It is reported that as many as eight players are ready to resort to legal action depending on today’s ECB decision on whether to allow overseas cricketers who have signed with the unauthorised ICL to register for counties.Cricinfo has been aware for some time that players were willing to take the England board to court should it carry out threats to impose bans, and it is believed that some of the funding for one or two players for such action might be coming from the ICL itself.The ECB maintains that it cannot register players such as Shane Bond and Jason Gillespie unless it obtains permission, via a No Objection Certificate from their home boards. However, the boards concerned are distancing themselves from the row and are declining to grant or refuse such certificates.The ECB has maintained that it is on sound legal ground, but that is disputed by Andrew Fitch-Holland, who represents Andrew Hall and Hamish Marshall. “My clients are suffering because they have signed contracts that start this summer,” he told Cricinfo. “But they signed good-faith contracts and at the time had no reason to think that there would be consequences. How is it fair and reasonable that they are now prevented from playing?”Under the ECB’s own regulations, any player refused registration has a right to a personal hearing or an appeal in front of a three-man panel with one representative from the ECB, one from the Professional Cricketers’ Association and one from an independent arbitration organisation. However, this has not been offered to Marshall and Hall as an option.Fitch-Holland is also concerned that any appeals process could drag on and compromise both his clients and the counties. “If Hamish cannot play for Gloucestershire then are the points they miss out on because he is not scoring the runs expected going to be returned? Of course not.”Marshall’s case is more complex than most because he is an Irish passport holder and, strictly speaking, not even a Kolpak player. He has been refused because he last played for New Zealand on April 8, 2007, eight days after the April 1 cut-off. Had he played on March 31 then his registration could not have been declined.It is possible that the ECB could compromise by allowing those affected to play while their appeals are heard, but that would put them into direct conflict with the Indian board which has zealously insisted that any ICL-contracted players be banned from playing anywhere.
Logistical reasons have forced a switch in the dates for the two Standard Bank Pro20 semi-finals.Taking into consideration a Super 14 rugby match at Newlands, involving the Stormers on Saturday, which is the reserve day for the clash between Cape Cobras and the Titans, the match has been switched to Sunday. However, there is no change in the venue for the game. The other semi-final between the Dolphins and the Eagles at Kingsmead, Durban will be staged on Friday.Friday’s match will be a day-night encounter and will commence at 1800, and if it is forced into the reserve day on Saturday, it will be replayed at 1430. Sunday’s match in Cape Town is a day match and will begin at 1430 and if it goes to Monday, it will start at 1800.
Dale Steyn, South Africa’s pace spearhead, has said that he will continue to represent his domestic team, the Titans, after he was linked to a move to the Cape Cobras.There was speculation that Steyn was planning on leaving the Titans, since he had decided to move out of Centurion, where the franchise is based. His national coach, Mickey Arthur, had also said that he was “definitely moving.””I think some messages got a bit mixed up,” Steyn told the , a Gauteng-based daily.”I am moving down to Cape Town, which is where my girlfriend lives.”I couldn’t really do anything while I was in the subcontinent, but when I got back from Bangladesh and India, I was able to sit down with the Titans management, and we agreed that I would continue to play for them.”The Titans’ chief executive, Elise Lombard, expressed satisfaction over retaining the services of Steyn. “We are very happy our boy from Phalaborwa is going to continue to play for us when he is not on national duty. He came through the system, and we don’t like to bring the players through only to lose them to another franchise.”We don’t mind where Dale lives, as long as he plays for the Titans when he is available.”Steyn also said that travelling to join his team-mates would not be an issue. “It might have been more convenient to play for the Cobras, but it is also easy to get back to Pretoria to join the rest of the team.”Incidentally, Steyn had played against the Cobras in the semi-finals of the Pro20 tournament in South Africa, before taking 1 for 16 in the Titans’ title triumph against the Dolphins on April 25.
ScorecardMatt Renshaw scored his maiden first-class hundred (file photo)•Getty Images
Opener Matt Renshaw scored his maiden first-class century on a day of slow scoring for Queensland in their Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales in Mackay. At stumps on the first day, the Bulls had moved along to 4 for 215 with Renshaw still at the crease on 116, and he was batting with Jason Floros, who was on 9.Renshaw’s innings had taken 301 deliveries and included just five fours and one six, the slow pitch leading to a Queensland run rate of 2.23 across the day. Scott Henry fell early on when he hooked Sean Abbott to fine leg and was caught for 4 off 39 balls, and after a 76-run second-wicket stand Sam Heazlett fell to the spin of Will Somerville for 34.Marnus Labuschagne was run out for 19 off 62 balls and Somerville again chipped in to get rid of Nathan Reardon for 22. The match is the first Sheffield Shield game played in Mackay.
New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot.Southee had sustained the injury during the third ODI in Nelson, and was subsequently replaced in the ODI squad by Matt Henry. An NZC release confirmed that Henry would stand in for Southee even in the T20s.”Tim was feeling really fresh after coming back from a break for the first two ODIs, so it’s certainly disappointing for him that this has happened now,” Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, said. “Tim’s obviously a key member of our team and been a strong performer for us in all three formats, so he’s a big loss.”We haven’t set a date for his return at this point, but will continue to monitor him and work to get him back to full fitness as quickly as possible.”Incidentally, that Nelson match was Southee’s first ODI since June, as he had been rested for the limited-overs tour to Africa in August. Southee suffered from an irritated disc in his back during the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, but regained his fitness to play the remaining two matches, in Perth and Adelaide.He was also rested for the first two ODIs of the Sri Lanka series, in Christchurch, and in his absence, Henry, Southee’s replacement, went on to take four-wicket hauls in both games.
Bhargav Bhatt’s four-for dismantled Tamil Nadu•Sivaraman Kitta
Baba Aparajith’s half-century was the sole innings of prominence for Tamil Nadu as they were dismantled for 176 by Andhra’s bowlers in Chennai. Bhargav Bhatt and Y Prithvi Raj shared seven wickets between them to run through TN’s batting line-up, while Bandaru Ayyappa and Shoaib Md Khan picked the rest.TN’s India players, M Vijay and R Ashwin, were both dismissed for single-digit scores, making 4 and 9 respectively. Vijay was the first wicket to fall, in the seventh over, and in the next over, Prithvi Raj dismissed Abhinav Mukund to leave the score at 15 for 2. Kaushik Gandhi and B Indrajith attempted to steady the innings with a 26-run partnership for the third wicket, but Bhatt thwarted them by dismissing Indrajith. Aparajith, meanwhile, anchored one end to take TN to 140, after which the tenth-wicket pair of Rahil Shah and Krishnamoorthy Vignesh helped lift them to 176.Andhra ended the day at 8 for no loss, with Prasanth Kumar (1*) and Srikar Bharat (7*) at the crease.A 199-run fifth-wicket partnership between Devendra Bundela and Shubham Sharma propelled Madhya Pradesh from 69 for 4 to a solid 268 for 5 against Baroda in Indore. Bundela was dismissed on 99 by seamer Atit Sheth off the last ball of the day.Madhya Pradesh were in the midst of a wobble after losing openers Waseem Ahmed (4) and Rajat Patidar (4) within the first ten overs, and slipped further when Naman Ojha (24) and Harpreet Singh (32) were dismissed before lunch. A middle-order charge from Bundela and Shubham made Baroda’s bowlers toil without reward until the end of the day, when 40-year old Bundela was caught by wicketkeeper Pinal Shah, thus missing out on his 27th first-class hundred.The first day’s play between Odisha and Tripura was washed out without a ball being bowled in Cuttack
Sam Konstas and Matthew Gilkes blasted half-centuries, before legspinner Shadab Khan ensured Brisbane Heat would not reprise another heroic chase, as Sydney Thunder clinched their first BBL win of the season.Chasing 194 appeared far less daunting for Heat compared to their astonishing BBL record chase of 258 runs against Scorchers just three nights prior. But Shadab spun a web around them in helpful Manuka Oval conditions to finish with 4-24 from 4 overs, as Heat fell well short of the target.After being sent in to bat, Thunder’s strong total of 193 for 4 was built around a 127-run partnership from openers Konstas and Gilkes. Konstas’ 45-ball 63 was marked by crisp drives through the off-side, while Gilkes went aerially and top-scored with 76 off 48.Entering with the grim tournament figures of 1 for 92 from 6.4 overs – having been removed from the attack due to dangerous bowling in his BBL debut – Shaheen Shah Afridi unleashed several trademark sizzling full deliveries in an improved performance. He finished with 1-35 from 4 overs.Shaheen Shah Afridi had his best night of the tournament so far•Getty Images
All eyes were on Heat’s chase, but they looked slightly weary after the surreal events of Friday night. Opener Jack Wildermuth, who emerged as a Heat hero after blasting 110 not out, struggled to back up and swung rustily, as seamer Nathan McAndrew bowled a maiden in the second over.Two deliveries after Colin Munro holed out tamely, Wildermuth’s stumps were rattled on 14, having missed a wrong’un from Shadab in a lovely piece of legspin.But Matt Renshaw was in imperious form as the momentum from his brutal century against Scorchers carried over. He had no trouble against Shadab, blasting a trio of boundaries in the seventh over before slog sweeping offspinner Chris Green into the crowd.Renshaw cruised to 43 before Shadab had the last laugh, when a wrong-un spun past an attempted reverse sweep and crashed the middle stump as Heat’s chase fizzled out.Related
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It was an important victory for Thunder after consecutive defeats, with both teams now sporting a record of one win and two losses in this edition.Shaheen troubled Konstas immediately with an lbw shout that was turned down. Shaheen’s initial two-over burst cost just 11 runs, but he lamented gifting a short and wide delivery to Konstas, who promptly dispatched a boundary through point.Taking over the captaincy in place of injured Nathan McSweeney, Xavier Bartlett paid the price for missing his lengths, with a ruthless Konstas smacking him through the off-side.Konstas and Gilkes batted cleverly, ensuring there were few dot balls, by finding the gaps and running hard between the wickets. Thunder made an impressive 37-0 in the powerplay as Bartlett deployed left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. Kuhnemann should be in the selection mix for the Boxing Day Ashes Test, with Nathan Lyon to miss the Test after suffering a hamstring injury.Shadab Khan took a four-for to stifle Heat’s chase•Getty Images
Kuhnemann bowled accurately, but Gilkes and Konstas smartly nudged him around to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The blossoming partnership started to frustrate Heat and they slumped further, when Gilkes – on 46 – was dropped by Wildermuth at long off on the last ball before the drinks break.The batters decided to put the foot down, with Konstas unfurling the reverse sweep to good effect – having botched an earlier attempt – before holing out to Wildermuth in the 14th over.Much like the previous two games, Shaheen struggled in the power surge, although he was initially unlucky when Gilkes inside edged past his stumps and to the boundary.Sam Billings swung a flustered Shaheen over the square leg boundary during an 18-run over, as Thunder eyed a total of 200. But their momentum stalled when Billings and David Warner – who came in at No.4, not opening for the second straight game – fell in consecutive overs.Shaheen’s mood lifted in the penultimate over, when he had Gilkes trapped lbw with a searing yorker overturned on review.
England were considering raising their grievances around the ‘Snicko’ technology used in Australia with the match referee on Wednesday night, after its supplier took “full responsibility” for an apparent error in process.Australia centurion Alex Carey had scored 72 when he flashed at the first ball of the 63rd over, bowled by Josh Tongue, and England’s fielders – including wicketkeeper Jamie Smith – immediately appealed for a caught-behind decision. Ahsan Raza, the standing umpire, gave Carey not out on-field, and England reviewed his decision almost immediately.There was a prominent spike shown on the Real-Time Snickometer technology used in Australia, but it appeared three or four frames before the ball passed Carey’s bottom edge. Chris Gaffaney, the TV umpire, said that the spike was “before the bat” and that the ball appeared to have “gone well under” the bat: “There’s a clear gap, no spike.”Related
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But Carey, who added a further 34 runs after his reprieve, suggested that he had hit it: “I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat. It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn’t it, with the noise coming early? If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it – probably not confidently though. It was a nice sound as it passed the bat, yeah.Carey said that he was “clearly not” a ‘walker’, and added: “Snicko obviously didn’t line up, did it? That’s just the way cricket goes sometimes, isn’t it? You have a bit of luck, and maybe it went my way today.”Warren Brennan, the founder of BBG Sports who provide the technology used in Tests in Australia, told : “Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing.”In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.”The ICC has two approved “sound-based edge detection technology” suppliers: Real-Time Snickometer (RTS), which is used in Australia, and UltraEdge, which is used in the rest of the world.Simon Taufel, the former umpire performance manager at the ICC and a repeat winner of the umpire of the year award, suggested on that the technology may have malfunctioned.”The confusing element here for everyone was that the spike occurred at least a couple of frames before the bat, which was just amazing,” Taufel said. “I have never seen a spike like this occur without the bat hitting something like a pad, or the ground, or the ball hitting the pad.”My gut tells me, from all of my experience on-field, and also as a TV umpire, that I think Alex Carey has actually hit that ball and the technology calibration hasn’t been quite right to game the outcome that it was looking for.”
Snicko previously came under scrutiny in the first Ashes Test in Perth, when Smith was controversially given out caught behind on review, and England’s bowling coach David Saker said that the dressing room had harboured concerns about the quality of the technology throughout the series.”The boys were pretty confident he hit it,” Saker said at the close of play. “I think the calibration of the Snicko is out quite a bit, and that has probably been the case for the series. There’s been some things that don’t really measure up.”At that stage, it was a pretty important decision. Those things hurt, but you get through it. In this day and age, you’d think the technology is good enough to pick things up like that.”Saker added that England will consider making representations to Jeff Crowe, the match referee: “I don’t think we’ve done anything about it so far but after today, maybe that might go a bit further,” he said. “There have been concerns about it for the whole series. We shouldn’t be talking about this after a day’s play, it should just be better than that. It is what it is.”According to the ICC’s playing conditions, the match referee has final oversight on the technology to be used in a given match, in consultation with the ICC technical official, ICC management, and the relevant national governing bodies (in this case, Cricket Australia and the ECB).BBG Sports also supplies the Hot Spot technology that was once commonly used as part of the Decision Review System. But host broadcaster Fox Sports explained last year that it had been dropped after “constant criticism” and amid fears about its reliability in hot weather.Australia finished the opening day on 326 for 8 after choosing to bat first, with neither side able to seize control of the third Test. “It would have been nice to [lose] a few wickets less,” Carey said. “[We had] opportunities today to go big and missed little moments, but we’re still really in the game.”Saker said that the day was “pretty even”, adding: “It’d be nice to knock them over really quick in the morning and then bat very big. It’s pretty important our first innings is a big innings because I don’t think the wicket will get easier [at the] back of day four and five.”The ICC was contacted for comment.
Sunderland have not been in the top-flight since they were relegated in the 2016/17 season as the Black Cats head towards the end of their fourth season in League One.
The Mackems went down five years ago after they scraped survival in the previous campaign under Sam Allardyce. The veteran boss came in to keep Sunderland in the top flight after Dick Advocaat was sacked in October 2015.
In the summer of 2015, the northeast side brought in the likes of Wahbi Khazri, Jeremain Lens, Younes Kaboul and Lamine Kone, among others, and they just about managed to do the job in the end, before going down the following year.
However, things may have been different had they been able to land one of their other targets in that transfer window – Virgil van Dijk from Celtic.
Advocaat wanted to bring the centre-back to the Stadium of Light and there was talk of a deal involving Steven Fletcher heading to Parkhead in exchange.
However, Southampton ended up completing a £13m swoop to sign the Dutch defender on 1 September, with his compatriot being unable to beat the Saints to the player’s signature.
In his first two seasons with the south coast club, Van Dijk averaged WhoScored ratings of 7.56 and 7.43 respectively as he consistently showcased his quality at the back. He took to the Premier League like a duck to water upon coming from the Scottish top flight, and his statistics show that he barely missed a beat.
His form caught the attention of Liverpool in the 2017/18 campaign and Jurgen Klopp moved to snap him up for a £75m fee – the most that had ever been paid for a centre-back at that time.
Since moving to Anfield, he has won the PFA Player of the Year award, the Premier League and the Champions League, whilst also being named in the UEFA Team of the Year. In his first three seasons for the Reds, he averaged WhoScored ratings of 7.35, 7.44 and 7.32 respectively in the Premier League, carrying over his form from Southampton.
His team-mate Joel Matip once dubbed him “complete”, while former Watford striker Troy Deeney said earlier this season that the Dutch defender is “world-class”, with his statistics and accolades living up to that praise.
By September 2019, he was valued at a whopping £90m by Transfermarkt. This is some improvement on the £13m for which Sunderland had the opportunity to sign him when they tried to snap him up from Celtic in 2015, and it illustrates why the Black Cats had a shocker with him that summer.
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His incredible statistics and achievements since coming to England suggest that he would have had a major impact on Sunderland’s team. Perhaps they would not have tumbled down the leagues if they had Van Dijk’s towering presence at the back, but it is impossible to say with certainty.
What we can say, however, is that this is one that got away…
AND in other news, Sold for £4m, now worth £11.7m: Sunderland had a howler over “very solid” colossus…
Last week, I charted the careers of ten Championship Manager cult heroes who had failed to reach the big time. This week, I’ll be looking at another ten virtual sensations who found footballing success elusive…
Ibrahima Bakayoko
Age: 33
Current Club: PAS Giannina
Country/Caps: Ivory Coast/45
CM said: Africa’s greatest ever player
In reality: Known as ‘Baka-Joke-O’ and ‘Yoko-OhNo!’ amongst Everton fans, PAS Giannina forward Ibrahima Bakayoko has carved himself a reputation as somewhat of a journeyman. An infamous late ‘90s spell at Everton was unfruitful, with the Ivorian bagging just four league goals for the Merseyside outfit after a £4.5m move from French side Montpellier. After eight months in England, Bakayoko returned to France, where he enjoyed a moderately successful four-year stay at Marseille.
Bakayoko, scorer of 30 goals in 45 appearances for the Ivory Coast, enjoyed varying degrees of success throughout the noughties, having turned out for Osasuna, FC Istres, Livorno, Messina, Larissa and PAOK.
Bojan Djordjic
Age: 28
Current Club: AIK
Country/Caps: Sweden/0
CM said: the eventual successor to David Beckham at Old Trafford
In reality: After being awarded the ‘Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year’ award in 2000, big things were expected from the then 18-year-old Bojan Djordjic. The Serbian-born former Swedish U21 international left Manchester United having made just two senior appearances in six years at the club, with this time punctuated by loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday, AGF, Red Star Belgrade and Rangers.
Djordjic moved to Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer, where he made 40 appearances over the course of two years at Home Park. However, Djordjic was placed on the transfer list by manager Ian Holloway due to his lax attitude, and eventually moved to Swedish side AIK, where he recently helped the club to the first league and cup double in their history.
Gareth Jelleyman
Age: 29
Current Club: Unattached
Country/Caps: Wales/0
CM said: The Welsh Roberto Carlos
In reality: Tipped as one for the future during his Peterborough United days, Welshman Gareth Jelleyman has endured a career of mediocrity. After making over 100 appearances for ‘the Posh’, Jelleyman moved on to Mansfield Town in 2005. Following Mansfield’s relegation from the Football League in 2008, Jelleyman made the move to Rushden & Diamonds. A short spell at Rushden has since been followed by stints at both Telford United and Barrow.
The left-back has gained notoriety amongst fans of English football show Soccer Saturday, after presenter Jeff Stelling referred to the then Mansfield Town man’s dismissal in a league match by stating “looks like Jelleyman’s thrown a wobbler.”
Adrian Mihalcea
Age: 34
Current Club: Aris Limassol
Country/Caps: Romania/16
CM said: a mixture of late-nineties Michael Owen and David Villa
In reality: Three-time Romanian Cup winner Adrian Mihalcea, now winding down his career at Cypriot side Aris Limassol, will look back at his career and wonder about what could have been. The speedy forward came to prominence at leading Romanian side Dinamo Bucharest, where he scored 68 goals in a glorious five-year spell at the capital club. Mihalcea earned his first cap whilst at Dinamo, but failed to score in sixteen outings for the national side. Mihalcea was snapped up by Italian side Genoa in 2001, and managed to finish his first full season at Genoa as the club’s top scorer before moving to Hellas Verona.
However, the Romanian struggled at Verona and moved back to Dinamo Bucharest, where he failed to hit the heights of his first spell. This was followed by a brief stint at Korean side Chunnam Dragons, before again returning to Romania with FC Vaslui. Mihalcea moved to current side Aris Limassol in 2006, and has been nothing short of a revelation in the Cypriot first division, having scored 46 goals in 86 appearances and being appointed club captain.
Johnnier Montaño
Age: 27
Current Club: Alianza Lima
Country/Caps: Colombia/5
CM said: skilful, goalscoring midfielder a la mid-noughties Ronaldinho
In reality: At 16, Montaño had the world at his feet. Capped for the Colombian national side at the age of 15, Montaño then went on to star at the 1999 Copa America, and managed to score in Colombia’s 3-0 victory over Argentina. Montaño earned his big-money move to Europe (with Italian side Parma) and was set to become one of the best players of his generation.
Unfortunately, Montaño failed to develop as expected in Italy. The Colombian made just six appearances in five years at Parma, and has since embarked upon a nomadic career. Since leaving Parma, Montaño has had spells at América de Cali, Santa Fe, Al-Wakra, Cortulua, Sport Boys and Alianza Lima, whilst failing to add to his five caps for Colombia.
Continued on Page Two
Daniel Nardiello
Age: 27
Current Club: Blackpool
Country/Caps: Wales/3
CM said: the next Alan Shearer
In reality: Having made just four competitive outings for Manchester United over the course of three seasons, Nardiello permanently joined Barnsley after two loan spells at the Yorkshire side. His good form at Barnsley led to international recognition, with Nardiello making his debut for Wales against New Zealand in May 2007. Despite earning fans’ favourite status at Oakwell, Nardiello invoked the wrath of Barnsley chairman Gordon Shepherd by moving to Queens Park Rangers.
After failing to settle at Loftus Road, Nardiello moved to Blackpool in the summer of 2008. Nardiello has made just seven league appearances for the newly-promoted Premier League side, and has been shipped out on loan to Hartlepool United, Bury and Oldham Athletic over the course of the past two seasons.
Alex Notman
Age: 30
Current Club: Wroxham
Country/Caps: Scotland/0
CM said: Manchester United’s next number nine
In reality: Another hotly-tipped graduate of Manchester United’s academy, Alex Notman failed to make the grade at the top-level. The presence of the likes of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer meant that Notman failed to make a single appearance for the Old Trafford outfit, and the Scotsman left for Norwich City in November 2000. After regular outings in his first two seasons at Carrow Road, Notman was forced to retire from the professional game after badly damaging ankle ligaments during an East Anglian derby in late 2002.
Since then Notman has competed at non-league level, turning out for King’s Lynn, Boston United, and more recently, Norfolk side Wroxham.
Chucks Nwoko
Age: 31
Current Club: Unattached
Country/Caps: Malta/46
CM said: Malta’s first ever football superstar (approximately 365 times better than Michael Mifsud)
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In reality: Nigerian-born Nwoko, a naturalised Maltese national, struggled to forge a career outside of the tiny Mediterranean island. Nwoko spent 11 years at Birkirkara, making over 200 appearances and scoring 59 goals, as well as winning three Maltese league titles. The midfielder also managed to rack up 46 caps for his adopted homeland, managing to score once in a friendly against Kazakhstan in 2003. A firm fans’ favourite at the club, Nwoko underwent an unsuccessful loan spell at Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia in 2006, before leaving Birkirkara permanently in 2006.
Since then, Nwoko has endured injury-plagued spells at Maltese sides Marsaxlokk, Sliema Wanderors and Qormi. Due to injury, the midfielder has failed to appear since his contract at Qormi expired in the summer of 2009, leading to suggestions that Nwoko may have hung up his boots for the last time.
Stefan Selakovic
Age: 33
Current Club: IFK Göteborg
Country/Caps: Sweden/12
CM said: the Swedish Robert Pires
In reality: Attacking midfielder-cum-forward Stefan Selakovic is yet another Championship Manager Swede to have disappointed in real life. His early career was marked by domestic success, having won the Swedish league title with Halmstads in 2000 and finishing as the league’s top scorer in 2001. This attracted the interest of Dutch side Heerenveen, who subsequently signed Selakovic in 2001.
Despite spending four years at the Eredivisie club, Selakovic was unable to reproduce the form he had shown at Halmstads, and returned to Sweden to join current club IFK Göteborg in 2005, where he has managed to add another Swedish league winners’ medal to his collection. Selakovic managed 12 appearances for the Swedish national side during 2001 and 2006, scoring four times in the process.
Andri Sigþórsson
Age: 33
Current Club: Retired
Country/Caps: Iceland/7
CM said: Better than (fat) Ronaldo
In reality: Destined for greatness in Championship Manager 3, the actual career of retired Icelandic forward Andri Sigþórsson failed to mirror that of his virtual one. After languishing in Bayern Munich’s reserve side, Sigþórsson moved back to hometown club KR, where he enjoyed four prolific seasons.
Capped seven times for Iceland, Sigþórsson spent the last three years of his career abroad, first at Austrian side SV Salzburg, and latterly at Norwegian outfit FK Molde. Unfortunately, Sigþórsson’s career was cut short by serious injury in 2004.
READ PART ONE – How Championship Manager’s finest failed to make the big time
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