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Flocking to Twitter, a number of West Ham fans have reacted furiously to David Moyes’ post-match comments following the Irons’ 3-2 loss to Southampton on Boxing Day.

A late goal by defender Jan Bednarek secured a crucial three points for the Saints in a rare away victory at the London Stadium, seeing the Hammers’ miserable streak of poor results continue over the hectic Christmas schedule.

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Michail Antonio made an instant impact upon being introduced at half-time, equalising just four minutes later. After the Saints retook the lead, Saïd Benrahma levelled the score at 2-2 in the 64th minute, before Bednarek clinched the winner shortly afterwards.

This result meant that the Hammers have secured just five points in their last seven league games, which has duly seen them slip seven points behind Arsenal in fourth.

These West Hams fume over Moyes’ comments

West Ham’s official Twitter channel posted a video of Moyes’ post-match interview. The manager was unimpressed with his side’s performance, saying that “lots of things didn’t go as well as we’d have liked” and that he couldn’t fathom why they were so “flat” in the first half.

A number of Irons fans took to the comments to respond, with many disillusioned with their club’s recent form. Here’s what some of those said:

“We are running on empty and it’s all down to the owners naive reluctance to appropriately balance the squad in the summer and try and play an entire season with no cover in key positions.”

Credit: @W1zardOz

“The contrast between our first choice defence and what Moyes has had available to him for the last month is shocking at this level. The contrast between Cresswell and Masuaku especially.”

Credit: @WestHamJoshV

“Let’s be real, we will be in the bottom half very soon the way our current form is”

Credit: @ellingford_paul

“Just copy and paste the same video for the next few months as well”

Credit: @veryupsetfan

“he says this every time”

Credit: @whujoe

“Moyes, you have had your time, time for a new manager. You served us well, we now require someone who is top of their game. Unfortunately you have nothing further to offer.”

Credit: @PeteWindham

In other news: ‘Yikes’, ‘Such a blow’ – Many West Ham fans left devastated by ‘horrific’ injury news

No play was possible on the third day of Somerset’s County Championship match against Essex at Taunton

29-Apr-2010
Scorecard
The persistent rain won the day at Taunton•Getty ImagesNo play was possible on the third day of Somerset’s County Championship match against Essex at Taunton.Umpires Barry Dudleston and Jeff Evans abandoned play at 4.30pm with rain that had started at 9am still coming down. They had inspected at 2pm with the hope of a start, but the drizzle persisted and then became heavy again.

No one was more disappointed about a washout at Headingley than Yorkshire batsman Adam Lyth, who can see the chance to join a highly exclusive group of cricketers slipping through his grasp

Jon Culley at Headingley29-May-2010
ScorecardAdam Lyth is enjoying a productive season and could soon be pushing for higher honours•Getty ImagesHeavy rain could not dampen the noisy enthusiasm of rugby league fans on the other side of the football stand here as Leeds Rhinos pulled off a last-gasp win over Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup quarter-final, but there was only frustration for Yorkshire and Lancashire as day one of the 250th Roses match was a total washout, without a ball bowled.No one was more disappointed than Yorkshire batsman Adam Lyth, who can see the chance to join a highly exclusive group of cricketers slipping through his grasp.The 22-year-old left-hander began the first of the season’s meetings with Lancashire needing only 147 to have scored 1,000 first-class runs by the end of May, which would place his name alongside those of W.G. Grace, Walter Hammond, Don Bradman, Tom Hayward, Charlie Hallows, Bill Edrich, Glenn Turner and Graeme Hick among those to have achieved the feat.Hick was the last, in 1988, and no English-born player has been added to the group since Edrich in 1938. Lyth, from Whitby, would be the first Yorkshireman.”A few people have told me that Graeme Hick was the last to do it for 20-odd years,” Lyth said. “Hopefully I can get over the line but if I don’t in this game it won’t be the end of the world. I’d like to get to 1,000, which is something every batsman wants to do, but there are eight more games after this one.”Lyth’s strokeplaying talents have been known to Yorkshire for some years, although they have taken a while to flourish since his senior debut in 2006. Last season, after former England captain Michael Vaughan returned to the county ranks and Jonathan Bairstow suddenly made a compelling case for a first-team place, he was in and out of the side, his progress seemingly stalling.But this season, promoted to opener after batting at four last year, he has suddenly come into his own, catching the eye with a fine run of scores, culminating in 142 and 93 against Somerset, followed by 133 and 98 against Hampshire last week, when he was denied a second hundred in the match only when Neil McKenzie took a brilliant slip catch.Being told he is the man to open the innings alongside Joe Sayers has clearly done wonders for his confidence. “Andrew Gale [Yorkshire’s new captain] told me on pre-season tour in Barbados that he wanted to open with me and that Jacques [Rudolph] would bat at four, with Mags [Anthony McGrath] at three and Andrew himself at five.

I can’t put my form down to doing anything very different. I have just been leaving the ball well and trusting my natural instinct, to be honestAdam Lyth is keeping things simple

“It was tough last season to be out of the side, although obviously with Vaughny coming back someone had to give way. But this has given me a massive confidence booster in my game and that’s shown in the first seven Championship games.”I can’t put my form down to doing anything very different. I have just been leaving the ball well and trusting my natural instinct, to be honest. I have got all the shots. It is just that a couple of years ago I might have gone at a few early doors and got a nick. I now know how to leave the ball and cash in on width or flick off the legs when the ball comes straight.”Talking to a few experienced players like Rudolph and McGrath, they said leaving well was the key. Let the bowlers come to you rather than go at the ball,” he added. “Two years ago I would get pretty 30s or 40s and then somehow nick off. Or I would get to 80 and play a rash shot.”But this year, touch wood, it’s not so much the rash shot, it is a good ball or an amazing catch. It has not really been my own doing as such. Hopefully I have got a bit of luck with me. When I have nicked one it has gone over the fielder’s head or dropped short.”The current Yorkshire group have become a draw for England’s selectors and Lyth’s form has been noted. Lyth is a former England Under-19 and was selected in an ECB Performance Squad last winter, yet he is keeping thoughts of further progress in international cricket at the back of his mind.”I’m not getting too carried away with myself at the moment,” he said. “I just want to keep scoring runs for Yorkshire. Then, you just never know, things might happen. If I keep scoring runs things will take care of themselves.”

Celtic have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Hannes Wolf to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Turkish media outlet Fotomac (via the Daily Record), who claim that, despite previous reports suggesting that Celtic and Rapid Vienna were the only serious contenders for the Borussia Monchengladbach attacking midfielder this month, both Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir have now joined the race from the 22-year-old.

The report goes on to state that the Bundesliga side have made moving the Austria international on one of their main priorities in the January transfer window, while it has also been claimed that Gladbach would be willing to part with Wolf on a temporary basis this month.

Postecoglou will be fuming

While it is true that Wolf has not enjoyed his finest form since making an £8.55m move to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer, the forward nevertheless proved during his time at Red Bull Salzburg that he is a player with a considerable amount of both potential and talent.

Indeed, over his 22 Austrian Bundesliga appearances back in 2018/19, the £12.5m-rated attacking midfielder scored eight goals, provided seven assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £27k-per-week forward who Ralf Rangnick dubbed a “prominent” talent earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, playing a starring role in his side’s title-winning campaign that season.

Furthermore, with Wolf also being capable of playing further back in central midfield, as well on the left-wing and up front, the 22-year-old’s positional versatility would also appear to be another big plus point in Ange Postecoglou’s books.

However, with the recent news that Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir have now joined the race for the youngster, both of whom have a considerably bigger wage budget than the Bhoys, Celtic’s chances of securing a deal for the Gladbach forward appear to have been shortened somewhat – something that will undoubtedly leave Postecoglou fuming.

In other news: “Opened talks”: Joseph drops major transfer update that’ll have Celtic fans buzzing

Lille midfielder Renato Sanches has been backed to leave the club in the January transfer window, giving Wolves fresh hope of a deal coming to fruition.

The Lowdown: Sanches linked with Wolves move

Wanderers were linked with a move for the Portugal international last summer, with Bruno Lage eyeing him up as an exciting midfield target. Sanches ended up staying at Lille but his 2021/22 season hasn’t been a memorable one to date for him, with just eight starts to his name in Ligue 1 for the reigning champions.

It increasingly looks as though the 24-year-old’s future lies away from the French club, and a new update may give Wolves fresh confidence of signing him if they still wish to do so. Indeed, talkSPORT’s Alex Crook recently claimed that the Midlanders remain interested in the midfielder.

The Latest: Journalist makes Sanches claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Adam White claimed that Sanches will leave Lille this month, potentially paving the way for a move to Molineux, although he was non-committal as to whether the Old Gold could go back in for the player.

White claimed: “Not to Wolves per se, but there’s been a lot of talk about him leaving. He is expected to leave. Both he and people around him have been making quite a lot of noise about him moving on.”

The Verdict: Worth the risk?

Sanches is a top-class player when he is fit and firing, proving his talent by winning the prestigious European Golden Boy award back in 2016, the same year in which he helped Portugal to European Championship glory. He was also hailed as “terrific” by BBC pundit Jermaine Jenas for his performances at Euro 2020 last summer.

The midfielder’s biggest issue is remaining injury-free, though, with just 38 league starts for Lille in two-and-a-half years at the club amid a string of fitness issues.

With Sanches’ current deal expiring in 2023, Wolves could possibly try and sign him on a cut-price deal – if not, his fitness record means that he probably isn’t worth the risk.

In other news, one Wolves player is reportedly unhappy at the club. Find out who it is here.

Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen has said the players would have to do their best to adjust to the longer form after their recent ODI and Twenty20 series

Brydon Coverdale in Derby08-Jul-2010Australia were set to begin their only warm-up match ahead of the Tests against Pakistan when they took the field for a two-day game against Derbyshire on Thursday. While the length of the game is not ideal, Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen has said the players would have to do their best to adjust to the longer form after their recent ODI and Twenty20 series.”It is going to have to [do],” Nielsen said. “That is the modern world we live in and we have got what we have got. We just have to make sure that we change our mindsets and adapt our game styles as quickly as we can over these two days to get ready for five-day cricket.”Two days is barely long enough to get used to the red Duke ball but Pakistan are in the same situation, with only a two-day fixture against Leicestershire to prepare for the Lord’s Test. Simon Katich, Marcus North and Usman Khawaja have joined the squad ahead of the Tests, as has the swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus, who is set to make his return to Test cricket.Hilfenhaus hasn’t played a Test since the three-day win over West Indies at the Gabba in November, after which he was struck down with knee tendonitis. Hilfenhaus made a promising return for Australia A in Queensland last month and collected a five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka A in the four-day encounter.The tour-ending knee injury to Ryan Harris has cleared Hilfenhaus’ path back into the Test line-up for Tuesday’s Lord’s Test. Nielsen said it would be good to reintroduce him in England, after he bowled well during the Ashes last year in the swinging conditions.”He proved he has the physical and mental strength to get through a lot of overs and cope with the pressure, that was one of the great things about the attack,” Nielsen said. “They had their ups and downs but they have all become better bowlers since then.”He has been increasing his program since February, so we feel as though this is the right time. We hope things go well and he gets a couple of Test matches under his belt before we go to India and get as much cricket out of his body as we can before the Ashes in Australia later this year.”

Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam has been reacting to the ‘surprising’ news that the club’s FA Cup meeting with Hartlepool next month has sold out.

The Lowdown: Some fans not happy

The Eagles were drawn at home against the League Two side in the fourth round after they came from behind to beat rivals Millwall earlier this month.

Patrick Vieira’s side will host Hartlepool on Saturday, February 5 at 3pm, and initially, some Palace supporters were unhappy at the ticket prices.

Many felt that £20 for an adult was too much, with one labelling it as ‘a disgrace’, however, that hasn’t stopped thousands of other supporters from securing their seat.

The Latest: Woosnam reacts

The game is now officially a sell-out, with Woosnam taking to Twitter on Wednesday when there were around 21 seats remaining at Selhurst Park.

He admitted he was ‘surprised’ but labelled it as ‘great’ news.

The Verdict: Brilliant

This is a strong show of support to Vieira and his side to sell out a cup game against fourth-tier opposition.

Palace’s last FA Cup game at home with supporters in attendance came back in January 2020, with just 15,507 turning up in a shock 1-0 defeat to Championship side Derby County.

However, fast forward two years and the feel-good factor seems to be back at Selhurst Park following plenty of changes, and this latest off-field update just goes to show that.

In other news: ‘Beautiful’ – Some Palace fans can’t believe who Vieira wants to sign now.Â

The Kochi franchise is talking to Steve Waugh as a possible candidate for coach during the next IPL

Cricinfo staff21-Jun-2010The Kochi franchise is talking to Steve Waugh as a possible candidate for coach during the next IPL. “We have been in discussion with a lot of really good coaches and Steve Waugh is one among them. The discussions are continuing … It will take some time before we finalise the name,” Vivek Venugopal, one of the co-owners of the franchise, told reporters in Kochi.Kochi and Pune were the two franchises bought after the tender process in March, acquired by Rendezvous Sports World, a consortium of companies, and the Sahara Group respectively. The next IPL will feature ten teams and, if the current format is retained, will comprise 94 games as opposed to 60 in 2010.Venugopal said the franchise was involved in talks with both Indian and foreign candidates. “We are talking to both Indian and international coaches. We do not have a biased view towards one or the other. There are some good Indian and international coaches,” he said. “We have to see their time commitment, how free they are, how much time they can contribute to the team.”As for the composition of the Kochi team, Venugopal said a bulk of the players would be bought at the auction to be held after the Champions League this year. “I think it will take some more time. But the main chunk of them will come from players auction and that will only happen towards the end of the year.”

Everton are set to offer Frank Lampard an interview regarding the vacant managerial position at Goodison Park.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports, who claim that the 43-year-old manager is one of the names on Farhad Moshiri’s shortlist of targets to replace Rafael Benitez in the Everton dugout following the Spaniard’s sacking last weekend.

The report goes on to state that the former Derby County and Chelsea manager is expected to be one of the first interviewed by the Everton board, who are also keen to speak with the likes of Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez and the former Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

However, Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom appeared to have reservations about the former England international’s suitability to the Toffees job, stating: “Lampard is an interesting one. I can understand why his name is mentioned because every time a Premier League job comes up, his name will be mentioned.

“He did well at Derby, he did pretty well at Chelsea. It’s a tricky one for Lampard. I don’t know if this is the right time for him but I can see why he would be interested because Everton is a really huge name in English football. They’re regarded as one of the sleeping giants.

“If you can go in and do well, there is a project there… and then you’re at a great football club, if you get the opportunity to be successful. But it’s such a tough job. It has to be the right fit.”

Moshiri may repeat Silva disaster

While it is true that Lampard did an impressive job at Derby – guiding the Rams to a sixth-place finish in the Championship, before beating Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side in the play-off semi-finals and narrowly missing out on promotion to the Premier League after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the play-off final – the 43-year-old enjoyed a rather less impressive spell in his following position as the Chelsea head coach.

Indeed, despite securing a respectable fourth-place finish in the league during his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge, at the halfway stage of the 2020/21 campaign, the Blues found themselves languishing down in ninth place in the top-flight standings – having won eight, lost five and drawn six of their 19 league fixtures.

This form ultimately led to Roman Abramovich calling time on the Chelsea legend’s spell at the club, with Blues midfielder Jorginho stating his belief after Lampard’s sacking that the coach did not possess the experience required to take on such a big job.

The Italian said: “Look, I’ll be really sincere here on Lampard. I believe, given he was a legend at the club, he skipped some steps necessary for learning before moving to a big club.”

“He came to a club where he is a legend, without having experience at other clubs. I think he came too soon, skipped a few steps ahead and wasn’t ready for a job at this level, to be honest.”

For fans of Everton, this assessment will be extremely worrying, as there is a very clear line that can be drawn between the potential appointment of Lampard and Moshiri’s previous appointment of Marco Silva.

Indeed, the now-44-year-old manager fought bravely against relegation with Hull City back in 2016/17, and, as a result of his impressive spell at the MKM Stadium, subsequently secured a move to Watford for the 2017/18 campaign.

However, the Portuguese coach would go on to last just 24 games at Vicarage Road, being sacked in January 2018 after a poor run of results, before Moshiri made a shock move to appoint Silva the following summer.

The now-Fulham manager went on to secure a semi-respectable eighth-place finish in the league during his debut campaign, however, with the Toffees sitting in the relegation zone after 15 games played in 2019/20, Silva was given his marching orders.

As such, considering their similar levels of experience and failure at a so-called big club, it would appear a very wise move for the Everton owner to do all he can to avoid a repeat of his disaster on Silva and swerve a move to appoint Lampard as the next Blues boss.

In other news: Sky reveal new “heavyweight” manager “under consideration” at EFC, fans surely livid

Eric Hill, the former Somerset batsman who became a well-known journalist, has died aged 87

Cricinfo staff29-Jul-2010Eric Hill, the former Somerset batsman who became a well-known journalist, has died aged 87.He played 72 matches for the county between 1947 and 1951 as an opening batsman and also captained the second XI. He scored 2118 first-class runs at 15.92 with a top score of 85.After retiring from playing he moved into journalism and covered Somerset for almost 50 years for a variety of publications.