All posts by h716a5.icu

A key update has emerged on Rangers and their interest in bringing a central midfielder to Ibrox during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has revealed that the Gers are keen on a Premier League academy prospect, although it remains to be seen whether they would be keen to sign him permanently or on loan.

He tweeted: “Newcastle set to secure future of Joe White after agreeing terms on new deal. 19-yr-old is out of contract this summer with Celtic, Rangers, Leeds & Chelsea all monitoring situation.”

Gio will love it

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will surely love this news, as it shows that Ross Wilson is actively looking to improve his squad with young players who have potential to improve, rather than signing experienced heads who may not have much left in the tank.

Whilst it is useful to have older players who can use their nous and experience in games, as Scott Arfield did off the bench against Livingston, it is also important to have youth within the squad. The Dutch head coach may enjoy developing prospects and helping them to fulfill their potential, which is why he will be buzzing with the interest in White.

Former Newcastle manager Steve Bruce previously heaped praise on the young talent, saying: “He caught the eye, didn’t he? We brought him up about 18 months ago before Covid, and he quietly impressed us.

“And, all of a sudden, they grow all of a sudden, and find a yard of pace, and look bigger and stronger. And he’s certainly done that. Over the last couple of games in particular, I’ve been very, very pleased with what I’ve seen.

“Well done to him. The good thing is pre-season’s given me a chance to see him in a game. He can be really pleased with himself. He catches everybody’s eye with his strength, physicality – and the way he handles the ball.”

The teenager has one goal in two EFL Trophy outings for the Magpies and has one goal and four assists in 13 Premier League 2 matches. Along with Bruce’s comments on him, this suggests that he has been catching the eye at youth level and could be on his way to a senior bow, considering how he was able to impress the ex-Newcastle manager.

Therefore, he could be a promising young player with the potential to make it at first-team level, which is why Van Bronckhorst will relish the prospect of Rangers signing him. He could love to work with White on the training ground to help him improve, whether that is as part of him being at Ibrox permanently or potentially on loan from the Toon between now and the end of the season.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst must now sign “exciting” £1.8m-rated gem who was “almost certain” to join Rangers…

Somerset recorded their fourth Championship Division One victory in five outings, beating Nottinghamshire by 10 wickets

31-Jul-2010
ScorecardSomerset recorded their fourth Championship Division One victory in five outings, beating Nottinghamshire by 10 wickets. The victory, achieved with more than a day to spare, earned Marcus Trescothick’s side 24 points and keeps their hopes of lifting the coveted title for the first time very much alive.Resuming their first innings on 278 for 5, Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read, unbeaten on 75 overnight, opened his account with a boundary off the last ball of the opening over – bowled by Charl Willoughby.The left arm seamer had the last laugh however when Read was caught by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter for 80 as he pushed forward to the last ball of the 81st over – the first with the new ball. Read added 157 for the sixth wicket with Samit Patel, before being dismissed with the score on 287.Patel reached his century when he edged Willoughby through the vacant third slip area, but in the next over he was out leg before wicket as he played back to a delivery from Alfonso Thomas. Patel scored 104 off 185 balls, including 17 fours and two sixes.Andre Adams brought up the 300 with a boundary through midwicket, but after moving on to 20 he attempted to drive Willoughby and was caught by Kieswetter. Willoughby struck twice more to wrap up the innings, accounting for Paul Franks leg before, and two balls later bowling Charlie Shreck as the visitors were all out for 339.In the morning session Willoughby took four wickets for 26 runs from 6.3 overs to end with six for 101. Trescothick enforced the follow-on, and batting for a second time 178 runs behind, the visitors lost Matt Wood, leg before to Willoughby with the score on one.By lunch the score had reached 28 off 10 overs without further loss – but four overs after the break Alex Hales, who had moved on to 28, stepped down the wicket to Murali Kartik and edged to Kieswetter.In the next over Thomas had new batsman Patel caught at first slip by Trescothick for one and the visitors found themselves 42 for 3. Mark Wagh was joined by David Hussey and between them they took the total on to 93 when Wagh was lbw pushing forward to to Zander de Bruyn for 45.New batsman Ali Brown brought up the 100 with a boundary through cover point off De Bruyn in the 31st over. When Willoughby replaced De Bruyn at the Old Pavilion End, Brown – 16 at the time – gave a chance which Kieswetter, just failed to take diving to his right.De Bruyn’s return to the attack paid dividends when he bowled Hussey, shouldering arms, for 30 which brought Read to the wicket. The Nottinghamshire skipper spent eight overs at the crease before he was caught by De Bruyn at deep backward mid-off for four off Thomas.The same bowler then had Paul Franks caught by James Hildreth for one at backward square leg in his next over – and the visitors were rocking on 168 for 7. Thomas struck again in his next over when he had Brown leg before wicket for 47 but the visitors went ahead when Adams edged Kartik through first slip to the boundary.However, the left arm spinner got his revenge when he trapped the batsman leg before in his next over for 10. Thomas claimed the final wicket when he bowled Shreck for three as Nottinghamshire were all out for 190, giving him final figures of 5 for 40 from 14.4 overs.Needing 13 for victory Somerset reached their target in 11 balls, with Trescothick unbeaten on four and Nick Compton five not out, with the remaining runs being extras. Notts picked up five points for their part in the match.

Tottenham Hotspur could see two of their midfield flops depart the club before the January transfer window deadline on Monday evening…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who delivered a fresh update surrounding the likely outgoings from Hotspur Way this weekend to supporters on social media.

“Tottenham are confident on the outgoings: [Tanguy] Ndombele’s expected to leave on loan, same for Dele Alli. Ajax won’t give up to sign [Steven] Bergwijn on a permanent deal,” he said.

“Loan plus buy-option bid for Sofyan Amrabat ready since Sunday, and Luís Diaz deal still discussed with Porto.”

Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain are thought to be the likely destination for him, with Romano also claiming that the two sides were in “advanced” talks.

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Finally?

After costing the Lilywhites a club-record £55m in the summer of 2019, the Frenchman’s nightmare in England could finally be coming to an end and that’ll please many of the fans who booed him off during his last appearance several weeks ago.

Arriving from Lyon, Ndombele was touted to be a future star but he’s struggled for consistency and has never really cemented a regular place down under any of the last four Spurs managers.

Seemingly with every season, there are murmurs that the 25-year-old is unhappy under the current man in the dugout, especially with Jose Mourinho and then Nuno Santo.

Across 91 appearances, the £34.2m-rated star has only provided ten goals and nine assists, which works out to be a direct contribution every 271 minutes – roughly once every three games, per Transfermarkt.

That’s just not good enough from an attack-minded midfielder who is supposed to be in the side for his ability to drive the team forward from the engine room to help create chances in the final third. One assist every ten games only proves that he’s been nothing but a flop.

His attitude during the Lilywhites’ third-round win over Morecambe in the FA Cup was the final nail in the coffin. The team were losing, Ndombele trudged off slower and slower as the jeers got louder.

Forced to train alone since then, many will be delighted to see the back of him before Monday.

AND in other news, Spurs eye late move for £14m “special talent”, he could become Conte’s new Eden Hazard…

Phillip Hughes has found out the hard way how Justin Langer sweated and fought to play 105 Tests

John Townsend25-Aug-2010Phillip Hughes has found out the hard way how Justin Langer sweated and fought to play 105 Tests. Hughes has just lived the Langer lifestyle for three days but now believes he could hardly be better prepared to return to the Test team after seven matches spread over four series and an imposing record of 615 runs at 51.25.Whether that happens in India in October, or during the Ashes campaign this summer, or in another series some time in the future, the decision is out of Hughes’ hands. He knows there is only one focus for him in the immediate future – to score so many runs for New South Wales that selection will take care of itself.At 21, Hughes knows that he has time on his side and a national selection panel eager to promote him after he was dumped during last year’s Ashes but he is not willing to risk being unprepared when his name is finally called. “He knows how to score runs but he has an outstanding work ethic and has a fighter’s attitude,” Langer said.”He has a run-maker’s instinct but he is also working to build a technical base for the next 15 years, not just the coming summer. He is only 21 and has a great record but he knows there are plenty of areas he can get better. How exciting is that?”Battered and sore after three gruelling days, Hughes was still elated by the experience. It involved dawn boxing sessions and beach running, three daily net sessions against a bowling machine pounding 150kph deliveries into his rib cage, Langer’s old favourite of a century of 20m sprints and then nights spent at the Langer dinner table where the philosophies of life and cricket were dissected. He paid his own way to Perth and stayed with the Langer family at their City Beach home.Langer remains Australia’s batting coach but has a job description that involves being as much a mentor and inspiration as technical adviser. “I’ve got to know Justin better and better over the past 18 months and given that my [dislocated] shoulder is now 100%, it was a good time to get over here and work on a few things and get some tough practice under my belt,” Hughes said. “It was pretty hard work, much harder than I anticipated, but Justin played 105 Tests so that shows there is a clear reward if you do the work.”Hughes will shortly travel to Hampshire to play the final three matches and while his sessions with Langer were to arm him for the county stint, his trip involved a broader range of experiences. “I worked on some specific things and just general batting but it was also just great to spend three days with him and talk about every day life,” Hughes said. “The passion that he has got for sport and life is simply fantastic.”For every question I asked him, he asked me one back. He played 105 Tests so there were plenty of things about that experience to talk about but he also reinforced how important it was to have a good balance off the field. It was not just about scoring runs but having respect for the game and respect for your opposition.”Hughes arrived with a bang against South Africa last year, scoring twin centuries in his second match, but like Langer and a host of other cricketers, was dropped and forced to address the technical and mental issues hindering his progress. Langer had several phases in his career but finished so strongly that he was one of only seven players to score 5000 runs in the final five years of his career.

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Premier League rivals Norwich City in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, with Bruno Lage’s men looking to go far in the competition.

The West Midlands side have enjoyed a strong first half of the Premier League campaign and sit eighth in the top-flight table whilst the Canaries are one point clear of the relegation zone.

Having beaten Championship outfit Sheffield United 3-0 with a very strong side in the previous round, we expect no different this time around. Here is how Football FanCast expects Wolves to line up on Saturday.

The main change from Wolves’ last game, a 2-1 league win at Brentford, is in between the sticks as John Ruddy gets his fourth first-team appearance of the season, replacing first-choice Jose Sa as he did in the previous round.

There is also a change in defence, as Marcal replaces 23-year-old Toti Gomes. The Portuguese defender has made two Premier League appearances so far, winning both games, but must be managed efficiently and giving Marcal a chance shouldn’t cause any complications.

In terms of midfield and wing-backs, the only change is in shape as a 3-5-2 shifts to a 3-4-3 with Joao Moutinho dropping out. The midfielder is 35 and therefore has to also be managed properly in order to continue performing at the high level he has been in the league all season.

Daniel Podence and Fabio Silva keep their places whilst Francisco Trincao comes in on the left-wing. The 22-year-old certainly has potential, with Match of the Day pundit Gary Lineker labelling the Barcelona loanee as a “very promising young player” on his Twitter account after an impressive performance against Manchester United earlier this season.

However, the £19.8m-rated Portuguese winger’s spell at Molineux hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far, with the 22-year-old still yet to score in the league whilst scoring his sole goal in an EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest.

Striker Raul Jimenez is expected to be available after returning from international duty with Mexico, however, it seems unlikely that he’ll be fit to start and therefore 19-year-old Fabio Silva will have another opportunity to impress his manager.

In other news: Alex Crook drops “interesting” Wolves transfer claim which will surely have fans sweating

The ECB has sent a pre-action letter to the PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, seeking a “full and unreserved apology” for alleging that England’s players were involved in fixing the outcome of the third ODI at The Oval

Cricinfo staff23-Sep-2010The ECB and the Professional Cricketers’ Association have sent a pre-action letter to PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, seeking a “full and unreserved apology” for alleging that England’s players were involved in fixing the outcome of the third ODI at The Oval, which Pakistan won by 23 runs.The letter, sent on behalf of the England team, advised Butt that “if a satisfactory response was not received, legal proceedings will be commenced against him without further notice.”The Pakistan board said it had instructed London lawyers, Addleshaw Goddard, to respond on its behalf to the ECB’s letter.”The PCB confirms that it has received a letter from English solicitors acting for those who represented England in the one-day international last Friday 17th September, in connection with statements said to have been made to the media by Mr Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB,” the board’s release said. “In this letter multiple demands have been raised.”In an extraordinary statement last Sunday, which he read out to ESPNcricinfo, Butt had said, “There is loud and clear talk in bookie circles that some English players have taken enormous amounts of money to lose the match [the third ODI]. No wonder there was such a collapse.” He had also accused certain “august cricket bodies” of conspiring to defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket.The allegations were made after the ICC announced it was investigating the third ODI at The Oval after receiving information from a newspaper before the game began alleging that bookies were aware of certain scoring patterns that occurred during the match.”We are looking for an apology. If it does not come we’ll look at other options,” ECB chief executive, David Collier, had said on Tuesday. “You can’t impugn someone’s integrity without having proper evidence. “To date I can say that we have received zero evidence of anything having influenced any England player.”Andrew Strauss, the England captain, had said his team was outraged by the allegations Butt had made. “We are deeply concerned and disappointed that our integrity as cricketers has been brought into question. We refute these allegations completely and will be working closely with the ECB to explore all legal options open to us.”

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said the current spot-fixing investigation has diverted resources away from organising tours to Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2010Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said the current spot-fixing investigation has diverted resources away from organising tours to Pakistan, and that there is now no space left in the calendar to accommodate a visiting team.”The ICC Task Force was well on its way to bringing a MCC XI team to Pakistan in which two players of each cricket board were to be included,” Butt said. “Moreover, Zimbabwe were also interested in sending their national team to Pakistan. The current spot-fixing scam, however, has diverted attention to other issues as work of inviting some teams to Pakistan could not be materialised, and there is no appropriate time left for such activities due to hectic schedule of Pakistan till the World Cup.”Giles Clarke, chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Force, had called for Pakistan to resume hosting international matches back in August and suggested that an ICC World XI would tour the country “in due course”. Following the floods that devastated the country earlier this year, Zimbabwe offered to tour Pakistan to help raise money for the relief effort, and their visit was tentatively scheduled for November and early December. No international cricket has been played in Pakistan since the March 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team.Last month the ICC decided to closely monitor the running of the game in Pakistan. After a two-day board meeting in Dubai, the message of the world governing body to one of its leading members was clear: sort out the game’s administration or face the consequences, potentially in the form of sanctions. The PCB was told “it must act and be seen to be acting to uphold the zero-tolerance attitude to corruption in sport.”

Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique lauded Ibrahima Konate during the 3-3 draw with Benfica in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg. 

The lowdown: Perfect fit

Signed for £36million from RB Leipzig (Sky Sports), the 22-year-old has made a seamless transition into life on Merseyside.

Following a difficult 2020/21 season with injuries, Liverpool sought to repair their defensive woes and Konate has already moved ahead of Joe Gomez in the Anfield pecking order.

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Since arriving, the France Under 21 international has already tasted success as a Red, lifting the Carabao Cup trophy and even scoring a penalty in the shootout against Chelsea.

Called upon from the start as Jurgen Klopp named a heavily rotated side to face Benfica, Konate has caught the eye once again…

The latest: Enrique impressed

Taking to his personal Twitter account, ex-Liverpool full-back Enrique who now appears as a pundit on talkSPORT, lauded the 13-cap youth starlet after he opened the scoring on the night.

“Yes konateeeeeeeee. This guy is a beast in the air! 1-0 come on reds!!!”

Konate’s second goal for the club was topped off with a defensive masterclass containing one clearance, one interception and a 100% ground duel success rate (Sofascore), while he was also solid in possession, racking up 111 touches of the ball.

The verdict: Outstanding again

Whilst the Frenchman has failed to usurp Joel Matip as the first-choice partner alongside Virgil van Dijk, Klopp’s confidence to use the Paris-born star in games of this magnitude is testament to his ability and impact since arriving on Merseyside.

So far this season, Konate has made 21 appearances across all competitions for the Reds, five of which have come in the UEFA Champions League.

As Klopp’s men continue in their pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple, performances such as this will keep the powerful defender at the forefront of the German manager’s selection thoughts.

In other news, Liverpool eyeing summer move for talented midfielder. Read more here.

Eddie Howe has been handed a fresh Newcastle United injury lift over one of his first-team stars…

What’s the latest?

Callum Wilson has revealed that his season is far from over as he is hoping to be back out on the pitch for the Magpies before the end of the month.

He has been out of action since suffering a knock against Manchester United in December and is now seemingly closing in on his return to action.

The Daily Mail quote him as saying: “I aim to be back by the end of April or the beginning of May.”

SJP faithful will be delighted

This update from the striker will surely delight the fans as it means that they will be able to see him play for the club again in the coming weeks.

They would have to wait until July/August to see him in the flesh if he was ruled out for the rest of the current campaign and that would mean a seven/eight-month gap between his last game for the side and his next.

Instead, they will, hopefully, be able to watch him in the final few matches of the current campaign. Newcastle are currently 12 points clear of the bottom three and can head into the rest of their games without the pressure of a relegation battle, which means that it could be the perfect time to bring Wilson back into the fold.

They can now afford to give minutes to the forward as he recovers from injury and gets back up to speed as they are not in a desperate position where they need to be at their very best in every match to scramble themselves out of the bottom three. Howe can, therefore, experiment with his side in the coming weeks to find out more about his squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

For example, he could play Wilson up front alongside Chris Wood to see what their link-up is like. It will be interesting to see how they complement each other on the pitch, with the latter’s strong hold-up play potentially allowing the former to feed off flick-ons.

Wood has won a whopping 7.8 aerial battles per match and this shows that he has the ability in the air to provide a focal point at the top end of the pitch.

Meanwhile, Wilson has scored six goals in 14 Premier League starts and is the club’s top scorer, with the New Zealand international’s presence alongside him allowing him to focus more on getting into the box to finish off chances. His lethal nature in front of goal is why his return this season is a big boost that the fans will be buzzing with.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Dubravka: Newcastle’s £72k-p/w passenger went missing in LCFC win…

Ryan Harris did his Test chances no harm with four wickets as Queensland took first-innings points against Victoria in the rain-affected clash at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2010
ScorecardChris Swan collected three wickets as Victoria’s batsmen struggled•Getty ImagesRyan Harris did his Test chances no harm with four wickets as Queensland took first-innings points against Victoria in the rain-affected clash at the MCG. Harris collected 4 for 41 and Chris Swan finished with 3 for 41 to deliver a handy lead to Queensland, who went to stumps with an advantage of 148 runs with a day to play.Cameron White declared late in the day at 9 for 152, when it had become clear Victoria would not overtake Queensland’s total, keen to give his bowlers a crack at the Bulls before the close. But Ryan Broad and Wade Townsend survived the sole over, bowled by Damien Wright, and will still be looking to get off the mark in the morning.Queensland could try to rattle off some quick runs on Monday and set Victoria a target, following the disappointing efforts of the local batsmen in their first innings. The bad weather meant play could not start until 2pm and the Bulls added 13 to their overnight total of 9 for 287 before Clint McKay picked up the final wicket, and in reply none of Victoria’s batsmen capitalised on their starts.David Hussey top scored with 38 and three other men reached the 20s, but Harris and Swan didn’d let them settle. The forecast for the final day is cloudy with isolated showers, meaning there could still be a result if the Queensland captain James Hopes decided to pursue it.