All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic secured a crucial 1-0 victory against Hearts at Parkhead on Thursday night.

Kyogo Furuhashi was the match winner with his 14th goal of the season, but the win came at a cost, with Anthony Ralston, Jota and Stephen Welsh all limping off.

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Here at The Transfer Tavern, we look into the three worst-rated Celtic players as per statistical specialists SofaScore, with players required to feature for at least 45 minutes for ranking.

Tom Rogic – 6.0/10

Rogic returned from injury to make his first start since October, but the central midfielder was comfortably Celtic’s worst-rated performer last night.

The 28-year-old was once again alongside Callum McGregor and David Turnbull in a three-man midfield but lost the ball a whopping 30 times. Rogic also lost 15 of his 20 duels, failed to complete any of his seven attempted dribbles and made just two tackles all night.

Not exactly the return to action he would’ve liked…

James Forrest – 6.4/10

Next up is Forrest, who featured in a front three with Furuhashi and Jota. The Scot also had an evening to forget, missing two big chances, losing possession on six occasions and losing five of his seven duels.

The 30-year-old, who is still yet to score in the Premiership this season, also failed to make any defensive contributions all night despite playing the full game at Parkhead.

Adam Montgomery – 6.6/10

The final man on the list is Montgomery, who came on for Ralston after 37 minutes. The 19-year-old made his 15th appearance of the campaign but struggled to get to grips with Hearts’ Barrie McKay.

Montgomery lost the ball seven times, made just one tackle and failed to get forward to attempt a cross. He was also second-best in six of his 10 duels, meaning the trio featured in this article lost 70% of their duels overall.

In other news: Nicholson ‘plans’ to sell ‘terrific’ Celtic ace in record-breaking £25.5m deal. 

Tim May, the FICA CEO, has said the ICL owes “millions of dollars” in outstanding payments to its players, officials and support staff

Cricinfo staff01-Dec-2009Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), has said the Indian Cricket League owes “millions of dollars” in outstanding payments to its players, officials and support staff and warned that the situation, if not resolved, could be damaging to the league.Essel Sports Private Ltd (ESPL), the ICL’s owners, recently served a notice on the ICC and the English and Indian cricket boards, but May has questioned how they intend to do so given their outstanding payments.”For a number of months, FICA (on behalf of a number of players from numerous countries) has been in discussions with the ICL in relation to outstanding payments to players, officials and support staff, relating as far back to 2008,” May said. “These outstanding monies amount to millions of dollars.”FICA and the players have constantly been informed by ICL, that they will meet these obligations on specified dates. Unfortunately these dates continually pass without any sign of payment to players, officials and support staff””The players are sick and tired of the broken commitments from ICL and the evasiveness of various ICL officials and now after exhausting all reasonable efforts to settle the issue amicably, they believe they have no other option than to contemplate legal action against ICL for the recovery of these payments.”The ICL was formed in 2007, a year before the official IPL Twenty20 tournament came into being, but was denied recognition – despite repeated requests and discussions – by the BCCI, other national cricket bodies and the ICC. The league went ahead for two years but finally decided to suspend operations early this year after all its players – around 150 Indian and foreign cricketers – preferred to take up a worldwide amnesty offered by the various official national boards.The ICL’s notice, dated November 16, demanded an injunction against each defendant for implementing the boycott on players associated with the unofficial league and unspecified damages to make up for the loss that ESPL suffered due to the ban after an inquiry. May was skeptical of such claims and raised the matter of the ICL management not meeting previous obligations to players and staff. He warned that even if the ICL won the case, it would have a tough time recruiting players.”In blunt terms, the players have lost trust in the ICL and the Essel Group,” he said. “No player will want to play in a league that has a history of treating players with such little regard. ICL need to re-establish formal communication with the players and settle these outstanding payments as a matter of priority if they are to recover the loss of faith of the player community.”Michael Kasprowicz, one of eight Australians owed millions of dollars by the ICL, rued the circumstances. “It’s a shame it’s come to this,” he told the . “We’ve constantly been promised payment on certain dates but still nothing has happened.”Jason Gillespie said it had been difficult to share his knowledge in Australia owing to resistance from Cricket Australia and state bodies. “Even a two-week coaching stint with South Australian Country next month has been questioned,” he said. “They want me to sign a form renouncing the ICL, but I won’t. It’s not like I’m banned or anything. I haven’t done anything wrong. And it’s not like I’m going to make money out of it.”

Crystal Palace view Will Hughes as a long-term successor to James McArthur, The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam writes. 

Palace paid £6.3million to sign Hughes from Watford in the final days of the summer transfer window.

He penned a three-year, £36,000-per-week contract on his arrival at Selhurst Park.

But the 26-year-old is yet to play a single minute for his new club, in any competition.

Perhaps most frustratingly, he’s featured in the matchday squad for seven Premier League games, but Patrick Vieira hasn’t given him a run-out.

McArthur ever-present… until now

By contrast, 34-year-old McArthur had started every PL match prior to the weekend’s draw with Burnley.

Scans have revealed that he tore his hamstring in the victory over Wolves prior to the international break, and he now faces a spell on the sidelines that could last until January.

This might present Hughes with an opportunity to impress in the short-term.

Fan feed CPFC Transfers HQ relayed Woosnam’s report, and here’s what supporters had to say in response.

These Crystal Palace fans want Hughes to be given a chance

“I think most people agree. But when even Jaïro has gotten minutes, the question is why hasn’t will?”

Credit: @JA9Baller

“Then put him on for the next game, not really overwhelmed by Lukas’ performance against Burnley.”

Credit: @VestinJesper

“Not played a single minute yet has he? Annoying”

Credit: @sxp55555

“About time, would be good to see him get some game time”

Credit: @cpfc_joe

“Nice to hear at least”

Credit: @amancpfc

“Yes please”

Credit: @cpfc_sean

In other news, fans react to this blow revealed on Monday.

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Basel striker Arthur Cabral, although a number of clubs are keen on acquiring his signature.

The Lowdown: Cabral’s stunning form for Basel

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a magnificent start to the 2021/22 season, scoring 13 goals in just 12 Swiss Super League starts.

Cabral’s current Basel deals expires in 2023, so the Swiss side will be aware that they are running out of time to receive good money for the Brazilian.

Having been linked with a move to Barcelona, it now appears as though Leeds are also in the race to sign him.

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The Latest: Leeds linked with move

According to ESPN Brasil [via Sport Witness], the Whites are one of the clubs keen on snapping up Cabral, with AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen also mentioned in the report.

Leeds were actually linked with a move for the youngster last year, too, but the transfer never materialised, so this is one Victor Orta and co have clearly been eyeing for a while.

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The Verdict: Good competition for Bamford

One area where Leeds are clearly lacking depth is up front, with Patrick Bamford relied upon too much for goals, having registered 17 league efforts last season – more than double that of second-placed Stuart Dallas and Jack Harrison.

Cabral could be an ideal man to come in and not necessarily start every week but provide competition, allowing Marcelo Bielsa to rotate more often and perhaps reduce the risk of injuries for Bamford in the process.

Granted, the £13.5million-rated Basel attacker isn’t proven in one of Europe’s top leagues yet, but at 23, he could mature as the years pass and become a key man.

Cabral’s superb record this season speaks for itself and it could be a transfer to keep an eye on given the long-term interest.

In other news, a pundit has hailed the return from injury of one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Upon his £4.6m arrival at Celtic this summer, fans of the Bhoys would be forgiven if they were not fully aware of exactly who Kyogo Furuhashi was, let alone knowing whether or not the 26-year-old was a good signing for the Hoops.

However, having previously managed in the J League, one man who certainly was aware of the ability the centre-forward possesses was Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, who stated upon the Japan international’s signing: “He is a player of real quality and clearly someone I know well. I think he will add something special to our squad and I am sure the way he plays will excite our supporters.”

And, the 56-year-old’s prediction that Kyogo would excite fans has already proven to be something of an understatement, as the striker has turned in exceptional display after exceptional display over his short time in Glasgow.

Indeed, over his 10 Scottish Premiership appearances this season, the £1.8m-rated man has already scored seven goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns have seen the man who John Hartson dubbed a “menace” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as Postecoglou’s eighth-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

However, it has not only been in the league in which Kyogo has been in devastating form, with the striker scoring a further three goals in Europa League qualifying, bagging two goals and one assist in the Europa League proper and one goal in the Scottish League Cup – taking his total haul so far this season to 13 goals and three assists in just 18 games played.

This means that, over his 18 fixtures in a Celtic shirt, the Japanese forward has registered an outrageous 0.89 goal contributions per game – something that would very much lend weight to the argument that the 26-year-old could be Henrik Larsson’s heir apparent at Parkhead.

Indeed, between the years of 2000-2004, the Celtic legend registered an astonishing 1.30 goal contributions per game, something that has written the man who scored 242 goals for the Bhoys into the club’s history books.

So, while Kyogo is still a little way short of Larsson’s record at present, the season is still extremely young, and, as the striker becomes more settled under Ange Postecoglou, we would not bet against him going on to match, or perhaps even better, the now-50-year-old’s returns come the end of the season.

In other news: Journalist drops exciting claim on “dream” Celtic transfer that’ll have fans buzzing

Victoria have made a positive start in India with victory in their first warm-up match but the coach Greg Shipperd expects a tough fight to progress past the group stage of the Champions League Twenty20

Cricinfo staff05-Oct-2009Victoria have made a positive start in India with victory in their first warm-up match but the coach Greg Shipperd expects a tough fight to progress past the group stage of the Champions League Twenty20. The team’s international stars Cameron White, David Hussey and Peter Siddle join the squad on Thursday, a day before their opening game of the tournament, which features a first prize of US$2.5 million.”We have a tough draw, but we know if we stick to our plans and routines and play at the level we can, we will be very competitive,” Shipperd told the . “Some people may not be ranking this first tournament of the summer as seriously as us.”But the sheer prize-money on offer and pluses for our team and for cricket in Victoria generally are enormous. It is a tremendous opportunity both for us as a team and individually. We have prepared well and aren’t daunted by anything.”In their opening match on Friday, Victoria face Delhi Daredevils, the IPL side that was also coached by Shipperd this year, before taking on the Sri Lankan champions Wayamba. He has handed over the reins of the Daredevils to his assistant David Saker and Shipperd is firmly focused on guiding a Victorian side with a mix of youth and experience to success.”The excitement and expectation for us all in India is really something to experience,” he said. “We have a strong team here and there is a real sense of purpose among the group. While we are coming off an off-season, we had an excellent lead-up in Lismore and the early practices and trial games have produced some very promising results.”

Guillem Balague has revealed that Newcastle United have now started talks with Kieran Trippier’s representatives over the possibility of signing him.

The Lowdown: Howe relationship

Eddie Howe is certainly expected to be the next permanent manager to take over at St. James’ Park, with reports claiming that he is incoming.

Of course, he knows Trippier very well from his time coaching him at Burnley, as the right-back made 61 appearances in total under the Englishman, scoring four goals and supplying 11 assists in all competitions over two consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt).

Trippier spoke highly of him while he was at the Clarets, claiming that he is a ‘great manager’ who helped him personally (The Burnley Express).

Likewise, Howe has expressed his fondness for the England international, admiring his dedication and claiming that he is ‘one of the best crossers of the ball’ that he has ever worked with (The Bournemouth Echo).

The Latest: Talks underway

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live (via HITC), journalist and La Liga expert Balague has revealed that the North East club have started talks with Trippier’s people over potentially signing him from Atletico:

“I hear from Atletico Madrid that Newcastle are really interested in getting Trippier and they have started negotiations with his people. I am not sure if they will get him or not.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

With the potential of Howe reuniting with Trippier, it is certainly a no-brainer for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium to get a deal over the line.

He will know how to get the best out of the 31-year-old, and Trippier’s relationship with him means that he will work his hardest for the side.

Having won the La Liga title with Atletico ahead of the likes of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona last season, he now brings a lot of experience and a winning mentality, something that the Magpies will need if their ambition is to start winning some trophies.

Offensively, he is also a big upgrade on the likes of Emil Krafth, Jacob Murphy and Javier Manquillo, having averaged more key passes, crosses and long balls than them in their respective domestic leagues so far this term (WhoScored), and so would be a welcome addition by the Toon Army.

In other news, find out what record offer NUFC have prepared for ‘one of the best on the planet’ here!

The franchise owners, including Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood star, will meet the candidates in a series of interviews starting this weekend with Richard Pybus

Ajay S Shankar20-Aug-2009Dermot Reeve, the former England allrounder, is the latest name on a shortlist of candidates prepared by Kolkata Knight Riders to replace John Buchanan as coach of the IPL team. The franchise owners, including Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood star, will meet the candidates in a series of interviews starting this weekend with Richard Pybus, till recently the coach of Titans, the South African franchise, confirming his meeting in Mumbai on Saturday.John Wright, the former India coach, and Duncan Fletcher, the former England coach, are also on the shortlist, which includes some Indian candidates too. Kolkata, which finished last in IPL 2009, is looking at a blend of Indian and foreign coaching staff – including Lalchand Rajput, in charge of the Indian team that won the 2007 World Twenty20 – as part of a revamp following the team’s below-par performance over the last two years under Buchanan.Kolkata officials are expected to meet Wright, who is in Chennai with the New Zealand A team for the Buchi Babu tournament, next week. Wright, however, is no longer the overwhelming favourite for the job, as it was believed earlier, because one of the key benchmarks that the franchise has laid down is previous experience in coaching a Twenty20 side. Besides, Wright, who is also a New Zealand selector, may not be able to commit himself to Kolkata for about nine months a year, which is what the team ideally expects. Kolkata had also approached Dav Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup, for the job but this move has not moved beyond unofficial, preliminary discussions.Reeve and Pybus, on the other hand, were in charge of Twenty20 teams that won their respective domestic championships last year. Reeve, who led Warwickshire to three trophies in 1994, is known for his innovative, often controversial, approach to the game. He coaches New Zealand’s Central Districts, which slipped down the domestic Twenty20 ladder to finish fifth this season.Pybus – formerly a Pakistan coach – took Titans to the domestic Standard Bank Pro20 Series title last year to qualify for the 2008 Champions League, which was cancelled following the terror attacks in Mumbai. The Titans, however, finished fifth this year, following which he ended his four-year tenure. Pybus said that he will meet the Kolkata owners on Saturday in what he said would be a fact-finding visit.”The main thing is I am coming out to meet the owners and representatives of Kolkata and understand what their expectations are and find out what the lay of the land is on that side,” Pybus told Cricinfo. “I hope to find out what they are looking for and to see whether that meets up with what I am looking for. It really is a fact-finding weekend from my side, and I can’t go further than that at this point.”Pybus who watched all the IPL teams play at SuperSport Park, where the Titans are based, in the past season, said coaching Kolkata would be an exciting challenge. “Kolkata are a big team but they haven’t done as well as they would have liked in the first two seasons of IPL,” he said. “But I believe they have the potential to be one of the dominant sides in the IPL. So that’s an exciting challenge in itself.”He refused, however, to reveal his views on Kolkata’s performance so far. “I don’t want to get drawn into what happened last season,” he said. “What’s done is done. I am certainly not going to sit on judgment on what happened with the side over the last two years because only those who have been central to that will really understand what’s been going on.”Kolkata is also expected to name a new captain after the coach is appointed, although it is widely believed that Sourav Ganguly will regain the job after being replaced by Brendon McCullum last season. McCullum will not be available for most of the next IPL – from March 12 to April 25 – and will play instead for New Zealand against Australia in the home series in March.The high-profile Kolkata Knight Riders decided to replace Buchanan after they finished sixth in the inaugural IPL and slipped to eighth this time. Buchanan’s tenure was marred by controversy after the former Australian coach unveiled his multi-captaincy theory that generated a lot of debate worldwide and then replaced Ganguly, the local icon, as captain.

West Ham United have received a massive boost in their pursuit of mooted transfer target Andrea Belotti this week…

What’s the word?

The Irons were linked with a move for the Torino talisman throughout the summer as David Moyes searched for new frontline additions, and they could be able to sign him for nothing come to the end of the season.

Belotti’s contract is up at the Serie A outfit and it has since been revealed that the 27-year-old centre-forward will not be signing an extension in Turin, according to quotes relayed by Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

“Italian striker Andrea Belotti is prepared to leave Torino as [a] free agent in June. Torino manager Ivan Juric confirms: ‘Belotti won’t sign the contract extension,'” he tweeted.

“‘Andrea is not gonna leave in January. He’ll decide his future in June’, Juric added.”

Door opens

The Hammers did not go and sign Belotti during the summer but the problem still remains. Michail Antonio (31) is Moyes’ only senior option in the striker position and he has been rather injury-prone for many a season now.

It’s a risky game to play considering that his side are unbeaten in the Europa League, where they seem sure to go on and progress into the knockout stages.

An injury or setback to Antonio could seriously curtail their chances of success in that competition, as well as the Premier League, where they are currently in fourth place.

Considering that Belotti is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, getting him on a free transfer would be an absolute steal from Rob Newman in his new role as West Ham’s head of recruitment.

Similarly, the Euro 2020 winner has a very prolific goalscoring record, having bagged double figures in every season since 2015/16, including a career-best of 28 goals in 2016/17.

Former Irons shot-stopper Joe Hart enjoyed a loan spell at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino and waxed lyrical about Belotti’s ability, claiming that he was like no other striker in Europe.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not,” he told Gianluca Di Marzio. “It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special. He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

It would be inexcusable for the east Londoners to not try and secure Belotti in 2022. He could well be a very cheap but reliable fix to their attacking depth issues.

AND in other news, Moyes could unearth West Ham’s next Joe Cole in 19 y/o gem “similar to Jack Grealish”…

Aside from featuring two of the top four teams in women’s cricket, the match represents an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the women’s game.

Alice Dean17-Jun-2009The opening semi-final of the World Twenty20 gets underway in Nottingham on Thursday with India and New Zealand being the first women’s teams to compete in a double-header ahead of the men in a global competition.Aside from featuring two of the top four teams in women’s cricket – whose men’s teams failed to progress to the semis leaving them sole flag-bearers – the match represents an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the women’s game.But with that opportunity comes intense pressure – to show the game off and to win – and pressure is something New Zealand know about all too well.Although New Zealand impressed all who saw them in the group stages in Taunton and should beat India on current form, they will hope that nerves don’t get the better of them again, as they did against England in the World Cup final in March.A jittery batting display left them light on runs and this time, to add to the occasion, they could be playing in front of a packed house at Trent Bridge. But the side will hope to use the painful lessons from the World Cup final in a positive way.They also have experience of facing Australia in a Twenty20 ahead of the respective men at the SCG last year, while flair batsman Suzie Bates has a further advantage. As an Olympic basketball player, she played in front of sell-out crowds against home team China in Beijing lastyear. “It sent shivers down your spine,” she recalls.New Zealand captain Aimee Watkins is the form batsman, while newcomer Sian Ruck has impressed with her swing. But all-round depth is the most ominous thing about New Zealand.India will hope to draw on the experience of facing packed crowds at home. The side is used to playing all forms of cricket in front of 20,000 spectators – and the crowd atmosphere has been surprisingly electric in the group stages – but nothing will compare to large audiences for a semi-final in a world tournament.Now that their men are knocked out, India have an even greater expectation to do well but they have not enjoyed the best of tournaments to date. They opened with a ten-wicket loss to favourites England and had batting slips against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, both of whom were outsiders.Their bowling has been consistent, at least, but they have been guilty of too many fielding errors, while the batting has been ordinary at best as they rely on individual performances from the old hands of Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra.On the evidence from Taunton, India – who have played the least Twenty20 internationals of the big four – are still warming up but their famously mercurial side know they can rise to the occasion.They twice beat home side Australia in the World Cup, while Twenty20 can be something of a lottery and they will fancy their chances of causing an upset against New Zealand. While they lack a big power-hitter to take advantage of the first six overs, India’s batsmen are adept at taking the ones and twos. New Zealand’s batting line-up, however, is also good in this department.Although New Zealand are the out-and-out favourites on paper, India have every chance of ripping up the book. Either way, it’s important that the sides play eye-catching cricket in front of new faces.While one side will definitely win a place in the final at Lord’s, if both teams can rise to the occasion with their best cricket then they are bound to impress new fans – which, ultimately, could be an ever bigger win for women’s cricket.