All posts by h716a5.icu

Douglas Hondo, the former Zimbabwe pace bowler, is in line to become the national team’s assistant coach

Steven Price17-Nov-2008Douglas Hondo, the former Zimbabwe pace bowler, is in line to become the national team’s assistant coach.Hondo, who currently lives in the UK is back home to negotiate the deal. He quit the Zimbabwe team in February 2007 after refusing to comply with a board instruction to cut his dreadlocks.Zimbabwe Cricket is looking for someone to support new head coach Walter Chawaguta and he has recommended Hondo to the board. Chawaguta said he needed to be helped by someone with a bowling background. The board has been paying for Hondo to undergo training in Australia.However, sources have told Cricinfo that the board has told Hondo to apply for the post. “It’s a bit odd because if you want your man you simply go and get him,” the source said. “I’m not sure why they want him to apply.”Hondo played nine Tests and 56 ODIs for Zimbabwe between 2001 and 2005.

Five Sri Lankan women’s cricketers have claimed that their refusal to give up their pursuit of the game has cost them their jobs

Cricinfo staff29-Oct-2008
Shashikala Siriwardene: “Money is not the main concern. We are currently focused on winning against international teams and developing ourselves” © International Cricket Council
Five Sri Lankan women’s cricketers, including captain Shashikala Siriwardene, have claimed that their refusal to give up their pursuit of the game has cost them their jobs.Siriwardene, a human resources assistant for clothing firm Slimline, told the BBC: “They told me to choose either cricket or the job.” Chamari Polgampola, Shiromala Weerakkody, Chamika Bandara and Dilani Manodara were among the other members of the team who were employed by Slimline.”For over two and a half years, the company helped me – offering duty leave, transport, medicine and sports facilities,” Siriwardene said. The Sri Lankan women’s team, unlike the men’s team, does not get any assistance from the Sri Lankan board or sponsors. Arjuna Ranatunga, the Sri Lanka Cricket chairman, though, has offered to find employment opportunities for the out-of-job players she said.An HR director at Slimline, Shanaz Freena, said the players had given in their resignations voluntarily. “They submitted their resignations saying they got some other job offers and the team wanted to stay together,” he said. We just accepted their resignations.”Sri Lanka are preparing for five ODIs against West Indies women at home to be played from November 5 to 12. “Money is not the main concern,” Siriwardene said. “We are currently focused on winning against international teams and developing ourselves. We would like to see Sri Lankan fans come out to support us against West Indies.”

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted at the news that Jordan Henderson should sign a new Reds deal in the near future.

The Reds have had a quiet summer in the transfer window, only signing Ibrahima Konate to date and significantly losing Gini Wijnaldum to Paris Saint-Germain.

It has been a hugely productive time of things in terms of new contracts, however, with Virgil van Dijk the latest player to sign a long-term deal on Friday.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

There has been some doubt surrounding Henderson’s future at Liverpool in recent weeks, with contracts talks seemingly at an impasse.

Thankfully, Jurgen Klopp provided a huge update on the situation in his pre-Norwich City press conference on Friday, claiming his captain’s new deal “will get sorted” [via journalist Dominic King on Twitter].

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-4/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Henderson contract news

It is extremely encouraging news which has pleased many, with these Liverpool fans taking to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the matter.

“Buzzing”

Credit: @fareed_jovainy

“At last some sense in Liverpool management hierarchy”

Credit: @PAPAN07_LFC

“Would be very happy with this! Give the team and fans a boost to know the club captain is being given a very deserved contract renewal!”

Credit: @CallumLucas0902

“Brilliant news”

Credit: @AnfieldKnow

“Thank heavens”

Credit: @icy7_YNWA

“Let’s gooooooo”

Credit: @benedettatello9

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming at an update regarding one Reds player. Read more here.

Surrey have received the go-ahead from Lambeth Council to install permanent floodlights at The Oval

Cricinfo staff08-Oct-2008Surrey have received the go-ahead from Lambeth Council to install permanent floodlights at The Oval.The plans will see the ground install four new permanent floodlight masts, with a fifth planned if permission is granted by the Secretary of State for the proposed redevelopment of the Lock and Laker stands.The new lights have been developed uniquely for The Oval, combining the latest technologies to ensure that the light will remain focused in the ground, and not the neighbouring area. The lights will replace the temporary solution of previous years that had seen masts brought in on a game-by-game basis. These previous solutions were noisy, environmentally unfriendly, and did not prevent light from shining into neighbouring streets.Surrey have had to commit to producing a plan to ensure disruption for local residents is minimised.

This has been an extremely busy week for Celtic in the transfer market.

The Hoops needed new bodies and Ange Postecoglou has achieved that by welcoming Joe Hart and James McCarthy to Parkhead.

On the chalkboard

Those two additions are incredibly important to Celtic with problems emerging in both areas.

Ismaila Soro has endured a poor start to the season so McCarthy now stands a brilliant chance of becoming the club’s heir to Scott Brown in the middle of the park.

As for the goalkeeping position, both Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas have already made mistakes in the opening three competitive matches of the new campaign.

In fact, defensive errors as a whole have been rife as the Bhoys pick up the mantle from how they closed out the 2020/21 term.

Nir Bitton was sent off in the Champions League and then put in a torturous performance against Hearts last weekend. That said, debutant Carl Starfelt didn’t escape the negative headlines either.

A lack of match action may attribute to his poor performance, but there was no excuse for playing a dangerous back pass in the second half that nearly had shades of Jonjoe Kenny in his first Old Firm game last season.

Defenders needed

With such a disastrous start to the campaign from a defensive point of view in mind, Postecoglou desperately needs to sign Hart’s ex-teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Reports in June claimed that Celtic were interested in signing the Tottenham defender.

Talks got underway and now according to the Record, the Hoops have ramped up their plans to sign the centre-back.

That being said, with 12 months remaining on his deal in north London, Celtic will need to stump up a £5m fee rather than signing him on loan.

If Postecoglou does bring him to Paradise then it would be an excellent piece of business, even at the asking price touted.

Dubbed “incredible” by his manager Graeme Jones during a loan spell with Luton, the United States international has qualities that would suit the coaching department in Glasgow.

First and foremost, his ability to play out from the back will be vitally important. Carter-Vickers completed 91.6% of his passes in the English second tier during a stay with Swansea, the best tally of any player in the entire division.

With that kind of passing in mind, he could form quite the partnership with Carl Starfelt, another composed ball-playing defender.

Furthermore, Carter-Vickers prevailed in 2.8 aerial battles per game last season, a number that was slightly down from the 3.8 he won with Luton Town in 2019/20.

It’s evident that he’d be a fantastic addition to the Celtic ranks; Postecoglou must make him the club’s latest signing.

AND in other news, Celtic must do everything to sign 24-cap “animal” who Rodgers dubbed “outstanding”…

Arsenal have registered their interest in signing Inter striker Lautaro Martinez this summer.

What’s the story?

With reports in recent days claiming that Alexandre Lacazette could be set for an exit, there had been suggestions that Mikel Arteta’s side are interested in Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham.

Now, The Telegraph claim that the Gunners have set their sights on Martinez, with an inquiry having been made for the Argentina international.

The report adds that the north London side are embarking on a more ambitious summer transfer window, with the club keen to bridge the gap to the top four under Arteta.

Shades of Alexis Sanchez

The £72m-rated Martinez has established himself as one of the top marksmen in Serie A football over the past few seasons, and enjoyed an impressive campaign for Inter in the one just gone by – he netted 17 goals and provided another ten assists in 38 league games.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has waxed lyrical about his Argentine teammate, telling Mundo Deportivo: “Lautaro is an impressive forward, especially because I think he is a very complete striker: he is strong, he dribbles well, he has a goal, he knows how to protect the ball.”

He added: “He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player, and he is showing that He’s very strong, really good one on one, scores a lot of goals, and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”

That ability to work hard off the ball despite his obvious technical quality is something very much reminiscent of Alexis Sanchez in his prime at Arsenal.

His former Gunners teammate, Carl Jenkinson, said: “On the ball he’s fantastic and people know what he offers and what he can bring, and just to see his work rate is great. People underestimate how hard he works sometimes because people always look at what he can do with the ball, but his work rate is exceptional.”

While Sanchez predominantly played off the left-wing, Arsene Wenger did use him through the middle on occasion as his side’s number nine, hoping his pressing, movement off the ball and eye for goal could lead the line well – in fact, in the 37 games that the Arsenal boss played him as a striker, the Chilean scored 20 times and set up another 13.

Letting Lacazette go this summer, and bringing in Martinez, who very much has shades of Sanchez in his game, could be a real coup for the Gunners as they look to compete once more.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are eyeing a move for this European star…

Derby County have been dealt a major blow in their bid to keep Lee Buchanan at Pride Park this summer.

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 Nottingham Forest have made a fresh bid for the Derby County left-back, although Wayne Rooney’s side are thought to have rejected the proposal.

It was reported by The Athletic earlier this week that the 20-year-old is top of Chirs Hughton’s list of transfer targets this summer, with the Reds having already seen one offer knocked back for the defender by their rivals.

However, it is not only Forest thought to be interested in a move for the Rams youngster, with Arsenal and Celtic both reported to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the England U21 international.

Although, it would very much appear as if Hughton’s side are leading the race Buchanan, with Nixon stating: “Forest. New and improved bid for Lee Buchanan. Derby said no. Latest package definitely better, but not yet enough.”

Morris must not sell

While Nixon does not mention the amount of money Forest have offered for Buchanan, it would be naive to think that Mel Morris is not considering the idea of cashing in on the left-back this summer.

Indeed, the Rams are in the midst of what could well be the club’s biggest financial crisis in their history, while the £2.25m-rated defender is just about to enter the final year of his current contract at Pride Park.

However, despite these facts, Morris must ensure that he resists all temptation to sanction the sale of the 20-year-old this summer, not only as the youngster will have a major role to play in Wayne Rooney’s side next season – with the 35-year-old desperately lacking depth all over the pitch – but also because selling one of the club’s most promising talents to their fiercest of rivals would be seen as an unforgivable act by the Derby faithful.

As such, while the argument could be made that, should Arsenal or Celtic come in with an offer that the club’s owner simply cannot refuse, Buchanan’s departure could actually help sustain the club in the long term, if it is Forest who have an offer accepted for the Englishman this summer – no matter how good it may be for the club’s financial health – Morris will have made a grave error, and one that would quite rightly leave their fans fuming.

In other news: John Percy drops behind-the-scenes Derby County claim, fans will rightly be fuming

A round-up of the County Championship action

Cricinfo staff02-Aug-2008
Zander de Bruyn cuts out © Getty Images
In a round affected by the weather, Worcestershire were the only team on the final day to produce a result (Glamorgan having taken three days to beat Essex) when they defeated Gloucestershire by an innings and 142 runs at Cheltenham. Gloucestershire lost their final six wickets for 119, Simon Jones picking up four wickets which will encourage the England selectors. He and Imran Aarif managed to clean up the final four wickets between them in 18 deliveries. Vikram Solanki had played a large part of their thumping success following his 270. Worcestershire top the table, then, with a 15-point margin over second-placed Warwickshire who have played one game fewer.Michael Powell remained defiant as Warwickshire held off Leicestershire’s attack despite following on at Grace Road the day before. Though Powell had undergone a poor run, he showed no signs of it as he topscored with an unbeaten 68 from 213 balls in what was only his second Championship fifty of the season. A slow and low pitch made it hard for both sides to make anything out of the game which inevitably ended in a draw.An unbeaten century for Stephen Peters and a fifty for Riki Wessels confirmed the stalemate for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire at Chesterfield. They managed to push their side’s lead to 275 but the teams simply ran out of time for a conclusive contest. Andrew Hall, meanwhile, registered his first five-wicket haul of the season, taking 5 for 81 to help dismiss Derbyshire for 342. Jonathan Clare was out for 88, just missing out on his second first-class hundred.

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

Worcestershire 11 5 1 0 5 0 148 Warwickshire 10 3 0 0 7 0 133 Northamptonshire 11 3 2 0 6 0 127 Essex 10 4 4 0 2 0 112 Leicestershire 10 2 2 0 6 0 101 Middlesex 10 2 4 0 4 0 100 Derbyshire 10 2 2 0 6 0 99 Glamorgan 9 2 4 0 3 0 76 Gloucestershire 9 0 4 0 5 0 68

It was much the same story for Hampshire and Kent at Canterbury as the visitors lost just the one wicket all day. Nic Pothas played a defiant century which put the result beyond doubt, and he was helped in his efforts by Chris Tremlett, who made his second half-century in recent weeks as Hampshire played themselves well out of danger, eventually declaring on 311 having been 143 for 6 heading into the final day.Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Michael Di Venuto both made fifties for Durham whose match with Nottinghamshire had been blighted by rain earlier in the game at Trent Bridge. Stuart Broad produced an impressive burst to boost his chances of an England recall, but the game ended with the rarely-seen bowling of Chris Read. The result leaves Nottinghamshire still top, although Durham, in second, have a match in hand on them and they are only separated by ten points.Rain frustrated Sussex and Somerset on the final day at Horsham. Though Chris Adams had declared once the rain cleared, to leave a target of 336, Somerset were able to bat only 38 overs, reaching 128 for 2.Click here for a report of how Mark Ramprakash finally reached his hundredth hundred in helping Surrey draw with Yorkshire at Headingley.

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

Nottinghamshire 10 4 2 0 4 0 125 Durham 9 4 2 0 3 0 115 Somerset 9 3 1 0 5 0 115 Kent 10 3 3 0 4 0 111 Lancashire 9 3 1 0 5 0 108 Sussex 10 2 2 0 6 0 107 Yorkshire 10 2 4 0 4 0 100 Hampshire 11 1 4 0 6 0 93 Surrey 10 0 3 0 7 0 85

Manchester United appear to be prioritising their pursuit of Raphael Varane this summer, but another Madrid-based star could also be on his way to Old Trafford.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet AS (as reported by the Manchester Evening News), Saul Niguez is a wanted man, with rumours of a swap deal between the Atletico Madrid midfielder and Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann continuing to rumble on.

However, the report claims that the swap deal hasn’t progressed much in recent days, leading to Saul’s agent contacting both United and their fierce rivals Liverpool to sound out a potential move to the Premier League.

Atletico are thought to be calm about the situation and are set to demand  €40m (£34.2m) for the highly-rated Spain international.

Solskjaer would love him

With the likes of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek, Fred and Scott McTominay to call upon, United are well-stocked in the centre of the pitch at this moment in time.

Having said that, speculation over Pogba’s future continues to grow, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be forced into the transfer market to strengthen his engine room over the coming months.

Therefore, a move for Saul may be an extremely appealing prospect for the Norwegian tactician.

The technically gifted dynamo has established himself as a world-class operator in recent years, scoring 43 goals and providing 19 assists in 337 appearances for Atleti, winning one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey and two Europe League crowns along the way.

His impressive performances saw Saul linked with a move to Old Trafford as recently as 12 months ago when he was also outlined as a potential replacement for Pogba.

Former United defender and BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand lauded the Spaniard following the transfer talk, praising his ability on the ball and tactical awareness.

“I don’t want Pogba to go, but if he does go, I’d take Saul Niguez all day long. Not like-for-like but still a top player,” Ferdinand said.

“What a player. I’ve been harping on about Saul Niguez for a few years now. I think he’s a major player. He’s composed, calm, great left foot, lovely conductor, he can score goals, tactically he’s very aware.

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

It remains to be seen whether United make a move for Saul this summer, but with only a year remaining on his current contract, he could be a real bargain for whoever takes an interest.

And, in other news…Imagine him & Fernandes: Ole must unleash “perfect” £27m-rated Man Utd star next term 

A week ago the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins travel to Centurion in defence of the Discovery Health Challenge, leaving empty handed, they returned on Sunday (22nd) to take sweet revenge on Northern Titans by beating the hosts by six wickets in a fourth

Keith Lane22-Dec-2002A week ago the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins travel to Centurion in defence of the Discovery Health Challenge, leaving empty handed, they returned on Sunday (22nd) to take sweet revenge on Northern Titans by beating the hosts by six wickets in a fourth round Standard Bank Cup clash.Set a stiff target of 247 in the 45 over allocation, Ahmed Amla and Shaun Pollock made short work of the Titans attack labouring in the glorious sunshine. A 144-run partnership between the youthful Amla and the more matured Pollock laid the foundation to a very impressive victory.Amla scored a run-a-ball 90, his highest in limited overs, smashing seven fours and clearing the boundary on a further four occasions. What should have been his maiden limited overs hundred ended when caught in the outfield off the bowling of another veteran Steve Elworthy.Pollock, not called on to bowl, had come in at number three and showed his class by stroking and timing his way to 72 off 77 balls, including five fours and a six off Pierre Joubert,.before he was caught at the wicket.Lance Klusener (35*) and Hamish Amla (31*) took Natal to the six-wicket win with eight balls to spare.The Dolphins had won the toss and on a fairly flat, hard and bouncy pitch elected to bowl first.Three cheep wickets brought Neil McKenzie and Gerald Dross together who put on a 111-run partnership. McKenzie, not as fluent as he has been, scored a hard working 65 off 91 balls on a pitch that came on but generated a fair bit of bounce.Dross, once getting to grips with the pace of the pitch, scored his fourth, but first hundred of the season, going to the three figure mark in 93 balls when he was run out. He powerfully scored eight boundaries and four sixes taking 44 runs off 23 balls faced from Lance Klusener.A flurry at the end of the innings from Kruger van Wyk (29*) and Elworthy (14*) saw Northerns reach a good 246/6.