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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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	Kate Hoey: ‘Zimbabwe cricket is an extension of the worst aspects of Mugabe’s regime’ © Getty Images

Kate Hoey, the former sports minister and the chair of the UK’s all parliamentary committee on Zimbabwe, has called on the government to renew attempts to obtain a copy of the independent forensic audit commissioned from KPMG by the ICC.The audit, which the ICC executive board voted not to release, is believed to have been unsuccessfully requested by the government last month. David Morgan, the ICC’s president-elect, revealed at the weekend that Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, was one of those on the ICC executive that voted not to make the report public.Speaking in a debate on Zimbabwe in the House of Commons, Hoey, who is also a honorary vice-president of Surrey, renewed her demands that Peter Chingoka, Zimbabwe Cricket’s chairman, not be allowed to enter the country.”[Robert] Mugabe is a ZCU patron, and Chingoka and managing director, Ozias Bvute, are both deeply implicated in the financial corruption that props up the regime,” she said. “Through cricket, they have access to hard currency, which they misuse to exercise corrupt patronage in collaboration with the bigwigs of Zimbabwe’s ruling party.”At international matches Chingoka uses the VIP pavilion to host the ZANU-PF politicians, CIO operatives and senior army officers on whom he relies for protection.”Zimbabwe cricket is an extension of the worst aspects of Mugabe’s regime. Those of us who care for Zimbabwe and cricket in particular, or human rights and sport in general, must do all we can to support the prime minister’s proposal to ban the Zimbabwean cricket team from touring in the UK. I hope the [foreign] minister will confirm that no UK visa will be given for Chingoka to come here to attend any ICC meetings, or for any other reason, in the next few months.”The minister did not respond to the questions but it is likely Hoey will seek a formal answer in the coming days.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has taken over the possession of the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad (Sind), ending a decade-long struggle for cricket fans, players and organisers.Dr Nasim Ashraf, the board chairman, will arrive to take over the possession of the stadium and finalise the arrangements for upgrading it to international standards for meeting the requirements of the ICC.Ashraf will also sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the District Nazim Hyderabad, Kanwar Naveed Jamil, at the stadium. With the possession of this stadium, a historic cricket centre, it is expected that the board will not neglect Hyderabad in future while allotting Tests or ODI matches. It is the only venue in the country where Pakistan has never lost a Test or one-dayer.The venue last hosted an international match in September 1997, a one-dayer between India and Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar: The face that sells a thousand brands © AFP

He may be older, he may be struggling with injuries, he may not even be batting as well as he once was, but Sachin Tendulkar, the icon, the brand, still sells. This much at least, after signing a new three-year marketing deal reportedly worth in the region of US$40 million, hasn’t changed.Tendulkar signed the deal with Iconix, a newly-formed marketing branch of international advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi. The deal comes after the expiry of a successful ten-year agreement with WorldTel, run by the late Mark Mascarenhas and a man whom Tendulkar once described as being like an older brother.”It’s great to have a legend like Sachin as the first client of Iconix,” said V. Shantakumar, the chief executive officer and managing director of Saatchi’s Indian operations. “Sachin is more than just a cricket player. He’s a role model for young and old India. He’s still the nation’s youth icon and he’s still considered by cricket pundits as the world’s best batsman. The value he commands comes from the respect and love people feel for him.” Shantakumar refused to confirm, however, the value of the deal, saying only that “the amount mentioned is a nice sum, but I am not going to say more.”In a statement, Tendulkar said, “I’ve entrusted Iconix with managing my affairs and have confidence in its ability to provide requisite continuity to the brands I am associated with.” And it is a fair number of brands, as despite the emergence of new stars and his own poor form, Tendulkar has endorsed soft drinks, motorcycles, credit cards, mobile phone operators and much more. He is widely-believed to be cricket’s top money-earner.Tendulkar has been bedeviled by injuries and poor form over the last year and following a poor Test series against England and Pakistan (admittedly sandwiching a superb ODI series against the latter), is likely to miss at least the ODI series against West Indies while recovering from shoulder surgery. Additionally, he also sat out the ODI series against England. He has started light batting drills and although he is aiming to make the Test series in the Carribean, a final decision will rest on an assessment of his fitness next week.In his last 10 Tests, he averages only 28 with one hundred and after a low dismissal at his home ground of Mumbai against England in March, Tendulkar was booed off the field by a section of the crowd. But 132 Tests, 10,469 runs, 35 Test centuries, 362 ODIs, 14,146 runs and 39 ODI hundreds, a 16-year career and only 33 years of age, still hold considerable value, as Iconix have now confirmed.

1st day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe cream of South African cricket came face to face at Kingsmead in Durban as the Dolphins took on Western Province Boland (WPB) in the first SuperSport Series match of the season. Losing the toss, was asked to bat first. Thanks to an undefeated 105 by JP Duminy and a 99 from Jacques Kallis they ended on 310 for 6 in 89.4 overs when bad light stopped play. Mfuneko Ngam, after a long lay-off, pulled up in his seventh over with a shoulder injury and had to leave the field. Shaun Pollock, taking the first three wickets, that of Graeme Smith (14),Herschelle Gibbs (42) and Andrew Puttick (0), was ably assisted by Lance Klusener, who bagged two for himself.1st day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn Potchefstroom the Lions won the toss and batted first against the Warriors. An opening partnership of 87 between Stephen Cook (40) and Adam Bacher (49) was overshadowed by Justin Ontong scoring 60 and HD Ackerman getting 54. Some disciplined bowling from Makhaya Ntini, Mornantau Hayward and Monde Zondeki never allowed the Lions to get above three runs an over. At close of play the Lions had crawled to 241 for 6 from 97 overs.1st day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSuperSport Park saw the Eagles misread the pitch, asking the Titans to bat first. Jacques Rudolph (88) and Daryll Cullinan (75) were the destroyers-in-chief and were followed by Zander de Bruyn, who ended undefeated on 74, seemingly picking up from where he left off last season.

Shaun Pollock leaps for joy with his 331st wicket© AFP

Shaun Pollock overtook Allan Donald as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in Tests on a day when little else went right against New Zealand at Auckland.Pollock’s landmark came when he had the opener Michael Papps caught by Nicky Boje for a duck. It was his 331st wicket, putting him 15th on the alltime list: his next target is Dennis Lillee, with 355.”It [the ball] was coming out sweet from the start,” said Pollock. “I was feeling really relaxed and the conditions suited me, I just knew Papps would be my man. I’m really chuffed about it. When you start your career you concentrate really hard on getting your first wicket. Now I’ve beaten someone like Allan Donald.”In a way, it’s sad to go better than someone’s record like that, but I’m glad I’ve done it and now I’ll concentrate on trying to win the match.”But the early breakthrough was followed by frustration as New Zealand reached 201 for 3 in reply to South Africa’s 296 on the second day of the second Test. Pollock finished the day with 1 for 31.

So, against all expectations and unfortunately not on merit, Zimbabwe go through to the Super Six stage of the World Cup. It was done without beating a Test-playing country on the field and thanks are due to four points donated by England and another two by the weather.CONTENTS:

• Zimbabwe v Holland: scorecard and report
• Zimbabwe v Pakistan: scorecard and report
• Andy Blignaut: updated biography and first-class career record
• Letters

Quite a few people have commented that the World Cup has become a farce, with both Zimbabwe and Kenya reaching the Super Six stage. This is not far off the truth, but the culprits are England and New Zealand, whose refusal to play brought this situation to pass. It is difficult to see what else the ICC could have done once their honest assessments of the security of these countries had been rejected by two others; they could not have allowed themselves to be blackmailed into changing the venues.The irony is obvious in Zimbabwe pushing out England for the final place in Pool A. New Zealand were a little more fortunate, but their walkover by Kenya has cost them four vital points in the Super Six stage.The Zimbabwe team’s celebrations after picking up their two points against Pakistan were muted, probably as muted as they were after they beat South Africa in England four years ago to reach the Super Six then. Where one would have expected celebrations then, instead the dressing room was incredibly quiet as the players were overwhelmed by disbelief at what they had done. And unfortunately they went on to play in the Super Sixes as if they didn’t believe they deserved to be there.They had much more right to be there in 1999, when they beat India and South Africa in the first round, than they have this year. So my worry is that they will fail to do themselves justice in their coming three matches and bow out of the tournament as ignominiously as they did in 1999. Even if the spirit is there, the resources are much weaker this time round, especially in bowling. We should beat Kenya, unless they handle their success far more efficiently than we do, but it will be a test to see if we can put up a worthwhile fight against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.Most unsatisfactory, though, was the elimination of South Africa, yet again with much controversy, and West Indies. Both were frustrated by the weather, West Indies losing a probable victory over hapless Bangladesh and South Africa denied an exciting finish against Sri Lanka. However difficult it may be, the ICC must find a way to allocate reserve days so as to avoid farcical situations like this.Had the tournament been played in a wet rainy season, like 2000 or 2001, there would have been many more draws and the tournament would have degenerated into a complete lottery. In fact, in those years the teams would hardly have got on to the field in Zimbabwe at all.In the meantime we can reflect on a World Cup that was in many ways a disappointment to the cricket community of Zimbabwe. Overshadowing it all was the controversy surrounding the suitability of Zimbabwe as a venue. Those who felt that Zimbabwe was an unsuitable venue were entitled to their opinion, but their contribution was essentially negative. They wanted to pull out and leave us in the lurch, without any appreciation for all the tremendous work that had been put into this World Cup by the cricket community here. At times like this Zimbabwe cricket needs their support, but so many just wanted to turn their backs and walk away.Administering the tournament was also not easy, and the Zimbabwe Cricket Union was no responsible for this. The security measures taken were grossly overdone and a nuisance and inconvenience to all. Those needing accreditation, the media and others, had to go through major inconveniences to get what they needed from the company responsible, who did not even allocate press seating until the morning of the match, requiring long delays. At the first Bulawayo match those who needed telephones had to wait almost two hours after the match started before getting them.Another complaint was that the grounds were half-empty. At the matches against other Test-playing countries every seat had been allocated, but thousands were not taken up. Many had been allocated to sponsors and others and sent to South Africa, but when they were not taken up they were not returned in time for them to be sold locally.So these arrangements too were somewhat farcical. It will be many years before Zimbabwe is able to host any World Cup matches again. At least the ICC itself supported us from beginning to end, for which we are grateful, but many others combined to make this first time rather a disappointment for the struggling cricket community in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe cricket did very well indeed at the annual Zimbabwe Sportsmen of the Year awards ceremony held last night. In front of guests of honour Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, Zimbabwe cricket picked up three of the five major awards. Andy Flower won the Sportman of the Year Award, the Zimbabwe cricket team Team of the Year award, and Mluleki Nklala Junior Sportsman of the Year award. Congratualtions to all on their fine acheivement.

Paddy Kenny has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur now have ‘every chance’ of signing Paulo Dybala in the summer.

The Lowdown: Dybala will leave

As per Italian football journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Dybala will now leave Juventus as a free agent this summer, as he is ‘not happy’ with the contract proposals that the Old Lady are offering him.

He will now ‘open talks’ with other clubs, and Spurs are thought to be one of the teams that are strongly interested in his signature.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds United and Premier League goalkeeper Kenny has since given his reaction to the news, and the 43-year-old has claimed that the North London club now have ‘every chance’ of signing Dybala:

“Tottenham have every chance of signing Dybala, there are clearly good links with Juve and Spurs.

“There is just one thing that worries me. Look at what happened in January.

“Spurs went for these players, Traore and Diaz. They went to Barcelona and Liverpool instead.

“So there are other clubs who could sign these players ahead of Tottenham.

“But you look at the players Tottenham did sign, two of them from Juventus.

“Conte was at Juve as well so if he stays at Tottenham then maybe he can convince Dybala to join.

“What a statement that would be, by the way, he’s a brilliant player and one Tottenham would love to have.”

The Verdict: Exciting

These are certainly exciting times for the Lilywhites faithful, as they could now stand a realistic chance in signing a top, top player in Dybala, even better for no transfer fee.

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THFC have already negotiated deals with Juve to bring in both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in the January transfer window, and of course Fabio Paratici used to be their Managing Director.

Thus, the clubs should be on good terms, and Dybala is another player who could make the switch.

Nonetheless, he would be such a good coup, given what he has won, and his overall pedigree in the game.

In other news, find out which Tottenham target surely impressed Daniel Levy on international duty here!