All posts by h716a5.icu

With the shortest day now in the past and the turn of the year in sight, thoughts at Somerset County Cricket Club are firmly focussed on the 2003 season and trying to ensure that all possible measures are taken to enable the club to gain promotion

SOMERSET23-Dec-2002With the shortest day now in the past and the turn of the year in sight, thoughts at Somerset County Cricket Club are firmly focussed on the 2003 season and trying to ensure that all possible measures are taken to enable the club to gain promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.The club has already made three impressive signings in West Indian fast bowler Nixon McLean, South African top order batsman James Bryant and promising young allrounder Aaron Laraman from Middlesex, each of whom will strengthen the Cidermen’s bid for success next summer.In the days leading up to Christmas officials at the club spent a considerable amount of time on the telephone to South Africa trying to get the latest information on two of their new recruits.The Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson told me: "Somerset are trying to make an assessment as to whether Nixon McLean’s contract with the club for 2003 will be affected by a possible recall to the West Indies team. If he is recalled the West Indies are due to play Australia and Pakistan at home with matches scheduled to take place up to the end of June 2003."Nixon McLean is currently in very good from in South Africa where he is playing for Natal. Last season he was one of the leading bowlers on the domestic scene and this year in his four matches he has taken 16 wickets at a cost of nearly 23 runs each.McLean told me: "I have a contract with Somerset County Cricket Club which I hope to fulfil. Joel Garner was a hero of mine and I was thrilled to bits to be given the chance to fill his enormous boots."He continued: "My contract with Somerset is attractive because it states that it will be me and not Andrew Caddick who bowls with the wind, and it will always be me who bowls into the end with the most grass!"In reality the likelihood is that because McLean is already playing in South Africa, where the World Cup is due to take place in spring 2003, he may well be recalled for that competition.Beyond the World Cup it is difficult to predict, but officials at Taunton will certainly be watching West Indian team developments very carefully over the next few months.The signing of batsman James Bryant by Somerset is looking better and better with each day that passes by.Referring to the Eastern Province batsman Mr Anderson told me: "Respected observers of the game in South Africa have been contacting me to say that the signing of James Bryant is a very shrewd move indeed. He is said to be technically a very good batsman, and his second attribute is that in the field he is on a par with Jonty Rhodes," all of which is very good news for Somerset supporters.

According to a report by the Daily Express, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the sides interested in towering Dutch striker Wout Weghorst – with Wolfsburg managing director Jörg Schmadtke now confirming they are open to selling for the right offer.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing new forward?

Tottenham did not take up the £36 million option to buy 2020/2021 loanee Carlos Vinicius on a permanent deal as the club now need to keep watch for any new additions going forward (Sky Sports).

The Lilywhites’ first and foremost priority appears to be at centre-half this summer with new manager Nuno Espirito Santo aiming to oversee a defensive revamp (football.london).

However, Tottenham will still need to sign a new striker and provide sufficient back up for Harry Kane.

The Latest: Tottenham want Weghorst…

Writing for the Daily Express, journalist Ryan Taylor has detailed Tottenham’s interest in monster 6 foot 5 striker Weghorst this summer.

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Indeed, Spurs are apparently among the sides interested in a move for the Netherlands international – coming after he was allegedly close to a Premier League move before the pandemic.

Wolfsburg director Schmadtke, speaking to Kicker via this report, has confirmed that the Bundesliga giants are open to selling their player if they receive an offer which ‘satisfies all sides’.

The Verdict: Do it…

Weghorst notched an impressive 25 goals in all competitions over 20/21 for Wolfsburg (Transfermarkt) and his physical attributes certainly set him aside from other targets.

Teammate Admir Mehmedi also branded the 28-year-old as ‘so crazy’ with a ‘really strong mentality’ (Bundesliga) – which points to an ideal frontman who could potentially challenge or replace Kane next season.

Valued at £27 million by Transfermarkt, we believe a figure around this amount would be a suitable price to pay.

In other news: Tottenham are also now eyeing their dream signing with Paratici set for battle, find out more here.

The Standard Bank Cup, the premier South African Domestic limited overs competition, got off to a flyer with 975 runs being scored in the two opening matches played on 8 November

Keith Lane09-Nov-2002The Standard Bank Cup, the premier South African Domestic limited overs competition, got off to a flyer with 975 runs being scored in the two opening matches played on 8 November.Easterns, the recently crowned first class champions, were beaten by North West in Potchefstroom with Arno Jacobs walking away with the man of the match award after scoring 118. A 123 run partnership with Davey Jacobs set the Dragons up for a total of 259/8 in their allotted 45 overs.In reply the Easterns ended 22 runs short after starting off well. Two quick run outs, that of Zander de Bruyn and Derek Crookes, put a stop to the flow of runs with Easterns finishing on 237/9.In Bloemfontein the home team was set up for their 59 run win, and a bonus point, with Morne van Wyk becoming one of only a hand full of players to score 150 runs in a domestic limited overs match. A partnership of 146 with Jimmy Adams, ending on 64, allowed Free State Eagles to reach 249/4.A good start from Adam Bacher (54), Daryll Cullinan (30) and 28 from Warren Dugmore was all that Gauteng could offer in resistance eventually bowled out for 210.With a shortened season bonus points are going to play a major roll in finalising the semi-finalists come January 2003. Free State will be well pleased to have started on a good wicket.

Ange Postecoglou has already set out his priorities as the new manager of Celtic.

That’s if you believe the various news outlets that have linked the Hoops to several new goalkeepers in the last few days.

What’s the word?

The Bhoys are believed to be keen on reuniting Brighton and Australia stopper Mat Ryan with Postecoglou this summer but there are other ‘keepers on their radar.

They could revive their chase for Robin Olsen while Benjamin Siegrist is a topic of conversation again.

Celtic have been tracking the Swiss over the course of the season with a move initially thought to be a possibility last winter.

A move didn’t materialise but the Hoops may well take part in a bidding war for the Dundee United man this summer.

That’s the word of journalist Alan Nixon who took to Twitter to say the following: “Ipswich want him but Dundee United will try for an auction … and Celtic may take part.”

Exciting news

Siegrist might not have the international or Premier League pedigree of Ryan but this is still incredibly exciting news for supporters.

The 6 foot 4 colossus is proven in the Premiership and would arrive at a time where Celtic are desperate to sign a new goalkeeper.

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Vasilis Barkas signed for a fee of £4.5m last summer but was particularly error-prone, eventually being ousted in favour of Scott Bain.

The Greek only started two games after the January period but Bain hardly covered himself in glory throughout the season either. He made a succession of errors against Sparta Prague in the Europa League and didn’t offer much authority.

Siegrist is the polar opposite and is one of the most commanding goalkeepers in the Scottish game.

Celtic supporters saw this firsthand when his dominating performance led to a 0-0 draw with the Hoops that ensured Rangers wrapped up the title early.

As Dundee United earned a surprise point at Tannadice, Siegrist was in remarkable form as he made a sensational 12 saves.

He repeatedly denied Odsonne Edouard on what was a terrible day at the office for the Frenchman.

For a man who “trains like a monster” in the words of Micky Mellon, he’d be a first-class addition to Postecoglou’s ranks.

Supporters should be excited at the potential of seeing a new man between the sticks after their wretched campaign from a defensive point of view.

AND in other news, McKay must complete Celtic move for 42-cap beast who dubbed Postecoglou “intimidating”…

Crystal Palace confirmed on Friday evening that they will take on Ipswich Town in a pre-season friendly next month.

And a number of Palace supporters have been giving their thoughts regarding the fixture announcement on social media.

The Eagles will travel to Portman Road on Saturday, July 24 for a 3pm kick-off to continue their preparations for the 2021/22 campaign.

Palace learned on Wednesday that they will travel to Stamford Bridge to face Champions League winners Chelsea for their Premier League opener.

Steve Parish is yet to land Roy Hodgson’s long-term successor, but pre-season plans are rightly being finalised despite the absence of a new boss.

James McArthur scored twice the last time Palace and Ipswich faced off in 2017 in a League Cup clash.

Palace fans react

Palace shared the news regarding the friendly with the League One side on their official Twitter page.

This is what these Eagles fans had to say in reply, with one describing the news as ‘decent’.

“You don’t know how excited I am hopefully I’ll be able to get tickets and we won’t be in a full lockdown again!”Credit: @parnellphoto_”This ones decent. The Darren Ambrose derby”Credit: @ReeceJMT”BRO JUST ANNOUNCE FAVRE”Credit: @CPFC_Trigs”And who’s picking the team?”Credit: @cpfc_Rob”Are we expecting Paddy or Sean Derry to be caretaker manager for all of these pre-season matches ?”Credit: @cmburns76″Do we even have enough players to field a team?”Credit: @cockneydub

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to Lucien Favre latest, find out more here. 

Tottenham’s reluctance to pay big wages could make it difficult for the club to compete against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool under Paulo Fonseca, warns football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

After a slight decline over the last couple of seasons, finishing seventh and scraping a Europa Conference League place in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, Tottenham supporters will be hoping for improvement during Fonseca’s reign.

The former AS Roma boss is set for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dugout next term following Jose Mourinho’s sacking, with the 58-year-old now at Fonseca’s old stomping ground.

Maguire, though, has his concerns over the north London club’s ability to compete, with their Premier League rivals currently able to attract better players due to the wages they are willing to hand out.

“It’s just whether they’re willing to start to pay wages to players that are more attractive when they’re trying to recruit,” The Price of Football author said in an exclusive interview with FFC.

“Historically, Spurs have been significantly behind the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea. And, also, they’re even quite far behind Arsenal in terms of wages. Spurs’ wage bill is £45m below that of Arsenal.”

While the above is a concern, Fonseca can take inspiration from the earlier part of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham spell, where he was able to guide his side to finishes inside of the top three and have them competing for the title despite not having the same financial muscle as some of their rivals.

Lymington propelled themselves into the heart of the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 promotion race with a comprehensive 109-run victory over United Services at the Sports Ground

Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo)21-Jul-2002Lymington propelled themselves into the heart of the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 promotion race with a comprehensive 109-run victory over United Services at the Sports Ground.Zimbabwean skipper Danny Peacock led the way for Lymington, top scoring in the New Forest club’s powerful 265-9 and then taking four wickets as United Services dipped to a disappointing 156 all out in reply.Lymington’s sixth successive win sets up a titanic Rose Bowl duel next Saturday against the Hampshire Academy, who maintained the Division 2 leadership with a four-wicket success at Rowledge.But Easton & Martyr Worthy are second – three points behind the Academy – after beating Old Tauntonians & Romsey by six wickets.Lymington asserted their authority during the afternoon session, but initially were never entirely comfortable with 265-9, particularly after their own record-breaking 286-run chase against Hungerford a fortnight ago."After what happened in the Hungerford game, it was in the back of my mind that we might not have scored enough," Peacock admitted."But I backed our bowlers, particularly Aaron Heal and myself, both spinners, who I knew would be difficult to get away."Lymington motored merrily along at four an over from the start, with Peacock’s second-wicket partnership with Heal providing the platform for a sizeable total.The young Western Australian left-hander didn’t time the ball as sweetly as he might have liked, but hit nine fours in an effective 57 before departing at 112-2, just after the mid-innings drinks break.Peacock and Ben Craft (42) ran well, really upping the anti and taking advantage of the fast outfield as Lymington moved menacingly to 202-2, with nine overs left.But Peacock, who struck a six and seven fours in a fluent 75, and Craft departed in quick succession as United Services created middle-order inroads."I thought the lads came back well at that stage, taking four wickets for only six runs," said skipper Gary Hounsome.But Lymington reasserted themselves through youngsters Ian Young (27) and Matt Molloy (23), who plundered 48 runs off the last five overs as the total advanced to 265-9 off 50 overs.Zimbabwean wicket-keeper Warren Gilmour bagged four catches, all off Damian Carson, who finished with a rather expensive 5-74 off ten overs."I must say we fancied ourselves at tea. It was a great batting track, even though 266 was a lot to get."But we batted poorly, with all ten batsmen giving their wickets away. Bad shots got us out," Hounsome confessed.US came out of the traps at breakneck speed – only to lose university pair Tom Clarke and James Robson to consecutive Trevor Phillips deliveries.Their dismissals – Robson was bizarrely caught first ball at long-leg – set the tone for Services, who were clearly looking to the unwell, but nonetheless impressive Pete Andrew to fire their challenge.Andrew, suffering from a bout of food poisoning, punished Phillips and left-armer Martin Hunt with a host of boundary shots.But soon after Lymington switched from seam to spin, US began to buckle.Peacock, bowling off-spin, removed Hounsome (23) at 88-3 and then got the vital break at 104-4 by removing Andrew for a forceful 57.The Services batsmen contrived to offer up catches all around – Peacock finishing with 4-33 and Heal, varying his flight and line, taking 3-40 as the Portsmouth side sank to 156 all out in the 35th over."To be all out with 15 overs left was little short of scandalous," Hounsome complained. "It just summed up the way we batted, but there was no doubt the better side won on the day."

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton has shared his fears over Steven Gerrard leaving the Gers for a Premier League club this summer.

The Lowdown: Gerrard linked with exit

Earlier this year, Gerrard was linked with a move to Liverpool after it was suggested Jurgen Klopp could leave the Reds (The Mirror).

While that particular link has since quietened down, both Wolves (The Athletic) and Everton are said to have been in pursuit of the Gers boss more recently.

The Latest: Hutton shares exit fears

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has admitted he is worried Gerrard could leave the 55-time Scottish champions. He said when asked if he was worried:

“Yeah, of course. I think it will be every Rangers fan’s nightmare knowing how well he’s done.

“He’s come in, it’s taken him a few seasons to settle in but we’re seeing how good he actually is as a manager at the moment and what he can bring to the table.

“With this managerial merry-go-round that literally is happening down south, there’s going to be opportunities. It doesn’t matter who you are. You want to be working or playing at the highest level possible.

“There’s a lot of money down south. If there’s an opportunity to go to a team and rebuild a team at a high level, of course you’re going to have to think about it. It’s only natural.

“I’m worried as a Rangers fan. We know how good a job Gerrard’s done and people will be looking at him.”

The Verdict: Not yet

It seems inevitable Gerrard will leave the Gers to move some south at some point. The 41-year-old, who earns £2.5m a year at Ibrox (£48,000 a week, The Daily Express), has done a fantastic job in Glasgow, leading Rangers to their first major trophy in 10 years. However, he is a Liverpool legend and an Englishman, and will therefore always likely be interested in a move back home.

Having said that, it feels unlikely that he will leave this summer. Rangers’ Premiership title means they have qualified for the Champions League third qualifying round. A run in Europe’s premier club competition is surely too big a challenge to pass up on.

In other news, Kieran Maguire has made this Ibrox claim.

Rowledge have put their Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 relegation worries aside by reaching the last 16 of the National Village Championship, sponsored by The Cricketer magazine

Mike Vimpany11-Jul-2002Rowledge have put their Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 relegation worries aside by reaching the last 16 of the National Village Championship, sponsored by The Cricketer magazine.Their reward for an 11-run win over Sparsholt is a seventh round home tie with Buckinghamshire champions, Dinton on July 21.David Lloyd was the inspiration behind the Sparsholt victory, hitting 95 of a Rowledge total of 190-6, before taking 3-21as the Winchester club slipped to 179 all out (Tim Richings 41).Ian Stuart did his level best for Sparsholt, top scoring with 63 and returning a respectable 3-34.

Playing in England during the South African winter has not been an easy task for the players making the trip across the equator to participate in the County Championships and related tournaments during the 2002 English season

Keith Lane13-May-2002Playing in England during the South African winter has not been an easy task for the players making the trip across the equator to participate in the County Championships and related tournaments during the 2002 English season.Greg Smith playing for Nottinghamshire has proved to be the exception, again shining with the ball in a win against Essex. Taking 3/21 in the first innings, he followed it up with career best figures of 8/53 in the second. This after scoring 35 not out coming in at number 10 to help build a first innings lead.Team mate Nicky Boje, playing his first match of the season could not get any wickets but did manage 25 and 21 not out with the bat. Boje having taken over the overseas spot after Lance Klusener’s returned to South Africa. Klusener only had a one month contract.Kevin Pieterson was not asked to bowl in the match and scored 19 in his only visit to the crease as Nottinghamshire easily won by seven wickets.Shaun Pollock had a good weekend with the bat, but his 59 and 66 was not good enough to beat a high riding Leicestershire side. Pollock only took one wicket in the match but returned economical figures of 24-8-37-1 in the first innings.Neil Johnson, together with Nic Pothas, was on the winning side for Hampshire against Kent. Johnson’s form with the bat however seems to have left him after making another duck, but did take 2/3 and 2/54 with the ball. Pothas scored 24 in his only turn at the crease.Andrew Gait made another valuable 53 as Derbyshire beat Northamptonshire.