All posts by h716a5.icu

Former Celtic striker Charlie Nicholas has stuck the boot in on Rangers after their Scottish Cup victory over the Hoops, claiming their celebrations were ‘extreme’.

The Lowdown: Celtic stinging after defeat

Ange Postecoglou’s side were beaten in the semi-final on Sunday afternoon, suffering a damaging 2-1 defeat at Hampden Park.

Celtic threw away a second-half lead to eventually lose in extra-time, as their hopes of winning a treble went up in smoke for another season.

Rangers’ players and supporters celebrated wildly at Hampden after the final whistle, which doesn’t seem to have gone down too well with one person.

The Latest: Nicholas makes Rangers dig

Writing in his Scottish Daily Express column (via The Scottish Sun), Nicholas claimed the scenes at the end were over-the-top:

“Rangers’ celebrations at the end of their Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic were a bit extreme.

“They deserved to go through because they were the better team at Hampden but there is still a lot of work to be done before they can really celebrate.

“I am not being bitter towards Rangers because I know the intensity of the emotions after an Old Firm derby.”

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The Verdict: Sour grapes?

In truth, Nicholas’ comments could easily be construed as being sour grapes, with the ex-Celtic man no doubt aggrieved by the outcome at Hampden. Any win in the derby is invariably met in a similar manner.

Celtic can certainly use Rangers’ celebrations as inspiration for the rest of the season, however, ensuring they don’t witness those scenes at Ibrox when the Scottish Premiership title race concludes.

With a six-point cushion, Postecoglou’s men are the overriding favourites to be crowned champions next month – they just have to bounce back from the Scottish Cup setback and get the job done.

In other news, a journalist has provided a worrying Celtic transfer update. Read more here.

Andrew Symonds appears to have played his last game for Queensland, after deciding against taking part in this summer’s Big Bash

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2010Andrew Symonds appears to have played his last game for Queensland, after deciding against taking part in this summer’s Big Bash. Symonds, 35, has advised the Bulls he won’t be turning out in the Twenty20 tournament this season after he scored 88 runs in six outings during the previous campaign.”Andrew is living in north Queensland and is in the process of purchasing a farm,” the Queensland Cricket CEO, Graham Dixon, said. “He was pretty up-front with us that he was moving in a direction that didn’t involve playing cricket again for Queensland.”We told him that he goes into this phase of his life with our blessings and best wishes. He doesn’t owe Queensland Cricket anything and we have been privileged to enjoy the benefit of his skills and his passion for Queensland during his career. Our door is always open to him and I am sure he will continue to keep close ties with us.”Queensland will have a new-look outfit for the Big Bash this summer, with Darren Lehmann having taken over the Twenty20 coaching role after Trevor Barsby resigned. Michael Lumb, the England player, will join the Bulls on Saturday after signing as an overseas recruit for the Big Bash.

West Ham United are ‘set to open talks’ with Hull City over winger Keane Lewis-Potter ahead of a proposed summer transfer, claims The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas.

The Lowdown: Lewis-Potter’s season

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic breakout campaign in the Championship this season, having netted 11 goals in 44 league appearances.

More impressively, he has played the full 90 minutes in every single one of these games.

Unsurprisingly, a number of clubs have expressed their interest in signing the youngster. Brentford had a bid rising to £8m rejected last summer, but following the youngster’s superb form this season, the fee needed will now be much higher.

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The Latest: Thomas’s news

According to a report by Roshane Thomas and The Athletic, West Ham are ready to make a move for Lewis-Potter.

Taking to Twitter, Thomas claimed: “West Ham are set to open talks over Hull City winger Keane Lewis-Potter, who is valued at around £18 million.”

In the adjacent article, it is claimed that the Irons are keen to do business with Hull again, following the success they have had with the arrival of Jarrod Bowen in 2020.

The Verdict: Promising talent

Described by former Tigers boss Grant McCann as “a special talent”, it is easy to see why West Ham would be interested in signing what could be a new Bowen.

Current manager Shota Arveladze has backed up these claims, having asserted that the 21-year-old plays “like Overmars”.

Therefore, with such talent available in the Championship, David Moyes should act quickly to secure the youngster’s arrival, perhaps saving some funds compared to buying from Europe’s elite leagues this summer.

In other news: West Ham United: David Ornstein shares Declan Rice exit news

Australia’s women did what the men spectacularly failed to do by inflicting a series defeat on England as they went 2-0 up with victory in the second one-day international at Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2011
ScorecardAustralia’s women did what the men spectacularly failed to do by inflicting a series defeat on England as they went 2-0 up with victory in the second one-day international at Perth. An unbeaten 103 from Meg Lanning, her maiden ODI hundred in her second match, ensured the home side made easy work of chasing down of 215 with more than eight overs to spare.England captain Charlotte Edwards hit 90 to lift England’s hopes of levelling the series but their bowling attack couldn’t control the Australia batting. Lanning and Shelly Nitschke (70) put on an opening stand of 151 to do most of the work in the run chase before Leah Poulton helped seal victory.The 18-year-old Lanning hit eight fours and a six during a superbly paced innings which suggested she has a fine career ahead of her. “Meg and Shelley were unbelievable,” said Alex Blackwell, the Australia captain. “Shell has obviously been around the Southern Stars squad for quite a few years now and is one of our key players and she was brilliant again tonight.”Meg is only 18 and playing just her second one-day game, but batted with experience beyond her years tonight and it is a credit to all the hard work she has been doing. She is really benefitting from having the experience of Shelley with her at the top of the order and she’s showing that she could be a very good opener for Australia for a long time.”England had been handily placed during their innings as Edwards and Heather Knight (72) added 107 for the third wicket to take the total to 2 for 159 in the 42nd over. But their hopes of a late onslaught were damaged by four run outs as Australia showed their fielding skills.”I’m pleased to get some runs under my belt and make a good score, but it’s difficult to take as we lost the game,” said Knight. “We’re obviously bitterly disappointed, but we have a lot more cricket to play with another big series ahead and the Ashes Test. We’ll rally round as a team and stick together to come back fighting and look to take some momentum into the games ahead.”The one-day series is followed by five Twenty20 internationals, the first two played ahead of the men’s matches in Adelaide and Melbourne next week, before the one-off Ashes Test in Sydney.

A piece of early Rangers team news has emerged over the fitness of Ibrox centre-forward Kemar Roofe…

What’s the latest?

According to The Scottish Sun, Gio van Bronckhorst is expecting to be able to name the striker in his squad for their UEFA Europa League clash on Thursday.

The report claims that the attacker has reacted well to treatment on his knee injury over the last two weeks and is now set to make his return later this week.

Supporters will be buzzing

The Gers supporters will be buzzing with this news as it comes as a major boost to the club ahead of their clash with RB Leipzig on Thursday.

He has missed three games with a knee injury and Rangers only scored more than once in one of those matches, drawing and losing against Celtic and Leipzig after beating Motherwell 3-1. Whereas, the club scored nine goals in the last three games that Roofe featured in – against Celtic, Braga and St. Miren.

The ex-Leeds man hit form in April as he produced four goals and one assist in his five appearances in all competitions throughout the month. In the Premiership this season, he has scored ten goals in 21 outings as he has shown that he has the quality to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch.

Rangers will need a player with a knack for scoring as they face Leipzig on Thursday as they are 1-0 down on aggregate and need to overturn the deficit in order to make it through to the final of the Europa League.

Roofe has proven that he can step up in Europe for van Bronckhorst. The striker found the back of the net twice in the last round against Braga, with one being ruled out by VAR and the other being a winner in extra time to send the Gers through to the last four.

This highlights the importance of his return from injury as it hands Rangers a big boost to their options in the final third. He is a proven goalscorer and that is exactly what the Glasgow giants need against the German outfit in the second leg.

Therefore, fans will be delighted to learn that he is set to be fit and available for selection on Thursday night under the lights at Ibrox and will be hoping that he is named in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Rangers played an Ibrox blinder with £22k-pw “cornerstone” who’s like “Graeme Souness”…

West Ham United have reportedly emerged as ‘favourites’ to sign Blackburn Rovers star Ben Brereton Diaz during the upcoming transfer window, according to a Spanish source.

The Lowdown: Almost a free agent

The 23-year-old first joined the Championship outfit on loan from Nottingham Forest back in the summer of 2018, and after a successful spell, ended up putting pen to paper on a permanent deal at Ewood Park in January of the following year.

The striker has been consistently linked with a move away from the Blue and Whites as a result of his contract expiring at the end of the season, which will make him a free agent to any potential suitors, and there appears to be interest being ignited from multiple clubs across Europe.

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The Latest: West Ham leading the race

According to the Spanish press (via Sport Witness), it’s claimed that Sevilla are ‘keen’ on a move for Brereton Diaz, but the Irons are believed to be ‘favourites’ ahead of their competitors in the race for his signature.

The report further states that the option to extend, the costs of a deal, and the level of wages available would ‘benefit’ West Ham, which could be seen as an advantage in the battle for his services.

The Verdict: Goal machine

The £9m-rated forward has been in some seriously impressive form for Rovers this season, having netted 22 goals and provided three assists in just 39 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Such form has seen the Stoke-born predator receive high praise from his manager Tony Mowbray, who dubbed his standout goal-getter an “extraordinary” talent, with his performances being rewarded through a surprise international call-up for Chile.

He has now become a star for his country too, with four goals in 11 caps, and perhaps the deciding factor could be that he needs to play for a club where he’s going to get guaranteed game time to cement his place in Chile’s starting XI in years to come.

In other news… a Sky Sports pundit has reacted to some huge news surrounding one of West Ham’s summer transfer targets.

Cricinfo previews the third ODI between Australia and England at the SCG

Peter English22-Jan-2011Match FactsIan Bell must turn his starts into major contributions•Getty ImagesJanuary 23, Sydney
Start time 14.20 (03.20 GMT)The Big PictureAustralia should feel like an international heavyweight again after starting the one-day series against England with two wins to follow their success in the second Twenty20. But despite the sudden reversal in form after the Ashes, they remain in a bruised state. Nathan Hauritz went to hospital for x-rays on the shoulder he hurt while fielding in Hobart, and will have further scans today. Shaun Tait picked up a thigh strain, his second injury in a week, while Michael Hussey (hamstring) and Ricky Ponting (finger) are recovering from serious problems.Hauritz is unlikely to play in the final five games of the series but is hoping to be ready for the World Cup starting next month. Tait had better news on Saturday when scans showed no new injury, but his health is a huge worry and the latest setback came only a couple of days after he boasted he was “probably the fittest I’ve been”. This was despite him picking up a back strain which ruled him out of the win in Melbourne.England’s problems are more to do with form and, almost certainly, a let-down following their dominant, drought-breaking Ashes win. It was two weeks ago in Sydney that Andrew Strauss and his team-mates got their hands on the urn and celebrated long and hard. They will be back at the SCG on Sunday aiming to regain some much-needed momentum.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWWLL
England LLWLLWatch out for…Brad Haddin is a man starting to feel significant pressure, but he can breathe freely again with a big score on his home ground. Tim Paine was named in Australia’s World Cup squad a few days after he had been appointed vice-captain of the Twenty20 team, a decision which led to Haddin being dropped. Haddin then missed three stumpings in the first ODI against England, and gained scores of 39 and 5 as an opener.Ian Bell has made two starts in the opening games, but England need him to push on to a big score. While his opportunities were limited in the Test campaign, Bell has received chances for long stays in both 50-over contests. He was 23 in Melbourne when he chipped Steven Smith to cover, and last night in Hobart he fell to the second ball of Brett Lee’s spell when he tried to drive through the offside on 32. England require more steel from their side’s most attractive run-maker.Team newsXavier Doherty comes in for Hauritz, while a replacement needs to be found for Tait. Doherty played in the opening ODI before being dropped when he wasn’t in the World Cup squad. “Xavier has an excellent domestic one-day record and we are sure he will seize this opportunity to again play for Australia,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. Mitchell Johnson isn’t available having not had enough time to prepare after his throat infection so Peter Siddle has been added to the squad.

Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Cameron White, 5 David Hussey, 6 Shaun Marsh, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Xavier Doherty, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.Andrew Strauss felt he was a fast bowler short in Hobart, which makes the offspinner James Tredwell vulnerable. Chris Woakes or Luke Wright could both come in, with Tim Bresnan hurting his calf in Hobart. What England really want is the return of James Anderson, who isn’t available until Adelaide after taking time off back home.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Michael Yardy, 8 Luke Wright, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 Ajmal Shahzad.Stats and trivia The SCG is a treasured ground in Australia’s history, but it isn’t a pleasant place to play England. In 18 games there, Australia have won seven and lost 10. Four of those defeats came in the 1980s when the locals won only once. Michael Clarke sits in 10th spot on the ground’s one-day run list with 754. Allan Lamb’s 373 are the most by an Englishman. Geoff Boycott has the second-highest batting average at the ground, with his 127.00 in four matches only slightly worse than Ian Chappell’s 131.00 in three games. Darren Gough is the only Englishman to have taken five wickets at the SCG, with his haul coming against Zimbabwe in 1994-95.Pitch and conditionsThe SCG pitch usually has something for the spinners, but it has also supported the fast bowlers at times this year. Sydney’s forecast for Sunday is sunny and a top of 27C.Quotes”What’s most pleasing for me is when you see someone come in like Shaun Marsh and get hold of his opportunity. That continues to show the depth in first-class cricket in Australia.”
“We aren’t in the business of handing out huge recriminations to our batsmen.”

England’s injury-hit bowling attack is being pushed to the limits after two more quicks picked up problems in Brisbane

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane30-Jan-2011England’s injury-hit bowling attack is being pushed to the limits after two more quicks picked up problems in Brisbane. Chris Tremlett was ruled out of the fifth one-day international with a side strain and Ajmal Shahzad limped off during the match with a hamstring problem.Shahzad suffered his injury two balls into his eighth over and left the field having completed it at reduced pace. Both he and Tremlett will go for scans on Monday when the team travels to Sydney and it leaves England short of cover for the final two matches. Steven Finn made his ODI debut at the Gabba and Chris Woakes was recalled to the line-up in place of Michael Yardy.Woakes enjoyed a memorable game as he claimed 6 for 45, the second best figures for England in ODIs, but the continued problems to England’s World Cup bowlers is a serious concern.Shahzad joins Stuart Broad (stomach), Tim Bresnan (calf) and Graeme Swann (knee/back) on the casualty list with the latter two having flown home from the tour. Only James Anderson of England’s first-choice World Cup attack hasn’t been injured on tour but he was rested for the start of this series.”We’re beginning to run out of bowlers now,” Strauss said. “Woakesy came in and did brilliantly today. He hit the deck hard, bowled some really good deliveries. That delivery to get rid of [Cameron] White was an absolute scorcher. Finny came in after not playing for a long time and did some good work as well.”Strauss added they may need to call in reinforcements even though the tour only has seven days to run and it may mean scouring Australia for any potential options. The England Lions have recently begun their tour of West Indies and it’s a long journey to get someone from the Caribbean to Australia who then may not be needed.England’s problems could be eased a little by the surface in Sydney. They didn’t play any spinner in Brisbane, but they are likely to need one at the SCG which would mean a recall for either Yardy or James Tredwell who could replace Shahzad, while Luke Wright is also in the squad. One option Strauss ruled out was an early return for Broad who has rejoined the tour for rehabilitation from the abdominal injury he sustained during the second Test at Adelaide.

Monaco are prepared to cash in on midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who is one of Liverpool’s main summer transfer targets, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Tchouameni links galore

The Reds haven’t signed a massive number of players in recent years but those who have come in have generally made a huge impact, such as Thiago and Luis Diaz.

Tchouameni is being hotly tipped to move to Anfield this summer, having emerged as a hugely exciting prospect for Monaco and France.

The midfielder has caught the eye with his dominant all-round displays, averaging 2.9 interceptions, 2.5 tackles and 2.3 successful aerial duels per game and also scoring three Ligue 1 goals this season.

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The Latest: Monaco could cash in on Tchouameni

According to Football Insider, a requirement source has informed them that Tchouameni is one of Liverpool’s main transfer targets in the summer window, with the Reds having registered their interest in the 22-year-old.

Monaco are ‘ready to cash in’ at the end of the season, with a fee of ‘over £50million’ enough to prise him away from the Stade Louis II.

The Verdict: Enormous prospect

It really does look as though Liverpool are pushing hard to sign the 22-year-old, with Jurgen Klopp clearly seeing midfield as an area where reinforcements are required.

Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho is already coming in and, if the Reds can land him from Monaco, Tchouameni could prove to be one of the most exciting pieces of business in years, adding an extra dimension in the middle of the park.

He has been hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by France team-mate Paul Pogba, and as the aforementioned statistics suggest, he seems to possess the technical brilliance and brute physical strength to take the Premier League by storm.

In other news, James Pearce has dropped a Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

It is difficult to believe both that, at 36, Misbah-ul-Haq hasn’t played a World Cup before and that he is playing this one at all

Osman Samiuddin in Colombo24-Feb-2011It is difficult to believe both that, at 36, Misbah-ul-Haq hasn’t played a World Cup before and that he is playing this one at all. Such was the force of his last axing, from all three formats no less, that until circumstances thrust him into the Test captaincy last October, his career was all but over.Yet as the premier domestic batsman in Pakistan in the 2000s, many felt he had been treated unfairly in not being given at least one opportunity between 2003 and 2007; with Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan in the middle order during that period, however, it was difficult to see how he would get in.But, like the best actors and boxers, he does comebacks exceedingly well. In 2007, after a four-year exile, he nearly won Pakistan a world title. In this latest return he has been even more remarkable; 65 against Kenya in Hambantota was his ninth international fifty in 12 innings across Tests and ODIs.The player, he said during Pakistan’s practice at the Premadasa in Colombo, does not change. “I’ve always said it is important for any player to get some self-belief and confidence back. You start scoring runs, the team starts believing in you and people’s expectations of you increase andthat gives you self-belief. And as your confidence builds your performance gets better. The player actually remains the same before and after, but with confidence higher, you perform better.”Had poker been an official pursuit in Pakistan, his face would’ve won him titles, so expecting him to express regret, or anger, or even blink twice, at being asked about missing past World Cups is futile. He is happy, he says, just to be playing at all. “I think whatever cricket you play you should think about that. I am enjoying it at the moment, I have always enjoyed playing it, domestically or internationally and I only want to do what I can for the side.”Misbah’s return has fitted in seamlessly with a gradual upswing in Pakistan’s batting results over the last year or so, an under-scrutinised aspect of their performances. In 20 ODIs in Sri Lanka, England, the UAE and New Zealand, Pakistan have made 250 or more 13 times. Each member of the top six has made contributions at various stages, so that the problem has been one of plenty, of pacing an innings, of arranging the order so that momentum is not squandered and stabilityalways present.Misbah has come, as he did on Wednesday, mostly at five and has batted often in tandem with Younis Khan. Though the poor start then highlighted the calm the pair brings, against a better attack more oomph might be needed through the middle, an Umar Akmal breaking up the pair. Some in Pakistan, Imran Khan no less, want Misbah even higher in the order.”The situation as it is, with the way the batting order is, all our batsmen have scored runs,” Misbah said. “Kamran [Akmal] comes in at three and he has opened, Younis at four who has mostly played at three, the openers did well scoring hundreds in New Zealand, so we’re not really feeling that our batting is missing something. We’ve got guys scoring runs and performing. Our batting order is fine and it is a good combination at the moment. Whatever the team needs, will happen. None of the players have any issues with where they are batting and what number.”Few attacks can match Sri Lanka’s for potency or variety so Saturday, in what is likely to be an electric atmosphere, will be a comprehensive test of Pakistan. “Sri Lanka always, but especially in the last 2-3 years they have been very consistent, playing good cricket and in home conditions they are a very tough side,” Misbah said.”To get a good first win in this kind of tournament, with most of your batsmen scoring runs and then convincingly get them out, the morale gets high and players get into touch. It is a very vital match for both sides.”