All posts by h716a5.icu

Andrew Strauss has defended Kevin Pietersen’s decision to pull out of the World Cup to get his hernia operation done in relative earnest

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong10-Mar-2011Andrew Strauss has defended Kevin Pietersen’s decision to pull out of the World Cup to get his hernia operation done in relative earnest. The medical staff had initially diagnosed that it was “a pain-management issue”, and the injury wouldn’t get significantly worse if he continued to play in the World Cup. The pain seems to have got unbearable during the game last Sunday against South Africa, after which England had a maximum of five matches left over 27 days.”Kevin has been managing this injury for quite a long time,” Strauss said. “Yes, the medical staff said that it was a pain-management issue, and the injury wasn’t going to get worse, but, you know, Kevin desperately wanted to play in this World Cup, isn’t it? It’s a great stage for him, it’s the sort of thing that floats his boat. If the pain was so bad that he didn’t feel he was able to do that, then it’s a very simple conclusion to draw, which is that you have got to make a change. That’s the situation we found ourselves in. Obviously it’s hard to lose a player of that quality.”Coach Andy Flower, though, differed in his assessment of the state of affairs. On Monday, he told BBC: “The medical advice was that he could get through the tournament. The hernia was not going to get significantly worse, he was not going to tear anything, and so we hoped that he would get through the tournament okay, and that he would be able to take painkillers when necessary and bite the bullet.”Strauss was more compassionate. “I don’t think it was a case of ‘he could have been stronger’ or anything like that,” he said. “The pain just got too much; it was affecting him too much on the field. He didn’t feel he was close enough to a 100% to play international cricket.”Kevin Pietersen bowled eight overs in England’s victory over South Africa in Chennai•Getty ImagesInterestingly, Pietersen bowled eight overs the day he decided he could take the pain no more. “It might have put him under more strain,” Strauss said. “He has been struggling in the field for a while, and I think with these sorts of injuries, it’s both physical and mental. If you are constantly conscious of it, and the pain is always there, then it’s very hard to concentrate on what your main job is.” That does suggest Pietersen might have found himself between a rock and a hard place. If he had stayed on and not done well, criticism for staying on despite the injury couldn’t have been too far away either.While Strauss has to decide who his new opening partner will be, he said the team wasn’t going to miss Pietersen’s part-timers badly. “Kevin hasn’t bowled a lot for us in one-dayers, if I am honest,” Strauss said. “It was great to have him on a big turning wicket the other day. We have other guys who can fill that role, who are not genuine offspin bowlers. Look, we are going to miss KP no doubt. He was playing well at the top of the order, and he is useful both in the field and with the ball. So those are quite large boots to be filled.”England take on Bangladesh in a Group B match on Friday, in Chittagong.

A major snowstorm, affecting the northeastern part of the United States, is threatening to disrupt the USACA Junior Nationals, scheduled to start on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Peter Della Penna27-Dec-2010A major snowstorm, affecting the northeastern part of the United States, is threatening to disrupt the USACA Junior Nationals, scheduled to start on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The Under-19 national championship was supposed to feature teams from the South West, North West, South East and New York regions. Over 2000 flights across the US have been cancelled because of the winter storm, including the New York team’s flight that was scheduled for Monday morning out of JFK airport, as 12 to 18 inches of snow mixed with 35-50mph (56-80kmh) winds hammered the New York metropolitan area on Sunday with the storm forecast to continue into Monday.ESPNcricinfo contacted New York U-19 coach Ricky Kissoon by phone on Sunday night and he said his team is fearful of missing the entire tournament, which is supposed to run from December 28 to December 30. The cricket association’s vice-president of operations Manaf Mohamed confirmed that it appeared the earliest New York could get a flight rebooked from New York to Los Angeles would be on Thursday, the day that the tournament is scheduled to end.The South East U-19 team may also be affected. According to team manager Owen Grey, six members of the squad who are flying out of Fort Lauderdale in Florida have connecting flights on Monday through Philadelphia to get to Los Angeles. Philadelphia has also been heavily affected by the blizzard. A National Football League game between the Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings that was scheduled for Sunday night was postponed until Tuesday night due to the snowstorm.Los Angeles has also seen its share of weather problems in the lead-up to the event, with record rainfall in the last two weeks causing floods and mudslides in southern California. The average annual rainfall in Los Angeles is 15 inches, but so far in the month of December the city has experienced 10 inches of precipitation. The grounds at Woodley Park, the venue where the tournament will be played, still had damp outfields on Sunday afternoon after more showers on Saturday night, but the square was mostly dry and it is hoped that enough sun on Monday will make the whole ground suitable to start the tournament on time.The tournament was originally scheduled for November 12-14 in Fort Lauderdale, but was postponed due to financial problems USACA was experiencing at the time. The tournament is being used as an opportunity for players to showcase their skills in front of selectors for a chance to be picked in USA’s U-19 squad for the ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament from February 7-12 in Fort Lauderdale. The top two teams will advance to the U-19 World Cup global qualifier scheduled for June or July in Ireland.

Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of ending their Tanguy Ndombele nightmare, at least temporarily…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are in advanced talks with his former club Lyon over a loan move with an option to buy in the summer.

“Talks between Tottenham and OL for Tanguy Ndombele are now advanced and progressing to the final stages. Understand OL want to include a buy option clause [not mandatory] in the deal,” he tweeted late in the January transfer window.

Bye-bye at last?

It’s been two-and-a-half years since the north London outfit splashed a club-record £55m on the French midfielder and his time at the club has been nothing short of a disaster.

He has struggled to ever cement a regular place in the starting XI, having been coached by as many as four different managers. Three of which has seen him reportedly demand an exit.

The £200k-per-week star, who earns as much as Harry Kane, has failed to impress during his time at Spurs, registering only ten goals and nine assists across 91 matches. That’s one direct contribution every 4.1 matches from an attack-minded midfielder, as per Transfermarkt.

His last outing came during their FA Cup third-round win over Morecambe, another drab outing from the expensive flop. He was substituted with the team losing 1-0 to a chorus of boos, and as that got louder, he walked slower and slower off the pitch.

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

The writing was on the wall from that moment onwards.

Given the reaction of the fans that day, they will surely be delighted to hear that Ndombele is finally on his way out of the club. If he impresses, the chances of the Ligue 1 outfit re-signing him – if not another team – increases, so it’s a win-win for Spurs all round.

AND in other news, Forget Diaz: Spurs close in on £27m-rated “phenomenal talent”, Conte will love him…

The January transfer window has been and gone for Newcastle United as they completed a number of signings throughout the month.

Eddie Howe was able to bring in Matt Targett, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn to bolster his Magpies squad.

He is now tasked with integrating them into the setup and deploying them in a way to help the club avoid relegation to the Championship. If they are able to successfully steer clear of the bottom three, attention may then turn to the summer transfer window and what PIF may look to do to push on to the next level.

Imagine him & Joelinton

One player who could be on his way to St James’ Park at the end of the campaign is Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch.

German outlet Kicker recently reported that the Magpies are one of the clubs looking into a deal to sign him on a free transfer in the summer, with no club managing to tie him down to a pre-contract agreement in January.

He played with current Newcastle beast Joelinton in Germany, so imagine what their partnership could look like in the Premier League for Howe’s side now that the Brazilian has had his position changed.

The former Hoffenheim marksman has achieved SofaScore ratings of 7.0 or higher in each of his last four appearances in the middle of the park. This shows that he has adapted superbly to his new role and could thrive playing alongside his former team-mate.

Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann previously hailed Grillitsch’s “incredible ability”, and the 26-year-old could use his talents to improve Newcastle’s team.

In the Bundesliga this season, the Austrian has averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.28 for Hoffenheim. He has made a whopping four tackles and interceptions per game, whilst winning an impressive 64% of his duels throughout the campaign.

This shows that he is a defensive powerhouse in the middle of the park who is capable of delivering consistently brilliant displays at the top level, which could work well with Joelinton’s powerful running and attacking drive.

The pair previously spent 1,849 minutes across 27 games playing on the pitch at the same time for Hoffenheim. They have a pre-existing relationship which could allow them to hit the ground running as a pair for Newcastle, potentially playing in a three-man midfield alongside Guimaraes.

This is why the Magpies must strike a pre-contract agreement with the 26-year-old before another club snaps him up. They failed to do so during the January transfer window and must now rectify their mistake by swooping for him in the coming weeks ahead of an official unveiling in the summer.

AND in other news, “From what I’ve heard”: Waugh drops behind-scenes PIF claim which will intrigue NUFC fans…

Journalist Keith Jackson has suggested that Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst could deploy Joe Aribo as a false nine on Thursday. 

The lowdown

Rangers are due to travel to Germany for the first leg of their Europa League semi-final this week, where they will take on RB Leipzig.

They already knew they would be without top scorer Alfredo Morelos, who is ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing thigh surgery, but now second-top scorer Kemar Roofe has picked up a knee injury which will also sideline him against the Bundesliga outfit.

With those two missing, Fashion Sakala led the line for Gers on Saturday as they won 3-1 at Motherwell.

Aribo is predominantly a central midfielder who is also capable of operating on the right but, according to Transfermarkt, he has never played as a centre-forward or a second striker in his senior career.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-3/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest

Jackson said in The Daily Record’s Monday Jury that Van Bronckhorst has his ‘work cut out’ to deliver a ‘tactical solution’ to Rangers’ centre-forward problem.

The journalist has pondered if Aribo could ‘operate as a false nine’ and said that, in the circumstances, it would be a ‘huge’ achievement if the Gers leave the Red Bull Arena with ‘the semifinal still alive’.

The verdict

This is certainly a bold call from Jackson, given that Aribo has no experience in the position, although you could argue that it’s exactly the kind of thing which could catch Leipzig out, as Domenico Tedesco’s side probably won’t be prepared for it.

Aribo is certainly a goalscoring midfielder, having bagged eight over the course of the season. Incidentally, that is more than Sakala (seven), although the Nigerian has played 10 more matches.

If Rangers are to take this gamble, then it’s important that Van Bronckhorst trains the revised shape all week so that his players are able to adjust as best they can ahead of Thursday night.

In other news, Ally McCoist tears into one ‘really poor’ Rangers player

Newcastle United sealed their fourth consecutive Premier League win on Saturday afternoon, beating Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road in a fantastic performance – with the result seeing the Magpies break into the top half of the table.

Eddie Howe’s team have performed miracles since he joined the club – guiding a side who were rock bottom in the Premier League to being 15 points above the relegation zone, sitting ninth after their latest victory.

Newcastle dominated throughout the game away from home, enjoying 55% possession, hitting the target with seven shots and making more accurate passes than their opponents, which led to the side taking their chances to sail to a comfortable victory.

The scoring was opened in the 35th minute when Allan Saint-Maximin swapped positions with Joelinton only minutes before he assisted the Brazilian to make it 1-0, and the tactical tweak continued to pay off when Joelinton found the back of the net to double the lead just before half-time.

In the second half, Newcastle remained confident and dominant with Bruno Guimaraes killing the game by bagging the third in the 49th minute, and from that moment onwards, Norwich were unable to get back into the match.

And, while goalscorer Joelinton did highly impress in Norfolk, it was undoubtedly Guimaraes who stole the show at Carrow Road – with the Brazilian turning in a complete performance that will be giving the Norwich players and supporters nightmares.

Newcastle’s £120k-per-week midfield maestro – who was recently hailed as “magnificent” by Howe – enjoyed a whopping 72 touches of the ball, completed two key passes and, as previously mentioned, got himself on the scoresheet.

The January signing also made four interceptions and two tackles, in addition to boasting an impressive pass accuracy of 95% in the heart of the Newcastle midfield.

Since joining the club, the 24-year-old has featured in 13 Premier League fixtures, winning nine of those games and drawing one – something which clearly indicates that his arrival has had a massive impact on a side who were looking extremely likely to be relegated just a matter of months ago.

There is no doubt that the Newcastle manager, players, supporters and owners will be absolutely thrilled with the progress the team has made in the second half of the season, and there is definitely credit due to the club for identifying such an impactful player like Guimaraes back in January.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Newcastle handed fresh injury lift that will have Eddie Howe buzzing

Aston Villa have reportedly joined some Premier League and European behemoths in the race to sign Denis Zakaria.

The Daily Mail listed the defensive midfielder as a player of interest to Steven Gerrard’s side on Saturday evening, and it has since had a number of Villa supporters talking on social media.

Zakaria, who plies his trade with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, is out of contract at the end of June. The 25-year-old is valued at £24.3m and has made 144 appearances for his current employers, attracting interest from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

However, it now seems as if Villa are also keen on the Switzerland international as they look to bolster their defensive midfield ranks following Marvelous Nakamba’s injury. The Daily Mail named 10 players who are of interest to Villa, one of which was Zakaria.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful shared the links on Twitter regarding the 6 foot 2 beast, whose 90.1% passing accuracy rate is better than any player to have started a league match for Villa this term. Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with many keen to see a move materialise.

“FINALLY, WHAT WE’VE BEEN MISSING”

Credit: @OP4C

“Please be true man”

Credit: @BallyLDM

“OHHH ITS MUSIC TO MY EARS”

Credit: @charliepowellm1

“WAIT WHATTTTTT”

Credit: @LordMillman29

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @K6Lion1874

“Exactly what we need”

Credit: @AJJ8Villa

In other news: Villa’s rivals now set sights on signing 6 ft 2 beast who has ‘put on a lot of weight’. 

Rangers could keep hold of Connor Goldson if they retain the Premiership title, according to The Scottish Daily Express. 

The lowdown

It’s long seemed likely that the 29-year-old would leave Ibrox upon the expiry of his contract in the summer.

In the autumn, The Daily Record’s Keith Jackson said that it was ‘hard to see’ a solution to the contractual ‘stand-off’, and colleague Fraser Wilson admitted the situation was looking ‘ominous’.

According to figures from Salary Sport, Goldson – who joined Rangers from Brighton in 2018 – is already the second-highest earner at the club on £27,000 per week, behind only Alfredo Morelos.

The latest

The Scottish Daily Express’ Lindsay Herron wrote that, while ‘it has been anticipated’ that Goldson will leave Ibrox, he may actually be open to staying put if Rangers win the league and duly qualify for the 2022/23 Champions League group stage.

Rangers would bank £35m through qualification for that tournament, and that could enable them to offer Goldson a ‘more lucrative’ contract. It would also give the English defender the opportunity to test himself at the highest level of the European game.

The verdict

Keeping Goldson would be a huge, and indeed unexpected, boost for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Rangers.

The centre-back was named in the 2020/21 Premiership Team of the Season, an indication of the crucial role that he played in the Light Blues’ title success. The 29-year-old remains one of the first names on the team sheet, starting 20 of the Gers’ 21 league matches so far this term.

In light of this report, you may wonder how many other Rangers players might abandon any thoughts of leaving if Ibrox offers the allure of Champions League football next season.

In other news, here’s the latest on a possible defensive addition at Ibrox 

John Buchanan insists he is not giving away Australia’s plans ahead of the Ashes while Ricky Ponting’s 5-0 claim has been written off

Cricinfo staff17-Aug-2010John Buchanan insists he is not giving away Australia’s plans ahead of the Ashes while Ricky Ponting’s 5-0 claim has been written off by everyone except Justin Langer. Buchanan, who coached the team between 1999 and 2007, has been hired as a consultant to the ECB but said he was not there “to tell people how to beat Australia”.”I am Australian, and cherish the part I played in the ongoing development of Australian cricket,” he said in the Courier-Mail. “Just as I am a Queenslander, and so would never be a full-time coach of another domestic team. This may be misguided loyalty. However, I am loyal to my principles of always assisting those organisations or individuals who seek to be better.”The Ashes tit-for-tat is in full swing after Ricky Ponting said it was possible to cleansweep England. Andrew Strauss called it the “silly season starting” while his team-mate Jonathan Trott felt the announcement would put more pressure on Ponting’s men.”We’re excited about going to Australia and we think we can do very well, but predictions mean nothing,” Strauss said before the start of the third Test against Pakistan. “Ultimately it’s about what you do on that field on the first day at Brisbane that starts to count. Up to then what people say doesn’t interest me to be honest.”Langer, Australia’s batting coach, stood up for Ponting. “It was always funny when Glenn McGrath said we were going to win 5-0 and everyone would bag him, but I never quite understood what he was meant to say,” Langer said in the Australian. “And I don’t understand what Punter’s meant to say, that we expect to lose a couple of Test matches? It’s not really our style to say we’re going to lose any Tests.”Stuart Clark was a key figure in the 5-0 win in 2006-07 and said everything would have to go right for a repeat of the result. Dean Jones, who was involved in Australia’s last home Ashes loss in 1986-87, tipped Strauss’s men as favourites.”I love Ricky’s bravado in coming out and saying Australia will win 5-0 but I can’t see it happening,” he said. “If it does, it will be the greatest performance of all time.”

Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths is wanted by Dundee in a permanent deal, The Herald report.

The Lowdown: Soon-to-be free agent

Recent reports have suggested that the Hoops have terminated the 31-year-old’s contract at Parkhead, however, the club are yet to confirm this.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-copy/” title=”Celtic updates!! (Copy)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As things stand, Griffiths, labelled as ‘amazing’ by Alex McLeish, is still technically a Celtic player, with his deal set to expire in the summer.

He’s been on loan at Dundee during the 2021/22 campaign, scoring twice in 14 games, and it seems as if he is wanted on a permanent deal at Dens Park.

The Latest: Full-time move

According to The Herald, Dundee manager James McPake is determined to keep Griffiths until the end of the season.

Parkhead chiefs have spoken to Griffiths and agreed that they will cancel his contract early, with a permanent move to Dundee as a free agent on the cards at the end of the month.

The Verdict: Good decision

Even though Griffiths penned fresh terms after Ange Postecoglou arrived, things have quickly changed and he is no longer needed at Parkhead, so cutting ties is the right call.

The Hoops have brought in Kyogo Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda and youngster Johnny Kenny as central attacking options after Griffiths extended his stay, so they have more than enough without the Scot.

He’s been a great servant to the club, scoring 123 goals in green and white in 262 appearances and winning 14 major honours, but now is the time to move on for good and look to the future.

In other news: Source claims Celtic closing in on £5m transfer; talkSPORT man says it will ‘definitely’ happen.