All posts by n8rngtd.top

Says the role was “toothless” and the board wasn’t paying heed to the committee’s recommendations

Umar Farooq04-Sep-2020Iqbal Qasim has resigned from his position as the PCB cricket committee head, calling the role “toothless”. According to the former cricketer, the position only sounds like an important one, while the actual decision are mainly taken by the PCB executives on their own. The PCB, on accepting Qasim’s resignation, insisted that the responsibilities delegated to the panel were limited to recommendations only.Qasim had taken over from Wasim Khan as the head in January, and presided over two meetings so far.”The scope of the committee is very limited and I, despite being a former cricketer, am not able to contribute for the betterment of cricket,” Qasim told ESPNcricinfo. “If they [PCB] don’t want a collective discussion on domestic cricket affairs then there is no point staying there. I took the role to contribute for the betterment [of cricket in Pakistan], but I cannot recommend a single match referee and even an umpire in the system. It is painful to see the injustice being done to cricketers who have played cricket, fulfil all criteria, but still suffer. They pretend that it’s a serious committee but the scope doesn’t allow me to recommend the people who I think are good enough. If that isn’t happening, I can’t allow them to use my shoulder.”When the committee was formed in October 2018, it was claimed to have wide-ranging powers to oversee the state of all aspects of Pakistan cricket but wasn’t allocated any decision-making power. The members were supposed to meet thrice a year to discuss a variety of issues, including concerns at the first-class level which have drawn increasing attention over the last few years.The committee soon started developing differences with the PCB and failed to form any sort of consensus on outstanding cricketing issues. Its first chairman, Mohsin Khan, resigned after eight months for reasons never made public. That resulted in then PCB CEO Wasim taking on the additional role of heading the committee. It was on their recommendation that the Mickey Arthur-led national coaching panel was removed.The PCB then made drastic changes to the domestic structure in the last two years on its own, including abolishing the department teams.Qasim, who worked as a director of the National Bank of Pakistan (sports division) till 2015, has been vocal about the resumption of department cricket and was optimistic that the board would arrange at least one tournament for the departments every year.However, the PCB said that the role of the department sides was already eliminated well before Qasim came on board.”It is indeed sad that a cricketer of the calibre, repute and experience of Iqbal Qasim has voluntarily decided to step down,” the PCB said in a release. “His services to cricket, both as a player and as an administrator, are outstanding. However, it was disappointing for the PCB to see its cricket committee chairman, instead of supporting meritocracy and respecting the decision of the independent panel, decided to resign after his ‘recommendation’ was not entertained.”The PCB is also at pains to explain that when Iqbal Qasim accepted the offer to head its cricket committee on January 31, 2020, the role of the department sides had already been eliminated under the new PCB Constitution 2019, which came into effect on August 19, 2019. He had walked into the role knowing the framework and regulations under which the current PCB management was operating that had no space for the PCB-organised department cricket.”Qasim, who played 50 Tests and 15 ODIs for Pakistan, has been involved with the PCB in various roles, as team manager, chief selector and member of the domestic tournament monitoring committee. The PCB hoped he would “continue to offer his services in future, nevertheless”.

As Rangers look to complete their title comeback in the Scottish Premiership, reports suggest that those at Ibrox have been handed a major boost ahead of a potential summer deal.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers have been a side transformed since the arrival of Philippe Clement, who has taken the Scottish giants into position to win the Scottish Premiership when they looked down and out under Michael Beale earlier in the campaign. The former AS Monaco boss has been backed along the way too, with three arrivals in the January transfer window.

Mohamed Diomande, whose loan deal will become permanent this summer, Fabio Silva and Oscar Cortes all came through the door at Ibrox and have all had the chance to make an impact ever since. Now, ahead of the summer, rumours have already begun to circle over further potential incomings under Clement.

Reports have already linked Rangers with moves for the likes of Motherwell teenager Lennon Miller and FC Twente full-back Gijs Smal in two deals that would add depth to the current side at Ibrox. But the first name through the door could be one that fans in Glasgow are already familiar with.

Update: None of Rangers' returning injuries back in time to start vs Celtic

A big blow for Philippe Clement ahead of huge game.

By
Henry Jackson

Apr 5, 2024

According to Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Wolverhampton Wanderers will now accept lower offers for Fabio Silva this summer. Clement reportedly wanted to sign Silva on a permanent basis in January, before being forced to settle for a loan deal due to his price tag.

The Rangers boss admitted via the Daily Record: "We will see what the situation is. I would prefer to buy Fabio but he was too expensive for the club so that's why it's a loan."

With earlier reports suggesting that Rangers were set to make contact over a permanent deal for Silva, it should be seen as a major boost that Wolves are now supposedly willing to part ways with the forward this summer for a "huge" loss on their original outlay.

"Generational" Silva will only get better

Having already shown glimpses of what he's capable of, with four goals in 15 appearances to his name, Silva is likely to get even better with a permanent move to settle in Scotland. At just 21-years-old, the forward is far from the finished product, but the potential is certainly there, even if he struggled to show it at Wolves at times.

Having initially cost Wolves as much as £35m in 2020, the Midlands club are likely to suffer a significant loss on their investment to the benefit of Rangers this summer, who will be left to pay a potentially lower fee and Silva's reported £40k per-week salary.

Among those disappointed that things never worked out for Silva will be Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi, who showered the 21-year-old with praise via the official Wolves website.

Arsenal have already spent £190m ($256m) in the summer transfer window, but Mikel Arteta admits they are "looking at options" before the deadline.

• Gunners have spent big in summer window
• Seen Gyokeres register first goal for the club
• More comings & goings possible at Emirates

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Gunners are aware that they need to invest heavily after seeing Premier League rivals do likewise – with reigning champions Liverpool enjoying a lavish spending spree of their own, while Manchester rivals City and United have worked hard on bolstering their respective ranks.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga have all arrived at Emirates Stadium. They have strengthened a squad that is hoping to mount a title challenge in 2025-26.

• WHAT ARTETA SAID

  Arteta has hinted at more business to come, with the Spaniard telling reporters on the back of a 3-0 victory over Athletic Club in the annual Emirates Cup: "Let's see what happens, in terms of where the squad is in the next few weeks. But we are actively looking at options. As well, there are a few players that, maybe, they have to leave as well. So, we will be open to see what happens."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Prolific striker Gyokeres, who was acquired for £64m ($86m) from Sporting, opened his goal account against Athletic Club and Arteta believes a more direct style will play to the Swedish star’s strengths. He added: "That's his nature. I think everything that he does – his movement, the way he times his runs, the way he predicts the next move, where the space can be and where the ball is going to land – that's the instinct that he has.

  "That's why he's scored so many goals in the last few seasons, so that's not a coincidence, it's his ability and he's constantly looking for it. I think he pins both centre-backs. He's a player that, when you leave him with the space one against one, he's going to destroy you. So he's going to create a lot of space as well for us and there is the moment that, in any situation, there is a player there that can score a goal."

When he came to the crease, his team needed 87 off 44 balls with five wickets in hand

Karthik Krishnaswamy29-Aug-2020T20 has evolved to the extent that teams now back themselves to chase two runs a ball over the last eight – or even last ten – overs of matches. Those sorts of chases, however, usually involve flat pitches and line-ups packed with hitting talent. On Saturday, Trinbago Knight Riders probably wouldn’t have backed themselves when Kieron Pollard walked to the crease on a slow Queen’s Park Oval pitch with 87 runs needed from 44 balls, and five wickets in hand.This was a Knight Riders line-up that lacked Sunil Narine at the top and Dwayne Bravo in the middle. This was a pitch on which Lendl Simmons, the batsman at the other end when Pollard came in, had hit three sixes but no other boundaries while scoring 31 off 26 balls.Simmons fell soon after Pollard came in, in the 15th over, for 32 off 29. That over, bowled by Mitchell Santner, and the 16th, bowled by Rashid Khan, brought the Knight Riders only six runs in total. That left them 66 to get off 24 balls.Only a handful of players are capable of pulling off such a task, and Pollard has shown repeatedly – despite having been written off on multiple occasions – that he’s one of them. This, given the modest support available to him from the other end, would be one of his best knocks if he could pull it off, and he did, laying waste to the Tridents’ death bowlers as if he were a 16-year-old ringer in an Under-12s game, launching nine massive sixes in a 28-ball 72 to ensure the Knight Riders stretched their perfect start to the tournament into their sixth game. He made 72 off 28 balls. When Pollard was at the crease, the batsmen at the other end, plus extras, combined to score 7 off 12 balls.Kieron Pollard clubs one over long-on•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Patriots’ allrounders come to the foreBefore Pollard’s innings, a different T20 game took place, and it would be prudent to note at the outset that Pollard played a key role in that game too. With Dwayne Bravo absent, he assumed the role of slower-ball specialist, mixing up his pace, changing his angles constantly – going over and around the wicket every alternate ball against the left-handers – sending down four overs – including the 16th and 20th of the Tridents’ innings – and conceding only 27 runs.That apart, though, the most influential performers were the Tridents’ allrounders. They’d begun sluggishly with the bat, but Ashley Nurse, Rashid and Santner – spin bowlers primarily, but excellent hitters at the death too – clattered a combined 39 off 18 balls to give them a more than fighting total of 148.Jason Holder, the Tridents’ premier allrounder, had failed with the bat, but he got his short ball to behave unpredictably off the pitch and delivered a double-wicket maiden in the second over of the chase. Rashid then bowled a single-wicket maiden, and the Knight Riders ended their Powerplay 27 for 3. Santner, for his part, used his seam-up variation cleverly and kept forcing the batsmen to hit the ball where he wanted them to hit it.Nurse had made an important contribution with the bat, but his one over went for 13, with Simmons launching two half-volleys for big sixes. When not handed freebies on a platter, though, Simmons struggled to score quickly, and with the rest of the top order utterly failing to get going, the Tridents were soon in a seemingly unassailable position. Seemingly.Enter PollardHayden Walsh, the Patriots’ fourth spinner, was also having a pretty good game. When he dismissed Akeal Hosein in the 13th over, his figures read 2.4-0-12-1. Not bad at all. But his first ball to Pollard was a sign of what was to come. It may have been a pretty good wrong’un to most other batsmen, but Pollard’s reach allows spinners only the smallest margin for error, and he slog-swept it for an emphatic first-ball six.When the 17th over began, Pollard had only hit two sixes – the other a ridiculously effortless loft over long-off, off Rashid – in 13 balls. By the time it ended, he had hit four more. With each, Pollard made the young legspinner doubt himself a little more, and by the time the over ended he was firing in quickish darts with little spin on them. That isn’t to say he would have held Pollard back if he’d bowled differently, of course.The contest now took on an entirely different complexion, and the next over brought the Knight Riders the sort of luck a winning team often needs in T20. Sikandar Raza had sacrificed his wicket off the first ball, just to get Pollard on strike, but only two runs came off the next three balls as Raymon Reifer tied Pollard and Khary Pierre down with his left-arm angle and changes of pace. The fifth ball was a pretty good ball too, a slower bouncer, but a top-edge got Pollard four runs. Then came a leg-side swipe off a blockhole ball on the stumps – it was a bit of a miscue, off the inside half of the bat, but all that mattered was that it sped away for four. It also brought up Pollard’s fifty, off 22 balls.The Knight Riders needed 31 now, off 12 balls, and there was nothing fortuitous about Pollard’s next two significant interventions. Holder had set a field for the wide yorker, and he got his line right and his length almost right – but almost isn’t enough sometimes. He erred in both line and length next ball, and Pollard launched him for another big straight six.There was still one final twist, of course. Pollard lifted the first ball of the final over beyond the long-on boundary to bring the equation down to 9 off 5, but was run out next ball, Holder firing in a spectacular throw – no bounce, straight into the keeper’s gloves – from long-on, to catch him short of retaining the strike.It could have gone either way, but the big error came from the bowler, Reifer, who sent down a wide and possibly high full-toss with 7 needed off 3. Pierre slashed it over point for six, and all but sealed a wildly improbable win.

FC Porto's former Champions League-winning captain Jorge Costa has passed away following a cardiac arrest at the age of 53 on Tuesday. Costa played for 15 years at Porto and made 383 appearances for the club across all competitions. He was an integral part and the leader of the side that lifted the club's second European Cup in the 2003-04 season under Jose Mourinho.

• Porto's UCL-winning Costa passes away
• Dies after cardiac arrest
• Was serving as club's director of football

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Porto have confirmed that their former captain passed away on Tuesday afternoon. Costa was serving as the club's director of football, a role he took up in the summer of 2024. 

Advertisement

• WHAT PORTO SAID

  The official statement from the Portuguese club read: "Former Captain and current Director of Professional Football at FC Porto passed away this Tuesday. Jorge Costa, the legendary FC Porto Captain and current Director of Professional Football, passed away this Tuesday due to cardiac arrest. Futebol Clube do Porto expresses its deepest sadness and consternation at the passing of an inescapable figure in the Club's history. Throughout his life, on and off the field, Jorge Costa embodied the values that define FC Porto: dedication, leadership, passion, and an unwavering spirit of conquest. He influenced generations of fans and became a major symbol of Porto.

  "In this time of immense grief, Futebol Clube do Porto extends its deepest condolences to Jorge Costa's family, his friends, and all who shared unforgettable moments with him. As this is a time of grief for his entire family and for the Porto family, we ask that everyone exercise the required discretion and respect during this time of farewell. More information will be released in due course. Jorge Costa's legacy will always live on in the memory of all Porto fans. You will never be forgotten, Captain."

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Costa started his career at Porto in 1990 after graduating from the club's youth system. He spent the next 15 years at Estadio do Dragao and, in between, was sent out on three loan spells at Penafiel, Maritimo and Charlton Athletic. He left Porto in 2005 and spent the final season of his professional career at Standard Liege. Post-retirement, he went into football management and coached at various clubs across multiple countries, including Portugal, Cyprus and India. He also managed the Gabon national team for two years.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT

  Liga Portugal condoled the death of Costa as they sent a message which read: "Liga Portugal deeply regrets the passing of Jorge Costa, former FC Porto player, as well as the National Team, who currently served as FC Porto's Director of Football."

Tom Taylor, Will Davis and Gareth Griffiths picked up a wicket each in 22.3 overs possible

ECB Reporters Network16-Aug-2020Rain and bad light meant only 22.3 overs were possible, during which 51 runs were scored and three wickets fell, on the second day of the Bob Willis Trophy first-class match between Leicestershire and Durham at the Fischer County Ground.After the morning was lost to the weather, play began shortly before one 1pm, and Durham quickly lost the wicket of opener Alex Lees, who had added just two to his overnight score of 62 when the left-hander got a thin edge to an outswinger from Foxes’ seamer Tom Taylor and was caught by wicketkeeper Harry Swindells.Lees was replaced by Jack Burnham, who hit six boundaries, five sweetly struck through the off side, in going to 31, and who had built an unbroken partnership of 43 for the fifth wicket with Gareth Harte when the light closed in again and the umpires called an early tea.On the return – again delayed – Burnham edged a Will Davis outswinger to second slip, where Colin Ackermann took a neat catch low to his left, and two balls later Harte edged a fine delivery from Gareth Griffiths, Swindells taking the catch two handed to his right.

Tottenham Hotspur now think a "special" member of Ange Postecoglou's squad will miss the rest of this season following an injury.

Spurs suffer injuries throughout Postecoglou's debut campaign

There is a very serious case to be made that Spurs would be higher up the table, if it wasn't for the plague of absences they've had to cope with throughout 2023/2024.

"Grafts and grafts" – Young Tottenham star getting rave reviews in training

He’s been putting in extra hours.

By
Emilio Galantini

Mar 26, 2024

Son Heung-min, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma travelled for the Asia Cup and AFCON respectively in mid-season, while Postecoglou has been forced to cope without a plethora of other players due to injury at various points.

Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Brennan Johnson, Giovani Lo Celso, Ashley Phillips, Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Bentancur have all spent at least a month on the sidelines during Postecoglou's first season in charge, which is pretty ridiculous.

In light of van de Ven's latest injury, which arguably played a part in Tottenham's 3-0 slump away to Fulham, Spurs' head coach has admitted that they will look to sign another centre-back this summer.

“If you’re saying, ‘Is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at”, Postecoglou said.

“With all these things, it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers. It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.

“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That is planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.”

Left-back Sessegnon is already missing the rest of Tottenham's season after another hamstring injury, and now Spurs think the same can be said of 2023 summer signing Solomon.

Tottenham expect Solomon to miss rest of the season after knee surgery

The Isreali international injured his meniscus all the way back in October, which required surgery, but a fresh setback in his recovery prompted minor knee surgery last week.

While he could return to training before the end of 23/24, journalist Wayne Veysey writes for Football Insider that Tottenham do not expect Solomon to play again this season, which comes as a hammer blow for the winger who has had few chances to showcase his quality.

Indeed, Solomon could've been a real asset if it wasn't for his bad luck with fitness issues.

“Manor is a special player; he was excellent at Fulham,” said Avram Grant to Ynet. “I spoke with him, and he’s thrilled to be at Tottenham; he has improved his killer instinct. What sets him apart is his amazing one-on-one ability; he’s among the best."

Former Yorkshire allrounder moves south after 19 years at Headingley

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2020Tim Bresnan, the former England and Yorkshire allrounder, has joined Warwickshire on a two-year deal that will keep him at Edgbaston until the end of the 2022 season.Bresnan will join the club initially on a loan deal, subject to ECB clearance, which covers the remainder of the 2020 county season.”I’m thrilled to be joining Warwickshire,” said Bresnan. “It’s a club that I’ve always admired, and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed playing at Edgbaston with Yorkshire and England.”I’ve had some great conversations with Paul Farbrace about the way that he plans to take the club forwards, and I see this move as a great fit for both of us. I have still got a strong desire to continuing playing at the top level and to win, so hopefully I can pass on a bit of my experience to the young players who are coming through.”I know quite a few of the players well, so I can’t wait to move down and get cracking.”Born in Pontefract, Bresnan enjoyed a 19-year career at Yorkshire, and played a lead role in the side that won back-to-back County Championships in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.At international level, he was part of the England teams that won the ICC men’s World T20 in the Caribbean in 2010 and reached No.1 in the ICC Test world rankings in 2011. He also was part of England’s Ashes-winning squad in 2010-11, playing a key role in the series-sealing wins at Melbourne and Sydney.Paul Farbrace, Sport Director at Warwickshire CCC, said: “With multiple trophies to his name, Tim is a winner and he knows exactly what it takes to perform and to ultimately succeed at the highest level.”He has vast experience of bowling in the powerplays and of closing out games with the ball and bat in both white ball formats. In First Class cricket, he has the ability to bowl long and challenging spells and also produce game-changing innings.”With several young, homegrown players coming through, we also see Tim’s experience as a great asset to help these players understand what is required to reach their potential and be part of a Warwickshire team that can challenge for trophies. Having him on board is a fantastic move for the Club.”Warwickshire announced yesterday that its men’s squad will return to training on July 1 in preparation for the delayed start to the 2020 county season on August 1. Details of the formats and fixture list will be revealed by the England & Wales Cricket Board in the coming weeks.

Arsenal are set to sign goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea in a shock £5 million deal, per a new report.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Chelsea to take huge loss on Kepa
• Arsenal to trigger release clause
• Willing to fight for place at Emirates

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per David Ornstein, Arsenal are closing in on a £5m ($7m) deal to sign Kepa, as they seek a reliable back-up for David Raya. The Gunners had been interested in Espanyol stopper Joan Garcia, but he is instead seemingly set to join Barcelona.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kepa cost Chelsea over £71m ($96m), becoming the world's most expensive goalkeeper when he moved to Stamford Bridge, but the Blues are now set to make a significant loss on the Spaniard. Arsenal view him as a capable understudy, and Kepa is willing to fight for his place in north London, per the report.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kepa spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Bournemouth, helping Andoni Iraola's side finish ninth, keeping nine clean sheets along the way. He made a total of 163 appearances for the Blues, and was on loan at Real Madrid in 2022-23.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal will hope to conclude a deal quickly as they bid to secure their first summer signing, with further additions expected to follow.

As Michael Edwards returns for his second stint at the club, Liverpool are reportedly leading the race to sign a fresh face to lead their attacking line at the start of a new era after Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool transfer news

Reports suggest that the Reds aren't messing around ahead of this summer. FSG have already confirmed the appointment of Edwards as CEO of Football and look destined to confirm Richard Hughes as their new sporting director, as per Fabrizio Romano's latest report.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the dugout, Xabi Alonso has reportedly been offered a contract and remains the leading candidate to become Klopp's successor in Merseyside. If it is to be the Spaniard, then it will be interesting to see which direction the Reds' transfer plan goes.

They've already been linked with one Bundesliga star in Jamal Musiala amid doubts over his future at Bayern Munich, and now reports have tipped those at Anfield to move for another talent in Germany's top flight.

Liverpool could replace Szoboszlai with a "Gazza" like teenager

Jurgen Klopp should unleash the “exciting” young midfielder from the start over the former RB Leipzig star.

By
Dan Emery

Mar 14, 2024

According to Sport Bild, via Sport Witness, Liverpool are leading the race to sign Maximilian Beier ahead of Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest this summer. The Hoffenheim forward will reportedly cost £30m in what could prove to be a bargain deal for a player who Alonso is apparently a fan of, likely boosting the Reds' interest even further.

Of course, it was a former Hoffenheim forward who led Liverpool's last era, with Roberto Firmino now an Anfield great. So, it would be fitting if Beier stepped into their next chapter to lead the line on Merseyside.

"Fast" Beier can replace Gakpo

It's difficult to pick out a weak point in a stacked Liverpool frontline, but Cody Gakpo is the one who stands out as a struggling option at times. Whilst Darwin Nunez has seemingly found his best form, the Dutchman has struggled to make an impact in recent times and Liverpool's next manager could make a ruthless decision by welcoming a replacement in Beier.

The 21-year-old has statistically outperformed Gakpo in a number of areas so far this season, which should create doubts if the Reds pursue their reported target this summer.

Beier certainly has plenty of fans in Germany too, having been praised by Christian Falk, who told Caught Offside, via TeamTalk: “I heard Liverpool are watching him but they’re not sure whether he would help them immediately. So, I think Brighton’s interest is comparatively more concrete, and there’s interest from Brentford and Nottingham Forest on top of that.

“He can play on the flanks as well as centrally, he’s done it already. It’s a little bit like Thomas Muller in the sense that he’s not exactly a winger or central striker; he can also play behind the No.9, so he’s quite a versatile footballer. He’s very, very fast as well, so that would suit Liverpool, but he’s not the first choice.”