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The former South African fast bowler Shaun Pollock has signed a two-year contract with the Mumbai Indians to work as the team’s mentor-cum-advisor and aid the support staff along with coach Lalchand Rajput.Pollock’s return to the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise was under a cloud after he said last year that he would no longer be playing competitive cricket. But he revealed that the Mumbai Indians management offered a flexible job that he could accept.”I still love the game and the pioneering aspect of a new team and a new concept is a challenge I’ll enjoy. My role has evolved into that of an advisor and mentor after the management approached me with a flexible offer,” Pollock told .During the first season of the IPL, Pollock had told the captain Sachin Tendulkar that he might not return next year but the seniors, including Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya, convinced him to continue playing at the time. Pollock was believed to be kept in the loop by the highest officials of the management this time around.He said he was looking forward to passing on to the Mumbai team what he learnt as a cricketer though he would not consider himself as a coach. “I don’t see myself as a coach,” he said. “I just believe over the years I’ve experienced so many different approaches and methods in getting the best out of players and I think my role with the Mumbai Indians is an opportunity to pass on my skills and knowledge.”Last year, he led the franchise during the first half of the tournament after Tendulkar was injured and Harbhajan Singh was banned. He scored 147 runs in eight innings at a strike-rate of 132.43 and took 11 wickets in 13 matches at an economy-rate of 6.54.Though Mumbai failed to qualify for the semi-finals in the inaugural edition, Pollock was optimistic about their chances in the second season. “Obviously we’re aiming to win the tournament,” he said. “We can improve on last year’s performance and hopefully we can get the best out of our players. I believe the Mumbai Indians have the raw ingredients to be a highly successful franchise.”Pollock was happy with the new recruits, particularly the South African batsman JP Duminy. “It’s a very exciting mix of youth and experience,” he said. “There are legends in the team – and we know what to expect from them – and on the other hand we have guys with huge potential. I think we’ve got a great balance to the team. JP is having a phenomenal run and playing with confidence and hopefully he will serve the team for many years to come.”

Arul Suppiah, the Somerset allrounder, has had his application for permanent residency turned down and now has to return to Malaysia and apply for a work permit ahead of the 2009 season

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2009Arul Suppiah, the Somerset allrounder, has had his application for permanent residency turned down and now has to return to Malaysia to apply for a work permit ahead of the 2009 season.Suppiah came through the cricket system at Millfield School before making his Somerset debut in 2002. Although he has failed to secure a regular first-team place, he has made himself a valuable squad player, especially in one-day cricket.”This is very frustrating for me because obviously I thought this was all done and dusted as I have been here in Somerset for 12 years now,” Suppiah told the Somerset website. “This is a bit of a shame but we have to now take things step by step.”I will use my time back in Malaysia as a chance to get outside and carry on my pre-season training on grass.”Chief executive Richard Gould added: “We think that Arul will be granted a work permit for this coming season, but at present we are uncertain beyond that. However we have got every resource and contact working to sort this out for us.”

Sheffield United did not complete a deadline day swoop for Alex Collado as a result of unsigned paperwork.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that Barcelona were left furious with Slavisa Jokanovic’s side for failing to submit the necessary paperwork in order for the winger to complete his switch to Bramall Lane.

The report goes on to state that both Barcelona and the 22-year-old had signed the loan contract, although the Blades informed the LaLiga side at the 11th hour that the deal had fallen through.

However, it is also reported that Sheffield United’s stance on the matter is that the player’s agent attempted to alter previously agreed terms of the forward’s contract at the Championship side – which led to their cancellation of the deal.

Fans will be fuming

While it appears unclear exactly who is in the wrong regarding the collapse of Collado’s proposed last-minute switch to Sheffield United, if it is indeed true that the reason the winger did not join the Blades is due to the club failing to submit the necessary documents in time, fans will rightly be fuming.

Indeed, with it being clear that Jokanovic is in desperate need of players who can operate in the wide attacking areas of his squad – with the Serbian currently having no natural options on either wing – as the Blades have seen their season get off to a diabolical start, the deal for Collado appeared an important one to get over the line.

Furthermore, exactly why Jokanovic failed to make a move for the Barcelona youngster until the dying moments of the transfer window is also questionable, and could give credence to the Spanish side’s claim that it was the Championship club’s lack of organisation that caused the deal to fall through.

Either way, the fact that the Blades failed with their move for the £4.5m-rated man is undoubtedly a disaster for the club, as Jokanovic will now have to make do until January, at the very earliest, without any wingers in his first-team squad.

In other news: Lost 70% duels: £19k-p/w Sheffield United waster badly failed Jokanovic in August

Daily Record journalist Anthony Haggerty believes that Celtic still need to sign as many as three new players in this transfer window.

The Scottish giants have embarked on an aggressive summer of recruitment to strengthen the squad of new boss Ange Postecoglou.

The club have brought in left winger Kyogo Furuhashi from Vissel Kobe, centre-back Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan, right winger Liel Abada from M Petah Tikva, right-back Josip Juranovic from Legia Warsaw, goalkeeper Joe Hart from Tottenham Hotspur, midfielder James McCarthy on a free transfer, and midfielder Liam Shaw and defender Osaze Urhoghide from Sheffield Wednesday.

The club have opened their season with a mixed bag of results, being knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage, and winning two and losing one of their Premiership games.

Haggerty thinks more is needed in defence, while there is also the requirement to sign a striker to prepare for the potential loss of Odsonne Edouard, amid links with the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.

He said: “They still need a centre-half and a right-back. Christopher Jullien is still a bit away from coming back into the fold, I still think they need another centre-back, even though Stephen Welsh and Carl Starfelt are doing okay, there’s still that worry that that’s maybe the weakest link in the Celtic team.

“Another midfielder would be a bonus but they certainly need another striker to offset the potential of Edouard leaving.”

Sunderland have potentially been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their League One fixture on Tuesday evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking after the Black Cats’ 2-1 victory over Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday, Lee Johnson revealed that the reason for Corry Evans’ withdrawal midway through the second half of the game was due to injury – something that could potentially rule the midfielder out of the club’s clash against Burton Albion on Tuesday evening.

As cited by The Sunderland Echo, the 40-year-old said: “He’s had a bit of tightness just on the edge of his hamstring/groin. It was just enough for him to come off, so we’ll have to see.”

Johnson will be gutted

While the Black Cats manager is not exactly short of options in the middle of the park, being able to call upon the likes of Carl Winchester, Elliot Embleton and Dan Neil, if Evans is indeed unavailable for selection for the trip to Burton on Tuesday, it will nevertheless leave Johnson gutted.

Indeed, despite having only arrived at the Stadium of Light this summer, Evans obviously made an incredibly good impression on the Mackems manager, with the £14k-per-week midfielder being made club captain for the 2021/22 campaign.

Furthermore, the Northern Ireland international played the full 90 minutes in the club’s impressive 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic on the opening day of the season, a game in which the 31-year-old won eight of his 12 duels, made one clearance, three interceptions and two tackles.

As such, with Johnson undoubtedly hoping to maintain Sunderland’s 100% record this season on Tuesday evening, the potential loss of the man Tony Mowbray dubbed a “fantastic” player will be a significant blow for the 40-year-old – whose side are facing an extremely tough challenge against one of the other three League One sides who have won both of their opening games of the season.

In other news: Medical planned: Sunderland get breakthrough over 23 y/o beast, Johnson surely buzzing

As per Hampshire Live, Southampton are interested in signing Joe Worrall this summer from Nottingham Forest.

The Lowdown: Saints need a central defender

Last week, Jannik Vestergaard completed his move to Leicester City from St. Mary’s Stadium (lcfc.com).

As such, Ralph Hasenhuttl and co could well do with another centre-back before the transfer window slams shut, especially considering the defensive deficiencies they showed at the weekend against Everton.

The Latest: Saints eye Worrall

As per this latest report, Southampton are interested in signing Worrall. He is said to be valued at up to to £12m by Forest.

Brentford, Burnley, Norwich, Crystal Palace and West Ham are also said to be in pursuit of the 24-year-old former Rangers man.

The Verdict: Worth the money?

Worrall has already made 137 appearances for Forest either side of that loan spell at Ibrox (Transfermartkt), and has been a consistent performer.

During the 2019/20 campaign, he even featured in every single Championship game. During his time at Ibrox, Steven Gerrard even said he could become a future captain, which is high praise indeed from one of the top flight’s greatest ever skippers (The Nottingham Post).

The sales of Danny Ings (avfc.co.uk) and Vestergaard mean the Saints should have a bit of money to spend. As such, Worrall would not break the bank, but a seven-figure fee is still substantial.

Given Worrall has not yet played a single minute of Premier League football throughout his career, this feels like a possibly risky investment, but once which could pay off if the defender fulfils the potential that the likes of Gerrard clearly see in him.

In other news, Southampton fans rage at this man’s comments.

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton has revealed he is worried about the lapses of concentration the Gers experienced during their Champions League third qualifying round defeat to Malmo.

The Lowdown: Gers lose to Malmo

The Gers had the chance to reach the Champions League group stages after winning the Premiership last term, and they faced Swedish champions Malmo in the third qualifying round.

However, the Light Blues lost 2-1 in both games, meaning they dropped down to the Europa League instead.

The Latest: Hutton shares fears

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton, who remains the Gers’ record sale (The Scotsman) since making the £9m switch to Tottenham in 2008 (The Mirror), shared his worries over the lapses of concentration.

He said it will be a big concern for Steven Gerrard at Ibrox:

“The biggest worry is lapses in concentration really, so far.

“I mean, if you go all the way back to the first game, those defensive mistakes. I thought Rangers had got rid of them, especially last season. They were so strong.

“To take the game back to Ibrox, they knew what they had to do. They started off really well. It’s the best I’ve seen them in a first-half performance in the competition.

“Malmo going a man down, everything was in Rangers’ favour. They came out the second half and they just didn’t look the same. There wasn’t the same intensity, they looked a little bit fearful at times.

“Whenever there was a lot of pressure on them, they didn’t look the same Rangers team to me. To lose two goals from two throw-ins, I think that’s what’s going to really hurt the most.

“I thought they eradicated those sort of mistakes a couple of seasons ago. To see them come back and then get nervous after that, that’s probably the most worrying thing for me. Probably Steven Gerrard as well.”

The Verdict: Need to improve

The worrying thing from those two matches was that the Gers effectively lost the game in the same way. During the first match, they conceded twice in four minutes at the start of the second half, while they shipped two in two minutes in the second clash.

If you want to compete at the highest level, you simply cannot switch off – the game can be won and lost in a matter of moments.

Gerrard will have been livid with this way his team imploded in a short amount of time not once but twice. Perhaps the current Gers squad just aren’t quite ready for the Champions League yet, but they still have the chance to reach the Europa League group stages instead if they can get past Alashkert.

In other news, Rangers fans rage at these club struggles.

MatériaMais Notícias

À vontade. É assim que Gilberto está no Vasco, trabalhando forte para ajudar em campo a equipe a partir do próximo dia 14, quando acontece a estreia no Campeonato Brasileiro. O bom-humor do lateral-direito fica evidente quando o encontra em São Januário. Adepto do samba ao sertanejo, como admitiu antes da última entrevista coletiva que cedeu, Gilberto aproveitou para falar que também está à vontade no novo esquema do técnico Milton Mendes: 3-6-1.

– Eu me sinto bem à vontade. Nesse esquema tenho mais liberdade, mas minha função defensiva continua, porque tenho que voltar para marcar. Se a gente usar esse esquema, o lateral não pode largar totalmente a parte defensiva. Tem que voltar para ajudar. Mas como ala tem que ter mais responsabilidade de atacar, porque não temos aquele ponta que faz essa função, então tem que chegar para definir as jogadas e, se possível, fazer gol – disse e completou:

– Estamos ainda está testando várias formas, porque não é uma coisa certa, varia muito. A gente treina esse esquema, muda, volta para a linha de quatro. Mas o time se adaptou rápido. A adaptação foi boa, com jogadores experientes e inteligentes. Estamos treinando em dois períodos porque tem esse tempo todo sem jogos. É natural. Acredito que quando iniciar o campeonato não terá tantos, a não ser quando for semana cheia.

A descontração é tanta que também é nítido em seu visual, sempre modificado, seja no corte de cabelo ou no estilo da barba, por exemplo. Questionado, disse, gargalhando, que “a mulherada gosta”. Em um relacionamento sério, porém, o foco está mesmo em ajudar o Vasco a conseguir voos maiores no Campeonato Brasileiro. Depois de rebaixamentos consecutivos nos últimos anos, a meta de 2017 é se firmar na elite e quem sabe ficar entre os primeiros.

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Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has slammed Mike Ashley after Newcastle United released their 2019/20 accounts.

The lowdown

Newcastle were the final Premier League club to publish their figures for the first pandemic-hit season. Maguire has crunched the numbers, and they show a total spend of £216m on the 2019/20 squad. That’s lower than Watford and Bournemouth, who were both relegated.

Newcastle went on to spend £35.1m ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, with Callum Wilson and Jamal Lewis the headline arrivals. They have yet to make a signing this summer, although they may be close to ending that famine after a fee was agreed for Joe Willock.

The latest

Maguire told The Athletic that it was ‘ridiculous’ that two relegated teams had spent more on their squad than the Magpies.

He opined: “For Newcastle to have a lower spend than Watford and Bournemouth is ridiculous. As a neutral, I’d expect Newcastle to spend a similar amount to West Ham, Everton and Leicester. But they’re nowhere near them.

“It is just indicative of what Ashley does. He really only spends a significant amount one in every three years and, unfortunately, this is not one of those years.”

Maguire continued: “It is frustrating for supporters. But Ashley looks at it this way: ‘If you were selling your house, would you do up the kitchen first?”

The verdict

The figures underline the difficult position in which successive Newcastle managers have been placed. It’s easy to understand why a coach of Rafael Benitez’s calibre might have become frustrated, with a financial handbrake effectively put in place.

The squad that the Magpies have is good enough to stay in the Premier League, so Steve Bruce did deserve criticism for his side’s flirtation with the bottom three. However, he can’t really be expected to achieve much more than lower mid-table under this frugal model.

In other news, Lee Ryder says a fee has been agreed for this Newcastle youngster.

Shaun Marsh says it was an emotional moment when he was told he would be making his Twenty20 international debut in Barbados, fulfilling his dream of following his father Geoff into the national team

Cricinfo staff20-Jun-2008
Shaun Marsh in the nets ahead of his Twenty20 international debut © Getty Images
Shaun Marsh says it was an emotional moment when he was told he would be making his Twenty20 international debut in Barbados, fulfilling his dream of following his father Geoff into the national team. Marsh and his Western Australian team-mate Luke Ronchi will both play their first matches for Australia against West Indies on Friday.Australia have confirmed that Nathan Bracken is the only one of the one-day specialists who have joined the squad in the Caribbean who will not play in the Twenty20 match. Brad Haddin will sit out to give his broken finger a chance to recover and Andrew Symonds is being rested after having back spasms in the third Test.Marsh said it was a memorable moment when he was told of his inclusion. “There were a few emotions,” Marsh told . “Obviously I’ve worked hard for it and I just can’t wait to represent my country. I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time, to be over here and be in the change rooms with all the guys has just been fantastic so far.”Marsh has already received high praise from the captain Ricky Ponting, who said the thing he is most looking forward to in the Twenty20 match is watching Marsh bat. Ponting will be leading a relatively inexperienced international side with Bracken, Haddin, Symonds and Stuart Clark the four men to sit out, although it will be an XI with significant batting depth.West Indies are already without their captain Chris Gayle for the match and they could also lose their stand-in leader Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is nursing a groin injury he sustained during the third Test. If Sarwan is unavailable, Dwayne Bravo would be likely to lead the side, although the coach John Dyson said it was still possible Sarwan would play.”We’re just waiting to see what condition it is in [before the game],” Dyson told . “It’s nothing major. We are mindful that we have five one-days coming up. In this Twenty20 form of the game it can be fairly hectic.”Australia Shaun Marsh, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting (capt), Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Cameron White, James Hopes, Luke Ronchi (wk), Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson.West Indies (from) Xavier Marshall, Andre Fletcher, William Perkins, Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Kemar Roach.