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MELBOURNE, Dec 15 AAP – Police ejected 300 fans from today’s day-night tri-series cricket match between Australia and England at the MCG.

Adam Cooper15-Dec-2002MELBOURNE, Dec 15 AAP – Police ejected 300 fans from today’s day-night tri-series cricket match between Australia and England at the MCG.But despite that officials and police were happy with the crowd’s behaviour.Police ejected 300 fans and arrested eight – two of them streakers – as Australia beat England by 89 runs.Police and organisers said the match was largely trouble-free.But in a disappointing return for organisers, only 34,887 fans attended the game despite perfect conditions.Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) general manager Stephen Gough said the high number of ejections was due to a tougher crackdown on offensive behaviour.”Overall, we were quite happy with the behaviour of the crowd,” he said.But Gough said the MCC was disappointed with the crowd size and said a Sunday fixture just before Christmas could have contributed to the low turn-out.”I would have thought about 50,000 would have been a good figure, we were rather disappointed,” he said.The MCC and Australian Cricket Board (ACB) last week warned Melbourne’s future as a one-day cricket venue was at risk because of continued crowd trouble in recent years.ACB spokesman Peter Young said fans had taken notice of the warning and responded in turn.”There’s certainly a very, very broad community awareness on what the expectations and requirements were and tonight we’ve seen a very well-behaved and good-humoured crowd,” he said.A greater police presence was noticeable at the match, with the MCC also making use of additional security and extra security camera vision.Fans experienced longer delays entering the ground as security staff conducted thorough bag searches.Melbourne’s opening weekend in last summer’s tri-series saw more than 30 fans arrested and 400 ejected over the two matches, mainly for drunkenness.Two streakers ran across the field in the first half of the England innings and were quickly beset upon by police.The duo face fines of up to $5,000.

Paul Collingwood is confident that a few days away from the spotlight will help him regain his form in the final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge

Cricinfo staff03-Jun-2008
Paul Collingwood is focussed on battling his way out of his poor run of form © Getty Images
Paul Collingwood is confident that a few days away from the spotlight will help him regain his form in the final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. Instead of playing for Durham against Sussex in the County Championship, he opted for some rest and a couple of intensive one-on-one sessions with Andy Flower, the England batting coach.Collingwood has struggled in the early part of the season, both for county and country. He has 32 runs in three innings in the current series, and 24 of those came in a scratchy effort that helped England across the line at Old Trafford. He hasn’t made a century for almost a year, when he reached three figures at Chester-le-Street, his home ground, against West Indies.There was the opportunity for him to get some middle time in the Championship between Tests, but Collingwood believes his decision to step back for a few days will pay dividends.”There was a choice to make, but in international cricket there is never much time to work on things technically,” he told the . “This was an opportunity after two back-to-back Test matches to go away, have a look at it from the outside rather than going straight back into cricket and seeing what I really needed.”At the time it was decided the best thing for me was to work on my game. Andy [Flower] came up to Durham for a couple of days and we had two very good sessions and worked a bit technically but spoke about the game more than anything else – sometimes that works better than anything else.”Collingwood can draw on memories of when he hauled himself out of his previous England slump, on the 2006-07 tour of Australia. Following his double century in Adelaide he suffered a lean end to the Test series and then made 83 runs in his first six innings of the CB Series. However, he bounced back with two match-winning centuries and a 70 in the next three innings. His turnaround in Australia came from something as simple as changing his bat grip.”There have been plenty of other times in my career I’ve been in bad nick,” he said. “The last time I came out of a run like this all I did was change my grip to pink and that was pretty much it – I might even change it this week as well to see what happens.”Collingwood is playing with a long-standing shoulder injury after having an injection before the series. He only bowled one over at Old Trafford, but could be needed for more at Trent Bridge in conditions that usually favour swing bowling.

When Mikel Arteta first arrived at Everton to play in front of the beloved Goodison Park faithful, he was a player who lacked physicality.

A diminutive character, David Moyes was scared to play him in a natural number 10 position that he’d thrived in while coming through the ranks at Barcelona.

The Toffees initially fielded him in a role on the wing but his career was changed for the better due to a striker shortage in Merseyside.

With Everton unable to play with a centre-forward, Moyes moved the Spanish magician inside to provide them with dynamism in the middle of the park.

It worked a treat as Arteta quickly became one of the most impressive midfielders in the top-flight.

He created goals on a regular basis, was a nuisance for the opposition and would pop up with a plethora of goals. A master of the set-piece, he could also strike a ball incredibly well from long range.

During the 2006/07 season, only Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas assisted more goals than his nine while is he is one of the most fouled players in Premier League history.

The current Arsenal manager had a canny ability of arriving late in the penalty area to score goals, or tip-toeing between defenders with his quick feet.

Everton may have the dancing shoes of James Rodriguez in their side now but they don’t have a midfield playmaker like Arteta.

With that in mind, they should consider signing Aaron Ramsey this summer, someone linked with a move a few months ago.

Described as “outstanding technician” by Martin Keown, the 67-cap Wales international is cut from a similar cloth. His ability to arrive on the scene at the nick of time to score a goal is uncanny.

Flash through Arteta’s highlights reel at Everton and you’ll notice the Spaniard popping up on the edge of the area time and time again. This was a quality synonymous with Ramsey’s time at Arsenal.

He scored 16 times in one season, eventually ending his stay in north London with 65 goals and 65 assists in all competitions.

Both players have a career average of 1.2 key passes per game and they do their bit from a defensive point of view as well.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

Arteta eventually became a holding player after moving to the Gunners, using his incredible game intelligence to his advantage. Ramsey has played in a quarterback role as well but he’s now more of a box to box playmaker, just as his former teammate was when he played in the royal blue.

It’s been a considerable period of time since Everton have had a midfield player capable of scoring goals and assisting them in equal measure. Ramsey, however, could bring that vibe back to Merseyside.

In the process, he could provide a similar style of play to Arteta.

AND in other news, Alan Myers delivers 11-word Everton transfer update, fans will be delighted…

England, as expected, have resisted the temptation to recall Andrew Flintoff to the squad for the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week

Cricinfo staff03-Jul-2008
Andrew Flintoff: not yet ready for recall © Getty Images
England, as expected, have resisted the temptation to recall Andrew Flintoff to the squad for the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week, and have instead put their faith in the same squad of 12 players who carried them to a 2-0 series victory against New Zealand last month. If, as is widely anticipated, the same starting 11 is named on the morning of the match, England will become the first country ever to name an unchanged side for six matches in a row.England have won four out of five Tests since taking the dramatic decision to drop Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison for the Wellington Test back in March, and so it would appear that consistency breeds consistency. Miller, however, was ready to play down suggestions that the Test team become a closed shop.”It is not a cosy club,” he said. “There are people knocking on the door, youngsters and seniors, and everyone has got to perform. We left bowlers out in New Zealand, and that made a difference, and at one stage we left Andrew Strauss out. It’s not a cosy club at all. If there was someone in the situation where they could overtake them and we thought they could perform better, then we would do that. But at this moment in time we feel we have got solid players, strong in technique and good mentally as well.”The one man who could really destabilise the status quo is Flintoff, who bowled with pace and hostility for Lancashire against Sussex earlier this week, before sealing victory with an unbeaten 62, his first half-century since May last year. “We’ve had long chats with Andrew and we’ve been in constant communication with him,” said Miller. “We need to see a few more miles in the legs and runs from the bat, but England are a better side, as we know, with a fully-fit Andrew Flintoff. We just need to see a little bit more from him.”Miller did, however, concede that if Flintoff’s comeback continues as it has begun, he would be in the frame for the second Test at Headingley, which gets underway on July 18. With that in mind, there are a host of players in the current settled line-up who might fear for their spot, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood among the batsmen, and James Anderson and Stuart Broad among the bowlers.”Our focus is for the first Test, we’ll see what that produces, then we’ll reassess for the second Test,” said Miller. “Andrew’s got a chance and he knows it, but we’re looking for him to be involved in all kinds of cricket – five-day, one-day and Twenty20 – so it’s essential that we monitor him properly. We want him to be involved for a long time now.”The other threat to England’s current settled situation is the fitness of their captain, Michael Vaughan, who reported soreness in his troublesome right knee while playing for Yorkshire against Durham earlier this week. He did, however, make 72 before being bowled by Steve Harmison – another player who is “knocking on the door” – and Miller reiterated his belief that there was no question about his availability. “It’s an injury he’s had operated on, so he’s going to get niggles and twinges,” said Miller. “But I had a chat with him in Yorkshire, we’re monitoring him, and he’s fine.”Such is England’s confidence in their captain, they have once again chosen not to name a deputy. “We have contingency plans for the captaincy, but we won’t make that decision until we have to,” said Miller. “We’ve got senior players who’ve captained the side in different modes – Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen – so we’ll make that decision when we have to.”Test squad Michael Vaughan (capt), Tim Ambrose (wk), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss, Chris Tremlett.

Southampton fans want to sign Yangel Herrera this summer after the Saints were linked with a move for the midfielder.

The Saints are preparing for the new campaign as they aim to improve on their disappointing 15th place finish in the Premier League last term. They have already completed the signing of Romain Perraud from Stade Brestois (southamptonfc.com), and they are now looking to add more players to their squad to give Ralph Hasenhuttl the best chance of success next term.

Now, as per The Telegraph, they are interested in signing Herrera this summer. The Venezuelan, who is contracted to Manchester City, spent last season on loan at Granada. As per the report, he is valued at up to £20m by the Citizens.

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

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

“One of those FM dream signings I make every year. Bags of potential, but can’t expect us to pay £20m for a holding midfielder this summer”

Credit: @samharrisonnnn

“I would faint”

Credit: @stighefootball

“Yes !”

Credit: @salisuszn

“too expensive but class player”

Credit: @sfc_maxi

“Yes I’d love this”

Credit: @josefsfc

“WE MUST SIGN HIM ASAP JWP ISNT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!”

Credit: @_edwardcross

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

Andrew McGlashan presents the plays of the first day at Headingley

Andrew McGlashan at Headingley18-Jul-2008
Darren who? © Getty Images
Selection of the day
No, it wasn’t Andrew Flintoff. Shortly before 10am, news came through that England had named Darren Pattinson in their eleven. A day earlier he was preparing to visit Alton Towers, now he was being introduced to the England captain and his new team-mates. “It’s a bit different than a rollercoaster,” he said before play, but then had the chance to sit back after Graeme Smith stuck England in. It was one of the more amazing England selections, made even more surprising by the absolute consistency of the last six Tests.Brave decision of the day
Everything about the first morning said to the captain winning the toss to bowl. But Graeme Smith will still have need to take a deep breath before sending England in for the second time in two Tests. Last week, his team conceded 593 for 8 on the Lord’s featherbed, yet Smith – rightly – still backed his bowlers. This time they assessed the conditions much more quickly and pitched the ball up on another slow surface. The rewards then came as Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel claimed three wickets before lunch and England lasted only 52 overs in total.Come down of the day
This is Michael Vaughan’s 50th Test as captain, and he’s just the second player to lead England a half-century of times, currently sitting four behind Michael Atherton. It was all set for a Vaughan classic to mark the occasion, just as he managed last year against West Indies in his comeback Test from injury. Alas, it wasn’t to be as he edged a perfect outswinger from Dale Steyn to Smith at first slip seventh ball after being applauded to the middle by the home support. The roar as he left the field wasn’t for him, but the incoming Kevin Pietersen. Vaughan now has 2 and 0 in this series, both times falling to Steyn. It’s a good contest to watch, but at the moment they are brief duels.Contest of the day
The Vaughan-Steyn battles have been short-lived, but the Steyn-Kevin Pietersen head-to-head has offered extended enterainment. At Lord’s, Steyn clattered Pietersen on the helmet early in his 152 and today Pietersen began his innings with a whipped four through midwicket and a crunching pull into the Western Terrace. After lunch, Pietersen was ticking and took Steyn for boundaries through the off side, off his legs and straight. However, the ball after an effortless back-foot force past mid-off, Pietersen went for one shot too many and edged to first slip. The South Africans celebrated as one, aware of the importance of the wicket.Ovations of the day
At 2.28pm the Headingley crowd rose to their feet and greeted Flintoff with a spine-tingling standing ovation as the allrounder made his way to the crease for his first Test innings since January 2007. They also cheered his first-ball defensive push, while the opening boundary would have lifted the roof off the ground if it had one. But the crowd still had plenty to give. Monty Panesar was also offered a hero’s welcome but he looked as much a No. 10 as Tim Ambrose did a No. 6.Wrong order of the day
England are at sixes and sevens about their batting order. Tim Ambrose isn’t a Test No. 6 and it seems almost unfair that he has been given that role, while Stuart Broad looks better than a No. 8. In between them was Andrew Flintoff who mixed a few edges with a couple of more authentic strokes. However, his dismissal wouldn’t have looked good for a No. 11 as he flashed at a very wide ball from Steyn.Controversies of the day
It’s level at one-apiece for the two teams today. AB de Villiers claimed a catch off Andrew Strauss which was clearly dropped, leading to some angry scenes from the England balcony, then towards the end of the day Michael Vaughan thought he’d caught Amla at mid-off against Flintoff. Amla had almost made his way off the ground when Mickey Arthur and Graeme Smith signalled for him to stay on. Eventually he was given not out and a fiery final few overs were played out. This series has come alive.

Brighton and Hove Albion are preparing an official bid for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, as reported by the Daily Express.

The Lowdown: Celtic set for change as 2021/22 gets underway

Facing a rebuilding job of sizeable proportions, new Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou could be desperate to offload wantaway players in order to generate funds to build a team capable of challenging for the Premiership title this season.

Kristoffer Ajer is seemingly on the verge of a move to Brentford, whilst Ryan Christie has been linked with Sampdoria in recent weeks.

Could Celtic now be set to lose another key player after recent developments?

The Latest: Brighton in for Edouard as White windfall nears

Brighton are now the latest club to be monitoring Edouard as their summer recruitment drive intensifies. The Seagulls are said to be formalising an offer for the 23-year-old, owing to the sizeable £50m windfall which is expected to arrive once centre-back Ben White finalises his proposed move to Arsenal [Daily Express].

Interestingly, the Premier League outfit will need to pay significantly more than Leicester City’s £13m plus £5m in add-ons for the £19,000-a-week Frenchman, with the Foxes eventually abandoning negotiations in favour of a swoop for Patson Daka [Daily Express].

The Verdict: Celtic should sell Edouard this summer

All things considered, this news could come as a positive to the Celtic hierarchy due to the financial circumstances surrounding the Edouard conundrum.

Free to leave Parkhead as an unattached player in June 2022, the Hoops will surely look to recuperate a profit on the £9m they shelled out for the former Paris Saint-Germain ace in 2018 in order to avoid losing him for nothing next summer.

Edouard enjoyed a stellar 2020/21 season, registering 28 goal contributions in 40 games with 22 goals and six assists [Transfermarkt].

Furthermore, his propensity to be heavily involved in attacking play is clear for all to see. Across the campaign, he averaged an impressive 3.5 shots on goal per match, creating a regular threat for opposition defences [WhoScored].

Once labelled as ‘magnificent’ by former Hoops manager Neil Lennon [Glasgow Live], Celtic will hope to receive a considerable transfer fee for their prolific centre-forward.

In other news, Celtic have opened talks with this England international.

Dale Steyn has been ruled out of the third Test against England, at Edgbaston, after fracturing his thumb. He will need two to three weeks recovery time, but has a chance of being fit for the final Test at The Oval

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2008Dale Steyn has been ruled out of the third Test against England, at Edgbaston, after fracturing his thumb. He will need two to three weeks recovery time, but has a chance of being fit for the final Test at The Oval.Initially it had been thought the injury wasn’t severe enough to put his place in doubt, but subsequent x-rays revealed the extent of the problem. He has had the thumb put in a cast to speed the recovery process.Andre Nel is the most likely replacement at Edgbaston although Monde Zondeki, who made his Test debut on the 2003 tour of England, is also in the squad.”Missing a player of Dale’s calibre is a huge blow, but I feel we have such good depth with the likes of Andre and Monde,” said coach Mickey Arthur. “Nel is probably next in the queue. That was why I was strong on wanting good reserve strength with experienced players who know about the intensity of Test cricket.”Steyn took seven wickets in South Africa’s ten-wicket win over England in Headingley after a sluggish start in the opening Test at Lord’s. He has risen rapidly up the world rankings over the last 12 months and has become the spearhead of South Africa’s attack.There were also injury concerns over Paul Harris, who hurt his right wrist after slipping in his hotel bathroom. However, he was passed fit for the three-day game against Bangladesh A as he aims to maintain his place in the Test eleven. He claimed three wickets at Lord’s, but didn’t make an impression at Headingley as the quick bowlers did the damage.

Brighton and Hove Albion are set to make a bid for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, but not until after the Hoops complete their Champions League second round qualifying tie against Midtjylland on Wednesday night, according to the Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Celtic gear up for 2021/22

Facing the prospect of major transition at Parkhead, new manager Ange Postecoglou will surely be eager to recruit top talent in tandem with offloading those already at the club who see their future elsewhere.

With only one year left on his deal at Parkhead, the Celts may be forced into selling star striker Edouard following recent developments.

The Latest: Brighton to bid for Edouard after Champions League qualifiers

Brighton are believed to be readying an offer for the Frenchman in the aftermath of Celtic’s midweek European assignment, which if they win will guarantee them some form of continental football until Christmas [Daily Mail].

The 23-year-old is rated at around £20m by the Seagulls, whilst Postecoglou has previously stated his desire to sell players who are not interested in his vision. Crystal Palace are also rumoured to be interested in Edouard as their summer recruitment drive intensifies [Daily Mail].

The Verdict: Selling Edouard makes business sense for the Bhoys

To receive a prospective sum of £20m for the former Paris Saint-Germain striker would be excellent business by the Bhoys. With Edouard having told friends of his desire to leave Glasgow in this transfer window, cutting their losses may be the most agreeable move for both player and club at this moment in time.

The forward was in sparkling form in 2020/21, registering 28 goal contributions in 40 appearances with 22 goals and six assists [Transfermarkt]. Proving a constant menace in attack, Edouard also averaged 3.5 shots per game for the Hoops in the Premiership last term [WhoScored].

Once labelled ‘excellent’ by Celtic captain Callum McGregor [celticfc.com], the Celts should use the fee from the Frenchman’s prospective sale to bring in a replacement who would seem capable of instantly shouldering the goalscoring burden that Edouard would leave behind.

In other news, many Celtic fans react to an astonishing transfer rumour.

Cricket Ireland are comfortable about their decision to play a triangular series in Kenya which also involves Zimbabwe

Cricinfo staff04-Sep-2008
Ireland will face Kenya and Zimbabwe during a triangular series during October © Getty Images
Cricket Ireland are comfortable about their decision to play a triangular series in Kenya which also involves Zimbabwe. They consulted with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the ICC before confirming the trip, which starts on October 17, and said that playing Zimbabwe is not seen as the issue.”No country has actually refused to play Zimbabwe, the issues have been that the UK government made it clear they wouldn’t issue visas to the team for a bilateral series or the World Twenty20 and some countries have been told not to visit Zimbabwe,” Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom told Cricinfo. “We spoke with the ICC to gauge their position and obviously with the tournament being in Kenya there isn’t the problem of entering Zimbabwe. When he played them during the 2007 World Cup the regime in the country was the same.”However, there is always the concern when playing Zimbabwe that it will be seen as justifying what is happening in the country – even if it is at a neutral venue. Deutrom, though, was adamant that there have been on worries raised by the players about the trip.”We have spoken to the players and the management and it isn’t an issue,” he said. “Phil Simmons used to coach Zimbabwe and has no problems. They are all speaking the same voice, although it may have been different if the series was in Zimbabwe.”Kenyan officials are believed to be delighted that Zimbabwe have finally agreed to visit after almost three years of trying. As recently as last month Zimbabwe Cricket was claiming that its schedule was too busy to accommodate the series, but with so little cricket planned for the side, that argument simply did not hold water.From a cricket point of view, the series is another very important event for Ireland. Their home season has finished – following a damp 1-0 series victory against Kenya – and they are now focussing on the next 12 months which includes the ICC World Twenty20 and crucial World Cup qualifiers.”It’s vital we play counties close to us,” said Deutrom, “which is why the tri-series is so important. We can experience conditions in other countries which will benefit the players.”Deutrom admitted that from Ireland’s view point the World Cup qualifiers are the most important matches on the horizon, despite their place in the World Twenty20 where they are grouped with India and Bangladesh. “Moving into the 2011 World Cup is vital for Ireland,” he said. “But the Twenty20 will allow us a huge profile and we feel we can spring a surprise in our group.”