All posts by h716a5.icu

A fresh name has emerged in West Brom’s managerial search this week…

What’s the word?

According to The Star, the Baggies are monitoring former Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who sporting director Luke Dowling has worked with before at Watford.

The 52-year-old is set to leave Qatari club Al-Gharafa, with his current deal due to expire, though they face stiff competition from fellow relegated side, Sheffield United.

Albion are on the lookout for their next manager after Sam Allardyce resigned from his position a week before the end of the season whilst former Blades boss Chris Wilder is also said to be in the running.

Exciting new name

The tough Serbian seems like a perfect candidate for West Brom to consider, not just because of his previous relationship with the club’s key decision-maker.

Jokanovic has a pretty respectable record in the Championship, having steered both Watford and Fulham to promotion – the latest of which coming in 2018.

He has done so playing attractive football, too, and that should please many at the Hawthorns.

“This season one of the things the manager has done is stay true to his beliefs in the type of football they play,” claimed Danny Murphy to the Premier League’s official website following the Cottagers’ return to the big time. “What they’ve done in recent months has been remarkable.”

That Fulham side were once dubbed ‘The Manchester City of the Championship’ for their expansive playing style whilst former midfielder Kevin McDonald claimed Jokanovic can be “intimidating.”

A combination of the above could be exactly what is needed at West Brom this summer.

The Baggies won the fewest matches (five), conceded the most goals (76) and were amongst the lowest scorers (35) on their way to relegation, so a ruthless figure with a proven track record in improving teams should be their top priority.

Jokanovic could fire a rocket right through the Midlands outfit and that should leave fans massively excited.

Dowling must get this deal done before Sheffield United, who are also being linked with Jokanovic, beat them to the punch.

AND in other news, “I understand”: Journo drops big claim in West Brom manager hunt, fans surely buzzing…

England’s hopes of fielding a full-strength side for its forthcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka have suffered a major setback today with wicketkeeper Jamie Foster sustaining a broken arm in practice.

Stephen Lamb04-May-2002The England selectors’ plans for the coming three-Test series against Sri Lanka have been disrupted after wicket-keeper James Foster sustained a broken arm in practice.Foster was one of 11 players to win a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last month, and would therefore have been confident of selection for the first Test, which starts at Lord’s on May 16th. He sustained the injury while batting in the nets with his Essex colleagues at his home ground of Chelmsford. He now appears certain to miss the first two Tests of the series. The second Test at Edgbaston starts on May 30th.”He has undergone an x-ray and the arm has been put in plaster and he is expected to be out for four weeks,” said ECB spokesman Andrew Walpole.Foster, 22, made his international debut for England on the tour of India last year and kept wicket throughout the recent Test series in New Zealand.His injury could pave the way for a return to the senior wicket-keeping role for Test veteran Alec Stewart, although Chris Read of Nottinghamshire and Lancashire’s Warren Hegg, who toured with England over the winter, are also likely to be contenders. However Stewart’s excellent batting form (he scored 99 and 96 in his first two Championship innings for Surrey) could well present a compelling case for a recall.Stewart, now 39, last played for England against Australia at The Oval last August. His decision to miss the tour of India (and consequential non-selection for New Zealand) led to speculation that his 115-Test career could be over. However he has made clear his intention to reclaim his place, and shown the form to demand consideration.

The rules of good hospitality dictate that a host never lets his visitor return home empty-handed

Anand Vasu02-Jun-2002The rules of good hospitality dictate that a host never lets his visitor return home empty-handed. The Caribbean – the epitome of good hospitality, where palm fronds sway endlessly, the rum flows freely, and the men and women sway gracefully to Calypso in the stands – proved to be that proverbial good host. India won the one-day series 2-1 with an effective performance at Trinidad.It may only be pyjama cricket, and India may have lost the Test series. But that will do nothing to dampen the spirits of the team. A victory, all said and done, is a victory – in any form of the game. And there are few things that bring as much joy to a sportsman as victory. The joy on the faces of the Indian team was there for all to see when they recorded a 56-run win and strode off the field.After the drubbing they received yesterday, the Indians bounced back in fine fashion.It certainly helped that Sourav Ganguly won the toss again and elected to bat first on a wicket that looked full of runs. In the initial stages, the ball swung a bit, but nowhere near enough to cause concern.Virender Sehwag, who got out to airy shots in the first two matches, seemed to be much more circumspect. Instead of going after everything from the word Go, Sehwag attempted to get his eye in. Getting his front foot well forward, Sehwag played some convincing drives straight back down the wicket.Yet, once again Sehwag fell to a similar stroke as the last game. After making 32 (32 balls, six fours), Sehwag flicked Merv Dillon straight to Chris Gayle at wide mid-on.Dinesh Mongia, coming in at one drop, played in his usual reassured style. Taking his time to get a good idea about the conditions, Mongia played some pretty strokes in his 28, but he too could not convert his start.Hitting one booming stroke down the wicket, Mongia was caught on the long-off fence by Cameron Cuffy, who could not control himself and back-pedalled over the ropes. Just balls later, however, Mongia (28, 37 balls, two fours, one six) patted a slower ball from Corey Collymore straight to Gayle in the mid-wicket region.In all this, a supremely confident Ganguly showed why he is so dangerous in the shorter version of the game. Timing the ball ever so well through the off-side, Ganguly kept the scoreboard ticking over. Whenever he was tied down by a spell of tight bowling, Ganguly broke the shackles by coming down the wicket and hitting cleanly over the top.At the halfway mark, Ganguly was coasting along. Soon after, he reached his half-century, marked his guard once more, and set his stalls out for a long innings. But it wasn’t to be. Unable to resist temptation, Ganguly attempted to pull a short delivery from Dillon. The pull is a shot that has not served the Indian captain well in the past, and today was no exception. Playing the ball uppishly, Ganguly (56 runs, 80 balls, five fours) only managed to find Ramnaresh Sarwan at midwicket.Rahul Dravid then came out to the middle at number five and looked to keep the scoreboard ticking over with quick singles. Content to milk the bowling, Dravid (20) played a half-hearted flick off Hooper to be caught at mid-wicket.The Indian innings got a bit shaky at this stage. Yuvraj Singh spanked one ball through mid-wicket and helped himself to a couple of easy singles before being cleaned up by a faster ball from Gayle. Late on the stroke, Yuvraj (10) could only look on in dismay as the off-stump was pegged back.Tendulkar, a bit disappointed at the lack of support from the other end, played well within himself. Perhaps the sore shoulder was hampering him as well, but the little master from Mumbai was clearly not at his best. The flashy drives were missing, the aggressive pulls nowhere to be seen. However, the quick running between the wickets and deft touches were very much in evidence. Until one such dab off Dillon resulted in the ball trickling back onto the stumps. Tendulkar top-scored with 65 (70 balls, three fours, one six).Ajit Agarkar (3) contributed his customary single-digit score before holing out, and Zaheer Khan (4) became Dillon’s fifth victim when he found Pedro Collins at long-on.When Gayle knocked over Ashish Nehra’s off-stump with the last ball of the 50th over, he returned the excellent figures of three for 27. Dillon with five for 52, however, was the real star of the West Indian bowling.When the West Indies began their innings, they were docked one over for a slow over rate. When rain interrupted play, their task was made harder. They were required to score 248 in 44 overs.There was no real fight from the start of the innings. The openers both failed. Wavell Hinds (2) slashed a full delivery from Ashish Nehra straight to Sehwag at slip. Chris Gayle (3) was undone by the ball of the day – a superb inswinging yorker at good pace from Zaheer Khan that knocked the base of the off-stump.The West Indies needed a good start from its openers if they were to chase this big total. Once that went missing, things went predictably wrong.Ramnaresh Sarwan, struggling to get the tidy bowling away for ones and twos, played one glorious cover drive that landed in the stands before trying to repeat the feat. Giving himself room, Sarwan (32, 44 balls, one four, one six) was unable to get his bat down in time and Harbhajan Singh struck, clipping the leg-stump.All hopes then rested on Brian Lara. The Prince looked shaky at his home ground, scratching around a fair bit before beginning to sweep the spinners with some fluency. A straight drive back past the bowler’s head showed that Lara was not completely out of touch. And yet it was all not quite there. The last knock for Lara this series ended on 36 when he deposited a Tendulkar full-toss down Mongia’s throat at mid-wicket.Carl Hooper lasted just two balls, mis-hitting Agarkar straight up into the air for Sehwag to catch.Even a breezy 71-run partnership between Ridley Jacobs and Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the sixth wicket could not stop India from winning the deciding one-dayer by 56 runs and with it, the series 2-1.It was a cracking session of entertainment from Jacobs and Chanderpaul. While he had plodded on manfully in the Tests, Chanderpaul came out all guns blazing here. With the required rate well over seven runs per over, there was nothing to do but throw the bat at everything on offer.Chanderpaul did just that. A cracking six over mid-wicket got the crowd on their feet in the anticipation of something magical. And magical it was for the span of 51 runs that flowed off Chanderpaul’s blade in just 40 balls. Apart from that huge six, Chanderpaul found the ropes four times for boundaries before he mis-hit Harbhajan Singh to Ganguly at mid-wicket.The dismissal of Chanderpaul meant that the West Indies were 159 for six and into the tail.Jacobs, in his inimitable fashion, bludgeoned 36 before a flashy drive off Agarkar swirled high and wide to third man. Harbhajan Singh got well under a steepler, and that was the end of the West Indian challenge.The tail stuck around for a few overs offering token resistance before the hosts were all out for 191 in the 37th over.

Former Leeds United star David Norris expects the club to make a real effort to sign Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese this summer and believes the deal may happen.

De Paul has been linked with the Elland Road club since last summer, when Marcelo Bielsa’s team are said to have made a bid worth €35m (£30m).

Udinese held firm and rejected that offer and the playmaker went on to enjoy a superb season in Serie A.

The Argentina international made 36 appearances in the league, scoring nine goals and laying on 10 assists.

The link has not gone away, though, with many reports claiming Leeds could make another bid for De Paul this summer, with the player surely aware of the interest.

And Norris believes that the interest from Bielsa’s men may finally pay off following a year-long flirtation between the two parties, though he is wary of the club being beaten to the punch.

Indeed, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool have also been linked with an interest, so Leeds may have to move quickly if they are to secure De Paul’s signature.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Norris said: “Yeah I think so. That one’s not gone away for a year now. I fully expect that he knows Leeds are interested now.

“Leeds have shown an interest for a long time, so normally with that perseverance, I’d absolutely expect Leeds to try to get that one over the line. He fits their style of play, Leeds will have done due diligence on him and from what we’ve seen of him, and the way Leeds play, he would suit their style of play.

“He seems to want the move, Leeds want it, so I expect Leeds to really go after that one and just hope, potentially, they don’t get gazumped.”

Southampton experienced a meteoric rise into the Premier League having earned promotion in 2012 and have not looked back since, and former Vice-Chairman Les Reed has paid testament to former fan favourite Jos Hooiveld.

The Saints had several players who both helped them into Premier League and also stay there, such as Hooiveld, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Jose Fonte, which is how they achieved high finishes given the consistency and continuity within their squad.

Hooiveld was initially signed on loan during their Championship days and was a key player and fan favourite during their title-winning season, and he was subsequently signed permanently that following summer.

Southampton made some very smart signings that they ended up making huge profits on but Hooiveld remained loyal to the club that gave him his Premier League chance, and Reed hailed his importance to the club as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“One of the biggest heroes at Southampton was Jos Hooiveld who we got from Celtic, and Jos was an unbelievable character and the fans absolutely loved him.

“He got picked every single game by Nigel Adkins despite him scoring three own goals for Southampton, having previously never scored an own goal in his career.”

During the Saints’ title-winning season, Hooiveld proved to be a huge presence in both boxes as he netted eight goals in all competitions during the 2011/12 season.

Southampton have had a good history of having good quality centre backs that may have been less heard of before joining them such as Virgil van Dijk, Janik Vestergaard and Jose Fonte.

BRISBANE, June 25 AAP – New Zealand Cricket is keen to play a one-day tournament against three Australian states in Cairns in August.

Michael Crutcher25-Jun-2002BRISBANE, June 25 AAP – New Zealand Cricket is keen to play a one-day tournament against three Australian states in Cairns in August.The Cairns Cricket Association is believed to have earmarked Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania as the most likely opponents for the Black Caps during the warm tropical winter.But the future of the tournament remains uncertain despite the interest of New Zealand officials seeking a warm-up for September’s International Cricket Council Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.”We are evaluating it at the moment but it is likely New Zealand will take part,” NZC operations manager John Reid told cricinfo.com.”We wanted some sort of build-up because our team would have been going there (to Sri Lanka) after having at least two months of a New Zealand winter.“Temperatures at the time of the Champions Trophy are expected to be between 30-40 degrees celsius.”Queensland Cricket chief executive Graham Dixon said he was aware of the concept but the Australian Cricket Board had to approve any Australian tournament featuring an international team.The ACB has more pressing issues, trying to sort out the future of Australia’s proposed tour to Pakistan in late August.”There is uncertainty as to whether (the Cairns tournament) can go ahead based on the fact that it must first have ACB approval,” Dixon said.”The ACB are aware of it, we’re aware of it but there is still uncertainty.”It is believed issues such as player payments would need to be discussed before any tournament is approved.New Zealand will be among the leading contenders for the Champions Trophy after winning its predecessor, the ICC Knockout Trophy, in Nairobi in 2000.

KARACHI, July 7: Former captain Javed Miandad has declined to take up a 15-day assignment at the regional academies

08-Jul-2002KARACHI, July 7: Former captain Javed Miandad has declined to take up a 15-day assignment at the regional academies. “I received a letter last week but I have conveyed that I am not free. I have pressing domestic commitments,” Javed said.Javed was `directed’ by Ramiz Raja to give batting tips to youngsters at Muridke (July 15 to 22) and Rawalpindi (July 22 to 29) for which he would be paid Rs50,000 weekly.”It is not that I think I have been offered nothing as compared to my stature. Its simple that I am not free,” Javed said. He added: “Before offering the job, the PCB should have first sought my availability.”Zaheer Abbas and Hanif Mohammad have been offered identical assignments by the PCB. Zaheer will take over the regional academy at Peshawar while Hanif will take charge at Karachi from Monday.Ironically, Englishman Geoffrey Boycott last year was hired for 15 days at 30,000 pounds sterling at 2,000 pounds sterling a day.The deal was negotiated by Ramiz Raja who now is trying to save PCB funds by getting Pakistan legends Miandad and Hanif who were far better cricketers than Boycott at a throw-away price.

David Wagner is edging ever-closer to being announced as the new West Bromwich Albion manager, according to The Athletic.

Three weeks after Sam Allardyce elected to leave the Hawthorns following Premier League relegation, Wagner has emerged as a serious candidate to replace the former England boss after almost a year in exile following his Schalke exit [The Athletic].

Coming as a surprise to many, the German-American head coach has come out of nowhere after links with Chris Wilder, Michael Appleton and even former Chelsea captain Frank Lampard [GIVEMESPORT].

As pre-season rolls around the corner, West Bromwich Albion are set to formalise an appointment of a manager within the next few days; potentially within the next 48 hours [Sky Sports].

Enduring an underwhelming spell in Gelsenkirchen, it’s no wonder loads of Baggies fans have took to Twitter to fume at these latest developments.

Baggies fans react:

Here are how some of the West Brom support summarised their feelings upon hearing the news:

“Nooooooooooo”

Credit: @NickAston6

“Kill me now.”

Credit: @luke_millichamp

“Lukewarm is very generous. More like mortified !!!!”Credit: @GrahamCroom”Should have been Appleton for me.”Credit: @seanmcsport”Depressing appointment #Wba”Credit: @itsocheagain”Was a bit of a busted flush at Huddersfield and then was a total disaster at Schalke. Like the bloke though so hope it works out for him.”Credit: @Smashyeggman71In other news, a Leeds United defender has agreed an exit from Elland Road.

The surprise talking point at the picturesque Rose Bowl, where Hampshire took on India just days before the npower Test series starts, was the wicket

Anand Vasu20-Jul-2002The surprise talking point at the picturesque Rose Bowl, where Hampshire took on India just days before the npower Test series starts, was the wicket. At the end of the day, the Indians had been bowled out for 236, with Shaun Udal the hero. Enjoying his benefit year, Udal scalped 5/59, exploiting to the hilt a wicket not too different from the `Chicken tikka masala’ consumed in such large quantities here – tempting, and yet just a touch underdone.But don’t for a second believe it was all about the wicket. Sure, there were periods where it was two-paced, alternately shooting through below the knees and kicking up around chest height, but it was certainly not a wicket on which a strong Indian batting line up should have subsided in just 81.1 overs.Having left out both left-arm seamers, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan, the Indians had no hesitation in electing to bat first. But it was bad news straight away. Wasim Jaffer and Virender Sehwag slashed their way to 39, giving a few chances before the former perished, giving medium-pacer James Tomlinson his maiden first-class wicket.Then came the man that all India look to, when the ball is doing a bit, the wicket less than flat and wickets falling – Rahul Dravid. Crashing Neil Johnson through the covers in fine style, the Karnataka middle-order batsman got even most die-hard Hampshire fans clapping. And there was more to come from the flowing blade. The footwork was excellent, the eyesight perfect, and the placement made sure the ball pinged the off side fence with regularity.The first sign of life in the wicket came when James Hamblin dug one in short to Dravid. Although not a compulsive hooker, Dravid went for the shot, mishitting the ball down to deep backward square leg. Tomlinson on the fence, sashayed a couple of steps forward, stumbled back and managed to get the tips of his fingers to the ball.Despite the calm at one end, with Dravid motoring along as one might, driving in to the Rose Bowl on the M3, there was much action at the other end. Sehwag (41) played half-cocked to Udal, inside-edging the ball on to his stumps. From then on, the offie who has more than 800 scalps in his career for Hampshire, knocked the Indians over, one by one.Sachin Tendulkar, who had delighted fans earlier in the day with his `Master Class’ program for Channel 4, could not give a practical demonstration of those fantastic powers of batsmanship. After awkwardly hitting Udal just short of mid off, Tendulkar top-edged a drive to the on side. With just three to his name, he walked back to the pavilion as Dimitri Mascarenhas held on to a swirling ball at short third man.Ganguly, never quite in control on a wicket that seemed tailor-made for Udal, came down the wicket and managed a couple of trademark drives over the infield, but could not last long enough. Cutting a ball that was too close to the body for the shot, the Indian skipper was caught behind off Udal. Celebration time at the Rose Bowl, as memories of last season flooded back when Australia were skittled out for 97 on a first-day wicket in their tour match.Dravid moved from strength to strength. The 50th over of the day saw him pull Mascarenhas to the deep backward square leg fence twice, with total control. Just as murmurs about his class were going about the sparsely-populated press box he lost his wicket, against the run of play. After concentrating superbly for exactly two and a half hours for 78 (10 fours, 1 six) Dravid was bowled by Mascarenhas, for whom revenge was sweet.Not quite as sweet as the fruits of toil that Udal reaped at the other end. Easily scalping an out of touch Sanjay Bangar, the Hampshire offie gleefully accepted yet another career 5-fer when a well set VVS Laxman (38) presented Zimbabwean Neil Johnson with a catch. The Indian tail, barring the Harbhajan Singh swat at the end of the innings, folded without much ado.A day to remember for Udal and Hampshire, and one surely to leave well behind for the Indians. The small consolation for the visitors came in the first of eight overs they bowled, when Bangar had Will Kendall caught behind for a duck. At 33/1 with a belligerent Johnson (30) at the crease, you know that Hampshire have come out tops on day one of this three-day match. The response from fans at this ground was terrific today, but you know it will be even better on the morrow. After all, what can be better on a warm summer Sunday, than watching your club side make a Test team hunt for leather?

Tottenham Hotspur may need to act soon if they are to land one of their mooted summer targets…

What’s the word?

Earlier this month, the Mirror’s chief football correspondent John Cross claimed that Spurs were interested in signing Brighton and Hove Albion centre-back Ben White, but that they faced major competition from several of their Premier League rivals.

The situation has been ramped up tenfold in recent days as arch-enemies Arsenal have actually submitted a £40m bid for the England international, one which has subsequently been knocked back, according to Sky Sports.

However, it is thought that talks between the Gunners and the Seagulls are ongoing, with Brighton holding firm over their reported £50m valuation.

Spurs have even been handed another setback in their hopes to secure White as Football Insider claim the 6-foot defender has told those around him that he expects to move to the Emirates Stadium before the end of the transfer window.

A perfect solution

The Lilywhites recently announced Fabio Paratici as the club’s managing director of football and he’s walked into a right mess.

Harry Kane’s future is just one emerging problem, as is the seemingly never-ending manager hunt but Paratici will need to fix Spurs’ troubling backline if his club are to stand any chance of being a success

As explained perfectly by The Athletic and football.london, individual mistakes and a lack of cohesion in the backline have been the Achilles’ heel of Spurs’ season. It ultimately cost Mourinho his job, having tried 16 different defensive combinations.

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Signing a player of White’s calibre would certainly aid those prospects but the club will have to react quickly amid Arsenal’s firm pursuit.

The 23-year-old centre-back, who is valued at just over £25m by Transfermarkt, was in fantastic form throughout the 2020/21 campaign, which ended up in him being called up to Gareth Southgate’s final Three Lions squad.

He’s capable of playing anywhere along the backline and in midfield, which should be of great appeal to whoever comes in as the club’s manager.

White’s average of 1.7 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 1.4 aerial duels won per league outing suggests he’s a very all-rounded option, whilst a passing success rate of 83.2%, via WhoScored, proves he’s just as solid on the ball, and that will again suit the Portuguese’s out-from-the-back system.

These qualities have been reinforced by those around him too.

Seagulls academy coach John Morling dubbed him a “winner” that you’d “want in your team” to The Athletic. He also added: He’s so calm, nothing fazes Ben. Any hurdles, he just jumps over. He just looks like he’s been there for years.”

Whilst he has also been dubbed a “special talent” by Sky Sports and a “warrior” by football scout Jacek Kulig.

Time is running out to secure him, so Paratici and Daniel Levy must launch their own bid to sign the Brighton sensation before it’s too late.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops worrying Fonseca claim ahead of likely appointment…