All posts by h716a5.icu

Daniel Farke’s Norwich City side are considering a move for Celtic’s Ryan Christie in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail (via the Daily Record), who claim that Celtic are eager to sell the 26-year-old this summer, as the attacking midfielder’s contract, rather strangely, expires in January of 2022 – meaning that the winger is free to talk to potential new suitors ahead of a what could be a free transfer in next season’s winter market.

It is then claimed that as a result of Celtic’s urgent desire to sell, both Norwich and Burnley are keen on a move for the £8.1 million-rated Scotland international.

Webber must move

Despite the fact that Celtic have endured something of a season to forget this term, Christie has remained one of the brighter sparks coming out of Parkhead.

Over the 26-year-old’s 32 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, he has scored five goals and registered eight assists, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making an average of two key passes per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.28 – ranking him as the Bhoys’ third-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

Alongside these impressive performances, the £12,000-per-week star’s versatility is also a major plus point to his game, with the Scot being able to comfortably operate from the centre of midfield, attacking midfield, either the left or right-wing and as a centre-forward.

This is something that is likely to appeal to Farke, as the Norwich boss currently only has Kieran Dowell and Marco Stiepermann as options for the number 10 role in his side, with Christie – whom Alex McLeish claimed is “on a different level” to his fellow Celtic players – appearing to be an upgrade on both players, as they each struggled for goals and assists in the Championship this season.

As such, it would be highly advisable for Stuart Webber to start negotiations with Celtic as soon as possible regarding a move for Christie, or else the Canaries could end up missing out on the midfielder to Sean Dyche’s Burnley side, who could well be a direct rival of Norwich around the Premier League relegation zone next season.

In other news: Forget Hanley: Webber must launch NCFC bid for £2.4k-p/w ace dubbed “one of the best” – opinion

As in life, change is the essence of cricket

Staff Reporter09-May-2001As in life, change is the essence of cricket. The game must move withthe times and this is true not only of international cricket but alsoof the domestic game. The Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy, the twomost prestigious national tournaments have undergone many changes inthe 67 years and 40 years respectively since their inception.The premier inter-state national competition was initially played on aknock out basis. In 1957-58 it was changed to a league cum knock outpattern. In 1970-71, while the format remained much the same, twoteams instead of one qualified for the knock out in a bid to make thefinal rounds more interesting. For the past few years, three teamshave been allowed to qualify from each of the five zones and thematches have been played either on knock out or super league formatbefore the final.The Duleep Trophy inter-zonal championship has undergone less change.Played on knock out format for more than 30 years, it was held on aleague pattern for three years in the 90s. Thereafter it was back tothe knock out format till this season when it was held again on aleague basis.Now if a proposal by the West Zone associations is given seriousthought by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, there could bemore changes in the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy format. Theassociations for example have suggested that the Duleep Trophy shouldagain be played on a knock out basis since the league format, it isfelt is long drawn in a season that is already chock-full with variousmatches, domestic and international.For the Ranji Trophy, a more revolutionary change has been suggested,based on promotion and relegation. The plan, as envisaged, is that the15 teams which qualified for the knock out should be placed in twogroups while the 12 who did not qualify should be placed in two othergroups. After league matches between the competing teams in the fourgroups, the sides which finish last in the first two groups will berelegated while the sides which finish top of the other two groupswill earn promotion. The top four teams in each of the first twogroups will then play a knock out (quarterfinal) round to decide thewinner of the trophy.It is believed that this move has been thought of as some of thematches at the zonal level are hopelessly lop sided. There are teamsin some of the zones that have not shown the desired improvement whilesome past giants have fallen on lean days. According to the formatsuggested by the West Zone associations, matches in which there ishardly any competition will be reduced considerably and the generalstandard will be higher and the games more keenly fought, even at thezonal level.Suggestions have also been made for changes in the format for variousjunior tournaments. In the under-14 tournament for example there is aplea that the matches be reduced to two days duration as the existingthree day format is taxing on the youngsters. The suggestions will beforwarded to the BCCI who are expected to refer them to the technicalcommittee which is likely to meet in New Delhi next week.

Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that reappointing Mauricio Pochettino would be the best way to get the Spurs faithful back on side.

The club have come under serious scrutiny this season following the wretched run of results under Jose Mourinho which culminated in his sacking last month.

But the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium fans have pointed their anger towards to Daniel Levy, with protests scheduled for outside the ground this Saturday, 24 hours before Spurs host Wolves in their penultimate home game.

Tottenham are yet to appoint a replacement for Mourinho having missed out on their top three targets.

Their priority, Julian Nagelsmann, ended up taking the Bayern Munich job, Brendan Rodgers rejected any approach from Spurs, whilst Ajax manager Erik ten Hag committed his long-term future to the Dutch champions by penning a new deal.

Scott Parker and Graham Potter have both been strongly linked, but Roberts thinks that the most sensible move to reunite the club would be the return of Pochettino.

When asked if re-appointing the Argentine would help Levy build bridges with Spurs fans after the Super League debacle, Roberts told The Transfer Tavern:

“100%. I think that would be the best thing he could do.”

There is no one-to-one meeting scheduled between the officials ofthe Indian and Pakistani Cricket Boards and the two-day Asian CricketCouncil meeting in Lahore would only discuss matters relating to thedevelopment of cricket in the region, said

25-May-2001There is no one-to-one meeting scheduled between the officials ofthe Indian and Pakistani Cricket Boards and the two-day Asian CricketCouncil meeting in Lahore would only discuss matters relating to thedevelopment of cricket in the region, said Cricket Board secretary JaywantLele.The meeting, which started in Lahore on Thursday, had generatedconsiderable interest with speculations that BCCI president A CMuthiah and PCB chief Lt Gen Tauqir Zia may meet to discuss the Indiangovernment’s refusal to allow its cricket team to play a bilateralseries with Pakistan.However, Lele told PTI on phone that the ACC meeting was an’informal get-together’ of the heads of the Cricket Boards of thecountries in the region and on the opening day it discussedmatters of mutual interest.”There is no meeting between Muthiah and Zia on the cards,” Lelesaid. The meeting will decide on the proper utilisation of the $6.5million provided by International Cricket Council for the developmentof the game in the region and finalise the schedules for the Asia Cup,to be played in Pakistan next year, and the Asian Test Championship.

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has made a teasing Tottenham transfer claim involving both Marcel Sabitzer and more recent target Joachim Andersen.

The Lowdown: Sabitzer and Andersen on the radar

Sabitzer has been on Tottenham’s radar for quite some time, with interest in the Austrian star first appearing as far back as last November. Indeed, Sport Bild (via Sport Witness) went as far as to say that Tottenham want to sign the midfielder ‘above everyone’.

Gold then lifted the lid on Spurs’ relatively new interest in Lyon defender Andersen, saying in late March that he is on the list of targets as the Lilywhites hunt for a ‘leader’ at the back (football.london).

The Latest: Gold makes teasing transfer claim

Speaking in a Q&A, the Spurs reporter has provided his latest information on chairman Daniel Levy’s interest in both Andersen and Sabitzer, making a rather teasing claim.

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Indeed, despite Tottenham needing to operate with a sell-to-buy policy this summer due to the impact of the global pandemic, Gold stated that the club will try to compete for both of the players’ signatures.

“I do believe they will try to compete for both players’ signatures this summer,” he explained to football.london.

“Although of course, the new manager may come in and not want them which could change plans rather rapidly. They’re certainly players the club have watched for a number of seasons.”

The Verdict: Promising update…

There is one thing which has been made evident by Tottenham’s 2020/21 campaign – a major rebuild of the playing squad is needed.

Despite much anticipation for Jose Mourinho’s first full season in charge, a very promising start was followed by a string of poor results in both the Premier League and Europe.

Spurs’ defence and lack of creativity are often pointed out as big issues which need to be addressed. Therefore, Gold’s claim that Spurs will try to compete for both Sabitzer and Andersen comes as an enticing one.

The Danish defender could be especially welcome, with Tottenham arguably needing a stable presence at centre-back above all else having conceded 41 league goals this season – the same as 17th-placed Brighton.

In other news: Many Spurs fans flock to this ‘best news’, find out more here.

Sri Lanka’s promising young fast bowler Akalanka Ganegama was in devastating form as he guided defending champs Hatton National Bank to a comfortable 44-run win over Access Group in a key Mercantile `A’ division cricket match played at the Moors SC

Sa’adi Thawfeeq02-Jun-2001Sri Lanka’s promising young fast bowler Akalanka Ganegama was in devastating form as he guided defending champs Hatton National Bank to a comfortable 44-run win over Access Group in a key Mercantile `A’ division cricket match played at the Moors SC grounds on Saturday.Ganegama (20) knocked the fight out of the Access batting when he creamed off their top four batsmen for five runs, chasing an HNB total of 221 for eight off 50 overs. Ganegama’s victims included national players Aravinda de Silva (2) and Indika de Saram (0) as he finished with final figures of four for 29 off seven overs as Access were dismissed for 177 in the 38th over.Jeevantha Kulatunga in a late flourish slammed 41 off 42 balls inclusive of a four and three sixes to see Access to a respectable total.HNB sent into bat by Access, built their total around another national cricketer Tillekeratne Dilshan’s knock of 56 off 70 balls (6 fours).Sri Lanka players played prominent roles in guiding the fortunes of their respective companies to victory.At the Bloomfield grounds, Chaminda Vaas came up with a cameo all-round performance to see Seylan Bank to a convincing ten-wicket win over Singer.Vaas ran through the batting taking three for 13 as Singer were bundled out for 101 and then opening the batting, hit a sparkling unbeaten 72 off just 46 balls to see them home in the 15th over. Left-hander Vaas smashed two sixes and 11 fours in a fine display of power hitting.Sri Lanka vice-captain Marvan Atapattu and middle-order batsman Kumar Sangakkara hit fifties and shared a century partnership for Sampath Bank in their crushing 162-run win over East West at the NCC grounds.Sampath Bank rattled up the highest total of the day scoring 254 for 8 in 50 overs. Sangakkara made 51 off 79 balls (2 fours) and Atapattu, a stroke-filled 88 off 98 balls with one six and six fours as they shared a fourth wicket partnership of 112 off 22 overs.East West offered hardly any opposition being shot out for 92 in 31 overs with fast-medium bowler Aruna Bandaranayake capturing four wickets for 33.In the other match of the day, Janashakthi pulled off an 83-run win over John Keells at the Colts grounds. In reply to Janashakthi’s total of 182, John Keells could reply with only 99 with H.G.D. Nanayakkara taking 4 for 29.

The best ever Junior Sabres Bash is all set to take place at the County Ground in Taunton on Easter Saturday morning

Richard Walsh21-Mar-2002The best ever Junior Sabres Bash is all set to take place at the County Ground in Taunton on Easter Saturday morning.The Junior Sabres, who are the under 21 members of Somerset County Cricket Club have all been invited to attend the pre season bash, which this year is promising to be a very enjoyable occasion, and one that none of the youngsters will want to miss out on.One Dad was so keen for his children to attend the Junior Sabres Bash that earlier this week he signed them all up as club members just so that they could be there.Junior Sabres Membership Secretary Jo Betsworth told me this morning, “The Junior Sabres bash this year looks like being the biggest and best ever that we have staged.”No wonder that the youngsters are keen to be at the County Ground on Easter Saturday. Among the activities due to take place are the Coca Cola inflatable, face painting, bowl at a player, and a guest appearance by Professor Popcorn with his special brand of magic and entertainment.A large number of Junior Sabre members have already contacted Jo Betsworth to let her know that they are going along to the Junior Sabres Bash on Easter Saturday.However, so that all the final arrangements for the day can be made, it is important that anyone who intends being at the Junior Sabres Bash lets Jo know in advance.Remember, the Junior Sabres Bash is free, but is only open to Junior Sabre members of Somerset County Cricket Club.To find out more details and to register for the Junior Sabres Bash give Joanne Bestworth a call on 01823 272946.

Tottenham Hotspur’s manager search has boiled down to just four names, one of which is of huge concern…

What’s the word?

According to Jack Pitt-Brooke at The Athletic, former Everton manager Roberto Martinez is in the running for the vacant Spurs job, alongside Ajax’s Erik ten Hag, out-of-work Ralf Rangnick and Brighton boss Graham Potter.

The 47-year-old is currently in charge of Belgium, where he will attempt to guide the world’s highest-ranked national team to glory in this summer’s European Championships.

It’s thought that the Spaniard could be the ‘safer bet’ of the quartet of options, although he is not universally popular with the fanbase, according to the reliable journalist.

More misery?

Indeed, Levy risks a substantial backlash if he looks to Martinez at the end of the season.

The north London outfit are a mess right now. Harry Kane, their best player and leading talisman,  wants out. They are facing the prospect of no European football whatsoever next year if they fail to beat Leicester City on Sunday, and the fans continue to protest against the board.

Amidst all the turmoil, Levy is trying to find the right man to guide the Lilywhites into the future – to rebuild the team, get the players fit and firing and lead Spurs to silverware for the first time since 2008.

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Martinez just isn’t that man. He may be in charge of the world’s best-ranked national side but he’s not the one developing these players into top-quality superstars.

For example, it’s Pep Guardiola who is going to take credit for Kevin De Bruyne becoming one of the best in the world right now, not Martinez. Similarly, Romelu Lukaku’s goal-laden form at Inter Milan has to be down to Antonio Conte, not Martinez.

Aside from a fortuitous FA Cup-winning run at Wigan Athletic eight years ago, the former midfielder has an appalling record in the Premier League, winning only 30.5% of matches across seven seasons in charge of the Latics and the Toffees.

His time in Merseyside ended on quite a sour note too, as they regressed greatly under his tenure.

As explained by Eurosport, his side went backwards each year – fewer points, a worse home record – and Jonathan Wilson believes this was down to “systemic” problems. In short, what went wrong at Wigan, went wrong at Everton, and Wilson further suggested that there was “no evidence” that Martinez could fix it, either.

It’s a worrying sign, that’s for sure.

Lyndon Lloyd, editor of popular Everton fansite ToffeeWeb, lambasted the 47-year-old’s “stubborn mentality” to IBTimes UK at the time and added: “Over the past two seasons Martinez’s tactics, formations, substitution policy and the fitness of his players have all come into question and, ultimately, undermined his position.”

It led to many a demonstration in the stands against him, and given that sort of reaction is happening right now to a managerless Spurs, Levy will only pile on the misery if he looks to hire Martinez.

He could also set the Lilywhites back even further as they will have to wait for the Euros to finish, meaning the current squad – and any new additions – won’t be able to benefit from him implementing his tactics for a while, with other teams likely getting a head start.

No Kane, no Europe and a late appointment – there could be an absolutely catastrophic storm brewing in N17.

Levy absolutely has to steer clear of the Spaniard at all costs.

AND in other news, Levy could hire his dream Spurs manager in “most exciting” 51 y/o with 73.6% win rate…

Flocking to social media, plenty of Sky Blues supporters have applauded a gesture by Manchester City ahead of their first ever Champions League final in Porto on Saturday evening. 

Pep Guardiola’s men, in what is a huge week for the club, gear up to take on Chelsea with the aim of securing a first European Cup triumph for City and their supporters.

Having just celebrated a fifth Premier League crown and third under Guardiola, it is immediately back to business for the Citizens with the prospect of winning a historic treble.

Ahead of the final in Portugal, for many of the supporters who can’t attend, Manchester City’s official club account has now announced a big gesture.

Indeed, the Sky Blues have confirmed that the final will be screened at the academy stadium for up to 4,000 fans and tickets will be available for just £5 – with priority given to 2019/2020 season ticket holders.

As a result, plenty of City supporters flocked and applauded this move from the club – coming after Sheikh Mansour even offered to personally fund the official club trip to Porto.

Find all of their best verdicts on the official announcement down below.

Man City fans flock to official announcement

“Wow, this is a proper club, £5 for a ticket. actually respect the fans instead of charging silly money like £50+”

Credit: @MCFCHag

“YESSS”

Credit: @MCFC_Latino

“Yeahhhhh city..what a gesture!”

Credit: @KunAme10

“SIUUU”

Credit: @officialgilbert

“Massive club”

Credit: @KunHyder

“Great gesture from City”

Credit: @wendyfitz9

“Love this!!!”

Credit: @mschmidt_soccer

“This is how you do it”

Credit: @SkyHigh_Blu

In other news: Sky Blues excited by Harry Kane claim, find out more here.

Wellington’s secondary school 1st XI cricketers and their coaches were treated to a special night out in Wellington tonight

Lynn McConnell20-Mar-2002Wellington’s secondary school 1st XI cricketers and their coaches were treated to a special night out in Wellington tonight.They were the guests of Cricket Wellington at a dinner to celebrate secondary school cricket, a first for the Capital and likely to be the forerunner of similar events in the future.The evening was hosted by Wellington College, the home of the national boys’ secondary school trophy, the Gillette Cup.Teams from 12 district 1st XIs were mixed up at various tables at the dinner and at the head of each table was a former New Zealand cricketer. Among those in attendance were former players: Jeremy Coney, who was one of the guest speakers, Ian Smith, Martin Crowe, Roger Twose, Andrew Jones, Ewen Chatfield, Evan Gray, Robert Vance, Bruce Morrison, John Morrison, Mark Greatbatch, Richard Petrie, Gavin Larsen, Ken Rutherford, Bruce Murray, Trevor McMahon, Martin Snedden, Ervin McSweeney, Grahame Bilby and Jonathon Millmow.The evening was organised by cricket historian and former national selector and president of New Zealand Cricket Don Neely.It also allowed him to present each player with a coaching journal he has been working on for three or four years. The publication is a coaching manual with a difference, it recognises the place of left-handers in the game by demonstrating every aspect of the game that has been traditionally the preserve of right-handers, by providing a mirror image for left-handers.The lack of coaching material for left-handers has long irked Neely and the journal, which will eventually be available to all schoolboy players in Wellington, and probably throughout the country if major associations cotton on to its worth.Former New Zealand manager, All Black, principal of Auckland Grammar and now Chancellor of Auckland University John Graham was the first guest speaker on the subject of developing lives through participation in sport.Graham used his time with the CLEAR Black Caps to round out his speech.He said it was vital for players in any sport to have belief in themselves and belief in their team. Belief wouldn’t necessarily guarantee winning but without belief or confidence you would not win in sport, or life.Graham said when he first joined the New Zealand team he felt they had an attitude that they “hoped” to win.One of the first things instilled in them was the belief that they could achieve anything when they walked in the company of those who believed in them.”That attitude gives you belief to get through the golden days as well as the tough days,” he said.Whatever people were involved in in life, they had to have a dream, a goal.When Gilbert Enoka was introduced into the side he developed the BTB formula – better than before. And that was something that could be applied to every aspect of the game, just as it could be in every aspect of life.For example, a statistical study had shown that if a team could bowl 30% of its overs as maidens it would win a Test match, and if they bowled 25% they still had a chance to win.”BTB became a very essential part of the team development. It stretched outside the team so they looked better, behaved better and dressed better,” he said.Another aspect of the team’s development was the hard work ethic. Graham said that when he first toured Australia he watched how much effort the best Australian players put into their game.New Zealand’s players became required to write down what they were trying to achieve at the nets. They were given hours of fielding practice by coach Steve Rixon.Discipline to both external needs and from within were demanded of players and there were some non-negotiable rules.The development of sacrifice, such as the first occasion the players had to prepare for a Boxing Day Test in New Zealand, when the players had to give up celebrating in the normal Kiwi fashion because they had a Test starting the next day was a classic example of this. The reward had been a Test victory over India, spearheaded by the Boxing Day seven wicket bag to Simon Doull.Loyalty was another aspect developed, to each other, to the game and to their supporters in New Zealand.”New Zealand cricket supporters are the most loyal in the world because of the way they get bashed around every year. They are immensely loyal,” Graham said.The final ingredient in the mix was the competitive edge where nothing other than excellence should be acceptable to players.”Respecting the laws and customs of the game is important. In sport it is called sportsmanship, in life it is called honesty, trustworthiness,” he said.And once those are all in place there was enjoyment.”It is about enjoying the daily challenges of playing sport at the top level, and enjoying living,” he said.More than any other sporting tour he had been on, his cricket journey showed him that for personal development as a sportsman players had to work at it daily, he said.Coney then spoke in his usual humorous manner about how cricket grabbed him like a virus that he has never been able to shake off.He pointed out that many young players had graced New Zealand teams immediately after leaving school, the earliest versions being Giff Vivian in 1931 and Martin Donnelly in 1937 and the most recent being Daniel Vettori in 1997.Coney also spoke about his weekly game of pulpit cricket on Sundays with a friend where the weekly sermon at their local church was the vehicle, depending upon however the minister gesticulated, for runs or dismissals. The visit by a Salvation Army speaker on the demons of drink had been enough to dismiss an entire international side so often was the finger of dismissal pointed at the congregation.But Coney told the players: “It is easy to be mediocre, just be as good as you can be. Find out what you like and if it’s cricket, grab it and go for it, it’s a beaut game.”