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Celtic winger Jota will miss the League Cup final against Hibernian later this month through injury, Sky Sports’ Alison Conroy reports.

The Lowdown: Permanent deal on the cards

The 22-year-old has proven to be an excellent addition under Ange Postecoglou, becoming a regular in Celtic’s front three.

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Jota has been involved in 14 goals in his 18 appearances for the club, with the manager wanting to exercise their option-to-buy clause for the winger before the end of the season.

It would cost Celtic £6.5m to secure Jota’s services on a permanent basis, but he’ll miss his first final as a Hoops player through injury.

The Latest: Hampden Park absence

Jota suffered a hamstring issue against Hearts earlier this month, which is expected to keep him out for ‘a few weeks’.

Conroy reported Postecoglou’s pre-Real Betis press conference on Twitter on Wednesday, with the manager confirming Jota won’t be available against Hibs.

The Verdict: Hammer blow

Jota has proven to be a big player for Celtic with his reliable and consistent production in the final third, racking up eight goals and six assists so far this season.

You always want your best players ready to go for big games, so his absence will be a blow for Postecoglou, who may have to rely on youngsters Mikey Johnston and Liel Abada to fill in for the time being.

Described as ‘brilliant’ by Frank McAvennie, Jota may well return to the side before the winter break, but if he doesn’t, the next time fans see him, he could be a Celtic player on a permanent basis.

In other news: Celtic closing in on possible loan-to-buy move for ‘tireless worker’; Ange isn’t hanging around. 

A worrying update has emerged for Newcastle ahead of the upcoming January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has claimed that there are talks of Premier League teams being ready to refuse offers from the Magpies for their players in the January transfer window.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

“There’s a lot of talk going around with the Premier League board that they’re not going to entertain anything from Newcastle this January because they’re so against the Saudi takeover.

“We’ll have to wait and see on that. Let’s wait and see if that actually happens.”

Worry

This claim from Bridge will surely leave Newcastle fans worried about what it is to come in the next few months.

It is an early indication that they are going to face a significant pushback from fellow top-flight teams because of their takeover and that could cause tension between fanbases and clubs, which may impact transfer negotiations and potentially also the atmospheres at matches.

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Supporters may also be worried by this as it could mean the Magpies have to go out into the foreign market to pick up players instead. Consequently, they’d have to acquire players without Premier League experience and know-how, which is important as they attempt to stave off relegation back down to the Championship.

As Bridge says, though, it remains to be seen whether or not the clubs will stick to their plans when push comes to shove. In reality, will they reject big-money offers from Newcastle for a player they don’t want to keep if there are no other, similar, bids on the table? In a time when the pandemic is hitting clubs financially, it could be difficult for teams to turn down the big money that PIF has brought to the northeast.

With the January window roughly six weeks away, it could now be an anxious wait for Newcastle fans to find out whether or not the other 19 teams are willing to stick by their guns.

Until the situation is resolved, supporters can be excused for being concerned about what is to come as this claim could see them miss out on talented players For example, Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek is an example of someone who has been linked with a switch to St. James’ Park.

AND in other news, “My future…”: NUFC transfer target makes big statement that’ll leave fans gutted…

The West Indies captain wants West Indies’ tour of Australia to be the new beginning the region desperately needs after another round of strikes and disputes

Peter English13-Nov-2009Chris Gayle wants West Indies’ tour of Australia to be the new beginning the region desperately needs after another round of strikes and disputes. While Gayle was a key figure in the four-month boycott as the side’s captain, he is now charged with leading the reunification process that starts with the three-Test series of Australia.It won’t be easy as the old players mix with the new but one benefit of their marathon trip from the Caribbean to Brisbane, extended by half a day due to a delay in London, was that the 15-man squad has had plenty of bonding time. Before they departed the players spoke about leaving the distractions at home. While they were in the air Viv Richards was saying Gayle would have to change his attitude to show he wanted to be in charge.Gayle is one of the most targeted men in the game, mostly for his love of lucrative one-day leagues over Test cricket. Now he is hoping to focus on peace and unity. “That’s life,” he said of Richards’ comments. “I am trying to move on, it doesn’t make sense to fight with each other. That’s not the real cause to be here [in Australia].”While Gayle is so laidback – even when severely jet-lagged – that he makes hippies seem stressed, he could snap if the criticism continues from the big names back home. “Our main focus is to represent West Indies well,” he said after the side finally arrived in Brisbane on Friday afternoon. “The negativity, I won’t take it on too much unless something might trigger out a line, and then I’ll have to take it on, but that’s the situation. If that situation occurs we’ll deal with it at that point in time.”Since Gayle’s last Test in England in May, West Indies have lost at home to Bangladesh while the main players were on strike over the pay and contractual disputes. He arrived in England a couple of days before the opening match, preferring to boost his bank balance with more games in the IPL, and was soon back-tracking after saying he wouldn’t be so sad if Test cricket died.When asked on Friday what the series in the Caribbean last year – which Australia won 2-0 – meant, Gayle said he couldn’t remember much about it. The critics would say it showed his lack of interest in the game’s traditional format but he did miss two games of that campaign with a groin injury and his head has been in the clouds for most of the week.He does regret the damage caused by the strike that fractured an already split cricket region. “That’s the last thing we wanted to do, bring the game into disrepute,” he said. “Having said all that, it’s after. This is a new beginning and hopefully things can be better from here on in.”As captain Gayle is now working with David Williams, the coach, and Joel Garner, the manager, in moulding the group into a unified unit. However, he knows they are starting from behind following the Bangladesh defeat and their early exit at the Champions Trophy.”It set us back, to be honest,” Gayle said. “But at the same time we have to move forward, trying to forget about what happened in the past. We’re back to square one, it’s a rebuilding process right now. Even though we’re rebuilding we have a good chance of winning.”West Indies squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor, Gavin Tonge

Steven Gerrard only left Rangers for Aston Villa less than a month ago but has already been nominated for the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award for November.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media – although some weren’t overly enthused to hear of it.

The 41-year-old began his tenure in charge at Villa Park with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion and made it back-to-back victories with a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.

Those six points helped Villa move clear of flirting with the bottom three, although Gerrard has since suffered his first defeat at the Midlands club, losing 2-1 against champions Manchester City on Wednesday night.

The defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side was on the first day of December, so Gerrard had a 100% record in November. He has been shortlisted for the award alongside Guardiola and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, with the winner to be announced on December 10.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news regarding Gerrard on their official Twitter channel on Friday. Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with many fearing “bad luck” in regards to a possible manager of the month jinx – as has afflicted previous winners of the prize – should Gerrard win the November award.

“Oh god.”

Credit: @LukeKing_

“Uh oh”

Credit: @JustTheVilla

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooo He doesn’t deserve it in all honesty. Don’t jinx him and us please”

Credit: @TipsCurtis

“Bad luck incoming”

Credit: @JackUTFV

“DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE”

Credit: @VillaBot1874

“don’t jinx him”

Credit: @avfc_kel

In other news: ‘Do it’ – Many Villa fans react as ‘brilliant’ transfer news emerges

Having joined Celtic in what was a £4.5m deal back in the summer of 2020, the general opinion at Parkhead was that the Bhoys had signed their number one goalkeeper for, at the very least, the length of the 27-year-old’s four-year contract.

Indeed, upon Vasilis Barkas’ arrival in Glasgow, The Athletic’s Celtic correspondent, Kieran Devlin, wrote an article suggesting that the Greece international was the solution to Celtic’s goalkeeping crisis, with the journalist dubbing the shot-stopper “calm, commanding, tall – a complete keeper.”

Devlin was not the only person who appeared convinced of the £20k-per-week man’s ability, with Antonis Oikonomidis stating that Barkas’ best traits are “his flexibility and his calmness.”

The Greek journalist continued: “He’s quick to save with his hands, and knows how to save with his feet, how to catch crosses and corners, how to command his defence. He’s strong, he’s tall [6ft5], he’s a good all-round keeper – a complete keeper.

“But his calmness is his best quality, how stressful the occasion doesn’t matter and he is always very calm. He knows how to handle pressure. He never looks worried even in big games.”

However, after making just 23 appearances in all competitions for Celtic to date, only one of which has come under the management of Ange Postecoglou this season, recent reports have suggested that the Hoops are ready to cut their losses on the shot-stopper, with a January departure looking increasingly likely for the 27-year-old.

It is not difficult to see why Postecoglou is looking to move the £2.52m-rated ‘keeper on, as, over his 15 appearances that came in the Scottish Premiership last season, Barkas made just one save and conceded 0.7 goals on average per fixture – with these returns seeing him earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of just 6.79, ranking him as the club’s joint ninth-worst performer in the league.

And, with summer signing Joe Hart now being Celtic’s undisputed number one, the club’s nightmare regarding Barkas’ signing has only been highlighted further, with it appearing incredibly unlikely that the Hoops will recoup their £4.5m outlay, or even his current Transfermarkt value, upon his potential sale this winter.

However, when taking into account the player who Tam McManus dubbed as “horrendous” has also cost Celtic around £1.4m in wages since his arrival at the club – bringing the total amount of money spent on the shot-stopper to a whopping £5.9m – it would very much appear a good idea to get the 27-year-old’s wages off of the club’s books in January, even if it means giving him away for peanuts.

In other news: Celtic handed major boost ahead of Bayer Leverkusen clash, Postecoglou will be buzzing

Bangladesh play their 21st Test match tomorrow when taking on Australia at the second new Test venue in the world within a week, at Cairns in northern Queensland

Lynn McConnell12-Jul-2009Bangladesh play their 21st Test match tomorrow when taking on Australia at the second new Test venue in the world within a week, at Cairns in northern Queensland.Their inclusion among the Test-playing nations has long been a point of controversy, especially among teams who had to do much more than Bangladesh did to even be considered for admission to the exclusive Test club. That controversy is warranted given the abysmal time the Bangladeshis have had in their matches.Even if they did achieve their first victory before completing their 44th Test match, to leave New Zealand as the team that waited longest for a win, it is hard to escape the fact that Bangladesh’s entry into the game’s top level has been the least successful of all nations.For all that New Zealand struggled over 26 years and 45 matches to secure a victory, the point is that they managed nothing like the records that Bangladesh have already secured. It is interesting to note that while New Zealand may have waited longest, in their first 20 Tests, they had only Pakistan ahead of them in the fewest losses suffered. Pakistan lost four of their first 20 games, New Zealand six, and Pakistan at least had the advantage of players involved with India before partition occurred.The teams who suffered the most losses in their first 20 Tests, after Bangladesh’s 19, were South Africa and the West Indies who each lost 12 matches. Bangladesh, for all their losses, have been given far greater support in their quest for matches than any other nation and they took the briefest time to record their first 20 Tests. New Zealand and India had their programme of matches interrupted by World War Two.It is an interesting reflection of the earlier administration of cricket under the Imperial Cricket Conference, that while the West Indies, New Zealand and India were admitted to the Test-playing fold within four years of one another, 1928-32, none of the three met each other until 1948 when the West Indies toured India. India had been due to tour New Zealand in the mid-1930s but famine in India caused the cancellation of plans. New Zealand didn’t play the West Indies until 1952, and India until 1955.New Zealand relied heavily on England’s support, much like South Africa had earlier in her Test history, as they each played 17 of their first 20 Tests against England. By comparison, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh enjoyed matches against a much wider spread of nations, although the more traditional larger nations were reluctant to play the new countries often. And Bangladesh has yet to meet England.Bangladesh have also been guilty of a high turnover of players in their brief time at Test level. They have used 31 players within two years and 252 days since their first Test, compared to 27 Pakistan used in the five years it took them to play 20 Tests.Playing record of all countries in their first 20 Tests, time span taken to play them and players used in that time (captains used in brackets):

team            W    L    D   span              time       players------------------------------------------------------------------Australia       9    7    4   1876/77-1884/85    8y   2d    40 (5)England         7    9    4   1876/77-1884/85    8y   2d    50 (6)South Africa    5   12    3   1888/89-1909/10   20y 299d    68 (9)West Indies     4   12    4   1928-1939         11y   4d    48 (6)New Zealand     -    6   14   1929/30-1949      19y 218d    50 (3)India           -   11    9   1932-1948/49      16y 228d    52 (4)Pakistan        5    4   11   1952/53-1957/58    5y 118d    27 (1)Sri Lanka       2   11    7   1981/82-1985/86    4y  29d    36 (3)Zimbabwe        1   10    9   1992/93-1996/97    4y   8d    33 (3)Bangladesh      -   19    1   2000/01-2003       2y 252d    31 (3)

Bangladesh have had a fair deal early on in their home and away balance of matches, which is marked contrast to some other countries.Breakdown of home and away matches in first 20 Tests:

home   away---------------------------Australia        15      5   (all 20 Tests were against England)England           5     15   (all 20 Tests were against Australia)South Africa     17      3   (first 16 Tests were at home)West Indies       8     12New Zealand      10     10   (all 10 away Tests were in England)India             8     12Pakistan          9     11   (first 9 Tests were away from home)Sri Lanka        10     10Zimbabwe         10     10Bangladesh        9     11

Bangladesh’s problems are evidenced in the number of innings defeats they have suffered in their first 20 Tests – 14 with the next highest being eight by the West Indies. Had not rain, against Zimbabwe, and Sri Lankan charity when playing a weakened XI which didn’t enforce the follow-on as it might have, the number for Bangladesh could have been 16. On the four other occasions they have survived they have set measly targets of 63, 100, 11 and 111.They are well practised at batting first, it has happened that way in 15 of their 20 Tests.Innings defeats in first 20 Tests:

Bangladesh       14West Indies       8Sri Lanka         5India             4South Africa      4New Zealand       3Australia         2Pakistan          2Zimbabwe          2England           0

Not surprisingly, teams have found it difficult to secure innings victories in their first 20 matches, and the list below is interesting given the shape of cricket nowadays. Bangladesh’s average losing margin of innings defeats is an innings and 135 runs, and last weekend’s innings and 132 run loss to Australia was only the eighth worst in their history. They have suffered two of the nine heaviest defeats in Test history.They have never had a first innings lead, their closest opportunity was in their inaugural Test when they scored 400 while India recovered from 236-6 to end up with 429. Their average first innings deficit is 273 runs with their own average first innings score being 177. Their worst first innings deficit is 465 runs, when they scored 90 against Sri Lanka who declared on 555-5 at Colombo in 2001.Bangladesh have three of the four occasions in which a team has conceded a first innings lead on the first day of a Test. Only four of Bangladesh’s matches have reached the fifth day. Seven finished inside four, and nine were inside three days.Innings victories achieved in their first 20 Tests:

England           2Pakistan          2South Africa      1West Indies       1Zimbabwe          1

Last weekend’s loss was their 14th in a row, a world record which is five more than the run Zimbabwe are on at the moment. The previous worst had been the eight suffered by England in 1920-21 and 1921 and South Africa between 1888-89 and 1898-99.The loss was also Bangladesh’s 11th successive loss away from home, which surpassed the 10 suffered by the West Indies from 1997-98 until 1999-00. The record belongs to India who went from 1959 until 1967-68 while losing 17 Tests. Zimbabwe are not out of the woods as they have suffered seven away losses in a row. India also have the record for most consecutive Tests away from home without a win. It stands at 43.Bangladesh have also lost seven successive Tests at home, one short of the record held by South Africa from their inaugural Test in 1888-89 through until 1898-99. South Africa also hold the record for mosts Tests at home without a victory on 24. Bangladesh have nine losses in total at home.Another record heading Bangladesh’s way if they cannot win in Cairns is that of most series losses in a row. That is held by New Zealand who lost 10 between 1950-51 and 1958-59. They are both on 10 at the moment, and one-off Tests are included in this statistic, with Bangladesh having played one of these and New Zealand none during that period.Tests taken for first victory:

Tests    first victory achieved (margin)---------------------------------------------------------------------------Australia         1     v England at Melbourne, 1876/77 (45 runs)England           2     v Australia at Melbourne, 1876/77 (4 wickets)South Africa     12     v England at Johannesburg, 1905/06 (1 wicket)West Indies       6     v England at Georgetown, 1929/30 (289 runs)New Zealand      45     v West Indies at Auckland, 1955/56 (190 runs)India            25     v England at Chennai, 1951/52 (innings and 8 runs)Pakistan          2     v India at Lucknow, 1952/53 (innings and 43 runs)Sri Lanka        14     v India at Colombo (PSS), 1985 (149 runs)Zimbabwe         11     v Pakistan at Harare, 1994/95 (innings and 64 runs)

Bangladesh, in 40 Test innings, have only reached 400 once, in their first Test. They have only passed 300 two other times. Their average run rate in Tests is 2.77 while opponents are scoring at 3.66.Frequency of Bangladesh batting totals in completed innings:

total   times-------------400+        1350-399     -300-349     2250-299     5200-249     5150-199    11100-149    110- 99     4

Their average team total is 181.Bangladesh avoided being dismissed in 50 overs or less by 7 balls in the second innings at Darwin, but have still been dismissed in under 50 overs 13 times in 40 Test innings. Their average completed innings length is 65 overs.They have been all out in 39 of the 40 Test innings – in the 40th they were 125 for 3 in their second innings against Zimbabwe at Dhaka in 2001-02, still 199 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat before it rained for two full days to wash out the match.Frequency of Bangladesh batting time in completed innings:

overs   times-------------140+        1120-139     2100-119     280- 99     560- 79     840- 59    160- 39     5

Of the 29 fifties and three centuries scored by Bangladesh since their inaugural Test, Habibul Bashar has accounted for 12 fifties and one of the centuries (next best is Al Sahariar and Javed Omar with four fifties each) Habibul has the highest Test average for Bangladesh with 33.10 – the next best is Javed’s 23.88 – only seven players average above 20 in Bangladesh’s history.Habibul has scored 1291 runs – that’s almost double the next best contributor for Bangladesh (89%, to be precise, more than Al Sahariar with 683).Bangladesh’s batting conversion rate is easily the worst of all countries, with their batsmen reaching three figures less than 10% of the time after making it to 50 (3 of 32 times), less than half as good as the next worst team, Zimbabwe.Conversion rate of 50s to 100s by all countries:

team            50+   100s    rate----------------------------------Australia      1986    614   30.9%Pakistan        824    251   30.5%West Indies    1238    368   29.7%Sri Lanka       362    105   29.0%England        2300    651   28.3%India          1067    301   28.2%South Africa    782    191   24.4%New Zealand     756    173   22.9%Zimbabwe        179     37   20.7%Bangladesh       32      3    9.4%

When it comes to bowling, Bangladesh have only managed to dismiss their opponents seven times in 25 Test innings and the cheapest of these was 296 by the West Indies at Chittagong earlier this year. Of the remaining 18 innings, 14 were declarations and the other 4 were teams reaching the winning target.The average runs per wicket for Bangladesh is 18.3 while the average against is 58.2. Their average wickets taken per innings is 6.6. The most wickets they have taken in a match is 13 (against the West Indies at Chittagong). They have taken as few as two, three and four wickets in three of their matches.Frequency of wickets taken per innings by Bangladesh:

wkts    times-------------10          79           58           -7           26           15           24           13           22           41           10           -

Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker is Manjural Islam, with 25 wickets at an average of 56.24 in 15 Tests. Bangladesh’s bowlers have managed just three five-wicket bags (interestingly, all are 6-fors) – one each for Manjural, Mohammad Rafique and Naimur Rahman.Khaled Mahmud now holds the world record (at least until he takes more wickets) of the worst bowling average in Test history, having taken one wicket at a cost of 331 (with a strike rate of 570 balls). He passed West Indian leg-spinner Rawl Lewis’ effort of one wicket at 318. Alok Kapali has three wickets at a cost of 165.33 apiece also, while former one-day international captain Aminul Islam has one at a cost of 149. Part-time spinner Habibul has yet to take a Test wicket but has already conceded 195 runs (economy rate 5.00). The best bowling average of anyone to have taken even as few as one wicket is Rafique’s 9 wickets at 31.33 apiece.Bangladesh’s Test record to date:Bangladesh 400 & 91 lost to India 429 & 64/1 by 9 wickets at Dhaka, Nov 2000
Bangladesh 257 & 168 lost to Zimbabwe 457 by an innings & 32 runs at Bulawayo, Apr 2001
Bangladesh 254 & 266 lost to Zimbabwe 421/9d & 100/2 by 8 wickets at Harare, Apr 2001
Bangladesh 134 & 148 lost to Pakistan 546/3d by an innings and 264 runs at Multan, Aug-Sep 2001
Bangladesh 90 & 328 lost to Sri Lanka 555/5d by an innings and 137 runs at Colombo (SSC), Sep 2001
Bangladesh 107 & 125/3 drew with Zimbabwe 431 at Dhaka, Nov 2001
Zimbabwe 542/7d & 11/2 beat Bangladesh 251 & 301 by 8 wickets at Chittagong, Nov 2001
New Zealand 365/9d beat Bangladesh 205 & 108 by an innings and 52 runs at Hamilton, Dec 2001
Bangladesh 132 & 135 lost to New Zealand 341/6d by an innings and 74 runs at Wellington, Dec 2001
Bangladesh 160 & 152 lost to Pakistan 490/9d by an innings and 178 runs at Dhaka, Jan 2002
Bangladesh 148 & 148 lost to Pakistan 465/9d by an innings and 169 runs at Chittagong, Jan 2002
Bangladesh 161 & 184 lost to Sri Lanka 541/9d by an innings and 196 runs at Colombo (PSS), Jul 2002
Sri Lanka 373 & 263/2d beat Bangladesh 164 & 184 by 288 runs at Colombo (SSC), Aug 2002
South Africa 529/4d beat Bangladesh 170 & 252 by an innings and 107 runs at East London, Oct 2002
Bangladesh 215 & 107 lost to South Africa 482/5d by an innings and 160 runs at Potchefstroom, Oct 2002
Bangladesh 139 & 87 lost to West Indies 536 by an innings and 310 runs at Dhaka, Dec 2002
Bangladesh 194 & 212 lost to West Indies 296 & 111/3 by 7 wickets at Chittagong, Dec 2002
Bangladesh 173 & 237 lost to South Africa 470/2d by an innings and 60 runs at Chittagong, Apr 2003
South Africa 330 beat Bangladesh 102 & 210 by an innings and 18 runs at Dhaka, May 2003
Bangladesh 97 & 178 lost to Australia 407/7d by an innings and 132 runs at Darwin, Jul 2003

P   W   L  D-----------------------------------v Australia            1   -   1  -v India                1   -   1  -v New Zealand          2   -   2  -v Pakistan             3   -   3  -v South Africa         4   -   4  -v Sri Lanka            3   -   3  -v West Indies          2   -   2  -v Zimbabwe             4   -   3  1

The 31 players used by Bangladesh in their 20 Tests so far:Akram Khan, Alamgir Kabir, Alok Kapali, Al Sahariar, Aminul Islam, Anwar Hossain, Ehsanul Haque, Enamul Haque, Fahim Muntasir, Habibul Bashar, Hannan Sarkar, Hasibul Hossain, Javed Omar, Khaled Mahmud, Khaled Mashud, Manjural Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mehrab Hossain, Mohammad Ashraful, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad Salim, Mohammad Sharif, Mushfiqur Rahman, Naimur Rahman, Rafiqul Islam, Ranjan Das, Sanwar Hossain, Shahriar Hossain, Talha Jubair, Tapash Baisya, Tushar Imran.Bangladesh have one other record of their own – they are the first side in Test cricket to have a batsman wilfully retire out – in fact twice in the same game, the 1561st in history – Marvan Atapattu 201 and Mahela Jayawardene 150 as Sri Lanka racked up 555-5 declared in the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.

Journalist Craig Hope has dropped a fresh Newcastle managerial update regarding Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail reporter, the Magpies are looking at the Spaniard as a potential option, with talks set to take place with candidates throughout the coming week.

On Martinez, Hope tweeted: “Understand Belgium boss is on shortlist & would cost less than £2m in compo.”

Frustration for Newcastle fans

Newcastle fans may well be left frustrated by this latest update from Hope as Martinez would be an uninspiring appointment when considering some of the other names linked with the vacancy. The likes of Erik ten Hag and Antonio Conte have been touted with the role and supporters could be gutted if it ends up being the Belgium head coach instead.

In nearly 15 years as a manager, his FA Cup success with Wigan remains the only trophy he has won in his coaching career. He has had 66 games in charge of Belgium and is yet to win an international tournament, whilst he was also unable to lift silverware in a three-year spell with Everton.

Martinez led to the Toffees to two bottom-half finishes in the Premier League in his three seasons, having finished between 15th and 18th in all four of his campaigns in charge of Wigan, leading them to relegation and an FA Cup victory in his final year at the club. This suggests that he does not have the talent required to lead the Magpies into the top half of the table.

Ten Hag, on the other hand, has won five trophies in nine years as a manager at senior level. He has earned 2.34 points per game in 181 matches in charge of Ajax, winning two league titles along the way. Conte has also enjoyed success throughout his career, winning nine trophies in 15 years as a manager, including a Premier League title with Chelsea and four Serie A crowns.

This suggests that they would both be better appointments for Newcastle than Martinez if PIF want a head coach who can lead them to glory in the coming years. Supporters would surely love to see the club win a trophy after many barren decades and that is why they could be frustrated to hear that the former Everton boss is on the shortlist to replace Steve Bruce.

AND in other news, Jones must unleash £15.75m-rated Newcastle beast against Chelsea, he’s a “manager’s dream”…

Liverpool fans are far from happy with the news that Adrian is set to start for the Reds against Preston in the League Cup on Wednesday.

The Reds are facing the Championship outfit in the round of 16. As he has done in the past, Jurgen Klopp is likely to play a second-string side as he looks to keep his star performers fresh when the Premier League returns this weekend.

That will also give him a decision to make in goal. Alisson is the number one goalkeeper at Anfield, with Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher the other options. In the League Cup, the former is likely to start (via Liverpool’s official site) with the latter suffering a small injury setback – something which has not gone down too well given his previous errors.

The news was shared on Twitter by @AnfieldEdition, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Adrian news below

“Looks like we’re out”

Credit: @DHWalcott

“Not again please”

Credit: @AdamMahendraLFC

“This is beyond self sabotage”

Credit: @Aditya_Pras

“And bye League Cup. What happpened with Kelleher?”

Credit: @FelipeCardoso99

“Oh well. Apparently we don’t need Carabao Cup distractions after all.”

Credit: @RockStorePhotos

“Well, we’re out in the early rounds again.”

Credit: @HypeTrainSam

In other news, Liverpool fans were unhappy with this James Pearce tweet.

ScorecardEd Joyce posted his first hundred for Sussex and the highest score of the Pro Arch Trophy tournament todate as Sussex thrashed Fly Emirates by 171 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium.Throughout his 119-ball 128, Joyce remained cool and calm despite temperatures approaching 90 degrees in the middle – that is, until his first rash shot saw him stumped by a couple of yards when aiming for a fourth six. He was third out with 247 on the board. Joyce featured in stands worth 104 in 16 overs with Rory Hamilton-Brown (47) and then a remarkable third-wicket partnership with Chris Nash of 128 in 19 overs against a relatively toothless Emirates attack. All three Sussex batsmen showed excellent stamina and judgement when running between the wickets.”Coming into this tour I was just looking to establish myself with my new team-mates,” said Joyce, who joined Sussex from Middlesex in the off-season. “I’ve never changed clubs before, so it’s all a fresh experience for me, it’s a new bunch of guys who I didn’t know that well, so it’s been good to introduce myself to them and great to get the monkey off my back by getting a big score under my belt.”I’m glad I did that today and if I play in our next couple of games I’d hope to back up this hundred and give myself a bit of a boost going into the season and maybe earn the respect of my new team-mates.”I was pleased with the patience element to this innings today. It’s tempting, particularly when you open the batting, to tryand dictate and dominate, but Rory (Hamilton-Brown) helped me out with that because he played really positively and that took the pressure off me. I just played my own game.”After Joyce’s demise, Nash took up the attacking mantle to clatter 120 from just 84 balls including seven fours and five sixes, one of which sailed over the Western Union Stand and out onto Airport Road that skirts this stadium of faded grandeur. Nash’s second 50 came from only 25 balls and though he perished soon afterwards, Sussex were already well on their way to an impressive 50-over total of 361 for 6 – a record for this event which is celebrating its third year.Fly Emirates, a team of amateur cricketers who all work for the airline of the same name, went gung ho in pursuit of the 7.2 an overasking rate but lost wickets at regular intervals as a result of their laissez-faire. Acting captain James Kirtley snuck through with two early wickets and then introduced spin at both ends to tease out the rest. Chris Beer, the young legspinner, took 2 for 34 whileNash completed a fine day by taking 2 for 11.

The ICC board has endorsed a recommendation by its Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) to hold this year’s Champions Trophy in South Africa. The ICC said that the event, which runs from September 24-October 5, would be held in Johannesburg and Centurion.However, the ICC admitted that Cricket South Africa (CSA) has been sought as the alternative host, with the Wanderers and SuperSport Park as the venues, provided an agreement on the financial arrangements can be reached. CSA will now have to confirm whether it accepts the event’s revenue model.The ICC president David Morgan described the move as a “sensible decision” and thanked the boards of Sri Lanka and South Africa for their commitment. “I think the board has made a sensible decision that will give the event every chance of success,” he said. “We now have clarity on the subject and we can make firm plans for what is going to be a great spectacle of ODI cricket.”I would like to thank Sri Lanka Cricket for its commitment to offer an alternative to Pakistan. And also, I want to acknowledge its willingness to step aside in this matter. I’d also like to thank CSA for putting its hand up and offering to host this event.”With Wanderers and Centurion, CSA can provide two world-class venues in what is effectively one location and as we know from the ICC World Twenty20 2007, weather conditions in the area around Johannesburg in September and October are stable and ideal for cricket,” said Morgan.The hosting rights will remain with Pakistan, ensuring a significant windfall for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “The decision of giving the Champions Trophy to South Africa hasn’t changed the picture,” the PCB’s chief operating officer Salim Altaf told reporters in Lahore. “If the ICC gives South Africa financial assistance, it would still have no impact on the PCB’s share, which is $2.75 million.”The CEC had expressed concern over the tournament being held in Sri Lanka and strongly suggested it be held in South Africa following concerns over weather conditions in the island nation during that period.The teleconference also unanimously agreed that the dates for next year’s ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies would be between April 30-May 16.