All posts by h716a5.icu

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their interest in Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph, the Magpies have internally discussed a potential deal to sign the England international from the Toffees, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will submit an official offer for his services.

The report claims that fellow Premier League side Arsenal are also keen on the attacker as they look to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Masterstroke

Newcastle could pull off a masterstroke with the signing of Calvert-Lewin, as he could be a sensational coup with a high chance of the move working out.

He is a proven Premier League performer and would not need any time to adapt to English football, which is why it would be low-risk in the sense that Newcastle would know what they are getting from him.

Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, Calvert-Lewin has scored 32 Premier League goals in 68 starts – almost a goal every other game in the top flight. This proves that he knows how to find the back of the net at this level and would be able to instantly come in and score goals for the Magpies.

The English centre-forward could fire the Tyneside club to safety with his strikes, as goals win games and might prevent Eddie Howe’s team from being relegated. The 24-year-old could also act as a focal point at the top of the pitch, as he has the physical strength to hold up the ball.

Toon legend Alan Shearer once dubbed Calvert-Lewin’s ability to head the ball as “magnificent”, and former Premier League boss Sam Allardyce also lauded his aerial ability, saying: “I think he is arguably the best header of a ball from crosses in the box and that’s a dying art.

“We don’t see those types of goals on a regular basis anymore and there’s nothing that thrills the fans more than a quality cross and a centre-forward coming in and heading it into the back of the net. It’s a great sight to be seen.”

This shows that Calvert-Lewin is the type of player with whom Newcastle could go direct. They could sling crosses into the box and hang the ball in the air for him to attack, whilst also knowing that if they send the ball long whilst under pressure, he could win a flick-on or hold up the ball.

Therefore, bringing him to St James’ Park could be a masterstroke from PIF, as he is a well-rounded attacker who could offer quality inside and outside the penalty box with his goalscoring ability and physical strength.

AND in other news, “Newcastle hoping”: Craig Hope issues 8-word update that’ll leave Howe salivating…

Wes Durston was the star turn as Derbyshire thrashed Essex by 85 runs in their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Colchester

22-Aug-2010
ScorecardWes Durston was the star turn as Derbyshire thrashed Essex by 85 runs in their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Colchester. His unbeaten innings of 72 from 62 deliveries enabled the visitors to post a total of 253 for 5, and he then he pulled off a brilliant catch on the long-on boundary to remove Ryan ten Doeschate.The departure of ten Doeschate, fourth out with the total at 138, pointed the way to a swift decline of the Essex innings – they were bowled out for 168 in the 33rd over. Ten Doeschate was the first of seven wickets to fall in the space of 42 balls for the addition of just 30 runs.Durston’s positive approach brought him eight fours and a six, and provided much needed momentum to Derbyshire’s innings after they had needed 24 overs to move into three figures. He showed in a partnership of 71 in nine overs for the fourth wicket with Wayne Madsen, whose 35 came from 25 balls before he was trapped leg before wicket by David Masters.Durston and Graham Wagg then cut loose to plunder an unbeaten 59 for the sixth wicket from only 28 balls. Wagg’s contribution was 36 from 15 balls, with the aid of three sixes and threefours. Chris Wright was the bowler to suffer most, his final two overs costing 34.Earlier Chesney Hughes and Greg Smith shared in a second wicket stand of 69 after Chris Rogers had been caught at slip in the first over of the match. Hughes was eventually bowled by Danish Kaneria for 45 from 64 balls while Smith, whose first 20 scoring strokes were all singles, drove ten Doeschate to mid-off when four short of his half-century. His innings spanned 66 deliveries.When Essex replied, Mark Pettini and Ravi Bopara were just threatening to move up a gear when they were each dismissed in the 20s. Grant Flower and Matt Walker put together a half-century stand for the third wicket but once Walker was superbly run out for 32 by Smith’s direct throw from backward square leg, Essex lost their way.Robin Petersen and Jake Needham each picked up three wickets at a cost of 38 and 36 respectively, while Mark Footitt returned figures of 2 for 28 as Essex were left reflecting on a defeat which dealt their hopes of reaching the later stages of the competition a severe blow.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be hoping to maintain his unbeaten start to life at Rangers with another Premiership clash tonight.

The Gers have not lost a single game since the Dutchman was appointed as Steven Gerrard’s successor at Ibrox and he now faces the daunting prospect of his first Old Firm clash with Celtic.

Rangers come into this huge match off the back of a frustrating 3-3 draw away to Ross County last weekend and will be hoping to return to winning ways against the Hoops.

Brutally axe

One player who must be axed from the starting XI for this is match is centre-forward Cedric Itten. The Gers cannot afford to carry any lightweights in such a mammoth clash at the top of the table and the striker has proven himself to be exactly that in recent matches.

He has, quite simply, not been good enough for Rangers and van Bronckhorst may not have faith that he will be able to deliver the goods against Celtic, which is why he must be taken out of the team.

In the win over Livingston, Itten was poor, so much so that Rangers Review described his display as a “night to forget.” As per SofaScore, he lost four of his six duels overall as he failed to create a single chance or manage a shot on target in 59 minutes on the pitch.

The £2.7m-rated dud was then given another chance to lead the line against Ross County but was unable to show strong signs of improvement. As per SofaScore, he lost a whopping six of his seven duels (85%) and only completed 65% of his passes, although he did manage one shot on target.

This means that he lost 10 of his 13 individual battles across the two matches and failed to provide a goal or assist as the lone number nine. Therefore, he was a lightweight who offered no quality in the final third and Rangers cannot afford to have him starting through the middle, in that kind of form, against Celtic.

Van Bronckhorst could call upon Kemar Roofe to replace the Swiss forward. The ex-Leeds man has scored six league goals in six starts this season and was fit enough to play a part off the bench last weekend, suggesting that he could now be ready to be named in the XI.

Therefore, the Dutch head coach should place Itten on the bench and hand a start to the Englishman to potentially improve the club’s chances of coming away with the three points at Parkhead tonight.

AND in other news, Big boost: Rangers handed key Old Firm injury update that’ll leave Gvb delighted… 

Former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas has urged the PCB to reappoint Younis Khan as captain to lead the side out of its current crisis.

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2010Former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas has urged the PCB to reappoint Younis Khan as captain to lead the side out of its current crisis. Pakistan’s recent tour of England was riven by controversy, with a expose alleging that seamers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, and Test captain Salman Butt, had conspired to bowl no-balls on demand. The ICC has provisionally suspended the trio, leaving Pakistan without a Test captain.”With the future of Salman Butt as captain and player now uncertain because of the spot-fixing scandal, the best choice to lead Pakistan is Younis Khan,” Abbas told . “The board should not waste any more time in appointing Younis as the Test team captain because he is the ideal man to lead the team after the controversial tour to England.”Younis has led Pakistan before, most notably to victory in the 2009 World Twenty20 and the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy the same year. However, he stepped down before the tours of New Zealand and Australia, over differences with team-mates. He was later banned as a part of the massive disciplinary action undertaken by the PCB in March 2010, following the side’s disastrous, winless tour of Australia.Though his ban was overturned on appeal, the PCB did not give him clearance for selection, on grounds of having made “inappropriate comments” following the penalty.”Whatever problem there is between Younis and the board it needs to be sorted out quickly,” Abbas said. “Younis must meet with the board Chairman and also make himself available for Pakistan again … The forthcoming series [against South Africa in UAE] is going to be a tough task and the board must have the best man leading the Test team.””Pakistan will require his experience in the World Cup. The tournament is not far away and I don’t think we now have time or room for experimenting with new players,” Abbas said.

Everton are set to be without Ben Godfrey for the coming weeks after the Englishman was forced off in the early stages of the Toffees’ 4-1 FA Cup fourth-round win over Brentford.

What’s the latest?

According to new manager Frank Lampard, it isn’t sounding good. The 43-year-old said: “It’s a hamstring injury which is to be assessed.

“We’ll have to let it settle for two days and then scan it, not good. He’ll be missing for a period of time depending on the severity of the injury, but it’s a hamstring.”

The 24-year-old only lasted 14 minutes of the Englishman’s first game as Everton boss before suffering the injury, being replaced by Yerry Mina who later scored the first goal of the Lampard era.

Fans will be sweating

Having made the cut for his first game, it appears as though Godfrey will be high up the pecking order under the new Everton manager, at least would’ve been for the opening matches.

Moreover, Lampard opted to play a 3-4-3 formation against the Bees which means that he’ll need a handful of fit centre-backs available at all times to continue with the same set-up, which makes the defender’s injury a particularly hefty blow, one that will surely leave supporters sweating.

Although this season has been somewhat of a disaster so far for the Merseyside club, Godfrey has been a regular, making 17 Premier League appearances, having been out of the squad for the first three matches of the campaign.

In fairness, none of Everton’s centre-backs have been particularly great this campaign with the Toffees conceding 35 goals in their 21 league matches thus far.

Furthermore, the Blues have only mustered three clean sheets in their 24 matches across all competitions with their regular leakiness at the back something Lampard will have to see to immediately.

When it comes to matches played this season, only Michael Keane has played more at centre-back than Godfrey, playing 19 games in the top-flight.

There have certainly been glimpses of promise though from the former Shrewsbury defender after his move from Norwich City in October 2020 and, at 24, Godfrey will only improve.

In other news: One Everton ace proved Lampard wrong with an outstanding performance yesterday

Former Rajasthan Ranji cricketer S Pariwal has died aged 62 after a long battle with cancer

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2010Former Rajasthan Ranji cricketer S Pariwal has died aged 62 after a long battle with cancer. Pariwal, a left-arm spinner, played two Ranji Trophy matches in the early 70s in the Central Zone league, and later served as a member of the junior selection committee of the Rajasthan Cricket Association.

Leeds United could once again be interested in a deal to bring Noa Lang to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Leeds Live, who suggest that, following Jesse Marsch’s appointment as Marcelo Bielsa’s successor in the Leeds United dugout, Victor Orta could once again look to land the Club Brugge forward – who the former Whites’ manager vetoed a move for last year – at the end of the current campaign.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Indeed, Leeds Live go on to claim that a move for the 22-year-old is “more likely” now that it is the American in charge of the club, as the Netherlands international would appear to be a much better fit in Marsch’s tactical setup than he was for Bielsa’s.

Bye-bye Raphinha

While the loss of Raphinha – who has been heavily linked with a £60m move to Barcelona this summer – would undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to the Elland Road faithful, should Orta replace the potentially outgoing Brazil international with Lang, it would certainly ease the loss of the 25-year-old.

Indeed, over his 31 Jupiler Pro League appearances this season, the £22m-rated winger has been in sensational form for Alfred Schreuder’s side, scoring seven goals, registering 12 assists and creating a staggering 19 big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.9 key passes and taking two shots per game.

These returns have seen the £20k-per-week forward average a breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.22, not only ranking him as the joint 20th-best player in the Belgian top flight.

The player who Peter Vandenbempt dubbed a “phenomenon” also highly impressed over his six Champions League outings this season, registering one assist, in addition to taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.2 key passes per fixture.

These metrics saw the 22-year-old average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97 – a rather remarkable feat considering he was up against the likes of RB Leipzig, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the group stages of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

As such, should Raphinha indeed move onto pastures new this summer, it would certainly appear as if Orta could do a lot worse than signing Lang as the Brazilian’s replacement at Elland Road.

AND in other news: Orta can unearth Leeds’ next White with swoop for “really exciting” £4.2k-p/w “talent”

The BCCI has approved the Indian team management’s request to send a group of Test players early to South Africa to get “acclimatised” to the conditions

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Oct-2010The BCCI has approved the Indian team management’s request to send a group of Test players early to South Africa to get “acclimatised” to the conditions and make up for the absence of practice games before the three-Test series that begins on December 16. It is not yet clear who the concerned players are and how many will be part of the group which is expected to depart immediately after the third Test against New Zealand on November 24. India and New Zealand play a five-match ODI series that concludes on December 10, six days prior to the first Test in Centurion.Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, confirmed the development, stating the request had come from coach Gary Kirsten. “The plan now is to send some of the Test players early. The team management and the coach expressed the desire that there is a need for acclimatisation in South Africa,” Shetty said. In his discussions with the board, Kirsten had emphasised the importance of early preparation and had pointed out India’s 1-2 series defeat on their last trip to South Africa in 2006-07. Back then, India were ranked No. 4 on the Test ladder. However, this time, India go into the series at No.1, a ranking they’ve held on to since beating Sri Lanka in December 2009.The board’s nod is a small victory for Kirsten, who has been busy putting a structure in place as part of his plans for the future. It is understood that as early as February this year Kirsten asked the BCCI to consider rescheduling the home series against New Zealand. He wanted to cull the three-Test series to two. This would have served the dual purpose of giving rest to the core group of seven to eight players and providing them ample time to recover to get an early feel of South African conditions. But the board’s response was not favourable at first.However, immediately after the Sri Lanka series in August this year, Kirsten was informed that a few Test players could leave for South Africa early. Kirsten then sent an email – a copy of which is available with ESPNcricinfo – to this team management. “There is no change to NZ schedule and we will play last ODI on the 10th Dec,” the e-mail read. “It has however been agreed to get as many Test players as possible to South Africa early and we will rotate players during ODI series against NZ.”For the ongoing ODI series against Australia, at least five first-choice players were rested in order to keep them fresh for the Test series. Shetty mentioned that the same exercise would be repeated in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand. He said his was part of the drill to keep the Indian team in the perfect shape for the World Cup.”The process has started already. Except MS Dhoni, no senior player is there in the present ODI team (for the Australia series). Despite that our team performed really well yesterday. I hope this will work because this is one way the team management is working out a plan towards the World Cup,” Shetty said. At the same time, he said, it was an opportunity for youngsters to excel and make a point in the lead-up to the World Cup.Dhoni had recently echoed these sentiments. India play 12 more ODIs before the World Cup, hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, gets underway in February next year, and Dhoni wanted to make sure his first-choice players aren’t hampered by fatigue or injury. “In last few series, we have not played with our strongest side and rested most players. Maybe injuries were a bit more concern, we are a bit cautious,” said Dhoni. “We don’t want our big players to get injured before a tournament especially when it’s happening in India. Hopeful everyone will get fit for World Cup.”

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Joe Rodon to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Tottenham Hotspur will be willing to listen to offers for the centre-back at the end of the season, with Antonio Conte looking to make room for his own signings this summer.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

This is sure to come as a huge boost to Victor Orta and Leeds United, who were linked with a move for the Wales international earlier this year, while Newcastle United are also thought to be keen on the 24-year-old defender.

Huge coup

While it is true that, following his £11m move to north London back in October 2020, Rodon has not progressed as many would have expected – having made just 22 appearances over his near two-year spell at Tottenham – it is still undeniable that the centre-back is a player who boasts a considerable amount of potential – something that was evident during his time in Wales.

Indeed, over his 21 Championship appearances during his last full campaign with Swansea City back in 2019/20, the £8.5m-rated youngster highly impressed in the heart of the Swans defence, helping his side keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.6 interceptions, one tackle, 5.4 clearances and winning 5.2 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per game.

The £24k-per-week Welshman also caught the eye in a creative capacity, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 40.4 passes, two long balls, one chipped pass and taking 0.4 shots per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Elis James dubbed a “superb” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as Swansea’s fourth-best player in the English second tier.

As such, should Rodon be able to recreate this level of form following a potential switch to Elland Road this summer, the 24-year-old would undoubtedly make a fantastic addition to Jesse Marsch’s current options at the back.

However, with mega-rich Newcastle United also likely to be interested in the Tottenham man, it would represent something of a huge coup if Victor Orta is able to get a deal for the centre-back over the line ahead of the Magpies.

AND in other news: Marsch can save Radz millions by finally unleashing Leeds’ £4.4k-p/w “Duracell Bunny”

A round-up of the fourth day of the first round of matches in the Plate League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2010Maharashtra’s bowlers persevered to dismiss Jammu & Kashmir for 347 in the second innings, giving their batsmen enough time to knock off the target of 26 and complete a ten-wicket victory at at the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. The hosts began the day on 134 for 2, with Arshad Bhatt batting on 56. Maharashtra offspinner Ganesh Gaikwad, however, struck two vital blows at the other end to reduce them to 199 for 4. The crippling blow came in the over after Gaikwad trapped Dhruv Mahajan lbw: Bhatt was caught off another offspinner, Akshya Darekar, for 95. J&K’s lower order resisted with useful contributions but Maharashtra gradually worked through them, Darekar finishing with figures of 4 for 50. Set a small target to secure an outright win, Maharashtra’s openers achieved victory in the seventh over.In a tense finish at the at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, the hosts Madhya Pradesh hung on for a draw after their batting order collapsed against Goa’s attack on the final day in Indore. Having conceded a first-innings lead of 158, Goa’s batsmen were solid in their second innings. The top nine got into double figures and there were four half-centuries as the visitors posted 473 for 7 before declaring with a lead of 265. Swapnil Asnodkar’s 84 was the top score. In their reply, Madhya Pradesh’s openers, Naman Ojha and Zafar Ali, made half-centuries. Their future was bright at 134 for 1 but S Vidyut and Shadab Jakati triggered a collapse and Madhya Pradesh began to slump. They lost eight wickets for 27 runs in 17.2 overs and were lucky to escape with first-innings points. Vidyut finished with 4 for 13 while Jakati and Amit Yadav took two apiece.An outright win was out of the question at the start of the final day in Delhi but Kerala and Services were battling for first-innings points. Chasing Kerala’s 454, Services resumed on 237 for 3 in their first-innings, with debutant Soumyaranjan Swain on 89 and captain Yashpal Singh on 66. Sony Cheruvathur, a medium-pacer, gave Kerala an early boost by trapping Yashpal for 66. Swain led Services’ progress, though, and they reached 314 for 4, 140 runs away from three points, when trouble began. Vishnu Tiwari and Swain fell in the space of four runs and Cheruvathur and Padmanabhan Prasanth worked their way through the lower order. Cheruvathur finished with 5 for 72 as Services were dismissed for 407. Kerala earned first-innings points and batted two overs without loss in their second innings before the match ended.Vidarbha’s batsmen, led by Ranjit Paradkar, batted with single-minded determination and achieved their goal of securing first-innings points against Andhra Pradesh as their match ended in a draw in Nagpur. Vidarbha began the final day comfortably placed on 265 for 3, needing 105 more to draw level with Andhra. Shalabh Shrivastava fell early but Amit Deshpande and Paradkar added 150 for the fifth wicket. Deshpande fell for 92, but Paradkar went on to score an unbeaten 154 as Vidarbha ended on 506 for 6.