Nottingham Forest ran out 3-0 winners against Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.

Forest posted images of manager Steve Cooper celebrating the result on their official Twitter channel shortly after the victory, which led to a number of fans sharing their love for the imagery on social media.

The 41-year-old continued his unbeaten start to life as manager at the City Ground, with two wins and a draw from his opening three games as the post-Chris Hughton revival continues.

Lewis Grabban opened the scoring early on at St Andrew’s, with Ryan Yates doubling the lead before the interval. Djed Spence then put an end to any hopes of a Birmingham comeback eight minutes into the second half with a fine strike to cap off a brilliant afternoon’s work for the Reds.

The win lifts Forest up into 17th place on 11 points, with Forest sharing three images of Cooper celebrating with the travelling support at the full-time whistle.

Forest fans react

Here is what these Forest fans had to say in response to the club’s post, with one labelling it as ‘beautiful’.

“Just what we need from our manager, a bit of passion for a change, just keep doing what you are doing Steve.”

Credit: @richardson_glyn

“Unbelievable Jeff”

Credit: @77Riches

“Things like this go a long way with the fans, super Cooper”

Credit: @roryjlomax

“Beautiful man”

Credit: @_FERNEY10

“I’m already in love with this man”

Credit: @JfAllan98

“My gaffer”

Credit: @MichelNffc4

Match facts

Thursday, February 5, 2009
Start time 14:30 local, (09:00 GMT)

The Big Picture

How do lift your side less than two days after their worst-ever home defeat – that too for a dead rubber? That’s what Mahela Jayawardene has to figure out ahead of the fourth one-dayer at the R Premadasa Stadium. Of particular concern is their bowling, which was toothless against the rampaging Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag on Tuesday. Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis were handled with ease and even the usually accurate Farveez Maharoof leaked runs. The fielding has been below par as well, grassing chances on a regular basis, and the batting is inconsistent.Sri Lanka’s ODI record against major teams since the 2007 World Cup makes for sorry reading – the Asia Cup triumph and the recent win against a turmoil-ridden Pakistan are outweighed by home losses to India (twice) and England, the poor show at last year’s CB series, and defeat in the Caribbean.India, on the other hand, have little to worry about; even their spinners, who hadn’t been among the wickets till the third game, are firing. Another victory will help them break the record for most wins on the trot by an Indian side in ODIs but Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said the focus is more on testing the bench strength.

ODI form guide (most recent first)

Sri Lanka LLLWW
India WWWWW

Watch out for …

Tillakaratne Dilshan hasn’t shown the explosive form that propelled Sri Lanka to their come-from-behind series win in Pakistan. India got a taste of how dangerous he could be during his cameo on Tuesday, when he walked down the track to take on the quick bowlers.Praveen Kumar may not come out on top when bowling speeds are measured but he has the priceless ability to swing the new ball both ways on most surfaces. That allows him to make crucial early breakthroughs – Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist early in both finals of last year’s CB series, and Sanath Jayasuriya with his first ball on Tuesday.

Teams

With the series in the bag, India are looking to experiment. That could be good news for Irfan Pathan and Rohit Sharma. With a packed schedule ahead, at least one of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma is likely to be rested. India haven’t yet announced their XII though.India: (from) Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Irfan PathanChamara Kapugedera’s lean trot continued with his low score on Tuesday but he is likely to retain his spot – his appointment as vice-captain for the Twenty20 side shows how highly the selectors rate him. One change they could make is bringing in either allrounder Angelo Mathews or Jehan Mubarak for Dilhara Fernando to bolster the batting.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7, Angelo Mathews, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Ajantha Mendis

Pitch and conditions

The pitches in the two games so far at the Premadasa have been totally different. While the first one stayed more or less the same through the match, the one used for the second game was a batting paradise in the first half but offered the spinners alarming turn and bounce during the Sri Lankan chase.

Quotes

“We are not looking at the record. Rather, we will give chance to players who didn’t get a chance to play in the series so far.”

“We need our best team to win the next two matches, which is very important to get back the confidence.”

واصل المدرب الفرنسي رودي جارسيا قيادته لتدريبات النصر في المعسكر التحضيري للموسم الجديد في مدينة مارابيا الإسبانية.

وشهدت التدريبات مشاركة الكاميروني فينسينت أبوبكر بينما استمر غياب البرازيلي أنديرسون تاليسكا.

جارسيا أكد للاعبين ضرورة التركيز في الفترة الحالية، مؤكدًا أنها الأهم في الموسم وسوف تساهم في جاهزيتهم بدنيًا وفنيًا في الموسم المقبل.

وتولى الإيطالي باولو رنجوني مخطط الأحمال البدنية، تدريب اللاعبين لتجهيزهم بدنيًا، حيث قرر تحدي الملل للاعبين من خلال أساليب حديثة في التدريبات والجمع بين الكرة وتدريبات أخرى.

اقرأ أيضا.. تقارير: النصر السعودي يستفسر عن إمكانية ضم لاعب الأهلي

وقسم جارسيا لاعبو النصر إلى قسمين، الأولى تدربت في صالة الجيمانيزيوم، والثانية في الملعب، وسيخضع اللاعبون خلال اليومين المقبلين لاختبار السرعة والقياسات بإشراف من رنجوني الرجل الذي يشرف بشكل مستمر على قياسات اللاعبين وأوزانهم.

يذكر أن معسكر النصر في مارابيا ينتهي 12 أغسطس المقبل، ويخوض خلاله الفريق 4 مباريات تجريبية.

وكان النصر حل في المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي في الموسم الماضي ليضمن مشاركته في النسخة المقبلة من كأس السوبر السعودي.

Manchester United have received a triple selection boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Newcastle United this afternoon.

The Red Devils have made a solid start to the new season, picking up seven points from a possible nine in the opening weeks of the campaign, and they’ll be hoping to continue their good form when the Magpies visit Old Trafford.

What’s the word?

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be confident of securing another three points after revealing that a selection of key first team players will be available for selection.

Despite Alex Telles and Scott McTominay remaining sidelined with injuries, goalkeeper Dean Henderson has now recovered from a viral infection, while summer signings Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo are also fit enough to feature from the off.

“Dean has not got the after-effect and tiredness anymore; that’s very positive,” Solskjaer said in his press conference on Friday.

“Telles is not 100% yet, still a few weeks (away), and Scott has recovered very quickly from the operation. If he’s going to play or not, I’m not sure; but probably not, depending on who we’ve got available and who we can use.

“Jadon’s come back in with a minor knock, but he’s trained the last couple of days. Disappointed he couldn’t play for England but determined to be fit; he’s available; that’s a positive.

“Cristiano’s trained all week, internationals; we didn’t get anyone injured. Luke (Shaw), Harry (Maguire) and Victor (Lindelof) played late Wednesday night, so not a lot of recovery (time), but they will be available, I think,” the Norwegian concluded.

Solskjaer will be delighted

Having the likes of Henderson, Sancho and Ronaldo all available for selection will certainly leave Solskjaer feeling delighted ahead of today’s encounter against Newcastle.

Ronaldo’s greatness needs no elaboration, while the England winger is a proven scorer in a major European league and the goalkeeper has been hailed by former United boss Jose Mourinho for his “incredible development”.

Steve Bruce’s charges may not be the toughest opponent that the Red Devils will face this season, but securing another victory could be crucial to their title aspirations, and their chances of doing just that have received a substantial boost with the news that Solskjaer has a near-full squad at his disposal.

In other news… Report reveals MUFC make “excellent” £63m-rated gem top priority, Ole will be elated 

Barbados captain Jason Haynes and his team are being investigated for wasting time to deny Trinidad and Tobago victory on the final day of their WICB regional four-day match last week

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2009Barbados captain Jason Haynes and his team are being investigated for wasting time to deny Trinidad and Tobago victory on the final day of their WICB regional four-day match last week. The West Indies board said that it was in the process of addressing match referee Sadick Mohammed’s report on the issue in a “in a methodical and thorough manner”.”The West Indies Cricket Board has received a report from the matchreferee Mr Sadick Mohammed alleging that the Barbados captain and team hadbreached law 42 as it applies to time wasting, during Trinidad and Tobago’s second innings during the WICB’s four-day tournament match at Guaracara Park, played February 27th to March 2nd,” the WICB said. “The WICB’s disciplinary committee, in accordance with the code of conduct, is currently in the process of addressing this report in a methodical and thorough manner.”Barbados’ tactics resulted in a bad-tempered draw after T&T finished on 99 for 3 in pursuit of 142. Jason Haynes was warned on three occasions by umpire Basheer Ali for time wasting but only 12 overs were bowled in 99 minutes during T&T’s innings.After the 12th over, Barbados complained about a light that was switched on in the adjoining Petrotrin Refinery and refused to play. The umpires called off the match at 6.03pm after a long deliberation.

Jason Gillespie is disappointed news of Michael Clarke’s heated exchange with Simon Katich leaked from the dressing room

Cricinfo staff07-Feb-2009
Jason Gillespie: “Blokes have disagreements from time to time – that is just life – but I am just disappointed it all got out of the dressing room” © Getty Images
Jason Gillespie, the former Test bowler, is disappointed news of Michael Clarke’s heated exchange with Simon Katich leaked from the dressing room. Gillespie spent a decade with the side and said incidents between team-mates occurred, but wanted them to stay with the group.The Clarke-Katich tussle happened at the end of the SCG Test in January and did not become public until Friday, the day Clarke was due to lead the one-day team. “I am very disappointed that this has got out,” Gillespie said in the Courier-Mail. “It is not the done thing.”I am not worried about scuffles – that can happen in any team or workplace. Blokes have disagreements from time to time – that is just life – but I am just disappointed it all got out of the dressing room.”Clarke, 27, is the side’s vice-captain and the latest incident has led to questions about his capabilities to lead the side when Ricky Ponting retires. John Buchanan, the former team coach, said Clarke appeared to be saying and doing “all the right things”.”I think he has still got a long way to go in terms of maturity and understanding what the word ‘team’ really means,” Buchanan said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “But the more opportunities he is given to learn that, whether in a formal leadership sense or in and around people like Ponting and [Michael] Hussey and others, the better. Whether he chooses to take those opportunities or not is up to him.”Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, wrote in his Cricket Australia blog that it was time to move on. “It’s obviously not a big deal for us because like any group or family that travels, works and lives together, there are going to be disagreements,” he wrote. “It was dealt with at the time and as far as we’re concerned we moved on.”

Crystal Palace are reportedly lining up a move for Orlando City striker Daryle Dike as new manager Patrick Vieira wants to add further reinforcements to his forward line.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, Palace are keen on securing the highly-rated 21-year-old’s services but are put off by his £18 million asking price.

The report states that: “Boss Patrick Vieira is keen to bring in an extra forward, and his scouts have suggested the Orlando City hitman after his loan at Barnsley last season.

“With the Eagles backed by American cash, it would be a major plus to land Dike, 21 — a powerful prospect who could be one of his country’s top players for years to come.”

Patrick Vieira would love him

Dike’s impressive exploits in the MLS earned him a loan move to Championship outfit Barnsley halfway through last season, and the USA international made the transition to the second-tier of English football look easy.

The 6 foot 1 colossus bagged nine league goals in just 19 appearances, playing a pivotal part as the Yorkshire outfit reached the play-offs.

His eye-catching displays saw several impressed onlookers showing Dike in praise, including former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey.

“(Dike) is a strong, powerful lad who knows where the back of the net is, who understands his strengths and ability and runs with it,” Heskey said to HITC. “When you’re talking about a powerful, powerful player, with the ability to hold the ball up as the lone striker, there will be so many clubs who need and want that.

And Dike has continued his good form upon his return to his homeland, notching up three strikes and one assist in nine outings for Oscar Pareja’s charges.

The youngster has cultivated a reputation for being a deadly finisher, both with his feet and head, in his short professional career, and although summer signing Odsonne Edouard has made a solid start to his Palace career, it’s clear the capital club could do with some extra firepower.

Despite Edouard’s well-taken brace against Tottenham Hotspur, the Eagles have failed to score in four of their opening six encounters this season in all competitions, meaning chairman Steve Parish must sanction a January move for Dike.

Vieira would surely love the added goal threat in his side, and he has the potential to take the Frenchman’s rebuilding job to the next level.

And, in other news…Signed for £8.1m, sold for £18m: Palace struck gold with 25y/o failure 

While Leeds United may have sealed the deadline day signing of Manchester United winger Dan James, Marcelo Bielsa will surely be gutted at missing out on Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien in this summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Journalist Alan Nixon had claimed earlier in the summer that O’Brien was “very near” to the top of the shortlist for Marcelo Bielsa as they looked to bring in reinforcements in the middle of the park.

Then, The Daily Mirror (print edition, page 64, August 22, 2021) appeared to deliver a boost to Leeds’ hopes of signing him by revealing that the Terriers would sell the 22-year-old for around £8m.

But, in response to a question from a fan about whether the Whites would pursue a late move for the midfielder on transfer deadline day, The Athletic’s Phil Hay said on Twitter: “Not a matter of time. They’re not stretching to £8m+ for O’Brien.”

Bielsa will be gutted

When news emerged of Leeds’ interest in O’Brien, former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell delivered his seal of approval over a potential late move for O’Brien this summer.

He said: “They are weaker without Kalvin Phillips in there, for sure.

“The Man United game, I thought they’d have lost without him anyway. But he is so important to them and it is massive for Leeds to have him back. But O’Brien does stiffen that midfield up. He’s a really, really good player. I think they will definitely look to strengthen.”

Former Huddersfield goalkeeper, Matt Glennon, also waxed lyrical about the midfielder, adding: “He closes down until the 95th, 96th minute, still running to the corners, stopping defenders, he’s got unlimited energy.

“Lewis O’Brien wants to put the hard yards in and wants to be at the very top of where he can get to. He’s one of those lads who works ridiculously hard which, for me, is your minimum in any league, but he’s got that quality, the drop of a shoulder, that strength to keep people off him, a low centre of gravity to glide past people, arm aloft when they try to knock him off the ball.”

So while Bielsa will be delighted at finally getting his man in James after a couple of years of tracking him, the fact the Whites couldn’t push through a deal for O’Brien or in fact any other central midfielder to strengthen the first-team is sure to leave him gutted.

He will surely be praying Kalvin Phillips can stay injury-free and that his existing options can really step up to the plate.

It’s a howler from Leeds to go the entire the summer transfer window and also deadline day without bringing in a new midfielder to either challenge or cover for Phillips, and it’s one that they will be hoping doesn’t cost them dearly once the Premier League returns after the international break.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped a late night Leeds United update…

Christian Benteke says ‘there were some contacts’ with other clubs before he committed his future to Crystal Palace. 

The lowdown

It was confirmed at the beginning of June that Benteke had signed a new two-year deal following the expiry of his previous contract. He’s said to be pocketing £120,000-per-week at Selhurst Park.

Benteke joined the Eagles back in 2016 for a fee of £28.08million and has gone to score 33 goals in 150 appearances.

He finished as Palace’s second-highest scorer in the Premier League last season, with his tally of 10 goals bettered only by Wilfried Zaha (11).

The Belgian has started two of Patrick Vieira’s four competitive matches in charge, registering an assist in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United prior to the international break.

The latest

Speaking to native publication Sport Magazine, Benteke admitted he ‘thought about’ moving on as the end of his deal approached.

Ultimately, though, he chose to stay put, in part because he’s so settled in the area.

“In January we started thinking about leaving,” he said. “Then I had a long talk with the coach [Roy Hodgson] and he told me he couldn’t guarantee that I would play 90 minutes every game, but he added that he was counting on me.

“I decided to fight back and keep working hard. And I’m glad it paid off.

“I thought about it and there were some contacts. But I have taken many factors into account. My first argument, separate from the conversation I had with the chairman, was my physical readiness.

“I also wanted to stay here for family reasons, as my children have been attending school in London for a few years now. I was happy to be able to maintain some sort of stability.”

The verdict

It remains to be seen whether Benteke has made a wise decision. Palace have now brought in fresh blood up front in the form of £14million Odsonne Edouard.

Significantly, he’s believed to be better suited to Vieira’s preferred style of play.

Benteke may now find starting opportunities hard to come by and be forced to settle for cameos from the bench. The manager could look to him to ask different questions of defenders if plan-A doesn’t come off.

In other news, Palace wanted to sign this defender in the summer.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead played down his side’s thumping performance but was not shy about stating their prospects for Sunday’s final against England

Jenny Roesler in Sydney19-Mar-2009It was all but inevitable that New Zealand would beat eighth-ranked Pakistan at the Drummoyne Oval on Thursday and seal their place in the final. Yet the way they did should send a warning to England, whose 17-win streak came to a shuddering stop against Australia over in North Sydney.Their coach Gary Stead played down his side’s thumping performance – which included 168 from Suzie Bates and Haidee Tiffen’s maiden ODI century in a world-record stand of 262 – but was not shy about stating their prospects for Sunday’s final against England.”I will be telling our girls we’re going to go really, really hard at England and we’re going to try to smash them off the ground early in the game.” Stead said. “It’s a little hard to take too much from this game. It’s not the standard of England by any means, but you see special innings occasionally and the partnership there between Suzie and Haidee was outstanding and to break some world records is really important to our team.”Haidee’s had a pretty good tournament, she’s been good with some runs and Suzie’s starting to show some nice form and coming into the business end of the tournament, that’s important. We know she’s a classy player who can hit the ball pretty hard and she showed that today.”If we’re confident and we trust our instincts I think we can beat anyone. We’re really looking forward to the game and if we can relax and play good cricket and trust our abilities I’m sure we can do well.”Stead dismissed the suggestion that New Zealand may have preferred a stronger opposition heading into the final. “I don’t think it matters too much,” he said. “We had some tough games against India and Australia and England earlier. I think it’s nice for the girls that they’ve had the chance to go out there and feel good about their games and they’re confident.”Tiffen played the anchor as Bates smashed her way to breaking records. “I thought the really good thing in their partnership was the roles they played,” Stead said. “Haidee understood she was the run-getter and after a while Suzie said ‘Right, it’s boom time’ and she went big.”Then he watched as Tiffen brought up her first century with a dab to square. “When Haidee had it in her sights you could see she wasn’t going to miss out,” he said. “She knuckled down.”Having piled up 7 for 373, New Zealand had their sloppy fielding moments but in defending such a huge total they were never in trouble. Besides, they had their minds on other, much grander, matters.