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West Ham will host Lyon at the London Stadium in the first leg of their Europe League quarter-final challenge tonight, and David Moyes must hit the ground running by capitalising on the home advantage, however, there has been a setback in the team ahead of the clash.

What’s the word?

The Hammers manager took to his pre-match press conference to deliver some uncertainty surrounding Coufal’s fitness, despite being on the substitutes bench against Everton last weekend.

Moyes told the press: “Vladimir [Coufal] we’ve brought back and we’re still not totally convinced he’s 100 per cent, so he might just need a bit more time.”

Moyes will be gutted

This European game against Lyon is the biggest clash of the season for the Hammers, so potentially losing out on the opportunity to play one of the most important defensive players in his system will surely leave Moyes gutted ahead of the clash.

Coufal looked likely to make his return in the Premier League last weekend, but the Scottish manager chose to keep him rested and was likely hoping that further time on the bench would make him available for tonight’s game, however it is now looking likely he won’t be selected to start.

The 29-year-old right-back has been out since February after needing groin surgery following an ongoing problem but has been effective in his game-time prior to that with three assists in the Premier League this season whilst averaging two clearances and 1.7 tackles per game, as well as winning the majority of his duels combined (53%) and creating four big chances for the Hammers, according to SofaScore.

With that being said, Ben Johnson has been confirmed available which will surely be a huge boost for Moyes and the team going into the difficult game this evening and the 22-year-old defender should be able to offer enough defensively to make up for Coufal’s absence against Lyon.

West Ham will need to aim to get a good head start against their opponents whilst they have their home advantage in the first leg, with the decider game taking place against the Ligue One side in France a week today.

In other news: Moyes axes £38k-p/w “threat” & “incredible” 22 y/o returns in WHU predicted XI vs Lyon

Whisper it quietly, but Surrey may have turned a corner. After a few grim years when the club has plumbed the depths of mediocrity (and then kept digging), there are early signs that the first green shoots of recovery may be poking through.

George Dobell at Chesterfield29-Jun-2010
ScorecardWhisper it quietly, but Surrey may have turned a corner. After a few grim years when the club has plumbed the depths of mediocrity (and then kept digging), there are early signs that the first green shoots of recovery may be poking through. Not only has Surrey’s Twenty20 form improved (after a poor start, they are now fourth in the South Group), but they’re second in their Clydesdale Bank 40 group and here have shown that their dire position in the championship is likely to improve.Perhaps such optimism should be tempered. There was a time, not so long ago, when a dominant performance against Derbyshire – and a weakened Derbyshire at that – would have been nothing less than expected.Not anymore. Last season Surrey won just a single championship game, while they reached the halfway stage this year rooted to the foot of the championship table. The days when they could approach any fixture with complacency are long gone.They are well on top in this game. They had a lead of 154 after both sides had batted once and, but for an injury to one of their seamers, would surely have enforced the follow-on. Still, with the pitch showing increasing signs of uneven bounce, their lead of 204 going into the third day already looks imposing.That Derbyshire are still in the game at all is largely due to the efforts of Wayne Madsen and Lee Goddard.Coming together with their side reeling at 81 for 6, the pair added 137 in 36 overs for the seventh wicket, with Madsen recording his third century of the campaign and Goddard his first half-century. The next highest contribution was extras, with 16.For some, the likes of Madsen will always represent everything that is wrong in English cricket. South African born, he is 26-years-old and currently qualifying to play for England. While international cricket may prove a step too far for him, he looks a decent county player. A tendency to plant his front foot will always make him an lbw candidate, but he leaves the ball very well, drives neatly and has admirable powers of concentration.He needed this innings, though. He had scored just 77 runs in his previous seven championship innings but, while his colleagues paid the price for their fallibility outside off stump, Madsen showed the virtue of restraint.Goddard hasn’t enjoyed the best of form, either. The 27-year-old, who returned to Derbyshire from Durham in search of first-team cricket at the end of last season, lost his place to Tom Poynton a few weeks ago. Here, however, he neatly compiled the third half-century of his first-class career and seemed to have taken his side to within an inch of avoiding the follow-on.Both Goddard and Madsen may feel that the manner of their departure undid some of their good work, however. While the reverse sweep has become an accepted part of the modern game, neither man had played the shot until the ball that dismissed them and, in other circumstances, falling five short of the follow-on mark would have had match-defining consequences.The key moment of the day came earlier, however. Tim Linley had threatened to run through the Derbyshire batting with a well-controlled spell of medium-fast seam bowling, but suddenly pulled-up midway through his run-up and left the field in obvious pain. He was later diagnosed with ligament damage and won’t bowl again in the match.It was a completely different game after his departure. While Andre Nel and Chris Tremlett bowled pretty well, the support seamers – Stewart Walters and Younis Khan – allowed Goddard and Madsen to settle in with some comfort.Until that point, Surrey had been utterly dominant. Linley, with 4 for 13, expertly exploited a small ridge on the pitch and, at one stage, claimed 3 for 3 in 15 balls. Though he won London CC’s ‘search for a star’ bowling competition in 2005, Linley is never likely to be a star in the Surrey dressing room. He’s not blessed with great pace or outrageous skill and, on the flattest of pitches, can look a little toothless.He’s a useful player, though. Here he landed the ball on the perfect length and gained enough bounce and movement to trouble all the batsmen. As Chris Adams, Surrey’s cricket manager, put it: “maybe he’ll never get the best in the world out, but he’ll bowl up hill and into the wind all day. He reminds me of Mark Robinson.”Garry Park was undone by bounce, prodding outside off stump, Greg Smith lost his off and middle stumps when he missed one that nipped back, Chesney Hughes edged one angled across him and Wes Durston simply missed a straight one. Earlier Chris Rogers was also a victim of bounce, flashing a catch to point, while Robin Peterson edged to slip and Steffan Jones was pinned on the foot by a yorker.Nel looked dangerous with the new ball and delivered more overs than anyone, while there was an encouraging display from Tremlett, too. While he didn’t quite maintain the requisite control, he did generate decent pace and, at times, alarming bounce. He gave the impression of a man just coming to the boil. Perhaps his, and his new club’s, best days may be yet to come.

Pakistan’s teenage pace sensation Mohammad Aamer made the most of ideal swing-bowling conditions in Canterbury to bag 5 for 54

Mark Pennell at Canterbury29-Jun-2010
ScorecardPakistan’s teenage pace sensation Mohammad Aamer made the most of ideal swing-bowling conditions in Canterbury to bag 5 for 54 as the tourists dismissed hosts Kent for 259 inside 69 overs. By stumps, Pakistan reached 86 for 1 in their second innings for an overall lead of 187, this after 18-year-old Aamer had taken a lead role in dismissing a rookie county side in under three-and-a-half hours.Though Aamer has only eight Test caps to his name and 21-first-class appearances behind him, he exploited hot, humid conditions in the first two sessions to cause havoc amongst the home top-order batting. Bowling his slippery left-arm pace from the Nackington Road End and down the St Lawrence slope, Aamer seemingly swung the ball at will and also nipped it around off the seam to create headaches galore.In the face of Pakistan’s impressive new ball burst from Umar Gul in tandem with Aamer, Kent slid to 33 for 4 only to fight back with half-centuries from Joe Denly and James Goodman, who hit 59 on his first-class debut.It helped Pakistan’s cause that heavy rain fell over Kent an hour before the scheduled start, leading to a 30-minute delay and high humidity once the match got underway at 11am.Both Denly and night watchman Matt Coles were fortunate to survive the first five overs, riding their luck the pair somehow posted 31 before Coles pushed inside the line of an Aamer out-swinger to lose his off stump and spark the loss of four wickets for two runs in the space of 14 deliveries.Two balls later Chris Piesley, another first-class debutant, pushed at one from Aamer that left him and brushed the outside edge low to second slip. He went without troubling the scorers. In the next over, Gul rushed one through Alex Blake’s gate to knock back off stump, then Aamer nipped one back off the seam to hit the base of James Hockley’s off stump as Kent lost four wickets for two runs in the space of 14 deliveries.Kent re-grouped either side of lunch with a fifth-wicket stand worth 89 in 20 overs between Denly and Goodman. Denly, who edged through and over the slips during his fortuitous 77-ball stay, reached 50 from only 60 balls while Goodman followed him to the milestone from 111 balls and with five fours.The tourists regained their grip on proceedings soon after lunch when Aamer cleaned up Denly with a fast, full one, then former Pakistan Test allrounder Azhar Mahmood went for 28, spooning a pull shot against Gul to deep square-leg.The impressive Wahab Riaz, a muscular ‘hit-the-deck’ style of seamer who might well revel on English pitches, bowled Goodman off an inside edge then Aamer returned for a third spell to send back Paul Dixey to another catch in the cordon that completed his five-wicket haul.Though Kent’s tail wagged through Mark Lawson (31) and Robbie Joseph (18*), offspinner Shoaib Malik came on to polish the innings off with a tidy stint of 2 for 27 that helped secure a first innings lead of 101.

تحدث طارق العشري المدير الفني لنادي سموحة، عن خسارة فريقه أمام الزمالك اليوم الأربعاء، في المباراة التي أقيمت بمنافسات الدوري المصري.

الزمالك فاز على سموحة، بهدفين دون رد، في الجولة الأولى من عمر مواجهات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، وذلك على ملعب المقاولون العرب.

وقال العشري خلال تصريحات في المؤتمر الصحفي بعد المباراة: “سموحة كان الأفضل في الشوط الأول، وأجبر الزمالك على ارتكاب الأخطاء، ولم تكن هناك فرص على مرمى الهاني سليمان”.

وأضاف: “الشوط الثاني أول نصف ساعة كنا الأفضل، بعد ذلك الزمالك لعب بكثافة هجومية، لعبنا تكتيكيا بشكل جيد، وأغلقنا على مفاتيح الزمالك، الجزيري أو زيزو لم يظهرا ، لو كنا بدأنا وسجلنا هدفًا كنا سنفوز”.

طالع | أول تعليق لـ أكينيولا بعد افتتاح أهدافه مع الزمالك في الدوري.. ويتحدث عن مواجهة الأهلي

وتابع: “إذا كنا استثمرنا الضغط الذي فعلناه في المباراة كانت النتيجة ستكون مختلفة، كنا الأفضل على مدار 75% من المباراة”.

وواصل: “أجاي مُصاب، هو لاعب جيد جدًا وصانع للأهداف، وكان ينقصنا ترجمة الفرص لتسجيل الأهداف اليوم”.

وأكمل: “راض جدًا عن الفريق بهذا الأداء الذي قدموه أمام بطل مصر في أول مباراة، شيء رائع، إن شاء الله هذه الهزيمة تقوينا ونُعدل من مستوانا في الفترة المُقبلة”.

وأتم: “فيريرا ثبت طريقة التشكيل التي حصد بها الدوري والكأس، اليوم هو كثف الهجوم في الوقت الذي تراجعنا فيه بدنيًا ووصل لما كان يريده وهو الفوز”.

Despite currently sitting in eighth position in the Premier League table, Wolves have only managed to score 13 goals in 18 games, leaving Norwich City as the only club to have found the back of the net on fewer occasions this season.

With the January transfer window around the corner, one deal that the Midlands club could look to do that wouldn’t cost them a penny and could spark their push to end the season in a European place would be to recall midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White from his current loan deal with Championship side Sheffield United.

After making two very short cameo appearances in Wolves opening three league games of the season against Leicester City and Manchester United, Gibbs-White joined the Blades to get some regular game time in the Championship.

Since joining the Yorkshire club, the 21-year-old, who is currently valued at £8.1m according to Transfermarkt, has made 15 appearances in the Championship in which he has managed to score five goals and provide four assists in the process, showing how capable he is in front of goal.

Taking into account his young age as well as his decent goals and assists record with the Blades, it’s easy to see why David McGoldrick has lavished praise on the midfield dynamo and said that Gibbs-White has “got the world at his feet.”

In addition to this, it’s no surprise that Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has aired his concerns about the prospect of Wolves recalling Gibbs-White in January before expressing his happiness with the player and his wishes to see the Wolves man see out the rest of his loan deal and stay at Bramall Lane until the end of the season.

Moving forward, unless Wolves can start scoring goals regularly, they should definitely consider recalling Gibbs-White in January to see if he can replicate the same sort of goalscoring form he’s shown at Sheffield United back in the Premier League if Lage will give him regular playing time.

If this were to happen, Gibbs-White definitely has what it takes to push Wolves into Europe by the end of the season and prove to Lage that he’s ready to be a regular figure in his squad rather than going out on loan again.

In other news: Lage heading for Wolves disaster over £33k-p/w gem dubbed “phenomenal” by Tim Spiers – opinion

Speaking to talkSPORT, as transcribed by Goodison News, commentator Sam Matterface has made an interesting claim involving assistant Everton boss Duncan Ferguson.

The Lowdown: Benitez under fire…

Toffees boss Rafael Benitez was appointed to replace ex-manager Carlo Ancelotti who suddenly and unceremoniously left to take up the Real Madrid role.

The Spaniard’s appointment was a controversial one bringing divided opinions given his ties to bitter Merseyside rivals Liverpool and their league form hasn’t exactly been sparkling since his arrival.

Currently lying 14th and eight points off the drop zone, speculation has arisen over whether Everton could opt to replace him already.

An unlikely 1-1 draw away to European champions Chelsea on Thursday evening would have eased the pressure somewhat but many supporters will be wondering who could replace Benitez if the club opted to part company.

The Latest: Matterface makes Ferguson claim…

Speaking to talkSPORT (via GN), their commentator Matterface has now made a claim involving assistant boss Ferguson.

He says that the 49-year-old is ‘in the thoughts of the ownership’ with some Everton chiefs, including chairman Bill Kenwright, eyeing him for a possible first time managerial role.

“Duncan Ferguson is in the thoughts of the ownership if there is a change of manager,” Matterface explained.

“Certainly there is a split on the board and some of those, including Bill Kenwright, would like to see Duncan get the job eventually.

“He’s going to make the step up, I’m sure it’s going to be the next time.”

The Verdict: Best candidate?

Ferguson attracted huge praise for his brief stint as caretaker boss before Ancelotti arrived at the Toffees helm, with pundit Kevin Phillips explaining how he was ‘pivotal’ to their revival at the time whilst doing an ‘unbelievable’ job (Football Insider).

The ex-Toffees player has since returned to his assistant role and continues to draw acclaim as former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan recently called him ‘huge’.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin also recently spoke of his admiration for Ferguson, with it being clear he has respect inside and outside the club whilst knowing Everton like the back of his hand.

Following his years of brilliant service, we believe he certainly shouldn’t be ruled out as a candidate should Benitez leave.

In other news: ‘Liquidate’, ‘Depressing’…Everton fans rage over ‘appalling’ exit development, find out more here.

Former England captain Tony Greig believes ball-tampering has been prevalent over the years

Cricinfo staff09-Feb-2010Shahid Afridi’s ‘biting the ball’ incident during the fifth ODI between Australia and Pakistan in Perth may have raised a furore and led to a two-match ban but former England captain Tony Greig believes ball-tampering has been prevalent over the years.”Some may choose to deny it but most bowlers have technically indulged in ball-tampering,” Greig told Cricinfo’s show. “Ball-tampering is one of cricket’s most open secrets and it has been for at least 50 years.”In the most recent incident, Afridi was caught by TV cameras apparently biting the ball on a couple of occasions during the last ODI against Australia. This was reported by the TV umpire to the on-field umpires who, after a chat with Afridi, changed the ball. At a hearing with the match referee Ranjan Madugalle immediately after the game, Afridi pleaded guilty to the charge, apologised and regretted his action but was banned for two Twenty20 internationals.Afridi later said the practice was common in cricket, a sentiment echoed by Greig. “It is common knowledge that bottle tops and sand paper in particular have been used in the past to change the surface of the ball in an effort to create reverse swing,” Greig said. “New Zealand’s Adam Parore openly admits that New Zealand, in retribution for what they thought Pakistan had been doing, went to work on the ball with a bottle top in a Test in 1990 in Faisalabad. Parore said Chris Pringle was the major beneficiary in so much as he took 11 wickets in the match.”Saliva and sweat are permitted as shining agents but what about the mints and gum those alter the make up of saliva? What about sunscreens and lip balm which mixes with sweat and so it goes on.”

You’ve got to keep swing bowling in the game. Because swing bowling and leg spin bowling are the two aspects of the game that you must do everything to encourage, they are both attacking forms of bowlingIan Chappell

Greig also sought a rewrite of the current laws regarding ball-tampering as they threw little light. “Most of the better cricket administrators have been former players and they know that its been happening,” said Greig. “But their attitude has been to write the laws as strictly as possible knowing full well that short of submitting all balls for forensics testing there is little chance of doing anything other than what is being done at the moment.”Ian Chappell, the former Australia captain, said everything possible should be done to encourage swing. “Rub the laws and start again,” Chappell said. “If bowlers feel that the contest is even then I don’t think you will get so much of the illegal actions and the ball tampering. They should sit down with all the captains, and say – write down the list of all the things that make ball swing.”We will then go through the list and then pick out – 6, 7, 8 …pick a number. Then we present the list to all the captains, and we ask them to pick one out of that lot, and make it legal and the rest is illegal. And if you are caught doing any of those – big trouble, you will be handed a suspension.”You’ve got to keep swing bowling in the game. Because swing bowling and leg spin bowling are the two aspects of the game that you must do everything to encourage, they are both attacking forms of bowling.”

The Trinidad & Tobago captain, has termed West Indian cricket as being stuck a decade behind

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2009

Daren Ganga, the Trinidad & Tobago captain, has termed West Indian cricket as being stuck a decade behind. Ganga has called for officials in the Caribbean region to professionalise the game in order to lift the side back to a competitive level in global cricket.”I know that there is a new board [in T&T] and they are still settling down, but I would like to make a call to [for them] to assist local clubs and help them to become more professional,” he said. “When clubs operate in an amateurish manner, the players cannot advance quickly. It was mentioned that Adrian Barath played for this club at age 14. Maybe, he would have been able to do it earlier if the circumstances were different.”Ganga, whose influence has been a major factor in bringing T&T from near-bottom to the top in regional cricket within a few years, said the West Indies Cricket Board had plenty of catching up to do. “What we have been doing for training and in camps seven years ago, we are still doing today,’ he said. “There has been no change in our approach to preparation and this is keeping us way behind. We are at least ten years behind in terms of technology and this must change.”I remember when Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, and myself went to Australia as young players on the West Indies team, we felt really bad, when we saw what guys like Michael Clarke and Shane Watson were exposed to,” he said. “The training they were putting down was something we have never done before and we were amazed. What was even more amazing was the fact that Watson and Clarke had not even made the Australian national team up until that time.”West Indies cricket is on the verge of recovering from the contracts crisis which led to many senior players going on strike. A full-strength squad, however, was named for the tour of Australia.

Sir Vivian Richards has called on Chris Gayle to put the West Indies contract dispute firmly behind him and lead his team in a manner befitting the region’s legacy

Andrew Miller10-Nov-2009Sir Vivian Richards has called on Chris Gayle to put the West Indies contract dispute firmly behind him and lead his team in a manner befitting the region’s legacy, as the team prepares to arrive in Australia on the eve of a Test campaign that will test the fragile peace that was brokered during meetings between the WICB and the players’ association last month.The team touches down in Australia on Wednesday, and Richards was cautiously optimistic that the reunited squad would put their recent troubles to one side. “The way it looks at the moment, it does suggest that there is a ceasefire,” he told Cricinfo. “But we all know what ceasefires are like. Let’s hope this is not a ceasefire like you get in the Middle East.”Gayle was a controversial choice as captain for the Australia tour, given his integral role in the stand-off with the board, and Daren Ganga was mentioned as a possible replacement following his inspirational leadership of Trinidad & Tobago in the recent Champions League.But there is no questioning Gayle’s status as the leading batsman in the Caribbean, and his absence was keenly felt earlier this year, as a second-string West Indies side slumped to an embarrassing home series defeat against Bangladesh, before being knocked out in the first round of the ICC Champions Trophy.””I think Daren Ganga is a good captain who thinks on his feet, and he’d have been quite appropriate, so presently the jury is out,” said Richards. “Gayle has got to go and show a different sort of attitude when he goes to Australia. He’s got to show that he wants to represent his people and represent them well, and not only them, but also the legacy that he’s representing. Let’s hope he has learned his lessons.”Gayle has been the subject of controversy throughout a torrid year, particularly during the unscheduled tour of England in May, when he arrived in the country barely 24 hours before the first Test at Lord’s, and went on to say in a newspaper interview that he “wouldn’t be so sad” if Test cricket died out. But having announced his availability for the Australia tour, Richards said he was prepared to take the captain’s declarations of full commitment at face value.”I take it on board when he says he feels pretty strong, even though he may not show the so-called enthusiasm,” said Richards. “Some people do things differently, and he’s one of those individuals who’s pretty laid back. But I still like to believe he wants to see West Indies cricket do well, and it’s up to him. He’s in the seat now to make that happen.”Even with a fully unified squad, the challenge that awaits West Indies would be arguably the toughest in the world game, and Richards – who made five Test tours of the country in the course of his illustrious career – knows from personal experience just what lies ahead.”An Australia tour can make or break a team,” he said. “They are like that. They are a pretty competitive bunch of folks. Over the years, I’ve always loved competing against the Aussies, because you knew they weren’t going to give you half-measures, they were going to give you their all. You knew to what capacity you were going to have to raise your level. And that, to me, was always interesting.”The Aussies were always ready and available verbally, whether with ball in hand or not. And I appreciated that aggressive stuff because I am a competitor myself, and these were the things that made me think. I hope that Gayle and the guys can deal with that, especially coming back from the dispute. Let’s hope that he [recognises] the job he has to do now, and makes sure that he gels that team, and hopefully, if this ceasefire lasts, builds a team that can be competitive in the future.”Few people give West Indies a realistic chance of putting up a fight against Australia – Brian Lara, who led their last tour to the country in 2005-06, predicted recently that they would receive a “hiding” – but it is not all doom and gloom in the Caribbean, thanks to the exploits of Trinidad & Tobago, who captured the imaginations with their enterprising performances in last month’s Champions League in India, in which they finished as runners-up.”The way things have played out in the media, a lot of people would think there’s nothing happening in the Caribbean,” said Richards. “But they have given us the light, and shown the world that our club structure is as good as any club structure around the world. Even though they didn’t win the tournament, to me, the message was already sent that West Indies cricket is still very much alive.”Nevertheless, Richards did not believe that Trinidad’s success as an individual island would lead to further ructions within the fabric of West Indies cricket. “I don’t think we have very far to go where those matters are concerned,” he said. “Barbados tried that once [in 1967] when they took on the Rest of the World, because of the number of players they had in the West Indies team at the time, and they took a hiding. They are going to need more volume, there are so many people around the Caribbean with so much talent. They must be given an opportunity. That’s the format that we have and that’s how I’d like it to remain.”Sir Vivian Richards is an ambassador for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority

West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Braga youngster Vitor Oliveira, but they face competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham for his signature.

The Lowdown: Oliveira an emerging talent

The 21-year-old is an exciting young prospect in Portugal, scoring once in two Primera Liga starts so far this season. Also known as Vitinha (not the same one who played for Wolves last season), he struck four goals in Braga’s 6-0 hammering of Santa Clara at the weekend in the Taca de Portugal.

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Oliveira also averaged a 90.9% pass completion rate in his only Europa League appearance in 2021/22 to date, having three shots in that game.

The Portuguese starlet is being linked with a move to England, with West Ham seemingly in the mix to sign him.

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The Latest: West Ham keen on move

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], both West Ham and Spurs are keen on acquiring the Braga attacker’s signature.

The report claimed that the pair are ‘ready to battle’ to sign Oliveira, although it isn’t specified whether the transfer could happen in January or next summer.

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The Verdict: Added squad depth

While Oliveira wouldn’t necessarily come in as a regular starter for West Ham, he is someone who could be a solid backup for Michail Antonio from January onwards.

There may be times when the Jamaica international, who has started 14 of the Irons’ 16 Premier League and Europa League games so far this term, needs to be given a rest as the campaign progresses, at which point the 21-year-old Portuguese gem could fill in and prove his worth.

The fact that he has scored eight goals in just 11 Braga appearances overall suggests that he could be ready to make the step up to the Premier League.

In other news, West Ham have been linked with a move for a striker. Find out who it is here.