All posts by h79snht.top

Injuries, a jet-setting captain and now a lopsided first innings are threatening to send West Indies cricket deeper into the abyss

Alex Brown at the Gabba27-Nov-2009

The Frank Worrell Trophy series is just two days old and already the vultures are circling. Injuries, a jet-setting captain and now a lopsided first innings are threatening to send West Indies cricket deeper into the abyss and relegate this series to after-thought status with the Australian sporting public.West Indies were always expected to struggle on a tour on which strikers and opportunists from the region’s long-running pay dispute were reunited for the first time. Not since 1997 have West Indies tasted victory on these shores – a span that included eight straight defeats – and with a driven Australia intent on atoning for their Ashes disappointment, a win appeared a goal too lofty.The hope, then, was for competition similar to that which West Indies offered Australia on last year’s tour of the Caribbean. Alas, that too now seems optimistic. An innings-and-a-half into this series and the chasm in talent and aptitude between the sides looked every bit as wide as it was during West Indies’ 2005-06 (3-0) and 2000-01 (5-0) tours of Australia. A depleted pace attack and a brittle top-order served only to fuel the notion that this is a series in the imbalance.By stumps on day two, Travis Dowlin and Denesh Ramdin, having forged an unbroken 38-run sixth wicket partnership to momentarily repel the hard-charging Mitchell Johnson, were all that stood between the tourists and calamity. A rare Australian first-innings declaration followed by five rapid West Indian wickets positioned the hosts for victory well inside five days. The most pressing question entering the weekend is whether Ricky Ponting will seek to enforce the follow-on if given the chance.”I’m a bit disappointed with the way things went,” Ramdin said after play. “We lost probably two wickets more than we expected. Having said that, Travis and I are there and batting quite well at the moment. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”To achieve competitiveness, West Indies needed fortune to smile upon them throughout the tour. Instead, it abandoned them altogether. Chris Gayle’s mercy dash to be at his mother’s bedside in Jamaica added to the litany of distractions to have plagued the touring party, and injuries to Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor this week have exposed the shallowness of the talent pool in the Caribbean.Exacerbating matters further was their frivolous use of the Umpire Decision Review System on Friday. Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul burned both the lifelines against decisions that never looked like being overturned, leaving the likes of Dowlin and Ramdin at the mercy of human error. “I can’t really say much about the decisions,” Ramdin said. The less said the better.This is a West Indian team in regression. Again. Having subjected their loyal supporters to a decade of drudgery, the Windies finally appeared to be on the rise when, two years ago, they commenced a heartening sequence highlighted by victories over South Africa, Sri Lanka and England, and a close-run series against Australia. Now, they face a fifth straight Test defeat and a winless stretch spanning nine matches. And Gayle wonders why the five-day game is losing its appeal with the Caribbean public.

Manchester United have potentially been handed a late selection setback ahead of their Premier League clash with Norwich City at Carrow Road this evening.

What’s the story?

In Friday’s press conference, new interim manager Ralf Rangnick addressed the current fitness status of his first-team squad, admitting that there are a handful of doubts going into today’s intriguing encounter.

“Yeah, we have two or three question marks behind players, but since they haven’t shown up as yet, we only train at two o’clock, we have to wait until after the training session, or at least before the training session, and the Doctor and medical department can tell me what the current situation is like,” he said.

Rangnick is unlikely to be able to call upon the services of Aaron Wan-Bissaka after the defender left the Old Trafford pitch on a stretcher in midweek, but it’s the potential absence of Nemanja Matic which will come as a late blow.

“Aaron, as you said, received one or two knocks in the game, there is still a question mark behind Nemanja Matic, he had sort of a cold, I wouldn’t call it a ‘flu, but he was negatively tested with COVID, so I am still hoping he can be available, but we have to wait until we see how he feels today,” the German revealed.

Rangnick will be gutted

News that Matic may not be able to play any part against Norwich will likely leave Rangnick feeling gutted, given the versatility and experience that the Serbian midfielder brings to the side.

The 33-year-old showcased his leadership skills by captaining the team against Young Boys on Wednesday night, putting in a stellar performance in an unusual position after being asked to fill in at centre-back.

The Serbia international has also showcased his usefulness throughout the current campaign in his eight top-flight outings to date. As per WhoScored, he has averaged 1.4 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 0.6 clearances per league game, while achieving a pass completion ratio of 86.2% and providing two assists.

Therefore, Rangnick will be hoping that the 6 foot 3 beast can recover from his illness in time to travel to Norwich, providing United with the know-how they might need in order to overcome a tricky opponent.

In other news… Man United eye move for “unbelievable” £77k-p/w “soldier”, Rangnick needs him

Sohail Tanvir, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said he is happy with his recovery from the back injury that affected his form over the past six months

Cricinfo staff30-Nov-2009

Sohail Tanvir, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said he is happy with his recovery from the back injury that affected his form over the past six months. Tanvir was a regular with the Pakistan limited-overs sides in 2008 but has struggled to hold down his place in 2009.He burst onto the scene at the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 but was out of sorts in the second edition earlier this year. “A damaged disc in my lower back caused me great discomfort in my lower back and hamstring areas,” he told . “It was a frustrating time for me and an injury that we couldn’t diagnose during the tournament.”My body wasn’t right in England and the injury had affected my self-belief. The injury was of course a physical one, but it affected me mentally too.”Tanvir said the injury forced him to opt out of the Sri Lanka tour which followed and has been working out at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore to get back to full fitness. “The strength sessions at the NCA have helped me and I’ll be back at the NCA next week to continue my work with the medical staff there.”The Twenty20s against New Zealand in UAE earlier this month were his first international games in five months. He turned in a couple of steady performances and was satisfied with his fitness. “I felt no recurrence of the back injury. The ball was coming out of the hand nicely, I felt I had good rhythm against New Zealand and bowled pretty well.”The emergence of Mohammad Aamer and the return of Mohammad Asif has made competition for fast bowling spots intense, but Tanvir was hopeful he would be picked for the tough tour of Australia starting next month.

تلقت جماهير اتحاد جدة صدمة من العيار الثقيل عقب تأكيد فقدان خدمات النجم البرازيلي رومارينيو داسيلفا في مواجهة الفريق المقبلة أمام النصر.

ويلعب الاتحاد أمام النصر يوم الأحد، الثاني من أكتوبر المقبل على ملعب مرسول بارك في إطار الجولة الخامسة من دوري روشن السعودي.

وكان رومارينيو تعرض للإصابة في الدقائق الأولى من مواجهة الخليج، مما تسبب في استبداله، ويغيب اللاعب البرازيلي عن التدريبات الجماعية للعميد بسبب الإصابة.

اقرأ أيضا.. فيفا يصدم اتحاد جدة قبل كلاسيكو الكرة السعودية أمام النصر

ووفقًا لصحيفة “عكاظ” السعودية سوف يغيب رومارينيو عن الملاعب لفترة تتراوح بين أسبوعين إلى 3 أسابيع بسبب الإصابة بتمزق في العضلة الأمامية، ما يعني غيابه عن مباراة الكلاسيكو القادمة أمام النصر.

يُذكر أن رومارينيو لم يتمكن حتى الآن من تسجيل أي هدف لفريق الاتحاد في الدوري السعودي هذا الموسم.

ويحتل فريق الاتحاد المركز الثالث في ترتيب جدول الدوري السعودي، برصيد 10 نقاط من الفوز في 3 لقاءات والتعادل في مواجهة واحدة.

بينما النصر يأتي في المركز الرابع في ترتيب الدوري برصيد 9 نقاط، حققها من الانتصار في 3 مواجهات وخسر في مباراة واحدة.

Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane believes his career at the club ‘is over’ and is looking at his next move, as per journalist Nathan Hemmingham.

The Lowdown: Hourihane’s 2021

The Irishman, who was called ‘excellent’ by Steve Cooper earlier this year, has spent the majority of 2021 out on loan.

Hourihane joined Cooper’s Swansea City side in the January transfer window and almost helped them earn promotion to the Premier League, making 22 league appearances in south Wales as they reached the Championship play-off final.

The 30-year-old returned to the Midlands over the summer and made one appearance in the Carabao Cup before joining Sheffield United on a temporary basis. He has lined out 11 times for the Blades so far, with his Villa contract expiring in the summer of 2022.

The Latest: Villa Park career over

Yorkshire Live reporter Hemmingham posted a link to an interview with Hourihane on Twitter on Friday afternoon, with the midfielder apparently believing that his Villa Park career ‘is over’.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder now thought to be eyeing a permanent move to Bramall Lane, with Paul Heckingbottom now the man in charge.

The journalist tweeted: “Conor Hourihane says he has resigned himself to the fact his Villa career is over and is now playing for his future elsewhere, having worked with PH before, he would love to earn a permanent deal here next season”.

The Verdict: All good things must come to an end…

Hourihane has been a terrific servant to Villa after joining from Barnsley back in 2017, making 151 appearances in claret and blue. However, a permanent exit is now inevitable with his contract up at the end of the season and his limited Villa game-time since they returned to the Premier League

The midfielder made 46 appearances in Villa’s promotion-winning campaign of 2018/19, and while he has probably played for the club for the last time, his contribution in getting them back into the top flight should not be forgotten. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

In other news: Gerrard offered ‘aggressive’ versatile beast in Jan; Villa yet to dismiss idea. 

MatériaMais Notícias

Punição com base em imagens de TV virou rotina no futebol do Brasil. Não são poucos os casos em que jogadores tomaram ganchos pesados por agressões fora do lance, gestos obscenos ou provocação à torcida adversária que o juiz não viu mas as câmeras flagraram. O STJD deveria procurar agora as imagens da ofensa de Tréllez, que teria chamado Rene Junior de macaco no clássico de domingo na Fonte Nova. E, se for comprovado o xingamento racista, punir o atacante do Vitória.

RelacionadasFutebol InternacionalJornal inglês elege os 50 maiores clássicos do mundo. Veja a lista!Futebol Internacional13/10/2017Futebol InternacionalTensões geopolíticas e o combate à violência na Copa da Rússia de 2018Futebol Internacional12/10/2017BahiaRenê Junior lamenta xingamento racista de jogador do VitóriaBahia22/10/2017

Será a única forma de se fazer Justiça. Rene, segundo ele, atendendo a apelo de outros jogadores, decidiu não dar queixa crime contra o colombiano. Se tem convicção do que houve, é um erro. Tréllez gravou um vídeo na internet pedindo desculpas. Confirmou ter discutido com o jogador do Bahia mas nega ter usado a expressões racistas. “Sou preto, meu pai também é”, afirmou. Não dá para continuar achando que atitudes raciais ou homofóbicas dentro de campo são coisas do futebol. Não são. São, isso sim, casos de polícia.

MatériaMais Notícias

A vitória sobre o líder Corinthians não livrou a Ponte Preta das ameaças de rebaixamento. Com 35 pontos, a Macaca ainda se encontra na zona da degola, na 17ª posição. Faltando sete rodadas para o fim do campeonato, cada partida agora é uma final, e a próxima é contra o Bahia, neste domingo, em Salvador.

Para o goleiro Aranha, o triunfo sobre o Timão serviu sim para dar um gás na confiança da equipe. Porém, o arqueiro frisou a importância de manter os pés no chão, já que o campeonato é muito equilibrado.

– A vitória no domingo nos deixou em uma condição um pouco melhor para depender apenas dos nossos resultados, isso é o mais importante. O Campeonato está muito equilibrado e muito difícil para todo mundo, você ganha do líder e perde para o lanterna. Temos que manter o foco. Não achar o melhor quando vai bem, mas quando a vitória não vem não pode deixar se abater – afirmou Aranha.

Analisando os últimos resultados da equipe, o goleiro acredita que a Ponte teve sim um bom retrospecto, com excessão em um jogo ou outro, como contra o Avaí, dentro de casa.

– É lógico que a zona de rebaixamento incomoda muito e vamos fazer nosso máximo para sair dela o quanto antes. O fato é que nós enfrentamos em uma sequência muito pesada – Palmeiras, Flamengo, Corinthians, Cruzeiro e Santos – e somamos sete pontos, o que mostra um bom trabalho. Sim, deixamos escapar uma vitória ou um empate em casa, contra o Avaí, mas está muito equilibrado e temos condições de nos manter na série A – avaliou.

Por fim, Aranha disse compreender a insatisfação do torcedor. Ele afirmou que está ciente do temperamento vindo da arquibancada, que é a mesma que vaia e aplaude, mas que a única certeza é que todo o grupo está comprometido em livrar a Ponte do rebaixamento.

– A gente e o grupo entende a insatisfação da torcida, a crítica. O torcedor não quer explicação: ele quer a vitória. Ganhou, sai alegre, todo mundo é bom, o trabalho é ótimo, segue a vida, tudo certo. Perdeu, ninguém presta, o trabalho não é bom. No domingo chegamos ao estádio, como nas outras vezes, sem receber apoio e mesmo assim temos que honrar a camisa, correr bastante, se dedicar e trazer o torcedor para o nosso lado. E a única maneira de trazer o torcedor para o nosso lado é vencendo: conseguimos fazer isso domingo e esperamos continuar fazendo daqui para frente – completou o jogador.

Bahia e Ponte Preta se enfrentam neste domingo, às 17h, na Fonte Nova, em Salvador. Depois, a Macaca recebe o Grêmio, dia 8/11, no Moisés Lucarelli.

RelacionadasBotafogoBotafogo processa Maurício Assumpção e cobra prejuízo de mais de R$ 50 milhõesBotafogo31/10/2017PalmeirasDudu está perto de entrar para o top 3 de artilheiros do Verdão no séculoPalmeiras31/10/2017São PauloBlog da base: São-paulino volta do Mundial sub-17 com novos conceitos (e sondagens)São Paulo31/10/2017

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has the chance to secure his first trophy in charge of the club tomorrow if they can beat Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup final.

In terms of which players the 56-year-old could pick in his starting XI for the showpiece decider, one man who started their previous league match against Ross County but should be taken out for the final is Adam Montgomery.

Time to axe Montgomery

Playing on the left-hand side of the front three, the youngster failed to have much of an impact from an attacking point of view before being substituted in the 63rd minute to be replaced by Owen Moffat. During his time on the pitch, Montgomery only completed 15 of his 24 passes, with no shots at goal or key passes made.

Despite being previously labelled a “talented” player by Postecoglou, the 19-year-old also failed to make any successful dribbles, crosses or long balls in Dingwall, which make it clear why Postecoglou took him off in the second half.

This performance earned Montgomery an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.4/10, making him Celtic’s joint-lowest rated player on the day according to SofaScore. That tied him with Carl Starfelt, who was sent off on the night, showing how much the 19-year-old let Postecoglou down with his performance.

In fairness to the teenager, having predominantly played as a left-back this season, perhaps it may not have been likely for him to have a huge say when deployed in a more attacking position against Ross County.

Taking this into account, perhaps it would be in Celtic’s best interest if Postecoglou took Montgomery, who is currently valued at £135k according to Transfermarkt, out of the team for the final against Hibs.

In terms of who Postecoglou could utilise tomorrow instead of Montgomery, Mikey Johnston returned to training on Friday and is apparently in contention to play in the final. As a result, there could be every chance that he could force the teenager out of the team if the manager doesn’t trust Montgomery to perform on the left-wing again.

In other news: Celtic handed potential injury boost ahead of cup final which will surely leave fans thrilled

Having picked up his first five-wicket haul for Australia, Nathan Hauritz has declared his intentions to make the spinner’s spot his own for a long time to come.

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG31-Dec-2009

Nathan Hauritz has played ten Tests over the past year but without a sense of security. There has always been the feeling that he was a temporary solution, filling a gap while Australia’s selectors decided on their next long-term Test spinner. But after a chat with Shane Warne helped him collect his first five-wicket haul for his country, Hauritz has declared his intentions to make the Test spot his own for a long time to come.The timing of Hauritz’s career-best was important. Last week, the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch challenged him to become a dangerous fourth-innings bowler and said that while Hauritz was very capable, the selectors would “continue to look for that next group of spin bowlers” who would be part of the team in the coming decade.That made Hauritz’s 5 for 101 in the fourth innings of the Boxing Day Test victory over Pakistan extra special. He knows how quickly a spinner can fall out of favour – since Warne’s retirement Australia have used seven slow men in Tests – and has had the legspinner Steven Smith hovering in the shadows over the past two matches.”The most important thing is not to put too much pressure on myself in those situations,” Hauritz said after bowling Australia to a 170-run victory. “I probably have a little bit at times, just trying to get those wickets to try and silence a few people and let people know that I can bowl and I’ve earned this spot and I’m here for a long time.”Smith enjoyed a one-on-one net session with Warne during the Boxing Day Test and it was Warne’s advice that helped Hauritz deliver his best performance. Hauritz said the advice from Warne on the fifth morning was to be patient, alter his lines and force the batsmen to hit the ball where he wanted it to go, not where they wanted to play it.”Since I’ve been part of this squad he has been trying to get me … to get the batsman to hit in areas they don’t want to and being able to have the confidence to put the ball in that area,” Hauritz said. “When I first started I was quite happy to bowl outside off but have a 5-4 field so they wouldn’t play there.”I’m trying to get batsmen out a lot more now. I didn’t bowl as accurately as I normally can at times in this last innings but I definitely bowled more attacking lines and tried to make them hit in areas which they felt uncomfortable. It can be pretty tough at times when you’re getting hit back over your head all the time. In the end it worked in my favour being able to get a stumping and getting batsmen trapped on the crease.”His final breakthrough came with a top-edged swipe that was taken at midwicket, giving him his first five-wicket-haul in first-class cricket, while his previous best in Tests was three in an innings. When he began his state career with Queensland he hadn’t taken a five-for at club level – he has now – so the feeling of pressure to perform was familiar.It’s not unheard of for bowlers to deliver a five-wicket bag in Tests before state cricket; Jason Krejza had never taken five in a first-class match until his eight-for on Test debut in Nagpur last year. Krejza lasted only one more Test before being dropped but Hauritz, who played a one-off Test in 2004 before waiting four years for his second. He is confident that his best performance is a sign of bigger things to come.”It’s pretty significant,” Hauritz said. “It’s my first five-for in first-class and Tests. I am very happy to take that five-wicket haul. I hope it is the start of something good. It has been a pretty tough road. There have been good moments and bad moments and this is definitely one that I will remember.”The next step is to continue delivering Test-quality performances and that challenge begins at the SCG, where the second Test starts on Sunday. Despite the ground’s reputation for favouring spin, Hauritz has only 16 first-class wickets at 55.75 there, and he was anticipating a good batting pitch once again.”I don’t expect it to be too much different to what it normally is,” he said. “It is generally a pretty good batting track for the first few days. The first morning it can offer a little bit, I have seen finger-spinners do well there on the first morning because it is a little bit tacky. I don’t expect it to be too much different.”

تخطي المنتخب الإيطالي نظيره المجري بهدفين نظيفين، في المباراة التي جمعت بينها، مساء اليوم في مسابقة دوري الأمم الأوروبية.

وأقيمت المباراة مساء اليوم الإثنين على ملعب “بوشكاش أرينا” في بودابست بالمجر، وذلك ضمن لقاءات الجولة السادسة والأخيرة لمباريات المجموعة الاولى بالمستوى الأول في دوري الأمم الأوروبية.

الهدف الأول في المباراة جاء بالشوط الأول من اللقاء عبر جياكومو راسبادوري في الدقيقة 27، بعد ارتدت كرة من حارس المرمى، ومهاجم ساسولو استغل الفرصة وسجلها مباشرةٍ في الشباك.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | مباراة الـ6 أهداف.. تعادل مثير يحسم صدام إنجلترا وألمانيا في دوري الأمم الأوروبية

وبالشوط الثاني من اللقاء تمكن فيديريكو ديماركو من إحراز الهدف الثاني بعد تمريرة أرضية عرضية من جانب برايان كريستانتي من داخل منطقة الجزاء، و ديماركو سجّل الكرة في شباك الحارس بيتر جالوتشي.

وبذلك أصبحت إيطاليا في صدارة  المجموعة الثالثة برصيد 11 نقطة لتتأهل إلى نصف النهائي، بينما رصيد المجر توقف عند 10 نقاط في المرتبة الثانية. شاهد اهداف مباراة ايطاليا والمجر