All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is out of his side’s important Premier League clash with Norwich City on Sunday, per Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Bamford a big miss as injuries stack up

The 28-year-old was arguably the Whites’ best player in 2020/21, bagging 17 goals in the league, helping his side to a ninth-place finish as the top scorer and third in assists behind Jack Harrison and Raphinha.

Unfortunately, Bamford has failed to get going yet this season, with injury ruling him out of action since the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United in the middle of September.

There have been countless problems in the injury department for the Whites, with the likes of Luke Ayling, Diego Llorente, Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch and Bamford all missing considerable time, and Hay has now shared some more news on the latter.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Injury absence goes on

Taking to Twitter on Friday from Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference, Hay gave a seven-word verdict confirming Bamford is still not available:

“Bamford missing again for Norwich on Sunday.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Need him back

Bamford has been a huge miss since being out and it has played a part in Leeds winning just one of their opening nine league games, sitting just above the relegation zone in the process.

Granted, the Whites weren’t necessarily firing before he got injured but they have still scored just three goals in four league matches without him.

Bamford’s eventual return could spark Leeds’ campaign into life, given his eye for goal, hold-up play and ability to create for others (seven league assists last season).

In other news, Beren Cross has highlighted the Leeds players who are currently out of form. Read more here.

England have announced their Under-19 squad to tour Bangladesh in October and November

Cricinfo staff14-Sep-2009England have announced their Under-19 squad to tour Bangladesh in October and November, which will include one four-day Test and seven one-day internationals, as a build-up to the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.Jos Buttler, the Somerset batsman, will join the tour late depending on how far the county progress in the Champions League Twenty20 in India, while Hampshire’s James Vince will leave England a week later than the rest of the squad. Charlie Roebuck from Yorkshire has been put on stand-by if the availability of Buttler or Vince changes.A number of the squad, including Vince, have made regular appearances in county cricket this season. Nathan Buck has been hand opportunities by Leicestershire and Azeem Rafiq, the offspinner, is a regular for Yorkshire. Joe Root, also from Yorkshire, is a very highly rated batsman while Durham are investing plenty of time in allrounder Ben Stokes.The squad will undergo assessment at the National Performance Centre, in Loughborough, later this month and will be given individual training schedules for the winter ahead of the World Cup in January.Squad Ben Stokes (Durham), Christopher Dent (Gloucestershire), David Payne (Gloucestershire), Michael Bates (Hampshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), James Vince (Hampshire, departing October 16), James Goodman (Kent), Nathan Buck (Leicestershire), Calum Haggett (Somerset), Jos Buttler (Somerset, travelling from India), Matthew Dunn (Surrey), Ateeq Javid (Warwickshire), Paul Best (Warwickshire), Azeem Rafiq (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Charlie Roebuck (Yorkshire, dependent on availability of Vince and Buttler)

A round-up of matches from the third day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Cricinfo staff22-Oct-2009West ZoneMumbai continued to keep winning, making light work of Saurashtra at the Poona Club Ground. Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer led with a brilliant 95 off 61 balls, after they were put in by Saurashtra. He hammered 13 fours and two sixes and was involved in a third-wicket stand of 97 with Rohit Sharma, who smashed four fours and two sixes during his quickfire 41. Ajit Agarkar’s late cameo (25 off 14 balls) meant Mumbai ended on a massive 191, as Sandip Maniar picked up 3 for 32. Saurashtra never really recovered from Dhawal Kulkarani’s twin strikes early on during the reply. Even though Samir Qureshi managed a fighting 33 off 24 balls, including two fours and two sixes, it was not enough as Mumbai ran out winners by 63 runs.Both teams were coming off losses to Mumbai in their previous games, but Irshad Sindhi and Yusuf Pathan ensured Baroda took the honours against Gujarat at the Deccan Gymkhana Ground in Pune. Batting first, Gujarat piled on 176, thanks to a lone hand by Niraj Patel. The No. 3 batsman dealt mostly in boundaries during his 61-ball 96, carting the bowlers for ten fours and five sixes. Struggling at 29 for 2 during the reply, Sindhi and Pathan propelled the Baroda innings with a third-wicket partnership of 122. Sindhi struck six fours and seven sixes during his breezy 88, while Pathan took just 21 balls for his 52, hitting two fours and six sixes en route. Even as both fell with victory in sights, wicketkeeper Pinal Shah and Shailesh Solanki saw them through in 18.2 overs.East ZoneAssam held firm to top spot on the points table with a closely-fought win against Tripura at the Tata Digwadih Stadium in Dhanbad. A 54-run opening stand between Parvez Aziz and wicketkeeper Abhijit Roy set the perfect platform for Assam after they chose to bat. Dheeraj Jadhav (40 off 35 balls) and Deepak Sharma (33 off 21 balls) made full use of the start to lift Assam to 154. The Tripura batsmen, who have had a torrid time during the tournament, put on an improved show during the chase. With openers Nishit Shetty and Wilkin Mota putting on 99, it perhaps signalled a turn in fortunes. Shetty hit three fours and a six during a quick 30, while Mota’s 50 off 40 balls was studded with four boundaries and two sixes. But there was little contribution from the lower order, as the Assam bowlers led by Pritam Das and Dhiraj Goswami, with two wickets apiece, denied them victory.Bengal were consigned to their second defeat on the trot, thanks to a disciplined performance from the Jharkhand bowlers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Dhanbad. Put in by Jharkhand, the Bengal batsmen couldn’t get their act together and managed a paltry 95 for 7. Right-arm fast bowler Varun Aaron and offspinner Sunny Gupta were the most successful bowlers for Jharkhand with two wickets each. Captain Saurabh Tiwary and Rajiv Kumar then shepherded the Jharkhand chase after a couple of hiccups. Tiwary departed after a run-a-ball 44, including five fours and a six but Rajiv held firm with a patient 31, to seal the seven-wicket win with nine balls to spare.North ZoneHaryana bagged their first points of the tournament after thumping Services by 80 runs at the Palam B Ground in Delhi. After Haryana had compiled 153 on being sent in, their bowlers shot Services out for 73. Haryana openers Rahul Dewan and Ankit Rawat provided a solid start before cameos by wicketkeeper Nitin Sahni, Pardeep Sahu and Joginder Sharma lifted them to a challenging total. While Billa struck the initial blows during the Services chase, he was ably backed by the spin duo of Amaradeep Bankelal Sonkar and Yuzvendra Chahal, who picked up two wickets apiece. Billa returned to pick up the final wicket of Rakesh Sharma in the last over, to end with 3 for 10.Three wickets apiece for Manpreet Gony and Reetinder Sodhi helped Punjab overcome Jammu & Kashmir by 18 runs in a low-scoring tie at the Palam A Ground. Choosing to bat, Punjab managed 114 with Sunny Sohal and wicketkeeper Chandan Madan managing crucial 20s. Samiullah Beigh starred with the ball for J&K, ending with 4-0-18-3. J&K’s chase got off on the wrong foot with Sodhi and Gony accounting for the top three in quick time. Sodhi then went on to pick up two important middle-order wickets to dent J&K further. Abid Ali managed 23 before becoming Gony’s third victim, as Punjab completed the formalities with an over to spare.A strong showing by the Himachal Pradesh batsmen coupled with Sarandeep Singh’s 3 for 20 spoilt Delhi’s unbeaten run. Batting first at the Palam A Ground, Himachal were off to a horror start, losing Bhavin Thakkar off the second ball of the match. But that set the stage for Sangram Singh (42) and Vikramjeet Malik (48), who added 64 runs. Captain Paras Dogra’s near run-a-ball 31 and a cameo from VA Indulkar (14 off 5) took them to a strong 153. Delhi looked in command during the reply, with the openers, led by Farman Ahmed, putting on 78 by the ninth over. Farman scored a 33-ball 43, including seven fours and a six, before falling to Sarandeep. Having taken out the top three Delhi batsmen, Sarandeep made way for Ashok Thakur, who struck two more blows. Three run-outs didn’t help Delhi’s cause as they narrowly missed out by five runs.Central ZoneFaiz Fazal’s fluent fifty helped Railways climb to first place in the table with a seven-wicket win against Vidarbha at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground in Indore. Vidarbha were found wanting against the Railways seamers, slipping to 32 for 3, before a half-century stand between captain Alind Naidu (21) and Shalabh Shrivastava (38) propped them up. But the regular fall of wickets after that meant Vidarbha could only cobble together 133, with Sanjay Bangar picking up 2 for 33. Fazal provided a solid start to the chase, with a 51-ball 55, comprising six boundaries, and adding 42 with ICL returnee TP Singh (25). Vidarbha sensed a chance at 116 for 6, but wicketkeeper Dhiran Salvi and Jai Prakash Yadav saw them through in 18.1 overs.

An update has emerged on out-of-work manager Eddie Howe, regarding a potential move to join Newcastle United.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, talks are at an advanced stage and the Magpies are confident of being able to strike a deal with the coach.

The report claims that he could be in charge for the clash with Brighton on Saturday in the Premier League, should the move go through in time.

Fans will be livid

This has come amid a statement from Unai Emery reaffirming his loyalty to Villarreal and Newcastle fans will surely be livid with the man they have picked as an alternative option to the Spaniard, who was said to be close to joining the club.

PIF have reportedly gone from a coach with four Europa League trophies to his name to one with a Championship title as his only success in terms of silverware. Whilst Emery has never led a team to finish in the bottom half at the top level, Howe only has one top-half finish in his career in the Premier League.

The former Cherries boss won the second-tier title with Bournemouth and then kept them in the top-flight for four seasons, finishing 16th, 9th, 12th and 14th. His final year on the south coast was a disappointment, though, as they finished 18th and were sent back down to the Championship with 34 points.

Last season, Newcastle averaged 1.18 points per game in the Premier League with Steve Bruce in charge. Howe only managed to better that in one of his five top-flight campaigns, averaging 1.21 points per game in the 2016/17 season as Bournemouth finished ninth. Emery, meanwhile, has never completed a season averaging fewer than 1.37 points per game.

This illustrates why Newcastle fans will be livid with the decision to go with Howe, should these advanced talks end up with him becoming the full-time manager at St. James’ Park. His career statistics do not suggest that he will be much of an upgrade on Bruce in terms of results, whilst he comes nowhere close to Emery’s achievements in the game.

Therefore, the supporters may struggle to get excited by the prospect of him taking over. Instead of a proven, trophy-winning, head coach in Emery, the Magpies could be getting a manager who was relegated in his last season in football and has little experience managing a team in the top half of the Premier League.

AND in other news, “Few more twists”: talkSPORT journo drops fresh Emery claim that’ll intrigue NUFC fans…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as international news emerged involving Fashion Sakala.

As shared by the club’s official Twitter channel, the striker helped himself to a hat-trick for Zambia in their World Cup qualifying match against Mauritania on Saturday afternoon.

It adds to the treble that he scored in the 6-1 win at Motherwell in the Premiership a fortnight ago, continuing his rich vein of recent form.

Sakala was a summer arrival from KV Oostende and has so far managed to score four goals and provide one assist in nine Premiership matches (Transfermarkt).

He has become a fan favourite at Ibrox already already, as Gers supporters have created a new song for him, and many were certainly pleased with the news of his latest hat-trick.

Rangers fans on Sakala’s hat-trick

These Rangers fans buzzed as the news of Sakala’s hat-trick was shared on Twitter:

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @ArgyllWarrior

“Our boy is ripping it up”

Credit: @Made_In_Ulster

“He’s on fire”

Credit: @KyleMcQuade93

“This cheered me up a bit”

Credit: @Dn3Rover

“Best tweet of the day so far Mr Rangers, but there’s still time for something really really special”

Credit: @Valerie33087475

“Love it”

Credit: @Mikey1872786

In other news, find out which Gers star is attracting Premier League interest

After losing the one-day and Twenty20 series, England women rounded off their tour of the West Indies by beating the hosts by six wickets in St Kitts

Cricinfo staff13-Nov-2009
ScorecardCharlotte Edwards helped England to victory•Getty ImagesAfter losing the one-day and Twenty20 series, England women rounded off their tour of the West Indies by beating the hosts by six wickets in St Kitts. Katherine Brunt and Holly Colvin helped set up the win with tidy bowling displays to keep West Indies down to 119 before Charlotte Edwards and Jenny Gunn led the chase with brisk cameos.West Indies rested three players – Stafanie Taylor, Anisa Mohammed and Cordel Jack – and opted to bat but failed to post a challenging score. Brunt and Holvin kept them in check, taking 2 for 27 and 1 for 15 in their four overs respectively. Brunt put West Indies on the back foot early, dismissing Merissa Aguilleira with her third delivery. Isa Guha didn’t get a wicket but was very economical and West Indies were 40 for 3 after ten overs.The hosts didn’t succeed in putting together big partnerships and their most productive stand was 47 for the fifth wicket between Pamela Levin and Stacy-Ann King. Lavine top scored with 61 from 49 balls with five fours and a couple sixes.England had no real problems in the chase, with the first pair adding 49 in quick time. Edwards, the captain, made 29 hitting three fours before she was dismissed, caught behind by Aguilleria off Shakera Selman’s medium pace. West Indies hit back by running out Rainsford-Brent for 19, but Gunn’s 26-ball 35 boosted the chase. She was dismissed with an athletic catch from King, but Caroline Atkins and Brunt guided England to victory by six wickets in the 19th over.”It’s been a tough two weeks of cricket but it will be incredibly valuable moving forward,” said Edwards after the game. “We have been able to expose some of our younger players to a lot of international cricket in a short space of time and have learnt a lot, not just about the West Indies and how they play but about ourselves as a team. I would like to congratulate the West Indians, they outplayed us and deserved to win but we’ll be back in May determined to retain the World Twenty20 and this trip has been important part of our preparations.”

As per Turkish source Fanatik (via Sport Witness), there is a belief that West Ham could sell another player in Andriy Yarmolenko for a cheap fee – coming after their infamous loss on Felipe Anderson in the summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham sell Anderson for just £4m…

Back in July, West Ham and GSB made an incredible loss on the sale of their former winger to Lazio.

Signed by ex-boss Manuel Pellegrini for £36 million in 2018, the Brazilian’s down turn in form at the latter stage of his West Ham career saw him loaned out to FC Porto where he endured an equally torrid time – making just a handful of appearances for the Primeira Liga giants (WhoScored).

As such, manager David Moyes and the club saw fit to rid themselves of Anderson but winded up doing so for a controversially cheap fee.

Indeed, the reliably reported £4m they recuperated his services meant West Ham made a loss of around £30m (Evening Standard).

Despite a 50% sell-on clause inserted into the deal, it’s safe to say this business from GSB will win no awards, and now there is belief in Turkey that the Irons could sell another player on the cheap.

The Latest: Yarmolenko price ‘will not be high’…

As per Fanatik, as also shared by Sport Witness, there is belief from the continent and Turkish Super Lig giants Trabzonspor that Yarmolenko’s price ‘will not be high’ as they add him to a list of January targets.

To get the true price, it is claimed that they will launch ‘cost investigations’ into the 32-year-old who has even already been offered to them by his ‘managers’ – presumably meaning representatives.

However, they are not the only club interest, with the report also claiming that West Ham’s man has ‘serious market’ in Europe.

The Verdict: Another loss incoming?

One of the main reasons Trabzonspor believe West Ham will accept a cheap fee for Yarmolenko is down to his contract situation, which is currently set to expire in 2022.

As things stand, he is free to negotiate a pre-contract in January ahead of a possible free agent departure next summer, meaning West Ham could have to sell for a lower fee mid-season rather than lose him for nothing six months later.

It’s also unlikely that Yarmolenko would agree a short-term extension given he reportedly made up his mind on leaving in the last window (calciomercatoweb), so it appears West Ham may be resigned to making another loss.

One silver lining for the Irons may be finally getting the Ukraine international’s sky high £115,000-per-week wages off the books and saving money long term.

As Moyes looks to maintain West Ham’s current run and guide them further into an exciting era, selling Yarmolenko may be a question of when rather than if, even despite club favourite Declan Rice once calling him ‘really special’.

In other news: West Ham ready offer to sign 33-cap World Cup ace as Newman sets sights on brand new target, find out more here.

Somerset seam bowler signs two-year contract with Derbyshire

Cricinfo staff10-Nov-2009Steffan Jones, the Somerset seam bowler, has signed a two-year contract with Derbyshire.Jones, 35, had been on loan to the county – earlier this season he had joined Kent on a month-long loan deal – and they have now signed him full time. He took 30 wickets at 32.33 in nine matches during the second half of the 2009 season with Derbyshire. In addition to his on-field role Jones will help in coaching the Derbyshire bowlers.John Morris, the club’s head of cricket, said: “Steffan has been an excellent addition and we’re delighted to have secured his services on a more permanent basis.”

According to The Athletic, West Ham United manager David Moyes may have been handed a boost in his pursuit of Burnley defender James Tarkowski.

The Lowdown: West Ham re-join Tarkowski race…

Since Angelo Ogbonna sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 3-2 win over Liverpool last weekend, West Ham have been tipped to add a new centre-half to their ranks in January.

Indeed, a reliable report from The Evening Standard claimed that Moyes will be backed to sign a central defender as cover for Ogbonna alongside the possible additions of a striker and Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard.

Rob Dickie and Dael Fry, two standout performers in the Championship, have been linked with the Irons, while West Ham have also reignited their interest in Tarkowski. The 28-year-old was subject to two failed Hammers bids in the last few seasons but The Evening Standard reported that he is back on the Londoners’ radar.

Football Insider also believe that Moyes is personally eyeing the Burnley defender, with Tarkowski himself ‘very keen’ to join him.

The Latest: The Athletic share update…

As per The Athletic reporter Andy Jones, Burnley’s mainstay has ‘made his position clear’ in regards to leaving and ‘wants a new challenge’. Tarkowski is also set for an ‘imminent departure’ and only ‘extreme circumstances’ would change this, despite remaining ‘committed to the club’ this season.

The 28-year-old’s current deal expires in 2022, meaning that he can leave as a free agent at the end of this season, and he is currently one of many Burnley players with their long-term futures in question.

The Verdict: Boost for Moyes?

As West Ham eye defensive reinforcements, news that Tarkowski is almost certain to leave Turf Moor could come as a boost for Moyes and co. Depending on developments, the Irons and transfer chief Rob Newman could theoretically put pressure on Burnley to sell at a cheaper rate in January so as not to lose him for nothing next summer.

He would certainly be an astute addition too when looking at Tarkowski’s defensive statistics when compared with West Ham’s current crop.

According to WhoScored, he has averaged more clearances per 90 in the Premier League this season (5.1) than any Hammers player bar summer signing Kurt Zouma (5.3). Furthermore, Tarkowski beats everyone in Moyes’ squad in terms of aerial duels won in that time – dominating his opponents a colossal four times per match (WhoScored).

If West Ham can take advantage of the defender’s desire to leave Lancashire, he would come as a brilliant coup.

In other news: Italian source leaks transfer news out of West Ham involving ‘extraordinary’ £22.5 million-valued beast, find out more here.

Officials at the ICC expect to be able to clarify Mark Benson’s future as an elite umpire within the next 36 hours

Cricinfo staff07-Dec-2009Mark Benson is expected to announce his retirement from international umpiring on Tuesday, four days after his unexplained departure from the second Test between Australia and West Indies at Adelaide.Benson, 51, has now arrived back in the UK, where he has been in discussions with the ICC umpires manager, Vince van der Bijl. It has been suggested Benson will cite a stress-related condition and other health factors as the reasons behind his retirement, however his employers at the International Cricket Council again denied his symptoms were exacerbated by the introduction of the Umpire Decision Review System.”What we can say without speaking to Mark himself is that he quit the Test for a combination of health and pressure problems,” Dave Richardson, the ICC’s cricket manager, told . “Coping with a very pressured job proved too much for him.””[Whether he continues as an elite umpire] is up to him,” said Richardson. “We are only able to contract a certain number of umpires and only if they are up to the job.”But not all within the ICC are convinced Benson’s impending retirement and the introduction of the UDRS are completely unrelated. John Holder, the ICC umpires performance manager for Europe, told the : “Some people may feel that the process is humiliating and Benny may be one of those. Maybe he is a bit too sensitive to cope with it.””The reality is that now umpiring is so much more under the microscope,” said Holder, who stood in 11 Tests and 19 one-day internationals. “Benny has had a few health problems even before he got on to the international panel. Maybe this job is not cut out for him.”Imagine how it is: you have made a decision in good faith and you are having it overthrown in front of millions of people worldwide. Some people might find that humiliating. Some umpires can give a decision, be told they have got it wrong, and get on with their lives. Others can’t.”Benson, who captained Kent and played one Test for England in 1986, has a recent history of health problems, and was forced to sit out the one-day series between Australia and India in October due to high blood pressure and stomach problems.Cricinfo has been told Benson “ranted” in the presence of colleagues in the umpires’ room after the first day’s play at the Adelaide Oval. It was during that match Benson’s decision to rule Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out to a caught behind decision was overturned by Asad Rauf, the third umpire, despite Hot Spot replays providing no clear proof of contact.”You can’t tell me there was any evidence to give him out,” Darrell Hair, the former elite panel umpire, told . “The umpires made the decision on good faith and knowing Mark Benson as I do, he would have hit the roof when he saw the replays Rauf had seen. Unfortunately I think Asad Rauf did the wrong thing there and he left Mark with nowhere to go.”Hair predicted Benson would not be the last official to leave the game if the UDRS is maintained. “Ditch it straight away otherwise you will see more umpires walking away,” he said. “I don’t know the circumstances behind Mark Benson, but I am assuming he does not want to be part of that type of thing if he is struggling with his health.”