Three players Brighton must sign so they gatecrash the Top 8 party in 2018/19

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Chris Hughton led Brighton and Hove Albion to an impressive 15th-place finish in their first-ever Premier League season, and he will be determined to progress and will be aiming even higher next term.

While the Seagulls ended the 2017/18 campaign seven points above the relegation zone, they were also only nine points adrift of eighth-place Everton, and the south coast outfit should be confident of bridging that gap if they can bring the right players to the Amex Stadium before the transfer window slams shut on August 9th.

Hughton, whose £5m move for Paddy McNair should be hijacked by one of their top flight rivals, has already got his summer business underway following the arrival of Florin Andone from Deportivo La Coruna and Leon Balogun from Mainz upon the expiry of his contract with the German club.

The 59-year-old boss has enjoyed good success with players from the Bundesliga – just look at how well Pascal Gross did last season – and while Germany is likely to be a target for new faces once again, the former Newcastle United and Norwich City gaffer will be searching Europe-wide for the right additions.

Here are three players Brighton must sign to ensure they gatecrash the Top 8 party in 2018/19…

While Brighton have both Bruno Saltor and Ezequiel Schelotto who can play at right-back, the Seagulls may well need a new player in that position this summer given the former is 37 years of age, and the latter often appears to be more comfortable from an attacking point of view than defensively.

Signing West Ham outcast Byram could be the answer, with the 24-year-old surely on his way out of the London Stadium after the Irons signed Ryan Fredericks on Tuesday.

The former Leeds United man has never really had the opportunity to stake a claim for a regular starting XI spot for a number of different reasons, but if he could get the form back he showed for the Yorkshire outfit previously he would be a great addition for the Seagulls.

Brighton reaped great success from the signing of Pascal Gross from the Bundesliga last summer, and they should look to repeat the trick with Wolfsburg’s Guivalogui this time around.

The strong defensive midfielder enjoyed an impressive 2017/18 campaign for the German side, the 27-year-old highlighting his good work in his team’s defensive third by making 66 interceptions and winning 65 tackles, while he will suit Hughton’s style of play too seeing as he had a passing accuracy of 85.2%, all as per WhoScored.com.

The 6ft 2in Frenchman would certainly bring some more steel to this Seagulls’ side, and provide protection for the likes of Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk at the heart of the backline.

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Brighton may have the likes of Glenn Murray, Tomer Hemed, Sam Baldock, Jurgen Locadia and new boy Andone in their ranks, but you can’t help but feel that if they added a quality centre-forward they would make real progress next season.

Step forward Nils Petersen – a Germany international who made his nation’s preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup, but eventually missed out on the final 23-man selection.

Nevertheless, the 6ft 2in tall Freiburg striker enjoyed a brilliant 2017/18 campaign with 15 goals in 32 Bundesliga outings, while he also showed his leadership skills by captaining his team on a number of occasions too.

Do you agree, Brighton fans? Let us know below.

Liverpool should steer clear of Cech if Arsenal goalkeeper becomes available

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Liverpool should not consider making a move for Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech if he becomes available following the acquisition of Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen.

What’s the word?

Unai Emery secured his second summer signing of the window on Tuesday when Leno finalised a move from the Bundesliga.

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In our recent poll, the majority of Arsenal fans expressed a desire for the club to prioritise signing a new keeper, and they got their wish.

Liverpool are also believed to be on the hunt for a new shot-stopper following Loris Karius’s horror show in the Champions League final.

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Numerous names have been linked to the position, but so far, the Reds have not got a deal over the line.

Even though Petr Cech was recently handed the number one jersey for the 2018-19 season, there is an argument that the current first choice will drop down the pecking order now that Leno is in town.

Why shouldn’t Liverpool take advantage?

There is no denying that Cech remains one of the best keepers in the Premier League.

The 36-year-old has a winning mentality having won four league titles at his former club Chelsea.

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However, there were moments of concern last season when he made blunders in between the sticks.

It would not make sense for Liverpool to move for a keeper that Arsenal do not see worthy as first choice – if that indeed becomes the case.

The Reds require a world-class stopper, but they should target a younger figure rather than someone who is nearing the closing stages of his career.

Coutinho scores Brazil’s first goal of World Cup, Liverpool fans react

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

The absence of Philippe Coutinho was not heavily felt during Liverpool’s campaign last season following the playmaker’s move to January.

Mohamed Salah swiftly became the club’s most important player, and the scintillating attacking performances from the Egyptian alongside Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane overshadowed Coutinho’s exit.

Without the 26-year-old, the Merseyside outfit managed to secure a top-four finish and reach the Champions League final, where they were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in Kiev.

It is fair to suggest that the fans have not hugely missed the midfielder, but they were reminded of his quality on Sunday evening during Brazil’s opening Group E match against Switzerland.

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The attack-minded star curled the ball into the top corner from outside the box to put Brazil ahead, and Liverpool fans began to reminisce.

The club are yet to buy a replacement for the Brazilian star, but numerous targets have been touted in the media, including Lyon’s Nabil Fekir, whose proposed move to Anfield recently collapsed.

Player Ratings: England 6-1 Panama

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

England maintained the surprisingly strong start to their World Cup campaign on Sunday by obliterating Panama 6-1, dispensing of the Central American nation in clinical and dominant fashion.

It took just eight minutes to open the scoring as John Stones headed home a Kieran Trippier corner and the centre-half would double his tally just before half-time, latching onto the rebound as Manchester City team-mate Raheem Sterling attempted to apply the finishing touch to an incredibly well-worked free kick routine.

In between, Jesse Lingard won a penalty which Harry Kane calmly converted and the Manchester United star surged on from midfield soon after, this time linking up with Sterling before curling the ball beyond Panama’s helpless goalkeeper from the edge of the box.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

As Kane bagged another from the spot, England went into the interval more than comfortable at five goals up. The second half was far less resounding though, Kane completing his hat-trick by inadvertently deflecting a wayward Ruben Loftus-Cheek shot into the net and Panama unexpectedly ruining Jordan Pickford’s clean sheet with the simplest of goals from a free kick.

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Nonetheless, just as the result confirmed England’s qualification for the knockout stages, the performance has elevated the level of optimism heading into their final group game with Belgium – a shootout for top spot in Group G and a vital chance to show Gareth Southgate’s side can put in a similarly impressive display against considerably superior opposition.

But, England fans, who was your Man of the Match from Sunday’s emphatic win? Was it hat-trick hero Kane, the ever-lively Lingard, brace-bagger Stones or someone else? Let us know by taking below and giving each player involved a performance rating out of ten…

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Marsh brothers deliver big win for Warriors

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Shaun Marsh posted a century but was almost upstaged by his teenage brother Mitchell as Western Australia gained a bonus point in their 129-run win over New South Wales

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShaun Marsh recorded his highest List A score•Getty Images

Shaun Marsh posted a century but was almost upstaged by his teenage brother Mitchell as Western Australia gained a bonus point in their 129-run win over New South Wales. The brothers made major contributions to the Warriors’ 3 for 309 and the Blues’ chase fell apart despite the best efforts of Moises Henriques.Stuart Clark’s captaincy debut for New South Wales didn’t go to plan when his decision to send the Warriors in backfired as Shaun Marsh and Wes Robinson combined for a 124-run opening stand. Marsh made David Warner pay for putting down a simple chance at short cover when he hadn’t scored, and was in his typical accumulative mode.Robinson’s 70 ended when he played on to Grant Lambert but there was further carnage to be had from Western Australia’s middle order. Adam Voges added 44 but the real damage came from Mitchell Marsh, 18, who was playing in his fourth FR Cup match.He came in within the final ten overs and hammered the New South Wales bowling to reach 60 from 29 deliveries. His half-century came in 24 balls and he demonstrated his tremendous power several times, including with a brazen flat-batted six over long-on off Clark in the final over.The chase stumbled off track almost immediately as David Warner, Phillip Hughes and Phil Jaques failed to have much impact and before the Blues knew it, they were 5 for 77 in the 20th over. Steve Magoffin picked up two important wickets and it wasn’t until Henriques and Daniel Smith came together that the visitors built a partnership of substance.However, when Smith holed out for 47, Aaron Heal ran through the lower order with a career-best 4 for 58 to confirm Western Australia’s win. It was the Warriors’ second victory of the competition, while the Blues remain in second-last place with only one win.

Ponting wary of dangerous Roach

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Any bowler who can regularly send down six consecutive 150kph rockets is a man to respect. Kemar Roach is one of them

Brydon Coverdale09-Dec-2009Any bowler who can regularly send down six consecutive 150kph rockets is a man to respect. Kemar Roach did exactly that at the Adelaide Oval, where his speed was as impressive as Sulieman Benn’s bounce. Although he finished up with slightly disappointing match figures of 3 for 159, Roach gave the Australians plenty to think about as they battled out a draw.Had he converted a couple of his tricky second-innings deliveries into wickets, Australia might not have escaped a defeat that ensured they will hold the Frank Worrell Trophy at the end of the series. As it stands, Australia head to Perth for the third Test with a 1-0 advantage but the captain Ricky Ponting said Roach would be a serious challenge on what is traditionally Australia’s quickest surface.”He’ll be a handful in Perth,” Ponting said. “As you can see, every spell he’s bowled, almost every ball he’s bowled, is hovering around 150kph. We knew that he was capable of that. He’s hit his areas really well. He hasn’t sprayed the ball around too much. He’s bowling well for them at the moment.”Roach doesn’t have the height of the great West Indies fast men of yesteryear like Curtly Ambrose and Joel Garner, but his skiddy action is still tough to face. Ponting had trouble against him in the first innings and was hurried up by a quick delivery that he tried to pull, but only managed to send a catch to Dwayne Bravo at midwicket.”Someone who is pretty short at that pace can get the ball to skid onto you pretty quickly off the wicket with not much bounce,” Ponting said. “We’ve played him pretty well here [in Adelaide]. The ball reverse-swung for them in both innings. He’s a handful, there’s no doubt about that. He’s someone who could play a fair bit of Test cricket for them in the future.”The WACA might not be the fast-bowling paradise it once was, but Roach stands out as the most fearsome of the seamers in an attack otherwise made up of medium pacers like Bravo and Darren Sammy, and the medium-fast Ravi Rampaul. Roach is only 21 and is still learning his craft, but Ponting said the Australians would need to continue to show him plenty of respect.”Anyone that’s bowling that sort of pace will trouble any batter, especially later in the game when the bounce gets a bit variable,” Ponting said. “That’s when you’re at your most vulnerable against guys who bowl at that sort of pace.”

Jamaica close in on win against Windwards

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

A round-up of the third day’s action in first round of the Regional Four Day Competition 2009-10

Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2010A disciplined bowling effort put defending champions Jamaica in sight of victory against Windward Islands in Spanish Town. Buoyed by a lead of 154, the Jamaica bowlers dismissed the Windwards for 251 in their second innings, with Dave Bernard jnr, Nikita Miller, and Odean Brown picking up two wickets apiece. Rawl Lewis led the way for Windwards though, with a purposeful, unbeaten 63, and found steady support in the lower order from Lyndon James and Kenroy Peters. Jamaica put down three catchces, but succeeded in limiting the Windwards to 110 for 4 at lunch. Jamaica made further inroads after the break to leave the visitors wobbling at 130 for 7. However, Lewis and James then shared the best stand of the innings of 53 for the eighth wicket. Peters joined Lewis and frustrated Jamaica further with a 45-run stand. Lewis enjoyed himself towards the end of the innings with a couple of lofty hits that fetched six fours and three sixes as well as getting to his fifty, before Nelon Pascal was run out to bring the innings to a close. Jamaica, chasing a meagre 98 for victory, reached 20 for 2 in their second innings, when rain and bad light brought a premature end to the day’s play.The Leeward Islands failed to capitalise on a 114-run second-wicket partnership between Montcin Hodge and Runako Morton to hand Barbados a lifeline in Kingston. The Leewards ended the day on 186 for 6, just 193 ahead and with Barbados having capable batsmen like Dale Richards and Ryan Hinds in their lineup, an intriguing finish might be on the cards tomorrow. Resuming on 20 for no loss, Kieran Powell returned early but Hodge and Morton took Leewards to 94 by lunch. Even as Hodge was caught behind off Pedro Collins soon after reaching his fifty, Morton powered on. There was no further assistance in the offing and Morton made the most of two reprieves to smash eight fours en route to an unbeaten 78. On what appears to be a sluggish pitch, Morton holds Leewards’ fortunes and would do well to atleast secure the first-innings points.Persistent rain throughout the day forced the third day’s play between Trinidad & Tobago and Combined Campuses & Colleges in Montego Bay to be abandoned.

Root and Vince seal England win

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

A round-up of the second day’s games at the Under-19 World Cup

Cricinfo staff16-Jan-2010England had few hassles overhauling Hong Kong’s 185 on the second day of the Under-19 World Cup at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. A dominant top-order display, led by Joe Root and James Vince, helped England chase their target in 30.1 overs. Root took the attack back to Hong Kong’s bowlers during the first Powerplay, adding 57 for the first wicket and an unbeaten 129 with the Man of the Match Vince thereafter. The pair nudged, flicked and cut singles regularly to whittle away at the scoreboard. Vince finished on 76 from 61 deliveries after hitting ten fours and a six.Hong Kong had been carried to 185 in 48.5 overs thanks to Niazkat Khan’s 69-ball 65 and middle-order roles from Irfan Ahmed and Mark Chapman. But the tone for their ultimately inefficient total was set at the top, when they lost their first three wickets – all bowled – to full, swinging deliveries. David Payne was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 24 in his nine overs.Hosts New Zealand cruised to a victory in their first match, defeating Canada by nine wickets in Lincoln. Chasing Canada’s meagre total of 128 all out in 29.3 overs, New Zealand reached the target in just the 20th over for the loss of one wicket. James Neesham top scored with 47 from just 20 balls and added an unbeaten 55 with the opener Harry Boam who made 29 from 54 balls. Boam and Tom Latham, the son of former international batsman Rod, had put on 75 for the opening wicket.Canada’s effort with the bat, after they were put in, was forgettable with the No.8 Arsalan Qadir proving the most successful with 26 from 30 balls.They lost Hiral Patel earlier and then Doug Bracewell, son of former international Brendon, began with a double strike bowling his right-arm medium pace. Bracewell’s figures of 3 for 31 from seven overs earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. Logan van Beek, the grandson of former West Indies and New Zealand Test wicketkeeper Sam Guillen, chipped in with three wickets as well.Australia flexed their muscles over USA in Queenstown, securing a 108-run win after posting 262. USA had done well to dismiss Australia inside 50 overs, but a dramatic collapse to 28 for 7 left their chances of an upset win done and dusted. Leading the rout with a new-ball performance that would have made his father Craig proud, Alister McDermott slashed USA’s top order open. After having Steven Taylor lbw in the fourth over, McDermott sent back Ryan Corns and Henry Wardley in the space of three deliveries in his next over. Fellow new-ball operator Josh Hazlewood’s first-class experience with New South Wales came to the fore as he chipped in with three wickets, adding to USA’s woes.Hazlewood took two in two balls, missed the hat-trick, but snared his third wicket only a few balls later, with McDermott picking up his fourth. From a disastrous 28 for 7 in ten overs, they were boosted by Andy Mohammed’s 70 from 90 balls and 30 from the No. 9 Asad Ghous. Adam Zampa picked up three wickets with his legbreak googlies.Australia’s innings had earlier been carried by a series of useful contributions. The openers Nic Maddinson (32) and Tom Beaton (73) put on 82 in 12.3 overs, after which Jason Floros (33) and Tim Armstrong (39) propped up the middle order. The wickets were shared by five of seven bowlers used.Australia’s captain Mitch Marsh said after the win: “Wins are habits so we’re going to go into next game with some good confidence. I think we’ve still got a bit of work to do if we want to beat the better sides but to start with a good win today was great.”Bangladesh picked up a Duckworth-Lewis win by five wickets and with 112 deliveries remaining over Papua New Guinea in Palmerston North. The new-ball bowler Abul Hasan picked up four wickets, three of which dented PNG’s top and middle order after they chose to bat, while the spinners kept run in check. PNG were bowled out for 191 in 46 overs. Set a D/L target of 189 in 46 overs, Bangladesh suffered a top-order wobble but the lower middle order polished off the chase. The main contributor was Shabbir Rahman, who hit an unbeaten 51 from 45 balls. His innings was sandwiched between key knocks from Mahmudul Hasan (38) and Nural Hasan (24 not out from 17 balls).

Yorkshire sign Gibbs for Twenty20

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Yorkshire have signed South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs as their second overseas player for the coming season’s Friends Provident Twenty20 competition.

Cricinfo staff22-Feb-2010Yorkshire have signed South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs as their second overseas player for the coming season’s Friends Provident Twenty20 competition.Gibbs will join up with the Yorkshire squad before the game against Durham Dynamos on June 10 and will be available to play in all of Yorkshire’s Twenty20 matches from then on.”I’ve always enjoyed playing cricket in the UK and have very good memories of Headingley as I got my first World Cup hundred there in 1999,” Gibbs told . “I’m really looking forward to playing over there and I’ll hopefully help to lead the troops towards some sort of success.”I think Twenty20 cricket is consistently the flavour of the month with regards to spectators, and the following worldwide has grown enormously over the last few years,” he added. “I’m still yet to get a hundred in Twenty20 cricket and I did promise myself that I’d get at least a few before I call it quits one day.”There are a lot of challenges that I’d still like to achieve and overcome, and I’m probably enjoying my cricket now more than ever before, so I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”Gibbs, who will have turned 36 by the beginning of the season, is a veteran of 90 Tests and 246 ODIs, and also has extensive experience in Twenty20 cricket, with 1627 runs in the format.He will join Ryan Harris, the Queensland and Australia allrounder who is also his Deccan Chargers teammate in the IPL, at the county, who have also signed Daryl Tuffey as early season cover for Harris.”Herschelle will add power, runs and experience to our batting line-up in this year’s T20 competition and he is also a fine fielder,” added Martyn Moxon, Yorskhire’s Director of Professional Cricket.”He’s a vastly experienced international cricketer with the ability to win matches on his own if he hits his best form. I’m looking forward to seeing him play for Yorkshire this year and I’m sure our members and supporters will enjoy Herschelle’s style of cricket too.”

Yuvraj Singh to undergo treatment in Australia

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Yuvraj Singh, the Indian batsman, will be off to Australia for treatment on the ligament tear he suffered on his left wrist during the tour of Bangladesh

Cricinfo staff22-Feb-2010Yuvraj Singh, the Indian batsman, will be off to Australia for treatment on the ligament tear he suffered on his left wrist during the tour of Bangladesh. Yuvraj sustained the injury during the second Test in Mirpur, and was subsequently ruled out of the Test and ODI series against South Africa.”The BCCI has asked Yuvraj to go to Melbourne for consultation. But I don’t know whether he has departed,” Ratnakar Shetty, the Indian board’s chief administrative officer, told . Yuvraj had informed on his Twitter page about the decision, after India’s thrilling one-run win over South Africa in the first ODI in Jaipur. “Great stuff India! Am off to Australia for treatment — bye guys,” he wrote in his Twitter page.