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West Ham United are currently sitting pretty in fifth position in the Premier League table as David Moyes’ charges aim to upset the odds once again this season by finishing in a European qualification spot.

A strong start to the campaign saw the Hammers lose just one of their opening nine fixtures in all competitions, but their recent form has been in sharp contrast.

Following the latest international break back in November, West Ham have won just one top-flight game – albeit a thrilling 3-2 victory over Champions League holders Chelsea – seeing them drop out of the top four.

Injuries to first-choice centre-backs Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma have significantly undermined the capital club’s efforts, yet it’s their issues at the other end of the pitch that will be giving Moyes the most cause for concern.

Star striker Michail Antonio started 2021/22 in remarkable form, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in his opening 11 games of the season in all competitions.

However, since then, the Jamaica international has looked a shadow of his former self. In his subsequent eight outings, the 31-year-old has failed to find the back of the net, adding just one assist to his tally.

Antonio’s woes have heavily contributed to the east London outfit’s current goal drought, spanning over 270 minutes of football, meaning Moyes must add further reinforcements up front over the January transfer window.

Since Sebastien Haller departed the London Stadium last winter, the former Nottingham Forest ace has been the only recognised striker in West Ham’s first-team squad.

As a result, an over-reliance on Antonio as a source of goals has developed and Moyes currently has no alternative options to call upon in order to rest his star man as his nightmare in front of goal continues.

But the solution to their attacking woes could be an obvious one after the capital club were linked with a move for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.

According to Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness), the Irons are keen on launching a bid for the 22-year-old talisman in January, although they are set to face extensive competition for his signature.

The 6 foot 1 beast has been sensational for the Primeira Liga table-toppers this term, bagging a sensational 14 goals in 19 appearances, taking his tally up to 28 for the Eagles.

Darwin’s eye-catching performances saw talent scout Jacek Kulig laud his “world-class potential” last year, and now he’s beginning to fulfil it.

Therefore, Moyes must move for the Uruguay international in order to get West Ham’s season back on track, providing some much-needed cover and competition for Antonio along the way.

This is well and truly a signing that could end the Jamaica international’s misery in offensive areas. They have to sign him.

And, in other news…Moyes can seal West Ham masterclass with move for “unbelievable” £7.2m-rated “monster” 

Shane Bond believes the hosts can seriously push their trans-Tasman rivals

Cricinfo staff20-Feb-2010

Shane Bond, back in the New Zealand squad for the one-dayers and Twenty20s against Australia starting next week, believes the hosts can seriously push their trans-Tasman rivals. Australia have not lost a game all home summer but Bond was confident New Zealand could change that.”I reckon we can give the Aussies their biggest test of the summer so far,” Bond said. “It’s been pretty one-sided for them so far against Pakistan and the West Indies but with our side we can take them if we play our best cricket.”Australia are among Bond’s favourite opponents, particularly in the one-day format where he has 35 wickets at 14.45 in 12 matches against them, including five four-wicket hauls. Bond has not exactly burnt up the domestic one-day circuit this season but he was confident of his pace and attacking instincts ahead of the series that begins with a Twenty20 in Wellington on Friday.He was also quick to dismiss notions of a contest with Shaun Tait, who recently his 160.7kph on his return to Australia’s Twenty20 side. “I’m about three cogs below Taity now so that would be a complete waste of time trying to beat him,” said Bond. “Good on him. I’ll hopefully work up some pace when the adrenaline kicks in but I won’t be up around those speeds.”Bond’s coach at Canterbury, Bob Carter, felt the fast bowler was ready for action against Australia despite returning average returns in the domestic one-day competition after an abdominal tear during the home series against Pakistan last year. “He’s been bowling fairly quickly and trying to knock over batters,” Carter said. “Against Wellington they took to him and Tommy [Chris Martin] and, to be fair, the lad [Stewart] Rhodes teed off against him on a flat wicket and came off.”But he’s still in good form. He’s come back well in his later spells and he’s recovered well from his injury. We’ve had a couple of chats and there are no issues. He’s bowled twice this week at our training and he is not down on pace. He looks good.”Bond has retired from Test cricket and will only feature in the limited-overs leg of Australia’s tour.

New South Wales legspinner Steven Smith has been included to the Australian squad as injury cover for Nathan Hauritz whose groin injury puts him in doubt for Boxing Day

Cricinfo staff24-Dec-2009Australia have included New South Wales legspinner Steven Smith to the squad for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in Melbourne. The eleventh-hour inclusion was necessitated after the team opted for a cover for Nathan Hauritz, who is battling injury.Alex Kontouris, the physiotherapist of the Australia team said, “Nathan has had a long-standing groin injury that has recently been causing more of a problem for him while bowling. While the injury has been manageable he has reported an increase in discomfort after completing today’s training session. Nathan will train tomorrow morning and a decision will be made on his availability for the Test upon further assessment in the lead up to the match.”Smith, 20, has featured in nine first-class matches, making a bigger impression as a batsman than with the ball. He will join the squad in Melbourne and return to the domestic circuit, in case his services are not required for the match.

Persistent rain in Guyana has forced the abandonment of all four third round matches that were schedule for Saturday

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2009Persistent rain in Guyana has forced the abandonment of all four third-round matches that were scheduled for Saturday. The semi-final line-up now features two heavyweights, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago, taking on each other on Monday while hosts Guyana play Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) the next day. The Providence Stadium will host both games.On Saturday, Guyana were to play West Indies Under-19s at Bourda, Barbados and Leeward Islands at West Demerara, Jamaica and Windward Islands at Enmore, and CCC and T&T at Everest Cricket Club. All four games were called off without a ball being bowled.Organisers have said that if either or both the semi-finals fail to be played, then T&T and Guyana will advance to the final at Providence on November 4, as per the competition rules based on topping their respective zones.

Wolves performed nothing short of a miracle conceding only one goal to Premier League champions Manchester City this afternoon after going down to ten men in the first half of the game.

Bruno Lage’s side went to the Etihad Stadium to face a City side who had won their last five games in the league.

Wolves were dealt a huge blow at the end of the first half when Raul Jimenez was red-carded just before the interval; and from that point, Wolves were reliant on the attacking prowess of Adama Traore to try and take something from the game, having gone in at half-time on level terms.

One man who went into this game with a point to prove was Traore, who was handed a start alongside Jimenez in a front two. However, the 26-year-old has failed to register a single goal or assist for his club this season, and that was the case once more against Manchester City today.

The visitors couldn’t hold on to take a point from the game after Joao Moutinho was caught by a handball inside the box, leading to a penalty which saw Raheem Sterling score his 100th Premier League goal in the 66th minute.

Not only did Traore fail to score or set up a team-mate in finding the net today, according to SofaScore the £43k-p/w winger had fewer touches than Jose Sa. He only made seven passes in his 67 minutes on the pitch and did not have a single shot on or off target, completely lacking creativity and involvement in throughout his time on the field before he was subbed off for Hwang Hee-chan.

This is the 17th appearance this season for Traore where he has failed to have any goal involvements for Wolves, and it may be time for Lage to opt for other, more consistent forwards like Daniel Podence and Hwang, who have proven they are capable of creating and finishing chances. The South Korean has scored four goals in the same number of appearances as Traore this term.

Traore’s performance today evoked a scathing comment from Graeme Souness earlier in the season, when the Sky Sports pundit said of the 26-year-old: “He’s a near miss as a footballer. He gets you on the edge of your seat but time and time again you’re going to shake your head at the misses he has. There’s not a lot of goals, not a lot of return.”

After drawing another blank today and giving an overall poor performance, it’s hard to disagree with Souness’ critique of the underperforming Wolves winger, who failed the test of being put in a centre-forward role by Lage this afternoon.

In other news: Wolves must move for this Premier League maestro in January

Reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Ralf Rangnick is not the favourite to take over at Manchester United, should the Red Devils part ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

As to be expected, a number of United supporters have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

Solskjaer’s position as manager appears to be under major threat following a 2-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City prior to the international break. Reports have suggested that United players and staff ‘believe’ the Norwegian will lose his job, with Rangnick – currently working as a director at Lokomotiv Moscow – emerging as the frontrunner to take over.

However, speaking on his YouTube channel, as relayed by The Daily Express, Romano claimed that Rangnick would want full power at Old Trafford. The 63-year-old is appreciated by the United board but is not thought to be a ‘main option’ to possibly take over from Solskjaer.

United fans react

@utdreport shared Romano’s update about Rangnick, which led to these fans giving their thoughts, with one labelling the news as ‘telling’ and another drawing comparisons with how Sir Alex Ferguson exerted total control during his time at Old Trafford.

“Crying myself to sleep, thanks a lot Fab”

Credit: @UtdSk_

“Sir Alex 2.0. The Glazers are scared.”

Credit: @rubenflorentin

“he would be perfect, give him the keys then he becomes a director. Glazers will never allow it though”

Credit: @CharI1e

“He’d fix us. Genuinely would.”

Credit: @findlay86605014

“Telling this. @ManUtd too afraid to put the football side of the club in the hands of someone with some real intelligence. Ignorance loves company I guess. What gets me is the pride, like the current regime has achieved so much over the last decade”

Credit: @TraffordTribune

“He’d be perfect, but we are a banter club now”

Credit: @hoxtalicious0

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has formally accepted an offer of resignation from its chief executive, Mike Deare, after he detailed a planned $350 million upgrade of the Adelaide Oval in the .SACA president Ian McLachlan said Deare’s comments made last month had affected the association’s negotiations with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) aimed at attracting Australian Football League (AFL) and FIFA World Cup fixtures to Adelaide.”In his letter to me dated July 29, Michael Deare acknowledged that his recent interview with the and I quote: ‘has severely damaged SACA’s relations in many areas, accordingly my resignation is offered’,” McLachlan said.”The board and I agree with him. The damage done by a number of Michael’s comments has been serious and consequently, his resignation has been accepted and will take effect at the end of this month. We are extraordinarily disappointed with these indiscretions and do not sanction his comments.”In fact, the opposite is true. After I made, what I thought were obvious remarks on ABC radio about SACA having to give up control of Adelaide Oval if the SANFL and the SACA became 50-50 partners, the SANFL’s sensitivity was noted. Consequently, we at SACA agreed that no further comments would be made on the subject until talks with the SANFL and AFL were completed.”McLachlan said Deare had served as SACA’s chief executive for the past 12 years and during his tenure he made a substantial contribution to the association and the Adelaide Oval itself.”He has overseen significant capital investments in Adelaide Oval, including the Chappell Stands, the light towers, the refurbishment of the heritage scoreboard and the first ever resurfacing, drainage and irrigation of the playing field,” McLachlan said. “During that time he has also guided the Association towards a protracted period of financial stability and profitability.”I thank him for those results and acknowledge the contribution he has made towards the current western grandstand redevelopment.” McLachlan said while the search for a new chief executive could take some months, Terry Davies, general manager commercial, would assume the role of acting chief executive.

by three wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outShakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful played a critical role in seeing Bangladesh through•AFP

Every time they step on the field, Bangladesh seem to be making history. After having beaten West Indies for the first time in Tests and ODIs, they today sealed their first ODI series win against the hosts. More importantly, this win came by way of their highest successful chase in the limited-overs format, reaching the requisite 275 with six balls to spare.At the centre of the accomplishment once again was Shakib Al Hasan, pulling West Indies back from a flying start, and then seeing his team through a tricky chase with a calm 65. Mohammad Ashraful, who got to back-to-back fifties for the first time since 2006, set up the Bangladesh reply after the openers struggled on a sluggish pitch that made it difficult to stroke the ball cleanly. The Shakib-Ashraful combination outdid an exceptional effort from Travis Dowlin, whose maiden international century lifted a fledgling West Indies to a fighting total.Ashraful and Shakib came together after a sensible third-wicket partnership between Ashraful and Raqibul Hasan had ended, thanks to the pressure created by a slow pitch and tight bowling. Nevertheless, they had added 52 after the openers fell in a quick succession.It was here that Ashraful took the lead, not letting the pressure mount. He first made room and slashed Bernard in the 28th over for the first boundary in 70 balls. When Rawl Lewis replaced Bernard in the next over, Ashraful lofted him over long-off for a six, bringing up his second fifty in three days. Shakib joined him in that charge, sweeping both Lewis and Bernard over midwicket. Those three overs brought Bangladesh 32 runs, and also brought down the asking-rate to less than six.When Ashraful went for another six off Lewis, he put his team in a tricky state again, holing out to long-off. Until then, his 77-ball 64 had been well-paced, and he had added 74 with Shakib in 63 deliveries. But with 85 still required, Shakib had a major role to play. The boundaries were not easy to come – even Lewis negated the big sweep with googlies and straighter ones – but Shakib ran purposefully. He had to run all but six of his last 50 runs, but hardly did he ever let the scoring-rate fall.During the match, the cameras panned to a spectator reading a magazine article on Shakib, titled the “Ice Man”. Shakib indeed played like one, but needed some luck on his side. With 71 required off 60, Shakib tried to hit Lewis out of the ground, only skying it to land perfectly between cover and long-off, which also resulted in a collision between Darren Sammy and Bernard. That shot also took Shakib to his half-century, kicking off a spell of ordinary cricket from both sides.With 56 needed off the last eight overs, Shakib called for the batting Powerplay, and Roach immediately threatened to finish the match in a hurry. Even before he could do that, Floyd Reifer almost let him bowl with five fielders outside the circle. Roach started with a half-volley and a fulltoss both hit for boundaries, before bowling his second beamer of the match to be removed from the attack. What’s more, Shakib deposited it for a six.Now it was the Ice Man’s turn to falter with the match almost pocketed. He swung across the line to Sammy, getting out with 37 needed off 41. Three wides came in the next two overs before Bangladesh contributed their bit to the chaos. Devon Thomas, the designated wicketkeeper, had to bowl what was left of Roach’s overs, and Mahmudullah gifted his second delivery with a leading edge. Riefer brought the fine leg up, Thomas saw two of his straight deliveries being punished and bowled two off-side wides to compensate. Mushfiqur returned the favour by hitting a fulltoss straight to cover. During that surreal period, the only question was which team wanted to lose more badly.An overthrow here, an edge there, and Bangladesh reached the series win with an outside-edged boundary by Abdur Razzak. During this period of drama, the turnaround earlier in the day was almost forgotten.For the majority of the first innings, both Dowlin and West Indies seemed to struggle to get the ball off the square against the spinners. West Indies had huffed and puffed their way to 176 for 4 in 40 overs, struggling to combat the grip and the turn. Dowlin’s story was no different – he took 88 deliveries to reach his fifty and had trouble with his running between the wickets, too.But with the Powerplay taken in the 41st over, things changed. Dowlin slog-swept the spinners with vengeance, getting close to the pitch every time, and hitting to long-on, cow corner, midwicket, square leg, et al. By the end of the Powerplay, West Indies had reached 216 for 5, and Dowlin 87 off 105 deliveries. In the next five overs, Dowlin took little time to reach his maiden century, and Lewis and Sammy made sure West Indies finished with 98 runs in their last ten overs. In the end, though, they were to be second-best.

An update has emerged on Newcastle’s new ownership in regards to how much they can spend without breaking Financial Fair Play rules… 

What’s the talk?

According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, via The Daily Mail, Newcastle could have in excess of £200m to spend in the transfer market over the next three years without breaking FFP restrictions.

He has explained that the finances Mike Ashley has left allows them to spend £190m without running into issues with FFP, but also states that the new owners, PIF, could increase the commercial revenue and add to that £190m figure, taking it over £200m.

“For all that is wrong with Mike Ashley, I would love to be buying a club from him,” he said. “There is a lot of scope to increase the investment in Newcastle if any new owners choose to do so

“Mike Ashley himself is a toxic brand when it comes to sponsors and Newcastle have struggled to match the growth of other clubs.

‘There is a lot of scope for an increase in commercial and sponsorship revenue and from Saudi Arabia itself.”

Excitement

This report will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling excited about the upcoming transfer windows now that PIF have officially taken over control of the club. If Maguire’s figures prove to be accurate, the Magpies could be set to make a splash in the market in January and next summer.

Newcastle spent roughly £26m on transfers in the 2021 summer window, signing Joe Willock from fellow Premier League side Arsenal. The central midfielder was the only senior addition to the squad, having been on loan during the 2020/21 campaign, and he could be the sole recruit of the club’s last quiet window for some time to come.

After a disappointing few months of a lack of activity in the market, Newcastle fans may be desperate to see some money spent in January in order to help the side avoid relegation back down to the Championship. This is why they will be excited to see PIF spend £200m+ over the next few years.

Steve Bruce is reportedly set to be sacked by PIF, who are prepared to pay his £8m compensation fee. This means that it remains to be seen who will be given the opportunity to spend this £200m+ in the transfer market over the next few years.

Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers and Rangers’ Steven Gerrard have both been mentioned, but until a deal is close to being finalised, or complete, there is little point in speculating how they could spend the money. On the flip side, the new owners could already have ideas in mind on who they want to add to the playing squad and then appoint a manager to suit their plans. Either way, it is an exciting time to be a Newcastle supporter!

AND in other news, PIF could pull off early blinder by making two swift moves, NUFC fans would love it…

Andrew Flintoff has returned home from the Indian Premier League to undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee

Cricinfo staff24-Apr-2009

Andrew Flintoff has returned home from the Indian Premier League to undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee.Flintoff had been appearing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL when he felt discomfort in his right knee. The Chennai medical staff immediately contacted ECB’s chief medical officer Dr Nick Peirce. Scans were taken of the right knee in a Durban hospital and they detected a slight medial meniscal tear and after these were viewed by Peirce it was decided that Flintoff should return to London.He will undergo an operation early next week and surgeons are confident that he should recover from the keyhole surgery within three to five weeks.”Clearly this is a huge disappointment for both the player and the IPL team,” Peirce said. “This sort of degenerative injury though is one that could have happened at any time any where. The procedures we put in place meant that the ECB medical staff were alerted about the problem immediately and we thank Chennai for their co operation.”Hugh Morris, the ECB’s managing director of cricket, added: “Andrew has been extremely unlucky with injuries but if there is one saving grace it is that the injury has occurred now rather than on the eve of either the ICC World Twenty20 or the Ashes.”Having the surgery now means that Flintoff should be available for both those events although he is certain to miss the Test series against the West Indies.”Flintoff, who along with Kevin Pietersen commanded the highest auction price in IPL history earlier this year, endured a difficult few weeks since joining the Chennai franshise. His return of 0-50 against Delhi was the most expensive of any IPL bowler through Thursday, and his 1-44 against Mumbai barely better. In all, Flintoff claimed two wickets at 52.50 (and an economy rate of 9.54) in three games with the Super Kings. He fared better with the bat, averaging a respectable 31.00 at better than a run-a-ball in three inningsFlintoff’s torn knee meniscus represents the second major injury to befall a veteran Chennai Super Kings player in as many seasons. Matthew Hayden tore an Achilles tendon during his four-game stint in the inaugural IPL, and was subsequently ruled out of Australia’s tour of the West Indies.