All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur could discover their new Mousa Dembele in this transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to French outlet Homme Du Match, Spurs have submitted a €20m (£17m) bid for Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge, who is being coveted from several top-flight teams, including arch-rivals Arsenal.

It’s believed that the Blades, who were relegated to the Championship last term, will reject the offer as they want to hold out for no less than €25m (£21.5m).

That figure is below the 24-cap Norwegian’s reported release clause of £35m, which decreased by £10m following United’s drop to the second tier of English football.

Shades of Dembele

In Berge, the North Londoners could find a player in the mould of their former midfield beast Dembele.

The Belgian box-to-box enforcer was renowned for being a big, strong and powerful presence in the engine room, but also one who could bring the ball forward with his technically gifted dribbling and passing attributes.

An average of 3.6 tackles, 1.9 interceptions, 2.9 dribbles and one key pass per Premier League outing in 2015/16, via WhoScored, merely highlights his phenomenal ability.

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As former teammate Jermaine Jenas once described perfectly to the BBC, Dembele was “like a vacuum – he just sucks in all the pressure and then releases the ball at the perfect time.”

Despite Sheffield United’s relegation, Berge has displayed very similar characteristics – throughout his career so far, he has averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.7 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder his former Blades manager Chris Wilder described the 6 foot 5 colossus as a “complete midfielder” to Norwegian newspaper VG, adding: “He can play as an 8 and as 6. He can play in different formations.”

Nuno Santo may be awash with options in central midfield, with the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp and Dele Alli all candidates to play alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but none offer the Dembele-like exploits which are lacking in the middle.

Tottenham’s sporting director Fabio Paratici could do little wrong in bolstering such a key area, and in the £16.2m-rated powerhouse, he’d be providing the manager with an impressive box-to-box option who should thrive in his system – think Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho at Wolves.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Spurs must secure bargain swoop for “dangerous” £18m-rated beast…

Matt Prior didn’t take the field on the final day against West Indies at Chester-le-Street due to the finger injury he picked up on the fourth afternoon

Andrew McGlashan at Chester-le-Street17-May-2009Matt Prior didn’t take the field on the final day against West Indies at Chester-le-Street due to the finger injury he picked up on the fourth afternoon. Although x-rays cleared him of any fracture to his right ring finger, the medical advice was that he shouldn’t keep wicket. In his absence, Paul Collingwood continued as emergency wicketkeeper on his home ground.However, it was later confirmed that no cover would be called in for the one-day series which starts at Headingley on Thursday and Andrew Strauss said that keeping Prior off the field had been purely precautionary.Collingwood certainly didn’t disgrace himself with the gloves on the fourth evening and was desperate to claim his first catch as a keeper. Twice there were huge appeals turned down for edges off Chris Gayle and he only let through one set of byes.”I though he kept fantastically well,” Stuart Broad said at the close of the fourth day’s play. “He looked as though he should have been in the 1950s with his pads on loose and his cap on straight. I thought he was going to get a screamer of a catch at one stage down the leg side, he was sprawling everywhere. I think he’s fairly pleased with his efforts.”Prior didn’t emerge with the team after the tea interval on Sunday having suffered the blow shortly before the break while trying to stop a delivery from Tim Bresnan that bounced in front of him. He needed a couple of minutes of treatment before seeing out the middle session, but he was clearly in pain and it was decided during the break that a trip to hospital was in order.Ravi Bopara was also absent from the field on the fifth morning of the match, after suffering swelling on his knee from a blow sustained on the fourth evening. But, he too, isn’t a concern ahead of the first ODI.

New Zealand Cricket has expressed disappointment over Richard Hadlee’s apparent move to the unsanctioned American Premier League

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2009New Zealand Cricket has expressed disappointment over Richard Hadlee’s apparent move to the unsanctioned American Premier League. Hadlee’s appointment as the APL’s executive consultant came in the same week former England internationals Adam Hollioake and Graeme Hick signed to play in the tournament, according to the .As exclusively revealed by Cricinfo last month, New York entrepreneur Jay Mir is actively recruiting past and present players for a six-team Twenty20 league to be played at the 10,000-seat home of minor league baseball team, the Staten Island Yankees, in October. John Emburey and Inzamam-ul-Haq are among the higher-profile names to have linked with the APL, and more players, many from the ICL’s ranks, are expected to sign in the coming weeks.NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said he was disappointed at Hadlee’s reported move to the APL. “It’s regrettable he’s aligned with an unsanctioned and unofficial circuit,” Vaughan told the in New Zealand. “It’s certainly not preferrable but he’s got his life to lead.”

Adam Gilchrist has said though his problems with keeping had influenced his decision to retire from international cricket, the controversial Sydney Test against India was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”

Cricinfo staff01-Nov-2008
Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement during the final Test of the series against India in Adelaide soon after going past Mark Boucher to become the wicketkeeper with most Test dismissals © AFP
Adam Gilchrist has said though his problems with wicketkeeping had influenced his decision to retire from international cricket, the controversial Sydney Test against India was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.”I certainly did not retire because my sportsmanship was questioned, and I didn’t even decide to retire that week but on top of everything else that had gone on I feel the controversies around the Sydney Test were the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Gilchrist wrote in his newly published book . The match had been a tense one with umpiring errors and on-field sledging overshadowing the play. Harbhajan Singh was banned for alleged racial abuse against Andrew Symonds but was let off on appeal, much to the disappointment of the Australians. Gilchrist also criticised Harbhajan’s behaviour in his book.Gilchrist announced his retirement during the final Test of the series in Adelaide soon after going past Mark Boucher to become the keeper with most Test dismissals. But he said in his book that his poor form with the gloves during the series had been playing on his mind for a while.”I was beginning to resolve finally on pulling out of one-day cricket, but I wasn’t quitting Tests,” Gilchrist wrote. “I hadn’t even asked [my wife] Mel to come to Adelaide. … We lost the toss and fielded all day, the [Sachin] Tendulkar factory churning out another ton. My concentration wasn’t good. Even in the first session I was asking myself: ‘Do I really want to just pull out of one-dayers? Should I keep doing both?’ The ball was generally hitting me in the heels of my hands rather than palms. No one would have seen it from the outside, but my hands were continually a fraction of a second late. This had been happening for a little while now.”He had dropped three catches during the Sydney Test which he said made him feel he wasn’t a genuine keeper. “I was really a batsman who wore gloves.”Gilchrist was known for walking on being dismissed, most memorably during the semi-final of the World Cup in 2003. But he said it made him feel isolated in the Australian team. “… silently accused of betraying the team. Implicitly, I was made to feel selfish, as if I was walking for the sake of my own clean image, thereby making everyone else look dishonest. My action in the 2003 World Cup semi-final had become such a big deal because it held up a mirror to every player… [but] that I walked wasn’t a judgment on others.”

After suffering a disappointing defeat at the hands of Manchester United last week, Newcastle United will be hoping to finally get their Premier League campaign on track when they take on Leeds United on Friday night.

Steve Bruce’s side currently lie 19th in the top-flight after a winless start, tonight facing a Leeds side who are also struggling at the start of this new season and still in search of their first win.

The Magpies boss will surely have some big calls to make after the torrid nature in which they threw away a 1-1 draw into a 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford, and one man who will be sweating on his place is Ciaran Clark.

The Republic of Ireland international was hardly alone in enduring a nightmare afternoon against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, but his mistakes last week were costly’ and when you think of the kind high-pressing, high-intensity side that Leeds are, those errors could rear their ugly head once again.

As per Sofascore, he lost both of the duels in which he was involved, made no tackles whatsoever and was dribbled past once as Cristiano Ronaldo and co ran riot in the second half.

What will also be worrying is that he looked shaky on the ball too, conceding possession on seven occasions, the most of any Magpies defender aside from Matt Ritchie, who should be noted played as more of a wing-back. He also found his mark with just one of his four attempted long balls.

Writing for The Shields Gazette and The Chronicle respectively, both Miles Starforth and Lee Ryder were critical of Clark’s second-half performance in particular, giving him a measly five and four in their post-match player ratings.

Given the nature of how Marcelo Bielsa’s side look to press from the front and put players under pressure when on the ball, Clark might just well be a liability once again – as per WhoScored, his 77.8% pass accuracy this season is worse than the likes of Federico Fernandez, Jamaal Lascelles and Isaac Hayden among others.

If Clark plays, then there’s every chance Leeds will look to test both his ability on the ball and his questionable positioning, both of which let him down against Manchester United last week and could cost the Magpies once again.

The £35k-a-week earning ace simply has to be dropped tonight when the Whites come to town.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United are interested in this Championship star, he’s better than Almiron…

Newcastle United were reportedly offered as many as seven different players on loan in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Frustrating window

The St. James’ Park faithful only managed to bring in one player of note on a permanent deal in Joe Willock from Arsenal.

Given that he was already on loan there last season, the squad has not really improved in what turned out to be a frustrating window in the North East.

The Latest: Players offered

Writing in his latest piece for The Daily Telegraph, Luke Edwards has said that the Tyneside club were offered seven players on loan throughout the window: Hamza Choudhury, Axel Tuanzebe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Hector Bellerin, Harry Winks, Mason Holgate and Boubacar Kamara.

However, all of them requited a loan fee to be paid, which the Magpies hierarchy insisted that they could not afford.

The Verdict: Shame

To get even just a couple of those players in on loan deals would have made the window a much better one for Steve Bruce’s team, and instead, the former Aston Villa and Sunderland manager now has to work with a very similar squad to last season.

Described as a ‘phenomenal’ player by pundit Paul Robinson back in February after an impressive performance against Burnley while on loan at West Brom, Maitland-Niles made his feelings known late on in the window about potentially wanting to leave (The Guardian), and one cannot help that a deal could have been struck with the Gunners having already brought in Willock.

Tuanzebe and Bellerin have both moved on to Aston Villa and Real Betis respectively, but the Toon should really be looking at revisiting moves for the other five players when January comes around.

In other news, find out why NUFC’s offer for this player was rejected here!

As the Australian team bus drove through Soweto with a police escort it was easy to think back to the old cliché that cricket is just a game. But for some of the hundreds of children who flocked to a skills clinic with the Australian players in one of the

Brydon Coverdale in Soweto23-Feb-2009
Mike Hussey was impressed by the talent on display in the townships © Getty Images
As the Australian team bus drove through Soweto with a police escort it was easy to think back to the old cliché that cricket is just a game. But for some of the hundreds of children who flocked to a skills clinic with the Australian players in one of the poorest areas of South Africa, it might be that cricket is far more than that.Somewhere in amongst the huge group could be the next JP Duminy or Makhaya Ntini. Only if their skills are nurtured will they have the chance to follow in the footsteps of their cricketing heroes. And judging by the pace and accuracy of some of the young fast bowlers and the keen eye of a few teenage batsmen, the raw talent is there.”Some of these kids are bowling rockets,” the Australian fast bowler Doug Bollinger said. While Brad Haddin oversaw a couple of young wicketkeepers, Michael Hussey guided an older group of teenagers through some batting techniques while Bryce McGain cast his eye over some school-aged spinners in the nets.It’s fair to say that the Bramfischerville Oval, an island of lush green tranquility amongst the red dust and shacks of Soweto, had never seen anything quite like it. Hoosain Ayob, the former first-class fast bowler, is now a development co-ordinator in the Gauteng region. He said it was difficult to keep some of the most talented children in the Soweto region interested in cricket and a visit from the Australian squad would do wonders.”Some of these kids will remember this for the rest of their lives,” Ayob said. “Even just talking to Ricky Ponting or talking to Michael Clarke or somebody of that sort can make such a big difference.”This is where you should get the top guys to come up from time to time and nurture these kids. Sometimes we do get a chance, like Garnett Kruger for example came over to Lenasia [an Indian township south of Soweto] for a day or two and it made a big difference, a big impact.”Soweto might not be the safest place in South Africa but neither should it be portrayed as a crime-riddled township, unwelcoming to outsiders. Tourism is growing in the townships and the house in which Nelson Mandela lived is a major attraction. Still, the Australian team took no chances and was whisked in and out without seeing any more than the view from their coach windows.It didn’t matter. Making the trip was the important part. A team that has been criticised for its on-field behaviour in the past couple of years cannot be faulted for its off-field efforts. Less than a month after they brought smiles to the faces of bushfire victims in Victoria, the players were again doing their best to lift spirits.Simon Katich donated his Man-of-the-Match prize money from the warm-up game in Potchefstroom to buy cricket gear for the local players. Haddin made the kids laugh by leading them in a handstand contest. The support staff were even being hounded for autographs. The youngest squad member, Phillip Hughes, felt a long way from home but said the important thing was to spread a bit of goodwill.”It is definitely a long way from Macksville,” Hughes said. “Soweto today and all the local guys around and all our guys have very thoroughly enjoyed today. It’s been great to see the smiles on the kids’ faces.”Did they unearth the next Dale Steyn or the next Ashwell Prince? “You never know,” Hughes said, before remembering a three-Test series was approaching, “but hopefully not soon.”

Crystal Palace could be set to add another promising youngster to Patrick Vieira’s ranks after being linked with a move for Manchester United winger Amad Diallo.

What’s the story?

The Eagles have been credited with an interest in the highly-rated 19-year-old in recent weeks, and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an exciting update on their pursuit of the United prodigy.

Speaking on The Here We Go Podcast, he said: “Amad will go on loan, it is confirmed. He has a proposal from Basel but also from Premier League clubs – Crystal Palace, Sheffield United. Many clubs are interested in Amad, but he’s not decided yet.

However, the capital club may be feeling confident of securing Diallo’s services ahead of the reported competition after Romano revealed the Ivory Coast international is keen to remain in the Premier League.

“He wants Premier League football so let’s see what happens,” he added.

Crystal Palace fans will be buzzing

Palace have been on an impressive recruitment drive throughout the current window, bringing in several quality signings such as Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher.

However, with Andros Townsend departing on a free transfer, the south London outfit are rather threadbare on the right-hand side of attack.

The obvious gap in Vieira’s squad has led to several stars being linked with a move to Selhurst Park, and it appears as though the club’s hierarchy are now focussing their attention on Diallo.

He only made his debut for boyhood club Atalanta in October 2019, becoming the youngest player – at 17 years and 109 days old – to score on his Serie A debut in a 7-1 thrashing of Udinese.

Since then, Diallo has had a meteoric rise, joining the Red Devils in a whopping £37.2m move last January after making just five appearances for Gian Piero Gasperini’s charges.

Despite his hefty price tag, the tricky winger has found first-team opportunities hard to come by at Old Trafford, and the arrival of Jadon Sancho has pushed him even further down Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pecking order.

Therefore, a temporary move away from Manchester appears to be the best solution for all parties, and Palace fans will surely be buzzing to learn of the club’s interest in such an exciting prospect.

His natural speed, technical ability and skill have the potential to leave opposition defenders for dead, lighting up Selhurst Park in the process, something the supporters will be eager to witness.

And, in other news…Parish must avoid Palace transfer nightmare over 31 y/o flop, he’s not good enough 

Rangers have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their game against Alashkert on Thursday afternoon, with a number of first-team players unable to travel.

What’s the word?

It was confirmed by The Athletic’s Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell that Steven Gerrard, along with several first-team players, are unable to travel to Armenia for the second leg after registering a positive Covid test.

Allan McGregor, Jon McLaughlin, James Tavernier, Calvin Bassey, Ryan Kent and Scott Wright are all unavailable for selection in Yerevan, and with Rangers holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg at Ibrox last week, this puts their qualification hopes at serious risk.

A huge blow for Rangers?

You would hope that, even without these first-team players, Rangers will still have too much for their Armenian opponents but after scraping past them at Ibrox, it could prove to be a very tricky afternoon for the Teddy Bears.

As well as missing players through the virus, the Gers will also be without Ryan Jack and Fashion Sakala through injury, whilst John Lundstram and Kemar Roofe are both suspended.

This leaves Gerrard with very few options to choose from the bench and it is also unclear how the 41-year-old manager will share his input on things from home, with Gary McAllister likely to be the one giving the team talk and instructions from the side of the pitch.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

After already blowing their chance of reaching the Champions League group stages with an embarrassing home defeat against 10-man Malmo recently, Rangers fans will surely be worried that these circumstances could lead to another defeat, which would leave them without any form of European football for the 2021/22 campaign.

And, in other news… Gerrard could be set for huge Rangers transfer blow

John Bracewell admits he did not match up to expectations during his tenure as New Zealand coach

Cricinfo staff05-Dec-2008
John Bracewell will join Gloucestershire for the 2009 season © Getty Images
John Bracewell admits he did not match up to expectations during his tenure as New Zealand coach. Bracewell, whose last series in charge saw New Zealand slip to a 2-0 defeat in Australia and No. 8 in the ICC Test rankings, said he would miss the team he coached for over five years.”I feel as though I’ve given it a honest shot but in terms of pure statistics or results New Zealand Cricket wanted us to be No. 1 in world cricket in both forms of the game and we didn’t reach that, so if you look at it like that I’ve been a failure,” Bracewell told the . New Zealand won 61 of the 106 ODIs when he was coach, but only 13 of the 41 Tests and lost 20.”In Test cricket our planning has been very, very good in that we often get ourselves in a position to win but often we run out of steam trying to fulfil that,” he said. “That is disappointing, but there are not too many Tests that we don’t put ourselves in a position to win at some stage. We just lose critical moments too often.”During his stint, Bracewell was also on the receiving end from the media. “At times both the media and myself weren’t the best of friends but that is the nature of the business,” he said. “If it’s a kiss-arse business, you are in the wrong one, both from a media perspective and a coaching perspective.”You’ve got to cop it and sometimes you’ve got to give it and you regret that you’ve given it because the media always have the last shot.”He believes the team he leaves in the hands of Andy Moles has the ability to become world-beaters. “These guys are enormously talented and when they harness it and realise it and get into it they will play some really exciting cricket,” he said. “They live in the highlights, they play in the highlights and that is what the public want to see.”There will be some high and lows, I suspect, but, man, when they get it right some of these batters will be absolutely outstanding” he said. “I’m very close to them, it’s been a long association. It’s a family unit with extremely high team spirit. They are close to each other and I will miss them.”