All posts by h716a5.icu

Mohamed Salah stole the show in Liverpool’s recent 2-2 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League, scoring an unbelievable goal to put the home side ahead before the visitors eventually equalised for the second time.

For the past few months, there has been plenty of talk surrounding the winger and the possibility of him putting pen to paper on a new deal to keep him at the Merseyside club beyond 2023 when his current deal expires.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the game at Anfield on Sunday evening, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher shared his thoughts on Salah and his contract situation.

He said that he thinks Salah, who he described as “electric” for his heroics on the pitch for the Reds, wants to be in the same bracket as Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in terms of weekly wages for him to sign a new deal with Liverpool.

According to Spotrac, Salah is currently earning a salary of £200k-per week, making Virgil van Dijk (220k-per-week) the only Liverpool player earning more than the Egyptian.

In terms of De Bruyne, the City midfielder is on a reported £400k-per week, double what Salah apparently earns.

In our view, if the key to Salah signing a new contract at Liverpool is upping his wages, the club must throw every possible penny they have available at him. That, however, is a huge dilemma for FSG who risk breaking the club’s transfer wage structure in order to keep him in Merseyside.

If they did that, it could risk rocking the apple cart at Anfield. Though, if the Egyptian star left, Liverpool would obviously be worse off. Thus, the Reds hierarchy must weigh up whether it’s worth handing a player who turns 30 next year, such an astronomical sum of money.

Since joining Liverpool back in the 2017 summer transfer window from Italian club AS Roma for a fee of £37.8m, he’s has managed to rack up 134 goals and 50 assists in 212 games for the Reds across all competitions.

If this is the case that Salah wants a significant pay increase to sign a new deal at Liverpool, we feel that he certainly deserves it. The winger has been Liverpool’s top goalscorer in the Premier League in every season since his arrival at Anfield shows just how vital he is to the team,

Even though the 29-year-old still has some time left on his current contract, we feel that tying him down with a new deal as soon as possible is something that should be at the top of FSG’s priority list for the future.

In other news: Dribbled past 5x: £180k-p/w Liverpool ace who won just 25% duels let Klopp down v MCFC – opinion

Crystal Palace shared a picture of Will Hughes in action ahead of the trip to Manchester United this weekend.

And a number of Palace fans have been giving their thoughts to the official club post regarding the £60,000-a-week midfielder

Hughes was brought in over the summer from Watford in a deal worth £6m, however, he’s had to remain extremely patient for a chance under Patrick Vieira.

The 26-year-old has been on the bench for eight Premier League games but finally made his Eagles debut against Leeds United in the week.

The central midfielder replaced Jeffrey Schlupp for the final 10 minutes at Elland Road as Palace conceded in stoppage time to suffer back-to-back defeats under Vieira for the first time.

Palace fans react

Palace posted a picture of Hughes in action on Twitter on Thursday evening, with some fans wanting to see the midfielder feature at Old Trafford this weekend. Here are what some fans had to say in reply…

“Santa came just in time for Christmas”

Credit: @cpfctristan

“For £5mil hopefully bargain if the season”

Credit: @keithwhitfieldk

“Hughes was a big positive for us in that last match. Hopefully starts Sunday”

Credit: @R41n4llTh3T1m3

“Looked promising & a great option with Macca out. Ran hard, worked hard & made a difference. In short time on pitch put in best corner that have seen in ages.”

Credit: @HC15OnTour

“Needs more game time I think. Could be a key part of the team while McArthur’s out”

Credit: @kade_bladeSE25

“Beautiful man”

Credit: @CPFCMax9

In other news: Many Palace fans slammed this ‘droppable’ ace vs Leeds. 

It’s first a clash of ethos, of philosophies and even of time, more than a semi-final

The Preview by Osman Samiuddin17-Jun-2009Match factsThursday June 18
Start time 1730 local (1630 GMT)The batting needs the likes of Shoaib Malik to really get his show going•Getty ImagesBig PictureIt’s first a clash of ethos, of philosophies and even of time, more than a semi-final. Here is truly man against machine, the art of cricket against the science of it, cricket’s future and cricket’s past. South Africa’s progress to this point has been smooth, well-planned, calculated and inevitable, as if their players were born to do this. Pakistan have got here in shambles – losing games, winning some, treating it all as a bit of fun – and the players not so much born to do this are struggling to discover why they are doing it at all.South Africa lack nowhere and nothing. If Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith are the efficient drones at the top, there is heart in the middle, with the ever-frail skills of Herschelle Gibbs and the creativity of AB de Villiers. Even Albie Morkel, in whom there are glimpses of Zulu, thankfully smiles more. They’ve always had pace, but now they even have spinners, who are not batsmen forced to bowl. Sure, they are a little one-dimensional (watching videos of Umar Gul’s yorkers?), but they are spinners – South African and successful; how often have we said that in the past?The whole machinery is intimidating, determined to iron out all kinks, the mission pre-programmed; with seven consecutive wins in this format, they have apparently also taken the inherent unpredictability of this format out of the equation. They are well-trained, well-oiled, and their psychologist talks about 120 contests and of processes over outcomes and how choking is not really an issue anymore. They win even warm-up matches and the dead games because every game counts. They are cricket’s future.Pakistan are the past. They are wholly dysfunctional, but just about getting along, though unsure where they are going. They don’t control their extras, they don’t run the singles hard and they field as if it were still the 60s. They are least bothered about erasing the flaws because any win will be in spite of them. They did hire a psychologist though, and you can only imagine what those sessions were like and how much they actually talked about sport and cricket. There are permanent mutterings of serious rifts. They may not bat, bowl or field well all the time, but sometimes, they do what can only be described as a ‘Pakistan’: that is, they bowl, bat or field spectacularly, briefly, to change the outcome of matches. You cannot plan or account for this as an opponent because Pakistan themselves don’t plan or account for it.It can come from any person, any discipline, but on evidence, it is likelier to come from the bowling. The batting needs Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq to really get their show going. A piece of fielding brilliance cannot be discounted, but generally both Pakistan and West Indies have happily disproved the dictum that in T20 cricket you have to be Jonty Rhodes to get anywhere. Heroes will likely be found among the Umar Guls, the spinners and maybe even Mohammad Aamer, who is a throwback to the late 80s and early 90s, when Pakistani fast bowlers were born ready to play international cricket.The pressure on South Africa however, will be greater. They are expected to win this and anyway they will always have the whole ‘chokers’ tag to deal with until the day they actually lift a big trophy. It doesn’t help that they look as good as they did during the 1999 World Cup, though they are easier on the eye. Pakistan, as Younis Khan said before leaving for England, won’t much mind a semi-final spot; Kamran Abbasi rightly noted that they may have had an easier ride to the semis than most but no country has had a rougher two years. Clearly they’d love to win it, but they have already achieved more than many thought and a loss wouldn’t be the end of the world. But importantly, as the only side to make it to the last four in 2007 and 2009, they have underscored their significance in this brave new, T20 world, a world in which they absolutely cannot be ignored.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWLWL
South Africa WWWWW
Watch out for…The whole South African machinery is intimidating – determined to iron out all kinks, the mission pre-programmed•Associated PressAlbie Morkel has been a quiet, steady ever-present through South Africa’s tournament. But he is capable of bigger, more explosive things especially with the bat and this match – and potentially the next – are the best platforms for it.Shahid Afridi’s moment turned the tournament for Pakistan, an outstanding catch hastening New Zealand’s collapse, and possibly himself – at least with the bat. Since then he has batted with rare sense, as everyone has wished him to, and at little expense to his strike rate. He will be a factor with the ball anyway, but if he gets going with the bat, then South Africa will panic.Team newsPakistan have finally settled upon what they feel is their best line-up, more by chance than design. Barring injury, there are unlikely to be any changes.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Shahzaib Hassan, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Fawad Alam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed AjmalJacques Kallis will come back in for Morne Morkel after being rested for the dead game against India.South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Herschelle Gibbs, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 A Morkel, 7 M Boucher, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Wayne Parnell, 11 Dale SteynPitch and conditionsThe surface for this match is two along from the one that turned square for the South Africa-India match and is expected to be harder and offer less help for the spinners. However, the slow bowlers have had an impact throughout so are still likely to be key. Steady rain arrived in Nottingham on the practice day, but is due to clear overnight and the forecast for Thursday is fine.Stats and TriviaPakistan and South Africa have six bowlers in the top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament, though Pakistanis occupy the top two spots.Three of the top 10 run-scorers of the tournament are from South Africa and Pakistan, with AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis at numbers two and three.Quotes”Our bowling has been great and all of them are now bowling in rhythm. The batsmen have to support the bowlers if we are to win this cup.”

“”I think we’ve come past that. This team has come a long way and I think we’ve proven that. Hopefully we can show that on Thursday, that’s what is exciting about it. “
“It’s great to be in a position where you can rock up to a ground, look at the wicket and know you have all the bases covered. We aren’t really worried what the wicket will be.”

A round-up of matches from the Super Eights of the World Cup Qualifiers tournament in South Africa

Cricinfo staff11-Apr-2009Super EightsAfghanistan pulled off a massive upset by beating Ireland by 22 runs at Krugersdorp. Ireland did well to keep Afghanistan to 218 after electing to field, but their batting effort was dented by Hamid Hassan’s five wickets and tidy support from the rest of the attack. Hassan – who opened the bowling instead of being first-change, a move made in the last game – struck early by dismissing William Porterfield and later returned to really hurt Ireland; Andrew White (56) and Kevin O’Brien (52) had lifted the side from 73 for 5 to 186 but Hassan dismissed them in successive overs – both set batsmen were bowled. Hassan then polished off the tail are Ireland lost five wickets for just ten runs, bowled out for 196 in 47.3 overs. Hassan, described by Bermuda’s captain Irvine Romaine to Cricinfo this week as possibly the fastest bowler in the tournament, bowled four players in all.Afghanistan’s innings was propped up by Mohammed Shehzad (46), Asghar Stanikzai (47) and Raees Ahmadzai, who hit an unbeaten 50 from 65 balls to take the score to 218 for 7. Hassan ensured it was enough for victory. Afghanistan were totally outplayed by the UAE recently so to beat Ireland, who were unbeaten and heads-and-shoulders above anyone else, and the favourites to win, is fairly significant.Canada recorded their second straight win at Willowmoore Park in Benoni when they eased past Kenya by seven wickets in their first Super Eights match. Henry Osinde set it up with a four-wicket burst to restrict Kenya to a modest 181 before the batsmen eased home thanks to Rizwan Cheema’s early assault.Osinde justified the decision to bowl first by running through the top order. Kenya effectively lost the game in the 11th over when they lost half their side for 51. It was left to Jimmy Kamande to stage a recovery with the lower order after the seventh wicket fell at 105. He added 72 for the eighth wicket with Nehemiah Odhiambo, who remained unbeaten on 34. Kamande scored the only half-century of the match and his 86-ball 61 included eight fours. Cheema set off in a hurry with three consecutive sixes off Peter Ongondo over the on side but fell one short of his half-century. Kenya could manage only two more wickets before Ian Bilcliff and captain Ashish Bagai knocked off the runs by the 35th over.Jan Stander’s unbeaten 80 paved the way and John Blain’s five wickets sealed Scotland’s 26-run win over Netherlands in Johannesburg. Scotland were 59 for 5 – after Edgar Schiferli grabbed four wickets – when Stander walked in. He and Gavin Hamilton (52) added 58 to ease the cracks but again Scotland stumbled, this time from 117 for 5 to 120 for 8. Enter Blain, whose unbeaten 29 gave Stander support and helped the score to 216 for 8. Stander finished on 80 from 92 balls with seven fours and a pair of sixes. After a cool contribution with the bat, Blain took two wickets in two balls to hurt Netherlands. Netherlands recovered somewhat from 87 for 5 thanks to Bas Zuiderent’s 67 from 106 balls but Blain came back into the attack to complete the win. He finished with 5 for 45, Dewald Nel contributed 3 for 34 and Stander was Man of the Match for his super effort.”It’s just amazing to win,” said Stander. “We knew exactly what we needed to do today, we know what we need to do for the rest of the tournament, so it’s just really nice to get that win under the belt.”We also knew we had to field well and I think it’s probably the best we fielded in this tournament and Johnny [John Blain] and Nelly [Dewald Nel] definitely put their hand up and did a tremendous job with the ball. So, it’s just brilliant.”Also read Will Luke’s bulletin of Namibia’s 49-run win over UAE in Pretoria.

Super Eight Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Canada 4 3 1 00 6 +1.698 976/184.3 686/191.0Ireland 4 3 1 0 06 +0.572 866/173.4 883/200.0 Kenya 4 2 2 0 0 4+1.067 790/162.2 687/180.5 Netherlands 42 2 0 0 4 +0.034911/192.4 935/199.1 Scotland 4 22 0 0 4 -0.536 819/200.0869/187.4 U.A.E. 4 2 20 0 4 -1.147 835/196.3 876/162.2 Afghanistan 4 1 3 00 2 -0.629 848/200.0 943/193.4Namibia 4 1 3 0 02 -0.962 865/200.0 1031/195.0

Play-offsShortly after losing one-day status, Bermuda gave their supporters something to cheer with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Oman in Potchefstroom to move to the final of the ninth-place playoff. The target of 255 was dealt with easily by David Hemp, who made an unbeaten 124 and Steven Outerbridge, who fell nine short of his ton. Rodney Trott, the offspinner, was the most effective among the bowlers with 4 for 43. Oman got off to a sound start with a stand of 117 between Hemin Desai (58) and Zeeshan Siddiqui (41) for the second wicket but the middle order failed to string together proper partnerships. They lost their seventh wicket at 175 in the 32nd over but a stand of 58 for the eighth wicket revived them. Sultan Ahmed and Amir Ali hit half-centuries to push the score to 254 but in the end it wasn’t competitive enough. Hemp carried his bat in his 125-ball knock and he shared a match-winning stand of 180 for the second wicket with Outerbridge.Uganda moved to the final of the ninth-place play-offs with a comprehensive 62-run win over Denmark at Senwes Park. Nehal Bibodi set it up with a run-a-ball 104 to push Uganda to an imposing 292 for 6 and the opposition could manage only 230 for 8 in reply. Denmark were on the back-foot after opting to bowl first as they struggled to break through the top order. Bibodi and Joel Olwenyi added an exact 100 for the third wicket and the most explosive stand was that of 64 in seven overs between Bibodi and Frank Nsubuga for the fourth. Denmark’s highest partnership was 99 for the second wicket between Mickey Lund and Carsten Pederson but a middle order collapse brought Uganda right back into the match. Lund top scored with 59. Uganda virtually sealed the game when the score read 149 for 8 and a ninth wicket stand of 81 delayed the inevitable. Uganda will now play Bermuda in the ninth-place play-off final at the same venue on Monday.

Tottenham boss Nuno Santo has dropped a frustrating injury update ahead of the club’s Premier League clash with Wolves today.

Joe Rodon is yet to feature for Spurs in a competitive match this season due to injury and Santo has now confirmed that he will be unavailable for selection against Bruno Lage’s team on Sunday.

The Portuguese head coach has admitted that it is a disappointing blow as the defender needs to get minutes under his belt.

He told Tottenham’s official website:

“Joe missed the game (at Pacos de Ferreira), and that was disappointing for us because he’s one of the players who needs to play, who needs to get real competition time. He’s better, but not well enough to join us on Sunday.”

As Santo says himself, Rodon is in need of regular game time and Spurs fans will surely be annoyed that he continues to watch on from the sidelines.

Instead of getting the vital experience that he needs, he continues to sit in the stands with an injury watching others get their chance.

The Welsh international has shown signs of having the potential to be a very good player at Premier League level, but his opportunities have been few and far between since arriving from Championship side Swansea.

Ex-Chelsea forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink hailed Rodon as a ‘proper Spurs player’ after a performance against the Blues in the Premier League last season. He told Sky Sports, via Wales Online:

“He looks like a proper Spurs player, a centre-half, nothing fazes him, he put his head in when needed. You have to be comfortable on the ball because you want to control the game.

“I like that he gets up straight away and gets on with it because that tells me he is hard enough.”

He only made 12 appearances (eight starts) in the league for Spurs last season, averaging an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.97. The 23-year-old won 73% of his duels and was only dribbled past once in 12 games, whilst making 1.8 interceptions per match.

This shows that he has the potential to be a reliable performer at the top level, but that is of no use to Spurs if he is not getting out on the pitch because of injuries.

Fans will be hoping that his issues clear up in the weeks to come and that he is able to get himself into a position where he can challenge for the starting XI.

AND in other news, “Spend it on..” – Exclusive: Graham Roberts drops bold verdict on Tottenham’s striker search…

Lots of Wolves fans have been left raging as some comments emerged from Bruno Lage.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of his team’s match away at Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, the Portuguese manager said (via Liam Keen) that the Midlands club need to find the best ‘solutions’ when it comes to their squad size.

‘Solutions’ is was a word that former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, now at Tottenham Hotspur, used to say a lot when speaking to the media, and so obvious comparisons have now been drawn from sections of the fan base.

Nuno’s last season at Molineux was a disappointing one to say the least, as his side ended up finishing in 13th place in top-flight table, and so WWFC supporters do not want to see a repeat of that with their new coach.

Wolves fans on Lage comments

These Wanderers were left fuming as the comments made by Lage were shared by Keen on Twitter:

“Oh dear… “solutions””

Credit: @WolvesFirst

“Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it…..”

Credit: @DannyRosamond

“Solutions are back, not a good sign”

Credit: @SamJGollings

“Someone should have told him to never use the word solutions”

Credit: @jckwebster

“Oh no”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

“Oh god he said “SOLUTIONS”……”

Credit: @Wolvethroughan1

In other news, find out what transfer news has Wanderers fuming here!

New Zealand offspinner Jeetan Patel has signed with Warwickshire for his maiden county stint in the 2009 English domestic season

Cricinfo staff29-Mar-2009New Zealand offspinner Jeetan Patel has signed with Warwickshire for his maiden county stint in the 2009 English domestic season. Patel will fill in for legspinner Ian Salisbury, who took up a coaching position at Surrey, his former county.Patel, who is currently playing the Napier Test against India, was originally due to play for Leicestershire’s second XI and train with the first team whose overseas signings include New Zealand fast bowler Iain O’Brien.New Zealand coach Andy Moles, who also played for Warwickshire between 1986 and 1998, supported Patel’s move. “I’m sure the Warwickshire members will take to Jeetan because he’s a lovely guy,” Moles told the . “They will see that he is an honest cricketer who gives his best every day. He’s committed in everything he does, bowling, fielding and batting, and he’s a great team man.”[He’s] someone who will make an important contribution in the dressing room as well as on the pitch and who will try to make the most of his ability.”

The ICC has dismissed claims by disgraced former Kenya captain Maurice Odumbe that he has been forced into hiding to avoid debt collectors sent to Nairobi by it to track him down

Cricinfo staff05-Mar-2009The ICC has dismissed claims by disgraced former Kenya captain Maurice Odumbe that he has been forced into hiding to avoid debt collectors sent to Nairobi by it to track him down.”The ICC has issued an arrest warrant through a Nairobi law firm demanding about Sh575,000 (US$7200) from me. I don’t have that kind money and I can’t understand why ICC can persecute its subjects,” Odumbe told FeverPitch.Odumbe, who was banned for five years for match-fixing in 2004, has previous statements in the local media which have often stretched credulity,An ICC spokesman told Cricinfo that there was no truth in the allegations. He explained none of the ICC’s in-house legal team had been in contact with Odumbe or his representatives. It is not even certain that Odumbe owes any money as his punishment was the ban and not any fine.”]The ICC has] informed me that no one is chasing you for any money at all and that no one from there has made any call to you demanding any monies,” Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers Association, told Odumbe. “They have also informed me that there was no judgement against you to repay any monies by way of a fine or for legal costs incurred by either ICC or KCA.””I have suffered enough and I should be left alone to lead a normal life,” Odumbe, who has not exactly shunned publicity since the ban, said. “It’s outrageous that a banned player who lived off the game is expected to raise that kind of money when he had been out of employment for five years.”

Anthony Haggerty from the Daily Record believes that Celtic fans have already fallen in love with Joe Hart.

Following their horrendous goalkeeping difficulties last season, the former Manchester City and England shot-stopper arrived hoping to become Ange Postecoglou’s number one.

And whilst it remains early days in Hart’s Parkhead career, he’s already made a huge impact during his three weeks in Paradise.

Prior to the 34-year-old’s arrival, Celtic had made a winless start to their season and had already crashed out of the Champions League in the qualifying round.

However, some three weeks later and the Hoops have won all six matches with Hart in between the sticks – recording consecutive 6-0 wins in the league, progressing in the Scottish League Cup, whilst his impressive first-leg performance against AZ Alkmaar has put the Glasgow giants 90 minutes away from securing their place in the Europa League groups.

When asked what he’s made of Hart’s time in Scotland, Haggerty told Football FanCast:

“I think the Celtic fans love Joe Hart; they just took him to their hearts. Joe Hart gets what it means to play for a big club, this is a former England number one goalkeeper.

“When goalkeepers hit a dip in form, there’s no hiding place, but Joe Hart has been up there, seen it and done it.”

Celtic haven’t had much fortune in the early stages of the season.

In fact, it’s been a wretched start to Ange Postecoglou’s reign as Hoops manager at Parkhead. They were beaten in their first league clash and will head to the Czech Republic on Thursday afternoon licking their wounds.

That said, this has been a productive week for Celtic. They have signed James McCarthy who was a free agent while they’ve also welcomed Joe Hart through the door.

The former has been left behind in Glasgow but Postecoglou has received a massive boost with Hart among the travelling party.

It has been hinted that he could make his debut in their Europa League qualifier just days after putting pen to paper.

The boss commented: “He’s been training well with his club and he was also really keen to come in straight away.

“I gave him a little bit of an option that he could stay back in Glasgow. But Joe made it pretty clear he wanted to come across and join in training immediately.

“I’ll assess him in training and we’ll take it from there.”

If Hart does indeed start against Jablonec, then it will be huge for their chances in the match.

After all, the current goalkeeper situation at Paradise is far from fruitful. Vasilis Barkas made a huge error against Midtjylland, failing to save a free-kick that went through his hands and then found the net.

Scott Bain has also been lacking confidence. Despite becoming the club’s number 1 option between the sticks last season, he isn’t a reliable figure.

The Scot proved as much when Celtic took on Hearts last weekend. A late free-kick was hoisted into the penalty area which Bain started to move towards his back post in order to stop.

However, John Souttar rose above Bitton and headed the ball past the goalkeeper who was standing in no man’s land.

With the pair already making costly mistakes this season, Postecoglou must look to Hart from the get-go in order to hand his side the best chance of qualifying for the Europa League group stages.

The former England international is a seasoned pro with plenty of continental experience under his belt. He will know exactly what it means on Thursday evening. The manager will be elated to have him available.

AND in other news, Celtic could sign their new Henrik Larsson in “outstanding” 24-cap “animal”…