All posts by h716a5.icu

Darren Moore’s Sheffield Wednesday have had an excellent start to the 2021/22 campaign following their relegation from the Championship.

They have racked up 10 points from their first five matches in League One and have seemingly shaken off the anchors weighing them down last season.

The Owls were held to a 0-0 draw by Charlton on the opening day before beating Doncaster, Fleetwood and Rotherham without conceding a goal. However, they ended the month on a sour note as they lost 1-0 to Morecambe in League One.

Despite their superb form so far, there are areas in which they can improve and players who did not perform at their best in August. One man in particular who let Moore down with his displays last month was centre-forward Florian Kamberi.

The Albanian featured in all five of Wednesday’s League One matches, scoring once in the 2-0 win over Rotherham. Despite that goal, the attacker was disappointing throughout the month overall with his general play.

As per SofaScore, he had six shots and missed one big chance to go along with his one league goal, suggesting that he should have scored more than he did. He also failed to create a single chance for his teammates in his five appearances, completing just 8.8 passes per game on average. This ties in with his dreadful attempts to dribble past opponents, as he was tackled in 75% of his efforts to take on and beat defenders.

In terms of his play off the ball, Kamberi struggled to compete. As per SofaScore, the 26-year-old lost 64% of his duels on the pitch, including 90% of his aerial battles. This suggests that he has not shown enough physicality to win duels against his opponents, who have been able to oust him the majority of the time in 50-50s.

Kamberi also lost the ball 34 times (6.8 per game) in 235 minutes of action in League One. This shows that he has not been secure enough in possession to hold on to the ball, along with his lack of strength in duels, his absence of creativity and his mixed luck in front of goal. He has let Moore down with his displays in August and will hopefully head into September with a point to prove to his manager.

AND in other news, 72% duels won: Sheffield Wednesday beast with zero errors was Moore’s key man in August

Kevin Pietersen has admitted that the tumultuous events over the last few months over him quitting the captaincy and the sacking of former coach Peter Moores had drained him mentally

Cricinfo staff27-Mar-2009England batsman Kevin Pietersen has admitted that the tumultuous events of the last few months over him quitting captaincy and the sacking of former coach Peter Moores had drained him mentally during the ongoing tour of the West Indies. In an interview to the , Pietersen opened up about the way he was treated as captain, saying he didn’t always get what he wanted and the whole experience caused a lot of hurt to him and his family.Pietersen failed to establish a proper working relationship with Moores and the rift between the two cost the coach his job. Pietersen, however, insisted that the team atmosphere has been sound all tour, despite the sudden personnel changes now with Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower stepping in as captain and interim coach.”What happened in January (quitting from captaincy) drained me mentally and I know people have been watching me and talking about me throughout this tour,” he told the paper. “It’s been a heck of a tough time and I’m at the end of my tether now. Really and truly I can’t wait to get home.”I liked the way the guys played under me and the approach that we had, but I never had everything I wanted as England captain. That’s the thing that gets me. My England captaincy was not the England captaincy I wanted, that’s what will live with me for a long time.”There was a lot of hurt for me and my family at the way it ended and a lot of what was written was unfounded, but the bad feelings don’t linger. I wouldn’t have done anything differently with the benefit of hindsight because I did everything by the book. Straussy got what I wanted but good luck to him because he’s a top man. I know he’ll make the most of it.”He added that he had made a conscious effort all tour to allow Strauss to make his own decisions and will perhaps offer advice during the Ashes this summer.”I haven’t offered much advice on this tour to Strauss nor have I been asked for it,” Pietersen said. “It’s been too close to the bone in terms of what happened in January and that has made it difficult for me to get involved in decisions.’I haven’t wanted to step on his toes. I’d rather let him get on with it and do what he needs to do. Maybe in the summer it will be time for me to voice my opinion a bit more but for now I’m keeping myself to myself.”He also insisted that he would never consider captaincy again. “It’s not somewhere I want to go and dive into,” he said. “After the way I was let down I just don’t think I want to get involved in that again.”

Flocking to Twitter, after what was a day to forget against Crystal Palace this afternoon, many Tottenham Hotspur fans have slammed head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Portuguese tactician, tasked with getting the Tottenham ship back on track after the Jose Mourinho era, will not want to relive today too quickly as Spurs succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.

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Supporters were less than impressed with the likes of Japhet Tanganga and Ben Davies, with the former being sent off and the latter conceding a penalty against the Eagles.

However, another man now appears to be under fire for his part in the lacklustre display, with fans questioning a fair few of Nuno’s decisions during the encounter.

Despite not possessing much control, the 47-year-old opted not to make many changes going forward and left the likes of Bryan Gil and Tanguy Ndombele benched.

He attempted to bring the Spaniard on late but eventually didn’t make the substitution, with many Lilywhites blasting Nuno for this and other calls during the match.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

Spurs fans blast Nuno…

“Hahaha that must be a joke. Nuno wasted this game himself. He couldn’t read the match at all.”

Credit: @Ahmed_de99

“None showing why he was only about 6th choice as manager. He looked clueless today. Can’t blame the sending off, we were shocking before that”

Credit: @daennichols

“How Nuno didn’t make at least one change at half time is very worrying for the long term”

Credit: @gingerwizard74

“Nuno has been awful today. Forced into two but they should of done it at half time. Team was wrong in the first place. Gil should have started. We’ve been pathetic”

Credit: @RossAspland

“Disgraceful from Nuno it really is”

Credit: @Glxn

“Absolutely Horrendous transfer window and a horrendous manager was appointed”

Credit: @TheDarkHero84

“Nuno’s decision making today was just awful! Poor tactics, terrible game management!”

Credit: @mikyonehotspur

In other news: Spurs source: Rising starlet could now be out for at least nine months after big injury blow, find out more here.

After a meeting with the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, Pakistan’s federal minister for sport Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani has said that he is confident the ICC is committed to ensuring international cricket flourishes in Pakistan again

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2009After a meeting with the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, Pakistan’s federal minister for sport Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani has said that he is confident the ICC is committed to ensuring international cricket flourishes in Pakistan again.Jilani flew to Dubai, the headquarters of the ICC, after it announced that it would move the 2011 World Cup out of Pakistan because of the “uncertain security situation” in the country. “Cricket cannot be revived in Pakistan without it so I am very happy that Mr Lorgat is determined to make sure the game survives and thrives in our country,” he said after a “fruitful and amicable” meeting.The ICC’s move had been criticised by several former Pakistan players and officials of the PCB. Lorgat defended the decision and said it had not been done ‘lightly or hastily’. “We want teams to return to play cricket in Pakistan as soon as possible and we are willing to assist the PCB to prepare for that time,” he said. “Unfortunately, the security situation is not something we control and nor is it something that is the fault of the PCB.”The ICC had also said that Pakistan was unlikely to resume hosting any international cricket at all until 2011.

A report has cast doubt on the possibility of Wolverhampton Wanderers renewing their efforts to sign Kieffer Moore. 

Alex Dicken, writing for Birmingham Live, claims that strengthening the attack isn’t Bruno Lage’s main priority.

The lowdown

Wolves ‘acted on their interest’ in Moore in the final knockings of the transfer window. They made a bid for the Cardiff City striker, but saw it rejected.

Cardiff boss Mick McCarthy was publicly critical of Wolves’ late approach, calling it ‘crazy’ and suggesting it made ‘everyone panic’.

McCarthy values Moore highly given his ‘terrific’ performances and ‘amazing’ work-rate (via Wales Online).

Wolves were however able to sign a striker during the summer, with Hwang Hee-chan arriving from RB Leipzig on a season-long loan with an option to buy (via BBC Sport).

The latest

Moore would apparently be keen on a move to the Midlands outfit, where he would get the chance to work with Wales coach Tony Roberts.

However, Lage sees bigger weaknesses in the team which need to be addressed.

Indeed, it’s Lille midfielder Renato Sanches who is said to be his primary target.

The verdict

Wolves fans may have already thought that signing Hwang would preclude any further striker moves, particularly with Fabio Silva already on the books as a deputy to Raul Jimenez.

But Moore offers something very different to the South Korean. He’s an almighty aerial presence, comfortably leading the Championship for successful aerial duels per 90 minutes last season with a frankly remarkable 10.5 per game (via WhoScored).

He also scored 20 goals for the Bluebirds, and so even if Wolves move on, he should have other Premier League suitors, ranking as the second best player in the league last term, ahead of now Premier League star Ivan Toney.

In other news, Ian Wright has raved about this Wolves star.

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum has been reported for showing dissent in Saturday’s six-wicket loss to Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg

Cricinfo staff17-May-2009Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum has been severely reprimanded by the match referee for showing dissent in Saturday’s six-wicket loss to Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg. After a hearing on Sunday, the match referee S Venkataraghavan found him guilty of breaching Level one of the IPL Code of Conduct for players.The charge was brought up by the on-field umpires S Ravi and Rudi Koertzen. The incident took place in the final over of Deccan’s chase when a no-ball was called by Ravi at square leg off the first ball with Kolkata deemed to have only three fielders in the circle. McCullum was livid with the decision but, after lengthy discussions between him and the umpires, the decision stood.McCullum had apologised at the post-match presentation for arguing with the umpires. “I want to apologise for the reaction out there, it was purely out of emotion,” he said. “We’re going to try to stay as positive as we can. It’s not easy being in a team that has lost of a lot of tight games.”Kolkata have had a woeful campaign, losing ten of their 12 matches so far, and the defeat against Deccan was the second consecutive game they lost after seemingly being in control going into the final two overs.

Alan Hutton has been left slamming Salomon Rondon as he has failed to make a real impact since signing for Everton.

The Lowdown: Rondon struggling

Rondon has not really hit the ground running at Goodison Park so far, failing to score in any of his three appearances in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

He was criticised by some Merseyside club fans for his performance in the 3-0 loss away at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday evening, as he had to fill in up top for the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Latest: Hutton on Rondon

Speaking to Football Insider, former Aston Villa and Rangers right-back Hutton has not been impressed by Rondon’s start to life under Rafa Benitez, and suggested that he does not look fit:

“It’s a huge ask. He doesn’t quite look up to speed, yet, for me.

“For Everton, as any team, if you take out Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Pickford, you’re going to be a lot worse off.

“Taking your top players out, it’s going to be difficult. Rondon, I think, is a decent replacement if Calvert-Lewin is injured. I don’t think he’s playing at the level where he wants to be.

“He looks a yard off the pace. It’s difficult for him. They’ll be desperate to get Calvert-Lewin back, he’s a huge player for them.

“Rondon’s going to have to work harder to get to a level where he needs to be.”

The Verdict: More time needed

Of course, it is very early in his Toffees career, and so Rondon needs to be given more time.

If he can improve on his fitness and match sharpness, then he could certainly turn out to be a useful weapon, whether he is starting in the absence of Calvert-Lewin or coming on as an impact substitute.

Nonetheless, the Venezuela international has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League, and his time will surely come with a little bit of patience.

In other news, find out what transfer news has Blues raging here!

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left in awe of a social media update following an official announcement by the club.

Around two weeks ago, the Hammers dropped some news which was bound to prompt applause from a huge set of supporters.

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Indeed, as they previously confirmed, West Ham’s tribute to Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters would be unveiled at the London Stadium before their Europa League home opener against Rapid Wien last night.

As promised, in an official update via Twitter, the club unveiled their statue depiction of the legendary Hammers trio just outside the stadium, and it’s safe to say that many West Ham fans are overjoyed with the gesture.

The tribute, which pays homage to West Ham’s 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup victory, features Peters, Hurst and Moore standing triumphantly and hoisting the trophy aloft – a sweet reminder of a seminal moment in the club’s history.

Flocking to this ‘beautiful’ club update, here’s what some Irons fans had to say:

West Ham fans love statue unveiling…

“Beautiful”

Credit: @riobeare

“Ooosh”

Credit: @callumwhu123

“It’s about time, it looks amazing, can’t wait to go see it in person”

Credit: @TheLawless

“This is quality”

Credit: @LeefromAHN

“Absolutely Stunning!”

Credit: @DannyGBoyle

“Actually looks quality”

Credit: @jackster483

“Fabulous. A proud day for all involved. COYI”

Credit: @ZaynafamilyMary

In other news: West Ham source: GSB set sights on signing ‘outstanding’ player for Moyes, talks already held! Find out more here.

The sweat and toil of Barbados and Trinidad felt a world away as England made home advantage count to bundle out West Indies for 152 and still had time to remove two more in the follow-on

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan07-May-2009
ScorecardGraham Onions enjoyed a memorable debut as he claimed 5 for 38•AFPThe sweat and toil of Barbados and Trinidad felt a world away as England made home advantage count at Lord’s. They bundled out West Indies for 152 and still had time to remove two more in the follow-on as the visitors hurtled towards a heavy defeat. Graham Onions announced himself in Test cricket with 5 for 38 – including three wickets in an over – and Graeme Swann showed his all-round credentials with three key scalps to follow his career-best 63 that lifted England to 377.Onions had looked understandably nervous at the start of his spell – following a first ball duck to end England’s innings – and his first four overs cost 22 as he dropped short. However, his fortunes changed when he removed Lendl Simmons with one that climbed off a length and took the shoulder of the bat to first slip. Two balls later he had Jerome Taylor gloving a pull down the leg side and he ended the over with Sulieman Benn – who had barely had time to get padded up as the collapse unfolded – well held at third slip by Swann. His fourth followed when he trapped Denesh Ramdin on the crease and the magical fifth when he removed Lionel Baker to end the innings.Onions, and England, will have much sterner Tests this season, but these early contests are all about producing efficient performances that can lay the ground work for what follows. They couldn’t really have asked for much more as Swann and Onions instigated a collapse of eight for 53 either side of tea before James Anderson showed his mastery of swing. He extracted the key scalps of Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, both of whom were dismissed twice in the space of three hours, as Gayle fended a catch to third slip and Sarwan was undone by a fine inswinger that had him tangled in knots.What was noticeable was how much more life England’s trio of quicks (Tim Bresnan only bowled one late over so can’t be included just yet) managed to get out of the surface. Matt Prior was regularly taking the ball above his head and batsmen were being struck on the glove and body. The speed-gun readings said Anderson, Onions and Stuart Broad all hit 90mph which, if accurate and sustainable, gives the attack a potent edge.Broad made the early breakthroughs in the first innings after a surprising start where Swann had been handed the new ball before normality returned after the two-over experiment. Following a brisk opening stand of 46, Broad benefited from Gayle’s lack of footwork the ball cannoned off inside edge into the stumps, and four overs later gained revenge against Sarwan for the tough winter’s work when a toe-end carried through to Prior.However, the spell that turned the day strongly in England’s favour came from Swann when he returned at a more conventional time in the innings. His first ball back crept through the defence of Devon Smith who had peppered the boundary during an aggressive 46 before falling in a manner that became common in West Indies. This was the fourth time he had fallen to Swann and again it was difficult to see how he’d managed to miss the ball, although it was a good delivery from Swann.Next ball it got even better when Swann drew Shivnarine Chanderpaul into a drive and the outside edge went to Paul Collingwood at slip. With that West Indies’ big three were gone and England had an opening. Shortly after tea Brendan Nash, who became equally troublesome for England during the winter, fell in very similar style when Collingwood plucked out another smart catch at slip as Swann continued to trouble the left handers.The collapse was reminiscent of the sort that West Indies used to specialise in and it generated an unstoppable momentum as Onions ripped through the lower order. However, it didn’t come as a total surprise because the tourists had been lacklustre from the very start of play when England were able to grasp the advantage through Swann’s positive strokeplay. The only negative aspect of England’s play all day was a curious decision to walk off for bad light after 25 minutes play with the runs flowing.Swann and Ravi Bopara carried their stand to 93 in 21 overs as they took advantage of West Indies’ lethargy as Swann reached fifty with a flat, pulled six off Baker. Bopara’s elegant innings was eventually ended on 143 when he drove to extra cover and Edwards finally earned his deserved reward by wrapping up the innings in two balls and get his place on the honours board. But that was about the only moment worth celebrating for the visitors as they were soon made to look a distant second best. Even though the Lord’s pitch has a history of flattening out, anyone with tickets for Saturday would be wise to start looking at alternative entertainment.

Leeds United could potentially sign their next Pablo Hernandez in Derby County play-maker Louie Sibley.

What’s the story?

Reports back in January earlier this year had suggested Marcelo Bielsa’s side were interested in signing the 20-year-old, but a deal failed to materialise before the deadline.

Now, with Derby having recently entered into administration, Kevin Phillips has suggested that Leeds could well go back in for Sibley.

He said: “There is an opportunity now for clubs to sign the good players Derby have got for next to nothing. There will probably be some daft offers going in. Derby will need the money unless they find a buyer by then.

“It’s another opportunity for Leeds to sign Louie Sibley. I know very well and let me tell you he’d be a brilliant signing for them.”

Shades of Pablo Hernandez

Able to play just behind the striker, slightly deeper or even out wide, the versatility that Sibley brings to the table is something similar to Hernandez.

According to Football Talent Scout on Twitter, his main strengths are: pace, passing, vision, dribbling, technique, ball control, long shots – exactly the kind of profile you need to play as a number ten.

And, after watching him score a sensational hat-trick against Leeds, Derby’s U23s head coach Pat Lyons, raved: “I’m delighted for him to get the hat-trick. He was outstanding all night. His driving with the ball is unbelievable, the way he goes past players and the way he makes things happen. It was a great achievement for him tonight.”

That ability to go past players like they aren’t there, but also have the end product to boot too, is exactly what Hernandez brought to the table when he was on song at Elland Road.

At just 20, Sibley has still got plenty of time to develop and progress under someone like Bielsa, and would fit in with the kind of younger profile of signings that Leeds have made in the summer transfer window.

Orta could well sign Leeds’ dream long-term heir to Hernandez in Sibley.

Meanwhile, Victor Orta can fix his biggest Leeds howler with this star…