Category Uncategorized

Aston Villa get their Premier League season underway on Saturday afternoon when they make the trip to face newly-promoted Watford at Vicarage Road.

Dean Smith’s side will play their first competitive game without talisman Jack Grealish, although a number of exciting new signings have certainly given fans a sense of optimism heading into the new campaign.

One man who the Villa boss must certainly start today, is Emi Buendia.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Smith confirmed that the former Norwich star would be available to face the Hornets, saying: “(Buendia) is good to go. He had a slight adductor injury and I didn’t want to risk him in the game on Sunday (vs Salernitana). But he’s trained all week and he’s available for selection.”

The Argentine shone during the time that he was on the pitch in pre-season, especially in a fine performance against Walsall.

On Twitter, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece was left raving about his performance, saying: “Emi Buendia had Villa fans drooling here at Walsall; the two balls in for Watkins were a delight.”

Writing in his post-match player ratings, he added: “Two assists for Villa’s record signing and what a delight they both were. The Argentinian picks up some clever positions inside and, in doing so, he carved Walsall open on both occasions to feed Watkins who scored twice.

“Buendia can pick a pass all right and the prospect of the little magician linking up with Watkins and Jack Grealish this season is a frightening one. Buendia was brilliant and he’s already left fans wanting to see more.”

The 24-year-old was superb last season for Norwich, playing in between the lines to good effect and showing the kind of eye for a pass which saw him finish as the Championship’s leading assists provider with 16 last term.

The £31.5m-rated playmaker has been dubbed a “revelation” by Chris Sutton, and could well be Villa’s game-changer today against Watford in his first competitive game for the club.

Meanwhile, this Villa star could now leave…

Andrew Symonds is set to play his first matches for Queensland since being cut from the Australia squad in Darwin nearly a month ago

Cricinfo staff25-Sep-2008
Andrew Symonds will be back in Twenty20 mode on Sunday against the Knight Riders © Getty Images
Andrew Symonds is set to play his first matches for Queensland since being cut from the Australia squad in Darwin nearly a month ago. Symonds will turn out for the Bulls in a pair of Twenty20 games against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Brisbane on Sunday.The double-header at Allan Border Field will provide Symonds with another competitive outlet following his return to club cricket last weekend. That came after Symonds spent several weeks pondering his future having been sent home from Darwin for going fishing when he should have been at a team meeting.While all eyes will be on Symonds on Sunday, the Knight Riders coach John Buchanan, who formerly was in charge of Queensland, said the series of games would be important in the development of his side. Buchanan wants to form a long-term link between the Knight Riders and the Bulls.”The last few weeks we’ve done some talent hunting around the cities of India and we’ve brought a few of those players out,” Buchanan said. “We’ve got some of our more experienced players here like Ajit [Agarkar]. Part of it is getting ready for next season, but another part is just to say the Kolkata Knight Riders exists, not just in Kolkata, but around India and out here.”Buchanan has also recruited his son Michael to play for the Knight Riders in the series of games in Brisbane, which continues with further double-headers on Tuesday and Thursday. The younger Buchanan has played 11 one-day games for the Bulls but does not currently hold a state contract.

Dilip Vengsarkar, the BCCI’s former chairman of selectors, has said he will respond to Sourav Ganguly’s criticism of his selection committee at the end of India’s series against Australia

Cricinfo staff10-Oct-2008
Dilip Vengsarkar: “I won’t answer him now as this is not the right time because India are in the middle of a Test series and it might affect the focus of the team” © AFP
Dilip Vengsarkar, the BCCI’s former chairman of selectors, has said he will respond to Sourav Ganguly’s criticism of his selection committee at the end of India’s series against Australia and give him “more than what he asked for”.”I won’t answer him now as this is not the right time because India are in the middle of a Test series [against Australia] and it might affect the focus of the team,” Vengsarkar told .Ganguly had criticised the selectors saying if the new selection committee had been in place three years ago, today his situation would be different. “If there is a gun to your head all the time, how long can you bear this?” Ganguly told a Bengali daily. “I was tired of being humiliated again and again. I don’t want to play cricket at the mercy of others.”Ganguly was dropped from the Indian squad in 2006 for the home series against England and the tour of West Indies but made his comeback during Vengsarkar’s tenure that December on the South Africa tour. Ganguly said what hurt him more than being overlooked for India was the exclusion from the Irani Cup last month.Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian captain, said Ganguly’s outburst was understandable but untimely.

Birmingham City are reportedly interested in a deal to sign Nottingham Forest forward Lyle Taylor, according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon.

What’s the story?

Taylor has been with Nottingham Forest since 2020, having previously been on the books with Charlton Athletic, where he caught the eye with a number of impressive performances.

The forward scored 35 goals in 67 appearances for the Addicks, which saw him earn a move to the City Ground, but that move hasn’t quite worked out as expected.

Taylor has found regular minutes hard to come by with the Reds, whilst under the management of former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton.

The 31-year-old made 15 league starts for the Reds, as he was often behind Lewis Grabban in the pecking order last term, as Forest finished 17th in the Championship table.

Birmingham City are reportedly keen on reaching an agreement to sign Taylor this summer, but only if Sam Cosgrove is to move on as well, with the former Aberdeen forward being linked with a move of his own, to League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers.

‘Outstanding’

Taylor has shown glimpses of his quality in the Championship, having been a rare bright spark in a disappointing league campaign with Charlton in the 2019/20 season, as the Addicks were relegated back into the third-tier of English football.

With 11 goals in 22 appearances in that season, he’s shown that he can perform to a good enough standard in the Championship, but for one reason or another, his move to Nottingham Forest hasn’t quite worked out.

In the 2019/20 season, Taylor had an average Whoscored rating of 6.76, which put him fifth on the list of Charlton’s best performers from that campaign.

Birmingham could certainly benefit from adding depth to their attacking options, with Lee Bowyer already having the likes of Lukas Jutkiewicz, Scott Hogan and Sam Cosgrove already on the books with the Blues.

But Cosgrove could be set to depart, with Wycombe rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign the 24-year-old.

That could open the door for a new forward to arrive, and Taylor could be the ideal striker to join Jutkiewicz in attack for Lee Bowyer’s side moving forwards.

Bowyer knows what Taylor can bring to a team, with the pair having worked together whilst at Charlton not so long ago.

Stoke City had previously been keen on a deal to sign the 31-year-old, but a move to the bet365 Stadium is unlikely at this stage, with Sam Surridge recently signing permanently from fellow Championship side Bournemouth.

Lee Bowyer has previously labelled Taylor’s work ethic as ‘outstanding’ whilst the pair were at Charlton Athletic together.

“His scoring record isn’t bad against anyone. His work rate was outstanding, again, all-round play, for me he was a full performance from a striker, he had everything.”

Birmingham should push hard to get this deal over the line as a partnership of Taylor and Jutkiewicz would frighten plenty of Championship defences.

AND In other news… Birmingham City show interest in 20-year-old prodigy…

MatériaMais Notícias

Com a vantagem de jogar pelo empate contra o Botafogo, neste domingo, no Maracanã, o Flamengo tem bons motivos para ficar otimista. O Rubro-Negro ainda está invicto neste Carioca e basta manter o retrospecto para avançar à decisão do campeonato. Além disso, o time da Gávea não perde no estádio desde dezembro de 2015, quando foi derrotado pelo Palmeiras, por 2 a 1.

Apesar da vantagem de jogar pelo empate, o discurso no Flamengo é de ir em busca da vitória.O zagueiro Réver afirma, por exemplo, que prefere ir em busca de um resultado do que jogar pelo empate.

-Eu não gosto muito (de jogar pelo empate). Prefiro ter que buscar o resultado. Clássico é muito equilibrado. Se o jogo estiver ruim, a vantagem será fundamental a partir dos 40 minutos do segundo tempo. Temos que buscar a vitória sempre. Equipe que busca em cima de empate acaba se prejudicando – disse o defensor.

O técnico Zé Ricardo garante que o Flamengo não vai mudar sua maneira de jogar por causa da vantagem do empate. Ele nega que o time vá entrar em campo pensando em segurar o jogo.

– É muito difícil de fazer esta avaliação no início do jogo, é mais para uma situação de final de partida. O Flamengo não entra em campo pensando em empatar, pensamos sempre em buscar o resultado positivo, é assim que vai ser – garante o treinador.

RelacionadasFlamengoDiego faz fisioterapia em recuperação de cirurgia; confira as fotosFlamengo21/04/2017FlamengoVice diz que Flamengo é o maior do Brasil e que merece ganhar mais cotas de TV do que os outrosFlamengo21/04/2017FlamengoMuralha minimiza vantagem do Fla e pede atenção contra o BotafogoFlamengo21/04/2017

ADELAIDE, Oct 18 AAP – A discarded Victorian spinner, a rookie who had taken just two previous first-class wickets and an occasional medium pacer today bowled South Australia to the first outright victory of the Pura Cup season, against Victoria at

Sam Lienert18-Oct-2002ADELAIDE, Oct 18 AAP – A discarded Victorian spinner, a rookie who had taken just two previous first-class wickets and an occasional medium pacer today bowled South Australia to the first outright victory of the Pura Cup season, against Victoria at Adelaide Oval.The Bushrangers were out for 303 in their second innings shortly before the scheduled final day tea break, giving SA a 208-run outright win after Victoria had taken first innings points.Victoria, which trailed SA by 511 runs heading into its second innings, started today at 2-94 and never looked likely to save the game, losing four wickets in the opening session, and another four in the second session.All-rounder Ian Harvey top-scored with an unbeaten 63 and Darren Berry made 52.Ex-Victorian off-spinner John Davison, in his first match for SA, was the chief destroyer.Having not made the Bushrangers’ side in either form of the game last season, Davison showed he still had plenty to offer at first-class level, taking 4-107.His wickets included the key scalps of Victorian openers Matthew Elliott (21) and Jason Arnberger (42) yesterday, as well as the prize wicket of Brad Hodge (22) today, the first three Bushrangers to fall.Davison, 32, joined SA this season after failing to earn a place in the Victorian side since the 2000/01 Pura Cup final, which Victoria lost to Queensland.Paceman Ryan Harris, who had played just two previous Pura Cup matches for his state and taken only two first-class wickets, finished today with 3-64.And all-rounder Ben Johnson, who top-scored with 165 in SA’s second innings, took the final three wickets of the match, finishing with 3-4 from just three overs after being introduced for the first time in the 100th over of Victoria’s innings.Johnson was named man of the match.SA skipper Greg Blewett said he was pleased with the number of players who made vital contributions, particularly Davison and ex-NSW recruit Mark Higgs, who made a second-innings century, and all-rounder Michael Miller, who took seven first-innings wickets after not playing a game last year.”It was just a great team effort, just about everyone did something,” Blewett said.”I’m particularly pleased with Davo, the first three wickets against his old side, I’m sure he would have been pretty rapt with that.”We haven’t had an off-spinner here for quite a few years, so he’s certainly a handy recruit.”Victorian acting skipper Elliott resigned from the role after the loss.Elliott, who was officially the team’s vice captain under Shane Warne but would have led the side in most matches given Warne’s commitments with the Australian team, handed over the reins to former skipper Berry for the rest of the season.Elliott said he felt the captaincy affected his batting.”It’s certainly not a reflection of what’s going on with the team, it’s an exciting time for us with all the people we’ve got involved, it’s just that I feel like I’m not putting my best playing foot forward,” he said.

Manchester United appear to have reached an impasse in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier.

What’s the story?

According to ESPN reporter Rob Dawson, the Red Devils are interested in acquiring the 30-year-old’s signature this summer, but they are refusing to meet his €40m (£34m) release clause.

The report also claims that Atletico have shown no indication they are willing to compromise, so United may have to move on to their next transfer target.

Solskjaer will be frustrated

News that the current La Liga champions are refusing to lower their asking price for Trippier will surely leave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feeling frustrated.

The former Tottenham right-back has impressed during his time in Spanish football, supplying 11 assists in 68 appearances for the capital club and claiming the La Liga title along the way.

It had been hoped that his arrival at United would help the 20-time English champions continue their progress under Solskjaer, providing an attacking alternative to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. However, that prospect appears to be unlikely now, with Atletico’s hierarchy pricing the Red Devils out of a potential move.

With two years remaining on Trippier’s contract at the Wanda Metropolitano, it’s understandable why the Spanish giants are demanding that United pay the England international’s release clause in full, but it won’t be much comfort to Solskjaer and co.

The Norwegian will be hoping to add further reinforcements to his first team squad after the signing of Jadon Sancho is finally announced, with Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane appearing to edge closer to the Bernabeu exit door.

Trippier had been widely expected to follow Varane in swapping Madrid for the red half of Manchester, although that prospect appears to be off the cards – for now at least.

United will be hoping to claim their first piece of silverware under Solskjaer next season, ending a four-year wait for a major trophy.

Reeling in noisy neighbours Manchester City will be a daunting task, though, and one potentially made even trickier by the expected absence of Trippier from the Red Devils’ ranks.

In other news… Laurie Whitwell drops update on £54m-rated Man United maestro, Ole will be fuming 

Leeds United fans should be hugely excited about new signing Junior Firpo, according to former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Leeds snap up Firpo

The Whites have made their latest move in the transfer market, signing the 24-year-old from Barcelona in what looks like an intriguing piece of business.

The Brazilian struggled to oust Jordi Alba as the Blaugrana’s first-choice left-back last season, but he should now come in as a regular for Leeds following the exit of Ezgjan Alioski.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Pundits waxes lyrical over left-back

Firpo could be an exciting prospect and La Liga TV pundit Campbell has no doubt about his ability, outlining to Football Insider why Leeds fans should look forward to seeing him. He said:

“Firpo is incredibly fit, quick and strong. He is really athletic.

“I think he will fit right into what Leeds want to do because technically he is very good, you have to be to play for Barcelona.

“I’d say defensively, he is better than Alioski as well.
“He hasn’t started that many games for Barcelona but you cannot read too much into that given that they have Jordi Alba ahead of him.
“He has looked good when he has played so Leeds fans, you can get very excited.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-8/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Great signing for Whites

Firpo seems to be a perfect replacement for Alioski – if anything, the fact that he is an out-and-out left-back could make Leeds an even more balanced outfit.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a 92.9% pass completion rate in the Champions League last season, which suggests he will thrive in Marcelo Bielsa’s ball-playing style.

Firpo is also at an age where he should mature further in the coming years, potentially becoming a key figure over a long period for Leeds. With Campbell a regular analyst of Spanish football, for him to talk up the new Whites signing is very encouraging.

In other news, Leeds are believed to ‘retain an interest’ in one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

According to a report by Sport, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur have now entered talks to sign Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic, with the Lilywhites ‘already negotiating’ over a loan move.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Pjanic?

Tottenham have only just recently entered contention for Pjanic, with Sport reporting last week that the Lilywhites have made an approach over his signature.

Indeed, Barcelona are apparently trying to offload the Bosnian in an effort to reduce their massive wage bill, with Sport now bringing another update on Pjanic to Spurs.

The Latest: Spurs ‘already negotiating’…

As per the Spanish outlet (via Sport Witness), Tottenham have now entered talks to sign the 31-year-old on loan and are ‘already negotiating’ with the La Liga giants. The player is reportedly determined to leave this summer and does not want to return to Barcelona for preseason.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-4/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Pjanic is also regularly speaking to his representatives and wants to resolve his future this week, with his agent ‘working against the clock’ to secure a move for the player.

The 31-year-old would prefer Juventus, but the Serie A club’s own need to offload midfielders before signing one has prompted his agent to look at other options. As a result, Tottenham have entered the fray and are already in talks over a possible loan deal.

Everything apparently indicates that he will leave on a temporary basis this summer, and Spurs are willing to take care of Pjanic’s wages as long as the loan is free.

Furthermore, new manager Nuno Espirito Santo has approved the move whilst giving the green light to swoop.

The Verdict: Good move?

The 100-cap midfield maestro would provide a wealth of experience at Spurs, having made 80 appearances in the Champions League over a long career at the top level (Transfermarkt).

It’s clear that his latest campaign at Barcelona didn’t quite work out like his previously fruitful seasons in Serie A, but over his 19 La Liga appearances last term, he still managed an impressive 91.4% pass accuracy (WhoScored).

This perhaps points to a player who can provide composure and technical quality in Tottenham’s midfield, with pundit Noel Whelan certainly impressed by the links to Pjanic. Speaking to Football Insider, the former Leeds striker branded the Bosnian an ‘amazing player’ and feels that he is the kind of signing Spurs fans will want to see.

While his £210,000-per-week wages could prove complicated, it’s little wonder why Spurs are reportedly in negotiations for the Barcelona man.

In other news: Spurs frontrunners to sign ‘absolutely sensational’ player with Nuno set for final call, find out more here.

It is the cricketing equivalent of the soccer World Cup’s Group of Death

Anand Vasu13-Sep-2002It is the cricketing equivalent of the soccer World Cup’s Group of Death. Pool Two sees India, Zimbabwe and England slog it out for a semi-final berth, and the action heats up for this group on Saturday as India and Zimbabwe attempt to set the turf on fire at the Premadasa stadium.On the opening day of the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan succumbed to Sri Lanka’s all-round show, and a confident India would not want to suffer a similar fate. Zimbabwe, with all the turmoil back home, could probably also do with the therapy a win affords. Heath Streak, a beleaguered skipper if there ever was one, has said more than once that he just wanted to focus on the game. Whether Zimbabwe can be clear-headed, let alone reach that elusive “zone” sportsmen constantly refer to in the heat of battle, remains to be seen.The Zimbabwe-India encounter, however, is clearly one where the form book means little. The men from Africa have the talent – the Flower brothers, Streak, Travis Friend and Ray Price with the ball – to shock the best in the world on their day. It goes without saying that India is the sort of team that can completely lose the plot from time to time, and Zimbabwe would do well to remember that their opponents have even lost to Kenya in their one-day past.On his part, Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly refused to underestimate Zimbabwe. “They are no pushovers. They are a very good one-day side, and we’ll have to play well to beat them,” said the skipper.Interestingly enough, these two teams have seen plenty of each other in recent times; in fact, for one particular stretch, they played each other in three Test series over the course of little more than a year. Zimbabwe did fare handily enough in a recent one-day series in India, leading 2-1 before losing 3-2. Ganguly explained that away saying, “We were a much-depleted side when we last played Zimbabwe at home. We had four or five of our players injured. We’re a full-strength side now.”For India, the past year has been an extremely successful one in the shorter version of the game. As Ganguly reminded gathered press personnel at Colombo, “We’re a much improved side. Over the last one and a half years, we’ve played really good cricket. We’re still so close and yet so far from winning a Test series overseas, but our one-day performances have been very good. We’ve won 80 percent of our one-day tournaments in the last year or so.”India’s recent successes have been made possible largely by virtue of some clever team composition. Whether it was coach John Wright or Ganguly who decided that Rahul Dravid must keep wicket in order to let the think-tank pick an extra batsman, we don’t know. But it has worked, and Dravid has fitted the role of a one-day cricketer more since he donned the gloves.Some say the fact that Dravid contributes behinds the stumps reduces the pressure when he bats. Others argue that the sheer mental and physical strain of doing both jobs is too much for Dravid. But if you ask the man himself, he sits somewhere between the two extremes.”As long as doing both can produce results, it’s fine,” said Dravid. “Initially I felt a bit worried about whether I’d be able to do the job or not, but as the results came in it got easier. We’ve won a lot of games where I’ve kept, and the confidence has come from that. It makes you feel good when you win the game. The debate will go on for a long time about whether it is the right move or not, but that’s not important. If the results are good, you don’t have to worry about what sort of combination you have.”That is of course true. In Indian cricket, everyone loves a winner, and you can get away with murder as long as you are winning. But one must view this ploy with a touch of skepticism if India have even stopped looking for a specialist keeper for the long run. Dravid is a keen student of the game and will do his best, one can be sure of that. “I admit it’s going to be a challenge keeping to the spinners in these conditions. I don’t claim to be a regular wicket-keeper who can do amazing things. All I can say is that I’m going out and giving it my best and working pretty hard at it too. Keeping the World Cup in mind, it will be a learning curve for me.”India may be looking to the World Cup already, but their opponents train their eyes on matters close at hand. “We are underdogs against both sides as per usual. England are playing well at the moment and still have the basis of a good side, despite their injuries, and India are a formidable side and a really difficult proposition,” said Andy Flower. The man who has made runs by the bucketful against India also warned that Zimbabwe’s bowling attack – medium-pace, as well as the spin of Grant Flower, Douglas Marillier and Ray Price – could be a handful in these conditions.The wicket at the Premadasa stadium is slow and has enough in it for the spinners, so few will be surprised if there is little of the slam-bang sort of cricket the subcontinent is so famous for. It might be a case where, to borrow one of Nasser Hussain’s favourite phrases, “turgid cricket” rules.