All posts by h716a5.icu

Crystal Palace have signed seven Under-23 players to new contracts at Selhurst Park, as confirmed on the club’s official website, much to the delight of many Eagles supporters on Twitter.

In a season of much upheaval in south London following the arrival of Patrick Vieira as manager and an influx of new signings, Palace have a very different look about them as the 2021/22 campaign takes shape.

Continuity has been a rare commodity in recent times at the club, although news stemming from the club suggests that it isn’t quite all-change around Selhurst Park.

The Eagles have tied down seven development players to new contracts in the form of Jake O’Brien, Jay Rich-Baghuelou, David Boateng, Luke Dreher, Sean Robertson, Sion Spence and James Taylor [cpfc.co.uk].

O’Brien has put pen to paper on a permanent deal at Crystal Palace from Cork City on an undisclosed fee following a successful loan spell in London earlier this year [Irish Examiner].

In light of this announcement, plenty of Crystal Palace fans took to Twitter to share their opinions on the “really great news”.

Crystal Palace fans react

Replying to the club’s official Twitter channel, here is what some fans had to say about the youngsters signing new deals at Selhurst Park:

“glad we are showing our faith in Dreher”

Credit: @cpfcjude”Dreher? Now that is interesting”Credit: @matthew_poole30

“Really great news! Keep going!”

Credit: @erictwigs

“Fantastic news”

Credit; @liamb0117

 “O’Brien is a baller”

Credit: @CPFCAlfie”Some good news for our younger players including news that Jake O’Brien has signed permanently from Cork. #cpfc”Credit: @BackOfTheNestIn other news, many CPFC fans react to the club’s links with a Champions League winner 

Centuries from Umar Amin and Afaq Raheem in an unbeaten 251-run partnership scored the Federal Areas Leopards a convincing seven-wicket win at the National Stadium in Karachi

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2008
Scorecard
Umar Amin, having impressed at the Under-19 level, notched up his maiden limited-overs hundred © Getty Images
Centuries from Umar Amin and Afaq Raheem in an unbeaten 251-run partnership led the Federal Areas Leopards a convincing seven-wicket win over Baluchistan Bears at the National Stadium in Karachi. It capped a fine fightback, after Federal Areas had slipped to 25 for 3 chasing 277 but Amin and Raheem rattled up impressive, brisk centuries to settle the affair as early as the 46th over.Raheel Majeed, Babar Naeem and Sohail Tanvir – pushed up the order – had all gone for single-digit scores to give Baluchistan a real shot at a win. But almost immediately, Amin and Raheem countered and in some style.The left-handed Amin has been on the radar of national selectors for some time now and locals in Rawalpindi speak highly of him; he scored an impressive century for Pakistan Under-19s in England last year and built on that against Bangladesh U19 since. He made an impressive first-class debut too for Rawalpindi.Though an opener by trade, Amin came in at No. 4 here because of what he said was the glut of openers in the side. Not that he seemed out of place, playing most often with as straight a bat as possible. A number of drives down the ground revealed a tight technique and the pace of scoring – over a run a ball – hinted at a fine repertoire of strokes.Halfway through, as Amin continued picking off a disappointing Danish Kaneria and Abdur Rauf, a hundred already seemed inevitable. He ended unbeaten on 125 from 121 deliveries, the first of what should be many limited-overs centuries.Raheem wasn’t to be left behind, either in pace or strokeplay. A little older, Raheem has also floated around the scene, as an impressive first-class and more impressive domestic limited-overs average of over 50 suggests. As Baluchistan’s bowlers persisted in pitching it up, so Raheem drove, through the covers, over the top; anywhere in fact but mostly to the boundary. A fifth hundred – a personal best – was a formality by the end, and no shame that he reached it after Amin.Bigger names had earlier starred for Federal Areas with the ball. Shoaib Akhtar, captain and returning to some fitness, had reduced Baluchistan to 32 for 3 with some help from Tanvir. No speed guns were on show, but Shoaib generated considerable pace dismissing the in-form Saeed Anwar jnr. Tanvir’s swing, angles and nous accounted for both openers.A 114-run stand between Fahad Iqbal (68) and the captain Misbah-ul-Haq (63 from 64 balls) resurrected Baluchistan’s innings, but they proceeded to lose three wickets for five runs once the duo were dismissed. Another brace of wickets at the death – Shoaib finished with 4 for 57 and Tanvir took 3 for 57 – hurt Baluchistan further, though Kamran Hussain’s 56 from 34 balls – as well as continuing his own splendid form – appeared to have boosted them to a competitive 275. Amin and Raheem, however, had other ideas.

Punjab Stallions 2 2 0 0 08 +1.150 534/100.0 419/100.0 B Bears 2 1 1 0 0 4-0.288 588/100.0 588/95.2 Fed Areas 21 1 0 0 4 -0.734483/95.2 580/100.0 Sind Dolphins 1 01 0 0 0 -0.020 312/50.0313/50.0 NWFP Panther 1 0 10 0 0 -0.340 212/50.0 229/50.0

Tottenham Hotspur are close to signing FC Metz midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye reinforcements as transfer window nears its end

With the 2021/22 season underway, Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo will look to utilise every opportunity in the transfer market to raise standards at the club as well as providing long-term success on the pitch.

Signing readymade senior players will be imperative to this aim, although bringing in prodigious youngsters who can develop over time into future stars may also come into his thought processes.

The Lilywhites now appears to be on the verge of striking a deal for one of the brightest talents in Ligue 1 following recent reports.

The Latest: Spurs close to agreeing deal for Sarr

Tottenham are reportedly close to completing a deal for Sarr for a fee of around £12m to £13m, as per RMC Sport journalist Joris Crolbois, as relayed by The Sun.

Personal terms are yet to be thrashed out for the youngster, whilst the 6 foot ace is possibly set re-join Metz on loan for the rest of the 2021/22 campaign.

Payment structures are believed to be built into the proposed deal, with an £8.5m sum plus add-ons deemed as acceptable by his current employers.

The Verdict: Sarr would be an astute piece of business by Spurs

Sarr may well be a name which would excite Tottenham supporters should negotiations end in a smooth fashion, and his acquisition would be an astute one from the N17 hierarchy.

The prodigy excelled throughout the 2020/21 campaign, netting four goals in 25 first team appearances from midfield [Transfermarkt]. Moreover, his ability to recycle possession really shone through, as he recorded an average pass success rate of 85.3% in Ligue 1 last term [WhoScored].

Once likened to Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic by Metz director Olivier Perrin [Senego], Spurs should look to iron out Sarr’s personal terms before too long.

In other news, Tottenham are keen on signing a Spanish international. Find out who it is here.

A round-up of the third day’s play in the third round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2009Group A
Shoaib Malik hit an unbeaten 100 from 100 balls and declared PIA’s innings at 355 for 5, leaving HBL with 385 to win © AFP
Khan Research Laboratories clinched a two-wicket victory over Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in Rawalpindi, holding their nerve to chase 127 in what was another day for the bowlers. SNGPL, 94 for 8 at stumps on day two, didn’t go much further as Yasir Arafat claimed his seventh wicket – and 11th of the match – but it almost proved enough. Asad Ali backed his five wickets in the first innings with 4 for 49, and Samiullah Khan took three in a brave attempt to clinch a win. KRL’s chase of 127 stuttered from the start, slipping to 22 for 4, but their captain, the former international Mohammad Wasim, batted till the end with 35 from 92 deliveries. Along the way he found support from Rizwan Ahmed (35) and Shoaib Akhtar (21), even though KRL lost two wickets just before the finish line. It was their first win of the season, and KRL now stand at four in the Group A points table.Centuries by Khurram Manzoor and Shoaib Malik, one restrained the other urgent, spectacularly restored the balance between bat and ball before a late wicket gave Pakistan International Airlines the day’s honours at the United Bank Limited sports complex. For two days the bowlers had done the damage, keeping two innings to small totals, but on the third Manzoor, Malik and Faisal Iqbal combined to turn a 106-run lead into a daunting target for Habib Bank Limited.. Manzoor and Iqbal (50) took the score from 77 for 3 to 201 for 4, after which Malik hit a run-a-ball, unbeaten 100 with 12 fours and four sixes in contrast to Manzoor’s 270-ball 151. A declaration at 355 for 5 meant HBL needed 385 to win, and they lost Rafatullah Mohmand for a duck to close the day 35 for 1.In Karachi, Sui Southern Gas Corporation snapped a threatening partnership early in the day and by stumps had extended their lead over National Bank of Pakistan to 330. Umar Amin and Fawad Alam had cracked run-a-ball half-centuries after NBP were in early trouble, but the two slowed down on day three and failed to build on their innings. Sohail Khan, SSGC’s opening bowler, took five to help keep NBP to just 204. Mohammad Talha and Mohammad Aamer, NBP’s new-ball pairing, shared five wickets in reply but an unbeaten 61 from the SSGC captain, Saeed Bin Nasir, proved a thorn in their side. With five wickets in hand, SSGC took stumps at 144 for 5. NBP are in danger of losing their No. 1 position.Watchful centuries from Abid Ali and Raza Ali Dar made up most of the day’s progress for Lahore Shalimar against Water and Power Development Authority at the Gaddafi Stadium. Abid moved from 101 overnight to 141, while Dar racked up a composed career-best 183 from 334 balls. Zulqarnain Haider, the wicketkeeper, contributed an unbeaten 48 as Lahore finished the day on 461 for 6, a lead of 130.By the close of play on day three at the Quaid-e-Azam park, Pakistan Customs had reduced the deficit to 67 runs. Tanvir Ahmed’s unbeaten 56 from the No. 8 spot had helped Karachi Whites take a 182-run lead as they finished on 368 – Fawad Khan taking 6 for 109 – and Customs finished the day on 115 for 3. A draw looms.Group BFaisalabad had few hassles in beating Quetta by an innings and 167 runs at the Iqbal Stadium, thereby going No. 1 in the Group B points table. Already hurt at 80 for 3 in reply to Faisalabad’s 447 for 8, Quetta were bowled out for 173 and 107 on the same day. The wickets were shared right through Faisalabad’s line-up, more spectacularly in the second innings, when Quetta were reduced to 53 for 7 at the hands of some tidy medium pace.The fifth-placed helped Islamabad knock Abbottabad off the top of the table with an eight-wicket win at the Diamond Club Ground. Abbottabad’s openers had whittled the deficit down to 49 by stumps on day two, only for the entire side to fold for 189 in 67.1 overs. Rauf Akbar removed Ghulam Mohammad and Usman Khan early before Saad Altaf (5 for 52) had some fun. Raheel Majeed’s 21-ball 30 gave a small chase momentum, and Umair Khan’s unbeaten 51 from 43 balls held firm for Islamabad, who pulled down 110 in just 15.2 overs – equating to a run rate of 7.17.Rawalpindi wrapped up a win over Multan at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. The medium-pacer Rizwan Akbar made it 12 for the match with second-innings figures of 7 for 39 as Multan – 50 for 6 on the resumption of play – were bowled out for 93. Chasing 160, each of the first four batsmen got into the thirties and Rawalpindi knocked off the runs in 34.5 overs.Sialkot stand on the verge of inflicting a crushing innings defeat on Hyderabad at the Jinnah Stadium. A first-innings lead was established early in the morning and the opener Naeemuddin made 173 from 323 balls, along with fifties to Nadeem Javed (61) and Mohammad Ayub (53). The tail wagged and Ayub declared at 540 for 9, a lead of 288. What followed was pure joy for Sialkot – the medium-pacers Sarmar Anwar (3 for 17) and Nadeem Javed (5 for 23) reduced Hyderabad to 59 for 8 in 25 overs before stumps.The game remains poised at the National Stadium, where a few quick wickets for Karachi Blues could boost their chances of victory. Their tail wagged to extend an overnight lead of 151 to 222, and the late wicket of Lahore Ravi’s Kashif Siddiq for 91 left Karachi holding on to a 44-run advantage by stumps. Lahore’s openers had failed again, but Siddiq had steadily launched a fightback. After his dismissal, Lahore finished the day on 184 for 4.

Leeds United will be hoping to taste their first victory of the new season when they take on Crewe Alexandra in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are winless in their opening two games in the Premier League, with a 5-1 defeat to Manchester United followed up by a 2-2 draw at home to Everton at the weekend.

The Whites should, however, find some respite against a side currently lying in 22nd in League One, and with the game taking place at Elland Road, they will head into the match as heavy favourites.

Bielsa might look to ring the changes in order to give some fringe players a chance as well as a couple of new boys, and with that in mind, below is a look at how Leeds might line up for the visit of Crewe.

In goal, Kristoffer Klaesson could be given the chance to make his senior debut for the side despite starting against Spurs for the U23s on Monday.

The back-line could also see a few changes, with Stuart Dallas dropping in at left-back and allowing Junior Firpo the chance to rest ahead of the Premier League clash against Burnley at the weekend.

Jamie Shackleton could come in on the opposite side, with Pascal Struijk being partnered by Liam Cooper once again, with Diego Llorente of course still out injured.

In midfield, Adam Forshaw is in line to make his competitive return after being named on the bench for the opening two Premier League games of the season – the midfielder of course missed the entirety of the previous campaign through injury.

Mateusz Klich and Tyler Roberts start from the off too, while out wide, Helder Costa and 19-year-old starlet Crysencio Summerville will be pushing to make the line-up – the latter only came off the bench in that 4-2 defeat to Spurs for the U23s, and would be making his full debut if he starts tonight.

And up front, Spain international Rodrigo could be given the chance to lead the line rather than operate in that more deeper role behind Patrick Bamford.

Predicted XI: Klaesson; Shackleton, Cooper, Struijk, Dallas; Forshaw, Klich, Roberts; Costa, Summerville, Rodrigo.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts insists that the club may be stuck with Serge Aurier, as no club is likely to buy him this summer.

The right-back has not made a single appearance for the club this season and was largely absent from pre-season, until the friendly against Chelsea.

Aurier has yet to be included in a competitive squad by Nuno Espirito Santo, with Japhet Tanganga seemingly the first-choice right-back in the squad after his impressive performances against Manchester City and Wolves.

Matt Doherty is his back-up in the squad, and Aurier had confirmed earlier this summer that he had reached an agreement to leave Spurs, with PSG seemingly interested in taking him back to France.

However, they have since signed Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan, seemingly ending any chance of Aurier returning to the French capital.

And Roberts believes he may just run down his contract at the club, which runs until 2022.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “But who’s going to buy him? The problem you’ve got is Paris Saint-Germain were going to buy Aurier, so they kept saying.

“Well, they’re nowhere near him. What football club is going to buy him? I think we’re going to be stuck with him and we’re just going to have to see his contract out.”

Ricky Ponting has demanded more consistency from his bowlers

Peter English13-Feb-2009
Deja vu: Ricky Ponting was annoyed at times during the Test series against South Africa and showed similar emotions in Friday’s wash-out © Getty Images
Ricky Ponting, who has waved goodbye to his most difficult home summer, has demanded more consistency from his bowlers after yelling in frustration during his side’s rain-assisted escape in the washed-out Chappell-Hadlee Series decider. In an outward display of emotion, Ponting was heard to bellow “what’s going on?” after a sloppy James Hopes over that helped Martin Guptill and Brendon Diamanti push New Zealand within sight of victory.”I was a little bit disappointed in some of the boundaries we let in, particularly late in overs,” Ponting said. “I felt that we bowled three or four good balls at the start of the over and then just gave them that boundary they needed in the back-end of our overs. And a lot of them weren’t miraculous shots either, they were bad balls.”That’s where a lot of my frustration comes, you set fields and want things to be done in a certain way. Sometimes it does and sometimes my emotions boil over. I’ve always been a person that wears my heart on my sleeve and in a must-win game for us it was no different.”New Zealand needed 33 from 36 balls when the rain came to end the match and Ponting held on to the trophy after the 2-2 result. He will rest from Sunday’s Twenty20 in Sydney and needs the break after a long campaign that has included Test defeats to India and South Africa and a one-day loss to South Africa. The squad will depart on Monday to meet Graeme Smith’s men during an intense itinerary that is virtually non-stop for the rest of the year.Ponting was so desperate to get home early that he was one of a small group of players who left the ground during the five-hour rain delay and picked up their travel gear in the hope they could get a flight on Friday night. “We were trying to get things organised if the game happened to be called off,” he said. “It looked unlikely that a game was going to get underway, our manager told us earlier in the day that if the game didn’t get underway a few of us might be able to go back to Sydney early.”In order to do that we had to get things organised back at the hotel so we went back for 20 minutes. I had enough time, I knew that I’d be back for the toss and a quick warm-up, I didn’t miss anything.”Brad Haddin will lead the side in Sydney with Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke taking a break. “He brings a lot of experience, he brings a lot of good leadership qualities, and he thinks about the game very well,” Ponting said. “As a wicketkeeper you get a good view of the game and get a good feel for where the game’s at.”Haddin top scored for Australia with a muscular 88 not out from 65 balls that pushed Australia to 4 for 168, while Callum Ferguson impressed with his 55 off 35. “[Brad is] obviously in very good touch at the moment, he batted very well,” Ponting said. “I thought he played very well and led our batting from the front at the top of the innings. That was pleasing, and we know he’s captained New South Wales in the past, I’m sure he’ll do a good job for us.”

The ICC has announced a new set of rules for authorised and unauthorised cricket

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2009
The ICL’s status will be decided after meetings between it’s officials and BCCI likely to be on February 21 © AFP
The ICC has announced a new set of rules for authorised and unauthorised cricket that give its member boards the power to decide on granting recognition for competitions that take place on their home soil. However the status of the Indian Cricket League, which was started in September 2007, and the players associated with it will be decided after a meeting between the ICC, BCCI and ICL, likely to be on February 21.The BCCI had initially adopted a hard-line approach against the ICL, barring Indian cricketers associated with the unofficial league from accessing even their local college grounds. It also used its significant influence within the ICC to ensure other national boards imposed similar bans on ICL cricketers and officials.Debate over the ICL gathered pace last week after the Pakistan Cricket Board received a legal notice against a domestic ban it had imposed on players associated with the private league.The ICL had asked for recognition last year under an ICC rule that allowed matches of an “exhibition/testimonial” nature to be granted approval directly by the world body. The ICC had then directed the BCCI to conduct discussions with the Indian board, since it considered the matter a domestic issue. However, there was no headway in the talks between the BCCI and ICL but a subsequent meeting between the ICC and the ICL in December indicated a compromise was on the cards.The status of unofficial tournaments that are held outside the territory of member boards will be determined by the ICC. The rules, which will come into effect from June 2009, were drafted by a five-man panel consisting of consisting of the former Cricket South Africa president Norman Arendse, the ECB chairman Giles Clarke, the BCCI president Shashank Manohar, the BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi and the ICC’s head of legal David Becker.

When Leeds United signed Rodrigo from Valencia for a club-record £26m fee last year, Marcelo Bielsa would no doubt have been hoping, indeed expecting, that the forward would make his mark in the Premier League.

The Spain international arrived at Elland Road off the back of some impressive campaigns in La Liga, where he rebuilt his career after an earlier spell in England with Bolton.

In fact, in the 220 games that he played for Los Che, he scored an impressive 59 times and provided another 41 assists, featuring consistently in competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League.

Rodrigo endured a difficult debut campaign at Elland Road, however, completing the full 90 minutes just four times in the Premier League, while also missing a number of games either through injury or a viral infection.

After being given the chance and trust of his manager to start in the opening game of this season against Manchester United, Rodrigo completely let his manager down with a woeful display, prompting Bielsa to hook him at half-time.

Writing in his post-match player ratings, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross gave him a four, saying: “Had next to no impact on the game with or without the ball. Really struggled with picking up the right men when the hosts had the ball. Hooked at the break.”

It was no surprise that numerous Leeds fans on Twitter tore into the Spain international for his performance against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Given the fee for which he joined, it’s quite telling that CIES now have his market value down at a measly £6m – a reflection perhaps of his total lack of form, injury troubles and the fact that he will turn 31 in a few months’ time.

Victor Orta hasn’t got much wrong at Leeds since becoming the club’s transfer chief and has presided over some superb pieces of work in the market, signing the likes of Raphinha and Illan Meslier to name but a few.

However, Rodrigo is quickly becoming Orta’s biggest transfer blunder at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds must give this star a chance…

Miguel Almiron may now miss Newcastle United’s away game at Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday 11th September, says Lee Ryder.

The Lowdown: Premier League statement

In a statement released on the official website of the Premier League last month, the top flight decided not to release players for international games that are due to take place in red-list countries.

This includes Almiron, who was due to play for Paraguay in crunch FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.

The Latest: Ryder drops Almiron concern

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has now said that Almiron could be banned from playing against the Red Devils at Old Trafford.

This is because Paraguay has complained and asked for those held back not to be able to appear in the first matches after the international break.

The St. James’ Park faithful may be hit by action from FIFA, as they can ban players from taking part in the first games in the Premier League, and impose a five-day rule on them.

The Verdict: Big blow

It certainly would be a blow if the Toon cannot play Almiron against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Dubbed ‘magnificent’ by Alan Shearer after a very impressive performance in a 3-2 home win over Southampton in the top flight back in February, he has certainly been a key player over the last few seasons for the Tyneside outfit, scoring 13 goals and making a further five assists in 95 appearances in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, if an away game against the Red Devils was not difficult enough already, Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to make his second debut for them, and so the Magpies need all of the firepower that they can get in order to try and dig out a result.

Losing out on Almiron’s counter attacking pace and ability to carry the ball forward or draw fouls will be a huge hit to Steve Bruce’s gameplan.

In other news, find out which ‘excellent’ Premier League ace NUFC discussed signing here!