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With 2021 almost over, let’s take a look back over what was a turbulent year for Everton and their fans.

Having started it with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm at Goodison Park, only for him to leave in the summer to be replaced by Rafa Benitez, this certainly caused waves at the Merseyside club.

While the end of the 2020/21 season may have ended in a rather flat manner, the first few weeks of the current season under Benitez saw the Toffees get off to a flyer by winning four of their opening six league games.

Things took a major dip for Everton through that saw them go through October and November without a win in the league, resulting in fan unrest towards Benitez and the club’s hierarchy.

All in all, the majority of Everton’s loyal supporters will undoubtedly be hoping that the rest of the season will pan out in a similar way to how it started and that the rest of 2022 will be very fruitful for the club.

How well do you remember Everton’s 2021? Test your knowledge with our Big Fat Everton quiz of the year to find out!

Yorkshire, led for the first time by Andrew Gale, enjoyed much the better of the opening day and are well-placed to build a commanding position on day two

George Dobell at Edgbaston 09-Apr-2010
ScorecardSteven Patterson impressed with three wickets on a good day for Yorkshire•Getty ImagesPerhaps it was fitting that the first day of the season should take place against backdrop of rubble and destruction. For, even as the earliest championship season began at the building site that is currently Edgbaston, the ECB were considering plans that will drastically alter the landscape of domestic cricket.It now looks almost inevitable that the championship season will be reduced to just 12 fixtures per county, probably as early as next year. As a consequence it is quite possible there will be no promotion or relegation this season. Instead, we face the prospect of teams playing in three, randomly-drawn conferences. The County Championship, the centrepiece of the English season for well over a century, is likely to be reduced to little more than a training exercise.That would be a shame. English cricket has become a great deal tougher and more competitive in the decade of two-divisional cricket and, contrary to some reports, is watched by far more than one man and his dog. Certainly there was a decent decent crowd here at Edgbaston. Over 1,300 spectators braved the earliest start to a Championship season and were rewarded with glorious sunshine for much of the day.There were also rewarded by an absorbing tussle between teams containing nine international cricketers who the bookies believe could be fighting to avoid the bottom places. On the strength of first impressions, it is Warwickshire who may face the more uncomfortable campaign. Yorkshire, led for the first time by Andrew Gale, enjoyed much the better of the opening day and are well-placed to build a commanding position on day two.Gale, Yorkshire’s youngest captain since 1933 and the club’s sixth in nine years, enjoyed an excellent start. After winning an important toss, he rotated his attack sensibly and was handsomely rewarded with several slices of fortune. Five times bowlers struck in the first over of new spells. He will not always have it so easy, however.For a start the pitch, though slow, offered his seamers more than a little assistance, with irregular bounce adding to the lateral movement. Unusually at Edgbaston, both sides would have inserted on winning the toss. Some of Warwickshire’s batting was also rather obliging. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott apart, all the home batsmen played a part in their own downfall, with Ian Westwood (leaving a straight one) and Tim Ambrose (driving without foot movement) especially culpable.Nor will Gale always possess such a potent attack. Ajmal Shahzad and Tim Bresnan will shortly depart on England duty and, while Steven Patterson impressed here and Tino Best will gain a work permit shortly, Oliver Hannon-Dalby will need to tighten up considerably if he is to fill the void. He also put down a straightforward opportunity off Ambrose that could have proved costly.Warwickshire’s score was probably at least 100 short of par. Weakened by injuries to Darren Maddy, Rikki Clarke and Boyd Rankin, they were always likely to rely heavily on Bell and Trott, but were undone when both men fell to unplayable deliveries that bounced off a length and took the edge and glove respectively.Bell looked in fine form. Timing the ball beautifully, he hit Hannon-Dalby out of the attack with three fours in an overs, the best of them an imperious pull, and looked set for a commanding total. None of Warwickshire’s remaining players hinted at permanence. Varun Chopra (on debut) fell early, half forward to one that nipped back and while Troughton and then Neil Carter prospered for a while, the former felt for one he could have left and the latter missed an ungainly sweep.Though Adam Lyth and Anthony McGrath both fiddled at deliveries that left them, Joe Sayers and Jacques Rudolph soon made deep inroads into the Warwickshire total. Sayers, in unusually fluent form, eased to a polished half-century, but fell just before the close when he was punished for dragging his back heel by a smart piece of work by Ambrose.”That was a really good day for us,” Bresnan said afterwards. “Batting on the second day should be quite a lot easier, so we’re looking to get a lead of around 150 and bowl them out again.It will probably be a lot tougher in the second innings, as they’ll be a bit disappointed with the way they batted. But we knew we needed to get off to a good start this season and we’ve got a great opportunity here to get some points on the board.”

Wolves are still eyeing up a potential move for Renato Sanches in the January transfer window, according to journalist Alex Crook.

The Lowdown: Sanches links persist

The 24-year-old spent the summer being linked with a transfer to Wolves, while those stories have persisted in the early months of this season.

Sanches has stayed put at Lille for the time being, however, where he has only managed eight Ligue 1 starts so far this season, as injuries have again hampered him.

It could be that the 32-time capped Portugal international moves on in January after an up and down campaign in France and it appears as though Wolves are eyeing up a move.

The Latest: Fresh rumour emerges

According to Crook on talkSPORT [via Molineux News], Wolves are looking “quite closely” at signing Sanches in the imminent transfer window, as Bruno Lage looks to bolster his midfield.

The Lille man’s current deal expires in the summer of 2023, so the Ligue 1 champions could be willing to sell him while they can still receive a decent fee.

The Verdict: Worth a punt?

There is no denying Sanches’ quality as a footballer, with former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell describing him as ‘incredible’ earlier this year.

The idea of him in a Wolves shirt is hugely exciting – he famously won the prestigious European Golden Boy award back in 2016 and starred at Euro 2020 for Portugal – but injuries are the one thing holding him back.

Lage would have to accept that signing him would involve a clear risk element, with Sanches never starting 20 league matches in a season in his career. If a player of that calibre is potentially available, however, it is worth the gamble.

In other news, some Wolves fans are fuming after one piece of news emerged. Read more here.

Shahid Afridi told Salman Butt he was his “main guy” before the opener produced a Man-of-the-Match performance against Bangladesh

Cricinfo staff01-May-2010Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, told Salman Butt he was his “main guy” before the opener produced a Man-of-the-Match performance in the 21-run victory over Bangladesh. Butt and Kamran Akmal, who both posted 73, started the contest with a partnership of 142, but it was Butt’s smooth display that stood out.He employed more traditional shots during his 46-ball stay and collected eight fours and two sixes to set up the total of 172 for 3. The effort impressed Afridi, who had been watching Butt closely since a pre-tournament camp in Pakistan.”I thought maybe he was going to the West Indies with me but I don’t think he will get a chance,” Afridi said. “But when I saw him he was batting very well, especially in the first six overs. I told Salman Butt: ‘You are my main guy.'”He was playing proper shots as well. In the six overs, you don’t need two [Sanath] Jayasuriyas, two [Virender] Sehwags or two Afridis.”After six overs against Bangladesh Butt was 15 off 10 balls and he maintained a high tempo as the team’s score proved to be too big for their opponents. Both sides now look to their final group games against Australia.Pakistan, the defending champions, face Michael Clarke’s team in St Lucia on Sunday and Afridi said they were in the right mood following their opening success. “The guys here are feeling good and are very united,” he said. “These guys here are my big players.”Bangladesh will run into Australia in Barbados on Wednesday and must win to have any chance of reaching the second round. “Pakistan have a very important game [on Sunday] and mathematically there’s still a possibility [that Bangladesh can qualify],” he said. “In Barbados there will be bounce and carry. We would have loved to have played Australia here.”

Leeds United suffered yet another early exit from a domestic cup competition after they were beaten by West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side will have to do it all again next weekend when the two sides face each other in the Premier League and the Argentine head coach may want to reconsider his team selection.

Several of his key first-team stars badly let him down in the capital, amongst the few academy prospects that made the starting lineup.

Goals from Manuel Lanzini and Jarrod Bowen wrapped up the victory for the home side.

The Whites edged the possession but failed to convert their dominance with the ball, registering only two shots on target throughout the 90 minutes. Some of the fault must therefore lie with Bielsa’s attackers.

Jack Harrison was particularly underwhelming and he could not kick on from his strike against Burnley last weekend.

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross slammed the 25-year-old and graded him as the visitors’ joint lowest-rated performer in his post-match ratings column.

‘The Leeds attack never seem to be firing for any length of time. Harrison among those who had little impact on the match. 4,’ he wrote.

Indeed, the £13.5m-rated dynamo struggled to assert any sort of influence in the final third – as per SofaScore, Harrison managed just one shot off target, whilst he managed only 45 touches – some six touches fewer than goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

From his possession, he lost the ball 12 times – once every nearly four touches – and he was also very lightweight, winning just one duel from seven (14%).

Elsewhere, he missed one big chance and only 50% of his dribbling attempts were successful, which further suggests his struggles up against the Irons’ young full-back, Ben Johnson.

Earning around £60k-per-week at Elland Road, you’d expect more from Harrison, especially considering he was one of the more experienced members of this attack.

He badly let Bielsa down on the day and his place is surely at risk heading into next weekend’s clash.

AND in other news, Leeds eye bargain swoop for 71-cap “technician”, he could be Bielsa’s new Hernandez…

Suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is set to reply to the third show cause notice issued by BCCI, repeating his demand that Shashank Manohar and N Srinivasan recuse themselves from participating in his trial

Cricinfo staff15-Jun-2010Suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is set to reply to the third show cause notice issued by BCCI, and repeat his request that the board president Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan recuse themselves from participating in the proceedings. Later tonight Modi will email his response to the notice, which accuses him of irregularities in the awarding of theatrical rights during the third IPL season. Mehmood Abdi, Modi’s legal counsel, will submit the hard copy tomorrow.”There is a continuous issuance of notices wherein the allegations are wholly misconceived and irresponsible,” Abdi told PTI. “The notices are being issued despite full knowledge that no material warranting their issuance existed.”Abdi was highly critical of Srinivasan’s role in the proceedings. “Modi’s application seeking Srinivasan’s exclusion from proceedings against him is still undecided,” he said. “Despite this, the honorary secretary continues to issue further notices to him. Therefore in the interest of justice and fair play it is incumbent upon Srinivasan to totally exclude himself.”Abdi said there was no need for the third show cause notice and that the BCCI had exaggerated a non-issue. “It seems that in BCCI somebody has not done his homework properly, otherwise the matter would not have necessitated any show cause. It’s a matter of routine internal procedure and record. Still we are submitting our explanation covering all angles and concerning all the issues. Though I don’t want to trivialise the issue, still with a view to slap another show cause notice, a mountain has been made out of a molehill,” Abdi said. He also said the reply would consist of approximately 50 pages, while the attachments would consist of nearly two dozen.

Playing out the final day was more of a formality for South Africa as the second Test ended in a high-scoring draw, confirming what many would have feared five days ago on taking a look at a road of a pitch at Warner Park

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran22-Jun-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outGraeme Smith was positive during his innings of 46•Associated PressPlaying out the final day was more of a formality for South Africa as the second Test ended in a high-scoring draw, confirming what many would have feared five days ago on taking a look at a road of a pitch at Warner Park. The surface hadn’t deteriorated enough over four days to give the bowlers any sort of advantage, so it would have been ridiculous to expect at least ten wickets going down to constitute a result.South Africa had all ten wickets in hand this morning when they took guard, and predictably went through the motions, with the aim of getting extra batting practice ahead of the final Test. It was, in other words, more of a televised nets session, with both teams resigned to the conclusion that no result was possible. The pitch was a poor advertisement for Test cricket, and the last two days in particular were completely overshadowed by other world sporting events viewers would have turned to – one in London and the other in South Africa.Despite the result, or the lack of it, West Indies had more to gain. Their batting was a shambles in Trinidad and perhaps a flat wicket here in St Kitts was the best thing for them to get their confidence back. In overhauling South Africa’s 543, they gained a moral victory, though the manner in which they got there was a topic of debate. The sudden shift of tactics from urgency to obduracy was questionable, but at least they ensured they wouldn’t lose. In their defense though, run-scoring on the fourth day wasn’t the easiest, with the left-arm spinner persisting with an over the wicket line to the right-handers.South Africa lost just three wickets till the final hour after tea, when the captains expectedly decided to call it off. But the extended morning session – to make up for lost time due to rain yesterday – wasn’t boring or lacking in action. Shane Shillingford got the ball to turn and bounce, there was a dropped catch, couple of confident appeals and a referral which was turned down. The batsmen weren’t too cautious either and weren’t afraid to reach out to the ball, even if the strokes weren’t convincing.Graeme Smith looked solid during his 46. He was positive against the spinners as well, rocking back to cut if it was slightly short. In one over, he chipped down the track to Shillingford and lofted it crisply over long-on and then leant forward to crunch one past covers. But Shillingford hit back by getting one to turn from middle and induced a thick edge from Smith, trying to cut.Smith’s opening partner, Alviro Petersen, was watchful and looked in control. He had a slip, silly point and silly mid-off but successfully negotiated the spinners, even reverse sweeping them. Hashim Amla, however, didn’t look so assured. There was a puff of dust when Shillingford landed it on the rough outside off and Amla was circumspect against the turn and bounce.Amla ought to have been dismissed on 21 when Bravo fluffed a sitter at slip, off Sulieman Benn. He managed five convincing boundaries against the spinners on both sides of the wicket, but perished to the impressive Shillingford, tucking it to backward short leg. Dwayne Bravo then ended the session in style by flattening Petersen’s off stump with a yorker.No wickets fell in the post-lunch session as the Test meandered towards a predictable draw. Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers went through the motions and built a steady partnership which extended to 104.Kallis began the second session in style with a couple of straight-driven boundaries off Shillingford. The offspinner, who took two wickets in the opening session, changed his line of attack to round the wicket to the right-handers as a very defensive option. The South Africans gave no chances, save for a run-out attempt at de Villiers – Roach’s throw from square leg missed the stumps at the bowler’s end. Kallis was solid as ever against the seamers, driving Bravo off the front foot and also pulling him for a powerful six. He reached his fifty with a clip to the on side just before the tea break.South Africa declared an hour after the tea break and the relief was palpable at the early finish to the game. The best the players can hope for is a sporting track at the Kensington Oval for the deciding Test.

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Marcus Forss to The Hawthorns in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports News (via Football League World), who claim that Brentford manager Thomas Frank has given the centre-forward the green light to leave the Premier League side on a temporary basis this month.

Football League World then go on to claim that a host of Championship clubs, including Valerien Ismael’s West Brom side, were keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Finland international ahead of the January transfer window – with the latest update regarding the 22-year-old’s availability now looking to have opened the door for a move.

Ismael can axe Hugill with Forss

While it is true that, following the £7m January signing of Daryl Dike, Ismael now has two out and out centre-forwards in his first-team squad, with the Frenchman recently suggesting that season-long loanee Jordan Hugill could be set to return to Norwich City this month, a move for Forss could still very much be on the cards for the Baggies.

Indeed, Hugill has failed to impress over his 20 Championship appearances for Albion in the current campaign, with the £1.62m-rated man scoring just one goal, failing to provide his teammates with a single assist and missing nine big chances for his side.

These returns have seen the £36k-per-week striker average a SofaScore match rating of 6.56, ranking him as Ismael’s fifth-worst performer in the second tier.

In comparison, over Forss’ 39 Championship outings for Brentford last season – only nine of which came as starts – the £4.05m-rated centre-forward scored seven goals, registered one assist and created three big chances for his teammates – with the 22-year-old finding the back of the net once every 162 minutes of second-tier football played.

Furthermore, Forss undoubtedly has a much higher ceiling than the 29-year-old Hugill, with Frank stating of the striker upon his signing of a new deal with the Bees: “He is a very talented striker who has added extra levels to his game in the last year. He can link up play, is good at arriving in the box, and has made big strides in terms of leading our press. He is also one of the best finishers I have seen. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

As such, with the Finn now looking to be available this month, it would appear highly advisable for Ismael to finally call time on Hugill’s temporary stay at Albion, and subsequently reinvest the significant outlay on the Englishman’s hefty wages into a loan move for the much cheaper £4.9k-per-week Brentford striker.

In other news: Val has just repeated a worrying 3-year transfer mistake at WBA, fans surely fuming

It is going to be a tricky selection because only eight players select themselves. Only two of them are bowlers

Cricinfo staff25-Jun-2010The Asia Cup champions would have barely reached their homes when they will be told on Saturday whether they are needed for the Tests in Sri Lanka, which begin on July 18. While the bowling attack looks massively uncertain except for Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, there is one middle-order place available in the XI and two more in the reserves.It is going to be a tricky selection because only eight players select themselves. Only two of them are bowlers. Ashish Nehra doesn’t trust his body enough to play in Tests, Munaf Patel seems to have been rejected, RP Singh’s form has been ordinary, and Praveen Kumar is strictly a limited-overs bowler. That means India will most likely go back to Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth.Amit Mishra is likely to join them in the bowling department. On their last tour to Sri Lanka, India played the two-seamers-two-spinners combination in all three Tests. So there is a possibility India might go with only three seamers and include Pragyan Ojha as the third spinner. The more orthodox approach would be to pick a fourth seamer, but not many have been showing promise. Lack of readymade choices means there could be a surprise or two.Most of the batting choices seem easier by comparison. Virender Sehwag, who was advised 10 days’ rest after he injured himself during the Asia Cup game against Pakistan, is expected to be picked. Rahul Dravid, who missed the South Africa Tests, will surely come back. Sehwag’s injury, though, makes a case for the selection of M Vijay as a back-up opener who can bat in the middle order if required.The other two spots will be contested by Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath. Dinesh Karthik, who can open, and also be a back-up wicketkeeper, could be a left-field choice. Karthik could also go solely as a reserve keeper in case India go for a 16-man touring party. His fifty in the Asia Cup final has done his chances no harm.It was pretty clear that Yuvraj’s drop from the ODI side had more to do with his fitness than his form (his statistics weren’t all that bad if the IPL was ignored for a moment, admittedly difficult to do in India). It is for the selectors to decide if dropping him from one tournament has sent home the message. There is a possibility of reading too much into his Twitter message, “This elephant is back from injury and ready to rock!”, which links to a photo of his with an elephant statue.Raina, who was part of India’s squad for their last Test, against South Africa, has reason to be hopeful. While his weakness against the short ball is obvious, it cannot be denied that he has been scoring consistently despite that awkwardness. A week after he played a nice cameo in perhaps the most high-pressure situation of his career could be just the right time to draft him in for the longest format.Raina and Yuvraj will be competing with Badri, who played in India’s last Test, and Rohit, who scored two centuries in Zimbabwe before doing a steady job in the Asia Cup. Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored a double-century in India A’s tour of England and followed it up with another ton against Scotland a day before the selection, stands an outside chance.The squad
Certainties: MS Dhoni (wk & capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan
Batting hopefuls: M Vijay, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Cheteshwar Pujara
Bowling hopefuls: Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s transfer pursuit of Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata…

What’s the talk?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Magpies have already agreed personal terms with the centre-forward, to whom they are willing to offer a salary of €6.5m (£5.4m) per season.

The report claims that the Tyneside club will be able to snap him up from Atalanta if they pay €40m (£33.4m) up front and sign him on a permanent deal in the current transfer window rather than on an initial loan.

Masterstroke

Newcastle could seal a masterstroke this month by securing a deal to sign Zapata from the Serie A club, as he could save the Magpies’ season.

He is a proven goalscorer at the top level and is a multi-faceted forward who could offer a big threat for Eddie Howe’s side at the top end of the pitch. His vast skill set could make him a danger to opposition defences and he has the physical strength to endure the relentless nature of Premier League football.

His former teammate Papu Gomez previously hailed his physique, saying: “Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big. Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts. When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!’”

This suggests that the 30-year-old will not be bullied by Premier League defenders and will be able to hold his own in individual duels. Therefore, there should be no concerns that he will be too lightweight for the English top flight, which means that his technical ability could be shown in full view.

In 152 games for Atalanta, he has scored 78 goals and provided 38 assists. This shows that he is an all-round centre-forward who can find the back of the net himself whilst also linking the play for others to allow his team-mates to score through his creative nous as the number nine.

Zapata has scored 35 headers, 52 goals with his right foot and 16 with his left foot, showing that he can find the net in a variety of ways whilst playing at the top level in Italy. This suggests that he could be a major asset for Newcastle and a terrific signing for Howe’s team, which is why PIF could land a masterclass if they can bring him to the club in the coming days.

AND in other news, NUFC could find the “next Paul Gascoigne” as PIF plot bid for £25m “freak of a talent”…