All posts by h716a5.icu

Steven Gerrard’s tenure as Aston Villa manager has got off to a pretty perfect start.

The Villans have played four times under their new boss and recorded three wins with their only loss coming against Manchester City.

It’s a run of form that proves NSWE’s decision to sack Dean Smith from his role was a wonderful decision with Sunday evening marking the finest night of Gerrard’s short time in the Midlands so far.

They beat a Leicester side so used to challenging for European places over the last few years and it was Ezri Konsa they had to thank during a 2-1 victory.

The central defender grabbed both goals but it wasn’t just the 24-year-old who had supporters on their feet this weekend.

Another triumphant performer was Matty Cash, a player who seems to be reaching new heights this season.

The right-back is now capped at international level by Poland and is improving all the time as he flourishes in the Premier League.

His performance against the Foxes was as good as it gets from a full-back, producing plenty in defensive scenarios and also striding forward to provide a useful option offensively.

Per SofaScore, Cash won a whopping ten tackles during the game, a tally that was considerably better than the 2.8 per game he’s won on average this term.

Furthermore, the defender produced four interceptions and made three clearances during what was a perfect defensive performance.

Going forward, he played two key passes, registered five crosses and also managed three shots, providing to be a real menace for the Leicester side.

His promising performance was summed up perfectly by Birmingham Live writer John Townley who wrote in his post-match player ratings: “Put in another impressive shift. Up and down all afternoon and had to be on top of his game to contain the dangerous Barnes.”

The aforementioned Harvey Barnes did find the net but fortunately, it didn’t come back to bite Villa.

It wasn’t the most perfect of displays from Gerrard’s men but Cash certainly helped it look more comfortable, battling hard for the ball and rampaging forward. He was undoubtedly a hero on Sunday evening.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Sanson: Lange can fix his Villa howler with “complete” £34m-rated “champion”…

Craig Kieswetter, the South African born wicketkeeper-batsman, has pledged his future to Somerset by signing a three-year contact that will keep him at Taunton until the end of 2012.

Cricinfo staff23-Dec-2009Craig Kieswetter, the South African-born wicketkeeper-batsman, has pledged his future to Somerset by signing a three-year contract that will keep him at Taunton until the end of 2012.Kieswetter, 22, was born in Johannesburg and grew up in South Africa, but qualifies to play for England on residency grounds in February. He has committed to play for England, despite calls in November from Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, to return and play for the country of his birth.He had a productive season last year, scoring over 1200 runs at an average of nearly 60 in the County Championship and playing a dominant role at the top of the order in one-day cricket, cracking 634 runs at 48.76. He feels Somerset is the right place for him and looks forward to helping the club challenge for the title next season.”I am delighted to have signed a new three-year deal because I feel very passionate about the club and want to be involved at the County Ground. I love playing at Somerset and it’s a fantastic place to be with all the tradition that there is about the place.””The supporters and the whole environment at Somerset make it a place that I want to be involved with and I want to help to be part of creating something special. I am very excited about what I can do to help to develop the club and move it forward to be one of the dominant forces in the country.”His good performances and clear promise earned him a call-up to the England Performance Programme and he has been with them in South Africa recently.”I have had a hectic few weeks but it has all been pretty good for me. I will come back to Somerset feeling a lot more confident about my all round game and with some new ideas. I was really delighted to have been involved with the England Performance Programme and feel it has been really beneficial to all aspects of my game, including my skills base of batting and keeping, as well as lifestyle, diet and nutrition. The whole package which has been a great learning experience for me.”Brian Rose, the Somerset director of cricket, said: “Craig signing a new three-year deal is also another great sign of the way that the club has moved forward both on and off the field, spotting youngsters and developing them in the first team.”Craig is part of the England Performance Programme squad and pressing for a place with England Lions. With the way that the market is at the moment, for him to put his faith in Somerset like he has means that he sees a strong management both on and off the field, which is great for the county.”

The Indian board (BCCI) has disbanded its ground and pitches committee with immediate effect

Cricinfo staff27-Dec-2009The Indian board (BCCI) has disbanded its ground and pitches committee with immediate effect.The BCCI was faced with an embarrassing situation after the fifth and final ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla was abandoned after 23.3 overs due to a dangerous pitch.Former captains swiftly reacted with shock and dismay at the dangerous pitch prepared by the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), while former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar told Cricinfo that Delhi should be blacklisted as an international venue.The ground and pitches committee was headed by Daljit Singh, who was present in Delhi as the controversy unfolded. Along with various DDCA bigwigs, the on-field umpires and match referee Alan Hurst, Daljit inspected the unfit strip as well as an adjacent strip after play had been stopped. A decision to abandon the game was taken approximately an hour and ten minutes after another delivery spat up from an awkward spot on one of the dicey patches of the strip.The committee also included Dhiraj Parsana, PR Viswanathan, Rajiv Gokhale and Rahul Das.

West Indies didn’t win a Test and failed to regain the Frank Worrell Trophy but the contest was much tighter than the 2-0 Australian victory suggests

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA20-Dec-2009Numbers can be deceiving, as Australia know all too well. They felt as though they were the better team in the Ashes this year, yet lost 2-1. West Indies will fly out of Australia with a similar reaction – they didn’t win a Test and failed to regain the Frank Worrell Trophy but the contest was much tighter than the 2-0 Australian victory suggests.Consider the following: West Indies players scored four centuries in the series to Australia’s none; at the WACA they bowled Australia out for their lowest total in a home Test in almost 13 years; they had a realistic chance of winning on the final day in Adelaide and Perth; and Chris Gayle was the Player of the Series. West Indies are often unpredictable but none of those things could have been expected after they were skittled out in three days in the opening Test at the Gabba.That result was enough to prompt derision from critics and scare Cricket Australia into thinking the summer might be a one-sided dud. The former Australian captain Kim Hughes even called for West Indies to be axed from the Test cricket family. But after a long, frank discussion following the Brisbane debacle, West Indies found resolve, and soon enough gained respect.”I think people look at us now and think a bit differently, based on how we went about this series, even though we lost 2-0,” the captain Gayle said. “I definitely know from Australia’s point of view we’ve gained a bit more respect from them. They know it wasn’t going to be a pushover, and only in the first match did they actually walk over us.”Arguably their most pleasing discovery was that their captain still has the patience for five-day cricket and has not been seduced by Twenty20. Gayle has often been criticised for appearing indifferent to his team’s slumps but his calm and phenomenally controlled 165 not out in Adelaide showed a man who was desperate to see his team improve. Barely a week later, he displayed the other, more familiar side of his game when he made the fifth-quickest Test century and landed a ball on top of the roof at the WACA.There were other positive signs for West Indies, despite the fact they have now won only three of their past 42 Tests. The teenage opener Adrian Barath made a debut century in Brisbane and is a player to watch, while Narsingh Deonarine and Brendan Nash added middle-order starch. Sulieman Benn’s suspension overshadowed a very impressive tour for him, and Kemar Roach displayed speed and talent, even if his wickets tally did not reflect it.West Indies remain eighth on the Test rankings but the gap between them and Australia is more a shallow valley than a canyon. Australia gained a position and jumped back up to third on the rankings, but they were shown to be vulnerable at home. The failure of any player to reach triple-figures was a concern and the fact that West Indies were so competitive led to some ugly moments.Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin were all fined for their behaviour in Perth, while Doug Bollinger was reprimanded in Adelaide. The pressure didn’t always have a negative effect and Gayle admired Michael Hussey for fighting off speculation about his future to average 47 for the series, and the way Bollinger stepped in and finished second on the wickets list.”They’ve been under a bit of pressure, even though they won the series 2-0, there’s no two ways about it,” Gayle said. “Bollinger came in for the second Test, they were missing a strike bowler like Ben [Hilfenhaus] but it’s very complicated, a pressure situation often brings the best out of a player, to actually step up to the plate, and in the Australian team they’ve mentioned Mike Hussey as well, he’s still scoring runs under pressure.”Bollinger was one of the finds of the series for Australia, while all the batsmen made contributions without dominating. The captain Ricky Ponting admired the way West Indies improved after the Gabba defeat, but he was also thrilled with the way his men stuck to their tasks to come out of the series with two wins.”They’ve played better, there’s no doubt about that,” Ponting said of the opposition. “It would have been nice to have performed better in the second innings [in Perth] with the bat and play them completely out of the game but I think they’ve shown a bit of character. Even the young blokes coming in have stood up when they’ve needed to. They’ve played some good cricket over the last couple of weeks and they need to be credited for that.”For Australia the next Test challenge is the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in six days; for West Indies it’s a home series against South Africa in six months. It’s a shame that we must wait so long to see how West Indies build on their impressive progress.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly now in ‘pole position’ to sign Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Conte’s first target

Sportmediaset have expanded on recent reports in England claiming that Vlahovic is Antonio Conte’s first target in January but face fierce competition from north London rivals Arsenal for his signature.

Spurs fans might have got a glimpse of the striker playing for Serbia in their 2-1 win away to Portugal in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday night as he helped his country proceed automatically for the tournament in Qatar, thus consigning the Euro 2016 winners to a play-off spot.

Vlahovic won three of his duels in Lisbon and also recorded four shots, one successful dribble and an 89% passing accuracy rate (SofaScore).

The Latest: Tottenham in pole

According to Sportmediaset, Tottenham are now in ‘pole position’ to sign Vlahovic in January, but Juventus are also ‘in the background’. However, there have been ‘no official offers or moves’ for him so far, and he ‘would like to stay’ at Fiorentina until the end of the season at least.

Nonetheless, Spurs are ‘ready’ to splash a lot of cash on the 21-year-old in January and thus try and convince Fiorentina to sell for a fee which Juve would be unable to match.

The Verdict: Sign

Vlahovic is one of the most promising up-and-coming players of his generation, with 10 goals scored and one assist in just 13 games across all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt) despite being just 21 years of age.

Described as a ‘really crazy’ player by former Manchester City forward Valeri Bojinov back in March, he certainly seems to have fire in his belly and would surely be hungry to succeed in the Premier League.

With a 6 foot 3 frame, the Serbian is a bit of a beast, and he would give Conte’s team a threat in both boxes, winning 2.3 headers per game so far in 2021/22.

Conte wants him and Spurs’ position seems favourable, so Daniel Levy should look to bring him in in order to appease the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager.

In other news, find out who Tottenham are ‘in first place’ to sign here!

Taking to Twitter, Italian football reporter Gianluigi Longari has shared news on Tottenham Hotspur and their pursuit of AC Milan star Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Spurs tipped to sign Kessie…

It’s safe to say Tottenham have been tipped as one of the major frontrunners to sign the Ivory Coast international with some sources very recently suggesting a move is near completion.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, as shared by Get Italian Football News, first explained earlier this week that Spurs talks to sign him were at a ‘very advanced’ stage as his contract runs down.

Indeed, currently expiring in 2022, Milan are running out of time to tie down Kessie and make any serious money off the club’s interested in their star man.

As such, Spurs are one of the clubs looking to take advantage and snap up the 24-year-old on a January pre-contract for next summer.

That’s where reporter Rudy Galetti comes in, who claimed on social media in mid-week that Fabio Paratici and co have a ‘close agreement’ with Kessie and his entourage over a deal worth €10 million-per-season (£8.5m).

Whilst not exactly backing the closeness of this move from these sources, Longari has shared his own update as he makes a claim involving Spurs’ managing director.

The Latest: Paratici ‘really likes’ Kessie…

According to the reporter, as he shared news on social media, Tottenham are indeed ‘one of the options’ for Kessie and are in with a shot of signing him.

He also says that Paratici personally likes the midfield man ‘so much’, but there are also other clubs who are still in contention.

“Spurs are for sure one of the options on Kessie’s table as Paratici likes him so much,” he explained.

“There are also other options for him as we told here two months ago.”

The Verdict: A must for Spurs!

While this arguably isn’t as eye-catching as the reports from both Galetti and La Gazzetta, Longari’s claim that Spurs are well in contention should still be enough to excite supporters – simply going by Kessie’s calibre alone.

Lauded as a ‘sumptuous’ player by Milan boss Stefano Pioli, Serie A critics like Nicky Bandini have also labelled the 48-cap star ‘extraordinary’ for his performances at the San Siro (ESPN).

Valued at £49.5 million by Transfermarkt, a figure which sums up his obvious quality, snapping up the colossal maestro for nothing would simply be a masterstroke and could provide the perfect amount of steel for Antonio Conte’s new-look Spurs side.

A bit of an all-rounder, the African superstar has flourished in a more advanced role under Pioli at Milan despite being a natural defensive midfield player.

Scoring 13 goals and assisting four others in 36 Italian top flight starts last season, Kessie has continued in that vain over 2021/2022 so far – already getting on the scoresheet twice (WhoScored).

He also comes as an assured and calm presence in the middle of the park, averaging a 90.8% pass accuracy so far this year – a superior number to any Spurs regular with more than one start (WhoScored).

If Paratici is truly such an admirer of Kessie, we believe the Ivorian should be top of his priority list as he aims to strengthen Tottenham’s potential revival under Conte.

In other news: Conte now personally plotting to sell ‘very talented’ Spurs player who Nuno called ‘unique’…find out more here.

As brightly as Pakistan began this three-match contest, it is New Zealand who now hold the whip and it hasn’t even been a week since it all started

The preview by Osman Samiuddin08-Nov-2009Match factsMonday, November 9
Start time 15:00 (11:00 GMT)Big PictureThere is always a greater thrust to the affairs of a short series. Momentum changes quicker, faults have to be identified and rectified sooner, form has to be found, urgency is everything. As brightly as Pakistan began this three-match contest, it is New Zealand who now hold the whip and it hasn’t even been a week since it all started.In coming back to level the series, New Zealand were magnificent. Like Australia here earlier in the year, their batsmen took some time, but eventually adjusted to the conditions; in Brendon McCullum’s case, he adjusted to a lot more than just conditions and all of New Zealand will hope that it might be the start of something special. He got good support from his colleagues, none more than Martin Guptill. The lower order, as long as Daniel Vettori is leading it, does not crumble readily.The bowling is actually in better shape than many could have expected. Scott Styris’ magic hand – if ever wickets were conjured from nothing, it was in that spell in the second ODI – was a bonus but Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee and Vettori himself have threatened. The fielding – outstanding in the win – is a bowling option in itself.As ever in Pakistan, one loss has sent people into a tizzy. Ex-players, dormant in victory, become hyenas in defeat. Agendas are pushed, fingers pointed, conspiracies peddled. On paper, in the cold light of day, the problem is simple: the middle order clicked one game, their top order the other and what they wouldn’t give to make them work together at the same time.But some of the unease might be valid. Albeit from a distance, the pressure seems to be telling on Younis Khan. There are less smiles and the lack of runs – coupled with the headlines the deputy is garnering – has not helped. Neither have decisions without any kind of logic, dropping Umar Akmal for example. Why on earth drop him? Rest, as management said later? A mere boy who has played ten ODIs? Had they said a dog ate him, more people might have believed it.They will have to get it right, for otherwise New Zealand will do to Pakistan what Sri Lanka did earlier this year in another short, sharp challenge. Thumped in the first game, they stormed back to win the series with two thumpings of their own.Form Guide (most recent first)
New Zealand – WLLWW
Pakistan – LWLLW
Watch out forThe gap between New Zealand and Pakistan’s fielding during the second ODI was wider than that between the rich and poor in most third world countries. Matches are not always won and lost on the fielding, but over time, over a series of matches, it’s funny how often the better fielding sides come out on top.Also keep an eye out for the toss. The side who has won it has batted first and won the game. Conditions haven’t deteriorated as such, just that the targets have always been too steep.Team newsThere wouldn’t be much reason for New Zealand to change their line-up. Perhaps Nathan McCullum’s dropping for Neil Broom was a little hasty, though, Vettori as a spinner is more than enough for Pakistan to handle.New Zealand: 1 Aaron Redmond, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Neil Broom, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Shane Bond.Pakistan: Who knows? They might make a number of changes, or none at all. The younger Akmal should play though whether he will is altogether a different thing.Pakistan: 1 Salman Butt, 2 Khalid Latif, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Shoaib Malik/Umar Akmal, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Mohammad Aamer, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed Ajmal.Pitch and conditionsNot likely to be different from the surfaces for the first two games so batting first will be the preferable option. There was some talk of drizzle, but snowballs in hell sound more likely.Stats and trivia Despite a poor overall record against Pakistan, New Zealand have won seven of their last 10 encounters.Umar Gul needs one more wicket to complete 100 wickets in ODIs and if he gets it in this match, he will be the fifth quickest Pakistan bowler to do it, in 67 matches.Quotes”It can happen to any player. I am sure he can come good anytime, maybe in this crucial, must-win game.”
.”Pakistan can come back hard on us, so we must be ready for that, but I think there’s something left for us as a lot of guys who, I suppose, need to perform on this tour and those who have performed need to do that once more.”

Speaking to Polish news outlet Meczyki, West Ham United mainstay Lukasz Fabianski has made an intriguing comment involving Primeira Liga giants Benfica.

The Lowdown: Fabianski ‘untouchable’…

Despite the summer signing of Paris-Saint Germain shot stopper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan with the option to buy, Hammers veteran Fabianski has remained one of the first names on manager David Moyes’ team sheet domestically.

This is despite a previous claim from Football Insider that the Scotsman was planning to steadily phase Areola into his starting eleven and eventually replace the ‘untouchable’ 36-year-old on a more regular basis.

Indeed, since signing from Swansea City back in 2018, the keeper has gone on to make 111 appearances in all competitions – but he has had opportunities to make a move elsewhere in that period.

The Latest: Fabianski drops Benfica admission…

Speaking to Meczyki, the former Arsenal man has lifted the lid on direct contact once made to sign him from Portuguese giants Benfica.

When asked about rumours of the specific offer from Portugal, Fabianski confirmed they were in fact real.

“Yes it’s true. It was after the first season at West Ham,” he explained.

“The people from Benfica contacted me directly and said they were interested in me.

“They wanted to discuss the details so I redirected them to my agent. He already had further talks, but to be honest I did not take this proposal seriously.”

The Verdict: Interesting admission…

Given Fabianski had opportunities to move elsewhere, as now confirmed by the man himself, the fact he chose to remain in east London, even during some of the darker days, should only endear him to Irons supporters more.

The keeper has gone on to become a good servant for Moyes and some fans may even be hoping he decides to extend his stay past 2022.

Whether that would be as a back-up to Areola or another new signing remains to be seen.

In other news: ‘Incredible’, ‘Bargain’…Pundit blown away as West Ham eye ‘very, very good signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Gautam Gambhir has said Virender Sehwag’s absence will affect India and add responsibility on the rest of the players

Cricinfo staff19-Sep-2009Gautam Gambhir, the India opener who has been passed fit for the Champions Trophy following a groin injury, has said Virender Sehwag’s absence will affect India and add responsibility on the rest of the players.”[Sehwag’s absence] does play on your mind,” Gambhir said. “When he is around, he is so destructive that he allows you to be yourself. When he is not around, you try to take up the responsibility from both ends. He is a legend of the game and surely you miss him. We have a tremendous rapport, both on and off the field.”Gambhir had a great 2008 and has been nominated for ICC awards in two categories – Cricketer of the Year and Test Player of the Year. “It was a fabulous year. I never thought it would go the way it did and that I would be up for so many awards, including the Arjuna Award. How things change and so quickly.” From January 2008 Gambhir averaged 44.31 from 41 ODIs, scoring four centuries and nine half-centuries.Apart from Sehwag’s absence, offspinner Harbhajan Singh felt India were missing a bowling allrounder like Shaun Pollock. Harbhajan also hoped to score his maiden one-day century during the tournament. “In a function in Mumbai recently, Sunil Gavaskar wanted to know when I would hit my first hundred. Coming from him it was a huge thing. Hopefully there would soon be a cause for cheer and it would be for Sunny .”India will play their only warm-up ahead of the Champions Trophy on Sunday against New Zealand in Potchefstroom before their first game next Saturday against Pakistan at Centurion.

Speaking to the press, Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed a blow for his side ahead of their north London derby clash with Arsenal today.

The Lowdown: Spurs absence blows…

Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier and Bergwijn have all suffered injury scares recently, with Nuno cursing the international break as a result.

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Furthermore, Davinson Sanchez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero were briefly unavailable for selection due to their South American international fiascos and 10-day training camp in Croatia.

The Latest: Nuno confirms Bergwijn blow…

Ahead of their highly-anticipated north London derby clash with Arsenal this afternoon, Nuno has confirmed a blow, with Bergwijn set to miss the game.

Indeed, the 23-year-old remains out of contention for Tottenham, coming as a real headache for the Spurs head coach given the winger’s electric start to the campaign.

“The injury he has is very painful. So first of all he has to settle down the pain,” the Spurs manager explained (via football.london).

“He’s not totally stopped, he’s doing some fitness, upper body. But we have to be careful with this injury. For now he’s not available.”

The Verdict: Big loss…

Lauded as a ‘top player’ by former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson, the winger’s unavailability certainly comes as a big loss for Spurs.

Bergwijn has so far averaged more key passes per game (1.3) than any Lilywhites player in the Premier League this season (WhoScored).

He has also managed the second-most shots on goal in that time behind superstar Son (WhoScored), and we believe that Nuno will be gutted to miss his presence today of all days.

In other news: ‘Yessssss’, ‘We need this massively’…Many THFC fans erupt as Spurs eye ‘perfect signing’, find out more here.