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A number of West Ham supporters have criticised Craig Dawson’s performance at Newcastle United on Sunday despite their opening weekend win.

The Hammers were back in Premier League action for the first time since May, with a trip to St James’ Park commencing their 2021/22 campaign.

The hope is that David Moyes’ side match last season’s sixth-placed finish, for which Europa League football was achieved.

West Ham found themselves 1-0 down early on, with Callum Wilson pouncing after good work down the right from All Saint-Maximin. Aaron Cresswell equalised soon after his goal was eventually awarded after initially being disallowed for offside, only for Jacob Murphy to head the Magpies back into the lead.

A hugely entertaining game saw Moyes’ men produce a superb comeback, however, with Said Benrahma, Tomas Soucek and Michael Antonio putting them 4-2 up with second half goals.

Despite the Irons’ victory, though, Dawson had a quiet game overall and was at times run ragged by Allan Saint-Maximin. The 31-year-old lost several duels on Tyneside and was dribbled past once, while also failing to execute an accrurate cross (Sofascore).

West Ham fans lambast Dawson display

These West Ham fans took to Twitter to criticise Dawson’s “comical” performance, with one angry supporter even labelling him a “donkey”.

“Dawson is an absolute donkey, isn’t he?”

Credit: @irons85858585

“Who actually was assigned scouting duties for a center back and came back with Craig Dawson”

Credit: @raphtweetr

“Will the real Craig Dawson please stand up”

Credit: @davenash77

“Craig Dawson showing his Watford and West Brom form”

Credit: @xDellisOfficial

“Dawson is absolutely woeful”

Credit: @QuirkyGoose

“Dawson is comical”

Credit: @WillBailham

In other news, one pundit is in awe of some potential West Ham transfer news. Read more here.

Former Premier League star Steve Howey insists that Daniel Levy will not allow Harry Kane to leave Tottenham Hotspur for anything less than £140m and claims that the striker has no power in the situation.

Kane has yet to report for pre-season training at Spurs, despite being scheduled to arrive on Monday.

It appears that he is attempting to force through a move to Manchester City, with the Premier League champions interested in signing the England captain.

Kane has reportedly asked to leave the club and City are attempting to take advantage, with the club potentially set to sign both the Spurs star and Jack Grealish, with the Aston Villa star closing in on a £100m move to the Etihad Stadium.

Howey, though, insists that Spurs supremo Levy will not bend to Kane’s will and insists that he will ensure the forward stays if City fail to meet his asking price.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “I don’t think Daniel Levy will take anything less than £140 million or £150 million. I know we’ve seen the interview with Harry Kane and he went ‘well, it’s up to me’ and all this kind of thing. It isn’t.

“You’ve got a contract at that club and Daniel Levy, we all know how ruthless of a businessman that he is. He gets the best deal he possibly can for Tottenham, he always has.

“If he doesn’t get the money, he doesn’t go. If a club doesn’t meet what he wants, he doesn’t go.”

New Zealand clinched the two-Test series 1-0 after the second game ended in a predictable draw in Mirpur

The Bulletin by Peter Burdon29-Oct-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Daniel Vettori picked up both the Man-of-the-match and Man-of-the-Series awards as New Zealand clinched the two-Test series 1-0 after the second match in Mirpur finished in a draw © AFP
It was a contrast from a gripping fourth day, as the last passage of play in the second Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand proved to be the least exciting of all. Predictably, the match drifted to a draw, though New Zealand earned themselves a deserved 1-0 series-win.New Zealand lost Jamie How before lunch for 8, but his was the only wicket to fall as Jesse Ryder (39) and Aaron Redmond (30) guided their team to a predictable, if rather dull, draw. It was the first time Bangladesh have managed to avoid defeat in eight Tests against New Zealand.However, when play began this morning, New Zealand were in a commanding position. Bangladesh, who resumed on the perilous position of 13 for 3, soon found themselves reduced to 44 for 6 as New Zealand’s spinners continued to threaten. Jeetan Patel got the first breakthrough, trapping Mehrab Hossain jnr lbw with a straight delivery.Bangladesh focussed on defence throughout the first hour with the run rate hovering at two runs-an-over. Vettori then picked up his fourth victim, as Tamim Iqbal push meekly at one just outside his off stump, induce an edge to Ross Taylor. Not for the first time in the series, Tamim fell soon after establishing himself at the crease, for 24.The situation worsened when Mushfiqur Rahim departed without any addition to the score. He fended a short ball from Iain O’Brien off his glove, offering a simple chance to Brendon McCullum down the leg side.At that stage, the game swung heavily in favour of New Zealand as the follow-on target of 163 was still 119 away. But Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza set about resurrecting the innings. They showed that the pitch was still good for batting. Defence was still a priority, but both managed to punish the bad balls without difficulty. They put on 78 for the seventh wicket – a partnership that looked to have saved the team.However, as has been so common in this series, the loss of a few quick wickets once again gave New Zealand another chance of an unlikely victory. Shakib was adjudged lbw trying to sweep a straight delivery from Vettori with the score at 122, still 41 short of the follow-on.But Mortaza continued punishing the wayward deliveries to give Bangladesh hope, and together with Abdur Razzak the pair took the score to 155, before he was caught at silly mid-off while fending off a short ball from Iain O’Brien. Mortaza finished on 48, hitting seven fours and two sixes.This gave the New Zealanders one last chance, but Razzak and Shahadat Hossain took their team to safety. And after Shahadat became O’Brien’s third victim of the innings, Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashrufal declared at 169 for 9, still trailing by 93 runs – only the third declaration by a Bangladesh captain in Test cricket.The pick of the bowlers were Vettori and O’Brien. The former maintained a perfect line and length, finishing with 5 for 66 off 19 overs while O’Brien troubled the batsmen with his short rising deliveries, ending with 3 for 31.Vettori picked up the Man-of-the-Match award for his five-wicket haul and was also adjudged the Man of the Series.

Kent moved up to third in the Championship table after taking seven points from a rain-ruined draw against Surrey at Canterbury

Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2008
ScorecardKent moved up to third in the Championship table after taking seven points from a rain-ruined draw against Surrey at Canterbury. The visitors are still languishing at the bottom, 19 points adrift of safety with two games remaining, after claiming the same reward from the limited play possible.The final session was enlivened by the attacking strokeplay of Robert Key and Joe Denly as they added 159 in 21 overs for the first wicket in an attempt to gain another point in the 34 overs available. So tight is the title race that even the smallest gains could be crucial. Surrey, too, were hunting for an extra point and set attacking fields which allowed runs to flow, but in the end it all came to nothing as bad light closed in with 12 overs remaining.Denly and Key gave a demonstration of their successful one-day opening partnership, something they haven’t been able to replicate in four-day cricket, as they tore into Surrey’s attack. Only Jade Dernbach went at less than six an over as the pair cracked 23 fours along with three sixes for Denly, who was eventually caught behind off Alex Tudor.After neither side wanted to set up a final-day run chase it was all about how many bonus points could be bagged. In passing 300, Surrey managed three, as did Kent for claiming nine wickets before Mark Ramprakash declared.Surrey squeezed their way over 300, with Usman Afzaal hitting 67 and Matthew Spriegel an unbeaten 42, after Amjad Khan threatened to clean up the tail with a double-wicket maiden. When Spreigel drove Khan for four Surrey edged ahead in the points race, but Ryan McLaren bowled Saqlain Mushtaq to even the scores again.Surrey are still odds on for relegation, but can at least prepare to have the services of Shoaib Akhtar for their final two Championship matches after he completed his visa paperwork.

Nottinghamshire 144 2 0 7 1 156 Somerset 13 3 1 09 0 152 Kent 144 4 0 6 0 147 Durham 13 5 3 04 1 145 Sussex 142 2 0 10 0 141 Hampshire 14 3 4 07 0 138 Lancashire 143 2 0 8 1 135 Yorkshire 14 2 5 07 0 135 Surrey 140 3 0 10 1 117

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes that Freddie Woodman will become a top goalkeeper.

Woodman spent last season on loan at Swansea City and has been linked with another move away from St James’ Park this summer, with AFC Bournemouth interested in taking the shot stopper on loan.

The move to Bournemouth was postponed though, as Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka suffered a foot injury and could need an operation according the Chronicle Live.

With injury to Dubravka, it remains to be seen whether Woodman will be staying at St James’ Park or whether he will head out on loan again before the start of the season, with Bruce surprisingly admitting that he may have to register four stoppers in his 25-man Premier League squad for the 2021/22 campaign.

Whatever happens, the 24-year-old comes with high praise from Steve Howey, who told Football FanCast: “I think he will be a top, top goalkeeper in a few years to come, so it will be an interesting decision what he makes of whether he actually comes back to Newcastle for the start of the season, or whether he goes back out on loan.”

Woodman was in inspired form last season at the Liberty Stadium, conceding less than a goal per game, being beaten just 47 times in 52 appearances in all competitions, as well as keeping 22 clean sheets.

Yorkshire have announced they are going to appeal against their expulsion from the Twenty20 after they fielded an ineligible player, 17-year-old Azeem Rafiq, during their group match against Nottinghamshire

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2008Yorkshire have announced they are going to appeal against their expulsion from the Twenty20 after they fielded an ineligible player, 17-year-old Azeem Rafiq, during their group match against Nottinghamshire.An ECB disciplinary committee awarded the points from the match at Trent Bridge to Nottinghamshire, who are now set to play the quarter-final against Durham which was postponed when the Rafiq issue came to light. Yorkshire won the match handsomely by nine wickets and Rafiq played a minimal role, bowling two overs for 18.”The club feel that the punishment is manifestly disproportionate to the offence and as such feels duty-bound on behalf of its players, members and staff to lodge an appeal,” Yorkshire said.Glamorgan, the other side who could into the equation as one of the best third-placed teams, feel the points shouldn’t be awarded to Nottinghamshire and instead the match annulled. This would mean they would take the quarter-final place.Durham, too, are unhappy about the situation because they will be unable to field some of the players who helped them reach the quarter-final in the rearranged match. Shaun Pollock and Albie Morkel have now left the club and although Shivnarine Chanderpaul arrives as a replacement they feel at a disadvantage.”I’m disappointed about the whole affair,” said chief executive David Harker. “We have already put the case that we are being unduly punished for something that had nothing to do with us.”Yorkshire’s appeal will be heard on Monday July 14 at Taunton.

West Bromwich Albion are battling to secure a move to bring Adam Reach to the Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Albion are fighting Blackburn Rovers for the signature of the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, who is a free agent after leaving the Owls at the end of last season.

In response to a fan asking whether Rovers were close to signing anyone this summer, Nixon said: “[Blackburn are] still in Reach race despite the West Brom interest.”

Reach could solve problem

With Valerien Ismael often setting Barnsley up in a 3-4-2-1 formation last season, it would appear logical to assume that the Frenchman may well look to once again call upon this formation following his appointment at West Brom.

And, although Reach was playing his football for a Sheffield Wednesday side who ultimately finished bottom of the Championship last term, the 28-year-old nevertheless demonstrated he possesses a significant amount of ability, while the left midfielder’s positional versatility could also solve something of a problem for the 45-year-old Albion manager.

Indeed, over his 44 Championship appearances for the Owls last season, the £2.52m-rated man scored five goals, registered three assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

The man Tony Pulis dubbed a “top player” also impressed in a defensive capacity, making an average of 0.9 interceptions, one tackle, one clearance and winning 2.8 duels per match.

These returns saw the £23k-per-week midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.82, ranking him as Darren Moore’s sixth-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it would very much appear as if Reach would be capable of doing a job for West Brom, but, the exact job he may be asked to perform is what could make the former England U20 international an extremely astute piece of business by Ismael.

Indeed, with the Frenchman stating shortly after his arrival at the club that he doesn’t “need the most expensive player or the best player” but rather the “right player for the position,” Reach looks as if he could be something of a perfect candidate for the role as the 45-year-old’s left wing-back.

And, with only Conor Townsend in the Albion squad who is a natural left-back, it would very much seem as if Ismael will require far greater depth in the position over the course of an arduous Championship campaign.

So, all of the above would lead us to believe that the signing of Reach could solve one of the manager’s big issues at The Hawthorns ahead of next season, and, with the 28-year-old being available on a free transfer, he would also represent something of a bargain.

In other news: Hatfield drops West Brom transfer claim on “complete” £12k-p/w ace, Ismael must act

Newcastle are ‘monitoring the situation’ of Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh.

The lowdown

The Magpies are keen to sign a ‘ball-playing centre-back’ during this summer’s transfer window, and are about to step-up their efforts.

23-year-old Tuanzebe made 18 appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side across all competitions last season, but that included just four Premier League starts (via WhoScored).

After Manchester United beat Granada 2-0 to seal passage to the Europa League semifinals back in April, Solskjaer did hail him as ‘outstanding’, so this is clearly still a young player with immense potential in need of regular minutes.

Tuanzebe has less than 12 months left on his contract at Old Trafford, but the club have the option to extend it for a further year. He’s valued at £7.2million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Waugh reports that Newcastle already look to have missed out on three of their top central defensive targets.

The club fear being ‘priced out’ of a move for their plan A, Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer, and former Liverpool loanee Ozan Kabak has also been deemed unaffordable.

Arsenal’s William Saliba was another candidate before he instead opted to join Marseilles for the 2021/22 season.

Tuanzebe has now emerged as an alternative option, with Bruce familiar with the player after overseeing his loan spell at Aston Villa in 2018, but their interest has yet to be formalised.

The verdict

Virtually every name on the list has been an encouraging one for Newcastle fans. Ajer, Kabak and Saliba have proven to be out of reach, but Tuanzebe would be an excellent addition too. Looking for talented players on the fringes of big-six sides is a good policy for Newcastle at the moment.

The only uninspiring target identified by Waugh is Tottenham Hotspur’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth.

Newcastle want a centre-back who can comfortably slot straight into a back three, not one who will need time to adapt to a higher level. Tuanzebe seems to fit the bill, having often played in a back three while at Old Trafford.

In other news, this ex-Newcastle defender issues his verdict on the failure to land Ajer.

Newcastle United defender Lewis Cass is set to join Port Vale on a season-long loan deal, according to Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

Cass, who’s predominantly a centre-half but can also operate as a right-back, has made nearly 50 appearances for Newcastle at under-23 level without being handed a senior debut.

He spent last season on loan in the National League with Hartlepool United, notching 39 appearances as they secured promotion back to the Football League.

His Hartlepool team-mate Gary Liddle said that Cass, along with fellow defenders Ryan Johnson and Timo Odusina, had been ‘immense’ for the club.

The latest

Ryder tweeted that Newcastle’s ‘loan operations have started’, which seems to indicate that moves will be arranged for more youngsters to ensure regular game-time.

Cass will complete his medical before finalising his move to the League Two outfit. He apparently ‘attracted a lot of interest’ from the Football League and from Scotland off the back of his spell at Hartlepool, but it’s the Valiants who appear to have won the race for his signature.

The verdict

This looks a decent move for Cass, representing natural progression following a strong loan stint in the National League, but his chances of a breakthrough for the 21-year-old at Newcastle look fairly slim given that so many appearances at youth level have yet to prompt a first team runout.

Cass is into the final 12 months of his contract at St James’ Park, and it would be telling if Newcastle didn’t extend that deal before he makes his loan move to Port Vale.

In other news, Newcastle are eyeing this Ligue 1 talent.

SYDNEY, Dec 16 AAP – The repercussions of Shane Warne’s shoulder injury will be felt next week, next year and by the next generation of Australian spin bowlers.

Michael Donaldson16-Dec-2002SYDNEY, Dec 16 AAP – The repercussions of Shane Warne’s shoulder injury will be felt next week, next year and, possibly, by the next generation of Australian spin bowlers.Warne underwent surgery today on his dislocated shoulder and will be out of action for at least four to six weeks, opening a huge hole in the world’s best cricket side.The first job for the national selection panel will be finding a replacement for Warne ahead of the tri series match against Sri Lanka on December 22 in Perth.Then it has to find another spinner for the fourth and fifth Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney.After that it’s the rest of the one-day series which lead to the World Cup.Australian team doctor Trefor James said Warne was a good chance of being fit for the World Cup which starts in seven weeks.But the selectors will have to be prepared for an Australian team without the famous No.23.National selection convenor Trevor Hohns admitted the next few days would be tough for the selectors.”We’ve certainly got a lot of thinking to do,” Hohns said.”We, as a group of selectors, have several options.”Hohns said it was hard to make decisions about Warne’s immediate successor.He emphasised the selectors’ attitude was to pick the best available team each time rather than use upcoming matches to test credentials of those in the queue.”We pick the best team – it’s not a matter of giving someone an opportunity for the sake of it.”We’ll be picking the next best spinner.”Finding a replacement for the Perth match is the least of the worries as the bouncy WACA ground suggests the addition of pace bowler Andy Bichel would be a way around the matter, with Darren Lehmann’s occasional spin as a back-up.For the Test matches, there’s really only one option – Stuart MacGill.MacGill’s Test career has been brilliant with 82 wickets in 17 Tests at an average of 25.Against England he’s been phenomenal with 27 wickets from four Tests at an average of 17.That gets the selectors through to the New Year.But what happens for the World Cup if Warne doesn’t regain full fitness, or reinjures the shoulder?The big problem the selectors face is that MacGill is not in the Australian 30-man World Cup squad.The legspinner included in that squad is Victorian youngster Cameron White.The squad also includes leftarm spin bowlers like Mark Higgs, Brad Hogg and all-rounder Michael Clarke, who is already close to inclusion in the final 15-man squad.White is an ideal one-day prospect, he’s a good bowler, he can bat like a top-order player and he led the Australian under-19 side to victory in the youth World Cup.But he’s only 19.Whether he’s ready for the big stage on the high veldt is a tough question.That’s why the national selectors have been trying to get in touch with the International Cricket Council (ICC).”We’re seeking a bit of clarification from the ICC about bringing in someone from outside that 30-man squad,” Hohns said.And he’s not talking about Steve Waugh.If the Australian Cricket Board gets the green light to bring in a player from outside the 30-man squad, bet on it being MacGill.MacGill is regarded as an expensive one-day bowler because of his attacking style.But in three one-dayers for Australia, he has taken six wickets and conceded only 3.5 runs per over.In one-dayers for NSW and Australia A he’s taken 94 wickets at 21.70 and conceded 4.79 runs per over.