All posts by h716a5.icu

His 10th century could not have come at a better time

Special Correspondent16-Apr-2002His 10th century could not have come at a better time. Although Rahul Dravid has always been reputed to play better abroad, his last century away from home came at Colombo in 1998-99. Dravid needed this century, but the team needed it more, so, in the very first Test of the series, Dravid showed why he is tagged Mr Dependable.He had scores of 35 and six, nine and 14, and 29 and 0 on the tour to Australia in 2000; two and 11, two and 87 in South Africa six months ago. But there is no denying the fact that he has scored tons of runs against all other opponents in their backyards and successfully defended his reputation of being India’s best bat abroad.Now, with this match-saving century – his sixth outside the sub-continent – one compiled after being hit painfully by a Mervyn Dillon bouncer, Dravid has challenged Sourav Ganguly for the number three spot in the batting order. Ganguly will be under enormous pressure during the Trinidad Test, starting from April 19, if he chooses to bat at one-drop again.There was an interesting statistic from Dravid’s first hundred in Caribbean. He played as many as 277 dot balls, but significantly, he hit 23 boundaries. Dravid has always had difficult in finding the gaps with ease, but he has shown that ability as soon as his number three position is taken usurped – either by VVS Laxman or by Ganguly.Remember Kolkata? He tried to match Laxman stroke for stroke as they authored the most sensational victory in the history of Indian cricket. Once he got back to his usual number three slot against Zimbabawe, South Africa or England, the flair went missing again. When Ganguly decided to come in at number three, his bat regained touch once more.Ravi Shastri, Michael Holding and even Geoffrey Boycott are now overwhelmingly advocating that Dravid should be handed back his number three spot. Incidentally, all of them had advocated ousting him from that position just a couple of months ago.”I have always batted this way, and I am happy that the innings came when the team needed it,” was all he would say, repeating what he had said in Kolkata, stressing the fact that the media had always been unkind towards his approach.India need him bat in such authoritative mein, not only save matches but also to win a Test abroad. Along with Sachin Tendulkar, he will be the one on whom India will be depending on to earn a Test win abroad against a good opponent.Fortunately both of them realised and acknowledged that they have to play exceptionally well to earn such a victory before coming on this tour. They tried their best at Guyana, playing in the interests of the team. With a little help from the skipper, who is having a pathetic run abroad, the dream may yet come true.However, the question remains: why does a man who, possessing such a wonderful technique – which is not a crime, as he himself says, but an asset – become so reluctant when the question of opening the innings appears? Why does he uncharacteristically edge the ball to slip if he is forced to open the innings, even though he must surely know that India need him at the top of the order, along with Shiv Sunder Das, to provide solidity to the Indian batting from the very first delivery?

In recent weeks, former Newcastle United and Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, has confirmed that he’s ready for a return to the Premier League and that is somebody Steve Bull could see ending up at Molineux.

Bruno Lage has been installed as the favourite for the Wolves job and is reportedly having talks with the hierarchy this week as they look for a swift appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor.

Benitez would bring defensively solidarity to Wolves after a season where they conceded 55 goals and having a striker like Raul Jimenez would potentially be perfect for the Spaniard having seen what he did with Salomon Rondon at Newcastle.

Whoever Wolves end up appointing, they are likely to have some form of connection to Jorge Mendes but Benitez would be a good fit in the Midlands given his experience and knowledge of the game, according to Bull who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“Rafa Benitez is an old-headed foreign manager which we could do with and I think if he came, Wolves the fans would welcome him with open arms because you saw at Newcastle what he was like up there.

“I could actually see Benitez down there at Wolves and I think he could do a good job.”

Nuno enjoyed a very successful period of time at Wolves having guided the club to a Europa League quarter-final as well as also winning three Premier League manager of the month awards.

Benitez loves to have a strong solid defensive base in his starting lineup and that is something Wolves could benefit from especially with accomplished defenders in Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Romain Saiss already at the club.

The first new community cricket ground in London is to open in Lambeth on June 8 as part of a major initiative to give local people the chance to play the game

Surrey CCC Media Release05-Jun-2002The first new community cricket ground in London is to open in Lambeth on June 8 as part of a major initiative to give local people the chance to play the game.The Kennington Community Cricket Ground is a unique public private collaboration – between Lambeth Council, Channel 4, Surrey County Cricket Club, The Lord’s Taverners and the United Cricket Association – to bring cricket to inner city areas. It is hoped to be the first of many such ventures across the country.The new ground is the only cricket pitch in the borough apart from the AMP Oval. Until now local residents have had to travel outside the area to play. The development is the result of 18 months of work and will see junior cricket played this summer, with senior games starting next year.The opening weekend of June 8 and 9 will feature a celebrity match between a Channel 4 Lambeth XI and The Lord’s Taverners Lambeth XI on the Saturday, with local school children participating in the day. Channel 4’s Cricket Roadshow, the weekly cricket programme, will be broadcasting live from the ground.Sunday will be a chance for games and coaching for all local residents who wish to become involved with the newly formed Lambeth United Cricket Club. It will also offer the opportunity to meet members of the Surrey cricket team.COUNCILLOR CLARE WHELAN, Lambeth: “This a great new resource for young people and the whole community in Lambeth. Cricket really can bring people together, and everyone involved should be congratulated for the way they have worked in partnership with the council to make this project a reality.”David Brook, Channel 4: “The new ground is part of Channel 4’s major commitment to inner-city and grassroots development as part of our overall strategy to rejuvenate the domestic game. Kennington Park is the first part of the Brown Sites To Green scheme which aims to create new inner city cricket grounds across the country to encourage and build the game from grass-roots level.”PAUL SHELDON, Surrey CCC: “Surrey CCC are delighted that we are yet again in the position to support and participate in such a worthwhile and exciting community project. It will strengthen our links with the local community as well as furthering our development of cricket in London.”VINCE MCBEAN, United Cricket Association (UCA) “This is the first major step in providing a clear pathway into cricket for our community. We still need the financial and human resources to build a facility that will enable local cricketers to progress into the cricket pyramid system. The UCA is here to provide the umbrella organisation needed to sustain and develop cricket for local people by local people. The new cricket facility will cost £1.4m to build, the fund-raising now begins.”MARK WILLIAMS, The Lord’s Taverners: “We are delighted to have given £25,000 towards the Kennington ground. Increasing the opportunities for young people to play cricket is at the heart of our mission to give young people a sporting chance”.

Sheffield United are interested in a move to bring Tom Cairney to Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by TEAMtalk, who claim that the Blades’ new manager Slavisa Jokanovi, is keen on a reunion with the Fulham midfielder, who could be available for around £10m in the upcoming transfer window.

However, it is also reported that Fulham will not sanction the sale of the 30-year-old until they have decided whether or not they wish to continue with Scott Parker in charge of the west London side.

Jokanovic must move

While an injury kept Cairney – whom Parker has dubbed an “outstanding” player – sidelined for the majority of Fulham’s Premier League campaign, the Scotland international nevertheless demonstrated his talent for the Cottagers over a limited amount of fixtures this season.

Over his 10 top-flight appearances for Scott Parker’s side, the £8.1m-rated man bagged one goal, provided one assist and created one big chance for his team-mates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 1.7 key passes per game.

Cairney’s range of passing was also impressive, with the midfielder completing an average of 54.8 passes per game, in addition to averaging 2.9 successful chipped passes and four successful long balls over each of his league appearances.

These returns saw the 30-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.28, ranking him as the club’s best performer in the Premier League.

Furthermore, the £27,000-per-week Scot also highly impressed in Fulham’s promotion-winning campaign last season, scoring eight goals, registering three assists and creating six big chances over his 39 Championship appearances for the Cottagers, earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.12.

As such, a move for Cairney should be an absolute priority for Jokanovic this summer, as the midfielder would appear to have the quality to help fire Sheffield United back to the Premier League next season, as well as the potential of helping the Blades remain in the top flight thereafter.

In other news: Jokanovic could be heading for his first major Sheffield United transfer mistake

Liverpool have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Marca (as reported by The Mirror), Bayern Munich have won the race to secure the 26-year-old’s signature this summer, agreeing a fee in the region of £68m.

The report states that Atleti are confident that a deal taking Saul to the Bundesliga champions can be completed soon, handing Jurgen Klopp a huge setback in his summer transfer plans.

Klopp will be gutted

With Gini Wijnaldum expected to depart Anfield in the coming days, signing a top-quality replacement for the Dutch international is thought to be high up on Liverpool’s wish lift.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed an incredibly successful five-year stint with the Reds, making 237 appearances, winning the Premier League title and the Champions League in the process. His departure will leave a significant gap in Klopp’s midfield, and the Liverpool manager will surely be gutted to miss out on one of his top targets.

Saul has been linked with a move to the Premier League for many years, with former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand signing the Spain international’s praises 12 months ago.

“What a player. I’ve been harping on about Saul Niguez for a few years now. I think he’s a major player. Composed, calm, great left foot, lovely conductor, he can score goals, tactically he’s very aware,” the 42-year-old said during an Instagram Live video (as reported by Sports Mole).

Ferdinand added: “You can see (Diego) Simeone, he gets his teams really well set up, and he’s in the middle orchestrating and dictating things.”

However, it seems as though Bayern have beaten off significant competition to secure the dynamic midfielder’s services.

The German giants are looking to bolster their ranks ahead of Julian Naglesmann’s maiden campaign in charge at the Allianz Arena, and the addition of Saul to the Bundesliga champions’ engine room will be a fantastic first signing for the young coach.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Fabinho: Klopp can form dream LFC duo with “complete” £58.5m-rated gem 

Somerset Sabres are in action at The Rec in Bath on Sunday when they take on Leicestershire Foxes, in the first division of the NUL National League, and if the last few one day encounters between the two sides are anything to go by it could well be a

Richard Walsh15-Jun-2002Somerset Sabres are in action at The Rec in Bath on Sunday when they take on Leicestershire Foxes, in the first division of the NUL National League, and if the last few one day encounters between the two sides are anything to go by it could well be a close run thing.Somerset were victorious in all three meetings between the sides last season.The pair first met in the NUL in mid August at Taunton, when the Sabres won by the narrowest of margins. Chasing 263 the Foxes fell just one run short despite a quick fire 68 from Shahid Afridi, and an unbeaten 58 from former Somerset keeper Neil Burns that almost spoiled the party.In the return match at Grace Road thirteen days later the Sabres won again this time by 10 runs, thanks to a fine opening stand of 138 from Peter Bowler(77) and Ian Blackwell(75) and then after a menacing innings from opener Afridi(58) the Somerset bowlers got on top to contain the rest of the Foxes batsmen.The pair met again at Lord’s on September 1st in the never to be forgotten Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy Final, which the Cidermen won by 41 runs, to the delight of their loyal and patient supporters who had waited 18 years for some silverware.This season the Sabres one day form has been shaky, and they will be anxious to reiterate their 2001 victory at Bath against Yorkshire Phoenix when the game was turned by a never to be forgotten one handed catch by Keith Dutch.From that point on Somerset got their one day campaign on track and never looked back until they won at Lord’s almost three months later.Leicestershire have started their championship season well, and are near the top of the Division One table, but like Somerset their one day form is also unpredictable, so those who make the trip to Bath on Sunday could be in for an entertaining contest.Somerset have added Steffan Jones to the squad for the game against the Foxes at Bath, and he is expected to play. The Somerset twelve are: Jamie Cox, Matt Wood, Mike Burns, Peter Bowler, Keith Parsons, Ian Blackwell, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Richard Johnson, Matt Bulbeck, Steffan Jones and Simon Francis.Coach Kevin Shine told me: "We have got Steffan Jones back for this one, so apart from Caddick and Trescothick we will be at full strength. We won our first one day game this year against Yorkshire Cricket Board after a thoroughly professional performance, and will be looking to repeat this success at Bath on Sunday."

Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka’s leading run scorer in Tests and One-DayInternationals, has been put on standby for the NatWest triangular seriesafter a finger injury to Marvan Atapattu

Charlie Austin17-Jun-2002Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka’s leading run scorer in Tests and One-DayInternationals, has been put on standby for the NatWest triangular seriesafter a finger injury to Marvan Atapattu.Atapattu is still awaiting specialist advice to ascertain whether hesustained a fresh fracture on his right index finger or aggravated an oldinjury on Saturday – either way, his participation in the NatWest triangularseries is in doubt.De Silva, 36, has not played in the one-day side for over 16 months, but hisexpertise in English conditions and the appointment of a new chairman ofselectors, who believes experience will be an important ingredient forsuccess in the 2003 World Cup, has paved the way for his return.De Silva has played 275 ODIs and scored 8,430 runs during a career spanning18 years.

A major update has emerged on £65k-p/w Southampton transfer target Brandon Williams, it could lead to Martin Semmens needing to act swiftly.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, Norwich are pursuing a deal for Manchester United fullback Williams ahead of next season. The report claims that there have been encouraging signs that Norwich can conclude a loan swoop for the English defender.

Last month, MEN reported that Williams would like to leave Old Trafford on loan next season to gain regular first-team minutes and they named Southampton as one of the teams who are interested in signing him. Ralph Hasenhuttl is said to want competition in the fullback areas and has identified Williams as a potential signing to bolster his first-team squad.

Back in 2020, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised the “outstanding” defender for his performance against Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final clash. He told United’s official website:

“You saw Brandon and the character he showed. He played a square pass into Mount [which led to their second goal] and he probably felt a bit responsible, but for the rest of the half he was absolutely outstanding.

“The kid has been out for a while and not played, and had the eye injury, but his character and personality out there was great, he kept going and kept going.”

Semmens must act now

Southampton CEO Martin Semmens must act now to secure a deal for Williams. If Semmens does not react quickly to this update then it could lead to the Saints missing out on his signature. Norwich are seemingly edging ahead of the Saints in the race to sign the fullback and it could be a big blow to Hasenhuttl’s plans if they watch Williams put pen to paper on a deal at Carrow Road.

The Saints are desperately lacking options in the fullback positions as it stands. Kyle Walker-Peters is currently the only senior, natural fullback who is set to be at the club beyond the end of the month, with Ryan Bertrand expected to leave upon the expiry of his contract. Le10 Sport has reported that Southampton are close to a deal to sign Brest left-back Romain Perraud, but that would still leave Hasenhuttl threadbare in the fullback positions and that is why a deal for Williams could be key.

Not only is Williams a natural full-back but he can also play on either side of the pitch. The £65k-per-week beast can play at right-back and left-back, having played both roles for Manchester United in the Premier League since the start of the 2019/20 campaign. Williams has started 13 Premier League games since 2019 for United, which shows that Solskjaer trusted him to perform when needed.

Therefore, fans would love it if the club could secure a deal for Williams. He has proven that he can play at Premier League level with Manchester United, as shown by Solskjaer’s faith in him, and has the versatility to cover two important positions for the Saints. This is why Semmens must act swiftly to avoid missing out on him to Norwich in the coming weeks.

And in other news, Semmens masterstroke: Southampton could land bargain with “matured” £25k-p/w dynamo – opinion

Swansea City have been dealt a potential blow in their bid to keep Steve Cooper at the Liberty Stadium this summer.

What’s been said?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who revealed in a post on Twitter that the Swans manager would not cost more to appoint in terms of compensation than the Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael.

Both Cooper and Ismael have been linked with the vacant managerial position at Crystal Palace in recent weeks, while West Bromwich Albion remain on the hunt for a new manager of their own following the collapse of a move to appoint David Wagner.

Fans will be gutted

Considering the impressive job Cooper has done since his arrival at Swansea back in June of 2019, the fact the 41-year-old will not cost a potential suitor more than Barnsley’s Ismael – something that would only appear in increase the chances of the Swans manager’s departure – is sure to come as gutting news for fans of the club.

Indeed, Cooper has led Swansea to a top-six finish in each of his two seasons at the club, and, although both play-off campaigns ultimately ended in failure – losing to Brentford in the semi-final in 2019/20 and, rather unfortunately, Brentford again in the final in 2020/21 – things very much appear to be on the up under the former England U17 manager at the Liberty Stadium.

Alongside these impressive league finishes, Cooper’s reputation for developing young players has also seen clubs approach Swansea about the possibility of taking their youngsters on loan, while his work on the training ground saw the club concede the fewest goals from set-pieces in their 2019/20 Championship campaign, as well as earning praise for their impressive style of football.

As such, if Swansea were to lose the services of the 41-year-old whom Andre Ayew dubbed a “quality” coach this summer, it would very much appear as if the club’s hierarchy would have an incredibly difficult – if not impossible – task of finding a suitable replacement to take over from Cooper.

It’s exactly why the news that the compensation fee needed to prise Cooper out from Swansea not being higher than Ismael’s, is worrying news for fans and the club.

In other news: Swansea dealt huge transfer blow over £4.5m-rated beast that’ll leave Cooper furious

England today announced that Dominic Cork had been drafted into theirNatWest Series squad following James Kirtley’s withdrawal with a fracturedright hand last weekend

Media Release10-Jul-2002England today announced that Dominic Cork had been drafted into theirNatWest Series squad following James Kirtley’s withdrawal with a fracturedright hand last weekend.The Derbyshire swing bowler will join up with the squad for practice atLord’s on Thursday and will not be available to Derbyshire for theirFrizzell County Championship fixture against Durham at Darlington startingtoday.Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney, said: “If the weather remainsunsettled for the NatWest Series Final and England wish to field aseam-based attack, we will require cover in this area as a result of theinjury to James Kirtley.”Dominic continues to be in fine form for his county and if he is calledupon to play on Saturday, his ‘big match’ experience at international levelwill serve him in good stead.”Dominic Cork said: “I am delighted the selectors have recognised that I havea role to play as a one-day player and it will be tremendous to be involvedwith the squad in the run-up to a Lord’s final.”Lord’s has been a happy ground for me in the past and I feel that I havebeen bowling and batting well this summer. If I do make the final eleventhis Saturday, it will be a good opportunity for me to show what I can do -especially as there is a World Cup coming up this winter.”