All posts by h716a5.icu

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have gone wild over a Sky Sports post involving midfielder and fan favourite Tomas Soucek.

The Czech Republic international, signed by manager David Moyes in the summer of 2020, has gone on to become a real favourite at the London Stadium.

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Last season, he was one of the fixtures in a West Ham team which defied all expectation and played a pivotal role in helping the Hammers to European qualification.

The 26-year-old won an outstanding 6.2 aerial duels per 90, more than any other West Ham player, whilst also starting every single Premier League game and making the joint-most tackles (WhoScored).

Now, Sky Sports have dropped a post on Soucek which further supports his ability.

According to their power rankings, a formula which bases a player’s season on 35 different statistics and ‘removes all subjectivity’, Soucek has been the seventh-best player across Europe’s top five leagues since October 2020.

This is above the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Memphis Depay and Harry Kane – with this analysis now sending West Ham fans wild on Twitter.

Find all of their best reactions down below.

West Ham fans erupt over Sky Sports post…

“Man like Tomas!”

Credit: @WestHamViews_

“TOMAS SOUCEK ON A BALLON DOR POST??? INJECT IT”

Credit: @RiceSZN_

“TOMAS SOUCEK IS RANKED AS THE 7TH BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD, THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

Credit: @FinallyFornals

“We are massive”

Credit: @apearson18_

“Yh we are massive. What a player”

Credit: @HR_whuFC

“Potato Salad is the goat”

Credit: @HammersMighty

“Machine”

Credit: @whu1515

In other news: Newman gifted boost in race to sign ‘outstanding’ star who is ‘very keen’ to join West Ham, find out more here.

Zimbabwe Cricket has appointed four of the five chief executives for its newly-created franchises, according to a report in the Independent

Steven Price in Harare05-Jun-2009Zimbabwe Cricket has appointed four of the five chief executives for its newly-created franchises, according to a report in the Independent.Advertising executive Hugo Ribatika has been named as CEO for Northerns, the largest franchise be based in Harare. Stanley Staddon will run Westerns, who have requested to change their name to Matabeleland Warriors. Givemore Makoni will be in charge of Southerns, and Kenyon Ziehl is boss at Centrals. The only outstanding appointment is that of the Easterns chief executive.Makoni is the current national team manager while Ziehl is the chairman of selectors. Both have resigned those posts.Ziehl would almost certainly have had to step down anyway following criticism by an ICC report about the lack of any cricketing pedigree among the selectors. He will be replaced by former South Africa Test player Jackie du Preez, with the panel being made up from one nominee from each franchise.Critics remain unhappy that while the establishment of new franchises has been heralded as the start of a new, democratic era for Zimbabwe Cricket, the chief executives have all been appointed by the board from those running the existing provincial structure. That itself was formed when ZC abolished long-standing associations and forced through the appointment of individuals known to be supportive of the Chingoka regime.”We have to see how this works out, but the worry is that this is little more than shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic,” one former administrator said. “The same old faces are all here, but while the board is controlled by the elite who have been running it for so long, why should we expect miracles.”

Umar Akmal continued his love for Australian attacks and pitches, rattling off his second hundred in consecutive matches to give Pakistan A the initiative

Cricinfo staff04-Jul-2009
ScorecardUmar Akmal continued his love for Australian attacks and pitches, rattling off his second hundred in consecutive matches to give Pakistan A the initiative in Townsville. Pakistan had resumed the day on 5 for 47 after Doug Bollinger’s rampage on the first evening, but Akmal’s defiance and half-centuries to Fahad Iqbal and Sarfraz Ahmed took them to a strong 333.Bollinger snapped up his fifth wicket in the morning but the home side were in for a lot of toil with Akmal, who hit 129 from just 145 deliveries, leading Pakistan’s reply. He tucked into the attack, despite Pakistan’s precarious situation, and thumped 14 fours and three sixes to help avert an innings defeat.Akmal’s innings was not the only significant contribution. Ahmed (61) and Iqbal (52) forged a 161-run partnership for the sixth wicket to further lift Pakistan to a strong position. The offspinner Jason Krejza had the best figures for Australia A, taking 2 for 76 from 18.2 overs.In the 21 overs remaining, Australia scored 44 without loss. They are 58 behind Pakistan. Ryan Broad was unbeaten on 22 with Michael Klinger on 16.

Lee Ryder has now revealed some exciting insight on Mike Ashley from an insider close to the imminent takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Takeover imminent

As per Sky Sports, the proposed takeover deal between the St. James’ Park faithful, the Premier League and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is now set to be announced imminently after a breakthrough on Wednesday night.

There was some hope and speculation that it would be announced then, but it looks as if an official announcement confirming the deal will be made shortly.

The Latest: Ashley insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has now revealed some insight on Ashley from a close insider to the takeover:

“Mike thought the club was sold in April 2020 and he believes he has a deal now.

“It’s all down to Mike and the Premier League now.”

The Verdict: Exciting

These are certainly very exciting times ahead for the Toon Army, as it looks as if Ashley is now more confident than ever that his deal with the KSA group will go through.

All that seems to be left is an official announcement from all of the parties involved, which should make their dream become a reality.

Nonetheless, Ashley himself will want to get the deal done as soon as possible so that he can receive the money from its sale, and leave the North East club into a new era.

In other news, find out what Steve Bruce and Lee Charnley’s futures are after the takeover here!

Bangladesh remained unbeaten on their tour of West Indies with a win against University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2009
Scorecard
A quickfire 82 in 59 balls from stand-in captain Mushfiqur Rahim took Bangladesh to a 16-run victory over University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI at Benjamin Park in Dominica on Friday.In a rain-affected match reduced to 25 overs a side, Mushfiqur helped his team recover from 38 for 3 to a final score of 167 for 6. Rahim shared a vital 53-run fourth-wicket partnership with Raqibul Hasan, who made 34. Significant stands for the fifth and seventh wickets then pushed Bangladesh to a challenging score.In reply, the home team got off to a good start with Omar Philips making 49 at the top of the order, but Devon Smith and Kieran Powell fell cheaply to leave the hosts in trouble on 86 for 3. Chadwick Walton hit 21 from 16 balls and Crafton Clarke cracked an unbeaten 29 from 19 balls to help revive the Vice Chancellor’s XI, but it could not prevent a Bangladesh win.Bangladesh play the first of three ODIs against the West Indies in Dominica on Sunday, followed by a solitary Twenty20 international.

Ashley Preece is ‘expecting’ Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey to return against Wolves on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Bailey’s injury

The 24-year-old actually injured himself when he scored his first goal for Villa following his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen. The Jamaican suffered a thigh strain against Everton and missed games with Manchester United and Tottenham as a result.

Villa were targeting a return following the international break against Wolves this weekend, and Preece believes that it could be on the cards.

The Latest: Preece’s tweet

Reliable reporter Preece took to Twitter on Monday evening to inform supporters of Bertrand Traore’s latest injury.

He was asked by one fan for any news on Bailey, to which he replied: “I’m expecting him to play some part on Saturday, Smith might not want to risk him from the start. We’ll wait and see. Due a team news update later this week.”

Preece’s post appeared to go under the radar, with just one retweet and four likes as of Tuesday morning.

The Verdict: Good news

Even if Dean Smith doesn’t risk Bailey from the start on Saturday and places him on the bench, it will still give Villa a big boost for the game against their Midlands rivals.

Bailey has already shown what he can do off the bench at Villa Park, and another starring cameo display this weekend could make all the difference if it is a tight match.

Hopefully he will be in and around the matchday squad on Saturday, but if he isn’t fully fit, he shouldn’t be risked.

In other news: Smith looking to pip Arteta again as Aston Villa eye move for ace who has the same agency as Mings

A round-up from the first day of the ICC World Cricket League, Division 6

Cricinfo staff29-Aug-2009Hosts Singapore got off to a winning start in the World Cricket League Division 6 with a seven-wicket win over Guernsey thanks to fifties from Buddika Mendis and Narender Reddy, and six wickets from Mulewa Dharmichand, in the opening match at The Padang. Dharmichand, the Man of the Match, ripped through Guernsey with 6 for 55, restricting them to a below-par 169, a total they achieved largely thanks to 58 from their wicketkeeper, 19-year-old Tom Kimber. Dharmichand fell for a fourth-ball duck in Singapore’s chase of 170, but the hosts were never in any real danger thereafter owing to Mendis and Reddy’s second-wicket partnership of 89. Both fell in quick succession, but Monish Arora saw them home with 29 from 54, with more than 17 overs to spare.”It’s obviously great to start the tournament this way and to secure a first match win, but we must not get ahead of ourselves, we have plenty more matches to play,” said Dharmichand.A pair of scorching 70s from Zaheer Ashiq and Shahid Ahmed and 6 for 56 from Aamer Waheed led Norway to an impressive 19-run win over Botswana at The Kallang Ground. Set a very testing 271, Botswana were reduced to 158 for 5, but James Moses gave them hope with a tremendous 101 from 103 balls. Unfortunately, there was little else of substance from his team-mates, and Waheed mopped up the tail to record a solid 19-run win. Norway’s 270 for 9 was set up by the captain, Ashiq, who cracked nine fours and two sixes in his 75, while Shahid’s 75 came at a run-a-ball.Solly Chotia, the Botswana coach, commented: “We really tried very hard today and we just didn’t quite make it. This is the first of six matches we’ll be playing and we must take the positives and look now to beating Singapore tomorrow.”Bahrain’s bowlers held their nerve in the tournament’s first tense encounter, holding off a strong late challenge from Malaysia who couldn’t quite reach their target of 238 at the Indian Association Ground. Malaysia’s chase was anchored by Ahmed Faiz’s 62 and 58 from Suhan Alagaratnam, who set them on course, but a middle-order collapse allowed Bahrain, the Division 7 champions, back into the game. Muthuraman Sockalingam cracked 11 from 8, but with the No.10 for company, Nik Azril Arivin, he wasn’t able to see them over the line, falling two runs short. Bahrain’s innings fell apart, too, collapsing to 108 for 6, before Qamar Saeed thrashed 75 from 69 to help them post a very competitive 237 for 8.”It was our match to lose, and we did that,” Malaysia coach, Rajiv Seth, said. “It’s not a great feeling but we must try our hardest to do well for our next game which is against Norway who secured a good victory today over Botswana.”

PIF could get Newcastle United absolutely rocking again by managing to convince Antonio Conte to take over as their new manager.

What’s the story?

The Magpies finally parted ways with Steve Bruce earlier this week, and now, The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has suggested that Conte’s name has been bandied about as a potential replacement.

He said: “Take Antonio Conte, for example, who has been recommended by various people within the game, including a well-respected figure from Newcastle’s past.

“Of course, there would be interest in appointing a serial trophy winner. But, as one source connected to the consortium says, ‘We’re just not ready for that yet.’ In fact, they are years away from it.

“Though clubless at the present time after leading Inter Milan to the Serie A title last season, Conte, who has never stayed at a club longer than three years, is a short-term appointment who would take a team from challengers to title winners. He is not the man to rescue a club from potential relegation and help them climb the table. Soon enough, if the early stages of the project go well, then the consortium hopes the likes of Conte will become more attainable.”

Saint-Maximin would love his winning mentality

Dubbed a “winner” by Waugh, the 52-year-old won the Premier League and FA Cup in his time with Chelsea, as well as picking up four Serie A titles across two spells with Juventus and then last season with Inter.

And, it was during his time in England that Conte drew high praise from one of the very best in the game, Pep Guardiola, who said: “Tactically he is a master, he did it amazingly with Italy and when he went to Turin (with Juventus). I think Conte is going to leave, going to give something to English football. I’m sure of that.”

Conte’s proven track record of winning trophies and achieving success wherever he goes would surely go a long way to convincing the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin that the Magpies are serious about challenging for the top.

Just last season, the Frenchman said: “For me, Newcastle have the opportunity and have everything to try to fight for the top 10 and try to win some trophies because that’s why we play football. We play football to win games & win trophies so that’s why a lot of the time I feel disappointed & that’s why I say sometimes you have to be honest.

“I don’t want to do another season where we fight relegation so I hope the club & everyone tries to do their best to have a really good team for the start of next season & try to do everything to win trophies because it’s the most important thing.”

Well, hiring Conte would certainly give the Magpies the best chance of doing so, and while Waugh is sceptical of whether the Italian is attainable at this moment, selling this new project and the massive investments PIF can make over these upcoming transfer windows could just sway him.

St James’ Park would be absolutely rocking with the appointment of a proven winner like the 52-year-old, and someone like Saint-Maximin would surely love the ambition the club have shown.

Meanwhile, Craig Hope has delivered an update on Newcastle’s pursuit of Paulo Fonseca…

Frank McAvennie has said that Harry Kane is to blame for Tottenham Hotspur’s poor form so far this season.

The Lowdown: Spurs struggling

Spurs have been erratic in the early months of the campaign. They won their first three Premier League games to nil before losing their next three, then winning another two prior to their latest defeat (Sky Sports) against West Ham on Sunday.

After failing to secure a move to Manchester City during the summer transfer window (CBS Sports), Kane has struggled this season, scoring just once in eight league outings after seven successive double-figure campaigns (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: McAvennie blames Kane

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie has blamed Kane for Spurs’ struggles. The former West Ham striker said:

“Kane is still struggling.

“I get that he’s scoring goals in the other competitions but what is the point in judging him on that?

“Are Tottenham going to win the Carabao Cup? No. Are they going to win the Conference League? Not the way they are going right now.

“They are suffering in the Premier League because their star man isn’t performing.

“Yes, he scored against Newcastle. Most people could have scored against Newcastle last week.

“If Tottenham don’t finish in the top six or whatever and Kane has scored 20 odd goals, it’s not his fault.

“If they do that this season and he gets 10, for example, it is his fault. He needs to turn his form around.”

The Verdict: More than just Kane

Of course, Kane has contributed to Spurs’ poor form. After all, he is probably their best player and has often carried the team on his own. However, for McAvennie to hint that he is the main reason is incredibly harsh on the 28-year-old – Tottenham’s woes owe to a combination of several factors.

Nuno Espirito Santo does not appear to be the best choice as manager as it stands – his claim that Spurs were the better side against the Irons despite failing to register a shot in the second half (SofaScore) is telling – and a number of Tottenham players have failed to perform. You could also argue that not enough business was done by Daniel Levy in the transfer market.

Kane’s form is one of the reasons Spurs are struggling, but far from the only one.

In other news, this man wants to leave Tottenham

Michael Hussey is confident Australia can spark up for the Champions Trophy despite the short turnaround following their long tour of England

Cricinfo staff23-Sep-2009Michael Hussey is confident Australia can spark up for the Champions Trophy despite the short turnaround following their long tour of England. The Australians finished their one-day series against England in Durham on Sunday, losing the game but winning 6-1, and they resume training on Thursday ahead of their first match of the Champions Trophy.Australia take on a weakened West Indies outfit at the Wanderers on Saturday and while the match shouldn’t pose too many problems, Ricky Ponting has already aired his opinion that the England series was too long. But Hussey said a change of scenery would help to refresh the players.”I guess it’s new and exciting and all the best players around the world are here, so you spruce up a little bit no question,” Hussey told . “The one-dayers (against England) were good. I still think we’ve got a few areas we need to improve in if we’re going to be right up there at the business end of this tournament. We’ve got to make sure we try to start a tournament well and try to get better and better each game.”Australia hold the Champions Trophy after winning it in India three years ago and they will need to finish in the top two in their group of West Indies, Pakistan and India to get to the semi-finals. Hussey said the Australians needed to concentrate largely on their own game.”Although it’s important to focus on what they’re going to do and what they can do and their strengths and weaknesses, we’ve got to make sure we get our things right,” he said. “I’d back us if we can get our things right, then we’ll be pretty competitive with all teams around the world no matter who they are.”After arriving in Johannesburg, Ponting reiterated his thoughts on Australia’s weariness after a four-month tour of England that began with the World Twenty20. He said any team was capable of progressing past the group stage.”There are some tired bodies in our camp at the moment so we will have a rest today and start preparing tomorrow for our first match on Saturday,” Ponting said. “The Champions Trophy is going to be a very tight tournament because there are some very good teams taking part and Sri Lanka have already caused a surprise [by beating South Africa]. I regard Sri Lanka as one of the top ODI teams and once they put on more than 300 runs it was always going to be hard work for South Africa.”