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Greg Docherty has revealed he knows he made the right decision by leaving Glasgow Rangers to sign for Hull City.

The Lowdown: Docherty enjoys Hull success

Docherty made 19 appearances for the Gers, racking up six assists (Transfermarkt), but he never really received a chance to impress on a regular basis and instead spent the majority of his time out on loan across England and Scotland.´

Last summer, he completed a permanent move to Hull, and has managed six goals and four assists in all competitions as the Tigers have earned promotion to the Championship.

The Latest: Docherty shares delight

Speaking to the PA News Agency (via Football League World), Docherty shared his happiness at swapping Ibrox for the KCOM Stadium. He said:

“I spoke to Steven Gerrard when I was leaving Rangers and he said he thought Hull would be a good challenge for me as we could try to win the league. 

“But it’s so easy to say ‘go win the league’ – it’s nowhere near as straight forward as that.

“To pip Peterborough we’ve had to go the last 14 games unbeaten, winning 11 of them.

“It’s a majorly gruelling league with 46 fixtures. At the start of the season, there was probably eight or nine teams thinking they could challenge.

“So there’s a lot of relief that we’ve got promotion. Once we clinched that, I thought to myself, ‘Naw, that’s not enough. I want a medal’.

“I’ve always wanted to win trophies. I’m 24 and I can now say I’ve ticked that off. A lot of people have brilliant careers but never win anything, so that’s why I’ll always remember this season and this moment.

“Since Christmas I feel like I’ve grown and really kicked on. I definitely made the right call coming down here.”

The Verdict: The right move

In terms of prestige, Hull cannot compare to Rangers. The latter regularly compete for trophies and will embark on a run in the Champions League next season, while Hull have never once competed in Europe and are only now getting out of the third tier of English football.

However, for Docherty, the move made perfect sense. Unfortunately, he clearly wasn’t a part of Steven Gerrard’s plans at Ibrox, but he has played in all but two games in the league for his new club. Hull have won League One comfortably, and now Docherty can attack the Championship as he continues to improve. At 24, and with 27 goals to his name throughout his career, he has plenty of room for development. There is no doubt he made the right decision.

In other news, Alan Hutton has suggested this man could replace Filip Helander at Rangers.

Saeed Anwar: Profile

Agha Akbar07-May-2001
Simply unstoppable when at his best
Photo © CricInfo Ltd
On Saeed Anwar’s reliable shoulders mostly rests the eventual outcome of a match for Pakistan. If he comes good, scoring quick runs in his exquisite style, with Pakistan managing to pile up a reasonable score, the match has usually been won at the very outset. And if he falters, it generally means tough going ahead for his team.The one nagging problem area for Anwar, however, has been his health and the injuries that he has frequently been running into. In the last five years, on a number of occasions he has had to sit out matches, sometimes even whole series or tournaments, like the recent 2000-2001 Test rubber in New Zealand, on fitness grounds.That has been a destabilising factor for the team, for an opener of his calibre and experience not being there Pakistan’s top order sometimes struggles, putting the onus on the middle order as well.That aside, Saeed Anwar has raised the left-handers’ natural elegance to dazzling new heights. Gifted with a keen eye and superb timing, his attacking batting has forced many an opposing skipper to pull a key bowler out of the attack on countless occasions. Saeed, at his best, is simply unstoppable, he towers over all kinds of bowling, and becomes the very essence of classical batsmanship in the grand manner.
As with the other greats, it is next to impossible to set a field for him, and his greatest strength lies in finding the gaps with effortless ease.
Gifted with a keen eye and superb timing
Photo © CricInfo Ltd
A clean striker of the ball, Saeed is good on both sides of the wicket, his only failing being a tendency to chase the away-going ball pitched outside the off stump. He makes good use of the field restrictions in the first 15 overs of a limited-overs contest and then builds on the start with textbook cricketing strokes, as evidenced by his 19 hundreds and 39 fifties, in One-day Internationals. With the world record for the highest score in one-day cricket (194) under his belt, Anwar is equally proficient in the five-day version of the game, one of the few specialists, holding on to the opening slot in both forms of the game. His highest in Test cricket is unconquered 188, and in 86 innings (52 Tests) he has 10 hundreds and 25 scores of 50-plus against his name – a testimony to his consistency, which is also reflected in a good average of 46.30.In fact other than Anwar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Gary Kirsten are the other prominent names who open for their countries in both editions of the game. And by sheer coincidence, like Anwar, they too are southpaws.Saeed’s mastery of the bowling and his calm demeanour also ease the pressure on his opening partner, whoever he may be, allowing him to gain in confidence and start to score runs at the other end.No wonder, Anwar is being considered the key to Pakistan’s success in England, for in the seaming conditions prevailing in May if he provides runs at the top of the order, it might ensure a respectable total. And that, given the ability of the Pakistan attack to bowl England out, may prove to be of crucial importance.

Several Aston Villa fans have been reacting to footage of some comments from Dean Smith following the club’s 0-0 draw with Everton on Thursday evening.

Villa defeated the Toffees at Goodison Park earlier this month but failed to find a way through this time around.

Club captain Jack Grealish came on from the bench to make his first appearance for three months, with the point not enough to take Villa back into the top half of the table.

Villa only have one home fixture remaining now, with fans set to return for the visit of Chelsea on the final day.

Smith felt a Villa Park stalemate was a fair reflection of the game, giving his thoughts on Emiliano Martinez matching Brad Friedel’s clean-sheet record, praising Tyrone Mings and outlining European ambitions as well as Grealish’s return.

The full interview with the manager is available to view here.

Villa fans offer mixed reaction

Villa posted the clip on their official Twitter page on Thursday evening, and this is what these supporters had to say in regards to Smith’s comments, with more than one pleading with the boss to cut ties with loanee Ross Barkley.

“Listen to that ambition. Can’t wait for the window.”Credit: @AaronjGray”Please, Deano… Pretty please with a cherry on top… send Barkley back to Chelsea and give the kids a chance”Credit: @ClaretKev1980″Again you played with one striker. Watkins on his own is like a lost sheep just like Davis was tonight. You’ve got to have 2 strikers on the pitch otherwise we going to struggle next season scoring goals.”Credit: @Martin10041965″Please stop playing Barkley.”Credit: @PrincesaRodeo”New manager. Please #avfc”Credit: @Harry34740948″Deano telling the medical staff to shove it and giving all the villa what we needed, the skippers back inject it”Credit: @leesalt20

In other news: Villa source drops surprise Friday Bodymoor Heath meeting claim; could be vital for Johan Lange, find out more here.

Calmore Sports left-hander Jeremy Goode struck a glorious 129 – only to be gazumped as Hampshire’s Jason Laney led Hungerford to a thrilling Southern Electric ECB Premier League victory off the last ball at Loperwood Park

Mike Vimpany20-May-2001Calmore Sports left-hander Jeremy Goode struck a glorious 129 – only to be gazumped as Hampshire’s Jason Laney led Hungerford to a thrilling Southern Electric ECB Premier League victory off the last ball at Loperwood Park.Laney, eyeing a Hampshire first team recall, scored 99 as Hungerford, beaten in their two previous matches, scored 244-7 to win by three wickets.Hungerford wicket keeper Chris Ward hit Mark Boston’s last ball for three to win the game.Two separate second-wicket partnerships dominated the Premier 1 meeting, which yielded 486 runs.Goode, with 11 boundaries in his league best 129, shared a stand of 142 with new Calmore captain Tommy Pegler (61) as the Totton club posted a daunting 242-7 (Robbie Maier 3-55).Undeterred, Toby Radford (68) and Laney (99) set about the task of winning a first game for Hungerford, who latterly overcame a middle-order wobble to snatch a thrilling last-gasp win.Australian import Glen Motchall (3-33) prompted the mid-innings blip by bowling Laney one short of his century.Hungerford cruised to 204-3, lost three wickets fell for 13 runs and then survived a second scare – match-clincher Ward being caught out, and then reinstated as Calmore were `no-balled’ for having only three players (instead of four) in the fielding circle.Havant are already setting the pace after a third successive win – a nervy seven-run affair against never-say-die Bournemouth at Havant Park.Bournemouth, chasing Havant’s 185-8, looked out of the contest at 127-7, but a battling comeback, led by Paul Warren and Kristian Wilson almost swung the game.Havant’s innings was played against the backdrop of the town’s Arts Festival – live marching bands amongst the musical entertainment served up immediately behind the bowler’s arm at the town end of the ground !It certainly didn’t devalue from the on-pitch action as Australian Peter Waite (3-22) ripped out Havant’s top order and left the champions wobbling at 26-3.Melville’s Shawn Gillies (43) righted the Havant ship, but Joe Wilson (3-34) continued to make inroads, leaving Paul Gover (63 not out) to keep the innings intact.Havant closed at 185-8 – Bournemouth’s 17-year old wicket keeper Chris Park producing a highly impressive display of glove work, bagging two stumpings and three catches.Matt Swarbrick’s early departure hardly got Bournemouth’s challenge off on the right foot.Julian Cassell (31) and teenager Park (22) made their mark, but at 127-7, it really looked game-up for the visitors.Geoff Warrington (20), then Paul Warren (24) and Kristian Wilson (19) had other ideas, however, as Bournemouth battled back.The trio took Bournemouth’s response on to 174-8, when Warren aimed a huge blow off Phil Loat (3-41) in the direction of Gillies, the young Australian.Alas, Warren picked the wrong fielder – Gillies, a towering 6’4" tall, clung on to a head-high catch no one else on the field would have reached !Bournemouth closed at 178-9 – seven runs adrift after a spirited chase.Adam Loader, the South Australian Bashley (Rydal) have engaged to replace Luke Ronchi, underlined his pedigree with a superb 142 against South Wilts.Loader gave a hint of his batting potential with a half-century against Bournemouth seven days earlier.But he really peaked against South Wilts, creaming two 6s and 18 fours, giving only one chance during an innings which, Ronchi ironically, never bettered during his two seasons at the New Forest club.Loader shared a league record 199 second-wicket partnership with in-form Neil Thurgood (72) after Hampshire’s Andrew Sexton had been bowled by county Under-19 left-armer Jim Tomlinson.Matt King hit a brisk 30 to send Bashley’s total rocketing to 236-5 … and probably beyond South Wilts’ reach.Russell Rowe (68) and Australian Ben Pauwells (52) had South Wilts comfortably placed at 134-1 at the 26-over point.But a two-wicket input by Kevin Nash (2-26), which accounted for Rowe and Tim Lamb, derailed any potential South Wilts challenge.Neil Taylor (2-26) produced a tidy spell before Shaun Wood house (50 not out) put bat to ball and lift the South Wilts reply to 243-6.Ian Langdown produced a sparkling all-round performance as Andover won by five wickets to plant newly promoted LIFO & Rips ley firmly on the Premier League basement.Only Jeremy Bulled (32) made much of a fist of it as Langdown removed the entire LIFO middle-oder and allow Roger Miller (4-14) to mop up the tail.Liphook’s 113 was never likely to stretch Andover, even though Tim Wheatley (3-16) created inroads.Langdown (51) and Miller (36) shared a third-wicket stand of 70, which effectively settled the match.Richard Kenway hit 83 as BAT Sports ran up 192-7 before easing to a 67-run victory over weakened Burridge at Southern Gardens.Kenway, whose lost opening partner Damien Shirazi for a duck, virtually carried his bat through the entire innings and was well supported by Dave Carson (25) and Dave Banks (32) in BAT’s 192-7 (Paul Jenkins 4-54).With Neil Cunningham and Paul Hawkins both absent, Burridge struggled to put up much of a fight after impressive ten-over opening spells by Dan Goldstraw (1-18) and Mark Turner (1-19).Richard Taylor (3-21) had Burridge rocking at 63-3 before Paul Ancell (27) gave their eventual 125-8 an air of respectability.

I’ll get to the controversial stuff later but first things first

Chris Cairns07-Jun-2001I’ll get to the controversial stuff later but first things first.What a way for Wasim Akram to end his last Test in England!At, what Akram describes as his second home, Old Trafford, the Pakistan team rallied magnificently to give a fitting send off to the greatest cricketer I have ever played against.Wasim will cherish this victory for many reasons I’m sure, not least after the comprehensive drubbing that was dealt out to the Pakistanis at the hallowed turf of Lord’s.Praise also to Waqar Younis who bowled a superb spell in the morning session and after lunch to keep the England reply in check and meant that only one team could win the game and that was Pakistan.Now, I have to admit that England were my chosen team in this encounter but on the last day you could sense that Pakistan knew that if they could get England four down and expose the inexperienced [Ian] Ward and [Nick] Knight to a red hot Test match situation then the tail could also fold under the pressure.Too true.The unfortunate thing for England about this result is that they have now given the Pakistanis confidence and that’s a dangerous thing.They will have to best them first up in the tri-series to show that their camp is back in order. Secondly, they couldn’t have shown a worse side to their game during that collapse.There in England watching that game were the Australians who have an uncanny knack for smelling fear, then going for the jugular.No doubt the England players will be reminded what happened at Old Trafford on numerous occasions especially next time they are in that situation.Now the controversial stuff.Poor Nick Knight. The bloke has been called back to the side then gets given out when two replays showed: one, the ball was going over the wickets comfortably and, two, it was an illegal delivery because of a no-ball.There were further no-ball incidents and this situation raised a difficult question in our game.Technology.To what degree do we use it?With cricket becoming bigger and more and more riding on the result of a game in respect of revenue and kudos both for players and countries, do we just sit back and say “Oh well, that’s just part of the game.”?What if this game had been the final of the Test championship? What if had been the final of the World Cup?Can a legitimate claim ever be laid to the validity of the result.Professional sport in America is many decades advanced from our own game and the use of video footage there reflects that they want the proper outcome.Some may argue that the time wasting involved in reaching the proper outcome is not right for the game.This time delay is a small price to pay. We should use technology because there is too much at stake and the pressure on an umpire who has to live with a mistake that could cost a nation the World Cup will be too much to take for any individual.

Manchester United duo Anthony Martial and Dan James are set to return to the first team squad for this evening’s fixture against Fulham, providing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a huge boost ahead of the Europa League final.

What’s the latest?

Martial has been sidelined with a hip injury and a ruptured knee ligament since early March, missing United’s last 13 games in all competitions, while James has been absent since the second leg against Roma with an injury issue.

After the 25-year-old France international incurred his injury setback on international duty, Solskjaer revealed his fears that Martial may be out for the remainder of the season, but it seems as though the forward has recovered ahead of schedule.

In a recent press conference (via Manchester Evening News), the Red Devils boss provided a fresh update on the attacking duo ahead of tonight’s clash with the already-relegated Cottagers, disclosing how they are expected to play some part at Old Trafford.

“I’m hoping to get Anthony (Martial) and Dan (James) back involved in this game which is a very good boost for us. Maybe they can even start against Wolves, and then maybe if they’re sensational? It’s hard to leave players out if they really perform at their highest level,” said Solskjaer.

A significant boost

While Martial has not enjoyed his most fruitful campaign in a United shirt, the former Monaco man has still managed to record some respectable numbers throughout 2020/21

The Frenchman has bagged seven goals and provided nine assists in 36 appearances for the 20-time English champions and could play a significant role as they attempt to end the club’s longest trophy drought in more than 30 years.

Although James has struggled at times since making the step up from Swansea two seasons ago, the Wales international has enjoyed some of his best displays for the Red Devils in the Europa League, as his 6.99 WhoScored rating illustrates. His performance in the 4-0 win over Real Sociedad in February, when he scored one goal and set up another, showcased what he is capable of producing when at his best.

Therefore, the duo’s return to action tonight should provide a significant boost to Solskjaer’s attacking options ahead of the showpiece event against Villarreal, and the Norwegian must be buzzing to see Martial and James form part of his matchday squad once again.

In other news…Major Manchester United transfer update emerges; fans will surely be buzzing – opinion

The fourth and final day was by far the most dramatic with the hosts Mashonaland A winning by two wickets in a tight finish soon after lunch

Larry Moyo25-Mar-2002The fourth and final day was by far the most dramatic with the hosts Mashonaland A winning by two wickets in a tight finish soon after lunch.The day began with Mashonaland A claiming the remaining Manicaland wicket two overs into the first session. The visitors could only add one more run totheir overnight total of 205 before number 11 batsman Ian Coulson was out, bowled for a duck by Rennie who finished the innings with three wickets from 49 off 21 overs.This meant that Mashonaland A had the whole day to reach a victory target of 155. But it was not to be an easy target for them and it needed the experience of Board XI members Mark Vermeulen and wicketkeeper Alester Maregwede to claim maximum points eventually. Opener Vermeulen scored 43 off just 57 balls whileMaragwede, batting at number six, topscored with 45 off 80 balls.While the players had expected the final day to belong to spinners, it turned out to be the opposite as seamers Guy Whittall and Justin Lewis took thefirst seven of the Mashonaland A wickets to fall. Whittall ripped through the Mashonaland A top order as he claimed the wickets of opener Taylor (5), numberthree Andre Neethling (0) and number four Gavin Rennie (6) to leave them struggling at 51/3 after 12.5 overs.Lewis then took over and claimed the wickets of Elton Chigumbura (15), Vermeulen and number seven Norbert Manyande (0), while Whittall returned to remove captain Henry Olonga (11) as Mashonaland A looked set for adisappointing finish at 118/7 after 36.4 overs.With 37 more runs needed to with three wickets in hand Maregwede and 17 year-old Prosper Utseya added 22 runs with the former looking increasingly comfortable with the Manicaland attack. Just when Maragwede was looking at scoring a half-century he lost concentration and edged a Soma delivery to the wicketkeeper. Pressure returned to Mashonaland A as they still needed 15 more runs to win as number 10 David Mutendera went to the crease.Mutendera hit two fours while Utseya added singles to leave the scores level after 49.2 overs. Needing a single to win, Mutendera was deceived by a Somadelivery and only managed to sky the ball. As Mutendera completed a run, Ferreira went under the ball and with everyone expecting a routine catch, theball dropped between his gloves and the match went to Mashonaland A.It was Mashonaland A’s second win in three matches with Matabeleland and Mashonaland remaining while Manicaland are still looking for a win with just twomatches against Midlands and Matabeleland remaining.

Christian Benteke is an injury doubt for Crystal Palace’s Premier League clash with Liverpool this weekend, acting as a potential huge boost for the Reds’ inexperienced backline ahead of a season-defining afternoon at Anfield.

The Lowdown: Sink or swim for Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp’s side face an enormous task on Sunday afternoon, with the Eagles heading to Anfield for a final-day meeting.

A win for Liverpool should guarantee a top-four finish  – something that looked almost impossible only a few weeks ago – salvaging a season that has long threatened to be a complete disaster.

Last year’s champions are on a run of six wins and two draws from their last eight games, finding form at just the right time and battling their way to key victories.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

The Latest: Benteke could miss crucial clash

According to South London News, Benteke is a doubt to face his former club this weekend, with the Palace striker struggling with an achilles issue.

Roy Hodgson is yet to rule him out of the game, but his absence would be a blow for the Eagles, considering he has scored in his last four consecutive appearances.

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The Verdict: Potential huge boost for Reds

Should Benteke be deemed unfit, there is no denying that Klopp will be relieved, especially with Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams expected to start at centre-back again.

The Belgian is a huge physical threat, with Williams still maturing in that respect, while his recent eye for goal speaks for itself, as well as the fact he has bagged six strikes in 11 league games against Liverpool.

Williams has been winning 3.3 aerial duels per game this season in the top flight, but Benteke more than doubles that with 6.8 per match.

Frankly, the Reds should be good enough to get the job done, regardless of Benteke playing or not, but the vast majority of supporters would surely rather he wasn’t on the pitch.

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming at the choice of officials for the Palace game. Read more here.

Ross Wilson has seemingly handed Steven Gerrard a huge boost at Rangers after Galatasaray were reportedly priced out of a summer move for Joe Aribo, which should see the Nigerian midfielder stay at Ibrox next season.

According to Turkish news outlet Fotaspor, Faith Terim’s side had been keen on signing the former Charlton Athletic man this summer but will now move on to other targets after being quoted a price of no less than €10m (£8.6m).

It is no surprise that Rangers are desperate to keep hold of the 24-year-old, who has been a mainstay in Gerrard’s side since arriving on a free transfer from Charlton in 2019.

He has gone on to make 91 appearances for the Teddy Bears, in which he has contributed 17 goals and 15 assists, whilst he has also become a regular for the Super Eagles, earning seven caps for his country.

Aribo was a mainstay for Rangers this season and was a key factor in their impressive title win, making 26 appearances in the Premiership, scoring six goals and contributing four assists, earning a superb 7.40 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

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This would rank him as the joint-second best player with Ryan Kent in Gerrard’s side this season, which emphasises just how important he is at Ibrox, and he will no doubt be vital again next season as the Gers prepare for Champions League football and look to retain their title.

His performances for Nigeria earned him the praise of former Super Eagles star Victor Ikpeba in 2019, as he said:

“He’s such a wonderful player and I am delighted to see him play quality football for Nigeria. Joe Aribo is an exceptional player and he has shown the Super Eagles technical adviser, Gernot Rohr that he is ready to claim a regular shirt.”

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Aribo is only 24 and therefore has plenty of time still to develop at Rangers, so Gerrard will be delighted that sporting director Ross Wilson was able to deal with Galatasaray’s reported interest in him, and it is a huge boost for the 40-year-old manager that the midfielder will likely remain at Ibrox this summer.

And, in other news… Gerrard heading for major Rangers disaster with “outstanding” beast, he could leave Ibrox

Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson has once again responded strongly to reported comments made by the England boss Duncan Fletcher regarding the fitness of players who have recently joined the squad out in New Zealand

Richard Walsh22-Mar-2002Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson has once again responded strongly to reported comments made by the England boss Duncan Fletcher regarding the fitness of players who have recently joined the squad out in New Zealand.Sitting in his office overlooking the County Ground he told me: “England have done well under Duncan Fletcher, but he has to ask himself some serious questions if what he alleges about the unfitness of Ormond, Afzaal and Ramprakash is true. It is absolutely no good giving centrally-contracted players winter fitness schedules without a person being appointed to supervise that player.”For example, did he liaise with the relevant county coaches and ask them to supervise the players? If not, why not? Did he liaise with the county coaches regarding the technical aspects of the players? If not, why not? Did he have contact with the county coaches about the future international careers of those players? If not, why not?”Of course Somerset, like all other counties, want England to do well, but we also have the desire to do well ourselves. We recognise that our playing needs may be compromised, but it helps if good management is in place to help to ensure that the hopes and aspirations of the counties are taken into consideration by the England management team.”