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Tottenham Hotspur flop Matt Doherty should be thriving in Antonio Conte’s wing-back system but Thursday night was another grave reminder that he just may not be good enough for the club, let alone the Italian head coach.

The north Londoners endured one of the most humiliating nights in their history as they were beaten by the lowest-ranked team in the Europa Conference League, losing 2-1 to NS Mura in Slovenia.

Conte watched on in horror as ten-man Spurs lost in additional time to the PrvaLiga minnows, who are some 329 places behind them in UEFA’s coefficient rankings.

Playing in Maribor’s stadium, rather than their own, the Black and Whites took an early lead thanks to an absolute wonder strike from Tommy Horvat in the 11th minute.

It soon went from bad to worse when Ryan Sessegnon picked up his second yellow card after just 31 minutes, though things looked to have improved in the second half when Conte made an array of changes which saw substitute duo Lucas Moura and Harry Kane combined for the equaliser.

That was until Amadej Marosa’s marauding solo effort in the game’s dying stages sealed the Lilywhites’ embarrassing fate.

In amongst the quartet of substitutions – just ten minutes after the break – was Doherty. He managed just 54 minutes before being hooked. There’s little chance of the Irishman starting over Emerson Royal anytime soon after that wretched display.

The £14.4m-rated right-back, who earns around £74k-per-week in N17, made his first start since September and thoroughly underwhelmed – perhaps a surprise as he should be used to a system like this from his time under Nuno Santo at Wolves.

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Conte’s wing-backs are an influential part of his success and the 29-year-old dud managed only 49 touches and lost possession ten times, meaning every five-and-a-half minutes he was on the pitch, he was a liability with the ball at his feet.

Elsewhere, Doherty failed in his two dribbling attempts and did not create a single chance from out wide, in addition to committing one foul and losing 75% of his battles against the lowly opposition, as per SofaScore.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick was particularly scathing in his review of the right wing-back, grading him a 3/10 – the worst after the England U21 international.

‘Touch looked rusty and wasteful with his final ball. Like Sessegnon, blew an opportunity to impress a manager desperate to implement a system which should suit him,’ he wrote.

Meanwhile, former midfielder Jamie O’Hara lambasted a whole host of Spurs stars, including Doherty, who he dubbed “shocking” to Sky Sports News during the encounter.

As evident above, it was another dire reminder that the 2020 summer signing is just too poor for Spurs. If the club can move him on in January, then they must consider doing so.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Gollini: Spurs disaster who lost 80% of duels betrayed Conte against Mura…

Leeds United managed to come away from Brighton with a point despite a sloppy performance on Saturday evening.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men struggled at the Amex Stadium, with the hosts missing two big chances and hitting the woodwork on three occasions in a 0-0 draw.

Here at The Transfer Tavern, we look into the three worst-rated Leeds starters as per statistical specialists SofaScore, with players required to feature for at least 45 minutes for ranking.

Raphinha – 6.3/10

Raphinha was brought back into the side but had an evening to forget. The influential winger was the Whites’ worst-rated performer with a rating of 6.3/10.

He lost the ball a whopping 21 times, was second-best in eight of his 15 duels and completed just one of his five attempted dribbles.

The Brazil winger also failed to register a shot on goal or complete a key pass, with nothing clicking for Leeds on the south coast.

Junior Firpo – 6.6/10

Firpo was another man who was brought back in by Bielsa, but he had a torrid evening and was replaced at the interval.

Booked early on, the Spaniard failed to cope with Tariq Lamptey, losing six of his 12 duels and committing four fouls.

The left-back gave the ball away eight times in 45 minutes and failed to make a key pass going forward prior to his early withdrawal.

Jack Harrison – 6.6/10

In front of Firpo was Harrison, who kept his place in the side following the defeat to Tottenham last time out but struggled against the Seagulls.

He lost eight of his 11 duels, gave the ball away on 19 occasions and made just one key pass all evening.

Harrison also failed to complete any of his crosses and didn’t register a shot on goal, making it an evening to forget for the left-hand side.

In other news: Big Leeds transfer rumour emerges regarding ‘magnificent’ player; two Premier League giants mentioned

Sri Lanka are looking to host India for three Tests and an ODI tri-series, with New Zealand the third team, later this year

Sa'adi Thawfeeq24-Jan-2010Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is looking to host India for three Tests and an ODI tri-series, with New Zealand the third team, later this year to help fill the void that exists in their international calender for 2010. Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, has confirmed the home board is in talks with its counterparts over the tour, which will likely take place in July and August.”The Test series is almost certain of coming through,” said Ranatunga. “We are awaiting confirmation from India and New Zealand on the tri-nation series.”The dates for the proposed series are yet to be finalised but Ranatunga said they would be held between July 9-24 (ODIs) and July 28-August 15 (the Tests).India toured Sri Lanka in 2008 for three Tests and five ODIs, and last year visited for a limited-overs series against the hosts in January-February and a tri-series, also featuring New Zealand, in September. Sri Lanka then visited India late in 2009 for a full series, losing the Tests and ODIs and squaring the two Twenty20s. They then came up against each other thrice in a tri-series in Bangladesh this month, with Sri Lanka beating India in the final. In the past five years, in fact, Sri Lanka and India have been involved in over 50 contests – nine Tests, 39 ODIs and three Twenty20s.Sri Lanka’s only confirmed series in 2010 is a home contest against West Indies – two Tests and three ODIs – at the end of the year. With none of the other full member countries having any free space available in a crowded international calendar, India are the only country that Sri Lanka can look for help.Further, the Asia Cup is also slotted from June 15-28 and there is every possibility that Sri Lanka could host it. With relationships between India and Pakistan not too good at the moment following the IPL snub on the Pakistani cricketers, it is very unlikely that the Asia Cup will be held in India. The probability is if Sri Lanka does not host it, the Asia Cup may well go to Bangladesh.A further snag, according to Ranatunga, is that the timing of the Asia Cup happens to coincide with the football World Cup in South Africa and the commercial aspect of it has also to be looked at. If it is not favourable, the Asia Cup may have to be postponed to a later date. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which conducts the Asia Cup, is expected to take a decision on this before the end of the month.Sri Lanka, who beat India in the recently concluded tri-series in Bangladesh, will meet them again in another tri-series scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe after the ICC World Twenty20 in May. Sri Lanka are also due to make a short tour of Australia for a series of three ODIs and a Twenty20 in September.

The ICC will conduct an internal investigation into the events surrounding the ICC World League Division 5 match between Nepal and USA

Cricinfo staff02-Mar-2010The ICC has agreed to demands from Singapore that it look into events surrounding the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 match between Nepal and USA in Kirtipur which was marred by serious crowd trouble.Singapore argue that Nepal only qualified for the final and so gained promotion as a result of the disruption. Until the stoppage, Singapore looked set to edge them out on net run-rate, but, so they argue, the revised target agreed by the ICC technical committee altered the equation in Nepal’s favour and they edged through by 0.0035.The ICC, who dismissed initial complaints, belatedly decided to look into the complaint, which centres on the decisions of the technical committee. Nevertheless, it seems bewildering an immediate investigation was not launched into the riot itself.It may help Singapore’s efforts that Imran Khwaja, chairman of the Singapore Cricket Association, is one the ICC executive committee, although insider said there was little chance of the ICC reversing the technical committee’s decision. “They will do what they always do in this kind of situation – nothing.”An editorial in the Straits Times, was highly critical of the ICC. “Nepali fans are known to run riot when their team are losing. But is it Singapore’s fault that security measures at the Tribhuvan University ground in Kathmandu were inadequate to stop around 5,000 of them from throwing stones and invading the ground for nearly an hour? The ICC’s silence is deafening.”The round-robin match was delayed for around 45 minutes after sections of the 12,000-strong crowd started to throw rocks and debris onto the outfield. Trouble had been brewing for some time as USA cruised towards an easy victory over the hosts, and riot police were already in situ when things got nasty.While most people headed at speed for the exits and the teams fled from the field, a hard core of spectators continued to hurl anything they could grab hold of onto the playing area. Some reports suggested tear gas was fired into the stands.Eventually order was restored, and as police cleared the rubbish from the outfield using wheelbarrows, the ICC technical committee deliberated as to whether to continue the game or abandon it and award the win to the USA. In the end, a Duckworth-Lewis revised target of seven from 14 overs was agreed on and the match ended quickly and in relative calm.

With Antonio Conte’s career as Tottenham Hotspur manager having got off to an impressive start – picking up seven points from a possible nine in his first three Premier League fixtures – the 52-year-old will undoubtedly be hoping for yet another three points when Norwich City visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

However, while it has undoubtedly been less of a problem since the Italian’s arrival in North London, Spurs’ inability to put the ball in the back of the net has been a rather worrying issue for the club so far this season – with their 13 league goals scored ranking them as the joint third-worst attack in the league.

And, while it is has been well documented that Tottenham are in the market for a new centre-forward in the January transfer window, perhaps Conte already possesses a player whose introduction to the side could change Spurs’ fortunes in front of goal – in the shape of Tanguy Ndombele.

Conte must unleash Ndombele

While a performance against the lowest-ranked side in the UEFA Europa Conference League may not be the best barometer of a player’s creative and attacking capacity, particularly as it was a fixture that Tottenham ultimately lost, there was nevertheless clear evidence in the 2-1 defeat to NS Mura that the 24-year-old could well be the missing link between Spurs’ midfield and attack.

Indeed, over his 76 minutes on the pitch, Ndombele enjoyed 81 touches of the ball, made one key pass and completed five of his seven attempted dribbles, very much appearing to be the player who was most likely to make something happen for his side on the night.

The £40.5m-rated man also made one tackle, two interceptions, blocked one shot and won six of his nine attempted duels, proving that he is also not afraid to do the dirty work in the middle of the park.

His efforts saw the player who Jose Mourinho dubbed both “magnificent” and “phenomenal” earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.0, ranking him Tottenham’s second-best player to start the fixture.

As such, with bottom of the table Norwich City up next, now would very much appear to be the time to unleash the France international in the middle of the park, as the 24-year-old could well prove to help light the spark that is needed in front of goal for Spurs.

In other news: Huge blow: Spurs dealt injury setback ahead of Norwich clash, Conte will be gutted

Following on from their 3-2 win over Real Betis in the Europa League, Celtic secured their 12th win of the season with a 1-0 win over Motherwell this afternoon thanks to a goal from Tom Rogic.

Even though the Australian managed to score the winning goal for the Hoops, there was one other player that arguably stole the show on this occasion – David Turnbull.

With Celtic having the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Albian Ajeti out injured, Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou chose to play Turnbull through the middle of their attacking line today, and it seemed to have worked a treat.

In the full 90 minutes he was on the pitch, Turnbull managed to make himself a real nuisance for his former side this afternoon by not only assisting Rogic’s winning goal but also by racking up a total of six key passes with one cross and two long balls with 36 of the 40 passes he attempted finding their intended target.

In addition to his passing, Turnbull also managed to have three shots at goal, testing the goalkeeper with one of them.

This overall performance earned the 22-year-old, who has been praised in the past by Alan Hutton for his “outstanding” performances for Celtic last season, an impressive match rating of 8.1/10, making him the highest-rated Hoops player on the day according to SofaScore.

This latest performance reflects the sort of quality that Turnbull has shown throughout the entire SPFL campaign for Celtic with WhoScored listing him as the highest-rated Hoops player that’s currently in Postecoglou’s squad with an overall season rating of 7.72/10.

Since joining the Parkhead club back in August 2020 from today’s opponents, the midfielder, who is currently valued at £4.5m according to Transfermarkt, has now scored 18 goals and provided 15 assists in 67 appearances across all competitions, showing just what a good piece of business it was from the club to get him in a Celtic shirt.

Moving forward, if Celtic are still without the trio of Furuhashi, Giakoumakis and Ajeti for their next game against Ross County in midweek, Postecoglou should have no qualms with playing Turnbull in the same position he played so well in today.

In other news: “No estimated return date”: Devlin drops big Celtic injury update, Ange will be fuming

The Deccan Chargers coach has said there is no pressure on him or the team to repeat last year’s success, which resulted in them lifting the IPL title in South Africa

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2010Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehmann has said there is no pressure on him or the team to repeat last year’s success. Deccan made a remarkable turnaround under Lehmann, emerging victors in 2009 after having finished bottom of the table in the inaugural season when Robin Singh was coach.”There is no pressure at all,” Lehmann said. “Obviously, they need to go out and enjoy themselves, that is more important for me. I like players playing an entertaining brand of cricket. We are going to have our ups and downs. That’s what happens in cricket. But we have to fight another day and see how it goes.”Deccan will not be playing their home games in Hyderabad, the venue where they have failed to win any match during the IPL’s first season and the inaugural Champions League Twenty20. The city will not be hosting any matches this season in a move perceived to be a response to the sporadic violence that has hit the region due to a separatist movement in the state. According to the revised schedule, Deccan would be playing their home games across three venues in Mumbai, Nagpur and Cuttack.”We would have loved to play at home, but we are not,” Lehmann said. “We can’t control that. We would have liked to see fans from Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh come and watch us play. We hope some of them will travel and follow the team.”Lehmann said Herschelle Gibbs would figure in Deccan’s top order and that he was expecting big things from Andrew Symonds, another international recruit, as well. “Gibbs looked good today [during the practice game],” Lehmann said. “He is a class player, so we are very happy to have him back. He came down the batting order for South Africa in the recent one-day series [in India], but he will play at the top of the order for us.”Andrew Symonds is very popular with the public. He is a very good player. He is a leader and has been part of the team strategy.”Lehmann said player workloads would also be managed over the next month-and-a-half. “It’s been a long season for the Indians,” Lehmann said. “They have played a lot and we need to freshen them up. Traditionally, the Indian players like to hit more but we have to make sure they are fresh to give 110% when the games come along.”Deccan begin their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament opener on March 12 at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. Though, Kolkata were the whipping boys last time around and finished last, Lehmann said his team would not take them lightly.”In Twenty20, you need to play consistent cricket,” Lehmann said. “They [Kolkata] certainly have the players and we’ll be wary of them.”

West Ham United fans will love the latest hint from Pablo Fornals about his long-term future at the club…

What’s the word?

The Spaniard is a bit of a fan-favourite around the London Stadium as he has emerged as a crucial player for the Irons in recent times, and his performances have even earned him a place back in the Spain squad, as a result.

Fornals was signed in a £24m deal from Villarreal by former manager Manuel Pellegrini back in June 2019 but it’s under the Scotsman where his best displays have come, regularly featuring for the side.

80 of his now 100 appearances have come under Moyes.

However, until recently, he had started all of their first 14 league games this campaign but he has found himself on the bench in his last two outings but Hammers fans should have no fears after he dropped a five-word update to social media this week.

The club’s official Twitter account recently celebrated his 100th appearance by saying “Congratulations on 100 West Ham United appearances, @pablofornals!, to which he responded:

“Hope many more to enjoy.”

Here to stay?

It would be natural, in this day and age, to have some doubts and worries about the £18m-rated playmaker with the January transfer window around the corner, so it will certainly be encouraging to much of the Hammers’ faithful that he’s keen to remain in the claret and blue going forward.

After all, you could forgive him if he wanted to return to his home county, especially given that the manager who signed him departed very quickly and then the country was hit by a pandemic, something that still lingers to this day.

However, back in September, the 25-year-old dynamo expressed his love for the club in an interview with the Guardian.

When asked if he knew much about the Irons before signing, he said: “If I’m honest, no. I knew of them, I’d seen them play, but I wasn’t a fan the way I am now.” Now he says he has “completely” fallen in love with them: “The songs, this sign when they see you in the street, the bubbles: it’s something you don’t experience anywhere else.”

It’s no wonder he has emerged as a popular player amongst supporters and one that has been hugely influential to Moyes.

After five goals and four assists in the Premier League last term, Fornals now ranks as West Ham’s fifth-best performer, as per WhoScored ratings, which is an improvement on 20/21.

Only Michail Antonio (six) has scored more goals this season than the Spaniard (four), whilst he is also second for key passes per game (1.4) and isn’t far behind for tackles (1.6 per game) either, via WhoScored, which goes to show he’s a bustling and industrious presence in the engine room.

“He’s done unbelievable,” claimed Irons legend Trevor Sinclair to talkSPORT.

Even though he has not been linked with an exit, fans at the club will be absolutely buzzing to see such comments from the popular star as he certainly remains committed to playing for the Hammers for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Fabianski: £70k-p/w West Ham lightweight badly let Moyes down again vs Burnley…

With 2021 coming to an end, it’s a good time to reflect on the year that Wolves have had a fairly eventful year, firstly under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo before Bruno Lage came in during the summer to take charge of the Old Gold.

After ending the 2020/21 season in 13th place in the league table with just 45 points, Wolves made the managerial change after Espirito Santo took on the role as Tottenham Hotspur manager.

Prior to Wolves’ upcoming Premier League away clash against Arsenal, Lage has managed to deliver a very mixed bag of results with seven wins, four draws and seven defeats.

After a disappointing campaign last time out, it would be a great boost for everyone at Wolves if Lage and the players were able to finish in a European place this time around, which they are well in the running for.

How well do you remember Wolves’ 2021? Test your knowledge with our Big Fat Wolves quiz of the year to find out!

Mahela Jayawardene’s graceful strokes helped Kings XI Punjab overcome the challenge set by Chris Gayle’s exhibition of bottom-hand

The Bulletin by George Binoy04-Apr-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outChris Gayle blasted 88 off 42, but his knock was overshadowed by a century from Mahela Jayawardene•Indian Premier LeagueThere were two captivating innings of contrasting styles on show at the Eden Gardens and, eventually, it was the precision of Mahela Jayawardene’s graceful strokes that helped Kings XI Punjab overcome the challenge set by Chris Gayle’s exhibition of bottom-handed power-hitting. Jayawardene started in high gear and kept the accelerator floored all the way to his first Twenty20 century; his partnership with Sri Lankan team-mate Kumar Sangakkara ensured Punjab’s string of deplorable performances this season ended with a chase that was always several steps ahead of the asking-rate.While this victory did little for Punjab’s semi-final chances – they need to win five more in a row and then pray – it damaged Kolkata Knight Riders’ campaign. Had they won, they would have climbed to fourth in the league after nine games, ahead of Chennai Super Kings, but instead they remained fifth, just above the Rajasthan Royals. Such a helpless defence of a formidable target would have been far removed from the expectations of a noisy crowd, high on adrenalin after Gayle had blitzed 88 off 42 balls during an innings that contained a 33-run over, the costliest of the IPL.It began poorly for the hosts, with Murali Kartik fumbling the first ball of the chase at point and allowing a single, which brought Jayawardene on strike. He got on his toes as Shane Bond delivered, rode the bounce, and cut his first ball to boundary. Jayawardene, who had asked to open because Shaun Marsh was injured, continued to thread cuts through the off side, against Bond and Jaidev Unadkat, and also found the long-off boundary with a graceful straight drive. His first leg-side boundary was a lofted six off Unadkat in the fourth over. He lost his opening partner Manvinder Bisla, who biffed few boundaries as well, in the fifth over to an arm ball from Kartik, but his intensity and strike-rate did not relent.In the final over of the Powerplay, Jayawardene made room and square-drove Gayle for four, stayed back and pulled over short fine leg, and lofted the last ball back over the bowler’s head for six. Punjab scored 17 runs off the over and were 69 for 1 after six. There was rain in the air and Duckworth-Lewis equations on players’ minds. If the game ended there, Punjab were ahead. It would stay that way.Sangakkara’s contribution was vital too, for his 38 off 22 balls eased the pressure on Jayawardene, who had reached his half-century off 26 balls. Sangakkara took on Angelo Mathews in his first over, charging to loft over mid-on for four before clearing the straight boundary in his second.Punjab had raced to 105 for 1 after 9.5 overs when Jayawardene gave Kolkata a chance, spooning Mathews to short third man. He was on 51, Punjab needed 95 off 61 balls, but Kartik dropped the opportunity. He was made to regret it immediately. Jayawardene hit three fours in the next over, bowled by Ajit Agarkar, and Punjab continued to whittle down the target rapidly. The identity of the bowler didn’t matter, for Jayawardene found the boundary at will, and neither did Sangakkara’s dismissal with the score on 149. They had added 98 off 8.5 overs.Yuvraj Singh, smarting from the criticism heaped on him by the media, ensured there was no choke, clouting 33 off 16 balls. He was applauding Jayawardene’s century, off 55 balls, even before they completed the run that got him there. The match ended with successive boundaries from Jayawardene – one helped past fine leg, the other pulled in front of midwicket – off the first two balls of the 19th over, but the Eden Gardens faithful had been silenced well before that.Unlike Punjab’s chase, which was fuelled by consistently expensive overs, Kolkata’s innings relied on Gayle awakening from a run-a-ball torpor to reach 200. He had faced only 24 balls in the first half of the innings and scored only 24, with no sixes. Ramesh Powar, the offspinner, had restricted him by bowling into his pads from over the wicket, varying his pace and trajectory. Gayle had tried to play the sweep but his timing wasn’t fluent.Finally, in the 11th over, Gayle stirred. Powar had bowled 3.5 overs for 17 runs, when Gayle advanced to his final ball and muscled it over the long-on boundary. Powar finished with 0 for 23 off four overs; his team-mates were not going to be as fortunate.Kolkata were 89 for 1 when Bopara came on to bowl the 13th, and carnage was around the corner. Manoj Tiwary rotated the strike with a single off the first delivery, and Gayle heaved the second and third over the midwicket and long-on boundary, losing the ball in the construction rubble. He had sped to 50 off 30 balls, scoring 26 off his last six balls, and more was to follow. For the fourth ball, Gayle created some room, stayed low and launched it flat over the cover boundary. The fifth was lost in the long-on rubble again. Bopara, reeling from four consecutive sixes, let slip a wide which beat the wicketkeeper too. At the end of the over, Kolkata were 122 for 1, and Gayle was on 62 off 32.Gayle then skied a mis-hit off Chawla. The bowler wanted to take the catch himself and made a mess of it, much to Ganguly’s mirth in the dug out. Jayawardene, however, ensured that Ganguly would not be the last one laughing on the night.