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Nigel Jemson insists that he fears for Nottingham Forest if they are relegated to League One this season.

The club have endured a horrific start to the season and have taken just four points from their opening eight games, prior to the appointment of Steve Cooper this week.

They came in a draw with Derby County, their fierce rivals, losing six of their other seven games under former manager Chris Hughton before they beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 away at the weekend.

Those defeats came against Coventry City, AFC Bournemouth, Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, Cardiff City and, most recently, Middlesbrough, which convinced Forest to axe Hughton.

And Jemson is hopeful that is how things pan out, as he believes that the club could genuinely struggle if they are relegated, fearing owner Evangelos Marinakis could well look to leave at the first opportunity if the worst happens.

Indeed, he has drawn a comparison with Sunderland, who have languished in League One for some time.

He said: “Sunderland, it’s been very hard for them to get back to where they should be or where people think they should be and that’s certainly the Championship, at the bare minimum.

“I don’t want to think about Nottingham Forest being in League One because I fear for them if that happens. I fear for them in the fact that the owner, Marinakis, may not stay there long.”

When Michael Keane started the season in torrid form for Everton, many supporters may have been lusting after the return of a certain Ben Godfrey.

The former had been handed an early chance by Rafa Benitez to impress, but after being rolled too easily by Patrick Bamford against Leeds and then letting his marker go for Huddersfield’s goal in the Carabao Cup, it didn’t bode well.

Keane did impress as the Toffees beat Brighton and then he scored last weekend against Burnley, yet there was still a feeling that in order for this Everton defence to reach its maximum potential, Godfrey needed to be part of it.

The centre-back started for the first time under Benitez in the win over Burnley, but against Aston Villa on Saturday evening, he was quite mediocre.

Godfrey played at right-back ahead of Seamus Coleman, who was suffering from a hamstring problem during the week.

Sadly, the 23-year-old didn’t play particularly well in that position. Arguably, he was even worse than Lucas Digne, the scorer of an own goal during their dismal 3-0 defeat.

The Frenchman at least provided a big opportunity for one of his teammates to score, while he also managed three tackles, but Godfrey couldn’t usurp that. He supplied an early chance for Salomon Rondon to score at the near post but that was about as good as his evening got.

His defensive efforts were particularly poor as Leon Bailey ran him ragged after he was substituted on late in the game by Dean Smith. The Everton defender was caught wildly out of position for the third and final goal, scored by Villa’s rampant Jamaican.

Instead of marshalling the right-hand side, Godfrey had been dragged to the left of the centre circle, which allowed Bailey to exploit what felt like several acres of space on Everton’s right flank.

The England international couldn’t react quickly enough and consequently Villa sealed the victory.

His numbers didn’t amount to much joy, either. He won a measly 14.2% of the defensive duels that he competed, considerably lower than Digne’s 70%.

Furthermore, he surrendered possession on 15 occasions and completed just 71% of his passes on what was a disastrous night for the club.

On this evidence, Benitez is better off playing Godfrey at centre-back.

AND in other news, 38% pass success: Everton dud who lost the ball every 1.6 touches let Rafa down v AVFC…

After bringing him to the club back in the summer of 2015, then Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood made it clear just how “delighted” he was at getting a deal done for Jordan Veretout.

He said: “He has played over 140 games in Ligue 1 and is a really exciting young player. I know Veretout is very highly rated over in France, so we are delighted to get this deal over the line.”

But a year later however, and things hadn’t turned out the way either the player or the club would have wanted at Villa Park, with the team going through a roller-coaster period of managerial changes and relegation from the Premier League as well.

In the end, the Frenchman was shipped out on loan, before eventually sealing a more permanent exit away from the club when he joined Serie A outfit Fiorentina for around £6m in 2017.

Since then, he has been nothing short of incredible, enjoying an impressive rise which is now seeing him shine for one of Italian football’s biggest clubs in AS Roma – the kind of upturn in form that surely has Villa fans wondering ‘what if?’.

Last season saw him develop into an elite goal-scoring midfielder, netting ten times in 29 games in the Serie A alone, including a match-saving brace against Juventus in a 2-2 draw.

This campaign has seen him start off in a similar fashion, bagging three goals in just two league games – a couple of those came in a win against his former club Fiorentina.

It’s no surprise, then, that his market value has shot up considerably, with Transfermarkt now rating him at £29.7m – almost five times the amount for which Villa actually sold him.

While things didn’t quite work out at Villa Park, there were some behind the scenes who did see his potential, with caretaker manager Kevin McDonald, in particular, saying: “Jordan is a wonderful passer of the ball. He will get better. And he is looking to impose himself in training games. Now he has to do that over a period of time. If he does that, he will be a very, very good player.

“Glenn Hoddle didn’t have to run up and down the pitch. But he was the most wonderful passer this country had in a long, long time. It’s not about being a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder – Jordan needs to be a midfielder who gets on the ball more than anybody else in the team.”

Niggling injuries didn’t help his cause, but the 28-year-old didn’t even take to the pitch for any of Villa’s last seven Premier League games of the 2015/2016 season, not even making the matchday squad in four of them.

When you see the way he is shining now, though, there must surely be a sense of regret that they couldn’t keep hold of Veretout or ever get to see the best of him at Villa Park.

Given Dean Smith tried to sign a new central midfielder this summer in Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse, had Villa not cashed in on Veretout, they may well have had that part of their squad addressed.

Meanwhile, fresh details have emerged on this Aston Villa swoop…

Many Wolves fans are fuming with Fabio Silva’s performance in the EFL Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last night.

The teenager started for the second Carabao Cup game in a row but failed to replicate his impressive display against Nottingham Forest in August, when he grabbed two assists.

In Wednesday night’s defeat to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, Silva seriously struggled to hold the ball up, find space and even get touches of the ball. Throughout his 45 minutes of action, the striker touched the ball less than half the amount that goalkeeper John Ruddy did, with Silva only touching the ball 13 times.

He only made nine passes, completing six of them, before being replaced by Adama Traore at half-time with Wolves 2-1 down.

It was a disappointing evening for the young striker, with him winning only one of his five ground duels and failing to muster any opportunity for himself against Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez.

After making 32 appearances in the Premier League last season due to Raul Jimenez’s fractured skull, Silva’s failure to impress when called upon now Jimenez is back has caused frustration amongst the Molineux faithful.

Wolves fans fume over Fabio Silva performance

These Wolves fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Silva’s poor evening, with one fan claiming the teenager’s performance was one of the worse displays he has seen.

“Fabio Silva will never improve unless he’s playing games. Stick him in U23s then out on loan come January.”

Credit: @RodJoneswwfc

“Fabio Silva still looks like a boy chucked into a man’s game. Needs a loan and a consistent run of games to find some confidence and to step it up a level. Baffling that we spent £35m on him and he might not even make the bench when Neto is fit.”

Credit: @Kcb92

“That 1st half hour down the wolves was absolutely awful and as much as I want him to do well and succeed fabio silva is not a top level footballer slow, weak, nothing sticks with him, woeful.”

Credit: @Jameswwfc

“I get Fabio silva is 18 but I genuinely thought that was one of the worst centre forward performances I’ve seen down here in a long time”

Credit: @Wolvesjay90

“The concern from last night is the lack of progression of Fabio Silva. It ain’t the kids fault he was priced at £38m but in the time he’s been here I would of expected to see some improvement from him but on last nights showing he lacks pace & physical presence. £38m”

Credit: @Davewwfc1

“Hope Jeff has kept the receipt”

Credit: @Sandhurstwolf

In other news, Wolves fans have been left fuming at this certain player following Bruno Lage comments. Find out more here.

كشفت تقارير صحفية مختلفة منذ قليل، أن نادي تشيلسي اقترب بشدة من حسم صفقة تعاقده مع مدافع نابولي خاليدو كوليبالي، في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي الحالي.

وأبدى تشيلسي رغبته في تعزيز خط الدفاع هذا الصيف بعد رحيل الثنائي أندرياس كريستنسن وأنطونيو روديجر.

ودخل تشيلسي في مفاوضات أمس مع نابولي حول إمكانية الحصول على خدمات اللاعب السنغالي خاليدو كوليبالي في فترة الانتقالات الصيفية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سباليتي يعلق على اهتمام تشيلسي بضم كوليبالي

وحسبما ذكرت تقارير عديدة مساء الثلاثاء، وعلى رأسها “سكاي سبورتس” العالمية، فإن تشيلسي اقترب من حسم صفقة كوليبالي بنجاح.

وأوضحت التقارير أن تشيلسي سيتعاقد مع كوليبالي بمقتضى صفقة ستصل قيمتها المالية إلى 40 مليون يورو.

وأفادت أن كوليبالي سيوقع عقدًا لمدة 5 سنوات، أي حتى عام 2027، وسيحصل على 10 ملايين يورو سنويًا.

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.”