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After a year when the words “wall”, “falling” and “crumbling” were never far from the headlines, Rahul Dravid could have been forgiven for thinking he had become Humpty Dumpty

S Aga20-Dec-2008
A 26th Test century, to break a poor run of form, was greeted with only a subdued reaction from Rahul Dravid © Getty Images
After a year when the words “wall”, “falling” and “crumbling” were never far from the headlines, Rahul Dravid could have been forgiven for thinking he had become Humpty Dumpty, instead of the most prolific No.3 batsman the world has ever seen. It really had been a wretched 2008, with 669 runs from 14 Tests before he arrived in Mohali. This, remember, was the man who made more than 600 runs in series in Australia and England when he was in his prime.There were no clenched fists or frenzied waves of the bat when he reached his century on Saturday, but the man who sat behind the microphones later in the day looked like someone who had finally seen the light after weeks of confinement in an underground cave. “There was no statement,” he said when asked about the muted celebrations for his 26th century. “I was just happy. I’m older and wiser now. I don’t jump around and get excited.”I’m relieved. It’s nice to be contributing again. It’s been a tough year, and it’s good to make an important contribution, especially with the conditions that we’ve had in this game.”The partnership with Gautam Gambhir was worth 314 runs in 107.5 overs, its significance evident when the next highest stand was 40 runs. “Hopefully, it will be a match-winning partnership,” Dravid said. “Gautam batted beautifully and took the pressure off me. He rotated the strike and was positive against both the pace bowlers and spinners. He’s having a phenomenal year.”England fought back spiritedly after breaking that partnership, but they should also be worried at how subsequent batsmen failed to make much headway on a pitch that’s sure to play a few tricks over the next three days. “At 300 for 1, we were looking around, wondering where we were going to get a wicket from,” said Graeme Swann, who along with the indefatigable Andrew Flintoff was the pick of the bowlers. “The way Dravid played, he hardly gave us any chance. He was exceptional.”Dravid himself couldn’t really pinpoint a reason for the turnaround. “This year, I’ve tried everything,” he said with a laugh, when asked if he’d gone back to videos or books to get out of the slump. “I watched a few old videos of me batting well to recreate some of those emotions and feelings.”But the last two series, I’ve just enjoyed each net session, trusted my instincts and watched the ball.”The way I judge if I’m batting well is by how I bat in the nets. Against Australia and even in this series, I felt like I was batting well, but there weren’t the runs to show for it.”The way I judge if I’m batting well is by how I bat in the nets. Against Australia and even in this series, I felt like I was batting well, but there weren’t the runs to show for itHe batted beautifully on day two, clipping the ball off the pads with his old fluency and also easing it through the off-side gaps when chances presented themselves. After taking 205 balls for 65 on the opening day, the next 71 runs took just 123 deliveries. “You grow comfortable, the more time you spend in the middle,” he said. “Your feet move better. You pick up the length better. They bowled a good testing spell with the new ball and we were lucky to get through.”He called it one of his “most significant innings”, and admitted it might not have been possible without the reservoir of goodwill from fans and experts alike. “There’s been lots of scrutiny and speculation because I haven’t played very well,” he said. “I haven’t got enough runs. It’s been tough personally.”So many people have been wishing me to do well. It’s at times like these that you realise how many want you to do well. They didn’t need to be, but they were so supportive – former players, and even those in the media. That’s all you can ask for.”What Mahendra Singh Dhoni will ask for from here is a repeat of the bowling excellence that humiliated Australia here two months ago. “They tested us right through,” said Dravid of the English bowling. “But we’ll aim to pitch the ball further up and get more swing, make them drive a bit more.”If the skies overhead continue to be overcast, that could well do the trick. As for Dravid, the overwhelming sense of grey has given way to a patch of blue sky. For some, like his three-year-old son Samit, though, life’s about far more than centuries and revivals. “He just wants me to come back home.”A match-winning century to go with so many others wouldn’t be a bad thing to take back.

India must use their growing power in world cricket to keep the game on the right path rather than becoming obsessed with short-term issues like code-of-conduct hearings, according to James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive

Brydon Coverdale06-Nov-2008
India’s reluctance to accept the one-match ban imposed on Gautam Gambhir was a concern for James Sutherland © AFP
India must use its growing power in world cricket to keep the game on the right path rather than becoming obsessed with short-term issues like code-of-conduct hearings, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, has said. He said there was little the rest of the cricketing world could do to match India’s power, so Indian administrators needed to take greater responsibility for the game’s welfare.Sutherland was speaking in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Nagpur Test, before India confirmed that their starting line-up would not include Gautam Gambhir, who was suspended for one Test for elbowing Shane Watson. It was unclear whether Gambhir was in the side or out of it – even India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the day before the match, said he was “almost sure” he wouldn’t be playing.Sutherland said it was clear India viewed such behavioural issues differently from Australia.”They tend to look at these sorts of issues and code of conduct decisions in a different sort of light,” Sutherland said. “We have seen in the last probably five years, at least four times where they have tried some sort of approach to appeal and, where the appeal hasn’t been successful, taken it to another level.”In January, India were seriously considering whether to continue with their tour of Australia after Harbhajan Singh was suspended for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds – a ban that was later overturned on appeal. And in 2001, India refused to accept Virender Sehwag’s suspension and named him for a Test against South Africa. The match was stripped of its Test status when the teams agreed to lock the match referee Mike Denness out of the stadium.Sutherland said “you can always argue” that India had too much power over the sport and compared their influence in the ICC with the role the United States plays in the United Nations. However, he felt the other cricketing countries could do little but accept the status quo.”The power that India has is obviously connected a lot to the financial contribution that they make to the game,” he said. “Something like 70% of cricket revenue is generated out of India and to that end it means that I think they have, in recent times, come to realise that with that they can influence more than perhaps they have done in the past.”With that ability to influence obviously comes power and, as someone once told me, with wealth comes responsibility. That’s something that ideally you would like to see India continue to take a leadership role in helping the game to be better rather than focusing on taking these sorts of issues that we’re talking about today, with Gambhir, down the wrong path.”

An update has emerged regarding Aston Villa’s interest in Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell.

What’s the talk?

The Athletic’s Michael Bailey has stated that Aston Villa will not be pursuing a deal for the 23-year-old this summer. He was omitted from Norwich’s pre-season friendly clash with Newcastle due to a knock, with Bailey tweeting to confirm that it was because of a challenge in training and that he will not be joining Villa in this window.

This comes after Football Insider reported earlier this month that Villa have been working on a transfer for the youngster. It was also reported that Norwich could demand as much as £50m for Cantwell.

Fans must be relieved

Aston Villa fans must be relieved to read this update, as it means that the club will not make an expensive blunder before the end of the transfer window.

It is worth noting the wording in Bailey’s tweet. He stated that Villa will not be signing the Englishman in ‘this window’, which doesn’t mean that they are not interested in him. It suggests that the report from Football Insider may have been correct, but Johan Lange later decided against potentially splashing £50m on him, shelving the interest for a future transfer window.

Cantwell has one year left on his Norwich deal, but the Canaries have an option to extend it by a further year. This means that he is likely to have 12 months left by the time next summer comes around, and that could allow Villa to swoop in at a more attractive price, as the East Anglian club would be facing the prospect of losing him on a free transfer in 2023 if he opts against extending his contract.

Villa supporters must therefore be relieved that Lange has made the decision not to sign him this month. Why spend £50m on a player whose contract situation could significantly reduce that fee next year? This appears to be a sensible decision from the Villa chief and one which should get fans’ approval.

Former Norwich player and coach Darren Huckerby once admitted that Cantwell could be intimidated by the opposition players. He told The Athletic: “He was always the most gifted, but needed more work mentally than the others. He would admit it himself he could get intimidated by other players, and it’s great to see where he is now, because five years ago you might have said it would be touch and go.”

His statistics in comparison to Emi Buendia also suggest that £50m would be a sizeable overpayment from Villa. The Argentine, who cost the club £33m, managed nine more goals and 10 more assists than Cantwell whilst playing for Norwich in the Championship last term. Therefore, Villa should not be paying £17m more for the English playmaker than they did for Buendia.

AND in other news, Lange must secure Aston Villa swoop for “hardworking” gem who “will go very far”…

Crystal Palace have signed seven Under-23 players to new contracts at Selhurst Park, as confirmed on the club’s official website, much to the delight of many Eagles supporters on Twitter.

In a season of much upheaval in south London following the arrival of Patrick Vieira as manager and an influx of new signings, Palace have a very different look about them as the 2021/22 campaign takes shape.

Continuity has been a rare commodity in recent times at the club, although news stemming from the club suggests that it isn’t quite all-change around Selhurst Park.

The Eagles have tied down seven development players to new contracts in the form of Jake O’Brien, Jay Rich-Baghuelou, David Boateng, Luke Dreher, Sean Robertson, Sion Spence and James Taylor [cpfc.co.uk].

O’Brien has put pen to paper on a permanent deal at Crystal Palace from Cork City on an undisclosed fee following a successful loan spell in London earlier this year [Irish Examiner].

In light of this announcement, plenty of Crystal Palace fans took to Twitter to share their opinions on the “really great news”.

Crystal Palace fans react

Replying to the club’s official Twitter channel, here is what some fans had to say about the youngsters signing new deals at Selhurst Park:

“glad we are showing our faith in Dreher”

Credit: @cpfcjude”Dreher? Now that is interesting”Credit: @matthew_poole30

“Really great news! Keep going!”

Credit: @erictwigs

“Fantastic news”

Credit; @liamb0117

 “O’Brien is a baller”

Credit: @CPFCAlfie”Some good news for our younger players including news that Jake O’Brien has signed permanently from Cork. #cpfc”Credit: @BackOfTheNestIn other news, many CPFC fans react to the club’s links with a Champions League winner 

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge told Football FanCast that Gareth Bale won’t be returning to Tottenham for a third time because Carlo Ancelotti wants to keep him.

Bale was re-signed by Jose Mourinho for a sensational second spell in north London last September.

And whilst the 32-year-old hardly featured during his opening five months back at the club, he ended with an impressive return of 16 goals and three assists in just 19 starts across all competitions.

Bale had an up and down relationship with Mourinho, but following his departure in April, ended up becoming a regular under Ryan Mason.

However, the reason for Bale’s exit last summer was because his well-publicised relationship with Zinedine Zidane had fallen apart.

But the Frenchman has since left and been replaced by Ancelotti, who bought the winger to the Spanish capital back in 2013, and then won the Champions League with him in their first season together.

Asked whether Spurs could pursue another loan deal for the Welshman, Bridge told Football FanCast:

“One thing I have heard is that Ancelotti wants to keep him, so I don’t know whether has changed there. Let’s face it, Real Madrid don’t have the Galacticos like they used to.

“They’ve just lost Ramos, Varane has gone to Manchester United. Ancelotti is probably thinking, I’ve seen first-hand that there’s still a lot left in the tank for Gareth.”

يقول ماسيميليانو أليجري إن ماتياس دي ليخت ومانويل لوكاتيلي سيصبحان قادة يوفنتوس المستقبليين، وتحدث عن مهاجمه الصربي دوشان فلاهوفيتش.

خسارة ديبالا والإيطالي جورجيو كيلليني تترك قيادة يوفنتوس في يد ليوناردو بونوتشي، الذي سيخلف كيلليني في المنتخب الإيطالي أيضًا، ويفيد أليجري أنه على المدى الطويل، مانويل لوكاتيلي والهولندي ماتياس دي ليخت هما المستقبل للبيانكونيري.

وأفاد أليجري في تصريحاته لـ”DAZN”: “جورجيو كيلليني كان مهمًا في هذه المجموعة، كما كان بوفون وماركيزيو يتحدثان عن الإيطاليين، بالنسبة للمستقبل لدينا بالفعل قائدين، دي ليخت ولوكاتيلي، كان مانويل توقيعًا ممتازًا ويمكن أن يكون قائد المستقبل”.

اقرأ أيضًا | أليجري: ميسي البطل الوحيد الذي لم أدربه

وواصل بشأن لاعبيه: “عندما يتحدث دانيلو، فإنه لا يكون تافهاً أبدًا ويضع الفريق في المقام الأول، القائد الحقيقي صامت، يجب أن يتحدث قليلاً ويجب أن يضع الفريق دائمًا في المقدمة، وإذا فعلت هذا، فإن الفريق هو الذي يعترف بك كقائد”.

بالإضافة إلى ذلك، تحدث أليجري عن نجم مشروعه، الصربي دوشان فلاهوفيتش، وعن تغيير تكتيكي محتمل للموسم القادم، واستطرد: “يمكن أن يكون دوشان أيضًا قائدًا بطريقته الخاصة، إنه مخلص، يريد دائمًا الفوز، هو سيصبح قائدًا كاريزميًا على أرض الملعب على مستوى الشخصية، الآن يمكننا أن نرى يوفنتوس بجناحين”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Os protestos da torcida do São Paulo não ficaram apenas nas vaias que o time levou logo após o apito final que decretou a derrota por 2 a 0 no clássico contra o Corinthians, válido pelas semifinais do Paulistão. Muitos torcedores de organizadas foram para o portão principal do Morumbi protestar contra os jogadores após o segundo resultado negativo dentro de casa em jogos decisivos em um intervalo de apenas três dias.

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​”Ooooo… Muito respeito com a camisa tricolor, filha da p***” e “Ai mais que saudade quando o São Paulo jogava com vontade” foram alguns dos cantos entoados pelos torcedores, a maioria da organizada Independente.

Um dos líderes da torcida ainda lembrou que o São Paulo terá eleição para presidente, na próxima terça-feira, quando novos protestos devem ser realizados. “A partir de hoje acabou o amor com esses caras”, afirmou.

Após muita conversa com a Polícia Militar, os torcedores aceitaram deixar o portão por onde o ônibus com a delegação do São Paulo saiu do Morumbi.

Lee Bowyer’s Birmingham City have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Dion Sanderson to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who revealed in a post on Twitter that Sunderland may be out of the running to land the Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back, as Lee Johnson’s side look unlikely to be able to afford a move for the 21-year-old in the summer transfer window.

According to an earlier report by the Daily Mail, Wolves have set an asking price of £2m for the defender, with Birmingham, Cardiff City, Luton Town, Millwall and Stoke City all thought to be interested in Sanderson.

Good news for Birmingham

Considering just how much potential Sanderson appears to possess, the fact that Sunderland, who have already seen a £1m offer for the centre-back rejected this summer, appear out of the race to land the 21-year-old is good news for all involved with Birmingham.

Indeed, over his 26 League One appearances for Johnson’s side while on loan at Sunderland last season, the £135k-rated defender helped his team keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and winning an impressive 4.3 duels per game.

These metrics saw the man Stephen Elliott claimed has a “huge future” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as the Black Cats’ 13th-best performer in the third tier of English football.

And, with the Blues currently only having Harlee Dean and Marc Roberts as options in the centre of defence ahead of next season, the position is one in which Bowyer will undoubtedly be looking to strengthen this summer.

As such, a move for Sanderson would appear highly advisable for the 44-year-old, as not only would the £820-per-week centre-back be a relatively cost friendly deal for Birmingham, the 21-year-old very much appears to be a player who could well develop into something of a star for the club.

In other news: Nixon drops worrying update on “explosive” £10k-p/w BCFC target, Bowyer will be gutted

حسم فريق بورتو الكلاسيكو البرتغالي على حساب بنفيكا بعد الانتصار على مُضيفه بهدف نظيف في الدوري البرتغالي.

وأقيمت المباراة مساء اليوم السبت على ملعب “دا لوز” معقل بنفيكا، وذلك بالجولة الثالثة والثلاثين وقبل الأخيرة من الدوري البرتغالي.

هدف المباراة الوحيد جاء في الشوط الثاني من اللقاء وفي الوقت القاتل بالدقيقة 94، عبر زيدو سانوسي بتسديدة رائعة بعد عرضية من بيبي. شاهد هدف انتصار بورتو على بنفيكا

ورفع بورتو رصيده إلى 88 نقطة في الصدارة بفارق 9 نقاط أمام سبورتينج لشبونة، الذي لن يستطيع اللحاق برصيد بورتو حتى في حالة الفوز بالمباراتين المتبقيتين له في البطولة، فيما تجمد رصيد بنفيكا عند 71 نقطة في المركز الثالث.

وأحرز بورتو اللقب الثالث له بالبطولة في آخر 5 مواسم وهو اللقب الـ30 له في تاريخ البطولة، ليقلص الفارق مع بنفيكا صاحب الرقم القياسي في عدد مرات الفوز باللقب 37 لقبًا.

أعلن المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، كارلو أنشيلوتي، عن قائمة اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة مانشستر سيتي في إياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ريال مدريد على ملعبه “سانتياجو برنابيو” غدًا، الأربعاء، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” منافسه مانشستر سيتي بقيادة الحكم الإيطالي، دانيلي أورساتو.

وشهدت القائمة تواجد، ديفيد ألابا، رغم تأكيد أنشيلوتي على غيابه عن المباراة بسبب الإصابة مع كل من إيسكو، جاريث بيل وإدين هازارد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سون يعلق على صراع الحذاء الذهبي مع محمد صلاح

📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados para el partido 🆚 @ManCityES!#UCL pic.twitter.com/HF9uEZHkOw — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 3, 2022

قائمة ريال مدريد لمباراة مانشستر سيتي

حراسة المرمى: كورتوا، لونين، فويدياس.

الدفاع: كارفاخال، ميليتاو، ألابا، فاييخو، ناتشو، مارسيلو، ميندي.

الوسط: كروس، مودريتش، كاسيميرو، فالفيردي، فاسكيز، سيبايوس، كامافينجا.

الهجوم: بنزيما، أسينسيو، يوفيتش، فينيسيوس، رودريجو، ماريانو.