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Hampshire select from 13 for their opening Benson & Hedges Cup match against Kent at The Rose Bowl on Monday.

Vic Isaacs28-Apr-2002Hampshire select from 13 for their opening Benson & Hedges Cup match against Kent at The Rose Bowl on Monday.The eleven who played against Leicestershire plus batsmen Giles White and Lawrence Prittipaul.All rounder Alex Morris is out of the five qualifying matches with muscular back problems, although a scan has shown no damage. Dimitri Mascarenhas who limped out of the last Championship match after bowling just 4 balls is expected to be fit.As a precaution, James Tomlinson the Cardiff University fast bowler, who did so much last season to help Hampshire to the 2nd XI Championship title has been put on standby.The Thirteen: Will Kendall, Derek Kenway, John Crawley, Robin Smith (captain), Neil Johnson, Nic Pothas (wicket-keeper), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shaun Udal, Chris Tremlett, James Hamblin, Alan Mullally, Giles White and Lawrence Prittipaul.

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he thinks Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United future is hanging in the balance.

Bielsa’s Elland Road contract expires at the end of the season, and whilst reports believe the popular Argentine will extend his stay in Yorkshire, he hasn’t yet signed fresh terms.

Leeds’ 2-0 victory at Southampton on Tuesday evening, their third Premier League win on the bounce, guaranteed a top-half finish on an impressive return to the top-flight.

In fact, beating West Brom on the final-day could see Bielsa guide the club to an eighth-place finish, which would mark their best at this level since 2001-2002, although they’d need both Everton and Arsenal drop points.

Regardless of where they end up, Bielsa has certainly left his mark on the Premier League, with his energetic Leeds outfit quickly becoming one of the most watchable teams at this level.

But whilst there are still fears the 65-year-old could quit Leeds this summer, he only put pen to paper on a new deal on the eve of the Premier League season back in September.

But how does Yorkshireman Windass assess the situation? He told The Transfer Tavern:

“He obviously wants to get to the end of the season. I’m sure the club will know what the situation is because if he’s said behind closed doors ‘I’m leaving’ then they’ll need to get a replacement as quickly as possible.

“It’s 50/50 for me, I’m not sure if he’ll stay or go. That’s only because he’s not said ‘yes, I want to stay, I enjoy living in Yorkshire’.

“He’s a manager that can pick and choose what he wants to do, and I hope he stays for Leeds United fans.”

Following a turgid team performance in Sunderland’s play-off semi-final first leg defeat earlier this week, Lee Johnson must unleash Chris Maguire in the reverse fixture this Saturday.

With the Black Cats’ season very much hanging in the balance after their 2-0 defeat against Lincoln City on Wednesday, Johnson’s side must simply go all-out at the Stadium of Light this afternoon if they are to have any chance of playing in the Championship next season.

Indeed, in the first leg, the 39-year-old Sunderland boss made the rather strange decision not to involve Chris Maguire over the course of the 90 minutes, something which appeared to backfire rather substantially considering they left the game scorelless.

However, Johnson must right this wrong on Saturday, as the 32-year-old has proven on countless occasions this season that he has the capability to be a game-changer for his side.

Having started a mere 11 League One games for the Black Cats this season – making a further 22 appearances from the bench – Maguire has nevertheless returned an impressive haul of five goals and five assists, as well as creating seven big chances for his teammates.

What makes these returns all the more impressive is that the forward’s goal involvements have often come at crucial moments, such as restoring his side’s lead in an eventual 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle, setting up Charlie Wyke’s winner in a 1-0 victory against Swindon Town and scoring a 97th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Crewe Alexandra.

The man who Jack Ross labelled an “enigma” has very much shown that he is a man for the big occasion, and occasions do not come much bigger than having to overturn a 2-0 deficit in a play-off semi-final to save your season.

As such, Johnson simply must unleash the £4,400-per-week forward on Saturday in order to give his side the best possible chance of avoiding yet another season in the third tier of English football.

In other news: SAFC gain transfer boost over “fantastic” £8m machine which will surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Pakistan’s final warm-up game prior to Thursday’s First Test at Lord’s was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the third and final day in Canterbury

Mark Pennell of the Kent Messenger Group14-May-2001Pakistan’s final warm-up game prior to Thursday’s First Test at Lord’s was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the third and final day in Canterbury.Match umpires David Shepherd and Roy Palmer had no option but to the declare the Vodafone Challenge game with Kent a draw, much to the disappointment of a small crowd and the Pakistan top order batsmen.The game had been intriguingly poised with Kent just 100 runs ahead with seven second innings wickets intact.Although touring openers Saeed Anwar and Saleem Elahi hit form by posting a record first wicket stand of 307 here yesterday, the players at three, four and five in the Pakistan order are still crying out for batting practice – yet the next time they take guard in anger will be against England in three days’ time.In the three warm-up games on tour to date Abdur Razzaq, Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana have scored just 64 runs between them, hardly ideal preparation for Test cricket or batting on a likely seamer-friendly pitch in St John’s Wood.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Manchester City and Harry Kane could be a match made in heaven.

Kane recently expressed his desire to win trophies and reports have suggested that he will look to leave Tottenham if the north London club fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have been doing just that, winning silverware, with a Champions League trophy still to play for at the end of the month.

They may also need to sign a new striker this summer after Sergio Aguero confirmed that this is his last season at the Etihad.

Taking all of that into account, Palmer feels Kane to Manchester City ticks all the boxes. On the £108m-rated Spurs striker, the retired England international told TT:

“I was thinking the other day would Pep Guardiola go for him at Man City, you know, to replace the likes of Aguero?

“Now, they could afford him, they can afford to pay his wages and whatever. [He’ll] create loads of chances and if Harry Kane’s fit [and] he goes to Man City, you’re guaranteed 35 goals there.”

The Independent reported last month that Kane would be keen on a move to either of the Manchester clubs, so perhaps a transfer to the Champions League finalists could be viable this summer.

There is, of course, also a lot of talk about Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson, however, feels Kane is the superior forward.

After returning from injury recently, Southampton striker Michael Obafemi seemingly has an ideal opportunity to prove himself to Ralph Hasenhuttl in the final few games of the Premier League season.

The Republic of Ireland U’21 international was close to joining Swansea City on loan in the January transfer window after barely featuring in the first half of the season, before an injury problem meant that the deal was called off and that he would stay at Staplewood to recover.

However, the 20-year-old has now made a full recovery and should be in contention to feature in some of Southampton’s final five Premier League fixtures which, barring an unlikely series of results from Fulham and West Brom, will have very little bearing on the Saints’ season.

Hasenhuhttl’s side look to be safe from relegation despite an awful run of form in 2021, which suggests that some of the younger players in the squad could be given opportunities to impress over the coming weeks.

Obafemi has made just two substitute appearances for the Saints this season and has seemingly fallen behind the likes of Nathan Tella and Dan N’Lundulu in the pecking order, despite having plenty of experience in the Premier League.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

In total, the 20-year-old forward has made 35 appearances for the senior side at Southampton, in which he has contributed five goals and four assists, yet it seems that Hasenhuttl is not convinced by his professionalism, which might explain his lack of appearances earlier in the season.

However, now that he has returned from injury at a time where Danny Ings is currently sidelined, it seems as if he has been handed a golden chance to prove that he has the quality to play in the Premier League, and these next few games could end up defining his Southampton career.

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After all, Obafemi has just one year left on his deal, and if he fails to impress in the next few weeks, he could end up departing St Mary’s ahead of next season, either on loan or permanently, which would be a shame as he has shown a lot of promise at times, notably when he became Southampton’s youngest ever scorer in the Premier League back in 2018.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl handed huge boost over £5m Saints beast dubbed “one of the best” by Guardiola

Sussex had a comfortable passage into the Benson and Hedges cup quarter-finals thanks to a century from their Dutch batsman Bas Zuiderent and a hat-trick from their acting captain James Kirtley

Pat Symes07-May-2001Sussex had a comfortable passage into the Benson and Hedges cup quarter-finals thanks to a century from their Dutch batsman Bas Zuiderent and a hat-trick from their acting captain James Kirtley.Sussex rattled up an imposing 255 for 7 from their 50 overs after choosing to bat first in front of a crown approaching 2000 for the second match to be staged at the Rose Bowl.Zuiderent and overseas signing Murray Goodwin put on 144 in 28 overs for the second wicket after the early loss of Richard Montgomerie. Goodwin made 87 which included 13 fours and after his departure Zuiderent, a twenty-three-year-old, right-handed batsman carried on the good work to record his first century in English cricket and the first to be scored at the new ground.Later in the innings Zuiderent and Will House added a further 76 in only 9 overs for the fourth wicket. For Hampshire, Alan Mullally was the only bowler to pose any problems, taking two for 25 from his ten overs.When Hampshire batted they never looked like overhauling the Sussex total despite a valiant 77 not out from their captain Robin Smith.Smith watched from one end as wickets tumbled at the other with Hampshire losing their last seven wickets for a meagre 37.The crucial over of the innings was bowled by Kirtley who dismissed Alex Morris and his younger brother Zack and Adrian Aymes with the last three balls of his eighth over.Hampshire were all out for 195, 60 runs adrift of their target giving Sussex their third win of the competition and leaving Hampshire without a win in the Benson and Hedges Cup zonal stage for the first time since 1980.

Alan Pardew has dropped an inside claim on what it was like to work with Mike Ashley during his time as manager of Newcastle United.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, the Englishman claimed that ‘there was a lot of anti-feeling’ between himself and the Magpies chief.

He admitted that the job at the St. James’ Park faithful was ‘stressful’ and ‘tough’ with the criticism that was on his shoulders, as he also revealed some insight into the transfer strategy that Ashley had when he was in charge.

Pardew a victim of Ashley association at Newcastle

Unfortunately for Pardew, he was a manager in the North East club that was victimised for being associated with Ashley.

He was far from perfect, but his record on Tyneside was not actually too bad, guiding them to a very impressive fifth-placed finish in the Premier League in the 2011/12 term, as he also managed to stable the ship after the Magpies were promoted back up to the top flight from the EFL Championship (Transfermarkt).

Judging by his comments on the sort of funds that Ashley was giving him for transfers as well, in which he admitted it was ‘difficult’ to work on such a tight budget, the former West Ham United, Southampton and Crystal Palace boss did bring in some gems to the Magpies, such as Papiss Cisse, Yohan Cabaye and Jamaal Lascelles, who is now captain.

Nonetheless, perhaps Pardew should not have been given quite such a hard time at NUFC for the cards that he was dealt with.

In other news, find out inside claim Liam Kennedy has dropped on James Pallotta and the potential takeover here!

Some Liverpool fans have been reacting to the news that the Reds have lost a significant amount of money in the past year, with lots of negativity on show.

It has been an extremely tough year around the world, with the virus affecting day-to-day life to a level rarely seen in modern history.

Football, like nearly every other industry, has taken a major financial hit in that time, with fans largely not allowed inside stadiums and clubs losing huge amounts of matchday revenue.

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Liverpool have struggled both on and off the pitch since clinching their maiden Premier League title, missing having supporters inside Anfield and seeing the defence of their crown fizzle out in miserable fashion.

On Tuesday, the club announced their financial results over the past 12 months, with The Athletic’s James Pearce confirming a pre-tax loss of £46million.

Liverpool fans frustrated by £46m losses

It is no great surprise, considering the impact the virus has had, but that hasn’t stopped a number of Liverpool supporters voicing their frustration.

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter.

“30 year old Thiago for £25m and £200k p/w, someone who is good at the economics please help me budget this. My football club is dying”

Credit: @NoSwearingHere7

“We are not signing anyone this summer lads”

Credit: @Gbemiga_A

“This is just letting everyone know we’re not signing a single player this summer”

Credit: @rinangelz

“Lost £46m already and that’s only 3 months of the pandemic”

Credit: @archielfc

“There goes our summer budget”

Credit: @RebelYelliex

“Well the success was fun for 3 years. No chance FSG will dip into their own pocket and fund anything this summer”

Credit: @JamieRamsey_

In other news, some Liverpool fans are desperate for the Reds to sign one exciting attacker this summer. Find out who it is here.

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to a claim from Slavia Prague’s Alexander Bah that Gers fans stormed Ibrox after Thursday’s Europa League clash.

The 55-time Scottish champions were knocked out of the competition after losing 2-0 to Slavia at home and 3-1 across the two legs. However, the game was marred by a number of unsavoury incidents. Kemar Roofe committed a terrible challenge on Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar, while Ondrej Kudela allegedly racially abused Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.

The fall-out has continued since the final whistle, and now Danish defender Bah has had his say on the events. He has claimed Rangers fans stormed the stadium in the aftermath of the game (Bold.dk) – but it appears that may not be the case. Journalist Graeme Hanna shared a picture from the outside of Ibrox after the game, and there was not a person in sight.

He shared the photo on Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their anger.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the claim from Bah

“No one there as everyone is in the stadium, clearly”

Credit: @scaricus

“Connor Goldson is spot on, nothing will change while clubs and fellow players are lying to cover up what has actually happened. And this nonsense about it having been a dirty game, totally unbelievable!!”

Credit: @JBallany

“Slavia digging that hole deeper and deeper. Fans inside Ibrox…”

Credit: @55titles2021

“He’s a blatant lier and knows it… Been told by the club to say this”

Credit: @mightyger55

“Absolutely vile it’s been lie after lie after lie”

Credit: @conaghan_kathie

“We all know it’s a total lie. They are trying everything to deflect away the attention from what their player did. Seems to be used quite a lot in Scotland at the moment by certain people.”

Credit: @S_The_Invisible

In other news, Alan Hutton believes this Rangers ace may leave Ibrox this summer.