Category Uncategorized

Flocking to Twitter, many Southampton fans have shared their takes as a major transfer claim comes to light involving former star Gareth Bale.

Serbian-born businessman Dragan Solak recently completed a £100 million takeover of the club in what kickstarts a brand new era at St Mary’s Stadium (Sky Sports).

The cable television tycoon’s purchase of a majority stake in Southampton brings an end to the club’s long search for a new owner with former chairman Gao Jisheng now relinquishing control of the Saints.

CEO Martin Semmens remains in his role managing the club as Southampton’s transfer chief and new owner Solak has reportedly set one eye on the January transfer window.

According to El Nacional, making a major claim on what Southampton could now do under their new ownership, Semmens and Solak have identified their ‘first’ transfer goal as they set their sights on Real Madrid winger Bale.

The Wales international, according to their sources, is attracting interest from the south coast side and it is a transfer that has the ‘approval’ of Galactios president Florentino Perez.

As well as this, it is believed that Solak has ‘already begun negotiations’ with Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, and Real’s board of directors over re-signing him at Southampton.

Southampton fans erupt…

Taking to Twitter, given the nature of this transfer claim, it’s safe to say there has been no shortage of reaction from Saints fans.

While some are excited over the prospect of a Bale return, especially considering his pedigree at the top level and previously good years with Southampton, others believe this move could be too far out of the club’s reach.

His age (32) and possible salary demands arguably come as a stumbling block to this move so it’s not hard to see why some fans don’t dare to dream.

Find all of their best reactions to this news down below:

“Imagine the scenes”

Credit: @gdwtownsend

“Yes please!!!”

Credit: @PhilGrinch

“Get it done! Let’s see how serious these new owners are!!”

Credit: @MarcTR4

“Anyone who says no is an idiot”

Credit: @RahilMajid

“This won’t happen but I would love it to he can’t even be compared to Walcott. Bale is another level Theo would never get to imo”

Credit: @saintjoshb

“It would be incredible. But I just don’t think, even with the new owners, that we could afford the funds for his wages. He’d lift the atmosphere of the club, I just hope he would actually try.”

Credit: @SamuelR75523948

“Surely not”

Credit: @Bradders1302

Allan Donald says he’s been approached by the Indian board in connection with the role of bowling coach and he is interested in the job

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Jan-2010

MS Dhoni’s recent pleas for the bowling coach’s position to be filled – it has been vacant since October – seem to have fallen on the right ears. The BCCI, it appears, has started work on replacing Venkatesh Prasad and has begun speaking to various people. Former South African fast bowler Allan Donald is among the contenders at this moment, and he has had informal discussions for the position.Donald said the Indian board was yet to formally approach him, but he was keen to take up the offer. However, he said, officials involved in the recruitment process had told him during the discussions that things could take longer than expected for the BCCI to take a final decision. It is expected that it will try and fill the position before South Africa’s tour of India in February.”Yes, I had an informal chat during Champions League Twenty20 with an Indian board official,” Donald told Cricinfo. “I would be interested to talk to the BCCI regarding the bowling coach job that is currently vacant and I’m keen [on the job].”The official, who met Donald in October when he had come to India for a TV commentary assignment, wanted to check if the South African was open for a full-time role.Another potential candidate is Shaun Pollock, who is a familiar figure in Indian cricket – he has a coaching role with Mumbai Indians in the IPL, and has worked in that capacity with Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh, among others. When contacted by Cricinfo, Pollock said he had no comment to make on the issue.The position has been lying vacant since Venkatesh Prasad’s sacking on October 15. The BCCI did not give any explanation for that decision but board sources said the slump in India’s bowling since the ICC World Twenty20 was becoming a growing concern.Donald, the first South African to take more than 300 Test wickets, has experience as a bowling coach – he took up the role in England for a short period in 2007. He then spent a year with Warwickshire as head coach but decided after the last season to give it up and spend more time with his family in South Africa.That stint with Warwickshire brought Donald into contact with Sreesanth, who was on a two-month stint with the county as an overseas player. It was Donald who suggested Sreesanth might be ready for a return to international cricket. Though impressed by Sreesanth’s talent, the straight-speaking Donald was critical of his training habits and said they needed to improve if he was to realise his full potential.

West Brom are currently third in the Championship and struggling to close the gap to put pressure on Fulham and Bournemouth in the promotion places of first and second.

The side have had various injuries over the season so far, but most of those injured players have since returned and became available for the Huddersfield game in the weekend just gone, the only notable absence was that of Kenneth Zohore.

Although already out of favour in Valérien Ismaël’s side, the 27-year-old striker has picked up a muscle injury in training that will see him sidelined for the next few months.

Speaking about Zohore before his injury woes, Ismael did hint that the forward could grasp an opportunity to earn his place in the side, but did not manage to mark his mark due to injuries ever since;

“At the minute it’s early – you never know what can happen.

“For Ken, it’s about patience, work, he wants to play every time with the under-23s which is a good sign. He wants to stay in the rhythm. He trains well. He is our player so everyone needs to be involved, stay focused and involved and you never know.”

This fresh injury won’t be too much of a concern to West Brom in terms of playing the forward, because he has seemingly had one eye on the door since the summer with links with a move away from the club.

Zohore has had 23 appearances, five goals and one assist for the side since he joined in 2019 from Cardiff City.

However, with the transfer window coming up in a few weeks, the opportunity to offload Zohore, who has cost the club the best part of £10.7m in transfer fees and wages, is looking unlikely in this fresh injury blow to the player, and could hinder the Baggies opportunities to get suitors for the player or a good offer on the table.

Ex Albion striker Kevin Phillips spoke out on Zohore’s future and his predictions for January.

“I think he’ll move on [in January],” Phillips told West Brom News.

“It’s clear that he’s not in Ismael’s plans. I know he played against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup but ultimately, his future lies somewhere else.

“Your guess is as good as mine as to where he goes. I think he’ll just want to go and play football, whether that’s abroad or he drops down to League One.”

Consider how poor his performances have been and his latest setback is sure to leave supporters rather angry that they might not be able to cut down on his salary in the winter, something that will no doubt prove important when welcoming new additions in their bid for promotion.

In other news: Callum Robinson impressed in Irish win…

The ECB has described as “hugely detrimental” the decision to return England’s home Ashes Tests to a revised list of major sporting events that should be shown on free-to-air TV. The findings of the review panel, headed by David Davies, the former chairman of the FA, were unveiled on Friday, but there will still be a huge number of hurdles to cross to get the Ashes back on terrestrial television.”Sporting events with a special national resonance should continue to be protected for the widest-possible audience,” said a statement issued by the panel. “There is still a place for a listed events regime, but its long-term future in a changing media landscape is by no means certain.”Test matches in England were de-listed in 1998 which meant that pay-TV operators could bid for the rights. Initially BSkyB gained one home Test per season with Channel 4 showing the rest, which ensured international cricket was still available on a free-to-air platform, but since 2005 all England matches have been shown live on BSkyB with just highlights available on Five.When England regained the Ashes, at The Oval, in August the viewing figures peaked at around two million compared to the seven million who tuned in when Channel 4 had the rights for the 2005 series.”On that night in August when England won the Ashes, the BBC One national news was led by cricket, the ITV news was led by cricket, Sky News throughout the day was led by cricket,” Davies told the BBC. “Throughout that summer for five Test matches, cricket figured prominently on the national news in this country every day.”My only question is if that was not an event of national resonance, what was it? I was also uneasy about the fact that millions of children were unable to see it live. We are asking cricket that once every four years – and not until 2016, in six years’ time – that 25 days of cricket are free-to-air in one summer.”The ECB’s current deal with BSkyB and Five, which is worth a combined £300 million, runs until 2013 and includes the next home Ashes series. Under the recommendations the first series that could possibly be back on terrestrial TV would be the 2016 contest.Newspaper reports are suggesting that the Government’s move to shift the Ashes back to free-to-air is an attempt to gain revenge on Rupert Murdoch, the owner of BSkyB, after the Murdoch-owned backed the Conservatives for the next general election.An ECB insider told Cricinfo that the fears were genuine, and with the report coming out so close to an election, there was a fear that they were being used as “the piggy in the middle”While the move from terrestrial to pay-TV has hit viewing figures, the money pumped into the game at grassroots level has helped develop the game.The ECB are already braced for a battle to ensure that this proposal never sees the light of day.Privately, they are furious that the committee did not commission an independent report into the economic impact of the decision, after estimating that some £30 million per year could be slashed from their budget, which amounts to more than a third of their annual turnover. They will be lobbying the government on that very point during the 12-week consultation process that will follow the announcement.”The last time the Ashes were on terrestrial TV it was a tremendous series in 2005, but it still went off air on terrestrial for a horse race,” David Collier, the ECB chief executive, told Cricinfo. “You just can’t do that and retain any credibility. Why does the report believe that the competitor broadcasters will bid competitive rates for the 2016 series, when they had the opportunity in the last two rounds of bidding [in 2004 and 2008], and they failed to put in a bid?””The objective evidence is overwhelming. The overwhelming evidence says this is a nonsense and that is what we’ll be presenting to the secretary of state. It would be disastrous if this implementation went through, as it would cut cricket’s income by 50%. We’ve been very clear from the outset that they must take account of economic evidence, and that has not changed one iota.””Both Secretary of State Ben Bradshaw and Minister of Sport Gerry Sutcliffe are big supporters of our grassroots programmes and the recent success our investment in women’s cricket has had on the international stage,” read an official ECB statement. “In the coming weeks we will set out to them the hugely detrimental impact the panel’s recommendations would have on our successful community projects.

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘keeping a close eye’ on Luis Diaz ahead of a potential transfer.

The Lowdown: Catching the eye

The 24-year-old is certainly starting to make a name for himself in world football, with 11 goals and a further two assists in 16 games across all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

His FC Porto team-mate Sergio Oliveira described the Colombia international as an ‘extraordinary’ player after a very impressive display in the Champions League against AC Milan in recent weeks.

There is sure to be a large number of clubs from around Europe circling around for his signature if he maintains this kind of form.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

As per O Jogo (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are now ‘keeping a close eye’ on Diaz ahead of a potential move, and it is ‘increasingly unlikely’ that he will stay beyond the end of his contract, which runs to 2024.

There is an €80m (£68.3m) release clause included in his current deal, and former Porto striker Jackson Martinez claims that the clause ‘will be paid with ease’.

The Verdict: Sign fast!

With an abundance of top European clubs likely to be fighting it out for Diaz, the Magpies need to pounce, and fast.

The fee should not be a problem for the club’s new mega-rich owners, so the main obstacle would be to try and persuade the 24-year-old to move to Tyneside.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium will surely have ambitions of eventually winning the Premier League and becoming regular participants in the Champions League, so they can at least sell Diaz the project should they end up paying his release clause.

If they wait too long, he will almost certainly get snapped up within the next year or so, and the Magpies simply cannot afford to miss out on signing a winger in red-hot form who will only get better.

In other news, find out which £15.4m-rated ‘hero’ NUFC are targeting

Gilani indicated that he had met Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse during a recent visit to Libya, and it was Rajapakse who linked elements in Sri Lanka to the terror act

Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2009Pakistan prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani says he has been told by Sri Lanka’s president that the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3 earlier this year may have been masterminded by terrorists from the island. Gilani said he was informed about this by president Mahinda Rajapakse during a recent visit to Libya.”The Sri Lankan president told me that they have clues that the attack on the team was funded from Sri Lanka and that some finances had been made from Sri Lanka to Pakistan,” Gilani said. “We are sending interior ministry officials to Sri Lanka to get the clues that could help us to get to the attack on the cricket team.”While making their way to the Gaddafi Stadium, five cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, were injured in the attack that also killed six security men and two civilians. Sri Lanka were in Pakistan for a two-Test tour which, as a result of the attack, was terminated abruptly. The attack had immediate repercussions for cricket in Pakistan, as its status as an international sporting venue came under doubt. The ICC subsequently decided to strip the country of its right to host the 2011 World Cup.

Many Everton fans have been blasting the display of Salomon Rondon in their game at home to West Ham United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Venezuela international really struggled to make any real impact on the match and often found himself isolated up top up against the central defenders of the Hammers, failing to hold the ball up on the rare occasions that he was able to get on it or make the most of the second half chances which fell his way.

With both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison still out injured, the onus is now, and has been, on Rondon to perform, but he failed to score in his first five appearances for the Toffees before this afternoon. On that form, he will surely find himself out of the team when the other duo return.

As per SofaScore, his passing completion rate left a lot to be desired this afternoon, while he was also culpable of losing the ball far too often and failed to trouble Irons goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Everton fans on Rondon display

These Everton supporters on Twitter blasted Rondon’s performance, with one Toffees fan even going as far as to claim that he is ‘just another Denis Stracqualursi’, who only managed to score three goals in 28 games for the Blues in all competitions (Transfermarkt):

“What does Rondon do for the team?”

Credit: @addiiceland

“Get Rondon off, he’s so bad.”

Credit: @AreVeeEss

“Me and my dog would bring more to the party than Rondon and Iwobi”

Credit: @trottersltd

“Not his fault but you might as well be playing with 10 men with Rondon”

Credit: @garyefc1982

“Rondon and Iwobi stinker”

Credit: @NotWack_

“Rondon is just another Denis Stracqualursi isn’t he.”

Credit: @jg1878

In other news, find out whose first half display against the Irons was slammed by some Everton fans

An exciting update has emerged on Villarreal boss Unai Emery, regarding a potential move to Newcastle…

What’s the talk?

According to Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope, the Magpies are expecting to make an official appointment before their match against Brighton on Saturday.

Reports earlier this morning outlined the club’s interest in bringing the Spaniard to St. James’ Park, but Hope’s latest update suggests that they believe a deal will be done in the coming days.

In a nine-word claim, he said: “NUFC expect to appoint Unai Emery before the weekend.”

Cloud nine

Newcastle fans will surely be left on cloud nine following this exciting update from Hope as the club are seemingly confident of securing an agreement to bring Emery to Tyneside.

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie made a claim earlier in the day as he said Emery was under serious consideration by the club. Downie also claimed that there is a feeling the Spaniard has unfinished business in the Premier League, although at that point in the day there was no expectation of anything happening.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-newcastle-pif-news-martinez-ward-prowse” title= “Read the latest Newcastle news!”]

This still left room for interpretation, as it was unclear as to whether or not the Magpies were able to strike a deal with Villarreal or whether or not Emery was keen on the job. However, this latest report from the Daily Mail journalist clears up both of those issues by stating that the club ‘expect’ to get it done, rather than saying they are hoping or trying to get him in.

The word ‘expect’ implies that PIF are confident of Emery being in charge for Saturday’s kick-off against Brighton at the AMEX. This is why fans could be left on cloud nine as Steve Bruce’s successor appears to be very close to being confirmed, putting an end to the speculation.

This weekend could be a first chance for the fans to see the Spaniard in charge at Newcastle, although he is likely to have little time to prepare the team to play the way he wants to play, so an immediate improvement on the pitch should not be expected.

The two-week international period could be an excellent opportunity for him to work with the remaining players on the training pitch to get them ready to battle against relegation in the coming months. If he can steer them away from the drop, the Toon Army will no doubt be elated.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wilson: PIF could form dream NUFC partnership with £100k-p/w “fighter”…

In a demonstration of power-hitting with which he carried Chennai Super Kings in the first IPL, Suresh Raina again showed his ability to dominate and, when the need arose, get out of a jam

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter30-Apr-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Cometh the hour, cometh the man …•Associated Press

In a demonstration of power-hitting with which he carried Chennai Super Kings in the first IPL, Suresh Raina again showed his ability to dominate and, when the need arose, get out of a jam. Chennai were in early trouble after being put in to bat but the early loss of the openers to Shane Warne’s introduction of spin didn’t deter Raina, who dispatched the Rajasthan Royals attack to all parts of SuperSport Park. His one-man show was complemented by a disciplined and enthusiastic fielding display – including a wicket and two catches to the man of the moment – and Chennai wrapped up victory by 38 runs.The spade work for victory had been done with a gem from Raina. His blazing innings started and ended in the face of adversary but it didn’t show on his face or in his choice of shots. Chennai had lost their leading run-scorer, Matthew Hayden, and Parthiv Patel to loose shots against Yusuf Pathan, who opened the attack with Dimitri Mascarenhas. But after that edgy start Chennai were put back on track through a 67-run liaison between Raina and S Badrinath. Raina was due a good score and he decided attack was the best way of defence.He took the initiative early on, taking Mascarenhas for four and six and then clubbing Yusuf over long-off for six more. Badrinath was promoted ahead of MS Dhoni, Jacob Oram and Albie Morkel with Chennai in trouble and he reciprocated with a smart cameo of 29. He relieved the pressure with three off-side boundaries and hit Yusuf out of the attack. Badri’s inventiveness – making room, getting the wrists into play, lofting over the infield – allowed Raina to continue blazing and he carved a brilliant front-foot six over point off Munaf Patel’s first delivery.Once he found his tempo, Raina was unstoppable. A deft tickle for four off Siddharth Trivedi was one for the purists, a thick inside-edge next ball for the same result just the bit of luck Raina needed to script an epic. He continued to produce punishing pulls and gorgeous shots down the ground, but the slice over cover-point was the sight of the evening. Shane Warne was pulled and cut for boundaries in his first over as Raina reached fifty from 27 balls.By now the mood in both camps had reversed. Rajasthan’s early momentum faded into repeated misfields that allowed boundaries, and where Chennai had been unsure with the bat at the start, Badrinath was uppercutting for four. There were risks, but they were calculated. The fifty-run partnership needed just 33 deliveries.Rajasthan took two wickets shortly after the break but with Dhoni giving him strike, Raina broke the shackles with consecutive boundaries in the 17th over. The run rate had now crossed seven and increased with consecutive sixes, both sliced over covers, in a 24-run 18th over during which Kamran Khan had to limp off with a twisted ankle. In the last over Raina raised his bat on 98, when the electronic scoreboard got it wrong after he slapped four past cover. Next ball was slashed up in the air and excellently taken by Graeme Smith at deep backward point. The only batsman to cross 30, Raina’s exemplary 98 off 55 balls lifted Chennai to a competitive total.That innings not only gave the crowd something to cheer about but also gave Chennai’s bowlers a solid platform to work with. A revamped new-ball attack of Morkel and Sudeep Tyagi kept it tidy and waited for errors, which came rather soon. Smith’s vigilance had played a big role in the last game but here he was impetuous, reaching out and guiding Morkel to point in the second over. Swapnil Asnodkar was another to fall going for a big shot, except that he swung his bat down onto his own stumps.As if his innings wasn’t torture enough for Rajasthan, Raina starred with the ball. Rob Quiney was given a life when Dhoni fluffed a stumping, but the bowler had his revenge when he beat bat with a slider.Yusuf came out blazing but failed to convert, lofting L Balaji down to long-off where the man who could do no wrong took the catch. Dhoni held back on using Balaji till the 11th over and the bowler immediately made an impact, not allowing any room. When Ravindra Jadeja skied Balaji miles into the starry night and Hayden settled under a steepler, the candle had gone out. The rest was a formality as Balaji took four, a solid comeback after a poor last match.It was apt that the last wicket, a massive top edge, should land in Raina’s hands. His grip remained firm from start to finish.

Tom Beaton’s captain’s innings of 106 helped Australia Under-19 claim the opening day honours in the first three-day match against India Under-19 at the Bellerive Oval

Cricinfo staff11-Apr-2009
ScorecardTom Beaton celebrates his century•Getty Images

Tom Beaton’s captain’s innings of 106 helped Australia Under-19 claim the opening day honours in the first three-day match against India Under-19 at the Bellerive Oval. Beaton was supported by half-centuries from Tim Armstrong and Sean Abbott and at the end of 90 overs, Australia had piled on 7 for 306. The Indian openers then added 18 before stumps.Australia didn’t get off to the best of starts after winning the toss when they lost their top three with the score on 69. Armstrong and Beaton added 101 for the fourth wicket as the hosts held the initiative for the majority of the post-lunch session. However, the innings suffered a wobble in the half hour before tea when Armstrong, Tom Triffitt and Kane Richardson fell for the addition of only 17 runs.Beaton held firm and continued his good form from the second one-dayer where he scored a half-century. He brought up his century in style with a six over square leg. His 159-ball knock included ten fours and two sixes. After he was dismissed, caught and bowled by Ashok Meenaria, Abbott (51*) and Jackson Coleman (31*) pushed the score past 300. For India, Jaydev Unadkad and Mannan Sharma took two wickets apiece.”It was good to get a few and felt awesome to be out there and especially the way it came up (with a six), I wasn’t expecting that with everyone in the ring,” Beaton was quoted as saying in the Cricket Australia website. “Wickets fell a bit early so I just had to adjust and play a more mature role and work the ones and get the scoreboard ticking over.””We’ll get the two opening bowlers back on tomorrow morning and get them bowling nice and full and try to get them nicking and hopefully we will get a few easy wickets and make it a bit easier for Doors [Luke Doran]. We’ll definitely be looking to get them out as early as possible and then go back out there and have another hit at some stage.”