Victoria coach Andrew McDonald has declared that opener Marcus Harris is ready to play Test cricket and believes Aaron Finch, who like Harris also plays for Victoria, is more suited to the middle order.Harris, 26, put himself in contention for the first Test against India in Adelaide with a sparkling start to the Sheffield Shield season: he made 250 not out against New South Wales and two other half-centuries in his last three games. Finch made his Test debut on Australia’s two-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE in October, and made 62, 49, 39 and 31 at the top of the order.McDonald said Harris was ready to go after watching his development over the last two-and-a-half seasons.”He’s [Harris] ready,” McDonald told . “He’s matured. He knows his game better than previous seasons. The way he batted down (in Hobart) albeit he only got a 20-odd (22) and 67 in that run chase, it would have been nice to see him go on and get a bigger score, but the way he played, his batting movements are really, really repeatable, and his decision-making has been a lot better this year.”He scores runs quickly, generally speaking. He played an innings of 250 earlier in the season, which was sizeable, where he showed a lot more patience. So that was the moment where some people out there may have said the penny may start to be dropping.”We’ve seen him play some patient innings. But one of his traits is that against quality fast bowling he can score and put them under extreme pressure.”Harris had spoken about his own development this season, particularly in his decision-making. He had a lengthy conversation about the mental side of elite performance with Cathy Freeman, the Australian Olympic gold medallist and two-time World Champion 400m runner, during the off-season.McDonald also said he would likely bat Finch in the middle order for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland starting next Tuesday – Finch’s only red-ball warm-up before the first Test against India.”We’ve picked him in the middle order in the last three seasons I’ve been coach, so that gives you some thought on where I believe he’s best suited,” McDonald said. “We’ve got a couple of really good openers that complement each other really nicely at the top of the order. But there’ll no doubt be some conversation around that depending on what the national selectors are going to do and the direction they’ll take.”McDonald said he had not spoken to either Australia coach Justin Langer or chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns regarding Finch’ batting position.”I don’t know their policy on that,” McDonald said. “Look, I think any sort of cricket or any batting in any position for both Finch and Glenn Maxwell to put their hand up for selection, if they get time in the middle from whatever position they bat, I think that’s probably fair preparation for the Test series. Albeit they may not be batting the specific position that they’re going to play in. But that’s not uncommon.”Finch had spoken about the challenge of having to switch between formats over the past month but McDonald said the change of position would be a greater challenge.”I think the preparation won’t be something that’s out of the ordinary for him because of the fact that he’s played county cricket, where they do shift between formats quite rapidly at times,” McDonald said. “He can go from red ball to white ball and white ball to red ball throughout that season quite comfortably. I don’t know where he’s going to bat in the Australian line-up. If he does open that’s probably going to be the big shift, marking centre, day one first up, as opposed to sitting down having a coffee and coming in in the middle order.”So that will be something they will be preparing him for if that’s where they’re going to bat him. If not then he’ll be pretty familiar with a middle order role if they go that direction as well.”
Leeds United ended their three-year stay in the Premier League earlier this year as they were relegated from the top-flight under Sam Allardyce.
The experienced English coach arrived in an attempt to save the day but was unable to prevent the relegation after Javi Gracia and Jesse Marsch had left the club in a difficult position.
Whilst the managers can take responsibility for their respective failures, former sporting director Victor Orta should shoulder some of the blame for his work to assemble the playing squad that failed to perform.
Orta's most-expensive Leeds signings
Player
Fee (via Transfermarkt and Sky Sports)
Georginio Rutter
£35.5m
Brendan Aaronson
£28.4m
Rodrigo
£25.9m
Dan James
£25.1
Luis Sinisterra
£21.6m
As you can see in the table above, the Spaniard was able to splash the cash on several occasions in an attempt to bolster the squad, for Bielsa and Marsch, but rarely had success at Premier League level with those big-money moves.
Rutter and Aaronson – the two most expensive signings of Orta's time at Elland Road – combined for one goal and four assists in 47 top-flight matches throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
The now-Sevilla chief is not the only Leeds figure to have made mistakes in that department over the years, though, and one famous transfer market blunder was the signing of attacker Tomas Brolin.
The fee Leeds paid for Brolin
Back in November of 1995, the Whites agreed a club-record deal to sign the Sweden international from Italian side Parma for a reported fee of £4.5m.
It was claimed that the club paid £600k upfront for the talented forward and the remaining £3.9m was due to be paid to the Serie A outfit over the subsequent two-and-a-half-years.
Parma reportedly announced that the deal was off as Brolin had failed to agree personal terms with Leeds but the move eventually went through, and then-managing director Bill Fotherby stated that he was always confident that it would go ahead as planned.
It was a big gamble from the Whites as they decided to smash their club record to sign a player who had only played three matches for his club that season and was coming off the back of recovering from a broken foot the previous year.
Brolin has since revealed that he did not want to leave Parma and that his belief was that the Italian side wanted to cash in on him before his contract expired, as the Bosman ruling was due to come in and they did not want to lose him on a free transfer.
Brolin's goal record for Parma
The excellent midfielder enjoyed an impressive spell in Italy with the club as he racked up 31 goals in 190 appearances in all competitions, with spells there on either side of his time with Leeds.
He proved himself to be a goalscorer from a midfield position and contributed to a successful period in Parma's history as they won four trophies during his time there.
The Italian team won the UEFA Supercup, the UEFA Cup, the Europapokal, and the Italian Cup between 1991 and 1995, with Brolin playing a part in their successes.
His best season for goals came during the 1990/91 campaign as the Swedish wizard smashed in seven goals in 33 Serie A outings for Parma.
Brolin's goal record for Sweden
Brolin also caught the eye on the big stage for his country as the impressive attacker racked up an outstanding 25 goals in 46 caps for Sweden throughout his career.
He burst onto the international scene with a fantastic 1992 European Championship performance as the gem ended the tournament as the top-scorer with three strikes.
Two years later, the attacker enjoyed an excellent World Cup as he managed three goals in six outings as his country reached the semi-finals before their loss to Brazil in the last four.
His exploits for Parma and Sweden seemingly convinced Leeds that he was the right player to smash their club record transfer fee on as they swooped to sign him for £4.5m just over a year on from his World Cup heroics in America.
Brolin's goal record for Leeds
However, things did not go to plan for Brolin at Elland Road as his big-money switch to England turned out to be a nightmare for everyone involved.
Howard Wilkinson was the Leeds manager at the time and the Sweden international claimed that the head coach promised him a creative midfield role, where he could get on the ball to make things happen in the middle of the park.
This was not to be the case, though, as he was, instead, utilised as a centre-forward or out wide and was never able to play in the position that was promised to him, as per his claim.
Former Leeds forward Tomas Brolin.
Brolin went on to score just four goals in 24 appearances for the Whites in all competitions throughout his time in Yorkshire, which worked out as around £1.1m per goal from his £4.5m transfer fee.
In 1996, the forward had to apologise to Wilkinson after telling Swedish television that he had agreed to join Norrkoping on loan as an April Fool's interview, which ended up being taken seriously in the English media.
The club eventually opted to release him from his contract in 1997 for a reported £140k to end a dismal spell at Elland Road after his club-record switch from Parma.
What Brolin is up to now
He retired at the age of 28 and ventured into the business sector having met Swedish inventor Goran Edlund in 1997, who had developed a new vacuum cleaner nozzle.
In 2018, The Sun reported that Brolin was a 50% partner in The Twinner and that the brand had become popular in Sweden over the subsequent two decades. By that point, they sold 130,000 products per year and the company was said to be worth 'millions of pounds'.
The Swedish former professional has, therefore, become a successful owner of a vacuum company, which is not the traditional route that former international players take after their retirement, but it has seemingly worked out well for him.
The Daily Star claimed, earlier this year, that the ex-Leeds flop donates 30% of his earnings from sales of the vacuums to a children’s rights society in Sweden.
He has had success off the field since his retirement, with a thriving business, and it is great to see that his sour spell with Leeds was quickly put behind him, as it was a nightmare move for all involved on the pitch.
انتهت قبل قليل مباراة الأهلي والألومنيوم، بفوز القلعة الحمراء بنتيجة 1-0، في المواجهة التي أقيمت ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس مصر.
والتقى الأهلي مع الألومنيوم على أرضية استاد القاهرة، وذلك باللقاء الذي جمع بينهما في إطار لقاءات دور الـ32 من المسابقة المحلية.
طالع.. فيديو | بشق الأنفس.. الأهلي يهزم الألومنيوم بهدف قاتل ويتأهل لدور الـ16 من كأس مصر
وكان الأهلي قد نجح في الفوز بلقب كأس مصر عن الموسم الماضي بعدما انتصر على الزمالك بنتيجة 2-1.
ويستكمل الأهلي مشوار بطولة الدوري المصري بخوض مباراة قوية أمام بيراميدز، والتي تُلعب على أرضية استاد الدفاع الجوي.
وفاز الأهلي في مواجهة الدور الأول على بيراميدز والتي جمعت بينهما منذ أيام بنتيجة 3-2، في ظل الصراع القائم بينهما على لقب الدوري المصري بالموسم الجاري. موعد مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز في الدوري المصري
ويواجه الأهلي منافسه بيراميدز يوم الإثنين المقبل 22 يوليو الجاري، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساء بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.
ويواصل بيراميدز تصدر جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 68 نقطة، بينما يأتي الأهلي في الوصافة بـ64 نقطة، ولكن تتبقى للقلعة الحمراء 3 مباريات مؤجلة.
Liverpool see a widely regarded future superstar as a "priority" transfer target moving forward, according to an update from journalist Christian Falk.
Liverpool transfer news
The Reds have had some fairly quiet transfer windows in recent years, with the club even coming in for criticism about not giving Jurgen Klopp enough new players to bolster his squad over time.
The recent summer window was different, however, with Liverpool completely revamping their midfield after a season of huge struggles there. Dominik Szoboszlai has arguably been the most eye-catching and influential new signing to date, but Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo have all shown their worth to differing extents, too.
It was evidently clear that the Reds' midfield was the only area of the pitch that Klopp was desperate to address, but with that issue now largely sorted – a new No.6 wouldn't go amiss in January – the club could turn to players in different positions, in order to keep things fresh.
Jamal Musiala to Liverpool update
Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk talked up the idea of Jamal Musiala to Liverpool happening instead of his teammate Leroy Sane, who has also been linked, with the Reds seeing the younger Bayern Munich starlet as a "priority" signing:
"Bayern also has a problem with Leroy Sané, who is playing his best season since he first arrived at Munich. The problem is that the national player only has a contract until 2025.
"The other problem is that, so far, the club has not spoken to him about a new contract following the changes at the top with the board. Now Sane is thinking about perhaps looking for a new challenge again in the summer.
"Liverpool are also interested in the player. The 27-year-old could replace 31-year-old Mohamed Salah if he leaves the club in the summer. Sane is quick like Salah and just as flexible on offence. But I heard Musiala is Liverpool’s priority – should they fail in their pursuit here, only then will Sane come."
Musiala's progress in the last few years has been rapid, and along with Real Madrid and England sensation Jude Bellingham, there is an argument to say that he is the most exciting young player in Europe at the moment, given the influence he is having at a major club.
At just 20 years of age, the German has already become one of the first names on Bayern's team sheet, and Musiala's stats are hugely impressive, having scored 32 goals and registered 25 assists in 133 appearances for the reigning Bundesliga champions. He has also netted twice for Germany at international level.
The idea of Musiala playing for Liverpool is a mouthwatering prospect for any Reds supporter, considering he is threatening to be one of the leading footballers of his generation, with former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann once describing him as "world-class", even though he was still only a teenager at that point.
The young attacker is someone who Bayern clearly won't want to be losing any time soon, though, so it is difficult to see Liverpool wrestling him away from them, unless they come up with an incredible offer for the former England Under-21 international.
Se a dose da última quarta não foi suficiente, o Flamengo pode preencher a sua sede de “vingança” derrotando dois rivais homônimos e que estavam (ou estão, no caso atual) entalados. Depois de eliminar o Athletico-PR na Copa do Brasil, ou seja, o algoz do torneio da edição passada, o time de Domènec, agora, Torrent terá a oportunidade de superar o Atlético-MG e devolver o revés na estreia do Brasileiro e a do próprio catalão. O promissor jogo começará às 18h15 deste domingo, no Mineirão, e terá transmissão em Tempo Real doL!.
RelacionadasBrasileirãoAtlético-MG x Flamengo: prováveis times, onde ver, desfalques e palpitesBrasileirão07/11/2020Flamengo‘Preparem as placas’: Gabigol retorna para o jogo contra o Atlético-MG; veja os relacionados do FlamengoFlamengo07/11/2020
Uma boa notícia para Dome é a volta de Gabigol. Sem jogar desde o dia 30 de setembro, o camisa 9, recuperado de uma lesão ligamentar no tornozelo, retorna à lista de relacionados, podendo fazer companhia a Pedro e Bruno Henrique. O imponente trio, cabe frisar, é responsável por54% dos gols rubro-negros em 2020, com 16, 30 e 15 bolas na rede, respectivamente.
E quem vai iniciar jogando no ataque? Domènec Torrent ainda não deu indícios, mas já avisou que o cenário está longe de ser um problema. Pelo contrário.
-Com o elenco completo, teremos soluções. Podemos jogar com sistemas diferentes, com Gabigol como extremo, mas também por dentro. E eles não vão jogar todos os jogos. O problema não será quando o Gabi voltar. O problema é agora, que não temos o Gabi. Foi o nosso artilheiro no ano passado – salientou o técnico, após a recente classificação às quartas da Copa do Brasil.
MELHOR MANDANTE X MELHOR VISITANTE
Se ainda não se encontrou no Maracanã neste Brasileirão, fora de casa, o Flamengo lidera o quesito aproveitamento: 66,7%, com seis vitórias, dois empates e duas derrotas. Mas há uma curiosidade envolvendo o jogo desta noite, sob esta ótica.
> Confira a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro
Isso porque, findado o turno, o Atlético é a equipe que possui o melhor aproveitamento em casa: 85,2%, com sete vitórias e dois empates. Está invicto atuando no Mineirão e promete encardir a vida do visitante mais indigesto do Brasileirão, que pode ter um dos dois como líder ao fim da rodada.
Newcastle United could be set to lose another one of their first-team players to injury, with Eddie Howe delivering an update on the possible extent of the damage sustained.
Who is injured for Newcastle United?
The Magpies currently have Joelinton and Joe Willock out of action and on the sidelines with their own respective injuries, with the former likely to be the quickest to return whilst the latter is targeting a comeback after the international break in October.
Whilst Howe is without two key senior stars, that didn’t stop the rest of his team from gaining a positive result in their most recent fixture having secured an unbelievable 8-0 Premier League victory over Sheffield United on Sunday, with eight different squad members getting their name on the scoresheet at Bramall Lane as they absolutely ran riot.
The Magpies, however, did suffer one negative over the weekend because Harvey Barnes was forced off the pitch and replaced by Anthony Gordon after just 12 minutes in what appeared to be a serious problem.
How long is Harvey Barnes out for?
Speaking during his post-match interview following the weekend's 8-0 thumping over Paul Heckingbottom's side, Howe was asked to deliver an update on the fitness of Barnes, and whilst it's too soon to speculate, it sounds like he could be missing for a while.
"It doesn't look too good. I think he has a toe problem. He pushed off and felt something in his toe. Early signs are there's probably an injury there, but we don't know what it is at the moment."
Newcastle United forward Harvey Barnes.
How much does Harvey Barnes earn?
Since moving to Newcastle, Barnes now pockets £80k-per-week, and whilst the left-winger will continue to prove himself under Howe, he’s already shown not only what he’s capable of doing but also that he will certainly earn his salary once he can get fit and firing with a run in the team.
The Wasserman client has already racked up two involvements (one goal and assist) in just seven appearances for the Magpies, and the 25-year-old has received the praise of journalist Josh Bunting, who can’t believe how “composed” he is able to remain in the final third.
The Burnley-born talent is also a versatile operator having been deployed in an outstanding nine different positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even in the midfield, but this is another attribute that the boss will have to cope without for however long his star is on the sidelines for.
Luckily for the northeast outfit, Howe has Gordon available to him as his other option on that left-hand side so he doesn't need to worry about not having cover for Barnes, especially with the Everton academy product in such good form. Still, there's no doubt that everyone associated with the club will be hoping that his injury isn't as bad as first feared and that he'll be able to return to the field as soon as possible, with the fixtures coming thick and fast in multiple competitions.
Netherlands needed to win this game to have any chance of staying in contention for a place in World Cup 2019. They did that.
ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2018Peter Della Penna
Netherlands needed to win this game, while also improving their net run rate as much as possible, to have any chance of staying in contention for a place in World Cup 2019. They did most of that. After making 216 for 8, they bowled Papua New Guinea out for 159 to win by 57 runs. Now, they will have to beat West Indies – once again, by as big a margin as possible – then hope other results go their way.For a while, it seemed that Netherlands would get exactly the result they wanted – that is, victory by a huge margin – as PNG slid from 45 for 1 to 93 for 7. Netherlands’ plans took a hit, though, as PNG’s lower order, in the company of Kiplin Doriga, kept chipping away at the runs required to give their total some respectability. Eventually, they finished on 159, with Roelof van der Merwe doing most damage with his left-arm spin. That might not have been the margin of victory Netherlands were after, but it was still two points in the bag.The result was hardly a given when Netherlands suffered a top-order collapse of their own, going from 57 for no loss to 98 for 5. It took a lower-order counterattack to drag them past 200. The leaders of this late charge were van der Merwe (38 off 41), Pieter Seelaar (23 off 18) and Sikander Zulfiqar, who with an unbeaten 53 off 65, registered his second List A half-century.While the PNG bowlers shared the wickets around, the legspin of Charles Amini and Mahuru Dai proved most restrictive; they went at under four an over in picking up two wickets apiece. It turned out that was not enough. PNG head home from the World Cup Qualifiers without a win in four games.
With the Premier League's increasingly global reach and its ever-growing popularity in America, it can be interesting to see which clubs have attracted the widest array of famous faces, something especially true with West Ham United. You may be surprised by some of the names on this list and wonder how on earth they even chose the East Londoners as their English team, but often, their reasons aren't too dissimilar from ours.
While you'd usually expect the rich and famous to support teams with a long and illustrious history of winning, like Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal, this group has instead pledged their loyalty to the Claret and Blue.
With that said, from professional boxers to actors and even a head of state, we at Football FanCast have taken a look at which celebrities support West Ham.
10 Ray Winstone
Now, there might be a few names on this list that shouldn't really come as a surprise to you at all, and one of those names is none other than British acting legend Ray Winstone.
When he isn't starring opposite some of Hollywood's biggest names, the 66-year-old can be found watching his beloved Hammers. On an episode of the Any Old Irons podcast Winstone explained that his love of the club extends beyond more than just the players on the pitch, saying:
"It’s not just the football but the area where I came from. I’ve got a thing on the wall here that says ‘in our family blood. If I’m on the other side of the world, and I might be in Australia, I remember being in the outback in Australia, and we got English newspapers flown in…you pick up the paper and there it was, the West Ham result.
"Don’t forget that because that’s where you’re made from and that’s everything to me, you know."
9 Lennox Lewis
While Winstone certainly has the credentials to play a hardman on the big screen, legendary boxer Lennox Claudius Lewis is the real deal.
Born 2nd September 1965 in West Ham, London, Lewis would represent Canada as an amateur and at the 1988 Olympics where he would win gold in the super-heavyweight category. Shortly after, he would make his way to professional boxing, where he would go on to have a genuinely unbelievable career, ending it as one of the greatest British fighters of all time.
In total, he had 44 fights, winning 41 – 32 by knockout – losing just twice and fighting out a draw once. He became the WBC heavyweight champion in 1992 and defended the title three times before losing it to Oliver McCall, only to win it back three years later.
Maybe most impressively, he fought with Mike Tyson in 2002 and won, cementing his legacy as one of the true great heavyweights in the modern era.
Outside the ring, Lewis is a massive fan of West Ham, so much so that in 2014, he was welcomed into the dressing room by then-boss Sam Allardyce to give a rousing pre-match speech to the players before they took on Norwich City. Unsurprisingly, the talk worked, and the Hammers emerged as victors.
I mean, you really wouldn't want to let down Lewis, would you?
8 Keira Knightley
Lucas Paqueta celebrates for West Ham United
Yep, Keira Knightley of Pirates of the Caribbean, Love Actually and Atonement fame is a massive lifelong fan of the Hammers.
In fact, she was one of the celebrities to partake in the Farewell Boleyn campaign that the club ran towards the end of their final year at the famous old ground. She sent in a video proclaiming her love for the stadium and the team, which was shared all over West Ham's official social media channels.
She also did her best to promote the Irons when she went on the American talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she explained the meaning behind the club's anthem 'I'm forever blowing bubbles':
"The problem with the song is that the song is really sad. The song is about not winning and is, in fact, about your dreams fading and dying the whole time, so it's not really a surprise that we lose all the time, when we have this song!"
Well, West Ham's recent European triumph might just have changed her outlook ever so slightly.
7 James Corden
James Corden has become a household name in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and through it all, he has remained a massive West Ham fan.
He shot to fame in the UK for writing and starring in the BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey, in which he plays the character 'Smithy', who he wrote to also be a die-hard Hammer.
In 2015, Corden succeeded Craig Ferguson as the host of the American talk show 'The Late Late Show' and shot to stardom in the States. Despite being thousands of miles away and in a country not really known for its love of football, he made sure to mention his beloved Irons as frequently as he could on air.
For example, towards the end of last season, he congratulated West Ham's under-18s for their FA Youth Cup win over Arsenal live on air. In June, he was also spotted in Prague for the club's Conference League triumph.
6 Russell Brand
Brand has had a career and personal life full of crazy ups and downs, but through it, his undying love for West Ham has remained. Born in Essex, the comedian come actor has been a fan of the Hammers his entire life and still often goes to watch matches when he's in the country.
He can sometimes be heard phoning into Talksport to discuss the club, most recently to discuss Declan Rice's record-breaking fee. While Rice's exit probably hurt, we're sure the European trophy softened the blow somewhat.
5 Danny Dyer
Okay, this one might be painfully obvious, but can you really make a list of famous West Ham fans and not include the one and only Danny Dyer? Of course you can't.
The quintessential Eastender, and now a regular on Eastenders, Dyer is a lifelong, diehard fan of the Irons who is now a part of the Hammers family courtesy of his daughter having twins with fan favourite winger Jarrod Bowen.
While he might not appreciate some of the new chants, witnessing the father of your grandkids score the winner in a European final for your club probably makes up for it.
4 Dave Grohl
He might be the only musician on the list, but we think being the drummer for Nirvana and the frontman for Foo Fighters probably makes up for that. But why on earth does Dave Grohl support West Ham?
Well, it goes back to the early 2000s when Dave was on an extensive UK tour with his new band Foo Fighters. The legendary drummer explained in an interview with VH1 that he was, and still is, a massive fan of the Premier League, and as he was spending so much time in and around London, he decided to pick the Hammers as his team.
Arguably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and one of the most influential people in cinema history, when Hitchcock wasn't working on another cinematic masterpiece, he was thinking about his beloved West Ham.
The Psycho director was a lifelong supporter of the club, born in Leytonstone, only about an hour's walk from Upton Park in East London. It's said that when he lived and worked in Los Angeles, he would get English newspapers delivered to his home every week to keep tabs on his Irons.
During his lifetime, he would've seen the club win multiple FA Cups, a UEFA Cup Winners Cup, and the Second Division title. Unfortunately he would pass away just before the club won a second Second Division title in the 1980/81 season.
2 Matt Damon
When you think of big Hollywood A-listers, it probably isn't long before you cast your mind to the Academy Award-winning Matt Damon. The Massachusetts-born 52-year-old has been nominated for 94 awards in his career, won 27 and, most importantly, is a self-confessed West Ham fan.
Damon's love of the Hammers grew from his time filming Saving Private Ryan in the UK. He explained that he was put off from supporting the then-dominant Manchester United as it was akin to supporting the New York Yankees in baseball – a cardinal sin for a devout Boston Red Sox fan such as himself.
After watching some Leeds United games with a colleague and coming to the conclusion that they were "terrible" – his words, not ours – he landed on West Ham as his new team, a happy medium at the time.
Given the last 12 months, we think he probably made the right choice there.
1 Barack Obama
Yes, you read that right, the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama is in fact a West Ham fan, and therefore he surely has to be the most famous one of the lot, surely.
While it may seem highly improbable that a man who was once the most powerful individual on the planet is an Iron, it's true, at the East Londoners have made sure to make the most of this fact as well, wishing him a happy birthday on their official Twitter account in 2016.
Apparently his love of the club comes from a visit he paid to his Kent-based half-sister Auma in 2002. This earth-shattering revelation came from one of his campaign advisors during his 2008 election campaign:
“Obama is a big sports nut and loves his soccer.
“He never really followed it, though, until he was told all about the passion of West Ham fans by some of his English relatives. He’s always keen to find out how his adopted club are getting on.”
Some clubs might be able to boast a famous actor, musician, or filmmaker amongst their fans, but only one can claim Barack Obama as their own.
And there you have it, ten of the most famous West Ham fans around.
It's a pretty impressive list to read, and it's mightily refreshing to see some of the globe's most famous faces opting to support one of the sides outside the traditional 'big six'.
What they say must be true then; West Ham really are massive everywhere they go.
Após estrear na Copa Libertadores com uma derrota por 5 a 0 nesta quinta, o técnico Domènec Torrent comentou a atuação e procurou dar explicações ao torcedor que assistiu a atuação apática do Flamengo diante do Independiente Del Valle, no Estádio Casa Blanca, em Quito. Além de pedir desculpas, o espanhol falou sobre a estratégia da equipe e a pressão sofrida pelo resultado.
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-Jogamos mais ordenados no primeiro tempo, por isso só marcaram um gol. Tivemos algumas chances nos contra-ataques. Na segunda parte tentamos marcar mais em cima, mas eles jogam muito bem quando têm espaços. É uma derrota muito dolorida, mas são três pontos. Temos que pedir desculpas aos torcedores. Eles marcaram dois, três golaços – afirmou Dome, antes de seguir:
-Sei que esse é o pior resultado do Flamengo. Agora o jogo já passou, temos que tentar ganhar o próximo jogo. É um desastre, mas são três pontos, vamos tentar nos recuperar para o próximo – projetou o treinador do Rubro-Negro.
Questionado se se sente pressionado ou ameaçado no cargo, Dome afirmou:
-Eu não sei. Estou focado em trabalhar, os jogadores também. Se você quer falar disso, tem que falar com outras pessoas, não comigo – finalizou o técnico.
Confira outras respostas de Domènec Torrent:
Atuação do Flamengo Não tenho queixa sobre os jogadores. Querem ganhar. Correram muito, estão muito cansados. Mas eu sei que quando perde de 5 a 0 não tem desculpa. Foram melhores, é um bom time.
Postura da equipe Não acho que fomos apáticos. O primeiro que tem que saber é como estão fisicamente na altitude. No primeiro tempo não tivemos problemas para defender, e tivemos chances de contra-atacar. Estava equilibrado. No segundo foi tudo diferente.
The England quick sprained his ankle in his fourth over of the day and was ruled out of the second day of the tour match
George Dobell in Adelaide09-Nov-2017
Getty Images
England’s Ashes plans have been hit by another setback after Jake Ball was forced off the pitch at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday through injury.Ball, who had emerged as a likely member of England’s side for the first Test, was midway through his fourth over against the Cricket Australia XI when his right ankle buckled in his delivery stride and he fell to the floor.He was able to walk off the pitch unaided but an England spokesman later announced that Ball would take no further part in the second day’s play. His sprained ankle will be monitored over the next few hours before any decision is made about further treatment or the length of his lay-off.The setback comes even before Steven Finn has arrived home. Finn, who in turn was a substitute on the tour for Ben Stokes, suffered a knee injury during training in Perth and was sent home on Wednesday having failed to show any signs of recovery. His replacement, Tom Curran, is due to join up with the rest of the squad in Adelaide on Friday.With Moeen Ali also sidelined through a side injury – he returned to the nets as a batsman on Wednesday – and yet to bowl on the tour, it left Paul Collingwood – England’s 41-year-old fielding coach – dressed in whites and prepared to come on as a substitute fielder as required.It all means that time – and options – are running out for England as they prepare for the first Test which begins in Brisbane on November 23.