All posts by h716a5.icu

A number of Manchester United supporters have been reacting positively to another rumour claiming Anthony Martial could leave the club.

The Frenchman has had a curious United career in many ways, enjoying some success but never quite matching the expectations many had when he arrived in 2015.

Martial has scored 79 goals in 268 appearances for the Red Devils but he has found himself increasingly out of favour at Old Trafford.

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Only two Premier League starts have come his way this season, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani all seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness and utdreport on Twitter], Martial will now do all he can to leave United in the January transfer window, assuming he is not in Ralf Rangnick’s plans.

Man United fans like Martial rumour

These United fans reacted to the news on Twitter, seeing it as a positive update due to the Frenchman’s lack of form recently…

“Please go”

Credit: @BigGruntz

“Thank God he wants to leave”

Credit: @_joromie

“Where does he want driving?”

Credit: @33georgejohnson

“On your bike then”

Credit: @alexkevans1992

“Who’s gonna miss a lazy striker???”

Credit: @Fabianhdw1

“He should have performed when he was given the chances…”

Credit: @lit08

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on one rumoured United target. Find out who it is here.

A teasing update has emerged on Rangers and their efforts to fast track John Souttar’s arrival at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

Edinburgh News journalist Barry Anderson has claimed that the Gers are working to agree a deal to sign the centre-back this month.

He Tweeted: “Rangers’ talks with Hearts over John Souttar are progressing but no transfer agreed yet. Seems a matter of time. Will be surprised if he plays for #HMFC again. Not involved at Auchinleck Talbot today.”

Excitement

This teasing claim will surely get Rangers fans excited as it suggests that the club are well on their way to bringing Souttar to Ibrox this month. Whilst Gio van Bronckhorst can rest easy with the knowledge that he is guaranteed to come in the summer, it could be a major boost in the short term to have him arrive six months earlier.

Bringing the central defender to Glasgow this month could improve the Gers’ chances of achieving success domestically and in Europe as he could be an upgrade to the starting XI.

Souttar has averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.44 across his 19 Premiership starts. He has won 70% of his individual duels and made 4.3 clearances per game, showing off his defensive quality at this level.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein once hailed the defender as one of the best in the division, saying:

“I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”

Meanwhile, no Rangers player outside of James Tavernier (7.80) has managed a higher rating than Souttar in the league. Connor Goldson’s score of 7.15 is the highest of any centre-back in the squad, suggesting that the Hearts man has been head and shoulders above any of van Bronckhorst’s current options.

Therefore, bringing the 25-year-old in this month could be a huge move by Ross Wilson and the Dutch head coach and fans will surely be excited by the prospect of him lining up for the club this season. That is why they will be delighted with this latest update on the pursuit by Anderson.

AND in other news, Major development emerges in “groundbreaking” Rangers move, GvB will be buzzing…

Just to prove that their first win over India wasn’t an upset at all, Zimbabwe won even more convincingly – with a bonus point this time, making their qualification for the final a distinct possibility

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga03-Jun-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
M Vijay consumed 56 balls for his 21 before being stumped•DESMOND KWANDE/AFPJust to prove that their first win over India wasn’t an upset, Zimbabwe won even more convincingly – with a bonus point this time, making their qualification for the final a distinct possibility. A combination of disciplined bowling and fielding, and directionless batting from India, meant Zimbabwe were chasing an ordinary total. Just to show the pitch had no demons that could justify a total of 194, Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza punished the bowlers, adding 128 runs in 26.3 overs.The pitch wasn’t exceptionally slow nor did it have much movement. Even without a specialist new-ball bowler, Zimbabwe choked India’s scoring, and kept getting regular wickets. India didn’t help themselves with a 1980s-style opening that was lacking in intent, followed by the quick departure of the openers, and then the run-outs of two of their mainstays, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.Zimbabwe’s attack might be built on four spinners and a military-medium bowler, but they were as aggressive as fast bowlers – in intent, in field placings and in body language. Greg Lamb, who bowled a fine mixture of offbreaks and floaters that went straight on, was the pick of the bowlers with the wickets of the openers in back-to-back overs after they had consumed almost 19 overs for 63 runs. There were 182 dot balls in the innings, and just 12 boundaries – that too thanks to some late hitting from Ravindra Jadeja, who escaped two plumb lbws before going on to score 51.It was a strange ceasefire at the top of the innings: India kept waiting for poor deliveries, Zimbabwe for loose shots. Andy Blignaut and Ray Price, the opening bowlers, gave no free scoring opportunities but Dinesh Karthik and M Vijay sought no adventure. Only 26 runs came in the first 10 overs, five of them in wides, as the bowlers consciously tried to cut out shots through the off side and ended up bowling down the leg side.Both batsmen had put themselves under pressure with that slow start, making it imperative to not get out after wasting so many overs. And get out they did, following each other to the pavilion. If Karthik got too adventurous with a reverse-sweep, Vijay charged at Lamb and fell to a floater that went straight as opposed to breaking in. While it was smart bowling, it could also be argued that Lamb had been bowling straighter ones throughout his spell, and it wasn’t as big a variation as the sight of Vijay swinging way inside its line suggested.Zimbabwe were not going to let India’s middle order play the game of four singles an over followed by a late assault. In as late as the 23th over, they had six men inside the circle, and the slip hardly ever moved out. Virat Kohli soon fell to a straighter one from Prosper Utseya. Raina, an over after a misunderstanding with Rohit, went for a single that wasn’t there, and paid the price. Soon Rohit went for a tight single but Jadeja lacked the urgency, sending him back straight to the pavilion. Fifty-eight for 0 after 16 overs was good enough for Zimbabwe, 95 for 5 was a dream.Jadeja got favours from umpires at either end even before he was set, but Yusuf Pathan wasn’t so lucky. And despite a 35-run batting Powerplay, India had hardly given their bowlers anything to defend.And the bowlers again failed to impress. Despite a slow start, thanks to the move of opening with Pragyan Ojha, Zimbabwe raced to 76 by the end of 15 overs. Once again it was Taylor who started the assault. After four quiet overs, he punched Ashok Dinda on the up, square of the wicket, and suddenly it seemed strokeplay was not that difficult at all. Masakadza followed lead, charging at Ojha and lofting him over mid-on.In the next two overs, Dinda and Umesh Yadav tried to intimidate Taylor, and were pulled for a four and a six. There was time for a stylish extra-cover drive too, and Masakadza got his own back at Amit Mishra by welcoming him with two fours in his first over. In the previous match, Mishra had done the batsmen in with a googly. And as soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted, India inexplicably spread the field. Wisdom, conventional or otherwise, would suggest an attacking approach.By the time India realised they needed to attack, Taylor had reached his fifty, Zimbabwe had crossed 100, and India’s first set of consecutive losses to Zimbabwe was all but sealed. In the second match of the tournament, when India were on their way to chasing Sri Lanka’s target, Virat Kohli and Rohit gestured to the dressing room, wanting to take the Powerplay. They were not allowed to. Zimbabwe, though, showed much more clarity of thought, imposing the field restrictions in the 31st over, and finished the game off with 11.4 overs to spare.

This is not quite the World Cup, and Deccan’s dream run didn’t reach the final, but Bangalore – like South Africa – should have finished Deccan twice in the league stage. Now Deccan stand in their way of a Champions League slot

The Preview by Sidharth Monga23-Apr-2010 Match facts Deccan v Bangalore, third-place playoff, Mumbai
Saturday, April 24
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Adam Gilchrist has failed to fire with the bat, and has one final shot before the tournament concludes•Indian Premier League Big Picture Here we go again. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, face to face, one final time this year, to decide who will qualify for the Champions League. Although Bangalore mainly have themselves to blame for playing on Saturday, and not Sunday, Deccan have been an important part of their slide in the second half of the tournament.After Deccan’s choke against Rajasthan Royals in Nagpur, Adam Gilchrist said the tournament had become simpler for them. It was a straight equation: win each of the seven games to come. Quite similar to Steve Waugh’s words less than halfway through the 1999 World Cup, which were immortalised by his team’s ultimate success.Eleven years ago, in a Super Six match at Headingley, South Africa had Australia down, should have eliminated them, but left the job unfinished. And then on that unforgettable day at Edgbaston, Australia knocked their benefactors out en route to going unbeaten for seven matches. This is not quite the World Cup, and Deccan’s dream run didn’t reach the final, but Bangalore – like South Africa – should have finished Deccan twice in the league stage. Now Deccan stand in their way of a Champions League slot. Will DY Patil Stadium be Bangalore’s Edgbaston?The resemblance is made all the more striking by the foreign cores of these teams: Bangalore (Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Ray Jennings) are predominantly South African, and Deccan (Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Ryan Harris, Darren Lehman) Australian.Form guide (most recent first)Bangalore Royal Challengers LLWLW
Deccan Chargers LWWWWTeam talkThe teams may have lost their semi-finals, but this is a match just as serious, and they should play their best XIs. The best XI for Deccan should be easier to choose: they have won five of their last six matches. Bangalore, though, have questions. The way they have played around with Manish Pandey’s place in the team, and with that his confidence and his form, has been one of their tactical blunders. Will they play him, and if they do, will they open with him?PreviouslyDeccan 4, Bangalore 2
Deccan are becoming a bogey opposition for Bangalore: Last year’s final, followed by two matches this year that Bangalore should have won. But Deccan hung on, much like they did for the majority of the tournament. In the first game, Suman played a responsible hand; in the second, Bangalore choked while chasing a small total.In the spotlight It all began going downhill for Jacques Kallis after Bangalore’s defeat against Deccan in Nagpur. His 37-ball 27, captain Kumble said, put pressure on the rest of the line-up. Since then Kallis’ scores have read 0, 14 and 11. He is threatening to end the tournament on a low after perhaps being the best player in its first half. Saturday’s match is one last shot at redemption.While many point to Adam Gilchrist as the inspiration behind Deccan’s success, Gilchrist the batsman has been their biggest failure, wasting an overseas player’s slot for an average of 19 runs per innings. His hitting has promised a lot, but he has rarely lasted the Powerplay overs. It’s not certain if Gilchrist gets a chance to play, or wants to play, in the next season, so this could be his last opportunity to set a few records straight.Prime numbers Robin Uthappa is the leading six-hitter of the tournament. With 27 sixes, he is three ahead of M Vijay, his closest rival still alive in the tournament. Suresh Raina has 19, Saurabh Tiwary 18. With 64 sixes in three years, Gilchrist leads the tally overall. Deccan have played three matches at DY Patil this year, and have lost all three while chasing.The chatter”We want to pick ourselves up for Saturday’s match. We would love to play in the Champions League again.”
“That [Champions League slot] would be a consolation for us, but the big prize is winning the IPL and we have missed out on that.”

West Bromwich Albion have sealed their first signing of the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

That is according to their manager Steve Bruce, who has claimed that a deal to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Jayson Molumby is “done.”

After Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Coventry City Bruce revealed all when asked about Molumby’s future. He said: “Molumby’s done.

“Molumby was done weeks ago. The deal was kicked in weeks ago, so he’s our player now.

“He’s a young player who’s got a lot to learn still, but he wants to win; he’s got a bit of an attitude with him, which I like, so, yeah he’ll be here next year.”

Fans will be delighted

The capture of Molumby is promising for a West Brom side who will be eager to demonstrate their ambition to the Baggies faithful, with their Championship play-off hopes gone.

The 22-year-old, who was initially on loan from Brighton, has failed to assert himself as a Baggies regular this season, starting just 38% of their 44 games in the Championship.

Though he will surely start the final two games of the campaign with Alex Mowatt out for the season.

His statistics also demonstrate why supporters will be excited to see him sign on the dotted line, with the 22-year-old remaining composed in possession, completing 84.5% of his passes and producing 1.1 tackles per match.

Now that he has signed permanently, he will be looking to leave a lasting impression on Bruce who acknowledges that the Republic of Ireland international “has a lot to learn.”

The fact that Potter has allowed the youngster to leave on a permanent deal serves as a shock, as he spoke well of him in an interview with The Argus as recent as 2020: “Jayson is a good guy, he is ambitious and he wants to play which is a good quality to have and we enjoy working with him.”

After previous Championship loan spells with Millwall and Preston North End, Molumby boasts exceptional amounts of experience in the league, considering the fact that he is not even 23-years-old yet.

His experience can benefit the Baggies, whilst Molumby himself will mutually benefit through a platform that will aid his development.

Both parties will have big ambitions of playing Premier League football in the near future, and the fact that West Brom have made the deal permanent shows the potential that they see within the No.14 midfielder.

In other news: Bruce could now save WBA millions with £9m-rated “monster”, he’ll be key next season – opinion

New Zealand batsman Lucy Doolan has made a quick recovery from a knee injury and is available to take part in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies

Cricinfo staff21-Apr-2010New Zealand batsman Lucy Doolan has made a quick recovery from a knee injury and is available to take part in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies. Doolan suffered the injury while playing for Wellington in the early part of the domestic competition and had to undergo surgery. That ruled her out of the Rose Bowl Series against Australia but she began training from the fourth week after surgery.”I found out it had to be operated on,” Doolan told blackcaps.co.nz. “I had a choice. Either I play through the Rose Bowl series against Australia or I have the surgery and hope I’d be ready in time for the ICC World Twenty20 and the UK tour in June.”Doolan watched from the sidelines as her team beat Australia comprehensively in a Twenty20 game in Wellington. “It was really cool, you don’t often get to watch the girls when you are playing but I was able to sit back and see them in action,” she said. “I was so proud of them smashing the Aussies.”Doolan added that a county stint was lined up for her before the series against England begins. “There’s five weeks between the West Indies and the White Ferns’ (New Zealand women) tour of England,” she said. “So I’m going to play for Nottingham during that time.”New Zealand finished runners-up to England in last year’s World Twenty20 and she hoped they will emerge victorious this time. New Zealand warm-up with two games, against Australia and West Indies, before their first game against India in St Kitts on May 6.

After it was recently reported by The Athletic that the San Francisco 49ers have a deal in place to buy Leeds United for more than £400m with an option for 100% control of the Yorkshire club to pass to 49ers Enterprises by January 2024, which includes ownership of Elland Road, it seems as though fresh details have emerged on the matter.

What’s the news?

Leeds journalist Adam Pope recently shared a post on his Twitter page with some fresh details on the proposed takeover deal.

He said: “I understand that due to a multiple of revenues the overall price to take over Leeds could rise to £500m or more depending on factors such as future spending and league status.”

Pope also said that Andrea Radrizzani’s company Aser have the option to void the deal if they wish and that the current message seems to be 49ers and Leeds are “still working closely.”

Radz buzzing

Radrizzani completed his takeover of Leeds back in May 2017, ending Massimo Cellino’s three-year spell as the club’s owner after buying a 50% stake in January of the same year.

Since then, the Yorkshire club have managed to rise from the bottom half of the Championship at the end of the 2017/18 season to a top-half finish in the Premier League last season under Marcelo Bielsa’s guidance.

With the future in mind, it seems as though the club could be welcoming new owners in the near future to presumably push the club even further than they’ve managed to come under Bielsa and Radrizzani, which would surely delight a lot of Leeds fans.

However, taking into account what Pope had to say in his recent tweet, it seems as though the club’s final league position this season could have some sort of financial impact on what the takeover deal could look like.

Consequently, if Leeds can finish as high up the table as possible, this would lead to more money being put into the club, which would surely be music to Radrizzani’s ears. Not only would he have generated some fantastic results behind the scenes, keeping them in the division, but his pockets will be larger as a result.

Of course, the Italian’s first thoughts should be with the club but he will surely be motivated by the opportunity to gain an even greater source of income from Leeds’ accomplishments this term. The end goal for Radrizzani was always to cement their Premier League status and if he ends his tenure at Elland Road with that achieved, he will be a very happy man indeed.

However, the fact that Leeds are currently sitting in 15th position in the Premier League table with 16 points on the board from their opening 15 games of the season suggests that there is still some work to be done throughout the second half of the season if they want to match or even improve on their ninth-place finish in the league last season.

In other news: Time to shine: Bielsa must now unleash “superb” £17k-p/w prodigy after big Leeds blow – opinion

Wolves have a number of wingers in their squad, and with all of them competing to be a starter in the side, there is little room for obvious error when the opportunity arises for a starting position in the team.

Bruno Lage decided it was Francisco Trincao’s time to shine in the line up against Brighton away from home last night in their midweek Premier League fixture, that saw the side take their first three-pointer in five games, securing a 1-0 win at the AMEX.

Despite the win, Lage took to his post-match conference to make an honest statement following Trincao’s mistake in front of the dugout in the final third which led to Wolves conceding a corner, and spoke briefly about the 21-year-old’s time with Wolves so far:

“Sometimes he needs to understand the game better,” Lage said. “That’s the big experience for him and what he can learn.

“If you look at the first 15, 20 minutes, every time he tried to link the game, they counter-press and we lost the ball.

“After that he tried to link the game the way we wanted. In the Premier League there is always a good tempo and a good rhythm, and when you come from outside (England) you need to adapt.”

The Portuguese winger has had inconsistencies in his performances so far, with just one goal and not a single assist in his 14 appearances for Wolves so far this season compared to his position competitor, Daniel Podence, who has offered two goals and two assists for the side in fewer appearances.

He struggled to make an impact on his side last night against Brighton, losing the ball every 2.8 times he touched it which only continues to add to Wolves lower possession record away from home. That sits at an average of 44.1% in the Premier League, compared to 53.2% when the side plays at Molineux.

With that first statistic in mind, it’s clear to see why Tim Spiers described him as “sloppy” in possession earlier this term.

As a result of these poor performances, Lage must make the decision to axe the consistency that Trincao lacks into the team in the attacking third, especially during the congested fixtures coming up over Christmas and New Year, where Wolves can pick up a lot of points and will need to have trustworthy players to elevate their chances to get more comfortable in the top half of the table.

Wolves have an option to buy Trincao for £25m when his season long loan from Barcelona ends in the Summer of 2022, but the forward will have a lot of convincing to do for the club to feel that they should secure a permanent move for him, and prove that he can make a positive impact on the side’s efforts to secure European football next season.

Lage will have to now assess how he is going to move forward with his attacking options, as Wolves have been hit with a devastating blow to their starting side with Hwang Hee-Chan getting injured during the game last night, which could give Trincao the chance to redeem himself.

For now, however, he definitely deserves to be axed; his performances have not been good enough.

In other news: Adama Traore attracting January transfer interest

A round-up of the final day’s play of the first round of the RBS Pentangular Cup

Cricinfo staff05-Jan-2010
ScorecardSeven wickets between right-arm fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed and left-arm spinner Azam Hussain ensured Quaid-e-Azam Trophy champions Karachi Blues got off to a winning start in the competition, beating Sialkot by 60 runs at the National Stadium. Resuming on 63 for 2, with 220 more needed for a win, overnight batsman Faisal Khan stroked a patient half-century. But a four-wicket burst from Tanvir meant the middle order surrendered without a fight. Azam weaved his magic lower down the order, and accounted for Faisal as Karachi wrapped up proceedings in the 48th over of the day. The first-innings lead gained by Sialkot on the first day proved of insignificant.
ScorecardHabib Bank Limited (HBL) had to be content with first-innings points after Ali Waqas’ fourth first-class fifty helped Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) play out a stalemate at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex. HBL could add only 38 runs from 18 overs to their overnight score of 222 for 7, with Shan Masood left stranded two short of a maiden first-class century. Right-arm quick Imran Ali was SNGPL’s most successful bowler with four wickets. Set 226 to win, the SNGPL openers began positively, putting on 43. But twin blows from left-arm fast bowler Kamran Hussain pegged them back. Waqas hit 10 boundaries during his 108-ball stay and figured in two half-century partnerships, but HBL held on for the three points.Pakistan batsman Younis Khan’s chances of making a quick international comeback seemed to have dimmed, after he managed only nine runs in each innings of the match. Having scored a paltry 7 and 4 for HBL in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam last month, his string of disappointing scores will make it hard for him to press for an international comeback. Younis was caught at short cover off Imran in the first innings against SNGPL, and perished to a sharp bat-pad catch in the second, off Mohammad Hafeez.He had decided to take a break from international duties ahead of Pakistan’s tour to New Zealand to regain his form, and was not considered for the Australia tour after making himself unavailable. Though team managers sent an SOS to Younis after their 170-run defeat in the first Test at Melbourne last week, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt refused to concede to their demand. “Younis has not made enough runs to prove that he is in good form and we cannot send a player like that,” Butt told Pakistan-based Jang last week.Pakistan are due to announce the one-day squad for the tour of Australia in the next couple of days, but the immediate future looks bleak for Younis.

After suffering their seventh Premier League defeat of the season at the hands of their Merseyside rivals in midweek, things are not going well for Everton and their manager Rafael Benitez at the moment, with mounting pressure building around the Spaniard.

To highlight just how bad things have been on the blue part of Merseyside in recent weeks, Everton have only picked up two points from their last eight league games.

After being asked by GIVEMESPORT about Benitez’s current situation at Goodison Park and his future in charge at the club, journalist Paul Brown had this to say on the matter:

“[Moshiri] has a track record of sacking managers and not being particularly patient with them when his team starts to slide. So, I do think if this carries on for much longer, Benitez is going to be in trouble. It’s just a simple fact of the finances at the club really, so I think he needs to turn it around quite quickly.”

With Everton owner Farhad Moshiri seemingly willing to stick with Benitez and give him the time “to have his mark on the squad”, and with Benitez himself sending a message to the Everton fans saying that “now is a time for us to stick together and try to go to January in the best possible position,” this suggests that his immediate future at Goodison is not in danger just yet.

However, with Everton set to take on Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City among others until January comes around, the situation could be much worse by that time, and Moshiri may not have the patience and willingness to stick with Benitez as he seems to have  up to now.

The Toffees do have matches against Burnley and Newcastle United this month, with both struggling around the relegation zone, and that could provide the Merseysiders with some much-needed points to save Benitez’s job.

However, a run of poor results in December could push Moshiri into pulling the trigger and getting rid of Benitez, as Brown spoke about, in the hope that they can bring someone else in to save their season.

In other news: Report reveals latest update on Benitez’s future, Everton fans could be excited