All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard would be a “big upgrade” on Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke, French football expert Adam White has told The Transfer Tavern.

Palace look to be in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, with Sky Sports previously reporting that they were in talks to sign Adam Armstrong before his move to Southampton.

With that now out of the window, though, they will have to look elsewhere and Edouard is seemingly an option.

According to The Telegraph, the 23-year-old is currently on the Eagles’ radar. And if they manage to land him, for White, he would be the perfect man to replace Benteke.

“I think he’d be a big upgrade on Benteke,” the Get French Football News writer said. “I think that Edouard is probably just a lot more dynamic than Benteke. His pace and finishing is brilliant.

“But I know that Benteke is a very specific type of player and that works for someone like Palace.”

Edouard has really enjoyed his time in Scotland, scoring 22 goals in all competitions last season.

Whether that would translate into English football remains to be seen. But if Palace are indeed in the market for a new striker as deadline day draws closer, then the former Paris Saint-Germain youth product certainly looks worth taking a punt on.

Otago Cricket’s slogan to promote Test cricket, “It’s all white here!”, has been strongly condemned by the West Indies Players’ Association ahead of the Dunedin Test between New Zealand and West Indies next month

Cricinfo staff21-Nov-2008Otago Cricket’s slogan to promote Test cricket, “It’s all white here!”, has been strongly condemned by the West Indies Players’ Association ahead of the Dunedin Test between New Zealand and West Indies next month. The idea mirrors another promotion a few years ago in which New Zealand fans were encouraged to “black out” in support of their team, nicknamed the Black Caps.However, the concept has angered people in New Zealand and abroad, forcing an apology from Otago Cricket’s chief executive Ross Dykes. “We just wanted a catchy phrase to help sell the game,” Dykes said. “It was all based around the association of the colour with cricket.”The former commentator, Billy Ibadulla, said the idea was ill-concevied. “The connection between the phrase and white clothing is stupid at best, and grievous at worst,” Ibadulla said.Despite the apologies, WIPA has vehemently condemned the phrase. “This slogan which, in our view, may be reasonably perceived to be loaded with racial innuendoes has quite naturally raised eyebrows in many places, including New Zealand itself,” WIPA said in a statement.”It comes at a time when the spectre of racial intolerance is insidiously and, at times, openly appearing in major sporting events. We at WIPA and its members wish to disassociate ourselves from any perceived contributing factor.”Whatever may be the reasons advanced by the bodies in New Zealand for this promotional approach, innocently as some may claim, it appears to be totally insensitive and myopic as to the ramifications. We request that the West Indies Cricket Board take up this issue as amatter of urgency with New Zealand Cricket, conveying our deep concern aboutparticipating in an event with such a ‘perceived’ racial slogan.”Sam Guillen, the former wicketkeeper who played Test cricket for both West Indies and New Zealand and now lives in Christchurch, said regardless of Otago Cricket’s intentions, the slogan would raise eyebrows among the West Indies players. “I know exactly how the players will feel,” Guillen told the .”The first thing that will go through their mind is it’s white against black which should never come into sport. Whoever did it will have to go to them and say ‘we didn’t mean it like that’, but it should never have happened.”Not all observers were so strongly against the idea, however. New Zealand’s former batsman Glenn Turner said people could be “too politically correct”. “It’s about the tone. I don’t think anyone had negative intention here,” Turner said. “But whether it’s a bit loose or sloppy is open to comment.”

Serie A expert Conor Clancy insists that reported Tottenham Hotspur target Joaquin Correa could frustrate supporters in England if he makes the move to the Premier League.

Reports in Italy have claimed that Spurs are interested in a swoop for the Lazio attacker in this transfer window, as new Director of Football Fabio Paratici looks to strengthen the squad of Nuno Espirito Santo.

He has already secured deals to sign Bryan Gil, Pierluigi Gollini, and Cristian Romero, and it seems that Correa would be an expensive acquisition.

Tuttomercatoweb has reported that he would cost £43m in this window, a large figure for a player who can play in a variety of positions.

The 27-year-old has the ability to play on either flank, as a striker, or as a No.10, and he has made a total of 117 appearances for Lazio, scoring 30 goals and registering 18 assists.

Clancy, though, believes that he can be a frustrating presence because he often has the tendency to play below himself.

The editor-in-chief of Forza Italian Football said: “Correa, he’s going to be the type of player that, whichever team he plays for, he might drive the fans a little bit mad at times because he’s not the most reliable, he doesn’t make the best decisions all of the time.

“He’s not always playing at the level that he should play at but there’s a lot of talent there and working under the right coach, as he showed under Inzaghi, he’s definitely a player who can make a difference.”

Stuart Clark is a chance to return in time for Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in February after the surgery he had on his right elbow on Monday was declared a success

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2008
Stuart Clark’s elbow surgery was successful, according to Australia’s team physio © Getty Images
Stuart Clark has a chance to return in time for Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in February, after the surgery he had on his right elbow on Monday was declared a success. Clark had bone spurs removed in an effort to eradicate an ongoing problem that emerged on the tour of India before flaring up again over the past week.”I spoke to the surgeon and I’ve spoken to Stuey today,” Australia’s physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said at the WACA on Tuesday. “He went home last night which is a good sign, things went pretty well.”They found some spurs at the back of the joint as expected which was probably causing his pain. They removed the spurs, cleaned up the joint and he’s back home. When I rang him this morning he was at a swimming lesson with his son so he’s feeling okay at the moment.”The problem has ended any chance of Clark taking further part in Australia’s home summer but the return tour of South Africa – the first Test begins in Johannesburg on February 26 – is not out of the question. It would be a dream scenario for Clark, who made such a successful Test debut on the last tour of South Africa in 2005-06 that he was the Player of the Series.”He’s a chance for it, he’s definitely not out of it,” Kountouris said of the February trip. “It’s a bit early to say. If it’s going well then there’s a good chance.”But it will be a tight squeeze for Clark to prove his fitness in time – he is unlikely to do any bowling at all for the next six weeks. Clark’s problem has opened the door for the Victoria fast bowler Peter Siddle to press his claims for more regular international action, beginning with the first Test against South Africa starting on Wednesday in Perth.

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Josh Windass could be sidelined for at least another month.

Windass, who recently committed his future to Sheffield Wednesday by signing a new contract, has missed the early parts of the campaign following a hamstring problem sustained in pre-season.

He’s since undergone surgery on his issue and has already missed the early parts of the season – keeping him out of the Owls’ impressive start to the League One campaign, which has seen Darren Moore’s men remain unbeaten and climb to the top of the standings.

Windass was asked on Twitter by a supporter on the timeframe for his return to action and revealed that he’s hoping to be back by the end of October, which could see him miss a further 13 matches across all competitions.

But his father told The Transfer Tavern that he could return by next month:

“He’s got to focus on getting fit after his hamstring injury, but it helps when his team have started so well and will be favourites to get automatic promotion.

“I spoke to him yesterday and he feels good, and he wants to get back playing as quickly as possible. I would probably say September or October, it was a bad injury.”

Shakib Al Hasan has climbed to the top of the ICC ODI allrounder rankings after his impressive performances for Bangladesh in the tri-series tournament at home, involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2009
Leading edge: Shakib Al Hasan© AFP
Shakib Al Hasan has confirmed his consistently impressive performances by heading the ICC’s ODI allrounder rankings, the first time any Bangladesh has topped any ICC rankings. His performances in the home tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, took him to 380 rating points, helping him surge past last week’s top two, New Zealand’s Jacob Oram (368 points) and England’s Andrew Flintoff (366).Shakib (21) was the highest run-scorer in the tri-series and the second-highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh, behind Mashrafe Mortaza. He scored 153 runs in the three matches at 76.50, with a strike-rate of 101.32, and picked up five wickets at 13.80.”It feels great to be ranked No. 1. My only goal is to keep performing and win matches for the Bangladesh team and I feel more inspired and motivated to give my all in the field. I also know that retaining the top spot will be even tougher and it will require lots of sacrifices, consistency, hard work and dedication,” Shakib said.He is the second Bangladeshi cricketer to break into any top 10 list, after left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who reached the eighth spot in the ODI bowling rankings in November 2007. Shakib, currently ranked number 12 in the ODI bowling charts, is tenth on the list of Test allrounders as well, making him the first from Bangladesh to enter the top 10 in any Test category.

Name

Country

Rating

1 Shakib Al HasanBAN4032J.D.P. OramNZ3683A. FlintoffENG3664 Shoaib MalikPAK3404J.H. KallisSA3406C.H. GayleWI3367 Yuvraj SinghIND3108 Shahid AfridiPAK3089S.T. JayasuriyaSL29110P.D. CollingwoodENG280

Shelley Nitschke and Lisa Sthalekar inspired Australia to a nine-wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain-shortened Twenty20 encounter

Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2009Australia 1 for 83 (Nitschke 54*) beat New Zealand 5 for 91 by 9 wickets on D/L method
Scorecard

Shelley Nitschke guided Australia to the win with 11 balls to spare © Getty Images
Strong all-round performances from Shelley Nitschke and Lisa Sthalekar inspired Australia to a nine-wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain-shortened Twenty20 International at the SCG. Australia encountered few difficulties in reeling in a revised 12-over target of 82, achieving the total with 11 balls to spare and losing only Leah Poulton along the way.The New Zealanders were restricted to 5 for 91 from their 14 overs, due largely to the efforts of Nitschke (2-16) and Sthalekar (2-28). Kate Pulford (29 from 24 balls) and Sophie Devine (23 from 16) provided bright patches of resistance on a difficult pitch, but fell before they could inflict meaningful damage upon their opponents. Pulford was removed by Nitschke in the seventh over, and the left-arm finger spinner returned for the vital scalp of Suzie Bates en route to match-best figures.The Australians suffered a setback in the first over of their run-chase, losing Poulton to Bates, but thrived thereafter. Nitschke blasted eight boundaries during her unbeaten 54 from 33 deliveries, while Sthalekar contributed a more measured 23 not out from 25 balls to guide the hosts to victory in 10.1 overs.”The win – although it doesn’t count for anything – was probably more a psychological thing for us going into the World Cup,” Nitschke said. “In the first two games in New Zealand they beat us quite convincingly, and then we got the series.”And this win gives us a little bit of momentum for when we come out for the first game of the World Cup.” Australia, who drew the recent Rose Bowl series with New Zealand 2-2, start their World Cup defence from March 7.

Luke Edwards has dropped a worrying claim involving Newcastle United and the chances of late transfer business.

The Lowdown: Low-budget deals

The St. James’ Park faithful have been linked with a number of low-budget deals involving players such as Hamza Choudhury, Mouctar Diakhaby and Lee Kang-In.

However, with only a few days left until the summer window ends, they need to seriously get a move on if anyone else is planned to arrive in the North East.

The Latest: Edwards on transfer

Writing in his official Twitter page, Edwards has claimed that now ‘there is a growing possibility’ that the Tyneside club will not add any more players to the squad before the deadline hits.

This is because the Magpies are saying that ‘there isn’t money to do it’, even on loan, meaning that they may need to sell players first.

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying to hear for the Toon Army that they may not be able to bring anyone else in before the deadline.

Joe Willock has been the only player that has been brought in on a permanent deal so far from Arsenal, and he was in the squad last season anyway, albeit on loan.

Nonetheless, serious questions will need to be asked of the board and Mike Ashley in particular that Steve Bruce is not been given more money to spend in this window.

In other news, find out whose display against Southampton was criticised here!

Kirmani said Dhoni lacked the “copybook basics” of a keeper and said the flaws were not attracting attention because the Indian team has been in top form in recent months

Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2009
Mahendra Singh Dhoni lacks the natural instincts of an athlete, according to Syed Kirmani © Getty Images
Syed Kirmani, the former Indian wicketkeeper, has criticised the wicketkeeping technique of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He said Dhoni lacked the “copybook basics” of a wicketkeeper and said the flaws were not attracting attention because the Indian team has been in top form in recent months.”He is improving with every match, though he is not technically sound behind the wicket.” quoted Kirmani as saying. “He doesn’t have the copybook basics of a wicketkeeper.Dhoni does not have the natural instincts of an athlete, which is very important for a wicketkeeper.”Kirmani, 59, played 88 Tests for India in a 12-year career that started in 1976 and is one of India’s greatest wicketkeepers. He was also concerned about Dhoni’s long-term future as a wicketkeeper. “No player remains the same after four years. The agility and reflex of a player diminishes with age,” said Kirmani. “The body and muscles start wearing out. And Dhoni is playing all three forms of the game round the year.”Kirmani said that at 27, it was too late for Dhoni to modify his technique. “These things have to be done at the grassroot level. Not only Dhoni, I can’t change the technique of a Parthiv Patel or a Dinesh Karthik.”This is not the first time Kirmani has found fault with Dhoni’s keeping technique. In 2006, he had questioned Dhoni’s tendency to stand on his heels while waiting for the ball instead of being on his toes.

Saido Berahino’s Sheffield Wednesday’s deal runs until the end of the season, Yorkshire Live journalist Dom Howson has revealed.

The lowdown

The 28-year-old left Belgian outfit Zulte Waregem to join the Owls on deadline day, but the details of his contract were not disclosed by the League One club (via BBC Sport).

The Burundi international enjoyed the finest season of his career to date back in 2014/15 when he netted 14 goals in 32 Premier League starts for West Bromwich Albion. However, he has since netted only 11 league goals across spells at Stoke City, Sporting Charleroi and Zulte-Waregem, while he has also been found guilty of drink-driving in recent years.

The latest

Howson wrote in a tweet: “Understand Saido Berahino has initially joined #SWFC on a deal until the end of the season.”

Significantly, Wednesday have the option to the extend that contract by a further 12 months if they are satisfied with Berahino’s contribution.

Howson also told his followers that the 28-year-old had agreed to take “a huge pay cut” to make the move to Yorkshire.

The verdict

This appears a high-risk deal given Berahino’s prolonged struggles on and off the pitch, but the terms are rather low-risk. If it doesn’t work out, Wednesday will be able to cut ties come the end of the season.

It’s worth considering what would constitute success. A double-figure goal return is a realistic target for a player of Berahino’s top-flight experience, and meeting that objective would probably be enough to persuade Darren Moore’s side to extend the deal.

In other news, this was some Wednesday fans’ initial reaction to Berahino signing.