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West Bromwich Albion are having problems all over the pitch when it comes to injuries, and it is having a knock-on effect to their season as they struggle to gain traction in their Championship title challenge.

Fulham and Bournemouth have gone out ahead in the first and second places in the league, with the Baggies currently seven points adrift from second spot.

Valerien Ismael will be likely to go looking for players in the winter transfer window, and according to BirminghamLive they are intensifying plans with the West Brom manager. Speaking on the club’s plans recently, the boss said;

“For sure we are intensifying the players, but we have been preparing in the background already, you don’t start one week or two weeks before the window opens,” Ismael explained.

“It’s all a process. We know exactly where we want to see players.

Sky Sports pundit, Don Goodman, has had his say on where he thinks West Brom can strengthen and more importantly, the “powerhouse” they can sign to do the job.

“West Bromwich Albion haven’t got a Daryl Dike, they haven’t got that powerhouse.”

“They have Jordan Hugill who is powerful in the air but in terms of dynamism and mobility maybe Daryl Dike just offers that little bit more.

“So look, I think managers we know like players that they have worked with and that they can trust and I think that [Dike] would be a very wise signing for West Bromwich Albion if they got the opportunity to make that happen.”

Dike is currently playing in the MLS for Orlando City SC, after half a season on loan with Barnsley, working with current West Brom Ismael, where he scored nine goals in just 22 appearances for the Yorkshire club.

The 21-year-old is back in America and is currently having a huge impact on his MLS club, with 18 goals and four assists in 35 appearances. Those numbers would definitely benefit West Brom in their chase for automatic promotion to the Premier League with a barnstorm approaching potentially taking them back to the promised lands of top-flight football.

Ismael will have some important decisions to make and will hopefully get the financial backing from the club to add players in the key positions, specifically Dike, that could be the difference between Premier League promotion or another season in the Championship.

West Brom take on Nottingham Forest at home on Friday night in a game where they will be hoping to grab three points to continue their challenge to climb into one of the two highest positions of the Championship.

In other news: Kipre drops a shocker against Blackpool

A round-up of the third day’s games at the Under-19 World Cup

Cricinfo staff17-Jan-2010In Palmerston North, West Indies won a thriller by a single run over Bangladesh. Chasing 250 to win, Bangladesh needed two runs from three balls with one wicket in hand, but Shaker Ahmed’s run-out sparked wild celebrations in the West Indian camp. Their chase had been one of fits and starts – four batsmen fell between individual scores of 13 and 15 – until Shabbir Rahman and Tasamul Haque forged a 73-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Rahman’s dismissal for a 52-ball 53, to the legspin of Yannic Cariah at 187 for 6 broke the momentum, which was followed by Cariah sending back Nurul Hasan seven runs later. West Indies took the eighth wicket at 225, but Haque and the No. 10 Abul Hasan appeared to have Bangladesh on track for a tense win in the final over.But West Indies were still to play their best card. Haque was bowled by the medium-pacer Jason Holder for 54 with the third ball, and on the fourth Shaker was run out. Bangladesh had lost a thriller, running out of steam on the home-stretch, but despite the loss they stayed top of Group D having won their opening match.Cariah was adjudged Man of the Match for his two wickets and 44 earlier in the day, when he had helped West Indies’ middle order recover after a shaky start induced by seamer Shaker Ahmed. His two wickets in an economical new-ball display had left West Indies at 20 for 3 inside six overs, but Cariah, the captain Andre Creary (53), and the lower middle order weighed in. Shane Dowrich and Akeen Dewar, who took three wickets in Bangladesh’s chase, further boosted West Indies down the order before Jermaine Blackwood thumped 48 from 28 balls. How crucial those runs proved.”It was a bit nervous, but we held our nerve and it was very good to come away with the victory today,” Cariah said after the win. “It was a team effort and we still have room for improvement but we’re excited to get a win in the World Cup.”A crushing win gave Australia their second success in two days and kept them at the top of the Group B points table. Having racked up 274 for 5, they steamrolled Ireland for a paltry 65 in 24.2 overs to give themselves some time off on an easy Sunday in Queenstown.Ireland began well after putting Australia in, reducing them to 114 for 4, but the innings was helped by the opener Tom Beaton’s second successive half-century and two sizeable hands from Alex Keath and Tim Armstrong. Beaton’s 45-ball 53 powered the innings with a 52-run start and after a brief wobble Keath (88) and Armstrong put on 115 for the fifth wicket. Keath, who was one of several changes in the line-up, made the most of his opportunity picking up the Man-of-the-Match award. Armstrong, who finished on 73 from 77 balls, added 45 in the last four overs with Kane Richardson, who breezed to 23 from 14 balls.Richardson was soon pounding away at Ireland with the ball, nipping out three wickets with the new ball. Richardson was drafted in for Alister McDermott, who wrecked USA on Saturday, had the ball swinging early on. Those strikes left the opposition completely floundering. It only got worse as Nick Buchanan, son of former Australia coach John, used his opportunity superbly. Buchanan, a right-arm fast bowler, rocked the middle order with figures of 4 for 16 in six overs. Armstrong completed the rout with a couple wickets. The highest score of Ireland’s sorry innings was 19 from the opener Stuart Thompson. Only one more batsman made it to double digits.”I think we really improved on yesterday and being able to finish off what we started, not only for the bowlers but for the fielders as well,” said the Australian captain Mitch Marsh. “I thought we fielded and bowled a lot better today and the result came our way. We’ll have a rest day tomorrow and training on Tuesday and we’ll be ripe and ready for Wednesday. It should be a good game and we’re looking forward to it.”Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers set up an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in Christchurch. Play was delayed by nearly three hours due to rain, meaning the match was reduced to 34 overs. Sri Lanka opted to field, and Chathura Peiris made immediate inroads with the new ball. In the first over he sent back Peter Moor, setting in motion a procession of wickets against the moving ball under overcast skies. Kasun Madushanka bowled a very economical spell as well, and Zimbabwe were then put under severe stress by the left-arm pacer Charith Jayampathi, who ran down the middle order with three wickets.It was all over for Zimbabwe at 20 for 6. Tinotenda Mutombodzi gave a sheen of respectability to the total with an unbeaten 42, losing Nathan Waller for 10 to a poor call from the umpire Sarika Prasad when replays showed no deviation. That wicket gave Jayampathi his fourth. Chasing 122, Sri Lanka were eased home by Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s unbeaten 49.India continued to brush aside all before them, beating Hong Kong to stay top of their pool with a second nine-wicket win in three days in Christchurch. Once again this was a win set up by the bowlers and finished by a dominant top order. Sandeep Sharma turned in another excellent new-ball display in which he picked three wickets, conceding next to nothing in seven overs. Hong Kong, from 3 for 7, struggled to build stands and their best scorer was the captain Jamie Atkinson with 39. He was bowled by the slow left-arm spinner Gaurav Jathar, who netted 3 for 27 to keep Hong Kong on a leash. They were bowled out for 143 in 33.5 overs. The openers Rahul Kannaur and Mayank Agarwal then knocked off 119 from the target in 18.4 overs, with Kannaur finishing on 62 from 73 deliveries.

West Ham are interested in signing out-of-favour Liverpool centre-back Nathaniel Phillips in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Phillips out of favour at Liverpool

The 24-year-old came to the fore for the Reds last season, filling in in the absence of injured trio Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.

With Liverpool’s injury problems easing, however, Phillips has not featured at all in the Premier League in 2021/22 and has played just one minute of Champions League action.

It is hard to see where he is going to get minutes at Anfield, so a January exit could make sense despite being hailed as ‘absolutely incredible’ by Jurgen Klopp.

The Latest: West Ham linked with move

According to Football Insider, a West Ham source has claimed that the Irons are interested in snapping up the Liverpool centre-back in the winter transfer window.

He is one of a number of defensive targets for the east London club, who are ‘laying the groundwork’ for a potential move.

The Verdict: Filling the Ogbonna void

With Angelo Ogbonna possibly out for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, it is vital that a centre-back comes in, with David Moyes’ side losing their last two league games without the Italian.

Phillips could be a strong candidate to come in as a squad player, but he remains relatively untested at the top level, only starting 15 Premier League games in his career despite being 24 years of age.

With West Ham aiming to secure a top-four finish, they could do with signing someone who could make an immediate impact rather than being a backup option, but the Liverpool man could still thrive if he is called upon sporadically.

Phillips averaged an eye-catching 5.6 aerial duels per game in the league in 2020/21, with Tomas Soucek leading the way for West Ham with 3.1 this season. It might not seem like the most exciting name to be linked, but Moyes would be wise to give it some consideration.

In other news, three West Ham players struggled in the defeat to Manchester City. Find out who they are here.

The selectors have announced a 16-man squad for the limited-overs trip against the England Lions and the hosts from February 9-26

Cricinfo staff21-Jan-2010Mohammad Hafeez, the allrounder with the experience of 11 Test and 48 one-day internationals, will lead Pakistan A on their tour of the UAE next month. The selectors have announced a 16-man squad for the limited-overs trip against the England Lions and the hosts from February 9-26.The squad includes four players with international experience – Hafeez, Shahzaib Hasan, Mohammad Talha, and Abdur Rehman. Hafeez, 29, last represented Pakistan in October 2007. Shahzaid, an opener, played in Pakistan’s victorious ICC World Twenty20 campaign in England last summer, rookie fast bowler Talha made his Test debut in Sri Lanka and the left-arm spinner Rehman has featured in one Test and 11 ODIs. Wahab Riaz, another aspiring fast bowler, was part of the Pakistan squad that toured the UAE for a limited-overs series against New Zealand last year.The handing of the vice-captaincy to the in-form batsman Aamer Sajjad, who today hit an unbeaten double-century to take The Rest to an innings victory an innings victory over Karachi Blues in the domestic RBS Pentangular, indicates the nature in which the selectors view him. He is the tournament’s leading run scorer with 1378 at 72.52 from 13 matches.The two players following him on that list, Naved Yasin and Asad Shafiq, both with over 1,000 runs, have also been included. Tanvir Ahmed, with 95 wickets in the Pentangular, has found a place too. Rehman is fourth on the list of leading wicket-takers with 78.Pakistan A squad: Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Shahzaib Hasan, Kashif Siddiq, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umair Khan, Aamer Sajjad, Naved Yasin, Yasir Shah, Tanvir Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Tabish Khan, Uzair-ul-Haq, Mohammad Talha, Naeem Anjum, Abdur Rehman.

The Australian Cricketers’ Association will help formulate a list of security demands for IPL organisers

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2010The Australian Cricketers’ Association will help formulate a list of security demands for IPL organisers following a meeting attended by the majority of Australian cricketers due to play in next month’s tournament. Paul Marsh, the ACA’s chief executive, said the players want to be involved in the event, but there are safety fears following a threat from the 313 Brigade, Al-Qaeda’s operational arm in Pakistan.”The independent report has identified some serious concerns with aspects of the current security process,” Marsh said after the meeting in Sydney. “Specifically these concerns relate to the reported direct threat against the event and the status and implementation of the IPL’s security plan.”The process from here is for all players associated to meet with their player groups and for all of us to feed back the concerns raised from these meetings to the IPL. This will be coordinated through our peak body the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. From here we will await a response from the IPL.”Heath Mills, the New Zealand Players’ Association chief, also outlined the security concerns at a press conference in Christchurch. “There have been threats against cities in India, and clearly a direct threat against the event,” Mills said. “A combination of those and our lack of confidence in security management plans have led us to having to ask some questions of the IPL and see whether they can alleviate those concerns.”It’s one thing to have a security management plan, it’s a much different thing to see it delivered and delivered well. It’s quite complex when you consider the IPL is played across 12 cities, 12 police jurisdictions throughout India. There are some real concerns around that aspect.”So far the IPL has rejected dealing with players’ associations, a move which forced unions from Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa to commission their own safety report on the situation in India. Reg Dickason, who has worked as a security advisor for the England and Australia teams, delivered his findings to the associations at the weekend and Marsh outlined the details to most of the 22 Australian players signed up for the tournament.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been buzzing over some news which has emerged regarding their Academy team.

As per the club’s official website, the under-19s are now through to the next round of the UEFA Youth League after beating Septemvri Sofia 3-0 at home in the second leg of their tie, completing a 7-2 victory on aggregate.

Alex Lowry, Tony Weston and Cole McKinnon all got themselves on the scoresheet on a triumphant night for the young Gers, who will discover their next opponents when the play-off draw takes place on 14 December.

These are exciting times for the Academy and some of the players certainly seem to have a bright future ahead of them, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst might now look to see who he can promote to the first team.

Rangers fans on Academy win

These Light Blues supporters buzzed as the result was shared on Twitter, with one Rangers fan claiming that it was ‘brilliant’ from the youngsters:

“Superb from the young team, the future is very bright with this side”

Credit: @Cammy26_2

“Brilliant result”

Credit: @harricrowe

“Amazing! Well done lads.”

Credit: @DollHughes22

“Fantastic”

Credit: @Giovani2021Ward

“Boys played well tonight, young McKinnon’s goal was outstanding”

Credit: @daviekane90

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaas lads!”

Credit: @Passenger__57

In other news, a worrying claim has been made on this ‘top class’ Gers player

Writing for The Evening Standard, reliable reporter Jack Rosser has made a West Ham United transfer claim involving Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

The Lowdown: West Ham in defensive crisis…

As the Irons suffer a blow in their race for a top four finish, succumbing to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Wednesday evening, manager David Moyes’ task to keep West Ham fighting at the top could only get harder.

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Amid a hectic schedule with his side continuing to battle on all fronts, injuries to Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma have left Moyes short in central defence.

Only Issa Diop and Craig Dawson remain as senior options for the Scotsman, prompting the club to look at targets in the January window to reinforce West Ham’s options.

The Latest: Reliable reporter makes Phillips claim…

As explained by Rosser, writing for The Evening Standard, West Ham are ‘prepared to push ahead’ with a move to sign Phillips from Liverpool despite his fractured cheekbone.

Moyes is personally keen to add another central defender to his ranks with the 24-year-old a target and his recent injury apparently will not be a factor to West Ham swooping next month.

The Verdict: Right move?

As Liverpool slash his asking price from the summer, we believe the Hammers and recruitment chief Rob Newman could be striking a bargain if they move for Phillips.

The Athletic reported in the summer that FSG valued the player at £15m, with The Standard now claiming they will let him go for £10m, and West Ham should take full advantage of the discount.

Lauded as a ‘monster’ by manager Jurgen Klopp, Phillips contributed well during their injury crisis in defence last season – starting 15 Premier League matches and making more clearances on average than any Liverpool player (WhoScored).

Still at a fairly young age, the defender has many years to develop and mature into an even better option and the fact he is homegrown could come as an even greater incentive.

In other news: ‘Pleeease’, ‘I would cry’…West Ham fans erupt as Moyes now offered ‘quality signing’, find out more here.

A life-changing week for Steven Smith has ended with him winning the Steve Waugh Medal as New South Wales’ player of the year

Cricinfo staff14-Mar-2010A life-changing week for Steven Smith has ended with him winning the Steve Waugh Medal as New South Wales’ player of the year. Smith will leave for New Zealand to join the Test squad on Monday and since his selection the 20-year-old has raised a century in the Sheffield Shield and taken a career-best 7 for 64 with his developing legspin.Smith polled 362 votes throughout the three forms of the game this season and finished 159 ahead of Phillip Hughes, who will be with him on the plane to Wellington. Smith, who also collected the Sheffield Shield player of the year prize, scored 772 runs at 77.20 and backed it up with 21 wickets at 44.38. It was enough to impress the national selectors and he will push to become the side’s No.6 batsman and second spinner during the two-Test tour.”Steven’s performances were outstanding and winning the Steve Waugh Medal is a just reward for his ability to score runs and take wickets in all forms of the game and at vital times,” Dave Gilbert, the New South Wales Cricket chief executive, said. Smith also took home the FR Cup honour, finishing on 138 votes, 63 more than Josh Hazlewood, the young fast bowler. David Warner was handed the Twenty20 prize and Smith was the runner-up.Alex Blackwell, Australia’s captain, picked up the Belinda Clark Medal as the state’s women’s player of the year. Blackwell, the opener, scored 489 runs at 61.13, including two centuries, in the Women’s National Cricket League and in the Twenty20 competition managed 191 at 47.75, with a strike-rate of 121.17. “Alex has also had an impressive summer and her form with the bat has been a tribute to both her talent and effort,” Gilbert said.Stan McCabe, who took on England during the Bodyline series, Mark Waugh and Lyn Larsen, Australia’s captain between 1986 and 1993, were inducted into the Cricket NSW Hall of Fame. The Rising Star awards went to Nic Maddinson, the Australia Under-19 batsman, and Alyssa Healy, who performed strongly for New South Wales and was elevated to the national one-day team.

Tottenham were held to a draw by Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday as they wasted a number of gilt-edged chances to score.

Harry Kane notched just his second league goal of the campaign for Spurs to open the scoring, before headers from Jota and Andy Robertson put the away side ahead. Heung-Min Son sealed a point with his strike, but the attacker, along with Dele Alli and Kane, had enough chances to put the Reds to bed to claim all three.

Robertson was shown a late red card for Liverpool as VAR overturned the initial yellow card he was given by referee Paul Tierney for his challenge on Emerson Royal.

Forget Kane

Whilst Kane was able to find the back of the net with his strike to break his duct at home in the Premier League, another player was the shining light for Antonio Conte’s side – Harry Winks.

The midfielder came in for Ollie Skipp and was given an opportunity to catch the eye in the middle of the park alongside Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli. He grasped his chance with both hands and sent a clear message to the Italian head coach – give me more minutes.

If he can continue to put in performances like the one he has just produced against the Reds then he could go on to become a crucial player for the club this season. He was high-intensity, high-quality, all match and was constantly hassling Jurgen Klopp’s side to disrupt their play before getting on the ball himself and starting attacks.

Defensively, he was superb. As per SofaScore, he prevailed in nine defensive battles; making one clearance, one tackle, four interceptions and three blocks, whilst also winning four of his seven duels.

This shows how much effort he put into his defending as he was consistently getting in the way to stop Liverpool from creating chances, which Conte will surely be delighted with as it provided the forwards with a solid base upon which to build from.

On the ball, he dictated the game at times. As per SofaScore, he had 79 touches of the ball and completed an impressive eight of his 13 attempted long passes. This shows that he wanted to be in possession and kept trying to switch the play to create new angles and cause problems for the Liverpool defenders.

Therefore, Winks was Conte’s shining light on Sunday as he was excellent at both ends of the pitch and showed that he is capable of producing an all-around display in midfield.

AND in other news, Levy preparing huge Spurs offer for “absolute leader”, he’d be “outstanding” for Conte…

Bermuda have announced their 14-man squad for the tour to South Africa and Namibia, which takes place from March 23 to April 12.

Cricinfo staff09-Mar-2010Bermuda have announced their 14-man squad for the tour to South Africa and Namibia, which takes place from March 23 to April 12.The tour includes a week-long High Performance training camp at the University of Pretoria prior to the team’s departure for Namibia, where they will first play a Twenty20 match on April 1 before the four-day Intercontinental Shield fixture against the hosts from April 3 to 6. Then follow two 50-over games, on April 7 and 8, before the team returns home.”The team selection was based on attendance, ability and availability,” explained Lionel Thomas, the chairman of the selection committee. “We know it is not our strongest team due to withdrawals for personal reasons from some players and school commitments, but we are cautiously optimistic that the team selected will equip themselves admirably.””I am pleased to be able to confirm that David Moore has received his work permit and hopes to be able to join the team for the tour,” added Reginald Pearman, the BCB president. “I know the boys have been putting their all into training and I am confident they will do their best.”Bermuda squad: David Hemp (Capt), Stephen Outerbridge, Jekon Edness, Stefan Kelly, Irving Romaine, Rodney Trott, Fiqre Crockwell, Chris Foggo, Jordan DeSilva, Justin Pitcher, Malachi Jones, Shannon Rayner, Ryan Steede, Jim West
Standbys: Regino Smith, Kevin Tucker, David Lovell, Joshua Gilbert