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Stuart Clark has said he holds “grave fears” for the future of cricket in the wake of Andrew Flintoff’s decision to go freelance

Cricinfo staff17-Sep-2009Australian player agent Neil Maxwell said players will begin to opt for money over the baggy green and Stuart Clark has said he holds “grave fears” for the future of cricket in the wake of Andrew Flintoff’s decision to go freelance. Flintoff’s rejection of a £30,000 incremental ECB contract has opened the door for him to earn big money in various Twenty20 competitions including the IPL.It’s that lure that Clark believes could be dangerous for younger players, who are still trying to make their way in the game. Clark said on Sydney’s radio show that he had noticed some of his young New South Wales team-mates becoming excited about the prize money on offer at next month’s Champions League Twenty20 in India, where the winning team pockets US$2.5 million.”What scares me the most is where does it leave the game if people just go chasing large sums of money for a bit of hit-and-giggle,” Clark said. “I think we as players all owe it to Test cricket to try and keep it afloat.”I know the administration is working hard at it, but I personally hold grave fears for where the game is heading. But while tournaments like the Champions League are very lucrative, I’d personally like to think at this stage the players at New South Wales would prefer to play for Australia.”That might be the case in the immediate future but according to Maxwell, cricket should brace itself for more players following the Flintoff route. Maxwell said it was unlikely that it would only be older players like Flintoff who could go for the free-agent option, which would also be attractive to younger cricketers.”I think more and more players are going to freelance over time when you look at the laughable situation of Flintoff potentially being offered a £30,000 contract, [but] all of his image rights and everything would be handed over,” Maxwell told the . “You’re going to get both ends of the [age] spectrum, because the next generation of player is going to be focused on building a career, and Twenty20 is going to offer him far more options than playing for his country.”You are going to get a generational change. It’s going to be the dollar or the baggy green, and I think the dollar is going to win hands down. There are Australian cricketers who are going to be offshore for seven months. You weigh that up against an Andrew Symonds, who is going to earn a similar amount of money for six weeks work … cricket has got an interesting dilemma in front of it.”

Everton have received a potentially significant boost in their pursuit of Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek.

What’s the story?

According to Dutch publication De Telegraaf (as relayed by Metro), the 24-year-old has decided to change his agent in order to secure an Old Trafford exit ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

Van de Beek was heavily linked with a move to the Toffees over the summer, with director of football Marcel Brands openly admitting that the engine room operator was on his list of potential targets.

“We had him on our list. At the beginning of the transfer window, we enquired at United, then it was impossible,” Brand told Dutch outlet NOS.

“At the end of the window, I received a call from Guido Albers, his agent, that he might be rented out after all. But at the last minute, it was cancelled. Stopped again.”

However, Van de Beek has now replaced Albers with Ali Dursun as he desperately attempts to end his 18-month Manchester nightmare, with Everton, Newcastle United and Juventus all believed to be monitoring the situation.

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

After scoring 41 goals and laying on a further 34 assists for his teammates in 175 games for Ajax, as well as winning a domestic double in 2018/19 as they reached the Champions League semi-finals, Van de Beek arrived on English shores with an enviable reputation.

However, the physical demands and fast-paced nature of the Premier League often seemed to overwhelm the technically gifted midfielder last season, limiting him to just four starts in the top flight throughout 2020/21.

It was reported that the Netherlands international had bulked up over the summer, though, after missing Euro 2020 through injury, and United teammate Bruno Fernandes lauded Van de Beek’s extra efforts during pre-season.

“As a professional player you always prepare for your season before you come back for training, you always do something before, and I think everyone was doing their jobs at home,” the Portugal star told the official Manchester United website.

“Yes, he’s (Van de Beek) working hard and working hard in the gym. Obviously, he is one of the quality players we know, and now he’s building up,” he added.

Nevertheless, the £22.5m-rated gem has found opportunities hard to come by at the Theatre of Dreams once again in the current campaign, starting just two games in all competitions under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Van de Beek’s current predicament and his desire to depart United will surely leave Everton manager Rafael Benitez buzzing with excitement as he searches for a creative talent to replace James Rodriguez, and he’ll likely be asking Brands to revive his interest in the Dutch midfielder over the winter transfer window. The 24-year-old’s change of agent might help to get a move pushed through.

In other news… Everton receive boost in pursuit of “unique” £75-p/w dynamo, fans will be buzzing

Cricinfo previews the fourth ODI between India and Australia in Mohali

The Preview by George Binoy01-Nov-2009Match factsMonday, November 2
Start time 14.30 (09.00GMT)Will Virender Sehwag be fit enough to open with Sachin Tendulkar in Mohali?•Associated PressBig PictureWhen this seven-match ODI series is finished, it’s likely that what lingers in the memory the longest is not MS Dhoni’s century in Nagpur, or the consistency of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting, but how the teams lost key players to injury after every contest and had to make do with thinning resources and last-minute reinforcements. Not one of the first three fixtures was contested by two full-strength elevens and both India and Australia are further depleted ahead of the fourth game at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.India’s latest setbacks occurred at the Feroz Shah Kotla, where Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag picked up injuries, making them doubtful starters for the Mohali game. Gambhir was struck on the neck by a full-blooded pull from Ponting while fielding at short leg and a yorker from Peter Siddle crashed into Sehwag’s foot. Only on the morning of the game will it be known whether either batsman will be fit to play.Australia, meanwhile, had a third player from their original tour party flying home because of injury. James Hopes picked up a hamstring strain in the first one-dayer, remained with the squad longer than fellow casualties Brett Lee and Tim Paine, but hadn’t recovered quickly enough for him to be able to play the remaining ODIs. Clint McKay, the Victoria seamer, was the latest addition to the Australian squad after Moises Henriques and Graham Manou. Mitchell Johnson seems to be pulling through the series despite a sore ankle. Other national hopefuls might be watching tomorrow’s match thinking they might be next to receive a call from Andrew Hilditch.The schedule isn’t kind to the injured either. The teams left the Kotla only at midnight after Saturday’s game. Their arrival in Chandigarh was delayed and by the time they reached, there were fewer than 24 hours to go before Dhoni and Ponting are scheduled to toss. Provided both of them remain injury-free of course.The added incentive to tomorrow’s contest is that if India win, they will claim the No. 1 ranking in one-day internationals. If Australia prevail, they will stretch their current one-point lead to three.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia – LLWWW
India – WWLWL
Watch out for …Ricky Ponting: The Delhi pitch was tough for batting, the squad was inexperienced and depleted by injury, and in the interest of team balance Australia decided not to play specialist opener Shaun Marsh. They needed someone to partner Shane Watson at the top and Ponting took on the responsibility. It was only the second time he was opening in his 327-ODI career and he fought the conditions and batted with restraint to score his second half-century of the series. “I’m obviously the most experienced player in our side and to put one of the other guys up to open the innings I thought would have been more of a challenge for them than it would be for me,” Ponting said. He is likely to open again.The Yuvraj-Dhoni partnership: Their 148-run partnership won India the Delhi game on a pitch that was difficult for shot-playing. The PCA Stadium surface is likely to be much flatter and faster and, if Yuvraj and Dhoni should spend considerable time in each other’s company, they could render Australia helpless once again. Yuvraj will also be playing in front of his home crowd, something he said he was looking forward to very much while collecting his Man-of-the-Match award at the Kotla.Team newsIndia will decide on Sehwag and Gambhir’s participation only on Monday morning and have brought in wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik as cover. Virat Kohli, who played in Vadodara but was dropped thereafter, is the other batsman in the squad. They might have wanted to rest Sachin Tendulkar, whom Yuvraj referred to in jest as the “grandfather” of the dressing room, because of the one-day gap between matches but that is now unlikely. The bowling attack is settling down nicely and doesn’t need changing.India(probable): 1 Virender Sehwag/Dinesh Karthik, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir/Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.Ponting said that Australia fielded the XI they did in Delhi in order to maintain team balance – playing Marsh would mean one less bowler – and they could be unchanged, with the captain opening the innings again.Australia: (probable): 1 Shane Watson, 2 Ricky Ponting (capt), 3 Michael Hussey, 4 Cameron White, 5 Adam Voges, 6 Moises Henriques, 7 Graham Manou (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.Pitch and conditionsThe pitch at the PCA Stadium, like most of those in India, would ordinarily be a win-toss-and-bat surface. However, with the onset of winter, the significant difference between day and night temperatures will result in heavy dew in the evenings. Nathan Hauritz struggled during his spell in Delhi, and Adam Voges bowled only one over because he couldn’t grip the ball. If the pitch looks like it will stay good for batting for 100 overs, the captain winning the toss could be tempted to bowl first to give his bowlers the benefit of a dry ball.Stats and triviaIndia have won five out of eight ODIs they’ve played at the PCA Stadium. However, they lost their last two matches there, against Pakistan in 2007, and against Australia in the 2006 Champions Trophy. Australia have played four ODIs in Mohali and won three.No Indian batsman has scored a hundred in an ODI in Mohali. Tendulkar’s 99 against Pakistan in 2007 is the highest. Tendulkar is the highest scorer at the venue, with 241 runs at an average of 60.25.Harbhajan Singh, another local lad, has taken seven wickets at 24.71 apiece in four matches in Mohali. He has an economy-rate of 4.91 there.Quotes”If it looks like everyone’s fit and ready for the next game there’s probably every chance that I’ll open again.”
.”Plan? We are in fact tired of planning celebrations for him. Every week, the guy goes on to make some record or other. How many times can you celebrate?”

Roberto Martinez is now reportedly being ‘pushed’ by Graeme Jones to take over as manager of Newcastle United after Unai Emery’s latest snub.

The Lowdown: Emery snub

As per journalist and La Liga expert Guillem Balague, Emery is set to reject an approach from the St. James’ Park faithful, after having doubts over their vision for the club.

It was reported by The Athletic that Emery was the favourite for the job with Eddie Howe as the alternative, but the Spaniard has now released a statement confirming he will stay at Villarreal (via Craig Hope).

Balague questioned why both managers would be on the shortlist given that they are completely different, and rightly so, as Emery has managed big names at the top of their divisions, while Howe’s experience only comes from working up the divisions with AFC Bournemouth and Burnley.

The Latest: Jones pushes for Martinez

According to Football Insider, Jones has ‘massively pushed’ for Martinez to be given the new manager role.

A source from the North East club has revealed that the interim coach has ‘made it clear’ to the board that his former co-worker at Belgium should be the permanent successor to Steve Bruce.

He believes that the Spaniard ‘can be lured’ for his current position as Belgium coach, and Martinez is seen as a ‘realistic’ target for the new owners, as experience of managing in the Premier League is ‘key’ for them.

The Verdict: As a last resort

The longer that the Tyneside outfit go without a permanent boss, the more likely it is that they will be relegated from the top flight come the end of the season.

Despite Jones coming in as interim to replace Bruce, they have still not managed to win a game yet in the division, and sit in a very worrying 19th spot in the table with a mere four points (Premier League).

With an international break coming up, the Magpies need to get someone in fast, so that they can implement their ideas properly during that break.

While Martinez could seem a good option on paper, as former Premier League boss Alex McLeish labelled him as ‘world class’ and he showed his credentials by winning the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic and guiding Belgium to first place in the official FIFA World Rankings, he does not seem to be the right fit.

Yes, he is experienced in the top flight, but recorded disappointing bottom-half finishes with Everton in his last two terms at the Merseyside club (Transfermarkt), and also took the Latics down to the Championship in 2013.

The Toon need to bring in someone with a vision to drive the club forward, not a manager who has already been beaten by the drop in England.

In other news, find out which £175,000-per-week ace has emerged as a potential NUFC January signing here!

Gennaro Gattuso has expressed an interest in the managerial opening at Rangers, according to The Daily Record. 

The Lowdown:

Rangers are looking for a successor to Steven Gerrard, who left to become manager of English Premier League side Aston Villa last week.

Gattuso spent a year of his playing career at Ibrox, having joined from Perugia in 1997. He donned the jersey eight times and then left for Salernitana, before moving on to AC Milan.

During his time at the San Siro, he won 11 major trophies, including two Champions League titles, and it’s safe to say his time as a player was littered with silverware.

On the international stage, he helped Marcelo Lippi’s Italy side to clinch World Cup glory in 2006 – going on to rack up 73 international caps in total over what was an impressive career.

In terms of his managerial career, the Italian’s last job was at Napoli, where he picked up 47 wins from 81 matches (58%) but left after failing to secure Champions League qualification.

The Latest:

Now, The Daily Record believes that Gattuso has ‘thrown his hat into the ring’ as Ibrox chiefs assess candidates to replace Gerrard.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is the frontrunner at the moment, but there’s a warning that he’ll only take the job if ‘everything is right’.

He wants assurances over backroom staff and the level of backing he’ll receive transfer-wise.

The Verdict:

Gattuso may be a former Rangers player, but he’d still be a hugely controversial appointment.

He was actually close to taking over at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer following the sacking of Jose Mourinho but Spurs walked away amid a backlash from supporters.

Lilywhites fans pointed to divisive comments made by Gattuso regarding race, same-sex marriage and women (The Metro).

These aspects of a potential appointment for the Italian will surely be at the forefront of Ross Wilson’s mind as Gattuso makes his interest in the Gers job known.

In other news, fans gushed over this update. 

Graham Gooch has been recruited to the England coaching staff on a temporary basis to help the team prepare for the Test series against South Africa

Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2009Graham Gooch has been recruited to the England coaching staff on a temporary basis to help the team prepare for the Test series against South Africa.Gooch, who played 118 Tests and is his country’s leading run-scorer, will initially join up with the performance programme in Pretoria next week before linking with the main squad in the build-up to the opening Test at Centurion Park on December 16.”Graham is rightly regarded as one of the best batting coaches in international cricket and we are delighted to have secured his services for a key period of our preparations leading up to the first Test,” said Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket.Gooch will be able to work with Alastair Cook, a long-time student of the former England captain, who left the one-day squad after suffering a back problem and has remained in Pretoria. Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett, both members of the Test squad, were also released from the limited-overs unit on Saturday so they are able to play for the performance squad in a four-day match against the Lions, on Monday, as preparation for the Test series.Following the one-day series, which finishes in Durban next Friday, England travel to East London to prepare for the Tests with two two-day games against a South African Invitational XI.

An update has emerged on Lille centre-forward Jonathan David, regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of the gem.

What’s the talk?

According to Le10 Sport, the Magpies are following the attacker and have made their interest known to the French giants.

The report claims that PSG, Milan and Inter are also keen on the striker and that a deal could be likely at the end of the season.

Bye-bye Joelinton

Although there could be work to do in other areas of the pitch, David could be Howe’s final, currently missing, piece at the top end of the pitch. If the ex-Cherries boss wants to line up with a front three then he could have Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and David, with the Lille man replacing the misfiring Joelinton.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-newcastle-howe-ter-stegen” title= “Read the latest Newcastle news!”]

The 25-year-old ex-Hoffenheim man has zero goals and one assist in ten appearances for the Magpies in the Premier League this season. This comes after he scored a measly six times in 55 starts across his first two campaigns with the club.

Saint-Maximin, meanwhile, has averaged a superb WhoScored rating of 7.24 this season with two goals and three assists to his name. Wilson has found the back of the net four times in seven games and ended last term with 12 league strikes, showing his prowess.

David, who was once dubbed a “phenomenon” by former coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck, could replace Joelinton and complete the front three alongside Saint-Maximin and Wilson. In Ligue 1 this season, the Canada international has scored eight goals in ten starts, whilst also netting once in the Champions League. This comes after he notched 13 strikes in the league last term, proving that he score on a consistent basis.

He is a versatile forward, capable of playing up front on his own or in a slightly deeper attacking midfield role and this could help him link up with Wilson and Saint-Maximin. For example, Howe could deploy a system with David and Saint-Maximin in two floating positions behind Wilson, allowing them to be fluid in the final third and cause constant problems for defences with their movement around the ex-Bournemouth centre-forward.

Therefore, by signing the £31.5m-rated forward Newcastle could have a deadly front three under Howe, one that finally sees Joelinton axed. This is why PIF must ensure that they can get a deal over the line for the 21-year-old, whether it comes in January or at the end of the season.

AND in other news, Howe must ruthlessly axe £32k-p/w NUFC dud who Shearer once accused of “cheating”…

A round up from the latest matches in the Faithwear Metbank One-Day Competition

Cricinfo staff08-Dec-2009Mountaineers made light work of the target set by Matabeleland Tuskers at Mutare Sports Club. Choosing to bat first Matabeleland could not last the 50 overs as they were bowled out for under 200. It could have been worse for the visiting side, who were struggling at 71 for 6 at the half-way stage of their innings. But a run-a-ball 53 from captain Greg Strydom and contributions Mbekezeli Mabuza (24) and Chris Mpofu (29 not out) lifted the total to 197. Though the wickets were shared around the bowlers,18 year-old legspinner Natsai Mushangwe was the star, collecting a career best 4 for 40 from his 10 overs.With plenty of time to reach their target, unbeaten fifties from Tino Mawoyo and captain Hamilton Masakadza alongside 47 from Timycen Maruma ensured no problems for the Mountaineers as they widened their lead over second-placed Mid West Rhinos to 16 points.Rain meant only 4.1 overs of play was possible in Southern Rocks game against Mashonaland Eagles at Masvingo Sports Club.

Mountaineers 76 0 0 1 28 +1.0031293/245.3 1279/300.0 Mid West Rhinos 6 33 0 0 12 +0.006 1425/297.31365/285.2 Mashonaland Eagles 7 2 30 2 12 -0.063 1225/247.1 1228/244.4 Southern Rocks 6 2 3 01 10 -0.387 1193/248.3 1233/237.4 Matabeleland Tuskers 6 1 5 00 4 -0.606 1379/300.0 1410/271.0

A summary of the first round of matches in New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition

Cricinfo staff08-Dec-2009Northern Districts held their nerve during a tense chase and secured a two-wicket victory with four balls to spare against Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. Chasing 265, Northern Districts got off to a solid start but the inability of their top order to play long innings resulted in a collapse from 136 for 1 to 196 for 6. Joseph Yovich scored a brisk 38, sharing small but valuable partnerships with the lower order, and eventually took his side to victory in the final obver. Earlier, Reece Young and Gareth Hopkins had scored half-centuries to lead Auckland’s innings but contributions from the others were meagre and they managed 264 for 8.Central Districts hung on for a 15-run victory at Rangiora despite Michael Papps scoring a terrific 150, which kept Canterbury in the hunt until the very end. Papps’ innings, which came of 149 balls, included 13 fours and three sixes but it was a lone hand. He got no support from the top order – Canterbury were 88 for 5 chasing 302 – and it wasn’t until Papps’ 97-run partnership with Chris Harris that the chase got back on track. He then added another 77 runs with Kruger van Wyk. Just when Canterbury were within striking distance, though, Papps was bowled by Brendon Diamanti off the last ball of the 49th over. He was the ninth wicket to fall and the last man fell two balls later, with Canterbury on 286. A trio of half-centuries had earlier led Central Districts to 301 for 9. Peter Ingram made 53, George Worker 84, and Matthew Sinclair scored 67. Carl Frauenstein took 4 for 48 for Canterbury.An unbeaten half-century from Neil Broom led Otago to a six-wicket victory against Wellington in a shortened contest in Queenstown. Wellington, after getting sent in, made 153 for 7 in 22 overs. Stewart Rhodes top-scored with 33 and there were useful contributions from Chris Nevin, BJ Cook and Matthew Bell. Otago’s start was shaky, with the openers falling cheaply, but Broom was steady during his 61 off 58 balls. He had an aggressive partner in Craig Cumming, who made 34 off 24, and Otago eventually won with six balls to spare.

Otago 1 1 0 0 04 +0.379 154/21.0 153/22.0 Central Districts 1 1 0 0 0 4+0.300 301/50.0 286/50.0 Northern Districts 11 0 0 0 4 +0.092265/49.2 264/50.0 Auckland 1 01 0 0 0 -0.092 264/50.0265/49.2 Canterbury 1 0 10 0 0 -0.300 286/50.0 301/50.0 Wellington 1 0 1 00 0 -0.379 153/22.0 154/21.0

Steven Gerrard will be looking forward to and feeling confident ahead of Aston Villa’s fixture against Crystal Palace this weekend, thanks to a fantastic win in his debut game as the new manager against Brighton.

The side stole the show in the final ten minutes of the game with both Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings finding the back of the net in the last moments of the game to secure a 2-0 victory and the Villans first three points in five games.

Crystal Palace away will be no easy challenge for Gerrard’s side as he’s set to come up against former playing rival, Patrick Vieira.

The pair were competing in the league they now manage in, almost two decades ago as players for their respective clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal, so it will be an interesting battle of two Premier League legends turned football managers, which we imagine will be a competitive spectacle in the Selhurst Park dugout.

Gerrard will be buzzing with a fantastic injury boost as Douglas Luiz is back in training and available for the clash with the Eagles this weekend.

The popular Brazilian took to Twitter on Tuesday to confirm that he was back to full fitness.

He posted a picture of himself training and wrote; “It’s so good to be back.”

The midfielder was sidelined with a hamstring injury, which meant he missed the last three games for Villa, and unable to make his mark upon Gerrard’s arrival a fortnight ago.

That said, it represents a wonderful early boost for the Liverpudlian as Luiz had started every game this season bar one before the injury blow, demonstrating his importance to the team. As a result, he will be expected to make an appearance in the starting lineup on Saturday, should the manager feel that he is ready to play.

So far this term, he ranks as Villa’s highest-graded player in the whole team according to WhoScored, so his return will be huge.

Another player that has made his return from injury this week is Egyptian winger, Trezeguet, who was also spotted in training sessions in the run-up to the 3pm kick-off on Saturday.

Aston Villa will be hoping to take all three points from the game against Crystal Palace to move even further away from the relegation battle that they could easily get caught up in if they don’t pick up a good number of points before the new year.

In other news: Luke Hatfield drops Aston Villa January transfer claim