Cardiff’s defeat against Leeds was their fifth from six games this season, with their only point and goal coming during last month’s south Wales derby draw at Swansea City.

That total from six matches is the Bluebirds’ worst since the 1930-31 season when they started their old Second Division – as it was then known – campaign with five successive losses followed by a draw.

The dismal nature of the performances this season have been as worrying as the results, with Cardiff’s blunt and unimaginative displays attracting criticism from fans, pundits and former players.

“When you don’t take results as a manager or as a team, you get attacked and critics are coming. This is normal. Everywhere is the same,” said Bulut.

“Even if you play some games much better, but if you don’t score, no-one speaks about how well you played and how many chances you created.

“Everything is about winning and losing. If you lose games it is normal you get criticism.

“These critics I take. I can say that in front of them. But it has to be at a normal level.”

This abject start to Bulut’s second season comes after the former Fenerbahce boss had overseen a significant improvement in his first campaign.

Before Bulut’s arrival, Cardiff had endured two successive battles to avoid relegation but, with the ex-Turkey Under-21 international at the helm, they finished a comfortable 12th in the Championship table.

In doing so, Bulut became the first Bluebirds manager to last a whole season since Neil Warnock oversaw the 2018-19 term.

“We don’t forget that when I took over last season, where the club had been,” said Bulut.

“We were nearly relegated if Reading didn’t get the six points taken away, maybe we wouldn’t be here. But this is the past, now we have to speak about this. It is normal you have critics if you don’t get a result after six games.”

England fell 2-0 down in the one-day international series against Australia as their batting wilted in the second match at Headingley.

Having dismissed the tourists for 270, England’s top order was blown away by Australia’s high-class pace bowling attack in a comprehensive 68-run defeat.

Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone made first-ball ducks and Harry Brook only four in his second match as England’s stand-in captain.

Youngsters Jamie Smith and Jacob Bethell attempted a rebuild from 65-5 until Bethell looped a catch to depart for 25.

Smith continued to 49 but clipped Josh Hazlewood, who was superb alongside fellow returning quick Mitchell Starc, to mid-wicket and England were seven down still 112 adrift.

Adil Rashid and Brydon Carse prolonged the game with 27 and 26 respectively, but by the time the hosts were dismissed for 202 many in the stands had already gone home.

Australia were grateful for Alex Carey’s 74, which dragged them from 161-6 to what proved a competitive, if chaseable, total.

Carey, having been booed to the crease for his role in last summer’s Ashes stumping of Jonny Bairstow, crucially put on 49 with Hazlewood.

Australia can now clinch the five-match series with victory in the third ODI at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.

(This story first was published at Sportsbook Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group.)

In a 12-round IBF world heavyweight championship bout, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois meet Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London. The fight will take place at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET (DAZN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Joshua vs. Dubois odds, and make our expert boxing picks and predictions.

Records: Joshua (28-3-0, 25 KOs) | Dubois (21-2-0, 20 KOs)

Joshua looks to snatch the IBF Interim World Heavyweight belt off of Dubois. He picked up a 2nd-round KO/TKO win over Francis Ngannou in early March in Saudi Arabia. He also had a win over Otto Wallin before that in Riyadh, while knocking out Robert Helenius in the 7th round at O2 arena in Aug. 2023.

Joshua has won 4 straight fights since losing back-to-back bouts to Oleksandr Usyk in Sept. 2021 in Tottenham, U.K., and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Dubois has picked up consecutive victories via TKO against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic in Riyadh. Before that, he also suffered a setback to Usyk, the class of the division, with a 9th-round loss via knockout.

Joshua stands just 1 inch taller than his counterpart, but he has a 4-inch reach advantage.

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Joshua vs. Dubois odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook: access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10 a.m. ET.

• Fight result (2-way line): Joshua -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Dubois +280 (bet $100 to win $280)
• Total Rounds 7.5: (Over -125 | Under -110)
• Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +300 | No -450)

Joshua vs. Dubois picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
Backing Joshua (-350) on the 2-way line will cost you 4 times your potential return. That’s way too much risk for not enough reward. On the flip side, you can’t trust Dubois (+280) straight for the upset, either.

Let’s get a little more specific. Joshua has 28 career victories, with 25 of those wins, or 89.29%, coming via knockout. So, if you like the Briton to win, you should like him to end this fight early via KO.

As such, play JOSHUA IN ROUNDS 7-12 (+188) in Round Group Betting 3, if you’re a little more on the conservative side.

If you’re a little more conservative, and you don’t want to declare a winner, playing ROUNDS 7-12 (+138) for when the fight will be won in Round Group Betting 4 is worth a play.

Over/Under (O/U)
No (-450): Will the fight go the distance? will cost you 4 times your potential return. That’s way too much risk, and not nearly enough reward.

While the fight isn’t expected to need the judges to decide a winner, it shouldn’t end prior to Round 7, either. OVER 7.5 ROUNDS (-125) is a solid play, as a result.

Jackson has had a hand in 23 goals across his last 29 Premier League starts for Chelsea (16 goals, seven assists), including 11 goal involvements in his last 10 starts (eight goals, three assists).

After the win he said his confidence was “growing higher” with his team-mates and “they have confidence” in him.

Since the start of 2023-24, Jackson and Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer have combined for 10 Premier League goals – at least two more than any other duo in the English top flight.

“Everybody knows he (Jackson) is a top player. The Chelsea fans and players rate him highly – we know what he is capable of,” Palmer told TNT Sports.

Equally optimistically for Chelsea fans was the early signs of a rapport on the pitch between Jackson and new signing Jadon Sancho, who combined well for the first goal against the Hammers.

It was his second goal, though, that caught the eye of former Chelsea striker Demba Ba who said on X that Jackson gave a “masterclass on creating space”.

“How he gets the defender out of position and gets in there is top level,” added compatriot Ba. “Even better than the finishing itself.”

Former Chelsea and West Ham midfielder Joe Cole said Jackson was still “learning his trade” as a “younger man and a young player” after he compared his start at Stamford Bridge to one of the club’s legendary Premier League players.

“People talked about Didier Drogba’s first two seasons when he wasn’t as prolific as he later became. Nevertheless, he [Jackson] has scored the goals and he will get better,” Cole told TNT Sports.

“He needs to just keep improving, be a bit more composed and [gain] more confidence. He will bounce into the next game now.”

Fulham manager Marco Silva says his side ‘”deserved” to win 3-1 against Newcastle United which ended their unbeaten start to the Premier League at Craven Cottage.

READ MORE: Newcastle miss chance to go top with defeat at Fulham

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