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Luis Campos would be keen to take up the sporting director post at Newcastle United, according to The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder. 

The lowdown

The 57-year-old has been described as a ‘transfer genius’ who was responsible for a ‘miracle’ at two Ligue 1 outfits in AS Monaco and Lille. He is ‘widely rated as one of the best talent-spotters in Europe’ (via The Athletic).

He brought the likes of James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao and Joao Moutinho to Monaco and turned ‘huge profits’ on Anthony Martial, Fabinho, Bernardo Silva and more. Campos also helped to assemble the Lille squad which beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 crown in 2020/21.

Newcastle’s new owners want to bring in a sporting director to work in tandem with their managerial appointment.

The latest

According to Ryder in The Chronicle, Campos ‘is thought to be keen’ on the position and may be on the club’s list of candidates.

While the process will be ‘rigorous’, Newcastle are aware of the need to establish their new structure ‘quickly’, and there’s a possibility that moves could be made during the November international break.

Ryder also mentioned another name – Ajax’s Marc Overmars – but pointed out that the Magpies would need to buy him out of his current contract.

The verdict

Some would argue that this appointment is just as important as, if not even more than, the managerial decision. Player recruitment will be at the heart of Newcastle’s bid to progress from relegation candidates to title challengers.

Campos isn’t the only option with an impressive CV, but you wonder if he’ll almost benefit from being out of work at this moment in time. The negotiation could prove more straightforward if the Magpies don’t need to get locked in negotiations with another club for a contracted executive, and that might tip the scales in the 57-year-old’s favour.

In other news, the Saudis are personally weighing up this managerial candidate for Newcastle 

Alan Richardson, the 34-year-old fast bowler, has signed up with Worcestershire for a two-year contract

Cricinfo staff16-Sep-2009Alan Richardson, the 34-year-old fast bowler, has signed up with Worcestershire for a two-year contract. Richardson has taken 11 wickets in six games at 56.18 for Middlesex this season.Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, said: “I have long been an admirer of Alan’s bowling ability so to secure his services is a real boost. Apart from being a fine bowler in his own right, he will bring his vast experience and positive attitude which can only help at this stage of the team’s development.”Richardson, who has also previously played for Warwickshire and Derbyshire, added:. “I am really excited at the prospect of playing with Worcestershire,” he said. “The opportunity to work with Steve Rhodes and Vikram Solanki was too good to miss. I am now looking forward to the challenges ahead and playing good cricket at a Club I have always felt welcome at.”Worcestershire will be in Division Two next year after a disappointing 2009 season where they were relegated long before the end of the summer.They are struggling to retain players and have lost bowler Kabir Ali, who has agreed to a three-year deal with Hampshire.

Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, aims to make the most of his experience playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, his country’s first-class domestic tournament

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2009Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, aims to make the most of his experience of playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, his country’s first-class domestic tournament. Akmal represents Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, who began their campaign with a six-wicket win over Water and Power Development Authority in Faisalabad.”I’ve had a promising start to my international career, but I’m still learning about the game,” Akmal told PakPassion.net. “I still have so much to learn as I have only played less than 30 first-class games and under 10 international matches.”Akmal, 19, averages 51 with five centuries in 27 first-class games. He’s had an excellent start to his international career, scoring his maiden ODI century in just his third game and averages 58 in the format. In three innings in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, he’s made 7, 52 and 39 and Akmal was confident the guidance of senior players in the side, like Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, would help him improve.”It’s fantastic that I have so many experienced players around me at both domestic level with Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and at international level,” he said. “These senior players help me so much and I always say to myself that it doesn’t matter how long you have been playing the game of cricket, you can always improve your game. Players at SNGPL of the calibre of Misbah ul Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Shafiq and Saleem Mughal have helped me a great deal.”Akmal said he was expecting a tough contest against New Zealand in the upcoming ODI series. “Its all to play for and I think both sides are evenly matched. As far as I am concerned, whoever plays the best cricket will be victorious”.

Amid a wretched run of form in the Premier League, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith will be desperately hoping that tonight’s clash against Southampton can see his side pick up some much-needed momentum.

The Villans have registered four consecutive defeats in the top-flight, with their last one coming at home to West Ham when Ezri Konsa’s sending off saw them slump to a 4-1 reverse.

And while Smith might be reluctant to chuck in one of his club’s prized academy products in at the deep end, the time has surely come for Carney Chukwuemeka to be given a run-out.

When Jacob Ramsey was forced off with injury mid-way through the first-half of that clash against the Hammers, it was made clear by the Villa Park faithful that they wanted Chukwuemeka to come on to replace him instead of Ashley Young.

While Ramsey has since been passed fit for today’s game against the Saints, Smith could really freshen up his side by bringing Chukwuemeka into the fold.

The teenager has earned rave reviews for his performances at youth team level with Villa, and was even dubbed as a “scary talent” by Ashley Preece.

Writing in his post-match player ratings after seeing him score a hat-trick against Newcastle in the FA Youth Cup last season, Preece showered him with more praise, saying:

“This was a Carney Chukwuemeka masterclass. It was a clinic in how to play an advanced midfield role with the 17-year-old oozing confidence and swagger. The hype’s real surrounding this kid who, as supporters know, has been around Dean Smith’s first team for a long time now. Villa’s No.10 started almost every attack and looked to hurt Newcastle at every opportunity.”

Hailed as “special” by podcaster Sam Tighe, the now 18-year-old could be the kind of game-changing introduction that Villa need to spark their season into life.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered the latest on Dean Smith’s future…

Manchester United could find their ideal successor to current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after being linked with a move for Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers.

What’s the story?

The Norwegian tactician has been coming under increased pressure after a poor run of results in recent weeks, with speculation mounting regarding his position at the Old Trafford helm.

Several star names such as Zinedine Zidane and Ralf Rangnick have been touted as possible replacements, but now a new contender has reportedly jumped to the front of the queue.

According to CaughtOffside, Rodgers is ‘ready to take over’ at United and ‘significant progress’ is already being made over the 48-year-old’s potential appointment.

The report states that: “Sources close to the current managerial situation at United have now informed CaughtOffside that significant progress is being made on appointing Rodgers, though some hurdles remain.

“Although Rodgers is ready to take over at Man Utd, CaughtOffside understands that his preference would be to wait until next season.”

He could be Solskjaer’s ideal successor

Rodgers has established himself as one of the most exciting and promising young managers in the Premier League since joining the Foxes in February 2019.

In 129 matches in charge at the King Power Stadium, the Northern Irishman has averaged 1.77 points per game, consecutive fifth-place finishes as well as winning the FA Cup and Community Shield.

His impressive work in the Midlands comes off the back of two-and-a-half years worth of outstanding success in the Celtic dugout, where he claimed seven major trophies and took the Hoops back to the Champions League.

Although he was ultimately unsuccessful at United’s bitter rivals Liverpool, Rodgers appears to have learned many significant lessons throughout his career since his time on Merseyside.

And the attack-minded coach has been tipped for greatness for many years. His former tutor Jose Mourinho was asked if he was impressed with Rodgers’ time at Leicester back in 2020, and the now Roma boss didn’t hold back in his praise.

“I’m not impressed, I know how good he is,” said Mourinho. “When I met him as a young coach in the academy and coming to join us in the first team and sharing with us many moments, I understood that he was a young guy with a great future.

“So anything he’s doing in his career is not a surprise for me, not at all. He’s very talented, he was and probably still is a guy who likes to study, learn and improve. He’s creative, he knows what he wants. He’s a very good coach. Period. He’s a very good coach, so it’s not a surprise for me.”

Therefore, Rodgers could be the perfect candidate to come in and carry on the good work that Solskjaer has started in the red half of Manchester, adding the final tactical nouse that’s needed to bring silverware back to the Theatre of Dreams.

And, in other news…“I heard”: Romano drops big Man Utd manager update that should leave fans gutted

A round-up of the fourth day’s play of the second-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff13-Nov-2009

Group A

Scorecard
Tripura took the top spot in the group – to reach eight points – after narrowly beating Rajasthan by one wicket in Agartala. The match was tantalisingly poised at stumps yesterday with the hosts needing 16 runs to win with two wickets remaining. There were some anxious moments before Tripura achieved the target of 130 in the 14th over of the day. Debabrata Chowdhury, who cracked four boundaries during his 103-ball effort guided them home along with Jayanta Debnath. Madhur Khatri claimed 4 for 43 for Rajasthan, finishing with a match haul of ten, but it was in vain as Tripura grabbed all five points.
Scorecard
Jharkhand and Vidarbha played out a draw in Ranchi, and the washed out first day contributed heavily to the result. Vidarbha had reached 160 for 7 at stumps on the third day, but a half-century from Akshay Wakhare, who was supported well by the lower order, took them to a respectable 248. For Jharkhand, Kuldeep Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem grabbed three wickets each to give their team a handy lead of 44. But their batsmen struggled in the second innings, as fast bowler Umesh Yadav grabbed a career-best 6 for 40 to leave Jharkhand at 155 for 9 at stumps, just 111 ahead. Jharkhand and Vidarbha have drawn each of their two games in the league, but the former are ahead on points after gaining a first-innings lead. Jharkhand are placed third in Group A with four points, while Vidarbha are fifth with just two.
Scorecard
Margao finally witnessed some play after three washed out days, as Assam reached 177 for 5 at stumps on the fourth and final day. With little to be derived out the game, but for a point for each team, Assam got some batting practice in the 64 overs they faced. Opener Dheeraj Jadhav top scored with 57, while captain Amol Muzumdar made a patient 44. There were two wickets apiece for Kshemal Waingankar and Reagan Pinto. Goa now stand with three points and are placed fourth on Group A, while Assam are at the bottom.

Group B

Scorecard
Haryana are at the top of the Group B table after securing three points against Jammu and Kashmir, who conceded a first-innings lead, in Srinagar. J&K, who are now placed at the bottom of the table, had done well on the third day, bowling out the opposition for 225. However, they were let down by their batsmen in the reply, as they failed to measure up to the bowling of legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal (4 for 22) and Joginder Sharma (3 for 50) to be bowled out for 179, a deficit of 46. Only Hiken Shah offered any significant resistance, scoring 52, but his efforts were in vain. Haryana’s performance in their brief second innings was lacklustre – they reached 57 for 3 at stumps – but a lead in the first innings meant they got what they wanted out of a rain-affected encounter.
Scorecard
There was no play possible on the fourth day in Indore, between Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. Only one team had an opportunity to bat in the game – MP made 172 for 3 – and as a result, the teams earned a point each. Both teams are equal on points, but MP are ahead at third place in the table, due to a higher quotient of 0.697.

Group A

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Tripura 2 1 0 0 10 8 0.938 747/29 906/33 Rajasthan 2 1 1 00 0 5 1.106 792/40 698/39 Goa 2 0 0 02 0 4 1.006 677/18 598/16 Jharkhand 2 0 0 02 0 4 0.952 1045/32 686/20 Vidarbha 2 0 0 02 0 2 1.049 669/21 1124/37 Assam 2 0 1 01 0 1 0.936 566/25 484/20

Group B

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Haryana 2 0 0 02 0 6 1.521 1072/23 613/20 Andhra 1 0 0 01 0 3 1.452 488/10 336/10 Madhya Pradesh 2 0 0 02 0 2 0.697 606/11 790/10 Kerala 2 0 0 02 0 2 0.560 336/10 660/11 Jammu & Kashmir 1 0 00 1 0 1 0.825 179/10282/13

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, is confident his squad has the depth to cover for Jacques Kallis should the allrounder fail to recover from his fractured rib.

Andrew McGlashan in Potchefstroom11-Dec-2009Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, is confident his squad has the depth to cover for Jacques Kallis should the allrounder fail to recover from his fractured rib. However, as Arthur told Cricinfo yesterday, Kallis is doing everything possible to get ready for the first Test at Centurion Park and will have another session in an oxygen chamber on Monday.Like England, who have question marks over the balance of their team, South Africa will be faced with a tough decision of how to replace Kallis should he miss out. Ryan McLaren is part of the 15-man unit currently at a training camp in Potchefstroom and so is Alvrio Petersen who could come in as a specialist batting option. Both would have to face the challenge of their Test debuts, but the option of playing six batsmen would leave the home side’s four-man attack with a heavy workload.”We have given ourselves options by having a guy like Ryan McLaren in the squad. The reason we’ve brought in another allrounder is that it gives us the option of going with five batters and [Mark] Boucher plus the allrounder to give us five bowlers,” Arthur said. “We have pretty much covered all bases and ultimately it will be up to us to make the right decision. First prize is a fit Jacques Kallis.”By Sunday we will have a very good indication of where he is. It has felt a lot better, but we won’t know until we put it through proper training, bowling for spells and batting, and only then will we be able to make a decision. He spent two days in the oxygen camber and has another session on Monday and we just hope that speeds up the recovery.”Kallis took part in the training session South Africa managed between the thunderstorms which involved laps around the ground, but Friday will be an important day as the players start their cricket skills. When pushed about his favoured option if Kallis was absent, Arthur said he would have to wait until arriving in Pretoria next week. “I can really comment until I see conditions at Centurion and they will determine that. I’m satisfied that we have enough options to cover all eventualities.Arthur not worried about No.1 spot

Losing the No. 1 Test ranking to India isn’t causing Mickey Arthur to lose any sleep as he said his team could do little about it not having played the format since March. India secured top spot with their 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka, but Arthur knows his team can reclaim the crown by sticking to their own plans.
“The No. 1 ranking is nice to have but if we haven’t played since March and other teams have then the rankings are going to change,” he said. “All we can control is playing good cricket in each series. If we do that we will get the No. 1 ranking back. That’s how we got it in the first place, by putting emphasis on each Test match.”
South Africa now look as though they will be able to make their point by going head-to-head with India next year after the BCCI requested that their tour in February be restructured to included two Tests and three ODIs rather than five one-day matches.

“Jacques is a top five batter in the world, so if he is available to bat only he will most certainly do that,” he added. “It just depends whether batting will further hinder the recovery process of the rib and that’s something that we need to weight up. If he doesn’t play it will mean that batting and bowling are out of the question. If he can only bat with no comebacks we’ll certainly consider him at No. 4, there’s no doubt about that.”Kallis is one of five players in the South Africa squad – along with Graeme Smith, Mark Boucher, JP Duminy and AB de Villiers – who haven’t played any first-class cricket for nine months following the end of the Test series against Australia. Since then there has been a diet of Twenty20 and one-day action, but Arthur is confident the individuals can refocus onto the longer format despite a short preparation time.”The guys are professional enough and we have got a lot of things done today which have tested them physically and tomorrow they will be tested technically,” he said. “They will be put in situations that they are likely to face in Test cricket. Today is all about physical and mental exertion. We want to give them time on their legs. We have got to get the bodies conditioned to Test cricket.”Arthur, himself, can’t wait to get his mind back around the five-day game with all the ebb and flow it entails and the intricate tactics involved. “It’s about time, I’m really looking forward to getting back into Test match mode,” he said. “It’s where we are really challenged as a team. Fighting and attritional qualities comes through. Test cricket is still the ultimate in our dressing room.” The question is, will that dressing room be with or without Kallis’ immense skill and experience? The next three days will give us an idea.

With the recent news that Celtic centre-back Stephen Welsh picked up an injury while on international duty with Scotland U21s on Tuesday, in addition to the fact that fellow centre-back Carl Starfelt is also a doubt for the Bhoys’ upcoming Scottish League Cup semi-final, Ange Postecoglou will undoubtedly be starting to get something of a selection headache ahead of the weekend.

Indeed, should both Welsh and Starfelt be unavailable for the fixture against St. Johnstone, the 56-year-old Hoops manager will only have the options of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales and Osaze Urhoghide to pick from in the heart of his defence, with the latter two yet to feature in a single league fixture for Celtic this season.

However, despite the magnitude of Saturday’s clash, the fixture would nevertheless appear to be the perfect opportunity for Postecoglou to finally unleash the 21-year-old Urhoghide, as the defender very much appears to possess the potential to become a first-team regular at Parkhead before too long.

Urhoghide is more than ready

Indeed, the £270k-rated centre-back has already more than proven he is ready for professional football, as, prior to his switch to Celtic, the 21-year-old made 16 Championship appearances in his final campaign with Sheffield Wednesday, helping his side keep three clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 2.7 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per game.

These returns saw the defender who Darren Moore dub an “immense” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 6.63, a highly impressive feat considering his tender age and his club’s ultimate relegation to League One.

As such, despite Postecoglou’s recent suggestion that, due to a lack of opportunity, he may look to send Urhoghide out on loan in the January transfer window, the 56-year-old simply must unleash the centre-back this weekend, as, with a solid performance against St. Johnstone, the 21-year-old could well convince his manager he is worthy of his starting spot in the Celtic XI.

In other news: Out with the old: Ange can revolutionise Celtic with attention-grabbing 16 y/o prodigy

The Durham pace bowler, Mark Davies, has been drafted into England’s Test squad as cover for James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom, who are both struggling with injury

Cricinfo staff05-Dec-2009The Durham pace bowler, Mark Davies, has been drafted into England’s Test squad as cover for James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom, who are both struggling with injury.Anderson did not travel with the squad to East London, where England play two two-day warm-up games ahead of the first Test at Centurion on December 16. Instead, he stayed behind in Durban to have another injection on his troublesome right knee. He bowled through the pain to claim 5 for 23 in England’s series-clinching seven-wicket win at Port Elizabeth, but the injury has remained undiagnosed despite scans.Meanwhile Davies, 29, has been based in South Africa with the England Performance Squad, and starred last week with four wickets on the opening day of their nine-wicket victory against Gauteng in Pretoria, before sitting out the remainder of Gauteng’s innings when his bowling boots were cleared away by groundstaff during a shower.He becomes the third member of Durham’s Championship-winning seam attack to join the Test squad, following original call-ups for Graham Onions and Liam Plunkett. Steve Harmison, the kingpin of that attack, has been pushed further down the pecking order.

Many Crystal Palace fans slammed James Tomkins for his performance in Saturday’s Premier League game against Aston Villa. 

Palace were looking to return to winning ways after twice surrendering the lead in their 3-3 draw with Burnley last time out, but lost 2-1 after Marc Guehi’s last-minute goal was not enough to cancel out strikes from Matt Targett and John McGinn, despite Douglas Luiz getting sent off for the visitors.

Patrick Vieira made two changes from the side that started at Turf Moor.

Tomkins slotted into defence alongside Guehi, with Joachim Andersen unavailable after picking up a hamstring injury.

And Jordan Ayew dropped to the substitutes’ bench to make room for Michael Olise on the right wing.

Recapping Tomkins’ performance vs Villa

Tomkins was partly to blame as Villa bagged the opening goal on 15 minutes. Ashley Young delivered a corner, the centre-back missed his header and Targett was able to control and finish.

Palace had conceded a league-high nine goals from set pieces prior to the game, and the introduction of the 32-year-old seemingly did little to address the issue.

Tomkins also failed to make any tackles, and was guilty of losing possession of the ball five times (SofaScore).

Here’s what Palace fans on Twitter made of his display:

These Crystal Palace fans tear into Tomkins

“Luka and Tomkins look lost”

Credit: @OrsonMcFeathers

“How bad has Tomkins been?!”

Credit: @ianace0

“Luka has been appalling, Tomkins is shaky”

Credit: @cpfcoscar

“Luka and Tomkins aren’t good enough and they never were”

Credit: @Mark_CPFC

“Vieira making all the wrong calls. Tomkins and Luka have been dreadful”

Credit: @Gswfanlee

“Tomkins has genuinely forgot how to man mark at set-pieces, a shadow of his former self”

Credit: @theunusedsub

In other news, this pre-game news had lots of Palace fans talking.