All posts by h79snht.top

I remember in December 2010 sitting in my friend’s living room, having a heated debate, about whether some fans have earned the right to feel hard done by when their team loses.

My friend in question was a Manchester United fan, who had openly admitted to crying when his side lost 2-0 to Barcelona in the Champions League final, in May 2009. I questioned his right to cry, needless to say it didn’t receive a welcoming reception.

However, it has since led me to question whether fans need to see their team lose and suffer the anguish of defeat to really appreciate football?

I think I maybe missed the point a little back then, in that what I had forgotten in such debates is that fans pay with their wallets, as well as their emotions, to watch their football team. Regardless of whether your team is winning 3-0, or losing 2-1, the fans are the ones who still travel up and down the country to follow their teams.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/do-certain-players-do-too-much-talking-and-not-enough-playing, https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/newcastle-united/when-will-alan-pardew-stop-saying-yes, https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/west-ham/a-real-financial-necessity-for-west-ham” target=”_blank” type=”tower”]

The team I decided to take issue with back in 2010 Manchester United, are the fans that often are hit the hardest usually with trips to Stamford Bridge where they’re put in the Blues’ Category AA fans section for away ticketing. This means travelling supporters have to pay £60-plus for 90 minutes of pleasure or pain, depending on the result. This is before we consider travelling and any other expenditure of the day out, particularly for away games.

The suffering for the fan also becomes relative, now while I accept that no fan of any team likes to see their team lose, some almost become immune to it. It is also underestimated the release which football is often expected to provide for people who are looking forward to their team play all week, whichever team they support.

One thing though that is communal, is that it always hurts when you are not expecting a defeat. Especially when you watch your team playing what should be a rudimentary fixture at home, it is always fraught with danger and fear that your team could lose, and if it ends up occurring it is always a bitter pill to swallow.

It may seem a strange concept to accept but it is unfair to label some fans more understanding of the nature of suffering in football than others. This is because the supporters can only deal with what is in front of them. For example, supporters of Arsenal may feel just as frustrated at their trophy drought, as supporters of Cardiff do at their frustration at not being promoted to the Premier League.

Whenever fans have to suddenly accept a standard of football at their club which is not what they believe club is capable of, it takes a while to adapt and some fans simply can’t watch their team play a lower standard of football, as it hurts them too much to see it. Don’t get me wrong there are some fans that never have and never will appreciate the charm and quality of football outside the Premier League, but it does not mean that they don’t feel the same passion and energy at every ball kicked.

I often hear fans say the Championship and lower leagues are “real”. I admit there is a feeling within it that you can take a step away from the limelight and away from the constant scrutiny of Super Sundays and the ESPN and Sky cameras. This though does not mean fans in this division, or fans of the Npower football league clubs, suddenly feel football more than those who support Premier League teams.

The point this addresses is that I don’t believe you can argue a fan has suffered more at for example Blackburn last year than Manchester United. The reason for this is that whatever the end result is at the end of the season, each fan goes through extreme highs and lows at different stages of the journey. So for Manchester United fans it may have been an extreme for them to not see their team make it to the Champions League knockout stages in the same way Blackburn fans despaired at seeing their side’s demise which led them ultimately to be relegated.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

I believe football is a commodity that fans can appreciate at whatever level their team plays, so the natural emotions are enough to grasp a true understanding of football.

And I certainly think fans who hold on to concepts such as Manchester United fans need to experience a relegation to acknowledge what football is all about are slightly misguided, as I was back in 2010.

[ad_pod id=’tv’ align=’center’]

Jack Grealish has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in this window, and now the fans think that it is only a matter of time before he is unveiled by the club.

The Aston Villa midfielder attracted attention in the Championship last season as he scored three goals and created six assists in 31 appearances in all competitions.

After the Midlands outfit lost to Fulham in the playoff final, attention swiftly turned to Grealish’s future.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

On June 20, The Sun reported that Liverpool had entered the race to sign the midfielder.

The publication also stated that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had been trying to strike a £20m deal, which is half of cash-strapped Villa’s valuation.

Grealish has remained quiet on the subject, but he sent some Tottenham fans into a frenzy when he posted a cryptic tweet on Tuesday morning.

Some Villa fans concluded from the post that the 22-year-old is on his way out of the club, while Spurs supporters think that North London will be his destination.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255896″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Tottenham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

It seems to be an all too familiar story with young players never reaching their expected potential.

Jaime Peters joined Ipswich in 2005 and before he left he was the clubs longest serving player. Many may be surprised to hear that in total he made 99 appearances for Ipswich. A lot of these appearances were from the bench so his appearances don’t really represent how much game time he actually had though.

When he was first linked the Tractor Boys it didn’t seem like we had much chance of signing him as both Chelsea and Manchester United showed an interest in the youngster. However, Peters chose to join Ipswich as he wanted to play as much first team football as he possible could to help him develop as a player.

The young Canadian was an instant fans favourite and has always been a very popular figure amongst the fans. He wasn’t popular just because he was exiting to watch but the fact that he turned down both Manchester United and Chelsea in order to get game time was very respectable.

He was still a teenager when he joined Ipswich and everyone was exited by the prospect of seeing Peters in a Town shirt. Being only 5ft 7in Peters had a distinctive style of play to compensate for his short stature. He used his height as an advantage and by having a low centre of gravity he was able to terrorise opposition defenders with quick tricks and turns. Without a doubt he was an exiting player to watch and although his game was far from complete he offered the team something they didn’t have.

After every season Ipswich hoped that Peters would develop and become a key player in the team. The potential was there but we never really saw much progression from him after each season.

He never commanded a place in the team and was never consistently good enough to become a key player. Both Magilton and Keane would often use Peters as an impact sub and this probably was the most useful role he could play at Championship level.

The real reason why Peters never developed into the player we all dreamed he could be was because he never had a complete game. His dribbling, agility and speed was at times amazing but he never perfected the art of crossing and being so small meant he struggled with the physical aspects of the game.

However, despite his downfalls every fan will have fond memories of Peters.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

He always worked hard, always wanted to be in the first team and most importantly always cared about the club. The highlight of his Ipswich career came in the League Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal where he performed so well at right back that Andrei Arshavin had to be subbed off as he couldn’t get anything past Peters.

He was a great servant to the club and a player who will always be welcome at Portman Road. In the modern game it is rare to find a player who is both loyal and just wants to play as much football as possible so we were lucky to have Peters at the club. It looks like Peters will drop down to League One but whoever he plays for next will have a great player with a great personality.

 [ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

Christian Eriksen single handedly pulled Tottenham out of the mire in their 3-2 win against Southampton. The talented Dane has always been tipped to do great things at White Hart Lane but is now really demonstrating why he is a class act.

The 22 year old has always been earmarked for his play making talents but he is now adding goals to his game highlighting why he is more than capable of becoming Spurs’s most important player, taking over Bale’s crown as Tottenham’s king.

The former Ajax starlet initially struggled to make an impact but now his consistency and effortless flair are earning him the plaudits Eredivisie fans always except the Denmark international to receive in the Premier League.

In the summer Tottenham’s board will plan a fresh recruitment drive and demand a top four push next season and possibly even a title charge. Here is why they need to build any of their plans for the future around Eriksen.

1. Eriksen is capable of getting the very best out of Soldado 

2. Eriksen consistently is pushing himself to be the best Tottenham player and take the lead.

3. Christian Eriksen is a player that can galvanise the supporters into believing in the team.

Following his first appearance for Arsenal in nearly two years, a Capital One Cup outing against Southampton, Arsene Wenger revealed his plans to reinvent eternally-crocked Frenchman Abou Diaby as a holding midfielder.

“I tried to develop [Diaby] in a deeper role, I think he can do it. He can be very interesting because he has all the attributes to do it,” Wenger informed reporters. “After, he must love it as well because he’s more of an offensive-minded player. I try to transform him because he was injured for a long time and he has the physical potential to win the challenges. To face the game will be easier for him than to play with his back to goal with the injuries he had.”

There are certainly some positives to take from this news. Particularly, Arsene Wenger appears to be accepting the intrinsic need for more holding options in his midfield. Mikel Arteta offers great quality in possession, Mathieu Flamini a fantastic work-rate off the ball, but both lack the natural physicality required to contest the power and strength of Chelsea and Manchester City in the middle of the park.

Measuring at 6 foot 3, blessed with relative pace and brawn, Diaby is capable of providing it, although the level of effect injuries have had on his mobility remains to be seen.

Yet, pessimistically, one can already envisage the 28 year-old’s potential performances in the holding role becoming a justification for a new contract in the summer, and Wenger deciding against investing heavily in one of the many coveted defensive midfielders, such as Sami Khedira, Lars Bender or Morgan Schneiderlin, recently linked with an Emirates move.

Diaby may be a decent option until the end of the season, seeing as, for whatever reason, Wenger had little interest in signing a holding midfielder this summer, but he can’t be considered a long-term solution to an intrinsic flaw within Arsenal’s squad that’s existed since Alex Song left for Barcelona two years ago.

And we are talking about a player who has endured no less than 40 injures since his debut for Arsenal in 2006, the most recent being an eighteen-month sideline stint with a cruciate knee ligament injury. In that time, he’s managed only 124 Premier League appearances, averaging out at just 14 per season.

Fully developing Diaby as a defensive midfielder, teaching him the tactical discipline and defensive awareness required, will take at least a couple of years, and there are no guarantees – in fact, history suggests completely otherwise – that he’ll remain in clean health for such a period. At which point, the midfielder will be the wrong side of 30 and beyond his footballing peak.

There’s also something remarkably illogical about attempting to utilise a habitual member of Arsenal’s injury list in the most physically-demanding area of the pitch. Tough tackles and robust challenges will be compulsory, yet the former France international is only ever one away from ruling himself out of contention for extended periods.

This isn’t Diaby’s first reinvention either; unquestionably more natural as an attacking force, he’s been tested in central midfield, on the left wing and as a No.10 by Wenger before with mixed results.  A combination of turbulent performances and season-ending injuries has seen the 28 year-old fail to make any role his own. At this point, there’s little to suggest moving him deeper into midfield will pan out any differently.

You can understand Wenger’s temptation. He’s continually stood by the midfielder throughout his injury problems and to paraphrase the Arsenal boss, Diaby has shown enormous mental strength by refusing to hang up his boots. It’s an unfortunate situation that’s cost the club wages and resources and Diaby the best years of his career; both the Gunners and the 28 year-old deserve something positive to come out of it, even if at the compromise of a change in position.

Optimists will argue that the Gunners stuck it out with Robin van Persie during six years of continuous injury as well as Tomaz Rosicky, who once looked like he’d never kick a ball again, and eventually, Arsenal reaped the benefits of their loyalty.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

In regards to Diaby however, it feels like flogging a dead horse. And placing faith in a 28 year-old who hasn’t played regular football since 2010 is an incredibly risky strategy. One certainly struggles to envisage a similar situation coming into fruition at any other of the Premier League’s top four clubs.

I’m sure that rather taking a gamble on the crocked midfielder Arsenal fans would much prefer to see their manager invest properly in a department that’s required strengthening for the last two seasons. After all, even if Diaby proves useful as a holding midfielder, he’s still not the specialist Arsenal desperately need in that role.

And although it feels as heart-breaking as telling a toddler there’s no such thing as Father Christmas, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season,  it’s probably time the Gunners gave up on Diaby.

It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…

[ffcvideo file=”TopFiveVideosoftheWeek” type=”mp4″]

كشف محمد بن فهد، المتحدث الرسمي لنادي الوكرة تفاصيل تعاقد النادي القطري مع حمدي فتحي لاعب الوسط المصري الدولي.

وفي تصريحات لقناة “أون تايم سبورتس 2” قال بن فهد: “بدأنا اتصالات مع النادي الأهلي بشأن التعاقد مع اللاعب ونقدم شكر خاص للكابتن محمود للخطيب على سهولة المفاوضات والتي انتهت بشكل سريع”.

وواصل حديثه: “الصفقة في وقت ما واجهت خطر الفشل؟ الموسم كان لم ينتهي لدى الأهلي المصري وكانوا ينتظرون نهاية النهائي الإفريقي وبعدها تيسرت الأمور والصفقة تمت”.

اقرأ أيضا.. حمدي فتحي يشكر الوكرة القطري ويوجه رسالة إلى الأهلي وجماهيره

وأكمل: “هل هناك لاعبون مصريون على رادار الوكرة القطري؟ وقعنا مع جميع المحترفين والفريق أصبح كامل في المواسم المقبلة سنكون سعداء بالتعامل مع اللاعبين المصريين وشيء يسعدنا أن يكون المحترفون المصريون لدينا، لأننا سوف نستفيد من لاعبين مميزين ودعم جماهيري مصري”.

وأضاف: “رئيس نادي الوكرة دائمًا حريص على النادي ومن باب الحرص حضر المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بتقديم حمدي فتحي بشكل كامل، آخر بطولة توجنا بها كانت عام 2001 والسنوات الأخيرة الوكرة متواجد ضمن أول أربعة فرق وهذا الموسم سنشارك في دوري أبطال آسيا”.

وتابع حديثه عن تفاصيل عقد اللاعب المصري مع الوكرة: “راتب اللاعب 1.2 مليون دولار سنوياً؟ الأمور المالية عند إدارة النادي”.

وقال ردا على رغبة أم صلال القطري في ضم محمد مجدي أفشة: “قرأت هذا الخبر عن طريق تويتر، ونتمنى التوفيق لأم صلال”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Ídolo do Flamengo, Juan viver os últimos momentos como jogador de futebol da forma que merece. A lesão sofrida em setembro do ano passado, aos 39 anos, não pôs fim à carreira do zagueiro, que, recuperado da cirurgia, voltou a ser relacionado para uma partida do Rubro-Negro nesta terça, após seis meses.

Aos 43 minutos do segundo tempo , Juan foi chamado pelo técnico Abel Braga e pôde participar dos minutos finais da vitória por 2 a 0. Recebeu a faixa de capitão de Diego e os aplausos dos mais de 17 mil rubro-negros presentes.

Agora, o camisa 4 só pensa em ajudar os colegas e desfrutar antes de se aposentar. Seu contrato vai até 31 de abril, logo após o final do Estadual.

RelacionadasFlamengoOs destaques da vitória: marca de Pará, dança de Gabigol e Fla na semiFlamengo19/03/2019FlamengoFaro de Gabigol! Atacante assegura vaga do Fla às semis do CariocaFlamengo19/03/2019

Hoje é dia de concentração. De resenha no ônibus a caminho do Maracanã. De vestir uniforme de jogo. De encontrar a torcida do @flamengo. De viver expectativa de entrar em campo para jogar por esse clube tão importante em minha vida… pic.twitter.com/q8Vb9Aefaq

— Juan J4 (@juanj4oficial) 19 de março de 2019

Antes mesmo da bola rolar no Maracanã, o camisa 4 usou as redes sociais para demonstrar sua alegria em estar de volta à disposição do Flamengo. Em seu post, o zagueiro celebrou o fato de estar concentrado com os companheiros.

Na chegada da delegação rubro-negra, antes do jogo contra o Madureira, Juan comentou como foi a sensação de reencontrar a torcida e defender o clube.

-Eu estava comentando com o Diego que tinha até esquecido como era esse trajeto da concentração até o Maracanã. Feliz, estou voltando depois de uma batalha que passei. Está chegando ao fim, quero curtir o momento – afirmou.

Confira, na íntegra, a publicação feita pelo zagueiro Juan, ídolo do Flamengo:

“Hoje é dia de concentração. De resenha no ônibus a caminho do Maracanã. De vestir uniforme de jogo. De encontrar a torcida do @flamengo. De viver expectativa de entrar em campo para jogar por esse clube tão importante em minha vida.

.Como senti falta de tudo isso nesses seis meses pós lesão e cirurgia. E como foi importante contar com carinho e apoio de minha família, da Nação rubro-negra, dos companheiros de time, funcionários e diretoria durante minha recuperação.

Minha gratidão a todos e contem comigo para levar o Flamengo a mais uma vitória. Desta vez não apenas como um torcedor. Vamos, Flamengo!”

Confira outras respostas dadas por Juan após o jogo contra o Madureira:

Vida após a aposentadoria

– Vamos analisar, ver com o Flamengo as possibilidades. É preciso ver o nível que eu vou estar, hoje foi uma coisa antecipada. Normalmente, eu não teria que jogar hoje. Foram seis meses completos hoje, que era a previsão dos doutores, mas, com muito esforço, conseguimos antecipar um pouco. Para fazer um jogo de alto nível, ainda precisaria de mais treinamento. Vamos sentar com o Flamengo e ver a forma de se despedir.Temos várias possibilidades, é preciso ter tranquilidade para dar o próximo passo.

Ato de Diego de entregar a faixa de capitão

Diego é um grande amigo, já o conhecida da Seleção e feliz pela homenagem. Uma das coisas que me deu força foi o apoio dos meus companheiros, sempre estiveram comigo e me deram força para continuar trabalhando no dia a dia.

Sensação por estar no fim da carreira

Tristeza vai dar sempre, jogador de futebol fica bem quando está atuando. Tenho consciência que está chegando ao fim, mas aproveitei bastante, pude estender o máximo o que pude minha carreira e agora quero aproveitar os últimos momentos

كشف أيمن أشرف لاعب فريق الكرة بالأهلي، تفاصيل رحيله عن القلعة الحمراء وانضمامه لـ البنك الأهلي، موضحًا تفاصيل جلسته مع محمود الخطيب رئيس المارد الأحمر.

وأتم أيمن أشرف اتفاقه مع البنك الأهلي للانتقال إليه بعد انتهاء علاقته مع الأهلي في ظل استبعاده من مارسيل كولر المدير الفني للقلعة الحمراء منذ بداية الموسم.

وقال أيمن أشرف في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة أون تايم سبورتس: “أحب أن أشكر الإدارة برئاسة محمود الخطيب، وقفوا بجانبي، وأشكر جمهور النادي الأهلي على المساندة، لم أكن أشعر بحب الجمهور غير الفترة الماضية، وشعرت أنني ذو قيمة”.

طالع | الأهلي يعلن رحيل أيمن أشرف ويوجه له رسالة

وأكمل: “هذه سنة الحياة، والحياة ليست عادلة، أوقات تتعرض للظُلم، ولكن الأهم حب الناس، كانت فترة صعبة هذا الموسم، لكن عندي طموح في الموسم الجديد مع البنك الأهلي وأن أعود لمنتخب مصر مرة أخرى”.

وتابع: “في بداية الموسم كنت عائدًا من المنتخب ولم أخض فترة الإعداد مع النادي، والمدرب كان اختار من يريد، وأنا لم أكن جاهزًا بدنيًا، وكولر بدأ في وضع التشكيل ويضع اللاعبين في مراكزهم، وبدأ يُصنفني في مكان غير الذي أريده، وهي وجهة نظره وتحترم”.

وأردف: “تحدثت مع كولر كثيرًا، كان يقول لي أنت عائد من الإصابة ومرة أخرى يقول إنني أحتاج فترة إعداد بدني، بعد ذلك قال لي أنت تحتاج للتطوير، ولكن واضح أنه كان قد اتخذ قرارًا بعدم إعطائي فرصة”.

واستطرد: “الفترة الماضية كانت صعبة، لكن لم أفتعل أي مشكلة طيلة حياتي، وأعرف كيف أوقف نفسي عن افتعال أزمات احترامًا للنادي الأهلي والإدارة والجمهور، وأنا ألعب في النادي الأهلي منذ أن كان عمري 7 سنوات، جلست في النادي 21 سنة أكثر من جلوسي مع أسرتي”.

وأضاف أيمن: “الكابتن الخطيب جلس معي من شهرين، وقال لي بشكل عام إنه لا يجلس مع أي لاعب، ولكنه رحب بالجلوس معي، وهو شخصية محترمة ويتعامل معنا مثل أبنائه، وقال لي أعرف أنك منزعج وأنت ابن النادي والأهلي بيتك ومفتوح في أي وقت، وخذ القرار الذي تريده، وأنا اتخذت القرار الذي أريده وهو أنني أريد أن ألعب”.

وبسؤاله لماذا فضلت البنك الأهلي رغم الحديث عن اهتمام الزمالك؟، أجاب: “كان لابد أن آخذ خطوة في ناد هاديء، ورئيس نادي البنك الأهلي محترم وعندهم طموح في الموسم المُقبل، الزمالك تواصل معي من خلال بعض الوكلاء، ولكن لم يحدث تفاوض بشكل مباشر”.

وأوضح: “ممكن أكون موجودًا في مباراة الغد وتسليم درع الدوري، وأهنيء جمهور الأهلي على حصد 5 بطولات في الموسم، أنا حققت مع الفريق 16 بطولة، وخرجت من الباب الكبير وبصورة جيدة، والجمهور متعاطف معي لأنني بذلت كل جهدي، وسعيد برد فعل الجمهور”.

وواصل: “كانت لحظة مؤثرة اليوم بعد رحيلي عن المكان الذي تربيت فيه، كنت أتمنى أن أعتزل في النادي الأهلي وهذا كان طموحي، لكن الحمد لله راضي بقضاء ربنا، والشيء المؤثر أنني تركت عائلتي في النادي الأهلي، زملائي بمثابة عائلتي”.

وأشار: “من أغلى البطولات على قلبي وعلى كل قلوب الأهلاوية وهي التاسعة لدوري أبطال إفريقيا”.

واختتم: “إمام عاشور لاعب جيد وإنسان جميل وإضافة للفريق، وإن شاء الله يحصد بطولات مع الأهلي، وأنصحه بالجهد والعمل المستمر، وأتمنى أن يتذكرني جمهور الأهلي بالخير، ولو ظللت أشكرهم حتى آخر الزمن لن أوفيهم حقهم”.

Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath are confident that the growing cricketing infrastructure around the state will help Karnataka win Ranji Trophy titles and produce more India cricketers

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Bangalore07-Aug-2013

Former Karnataka players at the launch of the KSCA’s platinum jubilee celebrations•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Former India bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, who also hold top positions at the Karnataka State Cricket Association, are confident that the growing cricketing infrastructure around the state will help Karnataka win Ranji Trophy titles and produce more India cricketers. Both were speaking at a function in Bangalore to launch the platinum jubilee celebrations of the KSCA.Karnataka won the last of their six Ranji titles in 1998-99, winning three of those starting from the 1995-96. That era produced several cricketers who also featured for India, including Srinath, Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi, Vijay Bharadwaj and Dodda Ganesh. In recent years, the representation has reduced, with fast bowler Vinay Kumar the most favoured Karnataka player among the national selectors. The side came close to regaining the title in 2009-10, losing a tense final to Mumbai.The KSCA recently has spread the game to towns outside of Bangalore, hosting Ranji games in places like Shimoga, Mysore and Hubli and the spectator response has been encouraging. The team was knocked out in the quarter-finals last season but Kumble, the KSCA president, said there were positives to draw from the team’s performances in recent seasons.”The infrastructure has been put in place not just in Bangalore but other parts of Karnataka. It will take some time and I’m sure it will come up,” Kumble said. “We have a good, young team which had done exceptionally well in the last year. They came close, losing out to Saurashtra. It’s just the matter of one moment that you need to take to the cricket field in a difficult time. That’s something that with experience they will come good and hopefully this season we can win the Ranji Trophy.”Having said that, with all the infrastructure and the developments that have happened, I can assure you that in the years to come there will be a lot more victories to celebrate and greater representation in the Indian team as well from Karnataka.”Srinath, the KSCA secretary, said titles would come so long as players from across the state have access to similar facilities that are available within Bangalore.”Our objective has been to take the game to all the jurisdictions of KSCA. We need to replicate what we have in Mysore or Bangalore or even better,” Srinath told ESPNcricinfo. “The kids in and around these districts will have access to anything and everything. There is a uniformity in terms of infrastructure which is very crucial to us. Turf wickets are a must, we don’t believe in matting wickets.”Unless you have uniformity in infrastructure it’s going to be tough for us to expect the players to play the same kind of cricket.”Vinay is an example of an outstation player who has come made it to the national team and Srinath felt that the number of such players will only increase. “There is tremendous talent,” he said. “You normally have four to five guys from outside Bangalore and with this infrastructure I expect more people.”The KSCA has several events planned over the months as part of its celebrations, including a live discussion featuring Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishen Bedi, on August17. There will also be a discussion on club cricket in Karnataka, featuring Srinath, Dravid and author Ramachandra Guha.

Glamorgan gave themselves a fighting chance of qualifying for the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals after easing to a 68-run win over Leicestershire at Swansea.

25-Aug-2013
ScorecardChris Cooke top-scored for Glamorgan•Getty Images

Glamorgan gave themselves a fighting chance of qualifying for the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals after easing to a 68-run win over Leicestershire at Swansea.The win over the Foxes was their seventh in the competition this season and their most comprehensive. Glamorgan now have to beat Yorkshire at Headingley in their final Group C match on Monday and hope other results go their way to make the last four.In front of a big crowd, Glamorgan cracked 303 for 6 from their 40 overs with Chris Cooke top scoring with 85 from 76 balls. In reply Leicestershire could only make 235 for 6 with Niall O’Brien making 92.For Glamorgan there were also useful contributions from Murray Goodwin, who struck 48 from 19 balls, including four sixes and Mark Wallace and Gareth Rees. The only Leicestershire bowler to emerge with credit was off spinner James Sykes, who claimed 2 for 37 from his eight overs.Glamorgan, who won the toss, were given a positive start by Wallace and Rees who amassed 84 in the opening 12 overs – 60 from the opening eight-over Powerplay – before Wallace was bowled by Ben Raine. Cooke and Rees continued the good opening, reaching 100 in the 17th over. But with the total on 148 Rees went leg before to Sykes, who struck again to have Jim Allenby caught at shot extra-cover.Cooke reached his 50 from 49 balls and struck Rob Taylor over midwicket for six as Glamorgan reached the 200-mark in the 32nd over.Glamorgan lost captain Marcus North caught behind but that heralded Goodwin’s productive innings. He began with a four and glance for six over deep square-leg, followed by a lofted off-drive for six before Cooke was caught at long-off off Raine.Goodwin carried on his assault hitting a no-ball from Raine for six and then scooping a four to long-leg, before clipping Shiv Thakor for yet another maximum. He seemed on course to equal the record of Stewart Walters, who posted a 19-ball fifty against Lancashire in 2011 at Colwyn Bay, but in looking for a six he was caught on the deep midwicket boundary off Nathan Buck.Leicestershire suffered a major blow in their reply when they lost captain Josh Cobb in only the second over after being caught behind off Jim Allenby. In the next over Greg Smith was also caught behind, this time off Michael Hogan, to leave Leicestershire struggling on 12 for 2.In trying to push the score along Ned Eckersley was bowled by Allenby as the visitors further slipped to 28 for 3. That became 53 for 4 when off-spinner Andrew Salter bowled Thakor. By the halfway stage of their Leicestershire had limped to 68 for 4 needing 11.75-an-over.O’Brien reached his 50, but from 84 balls with only two fours, and he was followed to the landmark by Michael Thornley from 53 balls with a six and four fours before he holed out to midwicket five overs from the end. O’Brien perished eight short of his century caught at mid-on off Allenby, who finished with figures of 3 for 37.