Tag Futebol

With Lee Johnson having seen his Sunderland side get their League One campaign off to the best of starts on Saturday, the 40-year-old’s attention will now be on the Black Cats’ EFL Cup fixture on Tuesday evening.

And, with the Mackems set to face League Two side Port Vale in the cup competition, Johnson may well use the opportunity to afford a number of the club’s peripheral first-team players and up-and-coming youth talents some valuable game time.

One such player the 40-year-old simply must consider starting, who just so happens to fit into both of the categories mentioned above, is Josh Hawkes.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has been tipped to make a big impact within the Sunderland side this season by Johnson himself, with the manager stating his belief that the left-midfielder is an “exciting” prospect, as well as claiming the youngster has the “ability to turn a game on its head.”

However, with Hawkes being an unused substitute in the victory over Wigan Athletic last weekend, the Mackems manager has been presented with something of the perfect opportunity to allow the midfielder to demonstrate his ability at professional level against Port Vale.

And, if the £510-per-week man can reach anywhere near the level he hit for the Black Cats U23 side last season, we would not bet against him lighting up the fixture on Tuesday evening.

Indeed, over his 22 Premier League 2 appearances last time out, the 22-year-old scored 14 goals and registered seven assists, firing his team all the way to the promotion play-off final – in which they narrowly lost out to Crystal Palace U23s 1-0.

As such, it is evident that Hawkes is a player with a significant amount of potential, in addition to already being an extremely accomplished player.

However, the next step is clearly establishing himself within the Sunderland first-team, something that it is obvious the youngster has the ability to do, all that is required is Johnson’s faith, trust and patience.

In other news: Get it done: KLD must sanction SAFC summer swoop for “brilliant” £360k-rated dynamo

Newcastle United are expecting to hear ‘something significant’ on their Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case against the Premier League imminently.

That’s according to Shields Gazette journalist Liam Kennedy (via Twitter).

The lowdown

Mike Ashley has taken the Premier League to the CAT as well as initiating arbitration proceedings, and the disputes centre around the stalled takeover by a Saudi-led consortium.

A report from The Independent on Saturday suggested that the takeover was unlikely to go through before the start of the new Premier League season as Newcastle kick-off the campaign with a home fixture against West Ham United on 15 August.

A source told the newspaper that ‘the uncertainty is affecting how the club is operating’, with Ashley reluctant to spend on transfers ‘if he is not going to be the owner’.

The latest

‘Club sources’ have indicated that an important update on the CAT case will arrive as soon as ‘this week’.

However, Kennedy does sound a note of instinctive scepticism as he tweeted: “Club sources suggesting they are expecting to hear something significant on the CAT case this week.

“As ever with #NUFC though, we watch & wait.”

The verdict

At this stage, it would be understandable if Newcastle fans were distancing themselves from all the noise surrounding this prospective takeover.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters offered assurances at the start of this year that a resolution would be reached ‘in a timely manner’, but it has proven to be an exhausting process.

However, Kennedy’s update offers optimism that things are finally starting to ramp up, hopefully leading to decisive developments in the next month or so.

In other news, the demands of this Newcastle target have been revealed.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na véspera do início da sequência de partidas mais importantes no primeiro semestre de 2017, o Colorado tem um enorme desfalque. No aquecimento antes do último treinamento para a partida contra o Cruzeiro-RS, nessa quinta-feira no Beira-Rio, o goleiro Danilo Fernandes fraturou o pé esquerdo. O motivo: estresse.

Com isso, a previsão é que o goleiro desfalque o Inter por até dois meses, ficando de fora do Campeonato Gaúcho e dos dois duelos contra o Corinthians na Copa do Brasil. A previsão é que Marcelo Lomba seja titular no gol colorado. Em 2016, quando Danilo também ficou fora durante o Brasileirão 2016, Lomba disputou seis partidas, o Inter perdeu quatro e empatou duas.

قام الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف” بعقد مقارنة بين ثنائي فريقي الأهلي والوداد المغربي بيرسي تاو وزهير المترجي.

وجاء ذلك قبل المواجهة المرتقبة التي تجمع الأهلي والوداد، على ملعب استاد مركب محمد الخامس بالمغرب، في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع | تقارير مغربية تكشف موعد فتح أبواب ملعب مباراة الأهلي والوداد أمام الجماهير

ونشر “كاف” عبر حسابه الرسمي بمواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، إحصائيات المترجي وتاو، من حيث عدد المباريات والدقائق والأهداف والتمريرات الحاسمة.

وبينت المقارنة، تساوي اللاعبان في عدد الأهداف، إذا سجل كل منهما 3 أهداف، فيما تفوق تاو بـ5 تمريرات حاسمة، مقابل صناعة هدف واحد للمترجي.

يُذكر، أن الأهلي سيواجه الوداد في التاسعة من مساء الإثنين المقبل، من أجل حسم بطل النسخة الحالية للبطولة القارية.

The Athletic journalist Adam Crafton has dropped an update involving Leeds United and Patrick Bamford.

What’s the story?

David Ornstein had previously revealed that last summer, the 27-year-old signed a new one-year extension to his existing contract at Elland Road, with his deal now running until June 2023.

And now, Crafton has claimed via his official Twitter account that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are “closing on” an extension for Bamford, adding that discussions are progressing well over a renewal.

Leeds fans will be delighted

The striker was an absolute sensation in the Premier League last season for the Whites, banging in 17 goals and providing another eight assists in 38 games.

In fact, only Spurs talisman Harry Kane outscored the Leeds man in the top-flight in terms of the players Gareth Southgate chose for the England squad, while only the Three Lions captain, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish provided more assists than him.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, former Leeds midfielder David Prutton had urged Southgate to take Bamford to the EUROs, declaring: “Get him in there. He’s got no tournament baggage and he’s a great team player who is a hard worker and selfless. He’s performed under pressure at a big club and always rises to the challenge of the questions against him. He’s an all round good egg.”

The fact Bamford was in the conversation for an England spot for this summer is a real testament of just how much he has improved under Bielsa at Elland Road.

Keeping a hold of the core that Bielsa has built over the seasons at Elland Road is crucial to keeping the kind of team spirit that the Leeds boss has helped create, and Bamford has been one of the main reasons why the Whites find themselves in the Premier League again.

Given how Leeds fans were absolutely ecstatic when news emerged from Ornstein that a one-year extension was signed, the update from Crafton that talks are going well over a renewal is surely to delight fans even more.

Meanwhile, Beren Cross has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Noel Whelan has made a prediction on when Newcastle United will get a result in their upcoming arbitration case over the failed takeover.

The Lowdown: Newcastle statement

Earlier this week, the Tyneside club released a statement on their official website asking for the forthcoming arbitration process to be made public.

However, this is only possible if the Premier League also agrees to it, as otherwise the process will remain entirely confidential.

In what can be described as bullish words, Newcastle also claimed that they have ‘nothing to hide’ with regards to the process, and even suggested that the Premier League should have ‘no reason to be afraid of the public spotlight’, providing that they have acted ‘lawfully and properly’.

The Latest: Whelan predicts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan – who is now a pundit after playing as a striker for the likes of Leeds United and Coventry City – does not think that the Premier League would have enjoyed reading the statement, and predicts that the results of the arbitration case will not be disclosed before the start of the new 2021/22 season. He said:

“It’s put the cat among the pigeons, put it that way. I’m sure the Premier League will not be enjoying Newcastle doing this.

“I’m not expecting the Premier League to go: Yes, yes, we’ll show you everything.’ They will put up a fight, they will be stubborn.

“You also need to tread very, very carefully when it comes to the owners of the league. They have such a hold over a lot of clubs.

“Newcastle need some clarity, they need an end to this. They need to know some reasons.

“It’s not going to happen overnight. They’ll stall as long as possible. There are lots of lawyers involved and people looking at the in and outs of everything.

“So this is no doubt going to drag on. It’s not going to be disclosed or finalised by the start of the season, that’s for sure.”

The Verdict: Would not be ideal

It certainly would not be ideal at all if the arbitration results were not disclosed before the start of the new season, especially in the middle of the summer transfer window.

Newcastle will want to go into the new campaign as best prepared as possible, and uncertainly surrounding the takeover will not help their cause.

If the results are positive for the Magpies, then the takeover process could be accelerated, but realistically there would not be enough time for the new owners-in-waiting to flex their financial muscles in the transfer market, assuming that a deal can be done quickly after the hearing ends.

In other news, find out what Premier League update Liam Kennedy has dropped on the anti-competition case

The team selected to represent MCCA in this match is shown below

Gordon Child22-Aug-2002MCCA representative X1 v Sir Paul Getty’s X1
Wormsley Cricket Ground, Wednesday, 28th August: 11.00 am startThe team selected to represent MCCA in this match is shown below.
RI Dawson (Devon), RWJ Howitt (Lincolnshire), *JR Wood (Berkshire),AJ Hall (Cheshire), RS Nagra (Herefordshire), S Chapman (Northumberland),+NJ Wilton (Berkshire), Ajaz Akhtar (Cambridgeshire), C Brown (Norfolk),IE Bishop (Devon), MA Sharp (Cumberland).
12th Man: PR Carter (Berkshire).Scorer: Kevin O’Connell
Coach: Phil Oliver

Inconsistency is the bane of Indian cricket teams and the currentsquad in the West Indies is no different. One can’t really be surewhen the side will touch the heights of glory or when they will plumbthe depths. They alternate so quickly between the two extremes that itbecomes extremely frustrating. Just last year it happened in Zimbabweand Sri Lanka and now again they have followed up a notable triumph atPort of Spain with a humiliating loss at Bridgetown only some ten dayslater.

But then of course the Indians must have known that conditions at theKensington Oval would not be as amiable as those prevalent at theQueen’s Park Oval. There are batsmen who intimidate bowlers andbowlers who intimidate batsmen. But here we have a ground that has ademoralizing effect on the Indians.Seven defeats in eight matches at this venue ­ including five in arow, which makes it next only to Lord’s where the Indians lost sixsuccessive Tests in the period 1932-1967 ­ is frankly an unnervingrecord. The West Indies would seem to hold all the psychological acesagainst India at Bridgetown and unless the visitors are able to shakethis off ­ like they did with a splendid fighting performance in 1971­ more defeats are bound to follow.After all, it is not just the pace of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding,Ian Bishop, Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose andFranklyn Rose that has laid the Indians low at this jinxed venue. Eventhe spin of Sonny Ramadhin, Lance Gibbs and David Holford has been thecause of much misery for the visitors. And the infamous collapse in1997 when the Indians, set to get just 120 runs for victory, werebowled out for 81 symbolises India’s dismal showing at Bridgetown.The Indians did just about everything wrong but there is little doubtthat the batting caused more problems than the bowling. When a side isbowled out for 102 on the first day, it is an arduous uphill journeyfrom then on and only some incisive bowling followed by determinedbatting can possibly save the day. Sadly, both were missing.The bowling was generally wayward. There was little planning or efforttaken to think a batsman out. During the long fifth wicket partnershipbetween Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, frequently it seemedas if the bowlers were just going through the motions of completingthe over.A deficit of 292 can be crippling but it was hoped that the Indians,by a better showing the second time around on a pitch that looked tohave eased out, could put up a fight. The optimist’s mind instantlywent back to Lord’s in 1979, when despite being shot out for 96 on theopening day and finishing 323 runs behind on the first innings, theIndians came back to save the Test thanks a 210-run third wicketpartnership between Gundappa Viswanath and Dilip Vengsarkar, one ofthe most famous rearguard actions in Indian cricket.It was quaint to think of such heroics but we were all to be badlydisillusioned. The second innings was an improvement over the first ­anything would be ­ but that was not enough.There are a couple of disturbing thoughts even as the Indians licktheir wounds. One is that the remaining two Tests are at Kingston,Jamaica and St John’s, Antigua. The Indians have not exactly coveredthemselves with glory at these venues, especially at Kingston, wherethe tally reads five losses and three draws. Conditions at Sabina Parkare generally similar to those at the Kensington Oval.The Indians will be a bit more comfortable with their record atAntigua where both the Tests in 1983 and 1997 have been drawn. All thesame, the fun and games of Bourda and Queen’s Park Oval are over andthe tough part of the tour starts now. But one wonders whether theIndians are mentally, physically and technically prepared to tackleit.The second worrying aspect is that there is precious little that canbe done to work out any change in strategy. Yes, the top-order is abit more secure with Wasim Jaffer proving to be a success and ShivSundar Das providing some semblance of substance. The failure of thefamed middle-order ­ with the notable exception of the skipper who atlast seems to be coming into his own ­ did cause some dismay but it isstrong enough to make one feel that this was just an aberration.The main problem concerns the bowling. The spin department, inparticular, is a major worry with neither Anil Kumble nor HarbhajanSingh inspiring confidence. Both have bowling averages of 40 plus whenit comes to Tests abroad. And whichever combination the teammanagement opts for ­ three seamers and one spinner or two seamers andtwo spinners ­ there is nothing to suggest that the four bowlers willdeliver the goods.The line-up, to be candid, is quite problematic but then there arehardly any other options for the selectors and one supposes the teamwill have to soldier along with this tried and tested ­ though onlypartly successful ­ quartet for the rest of the series. And that is asobering thought even for the most optimistic Indian cricket fan.

MatériaMais Notícias

A novela mais emocionante do vaivém nacional está próxima do fim e de um final feliz para a torcida do Palmeiras. Em coletiva nesta tarde, o presidente do clube evitou falar do jogador, que está bem perto de um acordo. No Flamengo, a situação é um pouco diferente, Rodrigo Caetano, afirmou que o elenco para a temporada já está fechado, mas com a saída de Paulo Victor para o futebol turco, César (emprestado à Ferroviária) deve retornar ao rubro-negro carioca. Confira a galeria de imagens acima do vaivém desta quinta-feira

RelacionadasSão PauloAtlético de Madrid encaminha compra de Lyanco, do São PauloSão Paulo08/02/2017CorinthiansCorinthians resolve impasse e fará contrato longo com jovem campeãoCorinthians08/02/2017VascoVasco paga a jogadores e quita atraso salarial com funcionáriosVasco08/02/2017

Though he won’t allow himself to dwell on it, Nasser Hussain should beparticularly proud of his England team after their performance in Wellington.The significance – or lack thereof – of the cricket was brought starkly intofocus with the tragic loss of Ben Hollioake, yet England showed admirableprofessionalism amidst their obvious grief.Ghastly though it was for them, the team should take positives from Wellington.As was the case in Christchurch, individual efforts were backed up by a strong team spirit. Hussain, along with Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and the rapidly-improving Andrew Flintoff set up the chance for victory. With the ball, Andrew Caddick and Ashley Giles bowled in the right channels, and secured rewards in a poor New Zealand first innings effort.Hussain looked good for successive centuries, only to fall to one of manyquestionable umpiring decisions, with only served to highlight the good sense of the ICC’s elite panel.Trescothick and Butcher batted positively in both innings, and the foresight to promote Flintoff – whose blistering knock was a clinical demolition of below-par bowling – surely confines England’s ‘boring’ tag to the past. Many captains would have been content to bat for half of day five, and whilst Hussain’s declaration did not give New Zealand a realistic chance, the manner in which it was reached showed a desire to win a Test from an improbable position.England still have a long way to go. They remain a quantum leap away fromAustralia, but are – as has been the case for two years – a decent side.Auckland will be a difficult task. Nobody can suggest England will be in theright mind-set for international cricket. But they know they will have to treat the game with dedication and professionalism.The team for the third Test appears to pick itself, although inevitable questions about James Foster will continue as long as he continues to spillsimple chances. Foster is likely to keep his place, and should do. After hisnightmare debut, his batting has improved massively. The flair with which he plays his attacking shots indicated class and potential superior to Warren Hegg’s. Hegg is the better keeper, but Foster will only improve if given the chance to do so.England may consider replacing Mark Ramprakash with Craig White. Ramprakash has struggled on tour, although in a Test which England only need to draw, he looks a more solid prospect at six than White or Flintoff.Michael Vaughan also needs a score, though his starts in the first innings at Christchurch and the second in Wellington underlined his potential.There is virtually no competition for bowling places and, barring injury, the attack will be unchanged. The development of Steve Harmison and Steve Kirby (both bowlers with genuine pace) has been encouraging, and they should be pushing for places in the English summer.Despite their inexperience, England have performed admirably so far in theseries. There is no indication that a weakened Kiwi side will pose more of athreat in Auckland.Hopefully, cricket will edge back towards normality at Eden Park. Certainly no one who was at the Basin on Saturday as a numbing silence fell on the ground would want to repeat the experience.