- Steven Finn recorded bowling figures of 8-79 for Middlesex against Lancashire
- Ryan Giggs congratulated Gareth Barry on breaking his appearance record
- Rio Ferdinand shot down a journalist for asking a legitimate question on money
At the end of an interesting week of football, boxing and cricket news, Sportsmail’s IAN LADYMAN shares his temperature update and reveals who is hot and who is not.
HOT
STEVEN FINN
Twenty-six months after his last five-wicket haul, Finn’s figures of 8-79 for Middlesex were the second best of his career.
With Toby Roland-Jones set to miss this winter’s Ashes tour through injury, it would be encouraging to see Finn stake a place.
Given the state of England’s top order, we need all the help we can get with ball in hand.
Steven Finn took eight wickets for Middlesex against Lancashire in the County Championship
RYAN GIGGS
Lost in Gareth Barry’s rather low-key reflections on his time in the Premier League was mention of a text message he received in the build-up to breaking Ryan Giggs’s all-time appearance record this coming Monday night.
Giggs has congratulated the West Brom midfielder on his achievement, and that probably meant more to Barry than he is letting on.
A GOOD STAT
Far too much is made of numbers in modern football. At the end of a game there is really only one statistic that matters.
But here is a rare exception. On Wednesday, the Sunderland team selected by Simon Grayson for the game at Everton in the Carabao Cup had totted up more Everton appearances than Ronald Koeman’s Everton side!
The Sunderland team that faced Everton had made Everton appearances than the Everton XI
NOT
RIO FERDINAND
Make what you will of Ferdinand’s foray into the world of boxing but his put-down of the journalist who quite justifiably asked him how much money he was making from his tie-up with a betting company made for uncomfortable viewing.
I can’t for the life of me work out where Ferdinand — who played under Sir Alex Ferguson for a decade — got that questionable press conference tactic from.
When asked a question on money, Rio Ferdinand said: ‘Do not give him the microphone again’
ALAN CURBISHLEY
There has been much debate this week about opportunities for English managers following the Frank de Boer fiasco at Crystal Palace, and it was interesting to hear Curbishley’s name raised by David Pleat in these pages.
Years of progress for Curbishley at Charlton were followed by two decent years at West Ham. He was 50 years old when he resigned nine years ago and hasn’t held a meaningful post since. Baffling.
AJAX
The great Dutch club were fashionable again last season as they reached the Europa League final, losing to Manchester United.
But Ajax — coached by youth-system graduate Marcel Keizer — have won four of 10 this season, are in sixth place and out of Europe already.
Ajax are in poor form under Marcel Keizer. The Dutch giants are sixth in the Eredivisie
