Pulis, who managed Stoke for 10 years in two different spells, added: “When I was at Stoke, I would drive home to the south coast after a game on the Saturday.

“It could take me three hours or more, but it was precious time because I could spend much of it on the phone and it is when I would start my preparation for our next match.

“My chairman Peter Coates would always speak to me then if we lost. If we’d won, he never bothered, knowing I wouldn’t need comforting.

“Win or lose, however, I would always ring my assistants, David Kemp and Gerry Francis, and we would discuss the game in finer detail – away from the stadium to give us a different perspective.

“Then I would contact my chief scout, who would have been at our next opponent’s game, for a quick run-down of what he had seen – their shape, patterns, strength, weaknesses and any injuries.

“By the time I arrived home, whatever our result, I would have my dinner on a tray in front of the TV while watching a recording of our opponent’s last game, which I could get downloaded.

“Sunday was about spending all day with the family, but then either late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning I would be back up the motorway, with a clear view of what I believed was needed for our next game.

“There are so many people in football who will tell you the same – that by jumping in the car, being by yourself and then picking the people you want to speak to, with no interference and no other phones going, you can just concentrate on what you want to. Whereas if you are in your office, you have got this and that going on.

“You might be involved in a really serious debate and then your chairman says he wants to speak to you – then you have to change all of that and go and find out what he wants.

“Whereas when you are in that car and you are by yourself, you have got time to think about everything. I always valued that time and thought it was really important – so it was more beneficial to me as an individual to live away from the club.”

He added: “Having my family on the south coast didn’t stop me from understanding what the DNA of Stoke City Football Club was. I got to know the area and the fans, and I wanted to give them a team they could identify with.

“Wherever I worked, I never felt I wasn’t doing the job I was being paid to do – I always wanted my club to feel like a family.

“I always wanted everyone to feel as though they were part of the family – and the main thing was that everyone pulled and pushed in the right direction.”

Nigeria’s Falconets have been knocked out of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after losing 1-0 to Colombia in their quarter-final match in Łódź, Poland, on Sunday.

The defeat ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals and continuing their search for a first-ever U-20 Women’s World Cup title.

The Falconets started the game strongly and controlled much of the first half. Nigeria had 64 per cent possession and created seven attempts, with two on target, but they could not find the breakthrough.

Janet Akekoromowei remained a threat after the break, but her three attempts failed to beat the Colombian goalkeeper.

Nigeria’s task became harder in the 74th minute when Kafayat Mafisere was shown a red card following a tackle, leaving the Falconets with 10 players.

Colombia took advantage of the numerical advantage and began to create more opportunities as the game moved towards the final minutes.

Just when the match looked set to go into extra time, Colombia scored the decisive goal in the 92nd minute.

Valerin Loboa received a through pass from midfield before sending a low shot past Nigeria goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma to give Colombia a 1-0 lead.

The Falconets had little time to respond, and the match ended 1-0.

Nigeria had entered the quarter-final with confidence after a 3-0 victory over England in the round of 16, but their World Cup journey has now come to an end.

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert says the club have had a “big, big punishment” for Spygate, and he is thankful for the support he has been given.

READ MORE: ‘I’ve asked for forgiveness’ – Eckert and Southampton braced for Spygate verdict

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First Published: Sep 21 2026 | 10:18 AM IST

The top three here really are good streamers, but the rest are more like desperation plays

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Sep 20, 2026

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Champion trainer Chris Waller is preparing to unleash five horses in the prestigious $1 million Golden Rose Stakes. While early betting markets favour St Gotthard as his strongest contender, Waller suggests there’s minimal difference in the capabilities of his quintet.

St Gotthard, a full brother to Switzerland, experienced his first defeat when finishing a close second to Warwoven in the recent Run To The Rose (1200m), a race traditionally serving as the key lead-up to Saturday’s major event.

He will be joined by stablemates Tron Bolt, Central Europe, Stormy Marco, and Campione D’Italia in the 1400m Golden Rose. Waller indicated that all five possess valid claims, irrespective of the barrier draw.

“It’s such a fair track, Rosehill, and over the 1400, there’s four hundred metres to the first bend,” Waller explained. “We’ve had some good success from bad draws. Going back to Zoustar, I think he drew the outside and (jockey) Jimmy Cassidy was even more confident. He said, ‘nothing will get in his way’. It’s not something you can worry about.”

“I could make a case for all of them, to tell you the truth,” he added.

Guest House, the winner of the San Domenico Stakes, is the $2.80 pre-post favourite to become only the second horse after Forensics (2007-08) to complete the Golden Slipper-Golden Rose double.

St Gotthard is currently second in line for betting at $4.50, with Warwoven at $6 and Tron Bolt at $7.

Champagne Stakes winner Fireball will be absent from the field, as Waller confirmed the colt has been spelled following a virus that has not fully cleared.

A virus was also the reason for Sing Your Song being scratched on race morning from the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday, ending her hopes of competing in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) next month.

Nevertheless, Waller is still aiming to salvage some of her spring campaign, with plans to reroute her to the Reginald Allen Quality (1400m) on Everest day, potentially followed by a trip to Melbourne.

“That was a bit tough to take (on Saturday) morning, but that’s what happens, isn’t it?” Waller commented.

Waller anticipates still having a strong chance in the Flight Stakes (1600m) with former Perth filly Striking Alibi, who endured an unlucky run when finishing second to Bangkok Hottie in the Tea Rose.

With two games under their belts, it’s becoming clear that the Pittsburgh Steelers are broken on offense. While they were able to pull out a win despite their lackluster play on that side of the ball in the season opener, they weren’t as fortunate in Week 2. The offense mustered a lone field goal in a 20-3 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots. 

“We just didn’t get into a rhythm,” Rodgers said postgame. “We had too many three-and-outs again. I didn’t feel like there was anybody that had an exceptional game out there. We all played below our standard.”

The three points scored were tied for the fewest points in any career game that Rodgers has started and finished. So far, the Steelers have 499 total yards through two games, averaging out to 249.5 yards per game. That is the fewest total yards through two games in any season in Aaron Rodgers‘ career, as well as Mike McCarthy’s coaching career. 

What has been especially jarring is the lack of explosion from the Pittsburgh offense. Their 3.8 yards per play average ranks at the bottom of the league, and they have just two plays that have gone for 25 or more yards. In the loss to New England on Sunday, the offense averaged 3.5 yards per play, and Rodgers averaged 5.4 air yards per pass attempt. 

To take it a step further, 13 of Rodgers’ 39 pass attempts were at or behind the line of scrimmage. He attempted just three passes 20-plus yards down the field.  Overall, 24 of Rodgers’ 79 pass attempts this season have been at or behind the line of scrimmage. 

The rapport (or lack thereof) between Rodgers and DK Metcalf has been one of the key reasons why the offense has been anemic. The wideout has caught just eight of his 19 targets this season and has already tallied three drops (had four drops in all of last season). 

Beyond their inability to connect on big plays, the Steelers have simply been unable to string together positive plays to extend drives. They converted just two of their 12 third-down opportunities on Sunday and are 5-for-25 on the key down this season. 

When they did finally string some plays together, they self-combusted for more than not. One of their lone explosive plays of the day came from Jaylen Warren, who hauled in a short pass from Rodgers and turned it into a 26-yard gain and brought the Steelers to the New England 4-yard line. While it looked as if they might finally reach paydirt, Rodgers was sacked for a 13-yard loss on the very next play, and then tossed an interception right after that. Rodgers threw a ball to Germie Bernard at the line of scrimmage, and the rookie receiver couldn’t secure the catch as the ball popped into the air and was snatched up by the Patriots. 

Right now, the Steelers’ defense doesn’t strike much, if any, fear in the opposing defense. The offensive line has shown it can be beaten (Rodgers has taken six sacks through two games), no weapons are truly tilting the field, and they have a quarterback who looks like he’s 42 years old and is about to retire after this season. 

If they don’t find a way to give themselves a shot in the arm, Rodgers’ career will conclude with a mere whimper. 

Game Balls

How Game Balls work: Six are awarded to standout players from the slate on teams that won their contests, and only one player on a team can get a game ball. 

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• Week 2 stats: 7 catches, 75 receiving yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns

After a quiet start in Week 1 where he caught just two balls for 12 yards, Ja’Marr Chase burst onto the scene in Week 2. He caught seven of his nine targets on the day in a win over Houston, two of which went for touchdowns. In the second quarter, Chase registered a touchdown reception that is an early candidate for the catch of the year, twirling around and backpedaling before somehow hauling in the pass and keeping both feet in bounds for the score. 

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• Week 2 stats: 26 of 31 passing, 279 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns; 4 carries, 26 yards rushing

Dak Prescott’s dominance against Washington continued in Week 2, leading the Cowboys to a 37-20 victory to notch their first win of the season. Prescott is now 8-0 in his career at home against the Commanders. In those games, his teams average 41.1 points per game while he’s thrown for 24 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Those four passing touchdowns on Sunday also helped him surpass Tony Romo for the most in Cowboys history. 

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• Week 2 stats: 27 of 34 passing, 252 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown; 9 carries, 23 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown

One of the biggest upsets of Week 2 came from the New Orleans Saints as they rallied late to take down the Baltimore Ravens. Tyler Shough was particularly sharp in the fourth quarter, completing 12 of 14 for 119 yards and a touchdown. This is the young quarterback’s third double-digit comeback win, which is tied for the fourth-most in franchise history.

• Week 2 stats: 9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown

Devin Lloyd was one of the key offseason additions for Carolina this offseason and he’s starting to show why. The veteran linebacker posted two interceptions in the 34-3 win over the Falcons, and took one back for a 16-yard touchdown. Lloyd is the first player since 2012 (Zach Brown) to have at least two interceptions, a pick six and a sack in a game. 

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• Week 2 stats: 20 of 31 passing, 248 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns; 14 carries, 69 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns

Josh Allen is already in MVP form as he led the Bills to a 41-31 victory over the Lions on Thursday night to kick off Week 2. He’s just the third player in NFL history with 9-plus touchdowns and zero turnovers in his first two games of the season, joining Peyton Manning (2013) and Patrick Mahomes (2018). Each went on to win NFL MVP. 

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• Week 2 stats: 9 catches, 155 receiving yards, 3 touchdown receptions

The defending Offensive Player of the Year showed why he has a claim to be regarded as the best wide receiver in football. On the first drive of the game, Smith-Njigba ripped off an 82-yard touchdown, the first of three scores on the day. This was the first career three-touchdown game for the Ohio State product. He’s accounted for 63.7% of Seattle receiving yards so far, which is the most by any player through two weeks since Vincent Jackson in 2013. 

Notable Week 2 gaffes

Jayden Daniels suffers gruesome elbow injury

Jayden Daniels was ruled out of Sunday’s contest against Dallas after suffering a gruesome elbow injury right before halftime. The Commanders left the offense on the field for a third-and-goal attempt with just three seconds left in the half. Upon taking the snap, Daniels was stepped on by one of his offensive linemen, and then put his arm down to try and keep himself upright. That’s when his elbow bent awkwardly; he threw the ball incomplete and was eventually carted off the field. 

Given that the Commanders were getting the ball coming out of halftime, it’s fair to criticize Dan Quinn for having Daniels on the field for that play in the first place. They could’ve simply kicked the field goal to put points on the board, made it a 17-13 deficit, and looked to gain the lead with a scoring drive to begin the third. 

Fourth-and-43 in Foxborough

As we noted above, it was a rough day for the Steelers’ offense, and it turned into a calamity midway through the second quarter. Rodgers took a third-and-7 snap, was sandwiched by two Patriots defenders, and fumbled the football. The ball was then scooped up for a moment, batted, booted, and eventually was recovered by the Steelers on the other side of the field. That created a fourth-and-43 situation. 

Cobie Durant gets stepped on 

Everyone watching Cobie Durant get stepped on probably winced a bit and squirmed in their chair. The Cowboys defensive back was on the field during an incomplete pass on first-and-goal between Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin. Durant had dove to disrupt the pass and was lying down on the field when he endured some friendly fire. Teammate Markquese Bell accidentally stepped on him in a … let’s just say sensitive area. 

Aaron Glenn’s poor clock management

It was not a banner day for Aaron Glenn as the Jets head coach had his hand on the wheel of a second-half stumble, blowing a 17-7 fourth-quarter lead against Green Bay. Glenn particularly bungled the final seconds of regulation before the game eventually went to overtime. After stopping the Packers‘ offense on third down, Glenn could’ve stopped the clock by using a timeout, which would’ve had the Packers punting with about 50 seconds left. Instead, Glenn kept the timeout in his pocket, and the game went into the extra period. 

Glenn said postgame that he did not consider using the timeout at all. 

Glenn then elected to take possession to begin overtime, and the offense went three-and-out. That led to the Packers needing just a field goal, which they converted on the ensuing possession. 

Two-minute drill

Here are some of my quick-hitting takeaways/notes from Week 2:

• I thought the Colts played scared after Laquon Treadwell’s fumble was overturned. After the 48-yard gain, they ran the ball on back-to-back plays with Jonathan Taylor and then a scramble with Daniel Jones. They should’ve taken a shot at the end zone. 
• Patrick Mahomes — who is now 8-0 all time in regular-season overtime games — looked a lot more comfortable throwing the football than in Week 1. The Chiefs QB is a virtual lock for Comeback Player of the Year.
• Don’t look now, but Bryce Young is on a heater. The Panthers QB completed 23 of 26 for 287 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Atlanta. Young is the first Panthers quarterback with three-plus passing touchdowns in back-to-back games since 2017 (Cam Newton). 
• I never thought I’d say this, but the Falcons desperately need either Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa for Week 3. Cooper Rush, who was benched after committing three turnovers, is directly losing the franchise games. They take on the Packers at Lambeau on Thursday. 
• This is the third 0-2 start for the Texans in the four seasons under DeMeco Ryans. They’ve made the playoffs in each season under Ryans.
• As we highlighted last week, the Bengals‘ defense continues to impress. The unit allowed just six points against the Texans and sacked C.J. Stroud four times. 
• The Green Bay Packers have converted just four of their 21 third-down opportunities through the first two weeks of the season. 
• The Jets have now gone 19 straight games without a defensive interception (extending the longest streak in NFL history). 
• Not really sure what I’m supposed to make of Jalen Hurts‘ comeback win over the Titans. On the one hand, good on him and the offense to rally back. On the other hand, they needed a last-second touchdown to beat the Titans?!?
• Cam Ward was the first Titans quarterback with two or more rushing touchdowns in a game since Ryan Tannehill (2020). 
• Holding my breath for Caleb Williams, who left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. The injury did not look good, but we’ll wait and see what the fate will be regarding one of the league’s brightest young stars. 
• Deshaun Watson may have just given himself another week as Cleveland’s starter after leading them to a 23-19 win over Tampa Bay
• Baker Mayfield is 3-10 over his last 13 games and has 17 total touchdowns and 17 total turnovers. 
• Turnovers are still a concern for Drake Maye, who threw an interception in the win over Pittsburgh in Week 2.
• The Ravens are 3-7 at home over the past two seasons.
• The Chargers are 0-2 and look lost. To make matters worse, they have a seven-game stretch upcoming where they’ll face five teams that won a playoff game last season. The two other teams are the Chiefs and Ravens. 
• It still amazes me how much of a bust Marvin Harrison Jr. has been. He was an absolute non-factor in Sunday’s loss to Seattle, seeing one target (no catches).
• The Raiders are multiple games over .500 for the first time since 2021. 
• After mustering just one catch in Week 1, Jaylen Waddle has his breakout performance in Denver, catching eight balls for 138 yards. 
• The Jaguars had their nine-game regular-season winning streak snapped after blowing a late lead against the Broncos. 
• San Francisco has won each of its first two games by 20-plus points, which is the first time they’ve done that in franchise history. 
• Brock Purdy has thrown five passing touchdowns to five different players this season (Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey).
• The Cardinals have lost eight straight games at home. 
• The Dolphins are the only team that has not led this season.

Shooting: India add three medals on Day 2

India’s shooters have added three more medals to the tally on Day 2.

The men’s 10m air rifle team of Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Mane won silver, finishing behind China, while South Korea took bronze.

In the individual event, Himanshu won silver and Rudrankksh took bronze, giving India two more medals. The results take India’s shooting medal count to five, with Elavenil Valarivan having won two silver medals on Sunday.

Suchika Tariyal wins bronze in MMA

Suchika Tariyal has secured India’s sixth medal at the Asian Games after losing 2-0 to Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon in the women’s traditional 60kg semi-final.

Suchika had assured herself of a medal after beating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarter-final on Sunday. Her semi-final defeat means she will take home the bronze medal, while Teo advances to the gold-medal bout.

Sepak takraw: India start strongly against Japan

India have taken the opening match against hosts Japan in the men’s team regu Group B tie.

After falling 5-10 behind in the first set, India fought back to win it 15-13 and then closed the second set 15-9 to take the match 2-0. The broader tie continues, with Japan still having a chance to respond.

Swimming: Srihari advances, Akash, Gitesh and Dhanush miss out

Srihari Nataraj advanced from the men’s 50m backstroke heats, while Rishabh Das was listed as a reserve.

In the men’s 50m freestyle, Akash Mani and Gitesh Shah missed the final, finishing 26th and 28th overall, respectively.

Dhanush Suresh also failed to progress from the men’s 100m breaststroke heats, finishing 22nd overall.

Hockey: India women return after 19-0 win

India’s women’s hockey team will face Indonesia in Pool B later in the morning.

India began their campaign with a 19-0 win over Uzbekistan, and the match against Indonesia gives them a chance to build on that start.

Kabaddi campaign begins

India’s kabaddi teams will begin their Asian Games 2026 campaigns on Monday.

The men’s team will face Japan in Group A, while the women’s team will take on Bangladesh later in the day.

Badminton: India men face Bangladesh

India’s men’s badminton team will open its campaign against Bangladesh.

The women’s team made a strong start on Sunday, beating Kazakhstan 3-0 without dropping a game. The men will look for a similar opening result.

Boxing: Sumit advances to Round of 16

Sumit has advanced to the Round of 16 in the men’s 70kg category after beating Thailand’s Bunjong Sinsiri 5-0 in the Round of 32.

He will now continue his campaign in the next round as India look to add to their medal tally in boxing.

Wushu: Nyeman 15th, Roshibina and Aryan in action later

Nyeman Wangsu finished 15th in the women’s changquan final in India’s first wushu event of the day.

Roshibina Devi will face Bangladesh’s Most Khatun in the women’s 60kg Round of 16, while Aryan will take on Afghanistan’s Shahzada Safi in the men’s 56kg Round of 16 later in the day.