and after he was athletically caught by Duminy at short midwicket with the score on 201, India’s last two wickets managed only 14 more.

Scorecard

West Indies needed all of Chris Gayle’s experience to take them home © Getty Images

Chris Gayle kept his cool with an unbeaten 85 as West Indies nearly slipped up in dramatic style against Scotland at Clontarf. Chasing a revised 165, they lost six for 38 in seven overs and entered the final three overs needing 29 to win. But after a succession of team-mates had lost their heads with wild swings, Gayle guided his side away from a huge embarrassment and alongside Darren Sammy the victory came off the penultimate ball.The key blow came in the 28th over when he launched John Blain for a six that relieved the growing pressure. Four leg-byes followed off the next delivery and the requirement closed in on a more comfortable run-a-ball. But Gayle needed a calm head at the other end and Sammy, who showed batting potential during his Test debut at Old Trafford, kept his composure. He was facing when the final over began with nine needed and virtually sealed the result with a spanking drive past cover followed by a neat flick through midwicket.The main reason the match came alive was an outstanding spell from offspinner Majid Haq. Gayle and Devon Smith eased to an opening stand of 95, Gayle repeating the destructive form he showed against Netherlands, and everything appeared under control. However, when Smith top-edged a sweep to slip, Runako Morton struggled to maintain the momentum.Haq removed Morton with a quicker ball and next delivery the game came alive when Lendl Simmons missed his glide to third man and Haq was on a hat-trick. Dwayne Smith responded with typical bravado, launching the hat-trick ball out of the ground, only to miscue a repeat in the next over off Ryan Watson.Scotland now really believed they had a chance and they edged into pole position when Denesh Ramdin became Haq’s third bowled victim and Austin Richards succumbed to the pressure by missing his heave against Watson. It created a great finish to a match that had struggled to come to life with regular, heavy showers fragmenting Scotland’s innings.The first interruption came two overs into the innings and on resumption Daren Powell nipped out both openers. Watson put bat to ball and reached 21 off 20 deliveries before falling to Ravi Rampaul.Navdeep Poonia, who hasn’t been able to find a place in Warwickshire’s first team, guided the total into three figures without further loss, but two quick strikes by the impressive Fidel Edwards put Scotland onto the back foot as rain drove the players off for a second time.With less than five overs of the innings remaining when the weather relented, Neil McCallam boosted the total with a 23-ball 27, clubbing four boundaries, and Blain struck a handsome six off Powell in the final over. Coupled with a boost from the calculations, it nearly proved enough to pull off a major shock and, although West Indies sneaked through in the end, Scotland can be proud of their effort.

Brian Lara will want to treat his home crowd to fireworks in his last two ODIs at Trinidad © Getty Images

The timing couldn’t have been better. Trailing 2-1 in the series after three heart-stopping games, India arrived in Trinidad, large chunks of which are distinctly Indian. If they switch on the radio, they are likely to hear Bollywood numbers; if they take a walk, they are likely to be offered roti and dal. Past Indian teams have enjoyed Trinidad – just ask Sunil Gavaskar – and the only ground where they have won Tests in the West Indies, three games in all, is the Queen’s Park Oval.In the larger scheme of things, for most of the locals at least, all the above is mere piffle. This is Brian Lara country. He’s made it amply clear that these will be his last two one-day games in front of his doting crowd. He stands on the threshold of leading West Indies to a famous series win, one that could trigger off some sort of resurgence. More worryingly for India, he hasn’t made too many in this series. In 28 previous games at Trinidad, he’s spanked seven fifties and two hundreds. He averages 55.76 at home. He’s a man with a sense of occasion. Don’t bet against this fella. Don’t even try.So far in this series, it’s been other batsmen giving India all the headaches. Ramnaresh Sarwan has spoken about improving his consistency and backed up the talk with two magnificent innings; Chris Gayle has, customarily, blown hot and cold; and Shivnarine Chanderpaul has failed, limped, succeeded and limped off. Lara has urged players like Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels to deliver more often. Also, there’s Sewnarine Chattergoon and Wavell Hinds to contend with. India have to stop not one, but several, bullet-loaded barrels.India may get back their chief weapon, with Yuvraj Singh likely to play. “He looks OK,” commented Rahul Dravid, “we’ll get him to bat in the nets and see how it goes.” India need all their batsmen to come good. The cracker called Mahendra Singh Dhoni is yet to explode and it’s a bomb that has no timer. Watch out for it.West Indies will bank on home advantage. “We played here recently against Zimbabwe and have a fair idea about how the pitch behaves,” Lara said on the eve of the match. “But this one [pitch] looks different. Normally, when we have back-to-back matches, there’s usually some moisture on the pitch and in the outfield. But this one is devoid of moisture. I’m more worried about how it will hold for Sunday.”For India, Sunday can wait. They need to first stay alive, then start kicking, then think of levelling the series, and then – only then – can they harbour hopes of winning it. Like against South Africa at home, late last year, and in Pakistan a few months back, the bounce-back-ability will be tested. They’ve pulled it off before; this one might just be their toughest test yet.India 1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Ramesh Powar, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 SreesanthWest Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Sewnarine Chattergoon, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Corey Collymore

Andrew Flintoff was the pick of England’s attack © Getty Images

Marcus Trescothick warned England would have to raise their game against Australia for the remainder of the season after a shoddy fielding display in their five-wicket win against Bangladesh at Headingley.The result set up an England-Australia final to the NatWest Series, at Lord’s on July 2, and ended Bangladesh’s interest in the tournament ahead of their final group match against Australia, at Canterbury, on Thursday.”It took us about 15-20 overs really to get going before we’d switched on to playing the sort of cricket we have been over the past couple of months,” said Trescothick. “If we take 20 overs to get going against Australia they are going to hurt us. We can’t play against Australia for the rest of the summer and not be as good as we have been.”England overpowered Bangladesh by an innings in both their Tests and had already recorded two crushing wins over Bangladesh in the NatWest Series before today’s game. Asked if that had led to a lack of intensity, Trescothick said: “Possibly. We’ve been on the road for a while. I don’t want to use that as an excuse because everyone’s playing the same amount of cricket so we can’t afford to switch off when we think we can. It looked wrong, all the energy we normally have wasn’t there today.”Trescothick praised Andrew Flintoff’s bowling, which allowed England to regain control: “He bowled really well today, his figures obviously showed that. He came on at two interesting times when the momentum of the game was changing and he changed it for us. There were those two wickets in two balls and then at the end he bowled some cracking yorkers, better than I’ve seen him bowl for a long time.”Andrew Strauss took England to the brink of victory with 98 but was fortunate to come through a frenetic start, which saw him dropped on 14, before he regained his composure only to lose it at the end. But he said he wasn’t too disappointed to miss his hundred. “Twos don’t count if you need one to win but going for a massive hack is probably not the best way to do it. But it’s not something that’s important to me. I don’t know why but I felt like going harder at the ball early. But once 10 overs had gone I played my normal game which served me a little bit better.”Javed Omar top scored with 81 for Bangladesh who at least had the satisfaction of batting out their 50 overs Australia rolled them over for 139 in 35.2 overs during the10-wicket defeat at Old Trafford. Stuart Karppinen, their fitness coach, in temporary charge after Dav Whatmore flew to Melbourne on Saturday to be with his ailing father, said: “There have been improvements along the way. Getting 300 in the second Test at Durham, Mohammad Ashraful’s batting and Mashrafe Mortaza’s bowling. But the win against Australia was easily the highlight.”

New Zealanders 128 for 3 (Astle 64*) drew with British Universities at Fenner’s
ScorecardNew Zealand were frustrated by the weather for the third day running, as the opening fixture of their tour of England – against a British Universities XI – was abandoned as a draw.Nevertheless, at least they made it onto the pitch today, and in the 35.1 overs available to them, Nathan Astle scored an unbeaten 64 to confirm that he is well on the way to full match fitness after his lengthy injury lay-off.Scott Styris thumped three fours and a six in a brief cameo before the rains arrived, after Mark Richardson had located the middle of his bat in compiling a solid 39. But for Michael Papps the day was less of a success. He was trapped lbw by David Wigley for a first-ball duck.Assuming the weather clears, New Zealand will have another chance to get their tour off the ground when they take on Worcestershire in a four-day match at New Road on Friday. The first Test begins at Lord’s in little more than a fortnight – on May 20.

GCCC are playing a number of pre-season friendly matches6/7 April v Sussex at Hove8/9 April v Northants at Bristol10/11 April v Kent at Canterbury.

Only the intervention of rain spared Nottinghamshire the embarrassment of losing inside three days to Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.When rain came there were two overs left and with Hampshire captain Robin Smith about to claim the extra half hour. At that stage Nottinghamshire were a wretched 113 for seven chasing a victory target of 491.Smith might even now be regretting his decision to bat on deep into the afternoon session before declaring his side’s second innings at 352 for eight.Derek Kenway scored a career-best 166 on a blameless wicket with a six and 26 fours as Hampshire built hungrily on their first innings lead of 138. Kenway batted for five hours before getting under a delivery from Richard Stemp to be caught at the wicket.Nottinghamshire had no answer to Kenway or to Neil Johnson who shared in a stand of 153 for the fourth wicket. Johnson, Dimitri Mascarenhas and Adrian Aymes all took advantage of a Nottinghamshire attack which appeared to be playing for the declaration.Any hopes Nottinghamshire supporters had of their side repeating the heroics against Worcestershire earlier this summer when they overhauled a target of 458 quickly disappeared.At nine for three and then 39 for five defeat became inevitable. Alan Mullally did much of the damage with figures of four for 48 but there was some indifferent batting and some great catching, not least by man-of-the-day Kenway in the slips to send back Kevin Pietersen.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Nikola Milenkovic to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Corriere Fiorentino (via Sport Witness), who claim that, after failing to land the centre-back last summer, David Moyes is once again plotting a move for the ACF Fiorentina defender at the end of the current campaign.

The report goes on to state that the Hammers are currently leading the race to sign the 24-year-old, who is believed to be open to a move away from the Artemio Franchi Stadium this summer, as the Serbia international is keen to join a side who are competing in European competition next season.

Moyes can axe Diop with Milenkovic

With Craig Dawson turning 32 and Angelo Ogbonna turning 34 in May, as well as the Italian sustaining an ACL injury last November, in addition to Issa Diop having failed to live up to initial expectations following his £22m signing back in 2018, it is easy to understand why Moyes would be interested in a move for Milenkovic this summer.

Indeed, over his 25 Serie A appearances so far this season, the £20.7m-rated defender has been in imperious form in the heart of the Fiorentina backline, helping his side keep five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 3.1 clearances, 54.9 passes and winning 5.5 duels – at a success rate of 69% – per game.

These returns have seen the £75k-per-week Serbian who Sacha Pisani dubbed a “beast” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as Vincenzo Italiano’s third-best performer in the top flight of Italian football.

In comparison, over Diop’s 11 Premier League outings this term, the £10.8m-rated centre-back has been in rather less impressive form, helping his side keep just two clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, three clearances and winning 2.4 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the £67k-per-week Frenchman who Toby Cudworth dubbed “shocking” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.64, ranking him as Moyes’ sixth-worst player in the division.

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As such, with Diop having been linked with a move away from east London this summer, it would appear extremely wise for Moyes to cash in on the 25-year-old while the interest is there, before subsequently reinvesting the funds received from the former French youth international’s sale into a move for the player who Dejan Stankovic claimed is “better than Vidic.”

AND in other news: West Ham handed huge boost in race for £17m Haaland alternative, he’s a goal “machine”