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Monty Panesar took his first five-wicket haul since September 2008 as Sussex beat Gloucestershire by eight wickets at Arundel

09-Jul-2010
ScorecardMonty Panesar took his first five-wicket haul since September 2008 as Sussex beat Gloucestershire by eight wickets at Arundel to go top of Division Two in the County Championship. Almost a year to the day since his heroics with the bat helped England save the first Ashes Test in Cardiff, Panesar took advantage of a wearing pitch to claim 5 for 44 in Gloucestershire’s second innings to give him match figures of 8 for 114.Panesar was well supported by offspinner Ollie Rayner, who took 3 for 24, but Gloucestershire folded abysmally under pressure as they lost their last seven wickets for 52 in 16 overs to be bowled out for 131 despite an unbeaten 89 from Hamish Marshall. Sussex lost both openers before passing their target of 50 in 11 overs and they now go five points clear of Gloucestershire at the top in their bid for a quick return to Division One.Panesar struck in his first over when his arm ball deceived Jonathan Batty. Gloucestershire, who had conceded a first-innings deficit of 82, had already lost Kadeer Ali, one of five batsmen to get ducks, when he was lbw playing no shot to Yasir Arafat. Chris Dent drove to second slip but from 27 for 3 Marshall and Alex Gidman led a brief recovery with a stand of 52.But when Gidman was superbly caught at short leg by Michael Thornely off Rayner, Gloucestershire’s innings nose-dived. Panesar defeated Chris Taylor’s sweep, had James Franklin taken at short leg and Jon Lewis at slip before claiming his fifth wicket when Vikram Banerjee fatally played back to a ball which scuttled through.At the other end it often appeared as if Marshall was involved in a different game. He played some superb back-foot shots off the spinners and hit 15 fours in 126 balls but there was negligible support at the other end. Gemaal Hussain drove to mid-off and last man Steve Kirby was taken at backward short-leg to give Rayner the final two wickets of an innings which lasted just over 40 overs.Earlier, Sussex’s last four wickets had added a further 75 runs but Robin Martin-Jenkins missed out on a century in his last championship appearance when he was caught at second slip for 78.Yasir Arafat contributed his first half-century of the season whilst left-arm spinner Banerjee picked up 5 for 94, his second five-wicket haul of the season.

Mitchell Johnson has endured some tiring days in the field over the past 18 months

Brydon Coverdale at Adelaide Oval07-Dec-2009Mitchell Johnson has endured some tiring days in the field over the past 18 months. As the emerging leader in a bowling unit lacking experience, he has been asked to shoulder a heavy workload. The rewards have been a series win in South Africa and the title of ICC Cricketer of the Year; the downsides have included losses to India, South Africa and England, and questions over the attack’s ability to regularly bowl sides out.In Cardiff, Australia couldn’t knock over England’s tail and allowed the hosts to escape with a draw that helped define the series. In Perth, the bowlers failed to keep South Africa from chasing a near-world-record 414 and the visitors went on to win the series. In India, the attack toiled hard but couldn’t take 20 wickets in a Test until Nagpur, and even then Australia still lost the match. Johnson was a key part of the attack in all those games.Australia hoped their bowlers would have enough in the tank for a home series against the eighth-ranked West Indies and they did at the Gabba, where they were led by Ben Hilfenhaus. But on a fourth-day Adelaide pitch when Australia had hoped to be batting before stumps, West Indies applied themselves to reach 8 for 284. To make matters worse, the touring coach David Williams said his players had always believed Australia’s new-look bowling group could “be taken apart”.”From the very start we said that their attack is not very experienced,” Williams said. “We played poorly in Brisbane and their bowling was very, very good. In this game here we have showed a lot more application and commitment and the attack to me is one that can still be taken apart. It was evident today, apart from when the ball was swinging around a bit.”The perseverance of West Indies’ batsmen meant an exhausting day for Australia’s bowlers. Johnson sent down 17 overs in the three sessions and picked up 4 for 85, and after stumps he was physically and mentally drained. “I’m not feeling the freshest now but like I said … umm … I’ve just lost what I was going to say, sorry,” Johnson said. “It’s been a long day.”Part of the problem for Australia was that in addition to Hilfenhaus sitting out the game with a knee injury, Peter Siddle was only able to bowl eight overs due to hamstring tightness. Siddle stayed on the field but was used sparingly and the effective loss of one of the strike bowlers left Johnson and Doug Bollinger, as well as the spinners Nathan Hauritz and Marcus North, with plenty to do.”Sidds is an aggressive type of bowler and occasionally you saw that there might have been one or two that skidded through or kept low, but definitely when you have a bowler like that not being able to bowl it … puts an extra bit more work on the other bowlers,” Johnson said. “In the end we used two spinners so that worked as well.”The only problem was that neither of the slow bowlers, who operated in tandem for part of the day and sent down 41 overs between them, picked up a wicket. It was a stark contrast from the results achieved by the left-arm orthodox Sulieman Benn, who grabbed five wickets in Australia’s first innings.”They’re different style of bowlers,” Johnson said. “Benn’s a tall guy and gets a bit more bounce maybe than Hauritz and North. We bowled pretty good in patches and we had two spinners bowling at one stage and going pretty well. I think we did a fairly good job.”Only time will tell whether eight wickets on the fourth day will be enough for Australia. If not, they’ll be desperately hoping Hilfenhaus’ knee has improved in time for the third Test in Perth next week.

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael is plotting a move for Daryl Dike in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield, who revealed in a recent interview with GIVEMSPORT that the Orlando City centre-forward features very highly on Ismael’s list of targets for the winter window.

When asked about West Brom’s potential interest in the 21-year-old, Hatfield said: “I’m sure he’s a player who is very, very high on their list. There were links with him almost endlessly over the summer and his form for Orlando has been very good.

“He’s got a really good goalscoring record in the MLS. No disrespect to the league, but it is maybe a couple of steps below the level that Albion are playing at or hope to play at in the Premier League. He’s clearly a player who’s got real talent.”

Ismael must act

Jordan Hugill has failed to find any real run of goalscoring form since his arrival at The Hawthorns on a season-long loan deal back in August, with the 29-year-old hitting the back of the net just once over his 10 Championship appearances this season. Therefore, a move for a proven goalscorer in January would seem essential for the Baggies if they are to have any hope of securing promotion back to the Premier League come next May.

As Hatfield suggests, Dike would very much seem to be a fantastic option for the club to pursue, as the USA international has been in fine form for Orlando in the current campaign.

Indeed, over his 15 MLS fixtures, the £9m-rated marksman has bagged seven goals – a scoring frequency of one in every 151 minutes of football played – provided one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.7 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game

These metrics have seen the player who Nani dubbed a “special” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as his team’s joint third-best performer in the division.

However, it is not only Dike’s form in America which suggests that he would make a fantastic signing for Ismael, but also his returns while playing under the Frenchman during a loan spell at Barnsley last term. The 6 foot 2 striker scored nine goals over 19 Championship appearances at Oakwell at a rate of one goal every 143 minutes.

As such, considering Hugill’s incomparable return of one goal in 562 minutes of Championship football played this season, Ismael simply must do all he can to land Dike in January, as the 21-year-old undoubtedly possesses the goalscoring ability to fire West Brom back to the Premier League.

In other news: Cost the club £13m, left for nothing: WBA had a nightmare on “stupid” £30k-p/w flop

Newcastle United have reportedly prepared a record offer for Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The Lowdown: Barcelona’s financial woes

While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal following their completed takeover at St. James’ Park, the opposite can be said about FC Barcelona.

The Catalan giants are currently in a deep financial crisis, having to let Lionel Messi jump ship to PSG in the summer transfer window, and may be forced to sell other star names in order to balance the books.

This is where the Magpies come in, as they have already been linked with a January move for Philippe Coutinho, and could now look to try and sign ter Stegen as well.

The Latest: Offer prepared

As per El Nacional, the North East club have prepared an offer of €55m (£47.1m) for ter Stegen should Barca be willing to sell, who would be their record signing after Joelinton cost them £40m back in 2019.

The La Liga club would reportedly find that kind of offer ‘difficult to reject’, although it may be difficult to convince the Germany international to move to Tyneside himself.

It is also claimed that he has ‘no intention’ of going anywhere other than back to is native country, but the new owners would try and convince him otherwise should a deal be allowed to be pushed through.

The Verdict: Not a priority

The Toon already have Martin Dubravka, Karl Darlow and Freddie Woodman as current options in their squad, and so signing another goalkeeper should not be their priority at the moment, unless they can shift two of them on.

Ter Stegen is of course of a quality player, and is still considered to be ‘one of the best on the planet’, emphasised by being the ‘hero’ of Barca’s recent win away at Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Champions League, as he was given the joint-second highest rating out of any player on the pitch by SofaScore after making three saves.

With NUFC’s newly-found ambition for silverware, ter Stegen has won many major trophies, including the Champions League (Transfermarkt), and so would bring an elite winning mentality.

If they can strengthen other areas of the squad first of all, then signing the 29-year-old is a no-brainer, but it certainly shouldn’t be first up on the agenda.

In other news, find out what activity from the new owners has left agents ‘astounded’ here!

Jesse Lingard wants to return to West Ham United this winter, it has been revealed…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the 28-year-old midfielder has told the Irons of his desire to re-sign for the club during the January transfer window amid reports of his discontent at Manchester United.

His brother, Louie Scott, who is also his agent, is keen on the move too, whilst the Hammers’ hierarchy would like to complete a deal as quickly as possible with Said Benrahma set to represent Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations next year.

It remains to be seen how much the England international would command at this stage, though some claims emerged recently suggesting that just £10m could be enough to seal him.

Transfermarkt value Lingard at £19.8m.

Major update

This exciting development is sure to leave everyone concerned with West Ham absolutely buzzing, ranging from the coaching staff to the London Stadium faithful.

After the last game of the season, manager David Moyes made it clear that he would like to keep hold of Lingard, telling reporters (via the Evening Standard):

“I hope Jesse’s here, we’d like to keep him, he’s done an exceptional job for us but there’s no guarantees, he’s not our player.”

Evidently, a move failed to materialise, even despite assistant Stuart Pearce’s plea right before deadline day.

“We would like him to come and join us. That has been an open secret. He was wonderful last year,” he told talkSPORT before adding: “He’s a special lad and was very good around the players – the players really like him. His ability shone out last year and gave us a great option in our squad.”

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These are feelings that have been echoed by the fanbase, quite frequently, too. In fact, in direct response to Ex’s update, several supporters went wild on social media, as relayed by Hammers.News this weekend.

It’s hardly a surprise to see such jubilation over a half-season loanee but the Red Devils outcast made quite the impact and evidently, he became an instant hit around east London.

His nine goals and five assists helped steer the Hammers into a historic sixth-place finish and subsequently, the Europa League, where they have since qualified for the knockout stages.

Lingard’s experience in Europe and in the Premier League could help Moyes’ side in their quest for glory in the competitions as well as in their attempts to breach the top six this time around.

This update will delight many at West Ham.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Fabianski: £18m-rated lightweight badly let Moyes down in Wolves defeat…

As per Calcio Napoli 24, via Sport Witness, a major Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim has emerged involving Cagliari midfielder and summer target Nahitan Nandez.

The Lowdown: Paratici eyes Nandez summer swoop…

Over the summer window, Spurs were heavily linked with a move for the Uruguay international amid the unrest surrounding Tanguy Ndombele’s future.

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Indeed, Sky Sports even revealed an approach was made by Fabio Paratici and co to sign the Serie A midfielder with Spurs particularly attracted by his versatility.

As well as sitting in front of the back four, Nandez can operate on the right flank in both a more advanced and defensive role.

Now, with January only three months away, it appears a major update has come from Italy.

The Latest: Spurs ‘ready to close’ Nandez deal…

As per Calcio Napoli 24 (via SW), Tottenham and Paratici are ‘ready to close’ the signing of Nandez in January and it is believed that the Lilywhites can ‘complete’ a move when the window opens.

This is despite interest from Italian powerhouses Napoli and Inter Milan, who Spurs could ‘mock’ in the process of bringing the 25-year-old to N17.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Lauded as an ‘unstoppable’ player by Serie A pundit Mina Rzouki, Nandez would come as a brilliant signing for Spurs and one who could bolster Nuno Espirito Santo’s options in a number of key areas.

He also comes with some sell-on value going by his age, but as usual with Spurs, much may depend on Cagliari’s valuation.

Fabrizio Romano reported that the Serie A side value Nandez at around €25/30 million (£21.2m/£25.5m), and going by that sum, he could certainly be worth every penny.

In other news: ‘Bargain’, ‘Unreal’, ‘Perfect’…Spurs pundit wowed as Paratici eyes ‘top signing’, find out more here.

Manchester United’s problems appear to be mounting by the second at this moment in time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure seems destined for an unsavoury ending.

The Norwegian tactician has come under intense pressure in recent weeks as United have continued to put in underwhelming performances, and Sunday’s humiliating 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool may have served as his final warning.

However, if Solskjaer manages to turn things around at Old Trafford, then there could be a bright future ahead for the 20-time English champions.

Although major doubts remain over the 48-year-old’s ability to guide the 20-time English champions to major silverware, there’s no questioning his eye for a talented youngster and willingness to reward him with an opportunity in the first team.

And 20-year-old full-back Ethan Laird could be the next academy graduate to benefit from the Scandinavian’s bravery if he remains in the United hot seat.

The youngster rose through the ranks at his boyhood club before experiencing senior football for the first time last season, joining MK Dons on a short-term loan spell back in January.

Laird impressed throughout his 24 League One appearances for the Dons, providing four assists and catching the eye of captain Dean Lewington.

Lewington spoke to MK Citizen about Laird, saying: “It’s a different dynamic on the right. It’s a bit more direct with Ethan, using his raw pace. I’m still getting used to playing with him, but it’s working pretty well.

“He just needed a bit of encouragement and the freedom to express himself. I try and do as much of his defensive duties as I can to help him express himself.

“He’s really improved since he first came here, he’s come on leaps and bounds. It’s just a shame we won’t get to keep him,” the experienced campaigner concluded.

And Laird has carried his solid form over into the Championship this season after joining Swansea City for the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign.

As per SofaScore, the former England Under-19 international has already created four big chances for his teammates, averaged 1.4 key passes per game, 2.2 successful dribbles and 1.7 tackles, highlighting his effective displays in south Wales.

United’s desire for a more attack-minded upgrade on Aaron Wan-Bissaka was an open secret over the summer, with Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier their no.1 target.

A deal couldn’t be reached between the two clubs, though, and with Trippier now 31 years old, Solskjaer may turn his attention to a young prodigy already within United’s ranks over the coming months.

And, in other news, Report reveals concerning update over “quality” Man Utd maestro, fans may be worried…

Following Manchester City’s 6-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup which saw a number of youth players make their senior debuts for the club and ultimately earn praise from manager Pep Guardiola, who also praised the entire youth academy at the club for the players they have and how they have developed over the years, it’s safe to say that it’s a good time to be a young player there.

One young player who has risen through the ranks at City is Phil Foden, who worked his way through the youth system before making his senior debut in November 2017 in a Champions League match against Feyenoord.

Since then, the 21-year-old, who has been described as “fearless” by Harry Kane, has gone on to make 130 appearances for City across all competitions, scoring 33 goals and providing 24 assists along the way.

In terms of his market value, in January 2018, not long after making his senior debut for the club, Transfermarkt had it listed as £4.5m, whereas it now stands at a massive £72m, highlighting a massive increase and how much he has grown, developed and progressed in his career at the Etihad Stadium.

Foden also won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his efforts for City last season, while on the international stage, he has made 11 appearances for England’s senior team, scoring two goals and providing three assists in the process.

With recent reports claiming that he is on the brink of putting pen to paper on a new six-year contract, this says to us just how important he has been for the club since making his debut and how much they want him to continue with them for the foreseeable future.

Looking ahead to the future, we feel that if Foden can continue playing regularly for the Premier League champions, picking up more goals, assists and trophies, he has the capability to achieve great things in the game and become a club legend at City, possibly seeing his market value rise even further.

The Englishman could also be seen as a shining example of a young talent making his way through the youth ranks at an elite club and becoming an integral part of their first team at such a young age.

In other news: Guardiola could unearth next KDB at Man City with “intelligent” 18 y/o, he’s a star in waiting

The P20, English cricket’s answer to the IPL, could be on the verge of being scrapped after more doubts surfaced about its viability

George Dobell17-Jul-2009The P20, English cricket’s answer to the IPL, could be on the verge of being scrapped after more doubts surfaced about its viability.The competition, which had been scheduled to be played over three weeks in June from 2010 onwards, has run into serious concerns over funding, while several counties are opposed to the drastic alteration to the English domestic schedule that would be required to make way for it. Doubts have also been raised over the ability of English teams to participate in the BCCI-run Champions League.The matters have come to a head as counties discuss changes to theEnglish domestic structure due to come into force from the start of nextseason. With the Champions League scheduled to be played from thesecond week of September, the ECB suggested finishing the 2010 seasonearly in order to allow two counties to take part, and the introductionof a second T20 competition.Several of the counties are concerned, however. Not only are theyworried about the ECB’s suggestion that the County Championship seasonbe cut to 12 or 14 games, they are also concerned that the financialrewards originally suggested for participation in the P20 will not beforthcoming.As things stand a variety of options remain on the table. The countychairmen and chief executives will meet at Lord’s next week to discussthe possibility of playing next year’s championship over threedivisions or three conferences. But the majority of counties appear tofeel that a two-division championship played over 16 four-day games isan essential part of the English schedule.They will also discuss the viability of the P20. Though no firmdecision has yet been taken, there is a clear waning of enthusiasm forthe idea, with some clubs recommending a single – though extended -Twenty20 competition.It transpires that, not only is there no firm deal from a broadcasterfor the P20, but the sums mooted are much smaller than were originallysuggested. For example, a county in the second division of the P20could expect no more than £150,000 for their involvement, from whichthey would have to fund the inclusion of three overseas players. Firstdivision clubs would receive £250,000.The counties are split over their participation in the ChampionsLeague. Though the promise of around £250,000 for the two qualifyingcounties is attractive, 16 counties will earn nothing. They aretherefore asking themselves whether the rewards justify the cost.As one county chief executive told Cricinfo: “There is a real dangerthat the Champions League is going to dictate the schedule for thewhole English season. While it’s clearly desirable that we do take part in the ChampionsLeague, there is not sufficient money at stake to see us arrange ourschedule around it.”It’s an Indian competition. We don’t have any stake in it. They’vescheduled it for September this time, but who is to say they won’tschedule it for August next time? They know it’s during our season,but they don’t care. The preference of the original working party was for only oneTwenty20 competition, but we were told that the additional money wasso significant that we had to embrace a second version.”But we’re growing uncomfortable about the details. There’s no moneyon the table yet and the sums being talked about are not so great thatthey make these changes worthwhile.”

With Ange Postecoglou having seen his Celtic team get off to a questionable start in both the Premiership – with the Bhoys falling to three defeats over their opening seven games of the season – and the Europa League – having shipped eight goals over two losses in the Hoops’ European fixtures so far – pressure is already beginning to mount on the manager at Parkhead.

However, with a number of the 56-year-old’s summer signings still bedding in at the club, as well as Celtic demonstrating in spells the impressive brand of football the manager is attempting to implement, the current situation at Paradise, although slightly concerning, is far from a disaster just yet.

Although, while Postecoglou is struggling for decent results with his new side, the same cannot be said for one of the players with whom Celtic parted ways this summer – Jack Hendry.

Sold for £990k, now worth £3.15m

With the Bhoys offloading the centre-back to Oostende for just £990k following the 26-year-old’s impressive 2020/21 campaign while on loan at the Jupiler Pro League side, the Belgian club decided to immediately cash in on the Scotland international, with Club Brugge snapping him up for £4.05m.

Over the defender’s nine league appearances for Brugge this season, he has once again impressed at a new club, helping his team to keep two clean sheets, making 1.3 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 3.4 clearances and winning 5.6 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.10, with his performance ranking him as Philippe Clement’s joint-seventh best performer in the Belgian top flight, in which they are the current leaders.

The 6 foot 3 centre-back has also performed admirably in the club’s two Champions League games, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 7.0 in a 1-1 draw with a Paris Saint-Germain side boasting a front three of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, in addition to a 6.7 rating in the 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig this week.

As such, with Celtic appearing to lack solidity at the back in both their league and European campaigns – something that the player who Brendan Rodgers dubbed a “fabulous” talent seems to be offering Brugge in abundance – the argument that selling the £3.15m-rated man was a nightmare decision by the Hoops is a fair one to make.

In other news: Nicholson may be heading for Celtic disaster as Devlin drops claim on “distraught” man