All posts by h716a5.icu

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Burnley midfielder Robbie Brady on a free transfer ahead of the summer window.

What’s the story?

According to The Mirror’s John Cross, the 29-year-old is wanted by several clubs, with his contract at Turf Moor set to expire over the coming months.

The report claims that Watford, Southampton and Scottish giants Celtic are set to rival the Eagles for Brady’s signature.

Parish must avoid

Palace have been left in a state of limbo following the departure of Roy Hodgson, who brought a sense of stability to the south London outfit during his four-year stint at the club.

Although the former England boss did a commendable job with the Eagles, recording finishes of 11th, 12th, 14th and 14th, he’s arguably left the first team squad in a rather poor state.

With 14 players coming to the end of their current deals at Selhurst Park, Wilfried Zaha continuously being linked with a move away from his boyhood club and serious injuries to youngsters Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson, the task facing Hodgson’s successor is a daunting one.

The Eagles had the oldest squad in the Premier League last season, and it’s a major issue which needs addressing in the transfer market over the summer by chairman Steve Parish.

Many of the Palace players set to become free agents are either in their 30s or fast approaching that landmark, and the arrivals of Eze (22) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (23) appeared to indicate that Parish was beginning to address that particular issue.

However, bringing in Brady would completely go against that philosophy. Although the Republic of Ireland international is a useful asset to have for a mid-table top-flight team, his injury issues and age (29) make him an inappropriate target for Palace at this moment in time.

In five seasons at Burnley, the versatile winger never made more than 19 league appearances in a single campaign for Sean Dyche’s men.

With left-back Patrick van Aanholt set to depart Palace and winger Andros Townsend potentially following suit, the arrival of Brady as their potential replacement would make little sense, and Parish must avoid the temptation to find a quick, short-term solution to Palace’s extensive issues.

In other news… Parish heading for huge transfer mistake over £7.2m-rated dynamo, Palace need him

Saeed Anwar, one of the best openers in present day cricket, slapped the face of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when he declared himself fully fit for the coming Test series against New Zealand

Ali Kabir23-Apr-2002Saeed Anwar, one of the best openers in present day cricket, slapped the face of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when he declared himself fully fit for the coming Test series against New Zealand.The opener was not considered by the PCB selection committee claiming that his fitness was in doubt.The PCB chief, time and again has been suggesting that players were the best judge of their fitness. He suggested the theory of rotation among a select band of players to save them from burn-out. Nobody can disagree with the PCB boss on his logic of burn-out. However, he has repeatedly said that the final selection of matches lie with the players themselves. But in the case of Saeed Anwar the same standard has not been applied.It only shows double standard of the PCB when Saeed Anwar was not consulted and someone or some people around the high ups decided themselves to rule out the classy opener. There were some whispers that he lacks match practice.Of course Saeed Anwar has not played competitive cricket for nearly six months. But he has to make a beginning if he is still good enough to be included in the team preparing for the World Cup next year.The functioning of the PCB is beyond imagination. Its working is as unpredictable as the team’s performance graph which is most unpredictable. There is jubilation on Pakistan’s thumping win over Sri Lanka in the final of the Sharjah Cup this week.It was nothing so surprising. The team’s performance is unpredictable and on a day when everything was in their favour and they were going great guns, the Sri Lanka team had the misfortune of losing their only match-winning bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan who had to leave the field with a dislocated shoulder before he could even spin a single delivery.This unforeseen incident electrified the morale of the Pakistan team and played a demoralising effect on the Islanders. The rest is history as Pakistan amassed 295, a match winning total.The PCB chief was so overjoyed that he announced a bonus of three lakh rupees to every member of the Pakistan contingent which included `extra baggage’ who was not a member of the team as well as the counselor specially flown in. It seems as if the PCB has turned into a charitable trust and the Pakistani cricketers are its only beneficiaries.What was so great about the Sharjah victory. It was the same Pakistan team which failed to score 19 runs in the last three overs against the same outfit. And if one goes with the entire achievement of the Pakistan team which has been boasting of world’s best talent for almost two decades, it has just one World Cup and one Asian Championship title to its credit.Sharjah and Sahara Cups have no credentials. They are just `Nataks’ of cricket staged by the international event managers to mint money from advertising and other hidden sources. If the overall performance at Sharjah is taken into consideration one would like to ask the manager and the coach what were they doing when Rashid Latif and Wasim Akram were struggling to score 19 runs from 18 balls and failed.Manager Yawar Saeed, after the match said that the players made a mistake as they did not ask for the change of the ball which they should have done.If the players in the heat of the situation failed to demand the change, the wiser men who were sitting outside should have sent in the message. One thinks that the team management was busy counting their gains.The PCB has an army of officers to run the show on fat salaries. If the team coach can be paid around Rs 2,40,000 for a month does he deserve a bonus too? Secondly one player who was not among the 15 was also paid the bonus of Rs 300,000. One has nothing against Faisal Iqbal he is a budding youngster. Now for no fault of his own this poor chap is being made target of criticism just because he is being pushed into the team when there is no place for him at the moment.One hopes Faisal does not meet the same fate which Shoaib Mohammad met as he was pushed into the Pakistan team rather prematurely by his supporters and when Shoaib really made a mark and deserved a place in the team he was ignored because of the prejudices and bias of the then cricket board and the selectors.If the PCB is really interested in grooming Faisal he should be kept in the cricket academy and given chance when there is an opportunity.Faisal has toured with the Pakistan team to Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, was a member of the team in the Asian Test Championship staged in Pakistan early this year, then was a member of the team in the off-shore Test series in Sharjah and again was a non playing member of the team in the just concluded Sharjah Cup.He has perhaps set a new Pakistan record of touring with the Pakistan team. One wonders will his career end as a tourist. His supporters should think over it and plan out his career.And lastly one would like the PCB to cut down it’s extravagant expenditure. The payment to the players, officials and non active members should correspond with the overall economic condition of the country. Cricketers are not rare commodities.Pakistan hockey team has won more laurels for the country but its players were never honored or given financial gains. Can one imagine that a win at Sharjah made everybody on the bandwagon richer by at least by Rs three lakh.Even a country like America, the world’s richest nation never showers it’s Olympic champions with such financial gains. How a poor country like ours can afford such a luxury is beyond imagination.President Pervez Musharraf who every time advocates for accountability should give a look at the PCB as the money being given to individuals is after all public money and instead of making individuals rich it should be spent on development of cricket in particular and sports in general. The autonomy given to the PCB is perhaps being misused and it should be stopped immediately.

The hundredth anniversary of the birth of New Zealand cricket great ML “Curly” Page fell this week

Matthew Appleby09-May-2002The hundredth anniversary of the birth of New Zealand cricket great ML “Curly” Page fell this week.The last survivor of the ground-breaking 1927 tour to England, Page died in 1987, aged 84.Born Milford Laurensen Page in Lyttelton in 1902, he went on to be one of a select group of double internationals. He played half-back for the All Blacks in the third Test against New South Wales in 1928 at Christchurch, whilst another All Black team were touring South Africa.He was a schoolboy prodigy in the mould of near-contemporary Tom Lowry, but young Curly went to Christchurch Boys’ High School, rather than the fee-paying Christ’s College of “born to the purple” Lowry. The scene of the development of future Test captains Walter Hadlee and Lee Germon, as well as Ian Cromb, Dayle and Richard Hadlee and Chris Cairns, Page was encouraged towards the first XI at school by Bob Burns, soon-to-be Canterbury’s genial wicket-keeper, who was two years Page’s senior at school. He played against the 1920/21 Australians for Canterbury while still at school.After school, he spent six years near Darfield, birthplace of future New Zealand captain John Wright, for health reasons, then returned to become a dual international within a year. He was first selected for New Zealand’s unofficial series against the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1926/27, scoring 207 runs in four innings, to win selection for the Lowry-led 1927 first full New Zealand tour of England.Renowned for his sportsmanship, Page led New Zealand on their 1937 tour to England after being vice-captain in 1931’s tour under Lowry. In 1930, he scored one and 21 in New Zealand’s first Test match, followed by 67 and 32 in the second. In 1931, Page made 104 in 220 minutes in what Arthur Carman called “arguably New Zealand’s proudest batting achievement to date” at Lord’s on New Zealand’s first Test appearance in England. By 1937, Page had retired temporarily in 1935/36, and was 34 and past his best.Dick Brittenden wrote, “Page had a hard row to sow that summer. Had the catching of his colleagues matched his own high standard, he might have given New Zealand its first Test win in the second of the series at Manchester.” As it was, with England just 152 runs ahead and with seven wickets down, they were “let off the hook” according to Men in White, with Freddie Brown dropped three times before he had made 21. He went on to top-score with 57. Tom Goddard “seemed to intimidate tentative batsmen” and took six for 29. He bowled Page for two.An admirer of Page’s was the second-last survivor of the 1927 pioneers, Bill Cunningham. “He could handle a side well under any conditions. He was a genuine man, great to play under,” said the Canterbury fast bowler. EG Garbutt wrote that Page “often pocketed catches with the sleight-of-hand of a Kreskin.”Brittenden described Page as a “quiet, modest, kind, always painstakingly fair in his assessment of a player or situation. He stood, indeed, for all that was best in one of New Zealand cricket’s golden ages.”

Leeds United have reportedly set their sights on signing Nahitan Nandez in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Midfielders struggle with injuries

There were a few central midfield players who struggled with injuries during the 2020/21 season at Elland Road, namely Kalvin Phillips and further forward Rodrigo, and so it should really be an area that Marcelo Bielsa would be looking at strengthening.

Nandez could well fit the bill in that regard, as a latest update has been given on the Yorkshire club’s pursuit of the Cagliari ace.

The Latest: Leeds set sights on Nandez

As per Calciomercato, Leeds, as well as Inter Milan, have set their sights on signing Nandez.

Relations between the presidents of both Cagliari and LUFC are reportedly ‘excellent’, while Bielsa likes the profile of the Uruguay international.

Nandez has a deal at the Serie A club until 2024, and has a release clause of €36m (£30.9m), a sum that Leeds may well be tempted by.

The Verdict: Leeds should sign Nandez

Nandez would certainly be a shrewd addition to the squad for the Whites should they be able to beat the likes of Inter to his signature.

Allegedly admired by Bielsa, the Argentine will likely already have a system in mind for how he would like to play Nandez, and with his added versatility to be able to play in a number of different positions, it could well turn out to be a match made in heaven.

Italian football journalist Mina Rzouki described Nandez as ‘unstoppable’ in a performance for Cagliari against UEFA Europa League semi-finalists AS Roma back in May, and at 25 years of age, he still has plenty of room to grow.

In other news, find out why Victor Orta’s summer transfer plans have been described as ‘huge’ here!

The selectors of Bangladesh Cricket Board has ruled out Minhajul AbedinNannu for the upcoming away series against Sri Lanka commencing from July12

Shahryar Khan20-Jun-2002The selectors of Bangladesh Cricket Board has ruled out Minhajul AbedinNannu for the upcoming away series against Sri Lanka commencing from July12. Bangladesh squad will head off for Sri Lanka in July 8 to take on thehosts for two Tests and three limited over matches. The exclusion ofMinhajul Abedin, who played brilliantly all through the year, must havedissapointed the cricket lovers all over the country.Bangladesh opted for some new faces in this series. Ehsanul Haque has madehis way into the team for his sparkling performance in GrameenPhone PremierLeague this year. the opener from Barisal district, Hannan Sarkar, isincluded, as he did well in Busta Cup in West Indies.the seam bowlers Tarek Aziz Khan, Alamgir Kabir and Talha Zubair are joiningleft-handed Manjurul Islam while Mohammed Sharif and Hasibul Husaain areruled out. Mashrafe-Bin-Mortaza is not playing cricket beacuse he sustaineda knee injury.Left-arm spinner Mohammed Rafique is replaced by right-arm Fahim Muntasir.Tushar Imran, the hard hitter middle order batsman, and burly veteran AkramKhan are enjoing a good come back.The squad for the Sri Lanka tour:1. Khaled Masud (captain)2. Habibul Bashar3. Aminul Islam4. Akram Khan5. Al-Sahariar6. Abdul Hannan Sarkar7. Mohammed Ashraful8. Tushar Imran9. Fahim Muntasir10. Manjarul Islam11. Tarek Aziz Khan12. Alamgir Kabir13. Talha Zubair14. Enamul Haque15. Ehsanul HaqueStand By:1. Naimur Rahman2. Mohammed Rafique3. Khaled Mahmud4. Taposh Kumar Baiso5. Alok Kapali6. Anwar Hossain Monir

According to a report by TUTTOmercatoWEB, Tottenham Hotspur now want Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci and that interest can become ‘something more’ in the next few weeks.

The Lowdown: Spurs on the defensive chase…

The centre-back position has been touted as a main area for improvement this summer, with targets already being identified by Tottenham.

Indeed, as per Alasdair Gold, Nikola Milenkovic and Joachim Andersen are on the list, and there is also a belief that Merih Demiral is being eyed by Spurs.

Regardless of who they want to bring in, Tottenham will need to adopt a sell-to-buy policy this summer before any signings are made amid financial constraints.

The Latest: Spurs now want Bonucci…

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB, another defender has now entered the radar of Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy.

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Italian colossus Bonucci, who has been playing at the highest level for over a decade now, is still a regular for Juventus despite being 34 years old. Indeed he started 24 Serie A matches for the Old Lady last season and has now been called up to Italy’s 26-man Euro 2020 squad by Roberto Mancini.

As a result, Tottenham are now interested in Bonucci, and that could transform into ‘something more’ over these next few weeks.

The Verdict: Quick fix…

While Bonucci is a proven defender and could do wonders as part of a Tottenham backline, Levy and co should arguably be looking for a more long-term solution.

The £180,000-per-week powerhouse, standing at a lofty 1.9m (6 foot 3), has the physicality to impress in England, but the longevity is another matter entirely. At 34, Spurs could maybe hope for one or two more elite seasons from the defender before he inevitably declines.

The Lilywhites may have missed the boat for Bonucci but there is no doubt he would have been a sensational signing a few years ago. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, a known admirer of the 102-cap Italy legend, previously dubbed him an ‘exceptional player’ when speaking to the English press (Manchester Evening News).

Despite Bonucci’s vast experience and top-level success (nine Serie A titles), we believe Spurs should be looking elsewhere for defensive reinforcements this summer.

In other news: Telegraph journalist shares news with ‘superlative’ manager keen to join Spurs, find out more here.

Ange Postecoglou is now the proud holder of the position of Celtic manager.

It’s a vacancy that had been empty since the end of February when Neil Lennon left in rather embarrassing circumstances.

The Hoops were considerably off the pace and ended the campaign without a trophy to their name. Thus, the pressure on Postecoglou’s shoulders should be enormous.

Celtic are in desperate need of a rebuild and with Scott Brown, another famous face at Paradise to leave, a leadership void and a space in midfield needs to be filled.

Liam Shaw will arrive from Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer at the end of the month but at the age of just 20, it would be foolish to entrust him immediately.

One player touted with a switch to Paradise has been Jack Wilshere. The 34-cap Englishman is at the opposite end of his career to Shaw but shouldn’t be considered by Celtic.

Wilshere is out of contract with Bournemouth this summer and is available on a free transfer but despite his enormous technical qualities, he carries around some excess baggage.

Speaking to This is Futbol last month, Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie had the following to say regarding the 29-year-old’s future: “I don’t think he’d be one that I would certainly be looking at taking particularly. He’s gone into the Championship and I think people have always labelled the Championship as a similar sort of level as the Scottish Premiership, so you’ve got to ask yourself would he fit the bill?”

Hendrie added: “I’m not too sure about that. And that’d be a big, big question mark for me, if he would fit the bill.”

The pundit is spot on his assessment, particularly when you consider his salary demands and his injury record.

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He earned £110k-per-week at West Ham last season and although he took a significant drop in order to join the Cherries, his demands could be out of the reach for Celtic are willing to pay.

Described as the most “overrated” player on the planet by Roy Keane, Wilshere managed to play 18 times for Bournemouth after signing a short contract in January but there are still concerns over his long-term fitness.

The former Arsenal star has suffered 18 different injuries during his career and hasn’t managed to feature in more than 30 games in a single campaign for a decade.

Couple those two factors together and it could make you think of a certain Derk Boerrigter.

The Dutch forward signed for Bhoys in 2013 but only made 26 appearances in a three-year spell, featuring for a grand total of 514 minutes.

On a salary of £12k-per-week, he cost the Glaswegian a considerable amount when you consider his awful injury record.

According to the player, Celtic even made him play through his fitness issues; “Celtic destroyed my career by making me play even though I was injured. That was despite me repeatedly telling them it was not a good idea,” he said back in 2018.

Celtic made a mistake by signing the forward, one they cannot afford to repeat with Wilshere now Postecoglou is at the helm.

He must be allowed to devise his own list of targets.

AND in other news, Celtic eye move for “brilliant” 47-goal star, he’d be a fantastic Edouard successor…

Somerset Sabres will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they take on Yorkshire Phoenix at Scarborough tomorrow

SOMERSET13-Jul-2002Somerset Sabres will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they take on Yorkshire Phoenix at Scarborough tomorrow.The Sabres find themselves in the division one relegation zone after suffering consecutive defeats at the hands of Glamorgan and Worcestershire in their last two matches that were both played at Taunton.Yorkshire Phoenix have enjoyed mixed fortunes in their NUL season so far, and are currently in mid table with three wins from six matches.When the two teams met at Taunton earlier in the year, it was Yorkshire who came out on top, but only by the narrowest of margins, in a match that produced over 600 runs.With injury worries over Graham Rose, Somerset have re-signed Paul Jarvis as cover and he may well be in the line up for the game tomorrow, when he will no doubt get a warm reception from the Yorkshire crowd.The rest of the Somerset squad will remain the same as the team that has played in the championship match.Earlier today Kevin Shine told me: "Scarborough is a lively place to play cricket on a Sunday. After our last two disappointing results in the NUL we will be looking for a win tomorrow."

All matches in the Frizzell Women’s County Championship were abandoned at midday following heavy rain in Cambridge

ECB Media Release30-Jul-2002All matches in the Frizzell Women’s County Championship were abandoned at midday following heavy rain in Cambridge. All teams have been awarded eleven points for a draw.Yorkshire face Berkshire in Division One tomorrow at Queen’s College for theChampionship decider. Staffordshire play Nottinghamshire and Surrey playSussex.In Division Two, Kent will play Lancashire to decide who is promoted withHertfordshire playing Middlesex and Somerset facing Derbyshire in a relegation battle.Division Three should see Hampshire secure their promotion as they playCheshire, Essex take on Warwickshire and Durham face Wiltshire.

Division OneTeam                  Played   Won     Lost   PointsYorkshire  3       3       0      70.5Berkshire               3       2       1      59.5Sussex                  3       2       1      55Nottinghamshire         3       1       2      43Surrey                  3       1       2      38Staffordshire           3       0       3      29Division TwoTeam                  Played   Won     Lost   PointsKent                    3       3       0      73.5Lancashire              3       3       0      69.5Hertfordshire           3       2       1      57Somerset                3       1       2      41Middlesex               3       0       3      31.5Derbyshire              3       0       3      31Division ThreeTeam                  Played   Won     Lost   PointsHampshire               3       3       0      71.5Warwickshire            3       2       1      57.5Cheshire                3       2       1      57Essex                   3       1       2      44.5Durham                  3       1       2      43Wiltshire               3       0       3      25

All Frizzell Women’s County Championship matches are one-day 50 overs perside. There are three divisions of six teams in the tournament, which isrun on a round robin basis within each division, with relegation andpromotion for the teams finishing top and bottom. All matches take place atUniversity Grounds, Cambridge from Saturday 27th – Wednesday 31st July.

An exciting claim has been made about Fabio Paratici after he was appointed as Tottenham Hotspur’s new director of football last week…

What’s the word?

The Premier League outfit has not had someone in such a role since 2015, when Franco Baldini departed North London, so this hire presents something of a new approach from chairman Daniel Levy and the club.

Paratici arrives from a similar position at Italian giants Juventus, where he played a major part in his club clinching 19 trophies in 11 years, as well as bringing in some big-name signings like Cristiano Ronaldo.

That is something that football.london’s Alasdair Gold has alluded to this week. In a Q&A session with supporters, the ever-reliable journalist dropped an interesting verdict on the 48-year-old.

When asked about the Italian’s working methods and whether he’d have one eye on the future or on making an immediate impact, Gold responded:

“His history at Juventus suggests both.

“He was very good at getting free transfers over his 11 years, although there has been the odd recent one that hasn’t hit the spot like [Aaron] Ramsey and [Adrien] Rabiot, while [he] has also spent the money when required on immediate impact players.

“One thing is clear and that is that he has a huge network of contacts and good relationships with clubs across the game and he’ll be able to help deliver what Tottenham require within the parameters the club’s finances dictate.”

Very exciting news

There are a few key things to take away from this, all of which should excite the Spurs faithful, especially after what some are considering an “underwhelming” appointment of incoming manager Paulo Fonseca.

Not to mention that many have protested against Levy and the club’s owners, the ENIC group, in the past few months.

Paratici has a mighty task on his hands to lift the mood at Spurs.

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The North Londoners finished in seventh place, their lowest final position since the 2008/09 campaign, meaning they’ll be competing in the newly-formed Conference League – aka. UEFA’s third-rate competition.

And then there’s the small matter of Harry Kane’s future at the club.

Sky Sports claim that he has expressed his desire to leave, with three of Spurs’ top-flight rivals registering interest in the England talisman. His future likely won’t be resolved until well after the Euros, however.

Paratici will also need to shift players on and find the right signings to give Fonseca the best chance of bringing success to Spurs.

Gold claims that the Italian has a very good contact book and a proven track record in delivering on all fronts, so this should come as a major source of confidence amongst the Lilywhites fanbase

Perhaps most importantly, he is expected to deliver all this whilst still abiding by the club’s transfer budget and finances, which right now, seems like somewhat of an impossible feat but Gold is evidently confident he can do exactly that.

Some of his best signings in Turin include Paulo Dybala, Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo. Some of whom arrived on a free transfer, so if Paratici can sparkle that magic in N17 this summer, then Spurs will be put in a very good position.

All in all, this latest suggestion from the trustworthy football.london correspondent is hugely exciting. It’s now time for Levy to hand him the keys and get to work.

AND in other news, Spurs must sign £19.8m-rated machine with “huge potential”, Paratici “appreciates him”…