Tag Futebol

Leeds United appointed former Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom as their new manager this week after Thomas Christiansen was sacked following the 4-1 defeat against Cardiff City at Elland Road last weekend.

The 40-year-old was a surprise choice in many ways considering he had only ever managed the Yorkshire club, had signed a new contract with the Tykes on February 2 and was in the middle of a run of just one win in 14 Championship matches.

Heckingbottom is the latest boss to be tasked with trying to get the Whites back to the Premier League for the first time since they were relegated in 2004, but it remains to be seen whether he can lead them to a play-off position this season.

Whatever happens, the manager will have plenty of work to do in the summer transfer window and he may consider looking back at his former club to see if they have any players that he feels could do a job for him and the team next term.

Here are three Barnsley players Heckingbottom could target to try and bring to Leeds in the summer…

Liam Lindsay

Barnsley only signed the 6ft 4in centre-back from Partick Thistle last summer, but he has already established himself as one of the Tykes’ best and key players.

According to WhoScored.com, the 22-year-old has won 125 of the 182 aerial duels he has faced in 26 Championship appearances this season, while he has won 39 of the 46 tackles he has attempted and made an impressive 165 clearances.

With Matthew Pennington only on loan and captain Liam Cooper needing to improve his discipline on the pitch, Heckingbottom may well be looking for a new centre-back in the summer and the highly-rated Lindsay could be the one that he targets.

Brad Potts

Like Lindsay, Potts only joined Barnsley in the summer from Blackpool following a number of impressive performances for the Tangerines, and he is starting to replicate those displays for the Yorkshire outfit.

The 6ft 2in midfielder has already shown that he is something of an all-rounder in the middle of the park, and as well as scoring two goals in 23 Championship appearances, he has also shown his creative side by making 25 key passes.

The 23-year-old is also useful from a defensive point of view too though, and he has also won 15 tackles and made 12 interceptions and 25 clearances.

If Heckingbottom is looking for extra quality in the middle of the park alongside the likes of Adam Forshaw, Ronaldo Vieira and Eunan O’Kane next season, he could turn to the highly-rated Potts.

Tom Bradshaw

If Leeds fail to go up this season and Heckingbottom is looking to bring a new striker to Elland Road in the summer, he could do a lot worse than take a look at Bradshaw.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The Wales international has impressed for Barnsley since making the step up from League One in the summer of 2016, and he has nine goals in 34 appearances for the Tykes this season.

The 25-year-old showed during his time with Walsall that he can score any type of goal and is willing to put in the work for his team, and he could prove to be a useful addition to the Leeds frontline next term.

Would you want any of these, Leeds fans? Let us know below.

Arsene Wenger looks determined to extract as much as he can from Bacary Sagna before the full-back departs Arsenal this summer. The veteran defender deputised at centre-back this past Sunday for the trip to Norwich, replacing Per Mertesacker, and will without doubt play in his favoured position at right-back in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Arsenal have gotten the very best out of Sagna, who arrived from Auxerre in 2007 and instantly became a hit at the Emirates. The club have seen his best years, with the French international twice being named in the Premier League Team of the Season. That Arsenal have looked so comfortable in that position is testament to the quality of Sagna and his professionalism through extremely trying times over the past few seasons.

But there should be no grudges about the 31-year-old wanting to move on. In fact, had Arsenal laid out a more serious and respectable contract offer last summer, the likelihood is Sagna would still be playing his football at the Emirates next season. Reportedly, the club only offered a two-year extension and fell short of Sagna’s wage demands. The club’s lack of foresight on the matter goes to show that Wenger still hasn’t come to fully appreciate the contribution of experienced figures in his squad. Versatile veterans can make all the difference in title races.

Sagna’s camp may be riling the Arsenal support now that the league season is over, with the player expressing pubic uncertainty over his future and congratulating Samir Nasri on his title victory with Manchester City this weekend, though seemingly failing to mask his own disappointment at never lifting the Premier League trophy during his time in England. History looks set to repeat itself, with Sagna a target for City, and it’s more than understandable why Arsenal supporters are up in arms about the potential switch.

The thing is, there is no harm in Sagna moving on to a Premier League rival. The fans have shown no compromise in their loyalty to the player, but Arsenal as a club certainly have. The right-back knows his value, even at this stage of his career, and considering the years of excellence he’s shown to the north London side, why shouldn’t he get what he wants if another club is willing to offer it? It’s not to say Arsenal weren’t capable of matching Sagna’s demands, nor is it anyone else’s fault that he’s set to be tempted elsewhere.

Arsenal will lose Sagna’s experience as well as his ability along the back four. But both of those attributes can be bought. Arsenal aren’t struggling financially going into this summer’s transfer period. They need two right-backs, as Carl Jenkinson is both not good enough and set to go on loan. And though there is a distinct shortage of high-end full-backs across the continent who are available, it isn’t an impossible task to buy and replace effectively.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Sagna has given seven fantastic years to Arsenal, and while there have been lows during his stay, the loyalty he has shown throughout warrants a peaceful sending off. The FA Cup would be a fitting end to his time at the Emirates, and while there is disappointment to his departure, don’t begrudge a player who was apparently willing to stay but couldn’t sway the notorious inflexibility of Arsenal and Wenger.

[ad_pod id=’memegen’ align=’center’]

Wigan recorded the surprise result of the day beating Tottenham at White Hart Lane to win their second Premier League game on the spin.

The Latics followed up last weeks success against at home to West Ham with a morale boosting victory in North London that will serve as a huge reality check to Andre Villas-Boas.

Spurs have now lost their last two games at home and dropped out of the top four after Watson’s second half goal consigned them to defeat on a frustrating afternoon.

Robert Martinez’s men have endured a mixed record in North London registering a registering a 1-0 win in 2010 but suffering a 9-1 drubbing in 2009.

From the off Wigan looked self-assured and at ease against their opponents, who are chasing a return to the Champions League season, and Brad Friedel was by far the busier of both keepers.

Shaun Maloney and Arouna Kone tested the American stopper early on before Watson passed up a great opportunity to break the deadlock, firing over the bar from the edge of the penalty area.

Spurs finally stepped into gear but Jan Vertonghen’s dipping volley represented their best chance of the first half as they managed to subdue the visitors until the break.

But 10 minutes into the second half Roberto Martinez’s men deservedly took the lead as Watson hammered the ball home from close range after Friedel had brilliantly clawed Maloney’s whipped corner from underneath the crossbar.

Emmanuel Adebayor was thrown on by Villas-Boas to replace Jermain Defoe t but failed to muster anything close to the equaliser a discontented home crowd craved.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Gareth Bale came close to restoring parity but Ali Al-Habsi was equal to his fierce strike but Maynor Figueroa smashed a long range effort just wide of Friedel’s post at the other end as Wigan held on to a monumental win.

Visitors manage to defend 135 at Edgbaston to hand hosts their first defeat of the tournament

ECB Reporters Network23-May-2023Northern Diamonds maintained their 100 percent start to the 2023 Charlotte Edwards Cup with a three-run victory over Central Sparks at Edgbaston.With both sides having won their first game, something had to give and it was Diamonds who preserved their perfect record thanks principally to an impressive bowling display.Put in, Diamonds were bowled out for 135, far less than looked likely when they were motoring nicely along at 73 for 1 in the ninth over. The fall of Leah Dobson for 41 off 25 balls was the first of nine wickets to fall for 62 runs in 67 balls as Georgia Davis bowled her off-spin beautifully for 4-0-13-3, well-supported by Emily Arlott and Erin Burns who took two wickets each.The total looked a little under par but Sparks fell just short on 132 for 7 after their batters never escaped the shackles imposed at the start by accurate opening spells from Lizzie Scott and Katherine Fraser. Chloe Tryon bounced back from conceding 11 in her first over to take three vital wickets and end with 3 for 30.Only Eve Jones and Arlott passed 25 as tight bowling and a sluggish, used-pitch combined to make run-scoring difficult.After Sparks chose to bowl, they soon struck a big blow when Lauren Winfield-Hall lifted the seventh ball of the innings, from Arlott, to extra cover.Dobson and Hollie Armitage responded positively and raised the 50 from 37 balls. Their well-constructed stand stood at 68 from 43 balls when Davis bowled Dobson through an attempted leg-side flick.That wicket started a big slide as four fell for 19 runs in 23 balls. Davis had Sterre Kalis smartly stumped by Amy Jones, Bess Heath was brilliantly run out by Katie George’s direct hit from midwicket and Armitage skied Burns to mid off.Davis had her third victim when Tryon lofted to deep midwicket and only Fraser kept the innings from complete freefall. Fraser was ninth out when she top-edged a return catch to Burns and the last pair mustered just a single from five balls before Grace Hall was superbly caught by Davina Perrin at point off Arlott.Diamonds also took an early wicket when Perrin lofted Fraser to mid off and the bowlers applied good pressure as only four fours arrived in the first eight overs. England star Amy Jones was never fluent before she was deceived by a lovely flighted ball from Tryon and bowled off her pads.Katie Levick cranked up the pressure by conceding just six runs in two overs which also brought the crucial wicket of Eve Jones, caught at midwicket. Burns also fell on the offensive when she was well caught at wide long on by Abi Glen off Tryon.As the required rate escalated, Sparks, with half their batters out, required 38 from the last 18 balls. Abbey Freeborn struck the first four of those 18 for four to dent Scott’s figures but then lifted the fifth ball to point and 13 from the final over, delivered with great composure by Tryon, proved too many.

Dunith Wellalage named concussion substitute for Vandersay

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2023Dunith Wellalage was named a concussion replacement for Jeffrey Vandersay, after Vandersay and Ashen Bandara had a collision on the field during the third ODI against India in Thiruvananthapuram.The incident took place in the 43rd over when Virat Kohli pulled Chamika Karunaratne in front of square leg. Vandersay sprinted to his left from deep-backward square leg, and Bandara to his right from deep midwicket. Both fielders put in the slides but ended up colliding with each other.Bandara tried to stop the ball from reaching the boundary but as soon as he attempted to get up, he went down again, clutching his left knee. Vandersay too was lying on the ground. The Sri Lanka physio ran out to have a look at the two players; the Indian medical staff and the two umpires also gathered near the boundary line.Play was halted for a while, and eventually both players were stretchered off the field. Later, they were taken to the hospital for scans.Dhananjaya de Silva and Wellalage came on as substitutes, both taking a catch each in the innings. While Wellalage was named a concussion replacement for Vandersay at the innings break, Sri Lanka Cricket tweeted that a decision on whether Bandara would bat was yet to be made.The shot, meanwhile, took Kohli to 99, and on the next ball he brought up his 46th ODI hundred. He is now three short of Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 hundreds in the format. Kohli went on to score an unbeaten 166 off 110 balls, with India posting 390 for 5.India already have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

India international is first Sussex batter to make a double-hundred against Middlesex at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network20-Jul-2022Cheteshwar Pujara’s third double-century of the season etched him deep into Sussex folklore on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Middlesex at Lord’s.The Indian international became the first Sussex batter to make a double-century against Middlesex at Lord’s. The last Sussex batter to achieve 200 at the home of cricket was his countryman Colonel HH Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II while playing against the MCC 125 years ago.Pujara, whose marathon effort had begun 24 hours earlier during London’s hottest day on record, batted almost nine hours before being last out, having steered his side to 523 – so eclipsing Sussex’s previous best score at Lord’s of 522 set in 2005.Tom Helm emerged from the carnage with five for 109, his fourth five-wicket haul in Middlesex colours.Against a largely inexperienced Sussex bowling attack, Middlesex made a positive start in reply, reaching 103 without loss at stumps, Mark Stoneman on 47 and Sam Robson 45.At a time where there is so much talk of ‘Bazball’, Pujara reminded us of the merits of a classical innings, demanding concentration, technique and a purity of stroke-play.His overnight partner Oli Carter soon departed lbw to Toby Roland-Jones and when Delray Rawlins fenced one from Helm into the hands of Luke Hollman at gully the visitors were 346 for 6.Perhaps fatigued by his efforts 24 hours earlier Pujara was subdued throughout the morning, twice chastening himself for loose strokes, but helped by youngster Danial Ibrahim, who showed maturity beyond his 17 years, he regathered himself and dug in once more. The pair added 68 either side of lunch before Roland Jones trapped Ibrahim for an invaluable 36.If Middlesex, who had put Sussex in on day one, thought their torture was over they were wrong as Pujara found another ally in debutant Aristides Karvelas.The 28-year-old, who became a Greek international only last week, blocked up an end allowing Pujara to reach 150 in 400 minutes after which the shackles came off. He greeted the return of Hollman by hoisting him into the Compton Stand. His one life on day two came on 175 when John Simpson, standing up to the stumps to Tim Murtagh, failed to hold on to a thin edgeThe escape allowed Pujara and Karvelas to add 50 before the latter gave Murtagh recompense by hooking him down the throat of deep square.There was a lovely ovation for former Middlesex man Finn, who allowed Pujara to forge on towards the double-century mark.There were no nervous 190s as he twice in an over drove Murtagh through mid-off for four before a single dropped into the on-side led to another ovation.Finn was finally stumped, but there was time for a third six before Pujara just failed to make red ink, perishing in the grand manner to give Helm his fifth scalp.After more than 160 overs in the field and needing 374 to save the follow-on, Robson was given a life on 15 when wicketkeeper Carter dropped a dolly which would have given Karvelas a first County Championship wicket. Scare survived, both he and Stoneman had individual half-centuries in sight at the close.

Allrounder’s five mammoth sixes steal show in seven-over game, as Surrey slump to third defeat in five

ECB Reporters Network30-Jul-2019Mohammad Nabi smashed five sixes in a remarkable 43 not out off only 12 balls as Kent Spitfires overwhelmed Surrey by nine wickets in a rain-shortened Vitality Blast contest at The Oval.Nabi’s assault included three sixes off Rikki Clarke in the third over of Kent’s reply to Surrey’s seven-over total of 54 for 4. He then finished things in the next over by slamming legspinner Imran Tahir for six, four, and six from successive balls.It all meant Kent had raced to victory with three overs to spare, and strengthened their position in the South Group with a fourth win from four games.Tahir had given Surrey some hope of defending what always looked a below-par total by having Kent’s acting captain Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw for one in the first over of their reply.But Afghanistan allrounder Nabi soon snuffed out those hopes with his big hitting, while Heino Kuhn looked on admiringly from the other end with nine not out.Bell-Drummond said: “Mohammad strikes the ball so well, doesn’t he? It is a pleasure to have him around. It was a big toss to win tonight, especially with the rain around, and we were able to know exactly what we had to chase.”Things are going very well – there’s a lot of experience and a lot of pace in the team, so it makes my job easy.”Surrey captain Aaron Finch said: “There was no doubt that our total was short of what we needed, but you are never sure how to go about it when you bat first in these circumstances. To walk out of the sheds after rain delays and immediately go hard from the start is always difficult.”Only opener Finch broke the shackles of Kent’s disciplined bowling, finishing 36 not out from 20 balls with two sixes and a four. Play did not start until 8pm, initially because of afternoon and early-evening rain with the match starting as a 13-over affair. But after just one ball – bowled by Adam Milne to Will Jacks who played and missed – more rain drove the players off again and, eventually, the match re-started at 8.50pm as a seven-over contest.Milne, remarkably, completed a maiden in that opening over with three byes the only runs scored, but Jacks cut the first delivery of the second over from Hardus Viljoen to the square third-man boundary to get Surrey’s innings going.Paceman Viljoen soon had his revenge when Jacks mis-hit to extra cover to go for five, leaving Finch to loft the last ball of the powerplay – the first ball of the third over – straight for four before bludgeoning Nabi’s offspin for six and, in the final over, reverse-flicking Milne for another maximum.Ollie Pope managed just one four, a brilliant reverse-flick off left-arm seamer Fred Klassen before hitting to deep mid-wicket off Nabi and Jordan Clark lost his off stump swinging at Viljoen. Surrey’s fourth wicket fell when Tom Curran skied to extra cover in Milne’s second over.Their total looked way short of par, even on a pitch offering plenty to the seamers, and so it would prove.

Paceman returns to scene of Champions Trophy glory with hopes of emerging from lean 50-over form

Osman Samiuddin07-May-2019Mohammad Amir’s last-ditch audition for a role in Pakistan’s World Cup campaign could begin at the very ground where he was one of the architects of their memorable Champions Trophy triumph of 2017.Amir was not picked in Pakistan’s preliminary squad for the tournament but has been included in the 17-man squad for this England series, which begins tomorrow at The Oval. If he does start, it will be with the understanding that performances here could squeeze him into the final World Cup 15.So far on this tour Amir has appeared in just one of the four games Pakistan have played – a warm-up 50-over game against Northamptonshire in which he picked up 1 for 45.But it is understood that he will be part of Pakistan’s match-day 12 and depending on what the weather and surface look like in the morning stands a good chance to start.”As far as fast bowling goes, we will be flexible in this series, we will try and give Amir a full opportunity,” captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said. “The good thing is we have this opportunity to try out what we need to try out before the World Cup. We have till May 2 so we’d like to give Amir a full opportunity to stake his claim in the side.”If he does make it into the squad, it will hold some extra personal significance for Amir, being his first World Cup. He missed the 2011 and 2015 tournaments because of his five-year ban for spot-fixing.The word around Amir’s non-inclusion is that it is the kick he has long needed to put things right in the 50-over game. But given how lean a drought he has endured since that Champions Trophy final, he will still need to show some solid wicket-taking form to get back in.In the 14 ODIs since the final, he’s taken just five wickets, going wicketless in an innings as many as nine times. It’s been a strange run in which, though he’s rarely looked like taking a wicket, he’s also not looked awful. His economy rate in that period is 4.58, though if you take out games against Zimbabwe and Hong Kong that goes up to 5.28.But Pakistan already have two left-arm pacemen in the World Cup squad; the emerging Shaheen Shah Afridi, against whose dazzling and swift rise Amir’s own form has paled; and Junaid Khan, an exact contemporary of Amir’s through their earliest years, who without ever attracting the same attention has picked up far more wickets since the Champions Trophy.The arrival of Mohammad Hasnain has also made it harder for Amir. Hasnain has the one thing Pakistan’s squad has missed: genuine pace. It is something that Mickey Arthur in particular is very excited about, enough to overlook his extreme rawness. Hasnain has only played four List A games in his career, of which three were ODIs.If Amir were to perform in these ODIs, however, Hasnain or to a lesser degree Junaid might be most at risk of losing a spot.

Uncapped Sheneta Grimmond has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury and replaced by 17-year old pacer Qiana Joseph

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2018Hayley Matthews played a pivotal role in West Indies lifting the World T20 trophy in Kolkata in 2016, and now as they aim to defend the title at home, she has been named the vice-captain ahead of the tournament. The 20-year old allrounder has grown from strength to strength in recent years; exemplified by her maiden ODI hundred against South Africa two months ago.”I am very delighted that the hierarchy of Cricket West Indies see me as a good fit for vice-captain,” Matthews said after being appointed. “I think that the added responsibility will be of great benefit to my overall game. It will be an amazing feeling to play in front of home fans here in the West Indies.”The new appointee had her captain Stafanie Taylor’s full support. “Hayley is young, but very confident and knowledgeable about the sport,” Taylor said. “She is someone who can lead from the front, with bat and ball, and encourage her team-mates to raise their game in varying situations.”West Indies, however, suffered an injury blow, as uncapped 20-year old batsman Sheneta Grimmond was ruled out of the tournament. Qiana Joseph, who featured in two matches in the World Cup in England last year, was named Grimmond’s replacement. While not picked in the initial squad for the WWT20, 17-year old Joseph was with the team at all of their recent training camps in Antigua.”It’s so unfortunate that Sheneta had to be withdrawn, as it would have been a great experience for her,” Joseph said. “However, I must take this selection as a blessing and do my best to assist the team in retaining our World Women’s T20 championship at home. The team will do the best to make her proud.”

Sarah Aley, the star of the Women’s BBL and the tournament’s highest wicket-taker this year, may become the fourth-oldest Australian women to debut in a T20I after she was added to Australia’s squad for the T20Is against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2017Thirty-two-year-old Sarah Aley has been added to Australia Women’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand on February 17. She was called in as cover for Lauren Cheatle, who sustained an injury to her shoulder during training last week.Aley – who finished as the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Women’s Big Bash League – would be the fourth-oldest Australian woman to make a T20I debut if she plays, behind Cathryn Fitzpatrick (37), Belinda Clark (34) and Lisa Keightley (34).She was the player of the match during the WBBL final. In 10 matches in the tournament, Aley took 19 wickets with three three-wicket hauls, including 4 for 23 in the final.National selector Shawn Flegler said Aley’s consistent performances in both the 50-over and 20-over versions have earned her a spot in Australia’s squad. “Sarah had yet another consistent season in both the T20 and 50-over competitions this season and there’s no doubt she has earned her selection,” Flegler said. “She has got a wealth of experience and we know that if the opportunity arises she will be able to perform the role she’s given. You always know what you are going to get with Sarah.”Cheatle is expected to be available for the second and third matches of the series. The three-match T20I series starts in Melbourne, before moving to Geelong and finishing in Adelaide on February 22.