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The ECB has announced a further clampdown against touts ahead of this summer’s Ashes.In the light of massive interest in the series, the ECB is upping the measures it takes to find the source of tickets appearing on the black market. It has warned that on match days, spectators may be subject to spot checks to ensure that the person entering the ground is the one who purchased the ticket.”We are committing considerable resource to the fight and have already succeeded in cancelling hundreds of touted tickets for the major events of this summer,” said ECB chief executive David Collier. “We have also introduced an electronic exchange system for the ICC World Twenty20 which provides supporters with the opportunity to dispose of tickets which, for genuine reasons, they can no longer utilise through an official channel.”Collier also called on the government to introduce tighter legislation if what he referred to as the “second market” did not police itself. This is believed to be a direct reference to the leading online auction site, eBay, where many tickets appear for sale, often only hours after they are released to the public and at inflated prices.The ECB has a team of people who scour websites searching for tickets being resold. All such tickets are traceable.”The ECB have previously proposed to the secondary market that they work with us to prevent touting abuses at the very top matches,” Collier said. “Unfortunately they have not agreed. We hope the clear statement of intent from the [government] makes them reconsider their actions.”

Aston Villa’s Matt Targett came under fire from fans during the first half of their clash with Manchester United on Saturday afternoon. 

Villa were looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins after a second-half blitz saw them beat Everton 3-0 on home soil last weekend.

United, meanwhile, came into the game with four victories from their first five league matches, having snatched a dramatic victory away to West Ham United last time out.

The story of Targett’s first half

Dean Smith opted for a back three at Old Trafford, with Targett and Matty Cash operating as the two wing-backs.

The pair nearly combined for an opening goal as Cash fired it across the face, but Targett couldn’t keep his close-range shot under the bar. It classed as a ‘big chance’ for the visitors.

Targett’s SofaScore rating of 6.3 was the second-lowest among Villa’s outfielders (only Danny Ings’ score was poorer). He misplaced half of his eight attempted passes.

Here’s what Villa fans had to say about his display.

These Villa fans tear into Targett

“watkins and targett are having a stinker, need watkins to score as well”

Credit: @Baileyszn31

“Targett missed a sitter and got sent to the shops by Wan Bissaka. They are having fun with him right now”

Credit: @Stokesey84

“Watkins and Targett are shadows of their selves from last season”

Credit: @MasonUTFV

“Targett tragically bad this season”

Credit: @matty__jeff

“Matty Targett missing a chance even I’d score. Should be ahead.”

Credit: @GjamieJ

“Matt Targett needs to get a grip or get subbed”

Credit: @rhysES_

In other news, Villa fans react to this fresh blow.

Many Everton fans have been left reacting to some transfer news on Kyle Walker-Peters.

As per a report from earlier on in the week by The Daily Telegraph, which has since been shared by Mike McGrath on his Twitter page, the Goodison Park faithful made an enquiry to try and sign the Southampton ace in the final days of the summer window, but they did not entertain any deal.

Walker-Peters has plenty of experience of playing in the Premier League for both Tottenham Hotspur in addition to the Saints (Transfermarkt), and has recently shown that he can fill in at left-back as well as on the right.

However, one could question whether he is an upgrade on Seamus Coleman, who got more assists than him in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season, while also averaging more key passes, crosses and long balls per game (Whoscored).

Everton fans on Walker-Peters enquiry

These supporters of the Merseyside club gave some fairly mixed reactions as the news was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that Walker-Peters is an ‘excellent’ player:

“Think Walker-Peters is a decent player tbf but now it’s about keeping an eye on a number of RB options we could possibly have in the future”

Credit: @AidyDews

“I think he did well personally. They have to sort that in January”

Credit: @MatthewKneale1

“Shame. Walker-Peters is an excellent player.”

Credit: @the_staveros

“Thank god for that”

Credit: @GraemeMcV

“Someone tell Marcel Brands that players exist outside of England”

Credit: @efcdoyley

“We should’ve got the right-back KWP was replaced by but that’s too clever for Everton”

Credit: @james_gavo3

In other news, find out what transfer revelation has Blues fuming here!

India must use its growing power in world cricket to keep the game on the right path rather than becoming obsessed with short-term issues like code-of-conduct hearings, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, has said. He said there was little the rest of the cricketing world could do to match India’s power, so Indian administrators needed to take greater responsibility for the game’s welfare.Sutherland was speaking in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Nagpur Test, before India confirmed that their starting line-up would not include Gautam Gambhir, who was suspended for one Test for elbowing Shane Watson. It was unclear whether Gambhir was in the side or out of it – even India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the day before the match, said he was “almost sure” he wouldn’t be playing.Sutherland said it was clear India viewed such behavioural issues differently from Australia.”They tend to look at these sorts of issues and code of conduct decisions in a different sort of light,” Sutherland said. “We have seen in the last probably five years, at least four times where they have tried some sort of approach to appeal and, where the appeal hasn’t been successful, taken it to another level.”In January, India were seriously considering whether to continue with their tour of Australia after Harbhajan Singh was suspended for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds – a ban that was later overturned on appeal. And in 2001, India refused to accept Virender Sehwag’s suspension and named him for a Test against South Africa. The match was stripped of its Test status when the teams agreed to lock the match referee Mike Denness out of the stadium.Sutherland said “you can always argue” that India had too much power over the sport and compared their influence in the ICC with the role the United States plays in the United Nations. However, he felt the other cricketing countries could do little but accept the status quo.”The power that India has is obviously connected a lot to the financial contribution that they make to the game,” he said. “Something like 70% of cricket revenue is generated out of India and to that end it means that I think they have, in recent times, come to realise that with that they can influence more than perhaps they have done in the past.”With that ability to influence obviously comes power and, as someone once told me, with wealth comes responsibility. That’s something that ideally you would like to see India continue to take a leadership role in helping the game to be better rather than focusing on taking these sorts of issues that we’re talking about today, with Gambhir, down the wrong path.”

Sheffield United have commenced talks regarding a deal to bring Robin Olsen to Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to reports from Italy, Slavisa Jokanovic’s side have entered into negotiations with AS Roma regarding a season-long loan deal for the 31-year-old goalkeeper.

It is also claimed that Jose Mourinho would be willing to sanction the departure of the Sweden international, in whom the Blades are interested as a result of Aaron Ramsdale’s reported desire to leave the Championship club in favour of a move to Arsenal.

Bye-bye Ramsdale

While losing the services of Ramsdale this summer would undoubtedly come as a significant blow to the Sheffield United manager, it would very much appear to be something of a transfer masterclass by Jokanovic if he secures a deal for Olsen as the 23-year-old’s replacement.

Indeed, the £2.7m-rated goalkeeper impressed over his seven Premier League appearances while on loan at Everton last season, keeping two clean sheets while also conceding an average of just 1.3 goals and making three saves per game.

These metrics saw the man who Sweden team-mate Alexander Isak dubbed an “incredible” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the Toffees’ 12th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

The £14k-per-week shot-stopper continued this fine form into Euro 2020. He conceded four goals and kept two clean sheets over his four appearances in the competition, making 2.8 saves per match and earning an average SofaScore match rating of 7.05.

As such, the signing of Olsen would appear to be a big coup for the Blades this summer, with the ‘keeper arguably being at a similar level of ability as Ramsdale, from whom the club look set to make a considerable amount of money by selling.

Should Jokanovic indeed cash in on the Englishman in the coming days, it would be highly advisable for the Serbian manager to do all he can to secure the signing of the Swedish stopper as the 23-year-old’s replacement.

In other news: Blades set to seal deal for “different class” £22k-p/w beast, fans will be buzzing

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Jair Ventura não hesitou, desde o momento da classificação do Botafogo às oitavas de final da Libertadores, em dizer que queria a liderança do grupo para ter o segundo jogo em casa. Apesar da derrota para o Estudiantes (ARG), nesta quinta-feira, o primeiro lugar foi obtido, e o goleiro Gatito Fernández ressalta a força que a torcida alvinegra tem mostrado.

-Pode ser um diferencial porque nossa torcida, em casa, ajuda bastante, mas fora também nos acompanham muito. Os clubes de fora do país também sabem da grandeza e da torcida, respeitam. Com a ajuda deles (torcedores), esperamos passar de fase e fazer nosso trabalho da melhor maneira – disse.

Já o gerente de futebol Antônio Lopes, com a experiência de quem já foi campeão da competição (1998, como técnico do Vasco), é mais cético. Para ele, a certeza da vantagem por decidir em casa só vai existir dependendo do resultado do primeiro jogo.

-Muito relativo. Tudo vai depender do primeiro resultado. Aí você vê se é melhor jogar a primeira em casa ou ter tido a segunda em casa – analisa.

RelacionadasBotafogoNo retorno após liderança, Gatito prega atenção ao BrasileiroBotafogo26/05/2017BotafogoFalta pouco: Sassá vai para o Cruzeiro e Marcos Vinícius para o BotafogoBotafogo26/05/2017

Southampton fans are far from happy with the news that they could swap Michael Obafemi for Adam Armstrong this summer.

The Saints are preparing for the new season as they aim to improve on their 15th place finish in the Premier League last term. So far, the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit have made three new signings in Romain Perraud (southamptonfc.com), Danyl Simeu (chelseafc.com) and Valentino Livramento but, with Danny Ings having turned down a new contract at the club (Sky Sports), they could well do with a new striker.

They have been heavily linked with a move for Blackburn’s Adam Armstrong, and now an update has been provided. As per Alan Nixon, a fee of £12m plus Obafemi would not be far off Blackburn’s valuation of the striker. The Saints fans, though, don’t agree – they want to hold on to the Ireland international.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Obafemi news below.

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

“Keep waiting and he’ll be available for 15 million towards the end of the window. No point losing Obafemi on the cheap”

Credit: @DanJean09

“No. Armstrong is barely worth £12m without Obafemi. I’d actually prefer to have Obafemi right now considering he’s younger and can still improve”

Credit: @Hyper_SFC

“I don’t think that would be a good deal, especially if Ings left this year too. We’d be back down to just 3 striker again. Obafemi is worth another year to see how he develops”

Credit: @SFCMart

“I really want him but I wouldn’t want to get rid of Obafemi in the process”

Credit: @Conor_SFC

“Lol if they want Obafemi they can make it 6-8 for Armstrong. Ridiculous”

Credit: @SallySu89591098

“Obafemi has looked sharp in preseason, strong and pacey – would hate to see him go now, just as Ralph appears to have the measure of him”

Credit: @Too_Jazzee

In other news, Southampton fans want to sign this Champions League midfielder.

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Dorival Júnior relacionou 19 atletas para o o confronto entre Santos e Santa Fe, que ocorrerá nesta quinta-feira, às 21h45, no Pacaembu, em partida válida pela quarta rodada na Libertadores.

As novidades são o zagueiro Cléber e o meia Léo Cittadini. O camisa 19 foi convocado pela primeira vez.

Os desfalques do time de Dorival são o lateral Zeca, que foi submetido a uma cirurgia no joelho esquerdo, por conta de uma lesão no menisco, Jean Mota, que cumpre suspensão automática devido cartão vermelho recebido na Colômbia, e do camisa 17 Rafael Longuine, dispensado por ter perdido os pais e a tia em um acidente de carro,

Os demais atletas inscritos na Libertadores não foram relacionados para o confronto de quinta-feira por decisão da comissão técnica.

Confira a lista de relacionados:

Goleiros:Vanderlei e Vladimir
Zagueiros: Cléber Reis, David Braz e Lucas Veríssimo
Laterais:Matheus Ribeiro e Victor Ferraz
Meio-campistas:Léo Cittadini, Lucas Lima, Vitor Bueno
Volantes: Renato, Thiago Maia e Leandro Donizete
Atacantes:Bruno Henrique, Jonathan Copete, Kayke, Ricardo Oliveira, Thiago Ribeiro e Vladimir Hernández

RelacionadasSantosTrês mil ingressos foram vendidos na véspera do jogo de Santos e Santa FeSantos03/05/2017SantosSantos x Santa Fe: prováveis times, onde ver, desfalques e palpitesSantos03/05/2017SantosFrase que remete a hino de rival causa polêmica em CT do SantosSantos03/05/2017

Dean Windass reckons that Jesse Lingard will be like a new signing for Manchester United.

Lingard didn’t play a single minute in the Premier League for his boyhood club in the Premier League last season, which appeared to mark the end of his Old Trafford career.

However, following one of the more memorable loan spells in recent seasons at West Ham during the second half of last season, the 28-year-old is back in Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s plans.

Lingard scored nine times, more than any of his United teammates during that period, and laid on five assists to help the Hammers qualify for the Europa League.

David Moyes’ side have tried to re-sign Lingard permanently this summer, with his deal at United in the final 12 months.

However, Lingard’s been heavily involved in pre-season and is likely to remain with Solskjaer’s men for the upcoming campaign.

He won’t be available for United’s season-opener against rivals Leeds this weekend after testing positive for COVID-19, but Windass believes he’ll be a great option for the United manager.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He’ll be like a new signing for Ole. They will get him in the office and say, ‘you’ve gone and done that for West Ham, go and do that for us. We know how good a player you are, you’ve gone out on loan and proved me wrong, if you do well by Christmas, you’ll get a new contract’.”

While Shane Warne wonders if Ricky Ponting will call him into action for the Ashes, the captain has revealed his faith in Stuart MacGill is so strong he expects him to tour England next year

Cricinfo staff19-May-2008
Lean and mean: Stuart MacGill was a big threat in the tour match against a Jamaica XI © Getty Images
While Shane Warne wonders if Ricky Ponting will call him into action for the Ashes, the captain has revealed his faith in Stuart MacGill is so strong he expects him to tour England next year. On Thursday MacGill, 37, will re-start his Test career after wrist surgery and Ponting is confident he will solve Australia’s slow bowling problems.”If his body stays right there is no doubt that he is the best wicket-taking spinner in Australia,” Ponting said in the Australian. “So if he keeps himself fit and has the desire and passion to keep playing cricket then I’m pretty sure he would be good enough to get the Ashes job done.”Warne said he would consider a return only if “Stuey MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around”. In 2007-08 MacGill was limping a lot due to an injured knee and he also missed much of the season due to carpal tunnel syndrome.He came back for the last two games of New South Wales’ Pura Cup campaign and impressed with seven wickets in the tour match against a Jamaica XI. West Indies are traditionally poor players of wrist spin and MacGill will have his first look at them at Sabina Park from Thursday.”Full credit to him, he looks a lot fitter and has obviously lost a lot of weight,” Ponting said. “Last year he really battled but he is moving around a lot better now.”