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A busy summer awaits for Rangers.

Now that Russell Martin has officially been unveiled as the new Rangers manager, he has plenty of work to do if his team are going to be ready for the start of Champions League qualifying on 22/23 July, with Panathinaikos, Servette or Brann their potential opponents; the draw takes place next Tuesday.

With pivotal European ties just around the corner, Martin is eager to get his transfer business done early, so could it be all change in the striker department?

Rangers seeking a new striker

According to a report by Scott McDermott and Anthony Evans of the Daily Record, Rangers remain in talks with Maccabi Tel Aviv over the signing of striker Dor Turgeman, who they claim is valued at £4m.

Liav Nachmani of Israel Hayom previously documented that Turgeman has ‘expressed a willingness’ to join the Scottish giants, who have ‘been monitoring him for several months’, although the Israeli champions do not want to let him leave easily.

Born in Ashdod, Turgeman joined the Yellows as a 15 year old, making 109 senior appearances since his senior debut five years ago, scoring 32 goals.

This season, he was the third-highest scorer in Ligat HaAl with 16 goals, also on target four times in the Europa League, netting against Panevėžys and then TSC Bačka Topola twice as Maccabi Tel Aviv made it through qualifying, before also getting on the scoresheet against Real Sociedad in October.

Turgeman has international experience too, a key figure in the Israel side that reached the U21 Euros semi-finals two summers ago, earning eight senior caps to date, scoring against Norway in a World Cup qualifier in Debrecen back in March.

So now, could the 21 year old swap the Israeli Mediterranean coastline for Glasgow’s west end?

How Turgeman compares to Dessers

According to a report by Andrew Newport of the Daily Record, Greek side AEK Athens ‘are willing to spend big’ to sign Cyriel Dessers this summer, adding that the Nigerian striker is valued at £5m.

On top of this, Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos of SporTime claims that the Yellow-Blacks are “in talks” with Rangers, so is now the right time to cash in?

Let’s assess Dessers’ statistics for the club since he arrived from Cremonese for a reported £4.5m two summers ago.

Cyriel Dessers’ Rangers career in statistics
Statistics	Dessers
Appearances	109
Minutes	6,845
Goals	51
Assists	16
Big chances missed	58
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and SofaScore

As the table outlines, Dessers’ scoring record at Rangers has been impressive, on target every 134 minutes on average, but the fact he has missed 58 big chances across the Scottish Premiership and Europa League goes a long way to explaining why Alan Pattullo of the Scotsman describes him as a complex ‘enigma’.

So, would Turgeman be an upgrade? Let’s try and find out.

Cyriel Dessers vs Dor Turgeman 2024/25 comparison
Statistics	Dessers	Turgeman
Appearances	55	44
Minutes	3,423	2,887
Goals	29	20
Minutes per goal	118	144
Assists	7	6
Big chances missed	31	4
Big chances created	4	12
Shots on target (per 90)	1	0.7
Shots on target %	50%	37.5%
Touches per 90	29.1	31.6
Touches in opposition box per 90	5.5	3.1
Average Sofascore Rating	6.81	7.10
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, Squawka and SofaScore

As the table outlines, while Dessers did score more goals this season, Turgeman’s underlying statistics are broadly more impressive, missing 27 fewer big chances, creating eight more big chances and registering a greater number of touches per 90.

Writer Kai Watson describes the Israeli international as a strong ball carrier and “lethal inside the box”, while Nene Afadzinu of Football Talent Scout praises his ‘excellent first touch’, hold-up play and close-control, adding that he is capable of being deployed as a team’s ‘focal point’ considering he ‘relishes a duel’ and ‘presses intensely’.

Meantime, Rui Martins of Total Football Analysis outlines how Turgeman’s physical attributes give him a ‘significant competitive advantage’, believing he ‘is ready to be tested at a higher level’.

Thus, if Rangers are able to sell 30 year old Dessers and sign 21-year-old Turgeman for a lower fee, this would appear a no-brainer of an upgrade.

The new Lundstram: Martin wants to make £18m star his first Rangers signing

As Russell Martin starts his overhaul of Rangers’ squad, could he sign a “class” midfielder in a deal reminiscent of John Lundstram’s move to Ibrox?

By
Ben Gray

Jun 8, 2025

Fulham are now primed to move for a 23-goal striker who is set to be available on a free transfer this summer, according to a report.

Cottagers eyeing new striker amid Silva uncertainty

There has been doubt over Marco Silva’s future in west London for quite some time, with Tottenham Hotspur among the clubs keen on the Portuguese manager, and the latest update from BBC Sport’s Simon Stone doesn’t exactly do much to allay fears.

Stone said: “They have just had their third mid-table finish but I got the strong feeling around March-time that Silva felt Europe, either through the league or FA Cup, was a possibility. He will want improvement. If he doesn’t think he will get it, Silva is bound to start looking at his options.”

As such, the hierarchy may feel the need to build a squad capable of competing for a place in Europe next season, in order to tempt Silva into staying, and they have now set their sights on a new striker target.

Indeed, according to a report from The Express, Fulham are now primed to pounce on a deal for Hamburg striker Davie Selke, who is in line to leave the German club on a free transfer this summer, should he be unable to agree a new deal.

Remaining at Hamburg is a possibility, but there is certainly no shortage of interest from elsewhere, which could turn the forward’s head, with West Ham United and Leeds United also being named as potential suitors.

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ByDominic Lund May 28, 2025

RB Leipzig are in pole position to sign the 30-year-old, however, which could make a deal difficult to orchestrate for the Cottagers, and they have a number of other potential alternative options on their shortlist.

Selke in high demand after firing Hamburg to promotion

Hamburg finally ended their seven-year Bundesliga absence this season, securing a second-place finish to clinch promotion, and the German forward played a fundamental role in their success, scoring 23 goals in all competitions.

Former FC Köln manager Steffen Baumgart has also given an overview of the marksman’s abilities in the past, saying: “He creates spaces for his teammates, he can be nasty for the opponent and gives presence in the penalty area.”

Raul Jimenez enjoyed a solid 2024-25 campaign, netting 12 Premier League goals, but it could be a smart move to bring in a striker capable of competing for the Mexican’s spot, considering he is now 34-years-old and arguably in his twilight years.

A track record of goals in the German second tier doesn’t necessarily mean Selke would be a success in the Premier League, but given that he is set to be available on a free transfer, it is certainly worth Fulham taking a punt this summer.

The Liverpool and Manchester City duopoly in the Premier League continues. Arne Slot has taken the title from Pep Guardiola, ending four years of dominance and doing so in his first season at the helm.

As all of a Liverpool persuasion will be aware, it’s gearing up to be a significant summer for the Anfield side, with sporting director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, FSG’s chief executive of football operations, planning for a wave of first-team investment.

Last year, City enjoyed their record-breaking fourth Premier League title in succession, and most thought that they would retain their throne once more. Or, otherwise, fall against an Arsenal side that has been on the rise for several years now.

But it wasn’t to be. Liverpool, still bruised from Jurgen Klopp’s decision to step down from his long-held seat in the Anfield dugout, have been head-and-shoulders above their rivals since the early knockings.

Candidly, clinching the title has almost looked a formality since January, with the Darwin Nunez-inspired victory at Brentford lifting the Reds six points clear of second-place Arsenal, and with a game in hand at that.

But there’s been something missing. Nunez isn’t good enough and will be sold this summer, while various concerns relating to defence will call for change there too. However, Liverpool will jump on a new centre-midfielder if an opportunity presents itself.

The missing piece in Liverpool's midfield

In fairness, Liverpool’s midfield doesn’t need to undergo major surgery. Klopp’s dramatic rebuild of 2023 has proved a bona fide success, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch starting the lion’s share of Liverpool’s Premier League fixtures and Wataru Endo earning cult status for his combative cameos.

Curtis Jones, 24, has also enjoyed the outstanding season of his career thus far, starting 17 league games and earning praise from his manager for his “complete” take on the midfield game.

It’s remarkable that these players have stepped up and delivered England’s prized trophy after FSG failed to convince Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi to leave the Basque Country and join this new project.

Liverpool opted against signing a different deep-lying midfielder and were met with frustration from supporters, derision from rivals. Gravenberch’s incredible rise from a previously middling role has been the core of Liverpool’s successful season.

Matches (starts)

26 (12)

34 (34)

Goals

1

0

Assists

0

4

Touches*

28.8

67.3

Pass completion

83%

89%

Key passes*

0.6

0.7

Dribbles*

0.9

1.0

Ball recoveries*

2.8

5.3

Tackles + interceptions*

1.5

3.6

Duels (won)*

2.8 (47%)

5.0 (58%)

Indeed, the owners’ decision has been vindicated now that Slot has sealed the club’s record-equalling 20th top-flight trophy.

There have been times when the engine room has looked a little tired of late, namely during costly defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.

If the right player comes along, Liverpool will pounce, with one of the Premier League’s finest very much on Hughes’ radar.

Liverpool learn conditions for PL star

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have learned that it will take a mammoth fee of £80m to convince Crystal Palace to part with Adam Wharton this summer.

Liverpool are keen admirers of the deep-lying playmaker, who has been a revelation since joining the Eagles from Blackburn Rovers in the Championship last year for a £18m fee.

The 21-year-old is also on Man United’s radar, but given that he fits the profile to jockey with Gravenberch for that number six spot, it might be the perfect move for Slot’s fluid system.

Why Adam Wharton is perfect for Slot

Liverpool’s current midfielders have cemented their legacies and then some, joining the illustrious names of old: Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso.

Wharton has the talent to add his name too, hailed as an “unbelievable talent” by BBC analyst Raj Chohan after his incredible start to life in Oliver Glasner’s Palace team last season.

This term, despite injuries, he has played a big part for his London-based side, actually earning praise from respected journalist Henry Winter for being a “passing machine” as Aston Villa were comprehensively defeated in the FA Cup semi-final, also hailing him as “the best player on the pitch.” Big-game quality, confirmed.

As per FBref, he actually ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for both progressive passes and ball recoveries, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 15% for assists per 90, perfectly illustrating his passing prowess and an athleticism that Slot seems to desire so greatly.

Wharton still has much to learn, but with such exciting ball-playing skills, he could take the shape of a former Liverpool star like Alonso, slotting into a similar role for the Reds’ flourishing coach.

Alonso might be one of the most esteemed managers at present, leading Bayer Leverkusen to an invincible domestic double last year and now the firm favourite to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, but he was once a superstar of a midfielder.

A Spanish maestro, Alonso starred across, winning the Champions League and FA Cup across five campaigns before walking that well-trodden path from Anfield to the Spanish capital, sold to Madrid in a £30m package back in 2009.

Gerrard once claimed that Alonso was his “favourite partner for club and country,” with the 43-year-old’s silky and cerebral approach to the midfield game something that opened up new lanes from which the robust Three Lions star could travel.

Wharton boasts a similarly high footballing IQ and could take the likes of Mac Allister and Gravenberch to the next level.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Adding Wharton to the fold would certainly serve to elevate Slot’s existing midfield options, with the young playmaker operating in a deep-set role to influence and advance fluency in a similar vein to a former Liverpool hero named Alonso.

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This talented player is open to leaving his club this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair May 2, 2025

Chelsea have made an offer to sign a Real Madrid sensation in the last few days, with Los Blancos also replying to the proposal from Enzo Maresca’s side.

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Enzo Fernández scored the only goal to pile more pressure on Ange Postecoglou as Chelsea sealed a 1-0 London derby victory over Spurs at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

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Chelsea dominated the early stages, but failed to take advantage of some truly questionable defending from the visitors until Fernandez finally broke the deadlock with a free header inside the penalty area.

Moises Caicedo also had a screamer ruled out for offside, but Maresca was nearly made to pay for only having a one-goal advantage late in the game. Pape Matar Sarr’s excellent equaliser was chalked off for a foul in the build-up, and it took an excellent save from Robert Sanchez to deny Son Heung-min.

Brentford (away)

April 6th

Ipswich Town (home)

April 13th

Fulham (away)

April 20th

Everton (home)

April 26th

Liverpool (home)

May 4th

“I just said to the players, since day one we don’t work every day to win the game in the way we win and play in the last 10 minutes,” said Maresca on Chelsea’s nervy end to the contest.

“In terms of waiting for them and give the ball to them. But if you want to become a team, I think you need also to learn and to play in the way we played in the last 10 minutes. Win a game in a dirty way. Because I think for 90 minutes until extra time we were in control, we created enough chances to win the game. We created enough chances in the first half.

“And then to be honest, that’s been my mistake [bringing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Tosin Adarabioyo on for Cole Palmer and Fernandez] because I did the change before I saw the extra time. And when I saw 12 minutes, I saw that probably it was too early to make that kind of change. But fortunately, we won the game, and we are happy.”

The result will go a long way in Chelsea’s race for Champions League qualification, which in turn will help them attract Europe’s best players.

Chelsea make £59m offer to Real Madrid for Endrick

On their transfer activity, quite a big claim has emerged from the Spanish media, involving Real Madrid striker Endrick.

The Brazilian hasn’t exactly been a mainstay for Carlo Ancelotti, but did play a role in their thrilling 4-4 Copa del Rey semi-final draw with Real Sociedad earlier this week, a result which booked their place in the final. Endrick has also been called a “special” young striker by pundits from his native Brazil.

“The boy is special, no doubt about it,” said ex-Manchester City star Elano to FourFourTwo.

“He belongs to that group of super-talented players that Brazil has produced in the past: Neymar, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and others. He’s another rare case of a youngster who convinces everyone they’re special; youngsters born with incredible talent.”

Now, Spanish media report that Chelsea made a £59 million offer to Real for Endrick right after the Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday.

Maresca’s side believe he’s the ideal candidate to lead their forward line, prompting them to swoop in with a proposal before the summer window. However, they’re set to be left disappointed, as the La Liga heavyweights have no intention of accepting this bid.

While Chelsea would also offer Endrick a good salary, and the South American is dissatisfied with his game time right now, he’s also showing no desire to leave and Real are just as reluctant.

It is unclear whether Chelsea will return with a counteroffer, but it appears they may have to move on to alternative striker targets. Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap is among the other centre-forwards on Maresca’s transfer list.

England captain shifts focus towards 2025/26 Ashes ahead of first West Indies Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Jul-2024Ben Stokes is excited to put his knee troubles behind him and reprise his role as an allrounder when England’s Test summer begins at Lord’s on Wednesday.The first Test against West Indies will see England step into a new era with James Anderson retiring after his 188th cap. The XI also features two debutants in wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and fast bowler Gus Atkinson, while Shoaib Bashir will play his first home Test.The transition from Anderson will not be smooth. But it will be eased by Stokes now fully recovered from a left knee issue that hindered his ability to offer a fourth seam option over the last two years.Related

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His operation in November was a success and he was free from pain during the India tour at the start of the year. Stokes ended up bowling ahead of schedule in the final Test at Dharamshala, removing Rohit Sharma with his first ball for his 199th career dismissal.Having opted out of T20 World Cup selection to build up his bowling loads with Durham, Stokes managed 89.1 overs across three County Championship matches, taking 18 wickets at 18.83. Now as fit as he has been in the last five years, he is relishing the prospect of bringing back the balance he used to offer with bat and ball.”I’m sitting here now being able to say that I can play that full role that I had been doing over the first eight to 10 years,” Stokes said on Tuesday. “The last two years have been tough with the knee problems that I’ve had. But I’ve done everything right to get myself to where I am now and I’m very excited to finally be able to go out on the park and not have to worry about how things are going to feel in my body.”The surgery for me was the easy part. It was then what I did after that to get me back to where I am today. I’ve worked incredibly hard back at Durham with all the coaches and had a lot of great support.”Anderson and Stokes in their Test whites•PA Photos/Getty ImagesA return to the allrounder of old will coincide with Stokes adopting a new perspective as captain. Along with Test coach Brendon McCullum, Stokes has swapped the ‘be where your feet are’ mantra which underpinned his first two years in charge for a more forward-thinking approach towards the next Ashes tour of Australia. That, ultimately, prompted the move to retire Anderson, who will be 43 by the 2025/26 winter.Stokes’ record of 14 wins from 23 Tests since assuming the captaincy remains sound. But following the 4-1 defeat in India, the last four months have featured plenty of introspection about how the team must evolve.”When you have a lot of time off you’ve got a lot of time to think about how you can take the team forward,” he said. “I’ve been captain now for two years so, for me, it’s about progressing this team. And we’ve been a team, especially in the first two years, very focused on the here and now on what we need to do.

“There’ll be some decisions I’m sure that people might not understand or might be frustrated by.”Stokes accepts that his captaincy will not always be popular

“I want to be able to implement stuff to push this team as far as they can go, not only as a team collective but also as individuals. And you look at where we’ve got to go in 18 months’ time, to Australia: we want to win that urn back.”We’ve got an incredibly talented and exciting group of young fast bowlers coming through at the moment, so giving them the experience of playing international cricket, getting Test matches under their belt, will put us in a much stronger position to hopefully go out and win the Ashes.”The selections of Smith and Bashir reflect the scale of such future planning. Smith will take the gloves despite the fact he is Surrey’s second-choice wicketkeeper behind England’s previous incumbent, Ben Foakes. Similarly, Bashir had to move on loan to Worcestershire last month because Jack Leach – the man he has overtaken – is Somerset’s main spinner.”I know he’s been batting higher up the order for Surrey, but we’re very, very excited by what Jamie can offer to us in this team,” Stokes said of Smith, who has 677 Championship runs for the Division One leaders this season at a strike rate of 76.67. “He fits in perfectly with everything that we want down at No.7 for us, and he’s deserved his place by runs alone.”Jamie Smith is set to take the gloves for England•Getty ImagesWhile Bashir has only managed six dismissals at 76.83 in the Championship, England are keen to give him more international exposure after a strong impression in India where he took 17 wickets across three appearances, including his first two five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket.”When you’re picking a squad and you’ve got one spinner, we had to make a decision on what we thought offered us the most amount of variety,” Stokes said. “Bash is 6ft4in and he’s got a lot of individual traits that we feel that we can bring out. Bash has a very high ceiling and just has a lot of talent we feel like the more games he plays, the more he gets under his belt, we’re going to get a seriously good bowler on our hands.”Stokes appreciates those decisions, especially the enforced retirement of Anderson, will raise eyebrows. But he is under no doubt it is his duty as captain to grasp the nettle on such tough calls that he hopes will eventually leave the team in a better place.”There’s always going to be decisions that are hard ones to make. But that’s a responsibility that you take on as captain or as a leader. You sometimes have to put personal relationships and things to the side. Because for me, the most important thing and what I’ll always make my decisions around, is what I think is best for the team.”There’ll be some decisions I’m sure that people might not understand or might be frustrated by. But that’s something I’m absolutely fine with and I completely understand.”

Once again, when the chips were down, he managed to wrest back the momentum and leave Bangladesh deflated

Mohammad Isam26-Jun-2022Kyle Mayers’ batting average was bound to come down from 250.00 since his debut Test. A dream start such as his, an unbeaten 210 leading West Indies to a 395-run chase against Bangladesh in Chattogram last year, was always going to be a hard act to follow. Mayers’ was an exceptional innings, never done before by a debutant.As he got to his second Test century with a very Caribbean swivel-pull shot on his toes, he once again released the pressure from the West Indies in a tight situation against Bangladesh. It was a quiet appreciation of Mayers’ application of his overall skills, aside from the obvious stroke play. As has been the theme of his short career so far, Mayers stood out when the chips are down.Related

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He picked up the home side who had lost four wickets for 32 runs at the time of his arrival at the crease. West Indies had slipped from 100 for no loss to 132 for four. The visitors were buoyant at the batting collapse. There was always going to be a counterattack from a Mayers-Jermaine Blackwood partnership, but no one could predict how long it would last. In the end, the pair added 116 runs for the fifth wicket, taking West Indies easily past Bangladesh’s 234.Mayers deflated Bangladesh not just by scoring the 126 runs, but the manner in which he wrestled back the momentum from them. Shakib Al Hasan appeared defeated as he slowly pulled back the attacking fielding positions one by one, only to resort to one-day type field settings whenever Mayers was on strike.It was disheartening for the Bangladesh bowlers who brought the team back into the contest with the four-wicket burst in the morning session.Mayers didn’t provide many chances, except the odd play-and-miss, or the flying edges going past the slip cordon from time to time. He threaded plenty of boundaries through the covers in his off-side-heavy innings. Mayers’ tendency to hang back slightly to blast the ball through the off side, even slightly squarer, is in a class of its own. One of his best shots was hammering Mehidy for a six down the ground, which started to open up the field.The usually attacking Blackwood took a backseat during their 116-run stand, as he made 40 off 121 balls. Mayers also dominated the unbroken sixth-wicket stand with Joshua Da Silva to give West Indies a sizable second-innings lead against a tottering batting line-up.Some of Mayers’ shots would have reminded the Bangladesh bowlers of his Chattogram epic. There too, the left-hander struck plenty of boundaries through the covers, but Mayers also hit ten boundaries, including six sixes, through the mid-on region. This time though, he had a very high percentage of his runs on the off side, having struck just the one four and six through the on side.The Chattogram innings was a big announcement of Mayers’ ability. The man who was almost lost to his family in a powerful typhoon some years ago, combined his brutal power with mental strength under pressure. It won him many fans and appreciation from several of the game’s greats.But just over a year later, Mayers found himself seeing the other side of the coin. On the back of 12 innings without a fifty, West Indies dropped him for the first two Tests against England in March. He returned for the St George’s Test with a mesmerizing spell of seam bowling that decimated the visitors, his match-haul of 7 for 31 effectively winning the West Indies the series.

“I just thought the key was to being myself, being counterattacking, getting on top of the opposition and changing the momentum. It is just a matter of fully committing to what I do”Kyle Mayers

Mayers continued his bowling exploits with six wickets in three innings against Bangladesh. He nailed Litton Das and Nurul Hasan, two in-form batters, in one over that hurtled the visitors towards further trouble. He removed Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque in the same spell on the third day, again derailing Bangladesh.On the first day of the second Test, he chipped in with two more wickets. Shanto fell to a fine in-ducker although Mayers was lucky to get the wicket on the umpire’s call. Later, he had Mehidy Hasan Miraz caught at point, ensuring Litton lost his last recognised batting partner quite early in the third session.After the end of the second day’s play, Mayers said that he wanted to change the momentum of the West Indies innings shortly after they lost three wickets in quick succession.”The plan was just to be as positive as possible,” Mayers said. “We lost three quick wickets. I just thought the key was to being myself, being counterattacking, getting on top of the opposition and changing the momentum. It is just a matter of fully committing to what I do. I have to be very decisive in terms of stroke play. I have to be very positive when I decide to attack. I give it my all. It is the same when I am defending. Making the right choices is important.”We just want to shut out the opposition at least for the first hour. Keep them out of the game, and then pile on the runs as much as possible to get a big lead. I think 200 would be ideal for us, given the amount of time left in the game. It is a patience game, for both batters and bowlers. I try to maximise every chance I get to score. They bowled well in patches. The pitch isn’t one where you can blast out the opposition.”Mayers’ status as an impact cricketer has been underlined in this series. He will of course have to be consistent but West Indies have to quickly learn the value of a cricketer like him. He will use all of his talent in a fantastic spell or in a backs-to-the-wall innings whenever they are in trouble. But Mayers cannot be expected to do all this on a regular basis, however special a player he is. West Indies, instead, will just have to be patient with him.

Frank Chester lost an arm and a playing career but found fame as an official

Paul Edwards19-May-2020In the pre-avian era (that is before Dickie Bird) sales of far outnumbered those of autobiographies that actually described what it was like to stand in Test matches. To an extent this was a tribute to the success of the famous instructional book that was first published in 1957 without Smith’s name in its title, yet quickly grew in both length and popularity. But the absence of umpires’ personal tales also reflected the status of officials in first-class cricket. Of course they were essential but the game was not about them; rather like children in well-ordered nurseries they were better seen than heard.This was perfectly understandable; but as subsequent histories have shown it also risked neglecting an important strand of the game’s social history. And had not Frank Chester written in 1956 we would not now have the reflections in retirement of the man who, in the words of cricket historian RL Arrowsmith, “set new standards and raised the whole conception of what an umpire should be.”ALSO READ: Odd Men in – Stan McCabeImmediately after the Second World War the majority of those professionally involved in English cricket shared Arrowsmith’s view. Tourists, too, had benefitted from Chester’s acute discernment. In the 1938 Trent Bridge Test, he judged that Donald Bradman was caught at the wicket by Les Ames off Gloucestershire’s Reg Sinfield. As it happened, it was one of only two wickets offspinner Sinfield took in his single England appearance. But Chester’s decision also had an impact on Bradman, who described it as the cleverest ever made against him. And there was no sly criticism lurking within that complement. Rather, it was a salute from the best batsman in the world to the official he regarded as the finest umpire he ever encountered. Nearly 12 years later Bradman recalled the incident with characteristic precision:”The ball turned from the off, very faintly touched the inside edge of the bat, then hit my pad, went over the stumps and was caught by Ames. Whilst all this was happening amidst a jumble of feet, pads and bat, I slightly overbalanced and Ames whipped the bails off for a possible stumping. There was an instant appeal to the square-leg umpire, who gave me not out, whereupon Ames appealed to Chester at the bowler’s end, and very calmly, as though it was obvious to all, Chester simply said, ‘Out, caught,’ and turned his back on the scene.”Chester was only 43 years old when he sent Bradman on his way quite late on the second evening of that game. Had things turned out differently it is not absurd to think he might have been playing, albeit enjoying a swansong, in that Ashes series. A quarter of a century earlier Chester’s three Championship centuries and 44 wickets for Worcestershire had brought him praise from WG Grace and a tribute in . “Having begun so well, Chester should continue to improve, and it seems only reasonable to expect that when he has filled out and gained more strength he will be an England cricketer,” said the Almanack. Chester was 18 years old and everyone at New Road called him “Nipper”; 12 months earlier he had been awarded his Worcestershire cap. He had wanted to be a cricketer since his childhood in Bushey. “My future seemed stocked with happiness,” he reflected.In 1914 Chester made his career-best 178 not out against Essex at New Road but a few months later he joined the 22nd Division of the Royal Field Artillery and was soon packed off to join the general madness in France. Having survived the second battle of Loos, he was sent to Salonika, where he was wounded in the right arm by a piece of shrapnel. Gangrene set in and the arm was amputated. Had penicillin been available, Chester’s career as a professional cricketer might have been saved.”When the bitter truth had penetrated my numb brain in the hospital ward in Salonika, I wondered whether life was worth living,” he wrote. “My case was psychological as well as physical, for nothing could restore my ability to follow the only trade I knew and loved.”The initial shock was as much as I could bear… My young heart was bursting with the desire to resume where I had left off but on the bitter battlegrounds overseas I met disaster… To adjust myself physically to new employment was not the only necessity; somehow I had to submerge the mental anguish of not being able to play the game which had been my life.”

I realised it was essential for an umpire to concentrate as much as any batsman, that his job was specialised and required the maximum efficiency of all faculties… I would set myself only the highest standardsFrank Chester

Chester first umpired a match at The Oval on August 5, 1918. It had taken some persuasion to get him to Kennington and he was wearing a white coat over his hospital blues. The game was nothing more than a one-day single-innings match between an England XI and the Dominions, but Jack Hobbs, Frank Woolley and Charlie Macartney were all playing. The young umpire found his duties fairly congenial and he was moved to be back among cricketers again. It was the only world he knew. “Take it up seriously, Chester,” Pelham Warner said. “One day you’ll make a fine umpire.”It would be nearly four years before Warner was proved right. In 1919 Chester just about survived on his small pension. His marriage and the birth of a son then made the need for proper employment all the more pressing. In he revealed without explanation that but for the death of his father he would have become a poultry farmer. Instead he was accepted on to the first-class umpires’ list for 1922.Chester was 27 when he made his first-class debut as an umpire in the match between Essex and Somerset at Leyton. Almost all his colleagues on the list were over 50 and had begun wearing white coats when their services in cream flannels were no longer required. “He regarded it not as a retirement job, but as his life’s work and applied to it a shrewd brain and a forceful character,” Arrowsmith wrote. But Chester’s character was to be tested. His account of life as a rookie umpire surrounded by time-served former professionals reveals yet again the extent to which inter-war cricket was saturated by status and deference.Although complemented on his umpiring by JWHT Douglas and John Daniell, the captains in that game at Leyton, he gave out two other skippers on the first day of a game later that season. (Chester is not specific about the match in question but research suggests it may well have been the Roses match at Old Trafford.) The reaction of his partner made it clear that for some umpires unwritten rules had more power than printed laws:”As we walked off the field my colleague said to me, ‘Boy, you won’t last long as an umpire.’
“‘Why not?’ I demanded in great concern.
“‘Because,’ came the amazing reply, ‘if you give skippers out, you sign your own death-warrant.’
“Now this was a slant on the game which was entirely new to me and I urged my fellow umpire to tell me what happened when he had to deal with a sound appeal against a captain. He disappeared into the pavilion without answering, so I came to my own conclusion.”There were other tough lessons. For example any sense of solidarity that existed between umpires in that era plainly did not extend to a young novice who was rapidly proving himself fitter, more alert and sharper than almost all his colleagues:”Whereas at the start of my playing career I received nothing but the wisest counsel and kindest consideration from the old professionals, I was favoured with little, if any, advice from the old umpires. They criticised my concentration and complained that I was taking the game too seriously. What rot! Even as a player I realised it was essential for an umpire to concentrate as much as any batsman, that his job was specialised and required the maximum efficiency of all faculties. I made it plain that I would set myself only the highest standards.”Umpire Frank Chester looks on as Fred Trueman bowls•Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesCounty cricketers, on the other hand, warmed to Chester. This was partly, perhaps, because he was a former colleague, but more likely because he plainly knew what he was doing. Just over two years after his first-class debut he was standing in the first of what were to be 48 Tests. All these games were played in England, of course, but they included some of the greatest encounters in Anglo-Australian sporting history: Percy Chapman’s team winning the Ashes in 1926; Bradman’s 254 at Lord’s in ’30; Hedley Verity’s 15 wickets at Lord’s in ’34; Stan McCabe’s 232 at Trent Bridge and Len Hutton’s 364 at The Oval, both in ’38; Australia chasing down 404 at Leeds in ’48; Trevor Bailey batting 262 minutes for 38 and then bowling down the leg side to secure the draw at Leeds in ’53.Cricket matches as vintages…and Chester tasted them all. Only that last encounter had little bouquet but by then the pain from a stomach ulcer was impairing his judgement and making him far less tolerant of what he saw as histrionic appealing. “Nor were the Australians satisfied with the umpiring of Frank Chester, for so long the greatest of his kind but now in such poor health that he should not have been allowed to stand,” wrote EW Swanton of the umpire’s single appearance in his last Ashes series.Yet Chester was only 58 in 1953; in other words he was at the age when some of his contemporaries in the 1920s were just getting used to their white coats. For most of the previous three decades he had established new measures of excellence by which umpiring was to be judged. He did so partly because he saw the job as a profession rather than a means of making a few bob when the main business of one’s life was done. One wonders whether anyone before Chester had watched a game of cricket with greater intensity.”Sometimes you might say he was over-zealous and rhetorical,” wrote Neville Cardus, who was not averse to a drop of zeal and rhetoric himself. “He would give an lbw decision with his finger pointing vehemently down the pitch, as though detecting the batsman in some really criminal practice, and denouncing and exposing him on the spot.”It was, Chester might have argued, the best way he knew of doing his work. But he also knew it didn’t make up for Salonika.”There were often times when umpiring was anything but true enjoyment,” he wrote. “This was for a variety of reasons, among them the irritating conduct of the players, the poor remuneration between the wars for such long, intense hours, and the fact that it was always to me a poor substitute for the joys of playing.”When the Second World War broke out, Chester grew vegetables to make a little cash and umpired for the London Counties team. His fee for each of those games was £1. Only when his 1948 testimonial raised £3171 (plus nine shillings and five pence) did he know any measure of financial security. Before long, though, the game was to lose a little of its attraction for him. He saw no reason for the gesticulations of the 1948 Australians and sometimes gave his opinion on what he saw as ignorant appeals. By the mid-1950s it was time to go.Some might wonder what Chester would make of modern umpiring. It is little like asking whether Neville Chamberlain would have gone on Twitter. Even in the late 20th century the job of officials was changing. “I couldn’t see why I should stand there and have players looking at me as if I were a leper,” Tom Brooks said when he retired in the middle of the 1978-79 Ashes series. A few months later Cec Pepper also saw what was coming and stepped down. “Umpiring at the top now is full of comedians and gimmicks,” said Pepper, a notoriously flatulent official who was wont to ask non-striking batsmen if they wouldn’t mind kicking his farts to the boundary.Yet all umpires today owe something to the bloke from Bushey who used to put on a white coat over his civvies and umpire with his trilby at the slightly rakish angle favoured by National Hunt trainers. Occasionally his false arm might remind him of Salonika and the life he had been denied. But then he would crouch down again and watch Verity bowling to Bradman. Odd Men In

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo was left fuming after Brighton's controversial late equaliser cost the Hammers crucial two points in the Premier League on Sunday. Georginio Rutter restored parity late in the match after Jarrod Bowen had handed West Ham the lead in the 73rd minute. Rutter had accidentally handled the ball before finding the back of the net.

Rutter cancelled out Bowen's second half goal

West Ham had collected eight points from their last five Premier League matches, which included just one defeat at the hands of Liverpool. The three points on Sunday would have helped them climb up in the league and exit the relegation zone, as Nottingham Forest had earlier lost 3-0 to Everton. 

The Hammers were on track to claim all three points from their fixture against Brighton as Jarrod Bowen had handed them the lead in the 73rd minute after receiving a pass from Callum Wilson. However, a controversial last-gasp goal from Rutter helped the Seagulls snatch a point away from West Ham. 

In the build-up to Rutter's goal, Charalampos Kostoulas received a long ball in the West Ham box before attempting an audacious overhead-kick, which popped up off Rutter's thigh and on to his arm before he fired past Alphonse Areola in goal. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWest Ham boss left fuming

Hammers boss Nuno was furious after the match as he felt that Brighton's goal should not have stood, as he told Sky Sports post-match: "It was a handball, wasn't it, and a high foot. No need to speak with the referee. I think it was the main factor. It's clear. I saw it, everybody saw it. VAR saw it, everybody saw it. I think both situations should be checked. It's hard to take, man, it's really hard to take, especially after the hard work of the boys, the support of our fans that makes us feel like we were in London. Then comes one situation, so many people see it, it's hard to take." 

Explained: Why Rutter's goal stood against West Ham

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) had announced changes to the handball law in July 2021. That new law worked in favour of Brighton's Rutter, as accidental handball leading to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goalscoring opportunity was no longer considered an offence.  

The lawmakers have stated clearly that not every contact between a player's hand or arm and the ball is an offence. Regarding the issue of a hand or arm making a player's body "unnaturally bigger", it was confirmed that referees should continue to use their judgment to determine the validity of the hand or arm's position relative to the player's movement in that specific situation. 

The Premier League Match Centre also confirmed why the goal stood: "The referee's call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Rutter's arm was in a natural position and he did not deliberately handle the ball, and the contact with the arm was not immediately prior to him scoring."

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Getty Images SportWas Kostoulas' over-head kick a foul?

Nuno further argued that if not for the handball, at least Kostoulas' foul, while taking the overhead-kick, should have been deemed a foul, as he added: "If Dinos [Mavropanos] was stood on the ground, maybe. But there's contact on his head, isn't there?" 

At first, on Television, it seemed that Kostoulas's kick had caught Konstantinos Mavropanos on his head; however, the VAR check confirmed there was no proper connection and the referee felt that it was not dangerous enough for a foul to be awarded. 

West Ham next face an in-form Aston Villa side in a difficult Premier League fixture at home on December 14. 

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O Botafogo venceu o clássico contra o Flamengo por 2 a 0, na manhã deste domingo (28), e assumiu a liderança provisória do Campeonato Brasileiro. Os gols no Maracanã foram marcados por Luiz Henrique e Savarino. Confira o Lance! Final no player acima.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoJornalista diz que Luiz Henrique, do Botafogo, deveria ter recebido amarelo por comemorar gol com máscaraFora de Campo28/04/2024Fora de CampoTorcedores enlouquecem com golaço de Luiz Henrique pelo Botafogo: ‘Caçador de urubu’Fora de Campo28/04/2024FlamengoWeb reage com ‘fora, Tite’ após derrota do Flamengo para o BotafogoFlamengo28/04/2024

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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
FLAMENGO 0 X 2 BOTAFOGO
4ª RODADA – SÉRIE B DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 28 de abril de 2024, às 11h (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Maracanã, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ);
🟨 Árbitro: Raphael Claus (FIFA-SP);
🚩 Assistentes: Danilo Ricardo Simon Manis (FIFA-SP) e Evandro de Melo Lima (SP);
🖥️ VAR: Rodolpho Toski Marques (FIFA-PR).

FLAMENGO (Técnico: Tite)
Rossi; Varela (Wesley), Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira e Ayrton Lucas (Viña); Erick Pulgar (Allan), De la Cruz e Arrascaeta (Lorran); Luiz Araújo (Gerson), Bruno Henrique e Pedro.

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BOTAFOGO (Técnico: Artur Jorge)
John; Damián Suárez, Lucas Halter (Alexander Barboza), Bastos e Hugo; Danilo Barbosa (Gregore), Marlon Freitas, Eduardo (Tchê Tchê) e Savarino; Luiz Henrique (Jeffinho) e Júnior Santos (Diego Hernández).

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Pakistan knew they needed to be near perfect to beat Australia, an opponent they had failed to overcome on 16 prior occasions, and for around 22 overs, they were.There were diving catches, lightning quick stumpings, and your proverbial livewire acts of fielding. The conditions, too, were tailor-made; there were a few raised eyebrows when Pakistan opted to bowl first, but with the caliber of spinners they had in their ranks, they were confident of challenging Australia’s batters.That confidence was vindicated swiftly, as a combination of skillful bowling, efficient catching and some uncharacteristic errors in batting from a large chunk of Australia’s batting unit, saw the defending champions stumble to 76 for 7.Related

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Pakistan had never beaten Australia, and now they were closer than ever. But like a car crash in slow motion, the opportunity that had presented itself before them was snatched away brutally.”When they’re [Pakistan are] flying, they’re up and about. If you get a little partnership going, they can get a little bit flat, and you can open the game up that way,” Beth Mooney said after the game.”I sort of knew we had a long time to bat, so we didn’t have to do anything too rash.”That same sentiment was echoed by Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana during the post-match presentation.”We were on top after 20 overs in the first innings. After that, Beth Mooney played well and our girls’ energy came down. We need that energy until the last ball.”Mooney had struck a match-winning 109 off 114 deliveries to take the game away from Pakistan. That 109 was just five short of Pakistan’s eventual tally in their chase.Mooney’s innings also served to highlight the weaknesses prevalent in Pakistan’s batting unit. While Mooney rotated the strike – she took 44 singles across her innings – and shelved her attacking instincts to steer the game back towards her side, Pakistan lost wickets from the get-go.A game that started with ‘how good is this’ ended with ‘how did that happen’ for Fatima Sana•ICC/Getty Images

Sidra Amin struck 35 from 52, but no other batter in Pakistan’s top six reached double digits. While there is the mitigating factor that their last two games have been against Australia and India, and their first match in this tournament was against a Bangladesh outfit that is proving to be dangerous with the ball, Pakistan will know that a high score of 159 across those games is not good enough.”It is quite disappointing for us also because we were batting well previously. We did well in the Qualifiers, we did well in the series against South Africa in the lead up to the World Cup,” Sidra Nawaz said after the game.”Here, we aren’t able to create the momentum in our batting, we are trying to figure out how to solve that, and do well in our upcoming matches.”While Nawaz’s comments hold a modicum of truth – there were two scores of 287 and 255 against South Africa in Lahore – Pakistan’s unreliable batting unit has been a problem for some time now.Across 35 innings since the 2022 World Cup, they have managed a score of 250 or more just five times. Even accounting for low-scoring chases, this has been a fairly worrying record, and it’s something they will need to address sooner rather than later if they are to support the best efforts on the field.