All posts by h716a5.icu

Many Wolves fans have been left slamming Raul Jimenez after he got himself a red card in their game away at Manchester City in the Premier League.

The Mexico international had a minute of madness at the end of the first half, picking up a yellow card for a cynical foul, before then trying to stop Rodri taking the subsequent free-kick given, which resulted in another caution and thus a sending off.

It ultimately undid a lot of of the hard work that Bruno Lage’s team did, as they were eventually broken down in the second half as Raheem Sterling tucked away a penalty kick on the 66th minute.

Aside from his red card, Jimenez was not having the best of halves anyway, as he lost out on three of his duels, and failed to record a single shot on target, while he gave the ball away six times (SofaScore).

The striker was largely anonymous, recording fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Jose Sa, and ultimately cost his side in the end.

Wolves fans slam Jimenez

These members of the Molineux faithful slammed Jimenez after his red card was confirmed on Twitter, with one WWFC supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘shocking’:

“Shocking play from Raul. Will cost us big time.”

Credit: @julie_cooling

“I’ve just watched Jimenez ruin his career”

Credit: @pokemarlee

“Crazy school boy error…what was he thinking?”

Credit: @PatrickQuirke8

“Insanity by Raul”

Credit: @marshbag

“Stupid of Raul!”

Credit: @tosalmi

“Absolutely pathetic from him”

Credit: @KingCreexin

In other news, find out what transfer news has erupted Wanderers here!

Wolverhampton Wanderers are pushing to sign Hwang Hee-chan on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a John Percy report for The Telegraph, with the journalist claiming that Wolves are ready to accelerate talks with RB Leipzig regarding a permanent deal for the centre-forward, with the club holding an option to purchase the 25-year-old for a figure of around £14m.

This option to buy was initially scheduled to come into effect at the end of the current campaign, however, as a result of the South Korea international’s impact since joining Bruno Lage’s side on a temporary deal this summer, Percy claims Wolves are planning to open talks to sign the forward in the January window.

Fans will be buzzing

It is easy to see why Wolves are so keen to sign Hwang Hee-chan permanently, as the striker has been something of a revelation for the club since his arrival back in August.

Indeed, over his seven Premier League appearances this season, the £9.9m-rated man has already bagged four goals, in addition to creating one big chance for his teammates and taking an average of one shot per game.

These returns have seen the player who Garth Crooks dubbed a “major asset” earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.84, ranking the 25-year-old as Wolves’ 11th-best performer in the top flight.

As such, the £70k-per-week forward has certainly made quite the impact at Molineux, and has already proved to be well worth the reported £14m transfer fee Fosun would have to cough up in order to make his loan deal a permeant switch.

And, as long as there are no complications in Wolves’ negotiations with RB Leipzig, the club signing Hwang Hee-chan this January would be an outcome that is sure to have fans buzzing, as the striker is quickly becoming a favourite in Wolverhampton.

In other news: Major boost: Lage drops update on “unpredictable” Wolves gem that’ll have fans buzzing

Aston Villa look set to miss out on Erik ten Hag as the club close in on Steven Gerrard instead.

What’s been said?

A claim made by the Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield on GIVEMESPORT this week claimed that luring the Dutchman to Villa Park would be a huge coup.

However, sadly amid speculation that Gerrard is on the verge of becoming the new boss, it looks as though the Dutchman will be staying in Amsterdam at current club, Ajax.

Talking about the potential of Villa making an approach for Ten Hag, Hatfield said: “He’s someone who’s really highly coveted and I think some people see him as the next Manchester United boss.

“But if Villa could go out and get him, what a coup that would be. Is he going to give up European football now for potential European football in a year or two’s time if things go to plan? I’m not too sure.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how talented a manager Ten Hag quite clearly is, Hatfield’s suggestion, coupled with the ongoing developments surrounding Gerrard, is sure to have left fans gutted – although perhaps not totally surprised.

Indeed, having led Ajax to three consecutive Eredivisie titles in the last three years, as well as winning two Dutch Cups and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League back in 2018/29, it is evident that the former Bayern Munich II coach is something of a serial winner. On top of that, he’s also been dubbed a “remarkable” manager by Pierre van Hooijdonk, highlighting his wonderful expertise and C.V.

This is perhaps why the 51-year-old has been linked with both the Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur jobs in recent weeks, and could also be a reason for Hatfield’s claim that the managerial vacancy at 16th-placed Aston Villa may be slightly below the Dutchman.

However, considering the fact that, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, the overwhelming majority of Villa fans said they would prefer Ten Hag to Gerrard, the news that the Rangers boss is heading to the Midlands instead could well be something the club’s fanbase do not particularly want to accept as the former appears to be a much better coach and tactician.

In other news: John Percy drops big Aston Villa manager update that should have fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to instantly bounce back from Sunday’s disappointing defeat when they head to the northwest for a Carabao Cup Round of 16 tie at Turf Moor.

The north London outfit were beaten by local rivals West Ham United in the Premier League, so Nuno Santo will be looking to see a reaction as they look to reach the quarter-finals of the cup competition with a win over Sean Dyche’s Burnley.

With Manchester United on the horizon, though, the Portuguese may be tempted into making some changes to his starting XI, if the poor result last weekend hadn’t already given him some food for thought.

With that in mind, here’s the lineup we’re predicting tonight…

There could be as many as nine changes from the side which was defeated at the London Stadium.

Between the sticks, cup ‘keeper Pierluigi Gollini is likely to take the reins from captain and first-choice Hugo Lloris, as he often has done away from the Premier League.

He’ll be marshalled by a completely different back four to Sunday, with Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga replacing Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal out wide, whilst Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez could allow rests to both Eric Dier and Cristian Romero.

Oliver Skipp could be one of two players to keep his place, though this time he’ll be partnered by Harry Winks at the base of the engine room, with Giovani Lo Celso going into the no.10 role.

Out wide, Heung-min Son is granted a rest, so 20-year-old Bryan Gil is handed another opportunity to impress from the off. The Spanish winger, dubbed a “big talent” by scout Jacek Kulig, has been restricted to just 57 minutes in the league since joining Spurs in the summer.

On the other flank, Steven Bergwijn starts over Lucas Moura, as the Dutch winger needs to get up to speed after injury.

Elsewhere, Harry Kane is the only other player to remain from Sunday, and that’s largely because of the lack of options available to Nuno. It may not be wise to play 17-year-old Dane Scarlett against a physically brutal side like the Clarets.

AND in other news, Spurs handed frustrating Dusan Vlahovic update…

The BCCI has named Sandeep Patil as the head of the National Cricket Academy following Dav Whatmore’s appointment as Kolkata Knight Riders coach for the third season of the IPL

Cricinfo staff14-Oct-2009Sandeep Patil has been named director of cricket operations at the National Cricket Academy, replacing Dav Whatmore, who will be the Kolkata Knight Riders coach for the third season of the IPL. Patil starts work on November 1, the day after Whatmore’s two-year stint in Bangalore ends.Patil, 53, has significant coaching experience. He first served as India A coach, then coached the Indian team before taking charge of Kenya. He resigned after taking them to the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup and returned to India for the next 18 months. A stint with India A was followed by his move to Oman, whom he helped qualify for the ICC Trophy after some strong performances in the ACC Trophy.He went on to serve as the coach of the Mumbai Champs in the ICL but returned to the mainstream when he cut ties with the unofficial league ahead of the second season.Whatmore replaces former Australian coach John Buchanan as the Knight Riders coach.

Tom Barclay has suggested that Ralph Hasenhuttl could change the position of one of his Southampton players.

What’s the talk?

Journalist Tom Barclay has suggested that Southampton could utilise summer signing Tino Livramento as a winger in the Premier League, citing his experience for England at under-21 level.

He told GiveMeSport:

“I did the game at MK Dons, the win against Kosovo, which was Lee Carsley’s first game in charge last month. And Livramento didn’t start, Max Aarons did because he’s the most experienced player in that squad, and clearly Carsley likes him a lot.

“But when Livramento did come on, he came on at right-wing rather right-back and they played together. So that would suggest that he has the ability to do that, and probably be quite impressive.”

Bold call

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl could now solve a big problem by making a bold call over Livramento’s position. By moving him forward into a wide attacking role, the Austrian could bring Romain Perraud in at left-back, play Kyle Walker-Peters in his natural position and replace one of his struggling forwards.

Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo, Theo Walcott and Mo Elyounoussi have managed one goal and zero assists between them in six Premier League games this season. This suggests that the wide positions are a problematic area for Hasenhuttl, one he could want to solve in the coming weeks, which is why moving Livramento there could be a masterstroke.

The ex-Leipzig coach lauded the full-back as a fantastic player earlier this month, praising how he has adapted to the physical side of the game. He said:

“He shows every week how strong he is and when you play against such players like these you have to be good and one against one he is.

“He never stays, he is always going and that’s what I want from him. Physically he is a good guy, a good height for a full-back, a fantastic player. But keep it calm – don’t talk too much about him!”

This shows that he has the physical strength to play at the top end of the pitch and take attackers on, whilst his 2.5 key passes and dribbles combined per game show that he has the quality on the ball to make an impact.

He has proven in the early parts of this season that he has the ability to create chances and dribble past opponents, which could help him thrive in an attacking role.

Therefore, Hasenhuttl could solve his issues out wide whilst offering more game time to Perraud and Walker-Peters by making this bold call.

AND in other news, Ralph masterclass: Saints beast has seen value soar 317% since arriving at St. Mary’s…

West Ham United’s nightmare over Felipe Anderson has been made even worse this week after a damning new claim emerged…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet La Lazio Siamo Noi, the Irons’ hierarchy did not receive a single penny for the Brazilian winger after he returned to former club Lazio in the summer.

The 28-year-old cost the east London outfit a then club-record £36m in July 2018, penning a four-year deal worth around £85k-per-week.

It’s claimed that the Serie A outfit cancelled an outstanding add-on from that deal, thought to only be £3m, and that West Ham have a 50% sell-on clause but Anderson will be passing 32 years of age by the time his contract is up at the Stadio Olimpico.

Nightmare

This only goes to show just how big of a disaster the club’s owners, GSB, and former manager Manuel Pellegrini made over three years ago.

Since returning to Rome, under ex-Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, Anderson has enjoyed a new lease of life, having contributed three goals and two assists in only eight league games.

He’s quickly become a fan-favourite once again but these are things that the Hammers faithful just did not get to witness during his time at the club.

Across 73 appearances, the 5 foot 9 maestro delivered only 12 goals and 13 assists, managing a direct contribution every 224 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

During his time at the London Stadium, he was often slammed for his lacklustre performances, with Irons legend Frank McAvennie once describing him as a “luxury player” who “just strolled about” to Football FanCast.

Overall, when excluding the stint at Porto this season, he has cost the club a little over £50m, which equates to £4.3m per goal scored and around £722k per appearance.

So to not receive a single penny for him is quite shocking and goes to show just how big of a mistake the whole situation has been with the Brazilian.

AND in other news, West Ham face fierce competition for January striker target…

After Virender Sehwag had bludgeoned 44 from just 28 balls, an unhurried and unbeaten 96 from Sachin Tendulkar took India to a facile victory that took them 2-1 ahead in this five-match series

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran21-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outSachin Tendulkar’s well-paced knock guided India to an easy victory•AFPAfter Virender Sehwag had bludgeoned 44 from just 28 balls, an unhurried and unbeaten 96 from Sachin Tendulkar took India to a facile victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in this five-match series. Sri Lanka had dominated the early stages of the match, galloping to 165 for 1 from 22.2 overs but they then subsided in bizarre fashion, undone by a combination of Ravindra Jadeja’s spin, poor shot selection and two wickets in two balls from Ishant Sharma, who had gone for 46 in his first three overs. They lost the remaining nine wickets for 74 runs and slumped to 239 all out, which India eased past with 44 balls to spare.The game changed once Sehwag, captaining in placed of the banned MS Dhoni, brought the slow bowlers on, and it was he himself who dealt the vital blow, having Kumar Sangakkara stumped for 46 despite Dinesh Karthik initially fumbling the take. India built on that success soon after, with Upul Tharanga losing his off bail in Jadeja’s opening over after an attractive 73. Sri Lanka never recovered from those twin strikes.Mahela Jayawardene’s poor series continued when he slugged a long hop from Harbhajan Singh to short midwicket, where Suresh Raina timed his leap perfectly to take the catch. Thilina Kandamby and Chamara Kapugedera stopped the rot for a few overs, but then Jadeja and Ishant combined to end all hopes of a large total.First, Kapugedera played on off Jadeja, and then Kandamby too found the inner edge off Ishant. When Suraj Randiv got a thin edge to one that moved away, it was 210 for 7. Jadeja then trapped Nuwan Kulasekara plumb in front as Sri Lanka unravelled completely. When Jadeja slid one through the defence of Ajantha Mendis, he had 4 for 32 from his 10 overs.It had been so different at the start of play, with Zaheer Khan bowling three wides in an opening over where Dilshan added two fours for good measure. Ishant, playing in place of Praveen Kumar, was greeted with a crisp shot to long-on and two meaty flails through cover. With Tharanga then whacking one down the ground for six, and Dilshan slapping another ball through cover, the 50 took just 3.4 overs, the fastest-ever against India.Ashish Nehra came on to stem the tide, and Dilshan could have gone on 36 had Karthik not made a mess of a flick on to the stumps that would have run him out. It wasn’t a costly miss, however, with a top-edged heave at Nehra ending up in Karthik’s hands soon after. By then, though, the run-rate was 10 and, with Tharanga steering and cutting the ball neatly, the runs continued to mount.Sangakkara drove Ishant straight down the ground to bring up the hundred, and when Tharanga edged Harbhajan down to third man, he had his half-century from 51 balls. Sangakkara then lofted Sehwag for a straight six, and things were looking exceedingly grim for India until the spinners and Ishant had their say.Chanaka Welegedara started the Indian innings with a maiden, and Sehwag then watched Tendulkar clip and cover-drive Kulasekara for fours. When his turn came, he took Kulasekara for three fours in an over, a feat he repeated when Lasith Malinga came on without his radar in place. Welegadara was also then smashed for three fours before Dilshan held, at the third time of asking, an attempt to belt the ball over point.After Sehwag’s exit, the run-flow eased temporarily. Tendulkar was fortunate when an inside edge off Kulasekara missed leg stump on its way for four, but with some lovely strokes being played through the covers and midwicket, the innings was soon back on track.Tendulkar greeted Mendis with a paddle and a cover-drive for four, and when he then upper-cut Kulasekara for four more, Sangakkara brought on Randiv in a bid to emulate what the Indian spinners had done earlier in the day. He duly got Gambhir, a return catch off the leading edge, but with Tendulkar well set and Yuvraj Singh finding his off-side rhythm, it looked likely to be no more than a blip.It took Tendulkar 57 balls to reach yet another half-century, and when he then dabbed Mendis through vacant slip, the target was well below 100. Yuvraj went, playing a lazy drive at Welegedera, but with Karthik taking Mendis for two fours in an over and then chipping a Malinga yorker over mid-on, India hurtled towards the target.Tendulkar carried on in unhurried fashion, with deft dabs and clips off the pads, and glances so fine they just evaded the keeper. But with Karthik clouting Randiv over long-on for a six, the century that the crowd was looking for never arrived. Not that it mattered. With Sri Lanka succumbing to the Christmas spirit of giving, what might have been a challenging chase for India became instead as pleasant as a moment under the mistletoe.

Some Glasgow Rangers fans have been blasting Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous after his ‘dangerous’ challenge on Joe Aribo resulted in a red card in Sunday’s clash at Ibrox.

The centre-back lunged in on the Nigerian when he appeared to be through on goal and was over the top of the ball with his attempted tackle, resulting in referee Nick Walsh sending him off straight away.

It came at a good time for Steven Gerrard’s team, who were 1-0 down at the time at Ibrox through an early Kevin Nisbet strike, and it certainly helped their cause as they went on to win 2-1 in the end thanks to goals from Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos.

Nonetheless, it was a challenge which left a lot of Light Blues fans fuming, as Porteous could have seriously hurt Aribo with the way that he approached the tackle.

Rangers fans on Porteous challenge

These Gers supporters were left blasting Porteous on Twitter after he made the challenge on Aribo:

“Shocker of a tackle, knee height studs”

Credit: @DeanFerguson4

“That was an absolute ridiculous challenge. He’s gonna break someone’s leg if that’s the way he wants to play.”

Credit: @MichaelAndo88

“Horrific challenge – he’s going to ruin a player’s career one day”

Credit: @yaldydd

“Nasty that was.”

Credit: @_wotta

“A red all day, high straight leg and endangering an opponent. Porteous is reckless and liable for challenges like this against us.”

Credit: @Scooter_RFC

“Aribo so lucky that never fully connected, that was a shin breaker if it did. Honestly first time seeing it I didn’t think it was bad, but replays showed just how bad a tackle it was.”

Credit: @AngelusB4

In other news, find out which player’s display against Hibernian was praised by numerous fans

It has now been revealed how close Everton were to signing Luis Diaz in the summer transfer window, ahead of another potential move in January.

The Lowdown: Talks

The Goodison Park faithful had reportedly held initial talks with Luiz over a potential move to the Merseyside club.

However, those discussions stalled very late on in the window, and in the end he stayed at FC Porto.

The Latest: Offer made

As per A Bola (via Sport Witness), Rafa Benitez’s side ‘really got ahead’ with an offer of €30m (£25.8m) plus James Rodriguez on loan to sign Diaz, but the former Real Madrid star was ‘turned down’ by Porto manager Sergio Conceicao and the board.

They were ‘pressed’ by their need to raise some cash, but considered that his market value would grow in the future, and so did not feel that it was the right time to sell.

The Verdict: Return in January

With Rodriguez now set to join Al Rayyan, he would not be able to be included in any part of a deal for Diaz in January.

However, providing that enough finances are available, that should not stop the Toffees from returning with another offer, as it seems he was a top target for Benitez and co if they were willing to stump up close to £30m.

The Colombia international has been on fire so far this season with five goals and an assist in six games in the Portuguese top flight (Transfermarkt), and is a player that is very capable of replacing Rodriguez in the team.

At 24 years of age, he will only get better too, and now is certainly the best time to buy given his likely increase in market value.

In other news, find out whose display against QPR was slammed here!