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Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has been left surprised by  David Moyes’ plan for West Ham involving Lukasz Fabianski and summer signing Alphonse Areola.

The Lowdown: Moyes plotting Fabianski axe…

Already it appears that the manager has a plot underway to axe one of his ‘untouchable’ West Ham mainstays in the Polish goalkeeper.

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Indeed, according to Football Insider, the Scotsman is planning to replace his current number one with Areola in the starting XI over the coming weeks.

It is said that Moyes wants to phase the Frenchman in gradually as he looks to make Areola his new goalkeeping first choice.

The Latest: Phillips left surprised…

Speaking to Football Insider in reaction to this development, Phillips has been left surprised by Moyes’ plan but insists that Fabianski is a professional and will help Areola regardless, despite him possibly feeling a little bit ‘aggrieved’.

“He’s [Areola] going to be the number one eventually,” the former Sunderland striker explained.

“That’s why he was brought in. He can learn from Fabianski. It won’t be ideal and I’m sure he will feel aggrieved.

“But he’s a pro and he will help Areola settle into the club. Fabianski has that experience so it does surprise me slightly.

“I’ll never go against David Moyes considering what he’s done but that’s a major change.

“If he does make Areola number one he will have a player behind him pushing and that’s always a good thing.”

The Verdict: Good move by Moyes?

Currently on loan from Paris-Saint Germain, Areola enjoyed a consistent spell in the Premier League with Fulham last season despite their relegation, keeping nine clean sheets in 36 starts.

Scott Parker even lauded the player as ‘exceptional’ and we believe he could be the ideal long-term replacement for Fabianski as the 36-year-old Poland international reaches his twilight phase.

In other news: ‘Had a shocker’, ‘Offered nothing’…West Ham fans blast ‘poor’ ace who lost the ball 16 times against Southampton, find out more here.

India opened the World Cup with a convincing 10-wicket victory against an over-powered Pakistan that was completed in 39 overs

Cricinfo staff07-Mar-2009India 0 for 58 (Deshpande 26*) beat Pakistan 57 (Mir 17, Dhar 3-7) by 10 wickets
Scorecard
Pakistan were bowled out for 57 © ICC
India opened the World Cup with a convincing 10-wicket victory against an over-powered Pakistan that was completed in 39 overs. After winning the toss in Bowral, India quickly dismissed Pakistan for 57 and then Anagha Deshpande and Anjum Chopra knocked off the runs without any discomfort.Deshpande picked up 26 off 37 balls and Chopra had 17 from 23 when the target was achieved in 10 overs. The result gave India an excellent start in Group B and their main rivals England also began well.Sana Mir top scored with 17 in a disappointing list, with Nain Abidi the only other batsman to reach double figures with 11. The innings started horribly for Pakistan and they were 7 for 25 before a 30-run stand between Mir and Asmavia Iqbal, who spent 36 balls over her 9.Rumeli Dhar did the early damage and finished with 3 for 7 off eight overs, including five maidens. Amita Sharma’s 2 for 9 and Priyanka Roy’s 2 for 13 helped finish the innings off.

A round-up of the fourth day of the tenth round matches in the Regional Four Day Competition

Cricinfo staff17-Mar-2009
Nikita Miller was Man-of-the-Match after taking nine wickets and making a career-best 86 © AFP
Jamaica stretched their lead at the top to 24 points after Nikita Miller and David Bernard helped them to a 242-run win over Barbados in Bridgetown. Barbados started the final day on 107 for 2, needing 408 more to win or ,more realistically, to bat out the day for a draw. The overnight batsmen, Dale Richards and Kirk Edwards, had started to drag Barbados towards safety with a 110-run stand when Richards was bowled by Miller half an hour before lunch for 117.There was some more resistance from Barbados, with Edwards and Dwayne Smith adding 33 quick runs before Edwards was run out. Bernard and Miller then ran through the Barbados batting, the last six wickets falling for 30 runs. Miller was adjudged Man-of-the-Match after finishing with 9 for 88 in the game and making a career-best 86 in the second innings. The victory helped Jamica complete the double over Barbados, whom they had beaten by six wickets in Kingston.There was more good news for Jamaica when second-placed Windward Islands crumbled to a 155-run defeat against Combined Campuses and Colleges in St Vincent. It was CCC’s second win of the season and helped lift them off the bottom of the table.Windwards resumed on 31 for 3 pursuing 301 for victory but collapsed a second time. Fast bowler Kevin McClean did much of the damage for CCC, taking four top-order wickets. Only two batsmen, Rawl Lewis and Shane Shillingford, made more than 20 as Windwards folded for 145. Even that total was reached because of a 47-run ninth-wicket stand between Shillingford and Mervin Matthew.The other match of the round, between Guyana and Leeward Islands in Albion, predictably ended in a dull draw. Assad Fudadin made 82 to lead Guyana to 341 in the first innings. It was the second match in a row that Fudadin missed out on a maiden first-class century. Legspinner Anthony Martin took four of the five wickets to fall to bowl Guyana out soon after lunch.The Leewards batsmen piled up 206 for 4 on the back of Runako Morton’s 87 before the match was called off. The result takes Leewards to fourth place with 47 points, two ahead of Trinidad who did not play in this round.

Jamaica 96 1 0 2 0 84 Windward Islands 9 5 4 00 0 60 Barbados 94 3 0 2 0 54 Leeward Islands 8 3 3 02 0 47 Trinidad & T 81 1 0 6 0 45 Comb CC 8 2 4 02 0 30 Guyana 90 5 0 4 0 24

After suffering another blow this international break, Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Santo may have to turn to an unlikely figure for the very first time this season…

What’s the latest?

Young midfielder Oliver Skipp, who has started all three of Spurs’ opening Premier League games, was forced off with a groin injury in England U21’s victory over Kosovo on Tuesday night.

It adds to the Portuguese’s worst nightmare after Steven Bergwijn also picked up a knock, whilst Heung-min Son is also a doubt for Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace.

The Lilywhites will definitely be without South American trio Giovani Lo Celso, Davinson Sanchez and Cristian Romero, with the trio in quarantine in Croatia before returning to the UK.

On the Chalkboard

It means Nuno could well be forced into a change in midfield, something he would’ve probably not wanted to do, given Spurs’ unbeaten start to life in the top-flight this season.

With Lo Celso and Skipp potentially both absent, the 47-year-old’s hands may be tied and as such, he could well have to call upon the unseen Tanguy Ndombele for the very first time this season, just a few weeks after he expressed his desire to leave the club.

Nuno doesn’t have many options at his disposal, as a result of these latest setbacks, but the club-record signing has been back in first-team training for the build-up to this encounter.

We’ve seen a mixed bag of form from the 24-year-old dynamo since his arrival in the summer of 2019 – on his day, he’s the most technically gifted at the club and as Joe Hart once described, he can be “unplayable”.

However, these performances have been far and few between, having only contributed eight goals and eight assists across 75 appearances, managing a direct contribution every 267 minutes – or once every three matches.

Spurs need to see a lot more from a player that they invested £55m on and in their desperate time of need, he could be offered a lifeline to get his career in north London back on track.

Whether he rises to the occasion or is even selected remains to be seen, but it would make sense for the £36m-rated midfielder to make his first bow this season at Selhurst Park.

AND in other news, Nuno Santo now left with big Spurs headache as update on £24k-p/w “real asset” emerges…

Ricky Ponting’s men have been unable to win back the No. 1 one-day international ranking but he believes they can still finish the tour on a high. South Africa claimed the series with a 61-run win in Port Elizabeth on Monday and in doing so confirmed thei

Cricinfo staff14-Apr-2009Ricky Ponting’s men have been unable to win back the No. 1 one-day international ranking but he believes they can still finish the tour on a high. South Africa claimed the series with a 61-run win in Port Elizabeth on Monday and in doing so confirmed their position at the top of the rankings table.But Australia can make the scoreline a little less lopsided and will fly out with a 3-2 loss if they fight back to win the final ODI in Johannesburg on Friday. It will require a turnaround in form after South Africa’s strong performances but Australia are keen to regain some momentum before heading to the UAE to take on Pakistan.”We weren’t able to do well this time, and the South Africans outplayed us in the last three games in all facets of the game, so they deserve to be where they are,” Ponting said after the Port Elizabeth loss. “We’d like to finish the tour on a high, so hopefully there’ll be a bit of character in the team when the guys pitch up on Friday.”Ponting took a risk by sending South Africa in on Monday but the bowlers struggled to make inroads into the top order. Herschelle Gibbs’ 21st ODI century and an attacking 84 from AB de Villiers left Australia chasing 318 and despite a promising opening stand between Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke Australia fell well short.”Herschelle obviously played beautifully, he played a sensational innings,” Ponting said. “I thought de Villiers was also outstanding. We needed someone at the top to go on and make a big hundred, but we didn’t really have that.”Gibbs finished with 110 and it was his first century since coming back into the side during the one-day series in Australia, following his month-long stay in alcohol rehabilitation. He showed encouraging signs with a 64 at the SCG and in Port Elizabeth finally made use of one of his many starts.”I feel I have been boiling for some time, probably since the third ODI at Sydney,” Gibbs said. “I have probably wanted it too badly which is why it did not come sooner. I knew if I got through the first 15 to 20 overs that I could go all the way. It was an excellent pitch.”South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith said Gibbs had played a sensational innings and it was pleasing to see him cash in on his starts. The teams now head to the Wanderers, the venue of the famous 438 match of three years ago, for the series finale.

Rangers kicked off their 2021/22 Europa League group stage campaign with a disappointing loss at home to Ligue 1 side Lyon on Thursday night.

Toko Ekambi and an own goal from James Tavernier sealed the three points for the French outfit as Rangers’ six-match unbeaten run in all competition came to an end.

There were some positives for Steven Gerrard to take from the game, with a few promising attacks to create openings in the Lyon box. However, they failed to take any of those chances and were unable to get the ball past Anthony Lopes.

Despite the encouraging aspects of Rangers’ play, there is no shying away from the negatives. There were a few frustrating performances out on the pitch, with Joe Aribo in particular struggling to hold his own.

The central midfielder was shifted out into a wide role on the right in place of Kemar Roofe but the experiment from Gerrard did not go to plan. The 25-year-old looked out of place and did not show the requisite quality needed to make an impact against Lyon from a wide berth.

Going forward, Aribo contributed very little. As per SofaScore, he only created one chance and had one shot in 76 minutes on the pitch. He attempted one dribble and one cross, being unsuccessful with both, whilst losing possession of the ball 12 times from 46 touches.

This shows that he did not have the quality with the ball at his feet to make a real impact in the match. Roofe, who scored two goals in four Europa League starts last term, may feel that he could have done a better job in the final third.

Defensively, Aribo was a lightweight out wide for Rangers. As per SofaScore, he ceded 62% of his duels against Lyon players, losing eight of his 13 duels in total, including seven of his 10 battles on the ground. He made zero interceptions, clearances or blocks and was dribbled past twice, the same as the number of tackles he made.

This shows that he was not up to the physical battle against Lyon left-back Emerson as the Nigerian came out worse off in the majority of his 50-50s. Therefore, he was not suited to the wide role in place of Roofe and should have played in his more natural central midfield position or been put on the bench for this match.

Gerrard will surely be feeling badly let down by the former Charlton midfielder. He placed his faith in the Nigerian to put in a strong performance in a different position but Aribo was not able to repay him, as he struggled to showcase his qualities offensively and defensively last night.

AND in other news, Gerrard must make key Rangers decision over “exciting” gem after deadline day failure…

The three Ranji players will get to train in Australia’s Centre of Excellence

Cricinfo staff29-May-2009Tamil Nadu opening batsman Abhinav Mukund is one of three Indian players heading to Brisbane’s Centre of Excellence after being selected for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar annual scholarship program. Abhinav will be joined by Maharashtra left-arm seamer Jitendra Patil and Uttar Pradesh allrounder Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Abhinav and Bhuvneshwar were especially successful in the Ranji Trophy last season. Abhinav finished the tournament with 856 runs at an average of 85.60, striking four centuries including an unbeaten 300. Bhuvneshwar starred in the final against Mumbai, bagging a five-for in the first innings. He owns the distinction of being the only bowler to have dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in the Ranji Trophy. He also chipped in with useful contributions with the bat, making 41 and 80, though his team ended up losing by a massive margin. Patil is yet to play first-class cricket.”Winning the Border-Gavaskar scholarship and getting a chance to train in Australia is a tremendous opportunity for us,” Abhinav told reporters at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. “Personally, I am looking forward to training under coach Greg Chappell and I am keen to learn about playing in different conditions.”For instance, in Australia, they use the kookaburra ball and I want to cope with the extra swing and also work on my early minutes of play. I enjoy the game and I want to keep playing well rather than worry about issues like selection.”

Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer insists that Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger would be willing to move to Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer at the end of the season.

The Germany international’s contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign and he has yet to agree to fresh terms with the Blues.

Reports claim that Chelsea will need to make Rudiger one of their highest-paid players in order to keep him at Stamford Bridge.

Talks are continuing over a potential deal but the defender may be available at the end of the season.

Indeed, Spurs have been linked with the central defender previously and Palmer does not think that the rivalry between the two clubs will prohibit a move.

He said: “Of course. We’ve seen that. Listen, although the rivalry is there, we’ve seen players go from Spurs to Arsenal, Arsenal to Spurs, or to Chelsea, whatever.

“You’ve seen William Gallas leave Chelsea to go to Arsenal, although the rivalry is there, you’ve seen Olivier Giroud leave Arsenal to go to Chelsea. If the deal’s right, the money’s right, the player will move and the club will move him on; that’s just the way it is.”

Rudiger has been with Chelsea since 2017 and has made a total of 156 appearances for the club, while also winning 47 caps for Germany; Transfermarkt value the defender at £25.2m.

Ryan Harris has said he is hoping to impress Australian selectors during his stint in the English domestic season

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2009Ryan Harris, the Australia fast bowler, who recently signed up with Surrey and will represent them in the County Championship, has said he is hoping to impress Australian selectors during his stint in the English domestic season.”It’s in the back of my mind, obviously, but there’s a few guys in front of me,” he told BBC London 94.9. “If I’m here and performing well and the selectors want to look at me then it saves on the flight over, I guess.”Harris, who replaced New Zealand’s Grant Elliot as Surrey’s overseas player, made his ODI debut in January against South Africa at home, but missed the rest of the season as a result of a foot injury. He was a part of the victorious Deccan Chargers team in the IPL, playing eight games and capturing six wickets at 38.33.Harris was due to play his first County Championship fixture for Surrey on Saturday against Glamorgan, but the first day was abandoned due to persistent rain. However, he was looking forward to the experience. “It’s obviously a new thing for me having never played county cricket before,” he said. “To be at a club like Surrey, that have been such a good club in English cricket, is a great honour.”It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it’s great to be here. It has been a dream to come and play in county cricket, to come and experience the gruelling schedule and a good example of that is coming up in the next three weeks.”Harris expressed his keenness to play competitive cricket while his domestic team Queensland spent its time training for the Australian cricket season which doesn’t start until later in the year. “It’s going to be a test but that’s why I’m here. I want to play cricket. My Queensland team-mates are training at home but they’re catching and doing drills and I want to play cricket, which is why I’m here.”The injury which had ruled him out earlier in the year, Harris believed, was now long behind him. “Coming from Twenty20, where I bowled a fair bit, to four-day cricket is a bit of a step but it’s not as if I’ve come from nothing into playing three or four-day games,” he said. “I feel good, the body feels good, my foot feels good and the jetlag’s not that bad at the moment so I’m just ready to go.”

Since Aston Villa earned promotion to the Premier League in 2019, there has been a real revolution among the playing staff, with a number of marquee signings coming in through the door.

Dean Smith has overseen one of the club’s brightest periods in a long time, and this summer saw them take yet another step forward by landing high-profile names like Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia.

However, one man who has made arguably one of the biggest impressions at Villa Park since his arrival is Matty Cash.

Villa signed him from Championship side Nottingham Forest last September for a fee in the region of £16m on a five-year contract, and Smith was quick to rave about his latest addition at the time.

He said: “We are delighted to welcome Matty to Villa and believe we have secured one of England’s brightest young prospects. He has an excellent playing record for a young player and we believe he will settle in easily and continue his rapid development into a top full-back.”

Since his arrival, Cash has been an absolute stalwart at right-back, establishing himself as Villa’s undisputed first-choice in that position and being one of Smith’s most reliable and consistent performers.

Speaking last season, former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips dubbed him “sensational”, while adding: “Cash has come in and he has been flawless. He has taken to the club like a duck to water. You have to give credit to the player and the recruitment department. They have obviously done their homework. He has been one of their shining lights this season.”

Just last weekend against Everton, Cash finally got his first goal for the club, netting a thunderous strike off his weaker left foot in the 3-0 victory the Toffees at Villa Park.

The fact that he’s now being touted with an international call-up with Poland ahead of next year’s World Cup is a real statement on just how high his stock has risen, and full credit must be given to both him and Smith.

The £65k-per-week flier has been an incredible signing for Villa.

Meanwhile, “It’s a real task for Dean Smith” – Journalist reveals big dilemma over Aston Villa summer signing