Philadelphia Phillies stars Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper ripped Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Edwin Uceta after a benches-clearing incident in the bottom of the eighth inning of Philadelphia's 9-4 win at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday.

Uceta entered the game with one out and two runners on, then proceeded to surrender a two-run double, RBI single and two-run home run before allowing a double to Harper. On the first pitch of the ensuing at-bat, Uceta plunked Castellanos in the back with a 96-MPH sinker.

Castellanos threw his hands up in frustration and yelled out towards Uceta. Harper approached the Rays reliever from second in an effort to confront him before he was waylaid by two Rays. The benches then cleared.

After the game, Castellanos told reporters he could tell that he was about to get hit, judging by Uceta's increasing frustrations on the mound.

"I can't explain it," Castellanos said. "I know that he had pretty good numbers going into that. Just watching him I could see him getting frustrated and digging in I'm like, 'I'm gonna take this pitch here and see if he's around the plate.' "

"And it wasn't anywhere near me."

Castellanos said the Phillies "all got a sense" that Uceta was frustrated because his "ERA shot through the roof."

Uceta entered play with a 0.75 ERA but the mark ballooned to 1.49 after he was charged with three earned runs.

Castellanos then compared Uceta's behavior to that of his two-year-old son.

"You're throwing a baseball over 90 miles an hour and you're frustrated and you're gonna throw at somebody," Castellanos said. "It's like my 2-year-old throwing a fit because I take away his dessert before he's finished."

Harper told reporters that Uceta's actions don't line up with "the game that we play."

"He hit him on purpose," Harper said. "It's not the game that we play. It shouldn't be. Guys throw too hard nowadays. You're getting mad because a guy hits a homer off of you or you blow the lead, walk the guy and come out of the game. What are you going to do? it's just the situation."

"The whole thing just really fired me up, really upset me. Just not something you should accept as Major League Baseball."

The Phillies and Rays play the final game of the three-game series on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET.

He also urged the middle order to show more fight after Bangladesh failed to bat out 50 overs in any of the three ODIs

Mohammad Isam08-Jul-2025Bangladesh ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz rued the lack of big partnerships that could have sustained the visitors in their 286-run chase after they went down by 99 runs in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. With the loss, Bangladesh squandered the ODI series 2-1 after having lost the preceding Test series as well.Mehidy said that while Sri Lanka banked on a 124-run fourth-wicket stand between Kusal Mendis and captain Charith Asalanka after they were in a spot of bother, Bangladesh failed to stitch a similar stand.”When [Towhid] Hridoy and Jaker [Ali] were batting together, I still believed we could win the game,” Mehidy said. “We just couldn’t put together partnerships like Sri Lanka. They had a big partnership after they lost three wickets for 100 runs. Partnerships in the middle overs are crucial. We got a couple of 40s, but winning is hard without these partnerships in ODI cricket.”Related

Kusal 124 forms the centrepiece of Sri Lanka's series victory

Hridoy, who top-scored for Bangladesh with 51, had stands of 42 with Parvez Hossain Emon and 43 with Mehidy. However, none of the batters could carry on after getting starts.”We are getting out soon after getting set,” Mehidy said. “We can’t keep the momentum for too long. We have to work on it. When I was batting with Hridoy today, we nearly grabbed the momentum. Then I got out. Momentum is required for a partnership. Strike rotation is important in a partnership. We have to play more low-risk cricket, not the high-risk cricket we are playing.”Another area of concern, according to Mehidy, is Bangladesh’s failure to bat out the 50 overs in any of the three games. They were bowled out in 35.5 overs in the first ODI in Colombo, 48.5 overs in the second, and 39.4 overs in the third.Towhid Hridoy top-scored for Bangladesh with 51•AFP/Getty ImagesThe Bangladesh captain felt the middle order, including himself, needed to be more responsible. Mehidy, who now bats at No. 5, was guilty of throwing away his wicket in two of the three matches. On Tuesday, Mehidy, who struck four fours and a six in his 25-ball 28, holed out to long-on at a critical stage of the chase.”It is a concern for the team that we couldn’t bat 50 overs [in any of the matches],” he said. “It would have helped us if we had batted properly. Our middle-order batters need to take more responsibility. I couldn’t play a lot of balls, too. It would have been better [if I had done so]. We have a lot of room for improvement. We have a lot of cricket in front of us.”My dismissal put the team under pressure. I was trying to stay in touch with the run rate. I was looking for at least a boundary per over to meet the required run-rate. I didn’t want to put that pressure on Towhid Hridoy. I tried to take a calculated risk, but I couldn’t execute that shot properly. If I had, it would have gone for six.”Hridoy scored his second half-century of the series but failed to carry on. Mehidy said the other batters didn’t offer Hridoy enough support to enable him to accelerate when he was set at the crease. “I think he could have batted at a faster rate, but he couldn’t do it as we kept losing wickets,” Mehidy said. “Whenever he needed momentum, there was a setback. I won’t blame him for today’s defeat. If we could support him in a partnership, he could have batted at a faster rate. It is hard for a batter to bat in this type of situation.”Mehidy, however, said he would still back his batters playing their natural game, despite the setbacks in this series. “We could have hit more fours and picked up more singles,” he said. “It is also a matter of emotional control. Everyone likes to play cricket in certain ways. Our top order likes to play with a bit of risk. They like to find boundaries. I can’t stop them. It will make the situation difficult in the team. We are trying to back every player’s strength.”

Meman, fondly remembered in Zimbabwe cricket as Babu, played one ODI for his country, during the 1987 World Cup against India

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2025Mohammed Ahmed Meman, the former Zimbabwe offspiner and team manager, has died at the age of 73, after a period of ill health.Meman, fondly remembered in Zimbabwe cricket as Babu, played one ODI for his country, during the 1987 World Cup against India, where he scored 19 runs.He also represented Shropshire in England’s Minor Counties Championship between 1977 and 1980. During his stint with the county, Meman made 888 runs – including two centuries – and took 55 wickets in 32 matches.Meman served as Zimbabwe’s national team manager between 1992 and 2006, guiding the side through its early years as a Test-playing nation. He later contributed as a selector.”ZC is deeply grateful for Babu’s enduring contributions to cricket in our country, both on and off the field,” Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) said in a press release.”His passion, humility and dedication will always be remembered by those who had the privilege of working with him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Aisha, and children – Iqbal, Fazila and Sadiya – as well as to his extended family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”

Jofra Archer will return to Test cricket at Lord’s on Thursday after a four-and-a-half year absence. Elbow and back injuries have long restricted Archer to a white-ball diet but he returned to first-class cricket for Sussex last month, and has been named in England’s team to face India on the ground where he made his Test debut six years ago, replacing Josh Tongue.Archer has only bowled 18 overs in first-class cricket in the last four years, but Ben Stokes insisted he is ready to go. “Jofra has played a lot of cricket over the last two-and-a-half years,” Stokes, England’s captain, said. “If we didn’t think he was in a position to get through a Test match as a bowler, we wouldn’t even be considering him for selection.”Archer’s return to Test cricket comes in similar circumstances to his debut, with England struggling to dislodge an opposition batter. In 2019, Archer was brought in after Steven Smith’s twin hundreds at Edgbaston and hit him on the helmet during a lightning-fast spell; now, he will be tasked with dislodging Shubman Gill after his 430-run match in Birmingham.”It’s obvious whenever he does get the ball in his hand there is that change in the game,” Stokes said. “The opposition feel it as well, because they know what he can do in a spell. I don’t think there’s any reason we can’t see Jofra Archer operating at the level that we saw here at Lord’s on his debut.”It’s great for English fans, but also for Jof. It’s been a long time coming for him. The way in which he’s handled the injury setbacks over a period has been very commendable… It’s very exciting for the group. It’s a pretty great day, and Jof can be pretty proud of himself that he’s managed to get himself back here after two pretty big injury scares.”Archer bowled 18 overs for Sussex last month•PA Photos/Getty Images

Archer for Tongue is England’s only change from the side that were thrashed by 336 runs last week. Tongue is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 11, but has conceded 4.56 runs per over and has endured a heavy workload. Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes retain their spots despite bowling 77 and 81 overs respectively in the first two Tests.Carse appeared to be struggling with a toe injury at Edgbaston, and did not bowl after the 27th over of India’s second innings. But Ben Stokes insisted the issue was his footwear rather than his feet themselves, and Carse has kept his place after Gus Atkinson was not deemed ready to return from the hamstring strain he sustained against Zimbabwe in May.Atkinson is expected to be released from the squad to play for Surrey in the T20 Blast, and is targeting the fourth Test in Manchester on July 23 for a potential Test comeback. His injury was initially downplayed by England but his rehabilitation has taken longer than expected to the extent that he has not played competitive cricket for six weeks.Related

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Archer took 42 wickets at 31.04 in the 13 Tests he played between 2019 and 2021, including 20 at 20.27 in the 2019 Ashes. But he was overbowled and misused by Joe Root, who infamously said that Archer should “unleash a little bit more” after using him for 42 overs in an innings on a flat pitch in Mount Maunganui, and he has spent four years recovering from multiple injuries.England have taken a cautious approach with Archer this summer. He could have been available for the first Test of the series but for a thumb injury he sustained at the IPL, and Stokes opted not to pick him at Edgbaston last week because he wanted him to spend a week training with the squad before his return.It is not yet clear whether Archer will share the new ball with Woakes or replace Tongue as first change, and Stokes said he will not go into the Test with any “pre-conceived ideas” around managing his workload. “It will all be [an] in the moment kind of thing – same with anyone,” he said. “If you do get a sense to give them an extra over or two than you originally planned…”Archer regularly bowled on practice pitches during the Edgbaston Test under the watchful eye of England’s assistant coaches, and was deemed “ready to go” by Brendon McCullum. England have asked for “plenty of life” in the surface this week, but Lord’s pitches have typically been slow in recent years and have got better for batting as Test matches wear on.Mark Wood also trained with England at Lord’s on Wednesday morning as he targets a return from his knee injury for the fifth Test. While that timeframe may prove too tight, England’s management will remain optimistic about the prospect of unleashing Archer and Wood in tandem in Australia for this winter’s Ashes series.England XI: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Shoaib Bashir.

Celtic are eyeing a potential move for England Under-21s manager Lee Carsley as their next boss, as they look to find the perfect replacement for Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead.

Rodgers’ second spell in charge of the Hoops went out in a whimper, following an underwhelming start to the season in the Scottish Premiership, with Martin O’Neill placed in interim charge.

While the Irishman has seemingly only come in for a short spell as manager, taking charge until the right permanent appointment is made, a new report has claimed that he would be willing to take the job until the end of the season.

Victory at home to Rangers on Sunday afternoon would not only be a massive step in the right direction for Celtic, but could even persuade those high up at the club that O’Neill is the right man to continue for longer than originally expected.

That’s not to say that other potential candidates aren’t being mentioned, however, with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna backed to be Rodgers’ successor, and Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen also seen as an option.

Lee Carsley linked with Celtic job

Now, 67 Hail Hail claim that Celtic are eyeing Carsley to be their next manager, with the Hoops “long-term admirers” of him, meaning he could “be in contention” to come in.

That said, the former Republic of Ireland international “isn’t a frontrunner for the job”, so at this stage, others feel more likely to take charge at Parkhead.

Carsley would be an interesting choice for Celtic if they did go down that route, with Roy Keane heaping praise on him during his brief stint as England’s interim boss before Thomas Tuchel came in.

Perhaps the biggest risk in Celtic appointing Carsley is the fact that he is yet to manage at club level, with his only roles coming with England, including his current Under-21s role.

Lee Carsley’s managerial career

Year

Matches

Points per game

England Under-21s

2025-present

11

2.27

England (interim)

2024

6

2.50

England Under-21s

2021-2024

29

2.41

England Under-20s

2020-2021

1

3.00

For that reason, bringing him in would be a gamble at a point when a safe pair of hands is required to steady the ship after a frustrating end to Rodgers’ reign.

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Carsley may be desperate to prove his worth in the club game, though, and if he impresses Celtic’s bosses more than the rest, they need to be trusted.

Celtic manager search takes twist as O'Neill makes decision about interim role

Tottenham have reportedly entered pole position to sign a “big striker” for manager Thomas Frank in January, coming amid reports that the unfit Dominic Solanke now faces an uncertain future at the club.

Thomas Frank unimpressed by Dominic Solanke at Tottenham

Spurs’ club-record signing has played just 49 minutes in all competitions so far this campaign, with a niggling ankle problem keeping him out of action since their 2-0 win at Man City in August.

His ankle issue required minor surgery and Frank has confirmed that the England striker could soon return to the field, having made decent progress in his recovery, but we can still only estimate when he will be fit and available for selection once again.

Tottenham absentee list to face Newcastle	Problem	Estimated return date
Dejan Kulusevski	Knee	22/11/2025
James Maddison	ACL	01/06/2026
Radu Dragusin	Knee	22/11/2025
Ben Davies	Thigh	23/11/2025
Yves Bissouma	Ankle/Foot	08/11/2025
Cristian Romero	Groin	01/11/2025
Destiny Udogie	Knee	08/11/2025
Dominic Solanke	Ankle	08/11/2025
via Premier Injuries

Fitness issues have been commonplace at Spurs since Solanke made the £65 million move from Bournemouth last year, and he hasn’t had a chance to showcase his worth to Frank just yet.

The 28-year-old finished 24/25 as Tottenham’s second-top goalscorer behind Brennan Johnson with 16 goals in all competitions, but a combination of knee, thigh and ankle problems limited his availability.

Interestingly, according to a report from Football Insider this week, Frank has already seen enough.

It is believed that Frank has been left unimpressed by Solanke and a January exit could be on the cards for him, as Tottenham’s manager decides that he wants a new striker to come in.

In the build up to the next transfer window, reports have suggested that Tottenham could bring Ivan Toney back to the Premier League on loan from Al-Ahli, with Frank’s ex-star at Brentford looking to battle his way back into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

Some media sources claim that Frank has personally contacted Toney about a temporary move to Spurs, but there are other options.

With his contract expiring in 2026, Spurs have also been touted as suitors for Juventus star Dušan Vlahović.

Tottenham "leading the race" to sign Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović

According to reliable Bundesliga journalist and Bayern Munich expert Christian Falk, there’s been an update, and one which suits the north Londoners down to the ground.

While Bayern were continuously linked, it is actually Tottenham who are “leading the race” to sign Vlahovic, as Falk tells Bayern Insider that Vincent Kompany’s side have now backed off.

The 25-year-old, who reportedly earns a whopping £375,000-per-week in Turin, has managed to score at least 14 goals per season since his magnificent breakout campaign at Fiorentina in 2020/2021.

Vlahovic can be a big-game player as well, with strikes coming in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund and Man City over the last two seasons, as well as in crucial Serie A matches against the likes of Inter Milan.

On a free transfer or for a cut-price in January, Vlahovic could be a real coup, but he’ll almost certainly have to take a massive pay cut.

Mitch Killeen bowls outstanding opening spell to take 3 for 15 from 10 overs and restrict Spitfires

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Aug-2025

Emilio Gay scored an unbeaten ton•Getty Images

Emilio Gay hit a brilliant century as Durham coasted to a seven-wicket win over the Kent Spitfires in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Beckenham.Gay carried his bat to finish on 119, from 110 balls, including a six and 12 fours, alongside Colin Ackermann who was unbeaten on 38 at the end.Earlier, Mitch Killeen bowled an outstanding opening spell to take 3 for 15 from 10 overs as Kent were held to 238 for 8. Ben Compton made 55 before Jack Leaning hit 68 from 50 to give the hosts something to defend, but it never looked like being enough and the visitors won with 10.4 to spare.Kent chose to bat on an oppressively hot day at the New County Ground, but struggled to cope with a stifling display in the field by Durham.Although Killeen missed a caught-and-bowled chance off Jaydn Denly off the seventh ball of the innings, he failed to cash in and was caught at mid-on by Scott Borthwick in Killen’s next over for six.Joey Evison was his next victim, caught by George Drissell at point for a duck and Chris Benjamin went in almost identical fashion in Killeen’s next over for 1.At 25 for 3 in the eighth over Kent had little choice other than to drop anchor for a while, but it might have been worse for the Spitfires, as the former Kent all-rounder Ollie Robinson fumbled the chance to run out Harry Finch when he and Compton were stranded in the middle.They put on 60 for the fourth before Finch, who took 71 balls to make 28, was out cutting Paul Coughlin straight to Borthwick, and Compton was then bowled by Will Rhodes.It took the hosts 41 overs to get to 150. As soon as they did Ekansh Singh hit Rhodes back over his head for six, but he tried to repeat the trick two balls later and was caught by Codi Yusuf for 45.Mohammed Rizvi made an enterprising 17 from 14 but was bowled middle stump by Luke Robinson and Durham were into the tail.Fred Klaassen hit Rhodes straight to Drissell for a duck but Leaning’s late pyrotechnics, including a six that was dropped onto the rope in the final over, and a single taken when Borthwick dropped him off the final ball, at least made the target seem challenging.Not for long, however. Durham got off to a rapid start, with Ollie Robinson racing to 26 before he chopped on to Fred Klaassen. Gay and Rhodes put on 98 for the second wicket before the latter was lbw to Parkinson for 32.David Bedingham went in the same fashion for 8 but Ackermann was on three when he skied Parkinson and Ekansh couldn’t take a simple catch.By the time Gay took two from Parkinson to reach three figures any tension had evaporated and he fittingly he the winning run when he scrambled a single of Evison.

Pete Rose has died at 83 years old, a source close to Rose’s family confirmed to ’s Tom Verducci on Monday.

Rose was a 17-time All-Star and set multiple Major League Baseball records during a 24-year career that began in 1963. He retired as MLB's all-time leader in hits (4,256), singles (3,215), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), and plate appearances (15,890). He won three batting titles, two Gold Gloves, and was named National League MVP in 1973. Rose won World Series titles with the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and ’76 and earned another with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.

Rose transitioned into managing full time after acting as the Reds' player-manager from 1984 through the 1986 season. He led the team until August 1989 when his career changed dramatically.

On August 24, 1989, after a lengthy investigation, Rose voluntarily accepted a lifetime ban from baseball due to accusations that he gambled on games while playing for and managing the Reds. He was even alleged to have bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame voted to ban everyone on the permanently ineligible list from induction, which barred Rose's selection.

After years of denials, in 2004, Rose admitted he had bet on baseball games, claiming he placed bets with bookies on Reds games as often as five times a week while managing the team in 1987. He maintained he never bet against the team.

Rose's lifetime ban is still a contentious issue in baseball circles and he appealed his status and unsuccessfully applied for reinstatement multiple times over the years.

Republic of Ireland fans are basking in Troy Parrott’s heroics in World Cup qualification, with tickets to that event still up for grabs. A hat-trick from Parrott against Hungary has kept Irish eyes smiling, with a play-off berth being secured. Having become a national hero, at least for now, AZ striker Parrott is being billed as “better than Lionel Messi” after rewriting the history books.

• Ireland stunned Portugal & red-carded Ronaldo

  Ireland kept their World Cup dreams alive when stunning Portugal at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Parrott was also the saviour there, as he bagged a brace, with some headlines being stolen from Cristiano Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner saw red for swinging an elbow into Dara O’Shea.

  Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side headed to Hungary knowing that only another win, when collecting a notable scalp, would be enough to keep them in contention for a place at FIFA’s flagship tournament next summer.

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• Fans react to Parrott's hat-trick against Hungary

  They fell behind on two occasions, but battled back to secure the most dramatic of victories. There were just 10 minutes left on the clock when Parrott netted his first of the game and restored parity. He then sparked wild scenes of celebration in the away end when poking home in the 96th minute.

  The Puskas Arena was left stunned, with Ireland achieving what had looked impossible. Parrott, with five goals through his last two appearances, has now reached double figures for his country. He has Irish supporters in dreamland.

  @SpreeCOD posted on social media: “Troy Parrott is better than Messi.” @antooconnell added: “Give Troy Parrott the freedom of Dublin tonight. What a player. Unreal. Ireland we’re still alive and we are so back.” @PhilAndrewPhoto went on to say: “Troy Parrott, 5 goals in two games, take down the Spire and put a 100 foot bronze statue of that man outside the GPO.”

  Parrott has joined Messi in the record books by becoming the first Ireland player to score a hat-trick away from home in a senior international. That means the match ball that he will be taking home holds added significance.

• Parrott enjoying international fairytale with Ireland

  Former Tottenham striker Parrott, who moved to the Netherlands with AZ in 2024, told reporters after his stunning hat-trick in Budapest: “I said against Portugal that this is what dreams are made of, but I think tonight, I will never have a better night in my whole life. It is a fairytale. You can't even dream about something like that. I have no words to describe the emotions right now.”

  Ireland boss Hallgrimsson, speaking to RTE, said: “We seemed to be nervous at the beginning, struggling with movements and defending too late and not aggressive enough. We put in everything and threw in three strikers in the end. The guys deserved what happened and congratulations to the Irish nation for having the guys.”

  While making history with his hat-trick, Parrott has become the first player to bag a treble for the Republic of Ireland since all-time leading scorer Robbie Keane in October 2014 – who managed that feat against Gibraltar.

  He is just the fourth Irish player to score two or more goals in back-to-back appearances. Keane is also on that list (from 2013), alongside Jimmy Dunne (1936) and Callum Robinson (2021).

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• Getty
  

  2026 World Cup play-offs: Dates for draw & qualification fixtures

  Ireland ended up finishing second in Group F behind Portugal – who booked their tickets to the 2026 World Cup when crushing Armenia 9-1 without suspended captain Ronaldo. The Irish pulled two points clear of Hungary with their last-gasp victory over qualification rivals. They only scored nine goals through six matches, with Parrott contributing significantly to the collective cause.

  The play-offs will feature 12 runners-up from the UEFA section of qualification, along with the four best-placed UEFA Nations League group winners who failed to finish in the top two of their respective groups. The draw to determine play-off paths will take place at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland on November 20 – with the matches being held in late March, 2026.

Danny Rohl’s start to life in charge of Glasgow Rangers on the European stage has not gone to plan so far, as he has lost both of his Europa League games without his side scoring a goal.

The former Sheffield Wednesday head coach, though, has inherited a team that struggled badly under Russell Martin, and will not have any of his own signings until the January transfer window.

Rohl took over from Martin after the Scottish manager only won five of his 17 games and one of his Scottish Premiership outings in the dugout for the Ibrox giants.

The German tactician has had an instant impact on the side in the Premiership. Rangers have won all three of their league games since his arrival at the club, and kept back-to-back clean sheets away from home.

A 3-0 win at Dens Park on Sunday means that the Light Blues can head into the final international break on a high, after goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore, and Djeidi Gassama.

However, there are still some individuals within the squad who have been unable to step up. Bojan Miovski, for example, was hooked off at half-time against Dundee.

Why Rangers should be worried about Bojan Miovski

The Light Blus should be concerned by the Macedonia international’s dismal start to life at Ibrox, because he has yet to show any signs of replicating his form with Aberdeen.

Miovski was signed from Girona during the summer transfer window to bolster Martin’s options at the top end of the pitch, possibly because of his proven track record in Scottish football.

The left-footed forward’s return of 32 goals in 78 games in the Premiership for the Dons suggested that he was a safe and sensible signing to add goals to the Gers attack, but it has not played out that way.

Miovski has scored one goal in eight appearances in the top-flight for Rangers, against Falkirk, from an xG of 1.84, per FotMob, which suggests that he has underperformed as a finisher.

The Rangers centre-forward was given the nod to lead the line against Dundee at Dens Park, after coming off the bench against Roma last week, but he was unable to prove to Rohl that he deserves more starts on the other side of the international break.

Minutes

45

Touches

14

Dribbles completed

0/0

Shots

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Duels won

2/8

As you can see in the table above, Miovski failed to register a single shot on goal in 45 minutes of action before being taken off at half-time. Whilst you could point to a lack of creativity behind him, his struggles in duels meant that he was unable to fashion chances for himself.

The Scottish giants, therefore, should be worried about the former Aberdeen marksman, because he has been at the club for several months now and is no closer to showing the kind of quality that earned him a good reputation in the Premiership in the past.

Miovski, though, was not the only Rangers player who failed to deliver an impressive performance in spite of the 3-0 victory against Dundee last time out.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Rohl must ruthlessly drop central midfielder Mohamed Diomande from the starting line-up when the Gers return to action on the other side of the international break, as he was just as bad as Miovski at Dens Park.

Why Rangers should drop Mohamed Diomande

The Ivorian midfielder was taken off by the German head coach at half-time, just as Miovski was, and was replaced by Scotland international Connor Barron.

Per Sofascore, Diomande lost 75% (3/4) of his duels in the opening 45 minutes of the game at Dens Park, which shows that he was too much of a lightweight in the middle of the park. That may have been why Rohl decided to take him off for Barron, who won 100% (2/2) of his duels in the second half.

The Rangers midfielder also failed to take any shots on goal, did not create any chances for his teammates, and did not attempt a single dribble, per Sofascore, which shows that he offered very little in midfield and was just as bad as Miovski, who was as ineffective in and out of possession.

Diomande, who was sent off against Genk in the Europa League in September, has endured a frustrating 2025/26 campaign after catching the eye with his impressive performances last term.

The left-footed star scored four goals and provided seven assists in 36 outings in the Premiership last season, but his form in and out of possession has dropped off a cliff this year.

Appearances

36

8

Sofascore rating

7.19

6.45

Goals

4

0

Key passes per game

1.2

0.5

Assists

7

0

Duels won per game

4.4

2.9

Ground duel success rate

57%

46%

Aerial duel success rate

48%

25%

As you can see in the table above, his defensive and offensive numbers are down across the board in the Premiership for the Gers, which shows that he has been unable to carry last season’s success over to the current one.

His underwhelming performance against Dundee on Sunday was simply the latest in a long line of disappointing performances from the central midfielder for the Light Blues in the 2025/26 campaign, as he has struggled in and out of possession throughout the season.

Given that Barron came on and showed great energy and desire to win 100% of his duels off the bench in the second half, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Diomande from the starting XI for the clash with Livingston at Ibrox on the other side of the international break.

Rangers launch first enquiry to sign versatile defender who dominated Chermiti

The Gers desperately need reinforcements.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 7, 2025

Miovski and Diomande both failed to offer enough quality on the pitch in the first half against Dundee, hence why they were hauled off at the break, and they should both lose their place in the starting line-up as a result of that.