All posts by h716a5.icu

While bagging goals may not necessarily be a big concern for Liverpool at the moment with Jurgen Klopp’s side managing to score 17 goals in the Premier League, eight in the Champions League and three in the Carabao Cup so far this season, one future goalscorer that could well have slipped through their grasp.

That happens to be Taiwo Awoniyi, someone who left Anfield over the summer months.

The 24-year-old striker, who left the Merseyside club during the recent summer transfer window for a permanent move to German club Union Berlin for a fee of £5.8m, has since enjoyed a great start to the season after managing to score eight goals in 12 games across all competitions.

Liverpool originally signed Awoniyi back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Nigerian club Imperial Academy for a fee of just £990k. However, his lack of game time was influenced by work permit issues.

Before making his permanent move to Union Berlin, the striker had completed numerous loan spells at clubs in different countries across Europe as a result and didn’t end up making even one appearance for Liverpool’s senior side.

Prior to joining his new club on a permanent deal, Awoniyi spent some time on loan there between September 2020 and June this year, during which he managed to score five goals in 22 appearances across all competitions.

In his latest appearance for the German club, Awoniyi managed to score two goals in Union Berlin’s recent 2-1 win over FSV Mainz in the Bundesliga, earning himself an impressive overall match rating of 8/10, making him the highest-rated player on the pitch on the day according to SofaScore.

In our view, if Liverpool didn’t have any plans to integrate Awoniyi into their first team at any point in the near future, then it probably was the best thing for them to do to sell him rather than just continuing to enable loan moves.

However, if the striker continues racking up the goals for his current club, there could be some regrets from Liverpool that they didn’t give him the chance to prove his worth in their team before shipping him out. After all, Divock Origi is hardly a prolific back-up option with just two goals in the last 12 months.

Fortunately, for the moment, it doesn’t seem as though scoring goals is a particular problem for the Reds at this moment in time.

In other news: FSG currently face one of their biggest Liverpool dilemmas, they must act soon – opinion 

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers face off against Hearts at Ibrox today in a huge clash at the top of the Premiership table.

A win for the home side would see them move four points clear at the top, whilst a defeat would see them drop down to second with the Jam Tarts overtaking them.

The Gers beat third-placed Hibernian 2-1 prior to the international break, as Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos’ second half goals secured the three points.

How many changes will Gerrard make to the team from that victory? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side from the win over Hibs, with Jon McLaughlin, James Tavernier and Kemar Roofe all returning.

Firstly, we believe that McLaughlin will line up between the sticks. We published an article explaining why veteran shot-stopper Allan McGregor must be axed by Gerrard for this clash, and the former Liverpool captain could heed that advice and go with the 34-year-old today.

At right-back, captain Tavernier could return in place of Nathan Patterson. The teenage defender provided an assist against Hibernian and recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.6, which is why this is a difficult call to make. However, the experience (more than 300 appearances for Rangers) and leadership of Tavernier in a crunch game like this could be crucial for the Gers.

In midfield, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and John Lundstram could retain their places in the middle of the park. We published a piece detailing Steven Davis’ woes for Northern Ireland on international duty, which is why he could be watching on from the bench for today’s clash.

Finally, Roofe could come in for Scott Wright to line up on the left of the front three, with Morelos through the middle and Ianis Hagi out on the right. The former Leeds striker came off the bench and scored against Hibernian and we previously discussed why he deserves to start.

Wright and Hagi both caught the eye against Hibs and it is not an easy call on who to drop out of the pair. However, the latter created five chances in comparison to Wright’s four and that gives him the edge for this match, with the Romanian keeping his place in the side.

AND in other news, Wilson must avoid Rangers nightmare over “unique” beast compared to Yaya Toure…

In the end, neither team wanted it badly enough. Sri Lanka couldn’t quite summon up the courage for one final dash, and Pakistan spent much of the afternoon merely going through the motions

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran 24-Jul-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Kumar Sangakkara remorselessly ground the bowling into the SSC dust•AFPIn the end, neither team wanted it badly enough. Sri Lanka couldn’t quite summon up the courage for one final dash, and Pakistan spent much of the afternoon merely going through the motions. When play was called off with the 15 mandatory overs to be bowled, Sri Lanka were 101 short of the 492-run target, and Pakistan had toiled all day for just one wicket. Kumar Sangakkara’s 19th Test century was the story of the day, but even his performance was overshadowed by an utterly placid pitch. After 21 wickets fell in the opening two days, the bowlers on both sides could manage just 12 in the next nine sessions.When Angelo Mathews struck a couple of boundaries soon after reaching his half-century after tea, there was the prospect of a Twenty20-like thrash in the final hour, but ultimately Sri Lanka decided to settle for the 2-0 series win.With Sri Lanka resuming from their overnight 183 for 3, Pakistan would have fanciedtheir chances of pulling off a consolation victory. But with Sangakkara remorselessly grinding the bowling into the SSC dust, and Thilan Samaraweera contributing a classy 73 to a partnership of 122, Younis Khan was left to forlornly shuffle a tiring bowling pack.As he showed in Hobart not so long ago, Sangakkara is capable of dazzling counter-attacks in pressure situations. This, on a day when survival rather than urgency was the priority, was all rearguard and little flair, with occupation of the crease the main mantra. The odd languid drive through the covers, or the precise sweep to the spinners would occasionally reveal some intent, but by and large, circumspection was the name of the game.Prime Numbers391 Sri Lanka’s score in the second innings at the SSC, which is their second-highest in the last innings of a Test. They’d scored 410 against Australia in Hobart in 2007.134 The number of overs Sri Lanka batted in their second innings, which is their second highest. They’d batted 141.4 overs in a losing cause against Australia in Hobart in 1989. 2 The number of centuries Kumar Sangakkara has scored in the fourth innings of a Test, in 21 attempts. He averages 41.88 in these innings.114 The partnership for the fifth wicket between Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews, which is Sri Lanka’s highest for that wicket in the fourth innings of a Test.With Mathews showing only brief glimpses of his shotmaking potential, the run-rate slowed quite a bit after Samaraweera’s dismissal soon after lunch. He had been afflicted with cramp, and was then struck a glancing blow on the helmet by Mohammad Aamer before a doosra from Saeed Ajmal was nicked behind.Apart from a brain-fade where he nearly handled the ball after digging out a yorker from Younis, Samaraweera had constantly challenged the bowlers, never allowing them to settle into a rhythm. Danish Kaneria, the scourge of Sri Lanka’s first innings, was attacked and only Ajmal managed to exercise any real control.Younis was also badly let down by Umar Gul, who struggled with no-balls and served up dross with the second new-ball. Each mistake was pounced on by Samaraweera, whose classical drives invoked another age. Pakistan still had a slight edge, but with no Flintoff-like talisman to turn to, Younis’ brow became increasingly furrowed as the afternoon wore on. Sangakkara’s smile only grew wider.

Bangladesh imploded spectacularly at the top to be restricted for a below-par 118 which West Indies overhauled without hardly breaking a sweat

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera02-Aug-2009West Indies 119 for 5 (Smith 37, Dowlin 37*) beat Bangladesh 118 for 9 by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outTravis Dowlin led the hosts past the line with his run-a-ball 37•AFPFinally, West Indies won a game. Bangladesh imploded spectacularly at the top but they kept playing like millionaires to be restricted to a below-par 118, which West Indies overhauled without breaking a sweat.The only concern in the chase was whether West Indies would collapse against spin and Bangladesh didn’t wait long to find out. They started with a double-spin attack and Shakib Al Hasan claimed the wicket of Dale Richards first ball, but Devon Smith thwarted them with his aggressive batting.Smith started with a slog-swept six off the offspinner Naeem Islam and followed it next ball with a skillful inside-out lofted drive over covers, before taking on Mahmudullah in the third over. Three pulls, one of them a six, helped him take 15 in that over and eased the pressure of the early wicket. Though Smith fell 50 short of the target, and West Indies lost a couple more cheaply towards the end, Travis Dowlin took over to lead the hosts past the line. Dowlin knew the required rate wasn’t steep enough to warrant any risks and he played accordingly. He did hit four boundaries, with a lofted hit over extra cover off Mehrab Hossain jnr being the highlight, but took care not to play many flashy shots. The same couldn’t be said about Bangladesh, though.Bangladesh charged ahead with a sense of fatal adventure, which was caught perfectly in the run-out of Naeem, their highest scorer today. He missed a sweep against David Bernard and the ball went straight to the keeper but he nevertheless tried to steal a single, only to be found miles short of his ground. Till then, Naeem had been dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground. He walked down the track to smack Darren Sammy over deep midwicket, moved outside leg to thump Gavin Tonge over long-off before collecting more boundaries with sweeps and pulls.Before Naeem, there was more frenetic drama. Bangladesh came out oozing so much intent that something had to give. And it did. Three wickets fell in the first 14 deliveries: Junaid Siddique spooned a slower one to cover, Mohammad Ashraful played a weak lap shot for a first-ball duck, and Tamim Iqbal flicked to short midwicket. The score read 12 for 3 but Naeem was in no mood to buckle down. Shakib Al Hasan started a touch slowly but soon caught the Naeem spirit and unfurled slog-sweeps before he was cleaned up by Nikita Miller, bowled round his legs.After Naeem, there was more chaos. Mushfiqur Rahim, who had moved cautiously to 3 in nine deliveries, ran himself out with some poor running. Responding to a push to point for a single, he jogged across and would have still made it had he not tried to plonk his bat lethargically inside the crease. Raqibul Hasan missed a straight ball and was trapped in front.It was left to Mahmudullah, who had performed well with bat and ball through this tour, and Mehrab, to an extent, to show some caution and push the score past 100, which eventually proved inadequate.

It makes “no sense” for Leeds United to entertain potential offers for star man Raphinha in the January transfer window, according to Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Raphinha stars for Leeds

The Brazilian’s reputation is being enhanced all the time, having shone for the Whites since joining last year, registering nine goals and nine assists since coming to England.

Not only that, but Raphinha has made a flying start to life in a Brazil shirt, setting up two goals on his debut and then bagging a brace against Uruguay.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay makes key claim

Unsurprisingly, the winger has been linked with a move elsewhere, with the biggest Premier League clubs circling and a January departure even mooted.

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic before Leeds’ 1-0 defeat at Southampton on Saturday, though, Hay claimed that he can’t see that happening. He wrote:

“Re: Raphinha – I see no sense at all in Leeds entertaining bids in January. It’s not like his value is going to diminish and you’re unsettling your squad at a key point of the season.

“Add to that the fact that the most elite clubs don’t tend to do big deals in January. If they’re doing a Grealish or a Kane for example, those offers tend to come in the summer window because there’s more time to negotiate and value for money tends to be slightly better.”

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The Verdict: Makes no sense

Leeds may have to accept that Raphinha will move on eventually – next summer is arguably looking increasingly likely given his recent form – but a January exit could be hugely damaging.

The Whites are 17th in the Premier League table after their latest setback and they will need the Brazil international for the duration of the campaign. Losing him midway through the season could increase the chances of them getting into a relegation fight, which would be a disastrous scenario after only ending their 16-year top-flight exile in 2020.

In other news, one expert has tipped Leeds to reap a huge financial gain. Read more here.

Taking to Twitter, sharing an article he wrote for football.london, reliable reporter Alasdair Gold has namedropped Joe Rodon as a player who could now ‘potentially leave Tottenham’.

The Lowdown: Rodon struggles to break through…

Despite impressing when given the opportunity and becoming a mainstay for Wales on the international stage, Rodon hasn’t exactly been handed opportunities galore under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Signed from Swansea in the summer of 2020, the 23-year-old has been tipped as a real one for the future at Spurs but Gold believes he could be a candidate to ‘potentially leave’ in January due to his lack of game time.

The Latest: Gold makes claim…

Writing for football.london, the reliable reporter says Rodon could now be a candidate to leave mid-season and it is understood that he has grown ‘frustrated’ behind the scenes over his lack of opportunities.

An unfortunately-timed injury at the start of this campaign has only slowed down his progress as he aims to become a regular in the starting eleven.

A loan move away from the club, therefore, could be a solution for the starlet with the versatile Japhet Tanganga able to provide cover at centre-back during Rodon’s possible stint away.

The Verdict: Right move?

If Spurs can find a suitor to take him on loan, of which there should be plenty, we believe a temporary move away from north London could indeed be clever for the player’s development.

Lauded as a ‘special player’ by Welsh reporter Ian Mitchelmore, it is no secret that Rodon has shined on the international stage – with the only task now for Spurs being to nurture that form steadily at club level.

In other news: ‘Crazy’, ‘Get rid’…Sky Sports pundit erupts over dressing room leak involving senior Spurs players, find out more here.

Harmison’s second stint was the money shot, as he filleted Australia’s tail with three breakthroughs in 13 balls but his first stint made the difference

Andrew Miller at The Oval24-Aug-2009When Great White Sharks patrol the Southern Seas, it’s not the quantities of their kills that count, but the certainties. The best and most dangerous predators can go days, even weeks, without feeding. It what happens when they finally scent blood that makes them the creatures they are.For three innings and 59 overs of the final Test at The Oval, Steve Harmison basked in the warmth of a sunny Oval outfield, superfluous to his team’s requirements, but lurking nonetheless, with a menace that is the preserve of only the biggest beasts. Up until that point he had bowled four overs in the first innings, and five at the start of the second – his impact deadened on a wicket as helpful to him as a sun-lounger to a barracuda.But then, on the fourth afternoon, with Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting beginning to work through their repertoire and – in Andrew Strauss’s admission – despair beginning to encroach on England’s thoughts, Harmison’s gills twitched and he was ordered in for the kill. His final-day contribution was devastating, sudden, and panic-inducing, as in two spells of five and six overs, he transformed the dynamics of the contest.Harmison’s second stint was the money shot, as he filleted Australia’s tail with three breakthroughs in 13 balls to take his summer’s first-class tally to 58 wickets at 20.58. But his first stint made the difference, as Hussey – his anxiety palpable as his Test career hung in the balance – immediately abandoned his calm accumulation in favour of panic.Sensing the hunter was about to turn hunted, Hussey carved madly at Harmison’s second ball before being hit on the bicep by the sixth, and the spell was only three overs old when he clipped the fatal single that caused his captain to be run out by Andrew Flintoff at mid-on. “I wasn’t expecting too many ultra-quick singles to be taken at that stage of the game,” said Ponting, through gritted teeth. But such is the impact that Harmison can effect.And that is especially true against Australia, for his reputation in Ashes cricket is as curious as they come. It will of course forever be recalled for two grotesquely contrasting performances – his first-day rampage at Lord’s in 2005, when he clanged Justin Langer’s elbow and drew blood on Ricky Ponting’s cheek, and his freeze on the first morning at Brisbane 18 months later, when Andrew Flintoff fielded his opening delivery of the series at second slip.But regardless of the accusations, most of them justified, of his apparent mental fragility, there’s scarcely an Australian who is willing to risk a bad word about him. The cricketers who have faced him recall and respect the hold he took of the key moments in 2005, and are able to accept – more readily than any Englishman – that in some environments he simply comes across as a (big) fish out of water.With that in mind, his contribution to this decisive final day mirrored the role he had played for England all summer – best described by Vic Marks in The Observer as England’s nuclear deterrent. From the moment he roughed up Phillip Hughes in Australia’s pre-series tussle against the Lions in Worcester, there had been a puzzling reluctance to unleash such mayhem on the enemy, and yet a great delight in parading him, Soviet style, from city to city in a show of the nation’s strength.It was a role that Harmison accepted with relish, for he knows full well the unease he can cause. “They don’t seem to be the confident Australia I’ve known,” he announced during that Worcester performance. “There are things you pick up on like body language. I’ve seen a little chink there. It is understandable because there are not the players in their side from bygone years.”It turns out that he had a point. Harmison has now played Tests in four separate Ashes campaigns – the same as Brett Lee and second only to Ponting among squad members on either side. Like Andrew Flintoff, his ultimate career figures will prove to be less than the sum of his potential; unlike Flintoff, it is hard to claim that he ever gave it his all.But that’s the thing with predators. They turn up when they chose, and generally when they know it is safe to do so. For all his innumerable flaws, Harmison has laid his hands on a brace of Ashes-winners medals, while securing a notch in fast-bowling folklore. It all adds up to the impression that he timed his feeding frenzies well.

Nathan Bracken has said the knee injury that forced him to return home before the start of Australia’s ICC Champions Trophy defence in South Africa had reached a stage where he “couldn’t go on any more”

Cricinfo staff03-Oct-2009Nathan Bracken, the Australian medium-pacer, has said the knee injury that forced him to return home before the start of Australia’s ICC Champions Trophy defence in South Africa had reached a stage where he “couldn’t go on any more”. He felt it had constrained his bowling and hoped that surgery would allow him to bowl more freely in the future.”I’ve played in pain since January 2007,” Bracken told the . “From the first day I reported to Cricket Australia I had pain in my knee, I haven’t played in a game without pain … it has reached the point where, physically, I can’t go on any more. I couldn’t guarantee my captain I could finish the series or even a game for that matter.”It reached the point that when I went off the field during a drinks break I couldn’t put weight on my legs to go up and down the stairs. Yet, I needed to bowl my three remaining overs. On that, the advice was for me to come home and get it fixed.”Bracken said there were aspects of his bowling that were affected by the problem. “I lost a bit of pace because I looked after my knee when I bowled and there were certain things as a bowler I couldn’t do because it was uncomfortable,” he said. “I know in England I couldn’t charge in knowing I could fire in a yorker at 135 kilometres an hour; that was just not on.”Bracken is due to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and will also not be part of New South Wales’ campaign in the Champions League Twenty20 and Australia’s one-day series in India. His captain, Ricky Ponting, had expressed concern over the bowler’s international future but Bracken did not share those doubts.”None of the doctors I’ve seen have let those words pass their lips,” Bracken said. “It’s simply a matter of getting [the knee] right, getting it 100% by December and then being back in time for the [international] one-day series in January. That’s the plan.”[As for four-day cricket] we’ll wait for the operation and I’ll listen to the advice. I’m dealing with [knee surgeon] Merv Cross. He’s coming out with a few ideas; he wants me to start my rehabilitation, before I have the operation, to strengthen the area. He’s confident I can walk out of the hospital after the operation and then begin the process of returning to cricket.”

Retired Scotland international Kris Commons recently claimed that Rangers should attempt to sign Billy Gilmour on loan from Chelsea in the summer and take advantage of his lack of game-time on loan at Norwich.

The midfielder has not started a Premier League game since 18 September, losing his place in the middle of the park for the Norfolk side.

Interestingly, one of the players keeping Gilmour out of the team also has strong connections with Rangers – that’s Kenny McLean.

Not only was the midfielder a reported target for Rangers in 2020, he also came through the ranks at Ibrox in the academy. He played for the under-17 team for two years before joining St Mirren, where he eventually broke through into the first team.

McLean went on to join Aberdeen and then signed for Norwich in January 2018. He made 253 Premiership appearances for St Mirren and Aberdeen, scoring 36 goals and providing 21 assists to earn himself a move down south.

The £25k-per-week beast has gone on to make a name for himself in the Championship and the Premier League with Norwich. Despite suffering relegation in the 2019/20 campaign, Canaries boss Daniel Farke hailed McLean’s Premier League performances and claimed that he is “irreplaceable”.

He said: “Kenny for me last season was unbelievably important and he has developed further. He is a versatile, all-round player with the game to play a number of positions.

“Let’s be honest, we have some players with great possession skills, or finding a key pass, or maybe delivering a set-piece. But he is probably our most complete midfielder. He is competitive, his workload and his endurance are good and he is definitely our best defensive header.

“He is aggressive in the duels and our most dynamic midfielder.

“He is also composed on the ball, and a left-footer. He offers many skills, and that physicality at this level is irreplaceable for us. If you can dominate the ball in a game then maybe the defensive skills are not as important.”

The Scotland international has played 112 times for Norwich since the move from Aberdeen, playing 45 times in the Premier League and winning two Championship titles. In that time, he has scored eight goals and provided 15 assists from a deep-lying midfield position.

This suggests that he has the quality required to be a top-class player for Rangers, as he has proven his ability in the top two tiers in England and in the Premiership with St Mirren and Aberdeen. Therefore, the Gers fumbled the ball by opting against keeping him in their academy at the start of his career.

Instead of ending up in England with Norwich, McLean could have come through the academy at Ibrox and bossed the midfield for years at Rangers. They could also have brought him through into the first team before making a decent chunk of change by selling him on, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £4.05m in 2019. Instead, they axed him from the academy and watched on as he has enjoyed a fairly successful career.

He’s one who slipped through the cracks at Ibrox…

AND in other news, Imagine him & Aribo: Wilson could land dream Rangers midfield with “fabulous” maestro…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to Dean Smith’s post-match interview following the 4-1 loss to West Ham on Sunday.

Villa failed to revive their fortunes against David Moyes’ side, making it four defeats in a row in October and leading to reports that the 50-year-old’s job is in ‘serious jeopardy’.

Ollie Watkins cancelled out Ben Johnson’s opener before Declan Rice gave the Hammers the lead once again before half-time. Villa then had Ezri Konsa sent off at the start of the second half, with goals from Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen sealing an emphatic win for the Hammers late on.

Smith gave his assessment of the match to the club’s official media team, with the interview available to view here.

He discussed each talking point and believed that Konsa’s sending off was ‘wrong’, while also name-checking Leon Bailey and Emiliano Martinez for mistakes for the visitors’ first two goals.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply to a clip from the club’s official Twitter channel showing the interview, with many left raging over what Smith had to say.

“Time to go Smith. We need to progress onto the top 6. We won’t do it with you.”

Credit: @bretharris4

“Started slowly for the first 15 minutes AGAIN. What is going on? We never start on the front foot. Another season where we would take mid table. Let’s hope we see progress this season. Stay safe everyone. UTV”

Credit: @SharkyWard2

“I feel sick listening to that”

Credit: @utvavfcutv

“How on earth is he blaming Bailey for the first goal lol.”

Credit: @AstonViIIaFan

“I love you Deano. You gave this club an identity but you’ve taken us as far as you can. Plus, it looks like you’ve lost the dressing room to me. Thank you for everything you’ve done but it’s time to step aside before this season is an absolute write off and relegation battle”

Credit: @bmmorris26

“Let him walk his dog all day every day to the job centre”

Credit: @avfck1eran

In other news: ‘Bigger issue than Mings’ – Many Villa fans slam ‘useless’ player v West Ham