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Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan, who is now working for the club’s community foundation, has tipped Dan James to make his mark at Elland Road quickly, following his move from Manchester United.

The Lowdown: James takes time to settle

The Welshman signed from United at the end of the summer transfer window, coming in for around £25million, making him the Whites’ second-most expensive signing in history.

While James has done adequately in his first three appearances for Leeds, he is still searching for his first goal or assist.

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The Latest: Whelan makes bold statement

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan says he has total faith in James matching the expectations of him, thriving for Leeds once he fully adjusts to life at the club:

“I think he’s still getting used to playing with his new teammates. When you come from Manchester United, you will be highly regarded.

“We know what a good player he is, that’s why we wanted to sign him even before this summer.

“We know there’s more to come from him in terms of assists and goals, we’ve seen him do that for Wales and Manchester United in the past.

“We’re just waiting for that moment where it all clicks into place, and that might come in the form of an assist or a goal which could really kickstart his season.”

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The Verdict: Needs to justify price tag

James’ price tag means there is immediate pressure from the off, with such expensive signings required to be influential performers straight away.

The same applied with club-record purchase Rodrigo last season, as the Spaniard flattered to deceive too often in a Whites shirt.

James clearly has the talent required to prove his worth – he has been hailed as ‘brilliant’ by Marcus Rashford – but he has done just okay so far and will hopefully find another gear after the international break.

In other news, Whelan has made an exciting claim regarding another Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips is adamant that Celtic have suffered a “massive blow” following the injury sustained by Kyogo Furuhashi on international duty with Japan.

The Lowdown: Furuhashi has made a stellar start to his Parkhead career

Making a superb start to life at Parkhead, the 26-year-old has swiftly become a key player for the Hoops, registering eight goal contributions in nine appearances with seven goals and one assist [Transfermarkt].

However, he now looks set to be sidelined for up to a month with a knee injury following an international clash against China, as confirmed by Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou [BBC].

The Latest: Phillips bemoans ‘awful’ injury sustained by Furuhashi

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football Insider, Phillips bemoaned the Japanese international’s injury, stating: “It’s not ideal for anyone”.

He then added: “That’s the risk when you have international players. It’s a massive blow but you plan for things like this.

“It’s an opportunity for someone to come in and perform and they do have a new striker there.

“I hate to say it but it’s always an opportunity, it’s awful for him, the injured player, but it’s true.

“He’s been excellent for them and I’m sure he’ll be back in the side once he’s fit”.

The Verdict: Postecoglou will hope Furuhashi returns soon

After losing one of their most influential players in an important block of fixtures as the Europa League group stage gets underway, Phillips rightly believes that the news will come as a massive source of frustration to Furuhashi and everyone at Celtic.

However, the former England striker also correctly states that there will be opportunities for those on the fringes to step into the void, something that Swiss striker Albian Ajeti has tapped into following his brace against Ross County last weekend [BBC].

Nevertheless, Furuhashi has been an hugely potent threat in his time at Parkhead so far, scoring once every 79 minutes [Footy Stats].

He has also wowed supporters with his pressing ability, anticipation and his pinpoint utilisation of the ball. Looking ahead, Ange Postecoglou will hope that his summer signing will be back to firing on all cylinders as soon as possible.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has given an update on the fitness of another Celtic summer signing.

Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, has offered his support to theon-field umpires during the current trial of review technology asthe players continue to come to grips with the new system. Tony Hilland Rudi Koertzen were at the centre of the action on the second daybetween England and West Indies at Sabina Park, with both sidesgaining and losing from the third umpire.This is the third series to be part of the trial, following theprevious contests between India and Sri Lanka then New Zealand andWest Indies. Devon Smith was given out lbw to Andrew Flintoff afterHill, the on-field official, had originally declined the appeal, whileRamnaresh Sarwan was reprieved after Hill had initially given apositive decision in Steve Harmison’s favour.”I think a lot of the players have some sympathy with the guys[umpires] because they are making tricky decisions,” Prior said.”We’ve just had an afternoon of having to try and make decisions in asplit second and it’s not easy. Everyone makes mistakes, players willmake more mistakes than umpires in a day’s play. If an umpire makes amistake it’s not because they are trying to. If the decision ischanged then so be it.”Five decisions were reviewed during the second day’s play and all inthe space of 12 overs. The most controversial of those was Sarwan’soverturned lbw when on 5, with replays showing the ball would haveclipped the top of the stumps.”Harmison’s one with the use of Hawk-Eye looks like it is hitting thetop of the bails which is out,” Prior said. “So from that point ofview you can get a bit frustrated. But it’s not easy. The third umpireis making a guess decision as much as anyone else. If you are trustingHawk-Eye to track the ball three-quarters of the way or longer, thenwhy not all the way. “As a wicketkeeper, Prior will often be in the thick of the action whenreviews are asked for, although he said that he can only be of somuch use to Andrew Strauss when the ball is swinging “A lot of peoplewould say that the keeper has the best view but that’s not always thecase,” he said. “We had a couple where the ball was tailing into legstump and you lose the line.”From my own point of view it’s very much an instinctive call. You seeit and you either feel it’s out or you don’t. But when a decision likethe Steve Harmison one is given not out you almost startsecond-guessing yourself a little because I thought that was prettyclose.”Sarwan admitted he was grateful for his escape but said that WestIndies remained unsure about the system following their firstexperience of it on the recent tour of New Zealand. “In our team nottoo many guys are keen on it. It kind of takes the umpires out of thegame. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes not, we have to realisethat everyone is human and makes mistakes and that is something thatyou need to understand.”One of the issues that came to the fore was the time it takes to makethe decisions, which was an original concern about the furtherintroduction of technology. The system has already been tweaked by theICC to reduce the number of reviews down to two per team, perinnings, and the stoppages in play will need further monitoring.”Do you sacrifice that to make sure you get the right decision?,”Prior said. “There is a huge amount at stake at the minute and bigdecisions have to be made. Traditionalists will say it does take quitea bit of time out of the game, and why shouldn’t the umpires have theright to make their decision as they always have done?”

Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, said the team’s top five ‘has got to fire’ in the remaining three ODIs against West Indies. The home side, who drew the Tests and Twenty20 series, trail 1-0 after their defeat in Christchurch.”If one in the top five gets in and scores some runs and the rest bat around them it would be good,” Ryder said. “A few of us got starts [in Christchurch] but we just didn’t kick on.”Coach Andy Moles had given his team the same message after the loss, and asked the batsmen to follow Ramnaresh Sarwan’s example – he took charge of the chase of 158 in 28 overs with an unbeaten 67, while the best for New Zealand was Ryder’s 32.”My message to the top five was they needed to take more responsibility,” Moles said. “The opposition had one player bat all the way through and it showed if you’ve got someone you can bat around you can set targets and chase targets.”With Jacob Oram suffering from an injury niggle and unlikely to bowl even if picked in the XI, Ryder could also be in line for bowling duties in Wellington. While seven of New Zealand’s squad were sent away for domestic games, Ryder was seen sending down his medium-pacers at the Basin Reserve under the supervision of New Zealand bowling coach Vaughn Johnson.”It’d be nice to have a bowl, nice to get a couple of wickets,” Ryder said. Impressing with the ball could also have a positive impact on his prospects of an IPL contract, with the auction slated for February. “I’m not even thinking about it at the moment. If it happens it happens,” he said. “It would be a great opportunity if I got a chance to play over there. It would surely help my game playing with and against some of the greats.For the moment, though, Ryder, has another immediate goal. “It would just be good to get that first hundred under the belt. I’ve thrown it away a few times. But I’m very happy with the way things are going at the moment. It would just be good to kick on from the starts I’m getting.”Besides Sarwan, one of the stars in West Indies’ victory was wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who scored an unbeaten 18-ball 28. The two managed to find the 40 required in the final four overs, and Ramdin, the team’s vice-captain, was happy to overcome his disappointing run in the Tests.”There was a bit of pressure going into the one-day series knowing I didn’t perform with the bat as I wanted to in the Test series,” he said. “I was determined to go out there and enjoy the moment. Batting with Sarwan gave me the confidence to go out there and execute.”Ramdin’s batting average of 21 in both Tests and ODIs is less than his talent should be producing. “I think I’m quite capable of getting a lot more runs than that,” he added. “So hopefully I’ll continue in the one-day series and win more games for us.”He felt the close win had boosted the team’s confidence, and was hoping the team could continue the good work in the field from Christchurch. “In the Twenty20 games we put down a couple of catches that cost us the game. We’re working on it and in the last game that was evident because we took a couple of catches that got rid of some of their key batsmen.”Both teams have guys who are capable of hitting a lot of boundaries so if you get those players out in the first 15 overs and shut down the runs it will be good.”

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن طلبات المدرب البرتغالي نونو سانتو المدير الفني الجديد لاتحاد جدة، من الإدارة بشأن تعاقدات الموسم الجديد.

وكان اتحاد جدة قد أعلن رحيل الروماني كوزمين كونترا المدير الفني السابق، عقب خسارة لقب دوري الأمير محمد بن سلمان للمحترفين، وأعلن التعاقد مع البرتغالي نونو سانتو.

وأوضحت “الرياضية” أن سانتو أبلغ إدارة ناديه بعدد من الطلبات، بالتعاقد مع لاعب وسط أجنبي جديد بدلًا من البرازيلي برونو هنريكي، الذي لم يُقنع فنيًّا المدرب الجديد.

طالع أيضا.. اتحاد جدة يقترب من إبرام الصفقة الثانية

وتضمنت طلبات سانتو إطلاعه على كافة القرارات الداخلية الخاصة باللاعبين، والاستعداد لإعارة عدد من الصاعدين قبل انتهاء الانتقالات الصيفية، والبحث عن جناح أيمن أجنبي حال العجز عن توفير لاعب محلي متميز.

England’s tour of the Caribbean next January will get underway in St Kitts instead of Barbados, after the West Indies Cricket Board announced a switch in the itinerary for two three-day warm-up matches

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2008England’s tour of the Caribbean next January will get underway in St Kitts instead of Barbados, after the West Indies Cricket Board announced a switch in the itinerary for two three-day warm-up matches.The England team will now arrive in Basseterre on January 21, and will play their first fixture, against a St Kitts XI at Warner Park, four days later. The second match, a first-class fixture against West Indies A, will begin on January 29, two days after the conclusion of the opening game.The first Test gets underway in Jamaica on February 4, with the second scheduled for the Sir Vivian Richards stadium in Antigua on February 13. Thereafter the teams will fly to Barbados where a two-day practice will take place against a BCA President’s XI, at a ground to be confirmed.The 50-over practice match in Trinidad before the start of the five-match ODI series will be played against WIPA President’s Select XI, at a ground to be confirmed.

Fixtures

January 2009 Sun 25 – Tue 27
10:00 local, 14:00 GMT St Kitts v England XI
Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts
Thu 29 – Sat 31
10:00 local, 14:00 GMT West Indies A v England XI
Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts
February 2009 Wed 4 – Sun 8
10:00 local, 15:00 GMT 1st Test – West Indies v England
Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Fri 13 – Tue 17
10:00 local, 14:00 GMT 2nd Test – West Indies v England
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
Sat 21 – Sun 22
14:00 GMT Barbados Cricket Association President’s XI v England XI
Venue TBC
Barbados Thu 26 – Mon 2
10:00 local, 14:00 GMT 3rd Test – West Indies v England
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
March 2009 Fri 6 – Tue 10
10:00 local, 14:00 GMT 4th Test – West Indies v England
Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Sat 14
14:00 GMT West Indies Cricket Board President’s XI v England XI
Venue TBC
Trinidad Sun 15
12:00 local, 16:00 GMT Only T20I – West Indies v England
Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Fri 20
09:30 local, 13:30 GMT 1st ODI – West Indies v England
Providence Stadium, Guyana
Sun 22
09:30 local, 13:30 GMT 2nd ODI – West Indies v England
Providence Stadium, Guyana
Fri 27
09:30 local, 13:30 GMT 3rd ODI – West Indies v England
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Sun 29
09:30 local, 13:30 GMT 4th ODI – West Indies v England
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
April 2009 Fri 3
14:30 local, 18:30 GMT 5th ODI – West Indies v England
Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Newcastle United are reportedly now weighing up a move to sign Rob Dickie before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Dickie impressing

Dickie has been impressing so far this season at Queens Park Rangers, helping them take four points from their opening two games in the EFL Championship (BBC Sport).

The central defender has won no fewer than ten of his duels per game in the division, and has also averaged 3.5 clearances, 1,5 tackles and one interception per match, scoring two goals and keeping one clean sheet (Sofascore).

The Latest: Dickie eyed

As per Football Insider, the St. James’ Park faithful as well as both Leeds United and Wolves are now weighing up a move for Dickie, with the other two teams currently monitoring his situation at QPR at the moment.

It is understood that the London side are reluctant to sell him, given that he has a contract there until 2024, but they are bracing themselves for interest late into the window.

The Verdict: Sign

Given his impressive form so far in the Championship, Dickie is certainly ready to make a step up to the Premier League, and the Magpies could be the perfect club for him to go to.

Described as a ‘very talented’ player by manager Mark Warburton back in December, the six-foot-three colossus should give the North East club a threat in both boxes, and being English, would help fill their home-grown quota.

At 25 years of age, he still has potential to grow too, and so he should certainly be a player that the Tyneside club should be looking to sign as soon as possible.

In other news, find out what the latest is on NUFC’s alleged pursuit of this £55k-p/w ace here!

Bryce McGain’s tour of India is officially over after Cricket Australia announced he would be flying home due to his lingering shoulder injury

Cricinfo staff03-Oct-2008
Bryce McGain’s first trip with the Australia Test squad has ended prematurely © AFP
Bryce McGain’s tour of India is officially over after Cricket Australia announced he would be flying home due to his lingering shoulder injury. McGain, the legspinner who was rated a strong chance of making his Test debut on the trip, has been unable to bowl properly since straining his right shoulder while playing for Australia A last month.Australia have not yet decided whether to send a replacement player for the four-Test series, which begins in Bangalore next Thursday. Beau Casson, the left-arm wrist-spinner, would be the most likely candidate for a call-up after playing a Test in the Caribbean this year, while the offspinner Jason Krejza is for now the only specialist slow bowler in the squad.Australia’s physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said McGain would have been unable to bowl through most of the tour had he stayed with the squad. “Bryce’s injury was first sustained in an Australia A match in September,” Kountouris said.”Despite his workload being managed throughout the early stages of this tour, he suffered a setback at training on Tuesday in an attempt to be available for Australia’s four-day match currently being played in Hyderabad. As a result, it has been decided that Bryce will not be available for selection for the majority of the tour.”McGain, 36, was considered the first-choice spinner in the squad after beating Casson for the sole wrist-spinner’s position. Had he played in India, McGain would have been Australia’s oldest Test debutant since his fellow legspinner Bob Holland in 1984-85.

Sheffield United manager Slavisa Jokanovic has confirmed that left-back Enda Stevens will be missing for a prolonged spell through injury.

The Lowdown: Stevens a key man for Blades

Stevens has been an excellent performer for the Blades, making 165 appearances to date and proving to be a hugely consistent player.

He was even hailed as arguably the Republic of Ireland’s best player at one point last year, with former defender Danny Higginbotham claiming as much.

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The Latest: Left-back set for spell out injured

Unfortunately, Stevens missed last weekend’s Championship opener against Birmingham and Jokanovic has now delivered a worrying update on the 31-year-old.

Before Saturday’s clash with Swansea City, the Blades boss has confirmed that the Irishman may not return until after next month’s international break because of an ongoing knee issue, revealing they may even opt for surgery depending on scan results.

“Enda will be still a few weeks out. We are thinking too about some surgery at the moment we’re still waiting for his scan to come back.”

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The Verdict: Big blow for United

Stevens is such an influential player for United, so this acts as a massive early setback in their quest to return to the Premier League.

Not only does the former Portsmouth man contribute good work defensive work – he averaged two tackles per game in the league last season – but he has also chipped in with seven goals and 16 assists as a Blade.

The sooner Stevens is back the better, but for now, Ben Osborn will need to perform well and fill the void left by his Blades teammate.

In other news, talks regarding one Sheffield United piece of transfer business have reportedly broken down. Read more here.

Manchester City right-back Yan Couto has his heart set on a move to Celtic, according to The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Parkhead VIP

Reports over the weekend suggested that the Hoops were still holding out hope to sign Couto on a season-long loan from the Premier League champions.

The 19-year-old received the VIP treatment at Parkhead on Thursday night for Celtic’s 3-0 win over Jablonec.

Couto spent last season on loan at Spanish side Girona, who also want to land the Brazilian again during the current transfer window. However, it appears as if Celtic could well be the player’s next destination going off a report late on Saturday night.

The Latest: Saturday night update

The Daily Record revealed that Couto sees Celtic Park as his next destination following Thursday’s visit as he wants to play European football.

He is now pleading with Manchester City to grant a temporary move to Glasgow, with the Premier League champions rejecting an offer from an English Championship club for the South American.

The Verdict: Celtic’s relationship with City to shine through again?

With Couto now wanting to make the move to Scotland, you’d think that the Hoops have a real chance of securing a deal over the coming days.

Celtic appear to have a good relationship with City after moves for Patrick Roberts, Olivier Ntcham and Jeremie Frimpong in recent years, so that could help this time around.

Who knows, a positive campaign on loan at Parkhead for Couto could potentially lead to another, just as Southampton did with Mohamed Elyounoussi.

In other news: ‘Hopefully this is true’ – Many Celtic fans react as ‘good’ exit news emerges.