Category Uncategorized

Leeds United have produced some impressive young talents over the years and Archie Gray appears to be the latest star to come off the production line.

German head coach Daniel Farke was brought in to manage the team last summer and immediately placed his trust in the talented teenager to be a regular in the side.

Gray has already started 29 league matches and featured in 31 of the club's Championship games so far this season, despite not turning 18 until next month.

The 17-year-old gem has emerged as the first-choice right-back, having started the campaign as a central midfielder, but does not face competition from recent signing Connor Roberts.

Premier League giants Liverpool have already been linked with an interest in the impressive youngster, and Leeds will have to be careful to make sure they can either keep hold of him or extract maximum value from any potential sale.

That was not the case when they decided to cash in on former academy graduate Lewis Cook, whose value soared after moving on from Elland Road in 2016, and is currently worth more than first-team star Glen Kamara.

The fee Leeds were paid for Cook

Premier League side Bournemouth swooped in to sign the exciting young central midfielder from the Yorkshire-based outfit ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.

The Guardian reported that the Cherries splashed out an initial fee of £6m to secure his services, although they added that it could rise to £10m with add-ons. However, it remains unknown as to what those add-ons are and if Leeds have earned any extra money on top of the initial £6m they raked in.

Then-manager Garry Monk revealed that the club and himself tried hard to persuade the promising talent to remain at Elland Road, through a new contract and the footballing side of things.

However, they were not able to do enough to convince the star to stay with the club or sign an extension, which turned out to be a blunder as they undersold him, based on his subsequent soaring market value.

Cook made 43 appearances for Leeds in the Championship during the 2015/16 campaign and contributed with one goal and two assists from midfield.

He also made a big impact out of possession with 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game for the team, which shows that the young gem was constantly working hard to win the ball back for Leeds by cutting out opposition attacks.

That came after Cook had played 37 times in the second tier throughout the 2014/15 campaign, which was his debut season in first-team football.

He made 85 senior appearances for Leeds in total across those two seasons, after coming through the academy set-up, and had already been capped by England at U16, U17, U18, and U19 level by the summer of 2016.

His form for club and country at a young age was enough to convince Bournemouth to spend an initial £6m to snap him up to bolster Eddie Howe's squad in 2016, and it has turned out to be an astute addition for the Cherries.

Lewis Cook's current market value

At the time of writing (24/02/2024), Cook is valued at €10m (£8.5m) by Transfermarkt at the age of 27, but that is not the peak of his market value during his time on the south coast.

Between the summer of 2018 and December 2019 – an 18-month period – Transfermarkt valued the central midfielder at a whopping €20m (£17.1m).

This means that his value had soared by a staggering £11.1m from the £6m that Bournemouth initially paid to sign him, and £7.1m more than the total package of £10m including add-ons.

His soaring market value after leaving Elland Road suggests that Monk and Leeds had a blunder when they sold him in 2016 for just £6m up front, as they did not maximise his value.

However, it was not an easy rise for Cook as his first season was disrupted by an ankle injury that forced him to miss 41 competitive matches.

He battled his way back to fitness and featured in 29 Premier League games, starting 25 of them, during the 2017/18 campaign. In that time, the English maestro caught the eye with 3.5 tackles and interceptions combined and 1.7 dribbles completed per game.

Cook has gone on to rack up 203 appearances for Bournemouth in all competitions, including a two-year spell in the Championship, and is currently starring for them in the top-flight.

The 27-year-old dynamo, who was hailed as "amazing" by manager Andoni Iraola earlier this season, has started 19 Premier League matches this term and has been a defensive monster for them with 4.1 tackles and interceptions per game – more than any of his teammates.

Glen Kamara's current market value

Meanwhile, Leeds midfielder Kamara, who was snapped up from Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers last summer, is currently worth less than Cook.

At the time of writing (24/02/2024), the Finland international is valued at €6m (£5.1m) and that is €500k more than his valuation at the time of his move from Ibrox ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The 28-year-old gem, who is one year older than the Bournemouth maestro, has, however, been an impressive performer in midfield for the Whites.

Passes attempted (66.82)

Top 10%

Pass completion rate (93.2%)

Top 2%

Progressive passes (7.29)

Top 6%

Shot-creating actions (2.99)

Top 37%

As you can see in the table above, the former Gers star has been an outstanding passer in the Championship this term with both his ability to retain possession and progress the play from a deep-lying midfield position.

Kamara does not, however, offer the same defensive attributes as Cook in the middle of the park as he has only made 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game for the Whites.

His exceptional passing and ability to control the tempo of a game in midfield does make him a valuable player for Farke and Leeds, though.

The club appear to have made a blunder when they sold Cook for £6m, due to his soaring market value and current performances in the Premier League, but they do also have an excellent option in Kamara right now, even if he is not worth as much as their former academy graduate.

Chelsea are thought to be eyeing up a move for a "unique" manager to possibly replace Mauricio Pochettino.

Latest on Pochettino’s future

The Blues have once again struggled in the Premier League, this time under Pochettino after he was backed by Todd Boehly in the summer transfer market.

Chelsea summer signings

Axel Disasi (Monaco)

£38.5m

Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal)

£30.1m

Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)

£52m

Kendry Paez (Independiente del Valle)

£17.27m

Robert Sanchez (Brighton)

£25m

Moises Caicedo (Brighton)

£115m

Lesley Ugochukwu (Rennes)

£23.5m

Angelo Gabriel (Santos)

Undisclosed

Alex Matos (Norwich)

Undisclosed

Diego Moreira (Benfica)

Undisclosed

Ishe Samuels-Smith (Everton)

Undisclosed

Dujuan Richards (Phoenix All Stars Academy)

Undisclosed

Romeo Lavia (Southampton)

£58m

Deivid Washington (Santos)

£17.1m

Djordje Petrovic (New England Revolution)

£14m

Cole Palmer (Manchester City)

£42.5m

All fees courtesy of Sky Sports

Following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Brentford, Chelsea now sit a whopping 19 points adrift of fourth place, with supporters showing their frustration by booing and chanting against both Boehly and Pochettino vs the Bees.

"I think the performances have been very good, I’m so happy with the performances," Pochettino said when asked about supporters' frustration.

"Yes, and if they want to listen, perfect. If not, what can I do? They'll keep booing. I'm giving my best to this team. But we cannot blame the fans. My message is: Okay, they need to show their frustration – through who? I prefer to me rather than to the team. I prefer that, I am strong. I am sure that in time we will change the perception.”

There have been rumours regarding Pochettino’s future in charge at Stamford Bridge, but latest reports have suggested that the Argentine will get until the end of the season. However, Chelsea appear to be drawing up a list of potential replacements, going off a new report.

Chelsea eyeing Roberto De Zerbi move

According to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is a potential Pochettino replacement alongside Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim.

The Blues have history with Brighton, most recently securing a deal for head of recruitment Sam Jewell.

The report on De Zerbi states that he ‘could leave Brighton at the end of the season’ and is on Liverpool’s shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp, whereas Manchester United are keen, should they sack Erik ten Hag.

De Zerbi has beaten both those Premier League managers in the past, alongside Mikel Arteta. He has also been praised by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who hailed the 4-2-3-1 boss last year.

"There is no team playing the way they play – it's unique. I had the feeling when he arrived the impact he would have in the Premier League would be great – I didn't expect him to do it in this short space of time.

"He creates 20 or 25 chances per game, better by far than most opponents. He monopolises the ball in a way it hasn't been for a long time. They deserve completely the success they have."

Arsenal are set to wear an unusual kit combination for their Champions League opener against Athletic Club. The Gunners are known for their iconic red and white jersey but they will have to tweak things for their clash in Spain on Tuesday.

Arsenal forced into kit tweaks for Champions League game

Mikel Arteta's side begin their Champions League campaign with a tough test against this dangerous La Liga outfit. Incidentally, according to Arsenal Shirt, the Gunners will wear the blue away kit with the silver alternate top and silver socks in a rare combination. But why aren't they wearing more conventional combinations?

AdvertisementThe Explanation

The reason behind this is that UEFA have reportedly brought in stricter regulations in regards to kit clashes, so this is a practical solution to avoid any confusion with Athletic Club's outfit. That means the Gunners won't have navy shorts and socks to go with their navy tops.

Arsenal face Athletic Club again

The north London side will be confident going into this match with their Spanish opponents, as they swept aside Ernesto Valverde's team in a 3-0 pre-season win at the Emirates last month. A tougher examination is expected this time, though.

AFPWhat next for Arsenal? Busy fixture period begins

After Arsenal's game against the Spanish team, they play Manchester City, Port Vale, Newcastle United, Olympiacos, and West Ham in the space of under three weeks. If Arteta's team can win all of those games, they will head into the international break feeling very content.

It is a curious truth that whenever one of cricket’s prized formats has been challenged in recent years it has often responded in a manner illustrating its value

Paul Edwards22-Sep-2019It is a curious truth that whenever one of cricket’s prized formats has been challenged in recent years it has often responded in a manner illustrating its value. In 2016 the decision was taken to reduce the number of County Championship matches to 14; then came Middlesex v Yorkshire at Lord’s, the best climax to an English season for many years and a game so fine it even inspired an excellent book: Duncan Hamilton’s .This year a prevailing enthusiasm among some propeller heads was a reduction in the length of Test matches to four days; so we had the most closely contested Ashes series for a decade, one in which three of the five matches had the temerity to extend themselves into a fifth day.Next year, of course, The Hundred is to be played in the weeks hitherto reserved for the Vitality Blast. Having marketed T20 cricket superbly and seen it attract record attendances at almost all venues, the counties must now try to sell a second short-form competition much earlier in the summer at a time when many GCSE and A Level examinations are taking place. Good luck. The response of the Blast was to offer a glorious Finals Day at Edgbaston, where two of the three matches went to the last ball and one of those games, the Worcestershire Rapids v Notts Outlaws semi-final, gave us one of the most bizarre finishes in the history of T20 cricket.Old coaches and players are wont to suggest this is another example of the power of “Mother Cricket”, a strange force by which the game rewards those who respect it and punishes those who do not. More rational individuals view this contention as so much hokum yet even they would agree that in the summer prior to the greatest change in the English domestic game for a generation we have had a season so fine that no one outside the ECB sees any need for fundamental alteration.The Vitality Blast has played its part in all this. T20 Finals Day is utterly unlike any other occasion in the sporting year. It is back-slapping, brightly-coloured, belching, beery England in all its unapologetic finery. Decorum? Don’t even think about it. Subtlety? Not unless you are referring to Pat Brown’s knuckle balls or Ravi Bopara’s judgement of an innings. Some people will never warm to T20 cricket yet even they admit the importance of the income the competition generates and concede that it has refined and extended many skills. How many misfields do you recall from this year’s Finals Day? How many dropped catches?And it is even more important to recognise The Blast’s value because it appears under challenge; because, so the argument goes, if the ECB can use The Hundred to kill The Blast it will foreshadow the introduction of a hierarchy of ten or so first-class teams with the smaller counties permanently relegated or forced out of business altogether: counties like Essex, who won The Blast and may well win the County Championship, the greatest prize of all; counties like Somerset, who won the Royal London One-Day Cup; counties like Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire, who are on the verge of promotion to Division One; counties like Derbyshire, who so relished their first Finals Day; counties like Leicestershire, who continue to nurture great talents like Hasan Azad and Harry Swindells.Great God, this is poisonous stuff. And a simple press release from the ECB would be a most powerful antidote to it all.For the moment, though, we still have Finals Day and even the sceptics should treasure it a little. Sir John Betjeman would have loved the whole ridiculous rigmarole. Even though he knew next to nothing about cricket, that fine poet always appreciated English people displaying all their daft exuberance; the lines of people in fancy dress doing some version of the conga would, I suspect, have brought forth howls of laughter from him. Though capable of serious poetry, he relished popular entertainment – in its golden years was a great favourite – and Edgbaston on the third Saturday in September is a right royal knees-up.A fan dressed as the Queen during the Vitality T20 Blast Semi Final match between Notts Outlaws and Worcestershire Rapids•Getty Images

And of course it bloody daft. From the first chorus of the morning to the final spray of champagne it is gloriously unhinged. You cannot stage an obstacle race between 18 adult humans, most of them dressed in felt animal costumes, and hope that it will look anything but absolutely bonkers. You cannot celebrate the fall of every wicket by sending people hurtling into the air in a glass pod – it is called the Bungee Blast – and think you are presenting an image of maturity.You cannot hire Mr Motivator – ask your parents – to exhort 6,000 people in the Hollies Stand to exercise when most of the people he is encouraging have been drinking for England and many are dressed as bananas / Donald Trump / chickens / Roman Catholic priests, and still hope to look sensible. Someone might have suggested to the ECB that it is tricky to exercise when you cannot stand upright. But never mind, welcome to Birmingham’s House of Fun.It is also about the beauty of seeing a great city in its crepuscular light; the beauty of seeing Birmingham’s great business houses disappear into the darkness until they are revealed only by tiny pinpricks of red. The English season should always end with the last day of the County Championship but there is a certain elegiac richness about this particular Saturday evening. Gone is the expectation of early morning. All we have before us is the season’s final game of short-form cricket.And so we are left with the cricketers. They must always have the final word. We are left with Worcestershire’s Daryl Mitchell going over to his team-mate, Wayne Parnell, when he has been hit for four off the penultimate ball of the Final. We are left with Simon Harmer returning to console Parnell when his blows off that bowler have secured the trophy for Essex. And we are left with Harmer telling the press that his team will celebrate their victory properly but will not “go nuclear”. Many of the 24,550 folk at Edgbaston, on the other hand, have been going nuclear all day. The first beach-ball was confiscated at 11.24am. Freddie the Falcon won the Mascots’ Race.Freddy the Falcon of Derbyshire wins the mascots race on Finals Day•Getty Images

da luck： Sunderland's one main regret from the transfer window will be their inability to pick up a new striker, with no guarantee at the Stadium of Light that their current crop of attackers will be reliable in front of goal when it matters.

da bet7： Mason Burstow was chosen as Michael Beale's lone striker versus Middlesbrough last game, the Chelsea loanee largely anonymous against Michael Carrick's men before Nazariy Rusyn stole the show from off the bench with a shock goal.

Regardless of Rusyn coming up trumps for the Black Cats at the Riverside Stadium, Sunderland could well look back on this failed capture in the window with immense sorrow if the player in question fires a different Championship side to promotion.

Sunderland's interest in Kieffer Moore

Wanted by a whole host of second tier sides when the window was open, Kieffer Moore would eventually relocate to former employers Ipswich Town on a loan switch from AFC Bournemouth to the dismay of Beale's men.

Sunderland's interest in the prolific £15k per week Welshman was well documented right up until Deadline Day, with the Tractor Boys just able to offer up a more attractive deal to the towering 6 foot 5 striker over the Black Cats in the end.

Beale and Co will hope their powerlessness in failing to land Moore until the end of the season doesn't come back to bite them, with the Championship promotion hopefuls having to rely on inconsistent strikers such as Burstow and Rusyn to come good away from the polished second tier goal machine.

Moore's numbers in the Championship

Moore could well have been the best possible fix to Sunderland's striker woes, the new Ipswich loanee showcasing his deadly knack of finding the back of the net on his debut for Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys just last weekend.

The 31-year-old would only need one half of football away at Preston North End to make the Black Cats further rue their failures in the transfer market, scoring two goals late on at Deepdale in an authoritative showing from the experienced centre-forward.

This excellent brace couldn't help Ipswich pull off an unbelievable comeback in the eventual 3-2 loss, but those two goals would bump Moore's total at the level up to an impressive 49 strikes.

Moore's potent time playing for Cardiff City – which saw him bag 20 goals during the 2020-21 campaign in the Championship – even saw a notoriously hard-to-please Mick McCarthy describe the striker as "terrific" when he was in charge of the Bluebirds.

Sunderland would have loved to have had such an imposing presence up top versus Middlesbrough, with Burstow offering very little in reality.

Only managing 18 touches of the ball before Beale substituted the ex-Charlton youngster off for Rusyn, Burstow looked afraid to leave his mark on proceedings – failing to register a single shot on goal from a forgettable 67-minute spell on the Riverside pitch.

This has been typical of Burstow's overall sub-par season donning a Black Cats strip since relocating from Stamford Bridge, only finding the back of the net once from an unremarkable 19 appearances. Already Moore has beaten that tally in one game.

Beale will just have to keep selecting the likes of Burstow and Rusyn hoping that a clinical striker is unearthed eventually, with the incompetence to not get Moore through the Stadium of Light door potentially haunting the Wearside club if Moore manages to be crucial to Ipswich jumping up to the Premier League.

Glasgow Rangers have taken off to Spain for a mid-season training camp in the hopes that the sunshine could rejuvenate tired bodies ahead of the second half of the season which begins on 20 January.

Philippe Clement will be under no illusions that winning one trophy is enough as boss of the Ibrox side and, while League Cup success was required, more silverware will be expected.

The Belgian has accumulated plenty of credit in the bank during his first three months in charge and with the January transfer window now in operation, he could bolster his squad adequately.

Several areas of the team need a fresh face or two, none more so than the left back area and there have been a few names already mentioned.

Josh Doig was a player who was linked, yet it appears as though this move may have bypassed the Gers with a recent update on his situation.

Rangers' interest in Josh Doig

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (via Toro Goal) claimed towards the end of 2023 that the Light Blues were one of the teams battling it out for Hellas Verona left-back Josh Doig this month as he looks set to leave the Serie A club.

Torino, AC Monza and Leeds United are also keen on signing the defender in January as Clement appeared to face stiff competition for the youngster.

Rangers could sign Barisic replacement in Josh Doig

Rangers could sign a dream Borna Barisic replacement in Hibernian starlet Josh Doig.

Indeed, a recent update by the Scottish Sun, Torino have tabled a £3.5m offer plus add-ons, a 10% sell-on clause along with sending midfielder Gvidas Gineitis to Verona on loan and this could be too good for the club to turn down.

This suggests that the Gers have potentially missed out on luring Doig back to Scotland – where he won the Young Player of the Year award in 2021 – and it could be back to the drawing board for Clement.

Ridvan Yilmaz may be close to joining Verona for a fee in the region of £3m according to reports in Italy (via the Sun) and this heightens the need for another left-sided defender.

The 49-year-old could forget all about Doig, however, by focusing his interest on highly rated Dutch defender Gijs Smal, who has been linked with a move to Scotland.

Rangers' interest in Gijs Smal

Reports in the Netherlands over the weekend (via the Scottish Sun) claim that the Gers are monitoring FC Twente left-back Smal as a potential target this month.

The good news is his contract expires this summer, which indicates that he wouldn’t break the bank should he complete a move in January. He could even arrive for nothing in the summer, yet Clement will be looking to bring in another defender sooner rather than later.

Sam Lammers

31

Ronald Waterreus

59

Frank de Boer

15

Fernando Ricksen

223

Bert Konterman

100

Ronald de Boer

111

Michael Mols

128

Arthur Numan

154

Giovanni van Bronckhorst

103

Theo Snelders

6

Peter van Vossen

8

Pieter Huistra

9

The Dutch side will be doing everything they can to keep a hold of the 6-foot gem, however, with their technical director Arnold Bruggink saying: "Of course we would very much like it if Gijs signed a new deal with us. But both parties have to want that. And we have to be realistic about that part of his future sadly."

Celtic have previously shown their interest in the Twente gem, but it looks as though it is the Ibrox side who are currently leading the chase to bring him to Scotland in the near future.

Gijs Smal’s season in numbers

The 26-year-old has missed a large chunk of the campaign due to suffering a calf injury, but he has started Twente’s previous seven matches in the Eredivisie, indicating that he is returning to full fitness.

Despite a lack of game time this term, Smal has still shown his attacking capabilities from a left-back slot, as he currently ranks fifth in the squad for key passes per game (1.5) along with ranking sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.6) and for shots per game (1.6), underling how impressive he has been going forward.

Indeed, the defender has also shone when compared to his positional peers in similar leagues in Europe, as he ranks in the top 6% for assists, shot-creating actions, progressive carries, and total shots per 90, which is further evidence of how good he is at pushing forward down the left-hand side on a regular basis.

Securing a player like this without having to pay a transfer fee would be a wonderful piece of business, but the reality is, Clement may need to shell out something this month in order to sign him.

How Gijs Smal compares to Josh Doig

Kai Watson – the founder of the Rangers Journal – analysed Smal due to his links with the club, and he dubbed the 26-year-old as “much more aggressive on the defensive end” compared to Borna Barisic while also saying he “would provide quality deliveries from the left” and a move is a no-brainer.

When compared to Doig, not only has Smal registered more shots per 90 (1.66 vs 0.61), but he also has a higher pass completion percentage (79.3% vs 73.9), generated more shot-creating actions per 90 (3.93 vs 1.09) and has taken more touches in the final third (134 vs 97), suggesting he is a much better attacking option than the former Hibs starlet.

Defensively, the Dutchman wins more aerial duels per game (0.8 vs 0.5), but Doig holds the upper hand when it comes to tackles (1.5 vs 0.9) and clearances (1.3 vs 0.9) along with losing possession on fewer occasions per game (9.9 vs 11.6) and it is clear from the statistics that while Smal is a much better option going forward, Doig looks more solid from a defensive viewpoint.

Barisic’s game is built on attacking as often as possible and this could be something which Clement wishes his next first-choice left-back to continue to do.

If so, Smal must be the main target as he could generate plenty of chances for his teammates during games and this will only benefit the attack.

It could be a long few weeks for the supporters as they wait to sign more players following the arrival of Fabio Silva late last month and Clement will hopefully avoid the mistakes of his predecessors by making all his January signings before deadline day.

Punam Raut led a competent Indian batting show, with Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur playing excellent supporting roles, before the Indian spinners got into the act to hand West Indies women a 53-run defeat and bring the three-ODI series back on level terms in North Sound.The first game of the series had been a thriller, going down to the last ball before Anisa Mohammed performed the star turn to give the home team a one-run win. The Indians needed to hit the ground running this time, and though they lost openers Jemimah Rodrigues and Priya Punia with just 17 runs on the board, Raut and Raj steadied the innings well after that.The going was slow. When the two had come together at the end of the ninth over, not a single ball had gone to the ropes, and it took Raj to get there off the third ball she faced, sending Shabika Gajnabi for four. She followed it up with one more, off Aaliyah Alleyne, but even as she settled in well, Raut seemed content playing the patience game, knocking the ball around for ones and twos and scoring her runs with a strike rate in the 30s.Raj comfortably outscored Raut in their 66-run stand and half the innings had gone before Raut finally found the boundary off the 70th delivery she faced. But Raj fell almost immediately after for a 67-ball 40, to Sheneta Grimmond.The complexion of the game, however, changed after that as Kaur walked in with more intent than the ones before her, and her 93-run stand for the fourth wicket with Raut was a quick one in the circumstances, coming in just under 18 overs. Kaur hit 46 off 52 balls, with four fours, and Raut also stepped it up in Kaur’s company, bringing up her half-century and hitting three more fours, including two in one Stacy-Ann King over – the 46th of the innings – before they were both dismissed within six balls. Kaur was bowled by Alleyne while Raut was caught by Alleyne off Afy Fletcher.By then, though, India had reached 178, and small contributions from Taniya Bhatia and Deepti Sharma took them to 191 for 6, which didn’t seem like too many but proved much more than enough in the end.That was because, much like the West Indians, the Indian bowlers too choked the batters, preventing the scoring rate to ever become a concern. Shikha Pandey accounted for King early on, and the chase stuttered further when Natasha McLean had to be stretchered off after going down clutching her hamstring while taking a run.The scoreboard read 33 for 1 (McLean didn’t return to bat), and though Shemaine Campbelle and Stafanie Taylor revived the chase with a 45-run stand after that, once the spinners got into the act, only one team was going to win.Taylor, who had hit a match-winning 94 in the first game, made 20 off 31 balls, but then became Poonam Yadav’s first victim. Yadav got her second not long after, sending back Chedean Nation. Then, Sharma got Kyshona Knight caught behind by Bhatia, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad had Grimmond stumped by the wicketkeeper. Campbelle also couldn’t carry on, her vigil ending after 90 balls in the middle when Gayakwad had her caught by Raut for 39, and though Alleyne (16 off 43 balls) and Fletcher (14 off 18) did their bit, it wasn’t enough.The third and final game of the series, a part of the Women’s Championship, will be played on Wednesday at the same venue.

St Lucia Zouks picked up their first points in three games after persistent rain washed out their contest against Trinbago Knight Riders

The Report by Varun Shetty22-Sep-2019No result
St Lucia Zouks picked up their first points in three games after persistent rain washed out their match against Trinbago Knight Riders. The venue had copped heavy rain before the match, and, although the game started on time and in good conditions, one spell of rain 12.2 overs into the Zouks innings put a stop to proceedings. Zouks now have three points in six games, and continue to be fifth on the table with four games to go. Immediately above them are Barbados Tridents with four points in four matches.Knight Riders had put Zouks in and dismissed both their openers inside the Powerplay. Andre Fletcher had a leg-side delivery stop on him as he flicked aerially to deep square leg. John Campbell, who came into the XI and replaced Rahkeem Cornwall in the opening slot, looked patchy until he drove uppishly against Jimmy Neesham, who plucked a one-handed reaction catch to his right in his follow-through.The experience of Colin Ingram and Colin de Grandhomme brought stability – and flair – to the innings, with both batsmen getting themselves in during a 51-run stand. Ingram, in particular, was impressive, gauging the pace of the pitch early in his innings and barely offering a chance as he got to 52 off 34. He was unbeaten when Cornwall top-edged to short third man a minute before the covers came on.

With Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United currently staring down the barrel of relegation from the Premier League, whether or not the 48-year-old manager remains at the club in the event of the Whites dropping down to the second tier appears very much up for debate.

Indeed, this question was posed to the American in a recent press conference, with the former RB Leipzig head coach appearing to suggest that he was not brought into the club by Victor Orta to simply oversee the remaining fixtures of the season, but rather to build a project at Elland Road.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title=”Read the latest Leeds United news and rumours!”]

Regarding his future in LS11 beyond the end of the current campaign, Marsch said: “I am so focused on what we are doing right here, right now. My vision was not 12 games. It’s over years. The first step is staying in the Premier League. The club deserves it and the club has earned it. But we have to earn it in the moment right now.”

However, despite the 48-year-old’s rather optimistic outlook, the fact remains that, should Leeds find themselves playing Championship football next season – an outcome which, following the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on Wednesday, is now a 65% probability – he will have failed in what will undoubtedly the primary objective given to him by Orta and Andrea Radrizzani back in March.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Phil Hay suggested that securing survival for the Whites is the only real way the American can back up his positive outlook concerning his future, with the journalist writing:

“He is nine games in and you cannot tell at this stage if you are seeing all of the coach or the man, which creates confusion over whether to be convinced or perplexed by some of what he is saying. Gandhi won’t get Leeds United out of trouble and neither will Mother Theresa. Marsch, on the other hand, can. It is an essential first step in proving he can walk the walk.”

Indeed, despite Leeds’ brief upturn in form following Marsch’s arrival at the club, results in recent weeks, as well as individual player performances – have been well below par, rendering Sunday’s meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion a must-win game if the Whites are to remain a Premier League side heading into 2022/23.

However, aside from deciding the club’s immediate future, the visit of the Seagulls could also determine whether or not Marsch will fulfil his prophecy of spending a number of years at Elland Road – as a defeat against Graham Potter’s outfit will force both Orta and Radrizzani into making a decision as to whether the 48-year-old is the man who they want to lead the Whites into a campaign in the second-tier of English football.

And, in the event of relegation, while it is true that a number of the current playing staff – including the likes of Rodrigo and Mateusz Klich – should be moved on this summer, we at Football FanCast also believe it would be wise to axe the £80k-per-week American, as the 48-year-old once again appears to be “out of his depth.”

AND in other news: Forget James: “Completely anonymous” dud should’ve just played his last game for Leeds

South Africa’s veteran spinner will be hoping to kickstart their World Cup against Bangladesh, whether he opens the bowling or not

Andrew Miller at The Oval01-Jun-2019Imran Tahir’s solipsistic wicket rampages are not everybody’s cup of tea. Some might argue, with justification, that in a team sport such as cricket, the direction of travel in that moment of exquisite release after the snaring of an opposition batsman ought to be towards one’s team-mates (including the chap who has often just held a catch for you) rather than towards the most sparsely populated corner of the outfield.But then Tahir’s career has been uniquely reliant on his own sense of direction – whether that means emigrating from his native Pakistan for the love of a good woman (as he did in the wake of the 1998 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa), or making his international debut for that newly adopted country at the age of 31, and at the 2011 World Cup in India to boot.So you could forgive him his glee on Thursday morning, when he conjured up South Africa’s undoubted highlight of an otherwise chastening tournament opener against England. Not content with becoming the first spinner (the first non-right-arm seamer, in fact) to bowl the opening delivery of a World Cup, he followed that up, one ball later, by stopping the previously rampant Jonny Bairstow dead in his tracks for a first-ball duck.ALSO READ: Kagiso Rabada TCM interviewAnd so, while the wider focus for South Africa has to be on those inevitable early frissons of anxiety that only World Cup campaigns can cause, Tahir could be excused for taking a moment on the eve of the game to pause, to take stock, and to reflect on the prospect, unthinkable a decade ago, of playing in his 100th ODI.”It feels really special,” Tahir said. “It’s been an amazing journey. I always dreamt that, but I never thought I will be here one day playing my 100th game for South Africa. It’s an absolute honour and privilege, being given the opportunity by the lovely people from South Africa.”I’m just really grateful to everybody, and I hope that from myself, that I give everything that I could for the country.”While he has clearly been living the dream for the past decade (and a pretty wild one at that, given that it began with him providing for his siblings by packing bags in a retail store in Lahore), Tahir knows that he is nearer the end than the beginning.He turned 40 back in March, and at some stage in the course of the ten fixtures still available to South Africa in this tournament, he will call time on the 50-over leg of his international career at the very least. The World T20 in 2020 remains a plausible postscript for a player who will be returning to The Oval immediately after the World Cup to play for Surrey (his eighth county) in the T20 Blast.”Obviously, if I look back, I’m really proud of myself,” he said. “I’m the guy who come through a lot of hard patches, I’ve seen a lot of hardships. I lost my parents without them seeing me play international cricket. So these things are really special to me, and for my family.”I have not seen my brothers or sisters in the last two years, so this country that I’m representing and every game I’m playing for is really important to me, and I’m really proud. I’m just really grateful to my family. They understand that, you know, I’m away from them, but there is an important reason for that.”Indeed there is. For all the talk of how the round-robin format of the 2019 World Cup can be forgiving to sides who make a slow start to the tournament, South Africa’s itinerary is proof that there will be jeopardy at every step of the group stages. Defeat against Bangladesh – Champions Trophy semi-finalists and recent tri-series winners in Ireland – would leave them excruciatingly placed going into India’s opening match in Southampton on Wednesday.”Look, there is always a pressure if you play every game and especially when you are representing your country,” said Tahir. “But you can take the pressure positively or negatively, and we are very positive. We have been beaten by a very good England team who has been dominating world cricket for a year or so, but we are going to learn from our mistakes.”Imran Tahir celebrates Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal•AFPThose mistakes, for the most part, were made by the batsmen whom Tahir admitted had allowed themselves to be rushed in the run-chase. Broadly speaking, their bowlers and fielders were exonerated after limiting England to a daunting but obtainable 311 for 9 – and Tahir was a key factor in that performance, thanks to that initial impact and the overall energy of his two-wicket display.”I am the kind of guy who likes challenges and I like to think that my captain [Faf du Plessis] can give me a ball in any situation and I will be the first guy to say yes,” he said. “It was a plan which I had been working on for the last year or so, so I think we knew that it was going to be pretty much a shock for everybody.”It was a great challenge, bowling against two top players in world cricket who have been in form, and we were really pleased as a team with the way it came out.”The same strip will be in use for the Bangladesh match, which may tempt South Africa into a repeat performance (not that the man himself would be drawn). But whenever he enters the fray, you can be sure that further crucial breakthroughs will cause his team-mates to gravitate towards him once again … wherever in the outfield his cavorting may carry him.”I always look for one thing, and that’s hard work and to never give up,” Tahir said. “I know I’m the oldest guy on the team, which I’m really proud of, because playing on this team, you need to be very fit.”I’m really enjoying my cricket. I’m enjoying my team-mates. I just hope as a team we have a great World Cup, like how we thought before we came to England.”