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On the eve of Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket, Tatenda Taibu has said that a lack of funds and poor professional structures are crippling the game in the country

Firdose Moonda in Harare02-Aug-2011On the eve of Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket, senior wicketkeeper batsman Tatenda Taibu has slammed the country’s administration for not doing enough for the game. Taibu said that a lack of funds and poor professional structures are crippling cricket in the country.The end of an almost six-year long self-imposed exile from Test cricket, the introduction of a franchise system and the return of many former players such as Heath Streak and Grant Flower to the coaching structures had many thinking that transformation was in the air. Taibu has knocked that notion, saying that the only reason the game survives in the country is because of the commitment of its players.”I don’t think much has changed really, the administration is still struggling to run cricket in the country well,” Taibu said candidly. “For example, the guys haven’t been paid their match fees from August last year up to now. At the moment, I am sitting here without a contract, no one has got a contract; those are all things that the administration is struggling to deal with.”Although the franchises have been able to contract and pay players, the issue of central contracts has never been clarified or resolved. All players who play for Zimbabwe must be contracted to a franchise, which means they earn some form of income, but Taibu indicated that may just be a form of bandaging a wound that really needs surgery. “When you walk around and you see a house that’s painted well, you will think that house is really standing strong but if does not have a strong foundation, it will fall down one day or another,” he said. “Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has just painted a house that’s about to fall.”Taibu said the players have tried to seek certainty from ZC but that, personally, he had kept a distance from the subject because of his reputation as a pot-stirrer. “It’s hard for me as a player with the history that I’ve got in Zimbabwe cricket to go up and mention these things,” he said. “We’ve tried to go through the right structures, the captain and the manager but nothing has been done to date.”Taibu resigned from the captaincy in November 2005 in controversial fashion after speaking out about the way cricket was being run and spent time living in Namibia, Bangladesh and South Africa before coming home in 2007.He vowed not to speak about administrative issues again but now, Taibu has broken his silence and said he is no afraid of the repercussions. Instead, he feels it his responsibility, as the senior statesman of the side, to be the mouthpiece for some of the juniors. “I like telling the truth, I know most of the other guys are scared of being targeted and they won’t be able to come out and say it in the open but I am not scared of being targeted. I think it’s important that I can stand up for the younger guys who don’t have a voice.”With such discontent bubbling under the surface of a historic comeback into the game, it’s difficult to see what keeps the players motivated. Taibu explained that it was the patriotism and passion in the ranks, and that he is proud to be involved with men of such character. “I can’t fault the coaching staff, they’ve worked really hard and I can’t fault the guys. They come in day in and day out but they are not getting much support from the administration unfortunately,” he said. “To see the guys running in and bowling and hitting a lot of balls in the nets it really shows that the guys have got the country at heart. It is two days before a Test match and no one has got a contract, no one knows what we will get paid, but the guys love their country and they can’t see cricket drop like that.”As much as there is strife in Zimbabwe cricket, there is also pride and the return to the game’s premier format is something the players are cherishing. “It will be sad to see Zimbabwe cricket die, after all the people that have worked hard for us to get Test cricket back, I think it will be a waste if we let it die.”Taibu believes the game is still very much alive and the upcoming Test matches, against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand, will only help cricket thrive in spite of its structures. “When you play Test cricket, you improve faster,” he said. “As a batsman you spend more time at the crease, as a bowler you learn how to get people out, how to be disciplined and when to attack and when not to.”

Somerville has appeared in five first-class games at the venue as a New South Wales player

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2019Offspinner Will Somerville will return to the SCG where he played for New South Wales after being called up to the New Zealand squad for the final Test against Australia as Trent Boult’s replacement.Somerville, the 35-year-old offspinner, has played three Tests for New Zealand, all of them in Asia, and has taken 14 wickets at 25.14 after returning home to New Zealand following a five-year spell in Australian cricket. He played 12 first-class matches for New South Wales including five at the SCG where he took 23 wickets at 20.69.While it might seem unusual for a spinner to replace a fast bowler in the squad, the decision has been made with an eye on conditions. The SCG pitch has aided spinners in the Sheffield Shield this season and Australia have added uncapped legspinner Mitchell Swepson to their squad with that in mind.ALSO READ: Boult out of SCG Test after fracturing hand“There’s no secret the SCG pitch is one of the more spin-friendly in Australia,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “Will offers something different to our two other spinners in the squad with his right-arm offspin and height.”Will’s played a lot at the SCG and understands the ground so well be tapping into his knowledge around the chances of that wicket turning and what role the spinners will play. The reason we brought him over is we have enough pace bowling cover for one game and certainly spin is something at the SCG that has been more of a factor than other grounds in Australia.”Former New South Wales team-mate Nathan Lyon believed that Somerville could pose a challenge for Australia if he plays in Sydney. “He’s a lovely guy, he goes up the back of the ball,” he said. “I’ve trained with him a fair bit being part of the NSW squad together for a few years there. He’ll be a big challenge for us. He gets a fair amount of bounce, has a great record at the SCG, he loves bowling there. He’ll be a different challenge for us and good one for our batters.”Incumbent spinner Mitchell Santner has struggled in the first two Tests taking 1 for 250, but bolsters the lower order with his batting, while legspinner Todd Astle is also in the squad and Stead said playing two spinners could certainly come into the equation.”It definitely suggests we could play two spinners without a doubt. It’s not only Mitch that’s had a tough fortnight, there’s other players who haven’t had the performances and results they wanted. It was three Tests ago that Mitch got a century that helped us win a Test match. Whilst we’re talking about slightly different roles that’s the thing Kane and I have to get our head around for the next match.”Santner was backed by Lyon to have an impact in conditions that are likely to suit him at the SCG.”You don’t write off good players in international cricket. Mitch probably hasn’t had the series that he’s wanted to but he’s a world-class player,” he said. “He’s a brilliant fielder, his bowling’s improving, he’s a great batter as well. You can’t just write off someone who has been under the pump for two games. The SCG will suit Mitch and the way he bowls, we’re expecting him to definitely play and play a massive role in the next week.”Boult fractured his hand while batting in the Boxing Day Test, and is set for four weeks of rehabilitation back home before he is fit to play again. He had also missed the first Test of the series with a side injury.

Sourav Ganguly’s elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, a former Bengal batsman, is the new joint-secretary

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2020Former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya’s son Avishek became the youngest president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) at the age of 38, after being elected unopposed on Wednesday.BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, a former Bengal batsman, is the new joint-secretary, a post that was vacated by Avishek before his elevation. The CAB president’s post was lying vacant after Sourav Ganguly took over the reins of the BCCI last year.

Sourav Ganguly to deliver Dalmiya lecture in March

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will deliver the Jagmohan Dalmiya lecture in March, new CAB president Avishek Dalmiya announced on Wednesday. The Jagmohan Dalmiya Annual Conclave will be held on the eve of the third India-South Africa ODI at the Eden Gardens scheduled for March 18.
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith had delivered the lecture last year.

However, Avishek will go for a cooling-off period from November 6, 2021 as per the rules in the constitution. Avishek became the 18th president of CAB, taking charge of the same chair where his father sat in his two terms from 1992-93 to 2006 and then from 2008-09 till his death on September 20, 2015.”Right from my childhood, I always heard my father saying ‘Eden is a temple of worship’. That sentiment will run with me always,” Avishek said in his first address as CAB president. “He was very passionate about Eden Gardens. It was really emotional that I could sit in this room. I will only be a fool if I compare myself with any of the former CAB presidents. Their statures were different.”Snehasish recalled his playing days after taking charge of the office.”It was a dream to play for state and I played for 10-11 years,” Snehashish said. “Yesterday, I was really emotional remembering my playing days. Now as an administrator, we have got a very young team and we are confident to take Bengal cricket forward.”With India set to host two global events – the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup – in three years’ time, the priority for the new CAB president would be to renew the Eden Gardens lease with the Ministry of Defence.”The renewal of lease of Eden Gardens is due in a couple of years. It takes a lot of time to put things in right perspective. We would initiate the process soon,” Avishek said. “Earlier it was for 15 years. With the two global events coming up, we don’t want the issue to be racked up before a global tournament.”The CAB is also planning to introduce an eight-team women’s club league and code of conduct for players.”We want to have women’s club league with eight clubs. We also want to introduce code of conduct of players and support staff. It’s necessary to maintain discipline,” Avishek said.The idea of introducing a code of conduct comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding Bengal quick Ashok Dinda who was found abusing bowling coach Ranadeb Bose earlier this season, which later cost him a place in the squad.Avishek addressed the media interaction with his five-member team of Snehasish, joint-secretary Debabrata Das, treasurer Debasish Ganguly and vice-president Naresh Ojha.

Hamid Hassan, the Afghanistan fast bowler, is preparing to represent MCC in Abu Dhabi and hopes he gets a chance to play in future World Cups

Andrew McGlashan26-Mar-2011Amid all the discussion and debate about the structure of future World Cups, and whether Associates will retain a place in the tournament, it’s worth remembering one team who almost completed a remarkable journey to the current event. Afghanistan finished fifth in the qualifying tournament two years ago, enough to earn ODI status but agonisingly short of being one of the four extra teams in the subcontinent.Nobody is quite sure what the future holds for Afghanistan cricket; whether they were riding on the crest of a wave – both in terms of the emotion behind their success and a talented group players who came together at the right time – or whether there is a real chance of them developing into a fully-fledged cricketing nation. Regardless, though, they deserve the chance to try again.Hamid Hassan, 23, is one of their poster boys and marquee players, an opening bowler with an ODI average of 20.86 and Twenty20 economy rate of under a run-a-ball. He has time on his side and is desperate that the ICC don’t close off the World Cup to the Associate and Affiliate nations.”We were so close to getting into this year’s tournament, just one win away, and we’d be very disappointed if he didn’t have another chance,” Hassan told ESPNcricinfo. “I know ICC have announced the next tournament will be 10 nations, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to not let the Associates in. Hopefully we get a chance to qualify.”A year ago Afghanistan were the talk of the town as they took on India and South Africa during the group stage of the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. There was no fairytale upset, but they certainly weren’t embarrassed in either match. However, in recent months they have drifted into the background with the focus of the world game elsewhere and are now entering a crucial phase to determine which direction the sport heads in the country.”Facilities are getting better for us and hopefully over the next year the grounds will be ready. There is a huge passion for the game in Afghanistan,” Hassan said. “But Afghanistan needs to play more cricket like Ireland, Canada and Kenya do. It’s the only way we will get better.” Currently, Afghanistan’s ODI status runs until 2013 but there aren’t many teams queuing up to play them.Hassan, and team-mate Mohammad Nabi, will have a chance to fly the flag for Afghanistan cricket when they appear for MCC against Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi from Sunday. The match is again being played with a pink ball under lights as part of the MCC’s drive to examine the possibilities of day/night Test cricket. It won’t gain the same following as last year’s inaugural game as the novelty factor is no longer there, while there is the smaller matter of World Cup semi-finals taking place, but for Hassan it’s an important occasion.He was part of the MCC groundstaff in 2006 along with Nabi and has never been one to hide his ambitions. He has previously spoken about a dream of playing county cricket and although nothing has materialised as yet it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that the chance could arrive. Hassan is gunning for some Nottinghamshire wickets and hoping to help his cause.”I’d love to have the chance to play county cricket and maybe if I do well in this game against Nottinghamshire somebody will spot me,” he said. “I just want to play cricket at the highest level possible. It’s a huge part of my life.”Hassan will be taking the field with Rahul Dravid and former Australia opener Chris Rogers alongside England wicketkeeper Steven Davies. Nottinghamshire are short of full strength but have a decent batting line-up including Samit Patel who was publicly criticised by Andy Flower, the England coach, over his fitness after being left out of the World Cup squad and will want to begin the domestic season next month in good form.

Ashish Nehra has begun bowling in the nets after successful surgery on his injured finger, but will not be fit in time to take part in IPL 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2011Ashish Nehra has begun bowling in the nets after successful surgery on his injured finger, but will not be fully fit in time to take part in IPL 2011. Nehra had fractured the middle finger on his right hand while attempting a catch during India’s semi-final win over Pakistan in the World Cup. The injury forced him to miss out on the World Cup final.”I have just come back from Australia last week,” Nehra told . “My finger surgery went off well. My recovery has been pretty good. I was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) doing my rehabilitation work. I have also started bowling in the nets and haven’t faced any problems.”While he has had no trouble bowling, Nehra said batting and fielding is still a problem and therefore “playing in the IPL is out of the question”. Instead, he will be going back to the NCA for a two-week rehabilitation program as he wants to be completely fit before making himself available for selection for India.”The physios and the doctor will monitor my progress,” he said. “If I get a positive response from them, I will submit my fit-certificate and make myself available for selection for the West Indies tour.”Pune Warriors India, one of the two new franchises, bought Nehra for $850,000 in the January player auction, and the bowler expressed his disappointment at not being able to play a single game for them this season.”I feel bad that I haven’t been able to serve the team. But injuries are something you can’t really predict. It was painful to sit in the dressing room watching India win the World Cup. But then I was happy for my team also. I tried thinking about Praveen Kumar. He was a certainty in the squad but missed out due to injury.”

Sydney Sixers launched the first standalone WBBL with an impressive 49-run victory

Andrew McGlashan18-Oct-2019Ellyse Perry has been a little in the background in Australia colours at the start of the season because of the dominant form of her team-mates, but back with Sydney Sixers she picked up from last season with an agenda-setting all-round performance with 81 off 48 balls and two wickets as the Sixers began the first standalone WBBL with a handsome 49-run victory.Last season Perry scored a WBBL record 777 runs including two centuries. She did not spend much time at the crease against West Indies and Sri Lanka over the last six weeks but made full use of being back at the top of the order with a classy innings with 58 off her 81 runs combing in boundaries.Initially, she took a backseat to Alyssa Healy who carried on from her world record T20I score of 148 not out against Sri Lanka on this ground a couple of weeks ago with 42 off 32 balls, ended when she skied to mid-on as Pakistan allrounder Nida Dar claimed the first wicket of the tournament.The Thunder’s fielding was poor with a number of balls not gathered cleanly while Ash Gardner was dropped on 20 by Alex Blackwell. Dar, the first Pakistan player in the WBBL, was heading for respectable figures until her final went for 21.In the final over of the innings there was what appeared to be a nasty injury when debutant Maddy Darke stumbled attempting her first run and remained down in the middle of the pitch. The Thunder had a chance to run her out but declined yet the run was eventually credited to the Sixers which left captain Rachael Haynes a little perplexed.In the end, however, one run was far from making the difference as the Thunder did not threaten the target with the top order dispatched inside the powerplay.Perry made immediate inroads when she trapped Naomi Stalenberg lbw then had Rachel Priest caught at backward point in the space of three deliveries. Any chances of the Thunder making an impression on the chase disappeared when Haynes skied Marizanne Kapp.However, there was the opportunity for a glimpse at the future as 16-year-old Phoebe Litchfield played a debut innings that showcased the immense promise that has been talked about. Her first boundary was lofted over midwicket, that was followed by a scoop over short fine leg and two more boundaries followed before she was lbw trying to paddle another 16-year-old, Hayley Silver-Holmes.Alongside Blackwell, a player at the other end of her career, they added 68 in eight overs, with Blackwell progressing to a 30-ball fifty, to give the Thunder some encouragement ahead of their match against the defending champions Brisbane Heat on Sunday.The opening match of the tournament was watched by a crowd of 1891 in the ground and there will be a hope that figure grows over the festival weekend.

Unfinished business will ensure England seamer gets back to full fitness, says former captain

Andrew Miller13-Nov-20191:38

‘Silverwood will support Root’ – Cook

James Anderson’s desire to resume his record-breaking England career remains as burning as ever, according to his former captain Sir Alastair Cook, who believes that his old team-mate’s devastation at missing out on this summer’s Ashes campaign will help drive him in his comeback from a long-term calf injury.Anderson, 37, bowled just four overs in this summer’s Tests against Australia, after breaking down early in the first Test at Edgbaston – a game that England went on to lose in his absence.He was subsequently omitted from the current tour of New Zealand, and has spent the off-season working with the medical team at Manchester City in a bid to regain his fitness in time for the South Africa tour that begins next month.Last week, another former England captain, Michael Vaughan, said that the time had come to break up for good the record-breaking alliance between Anderson and Stuart Broad, which began in earnest on the New Zealand tour in 2007-08, and which has since realised a total of 1042 Test wickets.The emergence of Jofra Archer during the summer may encourage England that there is life after Anderson, and Archer will take centre stage for his first overseas international next week, when the first Test against New Zealand begins in Mount Maunganui on November 20.Cook, however, says that we’ve been here before with Anderson, a player who seems determined to defy the ageing process as he seeks to build on his record of 575 wickets in 149 Tests.”You never know with Jimmy,” said Cook. “He’s surprised us all, all the time. I remember going into a press conference as captain a few years ago, and saying there’s no way that we’ll get five Tests out of Jimmy and Stuart [Broad], and they surprised us all with their fitness record.”I know how devastated he was after the Edgbaston Test match. It was a horrendous feeling for him, but his desire and hunger is incredible. He wants to come back and wants to play, and while you’ve got that, why wouldn’t you?”At an age when most sportsmen are beginning to wind down, Anderson’s technical mastery has propelled him to new heights. He finished the 2018 home summer as the top-ranked Test bowler in the world, with his average dipping below 27 for the first time since the formative months of his career in 2003.”His record over the last couple of years is getting better and better. Father Time catches up with everyone, and there will be a time when he moves on, but while he wants to do it and is able to do it, we should appreciate him,” Cook said. “But, speaking to him recently, he wants to keep breaking records for England and keep helping England win games of cricket, and I’m sure he will.”Cook himself bowed out of international cricket with an emotional century in his final Test against India at The Oval in September 2018 – a match which finished with Anderson claiming his 564th wicket to move him ahead of Glenn McGrath as the most prolific seamer in Test history.Alastair Cook and James Anderson pose with the series trophies after England’s 4-1 win over India•Getty Images

Cook then went on this summer to play a key role in Essex’s second County Championship title in three years, and recognises that such uplifting events in his twilight years have helped assuage any sense of regret as his professional career begins to wind down.”It just shows how lucky I was that that happened,” he said of that Oval Test, when his innings of 71 and 147 included a glorious and sustained ovation as he brought up his 33rd and final Test hundred.”To walk off there after winning a game and Jimmy breaking Glenn McGrath’s record. It’s all happy memories, and not many people have that, and that for me made the transition a lot easier.”His experience contrasted markedly with that of so many other sportsmen, not least another former England team-mate, Matt Prior, who last week spoke to the PCA about his own struggles in the wake of his career-ending Achilles injury in 2014.”Matt was an all-time great among English wicketkeepers, he played such a significant role over such a long time in getting England to No.1 in the world, but he didn’t get the chance to have the send-off that I had,” Cook said.”It was taken out of his hands, and it all happened abruptly, so his last memory of playing for England would be the injury, the rehab, and all the bad stuff. My last memory was totally different.”That said, it would have been understandable had Cook felt slightly conflicted during a remarkable English summer which, from a Test perspective at least, was crowned by that extraordinary final day at Headingley, when Ben Stokes’ century snatched a one-wicket win from the jaws of defeat.Cook witnessed the denouement at first hand in his unfamiliar new vantage point as a summariser on Test Match Special, but he insisted he had no regrets at being on the other side of the rope for a change.”It was a strange week,” he said. “But it was one of the great knocks. To be at Headingley, but without the nerves [was a privilege] – at least at the beginning of the day. Towards the end, I was as nervous as I would have been back in the days when I was trying to find a space in the changing room!”I was actually ferrying Glenn McGrath around in the back of my car that week,” he added. “I didn’t quite think when I first played against him in 2006 that I’d be his chauffeur for a week during a Test match. But it was an incredible game to be a part of that, and I was lucky enough to be on air for the final overs.”But there were no mixed emotions. People find that hard to believe, but it’s genuinely true. It was sad to hand the cap back, it was sad to make that decision, and you’re going to miss the identity of being an England cricketer but, for me, it was clear in my mind, and the right decision for my family at that time.”But, at the age of 34, Cook has kept his competitive fires burning by playing a key role in Essex’s triumphant Championship campaign, scoring 913 first-class runs in 14 matches at 45.65, including a pair of vital innings in the title decider against Somerset at Taunton.”2005 was the last season in which I played every game [for Essex],” he said, “and part of the reason for playing on after England was to experience that again, to play with guys like Ryan [Ten Doeschate] and Ravi [Bopara], who signed for Essex at the same time as me in 2003. To go back and play a lot of cricket with those guys meant a lot to me, actually.”I’m not sure I’ll keep playing until I’m 40, but I will very much take each year as it comes,” he added. “And if we have the sort of success that we had this year, then that obviously makes it easier.”Sir Alastair Cook was speaking at an event to mark 25 years of the National Lottery, which has raised £5.7 billion for grassroots sport. #BecauseYouPlay

Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips backed Xherdan Shaqiri to ‘shine’ if he joined Celtic.

Football Insider reported at the end of April that Shaqiri is looking for a new club.

And they asked Phillips this week whether Celtic should pursue the wantaway Switzerland international.

“Shaqiri has got a lot of quality and I think he would shine up in that league,” he told FI.

“That would be a great signing for Celtic so long as they did not have to break the bank to get him in.”

Shaqiri is valued at £12.6million by Transfermarkt, a touch under Liverpool’s £13million outlay in 2018.

The 29-year-old has just over two years left on his contract however, so perhaps there could be some wiggle room on that value seeing as he has started just five league matches this season, via Whoscored.

‘Shaqiri sometimes goes missing’

Phillips says one worry for Celtic would be the consistency of Shaqiri’s performances.

“He is a good player but I’d be concerned that sometimes he goes missing,” he said.

“You need perform week in, week out because it is paramount that they win the league next season.”

Shaqiri has played a total of 788 minutes for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, scoring one goal and providing four assists.

Klopp has predominantly deployed him as an attacking midfielder but he’s also been used on the right-hand side.

After Shaqiri teed-up Diogo Jota’s winning goal against West Ham at the end of October, Graeme Souness labelled him a ‘door opener’ who ‘sees a pass and can deliver on it’.

Transfer Tavern verdict

It seems a little harsh to question Shaqiri’s consistency levels given that he’s rarely given a sustained run in the side, such is the quality in Liverpool’s squad even despite their faltering campaign.

Were he to head to North, he would be the most successful player in the entire league – let’s not forget this is a man with English, German and Swiss league titles to his name as well as two Champions League, two Super Cup and two Club World Cup medals, via Transfermarkt.

The unfortunate truth is that he might be aiming a little higher than the SPL, but if Celtic could convince the playmaker to reignite his career north of the border, it would be one hell of a coup.

In other news, could this player head the other way? 

When Celtic finally announce who will sit in the Parkhead dugout next season, Bhoys supporters will surely breathe a huge sigh of relief.

After Neil Lennon left his role as manager the Hoops have found it incredibly difficult to find his successor.

That being said, they’ve not had any shortage of suitors.

What’s the word?

The first name to really emerge as a serious candidate to take on the role was Roy Keane.

The Manchester United legend had a brief stint as a player in Glasgow but after ten years away from management, it certainly raised eyebrows that he was in the frame.

Celtic were in talks with the Irishman and reportedly even held an interview with him. However, just a few days after that development it came to light that Keane was now unlikely to land the job.

Indeed, that’s what the television pundit is now telling his friends.

The Sun on Sunday (18.04.21, pg. 67) revealed last weekend that Keane has told friends that his hopes of landing the job have faded.

According to the report, there is a split opinion amongst the Hoops hierarchy over the former midfielder.

Good news

This is a piece of news that could come as a great source of happiness to Celtic supporters.

Of course, it means the Bhoys will have to step up their search elsewhere but it stops the board from appointing a man who the fans weren’t keen on seeing at Parkhead.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-lampard-klimala-ajer-gossip” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

When the news first broke that he could succeed Lennon, Celtic podcaster Paul John Dykes said: “That seems to have gone down like a lead balloon amongst the Celtic support today when we were talking about that on A Celtic State of Mind.”

Thus, the opinion from the man himself that he won’t get the job should come as music to the ears of the Green Brigade.

It’s certainly understandable why they wouldn’t want him.

The 49-year-old hasn’t managed for the best part of ten years and his record is hardly jaw-dropping. He may have earned promotion from the Championship to the Premier League with Sunderland but that’s the only inspirational point of note from his days as a number 1.

Keane only won 42% of his matches while in charge of the Black Cats but his record was even worse with Ipswich. The Irishman won just 34.6% of the games he took charge of while at Portman Road.

Celtic might be in the process of being played around by Eddie Howe but they were right to swerve Keane.

AND in other news, Director of Football makes big Celtic manager claim, Desmond won’t be happy…

Danny Mills believes that Glasgow Rangers could sell either James Tavernier or Nathan Patterson this summer.

Gers could sell Tavernier

The Gers have two fantastic right-back talents in Tavernier and Patterson – unfortunately, Steven Gerrard is unable to fit both of them into the same line-up.

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills believes that one of them could leave the club this summer. He explained:

“It’s a difficult one.

“Gareth Southgate did it when he put Kieran Tripper at wing-back and Kyle Walker in at centre-half that worked. It can be done, without question. 

“Can you afford to sell one and bring in another of quality that doesn’t affect your team’s dynamic and everything else?

“It’s always a balancing act. Who do you play where?

“It’s difficult because two of your better players play in the same position.

“It’s not like England where you’ve got so many right-backs where you’re pretty much covered in every other position. In those sorts of teams, you want to get your best players into the team.

“You have to be careful to not over complicate it. Sometimes you have to go ‘Right, we’ve got two really good players in that position. We might have to sell one to bring other players in.’

“That’s where your man-management and recruitment comes into play. We always talk about how important recruitment and forward-planning is.”

Difficult decision

If Mills is right, Gerrard and Ross Wilson will have a very difficult decision to make. Tavernier has arguably been the Gers’ best player this season – no player has more goals or assists for Rangers in 2020/21 despite him being a right-back (Transfermarkt). Patterson, meanwhile, has managed two goals himself and has impressed in the captain’s recent absence.

In the long run, Patterson is likely to be the first choice at right-back for years. As good as the £7.2m-valued Tavernier (Transfermarkt) has been, he is now 29 – at some point, he will no longer have any resale value for the 55-time Scottish champions. If one of the two has to leave, it should be Tavernier – but given that they will soon embark on a Champions League run, they would be better off keeping both of them for at least another season.

In other news, Rangers are in advanced talks to sign this striker.