All posts by h716a5.icu

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder David Norris admitted that he has been surprised by how good Raphinha has performed in his first season.

Raphinha was a deadline day signing last year as he arrived for £17million from Rennes and he has taken to the Premier League effortlessly, with six goals and six assists this season.

The goals have dried up for Leeds since he picked up an injury against Manchester City, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side have scored just one goal in the three games Raphinha has recently missed.

Speaking on how Raphinha has surprised him with how well he’s taken to the Premier League and how good he has performed all season, Norris exclusively told FFC:

“He’s a very clever player as he spots weaknesses in defenders and attacks it. For me, he’s been a massive player for them this season. 

“I’ve been surprised because it’s always a risk bringing in foreign players, but knowing Bielsa and how diligent he is he must have known there was a good chance Raphinha would have settled quickly, and that’s exactly what’s happened as he’s been brilliant.”

The 24-year old winger has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, despite having played just 27 games in all competitions this season.

Raphinha admitted earlier this year that it was a difficult decision to join Leeds and that he only had 20 minutes to choose whether to stay at Rennes or come to the Premier League.

In the latest of a series of features on the domestic season in England, CricInfo’s Paul McGregor gives you a guide to the photographer’s kitbag, and some words of wisdom on what to look out for at the ground, even if play’s been disrupted by the

Paul McGregor04-May-2001In the latest of a series of features on the domestic season in England, CricInfo’s Paul McGregor gives you a guide to the photographer’s kitbag, and some words of wisdom on what to look out for at the ground, even if play’s been disrupted by the weather.
Pitchtesting at Nottingham
Photo CricInfo
The cricket photographer can easily be recognised, even when set apart from the unusually long lenses he or she may be carrying around. You can tell from the often-hunched shoulders and bent back, formed after years of humping these lenses and cameras around the cricket grounds of the world.So what goes into the kit bag and why? Essentially the photographer carries the kit to cover every eventuality. The telephoto lens is the trademark, and the diligent photographer will “get this up” on the tripod as soon as possible after the shooting position is selected. This might be the case even if play is not imminent, as our shots on this page show. We’ve captured one of the peculiar rituals of “the summer game” even though there is no play. We have a member of the ground staff at Trent Bridge in Nottingham banging a spike into the pitch. Without a long lens you couldn’t hope to catch such a ritual.
Lewiswith the team sheet
Photo CricInfo
Umpire Palmer and Notts skipper Bicknell are paying particular attention to this attempt to find out how much moisture there is in the wicket. Perhaps a divining rod could be used instead?The long lens will also capture other rituals of the game. Durham’s Jon Lewis is in the field, exchanging team sheets with the umpire and Bicknell, before the toss. Such shots don’t compare with action images, but capture part of the event nonetheless and the photographer should not ignore this.The kitbag will also contain a variety of other lenses, far shorter than the telephoto. There are always things happening on the periphery. Sponsors will appear wanting “just a quick picture” in a corporate box. The club marketing department will ring wanting an image of a local celebrity watching the match. The players might want pictures for their brochures.
ThePenetrating Interview
Photo CricInfo
So the photographer will take a variety of lenses, 50mm, 17-35mm zoom, and normally something like an 80-200mm zoom to capture the required moment. A flashgun also goes with this. But sometimes events just happen and it would be odd if the photographer did not go equipped to capture the interview carried out by the TV company. Michael Vaughan has a wistful glance back at the camera as the interviewer searches for a penetrating question.So keeping your eyes open around the ground, and being prepared for a variety of eventualities as well as photographing the actual play, are all part of capturing the images of the game. It has even been known for photographers, a notoriously scruffy breed, to turn out looking nearly decent with a jacket and tie, prepared to do a job in the more august pavilions of the game. So in the photographer’s bag there may even be a tie. Whatever next?

Article: Rafi Nasim reviews the ACU Corruption Report

Rafi Nasim26-May-2001Sir Paul Condon’s report on Corruption in International Cricket is likely to put the cricket world in spin. We shall have to wait to see if it’s off spin, leg spin, googly or a bouncer is capable of rolling heads after the discussions in the ICC council meeting on June 18, 2001.It is an impressive document tracing the history of corruption in the princely game of cricket we all enjoy. Highlighting this dragon’s forms, extent and dimensions, modus operandi of those involved, the ICC’s attitude towards the problem, action so far taken by various cricket boards, finally ends up with possible solutions and remedies. The work done by Sir Paul and his associates in the ICC’s Anti Corruption Unit during a short span of six months deserves a big hand of applause and appreciation. Many issues discussed therein, however, need analysis and comments.An interesting revelation is that corruption existed in the Home of Cricket as far back as 1970 when some county and club games in domestic tournaments were allegedly fixed by teams to secure points and a better position in the league but not for reasons of money.A list of at least 60 matches starting from 1979-80 though not necessarily fixed, but whose conduct needs investigation has been produced.Surprisingly, 20 of them were played in India. Though responsibility has to be shared by all countries, the Indian betting industry has been mentioned as the ‘engine-room which has powered and driven cricket corruption’. The ICC Knock-Out in Kenya and Pakistan’s last tour of New Zealand are already under scrutiny. The Pakistan Cricket Board too, has also planned to institute an inquiry into the team’s defeat at the hands of India and Bangladesh in World Cup 99.The disclosure that despite severe punishments like life bans imposed on the bigwigs of cricket, Cronje, Azharuddin and Saleem Malik, there has been no let up in corruption, is startling to say the least. It clearly shows how deep this evil has sunk into the lifeblood of cricket and it’s gladiators, who are not only adored but also almost worshiped by their fans.A number of reasons have been quoted as to why cricketers indulge in match fixing. The topmost being that international cricketers are paid less than top soccer players, golfers, tennis players and other sportsmen, which renders them vulnerable to corrupt approaches. Since each game has its own peculiarities and level of income generation, this may not be applicable across the board. Cricketers, especially in the sub-continent, beat the other sportsmen hollow as far as projection is concerned. A batsman scoring a century and above in a test match remains the focus of cricket fans in the ground as well as on the TV screen for 2-3 days while the other sportsmen generally disappear from the scene in minutes or hours.Greed and opportunity, as brought out in the report, appears be the major factor. While some well-paid players were drawn into corruption, the relatively poor ones tended to resist the offers. Here came into play the individual character and loyalty to the cause. It may be noted that economic conditions in Asia differ from the advanced continents. The players coming from countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh generally belong to lower income groups. They have to keep in mind the income level that prevails in their respective countries before comparing themselves with those in the rest of the cricketing countries. I believe, this is what the cricket administrators need to make the boys understand.It has been rightly brought out, that the live TV coverage of matches created an environment in which it was possible to watch and bet on cricket almost every day of the year. Betting grew further with the wide spread availability of mobile phones.Some of the disclosures are startling. It is said that the criminals manage to penetrate deep into the teams as well as cricket administration and even to influence team selection. There were cases when in dubious circumstances the umpires too were approached to help in twisting the result of a match.Similarly groundsmen are said to be bribed, to prepare result-oriented pitches and even to interfere with a pitch overnight, to assist a team for betting purposes. Some cricket administrators are also alleged to be involved in malpractices.Alarmingly, with corruption in the game reaching such heights, one really wonders how can the game retain its majestic image and the slogan of justice and fair-play.Though the ICC is accused of failing to take decisive and coordinated action to deal with corruption, it did devise a ‘ Self-Declaration Process’ some time back. A form of undertaking setting out a series of questions about knowledge and involvement in corrupt practices was introduced. The Cricket Boards were asked to issue these forms to players, team officials, umpires, referees, curators, employees and administrators. The response was not found to be satisfactory. Out of the 911 forms received by the Anti Corruption Unit, only 21 indicated a positive answer. It proved to be an exercise in futility.Some of the suggested remedies are, the proper training and briefing of players and others associated with the game, reporting incidence of improper approach and the appointment of a Security Manager with teams to watch the players’ activities, coordinate their meetings with visitors and monitor all telephone calls. I would go as far as to propose a total ban on the use of mobile phones. After all, cricket did function quite smoothly when they did not exist.As far as punishment for the culprits, former England Captain Mike Gatting suggests a ‘ban for life’ and I entirely agree with him. Nothing short of it will help nipping the evil in the bud. The attitude of the Cricket Boards trying to minimize the gravity of offence and letting off the defaulters for face saving or to prevent the team from weakening must end. Similarly, for the purpose of punishment, a dubious excuse like ‘providing information about weather and pitch etc’ should be treated at par with ‘match fixing’ and the culprits awarded the highest punishment.Let’s hope that the recommendations in the report are implemented swiftly, the inquiries and punishments to the guilty are speeded and a ‘system’ installed quickly up so that we can all get back to good cricket.

Despite claiming an impressive 2-1 win over Everton last week in the Premier League, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith must consider dropping Bertrand Traore for Sunday afternoon’s clash against Manchester United.

While the Burkina Faso international claimed the assist for Anwar El Ghazi’s goal, the winger hasn’t been consistent enough over these past few weeks to warrant still being in the starting line-up.

Alan Hutton has raised his concerns about Traore and the rest of Villa’s attack recently, saying that it’s looked a “struggle” to score goals.

He said: “Defensively, they’ve been strong but moving forward they just don’t create enough. Simple as that. They have tried different things, whether it be Trezeguet, Traore, Anwar, Ross Barkley coming off the bench. It looks a struggle at times.”

In response to Hutton’s comments, former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about how Traore, among others, has really failed to step up in Jack Grealish’s absence.

He said: “I think what Hutts is talking about is that with Jack not being in the frame, you need standout players, you need exciting players that are going to step up to the plate and fulfil Jack’s role, because otherwise you’re going to get branded as almost a one-man team.

“So, yes, I’m totally, totally with Hutts on that because when you’ve got someone of his (Traore) ability, that’s where he needs to come on and be that player.”

With no goals in the Premier League since mid-February, Traore just hasn’t shown the kind of cutting edge up front which Smith has desperately needed from him, especially with Grealish out injured – in fact, as per Whoscored, out of the last ten matches he has played for Villa, only once has he gone above a 7.0 match rating.

With high-flying Manchester United to come on Sunday, Smith will need all his players in form and on song, and he can’t afford to be carrying any passengers in his team.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/villa-dean-smith-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-premier-league-buendia-berge-mcneil-trezeguet-villa-park” title=”Read the latest Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

The £55,000-a-week Traore has been ineffective for a while now, and it’s about time Smith takes him out of the firing line.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this £60m-rated star in the summer…

Jon Newsome has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he’s expecting some high-profile names to leave Sheffield Wednesday this summer.

The Owls were unable to overturn their six-point deduction last season, with their final-day draw at Derby not enough to save them from relegation.

They were just one goal from surviving and replacing Derby above the dotted line, but ended up finishing bottom of the Championship table, which means they’ll be playing in the third tier for the first time since 2012.

Wednesday have several players out of contract at Hillsborough next month, whilst loanees Izzy Brown and Jack Marriott will return to their parent clubs.

Amongst those set to become free agents are both Kadeem Harris and Adam Reach, whilst top goalscorer Josh Windass has already been linked to a number of Championship sides having been a rare positive in an otherwise wretched 12 months for the Owls.

Those three are among some of Wednesday’s highest earners, and Newsome believes that having dropped into League One, the Hillsborough outfit might need to get that trio off the wage bill.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“Adam Reach, Josh Windass, Kadeem Harris, they’ll all be on serious money… big, big, big, big wages, and I don’t think the club can sustain that anymore.”

Veterans Devon Malcolm and Phil DeFreitas turned back the clock as they took seven wickets between them to wreck the Northants innings on the first day of the CricInfo Championship clash at Grace Road

Neville Foulger13-Jun-2001Veterans Devon Malcolm and Phil DeFreitas turned back the clock as they took seven wickets between them to wreck the Northants innings on the first day of the CricInfo Championship clash at Grace Road.But Leicestershire’s batsmen then found life just as difficult against the swinging ball and were bowled out for 185 for a lead of just 26 runs.It meant that 20 wickets had fallen on the day for 344 runs but any visit from a pitch inspector would really be a wasted journey. There was very little wrong with the pitch. It was a case of the batsmen on both sides being unable to cope with the conditions which helped the seamers.Yet Northants had no hesitation in batting after winning the toss. They clearly fancied their chances of a good score on a straw-coloured pitch of easy pace.But once the ball began to swing, wickets fell at regular intervals. DeFreitas, in his first Championship game of the season after a shoulder injury, claimed three for 43 while 38-year-old Malcolm took four for 64 against his former county.He wrapped things up with an impressive spell after lunch, picking up the last three wickets at a cost of 22 runs and Northants were all out for 159 in 48.4 overs.Leicestershire made a poor start, losing opener Iain Sutcliffe with the total at three before a stand of 89 between Trevor Ward and Ben Smith looked to have them in the driving seat.Ward reached his 50 off 81 balls with seven fours and a six and was then brilliantly caught by Russell Warren off Lesroy Weekes, making his Championship debut for the visitors.That triggered a collapse which saw nine wickets fall for 93 runs in 26 overs with Weekes, Darren Cousins and Kevin Innes taking three apiece. So it was just about honours even at the end of the day between the two bottom sides in the First Division.

Queensland captain Stuart Law has paid tribute to the depth of his state’s resources and the quality of its emerging players in the wake of its 235-run victory over Tasmania in the 2001-02 Pura Cup Final here in Brisbane today.

John Polack26-Mar-2002Queensland captain Stuart Law has paid tribute to the depth of his state’s resources and the quality of its emerging players in the wake of its 235-run victory over Tasmania in the 2001-02 Pura Cup Final here in Brisbane today.”The new guys that came in (to our eleven) really stuck their hands up; they really wanted to win badly and they produced,” said Law after watching a side deprived of the services of Matthew Hayden, Jimmy Maher, Andy Bichel, Nathan Hauritz and Adam Dale hand its state its third successive first-class title and its fifth in the space of eight seasons.In the lead-up to the game, Law had stressed that his squad had been persistently faced by adversity this summer, highlighting the problems posed by injuries and the absence of an unusually large number of players to international commitments.And, in its aftermath, he could barely have been more fulsome in his praise of how his players had responded to the challenge.”We’re just over the moon with what the young guys coming into the side have achieved.”They did the job; they had to learn different methods and the way that we wanted them to play the game instead of fitting in with their natural, aggressive tone.”To go through 20-odd players for the summer is something new to Queensland. And to still come out on top at the end of the summer (represents) a fantastic effort.”I’m really proud of our guys.””It’s to do with the whole culture that we’ve created,” added Law of the Bulls’ extraordinary string of successes over the course of the last decade.”No-one’s more important than the next person (in our squad). You might have a guy who has played for 10 years but he’s no more important than a guy who’s playing his first game.”You’ve got a guy (like Daniel Payne) who’s coming in and playing his second game – which happens to be a Pura Cup Final – and he doesn’t score the runs that he wanted to score but he takes two of the greatest catches you’d want to see.”And not have any fear whatsoever in his body.”That says a lot for this cricket team and the way that (coach) Bennett King, and John Buchanan in years gone by, have set it up.”Queensland’s win ensured that there is now no captain in Australian domestic history who has led a state to more first-class titles than Law. Richie Benaud, who was at the helm during a golden period for New South Wales cricket, remains the only other leader with five victories to his name.Today’s triumph also sealed the first ever run of three consecutive title victories by a Queensland team, adding even further lustre to the run of success that has emphatically broken a 63-year championship drought.

Watford have been handed a blow in their bid to bring Josh Doig to Vicarage Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Ekrem Konur, with the journalist posting on Twitter that Arsenal are now keeping a close eye on the Hibernian left-back ahead of a potential summer move.

Watford were recently reported to be in talks regarding the transfer of the 19-year-old, for whom it is thought that a deal would cost around £4m.

Giaretta will be gutted

With it previously appearing as if Watford had something of a free shot at a deal for Doig, if recent reports are to be believed, the news that Arsenal are now very firmly in the race for the highly-rated youngster is likely to come as gutting news for Watford’s sporting director Cristiano Giaretta.

The Hornets are in particular need of reinforcements at left-back following the confirmation that Achraf Lazaar has departed the club just three months after joining, and the SWFA Young Player of the Year very much appears to be an exciting prospect in the position.

Over his 28 Scottish Premiership appearances this term, the defender scored one goal, registered three assists and created two big chances for his teammates, in addition to helping his side keep four clean sheets and making an average of 0.8 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and 1.1 clearances per game – culminating in a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.65.

While these metrics would be impressive for an established left-back, the fact that the £450k-rated man is turning in these numbers at just 19 years of age would appear to indicate that he has an extremely bright future in the game, something that Jack Ross clearly agrees with, as he has dubbed the youngster an “excellent” talent.

As such, if Arsenal’s apparent interest does turn the head of the Scotland U19 international away from a move to Vicarage Road, Giaretta will have to begin his search for an addition in the position all over again – something that would undoubtedly come as a huge blow for the sporting director and his side.

In other news: Massive Watford contract development emerges which will surely have fans buzzing – opinion

An intriguing battle looms when PIA clash with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) in the final of the National One-day Cricket Championship at Gaddafi Stadium here Thursday

04-Apr-2002An intriguing battle looms when PIA clash with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) in the final of the National One-day Cricket Championship at Gaddafi Stadium here Thursday.The day-night fixture pits together no less than eight of the nine members of Sharjah-bound Pakistan squad.The odd man out is PIA’s Yousuf Youhana. The Test right-hander is nursing a groin injury. There are also doubts on the participation of opener Ghulam Ali. Ghulam injured his hand while attempting to catch Imran Khan Tuesday. Initial reports said Ghulam had a hairline fracture.PIA and HBL scored contrasting victories in their respective semifinals against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Wapda Tuesday night to set up a repeat of their Group-I final round tie. Last Thursday, HBL were comfortable winners over a depleted PIA side, who were without seven key players.HBL, who trounced Wapda by 139 runs in the Karachi semifinal, have been national one-day champions on eight previous occasions.Shahid Afridi, the explosive one-day specialist, and the in-form Taufiq Umer make a formidable opening pair who tore apart Wapda’s feeble attack Tuesday in spectacular fashion by scoring 90 and 86 respectively. Their stand was worth 153 off 129 deliveries. But they will expect a stern test against PIA’s equally formidable pace trio of Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood and Abdul Razzaq, backed up by spinners Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Malik and Asif Mujtaba.It was the PIA’s bowlers who tilted the semifinal against NBP in their favour. The seven-time champions won by nine runs after taking the last seven wickets for 44 runs.The match, which begins at 2:30pm, brings down curtains on a hectic domestic season which began as long ago as Sept last year.The winners will be richer by a cash award of Rs 100,000 while the runners-up get Rs 50,000.Teams (from):PIA: Moin Khan (captain), Ghulam Ali, Faisal Iqbal, Yasir Hameed, Asif Mujtaba, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Malik, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Fazle Akbar, Sohail Jaffar, Mahmood Hamid, Nadeem Khan.HBL: Ijaz Ahmed (captain), Taufiq Umer, Shahid Afridi, Saleem Elahi, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Atiq-uz-Zaman, Abdul Rehman, Sajid Shah, Kabir Khan, Danish Kaneria, Hasan Raza, Farhan Adil, Shahid Nazir, Irfan Fazil.Umpires: Salim Badar and Mian Aslam.Match referee: Sultan Rana.

Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce is heading for a major Matty Longstaff transfer mistake as fresh news emerges about his situation at the club.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, the 21-year-old will tell the Magpies that he wants to leave St James’ Park this summer, and a Newcastle source has told them that “Longstaff is frustrated at how he has been used by the club this season”.

The report adds that while the midfielder won’t put in an official transfer request, “he will ask United to move aside and let him go if an acceptable offer comes in this summer”.

Fans will be fuming

After putting pen to paper on a new deal last summer, things have just gone downhill for Longstaff, playing just five games in the Premier League all season and not featuring at all since mid-January.

It has raised a few eyebrows, to put it mildly, not least from his Newcastle teammates.

In fact, The Athletic’s Chris Waugh revealed: “Steve Bruce, the head coach, has simply opted to exclude the academy graduate, much to the bemusement of team-mates and the player himself.

“There have been some suggestions that his naivety at Premier League level is part of the reason, yet that does not tally with the decision to field Longstaff against three of the very best sides in the division over the Christmas period.

“This season really needed to be one during which Longstaff was given opportunities. The club, Bruce and the player all recognised that. So, if those chances were not going to arrive on Tyneside, then surely a loan deal would have been in the player’s best interests.”

While things haven’t quite kicked on from that goal against Manchester United, there’s no questioning that fans would be furious at seeing one of the club’s brightest young talents in recent years heading out the door because of a lack of first-team opportunities.

It would be a damning statement on Bruce and his management of the club’s academy talents, and would drive another wedge between himself and the fans.

The Magpies were given a glimpse of this exact potential nightmare last year when Serie A side Udinese came in for him, and they managed to convince him that he could have a real future on Tyneside.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-steve-bruce-premier-league-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-joelinton-shelvey-max-aarons” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]

Instead, they’ve wasted an entire year of his career by failing to keep up their end of the bargain, and Bruce will need to take his fair share of the blame.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are eyeing a move for this powerhouse…