All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United fell to yet another defeat last night with a 4-1 loss against Arsenal at Elland Road.The first half couldn’t have been much worse for the home side, with two goals from Gabriel Martinelli and one from Bukayo Saka putting Arsenal 3-0 up, as well as seeing Jack Harrison go off injured, adding another name to an already hefty injury list for the Yorkshire club.While Raphinha managed to pull a goal back for Leeds from the penalty spot in the second half, Arsenal added another to the scoresheet and ultimately strolled to the three points.Despite the disappointing result, one Leeds player who put in a solid shift on the day and deserves credit is Mateusz Klich, even though the finger could be pointed at him for a mistake which led to Arsenal’s second goal.In his 78 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Sam Greenwood as Bielsa looked to secure a positive result, the midfielder had 54 touches of the ball and completed 31 of the 39 passes he attempted, with three key passes and one accurate cross.He also completed two successful dribbles, won three of his five ground duels and made three clearances and one tackle, showing how useful he was in the centre of the pitch for Leeds.This display ultimately earned the 31-year-old, who is currently valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, an overall match rating of 7/10. That made him Leeds’ highest-rated outfield player according to SofaScore, higher than goalscorer Raphinha.The Poland midfielder’s performance shows just how much of a shining light he was for Bielsa in what was yet another dark day for the Yorkshire club and why he may have felt disappointed to be substituted before the full-time whistle.The Yorkshire Evening Post had some praise for Klich’s efforts by saying that he had “a couple of nice moments in attack” and that he was “better in the second half than the first.”With the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton out injured, Bielsa may have little choice but to keep Klich in the team for the time being, but his performance against Arsenal showed that the 31-year-old has the quality to be a crucial figure for the Whites in midfield.In other news: £22k-p/w Leeds dud with fewer touches than Meslier let Bielsa down against Arsenal

Kolkata’s bowlers knocked out Rajasthan from the IPL and kept their semi-final hopes alive

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya17-Apr-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Jaidev Unadkat took three wickets, including the important one of Yusuf Pathan•Indian Premier LeagueKolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers knocked out Rajasthan Royals and kept their semi-final hopes alive by setting up a comprehensive eight-wicket win. They limited Rajasthan to a below-par score on a slowish pitch, and Sourav Ganguly backed them up with another significant contribution to push Kolkata to 12 points.The effort overcame an intimidating start from Shane Watson, who began with a series of boundaries, and the loss of early wickets in the chase. Kolkata, however, face a tough task in ensuring a qualification for the knockout stage, as they have to beat a formidable Mumbai Indians in their next game and by a big margin to boost their negative net run-rate.Watson, opening for the first time this IPL, took little time settling in to his preferred position in limited-overs cricket, triggering a confident start with a series of boundaries, feeding off some indisciplined bowling. The Kolkata bowlers often pitched too short or were countered by some superior batting by Watson, who created opportunities to find the boundaries with ease.But the damage caused in the first seven overs, where Rajasthan had raced to 57 without loss, was compensated for by Kolkata’s seamers, who, realising the sluggish nature of the track, cut down on pace and used their variations well. Laxmi Shukla played a prominent role in the first two dismissals, bowling Watson with a slower legcutter and then flinging himself to his left to snap a blinder to send back Naman Ojha off Jaidev Unadkat, who finished with a three-for.Kolkata’s ground-fielding remained poor for much of the innings but their catching won them crucial wickets. Sourav Ganguly’s brilliant effort to get rid of Yusuf Pathan was among the best catches in the tournament, running back several yards from midwicket, keeping his eyes on the ball and falling full stretch to hold on. When Ashok Dinda had Adam Voges hole out to long-on in the 14th over, four out of five genuine batsmen had fallen prey to the slower ball.While the boundaries had dried up, Rajasthan could have still worked the field and rotated the strike to preserve enough wickets for the surge at the death. But their batsmen consumed an inordinate number of dot balls – including a wicket-maiden by Shane Bond where he dismissed Aaron Finch – to make just 31 runs in the last six overs for the loss of five wickets.The conditions were difficult to handle, with Kolkata’s bowlers consistently slipping in slower cutters and the ball keeping low and the middle order, featuring three changes from the previous game, struggled in the wake of the increasing pressure. Abhishek Raut and Paras Dogra fell in their attempt to step up, and Dinda’s last over involved two more wickets, as Rajasthan, in a must-win game, disappointed with the bat.Kolkata needed an attacking start in their pursuit of a big win to propel their net run-rate, but were deprived by the early loss of Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle. Ganguly had warmed up well with three boundaries, but Kamran Khan’s double-strike in the third over – he snared McCullum with a full toss and bowled Gayle through the gate – prompted a change in approach with Kolkata opting for a game of caution, postponing their acceleration. Each of the next five overs featured a boundary, but only 22 were scored off them as most balls, barring the bad ones that were dispatched, were pushed towards fielders inside the circle.The quest to pierce the field and hunt for more singles was evident in the first couple of overs following the time-out, and it was in the 12th over that Ganguly displayed the belated aggression, making room and charging down the track to strike Yusuf for two boundaries. He and Cheteshwar Pujara then followed up with a six each in the next over from Voges. Ganguly hammered consecutive fours off Siddharth Trivedi and helped smote 15 in Faiz Fazal’s only over to help Kolkata past their target with 23 balls to spare, but the result, despite its convincing margin, may yet prove inadequate for Kolkata when the final four are determined.

David Payne served up the best-ever figures by a Gloucestershire bowler inLimited-overs cricket but still finished on the losing side in their CB40 match with Essex at Chelmsford

09-May-2010Warwickshire 201 for 3 beat Durham 200 for 9 by seven wickets
ScorecardA clinical century by Jonathan Trott maintained Warwickshire’s 100% CB40 record as they inflicted Durham’s first defeat of the season by sevenwickets at Edgbaston.Opener Phil Mustard propped up Durham’s total of 200 for 9 but theirinjury-hit attack – even with Steve Harmison back in the line-up – did not have the firepower to make it a true contest.Trott’s 103 from 98 balls – his highest score since his Test debut centuryagainst Australia last August – set up a Warwickshire victory with five overs to spare after a partnership of 117 with Jim Troughton.With seven bowlers unavailable and Liam Plunkett playing only as a batsman,Durham recalled Harmison for the first time since he took four wickets in 20 overs in the champion county’s fixture with the MCC in Abu Dhabi in March.A trapped nerve in his back forced him to miss the first month of the season and in a low-key comeback he bowled six overs, split into three spells, for 27 runs.England batsman Ian Bell pulled a short ball from Ben Harmison straight to deep square leg as the home side lost two wickets in reaching 59 by the 11th over.But Trott, with 13 fours, headed off any further difficulties and Warwickshire were only 25 short of their target when he was run out by Chris Rushworth’s direct throw from mid-off. Troughton remained unbeaten with 66 from 76 balls.That Durham even reached 200 was largely due to Mustard. For the second time in three completed matches in the competition, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper was his county’s top scorer.Having made 74 in the opening victory over Hampshire at the Riverside, hebatted through to the 28th over here, racking up 61 from 73 balls until he was fifth out at 141.A low-key Durham innings included only 12 fours – five of these to Mustard – and two sixes, the first by Ian Blackwell in the second over and the other from Steve Harmison from the fourth ball he faced.Harmison’s towering straight drive marginally dented Darren Maddy’s figures, but the former Leicestershire allrounder, now approaching his 36th birthday, still finished with 3 for 25, his best one-day return for Warwickshire.Maddy gave little away as his nagging wicket-to-wicket line pressured thebatsmen into mistakes. Mustard was leg-before, whipping across the line, and the medium-pacer was in a second spell when he bowled Gareth Breese and Plunkett in successive overs.Boyd Rankin, back from World Twenty20 action with Ireland, and Keith Barkerboth took two wickets in their first county appearances of the season and wrist spinner Imran Tahir dismissed Will Smith and Ben Stokes in his first 10 deliveries.

An update has emerged on Leeds United’s transfer plans, regarding Reading midfielder John Swift…

What’s the talk?

According to LeedsLive, the Yorkshire giants are not actively looking to pursue a deal for the former Chelsea man in the January window.

The report claim that Swift is out of contract at the end of the season and is currently expected to see out the rest of the Championship campaign.

January disaster

Leeds are on course for a January disaster following this update as failing to sign Swift could be a missed opportunity for Victor Orta.

The Whites have struggled in front of goal this season, with Raphinha the only one in the squad who has been a consistent threat in the final third, and could improve their chances of avoiding relegation by improving their attacking options in January. This is why they must make a move for Swift as he has the potential to come in and make an impact.

Raphinha is the only player in the squad with more than two Premier League goals, whilst Patrick Bamford is the only player with more than one assist (two). Swift, meanwhile, has 17 direct goal contributions in the Championship for Reading, with eight goals and nine assists.

Royals boss Veljko Paunovic previously lauded the midfielder’s talents, saying:

“Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game.”

Back in November, Athletic reporter Phil Hay dropped this line in a Q&A: “Was interesting to see John Swift linked over the weekend because Swift is someone Bielsa quietly admires.”

This suggests that he is a player Bielsa would love to have at Elland Road, with his statistics for Reading also backing the potential he holds to make it at the top level. He is in outstanding form in the second tier and deserves an opportunity to show that he can perform in the Premier League, which is why Orta must make a move for him.

Bielsa’s squad, based on their stats this season, are in dire need of more creativity in the final third and Swift is a player who has shown – in the Championship at least – that he can score and provide goals at an impressive rate. With his contract up at the end of the campaign, it also seems unlikely that it would take a fortune for Leeds to prize him away.

AND in other news, Leeds could sell “shocking” Christiansen flop by signing “wonderful” £9m-rated star…

Jaidev Unadkat launched his first-class career in spectacular style, running through West Indies A with a spell of penetrative fast bowling to finish with figures of 7 for 41 on the second day at Grace Road

Cricinfo staff11-Jun-2010
ScorecardJaidev Unadkat launched his first-class career in spectacular style, running through West Indies A with a spell of penetrative fast bowling to finish with figures of 7 for 41 on the second day at Grace Road. West Indies were shot out for 144 and then India’s batsmen ensured they cashed in on the bowlers’ performance, to finish the day on top, with a lead of 39 and eight wickets intact.After the first day was lost to poor weather, Unadkat’s spell on the second morning seemed intent on making up for lost time. Devon Smith perished in his second over, edging to Manish Pandey for five to begin the procession. Omar Philips and Kraigg Braithwaite followed soon after, leaving West Indies stuttering at 26 for 3. Kirk Edwards pitched tent, contributing one run in fifty minutes of defence, and adding 37 runs with Andre Fletcher, before Unadkat intervened in dramatic fashion. Edwards was caught in front and Chadwick Walton’s castle was breached first ball to complete Unadkat’s five-for. In between the strikes Dhawal Kulkarni got rid of Fletcher and West Indies were staring down the barrel again.David Bernard, Imran Khan and Andre Russel managed to take them past three figures, but 144 still seemed woefully inadequate, and India’s top order ensured the advantage was driven home. Abhinav Mukund and Ajinkya Rahane struck fifties, and the latter was unbeaten at stumps as India surged into the lead. Giving him company was Cheteshwar Pujara who had rushed to 34 off 37 balls with five fours, and the pair look good for more runs on day three.

West Ham could find Michail Antonio’s dream strike partner in Flamengo star Gabriel Barbosa.

What’s the story?

Recent reports from Sky Sports had suggested that David Moyes’ side had opened talks over signing the Brazilian forward, and it appears his agent is now keeping his cards close to his chest.

Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola said (via Sport Witness): “What caught my attention is that I looked for Junior Pedroso, who’s Gabigol’s agent and who always answers me. And this time, Junior ended up not commenting on a possible interest from West Ham.”

Imagine him and Antonio

While Antonio has done brilliantly to lead the line on his own for the Hammers, Moyes surely knows that he could really do with another genuine goal-scorer up top.

And in Barbosa, he could find exactly that.

More commonly known as Gabigol, the 25-year-old has scored an incredible 84 goals for Flamengo in 124 appearances – that includes 29 strikes in just 43 matches during the course of the 2020/2021 season.

In total, he has 129 goals to his name over the course of his professional career thus far.

Talking about the forward back in February, Brazil icon Zico even said: “I think Gabigol has everything to be the greatest striker in Flamengo’s history. It’s getting there. His performance got better and better, consolidating himself as one of the greats. He’s already gone down in history.”

In fact, his goal against Palmeiras back in late November saw him become the first player in the 21st century to reach 11 strikes in the Copa Libertadores tournament.

While his stints in European football with Inter and Benfica didn’t exactly go so well, it could well be third time lucky, and Moyes will feel that the set-up at West Ham is far better for him to come in and hit the ground running in a side that is doing well.

The “lethal” Gabigol could be exactly the kind of foil Antonio needs up top to share the goal-scoring burden at West Ham.

Meanwhile, David Moyes has his sights set on this England star…

N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, has said a new member would be appointed to the disciplinary committee since Shashank Manohar had recused himself following Lalit Modi’s repeated requests for the same

Cricinfo staff23-Jun-2010N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, has said a new member would be appointed to the disciplinary committee since Shashank Manohar had recused himself following Lalit Modi’s repeated requests for the same. The original panel comprised Chirayu Amin and Arun Jaitley, both members of the IPL governing council, along with Manohar. Incidentally Manohar, in a letter marked to Srinivasan on June 19, stepped down, saying that he would like to give Modi a “fair” trial during the enquiry.In his original reply to the first notice on May 15, Modi had also asked that Srinivasan be recused from the hearings against him but that was not granted. “Since Lalit Modi has also accused Mr Manohar [of being biased], he would be replaced by another member to be decided by the general body,” Srinivasan told PTI.Reacting to Manohar recusing himself, Mehmood Abdi, Modi’s legal counsel called the whole process “an eyewash”. “After having decided that Modi’s replies are not satisfactory, as being reported by a TV channel, Manohar has recused himself,” Abdi said. “And the man who is not part of the disciplinary committee, and whose recusal we had demanded, secretary N Srinvasan, is the man who has referred the matter to the disciplinary committee.”

Speaking live on Sky Sports, as shared by via skysports.com, reporter Dharmesh Sheth has dropped yet another West Ham United transfer update involving Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa.

The Lowdown: West Ham hold talks…

As revealed by Sky, the Irons have entered discussions to sign Barbosa this month as they aim to put an end to manager David Moyes’ year-long search for a striker.

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The Brazil international has been in scintillating form for this current club, bagging 29 goals in 2021 alone, which has attracted interest from West Ham, Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman.

Reports in recent days had died down but now, speaking live on the Transfer Show, Sheth has made a promising claim with a possible West Ham move still on.

The Latest: Sheth drops big update…

Sheth stated to the broadcast giant that the Hammers’ offer to sign Barbosa is ‘still on the table’ with the player himself now eager to make a Premier League switch.

“West Ham’s offer is still on the table, it has not been withdrawn, the interest does remain,” he explained on Sky.

“A reminder of what that proposal was from West Ham, 18-month loan plus a 30 million euro option to buy.

“Flamengo do not want to sell or loan Gabriel Barbosa in this transfer window, but, I’m also told that ‘Gabigol’ has a meeting with his agent and Flamengo officials tomorrow, in which he will make it clear to them that he wants to make a move to England.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

As news emerges of Barbosa potentially forcing his club’s hand, this could boost West Ham in their hunt for the 25-year-old and it’s safe to say he could be an asset for Moyes.

The South American’s prolific goalscoring record highlight a really instinctive centre-forward target and, if Moyes is to guide West Ham to Champions League qualification, it certainly won’t hurt to have him in their squad as an alternative to Michail Antonio.

It will be interesting to see how this develops and whether Flamengo will consider a loan/buy option given Barbosa’s stance on leaving Brazil.

In other news: West Ham source: Newman makes move to sign ‘devastating’ forward after price plummets by £32m, find out more here.

Lahiru Thirimanne joined the centuries club as Sri Lanka Board President’s XI once again dominated the Indians, on the final day at Colts Cricket Club

Cricinfo staff15-Jul-2010
ScorecardLahiru Thirimanne was Sri Lanka Board President’s XI’s fourth centurion of the match•AFPLahiru Thirimanne joined the centuries club as Sri Lanka Board President’s XI once again dominated the Indians, on the final day at Colts Cricket Club. Pragyan Ojha was the only Indian player to gain as he finished with three wickets – to go with his first innings five – to push his selection for the second spinner in Galle, assuming Harbhajan Singh recovers from his illness on time.Batting practice was the objective of the final day, when the Sri Lankans took guard for their second innings with a lead of 223. Upul Tharanga began aggressively but his knock came to a halt when he was caught by VVS Laxman off Ishant Sharma for 21 off 15 balls. Dinesh Chandimal earned a promotion and he made it count as he helped himself to a half-century and added 113 with Thirimanne. The pair went after the spinners and the partnership progressed at more than seven an over. Chandimal slammed four sixes in his 69 before Ojha had his revenge.The spinners hit back with the quick wickets of Kaushal Silva and Prasanna Jayawardene. Thirimanne made 102 off 149 balls before he was dismissed by Ojha. His partner Amit Mishra managed to get Thilan Samaraweera stumped and a short while later the captains decided to call it off.It was a difficult three days for the Indians who were outplayed with bat and ball.

Leeds have made an increased bid of £20million for RB Salzburg and USA midfielder Brenden Aaronson, according to Sky Sports News.

The Lowdown: Leeds eye up on Aaronson move

Marcelo Bielsa is no doubt keen to sign a new midfielder this month, with injuries to the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw leaving his squad horribly short.

Leeds have battled on bravely despite their injury problems, winning 3-2 away to West Ham last weekend, but this current issue isn’t sustainable for months on end.

Aaronson has been strongly linked with a move to Elland Road before deadline day and now another key update has emerged.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Whites table £20m bid

Speaking on Sky Sports News [via Football Daily on Twitter] on Friday, reporter Rob Wotton claimed Leeds have upped their bid to £20million:

“This is what we’re we hearing at this moment – Leeds, we understand, have made an increased bid of £20million for the RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson.”

Journalist Phil Hay has also confirmed the news, saying on Twitter that the Whites are ‘upping their bid’ for the American.

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The Verdict: Snap him up

Aaronson has already grown into an important player for Salzburg this season, starting 14 Austrian Bundesliga matches and averaging two tackles per game.

At just 21 years of age he isn’t simply a quick fix, representing a long-term addition and someone who the rest of the team can be built around over time.

The fact that Aaronson has also averaged 1.8 dribbles per game shows he is effective on and off the ball – he has been described as a ‘killer’ by coach Jim Curtin, too – so his acquisition feels like a no-brainer for a team desperately in need of another all-action midfielder.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a key update on Leeds’ search for a midfielder. Read more here.