Martin Snedden, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, has insisted that the board will conduct a rational analysis of the team’s performance in England, rather than jump to hasty conclusions.According to a report in The Press, a New Zealand daily, Snedden said: “We must look at this rationally and methodically rather than reacting too quickly. The thoughts you get from the heat of the battle are often different to those you get a few weeks later with some time for things to sink in.”Because it is an England tour people seem more intensely interested in it than perhaps going to the subcontinent. I can understand people reacting emotionally to the losses and that’s good because they have a passion for the game.” New Zealand were thrashed three-nil in the recently concluded Test series, and have lost five of their last eight Tests.The media in New Zealand have been especially critical of the decision to send only a 14-man squad for the Test series. Two of the bowlers in that line-up, Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey, weren’t completely fit when they left for England, prompting critics to suggest that back-ups for them should have been ready. However, Snedden dismissed that factor being one of the reasons for the defeat. “People have latched onto the squad number and the injury issue but no-one has been able to establish a plausible link between them costing the team those matches.”What also irked many experts was the decision to send six support staff with the line-up, but Snedden explained that he was satisfied by the explanation provided by John Bracewell, the coach, for the composition of the squad. “He [Bracewell] believed there was enough cover and depth in most areas except perhaps the spin bowling,” Snedden said. “But he reasoned that conditions early season in England do not favour spinners. While several players were over in England, like James Franklin and Mathew Sinclair, it was arguable whether Wiseman was required.”Even with the 14 players Kyle Mills had little match play because there was only three first-class games before the first Test, so what would the 15th have been doing?”The situation with Shane Bond was that we believed it would be better to have him on the tour than staying at home in winter. We hoped in a best-case scenario he might play the second and third Tests and were moving in that direction until he sustained the setback in the last county game before the first Test. Then we just ran out of time.”Bracewell subsequently blamed the pitches for the debacle, but Snedden had a more straightforward explanation. “As hard as it is for us to accept, sometimes our players don’t perform to their best and the opposition plays better.”
James Hibberd is keeping his fingers firmly crossed that a match winning performance for Calmore Sports against Hampshire’s newly promoted Academy side will boost his prospects of further trials with Kent.The 21-year old all-rounder took three wickets and struck a decisive half-century as Calmore sent the Young Hawks spinning to a seven-wicket ECB Southern Electric Premier League, Division 1 debut defeat at Loperwood Park.But since producing an impressive two-wicket display with the ball in Kent’s Second XI Trophy final success against Hampshire II at the Rose Bowl last September, the Canterbury trail appears to have gone cold for Hibberd."I packed up my full-time job in order to try and make it in the pro game," Hibberd said."But I’ve heard nothing from Kent since going down to Canterbury for practice in late March and don’t really know where I stand at the moment."I’d like to give it a crack and play some more Second XI games down there (Kent) and I’m just waiting, hopefully, on the end of the phone."Hibberd, who carried off the Premier League’s prestigious Young Cricketer award last summer, certainly looked a class act as Calmore got the better of the weather to see off the young Hampshire hopefuls.He struck two early blows after Academy captain Tony Middleton had surprisingly chosen to bat under threatening, rain-leaden skies.He darted the first ball of the match back to pin Martin Bushell leg before and then snapped up a return catch to remove Kevin Latouf.But promising King Edward VI School batsman Alex Richardson (32) and Peter Hammond wrested the initiative away from Calmore, easing the Academy to 52-2 after 11.1 overs when heavy rain forced a near 90 minute delay.Umpires Mike Izzard and Dave Kirk were within five minutes or so of calling the match off due to the wet and greasy conditions.Many captains would have called it a day but, to his credit Middleton, wanted to his youngsters to play saying: "They won’t learn a lot from sitting on their backsides in the dressing room. "This is all about development and I wanted them back out on the pitch."Richardson (32) and Hammond promptly took 24 runs off two overs immediately after the resumption – only for the KES youngster to have his stumps flattened by Paul Cass, who made steady inroads into the heart of the Academy middle-order.The Bramshaw-based all-rounder quickly whipped out Tom Burrows, and was on a hat-trick after removing Mitchel Stokes (16) and leg before victim Ian Hilsum in consecutive deliveries.His spell of 4-40 left the Young Hawks in some disarray at 117-7, but Hammond, albeit restrained, kept the score ticking along, bringing up a well deserved fifty before being stumped by the quick hands of Stuart Bailey at 144-8.Left-hander David Griffiths (24 not out) assumed Hammond’s mantle, playing some crisp shots in a late partnership with Loperwood favourite Matt Metcalfe (16) as the Academy moved on to 190-9.But the loss of 23 overs playing time carved into the Hampshire innings, leaving Calmore with a relatively straight-forward ask of 103 off 27 overs.Initially, it proved anything but academic – Griffiths, the Shanklin-based teenager with a wealth of talent, quickly accounting for Cass and James Rose.But the loss of those two early wickets simply set the stage for Hibberd to play the role of match winner.He went for his shots, playing several sumptuous shots through the mid-on and mid-off `V’ as the Academy youngsters were pushed on to the back foot.Hibberd’s batting certainly impressed Middleton, who might even be tempted to give the Kent hopeful another crack in Hampshire’s colours in this week’s Second XI Rose Bowl friendlies.The Sholing all-rounder hit 53, totally dominating the 62-run third-wicket partnership with the unflappable Mark Boston, whose 26 not out steered Calmore to a crucial victory.Middleton, though disappointed with the result, drew a lot of satisfaction from the match. "I learned quite a lot about my players on Saturday," he said."The challenges Premier One cricket will bring is going to be a big test for these young cricketers."They are going to be playing against some very good club cricketers – and a few class ones from overseas – and it’s going to be an interesting season for them."Calmore, meanwhile, were delighted.A homely club, they have not replaced some of the top players (like Martin Kellaway) they have lost in recent seasons.They are expected to struggle this season, but a win against the Academy has given the Loperwood Park club a timely fillip before daunting tests against South Wilts and Havant in the next fortnight.
Government says it will not rest until Barbados’ cricket has beenrestored to the pinnacle of West Indies cricket.And in an effort to speed up the process, Prime Minister Owen Arthurhas accepted a Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) development plan,which sets out a programme designed to make Barbados’ cricket strongagain.A task force of Government and BCA officials has been constituted sothat a plan of action can be implemented at the earliest opportunity.The disclosure was made by Arthur in an address during a celebrationdinner to honour former Barbados and West Indies fast bowler, CharlieGriffith, at the Sherbourne Conference Centre on Saturday night.It [the plan] has nothing to do with the development of the stands atKensington Oval although that is important too but it has to do with aprogramme to put back Barbados’ cricket at the pinnacle of West Indiescricket, where it properly belongs, Arthur said.The psyche of every Barbadian has been badly bruised by every horribledescent of our cricket. As a nation we have been reduced and we shallnot rest until the fortunes of our cricket have been restored.The plan, which was presented to Government last week by BCA presidentStephen Alleyne, identified nine development priorities which wouldfacilitate the articulation of specific, measurable, achievable,relevant and time-specific goals against which the implementation ofthe plan can be evaluated and controlled.
Amassing 525 in their first innings and then taking two Madhya Pradeshwickets for only 10 runs by stumps, Railways were in a commandingposition on the second day of their Central Zone Ranji Trophy leaguematch at the Karnail Singh stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.Resuming at 267 for two, Railways lost Amit Pagnis (143) and skipperAbhay Sharma (76) early. But there was a lot of substance in themiddle order. Raja Ali got 40, Yere Goud scored 56, Prahlad Rawat hit67 and Santosh Sahu at No 8, slammed an unbeaten 45. Raja Ali and YereGoud added 99 runs for the fifth wicket and Rawat and Sahu added 86runs for the seventh wicket.When MP batted, left arm spinner Kartik Murali and medium pacerHarvinder Singh opened the bowling. Murali struck in his first over,Harvinder in his second and MP were gasping for breath when play endedfor the day.
With Swindon sitting pretty at the top of League Two you could easily say it has been a brilliant season for the Robins and one of the major factors behind our success this season has been the young players who have impressed after being introduced to the first team.
As this superb season draws to its close now comes the almost impossible task to select just one. Let’s have look at some of the main candidates for the award.
1.Wesley Foderingham
The 21-year-old goalkeeper has firmly established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet after a fabulous season in goal, becoming a fan favourite, making vital saves that have put us top of the table. When he signed on loan from Crystal Palace in October no-one had really heard of the young shot stopper but after keeping five clean sheets in his first five matches Robins fans took a real shine to him. When January rolled around I expected an extension to his loan but I was delighted when we managed to sign him a permanent deal. With 14 clean sheets, he has easily been the best signing we made in January, with a particularly favourite being his penalty save against Cheltenham in a top-of-the-table clash.
2. Callum Kennedy
The young left-back was a solid first teamer at the beginning of the season but he lost his place after a few weeks with Allessandro Cibocchi taking the reins on the left side of defence. That is how it stayed until he was recalled for the FA Cup match against Huddersfield where he put in, arguably, his best performance of the season. Until recently he has been in and out of the first team but when called upon he has been a very reliable left back. With the experienced Jay McEvely on loan from Barnsley and the news that Jay is likely to sign for us in the summer, it could signal less chances in the starting line-up for Callum. However he deserves his selection after an impressive season.
3.Billy Bodin
I have chosen the young forward as even though he has impressed away from the County Ground. He spent most of the earlier part of the season on-loan at Torquay but when he returned for a few weeks he was brilliant even scoring against Southend and Crawley which was a proud moment for the Swindon-born forward with his being Paul Bodin being a Swindon legend and the youth coach at Swindon. He is currently spending the rest of the season at Crewe but having played the start and the middle of the season at Swindon he qualifies and deservedly so after his six goals which is a great return for any in their first season in the football league.
Young player of the season for me goes to Billy Bodin, as even though he hasn’t been in the team week in and week out, he has developed the most and has become the striker all Swindon fans wanted him to become while also racking up a fair few goals this season. He tries his best in every game and has done enough to earn him a new contract at the end of the season unless, of course, Torquay or Crewe try and pry him away from us but I’m sure if he is offered a contract by Di Canio he will take it. If Billy continues to work hard and improve he will go down to be a Swindon legend like his dad and could well have a goal scoring record that better than that of Charlie Austin or Simon Cox. For the present I don’t think Billy would look out of place in a top League One club but for now playing for Torquay and Crewe has helped him as a player and hopefully young Billy will be ready to be involved in the squad more next season in League One.
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Do you agree with Calvin? Vote for your choice below.
Santos and Penarol played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores final in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Wednesday.Despite creating the better chances, Santos will be glad to be on level terms ahead of next Wednesday’s clash in Sao Paulo, Brazil, between the two sides.
Uruguayan side Penarol, five-time Copa Libertadores champions, were kept in the game at their Estadio Centenario by a strong display from goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa, while wunderkind Neymar was a constant threat for the visitors.
Penarol had a late goal from substitute Diego Alonso disallowed for offside, and they will now have it all to do in the second leg at the Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvahlo.
More than 60,000 spectators packed into the Centenario on Wednesday to see the match, with the hosts looking to claim their first Copa Libertadores since 1987 while two-time champions Santos have not won the event since claiming back-to-back titles in 1962-63.
Manchester City's top scorer Carlos Tevez will miss this weekend's game against Wolves with the thigh injury he sustained in the 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal.
The Argentina international had to be substituted early in the second half after suffering a dead leg.
Manager Roberto Mancini has also allowed the 26-year-old to travel to Argentina to visit his family before returning to Eastlands on Monday.
Meanwhile, Mancini has called for Argentina to use Tevez sparingly, saying:"International football is a problem for Carlos.
"Argentina don't play games in Europe but in South America, Japan or Australia and this makes it difficult for him.
"He arrived back from the last international break tired. He needs time to recover.
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"Argentina have a friendly against Brazil in November, but I hope for that game he can stay here. It would be better for him and his country."
Roque Santa Cruz had hinted earlier in the week that Tevez wanted to leave City, but Mancini said of the rumours: "I don't know whether he will stay here for the next ten years or return to Argentina then, but I'm not worried by it at the moment."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Poor old…or should that be young AVB. On Sunday he joined the millions of mid-thirty year olds in the dole queue after being jettisoned from the Chelsea managers office after just eight months in charge. Barely enough time to let the paint dry and wear in the new desk chair. Lets be honest we could all hear the sound of Roman Abramovich’s axe sharpening after Gareth McAuley’s effectively put the 34-year-olds head on the Stamford Bridge chopping block. Less that 24-hours after the defeat at West Brom – a team Chelsea had beaten in 11 straight Premier League games – the Russian executioner added another head to his rapidly growing collection. Villas-Boas was dismissed after only eight months and 40-games in charge at Stamford Bridge.
The Porto native had gone the same way as five of his predecessors, which included the most successful manager in the clubs history, a World Cup champion and a four-time European/Champions League winner. Abramovich’s reputation as a ruthless terminator remains intact. A man hellbent on securing the continents premier piece of silverware yet unwilling to afford the luxury of time to anyone who dares take up the Chelsea reins. Villas-Boas was given 226 days to turn that dream into reality. Regrettably for him poor performances on the pitch and a split in the dressing room forced Abramovich’s hand after weeks of pondering. It’ll be yet another hefty payout for the billionaire Russian on top of the £13.3 million he splashed out on the Portuguese coach back in July. Many thought that figure and the prospect of incurring a huge loss on – the now affectionally know – AVB would see the Blues owner persist with him. But as we’ve come to expect with Abramovich the only method in his repair book is to sacrifice the man in the dugout.
Once again Chelsea are back to square one leaving the neutrals deliberating over whether AVB was given a fair crack of the whip.
It was always going to be tough for him. The minute his name was mentioned he was immediately compared to former boss Jose Mourinho. His four year spell in West London saw the Blues prosper winning two league titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup. Inevitably the now Real Madrid boss fell out with Abramovich and eventually bit the Russian’s bullet. But the comparisons were already set in stone before AVB had even signed on the dotted line. Both managers had enjoyed fruitful periods in charge at Porto winning Primeira Liga and a European trophy in the same season. As soon as a move to Chelsea came to light the expectation levels escalated to the levels set by the Special One prior to his departure in late 2007. His popularity with players and fans was always going to tough to match for anyone taking up the manager’s position.
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As expected he never managed to reach those heights during his brief tenure although he was never given a chance to ride a transitional period after replacing Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. It was always going to be a struggle for AVB to exert control and authority over a dressing room containing players of a similar age. It’s been well documented in the national press that senior players like Frank Lampard and John Terry were unhappy with their manager in the months leading up to his sacking. There was no way they would allow some mid-thirties foreigner to break up a side that had played it’s part in Chelsea’s most affluent era. A juvenile refusal to buy into AVB’s methods that had brought him success in Portugal saw the club falter on the pitch. Their title challenge extinguished before February and on the verge of a Champions League knockout. They even opposed his micro-management eventually becoming irritated by the constant time keeping he carried out. Abramovich held them all directly accountable for his untimely demise. Sadly the trials that faced him from the offset all pointed to a scenario like this playing out.
You have to admire the ferocious dedication he put into the task in hand trying to answer every question asked by the media and sometimes sleeping in his office at the training ground. His professionalism was second to none refusing to even engage in personal relationships with players and staff. Regrettably he failed to notice how alienated the two groups had become from him before it was too late. He became obsessed with pleasing Abramovich ultimately failing to notice the division in a hostile dressing room that needed repairing. It’s an issue he’ll need to closely address in his next position. The trials and tribulations of managing Chelsea football club proved too heavy for such a young man to carry alone on his shoulders. A dressing room crowded with egotistical rebels was always going to be difficult to govern for a man of AVB’s tender years. But you have to give him praise for his tenacity and resolve even when the early battle lines were drawn by the players. There is no doubt he’ll land on his feet and eventually come back to bite those who stabbed him in the back.
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As for Chelsea, where and who do they turn to next? The manager’s position has become a poisoned chalice during Abramovich’s reign and it will take more of the Russian’s millions to tempt anyone into filling one of football’s toughest assignments. Whoever said you could buy success?
Former England manager, Terry Venables, believes that Manchester United should examine Real Madrid’s tactics from the four recent Clasico matches to have a good chance of quelling Barcelona’s attack in this Saturday’s Champions’ League Final.
Speaking at Stamford Bridge in his role as an ambassador for 188BET ahead of this weekend’s heavyweight clash, the former Barcelona manager explained that despite United lacking the obvious midfield steel to control the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, there are those within Sir Alex Ferguson’s ranks who could cause the Catalans problems.
“Well what they [United] have got is two players, with legs, that will be prepared to run and break up Barcelona’s combination play. One is Fletcher and one is Park Ji-Sung. The other thing they could do is put Park on Messi, and get him to mark him and break off him, because Messi won’t chase Park back, and he can score a goal,” explained Venables.
In 2009, many observers noted that without Darren Fletcher – suspended following a red card in the semi-final against Arsenal – United suffered from an absence of industry in the middle of the pitch when they were outplayed, and comfortably beaten, by Barcelona in the Final. But Venables has extracted an encouraging example from the four recent Real Madrid v Barcelona matches that could provide some comfort to Red Devils fans.
“Now I saw those recent games [four Clasicos] and the clue for me was Pepe, especially in the Copa del Rey Final. In that match, Madrid won by putting Pepe in the middle of the field, alongside Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso, and the three of them stopped Barcelona from going in to the back four. Also, when the gang broke on a counter attack, Pepe was in there for the crosses, and in fact he headed one against the post.”
The “clue” Venables is referring to lies in the fact that Barcelona scored just one goal – a penalty – in the first two games (in the League and Copa del Rey), and failed to score in the third whilst Pepe was on the pitch. The Portuguese, usually employed in defence, successfully played an important role in defensive midfield for Madrid, whose tactics collapsed following Pepe’s controversial red card.
“So I thought that was the clue. In the first leg of the Champions League Clasico, Madrid’s system fell apart after Pepe’s red card. It was 0-0 when he was on the field, and when he got sent-off, Messi had more room to play and scored two.”
“Terry Venables is a 188BET ambassador. The In-Play betting specialists are offering great value odds on a host of markets for the Champions League Final. To check them out and for a free £25 bet go to www.188promo.com/terry”
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Ivan Klasnic is the latest Premier League footballer to find himself in a spot of hot water with the law. The Bolton striker was arrested on the 28th October, after allegedly raping a 17-year old female in the small hours of Monday 25th October. Klasnic is not the first Premier League footballer to be accused of such a crime and he certainly won’t be the last.
It’s only a matter of weeks ago that we were led to believe that Sunderland’s calamitous centre half Titus Bramble had been arrested over similar accusations. So why do Premier League footballers find themselves in such compromising positions? Are there really that many nasty men in football? Do they put themselves in compromising positions? Or is there a large volume of opportunist women just waiting for the latest Premier League superstar to slip up?
By know means do I believe it not possible for the allegations to be true, but I would tend to lean more towards the idea that these footballers are placing themselves in compromising positions. This coupled with young naïve women proves to result in serious claims that in the end seem to have little legitimacy.
There is no doubt that this debate should be handled with care and tact and as an outsider looking in, it is easy to have an opinion on the matter. Yet, having seen the conclusions of so many rape claims before I struggle to think that allegations made against Klasnic will be any different.
Like so many Premier League footballers before him Titus Bramble was recently cleared and was no longer under any further investigation in regard to the rape claims. Unless substantial new evidence appears in the Klasnic case I feel the conclusion of this case will follow suit.
In light of the most recent two cases let it be a message to Premier League footballers that they have a responsibility to keep themselves out of needless media spotlight. They must remember that they are celebrities and there is a large amount of people that find that very attractive. There are so called ‘gold diggers’ out there who are willing to do anything in order to land a small fortune.
Given the amount of unfounded rape claims, does the national media need to be more careful in the naming of players that are accused of such serious crimes. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Would we actually hear about any cases of footballers putting themselves in compromising positions if stories were only reported on once players were charged?
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Finally, does some responsibility lie with the clubs? If players were educated at a young age about the pitfalls of large sums of money and celebrity status would players relentlessly put themselves in such controversial positions?
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