Tag Futebol

So, West Ham are very industrious in the transfer market again this year.

The board and Slaven Bilic are proving to be shrewd and hard negotiators with potential players, agents and their clubs and it all bodes well for the Hammers.

It’s always about getting the right deal, value for money and a player that will fit seamlessly into the West Ham ranks without rocking the otherwise calm boat that Bilic has already put together in the short time he has been at the helm.

With Gokhan Tore it has been a labour of love to get this deal over the line. It is always a major plus that a player actually wants to play for the club other than for the money.

With Tore, he stated that the fans and his ex-manager played a huge part in his decision to leave Turkey for East London. Feghouli said the same for the charismatic Croat. He obviously has that certain something.

On the official West Ham United website on Monday, Tore said: “I am very happy to be at West Ham. I watched many games that they played last season and saw how passionate the fans are.

“That made me want to come here and I am looking forward to playing in front of them. Slaven was also a big factor in me coming here and he is a great manager.  He is the main man and knows me very well. I could not have said no to him.”

“He is the best manager I have worked under and he is like a father to the players. You feel like you are family.”

The player is no stranger to these shores after a stint at Chelsea within their youth system for two seasons. From Chelsea the 24-year-old went onto Hamburg in 2011 for a season before moving on again.

Tore tried his luck in Russia, but had an unsuccessful spell with Rubin Kazan before joining Besiktas, first on loan for the 2013-14 season and then on a permanent deal in the summer of 2014.

Tore scored 19 goals in 111 games for Besiktas, but he was not included in Turkey’s squad for Euro 2016.

The winger adds impetus to the West Ham attack and will add width, pace and trickery in a team now brimming with potency in setting up the goals, and now the club need to find a player to put the chances away.

Under Slaven at Besiktas, Tore seemed to click and then lived up to his reputation. He became one of the most sought after players in the Super Lig and scored a career high eight goals with eleven assists in Bilic’s final season in Turkey.

His father figure approach to Tore has seen the player blossom and at the same time tame his occasional wild side. Tore is no angel with previous altercations with teammates and a bullet in the shoulder in a nightclub, just a few of his more colourful stories.

Hammers fans will also be hopeful of seeing the Tore-ing goal celebration at points next season, where he covers up his face with one hand. It harks back to a game his grandmother used to play with him and caused a social media sensation in Turkey last season.

There is no doubt that this was one of the signings that Bilic craved and the supporters at West Ham will soon discover what it was that made Bilic go all out for the Turkish international.

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Kyle Walker insists he is feeling fresh ahead of this week's 12:30pm kick-off against Liverpool, despite Jurgen Klopp's rant about the scheduling.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Klopp fuming with early kick-off
• Walker hits back
• Claims Pep Guardiola could give players a day off

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Klopp has claimed that the decision to schedule Liverpool's clash with City as the early kick-off on Saturday after the international break is "just not possible". Walker is likely to play for England against North Macedonia on Monday, but he maintains that he has no concerns over when the game is played, and says his manager, Pep Guardiola, may even give his players a day off this week, despite the quick turnaround.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Liverpool had a dismal record in 12:30pm kick-offs last season, losing three and drawing three of the six games in the time slot. The Reds played City at the same time last season and lost 4-1, perhaps explaining Klopp's frustrations.

• WHAT WALKER SAID

  Walker said: "We're going to get back from Macedonia early on Tuesday morning, but I have a good manager who gives us a couple of days off before the weekend. It's a little tiring sometimes, but I wouldn't change my job for the world.

  "Sports science has helped me massively. I do my gym work for my muscles and I'm still sharp."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  It will be intriguing to see if Walker is involved against North Macedonia. The only Liverpool player in the squad is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played in the 2-0 win over Malta on Friday.

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O domingo terminou amargo para o Internacional. Com 100% de aproveitamento no Brasileirão, o Colorado foi ao Maracanã encarar o Fluminense e após abrir o placar com Paolo Guerrero, a equipe levou a virada e conheceu a primeira derrota na competição.

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Incrédulo com o revés, o volante Rodrigo Lindoso admitiu uma cobrança dentro do elenco e espera que a recuperação venha na próxima rodada.

‘Deixamos escapar um jogo que poderia ter saído com vitória, no mínimo um empate. É doloroso, a gente já se cobrou bastante no vestiário. Mas são coisas do futebol. Temos que tirar de lição tudo que aconteceu aqui para na quarta-feira reverter’, afirmou.

Com seis pontos em dois jogos, o Internacional volta a campo na próxima quarta-feira, quando encara o Atlético-GO.

GOAL previews the continent’s stars expected to feature for their respective clubs around Europe this weekend

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  Preview of Africans in Europe

  The title race in England and Italy concludes this weekend with the continent’s stars central to their sides’ chances.

  Riyad Mahrez could celebrate another Premier League win at the expense of Liverpool’s African contingent led by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, while Franck Kessie, leaving AC Milan at the end of this season, and Ismael Bennacer could end the ’s wait for a Scudetto.

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  Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech

  Both players featured in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Thursday and could keep their spots when the Blues host relegated Watford on Sunday.

  The Hornets will want to depart the division on a high having endured a torrid year back in the Premier League.

  Thomas Tuchel hinted on Thursday that changes could be widespread at Stamford Bridge this weekend, so it remains to be seen if the goalkeeper and playmaker retain their spots.

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  The title race

  Manchester City are favourites to end the season with a fourth Premier League title in five years, seeing Riyad Mahrez claim another win with the Citizens.

  The winger missed a late penalty last week to complete a turnaround at West Ham United, but the 2-2 draw keeps the race in City’s hands.

  Pep Guardiola’s men will be out to avoid any slip against Aston Villa knowing full well dropped points could be capitalised on by Liverpool.

  It remains to be seen if Mohamed Salah features, having gone off injured in last week’s FA Cup win over Chelsea, but Sadio Mane is likely to return to the XI against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

  A win for both sides mean the Reds will finish the campaign on 92 points, one behind their competitive rivals

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  The race for the final Champions League spot

  Admittedly, Tottenham Hotspur are favourites to secure that final top four spot, but Mohamed Elneny and his Arsenal teammates could still take advantage of any underwhelming result from Spurs.

  The Gunners host Everton who secured their league status for another year, so Frank Lampard’s men have little to play for on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium.

  Success for Arsenal and a defeat for Antonio Conte’s men at Norwich City would put Elneny and his teammates in next year’s Champions League at their rivals’ expense.

Football management is a demanding job and club boards can sometimes be quick to lose patience when things aren't going right

Getty Images18Sam Allardyce | Crystal Palace | 151 daysSam Allardyce's stint as England manager lasted just 67 days as he was forced to resign in disgrace following a scandal in September 2016. However, he managed to land another job just a couple of months later as he took the reins at Crystal Palace. He saved Palace from relegation but departed in May 2017 after 151 days.AdvertisementGetty Images17Howard WIlkinson | Sunderland | 151 daysHoward Wilkinson took the reins at Sunderland in late 2002 but the former Leeds United boss did not last very long and left the job after 151 days.Getty16Remi Garde | Aston Villa | 147 daysEx-France international Remi Garde had enjoyed a degree of success with Lyon before taking charge of Aston Villa in November 2015, but he could not replicate that at Villa Park. He departed in March 2016 with Villa at the bottom of the table after 147 days.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images15Chris Hutchings | Bradford City | 141 daysWhen Paul Jewell left Bradford City for Sheffield Wednesday in 2000, his assistant Chris Hutchings was promoted to the role of manager. However, his reign lasted only 21 games and he was sacked in November of that year.

The ICC is considering increasing funding for Associate and Affiliate nations as part of the ongoing review into its governance and structure

Tim Wigmore08-Mar-2016

The ICC is considering increasing funding for Associate and Affiliate nations as part of the ongoing review into its governance and structure. The news will go some way to appeasing Associate representatives aggrieved by the effects of the ICC’s 2014 financial and administrative restructuring, informally referred to as the Big Three takeover.Funding for the 95 Associate and Affiliate nations from 2015-23 has currently been agreed at $299 million, only a slight increase in real terms from the $252 million awarded to Associate and Affiliate nations in the preceding media and commercial rights package from 2007-15. Had the ICC rights for 2015-23 been distributed according to the previous revenue model (2007-2015), Ehsan Mani, the former ICC President, estimates that the Associate nations could have received over $550 million.Under the new model, Associate representatives believe that the majority of the ICC’s 95 non-Test members face a real terms funding reduction. “Over 50 Associates and Affiliates [out of a total of 95] are likely to be worse off in 2015-16 compared to 2014-15,” said Simone Gambino, the Italian Cricket Federation president. The claim was backed up by a number of other representatives, who expressed grave concerns about the future of the game beyond the Full Member nations.”I worry how some countries will recover from the crushing reduction in funds. All that we have achieved is at risk,” said Ken Farmiloe, the Chairman of Cricket Belgium. “As far as I can see, Ireland are the only country in Europe who are better off in 2016. Most countries seem to be worse off as, in addition to a reduction in funds, there will be no financial support from ICC Europe for projects.”When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, the ICC privately denied that such a large number of nations will be worse off, saying that the number who have suffered funding reductions in 2015-16 is no higher than in a typical year. According to the ICC’s rules, funding is determined by a combination of on-field performance and the ICC’s “scorecard” tally which takes into account a myriad of development factors to rank associates and determine funding. The ICC were unwilling to specify how many countries are better or worse off in 2015-16 compared to 2014-15, but said the new funding model for Associates and Affiliates was designed to prevent sides that maintain their position in the rankings from being financially worse off.Shashank Manohar’s recent comments have been a boost to the Associates•AFP

It is however understood that, when the discontinuation of the Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme (TAPP) is taken into account, a number of leading Associates will receive less ICC funding. Cricket Scotland are understood to be over $200,000 worse off comparing 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Netherlands, UAE and Kenya are other prominent countries that have suffered an overall funding reduction.Privately, senior ICC figures say that they are looking for a more efficient funding scheme to replace TAPP, perhaps called an ODI or Cricket Fund. They also stressed that TAPP was only introduced in 2012, midway through the last rights cycle, and expect an equivalent scheme to be implemented much quicker in the current rights cycle.Given the ongoing review into the ICC’s funding distribution model. David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, said: “It would be pointless to speculate further at this stage as to whether any particular group of members will be better or worse off financially than before.”Associate nations have been encouraged by Shashank Manohar’s words since taking over as ICC chairman. One senior source said they were hopeful that India’s share of ICC revenue would be reduced, perhaps from 22% to 16%, as previously reported, and this could lead to the overall pot for Associate and Affiliate nations increasing from $299 million to $325-350 million from 2015 to 2023. Another figure said that Manohar has been surprised that Zimbabwe receive over $5 million more than Afghanistan and Ireland from the ICC, and hoped to close this gap substantially. Funding shortages are expected to have made Ireland, for example, unable to commit to some ODIs they have arranged in 2016 and beyond.Any increased funding towards Associate members is likely to follow the recent trend of Associate spending being targeted more aggressively towards the highest-ranked nations like Afghanistan and Ireland. Because of their inclusion on the 12-team ODI rankings table, Afghanistan and Ireland receive an extra $1.7 million a year from the ICC, and around $2.5 million annually in total from the ICC. “Their funding success has come at the expense of other Associates and Affiliates,” Malcolm Cannon, the chief executive of Cricket Scotland, said in December.Countries in the World Cricket League Championship, the competition for the next rung of Associates in ODI cricket, receive only $300,000 a year for participation in the tournament, and none currently receive more than $1.2 million in total a year.Richardson explained why the ICC was committed to prioritising spending towards the strongest performers among Associate nations. “One of the objectives arising from the recently approved ICC Strategic Plan for the period 2015-19, which is relevant to the development of the game, is achieving more competitive teams at the highest level. To achieve this we need to be more targeted in the allocation of resources – money and services – to the members that have the potential to be competitive at that level, i.e. to deliver the desired return on investment.”The objective is therefore to provide more funding to the likes of Ireland, Afghanistan and others who have the potential to compete successfully at the highest level, preferably without reducing the level of funding available for distribution to the other members from what they collectively received before.”This marks a continuation of the process in 2008, when Associate and Affiliate nations decided to pool their funding and divide it up according to the scorecard, thereby rewarding countries making progress. Several representatives stressed that they supported the increased funding for the top Associates but felt the overall funding pot for Associates and Affiliates was insufficient given the rise in the value of ICC commercial deals.Ultimately some in the ICC hope to move to a model in which funding for all nations, including Full Members, is based more on performance and less on status. Proposals for two divisions in Test cricket (comprising seven teams in Division One and five in Division Two, with promotion and relegation) and a ODI format pitting the 12 leading nations in groups (perhaps two with six teams each) to form the basis of World Cup qualification are being advocated by Richardson and other senior figures at the ICC, as part of the ongoing review into the structure of cricket. It is envisaged that the ICC would fund the costs of matches within any such structure.Some Associate representatives remain unconvinced. “Whether the changes will affect the smaller Associates and Affiliates remains to be seen,” Farmiloe said. He also expressed his concern that World Cricket League Six has been scrapped; in total, since 2012, the number of divisions in the World Cricket League has fallen from eight to five. “The cutting of WCL excludes many countries vying to better their cricket. Also, the big question is what the ICC regional offices will do without a budget.”Spending on department services – money largely allocated to regional offices who then provide grants and support to members – has fallen from $81 million from 2007-15 – to an estimated $56 million under the current 2015-23 funding model.

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Com o revés em Alagoas, o clima no Internacional está longe de ser agradável. O Colorado chegou ao quarto jogo sem vitória e aumentou a pressão em cima do elenco e principalmente do técnico Odair Hellmann.

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Nos vestiários, o vice de futebol Roberto Melo, apareceu para conversar com a imprensa e garantiu que, no primeiro momento, o trabalho de Odair terá sequência, mas a diretoria vai avaliar o futuro do comandante em Porto Alegre.

– Não é avaliação exclusiva do departamento de futebol. Foi assim na hora de efetivar o Odair, e em outros momentos. Tivemos fases de muita pressão e mantivemos o trabalho. As coisas serão decididas conjuntamente, com várias pessoas pensando’, declarou o dirigente.

Ao longo de quase dois anos a frente do Colorado, Odair não conseguiu nenhum título e perdeu em casa a taça da Copa do Brasil, diante do Athletico-PR.

No Brasileirão, o Internacional volta a campo no fim de semana, quando encara o Santos, no Beira-Rio.

MatériaMais Notícias

Autor do gol de empate contra o Athletico Paranaense, nesse fim de semana, Danilo Barcelos parece ter recuperado de vez a condição de titular no Vasco. E não apenas pelo gol, anotado em cobrança de pênalti. Mais uma vez, algumas das principais chances de ataque do Cruz-Maltino saíram de seus pés.

Das 26 finalizações do time na partida deste domingo, três saíram diretamente dos seus pés – inclusive a que originou a penalidade – e outras três foram através de assistências suas – líder do fundamento no jogo. Danilo ainda acertou seis levantamentos de nove tentados, o que o deixa agora como o líder de cruzamentos certos do Brasileiro, superando Caio Henrique, do Fluminense.

LATERAIS COM MAIS CRUZAMENTOS CERTOS NO BRASILEIRÃO 2019
– Dados do Footstats

1º – Danilo Barcelos – Vasco – 28 de 107 (26,2%)
2º – Caio Henrique – Fluminense – 24 de 89 (27%)
3º – Eduardo – Chapecoense – 23 de 105 (21%)
4º – Reinaldo – São Paulo – 22 de 89 (24,7%)
5º – Bruno Pacheco – Chapecoense – 21 de 77 (27,3%)

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When India began the final day’s play, and their innings, they needed 364 to win in 98 overs. It was a ridiculous thought at the time. “To win.” The obvious expectation was that India would have done really well to have got away with a draw. Many an Indian side of the past has responded to such situations with a draw on its mind, and has failed. This one, though, went for the victory, and a ball before the captain Virat Kohli fell agonisingly to a mistimed pull off Australia’s best bowler, Nathan Lyon, India actually needed just 60 with four wickets in hand and a little under 17 overs to go.Kohli had scored a scarcely believable 141 off 175. This was possibly only his second false stroke of the day, on a pitch that had ugly rough staring at him, with the ball turning and bouncing and performing all sorts of tricks. Kohli was visibly distraught when he was dismissed, a state that would have been worsened as India lost by 48 runs. Minutes later, he said India came so close in the first place because they had gone for the win, and that he was proud of what his side did even though it didn’t end in a win.”At no point did we not think about chasing the score down,” Kohli said. “We have come here to play positive cricket. No sort of negativity is welcome in this group. That’s the kind of belief we have come here with. This has been one of our strongest performances overseas in the past two-three years, and I am really proud the way the boys played in this game. Showed a lot of heart and a lot of character.”When I and [M] Vijay [who scored 99] were batting, it looked like we had the upper hand throughout. At no point did I think we had to pull out of the chase. I always believed that I could do it along with the tail as well. I backed myself in the first innings as well and did not regret the kind of shot I played. It’s about how you look at things. There is enough reason to regret things, but at the same time you have to look at the positives. I look at every outing as an opportunity to do something special for the team. If we had been able to pull it off, it would have been one of the most special moments of my life.”Listening to Kohli speak, you couldn’t help but wonder if there was another attitudinal change on its way. “The positive approach that we wanted was there,” he said. “We played the kind of cricket we wanted to play. Wins and losses are part of this game. We didn’t play for a draw. We played for a win. We lost. No problem. If we had won, the questions would have different, the answers would have been different. We have to maintain this kind of an approach if we have to win abroad. If we try to play for a draw, the negative approach creeps in. I am very happy with the way we played. We want to stay on the same page and the same zone. Going ahead, our results will get better and the series will be an exciting one.”Kohli was asked to compare the heartbreak of such a defeat vis-à-vis the disappointment of three-day defeats, two of which India have most recently suffered. “It’s not disappointing at all,” Kohli said. “I’m just, I’m only hurt because we didn’t cross the line when it looked pretty bright for us. But that’s the way sport goes, that’s the way Test cricket goes. But at no point did we back off, and we are not going to back off either.”If you see cricket like this for the rest of the series, it’s in the balance throughout. Guys believe in that. Unless you believe something there is no chance of achieving it. We have come here with that belief, and we have started on a really nice note. Really positive note. I think the boys can be really proud of themselves, the way they played the game. But Australia were much better.”Virat Kohli: “No sort of negativity is welcome in this group. That’s the kind of belief we have come here with”•Getty Images

The praise for Australia was forthcoming and unprovoked. “Obviously Australia were far better than us as far as taking chances and grabbing opportunities is concerned,” Kohli said. “They deserved to win today.”Kohli said he could play such an innings only because he was positive. “The only thing I kept telling myself was to believe,” he said. “Just believe in myself. Every ball that I play. The intent was to get a boundary every ball. That’s how I could keep out the good balls. If I was trying to defend already, I am giving the bowler a chance before I play the ball.”One good thing was, I wasn’t thinking about any milestones. I was only thinking of the target and trying to calculate whom I can go after, when to accelerate, what to do, at what point of time. The milestone was out of question, and that’s one thing I am pleased about that I have been able to do that in Test cricket at last. That was something new for me, and that felt good. Otherwise I was just reacting to watching the ball and being positive at the crease. Nothing more than that, no major planning, playing on my instinct, and at the same time I was trying to calculate the innings and target as well.”He also elaborated on the addition of the sweep shot to his repertoire, a shot that helped him counter Lyon on the spinning track: “[It’s] probably the first time in my life I’ve swept so much. Suprisingly, I haven’t practised it so much. I’ve been practicing the lap a lot but not the flat-batted sweep. But it surprisingly started coming off, I don’t know how. I saw the ball, put my foot down, tried to sweep and it came off. I was feeling good about it, mentally I was feeling positive that I can sweep and that’s a big thing with me.”Kohli was asked to describe what he went through when he got out. “I was hoping when Mitch Marsh was swinging at the boundary, I was hoping he will drop the catch,” he said. “But as I said I went for my shots, I don’t have any regrets. Probably could have placed it better. Had it gone for a boundary, things could have different. But then again those are big ifs and there is nothing that can be done about it now.”He might have lost it, but Kohli said this was the best Test he has been a part of. “I used to think the Test match in Johannesburg against South Africa was the best Test we played, hanging both ways but that ended in a draw,” Kohli said. [Now] I would prefer this one. I strongly believe both teams played with the same kind of attitude, and that’s why the crowd loved it as well. And all the players involved in the Test match enjoyed it as well. That’s what we play cricket for. There’s no point in having draws with both teams scoring 700 runs each. It has to be exciting, it has to be result-oriented, and I enjoyed it a lot. I will probably rank this as the best Test I have been part of, especially because it’s overseas for us.”

Ravi Shastri, the Indian team director, has talked up Suresh Raina’s Test prospects after the batsman scored a glut of limited-over runs in recent months

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-20143:42

Ravi’s approach to the game is clear – Agarkar

Ravi Shastri, the Indian team director, has talked up Suresh Raina’s Test prospects after the batsman scored a glut of limited-over runs in recent months. Raina hasn’t played Test cricket in more than two years, and hasn’t played a first-class game in 2014, but Shastri is impressed by what he has seen of Raina bat.”The more I see him play, he is brilliant to watch,” Shastri said. “It will be my endeavour really to do something that will get him back into the Indian Test match team. He is a class act.”When he is going he is a treat to watch. Even at times when I see him bat at the nets, when the ball hits the bat, just that sound or sense of timing you know it is something different. Let’s hope, fingers crossed.”Raina made his Test debut in 2010, and though his career began with a series of bright knocks, he had a torrid time during the 2011 tour of England and lost his place. He was handed a comeback in 2012-13, in the home series against New Zealand, but he couldn’t capitalise on the chances.He had briefly lost his one-day place earlier this year, but he firmed up his place with a strong showing in the ODIs against England.