All posts by h716a5.icu

Deane tells Blades to keep Bogle

Brian Deane has told The Transfer Tavern that his former side Sheffield United should keep young defender Jayden Bogle at the club.

Just weeks after suffering relegation with the Blades, the 20-year-old is reportedly being offered an immediate return to the Premier League by new boys Norwich City.

Bogle joined from Derby County last summer but didn’t make the squad in any of Sheffield United’s opening 13 matches, only making his debut as a substitute at Brighton just before Christmas.

But having scored on his league debut in that very game, Bogle became a regular under Chris Wilder and netted his second of the campaign in February’s victory over West Brom, making 16 league appearances in total.

And Deane, who notched more than 100 times across two spells for the Yorkshire outfit, including the first ever Premier League goal, believes that selling Bogle would be pointless, knowing they’d have to buy a similar replacement.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I’d be surprised if Sheffield United sold him because you have to start basing how you want your squad to develop on youth, and he’s in that category.

“He did well in a short space of time. It wouldn’t make much sense to sell him, because then they would have to go out and find the next Jayden Bogle, so I would be surprised.”

Ex-SWFC ace predicts League 1 struggle

Former Sheffield Wednesday star Jon Newsome has told The Transfer Tavern that the club will find it immensely difficult to gain promotion back to the Championship after their relegation.

Wednesday ended the season rock-bottom of the Championship table after drawing 3-3 with Derby County on the final day.

In total, Darren Moore’s side took just 41 points from their 46 games, and will now set about planning for a return to the second-tier.

Newsome, though, thinks that Wednesday face a real battle to earn promotion back to the Championship, especially given the financial issues they are facing.

He has revealed that the club have a wage bill worth over £20m, a figure that simply is not sustainable in the third-tier.

Per The Daily Mail, the average wage of the highest earner at each club earns £4,753-per-week.

Per Salary Sport, no fewer than 22 players earn in excess of that amount; Jordan Rhodes earns £35,000-per-week.

As a result, Newsome thinks the club will struggle immensely to find their way back into the second-tier, as a number of players will be offloaded.

He told TT: “Obviously, it’s a really difficult league to get out of. Look at Hull City, who’ve done an amazing job, dropping down last year and they got a promotion the first year back, there’s not many clubs that do that.

“It’s going to be a really difficult task to get that club out, especially when you look at the rotation of the squad, the number of players who are leaving, the high earners.

“They’ve got a massive wage bill at Sheffield Wednesday at the moment, I’m led to believe it’s in excess of £20 million a year as a wage bill. That’s not sustainable in League One.

“The club’s revenue will fall by a minimum of £8 million just by dropping down into that league. There’s going to be a massive turnover of footballers at that club.”

Indian armada triumph at Port of Spain

Uncork the bubbly, have a ball, and go on a splurge

Partab Ramchand25-Apr-2002Uncork the bubbly, have a ball, and go on a splurge. And then get backto work. That is my message for the Indian cricket team.Victories abroad are such rare events in Indian cricket that it seemsnatural to go overboard, praise the heroes to the sky, and hail thevictory at Port of Spain as a great triumph. It will certainly takeits place in history as a notable win, even after taking into accountthe fact that the Indians, by and large, started as favourites againsta West Indian side palpably on the decline.
© CricInfoThe fact remains, however, that India’s record of two victoriesagainst 14 losses in the Caribbean compares most unfavourably and, asis well known, the Indians do not travel well abroad. Under thecircumstances, it is difficult not to get excited by the victorynotched up at the Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday. Certainly the groundhas got to be the Indians’ favourite overseas venue, simply for thefact that nowhere else have India registered three victories abroad.Given the events of the disappointing rain-affected drawn Test atGuyana, there seemed little indication of things being different atPort of Spain. As I pointed out in my earlier column, this looked setto be a contest between two mediocre and evenly balanced sides, strongin batting and short on bowling. But the wicket and weather conditionswere very different in Trinidad. Given very little interference fromthe weather and a newly laid pitch that encouraged pace even as itfeatured some uneven bounce, there was something in it for thebowlers.Relishing such conditions, the eight principal bowlers on both sidesmade things that much more difficult for the batsmen, and the resultwas a cracker of a match, marked by fluctuating fortunes that couldhave gone either way until almost the very end. The connoisseur of thegame could not have asked for anything more.As I mentioned earlier, though, these are two sides with inherentweaknesses, and that was apparent during the five days. The suspectbatting at the top of the order, the long tail, and the lack ofvariety in the bowling ­ the problems still exist. It was just thatthe one strong point in both sides ­ the middle-order batting ­ wasable to cover up for these lapses. How long one admirable aspect cancover up for three weak areas is a moot point.But then, one should not linger too long on the flaws alone. Indeed,the Indians deserve kudos for the manner in which they clearlyperformed above themselves. The most encouraging aspect was the waythe pace trio of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra cameoff. True, the pitch was an ally, but they utilised the conditionscommendably. Playing without their ace strike bowler over the lastdecade was a gamble, and it paid off in spades – proof that sometimesbold decisions have to be taken if the side is to succeed.
© CricInfoNext to the pace trio, it was the batting of the big four that playeda notable role in the triumph. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, SouravGanguly and VVS Laxman have all played up to their reputations in thetwo Tests thus far, and this has helped plug the loopholes at the topof the order. How long they can do so is open to debate, and perhapsthe time has come to replace Sanjay Bangar with Wasim Jaffer. Gangulycan always don the role of a fifth bowler, and it is about time arecognised opening batsman is given his due.Ajay Ratra, as was expected, was a vast improvement over DeepDasgupta. Now is the time to stop the wicket-keeping musical chairs,which has been an unfortunate episode over the last couple of years,and all encouragement should be given to this talented youngster.The Port of Spain victory could well mark a turning point in Ganguly’scaptaincy. He has had his critics, his share of ups and downs duringhis two-year stint at the helm. But I for one have always felt that heremains the best person for the high-pressure job. If anything, theevents at the Queen’s Park Oval should give him the confidence tosharpen his tactical skills.Some of these skills were in evidence even during the Test. His bowlingchanges were imaginative, and his tight field placings wereresponsible for bottling up even such natural stroke-players likeBrian Lara and Carl Hooper. Gone was the diffidence, the defensivestrategy, the 7-2 and 8-1 off-side fields that one saw at Georgetown.Ganguly’s aggressive tactics hustled the batsmen into errors, andcertainly his captaincy was as much a contributory factor in theultimate result as the middle-order batting or the bowling of the pacetrio.I must end on a word of caution. It is very easy to sit back on one’slaurels, to be lulled into a feeling of overconfidence. The Indianshave it in them to wrap up their first series in the Caribbean for 31years, and if they are to achieve it, they would do well to take aleaf out of their predecessors’ book. On that occasion too, India wonthe second Test at Port of Spain to take the lead in the five-matchseries. Then, led by the superhuman feats of new boy Sunil Gavaskar,who got four hundreds in three matches, and helped by invaluablecontributions at vital stages from other players, India were able tokeep that lead and emerge triumphant.The Indians would do well to remember that the next three Tests are atBridgetown, Kingston and Antigua – venues where they have not exactlycovered themselves with glory in the past. Just for the record, in 17Test matches at these venues, the Indians have lost 11 and drawn six.So there is still a lot of hard work ahead. As the cliché goes, theIndians have won the battle. Now they have to make sure they do notlose the war.

Sanath Jayasuriya looks back on his captaincy

When the national selectors appointed Sanath Jayasuriya as the Sri Lankancaptain ahead of senior players such as Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanamaand Hashan Tillakratne, there were some who had reservations about thedecision

Rex Clementine Fernando18-Jun-2001Sanath JayasuriyaWhen the national selectors appointed Sanath Jayasuriya as the Sri Lankancaptain ahead of senior players such as Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanamaand Hashan Tillakratne, there were some who had reservations about thedecision. Today, however, nearly two years on, most of those critics willhave been even silenced.But if you ask the modest man from the coastal town of Matara whether heever dreamt of becoming the national captain, he’ll give you that familiarbroad smile and tell you modestly that he never dreamt of becoming thecaptain of his country; all what he wanted was to represent Sri Lanka at thehighest level.”You can dream to play for your country, but you can’t dream to become thecaptain,” said Jayasuriya. “You need a bit of luck. But I tell you, I neverdreamt of captaining the country.”Jayasuriya was handed the captaincy at a crucial stage. Sri Lanka playedpoorly in the 1999 World Cup in England and the selectors decided to sackArjuna Ranatunga, a hugely respected figure and the captain when Jayasuriyamade his international debut.Jayasuriya admits to feeling “a bit frightened” when he was first given thejob. “The question I asked myself was whether I can do this job,” hereveals. “I had played cricket at that time for about 10 years, but Arjunawas captaining for 14 years and lot of senior players were around that time.I was thinking about lot of things, but in the end I thought to myself: Ihave played enough international cricket and I can do this job.”Looking back at the two years since, Jayasuriya says: “The first year wasthe toughest. It was not easy because Sri Lankan cricket was in a bad shape:we had lost the World Cup and straight after that they had changed thecaptaincy.””When I got the job I asked the boys for their fullest support. I told them:’we have to play as a team’ and asked for their support since I had neverdone the job before. When the players support you it makes your work mucheasier.”Jayasuriya started off well by beating Australia, the world champions, in athree-match test series at home. He then went from strength-to-strength,beating both Zimbabwe and Pakistan away from home. Since then, however, SriLanka has not recorded a test series victory, losing to Pakistan and Englandat home and in South Africa.The side lost games from winning positions. Against South Africa and Englandthe side recorded innings victories in the first tests, both of which wereplayed in Galle, only for the tourists to bounce back in Kandy.Jayasuriya believes that the fault for this lies at the feet of the batsmen:”The batsman didn’t score enough runs. You need batsman to put a minimum of350 to 400 runs on the board. When they don’t it’s very difficult for thebowlers to bowl. Basically the batsman didn’t perform wellenough, although luck didn’t favour us much either.”However Jayasuriya’s side has performed admirably in the shorter version ofthe game. In the new captains very first assignment, the Aiwa Cup, Sri Lankadefeated India and the mighty Australians. They then defeated Zimbabwe andPakistan convincingly away from home, New Zealand away, England at home, andhave won three of their last four triangular tournaments. The only set backin the shorter version was the recent 5-1 thrashing by the hands of Proteasand an early exit from the ICC KnockOut last October.”If you take a look at our performances you can obviously see that we havedone well in one-day cricket,” he said. “But the team is keen to do well in testcricket as well and want to be a better team than we are at the moment. I amparticularly disappointed about the last test series against England, whichwe should have won easily.”Jayasuriya says he concentrates on each series as they come and feels prettyconfident about the 2003 World Cup, although historically Sri Lanka have notdone well on South African soil. He hopes certain recent moves by theInterim Committee will help his side to do better this time around.”We have planned few things: we are preparing fast practice tracks atPremadasa Stadium and we are also trying to bring down some experts likeBarry Richards, to get some tips. He has come here earlier, and I hope that will help us,” says Jayasuriya.He warns his critics to not write him off yet. The proud winner of the mostvaluable player award of the 1996 World Cup is looking forward to anotherchance to grab the limelight, this time as the leader.

Transfer budget could be delaying Howe move

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie believes concerns over Celtic’s transfer budget could be holding up Eddie Howe’s move to the club.

Howe has long been linked with Celtic as they look to replace Neil Lennon but nothing has yet been made official.

The former Bournemouth boss may be holding out for a Premier League opportunity, with some reports suggesting that he could be in line for the Crystal Palace job.

Hendrie also thinks the possibility of not being able to bring in the players he wants could be causing issues.

Discussing Celtic’s pursuit of Howe in an exclusive interview with TT, the Sky Sports pundit said:

“I think that’s why it’s taken a little bit longer to get a manager back into the door. You know, ‘What have I got to go and bring new players in? What have I got that I can [use to] compete against Rangers?’

“It seems to be that there’s a problem or there isn’t enough that is attracting managers in to say, ‘Well, I can bring new players in, we’re going to rebuild this football club’ and that possibly will be why there isn’t a manager in that door at the moment.”

Given how far off Celtic were from their city rivals this season, it is probably to be expected that any incoming manager would want reassurances regarding the transfer budget. So it would not be a surprise if an issue surrounding that was holding up Howe’s move to the Bhoys.

West Indies players reprimanded by Board

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has approved the reprimand which its President, Pat Rousseau, gave to West Indies players, Mervyn Dillon and Dinanath Ramnarine, following the third Cable & Wireless Test match in Barbados (March 29 to April 2)

Derrick Nicholas29-Apr-2001The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has approved the reprimand which its President, Pat Rousseau, gave to West Indies players, Mervyn Dillon and Dinanath Ramnarine, following the third Cable & Wireless Test match in Barbados (March 29 to April 2).Approval of Rousseau’s action came at a meeting of the Board in Antigua on Wednesday, April 11. Board members agreed with the president’s strong reprimand of the two cricketers for their behaviour while batting at the end of the fifth day of the third Test between the West Indies and South Africa. Rousseau was at Kensington Oval in Barbados on the final day of the match.Both players have been advised that their actions were not in the bestinterests of West Indies cricket and would be severely dealt with ifrepeated.

SEPL feature match – Bashley (Rydal) v Bournemouth

A half-century by Australian Adam Loader and three-wicket hauls by Kevin Nash and Neil Taylor swept Bashley (Rydal) to a 77-run victory over Southern Electric ECB Premier League rivals Bournemouth

Mike Vimpany14-May-2001A half-century by Australian Adam Loader and three-wicket hauls by Kevin Nash and Neil Taylor swept Bashley (Rydal) to a 77-run victory over Southern Electric ECB Premier League rivals Bournemouth.It was the first time in eight years Bashley had beaten their neighbours – but they did so in convincing fashion, outplaying Bournemouth in most departments.Bashley based their success around a flowing second-wicket partnership between Loader and Neil Thurgood, and a critical initial half-hour after the tea interval, when they knocked over Bournemouth’s top order.”Overall, it was a good balanced team performance,” reflected Bashley’s Australian coach Dave Lewis, who got into the action, fielding as a substitute (for Thurgood) for the entire evening session.Bournemouth certainly hoped for better things after Hampshire’s Andrew Sexton spooned up a catch to cover after a delivery from Aussie swing bowler Peter Waite had “stopped” on him.But it didn’t happen – Bashley overcoming that initial hiccup at 25 to ease themselves firmly into the driving seat.Thurgood (48), effective off his legs and equally positive through the covers, batted with a runner after suffering a thigh strain.But he is confident he will be fit for Dorset’s C & G Trophy second round tie against Bedfordshire at Dean Park tomorrow, Tuesday.Loader (54), from the Tea Tree Gully club in Adelaide, was missed at first slip by Bournemouth skipper Matt Swarbrick with only a boundary to his name.The South Australian, ever-eager to get on the front foot, relished anything pitched up and looks a handy replacement for the Academy-bound Luke Ronchi.Joe Wilson (2-40), the pick of a rather unimpressive Bournemouth attack which toiled in the heat, removed both batsmen – Loader falling to a smart piece of glovework by the chirpy Chris Park.Former Wimborne skipper Richard Knowles (35), forceful off the back-foot, lost three partners as Bashley’s middle-order stuttered.But just when Bournemouth thought they had matters under control – the New Forest club slipped to 155-5 at one stage – Bashley upped a gear and put the game out of sight.Shaun Lilley (22 not out) and Neil Sexton (18 not out) slapped 32 runs off the last four overs, Devonian Paul Warren having three boundaries smashed off his last three deliveries.Any prospect Bournemouth had of bettering Bashley’s 232-7 probably disappeared the first legitimate ball after tea.Swarbrick, who had previously floored two chances in the field, saw a leg-side wide pass harmlessly by.But pulled the next ball – a juicy long-hop – from John Whiting straight into square-leg’s waiting hands.Swarbrick, from whom Bournemouth needed a big score if they were to challenge, will have better days….It didn’t get any better, with Whiting, still pacey at 38 years of age, ripping through Geoff Warrington’s defences and then Kevin Nash having Chris Insall caught behind.Julian Cassell (50) and Martin Miller (30) lifted Bournemouth’s sagging spirits from 32-3 to 91, when the middle-order gave way.Five wickets tumbled for just 31 runs – three of them in six balls from Neil Taylor (3-19) – before Dan Britton and Paul Warren eased Bournemouth towards the relative respectability of 155-8.But Nash returned to remove Warren and Joe Wilson in successive deliveries to end the late resistance to complete Bashley’s comprehensive 77-run victory.

Barisic injury news is awful for Gerrard

Whilst Rangers were able to celebrate a superb 4-1 win in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox on Sunday, it was not all good news for Steven Gerrard’s side, after influential left-back Borna Barisic was forced off through injury.

The Croatian international went down in agony after playing a pass and was taken off the pitch in some pain, which suggests that unfortunately, he could miss the final two games of the season as the Light Blues look to finish the league campaign unbeaten.

Following the game, Gerrard had this to say about the former Osijek man:

“I don’t know, it’s a quad issue, there’s certainly some tightness there.

“He seems a little uncomfortable at the moment so we’ll scan that in the coming days. We’ve got 10 days until the next game, hopefully that helps.”

As Gerrard suggests, Rangers’ next game isn’t until Wednesday 12th May when they face Livingston at the Almondvale Stadium, although given the non-contact nature of Barisic’s injury and how much pain he seemed to be in, it would be a surprise to see him feature again this season.

The 28-year-old left-back, who joined for £2.2m in 2018, has been one of Gerrard’s star performers in the Premiership this season, contributing one goal and five assists in 30 league appearances, resulting in a superb 7.35 average rating.

This is enough to rank him as the fifth-best performer in Rangers’ side so far this season, which emphasises just how important he is for the Light Blues and it is undoubtedly a huge blow that he seemingly won’t be available for the final two fixtures.

It is awful timing for Gerrard too, as second-choice left-back Calvin Bassey is also missing the final two games of the season due to suspension, which leaves the 40-year-old manager painfully thin in that position, which was clear to see on Sunday when Joe Aribo moved there after Barisic was forced off.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Former Hoops defender Mark Wilson was full of praise for Barisic last season, saying:

“He performs at good level week-in, week-out and has terrific quality in the final third of the park.”
The Croatia international has caused a lot of problems with his crosses down the left-hand side this season and you feel that in his absence, Rangers will lose a serious attacking threat, which will leave Gerrard worried that his side can’t finish the season as invincible.
And, in other news… Bye-bye Kamara: Wilson should seal Rangers swoop for “very good” 22 y/o

Liverpool fans erupt after FSG development

According to a report by The Mirror, sharing a big Fenway Sports Group (FSG) development, Liverpool’s owners have rejected a bid of almost £3bn for the Merseyside club from an unnamed investor – prompting many Reds fans to vent their fury over this news.

FSG purchased the Merseyside club from previous American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, who had plunged the Reds into £350m worth of debt (Goal).

During the current ownership, Liverpool steadied the ship financially and slowly re-established themselves as a top four club, but they have come under serious fire recently for a very controversial decision.

Liverpool’s involvement in the now-suspended European Super League (ESL) as a founding club prompted waves of backlash – so much so that, after the club effectively pulled out of the proposals alongside the rest of the ‘big six’, principal owner John W. Henry released a public apology to supporters.

The relationship between Reds and their FSG ownership appears more strained than ever, and news has now emerged that they recently rejected a £3bn takeover bid just before the ESL saga.

Flocking to this big development, there was no shortage of eruption from Liverpool supporters to this news – you can see some of their verdicts below.

Liverpool fans erupt over big FSG development

“The day gets worse and worse”

Credit: @HLFC_

“Shaking with rage”

Credit: @lfc_lallum

“Being a Liverpool fan this year is absolutely gut wrenching.”

Credit: @Twel864

“NOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @E_Barnes03

“Hate life”

Credit: @Benjih200

“Cruel if true”

Credit: @norlanian

“I’m off to cry”

Credit: @lfc826

In other news: Liverpool fans blasted this ‘shocking’ ace after his Newcastle display, find out more here.

Newcastle undecided on Carroll future

Mike Ashley must move to boot Andy Carroll out of St. James’ Park for the final time this summer amid doubt in his long-term Newcastle United future.

What’s the word?

According to Chronicle Live, the Magpies are yet to decide on whether or not they will offer Carroll a new contract ahead of his potential summer exit.

The striker is due to hit free agency at the end of the season, but has an agreement with the club in place to know their position by the middle of May.

West Bromwich Albion are thought to be admirers of Carroll if he departs Tyneside unattached, although the Baggies’ position is dependent on Sam Allardyce remaining at The Hawthorns.

A clutch of Championship sides are also monitoring Carroll’s situation, as Newcastle scout the Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga for potential replacements.

The Toon could move to tie Carroll down with a new deal at any stage, while talks over new terms may hinge on the forward agreeing to take a pay cut.

Carroll’s priority is said to be regarding his playing time having struggled to get a look in under Steve Bruce of late, and was unhappy at being left an unused substitute in the 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the international break.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views” title=”The latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

The Amex Stadium affair marked the sixth time that Carroll has been left an unused substitute in Newcastle’s last 10 Premier League games, while playing a mere 15 minutes over his four appearances.

Should Newcastle retain Carroll?

While Newcastle could move to tie Carroll down and retain their current striker group – amid reports that Dwight Gayle is due to pen a three-year deal – Ashley must move to boot the former England international out of St. James’ Park for the final time.

Carroll has proven to be a complete disaster since his return to the north east after being released by West Ham United, far from the “massive asset” that Danny Mills expected him to be.

The nine-cap Three Lions striker has scored just once over 41 appearances in all competitions since re-joining his boyhood club on Deadline Day of the summer 2019 market.

His single strike to date came on January 3, 2021 when Newcastle saw defeat in the new year with a 2-1 loss at Leicester City, ending a 33 game drought for 6 ft 4 centre-forward who Nedum Onuoha still lauds for his ability to provide “a sense of chaos and just go for it.”

Rarely has that chaos been delivered, and Carroll will likely leave Tyneside this summer having cost Ashley £5.3m in wages since his return to Newcastle without anything to show for it.

Reports by The Guardian claimed Carroll re-joined the Magpies last season on an effective pay-as-you-play deal worth a basic £20,000-per-week, but would see the target man net an additional £55,000 for every start and £15,000 when introduced from the bench.

He would only start five times across all competitions for a bonus of £275,000 and make 16 substitute appearances for £240,000 on top of his basic earnings of £920,000, before penning a new one-year deal on June 25 worth what Spotrac claim to be £75,000-per-week.

Carroll will have been on that lucrative deal for 52 weeks when the terms lapse on June 30, netting him £3.9m. Added with his earnings from 2019/20, that comes to a tidy £5.3m, not bad for a player who rarely features or offers anything on the pitch.

It’s a sum of money that’s been completely wasted.

AND in other news, Newcastle could save at least £8.5m by unleashing a £38k-p/w “life-saver” next season…

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