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Rangers had recruited well enough over the last few years to bring a decade of hurt to a climax at Ibrox with the Glaswegian giants finally ending their trophy drought last term.

The good times were brought back and the challenge now is for Giovanni van Bronckhorst to replicate that with his current Gers side.

In Aaron Ramsey, they have a simply world-class player and who once fit, could ultimately prove to be the difference between winning the Premiership title or not.

Truth be told, Rangers have plenty of difference makers in their squad, namely the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, but did they lose an influential name far too early? Quite possibly.

Hindsight, of course, is a wonderful thing but if Steven Gerrard did get anything wrong in Scotland, it was arguably his handling of a certain Umar Sadiq.

Simply hearing the Nigerian’s name will do enough to send shivers through even the most staunch of Rangers fans, but after leaving the club for absolutely nothing at the conclusion of his loan spell, they will surely regret not trying to do more to bring him back to Ibrox.

After all, this is a player now linked with Europe’s elite after shining like a diamond in Spain.

The Nigerian has gone from a player who Gerrard had a significant falling out with, to a centre-forward who is proving everybody in Scottish football wrong.

His stint with the Gers was far from profitable, failing to find the net during any of his four appearances.

Sadiq’s mentality was questioned and quite rightly so. He was once fined £20k for liking an Instagram post, was not allowed to use the first-team dressing room, and was even banned from even parking his car inside the training ground.

For all parties, a parting of ways seemed mutually beneficial but had they taken a risk and kept him around, he may now be lighting up the Premiership.

Described as “electric” by FOX reporter James Dodd, the Nigeria international has set LaLiga 2 alight with Almeria, scoring 36 goals and registering 16 assists in just 70 games after joining them from Partizan Belgrade.

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What has followed is much acclaim. The 25-year-old received a call-up to Nigeria’s AFCON squad and he has now been linked with moves to the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Barcelona and the mega-rich Newcastle United.

However, if he does move, his release clause of a mighty €60m (£50m) may have to be paid. That’s a far cry from the mere £1.6m he was rated at back in 2018 with Rangers.

His spell under Gerrard was a torturous one but he has come out of the side looking like a “top player” in the words of Andy Halliday. If only Rangers could have nurtured his impressive eye for goal.

AND in other news, GVB must axe “permanently benched” Rangers dud with swoop for “unbelievable” 24y/o gem…

The Quaid Trophy match between Sheikhupura and Lahore Blues ended in a draw after no play was possible on the fourth and final day due to fog at the Sheikhupura Stadium on Thursday, according to a message received here.Umpires Salim Badar and Kamal Merchant waited until an hour after the scheduled tea interval before finally calling off the match.Sheikhupura, who earned a vital one-run lead on the firstinnings, claimed three points.

Chris Nash was consistent with the bat during Sussex’s Championship success © Getty Images

Sussex youngsters Chris Nash and Andrew Hodd, who played significant roles in retaining the Championship title, have agreed new two-year deals with the club.Nash, in his first full season at Hove, scored 785 runs at 30 in the Championship and has been given a two-year extension to his deal, taking his contract through to 2010. With Richard Montgomerie retired, Nash now has the chance to forge a career in the top order.”I’ve played for Sussex since I was nine years-old and to play a key role in winning the Championship this season was a dream come true,” said Nash. “I hope that I can build on a successful first full year in the first team and continue to improve my game in order to fulfill my ambitions to play at the highest level.”Hodd has agreed a new deal after solid performances with the bat and gloves as a stand-in for Matt Prior who was on England duty. He averaged 33 in the Championship and held 18 catches alongside six stumpings.Mark Robinson, Sussex’s director of cricket, said: “[Andrew] came into the team at a time when we had lost two games by an innings. He played with his own style, in his own way and helped transform the season by playing with a brightness and the talent we always knew he had.”

Scorecard
Moises Henriques returned outstanding figures of 5 for 17 in only his second first-class match as New South Wales managed a slender first-innings lead of 16 on the second day of their Pura Cup match against Queensland. Despite a 108-run seventh wicket stand between James Hopes (72) and Chris Hartley (67), the Bulls only managed 307, while New South Wales finished the day on 1 for 39, an overall lead of 55.Henriques got into the act when he dismissed Jimmy Maher, the Bulls’ captain, for 41. That was the third wicket of the innings, and Brendan Nash and Clinton Perren fell soon after as Queensland, resuming the day on 0 for 29, slumped to 5 for 107.Hopes and Hartley then got together in a crucial partnership to ensure Queensland got close to the Blues’ total. Hopes lashed ten fours and needed just 79 balls for his knock, while Hartley was more patient, playing out 113 deliveries. Henriques returned to nail Hartley, and though the lower order made useful contributions, the Bulls still fell short of New South Wales’ total.The Blues lost Jaques for a duck in their second innings, but Greg Mail and Ed Cowan ensured against further setbacks.

WilI it be a case of third-time lucky for Rahul Dravid? © Getty Images

The selectors have appointed Rahul Dravid as the captain of the Indian side for the two forthcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka and South Africa, a total of 12 ODIs starting on October 25. Dravid was put in charge of the side until November 28, when India will play South Africa in the final match of the five-match series at Mumbai.The announcement was made by SK Nair, the secretary of the Indian board, in Mohali today. He clarified that the selectors’ decision to appoint Dravid for two series, as opposed to the conventional system of naming a captain for just one series, was because they were being played back to back. The selectors, he revealed, felt Dravid deserved a longer run. Nair added that it was a unanimous decision by the selection committee.One can only speculate about the selectors’ future plans and whether this is another stop-gap arrangement where Dravid will be filling in for Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly, who was advised to rest his elbow till October 17, may not find a place in the squad for the opening two games of the series. His performance in East Zone’s opening Duleep Trophy match, beginning on October 20, might hence be vital for his return for the rest of the one-day series.This is the third time that Dravid has been appointed captain, apart from instances where he had to take over at short notice. In his last 17 games as captain of the one-day side Dravid has won seven and lost nine while averaging 30.2 when in charge. He has been in charge for two tri-series – the TVS Cup in 2003-04 and the Indian Oil Cup earlier this year – but has ended up losing the finals on both occasions.The squad for the first two games of the Sri Lanka series is scheduled to be picked tomorrow but it is unlikely that Dravid will be part of the selection meeting (even through tele-conference) as he will be playing in the Super Series Test at Sydney which starts on Friday.

Encouraged by the popularity of twenty-over cricket in England and South Africa last season, the Adelaide Turf Cricket Association (ATCA) has announced South Australia’s first such tournament, which will be held on Sunday, December 5. Thirty community-based sides will battle it out in eight locations around Adelaide in a tournament which has been termed the Turf Twenties.In a media release, Andrew Ramsay, the ATCA’s general manager, looked forward to the tournament: “We’re really pleased with the response from our clubs to the Turf Twenties competition. This is something new for all of us and to have 30 teams register in its first year is just fantastic. Apart from being new and fun, twenty-over cricket doesn’t take up the whole day and this is something that our members are attracted to.”We don’t see twenty-over cricket replacing our Saturday formats, but it is a great option for our Sunday tournament. Looking to the future, we hope to open up the tournament to teams from other community associations so that we can all get together, have some fun and build the camaraderie between our organisations.”Responding to the criticism that this format would trivialise the game, Ramsay argued that it could, in fact, help develop certain aspects of batting, bowling and fielding. “There is no doubt that twenty-over cricket will encourage some questionable shot selections, but it will force batsmen to bat positively, to look for runs everywhere and to develop their running between wickets. For the bowlers, they will have to bowl a really tight line and length and the fielding will have to be first rate.”

Alton are within 10 points of the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 championship after a comfortable six-wicket win over Rowledge, which clinches promotion for the North Hampshire club.Their task was simplified by Trojans’ 14-run win at second-placed Ventnor, who must win their last two matches against Leckford and Southsea to finish runners-up.Alton, who have spent the past three seasons in SPL3 after being relegated in 2000, will surely wrap up the title formalities at Portsmouth next Saturday.They will return to Division 2 with the nucleus of that relegated side."But we will be back much wiser and with a lot more experience under our belts," predicts captain Julian Ballinger, whose 5-29 return against Rowledge confirmed the Alton off-spinner as this season’s current Division 3 leading wicket-taker.Ballinger and New Zealander Ben Jansen certainly called the tune against Rowledge who, despite starting the day in third place, are not as strong as the side which reached last season’s National Village Championship semi-finals."We’re probably about three or four players missing from that side and, Simon Bonser apart, it’s fair to say we’ve not been able to replace them," confirmed skipper Dave Booton.Rowledge, who have steadily climbed the Hampshire recreational pyramid since 1986, never really imposed themselves at Alton’s plesaant tree-fringed Jubilee Ground, nestled beneath the Watercress railway line.They were on the back foot directly Jeremy Pang-Kessler (2-21) removed Cardiff UCCE all-rounder Chris Yates and teenager Chris Brinsden in consecutive deliveries at 16-2.Nick Morant (18), struggling hard to recapture last season’s batting form, got his head down, leaving run-rich Queenslander Justin Larrescy to accelerate the score.Predictably, the Australian’s sweet timing and clean hitting caught the eye,.He hit several crisp straight drives, but twice rode his luck – once when he mis-pulled only to be dropped at mid-on and shortly afterwards when he spooned a return catch off a `no-ball’ to Ballinger.Morant departed at 76-3 – the first of eight wickets to fall to the Jansen-Ballinger spin combination.Larrescy (52) and David Lloyd took the total on to 113 but when the Beenleigh-Logan Grade batsman picked out Bruce Oliphant at deep backward square-leg, Rowledge completely lost their way.The last six wickets fell for 28 runs, with Jansen finishing with 3-27 and Ballinger his 34th wicket of the season.Alton, now within sight of a 14-match winning clean sweep, suffered two early setbacks against the pacey Chris Yates (2-39).Richie Morgan (25) took the total on to 49-3 as Alton gradually extracted the venom out of the Rowledge attack.Howard Gadsby, relishing up-order responsibility, hit a fine 41 and set the stage for the slightly unorthodox Huw Ross (31 not out) and Oliphant (36 not out) to clinch a pretty comprehensive win.It was Alton’s 12th successive victory.One more will clinch the championship – but, if Alton are to compete and survive at the higher level, they may have to equip themselves with stronger pace bowling options than they currently possess.

Cameron White, Rob Bartlett and Shane Harwood have all been named for their ING Cup debuts, in the Bushrangers one-day clash with Tasmania this Sunday. Making way for the three from the Bushrangers last ING Cup match are the injured Damien Fleming, Shane Warne who is being rested, with Shawn Craig omitted.Victorian Chairman of Selectors, Shaun Graf said the absence of Warne and Fleming provided selectors with an opportunity to look at new players. “Obviously we would love to have Warney and Flem available, but on the positive side Cam, Rob and Shane have earned their spots and we expect all three to give a good account of themselves”.18 year-old leg-spinner White, has played three Pura Cup matches for the Bushrangers and will be used as a bowling option, providing extra batting depth. Melbourne fast-bowler Harwood hails from Ballarat and is a former Victorian and Australian Country XI member, whilst Fitzroy-Doncaster opening batsman Bartlett, leads all run scorers in Victorian Premier Cricket this season.MATCH DETAILS: BUSHRANGERS v TIGERS: Sunday, December 9, Bellerive Oval, HobartBUSHRANGERSMatthew Elliott (c), Brad Hodge (vc), Rob Bartlett, Darren Berry, Simon Dart, Ian Harvey, Shane Harwood, Ian Hewett, Michael Klinger, Michael Lewis, Jon Moss, Cameron White

Sydney Sixers’ senior pro Brad Haddin has called for a reinstatement of some form of the Champions League T20, on the day it was announced that the Big Bash League prize money was being bolstered through compensation funds for the cancellation of the tournament three years before its television contract expired.The BBL, due to commence on Thursday with a Sydney derby between Thunder and the Sixers, has had its stakes raised by the addition of an extra $600,000, up from $290,000 last summer, though the vast majority of this will go to the clubs rather than their players.In the latest episode of an ongoing haggle over money between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association, the board wanted any player prize increases to come out of the player payment pool already set aside for male contracted players, rather than the CLT20 compensation, a figure believed to be between $80 and $100 million.

Haddin bats for Lyon’s World T20 place

Nathan Lyon is the best spin bowler in Australia across all formats and should be allowed to demonstrate it at next year’s World Twenty20. That’s the view of Brad Haddin, who said Lyon did not have anything to prove to selectors in the game’s shorter formats despite his continued absence from the ODI and T20 squads.
“He’s the premiere spinner in Australia isn’t he?” Haddin said. “He’s been bowling outstanding for the last 18 months whether it be a white ball or a red ball, he just hasn’t had much opportunity to play with the white ball. But his form over all forms of cricket is outstanding.
“I don’t think Nathan has to do anything different to be honest, his bowling’s been exceptional for a long period now and every time he gets an opportunity with the white ball it’s no different. Just the way the schedules are hasn’t had much opportunity to play with the white ball, he was outstanding during the Matador Cup and he was great for the Sixers last year. I’m a bit biased, I think he’s the premiere spinner in Australia.”

While Haddin said he felt players were “pretty content” with present prize money levels, he urged CA to work at refashioning a global club T20 competition that provided added incentives for teams to perform in the BBL. “It’s disappointing that it’s not there,” Haddin said. “It’s a great tournament, and with the Sixers we are lucky that we have got a couple of really key Australian players who enjoy coming back for the tournament as well.”It’s a massive carrot; you can’t hide behind that fact, for state associations and Australian cricket as well. From a players’ point of view, and NSW Cricket and the Sixers, we’d like to see something go ahead. You can’t get past the fact it is an attractive tournament to play in. I hope they find something to replace it, because it’s a great carrot for not only international players but domestic players to get to play in a different country but also to play all around the world.”The CLT20 was founded as tournament jointly run by the boards of India, Australia and South Africa in 2008, and won a 10-year television deal worth $900 million with Star Sports off the back of the success of the inaugural IPL earlier that year. However it did not draw in the TV ratings or advertising revenue the broadcasters had hoped for, leading to a deal to conclude it ahead of the contract’s 2018 expiry.The proliferation of T20 leagues is a major undercurrent to the problems faced by the West Indies, something Haddin acknowledged by noting that most of the region’s best players would be turning out in the BBL this summer rather than the concurrent Test series. Haddin did not seem overly fussed by the decline of the West Indies Test team.”That’s their choice,” he said of the likes of Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo. “If you want to see the best of the West Indies come to the Big Bash. We’ve got Andre Russell, I think he was player of the tournament in the IPL this year, so there are some talented West Indians out there, they just happen to be playing Big Bash and not Test cricket.”If the [Test matches] only go for two and a half days, there’s obviously days where there’ll be Big Bash scheduled, I think the concept of this tournament’s just been getting bigger and bigger every year. If the West Indies have been playing the way they have last Test – I think they’ll come out and show some fight in the next two – but it’s an opportunity for people to come and see some young cricketers and also some of the greats in the Big Bash.”Since his Test retirement, Haddin has tried his hand at several pursuits, and admitted he could now see himself carving out a career of several years as a T20 freelancer. “I’m pretty lucky I finished my Test career with no niggles and my body’s in good shape,” he said.”It’s a great opportunity to go and play Twenty20, you only have to prepare for one form of the game, and if someone’s bowling really fast I can stand outside leg and have a swing and say I was trying to move the game forward and not be scared!”This is the start of my campaign now to move forward and hopefully play all around the world. I’m just excited about the Big Bash, it’s going from strength to strength and getting bigger every year.”

Sharing the latest team news, Liverpool have now confirmed the latest ahead of tonight’s FA Cup clash with Norwich City in what is a blow for Jurgen Klopp.

The Lowdown: Injuries piling?

In recent weeks, Klopp has had to do without star names Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino with both men picking up problems after Liverpool’s 2-0 win away to Inter Milan in the Champions League.

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As the Reds clinch their ninth Carabao Cup, midfield star Thiago Alcantara was forced to miss the blockbuster encounter after picking up a hamstring injury in the pre-Chelsea warm up.

The Latest: Reds drop update…

In an update, it appears Klopp will ‘definitely’ be without the Spaniard tonight.

Indeed, as relayed by Liverpool’s official site, the Reds are certain to miss Thiago at Anfield but Klopp insists there will also be changes made anyway.

“We will play a side we have faced already and had some problems. We have to make changes because we played 120 minutes, so we will see who will do that better,” he explained.

The Verdict: Big blow…

The 30-year-old has been brilliant alongside Fabinho in midfield when available, with Liverpool still yet to lose a single game when they’re paired together in the starting XI.

Ahead of the Reds’ crunch FA Cup clash, news of his absence will be unwelcome going by his quality and it remains to be seen who can fill the void left by his presence.

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Pundit Danny Mills, speaking to Football Insider, has described the ex-Bayern Munich star as now a ‘huge part of Liverpool’ and it’s safe to say he will be missed against the Canaries.

In other news: FSG readying to sign ‘top level’ £66.6m man as opportunity opens for him to join Liverpool, find out more here.