All posts by h716a5.icu

West Bromwich Albion have received a huge injury boost concerning Kyle Bartley ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, Valerien Ismael suggested that, after missing the Baggies’ 1-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers last weekend with an ankle injury, the centre-back could be in line for a return to first-team action this Saturday, when Peterborough United make the trip to The Hawthorns.

Speaking about the recovery of the 30-year-old, the Frenchman said: “We hope he comes back next week. Normally the injury is seven to 10 days so we hope he comes back next week to have another possibility.

“Cedric Kipre will be back, but it’s not enough – we need every player, a strong team and a strong bench, and when you have that you can compete in a top game like that with the best XI, but at the minute we have to find solutions.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Bartley has been for West Brom this season, in addition to the fact that Ismael is currently experiencing something of an injury crisis at the back, the news that the centre-back looks likely to make a return to first-team action this weekend is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 24 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £2.25m-rated defender has helped his side keep nine clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, one tackle, 4.3 clearances, and winning a whopping 8.9 duels – with a success rate of 67% – per game.

The £15k-per-week man has also chipped in for his side in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 0.3 key passes per fixture.

These returns have seen the 30-year-old average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as Ismael’s third-best performer in the second tier of English football so far this season.

As such, it is clear for all to see that it is a case of the sooner Bartley returns the better for West Brom, with the centre-back’s reintroduction to the side undoubtedly providing the Baggies’ chances of picking up all three points this weekend with a substantial boost.

In other news: Imagine him & O’Shea: West Brom now targeting second Jan signing, Ismael would love it

With the end of the 2022 January transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though a clue has been dropped on a player that has previously been linked with a move to Wolves that could lead Bruno Lage to making a late transfer move.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Pete O’Rourke had this to say on the possibility of Wolves making a move to sign Barcelona youngster Riqui Puig, who has been mentioned with a move to Molineux in the past.

He said: “Riqui Puig is a talented young player at Barcelona and I’m sure Wolves would love to have him at Molineux if he is available.”

After working his way through Barcelona’s youth ranks, in the same way that legendary football figures such as Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta among many others have done, Puig has gone on to make a total of 51 appearances for the first team across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing three assists from central midfield.

Lage would be buzzing

Considering the young midfielder’s immense potential and Wolves’ lack of depth in a central area, Lage would surely be delighted if the club could land a deal for Puig this month.

Having only started two of the 12 appearances he’s made for Xavi’s side across all competitions so far this season, it suggests that the £13m-rated talent is not a particularly crucial player for Barca and could be better off moving elsewhere if he’d be guaranteed regular playing time to help his development.

Therefore, Wolves could be the perfect place to go and earn more minutes if a deal can be struck.

Given the fact that they have previous experience of negotiating with Barcelona in a loan deal for Francisco Trincao in the previous summer window and with Nelson Semedo, they could use those players to sell Wolves as an attractive place for young players to come and play football.

Those prior Barca connections should also make negotiations easier, meaning the Midlands outfit should test the waters for a potential deal for Puig either before the current January window closes or in the summer if his situation in Spain isn’t likely to change in terms of his first-team chances.

Labelled as a “spectacular” player by Gennaro Gattuso, Puig could learn a lot at Molineux under Lage’s tutelage as well as having the likes of Ruben Neves and the experienced Joao Moutinho to seek guidance from in their midfield roles as well as get to grips with playing in the Premier League.

The question now would be whether or not the Spanish giants would be happy to let Puig leave this month or in the summer when he enters the final year of his current contract at the club.

If they do sanction a swoop, the manager at Wolves would surely be delighted. After all, he is clearly a player who could become a very able deputy to Neves and Moutinho.

In other news: “I’m sure..” – Journalist drops exciting Wolves transfer claim, fans surely buzzing – opinion

Facing criticism about an inadequate anti-corruption protocol, the ICC has denied any laxity in the work of its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU)

Sharda Ugra and Osman Samiuddin31-Aug-2010Facing criticism about an inadequate anti-corruption protocol, the ICC has denied any laxity in the work of its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) and pointed out that the body lacks the powers available to conventional law enforcement agencies.Three days after what could be the sport’s biggest scandal came to light, ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat told Cricinfo he was not worried about the fact that it was broken following a tabloid sting operation.”The ACSU’s working is not that of a policing agency or a newspaper,” Lorgat said. “They have no power to arrest or seize, or carry out a sting operation.”Criticism of the ACSU began shortly after the arrest of Mazhar Majeed on Saturday, on charges of ‘conspiracy to defraud bookmakers’. Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, was quoted as saying, “We’ve had an anti-corruption unit for how long? Why does it take an English newspaper to bring this out?”The ICC spent $640,000, excluding staff costs, on the ACSU last year. That’s less than 1% of the ICC’s profit of $84.7 million.Defending the ACSU, Lorgat said it had played its own part in assisting the Majeed case, to which the names of at least three Pakistani cricketers have been linked. “There is a lot of evidence we have given to the police in this investigation so we are not worried about how it is working at all”, he said.The ACSU was set up in 2001, in response to the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal, as a means of establishing and publicising very specific anti-corruption and security measures for players, support staff and administrators.The game has changed since then, with the advent of Twenty20 cricket, and so has technology but Lorgat indicated the ACSU didn’t need to change to stay in sync. “In the context of what is going on, I think its work is going fine,” he said.The onset of the World Cup, less than six months away, was not, Lorgat said, a special cause for concern for the ICC. “Never mind the World Cup, there is never a good time of the year for something like this to happen. This kind of bad news is not acceptable and cricket can do without it at any point of time.”The ACSU’s functioning is limited primarily to ICC events and begins with seminars about the anti-corruption code, which takes place in the under-19 World Cup, the women’s world cup and the three main events in the men’s game: the World Cup, the Champions Trophy and the World T20. The seminar is followed by a technical briefing for support staff to discuss anti-corruption issues among others. The players are advised on how to deal with approaches by unknown individuals – they must report it immediately to the manager, much in the manner of Shane Watson and Brad Haddin. Every dressing room has a sign on the wall with the numbers of the ACSU’s hotline. The approach room or corridor leading to the dressing room is watched over by CCTV cameras, whose footage is removed by the ICC’s security police after each day’s play and stored for inspection and reviews when needed.The mugshots of those allowed access to the dressing room – team and support staff – are posted outside the doors and only the manager is allowed to use a mobile phone inside the room; all the cellphones and ‘communication devices’ during the match are banned. While wi-fi access is password restricted, only the manager is given the password to supply to the team’s data analyst. At an ICC event the only other person allowed to enter a dressing room is the event manager – “even the CEO doesn’t have access to the dressing room,” an ICC official said.National boards are supposed to follow identical anti-corruption rules in much the same manner and for the most part seem to be doing so. On the evening before a big international game, the security team inspects the venue. According to a regular ground-operations expert in India, the daily visitor pass to the dressing room has a stamp that fades to prevent it from being re-cycled the next day. In newer stadia – Nagpur, for example – no one else is allowed access even into the separate corridors that take the player from bus to changing room.Yet the rules stop at the ground at the end of the game. The rest, says the ICC staffer, rests on national boards and the player’s own sense of self. “We can’t tap phones or shadow players because that is an invasion of privacy. We can’t control the hotel and we can’t control the individual beyond what he does on the field.” An ICC security man said that the shift from ‘fans’ approaching players to several claiming to be ‘agents’ and ‘managers’ for the players had made the ICC’s vigilance all the more complicated. The fan can be hustled away, the legitimate business partner of a cricketer just won’t budge.The ICC’s anti corruption code has been updated and amended as of October 6, 2009, but the official says there is a chance that the ICC’s chief executives meeting in Cape Town on September 14-15 will discuss the issue of allowances made for the age of cricketers found guilty of colluding with bookies.

An injury expert has said that Abdoulaye Doucoure may now be out for longer than previously expected following the arrival of Frank Lampard.

The Lowdown: Four weeks initially

The Goodison Park faithful confirmed on Thursday that Doucoure could miss four weeks of action while he tries to recover from his latest injury setback.

The central midfield player sustained a groin injury in their 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League, and now faces a period on the sidelines.

The Latest: Six now?

Speaking to Football Insider, injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has revealed that Doucoure could now be out for up to six weeks instead of four, indicating that he has potentially suffered a ‘grade two’ injury:

“It is a fairly significant injury.

“We initially looked at that borderline grade one, grade two. We are now potentially looking at up to six weeks, so that indicates that it’s a grade two.

“It hopefully shouldn’t impact too much on the run-in. He has fairly solid recovery rates.

“But there is a swing in feeling and mood following the arrival of Frank Lampard, which could affect the situation around Doucoure somewhat.

“If they get off to a good start, Doucoure could find it difficult to force his way back into that squad.“

The Verdict: Blow

If the Merseyside club lose Doucoure for an extra two weeks, then that could be a significant blow in terms of their hopes for survival.

There are no two ways about it, they are now in a relegation battle, as they are currently lurking in 16th place and just four points off of the drop zone.

The additional games that he could now miss would be Tottenham Hotspur away and Wolves at home, two teams in the top half that the Toffees will need to be full strength to beat.

He may also struggle to recover in time for Watford away a week after the Wanderers, which could be a crucial match in terms of survival.

Nonetheless, we feel Lampard will want Doucoure to recover as soon as possible so that he can slot him straight back into the side – he is the best ranked Everton midfielder on Whoscored.

In other news, find out who EFC have held talks over a coaching role here!

Hyderabad has thrown its hat into the ring to stage the second Test between India and New Zealand from November 12 to 16

Sharda Ugra14-Sep-2010Kanpur may not be ready and Kolkata unwilling, but Hyderabad has thrown its hat into the ring as a possible venue for the second Test between India and New Zealand from November 12 to 16. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, on the eastern outskirts of Hyderabad, has staged three ODIs since 2005 and was conferred Test status by the BCCI and the ICC in June this year.Kanpur was scheduled to host the second Test between India and New Zealand but threw up its hands saying that its 10,000-seater ‘students’ stand’ was incomplete. Kolkata then cited renovation of the Eden Gardens for next year’s World Cup as the reason for its inability to hold the Test. Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president, Arshad Ayub, told ESPNcricinfo, “Hyderabad would certainly and absolutely be ready to stage the India-New Zealand Test. We haven’t been contacted, but I believe the BCCI may be considering it”.Ayub said Hyderabad was “already in the line” to host a Test as it wrote to the BCCI asking to be allotted one, depending on, “the rotation of the Test match grounds or whose turn it was.” The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium will stage an India v New Zealand ODI on December 4, but the prospect of hosting two international matches within the space of three weeks was, Ayub said, “not a problem at all”. The HCA has not been formally spoken to by the BCCI about the Test against New Zealand, “but we are ready and able”.The two confirmed venues for the India-New Zealand Test series are Ahmedabad (November 4 to 8) and Nagpur (November 20 to 24). The series has been dogged by scheduling issues starting in July when the Mumbai Cricket Association backed out of staging the third Test, due to the renovation of the Wankhede Stadium for the World Cup in July, followed by Kanpur’s constructions problems earlier this week.

As per reliable reporter Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici has eyes for a new summer transfer target in Lille star Sven Botman.

The Lowdown: Lack-lustre January…

After missing out on top targets in both Adama Traore and Luis Diaz, with the moves eventually being hijacked, Spurs ended the winter market with two fresh faces.

Both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur were signed from Paratici’s former club Juventus at the end of the window, followed by a plethora of Spurs outgoings.

Tottenham have been tipped to raid the summer market as they aim to back manager Antonio Conte and make up for their arguably lack-lustre January.

The Latest: Paratici now wants Botman…

As per The Telegraph, Conte is set to target new defenders later this year as Paratici gets to work identifying targets.

It is believed that Botman, who was a top target for Newcastle last month, is now on the Italian transfer chief’s agenda alongside the likes of Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol.

Lille apparently value Botman at around €55 million (£46m) and it is expected that many clubs will enter the summer transfer race.

The Verdict: Get it done…

The 22-year-old would be a huge signing for Spurs if they can get it done in the summer, especially going by his age, quality and top level experience.

An ‘an established Champions League player’ already, as explained by pundit Noel Whelan, £46m is arguably a small price to pay for the defender who has even earned comparisons to Virgil van Dijk.

Botman has also averaged more clearances per 90 (4.9) than any Spurs player with over one start in the Premier League this season (WhoScored) – highlighting just how colossal the 6 foot 3 ace could be under Conte.

In other news: ‘A question of when’…Source close to Levy and ENIC makes major Spurs sale claim, find out more here.

Daryll Cullinan, the former South Africa batsman, has denied exposing team-mates for smoking marijuana during the 2001 tour of the Caribbean following claims made by Herschelle Gibbs in his new autobiography

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2010Daryll Cullinan, the former South Africa batsman, has denied exposing team-mates for smoking marijuana during the 2001 tour of the Caribbean following statements made by Herschelle Gibbs in his new autobiography.In a separate development, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said it would comment on the issues arising from Gibbs’ book only if its legal counsel, which was examining the matter, deemed it necessary.Cullinan rejected claims that he betrayed Gibbs, Paul Adams, Roger Telemachus, Andre Nel, Justin Kemp and physiotherapist Craig Smith after it emerged they had smoked marijuana to celebrate the series win against West Indies in Antigua.Cullinan wrote in his column that Graham Ford, the coach, had been informed by his wife who had smelt the drug while staying in an adjacent room and that he only found out from the coach and team manager, Goolam Raja. Cullinan felt the players should be sent home, but the captain Shaun Pollock didn’t agree.”She [Ford’s wife] informed her husband who in turn informed Rajah. Rajah and Ford told me of this,” Cullinan wrote. “En route from Kingston to Montego Bay, Ford approached me about the matter. I was of the opinion that the players should be sent home.”That account is entirely contradictory to the one offered in Gibbs’ book, which recounts how Cullinan had an altercation with Telemachus, the former pace bowler, in Montego Bay. Gibbs alleges that during a break in a two-day tour match Telemachus and Cullinan became involved in a fight and that Telemachus pushed Cullinan into some chairs.According to Gibbs, Cullinan was so “apoplectic with rage” that he stormed back to the hotel and Gibbs had to field in his place. Then, Gibbs claims, Cullinan told Rajah that he was “tired of this team” and that they had smoked marijuana.”Gibbs alleges that there was physical contact during my altercation with Telemachus in the Montego Bay dressing room,” Cullinan wrote. “For Gibbs to claim this is laughable as they were other players present. Telemachus, for the second time on the tour, verbally abused me after my strong reaction to his lack of changing room respect and decency. The first incident was in the Antiguan changing room after the series win.”Rajah called a meeting of senior players asking their advice, but Cullinan was also approached personally. Cullinan added that he warned Rajah that unless he let higher authorities know he would be “once again be fingered for his lack of control as a team manager.”Gibbs and Cullinan played together for six years from 1996 to 2002, but Gibbs admitted to having “never understood or liked” Cullinan and said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that he had heard the Cullinan was unhappy with parts of his book.Cullinan called the story “irresponsible and defamatory” made worse by the fact that he was still under a suspended sentance for his part in 2000 match-fixing scandal. “For a person like Gibbs to violate his existing suspension for a previous misdemeanour with drug taking was incomprehensible and smacked of someone who thought he was beyond reproach and the game.”

It would be ‘huge’ if Leeds United’s Ian Poveda returns to the fold at Blackburn Rovers during the run-in, former Whites attacker Noel Whelan says. 

The lowdown

Back in August, Leeds winger Poveda sealed a season-long loan move to Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

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But only eight games into his spell at Ewood Park, he suffered an ankle injury and had to undergo surgery.

Having returned to his parent club, he’s only been able to get back on the grass and step up his rehabilitation in the past few weeks.

But Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post reports that he’s now ready to return to Blackburn ahead of their final three matches.

Manager Tony Mowbray will run the rule over Poveda and decide whether he can be of assistance in the short time that remains.

The latest

Whelan says it would be a ‘massive boost’ for the player, in terms of his mood and his physical condition, if he’s able to re-enter the fray at Blackburn.

“The fact that he could come back and finish the season – it’s such a huge thing,” he told Football Insider.

“Both for his confidence and his fitness, to finish the season strongly will be a massive boost.”

The verdict

Come the summer, Jesse Marsch and Leeds will decide if Poveda has what it takes to be a member of the first-team squad next season.

He’d scored one goal and provided two assists in four Championship starts pre-injury, and all parties would have been frustrated to see his progress curtailed.

Indeed, Mowbray had raved about the ‘wonderful talent’ before his long-term lay-off.

It could wind up being a shoot-out at Elland Road between Poveda and fellow youngster Crysencio Summerville, who’s also a right winger.

Should Marsch favour the former, then Summerville could seal a move to Rangers or Hamburg, both credited with interest.

In other news, read this journalist’s Sergino Dest claim.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved to resolve their current impasse with former captain Younis Khan by sending him a notice a few days ago asking him to contact it

Osman Samiuddin10-Oct-2010The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved to resolve their current impasse with former captain Younis Khan by sending him a notice a few days ago asking him to contact it.ESPNcricinfo understands the Pakistan board is keen that Younis approach it now. It believes that to be the next logical step after his appeal against a punishment imposed on him after the Australia tour earlier this year was referred back to the board. The situation has meant that Younis, statistically one of Pakistan’s most successful Test No. 3 batsmen, has not played a Test since July last year and no ODIs since January this year.Typically, however, it is not clear whether Younis has received any such notice. “As far as we are aware, nothing has been received by Younis or myself,” Ahmed Qayyum, Younis’ lawyer, told ESPNcricinfo. Younis is currently in Lahore, and will be at the Gaddafi Stadium – which is where the PCB is headquartered – to play for his regional side in the domestic Twenty20 tournament, which starts on Sunday.It is not yet clear if this latest action indicates the board’s willingness to try and bring Younis back into the national side. If he doesn’t contact the board, he is likely to be served a fresh show-cause notice, asking him to address the charges laid against him. Qayyum insisted the whole process has already been undertaken once and that his appeal had been successful.Younis was one of seven players punished by the board in the aftermath of a tour among the most disastrous in Pakistan’s history. The board decided that Younis would not play for Pakistan for an indefinite period, though officials have insisted the decision did not amount to a ban.The reasons behind the punishment were never fully explained, resting only on vague references to “in-fighting” and general “indiscipline.” It is likely, however, that walking away from the captaincy twice within a couple of months in the run-up to the Australia tour contributed to the punishment.Alongside five others, Younis appealed against the punishment to the one-man tribunal of retired judge Irfan Qadir. Shoaib Malik, the Akmal brothers and Shahid Afridi had their fines reduced and bans lifted soon after; Rana Naved ul Hasan had his one-year ban lifted on Saturday. Mohammad Yousuf didn’t appeal and announced his retirement, though he wasasked by the board to return for the England tour, his punishment apparently waived away.Younis’ case, however, has stalled. The tribunal “set aside his order” and referred it back to the board, as it did with the others. The other players then apologised to the board and accepted their mistakes, clearing the way for their return.Younis has refused to do so, insisting through his lawyer that he has done nothing to apologise for and has instead maintained that he wants to clear his name fully of the charges laid against him.This, sources confirm, lies at the heart of the battle with Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman. Butt has steadfastly refused to clear Younis for selection, despite the selectors being keen on utilising his experience in the middle order. Publicly the chairman has expressed his unhappiness only with “inappropriate statements” that Younis’ lawyer has made since the appeal.Pressure has since been put on Butt by a horde of ex-players, selectors and the national assembly’s standing committee on sports to bring Younis back into the side. The standing committee has called Butt to a hearing on October 12 in which he is expected to be grilled on the Younis issue. Butt, however, is unlikely to attend as he will be in Dubai to attend anICC meeting at the same time.

Cricket South Africa President Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka has refused to comment on a newspaper report claiming he has confirmed allegations of financial impropriety made against Gerald Majola, the board’s CEO

Firdose Moonda14-Nov-2010Cricket South Africa (CSA) President Mtutuzeli Nyoka has refused to comment on a report published in the that claims he has confirmed allegations of financial impropriety made against Gerald Majola, the board’s CEO. The paper published details of a 12-page document which it says was written by Nyoka and submitted to a CSA internal commission of inquiry that is investigating bonus payments made to Majola and other staff members.”I don’t know who released the report to the press. I can’t comment,” Nyoka told ESPNcricinfo. According to the , Nyoka claims, among other things, that Rand 318,238 (approximately US$ 45,462) was paid in travel costs to Majola’s wife, that no minutes exist of the R4.7 million (US $671,428) paid in bonuses after last year’s Indian Premier League, and that Nyoka saw the full contract between CSA and the IPL only in August 2010, 15 months after the event was hosted.The IPL contract, for the 2009 edition which was hosted in South Africa, has come under scrutiny because it caused two major rifts in the country’s cricket. The first was with the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB), which accused the IPL and Majola of violating norms at the Wanderers Stadium. CSA responded by stripping the Wanderers of international status and removing the Gauteng board. Mediations in August 2009 saw the Wanderers regain the right to host international matches in time for the England tour later that year. The GCB was also ordered to restructure its board in order to be more racially representative.The second issue was a monetary one. The GCB claimed the Majola had received a substantial sum from the IPL. The story claims that Nyoka, when he saw the entire agreement between CSA and the IPL, wrote: “It showed allegations made by the GCB in 2009 that Mr Majola had received a large payment from the IPL were correct.”Majola and 39 other CSA staff were paid bonuses after the IPL and Champions Trophy in 2009, allegedly with money that was earned from the IPL. Those bonuses were not issued through the CSA remuneration committee (REMCO) but paid separately. A CSA insider said that the allocation of bonuses was done in accordance with precedents that were set since the 2003 World Cup and which applied to all major tournaments.CSA’s auditors Deloitte reported irregularities in the board’s financial statements in August this year, resulting in Majola paying back his bonus, which amounted to over R1 million (US$ 142,857). CSA then announced that they would appoint an independent committee chaired by Judge Pius Langa to look into the payments. Before the Langa commission could begin work, CSA had appointed a new board, which overturned the decision for an external inquiry and moved the investigation in-house. According to the , Nyoka’s report also claims that the board “voted unanimously for an external review on at least two occasions before opting for an internal review process.”The new inquiry commission is being headed by CSA vice president, AK Khan, and is expected to present its findings to the board on Friday. Majola has refused to comment before then. “It would be premature to speak before the report comes out on Friday. Everything will be revealed then,” Majola said. The CEO could lose his job if found guilty of taking unauthorised payments, but a source close to CSA said that Majola is expected to be cleared of all wrongdoing.