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With 2021 almost over, let’s take a look back over what has been a mixed year for West Brom and their fans.Having ended their 2020/21 Premier League campaign in 19th place with 26 points from five wins, 11 draws and 22 defeats, the Baggies not only began another season in the Championship but they also hired a new manager with Valerien Ismael replacing Sam Allardyce over the summer.

As well as a new manager at the helm, West Brom also brought in a number of new players in the summer transfer window to help them secure promotion back to the Premier League such as Alex Mowatt, Adam Reach and Jordan Hugill among others.

With 11 wins, eight draws and four defeats under their belt prior to their away clash against Derby County, everyone at West Brom will be hoping that they can on a high note and eventually gain promotion back to the top flight in 2022.

How well do you remember West Brom’s 2021? Test your knowledge with our Big Fat West Brom quiz of the year to find out!

A journalist has revealed that there is now interest from Newcastle United in signing Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: Too leaky

The St James’ Park outfit have conceded no fewer than 42 goals in the Premier League so far this season, the joint-most along with bottom-placed Norwich City.

A change in goalkeeper could help, as Martin Dubravka has been disappointed with some of his performances when he has had to come in for the Slovakia international.

Nonetheless, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have the money to go out and buy a new established number one for Eddie Howe, should he wish.

The Latest: Johnstone interest

Speaking on talkSPORT, journalist Alex Crook has revealed that Newcastle are now in a race with a number of other top-flight clubs to sign Johnstone, who is out of contract at West Brom in the summer.

He revealed: “I’m hearing Tottenham are joining the likes of Newcastle, Southampton and West Ham in showing a definite interest in Sam Johnstone.”

The Verdict: Get it done

If the Tyneside outfit can snap up Johnstone on a free, it would be a real bargain. He is currently rated at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, and being an England international, he could easily demand a bigger transfer fee, so getting him for nothing would represent very good business.

Even if he does not join until the summer, at the very worst the Magpies will be in the Championship. Therefore, if the Baggies do not go up, it should be a move that Johnstone would be fine in making.

He is ‘world class’ on his day, as Wolves legend Steve Bull says, and he could be a mainstay in the Newcastle side for years to come if he swaps the Midlands for the Magpies.

In other news, NUFC have now made a proposal for this Serie A beast

The captain Alex Blackwell posted a career-best 61 as she pushed Australia into the final of the Women’s World Twenty20

The Bulletin by Peter English13-May-2010Australia 123 for 3 (Blackwell 61) beat India 119 for 5 (Raut 44) by 7 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Alex Blackwell’s powerful 61 took Australia past India in the semi-final•Getty ImagesThe captain Alex Blackwell posted a career-best 61 as she pushed Australia into the final of the Women’s World Twenty20 with a seven-wicket win over India. Chasing India’s below-par 119 for 5, Australia surged early through Blackwell and Shelley Nitschke and cruised to victory with seven balls to spare.Australia were knocked out by England in the semi-finals in last year’s tournament and are desperate to add this trophy to their five 50-over World Cups. They face the winner of New Zealand and West Indies, who play in St Lucia on Friday, in Sunday’s final in Barbados and will hope the men’s side will also be there.India thought they had a chance when Elyse Villani was bowled fourth ball by Jhulan Goswami, but Nitschke struck a couple of fours in the second over and Blackwell punished the legspinner Priyanka Roy to grab control. Blackwell powered three boundaries in a row from Roy’s opening offerings, which were all full tosses, and the over eventually cost 15.After 24 deliveries Australia were 35 and they continued to steam ahead through Blackwell and Nitschke, who put on an impressive 74 for the second wicket at more than seven an over. Nitschke fell on 22 trying to hit over mid-off but Blackwell made sure there were no major hiccups.She collected eight boundaries – a cut off Goswami at the start was so crisp – and was classy throughout her 49-ball stay, which ended when she charged at Roy (2 for 27) and was stumped. Blackwell had already added some more pain to India when she hit the ball hard into the knee of Rumeli Dhar, who was fielding at silly point. Leah Poulton made sure of the result with 30 off 26 while Jess Cameron was unbeaten on 6.Wanting a total of at least 130, India found it difficult to increase the pace following their early setbacks and managed only eight fours and a six. The opener Poonam Raut was the anchor with 44 off 51, including three of the boundaries, before becoming one of three wickets in the 17th over.Raut added an important 57 with Harmanpreet Kaur to give the side a decent base but they needed more. Kaur, who collected 24 off 27, was run-out by a clever flick from the bowler Ellyse Perry (1 for 19) after backing up too far.Goswami was also caught short in the same over by Blackwell’s direct hit and next ball Raut found Cameron running in from long-on. Amita Sharma, who hit a six in the final over, collected 17 off 11 and Dhar chipped in with 12 from nine to provide a late boost.The key breakthrough came when the offspinner Lisa Sthalekar was called in the eighth over and had the brilliant Mithali Raj (16) stumped, dropping India to 31 for 2. Rene Farrell (1 for 22) also struck a crucial blow with the third ball of the game when Sulakshana Naik cut to Cameron at backward point. Australia’s three fast bowlers kept things tight and then the spinners Sthalekar and Nitschke built the pressure to set up the success.

Sri Lanka’s hero of the day, Lasith Malinga, said team batting under natural light had a definite advantage

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla16-Jun-2010The Asia Cup got off to just the sort of cracking start the organisers would have wanted – a tight, topsy-turvy match littered with classy batting and bowling efforts, and ending with victory for the home side. One cause for concern, though, is the quality of the floodlights at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium, which held its first day-night match in nearly three years.Eight floodlight towers were installed in 2003, but Sri Lanka’s hero of the day, Lasith Malinga, said team batting under natural light had a definite advantage. “The lights are not good enough by international standards, it is a handicap for the side batting second,” he said after the match. “However, Sri Lanka are used to it as we have played number of matches under this condition. We faced only problems when fielding, the fielders found it a little difficult to pick up the ball at times.”The lights would have only made it harder for the Pakistan batsmen to pick the distinctive low, round-arm action of Malinga, who collected his first ODI five-wicket haul. That included the final three scalps of a see-saw game, but he felt the deciding factor was Shahid Afridi.Afridi, already charged with the task of uniting a squad notorious for infighting, had hauled Pakistan from a hopeless 32 for 4 to a position of control with one of the finest innings of his career. He dismantled Muttiah Muralitharan and overcame severe cramps to make his first one-day century since 2005, leaving Pakistan only 47 to get off the final ten overs with Afridi and Abdul Razzaq still at the crease.”I didn’t feel much pressure because we always felt Afridi had to finish off the match for Pakistan and it was solely in his hands,” Malinga said. “It was a matter of trying to contain him and putting pressure on Afridi, we felt that if we got Afridi at any stage, we would win the match.” Afridi fell in the 41st over to a blinder from Kumar Sangakkara, much to the delight of the flag-waving Sri Lankan faithful who had turned up, and the Pakistan tail was clueless against Malinga.The defeat adds to the pressure on Pakistan ahead of their high-profile clash against India on Sunday, but coach Waqar Younis remained optimistic of reaching the finals. “We are still not out of the tournament, if we win against India we are back in business,” Waqar said. “After a long time, we will be playing against India, which is good to see.”As with the batting, Pakistan’s bowlers didn’t finish off the job after reaching a strong position. “I think the way we got them down to 160-odd for 7 and then let them off the hook to reach 242,” he said. “We should have done a lot better in the field, we gave away a few too many runs.”Pakistan’s cause was also not helped by their cumbersome start to the chase, with debutants Umar Amin and Shahzaib Hasan struggling against the Sri Lankan new-ball attack. Waqar, however, was confident they would fare better in the matches coming up. “We are in a re-building process, we brought three youngsters in on the tour, and we are looking to bring in some more for the next England tour,” he said. “We’ve got to give them a chance, it’s tough out there, but that’s how you play top cricket, it was their first game, few nerves around.”The Pakistan batting wears a new look because of the absence of middle-order stalwarts, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, and the decision to push regular opener Kamran Akmal down the order made the top-order lighter on experience.

Celtic could sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Hannes Wolf on loan, according to German outlet Kicker, relayed by reporter Sacha Pisani.

The Lowdown: Two midfielders signed

The Hoops have already added to their midfield ranks this year with the signings of Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi.

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The pair were announced on New Year’s Eve alongside forward Daizen Maeda, putting pen to paper on four-and-a-half-year deals at Parkhead.

Links to Wolf emerged at the beginning and end of December, with Bhoys Analytics recently stating that a move for the 22-year-old would ‘really separate’ Michael Nicholson from Peter Lawwell.

The Latest: Loan move possible

Pisani relayed the ‘latest’ reports from Kicker on Twitter on Monday afternoon, suggesting a loan deal is still in the works for Celtic.

“Latest report via Kicker says a loan deal is possible for Wolf as Celtic circle,” the journalist said.

Rapid Wien have also been credited with an interest in Wolf, who has made just two Bundesliga starts all season.

The Verdict: Interesting…

Wolf, valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, is primarily an attacking midfielder whereas Hatate and Ideguchi play in deeper central positions.

David Turnbull could miss two months of action with a hamstring injury, so bringing Wolf in on loan with a possible option to buy, as they have done with Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers, may well be a shrewd move for the second half of the season.

Wolf has struggled in Germany this season, however, he’s proven back in his native country with RB Salzburg that he has an eye for a goal and an assist, so a loan move could be one to keep a close eye on.

In other news: Celtic close to another ‘clinical’ signing after Kenny; Ange is a big fan. 

Everton officially sacked Rafa Benitez after just six months in charge at Goodison Park, and the race for finding the sixth manager in six years begins with many names already being thrown into contention, but one favourite for the job has reportedly already ruled himself out.

What’s the word?

Brighton and Hove Albion manager, Graham Potter, was named as one of the potential options on the shortlist for the Everton job yesterday, but Sky Sports have now reported that he “isn’t currently interested” in the job.

Reporting live last night, they revealed:

“Sky Sports News understands Graham Potter, one of the names being linked with the job, is very happy at Brighton and isn’t currently interested in talking to Everton about their managerial vacancy.”

The Toffees are on the hunt for the successor of Benitez, with many names including Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Roberto Martinez being reported by Sky yesterday, however, no official talks or offers have been made as of yet.

Everton sacked Benitez after his tenth defeat in charge of the side, in an embarrassing performance against relegation battling Norwich City, who took all three points from the Toffees with a 2-1 win at Carrow Road.

Fans surely gutted

After a nightmare season so far, Everton fans will be relieved that Benitez has been sacked, but will also be concerned about the manager that succeeds him as many big changes clearly need to be changed, and an instant impact is integral in saving the Toffees season.

Fans will surely be gutted that Potter has ruled himself out of the job, as he became a talking point on social media last night, with many fans making him their number one choice. One supporter tweeted:

“Was always a strange decision to hire Benitez in the first place, Everton seem to get it wrong time and time again. Next one has to stick. Graham Potter would be my choice in the summer. Big Dunc in until the end of the year.”

There was no doubt that Potter would be linked after making impressive strides at Brighton, with only  Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea losing fewer Premier League games than the south coast side, with the manager leading them to six wins, ten draws and only four losses.

His attacking and progressive philosophy, meanwhile, will have surely been of interest to Farhad Moshiri but he will already have to consider other targets. They must regret not targeting the former Ostersunds boss more seriously last summer.

Everton will now continue in their search and simply have to appoint somebody as soon as possible to guide the club out of their current demise, sitting 16th in the Premier League only six points off the relegation zone.

In other news: Moshiri must axe Michael Keane after Benitez sacking

An unbeaten 73 in his last County Championship game from allrounder Robin Martin-Jenkins put Sussex in a decent position halfway through their Division Two game with Gloucestershire at Arundel

08-Jul-2010
ScorecardAn unbeaten 73 in his last County Championship game from allrounder Robin Martin-Jenkins put Sussex in a decent position halfway through their Division Two game with Gloucestershire at Arundel. Martin-Jenkins, 34, who retires later this month, was the only Sussex batsman to go on after four of his top-five colleagues fell for between 37 and 49. The home side still closed on 314 for 6, a lead of seven.Gloucestershire stayed in contention thanks to some probing left-arm spin from Vikram Banerjee on a pitch offering increasing turn. Banerjee took four wickets while seamer Gemaal Hussain continued his excellent form with two more wickets to take him to 41 for the season.Hussain’s new-ball away swing accounted for opener Michael Thornely, who pushed to second slip, and Banerjee struck in only his second over when Chris Nash, one short of his half-century, was surprised by extra bounce and edged to slip. When Ed Joyce, who had looked assured in making 43, popped up a catch to short leg to give Banerjee his second wicket Gloucestershire had a measure of control, but the game swung back Sussex’s way either side of tea with three half-century stands.Murray Goodwin and Matt Prior put on 55 until Goodwin, on 44, was leg before to a full-length delivery from Hussain. Prior played well within himself for his 37 but had just started to accelerate when he mistimed a drive at Banerjee and gave an easy catch to cover.Sussex were still 105 behind at that stage but Martin-Jenkins came in to play with the freedom of someone under absolutely no pressure. He soon overtook his partner Joe Gatting with a succession of flowing front-foot strokes as 55 runs were added for the sixth wicket in 14 overs.Gatting has endured a wretched summer, with just 100 Championship runs in five games, but seemed to have found some form as he moved to a season’s best 25 before he was too late on a defensive push to become Banerjee’s second leg-before victim. Martin-Jenkins pressed on though and negotiated the second new ball in an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 57 with Yasir Arafat. He has struck 12 fours in 108 balls so far.Earlier, Gloucestershire’s last-wicket pair added a further 21 runs to their overnight 286 for 9 to secure a third batting bonus point before last man Steve Kirby feathered a catch off Arafat, who finished with a season’s best 3 for 55.

A hundred from captain Devon Smith led West Indies A to a crushing 166-run win against India A in the tri-series opener in Northampton

Cricinfo staff28-Jun-2010
ScorecardA hundred from captain Devon Smith, supported by a half-century from Andre Fletcher and followed by a clinical bowling performance, led West Indies A to a crushing 166-run win against India A in the tri-series opener in Northampton. West Indies A posted a daunting total of 329 for 6 and their bowlers backed that up by skittling India for 163 in the 34th over.Smith and his opening partner Fletcher shared a rousing partnership after India A chose to field, adding 193 in 30.2 overs before they were separated. Smith had made 104 off 98 balls when he was run out, while Fletcher contributed 88 off 93 deliveries. West Indies A slipped after that strong partnership and 193 for 0 quickly became 250 for 5.Any hopes India A might have harboured of limiting the score vanished when Kevin Stoute anchored one end with a fifty, while Andre Russell provided the innings with a blazing finish. He blitzed 42 off 21 balls and ensured India A had a tall target to chase.India A’s openers started briskly but both Abhinav Mukund and Ajinkya Rahane fell in the space of four runs. The chase never recovered from 36 for 2 and at 91 for 6 the contest was over. Jaskaran offered futile resistance with a half-century but he ran out of partners quickly. All six West Indian bowlers used picked up at least a wicket, with Anthony Martin taking 3 for 47 and Lionel Baker 2 for 33.

An exciting Sunderland transfer update has emerged regarding veteran striker Jermain Defoe…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Dharmesh Sheth has revealed that the Black Cats are among a number of clubs keen on a short-term deal for the forward after his departure from Rangers, with the 39-year-old also interested in taking up a coaching role further down the line.

He told Sky Sports News’ The Transfer Show, via This is Futbol: “He said on the show last week that his phone was red-hot, it wouldn’t stop ringing – lots of interest in Jermain Defoe. We’re told today, Sunderland, Ipswich, Charlton Athletic and Oxford all interested in signing Jermain Defoe on a short-term deal that will take him until the end of the season.

“Now, he’s also got coaching offers as well, which is why he hasn’t fully made his mind up whether he’ll continue playing until the end of the season. I think that would be his preference, but if a coaching offer came along that he couldn’t refuse, it would be something that he would definitely have to think about.”

Delight for Lee Johnson

Lee Johnson will be delighted with this news for several reasons. Firstly, it shows that Sunderland are right in the mix for his signature as a player alongside other League One clubs who do not have a pre-existing relationship with him heading into this transfer window.

This means that the Black Cats could have a slight edge over the likes of Charlton, Ipswich and Oxford, as Defoe has already played at the Stadium of Light and knows his way around the area. The striker could find this appealing if this is to be his final season of playing, so being in a position where he can hit the ground running instead of needing time to settle in could be a key factor in deciding his next move.

The England international scored an impressive 37 goals in 94 games for Sunderland during his time at the club previously. This included 30 Premier League goals in his final two seasons on Wearside, illustrating how enjoyable a spell he had at the club from 2014 to 2017.

Johnson will also be buzzing with this update, as it suggests that Defoe could be willing to take on a coaching role from next season. The 39-year-old has more than 200 career goals to his name, along with 57 caps for England, and his experience could make him a valuable addition to the head coach’s backroom staff from the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

Whilst he could offer quality on the pitch in the short-term, having scored 32 goals in 74 games for Rangers in recent years, the coaching he could provide Sunderland moving forward is another reason why this could be a fantastic signing for the club if they can fend off their League One competitors.

AND in other news, Sunderland training ground development emerges which will leave fans buzzing…

Zimbabwe tightened their grip on the match after their bowlers rolled over Netherlands for 186 on the second day in Amstelveen

Cricinfo staff26-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Zimbabwe tightened their grip on the match after their bowlers rolled over Netherlands for 186 on the second day in Amstelveen. Opener Stuart Matsikenyeri then made an unbeaten 44 to extend Zimbabwe’s lead close to 200 by stumps.Netherlands could have been in an even worse position had it not been for wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi’s patient 81. He rescued the home side from a precarious 94 for 8 with the help of No. 10 Pieter Seelaar, who finished on an unbeaten 40. The pair added 91 for the ninth wicket, with both going on to their highest first-class scores.Besides Barresi, the only batsman in the top nine to reach double digits was Ruud Nijman (23). The wickets were shared around by the Zimbabwean bowlers, with Matsai Mushangwe taking three and the trio of Ed Rainsford, Timycen Maruma and Nathan Waller picking two each.In the second innings, Zimbabwe slumped to 48 for 2, before Matsikenyeri and captain Vusi Sibanda safely negotiated the final eight overs to keep the visitors in charge of the match.