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Many Crystal Palace fans have been left slamming the display of Cheikhou Kouyate in their home game against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

The Senegal international returned to his more natural position in the centre of midfield after playing a lot of the 2020/21 season in central defence (Transfermarkt), but he really struggled to make the adjustment against the Bees.

He was guilty of giving the ball away many times throughout the match, especially in the first half, and also lost a lot of his own individual battles in the middle of the park.

With Jairo Riedewald sitting on the bench, Kouyate may fear for his place in the starting line-up under new manager Patrick Vieira, especially in midfield, if he continues to put in poor performances like this one at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace fans on Kouyate display

These CPFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Eagle even going as far as to claim that he is the ‘weakest link’:

“Kouyate is so bad on the ball”

Credit: @DanHuff23

“My knees feel weak every time Kouyate touches the football”

Credit: @localpla8tic

“Kouyate needs to go. Clearly the weakest link”

Credit: @hollaatmefelix

“Started well enough. Then they got the measure of us. We don’t seem to be able to keep going. And Kouyate has been terrible.”

Credit: @jimbo2556

“Kouyate bit of a mare.”

Credit: @CHSCPFC

“Kouyate nowhere near good enough to play the CDM role in the new system”

Credit: @wblack85

In other news, find out which club post had Eagles talking here!

In what appears to be a softening of his earlier stance, Ijaz Butt, thenew chairman of the PCB, has said he bears no grudge against GeoffLawson, the Pakistan coach, and that the PCB will continue to support himthrough the rest of his contract period

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2008
Geoff Lawson has been promised full support till his contract ends in August next year © AFP
In what appears to be a softening of his earlier stance, Ijaz Butt, thenew chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has said he bears no grudge against GeoffLawson, the Pakistan coach, and that the PCB will continue to support himthrough the rest of his contract period.”As the PCB chairman, I am duty-bound to fully back Lawson and to takecare of all his liabilities,” Butt told . “What I said in thepress conference was my personal opinion which I had also given to thethen chairman Nasim Ashraf.” Butt added that Lawson would be givenwhatever support was needed to help him improve Pakistan’s performances onthe field.In his first press conference as chairman, Butt had given an unusuallyharsh assessment of Lawson’s tenure as coach, concluding that Pakistan had”no utility for him.” He also said that his contract would not be renewedonce it was over.Cricinfo has also learnt that efforts at a reconciliation of sorts withLawson have been made by the chairman. Speaking to Cricinfo, Lawson revealed that there had been no contactwith Butt since he took over. But it is believed that a message has been passed on to Lawson through a third party that there “may have been some misunderstanding” over the initial comments made by Butt.Lawson has also received unexpected backing from former Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Both felt it was unfair to blame Lawson entirely for Pakistan’s inconsistent performances since he took over last August.”How can you blame the coach for Pakistan cricket’s ills when your domestic structure is stagnant,” Imran told . “Don’t expect miracles from the coach.”Miandad, who had three stints as coach, felt the players should also shoulder the blame. “It is not just an issue of coaching,” Miandad said. “Lawson should not be blamed solely. The players should also take responsibility and I think they should be held accountable as well.”Lawson told Cricinfo during the four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada recently that he was unfazed by the criticism directed at him.

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield wouldn’t say that Aston Villa are definitely done and dusted in the transfer window, but it’s much more likely if a player does leave Villa Park that they go back into the market.

Dean Smith has brought five new players to the football club for his first team this summer, with Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia, Ashley Young, Danny Ings and Axel Tuanzebe all penning deals at Villa Park.

Villa responded to an opening day Premier League defeat to Watford (3-2) with a 2-0 victory against Newcastle in front of their own supporters at Villa Park last weekend, with new signing Ings settling in at Villa well, as he made it two goals in two Premier League games.

Villa have added some real quality to their ranks this summer and Hatfield believes it will take a very good deal to get them to go back into the market but wouldn’t say they are definitely done and dusted even if a player wasn’t to leave Villa Park.

“If no one leaves it will take a deal which is very, very good to get Villa back in the market now I think for incomings anyway, that’s not to say it won’t happen – you never know what happens in the final week of a window, a team could finally show interest in a player which hasn’t really seen any interest over the summer and equally a deal might present itself to Villa and they think this is just too good to turn down. 

“It wouldn’t shock me if they were in for a defensive midfielder, as I said, that’s the position they really need to address I think, someone just to screen that back four and help out there, who’s mobile as well and progresses the ball. So, it wouldn’t surprise me, I wouldn’t say they’re definitely done and dusted even if a player wasn’t to go, but I think it’s much more likely If a player does leave that Villa go back into the market,” Hatfield told Football FanCast.

With only a few days left to go in the transfer window, will Villa manager Dean Smith look to make any further additions to his side?

Sheffield Wednesday are interested in a deal to bring Sam Cosgrove to Hillsborough this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Dom Howson for Yorkshire Live, with the journalist claiming that the Birmingham City centre-forward is indeed on Darren Moore’s list of attacking targets this summer, as had been reported by Alan Nixon on Monday.

Howson added that the 47-year-old is keen to add further firepower to his Owls squad before the start of the new League One season, having already signed Florian Kamberi and Theo Corbeanu, in a bid to mount a serious push for promotion next term.

Speaking after his team’s Carabao Cup exit to Huddersfield Town on Sunday, Moore said: “We are working extremely hard to try and get bodies in. Will there be bodies in for the Charlton game? I am hopeful there might be. If not then we’ll get on and move on, but we will wait and see.”

Moore would love him

While Cosgrove has not enjoyed the best of spells since joining Birmingham from Aberdeen in January, having started just two Championship games for Lee Bowyer’s side last season, the 24-year-old demonstrated during his time in Scotland that he certainly is a centre-forward who knows how to find the back of the net.

Indeed, over his 103 appearances in all competitions for the Dons, the £1.35m-rated man scored a whopping 47 goals and provided 10 assists for his teammates.

Arguably his best season at Pittodrie came back in 2018/19, when the man who Bowyer dubbed an “excellent” striker bagged 17 goals and three assists over 35 Scottish Premiership appearances, as well as four goals and one assist in the Scottish Cup and one assist in Europa League qualifying – taking his total haul for the season to 21 goals and five assists in 44 games.

As such, should Wednesday get a deal over the line for Cosgrove this summer, and he goes on to replicate this kind of form for the Owls, he would surely provide a huge boost to Moore’s hopes of securing an immediate return to the Championship, as well as being a player who the 47-year-old would absolutely love to have leading his attack.

In other news: Sheffield Wednesday confirm transfer news which will have Darren Moore buzzing

The case against Mohammad Asif, who was detained in Dubai on June 1 for suspected possession of an illegal substance, has been dropped by the Dubai public prosecutor

Cricinfo staff19-Jun-2008
Mohammad Asif will be deported from Dubai © Getty Images
The case against Mohammad Asif, who was detained in Dubai on June 1 for suspected possession of an illegal substance, has been dropped by the Dubai public prosecutor and the fast bowler will be deported soon, according to a report in the .The report quoted the public prosecutor, Mohammad Al Nuaimi, as saying the case was being dropped due to “insignificance”.The Pakistan board issued a press release to confirm the case against Asif had been dropped. “The drug tests conducted on Asif during the investigations in Dubai were clear and negative for any contraband substance.” However the board said it intended to conduct an enquiry in to the matter as soon as it received official records from the UAE authorities. Even if the PCB doesn’t take action against Asif, it is likely the ICC might. They have been monitoring the situation and it is possible that Asif will face penalties under the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), of which the ICC is a signatory, once he is released.Aamir Bilal, media advisor to the PCB, told Cricinfo that Asif would be in Pakistan by midnight on June 20.”He [Asif] will be deported as soon as the police finalise the procedures,” Mohammad Al Nuaimi, the public prosecutor who handled Asif’s case, told . “It is definite that he committed the crime as he was caught red-handed … however in certain cases and for a faster litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance and deports the suspect.”Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, Ahsanullah Khan, also confirmed to the BBC’s Urdu service that Asif would return to Pakistan, but refused to specify the legal position on the charges of possession of contraband. He also said that the PCB and the Pakistan embassy had played a significant role in this matter.Dave Richardson, the ICC’s acting chief executive, had said that they had asked the PCB to keep them updated on the Asif issue. “As far as we know he has not been charged as yet,” Richardson said. “But since the ICC is a signatory of WADA regulations if he is charged then he is liable to penalties under WADA code of conduct.”

Crystal Palace are weighing up the future of on-loan forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, according to TEAMtalk.

Their report on Wednesday led to a number of Eagles fans sharing their thoughts on social media.

TEAMtalk claim that Patrick Vieira is considering ending Mateta’s loan early as he has other targets lined up.

The 24-year-old made the move to Selhurst Park back in January on an 18-month loan with the option to buy next summer.

Mateta, on £32,000-a-week with parent club Mainz, has scored just once in his seven competitive games as a Palace player.

Vieira has been busy when it comes to signings this summer but is yet to bring in a striker, and it appears as if Mateta’s future in London is up in the air.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared TEAMtalk’s claim regarding Mateta on Twitter on Wednesday.

This is what these Palace fans had to say in reply, with many seemingly wanting the Frenchman to stay.

“Wow!”Credit: @ianace0″Would be harsh to terminate this one. I feel Mateta has a lot to prove and is desperate to score goals for us”Credit: @Alexjackd”Don’t.”Credit: @cpfcboiling”Not surprising! Shows we are after someone else if true though!”Credit: @SeanPalace21″NO”Credit: @cosmoreed”I dont really want to unless the guy who comes in is really good. Mateta is class and your gonna bin him off after 1 pre season”Credit: @HAZZAMATTAZZ1

In other news: ‘Only we would do this’ – Lot of Palace fans react to ‘epic’ club post. 

سخر حلمي طولان لاعب ومدرب الزمالك الأسبق والمدير الفني الحالي لفريق إنبي، من الأقاويل التي تتردد بشأن تعمده الهزيمة أمام الأهلي.

وقال طولان في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “إم بي سي مصر”: “فزت على الزمالك وخسرت أمام الأهلي لأنني أتركه يفوز (مازحًا) هم يرددون هذا الكلام”.

طالع.. رسميًا | المحكمة الرياضية ترفض طلب الأهلي بشأن نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأضاف: “كنت فائزًا على الأهلي حتى الدقيقة 95، أعمل بضمير وإخلاص، والأمانة تقتضي أن أدافع عن النادي الذي أقوم بتدريبه حتى آخر نفس والنتائج بيد الله، وحزنت من السيناريو الذي حدث معي في مباراة الأهلي”.

وواصل: “اللاعبون قدموا مباراة كبيرة واستطاعوا الصمود أمام بطل إفريقيا لمد 94 دقيقة، وجميع الحكام عدا واحد قالوا إن هدف الأهلي تسلل”.

واستكمل: “لست مجبرًا على الحديث بشكل جيد عن الأهلي، ولكن عندما أرى مؤسسة تدار بشكل محترم ومؤسسي سأكون رجل غير منضبط إذا لم أقل الحق”.

واستطرد: “هذا الكلام لن يقلل من زملكاويتي، الأهلي يضم كل أصدقائنا، هل يمكن أن أتحدث بشكل سيء عن أصدقائي؟، يُقال علينا إننا لسنا زملكاوية وليس لنا علاقة بالنادي، (أنا زملكاوي غصب عن أي حد)”.

وأتم: “مؤكد سأشجع الأهلي أمام الوداد المغربي ولا يوجد شك، أي مصري محترم ووطني يحب بلده سيقوم بتشجيع الأهلي”.

Somerset gained their first win in Second XI competition when they beat Gloucestershire at the County Ground in Taunton yesterday

Richard Walsh10-Jul-2002Somerset gained their first win in Second XI competition when they beat Gloucestershire at the County Ground in Taunton yesterday.Heavy rain in the morning prevented the match starting until 3pm, and when it did the innings were reduced to 28 overs per side.Batting first the visitors made a brisk start and appeared to be getting away, until they were reined back by a fine spell of bowling from off spinner Wes Durston.By the end of their innings Gloucestershire had scored 176 for 7, with Durston ending with 2 for 21 from his 6 overs.In reply Somerset made a sound start, but fell behind the rate and chasing 8 runs an over.Once again it was Wes Durston who came to the rescue hitting 17 from the 27th over, to help to guide his team home to a five wicket victory, that was achieved with just two balls remaining.Wes ended unbeaten on 66, which he scored from 35 balls, and which included 3×6’s and 5×4’s.Somerset entertain Gloucestershire again today at the County Ground in a 3 day championship match.

With a new manager in place at Everton, pre-season training underway and the summer’s major tournaments done and dusted, the Toffees can finally start making some inroads in the transfer market.

At the moment, Rafa Benitez is yet to conclude any meaningful business so he needs to get his skates on.

What’s the word?

One player Everton have considered a move for this summer is Ben White.

The Brighton defender was part of the England squad for the European Championships but Gareth Southgate didn’t reward him with any minutes.

White has attracted the interest of Arsenal with the Gunners still the frontrunners to sign him.

Everton entered the race a few weeks ago and were willing to put £55m on the table in various instalments.

Ian McGarry of the Transfer Window podcast issued an update on the 23-year-old’s situation this week. He commented (via the Sport Review):

“We’ve been discussing for several podcasts the future of Ben White with regards to a potential move to Arsenal.

“We’ve also reported exclusively that there is interest from Chelsea and Everton, who are playing a waiting game to see if Arsenal realise the valuation that Brighton feel is correct for their 23-year-old centre-back and then perhaps will try and gazump Arsenal by offering more money.”

Supporters should be delighted

If the idea of signing White doesn’t generate excitement among supporters then beating one of the Premier League’s big six to a player would surely thrill the Goodison Park faithful.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

This is a huge season for Everton and as always, the goal is to secure European football.

With a vastly experienced coach in Benitez at the helm, there are reasons to believe they could get close but the arrival of White would only help them in their assignment.

The centre-back only has a year of Premier League experience under his belt but he looks set for an incredibly vibrant future right at the top of the game.

White developed tremendously well at Leeds United during a loan spell in the Championship throughout 2019/20, being named in the second tier’s Team of the Season. Since then, he’s taken to the top-flight like a duck to water.

He completed over 83% of his passes, proving he has the ability to transition play and won an impressive 1.7 interceptions per match.

Everton’s defence struggled towards the back end of the season, eventually shipping five to Manchester City on the final day.

Therefore, their first port of call this summer must be strengthening the defence. White is a centre-back who has all of the qualities necessary to become a mainstay at Goodison Park.

He is young, has plenty of re-sale value and is already an England international.

Consequently, supporters should be enthralled by the idea of Benitez bringing him to Merseyside.

AND in other news, Everton may repeat their Walcott howler by signing £30m gem who Rafa compared to Messi…

CENTURION – The announcement by the United Cricket Board of South Africa ontransformation of cricket holds major implications for those entrusted withthe task of ensuring the unfettered growth of the sport.This is the view expressed by sports and political leaders invited by theMinister of Sport and Recreation Ngconde Balfour to meet with the UCBfollowing the announcement by the national cricket body that quotas innational and senior provincial teams are to be discarded.Among those present at the meeting were MEC’s responsible for Sport andRecreation, Mondli Gungubele (Gauteng), Webster Mfebe (Free State) andSiphosezwe Masango (Mpumalanga), ministerial advisors Sam Ramsamy and MvuzoMbebe, member of the portfolio committee for sport and recreation in theNational Assembly Bheki Ntuli, CEO of the South African Sports CommissionJoe Phaahla, chief director of Sport and Recreation South Africa GregFredericks, sports administrator Kedi Tshoma and ANC Youth League presidentMalusi Gigaba and communications head Khulekani Ntshangase.The UCB was represented by its president Percy Sonn, CEO Gerald Majola,communications director Bronwyn Wilkinson and transformation managementconsultant Chris Day.As a result of the meeting, the UCBSA reaffirmed their commitment to thetransformation of South African cricket into a truly national sport,representative of all the people of South Africa.They also reaffirmed their commitment to the vigilance and critical reviewof transformation based on unlocking the full value of human and materialassets in order for the UCBSA to be responsible custodians of South Africancricket.The parties reaffirmed a commitment to give equal opportunities for all toparticipate so that South African cricket can draw on all its resources toproduce teams representative of the demographics of the nation.The UCB confirmed its understanding that an expectation exists in SouthAfrica that the team that takes the field during the 2003 ICC Cricket WorldCup in South Africa will have at least five players of colour. The UCBcommitted itself to ensuring that a minimum of five black players would bein the South African national squad for the event.The UCB also confirmed its commitment to the performance agreement signedbetween it and the Minister, in terms of which the UCB commits itself totransformation and representivity.Sonn stressed that the UCB acknowledged that the quota system had allowedcricket to reach a level of excellence and representivity and that quotasdid not mean non-merit. In turn, “merit” did not apply only to whitecricketers, but was a term for excellence of all players. The issue ofquotas should be understood as a transformation strategy employed toexpedite and achieve a merit-based demographic representation in sport inthe country, the meeting agreed.A ministerial committee has been tasked by Balfour to visit all provinces totest the validity of the claims made by the UCB about transformation in thesport. The UCB welcomed this decision and has agreed to co-operate with themembers of this committee.