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Mateusz Klich has not completed 90 minutes in Leeds United colours since September and this weekend’s heavy defeat to Arsenal was another reminder that the Poland international may no longer be good enough for the club.

The 31-year-old midfielder has had a rough time of it this season, struggling for form and consistency.

Indeed, he has started ten of his 13 appearances in the Premier League this term, in which he has played the entire duration of the game only three times – the last coming in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham, as he was replaced late on against Watford in early October.

It was his error against Chelsea that cost them a chance at a point but manager Marcelo Bielsa kept the faith in him as he was trusted to replace the injured Jamie Shackleton early on during the Man City defeat.

He then started on Saturday evening as United suffered yet another heavy loss.

The 38-cap Pole was hooked in the 78th minute after another disappointing outing and it even drew some sort of reaction from his manager. “Hooked off again yesterday and a rare attempt by Bielsa to console him,” claimed LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross to Twitter.

As per SofaScore, Klich won just 50% of his midfield battles, with opposite numbers Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard all registering a better average rating.

The 6-foot maestro also made only 33 passes, some way off Kalvin Phillips’ 52.5 average, the very man he was brought in to replace.

Only Jack Harrison (6.32) has registered a worse seasonal average WhoScored rating than Klich (6.37) so far this season, from all players to have started in ten or more matches. Three of his last four appearances have seen him fail to surpass a mediocre 6.0, too.

Under Bielsa in the Championship, Klich started every single league game in his first season in charge. In total, he made 93 starts from 94 games in the league and the play-offs between 2018 and 2020, which goes to show just how important he has been for the Yorkshiremen.

However, the English top-flight is a different kettle of fish and it’s becoming increasingly evident that the £34k-per-week long-serving midfielder is just not good enough to warrant a regular place in the lineup.

On the above evidence, he would be lucky to feature again for the Whites this season, particularly if there wasn’t an ongoing injury crisis and the fact that his history at the club deserves plenty of respect.

But for the time being, Klich has no right to feature in Bielsa’s starting XI going forward. He is simply no longer good enough to wear Leeds’ colours.

AND in other news, Bielsa could save millions with Leeds’ 20 y/o rarely-seen “great talent”…

The winner of the 2011 World Cup will receive more than US$4million in prizemoney, after the ICC announced a total pool of US$10million for the competition, double the figure that was in place for the 2007 tournament in the Caribbean

Cricinfo staff20-Apr-2010The winner of the 2011 World Cup will receive more than US$4million in prizemoney, after the ICC announced a total pool of US$10million for the competition, double the figure that was in place for the 2007 tournament in the Caribbean.The ICC Board, which met in Dubai on Monday, agreed to the increase “in order to reflect the importance of the ICC’s flagship competition.”Australia, the winners of the 2007 event, pocketed US$2.24million, with Sri Lanka, the runners-up, taking home US$1million. In 2003, the total prize money was the same, but the percentage handed to the top two teams was less. Australia collected US $2m as champions, while the losing finalists, India, picked up US$800,000.

Anthony McGrath scored a special century as Yorkshire’s batsmen made excellent progress on the first day of their Championship match against Essex at Scarborough

04-May-2010
ScorecardAnthony McGrath scored a special century as Yorkshire’s batsmen made excellent progress on the first day of their Championship match against Essex at Scarborough.It was the former captain’s 30th first-class century for the White Rose county and the first one that he has ever taken off the Essex attack. Now only four counties remain to be added to his list (Surrey, Notts, Northants and Sussex) for him to complete the full set.Current captain Andrew Gale was also in splendid form and he and McGrath had put on an unbroken 163 together by the close when Yorkshire had reached 313 for 3 after winning the toss, McGrath having moved on to a gritty 112 and Gale a fluent 89.New Zealand paceman Chris Martin, making his Championship debut for Essex, shared the new ball with David Masters, and although there was some movement through the air and off the seam it could not prevent Adam Lyth from getting off to a cracking start with some great shots.Joe Sayers also hit a fine cover boundary off Masters, but having contributed only five to a stand of 32 in six overs he edged Martin into the waiting hands of Alastair Cook at first slip. Lyth continued to look a class act while McGrath took time to settle in and it came as something of a surprise when the young left-hander was out for 47. An intended drive at Ryan ten Doeschate appeared to deflect off either his pad or glove and into his stumps.Yorkshire remained in control as Jacques Rudolph continued his recent great form and the morning session belonged to the home side who went in to lunch on 109 for 2. Rudolph quickly scored his 500th run of the season after the interval and Essex were left to rue a glaring miss when McGrath had reached 33, the batsman edging Martin straight into and out of Cook’s hands at first slip.Having amassed an unbeaten 228 against Durham last week, Rudolph appeared to have laid the foundations for another huge score but in trying to drive a swinging delivery from Ten Doeschate he gave the bowler a return catch and Yorkshire were 150 for 3.The dismissal did not worry the hosts too much, however, as McGrath and Gale went on to combine in the biggest stand of the day, although it took McGrath a little over three hours to complete his 50 off 133 balls with seven fours.McGrath opened out to drive spinner Tim Phillips for an off-drive six into the pavilion enclosure, whereas Gale’s half-century was a much speedier affair than his partner’s, coming off only 47 balls with seven fours and a six.After a good spell from Phillips, Essex took the new ball at 288 for 3 off 86 overs and McGrath immediately scampered the single that brought up his five-hour century from 244 deliveries, with 14 boundaries. A tough day for the visitors got even worse when McGrath, on 106, was put down for a second time, John Maunders at second slip dropping him off Masters.

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Matt Doherty is expected to leave north London in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the journalist revealing on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast that Spurs boss Antonio Conte is looking to move a number of first-team players on in the upcoming winter market, and that the 29-year-old defender is one of them.

Speaking about the potential exit of the Republic of Ireland international next month, Romano said: “Doherty has a serious chance to leave in January. Tottenham are also thinking about the outgoings. Doherty is going to leave.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how poor Doherty has generally been for Tottenham since his £15m move to North London back in the summer of 2020, the news that Spurs are looking to move the right-back on this winter is sure to have left many of the club’s fanbase buzzing.

Indeed, over his 17 Premier League appearances last season – only 13 of which came as starts – the £10.8m-rated defender helped his side keep a mere three clean sheets, as well as being beaten by an opponent an average of 1.2 times and losing possession of the ball a whopping 13.3 times per game.

These returns saw the £74k-per-week man earn an extremely disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of just 6.76, ranking him as Spurs’ 11th-worst performer in the top flight of English football last time out.

Things have not improved for the right-back over his four league outings this season, with the former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.72 – ranking him as Antonio Conte’s eighth-worst player in the division so far.

As such, it will perhaps come as no surprise to many Tottenham fans that, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, the overwhelming majority of Spurs supporters voted in favour of their club moving the 29-year-old onto pastures new this winter.

As a result, Romano’s latest update will undoubtedly come as music to the ears of many involved with the club, and we would have to agree that Doherty’s rather hefty weekly wage could easily be put to much better use by Fabio Paratici and Conte in the January transfer window.

In other news: Conte may have found his new Skriniar as THFC make contact for £76m-rated “oil tanker”

With over a week down in the 2022 January transfer window, Leeds United have been pretty quiet so far when it comes to incoming or outgoing transfer deals.

However, it seems as though the club could be close to agreeing a deal that some Leeds supporters may not be particularly happy about.

What’s the news?

According to a recent Twitter post from Fabrizio Romano, Leeds full-back Cody Drameh is apparently set to join Championship club Cardiff City on loan until the end of the season, describing it as a “done deal.”

Romano also added that Swansea also asked for the defender but he’s going to sign with Cardiff in the coming days and that several Premier League clubs are now monitoring him for next season.

A big risk?

Drameh joined Leeds’ U23 team from Fulham’s U23 side back in August 2020. Since then, the 20-year-old has made 33 appearances for the Yorkshire club’s U23 side, showing how much of a useful attacking force he can be with one goal scored and four assists provided along the way.

The right-back has also made five senior appearances for Leeds, showing that Marcelo Bielsa has not been shy in giving him chances to show what he’s capable of next to some of the more senior players the Argentine has at his disposal.

However, with Leeds only having Luke Ayling, who has been hit with a knee injury this season, and Stuart Dallas, who has had to be deployed in other positions, in their squad as other right-back options it could be a mistake letting Drameh leave halfway through the season in case they get struck down with any more injury issues at the back.

On the other hand, if Drameh were to join a club like Cardiff this month and play regularly for the remainder of the season, this could be a great step for his career development and growth and potentially put him closer to being a regular first-team player at Elland Road.

That said, with the risk of injuries at Leeds a real possibility, letting go of a useful defensive squad option in the hope he has a successful loan spell elsewhere is a massive gamble that could have dire consequences for Leeds if it backfires. As a result, it’s a situation that will leave the Yorkshire club’s supporters sweating heading into the rest of January and beyond if he does indeed leave.

In other news: Phil Hay drops worrying Leeds United injury claim that’ll surely have fans fuming – opinion

Kyle McCallan, the Ireland allrounder, who retired in December last year after a 13-year career, has been awarded the MBE

Cricinfo staff12-Jun-2010Kyle McCallan, the Ireland allrounder, who retired in December last year after a 13-year career, has been awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire).McCallan played 226 matches, captaining in a record 54 games. He captured 256 wickets with his offspinners, third on the all-time list behind Dermott Montieth and Jimmy Boucher. He’s also scored 3616 runs at 23.33, again No.3 in the list of highest run-getters from his country behind Stephen Warke and Ivan Anderson. McCallan was part of the Ireland team that reached the Super Eights of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies after beating Pakistan in the preliminary stage.”It’s a great honour for me personally, but also my wife and parents. I was privileged to have worn the Irish jersey for over 13 years, and I had some fantastic experiences. I’ve been fortunate to have made some wonderful friends through cricket, and have memories which I’ll cherish. It was quite simply a golden age for Irish cricket,” McCallan said.Ireland team manager Roy Torrens, who himself was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday List in 2009, said: “I cannot think of another person who is more deserving of the award. He was a magnificent ambassador for Irish cricket, both on and off the field. I’m delighted for him and his family circle – they were wonderful supporters for him throughout his Irish career, and I know just how proud they must feel.”Cricket Ireland Chairman David Williams added: “The award of the MBE to Kyle McCallan is a well deserved honour for one of our most distinguished cricketers. Kyle McCallan served Irish cricket in an exemplary fashion during his 13 year career, and was a perfect role model to both his team-mates and supporters of cricket in Ireland. It’s a great honour for both him and Irish cricket.”

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan’s appeal against the one-year ban and fine imposed on him by the PCB has been adjourned until next week

Cricinfo staff19-Jun-2010Rana Naved-ul-Hasan’s appeal against the one-year ban and fine imposed on him by the PCB has been adjourned until next week. In the meantime, he has been asked to approach the PCB to reconsider the sanctions imposed on him.”Naved’s appeal was heard on Saturday and the arbitrator has ordered the allrounder to approach the PCB to reconsider the sanctions on him and the case will be heard on June 26,” PCB legal advisor Talib Rizvi told .”The PCB has reconsidered the sanctions on all players, so if Naved approaches the PCB his case will also be reconsidered,” said Rizvi, dismissing suggestions the PCB succumbed to political pressure to revoke the penalties. “PCB has sent strong signals that any indiscipline will not be tolerated and the sanctions were revoked and fines were reduced only after players confessed their crimes,” he said.Of the seven punished players, Mohammad Yousuf was the only one not to appeal, announcing his retirement from the game instead. The bans on Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik were revoked, while the fines on Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were reduced.

Many Liverpool fans have been criticising the performance of Diogo Jota despite their 3-0 win at home to Brentford in the Premier League this afternoon.

It was a comfortable game in the end for Jurgen Klopp’s team at Anfield, with goals from Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino more than enough to give them the three points.

However, while there were some great performances in a Reds shirt, Jota may not have been pleased with his own display, as he squandered a couple of very good opportunities to score.

The former Wolves ace failed to find the back of the net with any of his six shots, while he also lost out on nine of his duels and failed to record a single successful dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball (SofaScore).

The 25-year-old also gave the ball away 13 times, the joint-fifth most out of his teammates, in what was a below-par performance by his standards. He is now without a goal in four matches, having scored in each of his last three before Christmas, as per Transfermarkt.

Liverpool fans slam Jota

These Liverpool fans slammed Jota’s display on Twitter, with one Kopite going as far as to claim that the forward was ‘non-existent’ this afternoon:

“#LFC so 1 dimensional yet again. Jota and Firmino non-existent”

Credit: @Jabbs2Jamie

“Jota is so not focused”

Credit: @I_am_aMarvel

“Jota been totally bad”

Credit: @Galjundi

“Jota DISASTERCLASS”

Credit: @burhan7i

“Get Jota off”

Credit: @Vinny_lopez89

“Jota.. you cannot be finishing like that.. just cannot.”

Credit: @Ituralde

In other news, Liverpool are now willing to pay big money to sign this midfield beast

West Ham United have been dealt a huge setback in their bid to secure a deal to bring Mohamed Bayo to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing on Twitter that Clermont Foot will not be sanctioning the sale of the centre-forward this month, as the French club require the 23-year-old’s services in their battle to avoid relegation from Ligue 1.

Previous reports had claimed that Clermont were demanding a figure in the region of €20m (£17m) in order to part with the Guinea international this month, with a number of English clubs – including West Ham – believed to have made contact with the French outfit regarding a deal for the striker.

However, according to Nixon’s latest update, a move for the player now appears to be off the table in January, with the journalist stating: “West Ham. Brighton. Southampton. Won’t get striker Bayo from Clermont this season. Now needed to avoid relegation.”

Moyes will be fuming

Considering just how impressive Bayo has been in France this season, and with West Ham desperately lacking any real strength in depth at centre-forward, the news that Clermont are no longer considering cashing in on the 23-year-old this month is sure to have left David Moyes fuming.

Indeed, over his 17 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, the £9m-rated forward has been in remarkable form, having already scored nine goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his team-mates, as well as taking 2.3 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £5.2k-per-week hitman average a superb SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as his club’s second-best performer in the French top flight, while his nine goals rank him as the joint-seventh highest scorer in the division overall.

As such, when taking into account that Moyes only has the injury-prone Michail Antonio as an option at centre-forward, Bayo would very much have seemed to be a welcome addition to the 58-year-old’s attacking arsenal at the London Stadium.

However, following Nixon’s latest update, it would now look as if the Scot will need to turn his attention elsewhere in the transfer market in his bid to secure attacking reinforcements, something which will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to the West Ham manager.

In other news: Transfer insider reveals West Ham have “looked at” signing £25m beast, fans surely buzzing

Ricky Ponting expects his reign as Australian captain to end if he is not holding the Ashes at the SCG in January

Cricinfo staff02-Jul-2010Ricky Ponting expects his reign as Australian captain to end if he is not holding the Ashes at the SCG in January. Ponting was in charge during the 2005 and 2009 defeats in England, and led his side to a 5-0 whitewash at home three years ago.Despite being one of the game’s all-time greats with the bat, Ponting knows his future depends on the result of the 2010-11 series. “I’d probably be looking for a new job if we lose again,” Ponting told the Daily Mail. “It’s as simple as that. I’ve got the biggest eight months of my career coming up.”Australia face Pakistan and India in two-Test series before the Ashes begin at the Gabba in November and the series is followed by the World Cup. “It doesn’t get any bigger than that and everything I do between now and April will be geared at getting the most out of myself and, most importantly, the group,” he said. “If I’m able to do that I think there are some pretty special things on the horizon for this team.”While the Ashes series is likely to determine what Ponting does next, he said he was not weighed down by the significance of the contest. “I haven’t thought about any added pressure on me,” he said. “I’m just thinking about being the best player I can be and having a significant impact on the Ashes series as a batsman and as a leader. That’s all I can control. I know what it takes to be a good player in a big series and I know what it will take for the rest of the guys.”England have beaten Australia in their most important encounters over the past year. The run began with their Ashes victory at The Oval and continued with a win in the World Twenty20 final and the current one-day series success.Ponting said England deserved the latest triumph but does not think they have earned bragging rights in all forms of the game. “We’re still ranked the best side in one-day cricket and No. 2 in Test cricket,” Ponting said. “Until England get their heads above us in all of the tables then superiority will be with us.”