All posts by h716a5.icu

There are a lot of problems at Tottenham Hotspur right now.

Nuno Santo’s side crashed to their third straight heavy Premier League defeat, this time at the hands of arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby and the pressure is starting to mount on the Portuguese.

They are now leaking goals for fun, whilst their struggles in the final third are a major cause for concern.

As per Understat, the Lilywhites rank second-last for expected goals after six matches (5.47 xG) and they also sit last for average number of shots per game (9.3) – even the bottom three of Norwich City (10.2), Burnley (12.2) and Leeds (14.2).

Ever since Christian Eriksen departed N17 for Milan, Spurs have struggled to find a replacement capable of providing plenty of goals, quality set-pieces and assists from attacking midfield.

Arguably, one of the biggest disappointments has been Giovani Lo Celso, following a £55m move from Real Betis in August 2019.

The 31-cap Argentina international has provided only seven goals and four assists across 71 appearances, averaging one contribution every 365 minutes – or once every four games, per Transfermarkt.

This is some way off the level of Eriksen during his time in north London. By comparison, the Danish playmaker averaged a goal or assist every 151 minutes across a whopping 305 appearances.

After the 25-year-old was signed, plenty of outlets, such as 90min and The Times, tipped him up to fill the void left behind by the Inter Milan star but as evident above, that’s just not worked out whatsoever.

Having been described as a “technically gifted” and “exciting” player by teammate Harry Winks and “phenomenal” by Jose Mourinho, some comparisons could be made to former Spurs flop Adel Taarabt, someone who had undoubted quality in the final third but more often than not, went missing whenever given a proper opportunity.

Indeed, the Moroccan sensation was once dubbed “a wizard” by ex-Lilywhites boss Martin Jol, whilst another former boss in Harry Redknapp claimed he was “three stone overweight,” merely highlighting just how polarising he was during his time at the club.

Luka Modric even went as far as suggesting that he thought Taarabt would one day play for either one of La Liga’s biggest giants, Real Madrid or Barcelona.

These are two teams that have also been interested in Lo Celso in the past, so there are further similarities.

After signing as a teenager, Taarabt failed to deliver any contribution of note in 15 senior appearances for Spurs and whilst the £26m-rated Argentine midfielder is some way ahead of that already, his recent form and creative drought is certainly putting him in danger of being the next big midfield flop at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Journalist drops major behind-the-scenes Hotspur Way claim, Spurs fans will be buzzing…

A round-up of the first day of the tenth round matches in the Regional Four Day Competition

Cricinfo staff14-Mar-2009
Floyd Reifer scored an unbeaten 101 to help CCC recover to 231 for 7 against Windward Islands © The Nation
Floyd Reifer led Combined Campuses and Colleges by example, standing firm with an unbeaten 101 and rescuing them from a precarious position at 65 for 5 against Windward Islands in St Vincent. They recovered to 231 for 7 at stumps on the first day as important contributions of 39 from Nekoli Parris and 34 from Kurt Wilkinson lent good support to Reifer’s fighting effort. Offspinner Shane Shillingford starred for Windwards, taking 4 for 62, including both Parris and Wilkinson, who was involved in a 58-run sixth-wicket stand with Reifer. The CCC captain dominated proceedings thereafter as Kevin McClean made 9 in a partnership of 46, and Ryan Austin was unbeaten on 9 in an ongoing eighth-wicket stand of 62. Reifer, who has represented West Indies in four Tests, reached his 12th first-class hundred with a drive off fast bowler Nelon Pascal for a couple, and his team will bank on a similar effort tomorrow to post a sizable first innings score.Tamar Lambert played a captain’s innings, scoring 143 but failed to find enough support from the other batsmen as Jamaica managed 272 against Barbados at the Kensington Oval. Opener Brenton Parchment contributed 43 and Wavell Hinds chipped in with 30 but Jamaica squandered a relatively comfortable position – they were 199 for 4 at one stage – to lose their last six wickets for 73. Allrounder Kevin Stoute, who bowls medium-fast, took 4 for 41, dismissing Parchment and West Indies international Brendan Nash, and capturing two wickets towards the end of the innings. Lambert brought up his second first-class century off 230 balls, and his knock was laced with 15 fours and three sixes. Jamaica would consider themselves fortunate for reaching their eventual score as Lambert was dropped thrice. Kirk Edwards put him down even before he had scored and Ryan Hinds spilled a sitter while he was on 43. He survived a chance on 96, when wicketkeeper Patrick Browne failed to hold on to a low chance. In their reply, Barbados finished the day at 16 for no loss.The first day’s play at the Albion Sports Complex between Guyana and Leeward Islands was called off without a ball being bowled as a result of a wet outfield.

The PCB has asked Shoaib Malik and the Pakistan team management to submit a detailed report on the 234-run loss to Sri Lanka in the series-deciding third ODI on Saturday

Cricinfo staff26-Jan-2009
Shoaib Malik needs to come up with some answers © AFP
The predictable fallout from a disastrous loss to Sri Lanka in the series-deciding ODI at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore has begun with the PCB asking Shoaib Malik and the Pakistan team management to submit a detailed report of the loss by Tuesday.Pakistan were bowled out for just 75, their lowest total at home, and it resulted in their heaviest defeat ever in terms of runs, by 234 runs, in the third ODI on Saturday. Malik, coach Intikhab Alam and chief selector Abdul Qadir have also been summoned by the senate’s sports committee to explain the reasons behind the loss.”I have instructed Yawar Saeed (manager) and coach Intikhab Alam to give their detailed comments on the defeat in the next two days so that we can find out what happened. The board wants to know what has to be done to rectify the situation and set things right,” Ijaz Butt, chairman of the PCB, said.”We can’t tolerate such poor performances from anyone. Like others I am also surprised at the way our batsmen played but I can’t make any further comment until receiving a detailed report,” he added.Alam said he wouldn’t offer any excuses for the crushing loss. “We are not shying from this defeat,” he told . “The team management takes full responsibility of this embarrassing defeat. This [result] could be blessing in disguise for us because you can only move forward from here. You can’t see a much poorer performance from the team than what we did in Lahore two days ago.”A number of aspects of the performance are likely to come under the scanner, from the dropping of Sohail Tanvir, to going in with three spinners when all the talk had been of using pace.Salman Butt’s decision to go off the field with two overs left in the Sri Lanka innings, which eventually prevented him from opening the innings and requiring a re-jig in the batting order was another in a long line of costly mistakes. Asked whether the team management was aware of the rules, Butt said the opener had been told by the manager, but got the information late.”It could be one of the reasons because [Salman] Butt was one of the in-form batsmen. However, there is no excuse too be bowled out for just 75,” the chairman said.As expected, the ever-eager senate standing committee on sports also wants its’ two cents’ worth of the debate. The committee has been persistent critics of the board in recent years, regardless of which administration is in place and has regularly collared them over financial misuse and continuing poor performances.Just recently they grilled the top hierarchy of the board and have now asked Malik and others to turn up at a hearing scheduled for February 9. Senator Enver Baig said he had discussed the defeat with other members of the committee, Tariq Mashadi and Haroon Akhtar, before deciding to summon the team management.Malik’s performance as captain, in particular, will come under question. In any case his record is not impressive, but continuing reports of his efforts to rid the team of players he doesn’t gel with are likely to be brought up as well.”There is no unity and the captain has been unable to gel the boys together,” Baig told the . “In the last game against Sri Lanka, Pakistan were worse than an ordinary club team. Such a performance is completely unacceptable.”The senate hearing had originally been called to probe the financial problems of the PCB, which the current board administration had blamed on the previous set-up led by Nasim Ashraf.

In what has escalated into a heated battle between politicians and cricket officials, Pakistan’s senators have demanded the president dissolve the entire “incapable” PCB

Osman Samiuddin09-Feb-2009
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, failed to answer tough questions put to him by the senate’s standing committee on sports © AFP
A grilling was expected and a grilling was what the PCB got at the hands of the senate’s standing committee on sports. A tense, fractious, near-six-hour session in the senate in Islamabad saw the board being taken to task on matters ranging from Javed Miandad’s resignation, the team’s performances, and above all, their supposed incompetence on a number of financial, administrative and development issues.Senators Tahir Mashadi, Enver Baig and Haroon Khan – impassioned, articulate and well-informed all – led what seemed more like an interrogation of the board chairman Ijaz Butt and chief operating officer Saleem Altaf. A succession of ill-informed and often evasive answers, though bluntly delivered, culminated with the three senators requesting the patron of the board, Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, dissolve the PCB because it was “incapable” of running cricket.The senate committee can only make these recommendations – and has been doing so for nearly six years – but they are rarely acted upon. That will not deter, however, from the worrying administrative lapses they brought to light during the session. The Miandad tiff and Shoaib Malik assessments drew the headlines, but the real nuggets came out during discussions into the financial health of the board, the contentious renovation of Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and a five-year audit of the board, to be conducted by the government’s auditor-general.The problems emerged after Miandad’s resignation had been dissected. A budget of the board’s finances had been prepared, though the man responsible for it wasn’t at the meet. Thus, to the senators’ consternation, nobody was able to answer their queries: at one stage, the ex-chief financial officer tried to, followed by the board’s current financial advisor (but not strangely the acting chief financial officer).The main point of contention was over the board’s bank balance. Last month, Butt described the financial position to senators as “terrible” and claimed the PCB’s reserves had been halved over the last two years, in thinly-veiled digs at the administration of Nasim Ashraf, from whom he took over in October last year. He had claimed then that the board was facing bankruptcy.At first, nobody in the board could tell the committee what their level of reserves were currently. One senator called the state of affairs “absolutely pathetic”, another accused the board of mismanagement. After much delay, a figure of Rs 2.7 billion ( approximately US$34.15 million) was given: senator Haroon Khan concluded that talk of the PCB going bankrupt was “false.”Similarly, the PCB’s recent claims that a renovation project at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore had been stopped because its costs had spiralled was ripped apart by senators, an architect, constructors and Shafqat Naghmi, the board’s ex-chief operating officer who was handling the project. The board claimed in a press release the estimated cost of the project had gone up from Rs 180 million to Rs 471 million.But starting with the architect in charge, Nespak (the construction firm) and Naghmi, the revised cost of the project was repeatedly shown to be no more than Rs 312 million. The subsequent question, also put repeatedly to the board, was how they had arrived at the figure of Rs 471 million. No convincing explanation was provided and the matter, as others, was deferred to a next hearing.It was also revealed thereafter that the board had provided a legal observation to the government’s auditor-general that suggested there might be issues of jurisdiction in carrying out an audit, since the PCB was not dependent on government funding. Though the board claimed in the letter they welcomed a five-year audit, the legal observation from their lawyer suggested it wasn’t entirely legal.The implication, believed the senators, was the board did not welcome the audit as much as they said they did. If it seems a suspicious initial stance, it shouldn’t be a surprise: the whole issue was sparked off at the behest of Enver Baig, who asked the chairman whether he knew of such a letter sent from the board. Butt said he didn’t, upon which Baig produced the very letter.Unsurprisingly, Baig concluded to reporters later, “Financial mismanagement has been there for a long time now but the current set-up of the PCB is incapable and, if they remain in charge, cricket will be completely destroyed. I request the president to reconsider the appointment of Ijaz Butt as chairman. Good cricketers cannot be good administrators and so it’s proved.”

Rahul Dravid hit a ton in New Zealand’s State Championship but VVS Laxman, L Balaji and Amit Mishra didn’t have a successful outing.

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2009
Scorecard
Scorecard
Rahul Dravid grabbed the practice opportunity, scoring a hundred ahead of the Test series © Getty Images
Rahul Dravid ran into form ahead of the Test series with a hundred but the other Indians who turned out in New Zealand’s State Championship on Friday weren’t so lucky. VVS Laxman couldn’t convert his start, L Balaji was economical but picked up just the one wicket and Amit Mishra went wicketless. Dravid, playing for Canterbury, turned out against Mishra’s Central Districts while Laxman, representing Otago, faced up to Wellington’s Balaji.Dravid entered the park in the 26th over with Canterbury on 90. He reached his 50 in 133 minutes from 103 balls. By tea he moved to 76 and brought up his hundred in 160 balls with the help of 13 fours. However, he fell immediately after raising the landmark, falling to the seamer Brendon Diamanti. Mishra finished wicketless from 28 overs. Canterbury reached 388 for 5 by the end of the day with Michael Papps and Johann Myburgh also scoring hundreds.Laxman, however, didn’t have a great day. He batted cautiously for 69 minutes before falling for 20. Balaji finished the day with figures of 15-4-39-1. His team-mate Michael Burns, who dismissed Laxman, finished with 4 for 41.Six Indian players are participating in the tournament to get some practice ahead of the three-Test series. Four players are playing this round while Dhawal Kulkarni and M Vijay will take part in the next round, beginning March 13.March 6 – March 9
Rahul Dravid – Canterbury v Central Districts
Amit Mishra – Canterbury v Central Districts
VVS Laxman – Otago v Wellington
L Balaji – Otago v Wellington
March 13 – March 16
Dhawal Kulkarni and M Vijay – Central Districts v Wellington

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is reportedly set for another loan move to the Championship. 

According to The Daily Mail, Sheffield United, relegated at the end of the 2020/21 season, have Gibbs-White in their sights.

Gibbs-White joined Swansea City temporarily last year only to be recalled in January with Wolves’ squad depleted by injuries (via Sky Sports).

Gibbs-White out, Renato Sanches in?

Wolves are also working on a midfield incoming, with a loan deal for Lille’s Renato Sanches pursued.

The chances of that deal happening have been rated at 50/50 by The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

There’s apparently a disagreement between the two clubs on the terms of the deal at this stage.

Bruno Lage also has Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Leander Dendoncker and Bruno Jordao available to him in the middle of the park.

Wolves have lost their first three matches of the season, each by one goal to nil.

Fan feed Talking Wolves relayed the Mail’s report, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Wolves think Gibbs-White exit is a sign

“Must mean we’ve got a midfielder coming in right?”

Credit: @__wa1877

“Should be a midfielder coming in then, Renato most likely”

Credit: @BRichardsWWFC

“Surely this means Renato is coming”

Credit: @wwfcAlex_

“If MGW is leaving then surely means Sanches is coming”

Credit: @Dan_Vincent

“Surely only if Renato is right”

Credit: @spppencer

“We must be getting Renato then”

Credit: @Matt_Garrett16

In other news, this journalist has discussed the possibility of a big defensive signing.

Liam Kennedy has now revealed some promising insight from PCP Capital Partners on the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Ongoing CAT case

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case between Mike Ashley and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is currently ongoing, with the date for the separate arbitration hearing now set for January 3rd 2022.

All parties involved in the bid are keeping a close eye on the proceedings and what information comes out of it that may affect the deal.

The Latest: PCP insight

Writing in his latest piece for Newcastle World, Kennedy has now revealed that PCP, headed by Amanda Staveley and part of the consortium looking to take over at St. James’ Park, are looking at the CAT case with ‘interest and hope but ultimately helplessness’.

The journalist also shared that they ‘remain committed to the deal’, despite reserving judgement on what comes next after the case has finished.

The Verdict: Promising

It is certainly promising to hear that PCP remain committed to getting the proposed takeover back on track, and that they are keeping a close eye on what is happening in the CAT case.

There is still hope from the buying side that a deal can be done, despite the delays that they have faced, and its possibility could well come down to the arbitration process next year.

Nonetheless, the Toon Army will no doubt be pleased to hear updates from the prospective buyers as their takeover dream remains alive, and if anything the fact they have been so hellbent in succeeding throughout all the chaos suggests they would be extremely ambitious if they ever do arrive.

In other news, find out which three clubs Allan Saint-Maximin now knows he could leave for here!

Southampton should solve their search for a new central defender by signing Chelsea outcast Ethan Ampadu, according to Carlton Palmer.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhüttl is looking to bolster his backline after seeing Denmark international Jannik Vestergaard, who had entered the final 12 months of his contract at St Mary’s, complete a £15million move to Premier League rivals Leicester City last week.

Ampadu, who made three appearances for Wales at Euro 2020, is a defender HampshireLive think Southampton could consider if he is made available for transfer.

The 20-year-old has been frozen out of the Chelsea squad and was made to settle for action in a 13-0 mauling of non-league Weymouth instead of being included in Thomas Tuchel’s side on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Ampadu spent last season on loan with Sheffield United and made 29 appearances as he was unable to halt the Blades’ drop into the Championship.

Despite suffering relegation last term, ex-Southampton midfielder Palmer reckons Ampadu would be a good signing for Saints.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “He is an option. Obviously, he’ll want to get first-team football and that could be his opportunity.

“He might look at the situation and ask where is he going to play in the Premier League week in, week out? Southampton is a very good option for him. He needs to go and play.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of sealing a move for Lautaro Martinez this month seem rather slim after a major update emerged that won’t please many Spurs supporters…

What’s the word?

Over the weekend, reports surfaced suggesting that the North London outfit had agreed a £60m fee for the Inter Milan striker, with Spurs targeting him as a potential partner for Harry Kane, rather than a replacement.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, this was before they sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea, so it seems unlikely that they would offload both of their first-choice forwards in the same window.

Speaking on Sky Sports News (as relayed by Football Daily), the renowned Italian transfer expert said:

“The interest is genuine because it’s true that Tottenham want Lautaro Martinez. They’ve been in talks with his agent, with Inter about Lautaro Martinez, so it’s true that there is a strong interest from Tottenham but it’s something that they wanted to do before Inter sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea.

“It was about last week, that’s why the situation now is not easy.

“Inter state that they want to keep Lautaro Martinez at the club. They are convinced that Lautaro will be staying because they sold Lukaku, and they sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, so they don’t need money right now. And that’s why I think that this deal with Tottenham will be complicated.”

Bad news

This development will come as a blow to many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nuno Santo is thought to be eager to deploy a two-man attack system, in which another frontman is needed to partner Kane. But they have missed out on Danny Ings, who has joined Aston Villa, and now appear to have been ruled out of the Martinez race.

It means that the Portuguese cannot play the formation he desires just yet as the England international is his only senior striker – and he’s only just returned from holiday.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-team-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Furthermore, Romano’s claim is sure to upset much of the Lilywhites faithful who were desperate to see the Argentina talisman join this month.

When The Times’ Gary Jacob first revealed their interest over the weekend, many supporters erupted at the news – some pondered whether it was a dream, whilst others lauded sporting director Fabio Paratici.

“Would love this to be true,” said one fan, whilst another added: “If this is true Paratici needs a statue built outside the stadium,” as relayed by This is Futbol.

Martinez provided 19 goals and 11 assists as the Italian giants ended their decade-long Serie A hoodoo last season, so it’s no wonder there were plenty of Spurs supporters keen to see him signed.

They’ll now be fuming at this latest claim as it looks like their club acted too late.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kane: £40.5m-rated “nightmare” is “on Tottenham’s radar”, Nuno would love him…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Morgan Rogers to the City Ground.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Bournemouth have joined the race for Manchester City winger Morgan Rogers, who has also been heavily linked with a move to Forest this summer.

Nixon continued by stating that the 19-year-old will make a decision as to which club he will be joining for the 2021/22 campaign on a season-long loan deal shortly, before claiming that there are a great many teams interested in the England U19 international.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Bournemouth. Also in the queue for young Rogers at Man City. Top prospect who could step up to Championship. Loan decision shortly. Many takers.”

Fans will be worried

While it initially appeared as if Forest were the side leading the race for Rogers’ signing this summer, with the starlet being spotted at the City Ground last weekend, Nixon’s claim that Bournemouth are also in the running for the winger – the side who defeated Forest 2-1 on Saturday – will strike fear into the hearts of Forest fans, as the 19-year-old’s attention may well have been on the Reds’ opponents, rather than their own side.

Indeed, it would appear that missing out on a deal for the forward would be a significant blow for Chris Hughton and his side, as the Manchester City man appears to be a player with a significant amount of potential – something that Rogers demonstrated during his loan spell at Lincoln City last season.

Over his 28 League One appearances for the Imps last term, the £1.17m-rated winger scored six goals, provided two assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Michael Appleton dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Lincoln’s second-best player in the third tier of English football.

As such, it would very much appear as if Rogers is more than capable of making the step up to Championship football, with the City starlet clearly having the ability to make a real difference for a second-tier side this season, be that with Forest or elsewhere.

In other news: Forest transfer news confirmed on “talented” £2.5k-p/w gem, Hughton will be buzzing