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Former Newcastle United striker Andy Cole has called for his former employers to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski this month as Eddie Howe’s side look to steer clear of any relegation threat as soon as possible.

What’s the story?

Speaking to Premier League Productions, as relayed by Chronicle Live, Cole suggested that the Tyneside club would be a good fit for the 29-year-old and backed the defender to make the move to the northeast.

He claimed: “In his (Tarkowski) case, if the Newcastle deal comes up, then why not?

“Financially, they are in a better position than Burnley. If they stay up, he knows they are going to buy better players come next season.

“So, for him, it’s not really a gamble because Burnley are in the exact same position. Looking at Burnley’s form, they look like they are going to go down.

“Newcastle or Burnley? I am looking at it and saying ‘go for it’.”

The centre-back has been linked with a move to St James’ Park before, with Burnley’s chairman Alan Pace telling The Express last month: “We [Burnley] will support him any way that he would like, whether he wants to stay or go. I don’t know about the other side.”

The £19.8m-rated defender is now into the final six months of his contract and is yet to sign an extension at Turf Moor, further suggesting that the Englishman will move on in the near future after six years in Lancashire.

Newcastle should swoop for Tarkowski

It is no secret that Newcastle will need defensive reinforcements this month, with the Magpies conceding a joint-Premier League high of 42 goals in 19 games.

Although Tarkowski’s current employers are in the same relegation battle as Newcastle, the 29-year-old would be a decent addition for Howe’s side.

He is a colossus in the air, winning 4.9 headers per game – a far higher average than the Magpies’ leader in this regard, Jamaal Lascelles with 3.5. Also, the Burnley defender’s 5.1 clearances per game would theoretically put him second in Howe’s squad.

The defender has been a kingpin for Sean Dyche since the Clarets returned to the Premier League in 2016, making 175 appearances in the top flight over the course of the last five-and-a-half seasons. You would think that such experience would certainly help the Magpies in their quest for survival.

Moreover, the Tyneside club currently have four senior centre-backs and could do with greater depth in that area, as well as extra quality and experience with Howe’s team still very much in a relegation battle. That is something Tarkowski has plenty of experience in overcoming during his time at Turf Moor.

In other news, Luke Edwards delivers NUFC transfer claim which will leave fans elated

Nottinghamshire tightened their grip at the top of the Friends Provident t20 North Group with their ninth win in 12 games, beating Leicestershire by seven wickets in a high-scoring match at Grace Road

04-Jul-2010
ScorecardNottinghamshire tightened their grip at the top of the Friends Provident t20 North Group with their ninth win in 12 games, beating Leicestershire by seven wickets in a high-scoring match at Grace Road. The Outlaws chased down a target of 183 with nine balls to spare as Ali Brown and Matthew Wood led the victory charge with quickfire half-centuries.It was the Foxes’ fifth home defeat in a row despite a brilliant century from Australian Brad Hodge that steered them to a competitive total of 182 for 3. But with Brown hammering 55 off 34 balls and Wood hitting 61 off 37 balls the Outlaws made light work of the runs chase on an easy paced pitch.The innings of the match however came from Hodge who scored his first Twenty20 century for the Foxes off 65 balls with seven fours and four sixes before being run out for 103. The Australian, who played for the Foxes in 2003 and 2004 and has rejoined them this season for the t20 competition, had a previous best score of 97 that he made in his first game seven years ago.Hodge and James Taylor shared a third wicket partnership of 121 in 12 overs to gain the initiative after the Outlaws had the Foxes at 44 for 2 in the seventh over. Both batsmen produced some dazzling stroke play and brutal hitting as the Foxes scored 116 runs off the last 10 overs with 70 runs coming off the final five.Hodge, after reaching his 50 off 40 balls with four fours and a six, stepped up the pace with a blistering second half century as Taylor joined in the big hitting, contributing an unbeaten 56 off 38 balls. It needed a magnificent throw from Scott Elstone to run out Hodge but Leicestershire’s score looked good enough to set Notts a stern challenge.But the Foxes’ bowling never matched the quality of their batting and the Outlaws paced the run chase perfectly. Openers Alexander Hales and Brown scored 47 in the first five overs and then Wood joined Brown in a stand of 74 off seven overs that took the game away from the home side.Brown blazed 50 off 32 balls including three sixes and two other boundaries and Wood’s 50 came off just 29 balls. Even when Brown fell to a catch at cover off the bowling of Nathan Buck the Foxes were unable to stem the flow of runs and, after Wood’s departure for 61, Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney saw the Outlaws safely through to victory with nine balls to spare.

urham’s left-handed batting prodigy Ben Stokes crashed 26 in an over to ease the reigning County Champions to their second victory of the season with more than two sessions to spare against winless Kent

20-May-2010
Scorecard
Durham’s left-handed batting prodigy Ben Stokes crashed 26 in an over to ease the reigning County Champions to their second victory of the season with more than two sessions to spare against winless Kent.Fresh from scoring a career-best unbeaten 161 in the first innings at Canterbury, the New Zealand-born teenager marched in to clatter an unbeaten 42 from 22 balls to secure the visitors a six-wicket win by 12.17pm on the final day of a fluctuating game.Chasing 169 for victory and having resumed on their overnight score of 67 for 3, Durham eased to within 52 of their target courtesy of a steady and sensible fourth-wicket stand of 80 between Dale Benkenstein and Ian Blackwell.Benkenstein was only one short of a half-century when he became Durham’s only casualty 11 overs into the final session. Advancing down the pitch when aiming a lofted shot over extra cover, the right-hander edged an overhead catch to Martin van Jaarsveld at slip to give Rob Ferley his only wicket in a costly eight-over spell of one for 54.Blackwell pulled his left calf muscle running a single to take his score to 46 and was joined by runner Scott Borthwick in order to post his 60-ball half-century, with five fours and a six. Otherwise, Durham suffered no further alarms.It was left to Stokes to win it in style with a six and five fours in the only over of the day from Kent’s part-time leg-spinner Joe Denly. Stokes, only 18, took his match aggregate to an unbeaten 203 in the process and left Kent still without a win after 11 starts in all forms of cricket.

Essex have revealed an interest in staging Twenty20 cricket at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, East London, after the 2012 Games have been completed

Cricinfo staff15-Apr-2010Essex have revealed an interest in staging Twenty20 cricket at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, East London, after the 2012 Games have been completed.The club’s chief executive, David East, has met representatives of Newham council and West Ham United football club, who have also expressed an interest in the stadium, to discuss how a joint bid might work. If it is viable, it will be submitted to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) who are inviting proposals for the stadium’s use after the Games.In a press release, Essex declared they were looking at “the feasibility of turning the stadium in Stratford into a vibrant centre of sport, culture and education that could feature football, cricket and athletics as well as community uses.””We are very much looking forward to exploring this with Newham and West Ham,” said East. “Our home ground will remain at the Ford County Ground in Chelmsford, but it would be fantastic to be able to play some of our expanded Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Olympic Stadium. We have a very active development programme in the east end of London, and this would give us an ideal opportunity to extend our community work even further with a centre of excellence in the borough.”Graham Gooch, who is still heavily involved with coaching at Essex, was fully behind the idea. “I’m a big Hammers supporter as well as an Essex supporter,” he told Sky Sports. “It absolutely makes sense that Essex, West Ham and Newham Council join forces to use the Olympic Stadium for sport to have a legacy for more than one sport on that stadium.”I come from exactly that area. It would be good for sport in that area. It would raise the profile of cricket in east London, especially with the Asian population. It’s a multi-dimensional, ethnic population there. We’ve raised a lot of players from there – Varun Chopra, Nasser Hussain [another ex-England captain] and others on our staff.”We’re not talking about it being our headquarters for Championship cricket – that’s at Chelmsford. We’re talking about playing limited-overs, Twenty20 cricket there. The timescale for us – June, July, August – is when West Ham wouldn’t be using the stadium.”West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady said: “It’s about realising the full potential of the Olympic Park. If achievable it is the ideal answer for those who, rightly, demand a sustainable legacy from the 2012 Games and not a white elephant.”Chief Executive of Newham Council, Joe Duckworth, said: “The last thing anyone wants is for the Olympic Stadium to lay idle. We were concerned about this when London successfully won the bid to host the Games. The only realistic solution is to make it work for a range of sports and community uses.”

Aston Villa could be looking to bolster their defensive options with a move for Victor Nelsson, according to a fresh transfer report.

What’s the word?

Turkish outlet Tümspor have reported that the Galatasaray defender is wanted by Villa in the summer transfer window.

The Danish star won’t come cheap, though, with his release clause set at €25m (£21m) by Galatasaray, so Steven Gerrard may need to push the boat out to secure his signature.

His performances appear to have caught the eye of fellow countryman and Villa sporting director Johan Lange.

Gerrard could shore up Villa’s defence with a move for Nelsson

Gerrard has had a mixed beginning to life in the Midlands. A positive start was followed by a testing Christmas and New Year period, and despite stamping some form of authority on his squad in January with the signings of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho, defensively they have been poor.

Villa haven’t won in their previous five matches, with a centre back partnership of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa conceding seven goals over four of those games.

Nelsson, who was described as a “Danish Lion”, could well be the new Martin Laursen if he decides to make the move to England.

Laursen made 91 appearances for Villa and Nelsson is in a similar mould to him in being a no-nonsense centre back who could shore up the backline straight away. The 23-year-old has won 3.5 headers per game, more than any player at Villa Park this term, marking him out as a colossus in the air who would be an upgrade on what the Midlands club already have.

If Gerrard aims to take the club into European competition in the near future, then he will need to bolster the heart of the Villa defence.

Strengthening at the back will enable the former England captain to build the rest of the team from there, and with his first summer transfer window approaching, no mistakes can be afforded. Nelsson appears to be a player that Villa need, given his defensive credentials.

AND in other news, “Gerrard really keen..“: Preece drops exciting Villa transfer claim, Lange must pounce

Liverpool remain interested in signing Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma but a deal won’t happen in January, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Reds linked with Danjuma move

The Reds had a quiet summer transfer window and there may have been a feeling that an attacking signing was needed in order to add more depth in the final third.

Danjuma is one player who has been linked with a move to Anfield since then, having ended up staying put at Villarreal in the summer.

The 24-year-old has scored five goals and registered two assists in La Liga this season, making 10 starts in the division to date. He also found the net four times in six Champions League group stage appearances, making an impression in Europe’s premier club competition.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

The Latest: Romano provides Danjuma update

Taking to Twitter on Christmas Day, Romano provided an update on the situation, confirming that Liverpool still see him as a potential transfer target but quashing any prospects of a move in next month’s transfer window.

He tweeted: “Danjuma will not leave Villarreal in January. Liverpool are among top clubs monitoring him for the future but there are no talks for January – he’s staying.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-15/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Strong squad option

Danujma is the perfect type of signing that Liverpool should be looking to make moving forward – someone already performing at a high level but who could become even more of a force under Jurgen Klopp.

The Dutchman has been hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Jonathan Woodgate following a two-year spell at Bournemouth, and two goals in five caps for Netherlands is a promising return.

Danjuma could come in and be a strong backup for the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane – at 24, he would also be a long-term signing, much in the same way that Liverpool’s African superstars were when they first came to Anfield.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have fumed at an update regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a potentially huge injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In a recent report by Molineux News, the outlet suggested that Wolves’ lack of an update on the condition of Rayan Ait-Nouri, who was withdrawn late on against Liverpool last weekend due to a knock, as well as the 20-year-old’s apparent absence from first-team training on Wednesday, could mean that the left-back’s injury is worse than the club are currently letting on.

Fans would be gutted

Considering just how impressive Ait-Nouri has been for Bruno Lage’s side since being handed his first start of the season against Leeds United back in October, should the defender indeed miss out on the club’s trip to Manchester City on Saturday, it would undoubtedly leave Wolves fans gutted.

Indeed, over his eight Premier League appearances so far this season, the £16.2m-rated man has provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.9 key passes and taking 0.8 shots per game.

The £33k-per-week left-back has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 3.9 tackles – the most of any player in the top flight – 0.9 clearances and winning 7.4 duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the France U21 international average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Wolves’ eighth-best performer in the league.

As such, should the youngster indeed be unavailable for selection against Pep Guardiola’s side this weekend, it would undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Lage’s chances of securing a result at the Etihad – something that, after three games without a win, could start to be a cause for concern amongst the Molineux fanbase.

In other news: Wolves dealt possible transfer blow on £40m “Van Dijk-like signing”, Shi surely fuming

South Australia finished last in the FR Cup after falling to a five-wicket defeat by New South Wales

Cricinfo staff24-Feb-2010New South Wales 5 for 246 (Rohrer 63, Katich 55) beat South Australia 7 for 243 (Harris 63, Klinger 50, Bracken 3-48) by 5 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDaniel Harris top scored for South Australia with 63, but the hosts lost momentum after his dismissal on the way to a painful defeat•Getty ImagesSouth Australia, who qualified for the Champions League Twenty20, finished last in the FR Cup after falling to a five-wicket defeat by New South Wales. While the match had no bearing on the finalists – Victoria will host Tasmania at the MCG on Sunday – it was crucial in deciding the placings and the Blues avoided claiming the wooden spoon for the fourth season in a row.Half-centuries to Simon Katich (55) and Ben Rohrer (63) made sure of the win as they passed the Redbacks’ 7 for 243 with four overs to spare. Phil Jaques (40) and Phillip Hughes (33) set the platform during a 74-run stand in 10.4 overs and the Blues weren’t really troubled after they departed.South Australia opened with a 118-run partnership between Daniel Harris and Michael Klinger (50), but they were soon struggling after losing 5 for 39. Josh Hazlewood picked up Harris for 63 and Tom Cooper (0) in the same over as they both cut to Nathan Bracken at third man.Bracken then collected a couple of his own wickets before returning late in the innings to remove Graham Manou after his 42 took them to a useful total. Bracken led the figures with 3 for 48 to continue his comeback from knee surgery.

The former New Zealand captain, who is also a member of the MCC’s World Cricket Committee said the games would eventually become day-night Tests

Cricinfo staff22-Sep-2009Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has come up with an idea to reinvigorate Test cricket: a knockout Test championship to be held every year with a final to be played at Lord’s. Crowe, who is also a member of the MCC’s World Cricket Committee, said the games would ideally eventually become day-night Tests.Crowe will present his plan to the ICC in November and also sent his idea to the , in which he mentioned the potential danger to the longest format. His idea was specifically designed to lift the flagging interest in contests between lower-ranked teams, as their games would become elimination matches.”If we don’t do something soon then the bottom teams in particular will wilt away and the bottom will fall out of the pinnacle format of the game,” Crowe said. “Test cricket needs a meaning and a new motivation among all these other shorter version comps that are scheduled every year. It needs a Test champion, annually.”Among the issues that could hamper the committee’s proposal is the sharing of broadcast revenue during the finals by the concerned boards. India and England are believed to have opposed the Test championship idea because it would mean splitting the profits of their lucrative television deals.But Crowe had a ready solution. ”If hosting quarter-finals is shared, then you don’t have an issue with sharing rights,” he said. “This is for the top eight teams only, which would exclude Bangladesh in the next stage. But if they get up to top eight in next stage then in they go.”For those who make the semis and finals then the pie is shared with them. Obviously, [the] ECB would demand a hosting fee for the final and semis – and why not? Or the semis can be played earlier if the two teams involved want to arrange it, higher ranking gets advantage or if the event is already scheduled in the FTP. These are smaller problems to overcome.”The ICC is keen on a Test championship in some form, but developing such a plan that is welcomed by all countries has been problematic. The ICC’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said a Test championship could be implemented by 2012, if all the ICC’s members agreed.”I would like to convince people that the way to ensure Test cricket survives is through a championship model,” Lorgat told the . “The only two countries who do not see the argument are India and England, but debate is growing all the time. The MCC seem to have come out in favour but when I met the ECB recently it was the wrong time to tackle them in detail. They were too high on the Ashes.”The ICC would need to reconsider the Future Tours Programme (FTP), which requires countries to regularly play each other home and away in series of at least two Tests while allowing the national boards to hold longer series, such as the five-match Ashes campaigns. However, Crowe believed the good of the game must be put ahead of national interests.”There are pitfalls with the FTP scheduled years out so they must, over the next full stage of the FTP, ensure it rotates fairly and everyone gets a go to host quarter-finals,” Crowe said. “Like all good competitions, everyone starts with a fair chance. This gives incentive to the lower teams to be motivated every year. The motivation is to play the final at Lord’s. That is truly meaningful.”When a series is drawn then rankings apply – so that means every Test played has a meaning. So what we are creating here is by using an already existing schedule, we are able to use a simple knockout format to crown the Test champion each year. This we could call the Test Cricket Open.”Tony Lewis, the chairman of the MCC World Cricket Committee, which also counts Steve Waugh, Anil Kumble, Mike Atherton, Rahul Dravid and Andy Flower among its board members, said: ”We’re quite happy for this proposal to get knocked down by a better idea. But I think we all would agree that something needs to be done. As long as the ICC bring cricket sense to political bias, then things should be possible.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the Ranji Trophy final for the 2012-13 season, between Mumbai and Saurashtra

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran in Mumbai25-Jan-2013Match factsJanuary 26-30, Mumbai
Start time 0930 (0400 GMT)Big PictureRohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, among a couple of other batsmen, will be missed by their respective Ranji sides in the final•AFPHeading towards the Wankhede Stadium, there is little sign that the biggest first-class match in the domestic calendar is about to begin. Instead, on the walk up to the stadium, you are greeted by a series of posters advertising the Hockey India League going on at the adjacent hockey ground. Even inside the Wankhede there are more logos of the Women’s World Cup, which was shifted out of the ground at the last minute, than the Ranji Trophy.Saurashtra, though, need no reminders about how big a game this is. This is the first time they have made it to the title clash since independence, since the time they took up their present name back in 1950-51. Their title wins in the Ranji came when one of their previous incarnations, Nawanagar, triumphed in their debut season in 1936-37 and another team which included players from the region, Western India States Cricket Association, in 1943-44. Their most experienced player, Shitanshu Kotak, has the unwanted record of being the highest Ranji run-getter without having won the title.One key member of their set-up who has been involved in a Ranji final is long-standing coach Debu Mitra, who played in 1968-69, losing to Mumbai. Ahead of this year’s final, he says his advice to the Saurashtra players has been: “Just go and play another match, that’s all.”Mitra’s words are an attempt to reduce the sense of occasion for his players, but for several men in the Mumbai team, this just another match. The captain, Ajit Agarkar, has won six Ranji titles, Wasim Jaffer has seven, and they also have Sachin Tendulkar. Add to that Mumbai’s awesome record in Ranji finals – 39 titles in 43 attempts – and it becomes clear why the home side are overwhelming favourites despite a less than stellar league campaign this season.Both sides are missing two batsmen who pile up the runs in domestic circuit, but while Mumbai have the depth in talent to absorb the loss of Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, Saurashtra’s bench is less robust and the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja affects them severely.Two areas where Saurashtra can feel they have an edge over Mumbai are fielding and spin bowling. While Mumbai have shelled plenty of catches this season – notably Kshemal Waingankar grassing a sitter from Wriddhiman Saha to allow Bengal a draw, the seven chances turfed against Punjab, and Iqbal Abdulla putting down last man Ishwar Pandey in the nerve-jangling seven-run win over Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra have been sharper in the field. Mitra even credited the run-out of Uday Kaul in the first innings as the turning point of the semi-final against Punjab.Also, their spinners – Kamlesh Makwana, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Vishal Joshi – have all played key roles in Saurashtra’s progress this season, while Mumbai have had little variety in the spin department after the injury to Ramesh Powar, with Ankeet Chavan sometimes playing as the lone slow bowler.Still, there will be few willing to bet against Mumbai taking title No. 40 next week.Form guideMumbai DDDWD (Most recent first)
Saurashtra WDWDDPlayers to watchSheldon Jackson made his Saurashtra debut back in 2006, but before this season he had played only a solitary first-class match. He’s making up for the lost time with a series of crucial knocks: on a difficult track in Rajkot, when almost everyone else struggled to make runs, he hit a century to earn an outright win over Bengal; he came up with big runs in the quarter-final against Karnataka; and in the semi-final, there was a century in the first innings and an unbeaten 44 in the second when the rest of the batting keeled over. Saurashtra need another big effort from him in the final.As in almost every match that Tendulkar has played, he will again be the star attraction. It is a rare occasion when he fails in the Ranji Trophy, and he will add one more record to his glittering career if he scores a century in the final – that will take him level with Sunil Gavaskar for most first-class centuries by an Indian, with 81.

Rooting for Mumbai from up here in the mountains. Good luck boys! Bring the cup home. #RanjiTrophyFinals

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) January 25, 2013

Team newsAgarkar said he didn’t think there would be any changes in the Mumbai XI from the semi-final game over Services.Mumbai (likely) 1 Wasim Jaffer, 2 Kaustubh Pawar, 3 Hiken Shah, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 Aditya Tare (wk), 7 Ankeet Chavan, 8 Ajit Agarkar (capt), 9 Dhawal Kulkarni, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Vishal DabholkarSaurashtra are likely to make one change to their side, leaving out one of their three spinners to bring in a quick bowler.Saurashtra (likely) 1 Shitanshu Kotak, 2 Sagar Jogiyani (wk), 3 Rahul Dave, 4 Jaydev Shah (capt), 5 Sheldon Jackson, 6 Aarpit Vasavada, 7 Kamlesh Makvana, 8 Vishal Joshi, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 Chirag Jani, 11 Siddharth TrivediPitch and conditionsJanuary is among the most pleasant of months in Mumbai, with the temperature perfect for playing cricket. The surface at the Wankhede this season for Ranji matches has been batting-friendly but the curators have had very little time to prepare the track as the venue for the final was only decided a few days ago. Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah expected the pitch to provide more assistance for the quick bowlers than for the spinners.Stats and trivia Sachin Tendulkar in Ranji finals at the Wankhede: 47 and 96 (1991), 140 and 139 (1995), 53 and 128 (2000), and 105 and 43 (2007) A century for Wasim Jaffer will give him the most hundreds in the Ranji Trophy, taking him past Ajay Sharma on 31 and will also help him reclaim the record for most Ranji runsQuotes”I suppose it comes with experience as we have got more than one guy who has played more than one final. That generally helps in winning big games.”

“Against Bombay you always need to score big runs and then put pressure at the start as if they don’t get a good start, they sometimes collapse.”