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Wolves supporters have been expressing their delight at the news that centre-back Max Kilman has signed a new deal at the club.

Bruno Lage’s side have recovered from a forgettable start to the season, sitting seventh in the Premier League currently off the back of a great run of form.

Wolves have won four of their last five league games, drawing the other, with confidence growing that a European push could be on the cards.

A number of Wolves players have performed well in recent weeks but Kilman has arguably been a standout figure, playing every minute of league action.

On Friday, ahead of the meeting with Crystal Palace this weekend, his brilliance was rewarded with a new contract, with the defender extending his stay at Molineux until 2026 [via the club’s official Twitter account].

Wolves fans delighted with Kilman news

It is a hugely positive piece of news for Wolves and these fans took to Twitter to react to it, showing their appreciation for the centre-back who they believe should be in the England squad.

“This will go under the radar slightly but I’m calling this the best piece of business we will do this season. Class player”

Credit: @WV1Wolf

“Come on”

Credit: @adenwwfc_

“Oh you love to see it”

Credit: @fatchav

“Don’t underestimate how massive this is”

Credit: @RefJosh04

“Oh stop it”

Credit: @hannahosmoxf

“Tremendous news & thoroughly deserved, what a season he’s having. Well in”

Credit: @MrRyanLeister

In other news, Wolves’ interest in one player is set to be revived. Find out who it is here.

For the first time in as long as anyone can remember Australian Associated Press didn’t send a reporter to the opening day of the Sheffield Shield season

Cricinfo staff13-Oct-2009For the first time in as long as anyone can remember Australian Associated Press didn’t send a reporter to the opening day of the Sheffield Shield season. The boycott in Adelaide and Perth was due to an interruption in negotiations with Cricket Australia over its terms for media accreditation, which has been an ongoing issue for news organisations over the past two seasons.James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, was confident the situation with AAP, the national news agency, would be resolved quickly. By Tuesday night the organisation had agreed to allow the reporters access to the domestic games before any signing off on the conditions for international fixtures. However, there was still no representation at the grounds on Wednesday.The agency is due to be represented at a meeting in Sydney on Friday with Graeme Samuel, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman, to discuss sports news reporting in the country. AAP services major and regional news organisations around the country and today offered short stories written from the scorecards.The international agencies , and AP boycotted the season in 2008-09 on similar grounds and are unlikely to reach agreement with Cricket Australia over what they consider are basic journalistic rights to cover sporting events.

Barcelona are ‘waiting’ for Newcastle United to make an approach for Philippe Coutinho, according to Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The La Liga giants paid £142m to sign the Brazilian from Liverpool back in 2018 in one of the biggest-ever transfers (via BBC Sport) but the move hasn’t worked for the 29-year-old, who admitted recently that he had ‘suffered’ at Camp Nou.

Since the start of his full season at the club, he’s registered only 12 goal involvements in La Liga. That’s partly down to the fact Barcelona sent him on loan to Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 season.

Coutinho’s Transfermarkt value has plummeted to £18m but his wages are costing the Catalan club €20m (£17m) per season, which equates to a seismic weekly top-up of £380,000.

The latest

According to Sport (via Sport Witness), Barcelona know that Coutinho’s departure could pave the way for signings, and all eyes are on Newcastle, with the Catalan giants aware of the Magpies’ intention to splash the cash in January and of the player’s positive reputation in England.

There has been no approach just yet, but it’s anticipated that an agreement will be reached if Newcastle ‘step forward’.

The verdict

The report alluded to Coutinho’s ‘great image’ on English shores, and that stems from his dazzling displays for Liverpool, whose manager Jurgen Klopp even used the word ‘genius’ to describe him back in 2016.

It seems doubtful now that he will be able to recover those levels, especially given the evident damage to his confidence. However, if Newcastle’s PIF ownership truly believe they can revitalise Coutinho, who contributed to 99 goals in 201 games for Liverpool, then it seems as if they have willing negotiating partners in Barcelona. In turn, that could help a move to be completed with relative ease.

In other news, Newcastle also want this goalkeeper in January

Andrew Strauss continued England’s confident build-up in South Africa with an unbeaten 117 as the tourists comfortably chased down the Warriors’ competitive 254 for an eight-wicket victory at Kimberley

Cricinfo staff08-Nov-2009England 256 for 2 (Strauss 117*, Denly 82) beat Warriors 254 for 5 (A Jacobs 83*, D Jacobs 50, Swann 3-26) by eight wickets
ScorecardGraeme Swann was the best of England’s bowlers with three wickets•Getty ImagesAndrew Strauss continued England’s confident build-up in South Africa with an unbeaten 117 as the tourists comfortably chased down the Warriors’ competitive 254 for an eight-wicket victory in Kimberley. The bowlers were given a much tougher workout than against the Eagles two days ago, but Strauss and Joe Denly made the target appear simple with an opening stand of 175 in 28 overs as the win came with more than nine overs to spare.Denly’s innings was timely after his failure in the first warm-up game and the corresponding success for Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan. The expectation is one of that trio will miss out when Kevin Pietersen returns, but with them all showing promising form the selectors will be faced with a tough decision. There has rarely been any concern over Strauss’s form in recent times, but it is always good for a touring side to have their captain in the runs and his hundred followed a confident 72 against the Eagles.The opening pair wasn’t particularly tested by the Warriors attack and increased the tempo steadily throughout their partnership. Denly managed two sixes and Strauss also cleared the ropes with a strong blow over long off in another display of how his limited-overs game continues to develop. One area Andy Flower is targeting for improvement during this one-day series is England’s boundary-hitting and the early signs have been encouraging, although clubbing Dale Steyn and Co. will be a different matter.Denly picked out long on with a century for the taking, but Strauss didn’t miss out and reached three figures from 109 balls. Alastair Cook was given an outing in place of Trott and collected 34 off 36 balls, adding 53 in nine overs with Strauss, before picking out square leg with the target nearing. Paul Collingwood helped finish off the chase.After needing barely half their overs to knock over the Eagles on Friday, a full stint in the field won’t have done the tourists any harm as they prepare for the Twenty20 internationals. Their bowling resources are being stretched at present with Stuart Broad ruled out with his shoulder injury which, although not serious, means he won’t play the remaining practice games and Graham Onions is still sidelined with a stiff back.Tim Bresnan was drafted in as Broad’s replacement, while Adil Rashid was selected ahead of Luke Wright. This time the quicks struggled for rewards on a flat surface, but Graeme Swann impressed as he claimed 3 for 26 during a controlled spell that kept the scoring rate under control.Bresnan shared the new ball alongside James Anderson but neither could find an early breakthrough as Justin Kreusch and Riaan Jeggels added 60 for the first wicket. Kreusch was dropped off a no-ball when Strauss put down a chance at mid-off, but it wouldn’t have counted because England had too many fielders outside the circle during the Powerplay. It didn’t prove costly, however, as Kreusch was stumped in Rashid’s first over and it was England’s spinners who made scoring harder for the batsmen.Swann took a simple return catch to remove Jeggels and Matt Prior collected his second stumping when Colin Ingram was beaten outside off. The two Jacobs set about rebuilding the innings and took advantage of some loose deliveries from Rashid and also tucked into Collingwood’s medium pace which was unusually expense.Arno Jacobs went to his fifty from 59 balls and Davey Jacobs joined him with a boundary off Sajid Mahmood but fell next ball as he tried to go over the top. Swann returned to claim his third and England did well during the closing stages of the innings, with the final five overs yielding just 26 runs as Jacobs lost the strike and with it the chance of a hundred.

Manchester United may keep Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in charge until the end of the season.

That’s according to reliable reporter Samuel Luckhurst of The Manchester Evening News, and, as to be expected, his update has had plenty of Red Devils fans talking.

Solskjaer has been under pressure at Old Trafford following comprehensive home defeats to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City prior to the international break.

Recent reports claimed that Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers reached a verbal agreement to take over from Solskjaer.

Luckhurst shared a story on Wednesday morning, claiming Solskjaer could remain in charge until the end of the campaign due to a lack of readily available replacements.

He added that Rodgers could be the man to replace Solskjaer, while the United hierarchy are also impressed by Ajax coach Erik Ten Hag and Spain coach Luis Enrique after deciding a change of manager will eventually be required.

United fans react

@utdreport shared the claim on Solskjaer potentially seeing out the 2021/22 campaign on Twitter. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with many not happy at that possibility.

“Will this pain ever end?”

Credit: @omartamimm

“You’re actually joking”

Credit: @AJLawton1

“oh goodness.”

Credit: @blobsterino

“This club is Truly FINISHED. I’m done watching this team”

Credit: @abkhani_

“This will be a very painful year. Football is supposed to be entertaining.”

Credit: @FhelleStarck

“We are finished as a football club”

Credit: @abdkaba2021

Shane Bond believes the key to winning the upcoming Test series against Pakistan is the batsmen posting large totals

Cricinfo staff22-Nov-2009Shane Bond has said New Zealand’s bowling attack has what it takes to succeed against Pakistan, but believes the key to winning the upcoming Test series is the batsmen posting large totals.Bond is set to end his two-year period out of the Test team because of his involvement with the unofficial ICL when New Zealand take on Pakistan in Dunedin on Tuesday. “We need runs really. I think if you’re going to win Test matches you need big runs,” Bond told PA Sport.”I suppose that’s been the one area that we’ve lacked a little bit is scoring those consistent big runs from the top of the order. I think if we can get runs on the board then we definitely have the bowling attack to take wickets.”In their last Test series in Sri Lanka in August, New Zealand failed to reach 300 in three out of four innings and lost the series 2-0. The responsibility of providing the New Zealand bowlers with totals to protect will lie with Martin Guptill and Tim McIntosh at the top, followed by the middle order comprising Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor and Peter Fulton. Daniel Vettori, whose batting form is on the upswing, will also play a vital role in the lower-middle order.Guptill’s one-day form has been satisfactory, with three half-centuries in his last seven innings, but he hasn’t made a Test fifty in nine attempts. His likely opening partner, McIntosh, scored a century against the Pakistanis during a warm-up match in Queenstown, while Flynn spent time in the middle as well, scoring 49 and 56.

Crystal Palace have been handed a potentially significant boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Burnley over the weekend after it was revealed Eberechi Eze is expected to be available for selection.

What’s the word?

The highly-rated 23-year-old has been sidelined since injuring his Achilles back in May but made his return via a 60-minute runout for the capital club’s U23s prior to the international break.

After his successful outing for Shaun Derry’s youth side, Eze expressed his excitement at the prospect of playing in front of Palace supporters for the first time, stating he ‘cannot wait’ to entertain the fanbase.

“That’s going to be a beautiful feeling.  Stepping out and feeling the atmosphere, hearing the fans, entertaining them. That’s all I want to do, and I honestly cannot wait for the day,” he said.

And Eze may not have to wait much longer. According to CaughtOffside reporter Colin Walker, the creative talent is set to be on the bench for the trip to Turf Moor on Saturday.

He tweeted: “Understand Eberechi Eze will make a return to the Crystal Palace squad this weekend against Burnley – Likely to be on the bench to start.”

Patrick Vieira will be delighted

News that Eze is set to make his first-team comeback imminently will have Palace manager Patrick Vieira feeling absolutely delighted, given his importance to the side.

Last season, he bagged four goals and provided six assists in 34 top-flight appearances, highlighting his influence over proceedings, and everyone associated with the south London side will be eagerly anticipating his first minutes of the season.

The prospect of Eze linking up with new teammates such as Odsonne Edouard, Conor Gallagher and Michael Olise is an exciting one for Palace and a daunting one for opposition defenders.

Whether he’s ready to come off the bench against the Clarets remains to be seen, but just his presence in the matchday squad will be enough to provide a significant boost.

His fitness boost is timely too, with the Eagles soaring high in the top-flight this term.

And, in other news…Signed for £2.5m, now worth £7.2m: Parish struck gold over £32.5k-p/w Palace wizard

Joe Denly’s impressive 217 set up a dominant day for the England Performance Programme (EPP) as they hammered home the advantage against the Titans at the LC de Villiers Oval

Cricinfo staff10-Dec-2009England Performance Programme 425 for 9 (Denly 217, Tredwell 70) and 44 for 1 lead Titans 235 (du Plessis 124*, Shahzad 4-37) by 234 runs
ScorecardJoe Denly starred for EPP in Pretoria•AFPJoe Denly’s impressive 217 set up a dominant day for the England Performance Programme (EPP) as they hammered home the advantage against the Titans at the LC de Villiers Oval.Denly has had a difficult time in South Africa until now, failing to make an impact his two outings in the Twenty20 series, but after rescuing EPP from 133 for six to end up 188 not out on day one, he reached 217 on the second morning before falling to Imran Tahir’s leg-spin.He struck for 26 boundaries and four sixes in his 295-ball stay and lifted EPP to 425 for nine before Andrew Gale’s declaration put the Titans in.It was an important innings for Denly, who lost his spot in England’s one-day team to Jonathan Trott at the top of the order. Though Alastair Cook is England’s established Test opener, there remain doubts about his ability to deliver against the best teams and Denly could be next in line if he falters.Amjal Shazad, the Yorkshire paceman, and Sajid Mahmood then made inroads with a hostile new-ball spell. The Titans’ top-three batsmen were all dismissed without scoring and three more wickets fell quickly as the Titans slipped to 60 for 6. They were rescued by a fine, unbeaten hundred from captain Francois du Plessis, who also plays for Lancashire. His counter-attacking 124 came off 162 deliveries and lifted the home side to 235.Shazad cleaned up the tail to end with 4 for 37 while Mahmood’s 3 for 51 was a timely reminder to the England selectors of what they could be missing in the Test series.EPP took their 190-run first-innings lead up to 234 as they reached 44 for one in their second innings.

Mumbai have retained the same squad that helped them progress to the final

Cricinfo staff07-Jan-2010Karnataka and Mumbai have announced their 15-man squads for the Ranji Trophy final to be held in Mysore from January 11; the only change from the squads for the semi-finals is that the hosts will not have Rahul Dravid. He will be away on international duty in the two-Test series against Bangladesh starting January 17, just two days after the final. Robin Uthappa will take over as captain, and allrounder Balachandra Akhil will step in as replacement.Dravid scored a double-century in the semi-final against Uttar Pradesh, helping his team gain a decisive first-innings lead which ensured their qualification for the final. Mumbai, too, progressed on the same basis after their contest against Delhi, with Abhishek Nayar starring with 156 and Ramesh Powar taking five wickets.It will be the first Ranji final since 1996-97 to be held away from the primary venue of the hosting association – the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in this case.Karnataka squad: Robin Uthappa (capt), KB Pawan, Ganesh Satish, Manish Pandey, R Vinay Kumar, Amit Verma, Muralidharen Gautam (wk), Sunil Joshi, Abhimanyu Mithun, Sreenath Aravind, Stuart Binny, Udit Patel, KP Appanna, Aditya Sagar, B Akhil.Mumbai squad: Wasim Jaffer (capt), Ajit Agarkar (vice-capt), Ramesh Powar, Praful Waghela, Sahil Kukreja, Ajinkya Rahane, Prashant Naik, Usman Malvi, Vinayak Samant (wk), Dhawal Kulkarni, Sushant Marathe, OJ Khanvilkar, Avishkar Salvi, Iqbal Abdulla, Abhishek Nayar.

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has admitted that Patrick Bamford’s injury situation is a big concern, talking up a potential January signing in the process.

The Lowdown: Bamford missing for a long spell

The Whites were beaten 2-1 at Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, with a lack of firepower again on show in the absences of Rodrigo and Raphinha as youngster Joe Gelhardt had to lead the line.

Marcelo Bielsa has been without Bamford since the middle of September, with the Englishman nursing an ankle injury which is still keeping him out and the manager recently opting not to put a timescale on a potential return date.

The 28-year-old has been a big loss, with his pedigree in the final third highlighted by 17 goals and seven assists in the top flight last season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Kenny concerned by Bamford’s absence

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny bemoaned Bamford’s continued absence from the Leeds XI and said that a new attacker may need to be added to the squad in January. He outlined:

“It doesn’t look good. It sounded like he was going to be back after the last international break and he’s still not fit now.

“I’m sure Leeds will look to strengthen that area. They only have 11 goals in 11 games. They are missing Bamford massively, with the goals and assists he contributed 25 goals or something like that last season.

“Leeds just don’t have anyone who seems comfortable putting the ball in the net. The fact Bamford has been out for so long is really worrying. He’s barely played.”

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The Verdict: Increasingly huge loss

It was always likely that Bamford would be missed, but as each game passes, the England international’s continued absence is being felt ever more acutely. Leeds have now scored just 12 times in as many league games this season, whereas this time last year they had found the net on 17 occasions.

Without their main marksman to call upon, not only has the Whites’ goal threat diminished, but they also don’t have anyone as adept at holding the ball up and bringing others into play, affecting their all-round performances greatly.

It’s hard to disagree with Kenny that the 28-year-old’s layoff has affected the team massively, and if Bamford is still sidelined going into the New Year, the Whites may indeed have little option but to try and recruit in that position.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for a striker. Find out who it is here.