All posts by h716a5.icu

For two long, arduous months, it appeared that Eddie Howe would become the new manager of Celtic.However, we should know by now that, when it comes to the Hoops, things are never done the easy way.The Bhoys had been in advanced talks with the 43-year-old and a deal was already done according to reports, but on Friday, a move collapsed at the 11thÂhour.

What’s the word?

Celtic have wasted no time in assessing their alternatives. Their plan B is to lure Australian boss Ange Postecoglou to Parkhead instead.

The 55-year-old is currently managing in Japan and is believed to be in advanced talks with the Bhoys over moving to Scotland.

Considering that he’s never managed in Europe, it would be a gamble from Dermot Desmond and co to hire him. That being said, it would appear that Celtic have performed their due diligence on the manager.

According to the Daily Record, the Bhoys have been tracking Postecoglou ever since Neil Lennon resigned back in February. The Yokohama F Marinos boss is reportedly very keen on becoming the Hoops’ new manager and Dominic McKay is now treating the matter with great urgency.

A good appointment?

Although Postecoglou has never ventured onto European shores, it’s hard to deny his outstanding qualities.

When he won the Japanese top flight back in 2019, Marinos’ wage budget was one-seventh of the richest team in the division. In Scottish terms, that would be the equivalent of an Aberdeen taking home the Premiership.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-ajer-howe-lampard-wilshere-gauld” title=”Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Effective on a shoestring budget, his football is also particularly eye-catching. During the course of the current campaign, his team have registered the most possession of anyone in the division, with a tally of 64.7%.

Celtic are a team used to dominating possession but even the Hoops enjoyed less of the ball than Marinos in 2020/21, averaging 61.9%. Already you can start to work out why Postecoglou is so highly coveted by the Bhoys.

Another impressive aspect is the way he gets his teams to press from the front. Marinos are relentless in the way they hound and hassle the opposition, leading a pressing charge of several players.

Postecoglou seems to thrive on that modern style of football and it has proven incredibly successful for him.

Described as “infectious†by former Everton star Tim Cahill, he has caught the eye of both Pep Guardiola and Raheem Sterling.

Following a match against Manchester City, Guardiola was left impressed, saying: “Yokohama played some incredible football and they were an incredible test for us.”

After a friendly between England and Australia, Sterling echoed his club manager’s thoughts, commenting: “They’re probably one of the best teams I’ve seen play out from the back and they played some great football so it was a great test for us.”

Adept at getting from one pitch to the other with quick passing and relentless pressing, there are huge positives to agreeing a deal with Postecoglou.

It’s a gamble from the Celtic board but, if his brand of football comes off, they should undoubtedly look a more impressive outfit next season, assuming he is handed the reins.

AND in other news, Celtic must sign 49-goal gem who left a “huge impression” on Neil Lennon…

The changing of the guard in Australia’s international playing ranks has received further expression today with an unprecedented seven revisions made to the annual list of Australian Cricket Board (ACB) contract holders.

John Polack01-May-2002The changing of the guard in Australia’s international playing ranks has received further expression today with an unprecedented seven revisions made to the annual list of Australian Cricket Board (ACB) contract holders.After a season that saw sweeping changes to the personnel in the country’s one-day international side, a number of long-serving international players have surrendered their status as contract holders to several members of the new wave of cricketers beginning to make their mark in Australia.Queensland off spinner Nathan Hauritz and batsman Jimmy Maher, Tasmanian all-rounder Shane Watson, and Western Australian paceman Brad Williams head the list of newcomers, continuing their accession into elite company by securing places on the annual contract list for the first time.Western Australian opening batsman Mike Hussey is also among today’s winners after being recalled to a list on which he won inclusion for a single 12-month period two years ago.And confirmation of Queensland fast bowler Andy Bichel’s status as one of Australia’s leading contemporary players has similarly been provided with his recall to the full list for the first time in two years. Bichel was not included on last year’s original list, and only formally won back his contract after appearing in three successive Test matches for Australia during the 2001-02 international season.New South Wales paceman Stuart Clark has meanwhile added to the sense of change by supplanting Ashley Noffke as the ‘bolter’ in this year’s field and gaining a contract at the end of his first full season of first-class cricket. A tall, accurate right armer, Clark captured 45 first-class wickets to be a standout player at domestic level in 2001-02, after appearing in a total of only 10 first-class games to that point of his career.”The contract will give me some extra confidence going into the new season because I’ll know that I’m in the selectors eyes for higher honours in the future,” said Clark of his elevation today.”I have been in the mix for a Blues pace bowling spot for a while, but it was only this year that I was able to grab my opportunities.”I was happy with my form and consistency in both forms of the game last season and hopefully I can continue that for the Blues next year.”Alongside Noffke, those out of favour in the shake-up are former international players Michael Slater, Damien Fleming, Colin Miller, Greg Blewett, Simon Katich and Shane Lee.New South Wales, with eight representatives, remains the state with the most players on the list. Queensland’s increasingly strong contribution to national squads has also been reflected with the inclusion of six of its players, while Western Australia maintains a significant presence of its own with five.Two players are included from each of the three remaining states, ensuring that the 2002-03 list contains the lowest number of Victorian representatives since the central contract system was formally introduced three years ago.The 25 elite ACB contracts have come to represent hotly contested property in Australian cricket circles over recent seasons. Each of the contracts now offers its holder a base salary of $A110,000 as well as providing recognition of the player’s place among the core group of cricketers from which Australian Test and one-day international teams will be selected over the following 12-month period.In accordance with a formula specified in the compact between the ACB and the country’s player-representative body, the Australian Cricketers’ Association, the highest ranked player among the group of 25 will receive a salary of $440,000 as his base income for the next year.The full list of 2002-03 ACB contracted players is: Michael Bevan (NSW), Andy Bichel (Qld), Nathan Bracken (NSW), Stuart Clark (NSW), Adam Gilchrist (WA), Jason Gillespie (SA), Ian Harvey (Vic), Nathan Hauritz (Qld), Matthew Hayden (Qld), Mike Hussey (WA), Justin Langer (WA), Brett Lee (NSW), Darren Lehmann (SA), Martin Love (Qld), Stuart MacGill (NSW), Glenn McGrath (NSW), Jimmy Maher (Qld), Damien Martyn (WA), Ricky Ponting (Tas), Andrew Symonds (Qld), Shane Warne (Vic), Shane Watson (Tas), Mark Waugh (NSW), Steve Waugh (NSW), Brad Williams (WA).

The West Indies Cricket Board has a new Chief Financial Officer

Derrick Nicholas27-May-2002
BarryThomas
Photo WICB
The West Indies Cricket Board has a new Chief Financial Officer. He is 38-year-old Barry Thomas, a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants in his native Trinidad & Tobago. He brings with him 15 years’ experience in the manufacturing and financial services sectors.Thomas received his early training at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he functioned at an Audit Senior level in the Audit and Business Advisory Services department, focussed on clients in the manufacturing sector. Most recently he was Financial Controller/Manager, Information Systems in the Young Sing Group.Thomas replaces compatriot Richard Jodhan, who resigned from the post nearly a year ago, after serving West Indies cricket for almost a decade. Jodhan was asked by the Board to stay on until a new CFO could be recruited and hired.”We would all like to thank Richard for his services to West Indies cricket and wish him success in any future endeavours” remarked Gregory Shillingford, chief executive officer of the WICB.”At the same time, we are delighted that we have been able to attract an experienced candidate like Barry to the post of Chief Financial Officer. We believe that he will become a key member of our senior management team and that he will make a significant contribution to the growth and development of West Indies cricket.”With the last year being tough financially for the WICB and the loss of one of our main sources of revenue — overseas tour guarantees — Barry has been recruited to help us prudently manage our resources at this time,” Shillingford noted.Thomas, whose appointment took effect on 1st May, 2002 says that he is “looking forward to joining the WICB and playing a major part in enhancing the organisation’s financial practices and procedures as it takes regional cricket forward.””West Indies cricket has now become a tremendous commercial enterprise, and I am looking forward to using my training and experience in financial management to help ensure that the organization is well-run and that a sustainable future is secured.” Thomas commented.Thomas has already moved to St. John’s, Antigua, where the WICB’s headquarters are located, with his wife, Eleanor, and two children, Gabrielle, aged six, and Christopher, aged four.

West Ham United remain keen on signing Duje Caleta-Car ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, who claims that the Irons could reignite their interest in the Marseille centre-back now that they have qualified for Europe.

Last summer, the east London outfit failed with several bids to secure the Croatian international as he wanted to stay and play in the Champions League, as per The Guardian.

It is now expected that the 24-year-old will leave the Ligue 1 side for around £17m.

Statement of intent

As West Ham head into the Europa League next season, David Moyes will need plenty of options available at his disposal, as two games per week will quickly become the norm.

Right now, he simply does not have the squad depth – or the experience in the competition – to properly contend, and they must not become another one-season wonder which drops off after a brief peak. Think of Wolves and Burnley in recent years.

Caleta-Car would certainly be a statement of intent as he would bolster the Hammers’ backline, which is currently expected to lose at least one member, with Fabian Balbuena out of contract whilst Issa Diop has a question mark over his head having slipped out of favour.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-and-the-latest-gossip-gsb-moyes-striker-future-signings” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

At 1.92m (6 foot 4), the £22.5m-rated Croatia colossus is an absolute unit and would provide Moyes with another physically imposing presence in the box. He won an average of 2.5 aerial duels per game in Ligue 1 during the 2020/21 season and even chipped in with two goals, via WhoScored.

His ability doesn’t stop there, either, as he’s also very solid with the ball at his feet, having managed a success rate of 86.1% from nearly 58 passes per game. This ability to play out from the back to good effect should please Moyes and his system, especially as this represents an upgrade on his current options.

Angelo Ogbonna only averaged 36.4 passes per game at a success rate of 81.3%, while Craig Dawson comes out even worse having succeeded with just 79.7% of his 34.7 passes per match, as per WhoScored.

It’s no wonder that Champions League winner Dejan Lovren has waxed lyrical about his fellow countryman, claiming to La Provence: “In my opinion, Duje could easily play in England. He is physically very strong, stronger than other players. He will explode in a few years and become even stronger.”

All in all, this seems like an absolute no-brainer for West Ham, even more so at just £17m, and they can more easily attract his services as they are going to be in Europe next season.

Just imagine him alongside Ogbonna next season – GSB must look to get this deal done.

AND in other news, Moyes could secure his next Tim Cahill in West Ham swoop for £20m-rated “game-changer”…

Some Manchester City fans have been fuming over reports that talks between the Citizens and Barcelona have been intense over the past few days, with a swap deal involving Aymeric Laporte and Sergi Roberto said to be in the offing.

The previous campaign was a mixed one for Pep Guardiola and co. There was plenty of success for them to enjoy as they won both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, but the much-coveted Champions League remained elusive as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final in Porto.

As such, it promises to be a busy summer at the Etihad Stadium. It is being reported by Toni Juanmarti that talks between City and Barca are intense, with the discussions also involving players others than the two mentioned above.

Barcelona have already signed Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia from the Premier League champions in recent weeks, while it now seems that they want Laporte, whose passing success rate of 91.2% and match average of 1.8 clearances both serve to illustrate the talents he brings to the side.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with some enraged by the frequency with which Guardiola is selling players to his former club.

Let’s see what these Man City fans had to say on the news

“Txiki should be charged with crimes against humanity if we swap Laporte and Roberto”

Credit: @FidelCrypt0

“Barca has a tendency to negotiate low amounts. Knowing City they would give in, stupid club”

Credit: @buckslevito

“Pep already planning his way out .”

Credit: @nsangong

“Pep is trying to ruin City while trying to build Barcelona before he moves there”

Credit: @2Whizbang

“please don’t”

Credit: @sankul_pandey

“Never forgive Txiki if we swap Laporte to Sergi. We don’t need finished players. He’s 29 years old and we have so many right backs. We would we swap him? Just give us the cash, no swap deals. We don’t need to sell Laporte”

Credit: @sentosabahari8

In other news, some Man City fans were livid about this Fernandinho news.

The international season is in full swing now, and straight after that great win by England at Edgbaston, they are in action again at Old Trafford

Phil Tufnell12-Jun-2002The international season is in full swing now, and straight after that great win by England at Edgbaston, they are in action again at Old Trafford. No wonder there’s little time for the regulars to get involved in county cricket any more. Not that it affects us at Middlesex just now because we’re not blessed with anyone in the England team.I thought it was a top performance by the lads at Edgbaston. They did absolutely everything that was asked of them to go one-nil up in the series. Andrew Caddick and Matthew Hoggard setting it up with the ball, Graham Thorpe, Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher doing what was required with the bat – well played the lefties – and that was that. Simple game, cricket, when you stick a big score on the board and bowl the other side out twice cheaply!It might have been a bit of a lack-lustre performance at Lord’s, but in Birmingham it was a good comeback. They got stuck in and did the business. It’s got to boost the confidence going to Old Trafford with a draw or a win in their sights to take the series.Talking of confidence, I was interested to come across the fact that Matthew Hoggard had a long chat with the captain just before the Test – admitting that he was suffering some sort of crisis of confidence. I don’t think people realise that bowlers can suffer in that way. As always in this game, the attention is on the batsmen. If the poor dears are not in top nick, everyone rallies round to get them through it. Don’t forget that bowlers need confidence too and it’s not just a case of running up, letting go of the thing and expecting wickets to fall.Sometimes you get on flat wickets, like Lord’s was, and you’re feeling good. Then you go out there and they get a load of runs against you and you wonder how you’re ever going to get any success again. It happens, and when those days do come along all you can do is put it in good areas (even if the batsman then hits the thing out of that area – sometimes even out of the district!), it’s coming out well but it’s just one of those days. That’s when you have to believe in your own ability in the knowledge that when it is your day, you have to make the most of it and pick up your wickets.It happens with the batsmen too. You are hitting the ball well – I’m led to believe – and yet you get out. Then one day you get a scratchy fifty and off you go again. These crises of confidence do come along and it’s a question of how you deal with them. Your team-mates, the captain and the coaching staff have to say “We believe in you; you believe in yourself.”It will be interesting to see how the wicket plays over five days at Old Trafford. It’s Muralitharan’s adopted home ground, but I’m sure they won’t prepare a big turner for him. I reckon it will be fairly flat with a bit of bounce and a bit of pace. England’s job? That’s easy. Keep the same disciplines we had at Edgbaston with some good, steady cricket. Get runs on the board in the first innings and bowl one side of the wicket. If the win comes along, that’s great. We win the series two-nil. If it doesn’t because there’s a bit of rain around, well, let’s make sure we nick the draw and still win the series.One thing I would say to the bowlers. If the wicket turns out to be a really flat one and you’re hot and bothered because a few decisions haven’t gone your way and you’ve been flayed round the park, don’t snatch your cap from the umpire after you’ve bowled the last ball of the day and wander off having a bit of a chunter to yourself. If you do, you might get yourself on a dissent charge. I was given a right old telling off, I can tell you, after our game against Durham on the flattest pitch you will ever see. But now I’ve apologised and it’s all in the past. I’ll learn. One day. Probably.
Phil Tufnell appears courtesy
of Paragon Sports Management

Queens Park Rangers have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring Chuks Aneke to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the South London Press (via London News Online), Charlton Athletic manager Nigel Adkins claimed that all of the Addicks’ out of contract players, including Aneke, wish to extend their stay at The Valley this summer.

The 56-year-old then revealed that the club’s director of football, Steve Gallen, is currently in talks with Charlton’s out of contract players regarding their potential new deals with the club.

It had previously been reported that Queens Park Rangers, along with a host of other Championship sides, including Middlesbrough, Reading, Coventry City and Bristol City, were keen on a deal for the forward this summer, should he have become a free agent.

However, if Adkins to be believed, this now looks unlikely, with the Charlton manager stating: “We released three [players] and the others I wanted to stay at the football club. They and their agents are in negotiation with Steve Gallen, who is representing our football club in those negotiations and our budget.

“All the players who are out of contract have a right to see what else is out there. They have all said to me they want to stay, which is a big thing.

“But the business side of it has got to be done in terms of concluding their contracts. All I can do is tell them I want them to stay – that they have got a place to be if they want to be here.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Aneke was for Charlton last season, the fact the striker looks likely to remain at The Valley beyond the summer is sure to leave QPR fans gutted.

Indeed, over his 38 League One appearances last term, the £5.4k-per-week man scored 15 goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as winning an average of 4.9 duels and taking 2.3 shots per game.

These returns saw the 27-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Charlton’s fifth-best performer in the league – something that is even more impressive considering he only started 11 of his 38 league fixtures in 2020/21.

As such, with Mark Warburton looking to build a team capable of continuing QPR’s highly impressive form in the second half of last season – with the Rs ranking third in the Championship table in 2021 – and mounting a push for the play-offs next time around, the addition of the man whom Lee Bowyer dubbed an “immense” talent would certainly not appear to have harmed the club’s chances of going on to achieve this feat.

However, if Adkins is indeed correct with his suggestion that Aneke would like to stay on at The Valley, the 58-year-old QPR boss will have to turn his attention in the transfer market elsewhere.

In other news: Warburton heading for grave mistake that could see QPR miss out on “incredible” target

Mike Hussey, the Australian captain of Northamptonshire, has won the race to become the first batsman to score a thousand first-class runs this season

Ralph Dellor19-Jul-2002Mike Hussey, the Australian captain of Northamptonshire, has won the race to become the first batsman to score a thousand first-class runs this season. He began the day on 930 runs, eight behind Mark Ramprakash of Surrey and nine in front of Graeme Hick of Worcestershire – Northamptonshire’s opponents in the current round of matches.Ramprakash was denied the opportunity to reach the magic thousand mark first when Kent won the toss against Surrey at Canterbury and elected to bat first. It was Hussey who called correctly when Hick tossed the coin in Worcester and wasted no time in scoring the 70 runs he needed. He did not stop there, either, going on to his fourth century of the season.Gone are the days when the race was on to score a thousand runs by the end of May. The shape of the season now means that it is virtually impossible for that to be contemplated. Hussey himself only had the possibility of batting 11 times in first-class cricket before June 1st.

Finchanpstead: Berkshire 231 and 130-8

CricInfo29-Jul-2002Day 2 of 3Stone:
Staffordshire 367-7 and 185-5dec (GF Archer 80*)
Northumberland 182 (D Follett 7-67) and 32-0Bedford:
Lincolnshire 257 and 144-6
Bedfordshire 277-5dec (DJ Roberts 126*, JA Knott 64*)Finchanpstead:
Berkshire 231 and 130-8.
Herefordshire 432-7 (I Dawood 98, CW Burroughs 96*, HV Patel 93, MC McCagne67*)Dean Park:
Dorset 178 and 152-4 (D Cowley 67*)
Devon 361-9Long Marston:
Hertfordshire 405-7d
Cumberland 125 (ST Knox 56, BJ Frazer 7-36) and 79-0Manor Park:
Suffolk 364-7
Norfolk 177-8Thame:
Wiltshire 312 and 94-4
Oxfordshire 261 (C Knightley 86, R Bates 7-112)Swansea:
Shropshire 420-6 and 72-2
Wales 293 (OA Dawkins 164, A O’Connor 5-76)Day 1 of 3Alderley Edge:
Cheshire 404-7 (R Hignett 183, D Leach 152*; C Shreck 5-113)
Cornwall 36-0

Bruno Lage will be looking to freshen up Wolves’ defence this summer, claims former Premier League defender Steve Howey.

After conceding just 40 goals in the 2019/20 season, the fifth-best record in English football’s top flight that campaign (per WhoScored), Wolves’ net was breached 52 times last term.

Defensively, there has quite clearly been a bit of a dip. In fact, there has been a dip overall, with the Midlands club dropping from seventh to 13th.

Bearing that in mind, Wolves’ backline is one area Howey expects Lage to address this transfer window. The ex-Newcastle United star told FFC:

“The manager might look at that [the defence] because they’re a good team, but Wolves just seem to be just slowly getting further and further away from where they were.

“Burnley, 4-0, was it? So, yeah, [Lage] will be looking to freshen it up, I’m sure.”

Since returning to the Premier League back in 2018, Wolves have had a core that former manager Nuno Espirito Santo has heavily relied on.

However, that was disrupted last term after Diogo Jota’s big-money move to Liverpool, Matt Doherty’s transfer to Tottenham and the serious injury Raul Jimenez picked up, so that is also possibly a factor to consider when looking at Wolves’ slight decline.