All posts by h716a5.icu

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts insists that Mauricio Pochettino is closing in on a sensational return to the club.

Spurs have been heavily linked with an amazing move to bring the Argentine back to the club just 18 months after sacking him.

The two parties are said to be in talks, per The Athletic, with Pochettino keen on returning to Spurs as he looks to further the legacy he built in his initial five-year stay with the club.

Roberts is confident that Pochettino will end up moving back to north London, even though there has been precious little movement over the weekend in regards to his possible return.

Indeed, he believes that it is only the finer details that are needing to be worked out, as the Argentine will want to have full control of how the club operates in the transfer market.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “I think everything’s in place. It’s just, I suppose it’s contracts isn’t it and in the fine details.

“When Pochettino was there last time it looked as though he never had the final say on transfers and all that. So now I’m sure he’s going to make sure if they want him, that he gets all that in place.”

Pochettino guided the club to the Champions League final and two Premier League title challenges during his first spell.

Injury-hit New Zealand received another setback Wednesday when theirpremier batsman Nathan Astle was ruled out of further participation onthe current tour

25-Apr-2002Injury-hit New Zealand received another setback Wednesday when theirpremier batsman Nathan Astle was ruled out of further participation onthe current tour.Team manager Ross Dykes said Astle had a knee injury and would beflying home from Lahore Friday. He will be replaced by Mathew Sinclairfor the remaining part of the tour but would not be considered forselection for Saturday’s final One-day International at GaddafiStadium.”Astle has torn a tendon in his left knee which was diagnosed Tuesday.It is serious enough to demand immediate attention,” Dykes said.Dykes said Astle’s knees were sore for the last couple of weeks butadded that it wasn’t known if it was serious enough. “He had scantests yesterday (Tuesday) and it proved that his knees wanted muchmore investigations in New Zealand.”Astle, 31, who has played 51 Tests and 153 One-day Internationals, hadtaken active part in Tuesday’s training session.Dykes said it was premature to say if Astle would be fit for NewZealand’s July trip to the West Indies. “It is far too early to say ifhe would be available. But we would at least like to see him fit forSeptember’s ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.”Dykes said the team management was concerned with the growing list ofcasualties. “But we have to make the best of what is available.”Astle, who stroked the quickest double century in Test cricket lastmonth against England, said: “It is very disappointing. I have beenlucky never to have any injuries. But this is the biggest blow.”He said he had bad knees “for a while” and added that the left onetroubled him for the last two days.Pakistan coach Mudassar Nazar was surprised with the news and mincedno words in saying that Astle’s withdrawal would take the gloss offthe forthcoming Test series.”He is a class act and must be heartbreaking for him. It is sad thatthe spectators would not be able to see the best of Astle. “I agreethat New Zealand will now be very weak after the latest injury blow,but we need to stay composed and concentrate hard. We can’t takethings for granted,” he said.

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in making a shock move to bring Burnley striker Chris Wood to Villa Park, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Enjoying another consistent season for Sean Dyche’s men, Chris Wood has went on to register an impressive 15 goal contributions in 33 outings in 2020/21; 12 goals and three assists [Transfermarkt].

Going under the radar as a player, the New Zealand native has been a constant menace for defenders in recent campaigns. Winning an average of 4.7 aerial duels per 90 minutes, the 29-year-old is a handful for any prospective opposition defender [WhoScored].

Incredibly, he has notched a double figure goal tally for Burnley in every season since joining the Clarets in 2017 [Transfermarkt]. He now finally seems to be gaining the recognition he deserves.

The latest

Aston Villa are looking for another frontman to boost their goalscoring options, whilst leveraging some of the burden away from Ollie Watkins [Lancashire Live].

However, any move may come at a sizeable cost for the Midlands club, as a whopping £30-40 million price tag has been quoted by Football Insider, – they claim a recruitment source has told them that Villa are one of three top Premier League clubs eyeing a move.

The huge price tag may of course throw a spanner in the works with regard to any potential transfer hunt.

The verdict

Without doubt, Chris Wood is the epitome of a consistent footballer who works hard for the team and rarely falters.

Described as ‘excellent’ by manager Sean Dyche, he would undoubtedly be a great addition to the Villa ranks [Burnley Express], and of course offers an entirely different style of play to Watkins with his aerial dominance.

Conversely, to shell out such a sum on someone approaching their thirties would be reckless. Short-termism never ends well in football, whereas younger rumoured targets in the same position could provide more value for money long-term.

Regularly linked with Tammy Abraham, he may be a better option for Aston Villa due to the minimal mileage he has as a footballer comparative to Wood.

In other news, Aston Villa fans have been reacting to an exciting Jack Grealish update.

A half-century by Chris Benham and a four-wicket return by Irfan Shah set up a 73-run win for the Hampshire Academy XI against Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 rivals Winchester KS at River Park

Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo)13-May-2002A half-century by Chris Benham and a four-wicket return by Irfan Shah set up a 73-run win for the Hampshire Academy XI against Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 rivals Winchester KS at River Park.Second-wicket pair Benham (57) and 15-year-old Peter Hammond (48) laid the foundations for Hampshire’s 188-9.Winchester began positively but from 53-0 plunged to 115 all out, with Shah taking 4-33 and Dave Griffiths and James Manning two wickets each.Esaton & Martyr Worthy and United Services have also won their opening two games.Easton overhauled Hungerford’s 155 all out to win by three wickets, while Services rattled up 2476 to beat Rowledge (229) by 18 runs.Western Australian prospect Aaron Heal hit 108 and shared a century-plus second-wicket stand with Daniel Peacock (66) as Lymington beat Old Tauntonians and Romsey by 58 runs.Heal, who is playing for Hampshire II against Surrey at The Oval this week, shared a hefty century partnership with skipper Peacock, who was particularly ruthless on the left-arm spin bowling of OTR’s Nick Wood.With Ben Craft weighing in with 43 not out, Lymington advanced to 269-6 off 50 overs.Charlie Forward hit a watchful 61 for OTR, but a nap hand by former Bramshaw all-rounder Mike West (5-40), and Heal’s three-wicket return sent the visitors slipping from 168-5 to 211 all out.Andy Heyes (58) hit a second consecutive half-century but was again on the losing side as Sparsholt dipped to a 12-run defeat by Trojans at the Norman Edwards Memorial Ground.Simon Williams took 4-45 as Sparsholt, chasing Trojans’ 199 all out, tumbled from 88-1 to 187 all out.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is heading for a potential disaster as Southampton eye up a move for Benfica left-back Nuno Tavares this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to Portuguese outlet O’Jogo, as transcribed by Sport Witness, Southampton have held talks with Benfica over a possible deal for Tavares. The report claims Southampton have been in contact with Benfica in an attempt to find out more about the player’s situation at the club, as they weigh up a potential bid for the 21-year-old.

Serie A side Napoli are also said to be keen on the full-back, who is on course to leave Benfica after being reprimanded by the club for speaking out on social media regarding his minutes on the pitch. Tavares complained about a lack of game time and was sanctioned by Benfica, with the Portuguese giants now potentially looking to cash in on him.

Tavares’ agent, Cesar Boaventura, claimed earlier this year that the “fast” defender could be one of the best players in Europe in the future. He told Radio Marte, as transcribed by TalkSport:

“He’s a fast player, one of the fastest players in the whole Portuguese league.

“He’s young. Maybe he’s not a player ready for a big one. But he could be in the future. Within a couple of years. He can become one of the best in Europe.”

Heading for disaster

Hasenhuttl could be heading for a disaster with this deal if Southampton decide to continue their pursuit of the defender. For starters, the issue with his use of social media is a major concern. It appears as though he lost his head after being dropped by Benfica and took it out on the club via his socials. This suggests that he does not react professionally off the pitch, given that Benfica deemed his actions to be a breach of conduct.

Is this the type of character Hasenhuttl wants in his squad during a possible relegation scrap? If Southampton are fighting at the bottom of the table and things are not going well, Tavares may not respond kindly to the adversity and could cause problems within the dressing room. Southampton need leaders and players who are capable of being positive influences behind the scenes to make sure that they can bounce back from setbacks and do not allow slip-ups to turn into landslides.

The £4.9k-per-week flop has endured a difficult season with Benfica. The 21-year-old has averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.48 across 14 appearances in the league, with a slightly better score of 6.60 in his five Europa League outings. This shows that, along with potentially being a disruptive influence, he is completely out of form and may not be able to hit the ground running upon arriving at St. Mary’s. Therefore, he could be a disaster of a signing for the club.

AND in other news, Saints’ crazy call takes fresh twist with rarely-seen 23 y/o, it’s cruel by Hasenhuttl…

Rob Turner’s Golf day that was held at Enmore Park recently was a great success, and was enjoyed by all of those who attended

Richard Walsh24-Jun-2002Rob Turner’s Golf day that was held at Enmore Park recently was a great success, and was enjoyed by all of those who attended.In all ten teams of four entered, which included eight Somerset cricketer’s, and fortunately despite the strong wind the day remained dry throughout.The day began with coffee and bacon rolls on arrival, followed by an 18 holes of golf in which there was some high scoring. The eventual winners of the stableford competition were Mike Smith, Chris Perkins, Mike Perry and Ian Blackwell, who finished with a tremendous 97 points.A nine hole putting competition was also held, which was won by Keith Bigwood. The nearest the pin competition was won by Tony Mann, and the longest drive was claimed by Matt Bulbeck.Following the golf a superb three course meal was enjoyed by all in the excellent club house, along with the prize giving and a grand draw.Rob Turner would like to thank everyone who was involved in any way in helping to make the day such a success.The next two events in Rob’s Benefit Year are the Six-a-side CricketCompetition at Honiton Cricket Club on July 1st and the Summer Ball at Taunton School on July 6th.Further details of either of these events can be obtained from Doreen Barnes, 01455 230489, Mary Elworthy, 01823 400679, or visit Rob’s website www.robturner2002.co.uk

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been sharing their delight after the club confirmed a club-record transfer for Emiliano Buendia has been completed.

Villa revealed earlier in the week that an agreement had been reached with Norwich City, and the Argentine has now completed a medical and finalised personal terms while on international duty.

The 24-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Villa Park, which is thought to be worth £80,000-a-week.

Buendia has cost Villa an initial £33m with another £5m in add-ons included, while Norwich have also included a 10% sell-on clause.

The right-winger contributed to 32 Championship goals last season, scoring 15 and providing 17 assists.

Villa have got one wide forward officially through the door and seemingly want another this summer.

Villa fans react

Villa confirmed the move on their official Twitter page on Thursday evening.

As to be expected, their post got a number of Villa supporters excited, with one describing the deal as ‘brilliant’.

“I’VE COLLAPSED”Credit: @catrinedwards18″FINALLYYYY”Credit: @tom_avfc1″OMG HE’S OFFICIALLY OURS”Credit: @LukeKing_”Brilliant, now can we have the pictures please?”Credit: @HarryBatters”Pretty wild that the Euros haven’t even started yet and already Villa are picking up Ws for the new season.”Credit: @fshires”Exciting times ahead”Credit: @bnkboi”I’m late but ITS OFFICIAL EUROPE IS COMING”Credit: @Cameron_Avfc

In other news: Many AVFC fans react as club close in on second summer signing, find out more here. 

Only some stalwart batting from VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar who compiled a fifty partnership for the seventh wicket as the shadows lengthened denied England a win within four days

Ralph Dellor28-Jul-2002Only some stalwart batting from VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar who compiled a fifty partnership for the seventh wicket as the shadows lengthened denied England a win within four days. Having been set an unlikely target of 568 to win themselves after centuries from Michael Vaughan and John Crawley, India’s batting crumbled for the second time and only the weather could possibly intervene to prevent England from going one-up in the series.Another warm, sunny day at Lord’s for the fourth day had began the way the third day had ended – with Vaughan and Crawley unreeling some flashing strokes to extend England’s already substantial lead.Vaughan profited from one square drive off the bowling of Ashish Nehra, causing Sourav Ganguly to post a sweeper on the cover boundary. However, while such areas can provide thrilling runs for the right-hander facing a left-arm over the wicket bowler, it can also be fraught with danger for the bat is scarcely on the line of the ball.He was not driving when he edged the ninth ball of the day, from Nehra, and Ajay Ratra claimed the catch. The television replay left considerable doubt as to whether the ball had carried and what doubt there was went in favour of the batsman.Safely at the other end, Vaughan played an immaculate straight drive off Anil Kumble that rattled the railings in front of the pavilion. Next ball, he played an ungainly fetch that looped tantalisingly over Zaheer Khan at mid-on, allowing him to get the three runs needed for his hundred.That took Vaughan to face the start of a new over from Nehra, the first ball of which was deposited into Wasim Jaffer’s hands at point with some force and causing the fielder to move smartly to his right.Sachin Tendulkar did not have to move anywhere to account for Andrew Flintoff. Nehra had just been driven with immense gusto to the extra cover boundary when he dropped one a trifle short, Flintoff instinctively went for the pull and Tendulkar merely had to stand at deep square leg for the ball to drop into his hands.Alec Stewart joined the run chase, reaching 33 before he went down the wicket to Kumble to be stumped, allowing Craig White to join Crawley who went to his hundred with a push through the covers for two, at which point Hussain declared.Survival was obviously the name of the game during the five overs up until lunch, but after that mere occupation of the crease was not a viable option and the batsmen had to play naturally.The fourth ball after lunch very nearly saw the demise of Virender Sehwag when Flintoff found the edge only for Nasser Hussain to drop a chest-high catch to his right. That was the signal for the batsmen to cut loose, with 46 runs coming from the next four overs.Sehwag was perhaps fortunate to survive when padding up to a ball from Flintoff that would have hit the stumps but was called a no ball. He had no such reprieve when Jones came into the attack for the 13th over. His second ball was the perfect delivery for a fast bowler. It beat Sehwag for pace and clipped the top of off stump with theatrical consequences. Officially timed at only 83.6 mph, it certainly appeared quicker than that for it is something of a collector’s item when an English fast bowler sent a stump cartwheeling out of the ground in such conclusive fashion.Wasim Jaffer went on to bring up his fifty from 63 balls with seven fours. England were forced to juggle their bowling resources in search of a wicket and found one from a most unlikely source. Vaughan was called into the attack, extracted some turn and bounce, and found the edge of Wasim Jaffer’s bat. This time, Hussain made no mistake at slip so that at tea, India were 121 for 2 with Rahul Dravid, on a watchful 34, joined by Sachin Tendulkar and still 447 required to win. It was Vaughan’s first Test wicket.The presence of Tendulkar and India’s record of making bold chases undoubtedly coloured Hussain’s judgement when it came to setting a target. However, a significant part of the equation became irrelevant when Hoggard was brought into the attack after the interval.With his fourth ball he spread-eagled Tendulkar’s stumps via his pad. Will Tendulkar ever get a Lord’s century in Indian colours? Will Ganguly get another run at Lord’s? Not on the evidence of this innings. The next ball after Tendulkar’s dismissal hit Ganguly on the pad. Although television data suggested it might have been going over the top, he was given out lbw and in two balls Hoggard had ripped the heart out of the Indian innings.Both Dravid and VVS Laxman sell their wicket more dearly than some other more flamboyant colleagues, and the job of survival was now theirs alone. Dravid had survived, and more, for 112 balls and had hit ten fours in his 63 when he faced up to Ashley Giles’ third ball of a new spell. To get an inside edge onto the stumps is always unfortunate, although it has to be said that playing away from the body does encourage the possibility.Ajay Ratra was not playing away from his body. A ball from Hoggard opened him up and, as he tried to fend it off to leg, it took the outside edge to fly into the gully where Mark Butcher got both hands to the catch as he dived to his left.England strove to find another wicket to open the door to an early finish. They will have to come back again to finish the job on which so much of the groundwork has already been completed. For the statistically minded, India still need another 336 runs to win. If they get them, a squadron of Gloucester Old Spots might be seen flying past the pavilion.

Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has been nominated for the 2021 European Golden Boy Award, as reported by The Liverpool Echo.

Enjoying an outstanding 2020/21 season, the 20-year-old registered nine goal contributions from 34 fixtures in all competitions; four goals and five assists [Transfermarkt].

The playmaker joins England internationals Bukayo Saka, Mason Greenwood and Jude Bellingham on the 100-man shortlist for the accolade [Liverpool Echo].

The award was founded by world-renowned Italian sport newspaper Tuttosport, whilst journalists across continental media outlets such as Bild, L’Equipe and A Bola will come together to announce an eventual victor [Liverpool Echo].

Fellow Red Neco Williams made a 40-man select for the prize last year, however the Welshman has not been selected as a 2021 candidate [This is Anfield].

As you can imagine, loads of Liverpool diehards took to Twitter to summarize their feelings upon hearing about these latest developments.

Liverpool fans react:

Replying to Liverpool outlet Anfield Watch, here is what some Reds fans had to say about the latest news, with many seemingly stunned that their local lad has made the list:

“For what exactly…. Harvey Elliot has performed better than him”

Credit: @kryitykal”So undeserved”Credit: @lfcmarrk”Wow. I don’t rate him THAT highly”Credit: @LukeJones_10″Rest of the list must be shocking as well?”Credit: @scouse091014″Oh behave! I’m not sure if its from being instructed, but the boy has barely made a forward pass this past 12 months. The kid was a true attack minded talent, but for some reason turned into our version of Eric Dier.”Credit: @MartinCroft18″How? The European young talent pipeline is seemingly threadbare.”Credit: @RickDuvenageIn other news, Liverpool fans react to a Donyell Malen update.

Sri Lanka set the trend of the Morocco Cup when they became the third team to successfully defend the total and in the meantime surge to top of the points table with a comprehensive 93 runs victory over South Africa Thursday

Special Representative16-Aug-2002Sri Lanka set the trend of the Morocco Cup when they became the third team to successfully defend the total and in the meantime surge to top of the points table with a comprehensive 93 runs victory over South Africa Thursday.Veteran batsman Aravinda de Silva notched up his 58th half century in his 280th match while scoring a controlled unbeaten 77 to help Sri Lanka post 267 for seven after Sanath Jayasuriya had won the toss and didn’t repeat the mistake of sending the opposition into bat.Sri Lanka, needing to restrict South Africa under 213 runs to collect a bonus point, did even better when they dismissed them for 174 in 45 overs. South Africa were cruising nicely at 79 for two in 15 overs before they lost five wickets for 52 runs. Their last eight wickets fell for 95 runs.Sri Lanka now have three points while Pakistan and South Africa are tied at two points each after the completion of first round in the double league contest. The second round action begins Saturday with Pakistan engaged in a double-header.Paceman Dilhara Fernando provided Sri Lanka a double break-through when he snatched wickets of Nicky Boje and Jacques Kallis in a space of nine balls to reduce South Africa to 79 for three. But it was the wickets of Justin Ontong and Gary Kirsten off successve deliveries that turned the match on its head.Ontong was picked by Upul Chandana and Kirsten was run-out on the following delivery after an excellent fielding effort by Marvan Atapattu. Kirsten finished as South Africa’s top scorer with a 55 off 65 balls that contained seven boundaries.Earlier, Sri Lanka showed urgency and purpose in their batting while posting 267.Jayasuriya led from the front when he scored 49 off 58 balls with two fours and the three sixes that came in a space of 14 balls. Marvan Atapattu (35), Kumar Sangakkara (41) and Mahela Jayawardene (32) keep the momentum going. But it was de Silva who held the innings together and only cut lose in the slog overs. It was because of his efforts that Sri Lanka collected 70 runs in the last 10 overs.De Silva faced 84 balls and only hit four boundaries as they concentrated on singles and twos by placing the ball in the gaps. He was later adjudged Man-of-the-Match.