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Brendan Rodgers has revealed today that rarely-seen veteran, James Forrest, could yet still have a part to play in the story of this year’s Scottish Premiership campaign. The 32-year-old has been a peripheral figure this season as he has featured less and less in the first-team and even been missing from match-day squads too this time around.
The former Scotland international has been a fantastic servant to Celtic and has now reached that point in his career when the intensity with which he used to play is slowly but surely diminishing. Rodgers was the man who rejuvenated James the last time he was at the Parkhead club, with Forrest looking to be on his way out at that stage with very few of the opinion that things could change for the wide-man.
Now with him at a very different stage in his illustrious career at Celtic Park, Brendan has revealed that he is still the best winger at the club in terms of how accomplished and intelligent he is in the wide forward role, but that his explosive pace and power are waning now which means he can’t perform to that level consistently anymore. “James is available, yeah,” he said. “He’s been training and been an amazing servant to this club. I’m pretty sure over these final remaining games he may well have a part to play in it.
“I think for me, the thing is looking at the team we need to have intensity, we need to have that relentless mentality. But there’s no doubt of his ability, that’s never in question. As a winger, I would say in terms of ability-wise, he’s the best one we have. There’s no question. But how we ask the game to be played, the intensity, the consistent running, as you get older then it becomes a challenge. But there’s no doubt, there will be a point over these next 11 games where he’ll be required. He’s training so well and keeping himself ready. He’s a top professional. He looks after his body and he’s himself every day and if he’s required to play then he will do.”
Our evergreen winger has did it time and time again for the Hoops during the course of a season and you wouldn’t put it past him having a say during the last remaining games in the League and Cup. With his youngster comrades in the flanks failing to produce the goods at a reasonable level this year too, the old head could be required as an impact sub during these remaining cup finals for the manager, supporters and club.
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San Diego FC edge Nashville FC in heavyweight matchup
Chucky Lozano scored the decisive goal early in the second half as host San Diego FC notched a 1-0 victory over Nashville SC on Friday night. Anders Dreyer set up the tally to raise his MLS assists lead to 16 while helping San Diego FC maintain its hold on first place in the Western Conference. San Diego FC (14-7-4, 46 points) halted a three-match home winless stretch (0-2-1). The offense never got untracked for Nashville (14-6-5, 47 points), which remains tied for second in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Union. The two clubs are one point behind East leader FC Cincinnati. Lozano's goal in the 53rd minute was a backbreaker for a Nashville squad that lost for just the second time (10-2-4) over its past 16 MLS matches. Joe Willis kept Nashville in the match with glove saves in the 80th and 83rd minutes. First, Willis used his hand to knock a close-range right-footer by San Diego's Luca Bombino over the net. Dreyer then stood at the penalty kick spot in the 83th minute and the San Diego star attempted a left-footed shot on a slow approach. Willis anticipated correctly by diving to his left and easily making the save. Dreyer appeared to score an open-net goal in the ninth and final minute of second-half stoppage time. But the referee ruled he called the match over after San Diego FC cleared a last-gasp corner kick in which Nashville had Willis stationed in the line of players in front of the San Diego net. San Diego's Pablo Sisniega had four stops for his first shutout of the season. San Diego outshot Nashville 10-9 and both teams placed four on target. San Diego FC's goal included a contribution from all three of its All-Stars. Jeppe Tverskov delivered a pass up ahead to Dreyer, who tapped the ball with his left toward Lozano. The wide-open Lozano then drilled a right-footed shot into the net that also marked San Diego's first shot on target. Four minutes later, one of Nashville's three All-Stars had a strong opportunity. Sam Surridge was in position for a close-range header but Nashville's first shot on target was gobbled up by Sisniega. Hany Mukhtar, another Nashville All-Star, took a right-footed shot from just outside the box in the 61st minute that Sisniega stopped. Andy Najar was Nashville's other All-Star in the game played Wednesday night.
‘In What World Does This Make Sense?????’: Oilers and $63M Forward
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
'I shouldn't have said yes to doing that' - Taylor Fritz reflects on being setup during viral interview at the ESPYs
After a moment that left him slightly embarrassed, tennis star Taylor Fritz has expressed regret at agreeing to an interview that would later go viral due to the American's slight inebriation. The top-ranked American was present at the annual ESPY's event, where a clip featuring him would later go viral. Fritz was interviewed by a social media influencer, who would ask him a question as the California native was leaving the venue. Slightly intoxicated, Fritz agreed to answer a quick question. However, the interviewer would present Fritz with a math problem, asking for the total amount of 50 $20 bills, to which the American was unable to quickly solve due to his intoxication. "Let me think for a second," responded Fritz. "Uh, every five is a hundred, so... every five is a hundred, so that’s... I’ve been drinking too much tonight. Every five is a hundred, so... there’s ten fives—I mean... it’s $10,000" Fritz goes viral, regrets interview once sober The clip of Fritz failing the simple math question would find it's way to the internet, initially posted by the Instagram account @alfredopastadonn. Subsequently, Fritz would be forced to chime in on the matter during a press conference at the ongoing DC Open, where he was unsure on whether the interviewer's goal was to embarrass him. "I shouldn't have said yes to doing that," said the World No.4. "I knew it was one of those. I had just left the ESPYs after party... I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out, because when I did the interview, in my head, I thought that I was, like, going to sound super drunk. But I actually sounded very coherent, like normal. I don't think you'd ever tell from watching the video. I was happy about that. "I know those street interviews are such a setup too. He said he was going to interview me, ask me some questions, and he hit me with a math question. It's really bad. It's really, really bad." The 27-year old is the top seed at the DC Open, where he advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Italian Matteo Arnaldi in straigtht sets.
Warriors' Stephen Curry believes NBA players are 'underpaid'
Are NBA players underpaid? Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry argues yes. The greatest shooter in NBA history said Thursday on Complex’s “360 With Speedy” that because the league’s current CBA doesn’t allow for current players to invest in league and team equity, players are leaving money on the table. “I would say, yes, we are underpaid,” Curry admitted when asked, despite enormous salaries, if the players were getting short-changed, “because you wanna be able to participate in that rise [of equity].” “It’s a partnership with ownership, [and] it’s a partnership with the league,” the 37-year-old stressed, revealing that league salaries do not reflect players’ impact on team valuations. If anyone has the right to begrudge the current CBA on player participation in equity, it’s Curry. When drafted in 2009, the Warriors were worth $315 million. Current valuations in May of 2025 have the team at $9.4 billion, the most in the league. Curry’s been paid handsomely during his time in Golden State, and he doesn’t overlook it. “I know we’re blessed to be in a position where we’re playing basketball for a living, and these are the type of checks that people are earning,” he told Complex. However, when he signed his $62.6 million one-year extension in 2024 that would keep him in a Warriors’ jersey until 2027, many felt that no amount of money the franchise could offer him would represent his worth. Curry had an undeniable impact on the Warriors’ valuation increasing by nearly 3,000%. He’s benefited by being the most salaried player on the roster and plenty of endorsement deals. But is he getting his fair share? Something similar may happen with reigning NBA Finals MVP and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just signed the richest contract in league history with an average annual value of $71.25 million. According to Forbes, the Thunder’s valuation increased 20% from 2023 to 2024 and will likely take another jump after this year’s championship. Curry concedes that player participation in equity isn’t a simple concept and not all markets are created equal: “You got competitive advantage considerations…and want every market to have a fair chance, like I get all that.” He believes, however, that finding a solution is a “mutually beneficial proposition” for players, teams and the league. Even the most expensive people in the world need to find other investors to make owning an NBA team possible. The best example of Curry’s point is the Boston Celtics sale in March. The most-championed franchise in league history was sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion, the largest ever sports franchise sale in North America at the time. Chisholm needed Rob Hale, Bruce Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street, to afford the purchase. Because team ownership is already a multi-investor operation, the league could potentially come to an agreement with the players by the next CBA negotiation at the end of the decade. If not, the league's best players will continue to simultaneously earn a ridiculous amount of money, and it will not be nearly enough.
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