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Fast bowler Leighton Burtt has moved to Wellington from Canterbury for the 2010-11 season

Cricinfo staff31-Jul-2010Fast bowler Leighton Burtt has moved to Wellington from Canterbury for the 2010-11 season. He said the reason behind the shift was to improves his chances of making the New Zealand squad.”I have aspirations to play international cricket,” Burtt said, “and a move to Wellington, with its excellent first-class structure and the opportunity to make the Basin Reserve my home ground, will hopefully be the catalyst for me in reaching the next level.”Burtt, 26, had a moderate season in 2009-10, taking 17 wickets at 28.94 in five first-class matches. Canterbury is his home province and he has played all his senior cricket there. “It has been a hard decision as a born and bred Cantabrian, especially with the family involvement in Canterbury Cricket over a long period of time,” he said. “It is a decision based on what is in my best interests from a personal development perspective as well as cricket.”Wellington head coach Anthony Stuart said Burtt’s signing will help boost his side’s fast bowling. “He’s built up a good track record as a wicket-taking opening bowler over the past few seasons for Canterbury and he’s still a young guy with his best cricket in front of him,” Stuart said. “Due to injuries and last season’s retirement of Iain O’Brien, we had an inexperienced attack throughout much of last summer and Leighton’s arrival will give us an extra dimension with the new ball.”Burtt is a former New Zealand Under-19 player but broke through to the Canterbury senior team only at the age of 23. Since then, he has nabbed 76 wickets in 24 first-class games at 33.01. Burtt’s signing follows last week’s announcement that Grant Elliott will lead Wellington and Jeetan Patel will be his deputy for the coming year after an abysmal 2009-10 season.

Tottenham Hotspur remain unbeaten under manager Antonio Conte in the league since his arrival in November but a tough test presents itself in the form of his former club Chelsea this afternoon.

The Blues got the better of Spurs over their two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final in recent weeks, winning 3-0 on aggregate and truth be told, the north Londoners barely had a scratch at the Champions of Europe.

Although, they have floundered in the top-flight, winning just one of their last seven outings and that run includes a defeat to title-holders Manchester City and draws to Liverpool, Wolves and Brighton.

Conte will be facing a number of selection decisions heading into kick-off but if one thing has become apparent, then it’s that Japhet Tanganga is just not good enough to be starting regularly in the Premier League.

In both games against Chelsea, he struggled and was absolutely bullied by the attacking prowess of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, among others.

“As bad a 45-minute performance as any under the last four managers. Emerson, Tanganga and Sanchez particularly abysmal,” tweeted Press Association journalist Jonathan Veal during the first leg.

He was at fault for two goals across the two legs with untimely errors and then during Spurs’ midweek clash with Leicester City, the ball cannoned in off him as he was woefully out of position when goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had it well covered.

[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!”]

Tanganga further highlighted his inexperience earlier in the campaign when he saw red against Crystal Palace – “It’s a lack of experience and rush of blood. He’ll get over it but it cost them today,” claimed BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand during the game (via the Daily Mail).

He was even at fault for Morecambe’s goal in the FA Cup third round, losing his man inside the penalty area, which is not only a worrying sign against a League One outfit but it also has been a recurring theme of his.

There are two factors that make the decision a little easier for Conte.

It’s believed that Eric Dier will be available for the clash following his injury, and he’s a crucial part of his backline, often dictating play from the back, whilst reports have linked Tanganga with a switch to AC Milan before next Monday’s deadline, so there’s a chance he doesn’t even see out the season here.

If that’s the case, then it would be pretty pointless to see him start in a game of this calibre. Spurs are truly in the race for the top four as they sit just two points behind Manchester United, with three games spare (including this one).

Across both matches with Chelsea, Tanganga failed to register above a 6.48 rating, which is well below his seasonal average in the league of 6.60, as per WhoScored. That only goes to show just how poor he’s been against top-quality opposition.

As such, Conte must be ruthless and axe the struggling 22-year-old youth product. The £13.5m-rated liability is just not good enough for the big time yet and should have no place in the starting XI with Dier back in the frame this afternoon.

AND in other news, “It’s a priority”: Spurs eye swoop for £25.2m-rated “machine”, Conte badly needs him…

Will Porterfield and James Franklin blasted Gloucestershire to victory as Rotterdam rain reduced their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash with Holland to a 10-over thrash

27-Aug-2010
ScorecardWill Porterfield and James Franklin blasted Gloucestershire to victory as Rotterdam rain reduced their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash with Holland to a 10-over thrash.Batting first after losing the toss, the Gladiators racked up an imposing 122 for 3 on the back of 46 from 26 balls by Porterfield and Franklin’s unbeaten 45 from 20.Jon Lewis put an early end to any hopes Holland had of chasing down the target, removing opener Mudassar Bukhari for a four-ball duck on his way to figures of three for three from his two overs.Wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi top-scored with 20 not out and Eric Szwarczynski (12 from six balls) and Bas Zuiderent (11 from seven) added some impetus, but the Dutch could only limp to 68 for 6, losing by 54 runs.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left bemoaning the injury news that has emerged on Ianis Hagi ahead of their game at home to Livingston.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match in the Scottish Premiership tonight, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that the Romania international will now be out for the rest of the season, after having an operation on his knee.

Of course, Hagi is a key player to the team, having scored four goals and made a further four assists in 27 appearances in total over all competitions so far this season (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, missing him not just for the Livingston clash, but for the rest of the campaign, will be a blow in their hopes to secure another league title.

Rangers fans on Hagi injury news

These members of the Ibrox faithful bemoaned the injury news as it was shared on Twitter, with one Teddy Bears supporter even going as far as to claim that it is a ‘huge blow’:

“January really is a depressing month”

Credit: @B551803

“This has made my week so much worse.”

Credit: @paula2561

“Might as well hand over the title”

Credit: @AT_Loyal

“I’m sad. That’s a huge blow.”

Credit: @Noceros84

“Pain”

Credit: @fastblood_

“Noooooooooooooo”

Credit: @Callum_TH

In other news, find out which Gers ace could now be persuaded to stay here!

Aston Villa are pushing to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, according to French journalist Nabil Djellit.

The Lowdown: Bissouma links

Villa have been heavily linked with a move for the 25-year-old for the majority of the January transfer window.

They now have just a few hours to get it over the line, with Brighton reportedly wanting at least €45m (£37.4m) for their star midfielder, who is into the final 18 months of his contract at the Amex Stadium.

Villa have already had a £25m bid rejected by the Seagulls for Bissouma, with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Tottenham also showing an interest.

The Latest: Djellit’s post

Journalist Djellit took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to provide an update on Bissouma’s future.

He claimed that Villa are pushing for the 25-year-old, adding that Steven Gerrard ‘loves’ the Mali international. Djellit also stated that Spurs are still interested.

The Verdict: To be continued?

Djellit ended his post with a cryptic ‘to be continued’ message, and that may well be the case regarding Villa’s and Spurs’ interest in Bissouma.

It could prove to be too tricky for NSWE to push through a transfer in the final hours of the January window, but Villa are expected to be in for the player in the summer.

Who knows, his €45m (£37.4m) valuation may drop ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. Should his situation remain the same by then, he will be into the final year of his Seagulls contract.

He’s clearly a long-term target at Villa Park, and hopefully the club will secure his services – it’s just a question of when that might happen.

In other news: ‘Hats off to the board’ – Sky Sports pundit purrs at ‘amazing’ out-of-the-blue Villa transfer news

Ryan Sidebottom is on his way back to Headingley after signing a three-year deal with Yorkshire

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010Ryan Sidebottom is on his way back to Headingley after signing a three-year deal with Yorkshire.Sidebotoom, 32, left Yorkshire in 2004 when he moved to Nottinghamshire where he was a key part of their Championship winning sides in 2005 and 2010. In that time he also enjoyed a resurgent international career after playing a single, wicketless Test against Pakistan in 2001.He announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of the 2010 season after a series of injury problems and made clear his intentions to leave Nottinghamshire after being unable to agree terms with the club. Though money was not a concern, Sidebottom wanted the security of a three-year contract while Nottinghamshire were only willing to offer a full two-year deal.It is a significant loss for Nottinghamshire after Sidebottom took 27 wickets at 21.55 from his eight first-class games this season. In the dramatic conclusion to Nottinghamshire’s successful Championship season Sidebottom played a crucial role edging Nottinghamshire beyond 400 to secure a final bonus point, before claiming the wicket of Karl Brown to help the county take the crown.Yet for Yorkshire, who almost pipped Nottinghamshire to the title, it is a major boon to have a senior paceman at the club. Sidebottom fits into the policy at the club of trying to build a predominantly Yorkshire-born team and offers both experience and stability, after a season where Yorkshire’s new-ball pair, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad, were both involved with the England side.”I have enjoyed my time at Trent Bridge and with England enormously, but I’m a Yorkshire lad and the opportunity to return to Headingley Carnegie to end my career was something I couldn’t ignore,” said Sidebottom. “The Yorkshire side has some real quality and under Martyn Moxon and Andrew Gale made real strides forward. I want to give the county everything I can over the next three years and if we can reward the Yorkshire public with a trophy or two that would be fantastic.”Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire coach, echoed the excitement and sees Sidebottom playing an important role in developing fast-bowing talent at the club. “I am delighted that Ryan has chosen Yorkshire ahead of many other interested counties,” he said.”I think that proves Ryan’s Yorkshire pride in that he wants to return to Headingley Carnegie in 2011 and add his experience and talent to our bowling attack. He provides us with proven consistency and wicket-taking ability at county level and will provide Andrew Gale with a senior bowler of real quality to turn to next season.”

Trent Copeland was a wicketkeeper-batsman until five years ago as he juggled the roles in St George’s third grade side

Peter English10-Oct-2010Trent Copeland was a wicketkeeper-batsman until five years ago as he juggled the roles in St George’s third grade side. Last season he was the bowling find of the domestic summer after storming to 35 wickets in his first five Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales.As Copeland, 24, prepared for his second campaign as a first-class paceman, his initial aim was to get a game. During the winter that seemed like a particularly tough assignment, but the Blues start the season with Nathan Bracken and Josh Hazlewood injured, Brett Lee focussing on limited-overs games, and Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Starc and Shane Watson in India with the Test outfit. That leaves Copeland with an early chance to impress in Monday’s Sheffield Shield fixture against South Australia.”It was beyond my wildest expectations,” he told ESPNcricinfo of his debut summer. “I never expected to play for New South Wales last year, let alone do so well. I was over the moon. Looking forward, if I can do half as well as that for the rest of my career I’ll be pretty happy.”The late start to bowling came because Copeland was sick of breaking fingers while keeping and didn’t want the injuries to hurt his batting. He started grabbing the ball in the nets, helped the team to a third-grade trophy and the following season was a fixture in the firsts. Now his worries are hamstring strains and stress fractures.”If you look back now it’s a great story, but to me it’s been a natural progression,” he said. “I started to bowl because I didn’t want to get a duck and do nothing for the rest of the game. Since then the bowling has been such an enjoyable thing because you have so much control over what happens.”Copeland runs his own coaching business so was always talking to his charges about the best method to deliver the various options and on the way taught himself. “I haven’t had any bowling coaching until I came into the state squad,” he said. “There are guys that I’ve played with at St George who have helped me, but never really specific one-on-one coaching.”In an era where technique rules, Copeland is a natural player from another age. He likes to swing the ball but at 195cm can also pull back his length and hit the pitch hard. During his half-season last year he showed his flexibility by collecting five-fors in Adelaide and Hobart after his stunning 8 for 92 on debut against Queensland at the SCG. That was his first eight-wicket return since his third-grade days.Copeland has just completed his first pre-season with the Blues, replacing his usual method of keeping fit in winter by playing hockey. Bowling has been his focus but he is desperate to improve his batting. He said he scored 80s and 90s in first grade during his time as an opener, but only managed a top of 9 for his state.”My record from last year doesn’t say I can bat,” he said. “But in myself I know I can.” A lack of runs won’t worry his team-mates, as long as he keeps taking wickets.

Celtic journalist Kieran Devlin has expressed his surprise at the notion that January signing Daizen Maeda has started his Parkhead career ‘poorly’.

The lowdown

The Hoops signed the Japanese forward from Yokohama F Marinos on an initial loan last month, and in the summer, the move will be made permanent for a fee of £1.38m.

The 24-year-old has made nine appearances so far for the club, starting four Premiership games and both legs of the Europa Conference League play-off tie against Bodo/Glimt.

Maeda has netted four goals for the Hoops up to this point, including one on his debut against Hibernian.

The latest

On The Athletic’s matchday forum, a supporter said that their problem with Maeda was his ‘woeful’ first touch, arguing that the 24-year-old produced a ‘particularly poor’ performance against Dundee last Sunday.

Devlin mounted a strong defence of Maeda in response, suggesting that his ‘outstanding’ work off the ball was underappreciated.

The journalist replied: “Game of opinions and all that, but I think we must be watching a different sport! Thought he was decent on Sunday with a directness that had been badly missing from Celtic’s wingers in the games previously, especially how well he does in creating the second goal.

“His control isn’t great but neither is Giakoumakis or Abada’s, really, but they like Maeda have other good qualities. His linkup play has been good enough while off the ball he’s outstanding, both in his pressing and his movement to create chances for himself and teammates.

“I can’t wrap my head around the theory I’ve seen online that he’s started his Celtic career poorly – but as I say, what makes these discussions interesting is how we all think differently about football and Celtic!”

The verdict

Maeda’s goal return for Celtic so far is solid, but what do the rest of his performance numbers say?

He has missed three big chances, namely situations where he should reasonably have been expected to score (via SofaScore). He hasn’t offered much from a creative standpoint either, supplying only 0.2 key passes per 90 minutes, and he’s only winning 39% of his duels.

As for his control, he is averaging two unsuccessful first touches per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

There is some room for improvement, but perhaps he’s almost suffering from the form of fellow J1 League arrivals Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate, both of whom have impressed so much in the early knockings at Celtic that they’re already being touted as future Premier League players.

More patience may be required with Maeda.

In other news, read this injury expert’s latest claim on Christopher Jullien

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi is the second former India captain, after Sunil Gavaskar, to refuse a post on the IPL’s governing council

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2010Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi is the second former India captain, after Sunil Gavaskar, to refuse a post on the IPL’s governing council. Pataudi and Gavaskar served on the league’s original council but decided not to be part of the reconstituted body after the BCCI said that council members would not be paid henceforth.”I have written a letter to the BCCI which states that I do not wish to continue with the governing council,” Pataudi told the . “Earlier I was on a contract with the IPL, but the new changes are unacceptable for me. So, I have decided to move on.”Under the old system, headed by Lalit Modi, the three former cricketers on the council – Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Pataudi – were paid Rs 1 crore (approximately $220,000) for their services. The BCCI, however, said at its annual general meeting that members would no longer receive a salary. A day later, Gavaskar turned down the BCCI’s offer to be part of the governing council, saying he felt that the IPL was a commercial enterprise and those working for it should be remuneratedDoing away with salaries was only one of the wholesale changes the BCCI made to the league’s governing council. It dissolved the existing body and set up a new one with Chirayu Amin as the chairman. The council also included five other members – Arun Jaitley, Ranjib Biswal, Anurag Thakur, Ajay Shirke and Rajiv Shukla – and two former cricketers, one of whom was Shastri, who agreed to work in an honorary capacity.

Lautaro Martinez ‘would take Spurs to a different level’, former Lilywhites goalkeeper Paul Robinson says. 

The lowdown

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sempre Inter) named Spurs alongside Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona as one of the main candidates to sign Inter Milan striker Martinez this summer.

They claim that the North London outfit have expressed a concrete interest in the 24-year-old in recent weeks. Inter have apparently set an asking price of between €60million (£49.7million) and €70million (£58million) for the Argentine.

Spurs, then, could break their existing transfer record – the £54million they paid to sign Tanguy Ndombele in 2019 – in order to land Martinez.

Antonio Conte worked with the forward at the San Siro between 2019 and 2021.

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The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson, a regular pundit on Sky Sports who played for Tottenham between 2004 and 2008, expressed at his excitement at the prospect of landing the ‘amazing’ Martinez.

He believes it could give Antonio Conte a similar luxury to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

“I think he would take Spurs to a different level,” he said. “He’s an amazing player.”

“Spurs have a great front three but they cannot play every week. Jurgen Klopp has found that out with his front three. He has five players in rotation for those positions.

“As well as Spurs’ front three are doing at the moment they cannot play every game. It is a squad game now more than ever.”

The verdict

Conte will surely have fond memories of Martinez, whose 17 league goals helped propel Inter to the Serie A title last season – the player himself has credited Conte with changing his ‘mentality’ and helping him to ‘grow’.

Off the back of their success, Martinez finished joint-21st in the 2021 Ballon D’Or voting, alongside Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.

There’s no doubt, then, that he’s an elite forward and potentially a blockbuster addition to the Spurs squad.

Conte used a 3-5-2 shape at Inter to accommodate both Martinez and Romelu Lukaku, but doing the same at Spurs could see Heung-min Son left out. It would be a dilemma for the manager, but as Robinson notes, the level of depth would be enviable.

In other news, Dean Jones shares a left-field James Maddison development concerning THFC.