All posts by h716a5.icu

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming over a transfer update on Amadou Diawara.

As per Siamo La Roma, the Midlands club have rejected the chance to sign the Roma ace, as he was reportedly inserted in talks when they went on to sign Rui Patricio.

Arsenal also rejected the opportunity to sign him when Granit Xhaka looked like he was on his way to the Serie A club.

Diawara played in a total of 29 games for Roma over all competitions across the 2020/21 season, including in their impressive run to the semi-final stage of the UEFA Europa League (Transfermarkt), and at 24 years of age, is a player who has not yet reached his peak.

The Guinea international could have given another handy option in the centre of midfield for the Molineux faithful, but instead it looks as if they have now missed their chance.

 Wolves fans on Diawara transfer update

These WWFC supporters fumed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter (via Talking Wolves):

“We’re so so stupid it’s unreal”

Credit: @wwfc_bibb

“Fosun throwing Wolves name into the rumour hat again so it looks like they’re actually trying to sign players. Smoke and mirrors”

Credit: @LearyMitchell

“BRUV WHY?”

Credit: @nelbzV2

“Pardon?”

Credit: @KKWWFC

“WHAT?”

Credit: @bestwolvesfan

“They’re really starting to test me now, I’m trying to be patient and trust the process”

Credit: @BVitler

“Excuse me?”

Credit: @BrunoLages442

In other news, find out what club announcement has Wanderers buzzing here!

A report by Loughborough University has found that cricket has a beneficial effect on children’s behaviour, and could even have influenced truancy rates for the better

Cricinfo staff14-Oct-2008
‘With cricket, it is very much gentlemanly conduct’ © Getty Images
A report by Loughborough University has found that cricket has a beneficial effect on children’s behaviour, and could even have influenced truancy rates for the better.The Chance to Shine campaign aims to bring cricket to one third of all state schools across the UK in ten years. And although its intention is to publicise the sport among those who may not have previously had the opportunity to play it, researchers say that cricket has had an impact inside the classroom as well.”With cricket there is very much a code of conduct and code of behaviour such as clapping if somebody gets a six even with the other side,” a teacher involved in the scheme told .”It brings in very positive conduct and way of behaving compared to other sports that are usually quite negative – such as football where they [the pupils] get easily upset or argue over decisions. With cricket, it is very much gentlemanly conduct.”Another teacher said that the scheme had helped integrate ethnic minority groups, whose primary language isn’t English.”A lot of our Bengali children may have English as an additional language but if you get them on a cricket pitch they are up there with their peers or even ahead … It gives them a sense of self worth that they are good at something which raises their self-esteem.”

Stats highlights from the eighth round of Ranji Trophy games

Bharath Seervi26-Nov-2015280 Target successfully chased by Mumbai against Madhya Pradesh in Indore – their highest in a Ranji Trophy match outside Mumbai. Their previous best away from home was the 256 that they chased against Hyderabad in Secunderabad in 1988-89.2 Number of 275-plus targets successfully chased by Mumbai this season; they had chased 295 against Railways in the seventh round. No other team has done this more than once in a Ranji Trophy season. In fact, the only other team to have successfully chased targets of 250 or more twice in the same Ranji season is Baroda; they chased 276 against Hyderabad and 272 against Tamil Nadu in 2004-05.0 Number of seasons before this in which Mumbai had successfully chased down targets in excess of 200 runs more than once. In the current season, three out of their four wins have come chasing such targets. In the last ten seasons, out of the 15 times they had been set such targets, they had won on only three occasions: they had chased 214 vs Gujarat in 2005-06, 252 against Railways in 2010-11 and 240 against Haryana in 2013-14.20 Number of consecutive innings in the Ranji Trophy in which Shreyas Iyer had passed double digits before getting dismissed for 1 in the first innings against Madhya Pradesh. He got three scores single-digit scores in his first six innings and none in his next 20 innings. In those 20 innings, he made four centuries and eight half-centuries, averaging 70.47. Overall, his average in Ranji Trophy is 60.25 having made his debut last season.0 Number of Karnataka batsmen before Robin Uthappa to make centuries in three consecutive innings in a single season in Ranji Trophy. Uthappa scored 160 against Rajasthan, 148 against Odisha and 148 against Delhi . However, two Karnataka batsmen have made three consecutive hundreds across two seasons – Brijesh Patel scored 100 in the last innings of 1977-78 season and then 100 and 126 in his first two innings of, 1978-79, the next season and Rahul Dravid made 134, 126 and 128 in consecutive innings across the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. Overall it is the 78th instance of an Indian player making three or more consecutive hundreds in first-class cricket. The record for India in first-class cricket is five consecutive hundreds: Parthiv Patel’s scores of 126, 124, 164, 110 and 179 in the year 2007 for India A and Rest of India and in Ranji Trophy. Also, Rusi Modi is the only batsman with five consecutive hundreds in the Ranji Trophy: he made scores of 168, 128, 160, 210 and 245* across 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons.17 Hundreds by Robin Uthappa in the Ranji Trophy – the joint second-highest for Karnataka along with Rahul Dravid. Uthappa has made 20 centuries in 200 innings in first-class cricket, with 17 of them coming in the Ranji Trophy in 149 innings. Rahul Dravid had made 17 Ranji Trophy hundreds in just 70 innings. The record for most centuries for Karnataka is 26 by Brijesh Patel.32 Number of runs scored by Robin Uthappa in a single over during his knock of 148 against Delhi. Having been on 95 at the start of the over from Dhruv Shorey, he hit four sixes and two fours from six balls. This is the second highest number of runs scored in a single over in the history of first-class cricket in India. Only Ravi Shastri’s 36 runs in an over tops Uthappa’s 32 runs. Shastri had hit six sixes off the over bowled by Baroda’s Tilak Raj in a Ranji Trophy game in 1984-85. Besides these, there have been only two instances when batsmen have hit 30 or more runs in an over in first-class matches in India: 30 runs by Tamil Nadu’s Reuben Paul off Goa’s Raj Naik in 1995-96 and 30 by Delhi’s Kirti Azad off Punjab’s Krishnan Mohan in 1989-90.37 Runs Odisha were dismissed for in their fourth innings against Bengal – their second-lowest total in first-class cricket. Their lowest is 35, which had come against Bihar in 1958-59. It is also the third lowest total by any team against Bengal after 33 and 35 by Assam in the same match in 1974-75. In 1972-73, Bihar were also bowled out for 37 against Bengal. Odisha’s 37 is the lowest total of this season eclipsing Jharkhand’s 45 against Services in the first round of this season. The lowest any team has made in Ranji Trophy is Hyderabad’s 21 against Rajasthan in 2010-11. The highest total in Ranji Trophy is also by Hyderabad – 944 for six against Andhra in 1993-94.69 Saurashtra’s total against Kerala during their chase of 115 – their second lowest against any team apart from Mumbai. They had six totals fewer than 69 before this and five of those had come against Mumbai. Their lowest against any team except Mumbai is 52, against Bihar in 1994-95. Also, there have been only two totals fewer than 69 against Kerala – 28 by Goa in 1998-99 and 33 by Andhra in 1997-98. Kerala successfully defended 115 in their match against Saurashtra. The lowest target defended in Ranji Trophy is 78 by Bihar against Delhi in 1948-49.516 & 44 Runs scored and wickets taken, respectively, by Jalaj Saxena in this season for Madhya Pradesh. Only one player had achieved the double of 500-plus runs and 50-plus wickets in a Ranji Trophy season: Sunil Joshi had scored 529 runs and taken 52 wickets for Karnataka in 1995-96. With a realistic possibility of only one more match in this season for Madhya Pradesh, Jalaj needs at least six wickets to complete the double. Rajesh Chauhan is the only player to take 50 or more wickets for Madhya Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy season: he took 55 wickets in 1996-97.8000 Runs completed in first-class cricket by Yuvraj Singh; he is the fourth batsman to the landmark this season after Naman Ojha (in the second round), Robin Uthappa (sixth round) and Dinesh Karthik (seventh round). Overall, Yuvraj is the 82nd India batsman to aggregate 8000 or more runs in first-class cricket.232 Runs by Swapnil Asnodkar for Goa against Jammu & Kashmir – the third-highest individual score for Goa in first-class cricket. The highest also belongs to Asnodkar – 254* against Railways in 2007-08; VB Chandrasekhar’s unbeaten 237 against Kerala in 1995-96 is second in this list. This was also the fifth double-century by a Goa batsman in first-class cricket, three of which have been by Swapnil Asnodkar; besides his 254* and 232, he had made 204 against Tripura in 2005-06. Ajay Ratra is the other batsman to make a double-hundred for Goa – 204 not out against Rajasthan in 2010-11. During his innings, Asnodkar also completed 5000 runs in his Ranji Trophy career and first-class career.300 Wickets by Pankaj Singh in Ranji Trophy; he reached the milestone in the match against Haryana in this round. He also completed 350 wickets in his first-class career in this match.4 Number of ducks for Mohammad Kaif in as many innings. He recorded his fourth duck in a row, in the first innings for Andhra against Railways. He had got out for ducks in both innings against Punjab and in the only innings against Tamil Nadu before this. He ended this streak by scoring 15 runs in the second innings against Railways. Aditya Tare too has got four ducks in this season. Along with these two, there are five others to score exactly four ducks. Nathu Singh, however, has most ducks this season: six in seven innings for Rajasthan.5 Mithun Manhas’s streak of 50-plus scores in this season. He has made scores of 96, 150, 98, 50* in four consecutive innings before scoring 135 in this round against Goa. In seven Ranji Trophy innings prior to this, he had got four ducks with a highest of 20. His 150 against Hyderabad earlier in the season was his first hundred in 23 first-class innings. Including his 96 against Tripura, he has now made 529 runs in his last five innings at an average of 132.25. He had played for Delhi till last year in the Ranji Trophy since his debut in 1997-98. Following an ordinary season with them last year – which included three ducks in his last-three innings – he had moved to Jammu & Kashmir for the 2015-16 season. With 8480 runs, he is the third-highest run scorer in Ranji Trophy after Wasim Jaffer (10013) and Amol Muzumdar (9202).7-19 Ashok Dinda’s bowling figures in the fourth innings against Odisha – his best in the Ranji Trophy bettering his 7 for 44 against Haryana in 2011-12. This was his sixth seven-wicket haul in first-class and all of them have come in the last five seasons. His best figures in first-class career are 8 for 123, which he took playing for East Zone against North Zone in Duleep Trophy in 2011-12.At the end of the eighth round, Shreyas Iyer is the leading run-getter with 818 runs and Akshay Wakhare is the highest wicket-taker with 45 wickets. The team standings: Top three in Group A – Delhi, Assam and Bengal; Group B – Mumbai, Gujarat and Punjab; Top two in Group C – Saurashtra and Kerala.

Tom Latham’s third ODI hundred and first as captain gave New Zealand the tri-series title in Malahide

The Report by Mohammad Isam21-May-2017
ScorecardTom Latham hit nine fours and four sixes•Getty Images/SportsfileNew Zealand tuned up for the Champions Trophy by clinching the tri-series in Malahide with three wins in three matches. Their latest victory was set up by Tom Latham, who struck his third ODI hundred and first as captain, and Colin Munro, who threatened to break the record for the fastest fifty in ODIs. Their contributions and Ross Taylor’s fifty propelled New Zealand to 344 for 6. The bowlers then had a good workout in the defence, dismissing Ireland for 154 within 40 overs.The green pitch and overcast conditions tempted Ireland to bowl first, but they had to wait until the start of the 11th over for their first wicket. New Zealand opener Luke Ronchi made the early running, playing a variety of cuts and driving fluently on the up against pace. Spin could not slow him down either – he lofted left-arm spinner George Dockrell over and through the covers.Just as Ronchi threatened to kick into a higher gear, he was bowled by seamer Craig Young for 35. Latham then took charge and added 75 for the second wicket with Neil Broom, who contributed 38, before chipping Chase to mid-off.Latham, though, continued to keep New Zealand ticking. He reached his first fifty off 64 balls, and brought up the second off 45 balls. Latham had a life on 89 when he holed out to long leg, where Barry McCarthy completed an excellent diving catch. Young, the bowler, had overstepped though. Latham reached his hundred with a single to long-on off Dockrell, but he fell in the same over – the 36th of the innings – when he came down the track and missed the ball. Niall O’Brien, the wicketkeeper, took the bails off to dismiss Latham for 104 off 111 balls.The momentum, however, seamlessly switched from one batsman to another. Taylor made his 35th ODI fifty, while Corey Anderson and Mitchell Santner flickered briefly, scoring 20 each. Munro led the charge in the slog overs, hammering three fours and four sixes, including one over square leg that broke a spectator’s chair.He started the penultimate over of the innings with back-to-back sixes off Peter Chase and raced to 44 off 14 balls. AB de Villiers’ 16-ball fifty against West Indies in 2015 was in danger. Munro holed out off the next ball, though, but his blitz was instrumental in taking New Zealand to an imposing score.They plundered 72 off the last four overs. The visitors, in fact, could have got more if not for sharp fielding from Ireland. Five out of six Ireland bowlers conceded over six runs an over.Ireland lost Paul Stirling for a duck in the chase when fast bowler Matt Henry found the top edge with a sharp, rising delivery. Ed Joyce and William Porterfield then tried to offset the early loss by putting on a run-a-ball 51 for the second wicket. The stand ended when Corey Anderson struck in his first over to remove Joyce for 17. From thereon the innings unravelled: Ireland lost their last nine wickets for 102 runs.In his next over Anderson dismissed Andy Balbirnie for a duck. Scott Kuggeleijn then took the key wicket of Porterfield, having him caught at deep square leg, where Adam Milne claimed a brilliant catch. Milne, playing first international match since the World T20, then pinned Dockrell lbw to leave Ireland at 119 for 7 in 32 overs. Eight overs later, legspinner Ish Sodhi added his name in the wickets column and wrapped up the 190-run victory.The last match of the tri-series – a dead rubber between New Zealand and Bangladesh – will be played on Wednesday.

Everton are expected to improve their offer for young Almeria forward El Bilal Toure in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh update.

Who is El Bilal Toure?

The 21-year-old, who currently earns £4,000 per week, has been seen as a key transfer target for the Blues ahead of the new Premier League season. Last term, they once again avoided relegation to the Championship by the skin of their teeth, with a lack of attacking quality too often proving to be an issue throughout the campaign.

The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Neal Maupay both struggled to lead the line for different reasons – the former had constant fitness issues and the latter simply didn't look up to the task, scoring just once in 27 league matches – and it highlighted the need for reinforcements to arrive this summer.

In Toure, Everton have an intriguing target on their radar, with the Almeria ace scoring seven goals in 21 La Liga appearances in 2022/23, with only 15 of those coming from the start. He has also netted five times in 15 caps for Mali, showing that he is also becoming a handy scorer at international level and has a potentially big future ahead of him.

The Blues are yet to be successful in their efforts to snap up the young attacker in the current transfer window, but a new claim has now emerged regarding their pursuit of him.

Are Everton signing El Bilal Toure?

According to IDEAL [via Sport Witness], Everton are prepared to raise their offer for Toure, and it "should not take many days" for his sale to go through, assuming Almeria's valuation is met. The La Liga side seem relaxed about the situation, accepting that their forward is likely to leave and that the eventual move "will be very satisfactory" for all parties.

The amount in question that the Blues are ready to pay is thought to be €30m (£25.7m) – a fee that would be a club-record amount for Almeria.

Toure, hailed as a "major talent" last summer by 90min's Graeme Bailey, looks like a brilliant young prospect who could add some life to Everton's side in the final third, having already proven himself in one of Europe's top leagues. Granted, he is still very young, so it would be harsh to expect him to be an immediate key man and consistent performer, but he could be a good squad option from the off.

Very much at home in a central attacking role, the Malian could learn from someone like Calvert-Lewin, assuming he stays put and remains injury-free, and his 6ft frame should allow him to handle the physical nature of the Premier League.

Everton could also do with bringing in a more experienced attacking option, though, in order to take the pressure off Toure and allow him to settle at his own pace, with more squad depth required at Goodison Park moving forward. Another relegation battle simply shouldn't be considered for a club of the Blues' stature, but for that to happen, significant inroads need to be made in the summer transfer market, assuming the funds are available.

Nottingham Forest’s development over the last few years under the ownership of Evangelos Marinakis has been nothing short of sensational, ending their 23-year exile from the Premier League.

The Greek shipping magnate has transformed the club on and off the pitch, looking unrecognisable from when he took the reins back in the summer of 2017.

Even in recent years, after the Reds secured promotion under Steve Cooper, he’s invested over £250m into new players giving the club every chance of being competitive in England’s top flight.

The City Ground is now home to numerous international stars, including £25m signing Morgan Gibbs-White who has taken his career to the next level in the East Midlands, leading to an England call-up, making him the first player since Stuart Peace to achieve the feat.

It’s a stark contrast from life under the previous ownership, with the club often posing as a laughing stock to many around the country after years of awful decisions conducted by the hierarchy.

Fawaz Al-Hasawi’s time as Nottingham Forest owner

Kuwaiti businessman Fawaz Al-Hasawi was seen as a saviour by many on Trentside after taking over the club following the tragic death of Nigel Doughty back in 2012.

The 56-year-old arrived with huge ambitions to take the club back to the Premier League within five years, but his time at the helm was a disaster, creating more problems than he solved.

He sacked manager Sean O’Driscoll during his first year in charge despite being a couple of points outside the play-offs, before appointing Alex McLeish, who would only last 40 days in the role.

Al-Hasawi would also spend big upon the appointment of club legend Pearce in 2014, but doing so in an erratic manner which broke FFP rules, with Forest enduring numerous windows under a transfer ban.

Such a period resulted in the loss of key players, dropping the Reds closer and closer to the relegation zone, with attendances dropping as low as 17,000 for some fixtures after his dismal running of the club.

The former owner had seven different managers during his five years in charge of the club, often leading to a revolving door at the City Ground – with no structure of continuity in place, leading to their decline.

His final boss during his time as owner was Mark Warburton, with the former Brentford and Rangers boss securing survival on the final day against Ipswich Town – saving the Reds from dropping into League One – potentially allowing for the success that has occurred in recent times.

Fawaz eventually sold up to now owner Marinakis in 2017, with the Greek doing unbelievable work in turning the club around into an established top-flight outfit in just a handful of years.

It’s safe to say the club conducted excellent business in offloading one talent who arrived during the ownership of Fawaz – especially considering his drop in stock over the last couple of seasons.

The player who Nottingham Forest struck gold offloading

Striker Britt Assombalonga arrived in a £5.5m deal from Peterborough in the summer of 2014, a then club-record transfer, forming an excellent partnership with Michail Antonio during that campaign.

The aforementioned pair combined for 42 goals in that Championship campaign, a year cut short for the big-money addition after his serious knee injury that kept him out for over a year.

However, the former DR Congo international would return for the 2016/17 season, which would be his final one at the City Ground, scoring 14 times and helping fend off any final-day relegation worries.

He scored two against Ipswich Town on the final day, securing a 3-0 win before departing in a £15m deal to join fellow second-tier outfit Middlesbrough – a then club-record departure.

However, his career has failed to kick on as many anticipated since his transfer to the Riverside, scoring 47 times in 161 appearances, before leaving on a free transfer at the end of his contract in 2021.

Player

Season

Fee

1) Brennan Johnson

2023/24

£47.5m

2) Orel Mangala

2024/25

£30m

3) Moussa Niakhate

2024/25

£27m

4) Odysseas Vlachodimos

2024/25

£20m

5) Britt Assombalonga

2017/18

£15m

He’s since mainly featured in Turkey for various clubs, now plying his trade for second-tier side Amed SK, who joined this summer, scoring twice in his first 11 games for his new club.

As a result, his market value has plummeted to just £625k, a figure lower than current squad member Willy Boly who’s now only valued at £2m despite his run-in as a regular starter in 2023/24, which saw him make 20 Premier League appearances.

Given the finances at the time, it was a tough call to part ways with a proven goalscorer, undoubtedly taking away one of the biggest assets within the first team.

However, given his steady decline in recent years, Forest certainly made the right call in allowing him to leave, with the club in a much better place than Assombalonga in 2024.

Nottingham Forest loan flop is now "world-class" & worth £50m after leaving

Nottingham Forest made a huge mistake in allowing the talent to leave.

1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 21, 2024

Australia opt to manage Smith’s ongoing elbow problem with rest. Meanwhile, legspinner Mitchell Swepson called into the squad to bolster the bowling stocks

Alex Malcolm26-Mar-2022Steven Smith has been ruled out of Australia’s upcoming limited-overs matches with Pakistan due to discomfort in his previously troubled left elbow.Australia’s selectors believe they have enough batting in the squad to cover Smith’s absence but have opted to add legspinner Mitchell Swepson to the squad as another bowling option.Smith will fly home from Pakistan alongside Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and David Warner with all four resting following the 1-0 Test series victory. Glenn Maxwell is also absent from Australia’s white-ball squad after getting married last week.Smith, who became the fastest player to score 8000 Test runs during the Test series, has been managing his elbow over a lengthy period of time and Australia have opted for a cautious approach.”It’s disappointing to miss these matches against Pakistan but after chatting with the medical staff I can see the need to take a break at this time,” Smith said.”I do not regard this as a major issue but by staying on top of things now, we can ensure that it doesn’t become something more significant further down the line.”Smith was not bought in the IPL auction and will get a chance to rest for over two months as Australia’s next assignment is a three-format tour of Sri Lanka starting on June 7.Related

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Kane Richardson ruled out of Pakistan tour with hamstring injury

Chairman of selectors George Bailey said there was no need to risk Smith in the next four matches given the amount of cricket Australia is set to play from June onwards.”With the significant amount of cricket to come over the next 18 months, and the fact he has had an issue with the same elbow previously, it is appropriate for Steve to return home at the end of the Test series in Pakistan,” Bailey said.”We have opted not to name a replacement batter as we feel we have options within the existing squad, and Steve’s absence offers up additional opportunities to players within the group.”We are excited because with a T20 World Cup later this year and a 50-over Cricket World Cup in Asia next year, these four matches against a quality Pakistan team are a great chance for players to stake their claims for places in those tournaments.”We have decided to include Mitchell Swepson in the white ball squad because it will offer us additional options in the bowling department on surfaces that may well assist spinners.”Mitchell was part of our Twenty20 International squads in both the West Indies and Bangladesh last year, as well as at the T20 World Cup, and having been in Pakistan for the past month he is familiar with conditions. We know if called upon he will do an excellent job.”The three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Australia starts on Tuesday with the only T20I to be played on April 5. All four matches have been moved from Rawalpindi to Lahore due to political issues.Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa

The tournament will take place against steeply rising Covid cases in New Zealand

AAP25-Feb-2022Meg Lanning has labelled the ICC’s emergency World Cup rules as “interesting” but stopped short of criticising the governing body as the tournament nears.Australia face England on February 5 to begin their quest to reclaim the 50-over ODI World Cup, lost to the English five years ago.As host nation New Zealand grapples with its worst Covid-19 outbreak of the pandemic, organisers have scrambled to put in place rules that will allow the tournament to continue should players get infections.The most eye-catching is a regulation that teams can take to the field with just nine players and utilise up to two staff in fielding roles to ensure matches get played.Related

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'Managed environment' in place for Women's World Cup, no strict bubbles or daily Covid tests

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ICC doubles Women's World Cup winner's prize money to $1.32 million

World Cup matches could go ahead with nine players if Covid hits

“I’ve asked our physio and media manager what their preferred fielding position was if they were to take the field,” Lanning said, only half-joking. “Hopefully it doesn’t come to that for any team. It’s an interesting way to go about it.”If that did occur I think it’d be a pretty interesting situation. Hopefully for everyone in the tournament we don’t get to that point.”New Zealand reported 12,011 community Covid-19 cases on Friday, double the previous day’s count, ahead of an expected outbreak peak during the event. The government and ICC have issued strict biosecurity rules in an attempt to shield players from catching the virus.Asked whether the tournament should have been moved from New Zealand, Lanning said she “hadn’t thought about that at all”, offering her sympathy to the hosts. The ICC have also confirmed they will look to re-schedule fixtures in the event of Covid-19 outbreaks affecting squads.”It would be a nightmare trying to organise these tournaments,” she said. “We want to get cricket in. That’s the most important thing. Teams are going to have to be very flexible and understanding of things that are happening at really short notice.”Hopefully if this or that does happen, you can have a bit of a conversation around things and discuss what the options are and I’m sure that the the ICC will be making the best decision for the World Cup and making sure the games can continue on.”

Manchester United have been altering their traditional kick-off direction at Old Trafford, reportedly in an attempt to improve performances.

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Man Utd find themselves 14th in PLAmorim making subtle changes to change fortunesSwapping sides after coin toss one of themFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In their last three home matches, United have started attacking the Stretford End – known for housing their most passionate supporters – in the first half, rather than their usual strategy of finishing matches towards that side. This change has been noticed in games against Ipswich Town, Fulham, and Arsenal, with captain Bruno Fernandes opting for his team to switch ends after winning the pre-match coin toss. According to this decision has been the brainchild of Amorim, who is desperate to address United’s slow starts at home.

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Before their clash with Ipswich, the team had scored just one first-half goal in their previous seven home matches – a Fernandes penalty against Brighton on January 19. Their away form was even more alarming, with that same penalty being United’s only first-half goal in a staggering 17 consecutive fixtures across all competitions. Determined to alter this pattern, Amorim introduced the new kick-off approach with the hopes of injecting urgency into United’s early-game performances. The idea was to take control of matches sooner, rather than relying on second-half rallies to secure results.

DID YOU KNOW?

The tweak has yielded mixed results, with minor signs of improvement. Against Ipswich, United fell behind early but responded strongly before the break, scoring twice – first via a Sam Morsy own goal, and the other a Matthijs de Ligt tap-in. However, the strategy did not pay off against Fulham in the FA Cup, as United struggled in the first half and only managed to equalise through Fernandes in the second half. Against Arsenal, though, the move appeared to have some impact, as Fernandes found the net with a free kick just before half-time.

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WHAT AMORIM SAID

Despite speculation that Sir Dave Brailsford, a well-known advocate for marginal gains, might have played a role in the decision, the change has been entirely driven by Amorim and addressed the importance of changing routines when things are not going well. Speaking to , he revealed: "I just give one bottle to my assistant (Carlos Fernandes). But I think I will change that because this is the time when you are not winning too much, you change things. The rest I change all the time."

A journalist has provided an update on Leeds United’s January transfer plans and it’s great news for Daniel Farke. The January transfer window will open in less than a month’s time, and given how desperate the Whites are to return to the Premier League, it could be a perfect time for them to further strengthen their promotion bid.

Leeds have found a "monster" who's now a potential £50m star in the making

Daniel Farke has hit the jackpot with the impressive Leeds United leader.

ByDan Emery Dec 2, 2024 Leeds transfer news

Defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday put a dent in Leeds’ promotion bid, as they slip three points behind leaders Sheffield United and a point behind second place Burnley. However, there is still a long way to go in the race, and Farke will think a productive January transfer window can help them reach their goals in the second half of the campaign.

One player who could be heading to Elland Road is Lennon Miller, as the 49ers have sent Leeds officials to join the race for the Motherwell player. Miller is very highly rated, and he has been valued at £5 million by the Scottish side, as several Premier League teams also circle with interest.

Apps

13

Goals

2

Assists

4

Exits may also be on the cards for certain Leeds players in January. Striker Joe Gelhardt could be one to leave the club, as he is keen to leave in search of more playing time. Several teams are interested in a possible loan switch in January, given Gelhardt has hardly featured in this current campaign.

January transfer update as Leeds free up funds for Farke

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Leeds United are preparing to make more money available for Daniel Farke in January. The January transfer window is an opportunity for teams across all divisions to make changes they see fit to their squad, and with the Whites fighting for promotion, they are laying the “groundwork” for a winter “spree”.

The Yorkshire side did spend significant money during the summer, as they added Joe Rodon, Largie Ramazani, Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka, and Isaac Schmidt to their ranks. However, they have had several injury concerns throughout this first part of the campaign, which compounded with the exits in the summer have left the manager a little light.

The club received hefty amounts of money from selling the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and Glen Kamara in the summer, and this report states that Leeds’ hierarchy are prepared to make a chunk of that money available to Farke this winter.

It is unclear where Farke plans to prioritise strengthening, but given their recent injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, a midfielder purchase may be high on the list.