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Andy Townsend has backed John Terry to become Dean Smith’s successor at Aston Villa.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by talkSPORT, the former Aston Villa player stated his belief that Terry has all the makings of a Premier League manager, and that, if the 40-year-old were to be handed the job at Villa Park, he would have no complaints about the appointment.

Speaking about the former assistant manager’s links with the post, Townsend said: “I think John has all the credentials to be a proper manager. If he did want to take the job, I would not have any complaints about that whatsoever.

“I would love to see John do it, but however, I don’t think he needed to leave Aston Villa to become number one. If he genuinely felt like that, it might have been the natural progression over time anyway.”

Nightmare appointment

While Terry’s ability at the top level of the professional game is undeniable, with the former Chelsea captain winning five Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Europa League, five FA Cups and three League Cups during his time in West London, the 40-year-old’s potential in top-flight management is rather more questionable.

Indeed, while it is true that the 40-year-old who Frank Lampard dubbed an “invaluable” coach does have some history of being in the dugout, holding the position as one of Dean Smith’s assistant managers between 2018 and 2021, the fact that Terry has no experience whatsoever of being the sole manager of a football club is unavoidable.

And, considering Villa’s rather precarious position in the Premier League table, with the club currently sitting just two points above the relegation zone in 16th, the risk of appointing an unproven manager such as Terry would appear to be far too big for Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens to take.

Indeed, there is quite a clear lesson to be learned from Chelsea’s own appointment of Frank Lampard, with the Blues sacking the club legend just 18 months after his installation, as the club had slipped to midtable under the leadership of the 43-year-old.

However, upon Lampard’s appointment at Stamford Bridge, the former England international at least had some experience in professional management, having led Derby County to the Championship play-offs in 2018/19.

So, considering the fact that Terry does not boast a similar level of experience, in addition to the fact that Villa could very quickly become involved in a relegation scrap this season, the appointment of Terry would very much look to be something of a nightmare for NSWE if it happened, as the 40-year-old could well be a risk that results in relegation for Aston Villa.

In other news: “Understand”: Matt Law drops update in Villa manager search that’ll have fans buzzing

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is said to have green-lighted a move for Milan centre-back Alessio Romagnoli as he looks to reshape Spurs’ defence.

What’s the story?

The north Londoners picked up a win in the 52-year-old’s first match in charge on Thursday night when they beat Vitesse 3-2 in the Europa Conference League, and journalist Graeme Bailey has name-checked two of the Italian’s main transfer targets.

Writing initially on Twitter, he said: “Antonio Conte greenlights Tottenham’s pursuits of AC Milan’s Franck Kessie. They are also keen on Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli. Likely to be two of the best free transfers around in 2022.”

In a follow-up article for 90min, he added: “90min has been told that Conte is also a fan of Kessie’s Milan teammate Alessio Romagnoli. Rossoneri captain Romagnoli, like Kessie, has little over six months left on his contract at San Siro and Spurs are looking to sign him too. The club want to bring in at least one central defender, but two could arrive in 2022.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Spurs fans will no doubt hope and even expect Conte to make the team much harder to beat, particularly from a back five point of view, there’s no questioning that they could do with some strengthening in terms of sheer quality. In Romagnoli, they could find someone who could answer all their prayers.

Speaking about the 26-year-old a few years ago, Milan legend Paolo Maldini said: “He is one of the best ever, he is already at the national team. He must have well precise objectives. It’s a growth process. Milan of the last few years did not help Alessio but we now hope that he will help us return Milan back.”

The £18m-rated beast has played top-level Serie A football for several seasons, and having emerged as a leader at the back for Milan, he could add some more steel and experience to the heart of the Spurs defence.

The fact that he’s Italian and therefore Conte will likely know him well merely adds to the feeling that Romagnoli should be able to hit the ground running in north London if he joins Tottenham. Given that he is still only 26, he is a prospective signing who would surely have Spurs fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Spurs ace surely impressed Conte against Vitesse…

Scorecard
How they were outBrett Lee consistently bowled at over 90mph and got the ball to reverse swing•PA Photos

Brett Lee guaranteed his immediate Test future with a maiden five-wicket haul in an English first-class game that came in a stunning spell of reverse-swing against the hosts’ 2nd XI. While his fast-bowling team-mates went wicket-less in Worcester, Lee delivered in a nine-over effort either side of tea to seal his spot for Cardiff next Wednesday and hold the England Lions to 302 for 6.At the start of the day Lee, who is returning from ankle surgery, was fighting for his place and with England dismissing Warwickshire for 102 in their practice game at Edgbaston, Australia needed a spark and he provided it to finish with 5 for 53 from 20 overs. Stephen Moore and Joe Denly were already enjoying a century stand and the visitors were soon distracted in their defence of 358. Lee was fooling around with the crowd when he was called to refocus by Ponting with an impromptu spell.Play stopped while he stretched at the end of his mark and he struck with his third ball, a reverse-swinging offering which broke Denly’s stumps on 66. It was not a fluke. Next delivery Ian Bell showed the resolve the Australians would expect from him when he was hit on the pads with a searing, late-moving yorker. Vikram Solanki somehow managed an inside edge to avoid the hat-trick from another toe-crusher that scooted to the fine-leg boundary. The ball was 45 overs old and when Lee held it, it curled like the wispy clouds above the ground.Lee’s speed remained above 90mph throughout another warm day and the reverse-swing gave Australia hope of matching England’s quicks during the Ashes. The late movement from the hosts was responsible for the tourists’ 2005 defeat and since then the bowlers have been searching for the answer under the coach Troy Cooley.Another curving full ball from Lee removed Solanki, who was bowled off his pad on 8, and Moore’s attractive 120 ended when he top edged a hook, Brad Haddin collecting a running catch towards fine-leg. More clever thought was shown when Lee managed an inswinger to trap the left-hander Eoin Morgan lbw on 4. His five breakthroughs had come in 40 deliveries with the ball darting both ways.He was accurate in the morning, giving up only seven runs in five overs, and missed an lbw in his first before bruising Denly’s shoulder. The only Lee-related problem was he didn’t pick up an early wicket and Denly and the local Moore put on 172 until the fast bowler returned slightly disgruntled from his Ponting directive.Playing his first game of the tour, Mitchell Johnson lacked fluency but will not be concerned as long as he receives another long spell in the second innings. However, Stuart Clark has some doubts, especially if slow and low pitches like this one are on offer around the country over the next two months. Like Johnson, he was unable to break through and tried not to grow frustrated at his lack of penetration, bounce or seam movement. Ponting loaded his fielders straight and until Lee started steaming the slip cordon was heavily trimmed.Clark may still win a reprieve for Cardiff after Nathan Hauritz was targeted successfully. The one time he was able to justify a long appeal he was jeered by the crowd. Next ball Denly thumped him to long-on, in front of the hecklers, and in the following over Moore cleared the boundary straight down the ground. Fifteen runs came from his opening three overs and by the end of the day he had 0 for 80 off 18, seemingly making four fast bowlers the only option for next week. Strangely, Marcus North, who is expected to contribute with his offspin in Cardiff, was not used until late in the day, when Steve Davies cut an edge to Michael Clarke via Haddin’s glove on 53.When Clarke was used for four overs in the second session Denly and Moore were dominating and the Australians must have been thinking about how they would cope with England’s best batsmen next week. Moore brought up his half-century with a hooked six off Johnson and the crowd stood for their boy when he cover-drove Lee for four during his vicious spell. His innings lasted 178 balls in a strong audition for back-up duties over the rest of the season. Denly also performed strongly until he was responsible for igniting Lee’s burst.It has been a good match for spearheads attempting to regain their Test status, with Steve Harmison helping to finish off Australia’s innings by removing Michael Hussey’s off stump in the morning. Hussey added seven to walk off with 150 and Harmison led his side with 4 for 80

Writing for Chronicle Live, reliable Newcastle United reporter Mark Douglas has shared news on another new managerial candidate in Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The Lowdown: Far from over…

Despite former AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca becoming an overwhelming favourite for the role at St James’ Park, with some reports suggesting it could even be made official soon, other reliable sources suggest that it is far from a foregone conclusion.

Craig Hope of The Daily Mail believes that other major contenders like Roberto Martinez, Lucien Favre and Unai Emery could emerge over this next week as PIF continue to deliberate who should take the club forward (Twitter).

Writing for The Chronicle, Douglas has now lifted the lid on yet another name to potentially succeed Steve Bruce in the Magpies dugout.

The Latest: Douglas makes Van Bronckhorst claim…

Indeed, as per the journalist, Van Bronckhorst is now eyeing the vacant Newcastle managerial role as he throws his hat into the ring.

This comes as a plethora of managers, beyond those mentioned in the bookies and press, make PIF aware of their availability as they contend for what is surely one of the most sought-after positions in football at the moment.

Van Bronckhorst in particular is an interesting fresh candidate, having worked closely with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for a brief spell.

The Verdict: Good option?

The Dutch footballing icon, known more for his star-studded career as a player, certainly comes as a surprising name to emerge given his lack of experience compared to other contenders.

An Eredivisie title winner with Feyenoord in 2016/17, his most recent post in the Chinese Super League with Guangzhou City lasted just 23 matches before he ultimately left (Transfermarkt).

Only taking charge of two senior teams so far during his managerial career, the Newcastle job could be one major step-up too soon for Van Bronckhorst at this moment in time.

In other news: ‘In the coming week’…PIF could now turn to ‘world class’ boss over Fonseca, he wants Newcastle! Find out more here.

Ben Godfrey came under fire from numerous Everton fans for his performance in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat against West Ham United. 

The 23-year-old moved into the heart of defence alongside Michael Keane, with Yerry Mina rested after playing three games in seven days for Colombia.

Godfrey’s struggle against West Ham

Godfrey was beaten in the air by Angelo Ogbonna for West Ham’s winning goal 15 minutes from the end.

Beyond that, he finished the game with a passing accuracy of just 65.7%, ranking ninth among Everton’s starters, with only Keane and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford less precise with their distrubition (via WhoScored). In total, he lost possession 14 times over the course of the game.

Rafael Benitez’s side missed a chance to climb into the Premier League’s top four and instead find themselves in eighth place ahead of their clash with Watford next weekend.

Godfrey faces a battle to retain his place for the visit of the Hornets, with Mina’s form being hailed as ‘fantastic’.

Here’s what some Everton fans made of the 23-year-old’s display at Goodison Park yesterday, with one Toffees supporter describing the defender’s recent form as “horrendous”.

These Everton fans blast Godfrey

“What has gone wrong with Godfrey? Played poorly again and looked slow and out of breath at the end”

Credit: @syd_EFC

“Godfrey at fault for the goal, exact same thing happened at Villa. Been poor this season.”

Credit: @efc_bible

“When do we start to admit that Godfrey is not a good centre half”

Credit: @EFCparkender

“What has happened Ben Godfrey?”

Credit: @ian0p0wer

“Godfrey has been horrendous this season”

Credit: @jt1998efc

“Godfrey nowhere”

Credit: @BlueDanEFC

In other news, this team-mate of Godfrey also attracted criticism on Sunday.

Sunderland confirmed on Thursday that Sunderland Ladies will be taking charge of the club’s social media channels ahead of their game against Durham on Sunday.

And a number of Black Cats supporters have heaped praise on the club as a result.

Lee Johnson’s side aren’t in League One action this weekend, with their next game against Manchester United’s U21s in the EFL Trophy next week.

Therefore, with no men’s action to report on, the club have handed over their Twitter page, which has close to one million followers, to the club’s ladies side.

They’ll be posting pre-match content ahead of their Championship clash with Durham, looking to get back to winning ways following a 2-1 defeat to Bristol City last time out. Tickets are also still available to buy for the River Wear derby at Eppleton CW.

Sunderland fans react

The club shared the news regarding the social media handover on Thursday lunchtime. This is what these Sunderland supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling it as love ‘absolutely superb’.

“About time..let’s go. Massive game Sunday.”

Credit: @antony_waterson

“That’s more like it!”

Credit: @RokerReport

“Love how the club is becoming one again.”

Credit: @marcwranson

“Class”

Credit: @Katiemurillo

“Good this”

Credit: @CackStottie

“The coverage from @SunderlandAFC re: @SAFCLadies has been absolutely superb recently. Huge improvement and welcomed by many.”

Credit: @GrahamFalk

In other news: ‘Been waiting for this’ – Many SAFC fans buzz as ‘class’ news confirmed. 

Match facts

Friday, February 27, 2009
Start time 19.00 (06.00 GMT)

The second leg of the New Zealand summer has got off to a fiery start and raised expectations all round effective Friday, when the two teams meet again. The Indian superstars, the world Twenty20 champions, will be under pressure to put up a performance worth that status. The New Zealand bowlers will be under pressure to give the home side a more ‘precise’ start, as Daniel Vettori put it.In either case, there’s little time to relish a win or pick up the pieces after a loss. Even before the match presentations had ended last night, the groundsmen had started taking out the portable pitch – there’s a rugby game scheduled at the AMI Stadium on Friday. The day after a late game there wasn’t enough time for the teams to travel to the Westpac Stadium here and check the conditions. New Zealand practised at the Basin Reserve, Wellington’s Test ground, soon after landing, and India gave training a miss.And all this for three hours’ cricket. Twenty20 games can be a bit like a Christchurch-Wellington flight – more time goes in reaching the airport, checking in, and waiting for the aircraft, than the actual 30-minute flight. For India it will be more of a mental check-in before they go in to try and save the series. The first question will be, do they play an extra specialist bowler? The ease with which Irfan Pathan was taken for runs on Wednesday could outweigh his value as a batsman.Mahendra Singh Dhoni wasn’t too displeased, though, with the XI India fielded in the first game. “With an extra seamer the batting order is not as long and as deep as you would prefer in a Twenty20 game,” Dhoni said. “I was quite happy with the kind of combination that we played.” It will be interesting if Dhoni goes in with one of the potent pair of Munaf Patel or Praveen Kumar.And India don’t see the first loss as a big setback. “Setback? For the first game? It’s not a setback,” Yuvraj Singh said. “It’s the first game of the series. We’ve got five one-dayers, three Test matches, another Twenty20, it’s a long tour, so we’re all geared up for it.” Dhoni also said that, batting errors notwithstanding, his side learnt very quickly. “One thing for sure is we have learnt a lot from our mistakes. If we don’t commit these mistakes again we have a very good chance.”Vettori, though, will want more of the same from Wednesday night: precise bowling, quick fielding and sensible batting. And Vettori himself will be the key bowler. Among bowlers who have played more than eight Twenty20 internationals, Vettori is behind only Umar Gul in terms of economy rate. And though the format is still young, those two have been the best bowlers in Twenty20 internationals. It is a testimony to his skill that he did well at the ridiculously small AMI Stadium.”I think Harbhajan [Singh] and myself bowled pretty well,” Vettori said. “Sometimes you have to flatten out a little bit because you know a mis-hit can go for a six. We go to Wellington next, where the boundaries are a bit bigger and we can bring more out of our repertoire.”Vettori will want something else too – killer instinct. And not a repeat of what happened in Australia, when they waited for mistakes from the opposition. “We’ve had a lot of drawn series here in the last couple of months,” Andy Moles, their coach, said. “We are about winning, and it is about trying to become a winning side. Obviously we need to move forward and do that.”Apart from the expectations from the teams, the whole game will have to live up to a challenge. If Friday’s game can match in closeness the pyrotechnics of the first T20, we are off to a great start to the tour.Teams
New Zealand (likely): 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Jesse Ryder, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Neil Broom, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Ian Butler, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Iain O’Brien.India (likely) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ishant Sharma.

Danny Cowley has enjoyed a positive start to the 2021/22 season, with his Portsmouth side sat on 10 points after five matches.

The former Huddersfield coach had the perfect opening three games of the campaign as his team won each time without conceding a goal. They then ended the month with a slight drop-off in form as they endured a draw and a defeat.

Pompey beat Fleetwood, Crewe Alexandra and Shrewsbury before drawing with Doncaster to make it four clean sheets out of four. However, the ended August with a 1-0 defeat to Wigan, which could give them the motivation to immediately get back to winning ways this month.

Despite their strong start, there are areas in which Cowley can analyse the team and look to improve upon, with John Marquis in particular struggling during August.

He started all five of Portsmouth’s games and averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.64, which was the second-lowest in the squad behind George Hirst, who is yet to start a league match for the club. This suggests that the 29-year-old was the worst-performing starter in the side, according to SofaScore’s metrics.

Taking a deeper dive into his statistics from August, it is easy to see why he has been rated so poorly. The towering centre-foward scored just once in 392 minutes of action across five games, whilst missing one big chance and taking six shots. He also only created one chance for his team-mates in five matches, failing to demonstrate creativity in the final third.

As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old lost possession of the ball 45 times in five matches – nine times per game. This was from 24.8 touches per match, which means that he gave the ball once every 2.75 touches. Cowley will surely be frustrated that his striker failed to provide a reliable outball for his teammates to hit, as he relinquished possession to the other team all too frequently.

The forward also lost a dismal 70% of his duels on the pitch. He won 41% of his ground duels and a mere 12% of his aerial battles, suggesting that he was well off the pace in terms of the physical battle against Portsmouth’s opponents in their first five games.

Along with his lack of cutting edge in front of goal, his failure to keep hold of possession and his lack of creativity highlights that he struggled throughout August and frankly had a disaster of a month. Hopefully September will bring more joy for the former Millwall man.

AND in other news, Pompey fans will be buzzing with Cowley’s claim on gem tipped to “become a top player”…

Pundit Kevin Campbell has tipped Celtic to appoint a new CEO before January following Dominic McKay’s recent departure.

The Lowdown: McKay’s exit; five contenders

McKay left the club last week, just 72 days into his Celtic Park tenure. Ange Postecoglou admitted he was surprised at the news, with the Hoops citing personal reasons regarding his exit.

The Herald have since listed five potential contenders to replace McKay, including former defender Ramon Vega and Leicester City’s Susan Whelan.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-13/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who has appeared regularly for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Celtic’s off-field situation.

He was asked when supporters should expect a permanent replacement through the Parkhead door, to which he appeared to back owner Dermot Desmond to take action before the New Year.

“I’m sure they have somebody in mind to take over the spot permanently. There should be contingency planning at a club like Celtic. You have to plan for every eventuality.

“Big clubs should have a shortlist of names ready to fill big roles like that. Now it is about going down that list, working through it and coming to a decision on the next appointment as quickly as possible because you need somebody in that role.

“I would think they will have somebody in before Christmas because it’s a vitally important position.”

The Verdict: 98 days…

There are 98 days before Christmas, so that should give Celtic plenty of time in regards to bringing in a new CEO on a long-term basis.

If they don’t, then that could have a knock-on effect in regards to the January window with Postecoglou possibly looking to add to his ranks in the winter window and the communication with those above him.

Who knows, the Hoops could even land McKay’s successor before Christmas, but Campbell’s prediction should be the bare minimum for Celtic’s off-field deadline to avoid any January problems.

In other news: Free-agent Ange spoke about at Celtic still available after comments emerge. 

An update has emerged on Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips, regarding Manchester City’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Fichajes, Manchester City are lining up a swoop for Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips at the end of the season as a potential Fernandinho replacement.

The report claims that Pep Guardiola has asked the club to secure a deal for the England international, who is said to be valued at around £25.6m (€30m).

Fans would love it

Txiki Begiristain must work hard to reach an agreement with Leeds to sign Phillips next summer as he would be a solid addition to Guardiola’s midfield options. The Spanish head coach directly recommending the player also suggests that he has faith that Phillips would be able to come in and make the step up from Leeds, which should give supporters the belief that it would be a shrewd piece of business.

City fans would love it if this deal went through as Phillips has seemingly been identified by Guardiola and he could be an excellent addition to the squad. He has proven himself for Leeds in the Premier League and for England at the international level, recently winning BT England Player of the Year for his efforts for his country.

Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy hailed the 25-year-old as unbelievable and backed him to play in an advanced midfield position. He told TalkSport, via FanBanter:

“To play one season in the Premier League and then build up your international experience while you’re doing that… it’s hard enough adapting just to play in the Premier League.

“I was probably two years at Liverpool before I started even becoming used to and started playing regularly and actually thinking I’m worthy. He’s gone into the Premier League comfortable and confident, he’s just adjusted so easily.

“He’s just taken it all in his stride: unbelievable. Temperament, fitness, quality.

“And I actually think although Leeds play him in that holding role, I like him a bit further ahead with the insurance with someone behind him.”

This highlights the quality the £36m-rated beast has, as he has been able to adapt to playing regular international football for England alongside delivering excellent performances for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

He played seven games at the European Championships and averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.82, making 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

Therefore, City fans would be delighted with his arrival. He has shown that he can compete in the Premier League and at a major international tournament, suggesting that he has the potential to make the step up to City.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rodri: Man City can seal perfect midfield by signing Pep’s £80m target…