All posts by h716a5.icu

West Bromwich Albion are set to scrap the Director of Football position at The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a West Brom source has revealed that, following the club’s parting of ways with technical and sporting director Luke Dowling, Guochuan Lai will not look to replace the outgoing man this summer.

Instead, it is reported that the Baggies will look at appoint a more “traditional” manager this summer, with Lai hoping to find a hands-on and well-connected coach who can work closely with the club’s recruitment team, rather than this task being fulfilled by a director of football.

Big mistake

The news that the West Brom owner believes that his club does not require the services of a director of football, or indeed a sporting or technical director, certainly comes as something of a surprise, as the vast majority of top English football clubs now operate with this model, often with relative success.

Indeed, with a director of football in place, a club limits the risk of a manager making signings in the transfer market that suit their own individual style of football, rather than fitting with the club’s philosophies as a whole.

For example, should Sam Allardyce have stayed on at the West Brom this summer, without a director of football in place, the 66-year-old would have more than likely signed a number of strong, physical and defensively-minded players who are suited to playing a more direct brand of football.

While this may prove beneficial in the short term, if the club were to eventually part ways with Allardyce, and subsequently go on to appoint a new coach such as, for example, Scott Parker, a manager who likes his teams to play out from the back and being overall more attack-minded, the 40-year-old would have to almost entirely rebuild the squad in order to establish his style.

However, with a director of football in place – with the idea being the person in the role will likely outstay the incumbent manager – the signings a club makes are almost always ones who fit the individual club’s philosophies, while the DoF will also appoint a manager who tends to play in a way which suits the club’s demands.

As such, it would very much appear as if Lai’s lastest surprising decision could come back to haunt the Chinese businessman and his club, as we believe scrapping the role is yet another mistake on the part of the West Brom owner.

It looks like the chairman is looking for a short-term, quick-fix rather than planning for long-term success at Albion and that feels like a recipe for disaster.

In other news: Relief for WBA fans as Lai won’t be hiring boss who flopped massively at his last club

Alex Crook has claimed that Wolves have made ‘enquiries’ over the availability of Frank Lampard as they continue their hunt for a new manager.

The Lowdown: Wolves in manager hunt

Following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo at the end of the 2020/21 term, the Midlands club are currently looking for a new manager to replace him for next season.

A few names have been touted as potential successors, including Bruno Lage, Sabri Lamouchi and Paulo Fonseca, but a new name has now emerged as a contender.

The Latest: Wolves enquire about Lampard

Crook has recently been speaking on talkSPORT about the vacant manager’s job at the Wanderers, and gave an interesting line with regards to former Chelsea boss Lampard: “I was told by a very reliable source that Wolves have started to make enquiries about Frank Lampard.”

With so many names being thrown around, Lampard is certainly one that catches the eye, given his past credentials in English football as a player but also as a coach.

The Verdict: Wolves should consider Lampard

What Lampard has over some of the other names to have been mentioned for the job is that he has that added experience of managing in the Premier League, while also overseeing Championship football with Derby County.

Of course, Nuno Espirito Santo managed to bring WWFC up from the Championship, and so similar comparisons can be drawn straight away between him and Lampard.

The 42-year-old also managed to bring a lot of quality young players through at Chelsea, most notably England international Mason Mount, and so is perhaps capable of repeating the trick again with some of Wolves’ youngsters like Fabio Silva, who he could hopefully develop into a top striker.

Nonetheless, the decision does not really need to be made until the summer transfer window opens, but Lampard, who is currently without a job at the moment, may fancy managing in England’s top flight once more.

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Wanderers buzzing here!

Tottenham Hotspur may be gifted the perfect opportunity to bolster a key area of weakness this summer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Star claimed that Manchester City could offer defender Nathan Ake as a makeweight in their attempts to bring Harry Kane to the Etihad Stadium.

Citizens striker Gabriel Jesus is also being considered in this regard but Pep Guardiola may be reluctant to lose the Brazil international, so they may prefer to offer the former Bournemouth defender plus cash for the England talisman.

The 26-year-old Dutchman is currently valued at just €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory, so you would imagine that the Premier League champions would need to offer a substantial wedge of cash to tempt Spurs into a sale, especially as they are looking at around £150m for Kane’s signature, as per The Telegraph.

Vertonghen 2.0

As reported by The Athletic earlier in the season, one of Spurs’ biggest problems has been in defence, where a lack of cohesion and an abundance of individual mistakes have been the worrying and defining themes of their dismal campaign.

Last summer, the club let Jan Vertonghen depart for nothing after seven years in north London, but Daniel Levy and the club’s hierarchy failed to provide Jose Mourinho with a viable successor.

He did manage to sign Joe Rodon before the domestic deadline for £11m, and whilst he has performed decently whenever given a rare opportunity, he is no Vertonghen. The 6 foot 2 Belgian could play in the middle and at left-back, whilst his vast experience and leadership in the Premier League was a valuable asset which has clearly been missed by Spurs this season.

Alasdair Gold at football.london believes that the side have lacked a leader at the back, which is why they are said to be searching for one as a top priority this summer.

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Since his £41m move to City, Ake has struggled for minutes on the pitch (993), with John Stones and Ruben Dias the preferred centre-back pairing under Pep Guardiola.

Interestingly, the Dutch centre-back can also play on the left – just like Vertonghen – and that makes him an appealing candidate for Tottenham in the summer, especially as Ben Davies had a spell on the sidelines towards the end of the campaign through injury.

Ake has earned the praise of one of the Premier League’s best, too. Speaking to the Bournemouth Daily Echo in March 2020, Liverpool colossus Virgil van Dijk waxed lyrical about his fellow countryman.

The Netherlands captain gushed: “First of all, he’s a fantastic guy. I speak with him quite a bit at the national team and I think he’s a fantastic player as well,” revealed the Dutch international before adding: “He has the quality but he has to have more than just the quality these days. But he’s still young, he’s improving and you never know what decision might happen.”

This merely echoes the words from his former teammate and Bournemouth captain Steve Cook, who lauded the 5 foot 11 defender as an “amazing player” and an “even better person” following the confirmation of his move to City.

Ake was one of the few bright sparks during the Cherries’ relegation campaign last year, during which Spurs saw first-hand the qualities he possesses.

The 26-year-old captained the side to a clean sheet back in July 2020 despite Jose Mourinho having the services of Harry Kane. That afternoon, Ake silenced the England talisman and even recorded a better rating (7.3) than him (6.6), as per SofaScore. He also put in three blocks to deny Kane, made one interception and registered five clearances.

Levy could do very little wrong in bringing Ake to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, even if it means sending their star striker in the opposite direction.

At the very least, they’d be getting an immediate fix to the defensive problems, along with a likely abundance of cash to fund a rebuild elsewhere in the squad.

AND in other news, Spurs hiring 45 y/o gem dubbed “the best” by Guardiola would be shades of Mauricio Pochettino…

Speaking in a Q&A for football.london, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has dropped an encouraging eight-word Spurs managerial update by saying that ‘the club are getting there with their search’ for a new manager.

The Lowdown: Tottenham managerial hunt continues…

Since Jose Mourinho was sacked by Spurs last month, a plethora of different managers have been linked with the north London vacancy. Most recently, the likes of Graham Potter, Scott Parker and Roberto Martinez have been name-dropped as managers who fit into the kind of profile wanted by Spurs for their next boss (football.london).

It is also believed that Daniel Levy is aiming to appoint Spurs’ new manager by the end of this season (football.london), with time running out to officially make the announcement and start a new era post-Mourinho.

The Latest: Gold drops encouraging eight-word update

When asked by a supporter who he’d like to see in charge of Tottenham, Gold subtly dropped an encouraging eight-word update that ‘the club are getting there with their search’ for Mourinho’ successor.

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“Spurs are certainly looking for someone who plays attacking football, possession-based football and using the cutting edge techniques of the sport,” the journalist explained (via football.london).

“Obviously Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter tick those boxes but there are plenty of managers out there that do.

“The club are getting there with their search and are expected to start talking to the candidates.

“As for Harry Kane, I wouldn’t sell him for any money. He’s irreplaceable even with three new players coming in for the fee.”

The Verdict: Good news for Spurs…

Tottenham fans will surely be eager to see a new manager appointed as soon as possible in order to commence groundwork for the 2021/22 season. Indeed, whoever the new boss may be, he will want to shape the team in his own image and have a say when it comes to Spurs’ work in the transfer window.

Ideally, Tottenham’s search will not stretch far into the summer or European Championship, with Gold’s update coming as a sign of encouragement that there is at least some progress being made behind the scenes.

In other news: Champions League-winning boss now keen to join Spurs, find out more here.

Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Imtiaz Sipra19-Jun-2001Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Much that one believes, two wrongs do not make a right, yet one feels that a wrong at times has to be taken into account due extenuating circumstances. Conceded, the pitch invasions at Edgbaston and Headingley were unwarranted, yet the one at Headingley was forced on the followers of Pakistan cricket due an erroneous scoreboard. That has to be kept in mind when censuring the guilty and one would be happy if that does not happen again – here in the ongoing triangular series and on any other cricket stadium in the world.
A man can fly after taking 7 wickets in a One Day International – Waqar Younis at Leeds
Photo © CricInfo
One feels such invasion should not have surprised the local sport administrators, especially those manning and organising matches. One need only recall soccer hooliganism to know what charged up emotions can do and cause. Fortunately, our followers only invade and not run amok like English soccer fans.The established English daily, `The Times’, carried the news of Leeds invasion on its front page, though mildly worded. Other papers took their knives out and denigrated the unwanted behaviour in no uncertain words and rightly so. Yet, all conveniently ignored happening on another sporting arena, consigning it to inside pages, The Times reported it on page 15.The incident relates to AS Roma footballers being ‘stripped naked’ by their followers during a pitch invasion minutes before the match was completed. Most of the footballers were robbed of their shirts, shorts, even boots and socks. It was a brutal invasion, a BIZARRE almost brutal souvenir hunt. And yet it merely made page 15!Naturally, one should be looking forward to stall these invasions rather than highlighting the ‘unruly mob’. And it can be eliminated only if efforts are coordinated and directed towards educating followers of the spirit of the game. ‘It is not cricket’ – these invasions and should not happen.
Trescothick bowled first ball
Photo © CricInfo
All other infringements aside, the day and the match, belonged to Waqar Younis, written off by most at the start of the series. Yes, it was a good toss to win, more so amid Headingley’s peculiar atmospherics. If at Lord’s he was line and length, at Headingley he was an executioner. What an act it was. Trescothick bowled first ball, cleaned up by a yorker that left him groping and the rest through an extended slip cordon that at one point had five fielders. Seven could have been eight had Kitchen been ‘eagle-eyed’ and who knows it would have been nine had that happened.And this is how it all happened – 0.1 overs, Trescothick; 6.1 overs, Knight; 10.3 overs, Vaughan; 13.0 overs, Owais Shah; 14.1 overs, Collingwood; 16.4 overs, Stewart; 18.4 overs, Cork. And at 58 for 7, we saw Waqar Younis complete his quota of 10-0-36-7, the first bowler in ODI to take the first seven wickets. His analysis included one no-ball, one wide and only one boundary. Waqar took wickets in his 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th over. Watching him do it, one thought 1992 was a year ago. Waqar Younis ran spiritedly, bowled spiritedly and shone ever brightly. If in 1992 England were ‘waqarred’ here in Headingley they were ‘waqared-in’ and Waqar showed age is no barrier if one is fit, has rhythm and strides well.Others also caught the eye, notably Fazl-e-Akbar, a forced induction due non-availability of Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram. He was a perfect foil for Waqar, for he bowled a nagging length, pitching up and made full use of the conditions.
Abdur Razzaq drives bowler Ben Hollioake through mid off
Photo © CricInfo
In batting, Yousuf Youhana was his usual dour self and Abdur Razzaq, yet again, endorsed his all-round potential. Sadly, all was not rosy. Saeed Anwar struggled, as did Shahid Afridi and disappointing was Saqlain Mushtaq’s bowling. As was Youhana, blundering, butter-fingered fielding.The win, however, was emphatic and morale boosting and timely too with a dress rehearsal coming up against Australia at Trent Bridge on Tuesday before the curtain comes down on the series in the final at Lord’s on June 23rd.A win here certainly will help and somehow lessen the psychological advantage the Aussies hold over Pakistan. But for that to happen runs have to be put on board and that can only happen if Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi can get their act together.

Hampshire Under-16 prospect David Wheeler played the star role as New Milton pipped Southern Electric Premier League Division 3 neighbours by three wickets at Ashley

Mike Vimpany14-May-2001Hampshire Under-16 prospect David Wheeler played the star role as New Milton pipped Southern Electric Premier League Division 3 neighbours by three wickets at Ashley.Wheeler grabbed 3-42 as Bashley reached 198-7 and then struck a superb 79 to set up New Milton’s penultimate-over victory.Woolston schoolteacher Shane Merkel celebrated his Flamingos debut with an undefeated 134 as last year’s Hampshire League champions began Premier 3 life with a 97-run win over Paultons at The Holt.Merkel, introduced to Flamingos by Hampshire batsman Jason Laney, plays Surburban Turf League cricket in Perth, Western Australia.He struck 20 boundaries in his 134 not out, which dominated Flamingos’ 261-4.Andrew Collins hit 52 in Paultons’ 164 all out – Adie Heath (3-26) and Stuart Shapland (3-40) doing the damage.Hampshire’s Jimmy Adams showed his pace bowling process with a 4-27 return in St Cross Symondians’ nine-wicket triumph over Hursley Park.Only John Harris (36) made an impact as Hursley lurched to 110 all out – a total St Cross polished off with Graham Barrett notching a half-century.Alton bagged a second consecutive win, scoring 181-9 before dismissing much fancied Purbrook for 129.Evergreen Keith Lovelock hit 101 and shared a thumping 165-run partnership with South African Janish Kominsky (80) as Hook & Newnham Basics totalled 218-4 to overhaul United Services’ 213-5.Matt Gover crakced a quick-fire 61 as newly promoted Havant II raced past Leckford’s 170 all out.Army all-rounder Andrew Hole took 3-19 for Havant before hitting an unbeaten 63 in a comfortable seven-wicket win.A half-century by Jimmy Taylor (50) and a four-wicket burst by Raj Naik, which culminated in a hat-trick, eased Winchester KS to an easy 106-run win at struggling Waterlooville, who were bowled out for 58.Peter Tapper starred with figures of 3-17 and a blistering 52 (off 27 balls) as Lymington II scrambled a nervous two-wicket win at Rowledge.

Liverpool could be set to lose one of their main stars for the start of next season as Mohamed Salah is being sounded out for the upcoming Olympic Games.

Egypt boss Shawky Garib reportedly wants the Liverpool star involved in the Games, having sent the nation’s itinerary to Anfield in hope of ensuring his inclusion and also already naming him in their preliminary squad.

Whilst Salah’s decision over whether he wants to participate remains to be made, should he elect to go, it would certainly be a big blow for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

With the tournament taking place in Tokyo between July 23rd and August 8th, the Egyptian is almost certain to miss the entirety of pre-season ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, with the Premier League season getting underway just under a week later on August 14th.

Whilst this may not be a catastrophic problem with Salah likely to maintain his fitness whilst participating in the Games, the sheer amount of football could either see him sustain injury or indeed suffer from burn-out.

Either way, Liverpool are surely not set to see the £200k per week forward, or indeed his best form at the very least, for the first few weeks of next season should he elect to represent his country in Japan.

It goes without saying that should that situation transpire, he would be a huge miss.

Salah has by far and away been Liverpool’s best player this season having netted 29 goals in all competitions throughout the campaign.

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With Liverpool aiming to re-establish themselves at the top of the table next season following a bitterly disappointing campaign this time around, they simply cannot afford to be missing their best players at the start of next term or they will be left playing catch-up once more.

If Salah does play in the Olympics, it could have dire consequences on the start of The Reds’ 2021/22 campaign.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Fabinho’s woeful performance in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle…

According to a report by football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, free agent boss Massimiliano Allegri ‘certainly has his admirers’ within Tottenham Hotspur – backing up previous claims in the media. 

The Lowdown: Allegri on Spurs shortlist

Reports have emerged recently that Italian serial winner Allegri has entered the Tottenham shortlist for a possible new manager, with the Daily Mail claiming last week that he is indeed on the radar.

The 53-year-old has six Serie A titles to his name over the last decade and averaged a hugely impressive 2.27 points per match with Italian giants Juventus over a five-year stay in Turin (Transfermarkt).

Currently a free agent and possible cheap appointment, it’s little surprise that he is now being linked with the vacant Spurs managerial position.

The Latest: Gold backs reports of Allegri interest

Now, writing on Twitter and relaying his article for football.london, reliable correspondent Gold has shared ‘the fact or fiction as I understand it behind 20 managers linked with the vacant Tottenham job in the past couple of weeks,’ trying to break down the remarkable horde of names linked to the role.

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In his piece, Gold says that Allegri ‘certainly has his admirers’ in north London and comes as a potentially strong candidate for the job given he is currently out of work.

However, while interest from Spurs chiefs within the club is there, Gold also says there are concerns over the language barrier as well as his playing style – with Allegri apparently not quite ticking every box for their profile of new manager.

The Verdict: Yes please…

His glittering CV is evident and record in Italy stunning, having picked up 13 major honours with the Old Lady from 2014 to 2019 in an era of total domination (Transfermarkt).

There are drawbacks, with Spurs reportedly wanting a manager who will implement an attacking philosophy and bring back the Lilywhites way of playing football – not to mention a ‘young’ and ‘dynamic’ coach to put the Jose Mourinho era at Tottenham behind supporters (the Daily Mail).

However, Allegri has plenty of experience on the world’s biggest stage and comes as a possible bargain appointment given his free agent status.

He has also been described by Sky Sports news reporter Ben Ransom as ‘perfect for Tottenham’ – and we’re inclined to agree given his record of winning silverware.

Therefore, we believe Spurs moving for Allegri is an absolute no brainer.

In other news: Levy will be ‘jumping for joy’ after a development, says pundit…find out more here.

Leeds United could sign their new Harry Kewell in West Brom star Matheus Pereira.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are one of a number of Premier League sides interested in signing the Brazilian, with the Baggies of course seeing their relegation from the top-flight confirmed at the weekend.

The new Kewell

When Kewell burst onto the scene at Leeds, the fleet-footed winger was a real breath of fresh air, displaying a real sense of fearlessness.

FootballWhispers noted: “The Australian youngster immediately stood out in Leeds’ youth ranks, exuding a confident swagger that would go on to define his on-field demeanour. With his pace, flair and guile, the young winger looked a natural fit in the immaculate white of the three-time English champions.”

And that “pace, flair and guile” is exactly what Pereira has brought to the table this season with the Baggies in the Premier League, with ten goals and five assists in the competition.

After a particularly startling performance against Aston Villa earlier this season, BBC Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas was left raving about him after the game.

The pundit said: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

It’s no surprise that Baggies boss Sam Allardyce has gone on record to say that he’s a big fan of the Brazilian.

He said: “I wouldn’t say he’s up there right at the top as world-class, but he certainly has the potential to be a top-class Premier League player in his continued development at his young age.

“When he’s committed like he was tonight, when he works as hard as he did and when he shows the ability that he showed then he’s certainly a big difference and a big-game player, certainly for West Brom, and can be, moving along, with that quality of performance as he gets more mature.”

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If the Whites are looking for a “silky” winger, one who could replicate some of the magic that Kewell produced at Elland Road in his pomp in the early 2000s, then they should look no further than the skilful £30k-a-week earning Pereira.

Meanwhile, Bielsa could find a perfect Alioski successor in this star…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been giving their thoughts on social media in regards to the club’s reported interest in Rangers defender Filip Helander.

Villa, along with Premier League rivals Leicester City, were linked with the centre-back over the weekend.

A fresh update from ESPN, cited by Birmingham Live has now emerged, with specific finances involved.

Should either Villa or Leicester firm up their interest, they’d have to stump up no less than £6m for the Sweden international.

Helander’s Ibrox deal doesn’t expire until 2023. His current Transfermarkt valuation stands at just £1.8m, but Villa would have to pay over three times that figure to seal a deal for the Rangers man.

The 6 foot 3 defender has made 27 appearances under Steven Gerrard this season, scoring on three occasions.

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared Helander’s asking price on Twitter on Wednesday morning. These fans weren’t so keen on the idea of Helander heading to the Midlands, with one describing him as ‘cheap’.

“Not good enough for Rangers let alone Villa”

Credit: @netNdi

“Our defence is not the area of concern!!”

Credit: @steham

“Looks like another Engels to me”

Credit: @LH__ten

“Why would we want him”

Credit: @irvines02

“Cheap…no good”

Credit: @AzlanBinAlias3

“No deal, he no better than Engels or Hause. Trust me I know I’m Swedish. He is 4th if not 5 choice in the Swedish national team”

Credit: @TedWahlstrm

In other news: Many AVFC fans react as club ready move for Championship ace, find out more here.