Category Uncategorized

A major update has emerged regarding Sunderland’s pursuit of Manchester City forward Patrick Roberts…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Black Cats are expecting to seal a deal for the winger in the coming days and are only waiting on his loan with Troyes to be cancelled before bringing him in.

The report claims that all parties are happy with the move and have agreed to the transfer, with Lee Johnson poised to land his second signing of the January transfer window after Trai Hume.

Johnson will be over the moon

Johnson will be over the moon with this news, as it suggests that it is only a matter of time before Roberts is in front of a camera and holding up a red and white shirt.

Although the 24-year-old has not had the best of times in his recent loan spells, he has proven his quality in the past, and this move could be compared to the one which brought Alex Pritchard to the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats midfielder endured a rough spell at Huddersfield but has flourished since moving to the Lague One outfit.

Pritchard has two goals and five assists in League One this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.92 in the division. He has created 1.5 chances per game and is showing that he can be a regular threat for the Wearsiders, having failed to register a single goal or assist in the Championship for the Terriers last season.

Meanwhile, Roberts produced only one goal and one assist on loan at Derby County in the second tier last term. This suggests that, just like Pritchard, he was struggling to find his best form at that level, so dropping down a division could help him to get back to his best in the same way it has done for the former Tottenham playmaker.

The Manchester City forward previously enjoyed a superb loan spell with Celtic in Scotland. He provided 18 goals and 26 assists in 78 games for the Hoops, suggesting that he could regularly chip in with contributions in the final third for Sunderland if he rediscovers his top form.

This is why Johnson will be over the moon with the news that a deal is expected to go through. He is now set to have the chance to work with the 24-year-old on the training pitch to ensure that the winger is in the best possible state to come into the Sunderland team and make an impact in League One in the second half of the season.

AND in other news, Johnson can brutally axe £6.5k-p/w Sunderland dud by signing this wizard who “can change a game”…

Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Morgan Gibbs-White has been lavished with praise for his performances away from Molineux.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by YorkshireLive, Sheffield United centre-forward David McGoldrick stated his belief that the 21-year-old is a player who has the world at his feet, after the midfielder inspired his side to a 3-2 win over Cardiff City on Saturday.

Speaking about the ability of the England U21 international, the striker said: “There was a bit of brilliance from Gibbo for the first goal and he got two assists. He’s a great player, he got in positions for us and that helps us. He’s got the world at his feet, a great kid and great player with all the ability in the world but he needs to play games.

“He’s doing that here. He’s expressing himself and has the licence to be a free spirit. We want him to go and create things. He’s going to lose the ball sometimes, but all good players do that. As long as it’s in the right positions and as long as he keeps scoring goals like that, I don’t mind what else he does.”

The report went on to state that, with Wolves having an option to recall the youngster in January – something the Premier League side did when he was on loan with Swansea City last season – there are increasing concerns at Bramall Lane that they could lose Gibbs-White in the January transfer window.

Gibbs-White could transform Wolves

While things at Molineux are undeniably on the up under the leadership of Bruno Lage, with the west Midlands side winning five, drawing three and losing just two of their last ten Premier League fixtures, the club’s lack of goals will undoubtedly be something that is troubling the 45-year-old manager.

Indeed, Wolves’ 12 league goals scored ranks them as the second-worst attack in the top flight, with the club’s current midfielders offering very little in the way of creativity and attacking impetus.

So far this season, Ruben Neves is the only midfielder to have found the back of the net in the league, while Leander Dendoncker’s one assist ranks him as one of Wolves’ most creative options in the middle of the park.

As such, it is plain for all to see that Lage’s side are crying out for a player who can both create and finish chances, something that Gibbs-White is doing on a near-weekly basis at Sheffield United.

Indeed, over his 15 Championship appearances for the Blades, the £8.1m-rated man has scored five goals, registered four assists and created a whopping nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game, per SofaScore.

These returns have seen the youngster, who football talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed a “superb” talent, average a SofaScore match rating of 7.33, ranking the 21-year-old as the fifth-best player overall in the Championship so far this season.

As such, bringing a player whose aforementioned metrics better every single one of the current Wolves’ first-team squad back to Molineux in January would indeed appear to be a very wise move for Lage, as the £19k-per-week midfielder would undoubtedly transform the club’s present levels of attacking efficiency in the middle of the park.

In other news: Tim Spiers drops exciting Wolves transfer update that’ll leave fans elated

MatériaMais Notícias

Derrotado em três dos últimos quatro jogos, o Corinthians dá cada vez menos sinais de reação restando sete rodadas para terminar o campeonato que ainda lidera (pode ter a vantagem diminuída para três pontos ao fim da rodada). Porém, o técnico Fábio Carille defende o time e ainda acredita que merece ser campeão. O mérito, na opinião do treinador, se deve à regularidade do primeiro turno, no qual o Timão não foi derrotado nenhuma vez.

-Merece, quem está lá na frente? Não existem primeiro ou segundo turno, são 38 jogos. Quem for melhor nos 38 jogos é o campeão brasileiro.Os jogadores entraram no vestiário de cabeça erguida porque lutou muito. Não lembro de uma defesa do Cássio no segundo tempo. Triste pelo resultado, mas feliz pelo desempenho – disse o treinador, que demonstrou irritação com algumas perguntas durante a entrevista coletiva.

Carille se irritou quando confrontado com novo questionamento sobre a má fase de Jadson e Rodriguinho (“se vocês prestarem atenção na coletiva verão que eu tenho falado disso, mas de vários jogadores”), sobre a felicidade no primeiro turno ter virado pressão na segunda metade (“meu ano ainda está sendo maravilhoso”) e especialmente sobre uma pergunta sobre o time ter ficado “pilhado” durante a partida em Campinas.

-O que é jogador pilhado? No jogo de hoje, isso não existiu. Não é nem falar que discordo da sua opinião, é que ela está errada. Você não pegou a minha coletiva inteira, mas da próxima vez você precisa ver o jogo para fazer perguntas.

O técnico, apesar da derrota para a Ponte Preta, em Campinas, neste domingo, acredita que o Corinthians jogou bem e só não obteve um placar diferente graças ao goleiro Aranha.

-O Aranha fez boas defesas, mais importante do que finalizar, é acertar o gol. O Aranha foi muito feliz.O que me deixa mais contente nesse momento é que o rendimento da equipe foi bom. Duro é perder não jogando bem. Deixei a equipe mais ofensiva e criamos oportunidades com as mudanças. Infelizmente não fizemos o gol.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCássio exalta atuação de Aranha em nova derrota: ‘Não passou nada’Corinthians29/10/2017BrasileirãoATUAÇÕES: Arana vai mal e falha em lance decisivo; Aranha pega tudo!Brasileirão29/10/2017BrasileirãoNúmeros da Bola: Estatísticas de Ponte Preta 1×0 CorinthiansBrasileirão29/10/2017

Logo no intervalo, já que terminou o primeiro tempo perdendo, Carille sacou o volante Gabriel e colocou Clayson aberto pelo lado esquerdo. O Timão teve mais posse de bola e passou a ficar mais próximo da área.

A atuação do “talismã” agradou ao chefe, mesmo sem ter balançado as redes. Agora, o atacante definitivamente briga por uma vaga entre os titulares.

-Essa possibilidade existe (de Clayson ser titular). Estamos satisfeitos com ele e pode acontecer. Está merecendo, mas a gente tem estratégia. Quem decido o jogo são 14 jogadores, os 11 que iniciam e os três que entram em campo. Muitas vezes usamos ele numa peça que não funciona muito bem. Se a gente vira o jogo 0 a 0, poderia fazer a troca direta pelo Romero, mas como virou 1 a 0, decidi deixar o time mais ofensivo – concluiu.

كشف مجدي عبد الغني لاعب الأهلي السابق والإعلامي الحالي، عن كواليس جلسة محمد الشناوي قائد فريق المارد الأحمر، مع اللاعبين للحديث عن الموسم الجديد.

وخسر الأهلي في الموسم الماضي لقبي الدوري والكأس، بالإضافة إلى الهزيمة من الوداد المغربي في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وقال عبد الغني في تصريحاته عبر برنامجه “البلدوزر” المُذاع على قناة “الشمس”: “الشناوي أكد لزملائه أن الموسم المُقبل سيشهد منافسة شرسة على الصعيدين المحلي والإفريقي”.

طالع أيضًا.. بعد أزمة هولندا.. الشركة المنظمة تُعلن تأجيل معسكر الأهلي قبل الموسم الجديد

وتابع: “وطالبهم قائد الفريق بالاجتهاد والتركيز والإصرار من بداية الموسم؛ وذلك من أجل تحقيق أهداف النادي في النهاية، ومصالحة الجماهير التي غضبت وحزنت بسبب خسارة أكثر من بطولة في الموسم الماضي”.

واختتم: “وتعاهد الشناوي ولاعبي الأهلي في جلسة جمعتهم أول أمس، على بذل أقصى ما لديهم من جهود وعزيمة وإصرار، حتى يُنافس المارد الأحمر على جميع البطولات المحلية والإفريقية في الموسم المُقبل، ويسترد الألقاب التي خسرها الموسم الماضي محليًا وقاريًا”.

Liverpool will head into the January transfer window with some important decisions to make.

They are well within reach of securing another Premier League title but they will have to negotiate the choppy waters of a winter period without Sadio Mane and most importantly, Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian sensational has been nothing short of mesmerising this term, finding the net on 19 occasions already.

He has had to lift his game in the absence of Roberto Firmino but when he heads off to the African Cup of Nations with his offensive colleague next month, the club’s lack of depth could be exposed.

Of course, Diogo Jota will be a good stand-in having taken his tally to the campaign to nine strikes, but no one is ever coming close to replicating what Salah offers Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Adding to their ranks in the New Year would be a smart decision from Michael Edwards and FSG, but who will they turn to?

One player mooted with a switch to Anfield is Porto forward Luis Diaz. The Colombian featured against the Reds in the Champions League earlier this season and has demonstrated some jaw-dropping attributes this term which would make him a perfect fit in Merseyside.

Indeed, he has found the net 12 times in only 19 appearances this term for the Portuguese outfit, putting in some dazzling displays from the flanks.

He recently scored a screamer in a clash with Vitoria Guimaraes, rifling an effort right into the postage stamp after cutting inside. It was a goal that summed up why he’d be such a good capture for Liverpool, especially when Mane leaves his role vacant on the left wing next month.

That beautiful goal was perfectly summed up by Marino Peixoto, a Portuguese football enthusiast, who took to social media to say the following:

“The rate at which Luís Diaz is churning out otherworldly performances coupled with his ability to score screamers like this on a consistent basis is genuinely frightening. Only a matter of time before somebody pays an astronomical fee for him.”

And what may that fee be, I hear you ask? Well, it’s thought that Porto would be willing to part with the player if their price tag of €50m (£42m) is met.

That shouldn’t deter Liverpool who are clearly in need of adding further bodies to their ranks.

Diaz’s ability to carve out offensive opportunities for both himself and his teammates is inspirational and as presenter Manas Singh says, he is a “livewire” in the final third.

Based on the above evidence, FSG must do all they can to ensure he swaps the blue and white of Porto for the red of Liverpool next year. The thought of him lining up alongside the likes of Salah and Jota is a mouth-watering one. Klopp’s attack could be about to get even scarier; imagine that.

AND in other news, FSG must seal Liverpool swoop for “Jota-esque” £13m beast who sent VVD “for a hot dog”…

Ricky Ponting has endorsed Michael Clarke to succeed him as Australia’s Twenty20 captain. Despite the strong cases presented by Cameron White and Brad Haddin to assume the 20-over captaincy, Ponting insisted his current vice-captain deserved the promotion and the opportunity to turn around Australia’s fortunes in what is their weakest format.Ponting announced his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket in the aftermath of Australia’s Ashes defeat. An announcement on his successor will be made at the conclusion of Cricket Australia’s board meeting next month but Ponting’s public backing will be difficult to ignore.Australia’s selectors revealed their intended succession plan two years ago when they installed Clarke as Ponting’s deputy in all three forms of the game. Clarke has excelled with the bat in the Test arena ever since but his declining strike-rate in the limited-overs formats has prompted questions over whether he is the man to lead the Twenty20 side.White will presumably come under consideration, having led Victoria to all four finals of Australia’s domestic Big Bash tournament, while Haddin has twice captained the Australian 20-over side this year. Ponting, though, was adamant Clarke follow him into the leadership role and seek to restore confidence to the side ahead of the World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean next year.”Michael has done a terrific job in my absence, be it in Twenty20 or 50-over cricket,” Ponting said. “He’s continued to grow as a player and a leader. I know Cricket Australia said at my announcement they would wait until later in the year before they name the captain but Michael’s done everything right and deserves the first crack at it.”Ponting reiterated his belief that standing down from Twenty20 internationals would enhance his prospects of playing through to the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Ashes. Should he achieve the latter goal, Ponting would join a select group of Australian players to have completed five Ashes tours.”Not playing the World Twenty20 was the hardest thing to do; retiring knowing that was just around the corner and is such a big event,” he said. “It wasn’t that I wanted to get out of that tournament.”[Retirement from Twenty20 internationals] is hopefully going to give me a better opportunity to be able to [play the 2013 Ashes series] and come back here. It was about me wanting to play at the level I feel I can play at in 50-over cricket and Test cricket. With 20-over international cricket there at the moment it was just making it harder to be physically fit and mentally sharp for every game that I was playing.”

Australia’s chairman of selectors, has said that Australia lost The Oval Test and subsequently the Ashes because all parties involved completely misread the pitch

Cricinfo staff24-Aug-2009Andrew Hilditch, Australia’s chairman of selectors, has conceded that everyone in the Australian side misread the pitch in The Oval Test but said they lost the match because of the first-innings collapse. Australia’s decision to overlook Nathan Hauritz and persist with a four-man pace attack hurt them after England’s Graeme Swann exploited a turning pitch to pick up eight wickets.”We would’ve changed the side (from the fourth Test at Headingley) if we’d read the wicket right, and we would’ve played Nathan Hauritz,” Hilditch told reporters in Adelaide a day after the defeat. “But it would be an over-simplification to say that meant we lost the Test match, that’d be incorrect. We lost the Test match because we got 160 in the first innings.”Jamie Cox was the selector on duty, but everybody misread the wicket, from our entire playing group, captain and coach included, and that just happens. To see the hard work that all those players put in, a very important series for everybody, to see it fall apart at The Oval was hard for everybody.”Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland today defended the selection committee, saying it wouldn’t be right to blame them for the defeat. He also ruled out any major changes to the three-member panel, but confirmed that one among those those three positions will be made full-time.Hilditch admitted that it was painful watching his team slide to their second Ashes defeat in four years.”I’m feeling gutted and in some disbelief over the last couple of days,” Hilditch said. “The traditional signs of who’s going to win a Test series are all there and it should have been Australia. We had six of the top seven batsmen, 10 centuries, eight of them Australian, the three leading bowlers in the series were all Australian. Everything indicates that we dominated the Test series.”Looking back at the five-Test series, he said England won because they clinched crucial moments.”We lost the Test series through five hours of cricket. We lost the Test series in the last hour in Cardiff (first Test) when we should have won. I thought at the time it was going to hurt us, which it did. There were two hours of batting at Lord’s in the second Test and maybe even an hour’s batting at The Oval in the first innings, when we really needed to get 400-500 runs and get into a good position.”

Midlands, Wales, West Division

David Warner’s 50 helped Durham to an easy win over Derbyshire•Getty Images

James Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter’s fourth-wicket stand of 62 led Somerset to a confident seven-wicket win over Worcestershire at Taunton, chasing down a testing 177 with apparent ease to level points with both Northamptonshire and Warwickshire in a congested table. Stephen Moore smacked 40 from 26 while Moen Ali offered 36, but it was Ben Smith’s brutal 44 from just 24 balls which propelled Worcestershire’s total. On a typically flat surface, however, Marcus Trescothick got the home side off to a rollicking start with 34 from 17 balls, crashing four fours and two sixes, sharing in an opening stand of 61 with Justin Langer (44), before Hildreth (48 from 37) and Kieswetter, who scorched 31 from 17, powered them home.Kadeer Ali and Ian Saxelby held their nerve, edging Gloucestershire over the line to beat Northamptonshire by two wickets with one ball to spare Northampton. Chasing 134 Gloucestershire lost William Porterfield for a golden duck, and soon slipped to 86 for 4. Grand Hodnet held firm with 60 from 46, but Nicky Boje rattled the middle-order with two quick wickets leaving Gloucestershire tottering on 122 for 7. Ali remained calm, however, cracking a six and a four in his unbeaten 21. Ian Harvey was the mainstay of Northamptonshire’s innings with 43 from 36 at the top of the order, but the table-leaders were rolled for a disappointing 133.Jonathan Trott continued his impressive form, while Rikki Clarke cracked 24 from 21, as Warwickshire eased past Glamorgan by four wickets at Edgbaston, to create a fascinating three-way tussle at the top of the table with Northamptonshire and Somerset. Jamie Dalrymple (63) and Mike Powell (39) provided the bulk of Glamorgan’s innings, and the visitors made an early breakthrough in Warwickshire’s reply when Neil Carter fell to David Harrison for 12. Trott, however, cracked 33 from just 17 while Jim Troughton lifted three sixes in his electrifying 29 from 13 balls, leaving Clarke to do the rest with seven balls to spare.

South Division

Middlesex reached their highest total of their dreadful defence of the Twenty20 Cup, but nevertheless fell to their seventh successive defeat, as Chris Tremlett picked up two vital wickets to hand Hampshire a 28-run win at the Rose Bowl. For once, Middlesex made a promising start. In pursuit of a sizeable 184, Billy Godleman, stroked and clipped his way to 57 – not only his highest of the season, but the first Middlesex fifty of their campaign. He reached the landmark with a thumping smash over deep midwicket for six as he and Owais Shah approached their 100-run partnership, but his wicket – trapped in front by Imran Tahir – spelled the end for Middlesex. Tremlett was brought back into the attack and removed Eoin Morgan, who briefly threatened with 18, and the big-hitting Tyron Henderson, who did not. Bowling fast and straight, Tremlett really tightened the noose, and with Morgan’s wicket Middlesex required 45 from 19, a task too great for a struggling side. Michael Lumb set up the hosts’ impressive total with 93 from 52 while Dimitri Mascarenhas made 23 from 16. Hampshire are hitting Twenty20 form at just the right moment, and have closed the gap on Sussex to two points with a game in hand.

North Division

Fifties from David Warner, the young Australia left-hander, and Phil Mustard helped Durham to a facile six-wicket win over Derbyshire at Derby. Stuart Law made 53 in Derbyshire’s underwhelming 153, but Warner and Mustard made light of it, flaying 96 for the opening wicket. He, Kyle Coetzer and Mustard all fell in quick succession, but Ian Blackwell’s 13 saw them across the line with two overs to spare, to keep Durham’s hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals alive.

MatériaMais Notícias

Flamengo e Botafogo definem nesta quarta-feira o classificado carioca para a final da Copa do Brasil. Ambos duelam no Maracanã às 21h45(de Brasília) com cobertura em tempo real do LANCE!

O Flamengo perdeu o goleiro Alex Muralha, expulso no primeiro jogo, e dificilmente terá o retorno de Paolo Guerrero, ainda no departamento médico com lesão na coxa direita.

Já o Botafogo tem dois de seus jogadores suspensos para esta semifina: o zagueiro argentino Joel Carli, expulso no primeiro jogo, e Rodrigo Pimpão.

RelacionadasBotafogoBruno Silva crê que faltou calma ao Botafogo contra a Ponte PretaBotafogo20/08/2017FlamengoÀ espera de Guerrero, Flamengo retoma preparação para semifinalFlamengo20/08/2017FlamengoDiego Alves revela aumento de ‘massa magra’ e fala sobre pênaltisFlamengo20/08/2017

Na sua opinião, quem chega mais forte para esta semifinal. Vote no duelo:

Kings XI Punjab coach Tom Moody believes the second edition of the IPL will be more competitive than the first

Cricinfo staff10-Apr-2009

Kings XI Punjab coach Tom Moody believes the second edition of the IPL will be more competitive than the first while the team’s captain, Yuvraj Singh, was hopeful his side could go better than the semi-finals this year.”There is no way anybody can pick one team above the other. All the sides were evenly matched,” Moody said in South Africa. “All the teams in the competition are very strong. I think it would be foolish of anyone to try and predict who the favourites or second favourites will be.”Moody picked the Delhi Daredevils, who they will play on April 19 in Cape Town, as one of Punjab’s biggest threats. The teams meet in Cape Town on April 19. “Delhi Daredevils is always a tough game for us. We’ve got them first up and they boast a good international list but also have some very good Indian stars.”Yuvraj was confident of his core base but expressed concern over the fast-bowling stakes. With new signing Jerome Taylor injured in a car accident recently and Sreesanth recovering from a back injury, Punjab have effectively lost five of their frontline players. The Australians Shaun Marsh, James Hopes and Brett Lee will be away on national duty but Punjab are hopeful they will be free for the second half of the IPL.”We have a good team this season. We have a good batting line-up with the likes of [Kumar] Sangakkara, [Mahela] Jayawardene and Shaun Marsh. Besides, we also have Ravi Bopara this year who can also bowl a bit,” said Yuvraj.”The only worry is the pace department. A couple of pacers are coming back from injuries while Sreesanth has been ruled out. But I am confident that the rest of the squad will rise to the occasion.”Yuvraj believed the local Indian community would come out in strong support. “The Indian fan base in South Africa is huge and we are expecting them to turn up and support their city teams,” said Yuvraj. “I am sure that the Punjabi community settled in South Africa will support us. Similarly, those originally from Mumbai would certainly come for Mumbai’s matches. Some Indian fans will also fly down to South Africa.”While the franchise is still awaiting some key players to arrive, Moody said Punjab had been well received in Port Elizabeth. “It’s of great excitement for us to have the opportunity to practice at terrific facilities here in Port Elizabeth. The ground at St George’s is certainly world class, the pitches have been world class and we’ve enjoyed the experience to date,” he said. “That’s particularly so for our Indian players who need to get used to conditions here in South Africa.”Irfan Pathan, whose role as an allrounder will be more significant in the absence of Lee and Hopes, was pleased with the progress shown by the first-timers to South Africa. “There was a big difference between the first and second net practice we had here,” he said. “The batsmen became more comfortable with the local fast bowlers. I’m pretty happy with their progress.”This is my third trip here. So whatever experience I have I’ve already started passing on to a few Indian guys and I’ve seen the difference already.”