All posts by h716a5.icu

PIF completed their takeover of Newcastle United last month to bring Mike Ashley’s 14-year reign on Tyneside to an end.

Ashley left St James’ Park after years of mediocrity on the pitch, with only one season of finishing higher than 10th in the Premier League in that time and 10 bottom-half finishes.

Ashley’s legacy

The lack of quality work in the transfer market was one of the factors behind these lacklustre seasons, with Ashley leaving behind a legacy of poor recruits for PIF to come in and clear up. One of those was the addition of Miguel Almiron in 2019.

The Paraguayan joined the Tyneside club from MLS outfit Atlanta United for a reported £21m fee in January 2019, which was a club-record deal at the time.

In 103 matches for the Magpies, he has scored 13 goals and produced five assists, which works out at one goal contribution every 5.7 games for the club. In the Premier League, he has eight goals and three assists in 91 games, averaging out at a goal contribution every 8.27 games. This is a poor return for a player who came in as an attacking midfielder for a club-record fee and it typifies the recruitment that Ashley oversaw in his tenure at Newcastle.

The midfielder also came out in March and publicly stated he would like to play for a team which ‘fights more’. Former Premier League player Carlton Palmer reacted to those comments by claiming that Almiron would create problems in the dressing room, telling Football FanCast:

“If I was Steve Bruce, I would be absolutely annoyed and angry. There’s too much, there’s too much coming out of Newcastle at the moment. I mean, the manager’s had a flare-up with one of the players, which is an everyday occurrence at football clubs up and down the country.

“Whether it’s between player and player or between player and manager, whether it’s a big player and a coach, there’s always a disagreement, but why that gets into the public domain… Him making that comment now is going to create more problems within the dressing room because players are going to turn around and say, ‘well you’re accusing me of not fighting then for the club?’”

This suggests that the 27-year-old is causing problems on and off the pitch with his displays and his comments, which is why he has been a disaster of a signing for the club.

At the time of writing (29/11/21), Transfermarkt value him at £15.75m. This is considerably less than the £21m that Newcastle paid for him and shows that he has gone downhill since arriving in England, rather than impressing and increasing his value by putting in strong performances. Therefore, the Magpies had a bit of a howler with his arrival from the MLS in 2019…

AND in other news, Howe could save NUFC’s season with “beautiful” 27-goal beast, he loves St James’ Park…

Flocking to Twitter, many West Bromwich Albion supporters voiced their discontent at an underwhelming Jordan Hugill performance during their 1-0 defeat to Stoke City on Friday night.

Valerien Ismael’s men were under the cosh for an overwhelming majority of the 90 minutes at the bet365 stadium with the home side creating a plethora of opportunities.

Despite their efforts to break the deadlock, with Baggies keeper Sam Johnstone even saving a penalty, Stoke only just managed to get on the scoresheet ten minutes from full time.

Nick Powell finally granted The Potters a late lead with his sumptuous chipped finish over the on-rushing Johnstone as top of the table West Brom suffer their first defeat of the season.

Hugill, who was hauled off after just 55 minutes, certainly got the brunt of the blame on social media for his performance – with the striker earning one of West Brom’s lowest SofaScore ratings of the night (6.3).

Attempting zero shots and winning just one of his seven ground duels (SofaScore), it’s easy to see why Ismael opted to send him for a shower early.

Here’s how Baggies supporters rated the 29-year-old on Twitter.

West Brom fans destroy Hugill…

“Hugill been albions worst player by a mile”

Credit: @robsmart99

“There’s no words for how terrible Hugill was this game”

Credit: @thefuzzzyone

“Hugill was a disgrace!”

Credit: @aldopaul4

“Hugill is awful”

Credit: @Hitendra70

“Can we agree Hugill is one of the worst players we’ve had in recent years”

Credit: @JamesWBA4

“Can agree Hugill was woeful. Desperately need a No.9”

Credit: @waltererose

“Hugill should never play again, the blokes useless. Rather have HRK!!!”

Credit: @Nathjkx

The MCC has signed a three-year deal with Abu Dhabi Cricket Club which could see the club play high-profile matches in the emirate

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009The MCC has signed a three-year deal with Abu Dhabi Cricket Club which could see the club play high-profile matches in the emirate.Announcing the deal, MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw said playing first-class matches outside England, possibly using them to trial using a pink ball, was just one option being considered.”We’re determined to organise some three or four-day cricket under lights using a pink ball and this is a good opportunity,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “It’s one of many options, and at an embryonic stage, but we think it would be good for the development of the game. Ideally we would like to hold a [trial] at Lord’s but we have certain restrictions using the lights, so there is the possibility of scheduling the match overseas.”An ECB spokesman said the board was unaware of any such plans.”[The deal] is a first for MCC in the Middle East region and gives us a tremendous opportunity to help develop cricketers throughout the region and closer to home,” Bradshaw said. “Aspiring professionals from the MCC Universities and MCC Young Cricketers will specifically benefit from this joint venture as it will give them vital experience of playing and training abroad, helping them to make the transition to the first-class game.”The agreement will mean the Zayed ground will be renamed the Zayed MCC Cricket Academy.

WICB president has requested Bharrat Jagdeo, the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) chairman and Guyana president, for a meeting to rectify the “misinformation” regarding the failed mediation talks

Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2009West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Julian Hunte has sought a meeting with Bharrat Jagdeo, the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) chairman and Guyana president, to set right the “misinformation” over the failed mediation talks between the board and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA).In a letter to the Guyana president, Hunte said the WICB had been wrongly blamed for the collapse in talks and that immediate measures were needed to correct the perception.”It is my sincere hope that you will agree that an early meeting between us may assist in correcting the erroneous impressions that have been conveyed in order to forestall any further adverse effect on the reputation of West Indies cricket,” Hunte wrote in his letter. “At the same time, I trust that you will appreciate the urgent need for us to set about some damage control measures with regard to the misinformation that is already in the public domain.”Jagdeo criticised the WICB last week over the failed mediation talks headed by former Commonwealth secretary-general Shridath Ramphal. Jagdeo, who brokered the mediation deal in Guyana in July, felt that when the WIPA agreed during their July 21 meeting to make all their players available for selection, the move would allow “normalcy” to return.Instead, Jagdeo alleged the board prejudiced the efforts to broker peace from the start by not disclosing they had already selected a Champions Trophy squad without the top-flight players. Ramphal also said one “party” had introduced a document late in the mediation process which had led to the stalling of talks.But Hunte hit back at the comments, claiming that Jagdeo had agreed during the July 21 meeting that while the striking players had made themselves available, “actual team selection was a matter for the selection committee”. Hunte, in fact, slammed WIPA president, Dinanath Ramnarine for having not taken the mediation process seriously, after absenting himself “to proceed on vacation with his family in Tobago.”Hunte also said Ramphal’s public comments and his final report to Jagdeo were factually incorrect. “I am advised that the articulation of the WICB’s position by Ramphal in his press statements and in his final report to you are factually incorrect and that there was never any adoption by the WICB during the mediation proceedings of an unwillingness to negotiate on the proposed Mediation Agreement which it submitted on the night of August 31, 2009,” Hunte wrote.The impasse, which developed ahead of the previous home series, against Bangladesh, led to the region’s leading players making themselves unavailable over pay and contractual disputes. The matter is now expected to head to the Caribbean Court of Justice for arbitration.

A round-up of the second day’s action from the seventh round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2009Group ARohit Sharma sent the national selectors a strong message•K Sivaraman
Scorecard
Mumbai’s bats have continued to make headlines this season, but none more sensational than Rohit Sharma. “There are several batsmen who score a hundred on a given day in Ranji cricket. I need to continue and score and a really big knock to stand out,” Rohit told the after he batted himself to 145 on day one at the Brabourne Stadium. A day later Rohit walked the talk with the first triple-century of his career, an unbeaten 309 from 322 deliveries, that formed the fulcrum of a massive first-innings total, leaving a weary Gujarat facing a mountain to climb.Rohit was a hulk on the second day on a flat track, extending his overnight stand with Sushant Marathe (144) to 342. Marathe’s dismissal was followed by two wickets, but Vinayak Samant chipped in with an unbeaten 50 to further torment Gujarat in Rohit’s company. Rohit, whose previous best was 205, outdid that by some distance, hitting 36 fours and four sixes. Four of seven bowlers carried the burden of the bowling attack against an enormous innings, and it was legspinner Salil Yadav who leaked the most runs: 201 in 50 overs for one wicket. The bowlers even resorted to a negative line but Rohit was batting on a whole different level.”After hitting the first ball for four I felt like I could continue to bat like yesterday,” he told reporters after the day’s play. “The track was good and I knew it would be more easy for me once Gujarat opts for the new ball. I just wanted to take it ball by ball. I was prepared to play my natural game even if I get out. But after crossing 200 I didn’t want to take a chance.”
Scorecard
Hyderabad’s chances of avoiding relegation to the Plate League next season took a beating on day two against Tamil Nadu at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. They pressed on from 269 for 4 to 347, with Anoop Pai scoring 51, but a mute performance with the ball let them down majorly. Tamil Nadu’s openers Srikanth Anirudha (70) and Abhinav Mukund (66*) put on 96 after which Arun Karthik came out and made an unbeaten 49 to help Mukund get the score to 189 for 1. If Hyderabad get three points via a first-innings lead, they could equal Himachal Pradesh but the latter have one outright victory. It’s not looking too bright for Hyderabad.
Scorecard
A brisk 144 from Orissa’s Halhadar Das gave the visitors a 191 first-innings lead over Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala, which was reduced to 144 by stumps. Resuming day two on 55 for 2, Orissa were boosted by Halhadar’s 155-ball effort and 53 from Niranjan Behera to put up 316. Halhadar tucked into the attack with gusto, adding 90 with Behera, and hit 20 fours and three sixes. Mohinder Sharma, with 5 for 102, carried Himachal Pradesh’s attack with determination. They then reached 47 for 2 at the close with defeat looming large.
Scorecard
Two wickets before stumps on day two at the Karnail Singh Stadium denied Punjab the day’s honours. Railways had been boosted from 191 for 6 to 276 thanks to Karan Sharma’s unbeaten 59 from the No. 8 spot, against a six-wicket haul from young Rahul Sharma. Punjab then made a good start after an early wicket, through Mayank Sharma (54) and Sunny Sohal (30), but Railways pegged them back. Murali Kartik, Railways’ captain, snapped up Sohal, after which Sidhana and Uday Kaul put together 86. From 123 for 2, however, Punjab lost Sidhana and Pankaj Dharmani for 0 in the space of three overs in the last hour of play.Group B
ScorecardA second day of bat-powered domination allowed Bengal to tighten their grip over Delhi at the Jadavpur University Ground. Delhi’s hopes of running into the lower order and aiding their chances of claiming the needed first-innings leadwere given a boost when Pradeep Sangwan dismissed Wriddhiman Saha for 120 to snap a 249-run stand, but in walked Bengal’s captain, Laxmi Shukla. Shukla eased himself in alongside Sourav Ganguly, and by the time the former India captain went for 150, followed by Saurashis Lahiri for 0, Shukla was firm. Ashok Dinda, back after making his first India appearance, made 41 and with Shukla carried Bengal close to 500. Shukla was last out for 132 from 137 balls. Bengal were further lifted by veteran workhorse Ranadeb Bose, who took out Delhi’s openers in his first 19 deliveries. Aditya Jain and Mithun Manhas put on 50 before stumps, leaving Delhi with much to do on day three.
Scorecard
A pair of centuries from two experienced players helped Baroda claim the second day’s honours in Pune. Baroda batted the entire day, moving from a 277-run deficit into a small lead and with it vital points, thanks to Connor Williams’ 18th ton and Shatrunjay Gaekwad’s maiden ton. Williams, in his 115th game, hit 129 and Gaekwad, son of former India opener Anshuman, made a patient 103. They put on 214 for the third wicket. Baroda lost two wickets in relative succession following Williams’ exit and will look to a vigilant Gaekwad for more.
Scorecard
Ganesh Satish’s second first-class century rallied Karnataka to a strong total on day two in Rajkot. From 45 from 41 balls overnight, Satish pressed on to 120, adding 125 for the fourth wicket with Amit Verma (68). Satish’s dismissal at 250 for 5 was followed by a century stand between Manish Pandey (55) and his captain Robin Uthappa (62 from 56 balls)as Karnataka put up 384. For Saurashtra, spinner Vishal Joshi picked up 4 for 77 and was supported by Kamlesh Makvana’s 3 for 82. The home side was given a good opening stand in the 16 overs remaining in the day, with Chirag Pathak dominating, but Saurashtra face a tough third day.

Many Wolves fans have been left slamming the display of Joao Moutinho in their game away at Leeds United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The central midfield player got off to a bad start straight away, getting himself a yellow card within the first few minutes of the match, before Hwang Hee-Chan spared his blushes by grabbing an early goal for the visitors at Elland Road.

The Molineux faithful were particularly critical of Moutinho’s deliveries from set pieces, and his woeful pass accuracy of just 62 per cent is poor for a player of such tremendous technical ability.

Nonetheless, the Portugal international is an experienced player, and so he will now be looking to improve on this performance in the Midlands club’s next fixture, should Bruno Lage decide to throw him in the starting eleven again.

Wolves fans on Moutinho

These WWFC supporters were left slamming his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he was ‘woeful’:

“How the hell is Moutinho still on set pieces? Ridiculous”

Credit: @Jim96925627

“Moutinho is having a HOWLER”

Credit: @__Grav

“Donk and Moutinho cannot cope”

Credit: @mitchdavis_1

“Defending well winning the ball well, it’s the passing for me, we are constantly giving it away, Donk has been woeful as well as Joao. Leeds have so much space behind their full backs since the goal we have stopped looking to get the ball in behind”

Credit: @mark_spruce

“Moutinho booked inside first 5, told ya he’s too slow”

Credit: @Si999888999

“Why he has started with Moutinho and Dendoncker I will never know?”

Credit: @cpj93070

In other news, find out what transfer claim has Wanderers excited here!

Ishant Sharma, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has returned to India after a ‘taxing’ IPL

Cricinfo staff22-May-2009Ishant Sharma, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has returned to India after a ‘taxing’ IPL. Kolkata had a woeful campaign, finishing bottom after suffering a ten-game winless streak, and were plagued with rumours of dressing-room disharmony.”The last one month has been very hard. Ever since I started playing cricket, this has been the toughest phase of my life,” he told the . “I have never been part of such a long losing streak, and being in a dressing room where there were so many controversies was very taxing.”Kolkata looked like they would snap their losing streak on several occasions, such as the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore and against Deccan Chargers four days later, but lost narrowly in both games before ending their campaign with two wins. “The loss against Deccan Chargers and the sequence of events that led to it really hurt us,” he said. “We might not have won that game, but that was a sort of turning point for the team. We realised how desperate we all were and that helped us come together and win the last two matches.”Ishant was Kolkata’s best bowler in the tournament, bagging 11 wickets and conceding only 6.90 runs an over, but said there was room for improvement. “In T20, you need to have a good yorker and different kinds of slower balls,” he said. “Also, I am looking to become an impact bowler because nothing else puts the opposing team back like losing early wickets.”He called the coming World Twenty20 the ‘biggest challenge’ of his career. “I have never been part of any World Cup, and I am really looking forward to it,” he said. “Conditions in England will be helpful for bowlers and I want to make it memorable for myself.”

Lots of Everton fans have been left buzzing over recent comments which emerged from Demarai Gray.

Speaking to the media after the Toffees managed to draw 1-1 at Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, his comments since being shared by the Merseyside club on their official Twitter channel, the 25-year-old has said: “I have a manager here and a team that believes in me and give me the freedom to express myself.”

The winger was pivotal in the equaliser for Andros Townsend as he raced down the flank on the counterattack, and in general he is finding life very enjoyable under Rafa Benitez.

Gray has scored three goals and supplied one assist in seven Premier League games so far this term (£1.8m to Bayer Leverkusen to sign him in July.

Everton fans on Gray comments

These Everton supporters were buzzing with Gray as his comments were shared on Twitter by the club:

“We’ve needed someone like him for years the fact that Rafa has him playing well consistently in a system that suits his skill only bodes well for the season”

Credit: @BrunsypPB

“Been absolutely brilliant.. he’s very dangerous when he’s on point.. gets you out of your chair when he picks the ball up and runs at the defenders at pace”

Credit: @paulholman19

“Outstanding player. What a buy.”

Credit: @EvertonianMark

“Top player”

Credit: @simoncooper107

“Class Demarai”

Credit: @BH_Design

“Unreal him”

Credit: @Alexand45170143

In other news, find out whose display against Man Utd was slammed by numerous Everton fans

With the latest international break coming to a close and the return of Premier League action on the horizon and a chance to read this complete review about bet365 ahead of the next domestic fixtures, Liverpool will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the league with a trip to Watford on Saturday.

Their previous league match saw Jurgen Klopp’s side draw 2-2 against Manchester City in which they had right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold out with an injury.

Looking ahead to the clash against Watford, it seems as though the Merseyside club have had some good news come their way.

What’s the latest?

It has recently been reported that Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota, who had some injury issues during his time away with Portugal recently, are both now expected to be available for the match against the Hornets.

This will surely be exactly what Klopp and the Liverpool fans will be wanting to hear ahead of a return to Premier League action.

Double trouble

Alexander-Arnold missed the Reds’ matches against FC Porto and Manchester City before the international break due to a muscle issue. He has managed to provide two assists in five league appearances, racked up more key passes per game (4.2) and more crosses per game (3.4) than any other Reds player in the league this season. That shows just how much of an attacking threat he has been for the team from the right-back position and demonstrates why his return is such a boost.

Additionally, with only Mohamed Salah (8.07/10) having a higher overall season rating than Alexander-Arnold (7.81/10) in the league according to WhoScored, it explains how impressive his overall performances have been so far in this campaign and why fans will be delighted to see him back against Watford.

Regarding Jota, the fact that he has appeared in all of Liverpool’s seven league games so far this season and has managed to score three goals in the process proves how much of a useful attacking outlet he has been for Klopp, who will undoubtedly be thrilled to have both him and Alexander-Arnold in the squad again.

Looking ahead to their clash with the Hornets in what will be Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge of the Hertfordshire side, we feel that if the duo are 100% fit to play, then they should both be included in the manager’s starting XI to give the team the best chance of picking up all three points.

Both figureheads are influential members of the team and Liverpool will no doubt be stronger as a result of their place in the starting XI.

In other news: Lost possession every 3.5 touches: “Unbelievable” LFC gem enduring horror loan spell – opinion

Tamil Nadu’s victory in the Ranji one-day tournament was a collective effort, the team’s coach Woorkeri Raman said. Tamil Nadu beat Bengal by 66 runs in the final in Agartala despite missing big names like L Balaji, Dinesh Karthik and M Vijay

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2009Tamil Nadu’s victory in the Ranji one-day tournament was a collective effort, the team’s coach Woorkeri Raman has said. Tamil Nadu beat Bengal by 66 runs in the final in Agartala on Monday despite missing big names like L Balaji, Dinesh Karthik and M Vijay. “It’s not all about names. It’s about performing collectively,” he told the . “It was a competition where everyone contributed.”Abhinav Mukund starred for Tamil Nadu, scoring 118 in a total of 284. Despite a determined 76 by Manoj Tiwary, Bengal fell well short of the target as the Tamil Nadu bowlers kept chipping away, with fast bowler R Suthesh and offspinner R Ashwin taking three wickets each. “We batted Bengal out of the match,” Raman said. It was a crucial innings for Abhinav on a personal level as well. Having scored heavily in the Ranji Trophy, he needed to make his presence felt in the shorter version of the game.”Tamil Nadu faced some stiff competition in the knock-out stages, most notably in the semi-final against Uttar Pradesh where they recovered from a hopeless 48 for 5 to win by 36 runs. The batsman who helped them do so was Suresh Kumar who made 94 and took two wickets as UP were dismissed for 162. “Suresh Kumar is a batsman with immense possibilities,” Raman said. “He has time to play the ball and should blossom into a very, very good batsman in a couple of years from now.”Raman also praised his bowlers who managed to defend a moderate score despite missing L Balaji. “It was a good pitch and Uttar Pradesh has depth in its batting. We did extremely well on the field,” he said. “Newcomer R. Suthesh, a left-arm paceman, bowled well. So did C. Ganapathy, who operated with control. Yomahesh is gradually gaining back his confidence. R. Ashwin (was restrictive and) struck with his off-spin.”We made it hard for the opposition to score freely and forced mistakes. We played only four specialist bowlers and the occasional bowlers chipped in usefully.”Raman admitted he was disappointed at not reaching the Ranji Trophy finals after losing on first innings to Uttar Pradesh in the semis. But he was happy about ending the domestic season with a victory in the one-dayers. “I would have been happier had we travelled to Hyderabad for the final. But it is nice to end the season with a triumph. There is a lot of promise in this side.”