Tag Futebol

Celtic are bracing themselves for an offer for Rory Mahady in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Scotland, who claim that Manchester City are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 15-year-old shot-stopper, and have sent scouts to watch the Celtic starlet in action on a number of occasions this season.

The report goes on to suggest that Pep Guardiola’s side could look to make a move for the Scotland U16 international in the coming months, a deal which would see the Bhoys receive a cross-border compensation fee for the teenager’s services.

Big blow

Considering just how highly-rated Mahady is at Parkhead, should Manchester City indeed make a move for the teenager in the near future, and the goalkeeper goes on to agree to a switch south of the border, it would undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Ange Postecoglou and his side – who have made something of a habit of waving goodbye to their most talented youngsters in recent seasons.

Indeed, as recently as last summer Celtic saw their highly-rated 17-year-old attacking midfielder Josh Adam leave for Manchester City, while 18-year-old centre-back Liam Morrison and 17-year-old right-winger Barry Hepburn also both left Glasgow for Bayern Munich in the past two years.

As such, should Celtic continue this trend of developing exceptionally talented young players only for them to be snatched away by bigger sides before they have even had a chance to feature in the first-team, the question must be asked as to whether there is much point in the Bhoys having an academy at all.

However, it would nevertheless appear advisable for Postecoglou to do all he can to avoid a repeat of Adam’s move to City with Mahady, as, with Celtic’s current number one, 34-year-old Joe Hart, very much entering the twilight of his career, the 56-year-old manager will be in need of a new first choice in the position in the not too distant future.

And, if Mahady continues to develop at his current rate, he would appear to be an extremely solid candidate for the role in a few years’ time, meaning his loss would undoubtedly be something of a disaster for the Hoops.

In other news: Nicholson must sanction swoop for £7.5k-p/w ace dubbed The Wall, he’s what Celtic need

A confident Cape Cobras team arrived in Bangalore on Saturday evening, ready to take on all-comers despite lacking big names and experience of Indian conditions

Jamie Alter03-Oct-2009A confident Cape Cobras team arrived in Bangalore on Saturday evening, ready to take on all-comers despite lacking big names and experience of Indian conditions. The Cobras were the first foreign squad to reach Bangalore for the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 starting October 8, reaching their hotel around 6.30pm, and were greeted by members of the local organising committee and a large media contingent.Andrew Puttick, who replaced the injured Graeme Smith as captain just two days before the team’s departure, was satisfied with the Cobras’ readiness for the lucrative tournament. “Our season started two weeks ago, we started off with the first-class competition so we’ve been playing four-day cricket,” he said. “We haven’t prepared as much as we would have liked to for Twenty20 cricket but we’re ready to get it all in order.”The Cobras only have five days before they start their campaign against hosts and IPL runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore, but Puttick felt two warm-up games would be enough preparation. Shukri Conrad, the coach, said it was a mindset change and not much more. “The guys played enough cricket and watched enough cricket so we know what to expect; now it’s about putting it to the test. I think everyone is up for it.”The Cobras are without Smith and that means a lot of the focus will be on Herschelle Gibbs and JP Duminy. Puttick acknowledged their roles but also said the likes of Justin Ontong, Charl Langevelt, Monde Zondeki and Rory Kleinveldt, all of whom have played either for South Africa or the A team would also make an impact. “Yes I do think they [Gibbs and Duminy] will play important roles. They’ve played international cricket and the IPL which helped,” he said, “We have a nicely balanced side; we have good players around those two. We’ve got guys who have been playing well and who can perform.”There is a school of thought leading into the tournament that believes that teams such as the Cobras, who play together all season and have had time to gel have an advantage over IPL teams that have to quickly get together and try and perform well. In this area, Puttick felt the Cobras did score over other teams. “We know each other well and we’ve been preparing for the season together so it is an advantage,” he said. “Not all of us have played in India so we have to adapt quickly but we’ve also got that unknown quantity. We’ve got players who haven’t been on the world stage so that could be to our advantage.”Eagles, Victoria and New South Wales in Delhi

“We are well covered in the batting line-up. David Warner and Philip Hughes can be dangerous on top of the order while in the middle-order Ben Rohrer takes centrestage. The two international fast bowlers – Stuart Clark and Brett Lee – alongwith spinners Nathan Hauritz, Steven Smith and Steve O’Keefe can be quite a handful.” – NSW coach Mathew Mott.

“I think people understand that ultimately we are all working toward the betterment of the game.” – Greg Shipperd, coach of Victoria.

“We are asked this question all the time, but all we have to say to that is in this league it won’t be the first time that we will exceed the expectations of the people. We play good as a unit despite not having any superstars and people will see that.” – Eagles captain Boeta Dippenaar.

Stepping up from the domestic Pro20 competition to an international event with stronger teams is indeed a challenge, but Puttick felt his squad was ready for it. “Not much changes as far as the cricket goes, but the pressure is going to be a lot higher,” he said. “We’ll have to stay calm and take it normally, just focusing on the basics and believing that we deserve to be here and compete. The massive cash incentive is an added bonus but at the end of the day you’ve got to focus on doing well; then the money will take care of itself.”Conrad was quick to point out how the Cobras were here as ambassadors of South African cricket, and that they would face opposition feeling like the national team. “We see ourselves as representative of the Western Cape and of South Africa,” he said. “There’s a lot of interest in our performances from folks back home and now more so after South Africa went out of the Champions Trophy. We are definitely here to play, as are the Eagles, as South Africans. Hopefully we can put up a good fight.”On the opening day of the tournament, the Cobras will play Bangalore, followed by a match against New Zealand domestic champions Otago Volts on October 10.

A number of Wolves supporters have been reacting to a club tweet stating that Hwang Hee-chan’s goal against Leeds United was their 300th in the Premier League.

Bruno Lage’s men were seconds away from winning a fourth league game in a row on Saturday afternoon, only to draw 1-1 away to Leeds. Rodrigo’s stoppage-time penalty ended the winning run, and while it was a hugely disappointing finish to the game, the result is still a decent one for the Midlanders.

It was Hwang who opened the scoring at Elland Road, as his impressive form continues, with the South Korean now netting four times in as many league starts this season.

On Monday, Wolves’ official Twitter account posted a tweet stating it was the 300th goal the club have scored in the Premier League since its inception in 1992.

Wolves fans react to official club tweet

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to show their appreciation for both Hwang and the 300-goal Premier League milestone.

“SIUUUUU”

Credit: @jackthenewee

“Didn’t Seol Ki-hyeon set a record when he played for us too?”

Credit: @robcross82

“A lot of love for this man”

Credit: @_PLN_7

“Better than Son”

Credit: @AdamWWFC_

“Would love to see a Wolves Premier League goals breakdown”

Credit: @JackHGrigg

“Sign him permanent then”

Credit: @wwfc_adam

In other news, some Wolves fans have hailed a brilliant moment for a loanee over the weekend. Find out who it is here.

The left-arm spinner strained his hamstring while batting in the third ODI against West Indies at St Kitts on Friday

Cricinfo staff02-Aug-2009Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has been ruled out of Bangladesh’s upcoming tour of Zimbabwe beginning next week. Razzak, who strained his hamstring while batting in the third ODI against West Indies at St Kitts on Friday, will be returning home to continue with his recovery.Enamul Haque jnr has been named as his replacement for the tour scheduled between August 9-18 and comprising a warm-up match and five ODIs.Razzak, 27, was reported for a suspect action in November 2008 and he was suspended from bowling in international cricket. The ICC cleared him the following year and soon after, he was picked for the World Twenty20 in England. He was also Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker during their recent 3-0 ODI whitewash of West Indies, picking up seven at 22.85.Enamul, who last played an ODI back in 2005, against the same opposition in Dhaka, will be joining the squad in Dubai on Wednesday and will fly to Zimbabwe thereafter.

أعلن علاء عبد العال المدير الفني لنادي ايسترن كومباني تشكيل فريقه الذي سيلعب به أمام الأهلي اليوم الأربعاء في الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويحتضن ملعب المقاولون العرب مباراة الأهلي وإيسترن كومباني اليوم ضمن منافسات الجولة الحادية والثلاثين من الدوري.

ويسعى إيسترن لتحسين ترتيبه في الدوري والهروب من مراكز الهبوط، حيث يقبع في المرتبة السادسة عشر برصيد 28 نقطة.

طالع | تشكيل الأهلي أمام إيسترن كومباني.. حسام حسن في الهجوم ومحمد محمود أساسي

بينما يدخل الأهلي مباراة اليوم وهو في المركز الثالث برصيد 62 نقطة. تشكيل إيسترن كومباني أمام الأهلي اليوم

حراسة المرمي: عمرو حسام.

خط الدفاع: كمال أبو الفتوح وأحمد عبد الموجود ومحمد صالح وصابر الشيمي.

خط الوسط: مودي ناصر ومحمد علي الطرابلسي وأحمد حمزاوي.

خط الهجوم: عماد ميهوب وأحمد متعب وفراس عيفية.

زار البرتغالي روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم استاد الجيش ببرج العرب في الإسكندرية في إطار حرصه على تفقد عدد من الملاعب خلال الساعات القليلة الماضية.

وأوضح اتحاد الكرة أن المدرب البرتغالي أجرى زيارة لاستاد الإسكندرية أيضًا في ظل الجولة التي أجراها برفقة عامر حسين عضو الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم ورئيس لجنة المسابقات برابطة الأندية المصرية المحترفة.

طالع أيضًا.. فيتوريا يتوجه بطلب جديد لاتحاد الكرة بشأن أندية الدوري المصري

وأثنى روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر على إمكانيات استاد برج العرب، في إطار سلسلة زياراته للملاعب من أجل التحضير لمعسكر الفراعنة في شهر سبتمبر المقبل.

يذكر أن فيتوريا قد وصل القاهرة خلال الأسبوع الحالي لتولي مهامه رسميًا، بعدما سافر البرتغال إثر توقيعه على عقود تدريب منتخب مصر لإنهاء بعض الأمور الشخصية.

Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has warned that pitches around the world are becoming too batsman-friendly, largely because of the volume of cricket played.Several Test matches this year have been dominated by high-scoring draws, notably in Karachi and Barbados, which produced first-innings totals of 600 and 700. Atkinson believes the increase in one-day and Twenty20 cricket has affected the skill of producing surfaces that promote an even battle.”With the huge amount of one-day and Twenty20 cricket around the world, it seems that some people have forgotten the art of preparing a five-day pitch,” he wrote in the May issue of magazine. “The quality of the surfaces might be improving but that doesn’t mean the pitches are better for cricket as a whole. It’s about getting the right balance and it is now too far in favour of the batsman. It needs to come back towards the bowler.”He highlighted the pitches during the recent West Indies-England series, which produced one positive result in Jamaica before three bat-dominated draws with the run-fest in Barbados proving the most one-sided confrontation.”It was very disappointing to see how bland some of the pitches were during England’s recent Test series,” Atkinson said. “Most of them are new pitches laid specifically for the World Cup in 2007 and yet they seem to have deteriorated since then.”However, Atkinson insisted that the current state of pitches is not coming because of demands from the ICC for similar playing surfaces. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “The ICC wants to preserve the primacy of Test cricket and part of that is having pitches that produce good games, not bore draws. They want pace and even bounce but beyond that they want pitches to retain their local, traditional characteristics like seam in England or spin in India.”

While West Bromwich Albion have started life under Valerien Ismael well, with the Baggies having lost just one of their 11 Championship fixtures under the Frenchman, there have nevertheless been questions raised regarding Albion’s lack of an out and out goalscorer.

Indeed, while Ismael did secure the services of Norwich City centre-forward Jordan Hugill on a season-long loan deal this summer, the 29-year-old is yet to find the back of the net over his seven second-tier appearances for the club.

That’s something that has caused West Brom problems at times, none more so than when the Baggies failed to win three consecutive fixtures against Millwall, Derby County and Preston North End – with Albion scoring just two goals in these games.

As such, it would appear likely that Ismael is already starting to consider entering the January market for further additions up top, however, perhaps the 46-year-old could find a solution to his problem much closer to home.

Lukaku 2.0

West Brom have developed something of a reputation for developing promising young players in recent years, with the likes of Aston Villa’s Louie Barry and Crystal Palace’s Nathan Ferguson both being graduates of the Baggies academy.

However, unfortunately for the Championship side, they have often been unable to keep hold of their most exciting prospects, with many leaving The Hawthorns on free transfers, while others have been picked up by Premier League teams for a relative snip.

And, it would now appear as if West Brom have yet another diamond on their hands, this time in the shape of 17-year-old Reyes Cleary – who is already reported to be attracting the interest of Borussia Dortmund as well as many others.

Indeed, it is not difficult to see why there is significant interest in the teenager, as, over his four U18 Premier League appearances for Albion this season, Cleary has scored a brace in each fixture – which just so happen to have been against Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.

The teenager has also bagged two goals over two appearances for the Baggies’ U23 side, taking his total haul so far this season to ten goals – in addition to one assist – in just six games.

Furthermore, it is not only transfer interest that Cleary is attracting, but also extremely high praise, with West Brom’s U18 coach Peter Gilbert dubbing the striker a “powerful” player who is an “excellent” finisher – while the youngster has also been compared to former Baggies loanee and current Chelsea star, Romelu Lukaku.

Considering Ismael’s reputation for involving up and coming talents in his first-team squad, in addition to Hugill’s distinct lack of goals, it would seem a wise move for the Frenchman to begin exposing Cleary to senior football before potentially dipping into the transfer market this winter – as the teenager could well go on to save Albion millions in transfer fees.

In other news: “In talks” – Journo drops fresh West Brom claim on £30k-p/w beast, Ismael must act

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are livid with a tweet from The Daily Record in the latest twist of the Heart and Hand podcast affair.

Over the past few months, the Gers have made a decision to move away from their previous media agreements after issues with traditional outlets. They have chosen to charge publications up to £25,000 to receive full access to the club (The Daily Mail), while the Heart and Hand were made an official media partner of the 55-time Scottish champions.

However, that decision has backfired in the past few days after a number of sectarian and bigoted tweets from the podcast’s contributors were discovered by journalist Mark McGivern (The Scottish Sun).

In retaliation, some Rangers supporters have dug up tweets from The Daily Record writers which were in the same vein (Rangers News). The newspaper have now responded to confirm that there will be an investigation into the matter.

They have come out fighting on their official Twitter account with a tweet which attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Daily Record’s tweet

“Drain the swamp”

Credit: @55uperAlly

“Your staff who started this ridiculous historical witch hunt and who have now been found to be no better than themselves should show the same personal responsibility as the people they went after – and step down. If they do not, the decision should be made for them. Shameless.”

Credit: @Vengafish

“That will be the media passes suspended then? Naming them on the front page tomorrow are you? Nah didn’t think so, no credibility whatsoever”

Credit: @Faz_50

“Front page and a double page spread tomorrow I assume? Then a follow up story the next day? I mean that’s how it works, eh?”

Credit: @tagsbo

“They should be sacked !!! As this is what you called for with other organisations”

Credit: @NicoliarSturge1

“Name them on the front page with pics of them. Give them the same treatment you gave some podders. Make clear the sectarian bigotry/homophobia/racism they were involved in. Then you may get taken seriously”

Credit: @derekj79

In other news, this player is a doubt for Rangers’ clash against St Johnstone this weekend.

Leeds United must pull off a late transfer heist for Rangers star Ryan Kent amid recent comments.

What’s the story?

Last year, Marcelo Bielsa’s side had bids rejected for the winger, and recently The Daily Mirror claimed that “Leeds are also keeping a watching brief on Rangers’ Ryan Kent and he is also someone Bielsa has liked for a long time.”

And now, speaking exclusively to FFC, former Leeds man David Norris said: “Go and get him. Rangers are making those whispers that they might need to sell and it feels like they’re putting those feelers out.

“He has been linked many times and is obviously thought really highly of at Leeds. I think he would make a big difference as well. I would say signal your intent and put a decent offer in. I think he would be a good player at Leeds.”

Bielsa likes him

In a Q&A for The Athletic, Phil Hay said: “At the right price, I’m sure Bielsa would be interested. But Rangers have been talking about £20m and Leeds wouldn’t be keen to stretch to that.

“He likes Kent, we know that. My gut feeling is that Bielsa would prefer Kent or James.”

Kent enjoyed an impressive campaign north of the border last term, scoring 13 goals and setting up another 15, so it’s no real surprise that Hay has claimed Bielsa would be keen on doing a deal for the £12.6m-rated ace.

Former Rangers star Kris Boyd has previously waxed lyrical about the former Liverpool man, saying: “There’s Ryan Kent who is phenomenal – he gets you off your seat. His numbers have increased season after season. Even if the team are not at the level we saw at the start of the campaign, he is still a threat. He is so comfortable with the ball – it is like has superglue in his boots!”

Given the kind of attacking options that Bielsa already has at his disposal, including the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison out wide, Kent’s arrival would go a long way to completing a dream attack for the Leeds boss.

Able to play on either side and even behind the striker too, Kent has the kind of impressive versatility that would fit in well at Elland Road. And, given Hay’s comments on how Bielsa “likes” him too, Victor Orta should surely be all over a late transfer window swoop for the Englishman.

As Norris himself says, he could make a “big difference”.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this Premier League record breaker…