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Trying to replace a club icon is particularly difficult, and at Celtic that is no different.

As a dismal 2020/21 campaign came to a conclusion for the Hoops, they witnessed their no-nonsense club captain walk away from Parkhead. That man, of course, is a certain Scott Brown.

He headed to Aberdeen to take up a player-coach role and the individual to succeed his captaincy duties is Callum McGregor.

The Scot has had an excellent start to the season and had one of the best outings of his career in his nation’s colours this week when they took on Austria.

However, there is a sense that one of the many players that Ange Postecoglou brought to the club this summer could eventually become the true heir to Brown’s coveted place in the team.

Although yet to play, James McCarthy will be a big presence in the middle of the park once he’s fit enough. Liam Shaw, their signing from Sheffield Wednesday, could eventually star in that role, while Bosun Lawal has looked promising since arriving in Glasgow.

However, it is two players who were signed before Postecoglou walked in that appeared to stand the best chance before the summer’s arrivals.

Ismaila Soro is candidate number one. At various times last season, he looked like the most natural heir. He was composed on the ball and tough in the tackle, making ten successful challenges in one European outing against Lille.

However, the longer his stay at Paradise has continued, the more his form has deteriorated. Soro’s opening matches of the campaign left a lot to be desired as he lost a whopping ten of 14 duels against Midtjylland.

He was also rash in the challenge when he appeared from the bench against Rangers in the Old Firm before the international break.

With that in mind, Postecoglou should consider finally utilising Luca Connell in the first team.

The Irishman was signed from Bolton back in 2019 but he has never made a first-team outing for the Bhoys. He already had EFL experience with the Trotters when he arrived so it’s puzzling to see him make such a minimal impact in Scotland.

Left out of the club’s Europa League squad list, opportunities look as though they’ll be hard to come by for him.

Once again, this feels like a strange move. Connell was in excellent form during a loan spell at Queen’s Park last season, guiding them to promotion. In the process, the defensive midfielder scored three times and registered five assists.

The 20-year-old was a breath of fresh air to the Queen’s Park side and one goal encapsulated him perfectly. After he galloped forward and then found the net against Edinburgh towards the end of last term, the commentator said that he had a “wand of a left foot.”

With defensive nous and offensive abilities in his locker, Connell surely has everything needed to thrive in Postecoglou’s system. That’s precisely why he should be unleashed.

AND in other news, 100% duels won: Ange surely drooling after new Celtic signing’s international display…

A round-up of matches from the first day of the World Cup Qualifiers tournament in South Africa

Cricinfo staff01-Apr-2009Group BAfghanistan spinner Raees Ahmadzai celebrates with team-mates after dismissing Denmark captain Freddie Klokker•Associated PressA stellar allround effort from Ryan ten Doeschate, who scored an unbeaten 106 and bagged two wickets, helped Netherlands race to a four-wicket win over Kenya in Potchefstroom as they made short work of a competitive Kenyan score of 247. They did experience a minor wobble, losing the first three wickets for 62. ten Doeschate and Bas Zuiderent launched a counter-attack, adding an unbeaten 186 at almost a run-a-ball to shut Kenya out of the game. Zuiderent played the patient hand, while his partner’s second century was a brisk one, laced with nine fours and three sixes. The Netherland bowlers did their part in restricting Kenya down to a chaseable score, striking at frequent intervals and preventing any threatening partnership from taking root. Kenya’s decision to bat first appeared to backfire early on as fast bowler Edgar Schiferli dismissed the openers with just 14 on the board. He was well supported by ten Doeschate and Peter Borren who shared four wickets. The highlights for Kenya included a half-century by Jimmy Kamande and the lower-order recovery that helped them salvage a testing score from a precarious situation at 103 for 5. However, their efforts proved inadequate in the wake of a ruthless display of batting by ten Doeschate, who was adjudged Man of the Match.Afghanistan, perhaps the most closely followed team in the tournament, didn’t disappointing their fans, beating Denmark by five wickets in Vanderbijlpark. Their bowlers justified captain Nowroz Mangal’s decision to field by limiting Denmark to 204 for 9, and the batsmen recovered well to chase down the target with more than three overs to spare. Afghanistan’s star performer was Karim Khan who started his List A career on a high, taking 4 for 27 with his offspinners and scoring a brisk 39 as opener. Denmark, after getting themselves into a good position at 133 for 2, lost their next seven wickets for 71 as Khan, supported well by Mohammad Nabi and Hasti Gul made frequent inroads. Though Denmark did fight back with the ball, restricting Afghanistan to 88 for 4, including the wicket of Khan, their efforts were dented by a 78-run stand between wicketkeeper Mohammad Shehzad, who made an unbeaten 55, and Nabi who lent stability to the Afghan innings and helped their team to victory.It was a new role for Khan, who took a break his wicketkeeping duties to have a bowl, and he was pleased on receiving the Man-of-the-Match award. “It was bad luck for Denmark that I injured my finger, which meant I stopped keeping wicket,” he said. “My captain trusted me with the ball and I bowled wicket-to-wicket and ended up with four wickets and a run-out. I’ve done this before, but our new coach wants me to focus on my wicketkeeping, while Taj (the former coach) always used to trust me with my bowling. My coach is very happy with my bowling today, and I am hoping he will let me bowl in the other games.”United Arab Emirates, buoyed by an impressive allround display by their captain Khurram Khan, who scored an unbeaten 40 and captured three wickets, beat Bermuda by four wickets in the day’s main upset in Potchefstroom. UAE gained the early advantage after they were asked to field, dismissing both the Bermuda openers fairly cheaply, leaving them reeling at 67 for 5. Medium-pacers Amjad Javed and Zahid Shah shared four wickets before the lower-order led by Janeiro Tucker’s 66, staged a recovery, adding 78 for the last four wickets to salvage a score of 187. UAE started off briskly and their batsmen Arshad Ali and Saqib Ali had taken them to comfortable position at 105 for 2, after rain clouds cooled down the day and the teams left the field briefly during the reply, with lightning threatening to be a problem on the Highveld. Though they then lost four wickets for 53, Khurram held the innings together, stroking five fours, and received good support from Sameer Nayak to help take his team past Bermuda’s total.Edgar Schiferli reflects on a dropped catch during Netherlands’ win over Kenya•Getty ImagesGroup AUganda held their nerve to complete a six-run victory against Namibia in Krugersdorp. A composed fifty from opener Roger Mukasa and forties from Joel Olwenyi and Frank Nsubuga lifted Uganda to 234 for 7. Uganda started well reaching 45 for no loss in 10 overs but lost their first wicket, that of Arthur Kyobe for 17, in the 13th over. Mukasa scored 51 off 66 balls, hitting seven boundaries and one six en route, before he fell to Deon Kotze – Namibia’s top performer with the ball with 2 for 22. The Namibian spinners did stem the flow of runs, but Frank Nsubuga provided some late fireworks with a 36-ball 45. During the chase, Namibia started slowly but Raymond van Schoor and Sarel Burger handed the advantage to Namibia, hitting 59 and 50 repsectively, and putting on 101 for the second wicket. However, both fell to right-arm offspinner Davis Arinaitwe, who went on to pick up 4 for 53, and his spell played a crucial role in containing Namibia to 228 for 9 in their 50 overs.A brilliant hundred from captain Sunil Dhaniram helped Canada crush Oman by 103 runs in Pretoria. Having stroked 100 off 91 balls to push Canada to 247, he picked up two wickets as well to complete formalities by the 41st over during Oman’s chase. Put in by Oman, Rizwan Cheema provided the momentum at the top with a quick 64. However, having lost their way in the middle, Dhaniram propped them up, hitting 10 fours and two sixes during his unbeaten stay. Tariq Hussain was the most impressive among the Oman bowlers picking up 5 for 39. It was disaster right from the start of the chase, as Oman lost three wickets for no score. And with half the side gone with nine runs, thanks to Khurram Chauhan’s splendid effort of 4 for 27, it looked to be a tall ask. A 50-run partnership for the ninth wicket between No. 3 bastman Nilesh Parmar (38 not out) and Farhan Khan (43) was the highest of the innings, as Dhaniram fittingly brought an end to proceedings.William Porterfield led from the front with a fine 101 as Ireland cruised to a seven-wicket thumping of their old rivals Scotland in the clash of the pre-tournament favourites. Read Will Luke’s match bulletin here.

Aston Villa have confirmed that their fixture against Manchester United later this month has been changed.

And, as to be expected at such short notice, a number of Villa fans have been left unhappy at the update.

Dean Smith’s side take on Chelsea and Everton this month, with their final Premier League clash in September a trip to Old Trafford.

The match was scheduled to take place on September 25 at 3pm, however, it will now get underway at 12:30pm on the same day.

The time change was requested by Trafford council as there is a music concert taking place down the road from Old Trafford at Lancashire cricket club on the same day.

Villa’s next 3pm kick-off on a Saturday now isn’t until October 16 against Wolves.

Villa fans react

Villa posted the details of the changes on their official Twitter page on Thursday afternoon. These Villa supporters were quick to give their immediate thoughts to the news, with one labelling it as ‘ridiculous’.

“Out of order at such short notice if it’s because there’s a big gig on that the authorities knew about. Fans once again treated poorly #avfc #mufc Against Modern Football”

Credit: @domhunt73

“Is this a wind up”

Credit: @BWC_19

“This is quite ridiculous. Perhaps you could say why?”

Credit: @davidy1982

“Absolute joke! Selling tickets before final arrangements before game! What if people have booked travel arrangements, you reimbursing?”

Credit: @_nayxx

“This is another farce, people have booked travel etc to go up there and they decide to change the KO time? I wonder why?”

Credit: @JBaker_24

“Utter joke!! Just done the podcast & said what other Drama around the corner.”

Credit: @GeneralsVilla

In other news: ‘Who blessed us?’ – Many AVFC fans erupt as ‘fantastic’ pre-Chelsea update emerges.

Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has been linked with a move to La Liga giants Barcelona after a string of impressive performances in recent years.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo (as relayed by BBC Sport), Barca are interested in securing the 24-year-old’s services as they look to rebuild their first-team squad.

The report states that: “From the Barca club it is admitted to MD that Tielemans is a midfielder who has been closely followed for a long time, and that he is very interesting due to his physical and technical characteristics, by age, and because his contract ends in 2023, and for now, he does not want to renew with Leicester.”

It was previously reported that Tielemans had entered negotiations over potentially extending his current deal at the King Power Stadium, but Barca’s interest may make him have second thoughts over putting pen to paper on fresh terms.

Leicester City fans will be very concerned

With the Blaugrana missing out on Gini Wijnaldum over the summer and seeing promising academy graduate Ilaix Moriba join RB Leipzig, manager Ronald Koeman is believed to be in the market for a new midfielder.

And Tielemans appears to fit the bill. The technically gifted maestro has established himself as one of the best young players in the Premier League in recent campaigns, scoring 18 goals and laying on a further 19 assists in 113 appearances for the Foxes, securing the FA Cup and Community Shield along the way.

His magnificent goal in the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium capped a magnificent rise under Brendan Rodgers and highlighted his importance to the Midlands outfit.

Therefore, the club’s supporters will be very concerned at this latest revelation regarding interest in Tielemans’ services.

English heavyweights Liverpool and Manchester United have also been outlined as potential suitors in recent weeks and months, but the lure of the Camp Nou may be too much for the youngster to turn down, despite their recent financial troubles.

It remains to be seen whether Tielemans commits his future to Leicester or seeks pastures new, and it’s set to be an agonising wait for everyone associated with the Foxes.

And, in other news…Leicester receive boost in pursuit of £9m-rated beast, fans will be buzzing 

Samit Patel has been told by his Nottinghamshire coach, Mick Newell, that he ought to be embarrassed by his continuing lack of fitness

Cricinfo staff01-May-2009Samit Patel has been told by his Nottinghamshire coach, Mick Newell, that he ought to be embarrassed by his continuing lack of fitness, having been omitted from England’s 15-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 almost two months after he was served a warning about his weight by being withdrawn from England’s one-day tour of the Caribbean.”He was told once and he obviously hasn’t taken enough notice, so he needs to take a lot of notice this time,” Newell told BBC Radio. “It’s embarrassing really, from his point of view, to be left out twice for the same reason.”Purely in terms of on-field performances, Patel would have expected to be a shoo-in for the Twenty20 squad that was announced at Lord’s on Friday. Since making his ODI debut in August last year, he has averaged 23.20 with the bat and 29.00 with the ball in 11 matches, and impressed with the versatility of his contributions.However, off the field, his rotund figure has been a cause for concern ever since the issue was first raised by the former management duo of Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores in India last November. He was deselected from the Caribbean tour party after displaying “unsatisfactory” levels of fitness in two tests during the Lions tour of New Zealand, and now, according to the national selector, Geoff Miller, he has failed to show any improvement whatsoever despite repeated warnings.”He’s paying his price,” Miller said of Patel’s omission from the Twenty20 squad. “We don’t request people to be fit now, we insist on it. Samit has been told by the coach and national selector where he stands, and his measurements from a fitness point of view haven’t improved from when we deselected him. What we would like to see is him being disciplined in what he does to improve himself, because we know what he is capable of.”Patel himself has insisted that he has been putting the hard yards into his fitness work, but has put his lack of visible progress down to his natural body shape. “I have had to accept some difficult truths from people in the game that I have a lot of respect for,” he said during Nottinghamshire’s pre-season press day at the beginning of April. “I have worked hard to improve my fitness and I am looking forward to playing a part for Nottinghamshire and England in an important summer of cricket. I don’t want to be in a position ever again where I miss out on selection because of a lack of fitness.”That, however, has already happened, and Newell was unsympathetic. “He’s got free membership to a gym, it’s not difficult. We’ve got a full-time strength and conditioning coach, we’ve got the right sort of people. But ultimately he’s the one that’s got to get on the treadmill or push the weights.””We know his technical abilities with bat and ball. When that starts to improve we’ll revisit [this decision],” said Miller. “I’m disappointed for us and for him, but we’ve laid down the rules and players have to abide by them. He feels he’s been putting the work and time in, but he cannot explain it – the figures are there. I just want him to discipline himself to get him up to the fitness standard.”According to Miller, the most recent test was conducted this week, but having witnessed no improvement, Patel – who is one of seven players on an increment contract with the ECB – will be subjected to a continuous monitoring process in conjunction with Nottinghamshire.”Go away and improve your lifestyle,” was Miller’s stark message. “All I see are the measurements. He’s reacted as I’d hope he’d react. He’s disappointed and hurt that he can’t represent his country because he’s not fit, but I’m hoping that this conversation will stop as soon as he’s got the message and proves us wrong.”

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming at Wednesday night’s EFL Cup exit on penalties to Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux.

In Nuno Espirito Santo’s second return to Molineux since leaving the Wanderers in May, Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Kane stormed Spurs into a 2-0 lead in the first half, in which they dominated.

Leander Dendoncker and Daniel Podence scored either side of half time to level the scoring though and Bruno Lage’s side were the better team in the final stages of the cup tie, but they were defeated on penalties after Ruben Neves, Dendoncker and Conor Coady all missed their spot-kicks.

The defeat now wipes out a possible route to European football for Wolves next season and rubbishes any chances of them winning the trophy for the first time since 1980.

It also means Wolves have still only won two of Lage’s seven opening games in charge of the club, with Southampton coming up on Sunday evening.

Wolves fans react to EFL Cup exit

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to vent their anger at the Wanderers’ early cup exit, with one fan even claiming ‘Lage Out’ following the defeat.

“They are a complete bunch of bottle jobs.”

Credit: @cpj93070

“Frustrating but expected tbh”

Credit: @bgreenpl

“Another loss!! Lage out!!”

Credit: @W4768721431

“We can’t even score from 12 yards from the penalty spot. Only positive we scored 2 goals and our defence is diabolical”

Credit: @satsomboon

“whats new?”

Credit: @TooRiskyIam

“What a surprise!”

Credit: @inlandtaipan1

In other news, many Wolves fans have been left fuming over this emerging news revolving their players. Find out more here.

The PCB is involved in negotiations with various boards that could result in them playing six Tests in England next year and nearly ten limited-overs internationals

Osman Samiuddin15-May-2009The summer of 2010 in the UK may turn out to be a Pakistani summer, as the PCB is involved in negotiations with various boards that could result in them playing six Tests in England next year and nearly ten limited-overs internationals.The Pakistan board is already in discussions with Cricket Australia and the ECB to ‘host’ a series against Australia in England next year, which now consists of two Tests and two Twenty20 internationals. Pakistan are now also in the running to replace West Indies next year as England’s opponents for a four-Test series.”Ijaz Butt [PCB chairman] has met Giles Clarke [ECB chairman] and negotiations are underway for a series of four Tests, five ODIs and two twenty20s,” Salim Altaf, PCB chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. “As West Indies has toured this year for two Tests, filling in for Sri Lanka, their slot for next year may now be empty so we are in a position to fill it.”David Collier, the chief executive of the ECB, also confirmed that discussions were taking place. “We all recognise that Pakistan are having an issue at the moment, in terms of being able to stage home matches,” Collier said. “If we can get this sort of [neutral] event, that does help them.”I think we’ve got a broader responsibility to the global game. We are one of the few countries that has a number of international grounds and they (the venues) are desperate for content.”Pakistan tours England, on average, every four to five years and last visited in 2006, a series it lost 3-0. As a touring team, Pakistan have always been popular, attracting big crowds, especially from the large British Asian communities in various cities throughout England.England, in fact, is in the running along with the UAE, to become a home away from home for Pakistan. Since the turn of the century, teams from outside the subcontinent have been hesitant to tour Pakistan. The situation has become progressively worse over the last few years and the March terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore has all but ruled out international cricket in Pakistan in the near future.Clarke is keen on getting Pakistan to play its neutral Tests in England and the idea has the backing of Ehsan Mani, former ICC president, and a long-time advisor to the PCB. “In the choice for neutral venues, I think England is an almost perfect option,” Mani told Cricinfo.”Pakistan has a huge following there, there is a cricket infrastructure in place, the grounds and facilities are brilliant and the whole cricket culture is vibrant there. England would be a very good as a neutral venue.”

Queensland Cricket will stand by ‘family’ member after his latest ban from the Australia team

Cricinfo staff06-Jun-2009Queensland Cricket will stand by Andrew Symonds after his latest ban from the Australia team and will pick him in the state squad if he wants to play. Symonds was sent home from the World Twenty20 after breaking team and personal rules and said on landing back home on Saturday that he had “a fair bit to consider”.Symonds has had his 2009-10 Cricket Australia contract withdrawn and will weigh up whether to continue in all forms of the game or focus on the lucrative Twenty20 leagues. Graham Dixon, the Queensland Cricket chief executive, would like Symonds back in the Bulls set-up.”Certainly,” he said in the Sunday Mail. “Andrew has been representing us since he was 17, so half of his life he’s been part of the Queensland cricket family.”We like the bloke and we want to help him through this issue that’s facing him now. I would expect that Andrew would be on any selection list. As far as Queensland is concerned, we aren’t on the field until October so there’s no pressing needs.”Dixon said Queensland Cricket’s No. 1 priority was “Andrew Symonds the bloke”. “Andrew has to weigh up what sort of cricket he wants to play and he probably did that on the plane,” he said.Peter Young, the Cricket Australia spokesman, said Symonds’ contract for 2009-10 would not go ahead. “Andrew has a lot on his mind,” he said. “For the time being, the ball is in his court in terms of what he wants to do next. We are keen to encourage the private work that he’s been doing with his own rehabilitation program and we’ll support him through that.”Jimmy Maher, Symonds’ former team-mate, said a change in team culture and personnel contributed to the allrounder’s problems. “Let’s face it, all these incidents have only started occurring since the recent spate of retirements of the elder statesmen of the Australian cricket team,” he said. “He’d had one incident in 10 years before then [in Cardiff in 2005].”It’s no surprise that he played so well in the IPL this year under the stewardship of Darren Lehmann and Adam Gilchrist. They are guys who work on the adage that you train hard and play hard and enjoy yourself. ‘Boof’ Lehmann has handled him exceptionally well. I dare say if guys like Hayden and Langer and Gilchrist were on this trip, the latest incident wouldn’t have happened.”Maher said Symonds wanted to catch up with the boys at the end of a day’s play, “like we used to”. “Now when he mentions having a beer some of the new generation look at him like he’s from another planet,” he said. “They want to run off to their rooms to have recovery and play XBox.”

Speaking to Football Insider, a Tottenham Hotspur source has leaked some damning information from Hotspur Way about Dele Alli.

The Lowdown: Alli twists and turns…

An outcast under former boss Jose Mourinho, it appears the England international is now back in contention for Spurs as new manager Nuno Espirito Santo hands him a chance to impress.

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The 25-year-old, who nearly joined Paris-Saint Germain on loan in January after extensive discussions were held, saw his move blocked after the Ligue 1 giants were unwilling to pay a £3 million loan fee (FI).

Starting every Premier League game under Nuno so far, Alli was hauled off at half time during Tottenham’s humiliating 3-1 north London derby defeat to Arsenal and news has now emerged on both his future and how he is behind-the-scenes.

The Latest: N17 source leaks Levy plan for Alli…

As per a Spurs source, speaking to FI, chairman Daniel Levy and the club are now planning to wait until next summer and offload Alli after seeing his value plummet in recent seasons.

They were open to offers for the midfielder this summer but securing a huge fee was a long shot, with Tottenham now hoping he can regain some consistent form under Nuno in time to see his stock rise again for next year.

Leaking more information on Alli, an N17 source has also dropped a damning reveal – with claims coming out on how the player is ‘difficult to manage’ behind the scenes as well as an ‘inconsistent trainer’.

The Verdict: Time to go?

A shadow of his former self after spending months in the wilderness under Mourinho, his 2016/2017 heights seem like a lifetime ago.

During that season, Alli notched a phenomenal 18 goals and seven assists from midfield in 35 Premier League starts but hasn’t managed to come close to those numbers since (WhoScored).

After years at Spurs, it may be time for the Lilywhites to cut their losses and part ways, and perhaps the player himself would benefit from a change in scenery too if he cannot even muster up maximum effort in training.

In other news: Source also has a shared a major update on Tottenham’s hunt for a lucrative stadium naming rights deal, find out more here.

Former Leeds United star David Norris has lauded winger Raphinha after his superb start to the season.

The Brazilian has been in exceptional form at the start of the campaign despite Leeds’ relatively underwhelming results.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have yet to collect a Premier League win but Raphinha has been excellent despite their struggles.

The 24-year-old has scored three goals in seven games and his consistent mazy dribbling and direct attacking has terrified Premier League defences.

The winger even earned a call-up to the Brazil squad as a reward for his exceptional form, picking up three assists off the bench in the win against Venezuela.

Norris admits that he has been surprised by his form, as he had some questions over his mentality, but believes that he has developed into Leeds’ best player in recent weeks.

He said: “He’s the standout player there, still being able to do what he’s done in a struggling team. Potentially I might have looked at that type of player and questioned how he might react when things get a little bit hard, and Leeds start to struggle and it’s not all happy days and attacking football, so I’ve been pleasantly surprised, he’s stepped up, he’s been a standout player and he’s full of quality. He’s been brilliant.”

Raphinha has a contract with Leeds until 2024 and is valued at £27m by Transfermarkt.