All posts by h716a5.icu

Ange Postecoglou admitted last week that he felt he’d walked under a ladder after the start of his Celtic tenure.

Indeed, after the Hoops suffered more dropped points and yet another injury on Sunday, he’d have been wondering how many ladders had been placed in his way.

On the chalkboard

This is Celtic’s worst start to a campaign for 23-years and after an injury problem to Josip Juranovic, the issues are only mounting for Postecoglou.

The Bhoys only have ten points from their opening seven matches and barring a miracle, it would take a lot of work in order to regain the Premiership title.

Juranovic has now joined a plethora of other bodies on the treatment table with fellow defender Greg Taylor out alongside the likes of Callum McGregor, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Kyogo Furuhashi.

Now is the time for Celtic’s most experienced players to step up. You’re asking for Joe Hart to lead by example and for Tom Rogic to really grab the bull by the horns.

Sadly, the Australian’s performances have waned in recent weeks. He started the campaign in excellent form and looked a rejuvenated figure under Postecoglou following a goal against Dundee FC.

However, he’s now struggling to add impetus to the final third and he’s also losing the ball on a regular basis.

As Celtic laboured to a 1-1 draw with Dundee United this weekend, he was particularly poor. Rogic missed a golden opportunity that struck the woodwork, gave away possession 20 times and completed just 71% of his passes.

The solution

One simple remedy would be to withdraw Rogic from the starting XI for a period of games.

However, with Celtic’s injury list mounting, that’s easier said than done.

A way they could solve that issue is by looking into the B team and unleashing some of the young players who are set to star in the future.

Postecoglou hasn’t been shy to grant opportunities to young players with Dane Murray featuring in the Champions League a few weeks ago and Adam Montgomery now becoming a key part of the manager’s plans.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-celtic-news-duffy-mccarthy-brady-knockaert” title= “Read the latest Celtic news!”]

Another teenager they should turn to is Owen Moffat.

The 19-year-old was on the bench against Dundee United last weekend and has been a rampant threat all season long for the B team.

Capable of playing out wide but also through the middle, Moffat is a mightily talented individual, someone who’d be prepared to offer more in the final third than his Australian colleague.

He has been among the goals already this season, finding the net five times in a 10-0 win over Vale of Leithen.

The youngster started that game on the flanks but moved centrally before catching the eye again.

At his age, versatility will be extremely important when it comes to breaking into the senior set-up.

He’s never made a first-team appearance but one can’t be far off after the acclaim he’s received in 2021/22.

Speaking during pre-season, skipper Callum McGregor commented: “A mention for young Moffat – his attitude has been first class. I remember watching him at the end of last season, training on the astro himself. Every day they would do finishing and I remember thinking: ‘He’s got a finish on him’.”

With Celtic stuttering, they will be lusting after the return of their injured stars. Though, for the time being, it’s surely worth exploring Moffat’s qualities in the first-team.

AND in other news, 93% pass success: 26 y/o now shining after leaving Celtic, he was a “laughing stock”…

Richard Pybus has resigned as coach of the Titans after opting against renewing his contract with the team franchise

Cricinfo staff17-Jul-2009Richard Pybus has resigned as coach of the Titans after choosing not to renew his contract with the team franchise. Chris van Noordwyk, a former fast bowler who represented Northern Transvaal, has been named as his replacement.Pybus, who coached the Titans for four seasons, oversaw his team’s title-win in the MTN Domestic Championship for the past two seasons. He was formerly coach of Pakistan and Middlesex, and was recently named the CSA (Cricket South Africa) Coach of the Year.”It has been a challenging and rewarding four years and I have managed to achieve the goals I set out at the beginning of my tenure at SuperSport Park with the team and to get players through to the national level,” Pybus said following his decision. “I believe it is time for me to move on and allow someone else to take over the role; I wish the Titans and the boys the very best for the future.”Pybus’ successor, van Noordwyk, was, until this appointment, the Titans cricket co-ordinator in charge of overseeing the identification and development of talent within the Titans structure. He will take charge on August 1.

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur insider/club source John Wenham has dropped his verdict on club record signing Tanguy Ndombele.

The Lowdown: Ndombele drama…

Over the summer window, amid all the unrest surrounding star striker Harry Kane, yet another player informed Spurs chiefs of his desire to leave N17.

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Indeed, as per reliable reports, Ndombele also told Tottenham he wanted to secure a move away but to no avail – with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo now left to pick up the pieces.

After being dropped from the squad for a while, the 24-year-old is now back and playing regularly, but ‘insider’ and club source Wenham, who regularly breaks news on his Lilywhite Rose social media channel, has now made a claim.

The Latest: Wenham makes Ndombele claim…

Speaking to FI, the Tottenham insider believes that chairman Daniel Levy, could now ‘try to get rid of’ Ndombele next summer.

“We need to get some money out of this guy,” Wenham explained.

“He’s on £200,000 per week and cost £65million, he’s cost £110million over the duration of his contract.

“We need to get value out of him. There is no chance he stays here long-term.

“But I’m happy for him to play and put himself in the shop window, as long as he performs.

“He has asked to leave for three successive summers, including six weeks after we bought him.

“He’s a YouTube footballer, the younger generation love him. He does the tricks and the skills but doesn’t perform regularly.

“It won’t be a COVID market so there will be money to spend. But what will Tottenham get for him?

“It just hasn’t worked under four managers. It’s a hard deal to do but Tottenham will try to get rid of him.”

The Verdict: Time to move on?

It’s clear for all to see that Ndombele has bags of ability.

The midfielder, for example, finished last season as Tottenham’s best on the ball statistically – averaging the most completed dribbles per 90 (2.2) out of any Lilywhites player in the Premier League (WhoScored).

Former boss Jose Mourinho also called him ‘magnificent’ and praised his brief turn around over 2020/2021, but following more drama on his future, we believe it could be time for Spurs and Levy to sever ties.

In other news: Levy told to hire ‘world class’ boss over Poch if Nuno is axed, Spurs players love him! Find out more here.

Umar Akmal has said that he had learned to tackle pressure from his elder brother Kamran Akmal, also a free-scoring batsman

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo08-Aug-2009Umar Akmal, who destroyed Sri Lanka with a magnificent maiden one-day international century in the fourth ODI at the Premadasa Stadium, has said that he had learned to tackle pressure from his elder brother Kamran Akmal, also a free-scoring batsman.Umar walked in with his team at 130 for 4 in the 26th over and went on to add a crucial 176 with his captain Younis Khan to raise his team’s total to 321. The hosts were bowled out for 175, handing Pakistan their first win on tour. Pakistan trail the five-match series 3-1 with the final game on Sunday.”I’ve learnt a lot from my brother on how to tackle pressure. When the team needed runs I knew how to play according to the situation,” Umar said after his blazing unbeaten 102 off 72 balls that comprised four sixes and five fours.”I am thankful to the team management for selecting me and placing faith in my ability. The captain, coach and senior members helped me.”Umar, 19, impressed with a typically aggressive fifty in the third ODI in Dambulla and the twin knocks have impressed his coach, Intikhab Alam.”I don’t think you can say that Umar resembles his elder brother in the way he plays. It’s his natural ability to hit the ball,” Intikhab said. “The good thing about him is that he is not afraid to play his shots. He accepts challenges and to hit Lasith Malinga over his head for a six is not a joke. You’ve got to have a lot of ability to do that. It would have given him a lot of confidence.”Umar has already made his mark, especially coming into the Pakistan team and the way he played showed a lot of maturity. This is what we need: young lads with strong legs and strong minds. The way he went through the whole situation and the whole scenario, full marks to him. He’s got a long way to go but also a tremendous future.”Recently he went to Australia with the Pakistan A team and scored three hundreds. We knew exactly what he was doing there so we all thought after the Test matches that this young boy has done well and deserves some recognition. He’s been batting well before and also in domestic cricket. We thought it is the right time to get him over for the ODIs.”Intikhab said the wonderful partnership between Umar and captain Younis (89) gave a lot of confidence to the team for the final ODI and the Twenty20. The pair added 176 off 139 balls for the fifth wicket, with Umar’s contribution being 95.

West Ham have been given a clear run to sign Andrea Belotti in 2022, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The long-serving Torino talisman was a tentative target for Irons boss David Moyes throughout the summer, with even the reliable ExWHUemployee mooting the club with interest at one stage.

And now it appears the 28-year-old forward will be available for nothing from January as he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any team outside of Italy, thus opening the door for the east Londoners to strike.

“Andrea Belotti has chances to leave Torino as [a] free agent next summer, as things stand now,” revealed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano earlier this week. “He’s out of contract in June 2022 and he has not accepted yet last Torino proposal to extend [his] current deal.”

Back in May, some reports in Italy suggested the Hammers were even the ‘front-runners’ to seal Belotti’s signature, so he’s certainly a player on their radar.

Bargain swoop

The Irons were merely one striker away from achieving a very successful summer transfer window. It is the one position they still lack considerable depth in and it absolutely has to be the top priority for new head of recruitment Rob Newman.

Moyes only has one senior centre-forward at the club in Michail Antonio, 31, who has suffered from his fair share of injury problems throughout his time at West Ham. Indeed, he hasn’t started more than 24 league games across the past four seasons, largely due to those aforementioned issues.

He missed the Hammers’ first defeat of the season through suspension and his presence was sorely missed in the final third.

Without him, it means the Scottish coach has to turn to someone like Jarrod Bowen to play out of position, which seems like a crazy scenario to be left in considering they are vying for a top-six finish and are competing in the Europa League this season.

Belotti on a free would not only solve this massive quandary but also save GSB and the club millions.

The Italy international, who won Euro 2020 this summer, has proven to be a prolific goalscorer in the Serie A over several years, hitting double figures in every campaign since 2015/16, including a career-best of 28 goals in 2016/17, as per Transfermarkt.

Former Premier League shot-stopper Joe Hart played with Belotti during a loan stint in Turin and waxed lyrical about the talismanic forward to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special. He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has [an] instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

Considering he is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, Newman could secure West Ham an absolute bargain and at the same time, fix one of Moyes’ ongoing nightmares in one fell swoop.

Belotti is there for the taking and the Irons would be foolish to not make their move again.

AND in other news, Moyes could have West Ham’s next Glen Johnson in “fearless” 19 y/o gem who’s a “unit”…

Gloucestershire have signed 18-year-old academy players David Payne and Chris Dent on two-year contracts

Cricinfo staff18-Aug-2009Gloucestershire have signed 18-year-old academy players David Payne and Chris Dent on two-year contracts.Payne, who has played for England Under-19, is a fast bowler and will start with the club in October, having been part of the Gloucestershire academy for two years. Dent, a batsman and left-arm spinner, has worked his way up through the Gloucestershire youth teams, and will join the squad in March, after touring overseas during winter.”I am delighted for both players. They have worked incredibly hard whilst being part of the Academy,” said Owen Dawkins, Gloucestershire’s academy director. “It is great to see these talented young players coming through the Academy here and is great for the emerging young cricketers of the county to see what can be achieved.”

Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu came in for high praise from numerous Saints fans on Twitter for his performance in the 1-0 win over Leeds on Saturday afternoon.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team finally notched their first league victory of the campaign at the eighth time of asking, with Armando Broja’s second half goal proving the difference on the south coast.

Signed in the summer of 2020, injuries prevented Salisu from making his Southampton debut until this year, but he has made up for lost time since, starting all but one of their league games so far this term. On Saturday’s evidence, it’s easy to see why he has been consistently selected.

Aside from one lapse in concentration when he allowed Dan James to nip in ahead of him for a chance on goal, the 22-year-old gave a stellar performance against Leeds. As per SofaScore, he won eight of his 12 duels on the day, with three tackles and two clearances also underlining his defensive finery, while nobody could match his 71 touches of the ball at St Mary’s.

Hampshire Live’s Tom Leach was effusive with his praise of the defender afterwards, awarding him a nine in his player ratings with this glowing verdict: “Salisu was a monster, putting in perhaps his strongest performance of the season so far. He fresh confidence when pushing forward with the ball and limited Leeds to old shots from outside the area during the first half.”

Southampton fans praise Salisu

Plenty of Saints fans on Twitter were also raving about Salisu on Saturday, with one of them also using the word “monster” to describe how impressively the defender played.

“So many worthy performances today, but to mention just three: 1. Salisu. Becoming an absolute beast. A one-man rearguard. 2. Diallo. Looked the player we thought we’d signed. Constantly nicking the ball back. 3. Broja. Feeds off nothing. And looks dangerous doing it. #SaintsFC”

Credit: @antonydjames

“Get in! Huge result which should, hopefully, kick start our season.…. I give him stick but Redmond was good, Salisu immense, Diallo & Romeu worked hard. Is MOTD still on these days! Great day”

Credit: @sturge198

“Salisu is a monster. One mistake in 95 mins but imperious otherwise”

Credit: @L1minus10

“Thoroughly deserved first win of the season. Passing was impeccable, Redmond rejuvenated, Salisu an utter beast and Diallo really is coming along, fully took advantage of the opportunity with JWP out. Onwards and upwards!”

Credit: @danjarvis91

“So calm, composed and game managed to make Leeds look poor. Salisu was monstrous. Moi, Redmond (as predicted), Diallo and Tino. When you see Oriol marauding into the box, you know we are attacking well. Utterly committed for the manager. #Saintsfc fans were superb as well. UTS”

Credit: @saintbannerman

“Salisu is actually our best player”

Credit: @mcrconz

“Just back from the game. Salisu put in one of the best CB performances I’ve seen in a home shirt @ St Mary’s in years. He was outstanding. Redmond and Moi also excellent. In fact everyone that started played well, with perhaps the sole exception of Djenepo. Very dominant win.”

Credit: @tomholland28

“Actually believe we would have finished in the top 10 last year if Salisu wasn’t benched for Vestergaard every week”

Credit: @SaintLiam02

In other news: ‘Yes’, ‘Some positive news’ – These Southampton fans rave as ‘great’ development is confirmed’

Former West Indies allrounder Eldine Baptiste has been appointed the coach of Kenya and will be in charge of the team until June 2011

Cricinfo staff09-Sep-2009Former West Indies allrounder Eldine Baptiste has been appointed the coach of Kenya and will be in charge of the team until June 2011.”Eldine brings to the national team a wealth of cricketing experience having been a national player himself for West Indies and in recent years after retirement from international cricket has held several coaching positions,” Cricket Kenya said in a statement.Baptiste, 49, represented West Indies in 10 Tests and 43 ODIs in 1983-90. He was also the head coach of the Stanford Superstars, who went on to win US$20 million after beating England in the one-off Stanford 20/20 for 20 match last year. He held coaching positions in South Africa with the domestic side Dolphins, and as technical director for Fidentia in Port Elizabeth.Kenya have a busy year-end calendar ahead – with a tour of Zimbabwe later this month followed by a tour of South Africa in November – and the board hoped that Baptiste would put the team “high on the international stage.””The contract commences on September 15 and Baptiste’s immediate role will be to prepare and train the Kenya national team by defining and setting out the performance programme for the team’s training. He will be responsible for all direct coaching and management issues of the team,” the board said.Baptiste was on a five-man shortlist interviewed for the post left vacant after a decision not to extend the contract of Andy Kirsten.

Speaking to Polish news outlet Meczyki, West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabiabski has dropped a big update concerning a potential new deal at the London Stadium.

The Lowdown: West Ham looking to extend?

One of the few senior West Ham players out of contract next summer, with others like Angelo Ogbonna also at the centre of reports, Fabianski’s future is certainly an interesting topic.

West Ham completed the signing of Paris-Saint German shot stopper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan with the option to buy last summer and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a big hint in regards to Fabianski’s long term status.

Alas, he continues to prove a mainstay under David Moyes, starting every Premier League game so far, and now the player himself has dropped a contract bombshell.

The Latest: Fabianski shares news…

Speaking to Meczyki, the 36-year-old has confirmed that there have been some ‘preliminary talks’ going on behind-the-scenes over a possible extension.

“As far as I can tell, there have been some preliminary talks already going on,” Fabianski said when asked if he wants to extend his east London stay.

“I hope that we will calmly come to a good solution for both sides. I do not see any reasons for it to be otherwise, since the club and I are satisfied with this cooperation.”

The Verdict: Good news?

While you could make the argument that Moyes and West Ham need to start thinking more long term, as evident by the signing of Areola and links to West Brom ace Sam Johnstone, the Hammers’ current number one has given no reason not to offer another one-year deal.

The fact Moyes is yet to start Areola in an English top flight match despite his form for Fulham last year tells you all you need to know of Fabianski’s ability and application.

Time will tell whether the club and player will come to an agreement, but West Ham could certainly do far worse in-between the sticks for now.

In other news: ‘Bargain’, ‘Incredible’…Pundit blown away as West Ham eye ‘very, very good signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Everton have been handed a potentially significant boost in their pursuit of Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.

What’s the story?

The Toffees have been linked with a move for the versatile 28-year-old in recent weeks as new manager Rafa Benitez looks to replace the departed James Rodriguez during the January transfer window.

According to Football Insider, Everton have now moved to the front of the queue for Lingard’s signature, with several Premier League clubs interested in his services but the Toffees holding one ‘significant advantage’.

The report states: “Everton lead the race to sign Jesse Lingard in January – if Man United agree to let him go, Football Insider has learned…

“A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Everton, West Ham and newly-rich Newcastle are among the clubs keeping close tabs on Lingard going into January. But the Merseysiders have a significant advantage as Lingard would prefer to remain in the north-west.”

The England international has reportedly already turned down the offer of a new contract at Old Trafford due to concerns over his playing time, and with his current deal expiring next summer, an imminent exit could be on the cards.

Everton fans will be buzzing

Lingard has scored 35 goals and provided 21 assists in 217 appearances for the Red Devils after rising through the ranks at his boyhood club, winning the FA Cup, Europa League and League Cup along the way.

He has often popped up with big goals in crucial games for the 20-time English champions down the years, and his unique set of attributes have earned several plaudits, including from Michael Carrick.

However, Lingard struggled to get back to his best for United following the 2018 World Cup and was sent on a short-term loan move to West Ham back in January.

The six-month spell in east London reinvigorated the £75,000-per-week dynamo’s career, and in just 16 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, he bagged nine goals and provided a further five assists, playing a pivotal part as David Moyes’ charges finished in an incredible sixth position.

Unfortunately for Lingard, his eye-catching form for the Irons has not translated into first team opportunities back at Old Trafford, and it seems that a permanent exit is inevitable.

Goodison Park appears to be an ideal destination. The departure of Rodriguez has left Benitez without a natural creative midfielder who can also score goals on a regular basis, both of which are attributes where Lingard excels.

Therefore, Everton supporters will surely be buzzing at the prospect of Lingard joining Benitez’s charges over the winter window, adding extra firepower in the final third of the pitch.

In other news… Rafa could discover Everton’s next DCL in rarely-seen 18 y/o gem, he’s a “top player”