All posts by h716a5.icu

Former West Ham striker Brian Deane believes that Norwich’s Emiliano Buendia could become the dictator in the Hammers’ side next season.

Whilst David Moyes’ team sealed a Europa League place following their final-day victory over Southampton, they’ve been short of a creator in their squad.

Two of their top three assist makers were defenders in Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal, whilst sandwiched in between was summer signing Said Benrahma, who played a bit-part role for most of the season.

In complete contrast, Buendia racked up the most assists in English football’s top four leagues (16) in just 39 Championship appearances to help Norwich bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

And West Ham are reportedly considering a move for the Argentine, who’s also a target for Aston Villa, should they fail to convince Jesse Lingard to return on a permanent basis.

Buendia also added 15 league goals, which saw him named Championship Player of the Season and named in Team of the Season, but the Hammers are likely to face interest from the likes of Arsenal.

Deane told Football FanCast:

“Well if they were to get him, he’s going to have better players around him. And you would think that if he’s going to be the dictator in that squad, then there’s probably no limit.

“It’s one thing being a big fish in a small pond, but how does becoming a fish in a pond affect your performances?”

Somerset, who were runners up in Division One of the county championship in 2001, travel to Hove on Wednesday to face Sussex, the Division Two champions last season, for their opening first class match of 2002

Richard Walsh22-Apr-2002Somerset, who were runners up in Division One of the county championship in 2001, travel to Hove on Wednesday to face Sussex, the Division Two champions last season, for their opening first class match of 2002.Since the introduction of the two tier championship the counties have not met. The last time that Somerset played at Hove was in July 1998 and on that occasion they had to settle for seven bonus points in a high scoring draw, the feature of which was Adrian Pierson’s maiden century.The following season when Sussex came to Taunton the Cidermen scored 503 for 8 declared in their first innings, thanks to centuries from Jamie Cox and Piran Holloway, and were victorious by 8 wickets.Over the years Somerset have generally come off second best from their visits to the south coast. Of the 83 matches played away, Sussex have won 39 times compared to 19 Somerset victories, with 25 matches resulting in a draw.With fast bowler Steffan Jones fully recovered from the ankle injury he sustained last Monday at Millfield, Somerset coach Kevin Shine has named his strongest available side to make the journey.The full squad is: Jamie Cox, Matt Wood, Mike Burns, Peter Bowler, Keith Parsons, Ian Blackwell, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Richard Johnson, Matt Bulbeck, Steffan Jones and twelfth man Simon Francis.Kevin Shine told me: "With Steffan Jones being declared fully fit after bowling in the nets today we are going into our opening championship match with a strong side. The boys are desperate to get going and are champing at the bit."How were Somerset going to approach the match, I asked. The coach told me: "We will approach it in the same way that we have all of our matches this season, and play it hard. Sussex are a strong side and were the outstanding team in the second division last season. They have got a good attack with Lewry, Robinson and Kirtley, and they also have a strong batting line up with Montgomerie, Adams and Goodwin."Who would open the bowling I asked the coach. He told me: "We will probably open with Matt Bulbeck and Richard Johnson, who complement each other, and then Steffan will probably bowl from the same end that `Johnno’ does."After hearing about his selection Matt Bulbeck told me: "I’m very happy to be playing against Sussex. I’ve worked very hard right through the winter and it’s starting to pay off. Now I hope I can concrete my place in the team."All rounder Ian Blackwell, who enjoyed a career best season in 2001 told me: "Everyone is looking forward to the game. We are going to Hove looking for a result. There will be high expectations from us after all doing so well in the pre-season matches. Everyone is fit, including Matt Bulbeck, and we are going there looking forward to knocking them over."Keith Dutch, another player who enjoyed considerable success in 2001,told me: "We have started off well in our pre-season games and scored lots of runs. It will be interesting to see what kind of a pitch we get. I have never played a championship match at Hove so I’m really looking forward to it."

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley must sanction a £20m swoop for Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong amid a major transfer update on the 24-year-old.

What’s the story?

Previous reports had suggested that Steve Bruce’s side were leading the race to sign Armstrong, a move which would see him make his return to St James’ Park.

The Daily Express have now claimed that the Magpies’ Premier League rivals Southampton have now jumped ahead of the pack, with Rovers are demanding a £20m fee to sell him this summer.

The report adds that talks have already been held with his intermediaries, so time is running out for Newcastle to bring Armstrong back to Tyneside should they wish to do so.

He’s ready for Newcastle

Former Newcastle player Steve Howey has previously thrown his weight behind a potential return for Armstrong, even insisting that the striker himself would “relish” the opportunity to play in the black and white of Newcastle again.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast’s sister site Football Transfer Tavern, he said: “I think he’d relish the chance of coming back and he’d be desperate to score goals because he is a goalscorer and we’ve seen him score some excellent goals from Blackburn.

“I think he’d be desperate for the chance to come back but it’s just whether the club are prepared to make that move.”

At Blackburn, Armstrong has turned into a real goalscoring revelation, realising the kind of potential which marked him out as a potential star back at Newcastle – this season saw him score a remarkable 28 goals in just 40 Championship games, despite Rovers finishing mid-table in the division and well off the play-off places.

His manager Tony Mowbray gushed: “He’s a goalscorer. He always has been. I took him to Coventry because I saw him score some amazing goals for England Under-19s. He scores off both feet, he’s electrically fast off the mark, he’s got all the attributes.

“As long as you’ve got players who can slide him in, put passes over the top, put the ball in space for him he’ll score goals. His explosive pace at the top end of the pitch allows you to play both ways. it’s a devastating effect for the team.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-united-steve-bruce-premier-league-magpies-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-mike-ashley-takeover-pif” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]

Given how Armstrong has developed and grown since leaving St James’ Park, Ashley must surely look to sanction a move for the striker and watch him bang in the goals back at his former club.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must avoid giving this man a new contract at St James’ Park…

With John Crawley called up to England duties at Lord’s this week, providing his passes a final fitness test on his strained back, Hampshire take 12 to Edgbaston for the Frizzell County Championship Division One match against Warwickshire, which

Victor Isaacs13-May-2002With John Crawley called up to England duties at Lord’s this week, providing his passes a final fitness test on his strained back, Hampshire take 12 to Edgbaston for the Frizzell County Championship Division One match against Warwickshire, which starts on Thursday.Lawrence Prittipaul replaces Crawley in the Hampshire batting line-up and Chris Tremlett is included after recovering from shin soreness, which has kept him out of the last two one-day games and the Championship victory over Kent.Alex Morris is playing as a batsman only for the Hampshire 2nd XI at The Oval this week, in a bid to recover from his injuries.The Hampshire 12: Derek Kenway, Will Kendall, Lawrence Prittipaul, Robin Smith (capt), Neil Johnson, Giles White, Nic Pothas (wk), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shaun Udal, James Hamblin, Chris Tremlett, Alan Mullally.

A mini-Women’s World Cup will be played in New Zealand next summer

Lynn McConnell20-Jun-2002A mini-Women’s World Cup will be played in New Zealand next summer.CricInfo Women’s World Cup champions New Zealand, will host runners-up Australia, India and England in a 14-game series at Lincoln University starting on January 26.The final is to be played on February 8. There will be a play-off for third and fourth on February 7.England had earlier said it wouldn’t take part in a four-way tournament but has changed its mind and will come to New Zealand at the end of its series with Australia.An added benefit for New Zealand will be that it’s A team will play a warm-up match with each of the teams before the tournament.New Zealand Cricket (NZC) operations manager John Reid said today: “I think this will be a fiercely-contested tournament and I have no doubt we will see some really outstanding women’s cricket.”We are delighted to be hosting a tournament that will see four of the top sides in women’s international cricket competing against one another.”The last time the four teams played together was in New Zealand at the World Cup in December 2000 when the TestraClear White Ferns beat the Indians in the semi-finals before claiming an historic win against the Australians in the final.”Normally New Zealand and Australia would be competing for the Rosebowl but discussions are underway to incorporate that series into the tournament.The draw for the tournament has not yet been finalised but it is intended that each team will play each other twice.NZC assistant operations manager Catherine Campbell said the tournament was part of a increasing schedule now being developed for women’s cricket.And the High Performance Centre at Lincoln was the ideal venue for the event.”We’ve got the venue advantage to stage a tournament like this, we can host all the teams out there and the sides can stay there.”The wickets and grounds are good for women’s cricket.”We have had a diet of always playing Australia, and while that has been good for both teams it has become rather repetitive for the public. It still raises issues about not taking women’s cricket around the country, but against that it makes it easier for prospective television coverage,” she said.

If Celtic want to improve under the stewardship of Ange Postecoglou next season then they’ll have to be better in the transfer market.

Of course, a deal for the Australian to become the Hoops’ new manager isn’t concluded just yet but he looks set to be welcomed with open arms to Parkhead this summer.

He looks set to be joined by a new director of football, someone who specialises in player recruitment.

If the Bhoys hierarchy can get this set-up spot on then it would be a solid recipe for success. After all, the vast majority of their transfers 12 months ago haven’t gone down well.

Vasilis Barkas was charged with replacing the man-mountain of Fraser Forster but has never looked comfortable between the sticks for Celtic.

A £4.5m move took place but he lost his place fairly quickly and started just twice since January.

He looked a liability behind the defensive line and thus, Celtic should be looking to find a replacement this summer. After all, the likes of Scott Bain and Charlie Hazard have also made their own individual errors during the 2020/21 campaign.

Forster looks set to remain at Southampton so that won’t be possible but they could sign a like-minded player in Freddie Woodman.

The 6 foot 2 stopper is shorter than Forster but has strong arms and can play out from the back astutely.

He’s been linked with a move to Southampton but the Hoops are also interested in prising him away from Newcastle in the coming months.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-ajer-howe-lampard-wilshere-gauld” title=”Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Woodman spent the current campaign on loan at Swansea where he helped the Welsh side to the Championship playoffs.

He didn’t miss a single game throughout the campaign, keeping 21 clean sheets during his 48 outings for the Swans.

An authoritative figure with high standards, Woodman is held in incredibly high esteem.

He’d been tipped to play for the England national team and has already trained with senior members in the Three Lions camp.

However, for a bigger glimpse of his potential, you only need to focus on words from Lee Clark who was in charge of Kilmarnock when Woodman spent a period in Scotland.

“I knew he was an outstanding young keeper and had all the attributes. The tough thing was I had an experienced goalkeeper in Jamie MacDonald in the team — that was causing one or two issues in terms of what I wanted to do,” he began.

“But I knew I was bringing a talented goalkeeper in. Freddie’s communication, his shot-stopping and his distribution skills are second to none. He’s an unbelievable professional and works extremely hard at his game,” Clarke concluded.

With those qualities in mind, he’d be an expert signing for Celtic. They need a goalkeeper after a horrific season defensively; Woodman would surely be a fix.

AND in other news, Celtic can find a new Jullien by signing “special” 6ft4 tank, he’s “one of the best”…

The 2002 Red Stripe Competition will now be played in St

Canadian Cricket Association11-Jul-2002The 2002 Red Stripe Competition will now be played in St. Lucia atMindoo Phillip Park, and Beausejour Stadium.The teams are: Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada, Rest of the Leewards and the Windwards Champions.The Event in St. Lucia starts on August 14th and ends on August 25thTravel day is August 26thAugust 27th and 28th Rest & PracticeAugust 29th and 30th Semi Finals (Barbados?)Sept. 1st FinalsFurther details will follow.The Canadian Cricket Association wishes to thank the West Indies Cricket Board and the ICC for their generous support and their sterling efforts to have Canada participate in this year’s Red Stripe Event. The WICB has further assisted our preparation by sending a WICB `A’ team to Canada later this month. Come out and see the future and present WICB stars of cricket. See further details on this website.Canada needs top level competition and lots of it in order to compete successfully at the Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2003. The Red Stripe competition is just an appetizer for the tremendous amount of preparation needed by Canada.Canada’s preparation is compounded by the fact that the 2003 Cricket World Cup will be held in our winter or off-season.Canada desperately needs supporters and sponsors for our dedicated players and volunteers, all of who make tremendous sacrifices to promote the sport we love.Cricket World Cup tickets go on sale to the public on July 15th. Further information is obtainable from the websitehttps://www.cricketworldcup.com.Get your tickets and help support the Canadian team’s entry to this World Cup. Your support is needed to ensure that we shall also be qualifiers for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies and the Americas

When was a managerial appointment ever simple? With Carlo Ancelotti departing Everton, the board have acted swiftly and meticulously to find their new manager.

Unfortunately for supporters, it might not be the man they were all dreaming of.

What’s the word?

It’s nearly been three weeks since Ancelotti departed Goodison Park but the Toffees hierarchy are on the verge of announcing his successor.

At first, it appeared as though former Wolves boss Nuno Santo would be handed the reins.

Everton became the prime candidate to land the Portuguese after a move to Crystal Palace fell through but it doesn’t appear as though he’ll land the gig in Merseyside either.

With talks stalling, they’ve moved to hire Rafa Benitez instead with a move now on the verge of completion according to journalist Jim White.

This represents a considerable U-turn from senior officials within the Everton camp.

Supporters must be furious

Cast your minds back to 2007 and you’ll remember a certain Benitez sitting pretty in the Anfield dugout.

His affinity with the red side of Liverpool is huge, taking them to Champions League glory in 2005, ensuring cult hero status in Merseyside.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-everton-manager-transfer-nuno-conte-wood-marcelo” title= “Read the latest Everton manager and transfer news!”]

What makes things worse, though, is a jibe he made towards the Everton fans 14 years ago as he reached out and called the Toffees a “small club.”

The 61-year-old clarified those comments in 2019, saying: “I made a mistake when I said it was a small club. What I wanted to say was they are a small team because in this game I remember they had one chance.”

That being said, it’s unlikely fans are going to forgive him in a hurry. After all, a number of supporters have been left appalled by the board’s actions, pleading for the Spaniard not to be hired.

One fan claimed the board were a disgrace for considering Benitez while another suggested they’d completely cut ties with the club.

Benitez may have an impressive CV; winning league titles in Spain and reaching the latter stages of continental competitions, but it will not go down well with the fans.

Of course, a sprinkling of success and a place in the Champions League come the end of the season will go down well, but for the time being, he won’t be met with too many pleasantries at Goodison.

AND in other news, Everton must complete swoop for “phenomenal” 28 y/o, he thinks Nuno Santo is “amazing”…

Sri Lanka’s resurgence after a disastrous tour of England gathered pace on Saturday as they defeated Pakistan by 39 runs at Tangiers on Saturday

Charlie Austin18-Aug-2002Sri Lanka’s resurgence after a disastrous tour of England gathered pace on Saturday as they defeated Pakistan by 39 runs at Tangiers on Saturday.The victory virtually guarantees them their place in Wednesday’s final because of the advantage gained from a bonus point obtained against South Africa and by having far the best net run-rate.”England is history now,” said Jayasuriya. “We have done a lot of hard work on our game with Dav (Whatmore) and Duleep (Mendis) and that is now starting to pay dividends.””The boys did really well today, it was a great all-round performance,” he added.He was delighted with his fielders: “After a long time we produced a really good fielding display with Mahela (Jayawardene) and Upul (Chandana) making a big difference with their three catches.””It was not easy for them chasing as the bowlers did really well, especially Pulasthi (Gunaratne) bowled with a lot of variation and changed the match early on in the Pakistan innings,” the Sri Lankan captain observed.Sri Lanka eventually posted a competitive first innings score of 242, but at one stage they were precariously placed on 53 for three having lost three wickets for 11 runs.But Jayasuriya, the Man of the Match for his 97 from 94 balls, then added 111 runs for the fourth wicket with Mahela Jayawardene (43).”After Marvan (Atapattu) was run out I was very disappointed and then we quickly lost Kumar (Sangakkara) and Aravinda (de Silva) ­ I knew I had to stay there for a long time,” he said.Unlike their first victory, which was assisted by a crumbling pitch in the second innings, conditions remained fair throughout the duration of the match.”The toss didn’t make a big difference today as the ball came on to the bat in the Pakistan innings,” said Jayasuriya.Waqar Younis’s side now have to win against South Africa on Sunday and hope that Sri Lanka then defeat Shaun Pollock’s side on Monday.”We now have to pull ourselves together for a big game tomorrow,” said Waqar.”We bowled them out well but we then needed the top order to get some runs, which they were unable to do,” he added.He praised the efforts of Yousuf Youhana and admitted that the management would have to reassess the best place for Shahid Afridi to bat, who went in at number nine today.”He (Afridi) is the kind of batsmen that you can play at any number and he will change the game, we will have to have a look at what we do tomorrow,” he said.

Ashley Preece has dropped a key transfer update on Aston Villa and their plans for the rest of the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side have already enjoyed a superb start to the summer with the signings of Emi Buendia and Ashley Young, and it appears they are intent on adding some more players to the first-team squad.

Responding to a question about Villa looking to make four to five top-quality additions this summer, The Birmingham Mail’s Preece said: “Just another couple to come in, as I understand it, if that. Villa want all their business done before pre-season on July 5 in an ideal world but transfer market changes all of the time.”

Fans will love it

While a disappointing end to last season saw them miss out on a top ten finish in the Premier League and thus drop out of European contention, there’s no questioning that Villa took a giant stride forwards.

The Midlands club brought in some smart additions last summer, and look to have done the same this time around too, with the signings of both Buendia and Young – both with Premier League experience and much more likely to hit the ground running at Villa Park.

So, news that Smith is looking to bring in “another couple”, and that the club are intent on doing all their transfer business before the start of pre-season in a couple of weeks, is exciting.

Given the strength of the spine of the team – the likes of Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, John McGinn, Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins – Villa only really need a couple of finishing touches, like a Buendia for example, to take that next step.

And, by getting them in before pre-season, allows them the best possible chance of acclimatising to what Smith wants from them ahead of the new Premier League season.

It’s exactly why Villa fans will love Preece’s latest update on the club’s transfer plans.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in this teammate of Buendia’s…