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Doug Bollinger claims he’s loud and obnoxious but that hasn’t stopped him slipping completely under the radar of the West Indies camp

Brydon Coverdale in Adelaide03-Dec-2009Doug Bollinger claims he’s loud and obnoxious but that hasn’t stopped him slipping completely under the radar of the West Indies camp. Bollinger will take the new ball against Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval and is certain to let the visiting captain know who he is after Gayle revealed on the day before the match that he hadn’t looked into Bollinger’s credentials.”Two left-armers – we’ll see how well we can go about it,” Gayle said, when asked about facing Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson. “What’s the other guy’s name? Bollinger? Bollinger. This will be the first time I am going up against him. It’s a challenge. I haven’t seen much of him to be honest with you. I’m sure we’ll get some clippings and take a look at him and see what we can make of him.”Most people don’t quite know what to make of Bollinger, who has come in to the side to play his second Test after Ben Hilfenhaus was ruled out with a knee problem. Hilfenhaus was the Man of the Match at the Gabba, where he collected five wickets for the game and made key top-order breakthroughs in both innings.Gayle wouldn’t mind seeing the back of Hilfenhaus, who in both innings trapped him lbw with deliveries shaping back in to the left-hander. It’s an angle that Gayle is vulnerable to early in his innings but Ricky Ponting still felt his attack had the ability to target Gayle’s stumps early in the innings, even without the swing of Hilfenhaus.”The left-armers can still do that,” Ponting said. “That angle that the left-armers create actually does bring the ball back in towards the stumps. If Mitch and Doug aren’t actually bowling genuine outswingers to him then the ball is always going to be pitching in and around off stump and straightening back that way. That’s similar to the way we got him out at the Gabba. We did get him out trying to bowl really straight to Chris at the Gabba and there’s no doubt that we’ll do something pretty similar here.”The addition of Bollinger to Australia’s attack robs it of only a small amount of Test experience, while the visitors have lost Jerome Taylor, their most qualified fast man, to a back injury. West Indies’ green line-up provides Australia’s batsmen with an excellent opportunity at a ground that is always hard work for the fast bowlers. After five Australians made half-centuries in Brisbane but none converted them to hundreds, Ponting was keen to see some bat-raising and helmet-kissing.”One thing we didn’t quite nail last week was the amount of guys that got off to starts and didn’t go on and get the big hundred,” Ponting said. “We’ve spoken about that in our team meeting this morning and it’s something that we want to improve on. We all know how good a wicket this can be to bat on once you get in and get set so with an inexperienced attack, we’d like to think that the experience in our batting should be able to get us through and we should be able to make some big runs in the game.”The one man who did miss out completely in Brisbane was Shane Watson, who is still trying to prove that he can be a long-term Test opener. His duck in Brisbane looked particularly bad because he was trapped leaving a delivery that cut back into him, and Ponting said although Watson was vulnerable to lbws early in his innings, he was confident the allrounder could turn things around in Adelaide.”It hasn’t only been in Test cricket, he’s been out a bit in one-day cricket as well lbw,” Ponting said. “He’s very much aware of that. He works on that all the time. The one up at the Gabba the other day is probably an unusual lbw in the fact you let one go that nips back on you early on. I don’t think there was too much technically wrong with what he did last week. With a good batting wicket here and an inexperienced attack hopefully he’s one of the guys that can make some big runs for us.”While Australia will be looking to Watson and Co to provide the runs, West Indies will rely heavily on their experienced men Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is likely to return from a back injury, and Gayle. The West Indies captain just has to hope that the name that troubled him – “Bollinger?” – isn’t written beside his own on the scorecard too early in the innings.

Former Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton has been reacting to Steven Gerrard’s decision to offload two senior attackers in the January transfer window, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Gerrard’s plan

According to a Villa source, the club will look to move on two of Bertrand Traore, Anwar El Ghazi and Trezeguet, with Gerrard feeling that he has an unbalanced squad at Bodymoor Heath.

The new manager believes he has too many attacking players, with Villa set to listen to loan or permanent offers regarding the trio in the New Year.

A centre-back and a central midfielder are thought to be on Gerrard’s wish list, so it seems as if it could be a busy start to 2022 for NSWE.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Hutton, who regularly contributes on BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider about Gerrard’s plans. The former Villa defender labelled them ‘interesting’ but agreed with the manager’s reported stance, saying:

“I don’t think that a massive rush (to sell) but I think Steven Gerrard’s right.

“They are heavily loaded in those forward areas. We can sit here and say these guys have had enough opportunities to be in the team and absolutely shine.

“We have seen it in flashes but I’ve always said I need more. I need to see more of it. We know how talented they are.

“He probably wants to balance that squad up a little bit. They’re very light at left-back but you’ve got all these wingers. I understand what he’s doing there.

“It will be interesting to see who he actually lets go because I think the owners will back the manager in January with a new signing or two. There is a big squad there so he will have to offset that.”

The Verdict: Who stays?

Should the rumours prove accurate, then perhaps it would be best to keep hold of Traore out of the three names mentioned. He only made the move to Villa Park last year and enjoyed a solid first season, contributing to 14 Premier League goals in 29 starts.

While he has struggled with injuries during the current campaign and is yet to start a league game in 2021/22, he has proven thathe can cope in the Premier League, something Trezeguet is yet to do with just 11 goal involvements in 55 games and El Ghazi’s 20 in 70 games – six of which have been penalties.

In other news: ‘Gerrard out’ – Many Villa fans erupt over club’s plans for ‘brilliant’ beast

Celtic announced on Tuesday afternoon that right-back Anthony Ralston has signed a new contract at Parkhead.

The Lowdown: Ralston under Postecoglou

The 22-year-old has been Celtic’s best-rated performer this season in the Scottish Premiership, with an incredible average match rating of 7.92/10. [WhoScored]

He’s taken the chance handed to him by Ange Postecoglou with both hands, missing just two games and scoring four goals in all competitions.

The Scot’s previous contract was set to expire at the end of the season, however, he has now committed his future at Parkhead following his impressive displays.

The Latest: Ralston’s new deal; Sir Rod buzzing

Celtic officially revealed that Ralston has signed a new deal through to 2025, labelling it as ‘brilliant news’ on Twitter.

The Hoops also posted the news on Instagram, with Sir Rod Stewart one of hundreds of Celtic supporters to share their positive reactions to the update.

The Verdict: Well deserved

Ralston has cemented his place as Postecoglou’s first-choice right-back this season, despite the Hoops spending £2.7m on Josip Juranovic.

Juranovic has filled in at left-back recently with Greg Taylor out, so Celtic’s right-hand side looks well-stocked for the future following Ralston’s new deal.

As mentioned, he’s been the club’s best-rated performer in the league, with no other Hoops player making more blocks per game than Ralston.

Over 51% of his 41 Celtic career appearances have come this season, and hopefully, he’ll continue to be a regular over the next four years.

In other news: ‘Brilliant’ 25 y/o ‘leader’ drops Celtic transfer hint; he was recently in the Parkhead stands. 

Batsman Qasim Sheikh has been added to Scotland’s ODI squad for the back-to-back matches this weekend against Ireland in Aberdeen. The selectors were impressed with Sheikh following his century against Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup match, which was crucial in giving his team a slender first-innings lead.Fast bowler Dewald Nel, who broke his finger during the ICC World Twenty20 in June, has been given the all-clear by the doctors to play.”Qasim fully deserves his call-up after his outstanding knock last week, and Dewald returning is a major boost after his lengthy layoff,” Peter Steindl, Scotland’s head coach, said. “We hope to build on the many positives we have taken out of the recent Intercontinental Cup game as we continue to develop our side.”Scotland play a one-off ODI against Australia on August 28 in Edinburgh.Squad: Gavin Hamilton (capt), Fraser Watts, Ryan Watson, Qasim Sheikh, Navdeep Poonia, Neil McCallum, Richie Berrington, Marc Petrie, Majid Haq, Gordon Drummond, Ross Lyons, Gordon Goudie, Dewald Nel.

Former Granada manager Diego Martinez is reportedly very keen on being the man to eventually succeed Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United.

The Lowdown: Bielsa contract expiring

Bielsa has done a magnificent job in charge of the Whites, but there are always question marks surrounding his future because he only signs one-year deals.

For that reason, the Argentine’s current contract expires next summer and it remains to be seen if he will extend his stay at Elland Road.

Leeds currently sit 17th in the Premier League and Bielsa isn’t in his happiest moment at the club, so there is no guarantee that he will commit his future once more.

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The Latest: Martinez wants Leeds job

If Bielsa does move on, it looks as though Martinez is extremely keen on replacing him, with La Razon [via Sport Witness] claiming that he has even moved to England in order to ‘perfect his language skills’.

The 41-year-old is currently without a club and sees the Premier League as his next destination, primarily Leeds, with the report even going as far as to claim he would have rejected the chance to replace Unai Emery at Villarreal in favour of a move to Yorkshire.

Victor Orta is thought to be a huge fan of Martinez, appreciating his dedication to learning the language and only heightening the chances of him coming in.

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The Verdict: Ideal potential replacement?

In an ideal world, Bielsa would sign another one-year extension – the 66-year-old is still the right man for the job even if this season has been a struggle to date, with his record at the club speaking for itself.

Should he exit Elland Road next summer, however, Martinez could be an exciting replacement, having been hailed as an ‘idol’ for fans by journalist Jose Manuel Garcia, while La Liga Lowdown contributor Heath Chesters labelled the job he did in getting Granada into Europe as ‘remarkable’.

He had inspired Granada to promotion to La Liga back in 2018/19, much in the same way Bielsa did with Leeds, and they even topped Spain’s top-flight after 10 games in 2019/20, highlighting his pedigree further.

In other news, Beren Cross has called for one Leeds player to be dropped this weekend. Find out who it is here.

Harbhajan Singh introduced himself to South Africa in the most emphaticmanner at Supersport Park on Wednesday night, ripping the heart out ofthe home team’s batting to set up a 41-victory for India in the thirdgame of the Standard Bank One-Day

Peter Robinson22-Jul-2009Harbhajan Singh introduced himself to South Africa in the most emphaticmanner at Supersport Park on Wednesday night, ripping the heart out ofthe home team’s batting to set up a 41-victory for India in the thirdgame of the Standard Bank One-Day International Series.Singh took three for 27 in his 10 overs, taking his first wicket with abeautiful ball that drew the in-form Jacques Kallis out of his crease tobe stumped and then adding the scalps of Nicky Boje and Shaun Pollock.He wreaked such havoc in the middle order during the middle overs thatSouth Africa, chasing India’s 233 all out, suddenly found themselvesteetering at 106 for seven with fewer than half their overs faced. Therewas an eighth-wicket stand of 77 between Lance Klusener and MarkBoucher, but once Boucher had gone, quite superbly caught by AjitAgarkar as he ran around from backward square leg, the ball game was allbut over.Anil Kumble played his part too, winkling out Neil McKenzie and JontyRhodes to finish his 10 overs with two for 42. It was the combination ofthe two spinners that unravelled the South Africans and, even thoughKlusener fashioned a defiant 44, when Boucher left, South Africa had runout of batsmen. The innings closed at 192 off 46.2 overs.For once, the South Africans had not been given a good start, both openersgone at 38 for two and, although Kallis and McKenzie had their moments,the batting lacked authority as India seemed to discover how to bowl on SouthAfrican pitches.India never seemed to have made quite enough with most of their toporder getting in but failing to follow through before South Africasnipped off the tail in the closing overs. To a large degree, of course,this was the consequence of disciplined bowling with Pollock taking fivefor 37 as he reached 200 wickets in One-Day Internationals.The Indians had reason to be aggrieved by Sourav Ganguly’s dismissal, Kallisappearing to grind the ball into the turf as he picked up a fine catchoff Pollock.There was probably less cause for debate when Rahul Dravid was given outcaught at midwicket by Klusener off for 54. In neither instance, though,was the catch referred to the third umpire, rightly or wrongly,depending on whether you believe the Australian argument that catchesshould be adjudged only by the on-field officials.Ganguly had looked in spanking form, twice lifting Pollock over backwardpoint for six as he made 24, but herein lay India’s problem – Ganguly(24), Sachin Tendulkar (38), Dravid (54), Yuvraj Singh (42) and VirenderSehwag (33). Someone, you though, needed to kick on because, in truth,par for this pitch looked to be about 260.Still, the South Africans might have felt they should have done betteras their catching let them down. Dravid was missed within the space of afew balls on 13 and 14, first by Herschelle Gibbs and then by Klusenerwho was also to drop Kumble towards the end of the innings.By and large, though, there could be little argument about the result.India’s bowling was a vast improvement on the effort at the Wandererswhile South Africa’s catching and batting went backwards. Both teams arecertain to qualify for the final at the end of the month, but India wenta long way to ensuring that the preliminary matches will be far moreclosely contested than many had anticipated.

Kalvin Phillips knows he will leave Leeds United for another club in the near future, according to former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Phillips continues to shine

The Whites may have made a poor start to the season, but Phillips has again been a key performer, shining in the middle of the park.

His status as a player has grown so much since his performances at Euro 2020 for England and he possesses an aura and respect in midfield now that only comes when you perform on a big stage like that.

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The Latest: Midfielder tipped to leave

Leeds could find it extremely difficult to keep hold of the £36m-rated (Transfermarkt) Phillips in the long-term, and speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie, 61, claimed he would leave soon, with the offer of a new deal a way of Leeds protecting themselves:

“It’s a very sensible move. He could always run his contract down and no one wants that. He’s a Leeds boy and he knows he’s going to move.

“It’s a great idea. He had a cracking Euros and we all know how good he is. We know there is interest and when the time comes Leeds are protected a bit more now.”

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The Verdict: Inevitable?

In an ideal world, Phillips would spend the rest of his career at Leeds, going on to potentially become one of the greatest servants in the club’s history.

The brutal truth is that the 25-year-old will be eyeing up playing Champions League football and winning big trophies, though – something the Whites may not be able to offer him.

Whether it’s next summer or beyond, Leeds may have to accept that life without Phillips isn’t too far away, and penning him to a new deal is certainly the best way to ensure the club wins a big profit if he does depart.

In other news, one Leeds player has signed a new deal. Find out who it is here.

This has been a difficult campaign for Celtic despite them hiring the exciting Ange Postecoglou.

The Hoops were knocked out of the Champions League and after losing last weekend, Celtic have endured their worst start to a season for 23 years.

From a defensive point of view, the Bhoys are still a mess but their attacking football surely eclipses what we saw last season.

Under Neil Lennon, it’s highly unlikely that they’d have scored three away from home against Real Betis.

Postecoglou needs to learn quickly but what hasn’t helped is a number of injury blows in recent weeks.

Kyogo Furuhashi is set to miss the next six games after an injury sustained on international duty with Japan while Callum McGregor has missed the last two outings with a minor knock.

He is set to return to the fold on Thursday against Raith Rovers but Celtic have suffered a further setback.

Greg Taylor was due to undergo shoulder surgery this week and although the operation has proven successful, the Hoops have been rocked by the news that he could now miss the next 12 matches.

This is a seismic blow to Postecoglou, particularly as the left-back region is where they lack depth the most.

Adam Montgomery has deputised at times this season while such few options have led to Boli Bolingoli making an unexpected return to the side.

His appearance against Livingston last Sunday was a huge surprise. His pandemic related mishap at the beginning of last season made it look as though he’d never play for the club again.

Indeed, after being left out of their Europa League squad list, his chances of match action looked incredibly slim.

Bolingoli’s performance against Livi left a lot to be desired while Montgomery’s lack of experience might also be an issue to the manager too.

Taylor isn’t the most comfortable of full-backs from a defensive point of view but he is undoubtedly their number one choice in an important area of the pitch.

This is now a huge opportunity for others at the club to stand up and be noticed; they have to stake their claims to Postecoglou.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Kyogo: Celtic must swoop for “high quality” £2.7m-rated magician…

Glen Kamara has refused to commit his future to Glasgow Rangers while on international duty with Finland, saying he will wait and see what happens in regards to a new deal.

The Lowdown: Kamara future unsure

£5.4m-valued Kamara (Transfermarkt) was the subject of plenty of interest from the Premier League during the summer transfer window, including from former club Arsenal (Football Insider).

However, he remained at Ibrox in the end, although he has now provided an insight into his thinking.

The Latest: Kamara refuses to commit future

Speaking while away with Finland, Kamara did not close any doors in regards to what could happen. He said (via Ibrox News):

“From what I know, there has been some interest from different teams in different leagues.

“If something had happened, then it would have happened. But it didn’t happen, and the focus is on Rangers, which is something I look forward to.

“There have been, talks and they have been ongoing. We will see what happens. I can’t really tell you much, and I can’t really say more about that.

“Let’s see what happens.”

The Verdict: Worrying for Gers

We are approaching an important moment in the career of Kamara at Rangers. At the end of this campaign, he will have just one year left on his contract with the 55-time Scottish champions (Transfermarkt) – it is time to decide whether to sign a new deal or seek pastures new.

After impressing both with the Gers last term as they won the Premiership for the first time in ten years and with Finland during Euro 2020, Kamara has made himself an attractive proposition for a number of clubs. There is only so much he can achieve north of the border, and he may well be weighing his options as he deliberates a new deal.

In other news, Rangers fans reacted to this latest Heart and Hand twist.

Football is a results business, and if you focus on the five defeats Wolves have suffered this season, it doesn’t paint a very vibrant picture.The Old Gold have been short of goals under Bruno Lage and they are lacking the ability to pick up points.That being said, there have been some positives. Wolves have had bright spells against the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United in the league and on other days, it may have been them picking up all three points.On the chalkboardAlthough Wolves lost to Spurs on penalties in the Carabao Cup a few days ago, that tournament has been kinder to them this year than the top-flight. They demolished Nottingham Forest 4-0 and have actually been able to score goals as a consequence.It’s bizarre when you consider that some of their star players have been missing for those encounters.Lage has selected Trincao, Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore in every league match this term, but after the success the fringe players had against Nuno Santo’s Spurs this week, they should earn another opportunity.Wolves drew 2-2 in normal time on Wednesday, with Leander Dendoncker finding a rare goal and Daniel Podence also scoring.The dynamic attacker is now Wolves’ top scorer this season after netting against Forest in the last round too. Considering that he’s only played 47 minutes of league football, that nearly defies belief.However, it’s a testament to the way the 25-year-old has responded to adversity. He spent four periods out injured last term and has never really been a first choice at Molineux.Yet, now feels like his time to shine. Combine him with the club’s new signing Hwang Hee-chan, as Lage did on Wednesday, and this team could thrive.Podence is a wily and creative character who should be able to establish a promising connection with Hwang, someone who is quick and dazzling in the final third. With Wolves needing some extra pizzazz in offensive areas, the promising duo would appear to be the answer at the moment.The difficulty Lage may have, though, is where to play him. It’s unlikely that Jimenez or Traore will be dropped, so a change in formation may have to be applied.It’s something which worked last term when Nuno began playing with a number 10. Reporter Tim Spiers said at the time: “I really like what I’ve seen from Podence in this new role that he’s got in the 10, Wolves have never played with a 10 under Nuno, they don’t have anybody in that gap between the striker and the midfield.”The £52k-per-week earner was superb against Spurs a few days ago when operating from the right. He not only scored but completed 100% of his dribbles and was fouled twice, proving that he used possession effectively.Podence hasn’t always been at the forefront of the manager’s mind but now he simply has to start.A review from Conor Coady last year shows that he’s held in high esteem with the players, too. “They’re absolutely fantastic,” the skipper said of Neto and Wolves’ number 10.The former Olympiacos forward hasn’t had the best of spells in the Midlands but hopefully his luck should begin to change against Southampton this weekend.AND in other news, Bruno Lage could soon replicate one of Nuno’s big Wolves blunders from last season…