"The main thing now is every Test counts," said Tim Paine, after his Australia side secured 60 World Test Championship (WTC) points by thrashing Pakistan at the Gabba last week. "Unless it's England and New Zealand."

Paine was right: while New Zealand's series against England counts towards the ICC's Test rankings, and gives the hosts the opportunity to close the huge gap India have opened up, it is not part of the WTC.

The reason behind that is little more than a scheduling anomaly. The WTC was created after this series was confirmed to be taking place, and to make the Championship even, each team will only play six series (three home, three away) that count towards the first cycle (August 2019-June 2021).

This is the only series in that period that won't count towards the Championship - with the exception of Tests involving Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, who are not part of the inaugural WTC.

The lack of WTC points up for grabs has had no obvious impact on the cricket, with New Zealand securing an innings win in the first Test last week. "It's still a Test match in the players' eyes," their coach, Gary Stead, told stuff.co.nz, "but it just doesn't carry the weighting of points."

Jofra Archer has declared that he is "over" the incident of racial abuse that marred the closing stages of last week's first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, as England's thoughts turn towards the challenge of squaring the series in the second Test at Hamilton, which begins on Friday morning.

However, writing in his column in the Daily Mail, Archer described the incident as a "real shame", and made it clear that there is no place for racist abuse "in any walk of life, let alone cricket".

The incident occurred towards the end of England's second innings on the fifth day of the first Test. Faced with impending defeat, Archer scored 30 from 50 balls from No.9 to give England a glimmer of hope before holing out to deep square leg, whereupon he was accosted by a member of the crowd as he returned to the pavilion.

"The first thing I want to say about what happened towards the end of the Test at Mount Maunganui is that I'm over it," Archer wrote. "I've left what happened at the ground and I've moved on. I should also say it was just one person who was shouting stuff.

"But I found the incident a real shame. When you come to another country, you half expect fans to have a go at your cricket. If someone wants to shout at me and tell me I'm bowling badly, that's fine. I may not agree but it's fine. It's part of the experience of being a touring cricketer.

"To hear racism, though -- that's another matter. There is no time or place for it in any walk of life, let alone cricket. It's just not called for."

In a Twitter post shortly after the close of play, Archer described the incident as "a bit disturbing", adding in a separate post that was subsequently deleted that the individual concerned had been "yelling bbc and bc from the scoreboard area".

ALSO READ: England urged to look after 'golden' Archer

ESPNcricinfo understands that the same person is thought to have contacted Archer via Instagram soon afterwards, which may help the authorities to identify him. New Zealand Cricket has pledged to ban the individual for life after reiterating their zero-tolerance attitude to racism.

However, Archer himself now wants to move on, even if he remains disappointed that the spectators in the vicinity didn't do more to address the issue at the time.

"I don't want to go into the details of what was said but I know what I heard," he wrote. "I thought members of the crowd around the guy might have pulled him up because I could hear him from the pitch as I was walking off.

"I guess they didn't. But I know I wasn't hearing stuff. I told the security guard what had happened and that was it. Now my only goal is to make sure we finish this series on a high because we were all disappointed with the result in the first Test."

Archer's returns in that match were below the high standards he set himself during his debut Test series against Australia last summer, and he came in for some criticism as a consequence - not least for his bowling speeds, which rarely touched the 90mph mark of which he is capable..

However, Archer insisted he had done his best in trying circumstances, and also defended the tactics used by his captain, Joe Root, in the course of a New Zealand innings that stretched to a marathon 201 overs.

"I try not to read the media but I guess there's been some talk about my bowling," he wrote. "I did as good as I could: I sent down 42 overs and went at 2.5 in unhelpful conditions. I know I've never bowled more than 30 in an innings before but I felt fine. I could have bowled again the next day.

"I have to accept people are going to be looking at my speeds. I thought I was bowling quicker than the speedgun suggested.

"I pretty much know what speed I usually bowl at and at one point I bowled a normal ball and it came up at 120-something kilometres per hour, which is less than 80mph. That didn't seem right."

"I know Joe used me in short bursts at the start but that was mainly because we were trying to find the right ends for each bowler.

"Sure, we didn't think we'd be in the field for as long as we were but I appreciated what Joe was trying to do.

"It's also not the case that he just wanted me to bowl short. You adapt to conditions and to the batsman. Watling scored 200 and played about two pull shots. Other times the captain asks you to aim for the knee roll. It's not one gameplan that you stick to whatever happens."

The big names involved in trade rumors this offseason are Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor and the entire Cubs lineup, but let's shift away from those players and focus on 10 other veterans -- lesser names, but all good players -- who could be traded between now and opening day. There is a chance that none of them actually will be traded, but there are solid reasons all 10 players should be traded. Let's review the pros and the cons for trading them (with their season age for 2020 included in parenthesis).

Jon Gray, Rockies (age 28)
2019 stats: 3.84 ERA, 150 IP, 147 H, 56 BB, 150 SO, 4.5 WAR
Under team control though: 2021

Pro: After making the playoffs as a wild card in 2017 and 2018, the Rockies plummeted to 91 losses in 2019, raising the issue of whether the postseason window has closed with this core group -- or, to put it another way, whether the supporting cast behind Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon, German Marquez and Gray is good enough.

Gray has had an enigmatic career in Colorado, with impressive sub-4.00 ERA seasons in 2017 and 2019 sandwiched around a 5.12 ERA in 2018. Still, he has 9.3 WAR over his past three seasons -- similar to the 8.7 WAR that Gerrit Cole had over his three seasons immediately prior to his trade to the Astros. Like Cole, Gray has a big fastball and even though his career ERA at Coors Field is lower than his performance on the road (4.36 versus 4.56), inquiring front offices can dream on what he might do in a better pitching environment. If the playoffs are, indeed, in the rear window for the Rockies, it's time to trade Gray -- the odds of him signing a long-term extension to remain in Denver are thin -- with two years left until free agency.

Con: Gray's season ended in August with a foot fracture, so teams may be a little reluctant to give top value until they see him pitch again. Plus, the Cole trade should be more warning than comparison: Gray probably isn't the next Gerrit Cole and the Pirates' trade with the Astros hasn't worked out. More pressing, the Rockies had major pitching issues in 2019 and trading Gray would only create yet another hole in the rotation.

Quick take: Another consideration for general manager Jeff Bridich is that Arenado has an opt-out clause after 2021, meaning there is added pressure to win now. The Rockies could conceivably bounce back with a return to form from Kyle Freeland and better seasons from Daniel Murphy, Ryan McMahon and the bullpen. The Rockies are about as conservative as it gets, so they are unlikely to trade Gray anyway, but I would roll the dice on 2020 and at least see where you stand on July 31.

Whit Merrifield, Royals (age 31)
2019 stats: .302/.348/.463, 16 HR, 112 OPS+, 4.0 WAR
Signed through: 2023

Pro: The Royals lost 104 games in 2018. They improved all the way to 103 losses in 2019. They received big contributions from Jorge Soler (48 home runs) and Hunter Dozier (.870 OPS), and Merrifield led the majors in hits and they still scored the second-fewest runs in the American League. The pitching staff had a 5.20 ERA. Are they going to contend in the next two years? Unlikely.

Merrifield is entering his age-31 season and is signed to a team-friendly contract -- he'll make just $25 million over the next four seasons if his 2023 club option is exercised -- so his value on the field combined with his salary make him an especially attractive trade chip. Thirteen teams received an OPS under .700 from their second basemen in 2019. Other teams could deploy him as a super-utility guy. Somebody will want him.

Con: Do you really want to trade your best player when you know you have him for the next four seasons? While Merrifield is an excellent player, he isn't likely to bring back a Grade A, top-50 overall prospect at his age. Merrifield is also the most popular Royal, and given that the Royals averaged just 18,267 fans per game in 2019 -- their lowest attendance since 2006 -- it might be wise to keep Merrifield to keep the fans happy. (Yes, winning cures all ills.)

Quick take: Maybe the best reason to keep Merrifield, however, is that the AL Central could be wide open in a couple of years and the Royals do have some talented young pitchers on the cusp of the majors. Merrifield still be a valuable contributor to a potential good Royals team in 2021 or 2022. I'd lean to trading him -- what are the odds all the young pitching delivers? -- but as much as we keep trying to trade Merrifield, the Royals will keep him.

Mitch Haniger, Mariners (age 29)
2019 stats: .220/.314/.463, 15 HR, 109 OPS+, 1.4 WAR
Under team control though: 2022

Pro: Haniger has hit .271/.351/.486 in three seasons with Seattle and plays a good right field. While his 2019 season ended after 63 games due to a ruptured testicle, he was worth 6.1 WAR in 2018 -- one of just five outfielders to clear 6.0 WAR. The Mariners are still in the early stages of a rebuild, and Jerry Dipoto is committed to playing his young guys in 2020, but it's also Jerry Dipoto, and Haniger is his one obvious trade asset. Given that the Mariners still appear years away from fielding a formidable team, Haniger's trade value only goes down the longer you hold on to him.

Con: The time to get maximum value for Haniger would have been last offseason, coming off his All-Star campaign. Even before the injury, his 2019 season wasn't on the same level, as his strikeout rate climbed from 21.7% to 28.6%, causing a steep decline in batting average. That's enough of a red flag that it's not clear if Haniger is a potential All-Star or merely a solid regular, hurting his trade value. While he's 29, he's a good athlete and the Mariners still control him for three years. Why trade the one good outfielder you do have?

Quick take: Zack Meisel and Corey Brock of The Athletic had an interesting trade proposal with the Indians: Haniger, second baseman Dee Gordon, minor league pitcher Ray Kerr and cash (to help offset Gordon's salary) for pitcher Aaron Civale, infielder Yu Chang and minor league pitcher Eli Morgan. The Indians could use an outfield upgrade and the Mariners need starting pitching. Maybe there's a match if Dipoto gets an itch.

Joc Pederson Dodgers (age 28)
2019 stats: .249/.339/.538, 36 HR, 127 OPS+, 3.3 WAR
Under team control though: 2020

Pro: Pederson is coming off his best season with a career-high 36 home runs -- all off right-handed pitchers -- but he has just one season left until free agency and may not even have a full-time role in 2020 if the Dodgers run with Alex Verdugo as the starter. With Gavin Lux expected to take over at second base that pushes Max Muncy to first base and Cody Bellinger into the outfield on a regular basis. Pederson could end up in a platoon role with A.J. Pollock, but the Dodgers gave Pollock a lot of money to be more than a lesser-side platoon player.

Con: Well, 36 home runs is 36 home runs. You're not going to get that from Verdugo or Pollock -- and given that both of them had injury issues in 2019, the Dodgers will need plenty of outfield depth. The Dodgers went 76-33 when Pederson started in 2019, a testament to their success against right-handed pitchers. Why break up a good thing? Yes, Pederson frustrates Dodgers fans with his hot and cold streaks -- he had 17 home runs and a 1.037 OPS in April and May and six home runs and a .609 in June and July -- but he's a productive, underrated platoon hitter.

Quick take: Pederson will make an estimated $9 million in arbitration, which makes him attractive to a small-market team like Cleveland, Oakland or Tampa Bay who could use an outfielder/DH. Even without Pederson, the Dodgers would have Bellinger, Muncy, Verdugo, Lux, Corey Seager and Matt Beaty from the left side. The Dodgers need to construct a better playoff team, not a better regular-season team. How about trading Pederson for some relief help so you don't have to use Clayton Kershaw in the eighth inning to protect a 3-1 lead?

J.D. Davis Mets (age 27)
2019 stats: .307/.369/.527, 22 HR, 138 OPS+, 1.0 WAR
Under team control though: 2024

Pro: As good as Davis was at the plate in his first season with the Mets, he was so bad on defense -- minus-20 defensive runs saved -- that his overall value was only one win above replacement level. I watch a lot of Mets games and can testify that the metrics don't lie. Of course, he was forced by injuries into left field, but he was bad at third base as well. His best position is probably first base, which I believe is presently occupied. Trade him for some bullpen/pitching help, a center fielder or even some prospects.

Con: From June 4 to the end of the season, Davis hit .337/.395/.581 -- the 10th-highest OPS in the majors over that span. Why would you trade a bat like that? Sure, he's not a left fielder, but with Todd Frazier a free agent the Mets do have an opening at third base (unless Jeff McNeil plays there) and Davis can probably fake that. If Jed Lowrie manages to return from his injuries, Davis still has value as bench player -- depth that the Mets have lacked in recent seasons.

Quick take: Unless the Mets are going to sign Anthony Rendon -- yeah, right -- you may as well run with Davis at third base and see if he can carry his second-half surge over six months (he cut down the strikeouts from minor league days). His defensive issues probably mean he doesn't bring as much as Mets fans think he would in a trade anyway.

Starling Marte Pirates (age 31)
2019 stats: .295/.342/.503, 23 HR, 120 OPS+, 2.9 WAR
Signed though: 2021

Pro: Marte averaged 5.0 WAR from 2013 to 2016 on the strength of some excellent defensive metrics, but he's turning 31, he's lost a step in the field (minus-9 DRS in 2019) and he's averaged just 3.3 WAR the past two seasons. That's still an above-average player, however, and given the mess the Pirates are in and that Marte will be 31, his Gold Glove days are in the past. He makes $11.5 million in 2020 and there's a club option of $12.2 million for 2021, so his salary isn't prohibitive.

Con: The Pirates were 82-79 in 2018, so there's a reasonable argument that if the rotation bounces back -- it dropped from 2.6 WAR (14th in the majors) to minus-5.8 (29th) -- this team is nowhere near as bad as the disastrous 2019 campaign.

Quick take: Then again, Jameson Taillon is already out for all of 2020, Trevor Williams' half-season run of dominance in 2018 was likely a fluke, Chris Archer is pretty much a replacement-level pitcher these days and Mitch Keller got tagged for an unsightly .348 batting average in his 11-start debut. This is not an 82-win team. The Mets and White Sox could use a center fielder. Maybe he's a replacement for Marcell Ozuna in St. Louis. Cleveland is in play here as well. There are options.

Matthew Boyd Tigers (age 29)
2019 stats: 4.56 ERA, 185.1 IP, 178 H, 50 BB, 238 SO, 3.5 WAR
Under team control though: 2022

Pro: An affordable lefty who had a strikeout breakout in 2019 -- his rate improved from 22.4% to 30.2%, which ranked ninth among qualified starters -- he's the kind of quality starter teams would love to add to their rotation rather than spending $75 million or so on a free agent of similar ability. Consider this: Of the 20 qualified starters who had a strikeout rate higher than 25%, only three (Boyd, Robbie Ray and Trevor Bauer) had an ERA above 4.00. There may be some hidden upside here that makes him intriguing to playoff contenders -- which the worst-in-majors Tigers are a long ways from becoming.

Con: It's the room for improvement -- he allowed 39 home runs -- that illustrates why the Tigers should keep him. Down the road, a rotation of Boyd, Spencer Turnbull, Daniel Norris and prospects Casey Mize and Matt Manning -- Mize and Manning should reach the majors in 2020 -- has a chance to be a playoff-caliber group.

Quick take: The Tigers should listen, but at some point you have to keep the good players you do have. In Boyd's case, hope that his gopher ball issues will subside if the rabbit ball of 2019 returns to a more normal sphere and Boyd makes that leap to No. 2 starter. I'd keep him.

Ken Giles, Blue Jays (age 29)
2019 stats: 1.87 ERA, 53 IP, 36 H, 17 BB, 83 SO, 2.4 WAR
Under team control though: 2020

Pro: After being run out of Houston in 2018, Giles bounced back with a big season for the Blue Jays, including 23 saves in 24 opportunities. His slider was back in top form as batters hit just .124 against it, with a 56% strikeout rate. Given the weak state of relievers in free agency, especially since Will Smith already signed with the Braves and Aroldis Chapman re-upped with the Yankees, Giles should have decent trade value.

Con: Given his collapse in the 2017 postseason, teams may be reluctant to install Giles as their closer, plus the market is always going to be slow for relievers until some of the bigger chips of the offseason fall. Giles' trade value doesn't really change between now and July, so assuming he pitches well again the Jays could wait until the deadline and hope a desperate team will pay more than it would right now.

Quick take: Can METS you METS think of METS a team METS that could METS use bullpen METS help?

Trey Mancini, Orioles (age 28)
2019 stats: .291/.364/.535, 35 HR, 135 OPS+, 3.3 WAR
Under team control through: 2022

Pro: Look, Mancini had a wonderful 2019, improving his OPS 184 points and his adjusted OPS 40 points. He ranked 99th out of 141 qualified batters in 2018 and 25th out of 135 in 2019. He had a higher OPS+ than Rafael Devers, Max Muncy, Nolan Arenado or Bryce Harper. Teams will pay for this kind of bat, especially since Mancini still has three seasons until he hits free agency. Will the Orioles be ready to contend in the tough AL East in the next three seasons? Mancini may hit free agency before they even crack .500 again.

Con: Mancini's approach was better in 2019, and while he said he didn't make a concerted effort to launch the ball more, his launch angle did increase, leading to more line drives and more fly balls. Advanced metrics also suggest he hit into some bad luck in 2018. In other words, there's a good chance he's the deal and a lineup anchor the Orioles can build rebuild around. As bad as the Orioles were in 2019, general manager Mike Elias was with the Astros when they went from 111 losses in 2013 to the playoffs in 2015.

Quick take: An age-27 player who had a career year in the biggest rabbit season in recent memory? Sounds like a perfect storm. Even then, Mancini was worth only 3.3 WAR. He's not a big star. I'd shop him around.

Josh Reddick, Astros (age 33)
2019 stats: .275/.319/.409, 14 HR, 89 OPS+, 1.2 WAR
Signed through: 2020

Pro: It's time to time clear a full-time job for Kyle Tucker.

Con: Reddick will make $13 million and while he's a plus defender in right field, he's been below average with the stick the past two seasons. The Astros would have to include some cash or a prospect just to get somebody to take Reddick off their hands. Plus, you never know about injuries and Tucker's projections are actually only marginally better than what Reddick provided. Keep him around for depth and defense.

Quick take: Not really much trade value here. Sure, the Astros would love to clear the salary and spend it in free agency, but they're probably stuck with Reddick.

‘I’m like a kid playing a game you love’
By JEROME ELHAIK – Squash Mad Correspondent

Former World No.1 and World Champion Gregory Gaultier will make his highly-anticipated return to action after 14 months on the sidelines when he lines up in Washington D.C. between December 15-21 as part of the French team for the 2019 WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship.

 
As Squash Mad exclusively revealed, Gaultier made his competitive comeback in France at the weekend, playing in a French League match in Annecy.

The 36-year-old Gaultier said: “I’m very happy to come back and play. I have lived a nightmare for more than a year with the possibility of not being able to play squash again or do any sports. It was very frustrating to know that kind of option was possible, but I did fight like crazy, worked through pain, and restrengthened the body to make it. I’m very thankful to all my team who did a wonderful job and always believed there was a solution, so I just didn’t give up.

“And here I am, back training, playing. What joy really, I’m like a kid playing something you love. I’m very proud to have done that, it was another challenge in my life but I still have to do lot of work to improve of course.

“I’m glad to start by making the World Teams with France. It will be another experience in my life, a new start and I’m happy to try to help my team-mates as much as possible.”

Gaultier, known as “The General”, is aiming to make a return to the PSA World Tour at the Tournament of Champions event at New York’s Grand Central Terminal in January.

He is one of the sport’s greatest ever players and has helped France to silver medals at the World Teams in 2003 and 2009. He has won 40 professional titles in addition to topping the PSA World Rankings on six separate occasions, with the last of those seeing him become the sport’s oldest ever World No.1.

A knee injury sustained at the U.S. Open in October 2018 has seen him slide down the World Rankings from No.7 to No.610 after a gruelling period of rehabilitation, but Epinal-born Gaultier will still be one of the star attractions when he lines up alongside fellow Frenchmen Gregoire Marche, Mathieu Castagnet and Baptiste Masotti next month.

Aix en Provence-based Marche currently sits at a career-high ranking of No.14, while Auriol’s Castagnet is a former World No.6. World No.59 Masotti completes the line up and he will look to replicate the fine form that took him to the quarter-finals of the CIB Egyptian Open, PSA Platinum event in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza last month.

Head coach Renan Lavigne, a former World No.17 who won nine professional titles, will look to guide the team to glory in D.C.

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Tickets on sale:

The 2019 WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship Squash Tournament will take place from December 15-21 at the Squash on Fire club in Washington, D.C. Tickets are on sale now. Prices start from $25 for general admission, while VIP packages, which include access to the VIP Lounge or Premium courtside tables, are available starting at $50. Details from the tournament website

Pictures courtesy of PSA, Patrick Lauson and Annecy Squash

Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix was named the 2019 Golden Boy award winner on Wednesday.

The honour, presented by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, is given to the best player aged 21 and under, based in Europe. Portugal international Felix beat competition from some of Europe's most promising rising stars to land the award, including Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland of FC Salzburg.

Sancho finished second, with Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz in third.

Sergio Aguero won the award while at Atletico Madrid in 2007 and Felix said: "Thank you Tuttosport for the Golden boy 2019 award. I'm very proud.

"This is the second time an Atletico Madrid player gets this acknowledgement and I'm happy. Thank you to Benfica, especially coach Bruno Lage for all that he has done for me and my family, that are always close to me."

Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt was the 2018 winner but, as with Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe the year before, the champion is not allowed to retain his title.

Felix, 20, joined Atletico from Benfica in the summer for €126 million and has scored three goals so far this season.

The award first started in 2003 with Rafael van der Vaart, then of Ajax, the first recipient. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney won it a year later, before Lionel Messi claimed the award in 2005. Other notable winners include Aguero, Mario Balotelli, Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling.

Felix has been likened to Portugal compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo but the Juventus forward never managed to lift the award, which is voted by a panel of 40 journalists from the main Italian and international media.

The Premier League managerial sack race has already claimed two victims this season, with Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino following Watford's Javi Gracia out of work by losing his job last week. But as December approaches, the positions of several other high-profile managers are becoming increasingly precarious.

Everton's Marco Silva and Watford's Quique Sanchez Flores are fighting for survival at Goodison Park and Vicarage Road respectively, while Arsenal's Unai Emery, West Ham's Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are all in need of positive results in the coming weeks to banish fears for their futures.

So who are the most vulnerable managers in the Premier League and what are their prospects of surviving the pressure and holding onto their jobs?

Unai Emery

Sack rating: 3 of 5

What's gone wrong? The Spaniard is now almost 18 months into his reign as Arsenal manager, but there is little sign of progress on the pitch. Defensively, Arsenal remain a mess and their midfield is lacking quality. Without the goals of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has scored eight in the Premier League this season, Arsenal would be languishing in the bottom half.

Emery's failure to get the best out of Mesut Ozil and his decision to drop Granit Xhaka and strip him of the captaincy for a clash with supporters have done little to boost his reputation, but it is all about results, and Arsenal haven't won in the league since Oct. 6.

Can he survive? Arsenal are still in touch with the top four and remain alive in the Europa League, so Champions League qualification remains within their grasp, meaning Emery is at least keeping the team on course for the primary objective.

But supporters have grown unhappy with the Spaniard's tactics and the team's results, and the sight of Tottenham sacking Pochettino and hiring Jose Mourinho will have many urging the Arsenal board to show similar ruthlessness. If Emery suffers a defeat in any of his next three league games -- at Norwich, home to Brighton and at West Ham -- then he will be a in fight for survival.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Sack rating: 2 of 5

What's gone wrong? Almost a year since replacing Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United are performing worse than they were when the former manager was sacked. United are ninth, nine points adrift of a top-four spot, and have won just four league games all season.

For a club once accustomed to winning major trophies -- United never finished outside the Premier League top three under Sir Alex Ferguson -- Solskjaer is now on course to post a worse season even than David Moyes, who was sacked weeks before his team finished seventh in 2014.

Can he survive? Pochettino's availability means that every bad result will prompt inevitable speculation linking the Argentine with Solskjaer's job, but the Norwegian continues to receive the backing of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Solskjaer's attempts to rebuild the squad with young, homegrown players is cited as the reason for the hierarchy's patience, but results have been poor for months and United cannot allow mediocrity to become the norm. But Solskjaer is safe for now, even though results would suggest otherwise.

Marco Silva

Sack rating: 5 of 5

What's gone wrong? The former Hull City and Watford coach has spent almost £180 million on new players since arriving at Everton in the summer of 2018, but there has been little improvement, and the club are hovering just above the relegation zone despite having ambitions of European qualification.

Owner Farhad Moshiri believes Everton can break into the top four with smart investment and coaching, so Silva is under intense pressure to deliver. But four defeats in their past six league games have set alarm bells ringing of a potential relegation battle this season.

Can he survive? The Portuguese must inspire a revival quickly, but Everton's next two Premier League games are away to the top two -- Leicester and Liverpool. Back-to-back defeats in those games and Silva will be lucky to survive in the job. To make matters worse, Everton have not beaten Liverpool at Anfield this century, so if that becomes a must-win game, the odds will be stacked against Silva surviving for much longer.

Quique Sanchez Flores

Sack rating: 5 of 5

What's gone wrong? Having returned to Watford for a second spell in charge in September, Sanchez Flores has been unable to kick-start the club's season, and results have gone from bad to worse under the Spaniard. He has inspired Watford to just one win in nine Premier League games so far, and among their four league defeats was the 8-0 humiliation at Manchester City.

Last season's FA Cup finalists are bottom of the table and they were beaten 3-0 at home by Burnley last time out. Another defeat at second-bottom Southampton this weekend could signal the end, less than three months after taking charge.

Can he survive? Watford's owners, the Pozzo family, have shown a readiness in the past to dismiss managers when results are going badly, as their decision to sack Javi Gracia after just four league games this season attests. Retaining a Premier League place is regarded as crucial at Watford, so if Flores cannot arrest the slump, he could be gone within the next week.

Ralph Hasenhuttl

Sack rating: 4 of 5

What's gone wrong? Just two wins in 13 league games so far this season have seen Southampton drop into the bottom three, and they go into Saturday's huge game against bottom club Watford having failed to win in the league since mid-September.

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The 9-0 home defeat against Leicester last month, which equalled the record scoreline in the Premier League era, pushed Hasenhuttl close to the edge, but the Austrian has been given the chance to turn the situation around. A failure to hold on to a winning position in stoppage time at Arsenal last Saturday denied the Saints, and Hasenhuttl, a much-needed morale boost.

Can he survive? It is almost a year to the day since Southampton sacked Mark Hughes due to fears of a relegation battle, so the club have form for making a managerial change in midseason. Back then, Saints were third bottom, so they are actually doing worse under Hasenhuttl a year on. A defeat at home to Watford this weekend will send Southampton bottom, and Hasenhuttl will be lucky to survive if that happens.

Manuel Pellegrini

Sack rating: 3 of 5

What's gone wrong? The former Manchester City manager appeared to have brought some much-needed stability to West Ham last season, but their ambitious hopes for European qualification this season already look to be over after just three wins in 13 in league games.

Pellegrini has also struggled to connect with the West Ham supporters, who perceive the Chilean to be a distant figure who shows little sense of embracing a club with a strong sense of community spirit. Pellegrini's tactics and team selection also have done little to endear him to the club's fans, who have seen the team slide into trouble after a run of just one point from their past six games.

Can he survive? West Ham are hovering above the relegation zone and simply cannot afford to drop out of the Premier League having made the move to the London Stadium three years ago, so if results continue to go badly, Pellegrini's position will come under increasing scrutiny. The next three games -- Chelsea and Wolves away, followed by Arsenal at home -- will be make or break, and Pellegrini needs his team to bank at least four points from those fixtures.

Former United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will take over Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin on an interim basis, the German side have confirmed.

Klinsmann will be joined be former Werder Bremen coach Alexander Nouri, 40, who will act as his assistant.

The 55-year-old was named to the club's supervisory board by new investor Lars Windhorst in early November and had all but ruled out returning to the sidelines.

But amid a major crisis, the former Germany international has been chosen to replace Ante Covic and returns to the Bundesliga more than 10 years after being sacked at Bayern Munich.

Windhorst, a 42-year-old entrepreneur, has purchased 49.9% of Hertha's shares in recent months and has said he is dreaming of turning them into a "big city club."

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But with just three wins from the first 12 Bundesliga games this term, Hertha find themselves in the lower regions of the table. Instead of competing for a European spot, the capital club are fifteenth and are battling relegation. To make matters worse, newly promoted city rivals Union Berlin not only won the first-ever Bundesliga derby between the two sides but also hold a five-point advantage over Hertha.

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Installed in the summer, Covic, a former pro and second team coach for Hertha, struggled from the start and has left the club following a 4-0 defeat at relegation rivals FC Augsburg last Sunday.

And after days of contemplation, Hertha have appointed Klinsmann to take over until a permanent manager can be found.

Fiji winger Semi Radradra has agreed a three-year deal to join Bristol Bears from next season.

The 27-year-old turned down a return to the National Rugby League in Australia to move from current club Bordeaux to Ashton Gate in 2020.

Radradra previously switched from rugby league in 2016 to join Toulon.

"There's no doubt Semi is one of the best players in the world - a world-class performer," said Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam.

He scored two tries in his four appearances for Fiji at the World Cup in Japan, and put in particularly impressive displays against Australia and Wales.

"I'm looking forward to coming to the Premiership and playing under Pat Lam at Bristol," said Radradra, who scored a try for Bordeaux against Edinburgh in the European Challenge Cup last week.

"They're one of the most exciting teams in Europe right now and the way they are doing things is making everybody take notice."

Lam is excited at Radradra's acquisition as Bears hope to continuing building on their progress since returning to the domestic top flight in 2018.

"Every top club across both codes on the planet wanted him," Lam added. "So for Bristol to be able to bring in a player of his quality underlines the fantastic work that the club is doing.

"Semi has clarity about our vision and knows what the club want to achieve. As a person and a player, he's perfect for our culture."

Rapid fifties from Danni Wyatt and captain Jess Duffin helped the Melbourne Renegades pull off the highest chase in WBBL history by beating table-toppers Brisbane Heat. The Renegades chased down 184 with six wickets and as many balls to spare at the Allan Border Field. Wyatt and Duffin came together in the ninth over when the Renegades needed 103 from 67 balls and the duo struck boundaries in every over but one from there to seal the chase. Wyatt smashed a few down the ground during her 34-ball fifty and Duffin took on Delissa Kimmince and Amelia Kerr for her 27-ball half-century. Wyatt slapped a catch to mid-off to fall for her 55-ball 87 before Duffin reduced the equation to 11 runs from 12 balls which Georgia Wareham finished with a drive over mid-off in the penultimate over. Earlier, Beth Mooney's 86 off 57 and Jess Jonassen's 51 off 34 carried Heat to 4 for 183 with Mooney relying on her drives in a total of 10 fours and two sixes. Their charge during the second-wicket century stand kicked off after the halfway mark with Mooney smashing two fours and two sixes in the 16th over off Maitlan Brown to collect 25 runs. Wyatt, however, dismissed both Mooney and Jonassen in the 19th over and even effected a run-out at her end before starring with the bat.

After Naomi Stalenberg got Sydney Thunder off to a blistering start with a 21-ball 30, No. 3 Alex Blackwell batted into the 19th over, ensuring that an imposing total was posted to keep their slender hopes of semi-final qualification alive, as they beat bottom-placed Melbourne Stars by 18 runs in Canberra. Blackwell struck 65 off 47 balls, and stitched useful stands with captain Rachael Haynes and Phoebe Litchfield through the middle overs, before a final push from Hannah Darlington took Thunder to 6 for 162. Despite the loss of in-from opener Lizelle Lee for a second-ball duck to Rene Farrell, the Stars remained in the hunt through a 78-run stand between Elyse Villani and Mignon du Preez. But Farrell returned to dislodge Villani for 43 in the 13th over, and when Samantha Bates had du Preez stumped for 55 in the 17th, the Stars were left with 44 to score from 19 and they fell short.