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Journalist Pete O’Rourke has made a fresh behind-the-scenes claim involving Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele and manager Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Days numbered?

Recent reports suggest that Spurs’ club-record signing may well be on the way out of north London permanently this summer as Conte makes his decision.

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The Evening Standard and Football Insider both back that Tottenham’s manager doesn’t see a future for Ndombele at N17, so much so that the Lilywhites will entertain offers from clubs to take him off their hands permanently.

Ndombele parting company may well be a determining factor in Conte having money to spend this summer as the club aim to boost their transfer kitty as much as possible.

The Latest: O’Rourke makes fresh Ndombele claim…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke believes there may have been a behind-the-scenes fall out with Conte, with the pair not seeing ‘eye-to-eye’.

He explained: “It seemed him and Conte didn’t see eye-to-eye, so they tried to rush through this January loan move back to Lyon, which was the only move they could do.

“In the summer it will give them maybe more time to explore and see if they can seek a permanent exit. It’ll all come down to price and what Spurs are looking for, but I’m sure there will be interested clubs and Lyon would love to make it permanent.”

The Verdict: Time to sell…

The France international will continue earning a salary of around £10,400,000-per-year upon returning to Spurs from his loan, if Lyon don’t make his move permanent.

An arguable drain on Spurs’ wage bill an overall funds, it is in transfer chief Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy’s best interest to successfully negotiate a sale as one of their first actions of the summer window.

His ability is obvious, with Tim Sherwood calling Ndombele a ‘maverick’ and Son Heung-min once branding the midfielder ‘unbelievable’, but his skills have always been marred by questions surrounding his application.

In other news: Conte personally approves ‘monster’ player move as Tottenham take pre-summer action, find out more here.

Play was abandoned without a ball bowled in the County Championship match between Somerset and Durham for the second successive day at Taunton after a 2.30pm pitch inspection

26-Aug-2010
ScorecardPlay was abandoned without a ball bowled in the County Championship match between Somerset and Durham for the second successive day at Taunton after a 2.30pm pitch inspection.Although the rain stopped during the morning, so much had fallen in the previous 24 hours that the outfield remained saturated.The umpires inspected at 12.30pm and 1.30pm, seeing little improvement, and when a further hour brought no significant change they decided there was no prospect of play. Somerset were due to resume their first innings on 287 for 4.

Scorecard
Bermuda endured a nightmarish first day in their Intercontinental Shield match against United Arab Emirates, crumbling for 56 after opting to bat first and then conceding a 136-run lead as UAE closed on 192 for 2, opener Arshad Ali unbeaten on 75.Bermuda’s troubles started early, as their opening pair of Chris Foggo and Fiqre Crockwell were parted in the second over. What followed was carnage, the highest partnership of the innings a mere 18 as every batsman apart from Foggo was dismissed for six runs or less.The wickets were shared around by UAE’s bowlers, but left-arm spinners Shadeep Silva and Ahmed Raza proved particularly destructive. Raza found himself on a hat-trick in the 21st over as Foggo, who struck three fours and a six in his 29, and Stefan Kelly departed in consecutive balls.Joshua Gilbert survived the hat-trick ball, and he and Jordan DeSilva survived another 10 overs before Amjad Javed returned to trap DeSilva lbw and Gilbert was run out four balls later.Bermuda deflated further as Abdul Rehman and Arshad put on a steady 94 for the first wicket before Rehman was pinned infront by Rodney Trott for 65. Arshad then added 46 with captain Khurram Khan, registering his seventh first-class fifty and securing UAE’s dominance with an unbeaten 52-run stand in Saqib Ali’s company.

Craig Ervine dominated Canada and outshone his team-mates as Zimbabwe XI finished the second day well on top in Toronto

Cricinfo staff03-Aug-2010Canada 129 & 49 for 3 trail Zimbabwe XI 351 (Ervine 177, Bhatti 6-98) by 173 runs
Scorecard
Craig Ervine dominated Canada with 177•International Cricket CouncilCraig Ervine dominated Canada and outshone his team-mates as Zimbabwe XI finished the second day in Toronto with a 173-run lead and seven more wickets to get. Ervine stood up with 177 of his side’s 351 and his effort was so strong that the second top score was Shingirai Masakadza’s 35.The visitors resumed at 88 for 3 and lost Vusi Sibanda, the captain, to the first ball of the day when he drove Umar Bhatti to gully. Another wicket fell to Bhatti – he finished with an impressive 6 for 98 – before Zimbabwe had passed Canada’s first-innings 129, but by then Ervine was in touch.His hundred came off 179 balls and he started to explode when there was only one wicket remaining. Ervine blasted three sixes and a four in two overs shortly before he was stumped off Hiral Patel.Canada’s second innings began badly when Patel (7) edged behind and Nitish Kumar fell for 6 in the 11th over. Tendai Chatara picked up his second when Sandeep Jyoti played on for 1, and the hosts finished the day at a wobbly 49 for 3.

Following on from their 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Premier League last weekend, when they came from 2-0 down in the second half, Aston Villa secured all three points in their latest league outing with a 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park this afternoon.

A headed goal from Emiliano Buendia just before half-time was enough to win the game for Steven Gerrard’s side against the struggling Toffees.

The Argentine was not the only Villa player who impressed on the day, with defender Tyrone Mings putting in the sort of performance which would leave his manager delighted.

Throughout the entire match, Mings was Villa’s defensive rock by racking up five clearances – with one off the goal-line – one tackle, one interception and two blocks (as per SofaScore), so it’s fair to say that he made a somewhat heroic contribution to his team recording a clean sheet as well as victory.

The defender also won six duels, showing how difficult he made it for Everton’s attacking figures such as Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin this afternoon.

This performance ultimately earned the England international an impressive overall match rating of 8.1/10, making him Villa’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore and arguably Gerrard’s hero of the hour.

Birmingham Live’s Ashley Preece also picked up on the 28-year-old’s “excellent” display by saying that he “showed real leadership once again, blocking and clearing everything that came his way while he headed Godfrey’s goal-bound effort away as Everton pressed after the break.”

Having been praised in the past by former Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor for his “outstanding” performances on the international stage for England, Mings showed today that he is capable of delivering solid displays for his club as well, and that he is worthy of donning the captain’s armband.

Moving forward, if the 28-year-old can keep producing this standard of performance on a regular basis throughout the remainder of the season, he will surely give Villa every chance of comfortably finishing in the top half in the final Premier League table.

In other news: Ashley Preece drops Villa transfer claim amid Gerrard comments, fans surely delighted

Pundit Kevin Campbell believes Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas could seal a late Parkhead exit, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Blades interest

Sheffield United recently showed an interest in the Greek shot-stopper, who has featured just twice under Ange Postecoglou this season.

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However, the Blades pulled out of a possible loan move following talks with the Hoops. Reports suggested that Celtic wanted a loan fee and for Sheffield United to cover the goalkeeper’s £20,000-a-week wage, while they also wanted to place a £2.5m option-to-buy in any loan deal, along with a sell-on clause.

Despite a breakdown in talks, Campbell feels a move to Bramall Lane could still be on the cards.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who features on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Barkas.

He feels a move to Yorkshire could still materialise in the final days of the winter window.

“A decision is going to have to be made.

“Sheffield United and Celtic are going to have to come to a compromise because at the moment Celtic are looking to lighten the load on a signing that hasn’t worked out.

“Watch this space, because that deal could go right down to the wire.”

The Verdict: Unlikely

The Blades were seemingly after a new goalkeeper after loanee Robin Olsen cut his stay in Yorkshire short to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

Barkas could well have been an option for Paul Heckingbottom’s side, however, they have since signed Adam Davies from Stoke City.

That leaves them with Davies, Wes Foderingham and Jake Eastwood as goalkeeping options, so a move for Barkas doesn’t look likely.

Hopefully, the Hoops can move Barkas and his high wages on before Monday, so it could be one to keep an eye on, but we’re not so sure it’ll be to Sheffield.

Many Everton fans have been rejoicing over after the club confirmed some major news regarding their managerial situation.

As per the Toffees’ official website, Rafael Benitez has now officially left Goodison Park, and an update on a permanent replacement for the Spaniard will be made soon.

After Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at relegation-threatened Norwich City, which meant that the Toffees have still managed to pick up just one win in the Premier League since September, it is not a surprise to see the 61-year-old getting the sack, and many supporters happy to see the back of him.

Of course, it was always a risk to hire Benitez in the first place because of his connections with Liverpool, and in hindsight it now seems to have been a bad appointment, with a lot of toxicity among the away fans at Carrow Road yesterday.

Everton fans on Benitez manager news

These Everton supporters buzzed as the dismissal of Benitez was shared on Twitter, with one fan describing the news as ‘beautiful’:

“YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS”

Credit: @GeniusChosenOne

“IT’S BEAUTIFUL”

Credit: @danielgeorgee

“FINALLYYYYY”

Credit: @Adz_EFC

“Just got cramp celebrating”

Credit: @james_gavo3

“Get in”

Credit: @jessikamcnab

“Let’s partyyyyyy”

Credit: @imogensilker

In other news, many Evertonians would love to see this man replacing Benitez

MatériaMais Notícias

Jô foi desfalque em um jogo do Corinthians nesta temporada por conta do sequestro de sua irmã, em abril. A informação, que foi mantida em sigilo pelas partes até então, foi divulgada nesta segunda-feira pelo “Meu Timão”.

No dia 11 de abril, véspera do confronto com o Internacional, pela ida da Copa do Brasil, o atacante recebeu a notícia sobre o sequestro. Ele, então, comunicou o gerente de futebol Alessandro Nunes de que não teria condições de treinar e viajar a Porto Alegre.

– Fiquei apavorado! – afirmou Jô.

Para justificar o desfalque, o técnico Fábio Carille disse que iria preservar o atacante por conta do desgaste físico. Na época, o Corinthians teria pela frente a semifinal diante do São Paulo.

– Foi apenas aquele jogo. Acho que isso foi fundamental para que a história não vazasse. Foi tudo mundo rápido mesmo – disse Jô.

O caso foi resolvido no mesmo dia, sem Jô ter dado mais detalhes. Ele tem duas irmãs, Elisa e Elaine, e preferiu não revelar qual delas foi sequestrada.

– Por volta das 18h, 19h daquele mesmo dia tudo estava resolvido. Graças a Deus – declarou o atacante.

– Acredito que, se estendesse a situação, eu teria mais dificuldade para administrar. Mas foi rápido, tive cabeça no lugar e ajuda da minha família. Nos juntamos ali em torno de nós mesmo e saímos juntos daquilo.

No jogo diante do Internacional, o Corinthians empatou por 1 a 1 em Porto Alegre e foi eliminado em casa, nos pênaltis. Apesar do problema, Jô foi um dos principais jogadores da equipe nesta temporada e briga pela artilharia do Brasileirão, com 18 gols, ao lado de Henrique Dourado, do Fluminense.

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Former Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips has been reacting to the news that Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips could miss two months through injury, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ hamstring injury

The 26-year-old had to be withdrawn against Brentford last weekend through injury, with Marcelo Bielsa unsure at the time in regards to the extent of the problem. The Telegraph provided an update a few days later, suggesting that the England international could miss up to two months out with a hamstring issue.

Leeds officially shared an update on the 26-year-old’s problem on Thursday, claiming that the midfielder has undergone treatment on the issue.

The Latest: Phillips injury is a ‘huge blow’

Phillips, who regularly features as a pundit on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding the news on the Leeds midfielder.

This is what he had to say in reply, labelling The Telegraph’s update as a ‘huge blow’ to the player and his club:

“It’s a huge, huge blow.

“It’s been a tough season for Leeds so far. To lose arguably their most talented player at this point in the season will be devastating. He’s the heartbeat of their midfield.

“It’s been a bit of an up and down season for Kalvin so far, there were obviously the rumours of a rift between him and Bielsa which turned out to be false.

“Being out for two months at such a crucial time with these tough games coming up, it’s a massive blow. It could go wrong for Leeds.”

The Verdict: How will Bielsa deal without Phillips?

Phillips has been influential under Bielsa during his time at Elland Road, perfecting the defensive midfield role in a unique system.

He has turned out 107 times as a defensive midfielder during his career, and early indications are that the manager is more than happy to get imaginative when it comes to coping without the England international.

Leeds went with a 4-3-1-2 system in an impressive display against Chelsea at the weekend, with winger Jack Harrison occupying one of the three central midfield roles alongside Adam Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton.

Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich and Pascal Struijk are also options for Bielsa in that position in what could be an entertaining festive period as the Whites look to take points off the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

In other news: Sky Sports think this ‘brilliant’ Leeds beast suffered a fresh injury on Saturday

Cricinfo previews the opening match of the tri-series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Mirpur

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran03-Jan-2010Match factsShakib Al Hasan: “Good performances against India can help the players get noticed for the IPL”•Associated Press

January 4, 2010
Start time 14.30 local, (08.30 GMT)Three subcontinent teams usher in the new year with a tri-series at the Shere Bangla stadium in Mirpur. Lengthy rest periods are rare in the international calendar these days. Barely a week after leaving India’s shores – a tour that stretched them physically as well as mentally – Sri Lanka are back at the departure terminal. They’ve made sweeping changes to their team, leaving out Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, in a bid to set their combination right and make amends for what happened in India.It’s clear they are a better team than what we saw in India. Their misfortune was that their bowlers couldn’t figure out a way to restrict the batsmen on run-heavy pitches. Their outing against Bangladesh tomorrow will not be as taxing, but it won’t be a walk in the park either. Their tour of the country last year will be remembered for the one-dayer they lost to Shakib Al Hasan’s brilliance with the bat and the tri-series final they nearly lost after being reduced to an embarrassing 5 for 6. The plan is simple, at least on paper – get a win in the bag against the weakest team in the competition, before facing upto the strongest.The one aspect that could go against Bangladesh in this series is their lack of match practice over the last two months. The locals will look forward to this series for one good reason, to see if their team can carry forward their form from 2009 (14 wins out of 19) against tougher opposition. Victories against Zimbabwe and a second-string West Indies team may have inflated those numbers a big way, but at least they were richer for the experience of winning.Form guide (last 5 completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh WWWWL
Sri Lanka LLWLLWatch out forUpul Tharanga: With Jayasuriya dropped and questions over his future with the team and where he should ideally bat, Tharanga will utilise his absence to cement his place at the top. He may not be as flashy or instinctive at the crease like Jayasuriya or Tillakaratne Dilshan, but can be just as intimidating with his crisply timed strokes and ability to score briskly. He was the second highest run-getter for Sri Lanka in the India ODIs with 295 runs at 94.95 with a century and two fifties. This tour presents Tharanga the best opportunity he’s ever had.Thilan Thushara: Thushara was one of the bowlers Sri Lanka sorely missed in India. It put a lot of pressure on Nuwan Kulasekara and Dammika Prasad, who couldn’t maintain any consistency. In Thushara Sri Lanka now have a bowler who can hit the deck hard and rough up the batsmen with pace. With Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan missing, Thushara brings with him the valuable component known as experience.Spin: Bangladesh make no secret of their strength – spin – and why not? With Mashrafe Mortaza out, and a blow-hot blow-cold Shahadat Hossain, they naturally wouldn’t want to throw in too many untested youngsters. Spin is the way forward and as their coach Jamie Siddons said, no other team has more spin-bowling allrounders like Bangladesh. Also watch out for faster over-rates, in that case.Team newsNo specific line-up announced. With a few senior players resting, Sri Lanka will experiment a bit with their line-up over the course of the tournament. One thing they can do is recall Chamara Silva to the middle order, which looks thin on experience. Silva is a good finisher, so a player like Thilina Kandamby can learn a thing or two about that art when batting with him.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (vice-capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Thilan Samaraweera, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Thissara Perera, 8 Muthumudalige Pushpakumara/Malinga Bandara, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 Thilan Thushara, 11 Chanaka WelagederaBangladesh have announced that their rookie right-arm seamer, Shafiul Islam, will make his debut. He will partner Rubel Hossain, one of their finds last year. However, the ICL returnees, Aftab Ahmed and Shahriar Nafees, will not be playing. The same goes for Syed Rasel and Shahadat Hossain, who replaced Nazmul Hossain. Shafiul was one of the leading wicket-takers in the club scene last season.”We have tried all bowling combinations for seamers, so we are going with another one now,” said Siddons. “We have nothing to lose out in trying. He (Shafiul) has got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He does a few things with the ball so I’m really excited. Shafiul and Rubel could go for a few runs or they could do very well. This is an ideal opportunity for them and we have confidence in them.”Bangladesh 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Raqibul Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Shafiul IslamPitch and conditionsThe dew will be a major factor after 8.30 PM, said coach Siddons. In fact, in the recent ODI series against Zimbabwe, all three day-nighters were won by the team batting second. Therefore, it should be a straightforward decision for the captain winning the toss.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka are the only major international team to have lost to Bangladesh twice, in Bangladesh. India and New Zealand have lost a game each. In seven day-night matches at the Shere Bangla Stadium, four have been won by the team batting first. Quotes”We would to love to play against big teams as we can show the world that Bangladesh has improved. But it’s important to play teams like Zimbabwe so that we can win and derive confidence. Good performances against India can help the players get noticed for the IPL.
“This series will help us know if we are getting better or not. We have no fears against Sri Lanka and we would like to make them regret that they have left some big names out of the side for this series.
“Even in India, Suraj Randiv was the best spinner. And [Malinga] Bandara has been around for years and he gets another opportunity here. Pushpukamara is a spin bowling allrounder. So we are not worried.”