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Most of Newcastle United’s players are ‘baffled by what is going on takeover-wise’, Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder reports. 

The lowdown

A Saudi Arabian-backed consortium had agreed a £300million deal to buy Newcastle in April 2020, only to pull out at the end of June (via BBC Sport).

They were said to have lost patience as the Premier League conducted its owners’ and directors’ test.

The prospects of reviving the deal are in the hands of an arbitration panel which will assess the validity of the league’s concerns.

Meanwhile, Mike Ashley has also launched an anti-competition claim at the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Newcastle and their would-be owners are in the midst of a ‘series of attacks’ on the top flight as they demand that arbitration be held in public, rather than privately.

The latest

‘Sources close to some of the players’ have relayed the feeling of confusion within the squad following the return to training.

Manager Steve Bruce is said to have a challenge on his hands as he looks to shift focus away from the external noise and onto their preparations for the new season.

Meanwhile, staff have been told little beyond the fact that the club’s anti-competition claim is ongoing and that there remains no date for arbitration proceedings.

The verdict

It would be naive to think that Newcastle could separate this dogged off-field battle from footballing matters.

A club needs stability to truly thrive on the pitch, and the lack of it at Newcastle leaves Bruce with a limited transfer budget to elevate his squad anywhere beyond mediocrity.

This is an institution in limbo with a potentially seismic takeover still on the table, and the drawn-0ut process will have become just as exhausting for some of the players as it surely has for many supporters.

In other news, this journalist reveals what takeover sources have said about arbitration.  

FULL NAME: Waddington Mwayenga BORN: At Harare, 28 June 1984 MAJOR TEAMS: Mashonaland (2001/02)

John Ward30-Nov-2002FULL NAME: Waddington Mwayenga
BORN: At Harare, 28 June 1984
MAJOR TEAMS: Mashonaland (2001/02). Present club: Old Georgians Sports Club
KNOWN AS: Waddington/Waddy Mwayenga
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Fast Medium
OCCUPATION: Scholar
FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: Mashonaland v Midlands, at Harare Sports Club; 22-24 March 2002
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Zimbabwe v Pakistan, at Queens Sports Club; 24 November 2002BIOGRAPHY (November 2002)Zimbabwe’s selectors have acquired a reputation in recent years for plunging young players into international cricket well before they are ready for it, and then dropping them quickly when they don’t make the grade, before leaving them for a year or two before returning to them – if at all. Hopefully Waddington Mwayenga will not suffer such a fate.There was much cynicism when Waddy, as he is usually called, became yet another virtually unknown 18-year-old to be fast-tracked into the national one-day squad to face Pakistan in November 2002. In the second of the five-match series, he was given a place in the team.It was a hard baptism against a Pakistani team that had only narrowly won the first match and was therefore determined to hammer the weak Zimbabwe bowling to build a total that was way beyond Zimbabwe’s reach. Waddy’s figures of none for 74 off nine overs do not show it, but he was the most accurate of Zimbabwe’s often wayward seam bowling attack, pitching a full length and bowling a good line. Yousuf Youhana and Shahid Afridi got after him, but he still maintained a reasonable standard of accuracy under pressure. Given his youth and inexperience, it was a promising start.Waddy’s father is groundsman at the elite St John’s College in Harare, although he did not know the game and was unable to introduce his three sons to the game. It was here that Waddy and his older brother Allan, a CFX Academy student in 2002, first had contact with the game. They used to hang around the school with their father and watch the teams practising in the nets. Coach Bill Flower, father of Andy and Grant, threw the ball to them and soon discovered they had talent. Waddy played no cricket at his junior school, Tomlinson Depot at the police headquarters, but Bill Flower took an interest in him, gave him some coaching and was so impressed with him that he included him in his Harare Stragglers team for players of his age.From the beginning Waddy was primarily a pace bowler. The Stragglers team went to Mutare for the Casuals Cricket Week there and was pleased to take seven wickets in three matches. Waddy won a scholarship to Vainona High School for three years, where he was the star of a very weak side against weak opposition, frequently taking seven or eight wickets in a match. In one match he took all ten wickets to fall, including two hat-tricks, and also scored 95, his highest in any match to date, before being run out by his brother!Then he won a much better scholarship to St John’s itself, sponsored partly by the school and partly by a Mr Carter, a businessman who took an interest in him over the years. His best school performance has to date been six for 14 against Watershed, although he has a number of other six-wicket hauls to his credit.He had already been noted by the national age-group selectors, and represented Zimbabwe at Under-14 and Under-16 level before progressing to the Under-19 side for two years. His most memorable match was an Under-19 World Cup match in New Zealand against Kenya, when he took five wickets for 21 runs. He has also been to Zambia, Namibia, South Africa and Singapore with age-group teams.Waddy also owed his introduction to club cricket to Bill Flower, who took him along to Old Georgians Sports Club at the age of 15, and he has played for them ever since. His best figures for them so far are four wickets for 35 runs against Harare Sports Club during the 2002/03 season. He has also played winter cricket for Shamva.Waddy feels his main strengths as a bowler are his ability to bowl a good length and line, wicket to wicket, coupled with swing away from the right-hander and movement off the seam. “I cut the white ball but really struggle with the red ball,” he says.Waddy is used to fielding in the deep, or at mid-on or mid-off. He is keen to develop his batting and become an all-rounder. His only captaincy experience to date was at Vainona, and he says he has no real ambitions for the job.Besides Bill Flower, Waddy pays tribute to Shane Cloete as a coach with the age-group and Zimbabwe A teams and Mike Seager, a former seam bowler himself, for his constant encouragement. His role model as a pace bowler is the Australian Glenn McGrath: “I think he’s an excellent bowler.”At present Waddy is studying for his A-levels and will continue at school for 2003. After that he wants to follow in Allan’s footsteps at the CFX Academy, and hopes by then that he will be a regular member of the national side. Given the talent he has shown so far, it is a definite possibility.Cricket heroes: Andy Flower.
Toughest opponents: “In my first one-dayer, Shahid Afridi. I really didn’t know where to bowl to him. Also Yousuf Youhana.”
Personal ambitions: “To bowl as well as Glenn McGrath.”
Proudest achievement so far: “Making the one-day side and being able to play cricket at international level.”
Best friends in cricket: Stuart Matsikenyeri, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu, my brothers.
Other qualifications: Studying A-levels.
Other sports: First-team hockey at St John’s and first-team soccer at Vainona.
Outside interests: “I like reading cricket magazines or any other sporting magazines.”

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Levante goalkeeper Daniel Cardenas this summer, as they look to replace Kiko Casilla.

The Lowdown: Backup to Meslier required

Marcelo Bielsa will be working hard on improving his squad this summer, ensuring there is depth all over the pitch, as the Whites look to improve on last season’s ninth-place finish in the Premier League.

Casilla joined Elche on a season-long loan deal earlier in the week, meaning a backup ‘keeper is required to fill in for the 34-year-old Spaniard.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Cardenas linked with Leeds move

According to Levante-EMV  [via Sport Witness], Cardenas has emerged as a candidate to come in this summer, with the 24-year-old making eight appearances in La Liga last season.

The Spaniard’s current deal expires next summer, but the Spanish club are keen on extending his stay until 2025.

This is not the first goalkeeper Leeds have been linked to since Casilla’s departure, with Kristoffer Klaesson and Freddie Woodman also mentioned recently.

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The Verdict: One of them must sign

Admittedly, Cardenas doesn’t possess a huge amount of experience, not yet appearing 10 times in La Liga, but he could be a solid deputy for Meslier.

He has still played in one of Europe’s top divisions, and at 24, he should be years away from hitting his prime, considering goalkeepers often peak later than outfield players.

Should Cardenas refuse a new contract at Levante, the La Liga side may feel that now is the right time to sell him, instead of losing him for free next year.

Failing this, Klaesson and Woodman appear to be viable candidates, and the Whites simply must secure an able deputy for the ever-improving Meslier.

In other news, an incredible statistic has emerged regarding one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Shaun Pollock, Eric Simons and Omar Henry will have 36 long hours, as they travel home, to contemplate on the good and bad after losing the final of the Morocco Cup against Sri Lanka

Keith Lane22-Aug-2002Shaun Pollock, Eric Simons and Omar Henry will have 36 long hours, as they travel home, to contemplate on the good and bad after losing the final of the Morocco Cup against Sri Lanka. By the time they reach South Africa on Saturday morning they should have a good idea as to where to go from here.Granted, the conditions did not suit the South Africans. Granted, they came out of an off season. Granted, they lost the toss in the final. All arguments we heard prior to and during the tournament. Was it all really so bad? Maybe not, but there are areas of concern..Pollock must be very worried about his current form. Having played cricket in England he only took two wickets in the tournament at an average of 90.00 and a strike rate of 132. His economy rate was the best of all the South African bowlers but is he the prime candidate to open the bowling? With the bat he scored 41 runs at an average of 13.66. During his last 10 matches he has only taken seven wickets at an average of 59.28 and in his last 10 one-day international innings scored a total of 75 runs at an average of 12.5. Pollock is far to good a cricket to stay in this kind of form and will be back.Roger Telemachus was as effective as the chewing gum that he tossed at Marvin Atapattu. Three wickets at 48.66 at an economy rate of 7.30 makes one wonder about the bowling depth in South African cricket.Makhaya Ntini, after a successful Australian campaign showed a lot of early season rust. Not taking any wickets at an economy rate of 6.53 and still unable to bowl the slower ball. After 48 one-day internationals this inability has to be worked on or he is going to find himself the target of opposition batsmen.In the batting department we faired even worse. Gary Kirsten keeps on dragging the ball back into the stumps. He only scored 58 runs at 19.33. Herschelle Gibbs had the privilege of scoring the first and only hundred of the tournament. A brilliant innings of 114 scored with patience and aggression must rate as one of his better knocks. This innings was overshadowed by his technique in the remaining matches. He continues to chase the wide one outside the off. He ended with 132 runs at an average of 26.4.Jonty Rhodes will be very disappointed with his batting. One of the best sweepers in the game he struggled to get the sweep working and he will not be pleased with getting run out twice. His fielding however is as good as ever. Rhodes scored 80 runs at 20.0.Coach Eric Simmons identified South Africa’s batting as the major problem area. “The batsmen didn’t adapt well to the conditions, making the same mistakes over and again, but there were lots of positives and we can learn from the experience and move forward.”Positives, yes there were.The most important being the team spirit. Many sides would have crumbled during the final stages of the last match against Pakistan but the South African determination was once again evident. Even though they lost, it was also there for the final. So different from six months back.Allan Donald was to many the South African player of the tournament. Bowling with the control of old, he proved that he has lost none of his guile. Experience plays a major role in cricket and he showed, in taking 10 wickets at 15.2, that even in losing pace he is still one of the best attack bowlers in the game. Hopefully Donald will be looked after to make sure he stays fit for the coming season and the World Cup.Lance Klusener too was an inspiration. Nine wickets at 18.8 and an economy rate of 4.11 has once again proved what a good all-rounder he is. Not given the luxury, during the tournament, of a platform to launch his attacks from, showed a new side of Klusener batting with patience and confidence scoring 123 runs at an average of 61.5.Mark Boucher (139 runs at 34.75) and Boeta Dippenaar (138 runs at 34.50) can also be well pleased with their early season form, both coming very close to taking the team to victory in the final. They also had to come to the crease under tremendous pressure and passed the test with flying colours.Jacques Kallis, after showing so much early season form, will only just be happy with his tournament. At times he showed signs of an in form Kallis ending up with the most runs for South Africa, scoring 141 at a disappointing average of 28.20. He did however get bowled by one of the balls of the tournament when Waqar Younis found a gap between bat and pad. On an unfriendly pitch he also took five wickets at 29.6.Various batting experiments were evident during the tournament and one that again proved to be the best is using Nicky Boje at the top of the order as the pinch hitter. In his career Boje has scored two hundreds and three fifties batting at either number three or four, scoring more than half his career runs at these positions and averaging 44.7. His overall average is 27.6.With a long season ahead of them the South Africans have a lot of work to get through. Some of the problem areas are small and will be fine tuned while players on the fringes will be encouraged to work hard and fill the gaps that are becoming more evident.

At the conclusion of the 2002 season, Lancashire County Cricket Club has decided to release Tim Roberts and Ryan Driver at the end of their 2002 contracts

Lancashire CCC Press Release27-Sep-2002At the conclusion of the 2002 season, Lancashire County Cricket Club has decided to release Tim Roberts and Ryan Driver at the end of their 2002 contracts. This means that with the recent retirements of Graham Lloyd and Neil Fairbrother, the club will lose four players with immediate effect.Subsequently, the county have signed four promising young players, previously on the club’s scholarship scheme, on full contracts.Sajid Mahmood, 21, from Bolton, who is a seam bowling all-rounder, made his Norwich Union League debut earlier this year. Mark Currie, 23, is an early order batsman from Cheshire who impressed against West Indies `A’ scoring 48 before retiring hurt. The third player is Tim Rees who at eighteen years of age, is a pupil at Cannon Slade School in Bolton. A batsman, he will combine his `A’ level studies with his cricket commitments. Finally, Steven Crook (also 18) is a fast bowler who last season played his cricket in the Huddersfield League and made an appearance for Lancashire in the friendly against Lashings CC.

Cricket season has arrived early for six up and comers on the New Zealand cricket scene

Lynn McConnell23-Jul-2002Cricket season has arrived early for six up and comers on the New Zealand cricket scene.Kyle Mills, a recovering TelstraClear Black Cap, Jamie How, Jeetan Patel, Shanan Stewart, Rob Nicol and Joseph Yovich, have been called into the New Zealand Academy side to travel to Townsville for a Southern Hemisphere cricket academies tournament.The team leaves on Wednesday next week and will play two three-day games against each of the Australian and South African Academies and two one-day games with each.Bangladesh was to have been involved as well but it withdrew from the tournament.The extra players have been required because only eight males (Jesse Ryder, Jordan Sheed, Stuart Mills, Iain Robertson, Mark Gillespie, Gareth Shaw, James McMillan and Ian Sandbrook) were included in the Academy intake this year, and also to ensure the bowling workloads are not too heavy on the Academy players.That suits Mills and Yovich especially. Mills is coming back after injury and has already gone to Darwin to get some preliminary match play under his belt.Yovich has been working at the High Performance Centre at Lincoln University with New Zealand Cricket’s player development manager Ashley Ross in the off-season on some technical aspects of his bowling which needed to be tested out in a playing environment.The series of games are a chance for Academy coaches to assess and analyse the players and to work with them when they return to Lincoln.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with several top-class managers, however they have all eventually been ruled out of taking the hot-seat in north London.

Someone who does appear keen though is Paulo Fonseca, with The Guardian reporting on Monday he has agreed to become their new manager, and former Spurs cup final hero Paul Stewart believes that would be an underwhelming appointment.

Fonseca has been in discussions with Spurs about succeeding Jose Mourinho, the man who has replaced him at Roma this summer, and it was a mixed season for Fonseca at Roma as he guided them to a Europa League semi-final but could only see his side finish seventh in Serie A.

There had been a lot of talk about former boss Mauricio Pochettino returning, however having just joined PSG earlier this year it proved to be a difficult deal to sort out and thus, that has led Daniel Levy to the tail end of his list of potential managers.

Spurs are in clear need of a rebuild with star players potentially leaving as well as an ageing backline, so it would be a huge job for Fonseca but before he’s even been given the job. Stewart believes that it would be an underwhelming appointment and he explained why, exclusively to Football FanCast:

“To say the least, it would be underwhelming. Fans thought that Pochettino might have come back and a lot were hoping that it would come to fruition because there are not a lot of options out there.”

When Roma faced Manchester United in the Europa League semi-final, it started well with the Italians looking dangerous in the final third and on the counter-attack, however once the Red Devils settled then Roma’s defensive frailties and inability to retain the ball were exposed for all to see and in the league, it wasn’t much better conceding 58 goals, the most in the top half of Serie A.

Considering Spurs’ squad is not one of the best in the league it could cost over £100 million to make them serious contenders for the Europa League next season.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith could build a formidable strike duo by unleashing Ollie Watkins alongside Chris Wood amid a major transfer claim on the Burnley striker.

What’s the story?

Football Insider have recently claimed that the Clarets marksman is being targeted as someone who could add more firepower to Villa, adding that the Midlands club are “one of three top-12 Premier League clubs keeping close tabs on Wood”.

Imagine him and Watkins

While Smith has been predominantly using Watkins as his lone striker up front, the former Brentford man does have the ability to play out wide on the left, while the Villa boss could even go with both him and Wood up top as a duo.

The £50,000-a-week striker has been described as a “natural goalscorer” by former Leeds boss Garry Monk, while Scott Malone, his former teammate at Millwall, called him “frightening” to play against.

Villa fans must love seeing the way Watkins presses from the front, and in Wood they would have someone who is equally a nightmare to defend against, with his physicality and ability to bring others into the game a real strength.

Indeed, Premier League legend Alan Shearer said: “I like him, I like what he does for the team and he is the focal point for them. He is very good at occupying two centre halves. He is a get out for Burnley if they want because they are not afraid to knock it long.

“He can keep hold of it and bring other players into the game. He is horrible to play against and he won’t give defenders a moment’s peace.”

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Having the two of Watkins and Wood chasing down opposition defenders, and harrying them on the ground and in the air, would give Villa a two-man strike force which teams would find incredibly menacing and real hard work to stop.

Meanwhile, a journo has dropped a major update on Villa’s pursuit of Emi Buendia…

Leeds United have been handed a major setback in their continued battle with RB Leipzig over Jean-Kevin Augustin.

What’s the story?

Speaking last summer, The Athletic’s Phil Hay admitted that the whole situation had become complicated, and that it could well head towards a major legal battle. He said: ” Sources at Leipzig tell us that Leeds are trying to avoid paying on the basis that the contract stated Augustin should be signed if Leeds were promoted before the start of June.

“Leipzig argue that, in good faith, that should be taken to mean the end of the season (which was obviously delayed by COVID). But Leeds and Bielsa do not want to take Augustin. This could well end up with FIFA or in an arbitration process.”

And now, the German club themselves have said that in the “first instance”, FIFA have sided with them on a positive basis, although it is added that the judgment is not yet final, while, of course, the Whites will have the right to appeal.

Radrizzani will be fuming

While the decision isn’t final just yet, this latest update on Augustin’s case will surely have Andrea Radrizzani absolutely fuming.

The Whites stand the prospect of having to shell out the £18m that was allegedly agreed between them and Leipzig over Augustin’s permanent transfer, and that would blow a major hole in their finances, just when they’re looking ahead to the summer transfer window.

At £18m, that kind of fee would actually represent the joint-third highest sum Leeds would pay out for a player, with only the deals for Rio Ferdinand and last summer’s signing Rodrigo costing more – a real indication of just how desperate Radrizzani and the Whites will be not to pay it.

Augustin ended up playing just three times in the Championship, totaling a measly 48 minutes of football for Leeds, scoring no goals and providing no assists – his only outings for the club all came in the month of February, when he featured against Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Bristol City.

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The last thing the Leeds owner will want is to be paying up a significant sum of money for Augustin, which is why he’ll certainly be frustrated with the latest development, especially as the player is now registered with Nantes, so Leeds would be shelling out money for a player who they will never actually have in the squad.

This whole situation has become very messy.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have entered into talks with this Premier League star…

England’s hopes of having Darren Gough available for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston starting on May 30th were dashed when it was announced that he has suffered a recurrence of an injury to his right knee and has been ruled out of the

Ralph Dellor14-May-2002
DarrenGough
Photo CricInfo
England’s hopes of having Darren Gough available for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston starting on May 30th were dashed when it was announced that he has suffered a recurrence of an injury to his right knee and has been ruled out of the whole series.The pace bowler first incurred the injury in the one-day series in New Zealand during the winter and had surgery to rectify it. At one time it was thought that he might be back in time for the first Test at Lord’s this week, but then Edgbaston became a more realistic target.However, Gough was still uncomfortable when attempting a return to cricket last week and it has been decided that he will need further corrective keyhole surgery. This means that he will be out of action for a month and the earliest he is expected to be fit for a return to the England side is the start of the NatWest Series of one-day internationals at the end of June.Coach Duncan Fletcher acknowledged that Gough’s absence will be a serious blow to England’s chances. “This is a big loss to us as we were really looking forward to have Darren fit and raring to go for this series, but we’re hoping he will have fully recovered in time for the one-day series.”Dav Whatmore, coach to the Sri Lankans, believes the loss of Gough will be as significant to England as that of Muttiah Muralitharan from his own side at Lord’s. “I’m sure the England team will miss him just as much as we will miss Murali. They cancel each other out, that is how important he is to England. He just seems to spark them off.”Both Murali and Gough have fantastic figures, but you have to look beyond that because their value to the teams cannot be over-emphasised.”Gough will undergo what is a routine operation to clean out floating debris from inside the knee in Sheffield tomorrow. The he will have to begin a programme of rehabilitation just as he did two months ago when he had a similar operation to repair a cartilage in the same knee.