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[ad_pod ]Sunderland were beaten in the Checkatrade Trophy final via penalties on Sunday, and Jack Ross has a lot to answer for.Penalties are a horrible way to lose a match, and somebody has to be the one to miss.For the Black Cats on Sunday, it was captain Lee Cattermole who lost his cool at the spot, though Pompey’s Craig MacGillivray made a fantastic save to deny the shot it must be said.Aiden McGeady had given Ross’ side the lead in the first half though, and it should never have even got to extra time and penalties.Quite simply, Ross got it all wrong when his side were 1-0 up. Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

On the chalkboard

It’s been a common theme running through Sunderland’s season; score the first goal, and then proceed to have absolutely no idea how to protect and add to that lead.

Including Sunday’s result after 90 minutes, the Black Cats have now drawn eight games 1-1 just since the turn of the year, and it’s not hard to see why when Ross makes decisions like these.

In just a few minutes, the gaffer completely changed the game for his side, but not the way a manager is supposed to.

The departure of Will Grigg, who had run the channels tirelessly all afternoon, left the Black Cats with absolutely no presence up front, and sticking Lynden Gooch, who is 5 ft 8 by the way, up front on his own with the score at 1-0 was downright ludicrous.

Gooch had no chance of holding on to the ball up there by himself, and besides one marauding run up the left flank both he and substitute Max Power were completely ineffectual.

With those two decisions, Ross took away his side’s biggest threat, basically asking Pompey to pile the pressure on, pressure which is bound to carve out an opening eventually on the massive Wembley pitch.

This one is all on the boss.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers fans on Twitter have been split by transfer speculation linking their striker Diogo Jota with a summer move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Portugal man has been pivotal for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men at times this season, aiding them greatly in their push for seventh position in the Premier League.

His six goals and four assists in the league have been key and the player has also been able to further cement his place as a firm fan favourite at Molineux in 2018/2019.

It’s for these reasons that some supporters have been so apprehensive about Jota’s possible departure on Twitter, one commenting “no chance” and another simply telling Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs that they can “dream on.”

Other members of the wolf pack have shown slightly different attitudes, discounting the rumours as simple paper talk and even eyeing up a swap deal involving Son Heung-min of the Lilywhites.

What’s your club’s best chant? Check out the video below for a Wolves epic that surely has to be one of the best in English football…

Check out those and the rest of the best reactive Tweets from Wolves supporters, below…

After a brief hiatus from the market, Tottenham’s activity in the next transfer window will shape the club’s performances in years to come.

If you asked your average Tottenham fans if they would have rather signed a new player or had a cheese room included in their brand-new stadium, the answer would be ‘yes’ every single time; the same goes for the microbrewery, in-house bakery (?), USB ports in seats, heated seats, and sky lounge.

The season has been going extremely well all things considered.

A non-existent budget has meant that the only transfer activity fans have seen is players leaving the club – but they are still in the running for the Champions League title and a Premier League top four spot, and that is probably what has kept them from rioting.

There is no excuse next season, however.

With the stadium is due to complete soon, the Spurs faithful will be expecting some serious business as a reward for their patience, and that means scarifying some of their current talent for some fresh faces.

One of those players who could see their head turned by a move away is Jan Vertonghen, with Matt Law’s Daily Telegraph briefing suggesting he could ‘consider his options’ if a bid were to come in, as he approaches the closing stages of his contract with the club. The Belgium international has been an absolute serviceman for the club since joining from Ajax back in 2012 and has actually seen his contract extended quite recently (as per the club’s official website) but Law’s briefing is certainly interesting.

However, now heading into the twilight years of his career, the 31-year-old may reportedly have his head turned by other clubs, as would anyone at his age.

The impact of any Vertonghen exit on the club’s form when moving to their new home could be quite significant. He played a huge part in the unbeaten home campaign during the final season at the original White Hart Lane and his stoic presence in the backline would be a welcome sight at the new home.

Clearly, there are going to be some early teething stages when it comes to moving stadiums. Spurs proved that with Wembley and, while the situation may not get quite as bad as West Ham’s struggles in the London Stadium, all hands will need to be on deck to ensure the transition is as easy as possible.

Considering Toby Alderweireld’s future at the club is also in doubt – sitting on a £25 million buyout clause – this leaves Tottenham with only two viable defensive options in Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez. Good players in their own right, yes, but lacking the experience and quality needed to drive Spurs forward.

Tottenham fans, could you see Vertonghen leaving? Let us know in the comments below…

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Jeffrey Schlupp was named as the club’s ‘Player of the Month’ for his performances throughout the month of February.

The Ghanaian international found himself on the score sheet twice last month, scoring vital goals against Fulham and Doncaster, the latter of which helped Palace into the FA Cup quarter-finals. The 26-year-old also recorded one assist, and won the penalty for Luka Milivojevic’s goal away to Leicester.

Schlupp beat Wilfried Zaha to the award by a slender 2% of the vote, which is testament to how well he has played recently, and is a fairly big shock given the fact that the Ivorian netted three goals in February.

The former Leicester man struggled earlier in the season playing on the left on a midfield three, but has grown into the role of late to become one of the first names on the teamsheet – his pace and energy adds a drive from midfield that James McArthur and Milivojevic lack.

Let’s take a look at how the Palace fans reacted to the news on Twitter…

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly ranted at Raheem Sterling last season in an "embarrassing" dressing room incident, as he urged the winger to improve.

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• Sterling was targeted by owner
• Chelsea paid £50m ($63m) for England winger
• Has struggled to hit top form at Stamford Bridge

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to a new report from the Telegraph, Boehly stormed into the dressing room last April, after Chelsea lost 2-1 to Brighton at Stamford Bridge, and made a beeline for Sterling. He both told the squad that they were in "embarrassing" shape, and also told Sterling that he was a world-class player who needed to bring more to the table in terms of his form and leadership.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Sterling is said to have taken the criticism well, accepting that Boehly was within his rights to give him his opinion, and has been receptive to feedback throughout his time at Stamford Bridge. However, his form has been patchy since he arrived from Manchester City, scoring 16 goals and registering 12 assists in 68 games. That amounts to a goal contribution every 0.4 games.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Sterling has not scored for Chelsea in the Premier League since November, when the Blues lost 4-1 to Newcastle. He has provided three assists since then, but one has to think that boss Mauricio Pochettino is expecting more from the Three Lions star.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Sterling will next be in action for Chelsea against former club City on Saturday. The 10th-placed Blues could climb as high as eighth if they win.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo receberá o Grêmio nesta quarta-feira, a partir das 19h15, com a responsabilidade de engatar a segunda vitória consecutiva e ratificar o discurso de seus líderes do elenco, que dá conta do seguinte: a equipe segue nos trilhos e apenas passou por percalços naturais nas duas primeiras rodadas do Campeonato Brasileiro. Para o próximo desafio, os holofotes seguirão apontados para Gabriel Barbosa.

Explica-se: o atacante vive o seu maior jejum de gols,ampliado na última quarta-feira, com direito a oportunidades cristalinas para desencantar, desde que desembarcou no Flamengo. Ao todo, são sete jogos consecutivos sem ir às redes.

Curiosamente, Gabriel Barbosa foi substituído por Domènec Torrent nas duas últimas partidas (deu lugar a Diego e a César – este último por força da expulsão de Diego Alves). Em 2020, com Jorge Jesus, por exemplo, ainda não havia sido trocado ao longo das partidas.

Por falar no Mister, Gabriel, sob o comando do português, guarda ótimas recordações do Grêmio, sobretudo nos dois últimos encontros. Pelo Fla, em três jogos contra o Tricolor, todos em 2019, foram três gols. Ou seja, média de um gol por partida.

OS CONFRONTOS CONTRA O GRÊMIO

Dos três duelo pelo Fla, Gabigol foi ausência no turno do Brasileiro passado, passou em branco na ida do duelo pelas semifinais da Libertadores e, a partir do embate da volta, deslanchou: marcou duas vezes no massacre por 5 a 0, no Maracanã, e, pelo returno da competição nacional, em Porto Alegre, foi o autor do gol da vitória, de pênalti. Na comemoração, em meio a um jogo carregado pelo fator emocional e tenso, ainda provocou o rival gaúcho (veja abaixo).

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Dá para afirmar que, diante do time de Renato Portaluppi, um dos adversários mais encardidos do Rubro-Negro, Gabigol tende a decidir.

A ver se o camisa 9 selará as pazes com as redes e marcar o seu primeiro gol após as paralisações ocasionadas pela pandemia do novo coronavírus. Em tempo: Gabigol segue como artilheiro do time no ano, com 11 gols em 17 partidas. A próxima será válida pela quarta rodada do Brasileirão.

MatériaMais Notícias

O presidente do Santos, José Carlos Peres, foi favorável à paralisação do Campeonato Paulista, por conta da pandemia do coronavírus. A decisão aconteceu em reunião organizada pela Federação Paulista de Futebol e contou com representantes de todos os times que disputam a competição. O mandatário santista pontuou a medida como responsabilidade, mas falou sobre o impacto financeiro que ela trará às equipes.

– Isso custa dinheiro, nós sabemos que se a televisão não transmite, ela não recebe, nós também não recebemos. Temos uma preocupação financeira, que é a preocupação do início do mês que vem termos que pagar todo mundo e sem receita vai ser difícil acontecer – disse.

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O presidente do Peixe falou que o momento atual requer um esforço coletivo que vá além dos times, mas abranja jogadores, comissão técnica e todos os envolvidos no Departamento de Futebol. A afirmação inicial de Peres foi de fechamento total do clube.

– Hoje é prazo indeterminado com uma avaliação semanal a cada sete dias. Vamos avaliar o contexto. Temos hoje um jogo para completar a rodada, ele vai acontecer, e depois vai parar. Todo mundo em casa.

Em breve contato com o LANCE!, o presidente afirmou que tem mantido diversas conversas para concluir os próximos passos a serem tomado pelo Santos e espera que ainda hoje tenha essas decisões.

* Sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma das ausências do São Paulo para este início de temporada, Igor Gomes está com a Seleção Brasileira sub-23, que está na Colômbia para a disputa do Pré-Olímpico, que garante duas vagas para os Jogos de Tóquio, no Japão. Com expectativa alta para a competição, o meia projetou a estreia brasileira no torneio, que acontece neste domingo, às 22h30, contra o Peru.

-A primeira rodada é determinante em uma competição na qual temos um grupo com cinco times. Com um resultado positivo, a gente pode jogar as partidas seguintes com uma tranqüilidade maior. Por isso a importância deste primeiro jogo – analisou o camisa 18 do Brasil.

Na preparação para o Pré-Olímpico, a Seleção fez dois amistoso na Granja Comary. O primeiro contra o Boavista-RJ, vencido por 4 a 0, sendo um dos gols de Igor, e o segundo contra a Portuguesa-RJ, que foi atropelada por 7 a 0. Para o meia, os testes mostraram o poder do grupo, mas um bom desempenho na estreia na competição oficial vai dar uma noção melhor dessa qualidade.

-Por mais que já tenhamos mostrado um bom rendimento nas partidas que fizemos durante a preparação, este primeiro jogo é o nosso cartão de visita. É importante ter uma boa atuação para mostrar a todos a qualidade do nosso grupo – comentou.

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Mesmo desfalcando o São Paulo nos primeiros jogos desta temporada, Igor Gomes falou do orgulho de vestir a camisa da Seleção e da missão de classificar o Brasil para os Jogos de Tóquio para defender a medalha de ouro. Além disso, ele quer sair do Pré-Olímpico como campeão.

-É um peso muito grande vestir a camisa da Seleção Brasileira. O Brasil conseguiu a medalha olímpica depois de muito tempo e agora temos a missão de defendê-la. Então temos uma obrigação de nos classificar para os Jogos Olímpicos. De preferência com o título, já que é sempre bom ser campeão.

Se o Brasil se classificar entre os dois primeiros desta primeira fase da competição, jogará o quadrangular final, que dará duas vagas para os Jogos Olímpicos no Japão. Caso cheguem à última etapa do torneio, os brasileiros farão o jogo final no dia 9 de fevereiro. A Seleção está no Grupo B, com Paraguai, Bolívia, Uruguai e Peru, contra quem estreia neste domingo.

Liam Livingstone’s penultimate ball heave for six leaving Lancashire requiring three from the final delivery but he was run out off the last delivery

George Dobell26-Jun-2015
ScorecardRecordo Gordon took career-best figures to help Birmingham win a low-scoring contest•PA Photos

It was the sort of night where it paid to take it slowly.After an accident on M6 stretched Birmingham’s journey time above six hours – this game started half-an-hour late as a result – the teams found themselves playing this match on a dry, used pitch that rewarded spinners, cutters and bowlers who take pace off the ball.Perhaps it rewarded patience, too. A game that, by T20 standards, dragged for long portions – Birmingham hit only five fours after the first 37 balls of their innings – eventually rose to an exciting conclusion with Liam Livingstone’s penultimate ball heave for six leaving Lancashire requiring three from the final delivery. A mis-hit drive straight to mid-off resulted in a run-out as the batsmen attempted an almost impossible second to secure the tie.Victory, their 12th in 14 completed T20 games, takes Birmingham top of the table, though only three points separate the top four. Lancashire have now lost five of their nine T20 games this season. Only Middlesex and Derbyshire have lost more.But it seems a shame that a high-profile game – these sides were last year’s finalists and this game was televised – should be played on a pitch that did so little to encourage attacking strokeplay.Not that there is not a certain value – and charm – to these low-scoring contests. There will be times, in Asia in particular, when England teams play on such surfaces and the next World T20 is in India. Perhaps such matches offer perfect preparation.But was it the sort of surface to attract new spectators to the game? And isn’t that the point of T20 cricket? After an ODI series drenched in boundaries appeared to have revived interest in the sport, it was hard to avoid the conclusion that this was another own-goal by domestic cricket.It is not necessarily the groundsman’s fault. The huge amount of cricket required from their squares renders it almost inevitable that pitches will be reused and reduces the amount of preparation time for each track. Television coverage might also have been relevant here: cameras set-up for the ODI – played on the same pitch – would not have to have been moved by using the same surface. Perhaps there is something to be said for playing more games at out grounds?Bearing in mind the surface, it was particularly impressive that a young fast bowler should scoop his second Man-of-the-Match award in succession. Like all fast bowlers, 23-year-old Recordo Gordon loves to bowl with pace. But here, realising that such a tactic would be self-defeating, he unveiled a range of cutters and slowers balls – including a particularly good slower ball bouncer – that left batsmen struggling to pick up his length or settle against him. A haul of 4 for 20 was reward for an admirably mature, calm and skilful performance.Gordon also hit the only six of the Birmingham innings. Bearing in mind the margin of victory, it proved an important contribution.Winning the toss helped Birmingham. By the time Lancashire realised what sort of surface they were playing on, Birmingham had plundered 49 from the Powerplay with Brendon McCullum, on debut, thumping three successive boundaries and helping contribute to the highest partnership of the match. Varun Chopra’s 40 and Willaim Porterfield’s 36 were the highest individual scores of the game.But once Lancashire’s three spinners came into play, run-scoring became far more difficult. They delivered 12 of the next 14 overs and Birmingham never again scored more than eight from an over and added only 50 in their final eight overs. Stephen Parry, England’s seemingly forgotten left-arm spinner, was particularly impressive in conceding just 19 from his four overs; reward for his control and his excellent variations.While the target appeared modest, Lancashire rarely looked as if they would overhaul it. Paul Horton was run out after a hesitation, Ashwell Prince carved straight to the fielder and Steven Croft slog-swept to deep backward square. Although James Faulkner, who added 39 with Jordan Clark, looked as if he might power Lancashire to victory, his drive to mid-off made life extremely tough.Birmingham, confidence soaring from their run of success, have become expert at applying pressure in the field, with the young legspinner, Josh Poysden, complementing the reliable Jeetan Patel.Lancashire might reflect that their fielding cost them, by comparison to Birmingham, half-a-dozen runs. It was a fault highlighted by their coach, Ashley Giles, early in the tournament and, while it has improved, it remains some way below the current T20 champions. In games decided by such small margins, it is a crucial factor.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said he was happy that Tamim Iqbal overtook his individual highest Test score but added that Imrul Kayes deserved more recognition because he did it under physical and circumstantial pressure

Mohammad Isam03-May-2015

Every time Imrul Kayes returned to and headed out from the dressing-room during breaks on the fourth day of the first Test, his teammates reminded him how his idol Kumar Sangakkara used to balance the tough job of keeping wicket and batting in the top order. It was an unusually exasperating assignment for Kayes, one that he would almost certainly never have to repeat.Imrul kept wicket for 120 overs after Mushfiqur Rahim sprained his right ring finger while dropping Azhar Ali on the second day, before partnering with Tamim Iqbal for a record-breaking 312-run opening stand in the second innings. They became the first opening pair to add more than 300 in the second innings of a Test, and in the process saved the game for Bangladesh after they had conceded a first-innings lead of 296.Both Imrul and Tamim got to their highest Test scores, 150 and 206 respectively. Tamim now holds the highest score for Bangladesh in all three formats, and the double-hundred was a continuation of his heavy scoring against Pakistan, after two hundreds and a fifty in the ODI series.Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur said he was happy that Tamim overtook his individual highest Test score but added that Imrul deserved more recognition because he did it under physical and circumstantial pressure.”You have to give Imrul more credit,” Mushfiqur said. “He wasn’t playing in the ODIs and neither did he score in domestic cricket. He was under pressure and to play such an innings is an achievement. He had a lot of extra work as a keeper in this game. We gave them support during the break.”We tried to remind him that just like his idol Sangakkara keeps wicket and bats for 200 overs, you have to do it. They batted for so long in this heat. Hats off to them for their concentration. I hope we can remain like this consistently. We believed that we could bat four or five sessions if our ball selection was mostly correct. I didn’t think their partnership would be this big. It was outstanding.”Mushfiqur said that the pair’s mentality helped the team. Tamim and Imrul raced to their hundreds in the last session on day four. Typically Bangladesh batsmen are prone to be dismissed soon after a milestone or when approaching the end of a session or a day. But they kept going at the same tempo and hit Pakistan out of the game by the end of the fourth day, as admitted later by captain Misbah-ul-Haq.”You won’t give your best if you don’t want to win,” Mushfiqur said. “The draw mentality doesn’t give you a chance to improve. Tamim and Imrul showed that you can think big. They could have stopped it at a 100-run stand but they just kept pushing themselves. They played for the team.”Tamim echoed Mushfiqur’s words later, saying that they had to bat longer to make sure the Pakistan bowlers had less time to bowl them out and chase a target.”Our own job was over after we made hundreds,” Tamim said. “We went to bat thinking now we have to do the team’s job. We have to kill time despite remaining positive.”Imrul’s batting was unbelievable. I am lucky that we bat well together. The manner in which he is batting, anyone would enjoy batting with Imrul. Getting to the record is unbelievable. We are both very happy.Tamim said that he was thinking about the double hundred when he was 30-odd runs away from the mark. On 182, he struck two sixes off Yasir Shah over long-on and on 195, his straight blast over bowler Junaid Khan got him to 201.”I have never been able to reach the standards I have set. I am happy that I have been able to fulfill a dream of making a double hundred. I started thinking about the double hundred when I was on 169. Then a few sixes happened. I knew he would bowl at that spot when I was on 195. It was always going to be good for me if I made it out quickly.”I think Mushfiqur has the best chance to surpass this record within the next year. I am sure Mushfiqur is very happy; he has been helping me a lot in my bad times.”This is now the mother of all opening partnerships for Bangladesh, and also a milestone for second-innings rearguard action in Tests. Coach Chandika Hathurusingha was moved to say that he had not seen anything like this before.”I have never seen a fightback like that,” Hathurusingha said. “Pakistan’s bowling attack is arguably the best on this type of wicket at the moment. Under pressure of 300 runs behind, (it) is a hell of an achievement.”