All posts by h716a5.icu

West Ham United are set to face plenty of competition for mooted summer target Tammy Abraham…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund have entered the race to secure the 23-year-old striker from Chelsea, who have been left unimpressed by his demands for a big-money contract.

Premier League rivals Southampton, Crystal Palace and Brighton are also in the running for Abraham, but few can match his reported £82,000-a-week wages.

The Blues are also said to have set an asking price of around £40m for the forward but, according to the Daily Mail, David Moyes is only prepared to pay £25m.

Get it done, Sullivan

If it’s a case of merely stumping up an additional £15m, then David Sullivan and the Irons hierarchy would be fools to not pay it, especially after the predicament in which they left their manager earlier this year.

After sanctioning the departure of club-record flop Sebastian Haller to Ajax during the January transfer window, the club failed to find an alternative to bring in, leaving Moyes with only one senior striker in Michail Antonio, and even that’s a bit sketchy considering his injury record.

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Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise to see the Hammers targeting the addition of a new centre-forward this summer, and given Abraham’s experience in the Premier League, there cannot be many better candidates.

Unfortunately for the Irons, there is often a premium to pay for homegrown English talent, as seen by Harry Maguire (£80m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50m) in recent years. Arguably, they could both have been bought for cheaper fees, especially given that their replacements cost a snip of their exit fee.

Having worked his way into the side more regularly under Frank Lampard, Abraham has found the net 30 times throughout his Stamford Bridge career; and even despite a lack of game-time under new manager Thomas Tuchel, he still ranks among their top goalscorers for the season.

Once described as “unbelievable” by Jack Grealish, it is surely only a matter of time before the England international starts scoring even more regularly at the highest level if he is given a chance like he would surely be at the London Stadium.

Similarly, his style of play is an attractive one, having drawn serious comparisons to a Premier League great.

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand waxed lyrical about Abraham last season following a starring role against Lille. He said (via Daily Express): “First half, one ball went up to him, Didier Drogba-esque, chests it down for someone, runs on for the next phase – I think he’s developing nicely. He’s scoring goals, he’s scoring different types of goals and I think he’s a threat.”

Also lauded as a “phenomenal player” by Alex McLeish to Football Insider, it’s clear that Abraham would be a perfectly viable option to provide cover for or even rival Antonio for the starting spot.

£40m is a lot of money but there won’t be many better candidates out there.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops exciting West Ham transfer update…

Harbhajan Singh is not a happy man

Special Correspondent02-May-2002Harbhajan Singh is not a happy man. Not only are the wickets refusing to fall, but he is also not getting the vital lower-order runs that he is capable of. The Turbanator, consequently, is not his usual jovial self.When this correspondent met him outside the dressing-rooms on the last day of the three-day tour match against the Busta XI, Harbhajan was putting some stitches into a worn thigh-pad. “I am not getting runs. This was the old thigh-pad, the one I was wearing when I got some runs in Bulawayo. So I am trying to get it in shape so that it can bring me luck,” he said.In fact, in that Test in Bulawayo, he scored 66, and his partnership with Sameer Dighe won the match for India. “Whichever stroke I play, the ball is going to the hands of a fielder. I don’t know why. But one thing I can say is that if I score 10 runs in any innings, I’ll be in a better position to contribute more to the team’s total.”But what of his bowling? India is in need of the spinner in Harbhajan more than batsman. He knows only too well that he did not satisfy his fans with his bowling in the Trinidad test. “Yes, I began well, but then the wickets didn’t come. On the Queen’s Park Oval wicket, the ball didn’t turn that much,” said Harbhajan. “And this is my first tour to this part of the world. But I am confident of picking wickets. When I start picking them, I pick five.”Harbhajan bowled well against Brian Lara in the first innings of the second Test, where the West Indian left-hander was lucky to survive two close lbw calls off the off-spinner’s bowling. “I think I had bowled reasonably against him. But he is a great batsman, and mind it, he has not pulled yet in this series, maybe because of his injury,” Harbhajan said. “He will be a different batsman when he starts pulling. I am enjoying bowling against him. The way he played Murali was just unbelievable.”How does Harbhajan rate his contemporary great, Muttiah Muralitharan? “Have you seen how he is using his outgoing deliveries? No batsman will try to lift him by coming out of the crease, even in the one-dayers. And he never gives away more than 40-odd runs in his quota of 10 overs. That is a great achievement.””I am also trying to develop the outgoing delivery and use it as one of my surprise weapons. In Trinidad, I got (Ramnaresh) Sarwan with a delivery of that kind. But I have to use it more and in a more effective manner,” he said.That he was a member of an Indian side that won a Test in the Caribbean gives him a tremendous boost. Harbhajan has the captain’s confidence too, which is a must for any spinner. And since a spinner of Anil Kumble’s stature is sitting out, there is more pressure on Harbhajan to perform. If he fares badly, however, it will not augur well for the Indians in the remaining three Tests.

Ipswich manager Paul Cook is making a shrewd transfer call as it has been revealed that he is not interested in signing Will Grigg due to the potential of a deal for Charlie Wyke.

What’s the talk?

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, Cook has decided that he does not want to bring Grigg to Portman Road as there is a possibility of signing Wyke from Sunderland on a free transfer.

Cook is keen on a deal to sign Wyke for nothing, with the attacker’s contract at the Black Cats expiring at the end of the month. This allows Ipswich to avoid paying a transfer fee and they can negotiate directly with the 26-goal forward.

Earlier this season, Sunderland’s Max Power praised Grigg for his movement and labelled him as “clever” in the way he makes runs in behind. He told the SAFC Unfiltered Podcast:

“I think if you watch Will Grigg, he can look as if he’s not doing too much and that’s a bit unfair because if you watch his movement, he’s very clever. He’s always on the shoulder, always looking to make runs in behind.”

Shrewd call

This is a shrewd transfer decision by Cook and it could prove to be pivotal in mounting a promotion push next season if all goes well. Grigg has had excellent seasons in League One in the past, but they do not reflect his current ability and his recent statistics are fairly unimpressive. The Northern Ireland international managed a paltry eight goals in 32 games for Sunderland and MK Dons last season, with all eight of those coming in his 20 appearances on loan with Russell Martin’s side.

Grigg has had four seasons in his career scoring 19 or more goals in a League One campaign, but the most recent of those came back in 2017/18 for Wigan. In the subsequent three years, Grigg has only managed 15 league goals combined for Wigan, Sunderland and MK Dons. This suggests that the £6k-per-week dud is well past his best, even if he stills retains his clever movement, and Cook is making a smart call by avoiding a deal for him.

Wyke, on the other hand, is coming off the back of his most successful goalscoring season as a player. The 28-year-old scored 25 goals in 43 League One games for Sunderland to fire them into the play-offs. He also offers a physical presence in both boxes, winning 4.8 aerial duels per game. This could help Ipswich in defending and attacking set-pieces, due to Wyke’s prowess in the air. Therefore, Wyke is the better option than Grigg on paper and Ipswich could be set to add a goalscoring machine to their ranks instead of a forward who has struggled to kick on in recent years.

The realm of Bangladesh Cricket isn’t quite unknown to Mohsin Kamal, the new coach of Bangladesh national Team who replaced Trevor Chappell

Shahryar Khan22-May-2002The realm of Bangladesh Cricket isn’t quite unknown to Mohsin Kamal, the new coach of Bangladesh national Team who replaced Trevor Chappell. The fast bowler from Pakistan, made his debut in 1984 against England, bagged 24 wickets in 9 Tests, spanning over 11 years. He came here for the first time in 1985-86, to play for Omar Khureshi-11 and made a memorable mark against Bangladesh team by capturing 6 wickets for 27 runs, forcing the home side bundle out for 48.In 1994 he made his second visit for Pakistan-A. Here, as a fast bowler, he spotted some talents in Bangladesh and became more familiar with higher-level cricket playing here. As a coach he has already seen some Bangladesh-A team players working with Ali Zia. He saw some matches of Bangladesh team in TV, playing against Pakistan in last January. A very meek fellow, Mohsin Kamal, didn’t disclose the names of the cricketers he found very promising here in Bangladesh.” I just can’t say any names right this moment. It is hard to name one or two persons. But be sure of one thing – I have seen a lot of potentials here. If we work on them, nurture them – they will flourish as geniuses. So, I think it’s too early to name them.”It is a crucial time when he took over the charges from Trevor Chappell, as the tour to Sri Lanka is at hand. Undoubtedly, it is a big challenge (Almost a risky venture!) for him, since Bangladesh couldn’t make a good grade since their inception into the longer version (10 defeats out of 11 Tests, they got away luckily against Zimbabwe aided by the rain and conceded a draw). Mohsin says,” I know it is going to be a big challenge for me, but it seems also very easy if I said that I had accepted hard things in my life. I knew the task would be tough, but I accepted it mentally before I came here. The BKSP campaign in next month is vital. I know I could spot some young stars along with some senior players. I will have to work with them now and have to find a way out through them. I will see them first and then make a final plan two weeks before we set off for Sri Lanka.”” I have seen the video of Bangladesh- Sri Lanka Test match in Colombo, I have analyzed our players. I think I would make something out of it. Sri Lanka is unquestionably a better side, but I think Bangladesh shouldn’t have any sort of pressure counting on that, or if they have they will have to shake it off soon. We have to feel the way that we are playing against our rivals not against our heroes. If we count them as heroes we will be bogged down.””We will be heading off for Sri Lanka with a positive approach – we are going to win there. If not possible, we will of course give them a hard time on their soil. That is our motto.”Bangladesh lost 6 matches within the 3rd day, even in the home ground they lost two in this way against Pakistan. Mohsin feels that playing too many one-day games is a good reason behind such debacle.” Playing too many one-day matches may arrest the development of the techniques a batsman needs to play in Test matches. There are flaws in Bangladesh’s defensive technique, I found. If you are a very good Test player, you can be a very good one-day player too, but not all good one-day players turn up as good Test players.”We will work on the defensive techniques of Bangladeshi players. It is urgent mostly, because, in Test matches you will have to learn how to stay as long as possible. Everybody can play shots, even suicidal ones, but it is hard to bat with patience when the odds are not in favor. Your ability to cope up with such condition is hard and only then the defensive skills will help you out. Our batsmen must have to learn these things. They shouldn’t throw their wickets away like they did in near past.””Sometimes you will have to avoid making shots and bat bending your cool head down completely, keeping off from playing non-percentage strokes. Often that works. I must say these are the preliminary simple methods to carry on against the stronger teams.”With the absence of Mashrafe Bangladesh pace attack has turned out to be toothless. Manjural will be the spearhead with Mohammed Sharif at the other end. Mohsin belongs to a country that saw so many real quickies! He says,” Fast bowlers are naturally born. They should be searched for. A bowler who can bowl with a lot of pace should be picked up immediately. He may be wayward, erratic and weak in his technique, but those things could be corrected. That’s why I asked the selectors and the board that I need to go around and see some pace bowlers. I will be seeing them on 28th and 29th May before we start off for BKSP.”

Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri is heading for disaster as young talent Osaze Urhoghide is preparing to leave the club.

What’s the talk?

According to Yorkshire Live, the 20-year-old is set to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the month after rejecting the chance to stay at Sheffield Wednesday next season. The report claims that club bosses offered him a contract extension, only for the defender to turn down their proposal and opt to move on from Hillsborough this summer.

Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Sporting Lisbon, Club Brugge, Cardiff City and Watford are all said to be interested in the 20-year-old defender, although no deal is close with any specific club. Urhoghide is now poised to head into the summer as a free agent and can find himself the best possible transfer to further his career, instead of playing in League One for Sheffield Wednesday.

After a win over Barnsley in March, Owls manager Darren Moore heaped praise on the “immense” centre-back as he told The Star: “I don’t like to pick out individuals because I thought they were all excellent, but he was immense today in terms of his performance. In terms of his contacts, in terms of getting in the radar of the opponents and spoiling it – he was absolutely rock solid.

“The back three will take plaudits, and it was a team effort, but if you’re looking at him as an individual I thought his performance was solid today.”Moore must be guttedChansiri is heading for disaster as he allows Urhoghide to leave on a free transfer. Wednesday have not been able to satisfy the defender with an attractive contract offer to stay at Hillsborough and they are now on the verge of losing an extremely promising young centre-back for nothing.At the age of 20, Darren Moore could have built his Sheffield Wednesday defence around Urhoghide, with the Dutchman potentially primed to be part of the team’s spine for years to come given his age and potential, and the manager must now be gutted that he will not have that chance.Instead, he will be moving on and Moore will need to potentially bring in another centre-back to bolster his options heading into next season, which is why this news is a massive blow to Wednesday. Not only are they watching a talented prospect walk out the door for nothing, they will also need to dip into the market to source an adequate replacement and that could cost a substantial sum unless Chansiri can find a bargain in the upcoming window.

Despite the club’s relegation from the Championship, Urhoghide impressed during his spell at centre-back. He started 10 games in that role in the league, averaging a solid WhoScored rating of 6.76 in those games. The £270,000-rated beast won three aerial battles, 1.8 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and made 2.7 clearances per game in the 2020/21 Championship for Wednesday, which highlights his defensive quality and shows why losing him is a big blow for the club and Moore moving forward.

AND in other news, SWFC handed major boost with 20 y/o gem as news emerges, Moore will be delighted…

Sri Lankan vice-captain Marvan Atapattu will play no further part in thethird npower Test match and could miss the Natwest triangular series thatfollows

Charlie Austin16-Jun-2002Sri Lankan vice-captain Marvan Atapattu will play no further part in thethird npower Test match and could miss the Natwest triangular series thatfollows.Atapattu, who has been in good touch throughout the tour, scoring 185 atLord’s and 56 at Edgbaston, was forced to retire hurt after being hit by an Andrew Flintoff delivery on his right index finger.Apparently in intense pain, he was rushed off to hospital for x-rays, whichindicated that he had either sustained a fracture or aggravated an oldinjury.A further x-ray on Sunday morning also proved inconclusive and he will nowtravel to London straight after the Test match to seek specialist advice.Only after advice from the specialist will the selectors decide whether tocall a replacement for the triangular series starting 27 June at TrentBridge.

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid as the SPFL revealed their new league sponsor, which will be in effect until the 2025/26 season.

The Gers won the Premiership last season, their first major title in 10 years as they went the whole league campaign unbeaten (BBC).

However, they did so in a league and a footballing pyramid that was without a sponsor after Ladbrokes ended their partnership with the governing body.

Now, though, the SPFL have finally reached an agreement, this time with online car dealer Cinch.

The deal will run until the 2025/26 season, and is said to be the biggest such deal in their eight-year history. However, few supporters were impressed – they noticed cinch have just over 2,000 Twitter followers, for example.

The news was shared on Twitter by the SPFL’s official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say about the news below

“Our league is being run into the ground on purpose”

Credit: @LJKershaw

“Can we just fold as a league, this is embarrassing”

Credit: @R_Smithy2000

“Washed up car brand doing deals with a washed up board”

Credit: @a_n_d_y___

“Is it any wonder why there’s no money in Scottish Football shambles”

Credit: @LeeLowry_RFC

“I can’t believe Cinch want involved with one of the most corrupt organisations in the country.”

Credit: @turps100

“The SPFL have been waiting for Celtic to appoint a new manager so they can slip this one in under the radar. The Cinch Premiership How is Cinch the best sponsor we can attract when Steven Gerrard is manager of Rangers? Neil Doncaster is a shambles.”

Credit: @CF3Loyal

In other news, Rangers have been urged to sign this 23-year-old winger.

Kent opening batsman Robert Key will win his first England cap at Trent Bridge on Thursday, after he was included in England’s squad for the second Test against India

Stephen Lamb04-Aug-2002Kent opening batsman Robert Key will win his first England cap at Trent Bridge on Thursday, after he was included in England’s squad for the second Test against India. The selectors have also called up the Durham fast bowler Stephen Harmison, after Simon Jones was ruled out of contention with a side strain.Key, 23, is chosen after impressing with the England Academy last winter, and first-class success this season, in which he is averaging 44 from 12 matches. He will open the batting with Michael Vaughan, allowing Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain to move back down to three and four respectively.”We also considered Ian Bell and David Fulton as replacements for Graham Thorpe,” said England’s chairman of selectors David Graveney. “But Robert Key has been in outstanding form for Kent and his career has really kicked on this season after he attended the National Academy in Australia last winter.”Whether the 23-year-old Harmison plays could well depend on Alex Tudor’s ability to prove his fitness for a five-day match, after missing the Lord’s Test with tendonitis. Tudor is included in the squad, while Derbyshire’s Dominic Cork is retained after missing out to Craig White in the final eleven at Lord’s.”Alex Tudor did play in a Norwich Union League match last week, and we will give him every opportunity to prove he is fully match fit in the run up to the Test Match,” Graveney said. “With Simon Jones injured, we view Stephen Harmison as a like-for-like replacement who gives us the option of express pace if required.”Our resources in the bowling department have been stretched for this match and we have had to slightly vary our policy with regard to bowlers needing to play in a four-day match before a Test match to prove their fitness.”Key’s selection won immediate approval from Matthew Fleming, his captain at Kent.”Rob’s come through the under-19s and the academy system and he’s part of the best opening partnership in the country with David Fulton,” Fleming told Sky Sports. “He is extremely talented and he’s got a bit of dog in him. He loves a fight and he loves to be up against the best bowlers in the world.”Rob has explored every aspect of his game and he can work through any problems he has. He is the closest to being the complete batsman that I’ve seen this summer.”England squad: N Hussain (Essex, capt) Age: 34 Tests: 72, MP Vaughan (Yorkshire) 27/20, MA Butcher (Surrey) 29/42, RWT Key (Kent) 23/0, JP Crawley (Hampshire) 30/31, AJ Stewart (Surrey, wkt) 39/119, A Flintoff (Lancashire) 24/19, C White (Yorkshire) 31/25, AF Giles (Warwickshire) 29/16, MJ Hoggard (Yorkshire) 25/12, DG Cork (Derbyshire) 30/35, SJ Harmison (Durham) 23/0, AJ Tudor (Surrey) 24/7.

Helder Costa will depart Leeds United during the summer transfer window if the prediction of former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips plays out.

The Lowdown: Peripheral figure for Leeds

The Whites has an exceptional season back in the Premier League, with numerous individuals playing big roles for Marcelo Bielsa, whether it be Illan Meslier, Kalvin Phillips or Patrick Bamford, to name just a few.

Someone who rarely played a starring role was Costa, however, with the Portuguese only making a total of 13 starts in the league.

He invariably found himself kept out of the team by the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison, having to make do with a squad role instead.

The Latest: Costa tipped to leave

Costa has been linked with a summer exit, and speaking to Football Insider, Phillips claimed it was time for the winger to find a new club:

“They have already got a lot of wingers. I would say that it makes it very likely that Costa will move on because he didn’t play a lot last season.

“It’s an area that they have plenty of cover in, those wide areas. So I think maybe his time at Leeds is up. He can go somewhere now and go and play regularly. Whether that means that you’ve got to drop down a league, who knows?”

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The Verdict: Time to move on

It makes perfect sense for Costa to leave, despite him being described as an ‘immense’ footballer by former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

His current deal doesn’t expire until 2024, meaning Leeds could receive a decent amount for him and new signings could push him even further down the pecking order.

Costa is a talented player who has still contributed for the Whites, but it feels as though the team is moving on without him and a sale makes sense for all parties.

In other news, Leeds have been tipped to sign a player from under the noses of a fellow Premier League side. Find out who it is here.

Glamorgan and their captain Steve James had a record breaking day on the second day of their Championship match against Essex at Chelmsford

Andrew Hignell26-Jul-2002Glamorgan and their captain Steve James had a record breaking day on the second day of their Championship match against Essex at Chelmsford.James compiled a magnificent 235* as his team raced to 505-6 to gain an overall lead of 274 over a lacklustre Essex side, who in the course of the day were hit by injuries to wicket-keeper James Foster and batsman Aftab Habib.James recorded the sixth double century of his career and his 235* is the highest ever score by a Glamorgan batsman against Essex, beating Jimmy Maher`s 217 at Cardiff last year.On the first day, Essex had struggled under a heavy cloud cover against the accurate Glamorgan attack, but in sunny and cloudless conditions, the Glamorgan batsmen, led by skipper James, feasted on the home attack. During the afternoon session, James, together with Mike Powell and Matthew Maynard, added 217 in just 38 overs between lunch and tea as the Glamorgan batsmen cut loose.By the end of the day, Glamorgan had scored 499 runs in the 104 overs – the most they had ever scored in a day`s play in Championship cricket, passing their previous best of 493 against Worcestershire at Abergavenny in 1990.However, there could be even more records to come and there is every prospect of James carrying on batting on Friday morning and beating his own record of 309* for the highest ever individual score by a Glamorgan player, set against Sussex at Colwyn Bay in 2000.”I would be very delighted if I went past my own 309″, James said after Thursday`s play, “and it would be a monumental effort if I did that. But tomorrow I could get out first ball and that would be that. Hopefully, though I can play myself in first thing, and maybe by lunch, I could be near that landmark.”