All posts by h716a5.icu

Eight members of a proposed 10-member interim committee, appointed to runthe affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) earlierthis month, have formally accepted letters of appointment from SportsMinister Johnston Fernando

CricInfo24-Apr-2002Eight members of a proposed 10-member interim committee, appointed to runthe affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) earlierthis month, have formally accepted letters of appointment from SportsMinister Johnston Fernando.Roshan Mahanama, former Sri Lanka Test batsman and Sri Lanka A coach untilstanding down recently, is among those to have confirmed his participationin the committee despite being reported to having a strained relationshipwith Sidath Wettimuny and Michael Tissera.But although the interim committee have now held two meetings, and wereapparently appointed in the first week of April, there has still been noofficial confirmation from the Sports Ministry or the Chief Executive’soffice that a new interim has been appointed after the previous VijayaMalalsekera led committee stood down on March 31.The two members to not accept their letters of appointment are TrevorRajaratnam and Mohan de Silva, both former BCCSL Executive Committeemembers, who have legal cases pending against the BCCSL and are believed toseeking advice before deciding whether to accept Fernando’s invitation.The interim committee is headed by Hemaka Amarasuriya and has been asked toserve until the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. A press conference with thenew members is expected to be held in early May at the BCCSL headquarters.Full 10-member committee:Hemaka Amarasuriya (chairman), Nalin Ladduwahetty, Michael Tissera, SidatWettimuny, Mohan de Silva, Lawrance Amarasena, Trevor Rajaratnam, KushilGunasekera, Triphone Mirando, Roshan Mahanama.

In the seemingly never-ending saga that is Newcastle United’s potential takeover, Rob Lee, who played during the Entertainers era on Tyneside, has exclusively told Football FanCast that there is too much noise around the deal for his liking.

In the latest twist of events, details of the Premier League requesting an extension to prepare their evidence for both legal cases that Mike Ashley has launched against them emerged, with just one being accepted and that is the one surrounding anti-competition.

Ashley thought he had struck gold when Amanda Staveley’s consortium, backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, agreed to take the club off his hands, only for them to pull the plug at the last minute.

Takeovers happen all the time in football and they are usually passed through quietly without many people knowing, which is the opposite of this potential deal, something Lee doesn’t like as he exclusively told FFC:

“I genuinely don’t know where this is all going but it looks like Ashley is just trying to get the fans to dislike somebody else rather than himself. He’s blaming the Premier League and seemingly everybody else apart from himself and as I’ve said before, there is way too much noise going on.

“These deals usually get done very quietly but we’re still hanging onto the fact that hopefully, something might happen.”

A deal was agreed for PCP Capital Partners to buy Newcastle over 12 months ago but as Steve Bruce heads into what will be his fifth transfer window as manager, Ashley still holds the keys to the club.

Recently, documents suggested that the arbitration case is set to begin in July, which could determine whether or not Ashley can sell the club to PCP Capital Partners or not.

Ben Jacobs has dropped some worrying insight on the potential takeover of Newcastle United involving Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

The Lowdown: MBS lobbying

Back in April, it was reported by the Daily Mail that Boris Johnson was personally lobbied by MBS with regards to the failed takeover at St James’ Park by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

KSA crown prince MBS urged the British Prime Minister (PM) to ‘correct and reconsider’ the ‘wrong’ decision which was made by the Premier League (EPL) to nix the deal between Mike Ashley and the consortium.

MBS warned Mr Johnson last year that Anglo-Saudi relations would be damaged unless the decision was reversed, as the PM asked senior aide Lord Eddie Lister, an expert on the Middle East, to take up the complaint, which he said he would ‘investigate’.

The Latest: Jacobs on MBS lobbying

Jacobs has recently been giving his thoughts on the reported lobbying by MBS on the Primer Minister, to which the sports journalist – who has been closely following the whole takeover saga – claimed that the lobbying ‘affects arbitration’ and that it is a ‘practical example of a lack of separation’ between the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Arabia, or at least that is what the Premier League will argue.

He added that for MBS to get involved is the ‘last thing’ that Newcastle want going into their arbitration case against the EPL.

The Verdict: Worrying sign

The reported lobbying by MBS is a worrying sign in terms of whether or not the potential takeover on Tyneside can be pushed through.

The EPL’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) with regards to the bid is set out to determine whether PIF are a separate entity from the Saudi state, and if this is not found to be the case, then the takeover cannot go ahead.

MBS’ involvement does not help in this matter, and his reported lobbying on Mr Johnson would be hard to argue for this.

Nonetheless, the chances of the takeover happening should become much clearer once the results of the arbitration hearing are disclosed, but one cannot help but worry whether they will judge in the favour of the Magpies.

In other news, find out what big claim Luke Edwards has dropped on the potential takeover.

Ryan Mason will be sweating on the fitness of one of his key Tottenham Hotspur stars ahead of kick-off this evening…

What’s the latest?

Gareth Bale has emerged as a major doubt to feature in their clash with Aston Villa in North London, meaning the 31-year-old may not receive a send-off in front of the fans for one last time before he is due to return to Real Madrid.

The 29-year-old interim revealed his concerns in his pre-game press conference ahead of tonight’s encounter. When asked about Bale’s involvement, he told reporters, via the Evening Standard:

“I am not sure. Gareth was probably the best I have seen him all season at the weekend. He was sharp, he was running at players, he has that confidence back of playing in repetitive games and he feels confident in his body,” Mason claimed.

“He also knows his body. He is a question mark for tomorrow. We are not sure whether or not he is going to be ready. It is down to the player, he is experienced enough.

“We’ll see. Like it was with Serge [Aurier against Wolves], if a player doesn’t feel 100 per cent, I don’t feel confident enough, we have enough players ready, enough players competing, that want to play.

“If a player doesn’t feel 100 per cent and it is not right then he won’t play.”[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-managerial-latest-update-transfer-rumours-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”] Cause for concern

If he’s absent, it will come as a massive blow to the interim head coach as he has relied on Bale’s exploits immensely since he took over from Jose Mourinho a month ago.

Indeed, the £18m-rated beast has found the net four times, having started every single league game under Mason, taking his total for the campaign to 14 goals, as per Transfermarkt.

10,000 supporters will get to attend the match this evening, so it will also be a gutting blow to them, with Bale’s future still up in the air. The Evening Standard claim it is unclear whether he will return beyond his one-year loan agreement from the La Liga giants.

After another 89 minutes in the bank on Sunday afternoon, it was only the second time that Bale had started four or more consecutive matches but the first involving so many minutes on the pitch, so understandably he may be a little jaded.

Spurs also know that a win over Villa would seal a place in Europe next season as they won’t be able to finish worse than seventh place, and their chances of clinching all three points are damaged if Bale is sat in the stands.

Heading into 6pm, Mason will surely be worried as he mulls over who could replace him in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Mason must unleash “unplayable” £45m-rated Spurs beast today, could be a game-changer…

If last night’s 4-0 win for Celtic was the only Hoops game that incoming manager Eddie Howe had ever seen, it’s likely Ryan Christie would be part of the club’s future.

Sorry folks, but the Scot actually looked much improved while playing in a central position for the Bhoys on Wednesday evening.

In fact, Celtic as a whole looked a lot more promising. The Glaswegian’s have endured a torrid season but on Scott Brown’s farewell to Paradise, they put in a performance the midfield veteran would be proud of.

John Kennedy’s men swept aside St Johnstone 4-0 in a clash that for once, put a smile back on the player’s faces.

Brown may not have been lifting the Premiership title but there were plenty of positives on Wednesday to think that a brighter future is possible at Celtic.

The fact Christie even stood out said a lot.

The Scotland international has had a torrid campaign and has been relentlessly hounded by members of the Green Brigade for his shooting.

With James Forrest out injured for such a long period of time, the attacker was forced to play in a wide position, away from his favoured area centrally.

Last season Christie produced 20 goals and 16 assists but 2020/21 has been incredibly unkind to him. The 26-year-old has scored just seven times in comparison and has only found the net twice in his last 23 league outings.

That said, when afforded the chance to play through the middle against St Johnstone, he took the opportunity with aplomb.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-mcgregor-mccann-tierney” title=”Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Christie’s goal drought wasn’t ended but alongside David Turnbull in midfield – someone who did find the net – he looked incredibly comfortable.

There will be tougher and sterner tests to come but Christie was one of Celtic’s most important players.

The vast majority of the play came through him with the attacking midfielder having more touches (126) than any other player on the field. Meanwhile, Christie’s tally of 97 passes was only third to the centre-back pairing of Stephen Welsh and Kristoffer Ajer.

Keen as ever to get on the ball and make things happen, the Scot provided three key passes; the same number as James Forrest and one fewer than Turnbull.

Christie has been torn apart this term but instead of looking to score from impossible positions on the field, he looked to create more for his teammates on Wednesday. The fact he picked up his fourth assist in his last seven games was a testament to that.

It’s hard to suggest his performance was out of this world but judging by some of the other displays we’ve seen from him this term, it was a great improvement.

If Christie is in the shop window ahead of a potential summer move, he will have done his cause no harm here.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he hopes West Ham keep Said Benrahma but has warned the Algerian international to improve his discipline.

The attacker joined from Brentford last summer on loan with a view to a permanent deal, which was then confirmed as being part of a £20m swoop in January of this year.

However, the arrival of Jesse Lingard later that month has reduced Benrahma’s opportunities for West Ham, making just four Premier League starts since then.

And despite scoring 17 times in the Championship for Brentford last season, he’s yet to get off the mark in claret and blue, although he’s contributed six assists in 29 appearances in all competitions.

McAvennie recognises his talent, but told Football FanCast that he must take David Moyes’ instructions on board:

“It depends on his attitude. He was losing possession in the wrong areas and that’s what David, it was well known, had to talk to him about. David is good at talking to people.

“But I would like him to stay because, you need a good squad and he’s undoubtedly a good player, but sometimes he has got to learn when to go on his mazy runs, which is good for the crowd but not good for the manager.”

A quite magnificent fifth one-day international century from HerschelleGibbs lead South Africa to a crushing seven-wicket win over a sloppy WestIndian side in the fifth one-day international at the Kensington Oval onWednesday

Marcus Prior09-May-2001A quite magnificent fifth one-day international century from HerschelleGibbs lead South Africa to a crushing seven-wicket win over a sloppy WestIndian side in the fifth one-day international at the Kensington Oval onWednesday.The win gives South Africa an unassailable 4-1 lead in the seven-matchseries, with two games remaining in Trinidad and St Vincent.It was about as demoralising a defeat as could have been inflicted, andWest Indies captain Carl Hooper’s early decision to use his part-timespinners in preference to the three frontline pacemen at his disposal onlyadded to a side bereft of ideas and self-belief. Kerry Jeremy did not evenbowl a ball. Gibbs was also dropped on 11 – a sharp chance off Cameron Cuffywhich ‘keeper Ridley Jacobs spilled.Gibbs (107), who also produced two sublime moments in the field, faced132 and struck three sixes and eleven fours in a stay which silenced astunned full house. Indeed, by the time Gibbs fell driving DinanathRamnarine straight to Hooper at cover, a long line of fans was alreadymaking its way out of the ground.Boeta Dippenaar (42 not out) and Jonty Rhodes (10 not out) saw SouthAfrica home with eight overs and two balls to spare.Earlier Gary Kirsten (18) shared a partnership of 54 for the firstwicket with Gibbs before pulling the occasional off-spin of Marlon Samuels -used as early as the 12th over – straight to Brian Lara at midwicket.Kallis (18) was never troubled, but sacrificed his wicket when totalconfusion between the batsmen left both of them at the striker’s end.After being put into bat, the West Indies again failed to compile acompetitive total on a pitch of few demons. Lara with 92 from 125balls stood form for any length of time as the home side were undone by someaccurate bowling and another immaculate and occasionally inspiredperformance in the field from the South Africans.Lara was never at his most spectacular, preferring to accumulate ratherthan launch an all-out assault. With wickets falling at the other end atregular intervals, he could hardly be said to have had any other option.He was eventually last out in the 50th over, one of four victims forKallis, returning to the side after recovering from a strained calf muscle.Lara was bowled slogging – it had reached a desperate stage.A new opening combination again failed to change West Indies fortunes,Kallis claiming both with just 24 on the board. Chris Gayle (6) edged toMark Boucher behind the stumps and Daren Ganga splicing an attempted hookstraight back to the bowler.For the West Indies total to have been competitive, they the experiencedHooper or Shivnarine Chanderpaul or Jacobs to keep Lara company. They allmade starts, but were also all undone by flashes of South Africanbrilliance.Hooper (21) turned to see his middle stump cartwheeling backwards whenhe missed a searingly fast yorker from Makhaya Ntini. Then Gibbs played hishand in the field, first running out Chanderpaul (24) with a brilliantdirect hit as he threw off-balance from midwicket and then diving one-handedlow to his right to catch a full-blooded cover drive from Jacobs (21).With the tail failing to provide Lara with meaningful support, the WestIndies total always looked well below par.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the Reds’ starting line-up to face Newcastle United, with much focus on four attackers all getting a start.

Jurgen Klopp’s champions return to Premier League action on Saturday lunchtime, welcoming an in-form Magpies side to Anfield. Liverpool could only draw 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday night, but they remain firmly in the battle to secure a top-four finish.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790â€]

Victory for the Reds over Newcastle would see them jump from seventh place to fourth in the league table, temporarily overtaking Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham in the process.

The Hammers host Chelsea later this evening, giving Klopp’s men even more of an incentive to pick up a vital three points at Anfield before then.

Liverpool’s starting line-up sees just one change from the Leeds game, with Mohamed Salah coming in for James Milner, in what is an attack-minded side.

Liverpool fans react to starting lineup to take on Newcastle

These Reds supporters took to Twitter to react to the presence of their four main forwards in the starting line-up.

“I’m bang into the front four starting! Up the Reds”

Credit: @JamieHolme

“Front 4, baby”

Credit: @ShanklysBoys1

“Love to see it”

Credit: @GageTaylor14

“Love it. Thank god we playing 4-2-3-1”

Credit: @Jay82_LFC

“Things You Love To See”

Credit: @BhovSanjeev08

“What a lineup!!! Front four”

Credit: @lfcleahx

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about the Reds being linked with a Bundesliga star. Find out who it is here.

According to reports, Leeds are interested in signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles amid speculation he could leave Arsenal on a more permanent basis this summer.

What’s the story?

The England international is currently on loan at fellow Premier League side West Brom, but with the Baggies set to go back down to the Championship, there appears to be a real window of opportunity for other clubs to come in.

Now, The Daily Mirror claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are the latest team to be watching developments over Maitland-Niles, while the likes of Crystal Palace and French side AS Monaco are also said to be in for him.

The perfect Bielsa player

If Bielsa and the club’s fans love Stuart Dallas for his sheer versatility, then Maitland-Niles is cut from that same cloth, being able to play in a number of different positions and roles.

It was something that former Premier League striker Chris Sutton once lauded, saying: “The young man’s versatility is a weapon. He is such a versatile talent – a diamond.”

Maitland-Niles, who earns around £45k-per-week at the Emirates, was dubbed a “Rolls-Royce of a player” by Martin Keown a few months ago when Arsenal beat Rapid Vienna 4-1 in the Europa League (BT Sport via football.london).

His former teammate at Arsenal, Sead Kolasinac, raved about his pace too, saying: “He’s so quick and he reads the game well, so he knows what to do before the ball arrives. He’s shown that in the last couple of games.

“I’ve spoken to him. I told him that he’s so quick – if I had that pace, I’d never stand still, I’d just run! When you’re that quick, it’s difficult to stop someone. ‘He has the acceleration and when he gets going, he’s tough to defend against. That can be a weapon for us.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

Given his affinity for players who can play in multiple roles and can really get attuned to the kind of transition football that Leeds enjoy, Maitland-Niles appears to be the perfect player for Bielsa. The Leeds boss will surely be buzzing at the links with the Arsenal star.

Meanwhile, this Leeds ace was shocking vs Liverpool, he has to go…

Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa is making a big mistake over Rodrigo amid a major transfer update on the Spaniard.

What’s the story?

After arriving from Valencia in a big-money deal last summer, the Spain international has struggled to really hit the ground running at Elland Road, managing just three goals in 20 Premier League games.

Spanish publication Fichajes.net have now claimed that the £18m-rated forward isn’t happy with his situation at Leeds and that, with him not playing in his preferred position, he is of the belief that he’s “not a relevant figure” for Bielsa.

The report added that the 30-year-old stands to lose his place in the Spain squad for the European Championships and wants to leave Elland Road to preserve his hopes of making the tournament.

Bielsa making big mistake

Whilst Rodrigo hasn’t exactly set the Premier League alight with his performances this season, there should be no way Bielsa even contemplates letting the summer signing go.

Not all new arrivals hit the ground running, and Rodrigo certainly falls into that category. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague declared the versatile forward as being “perfect for Bielsa” in the summer when Leeds’ interest in the 29-year-old emerged, and the club just have to remain patient with him.

The forward could develop into a potent Premier League force if given the chance, and it’s exactly why Bielsa must avoid the disaster of cutting the club’s losses on him far too soon.

Dubbed “extraordinary” by former Barcelona boss Quique Setien, Rodrigo needs to be given the chance to be played in his preferred position and really showcase what he can do.

Playing him in an unfamiliar role and then expecting him to shine, like Bielsa appears to be doing, raises big questions about why Leeds moved for him in the first place, and it surely must have Andrea Radrizzani fuming that one of the club’s marquee signings already wants out.

Meanwhile, Victor Orta pulled off an absolute masterclass for Leeds with this signing…