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Fabrizio Romano has provided a major Newcastle managerial update regarding Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca.

What’s the talk?

The Italian journalist has claimed that the ex-Roma head coach is prepared to accept the Magpies job after talks with the new owners at St James Park. However, they are keeping their options open and have not yet decided whether or not they will go with Fonseca to lead the club forward.

Romano told the ¡Que Golazo! podcast, via Shields Gazette: “As we mentioned last week, they were beginning talks with Fonseca and going in with optimism around these negotiations because Paulo Fonseca is prepared to accept the proposal from Newcastle.

“It’s now up to Newcastle. They have everything set with Fonseca but they need to decide if they want to go with him or do something different, talk with other managers and consider other opportunities.

“So Newcastle have not one-hundred percent decided yet, but Fonseca is the front-runner, everything is ready for him, he would be prepared to accept. They’re discussing about money and final things but I’m sure that Fonseca is the front-runner now.

“Let’s see if they want to do something surprising because these [talks] are going on but they’re not signing his contract or not completing his agreement so this is why they are maybe thinking of someone else or something surprising.” Excitement

These claims from Romano will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling excited for several reasons. For starters, Fonseca being prepared to accept an offer from the club is a major boost, as it means that no matter what happens with their other targets, they know that an impressive manager is ready to join at any point.

Fonseca has 320 games as a manager under his belt, averaging 1.94 points per game across five separate leagues. Steve Bruce, who recently left the club, has managed 477 Premier League matches in his career and averaged 1.11 points per game. This suggests that the Portuguese coach would be a significant upgrade on Bruce, which is why the fans would be happy to see him at the helm.

However, Magpies supporters could also be excited by Romano’s last quote. He suggests that PIF may be stalling on Fonseca as they plot a surprise appointment, and that could get fans on the edge of their seats as they ponder who else could arrive to take charge of the club. If Newcastle believe that they can bring in a manager with a better record than Fonseca, whose aforementioned career has been impressive so far, that is a very exciting thought for the fans.

It will be quite interesting to see where PIF go with this. As Romano has explained, a deal for Fonseca appears to be close and they could sign off on that and bring him to Tyneside, or else they may go left-field and appoint another head coach…

AND in other news, “Comfortably spend…”: Chris Waugh drops big Newcastle claim which should delight fans…

England are set to send a weakened squad to Bangladesh for their tour early next year after Hugh Morris confirmed the board would manage the workload of senior players

Cricinfo staff28-Sep-2009England are set to send a weakened squad to Bangladesh for their tour early next year after Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, confirmed the board would manage the workload of senior players during another packed year.England finish their tour of South Africa in mid-January before a month-long break, ahead of visiting Bangladesh until March 25. The ICC World Twenty20 begins at the end of April, then England have a full home season, which includes contests against Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan before they defend the Ashes at the end of next year. Following that there is the 2011 World Cup in Asia.”Given the schedules we have to prioritise what we are doing,” Morris told reporters in South Africa. “We have to say that global events are obviously a big priority, the Ashes is a big priority, and the India and South Africa series.”We need to get into a position where each player gets the right amount of preparation, the right amount of matches and the right amount of rest. In that regard we have to look very closely at the resting of players for series, parts of series, matches, as we have started to do.”Possible candidates to sit out the Bangladesh trip could include Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood, Stuart Broad and James Anderson. However, if Strauss was to rest, it would require new captains for the Test and one-day teams. Alastair Cook, the Test vice-captain, would be the likely choice in the longer format, but the one-day position is less clear, especially if Collingwood is also rested.However, Morris made it clear that any of the players who are given time off and also hold IPL contracts would not be allowed an extended spell at the tournament, which now overlaps with the start of the Bangladesh series after the dates were pushed back two weeks.”If England are playing cricket and we rest somebody, we would not expect them to play in any other form of cricket,” Morris said. “We will look at each of the players and see where we get to in the next couple of weeks.”The one-day series in Bangladesh, which comes before the Tests, has also been earmarked by Andrew Flintoff for his comeback. Flintoff recently declined an incremental contact so that he could go freelance and play around the world in Twenty20 tournaments, but reiterated his availability for England duty.However, Morris confirmed he had asked Flintoff’s agent, Andrew Chandler, for written assurance of Flintoff’s availability. “I have had an undertaking that he is available from ‘Chubby’ [Chandler],” Morris said. “I have had that in writing. People have to be committed to whatever programme we have in place.””Everything with them has been fine and above board,” said Flintoff of his dealings with the ECB. “They know where we’re at, and the reasons we’re doing what we’re doing. I’m available for every England game, except obviously Test matches, and for whatever they want me to do. Like every other player who plays for a county, you have to perform to get in the side.”My motives are true,” Flintoff added. “I want to play for England for a period of time, and I’d love to play more Test cricket but it’s a physical impossibility, so the next best thing for me is to play ODIs and Twenty20s. Playing for England is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid, and I feel lucky to do it. I don’t know how long left I’ve got to do it, so I want to play every possible game.”

Will be available for the first four matches of the four-day competition ahead of the 50-over and Twenty20 events

Cricinfo staff02-Nov-2009Ravi Bopara, the England batsman, has been signed up by Auckland for the domestic cricket season. Bopara, 24, will be available for the first four matches of the four-day competition, starting next week, ahead of the 50-over and Twenty20 events.”We had only been looking for someone for the Twenty20 but he’s very keen to come out for a longer period,” Auckland chief executive Andrew Eade told the .After being left out of the final Ashes Test following a dreadful run of form, Bopara recently lost his one-day spot for the tour to South Africa. He has vowed to return to the England Test side a better player after being dropped following a torrid series against Australia. At the start of the home season he was promoted to No. 3 and responded with consecutive centuries against West Indies, but found life much harder against Australia. His technique was exposed outside the off stump and he was also trapped leg before on three occasions.Eade said it was Bopara’s idea to land in New Zealand as soon as possible. “He is keen to come and contribute over a longer period for us, which is great. He has exactly the right skill set we want, a hard-hitting batsman with a bit of bowling to back that up.”

Southampton followed up their 1-0 win over Watford in the Premier League last weekend with another victory on Friday night at St Mary’s against Aston Villa by the same scoreline.

An early goal from Adam Armstrong was enough to see Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side secure all three points against Villa, who have now lost five league games on the bounce.

Aside from Armstrong, one Saints player who we think was a standout performer on the night was James Ward-Prowse.

During his 90 minutes on the pitch, the Southampton captain had 82 touches of the ball and completed 50 of his 55 passes (including four key passes), racking up a passing accuracy percentage of 91%, as per SofaScore. That highlights just how effective he was for the Saints in the centre of midfield in an attacking and creative sense.

Additionally, Ward-Prowse also won five duels, made two tackles and two clearances and blocked one shot, also showing how he contributed in a defensive sense.

Overall, the 27-year-old – who has been labelled as an “unbelievable fighter for the team” by Hasenhuttl in the past – earned himself an overall match rating of 7.5/10 according to SofaScore. That made him Southampton’s joint-highest rated player on the night alongside Valentino Livramento, proving that he was Hasenhuttl’s hero against Villa, even more so than Armstrong in terms of overall performance.

So far this season, Ward-Prowse -who is currently valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt – has played in all of Southampton’s Premier League games except against Leeds United and Burnley when he was serving a ban, illustrating how vital he is for Hasenhuttl and the team.

In terms of his performance for the Saints last night, Ward-Prowse certainly showed why Villa were interested in signing him over the summer, and why Southampton were right to reject the Midlanders’ reported £25m bid for him and then offer him a new long-term deal to keep him at St Mary’s.

Moving forward, if Ward-Prowse can keep keep delivering the standard of performance that he did against Villa last night, we feel that he will be a key figure for Southampton as they aim to put their poor start to the season behind them and move away from a potential relegation battle.

In other news: Hasenhuttl could solve key Southampton issue with transfer swoop for £2.7m-rated sensation

Rangers have begun their search for a new manager after Steven Gerrard accepted the offer to move south of the border, with several exciting candidates being linked with the Gers vacancy at Ibrox.

What’s the story?

The 41-year-old decision to depart Glasgow brought an end to his successful three-year reign, and attention has already turned to who could succeed him.

Bruce Archer, a journalist for The Sun, took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, revealing who he would appoint as Gerrard’s placement, suggesting that Paulo Fonseca would be a good choice.

Other exciting candidates such as Russell Martin and Giovanni van Bronckhorst have been touted as potential heirs, but Fonseca is arguably the one with the most impressive CV.

Exceptional Gerrard successor

Fonseca first established himself as a top-class manager during a hugely prosperous three-year spell at Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.

Between 2016 and 2019, the 48-year-old claimed three successive league titles and three successive domestic cups, earning him a move to Serie A outfit AS Roma.

The highly regarded tactician transformed the capital club into a genuine force in European competition once again during his time at the helm, overseeing an exciting and entertaining style of play at the Stadio Olimpico.

Speaking to Tifo Football, The Athletic’s James Horncastle declared: “I’d put them with Atalanta and Sassuolo as the league’s entertainers,” while Alex Stewart described his style as “exciting.”

In fact, despite their Europa League exit last season at the semi-final stage, Portuguese journalist Alex Goncalves still backed Fonseca to enjoy a big career.

He tweeted: “It’s a bad result for Paulo Fonseca today, a 6-2 defeat to Manchester United. His managerial CV is exceptional, & his managerial ability matches it, but his time at Roma may be coming to an end. A talented manager who plays stylish football likely to be available this summer.”

It’s evident that the head coach who Massimo Ambrosini dubbed a “modern” manager is someone who has a history of achieving success with a number of unfavoured sides, as well as one who can get his team playing brave, attacking football on the front foot.

His record of domestic and continental success will surely make him an intriguing option for Rangers’ hierarchy, and his appointment is something that director of football Ross Wilson must carefully consider over the coming days.

And, in other news…“Early favourite”: Journalist drops huge Rangers manager claim, fans will be ecstatic

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has confirmed that the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) will be used in the upcoming home Test series against Pakistan

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2009New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has confirmed that the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) will be used in the upcoming home Test series against Pakistan. The announcement was made after an agreement was reached with Animation Research Limited, a Dunedin-based company, to supply their Virtual Eye ball-tracking technology.The review system would also be implemented by Australia during the home Test series against West Indies and Pakistan, according to an AAP report.”It’s exciting that the new decision review system will be up and running for this Test series,” NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said. “This will be the first series in the international calendar to use the new DRS – it’s an important advance for international cricket.”Following a series of trials at domestic and international level, the ICC announced in June that the review system would be implemented from October. Cricket’s governing body is understood to have communicated that it would not be responsible for the cost burden of the system, leaving boards and/or broadcasters to foot the bill. This led to problems with broadcasters and national boards baulking at the implementation costs. As a result, the UDRS was scrapped for the ongoing India-Sri Lanka Tests, will not be used for the South Africa-England Test series.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan believes that Mateusz Klich could now lose his place in the team following Adam Forshaw’s impressive return.

The Lowdown: Forshaw back in the fold

The 29-year-old has overcome a serious hip injury which saw him miss two years of action, making a hugely pleasing return to the Leeds team recently. The midfielder has six appearances to his name in all competitions this term and seems to be growing by the game, arguably producing a Man of the Match display in the recent 1-1 draw with Leicester City.

Forshaw’s return gives Marcelo Bielsa a selection headache in the middle of the park, with Klich also battling to partner Kalvin Phillips.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Pundits tips Klich to lose place

Speaking to Football Insider, Leeds ambassador Whelan admitted that Forshaw’s resurgence could lead to Klich being benched after the international break:

“It was really encouraging to see Forshaw back in that starting line-up. Not least because we didn’t know if we were going to see him in a Leeds shirt again.

“He’s had two horrible years out through injury, and that is tough to come back from for any professional.

“He and Phillips seemed to have a really good understanding in the midfield. He gave us just a bit more presence in there, a bit more aggression.

“That partnership worked better than having Klich in there, it was great to see Forshaw back. He has that experience and composure that we need in that midfield area. Klich could be the one to miss out now.”

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The Verdict: Fair decision currently

This is a very healthy situation for Leeds to be in, with central midfield an area which has often felt light on options so far this season, especially with Robin Koch out injured.

Forshaw genuinely feels like a new signing, having missed so much action, and he is showing what an influential figure he can be within Bielsa’s team if he stays fit.

Klich remains a key player for Leeds as well, though, earning their fifth-highest SofaScore performance rating of the season and starting seven top-flight matches, and the added competition from Forshaw could prompt him to raise his game even further in the coming weeks and months.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly potential suitors for an exciting young player. Read more here.

West Indies’ interim coach, Dave Williams, is “almost sure” Chris Gayle will be available to play the first Test against Australia at the Gabba from Thursday

Alex Brown24-Nov-2009West Indies’ interim coach, David Williams, is “almost sure” Chris Gayle will be available to play the first Test against Australia at the Gabba from Thursday, but will leave the final decision to his jet-lagged captain. Gayle has spent almost 100 hours commuting between the Caribbean and Australia over the past fortnight, and is due to arrive in Brisbane barely 24 hours before the toss.Gayle is no stranger to eleventh hour arrivals ahead of Test series. He landed in England the day before this year’s first Test, having been granted special permission by his board to extend his stint in the IPL. He also cut fine his arrival for the 2008 home Test series against Australia, also due to IPL commitments, prompting Williams to quip: “He’s getting used to it.”Gayle kept fans abreast of his recent movements via his Twitter page, including updates on his mother’s improving health. That development greatly lifted Gayle’s spirits, raising hope among the West Indian team that their captain will be available for the first Test.”He should be alright,” Williams said. “Chris has done this before and he knows what is before him. It’s just a matter of getting acclimatised as quickly as possible and then the ball is in his court whether he wants to play or not. We’ve just got to wait and see and be hopeful that he’s going to be ready for that Test match. It’s going to be very important for us to have him.”Once he comes back here we’re almost sure that he’s going to play. Probably he won’t come to the nets. He’ll just take his time and rest. But it’s up to him. It’s how he feels when he gets up on the morning of the game. We’re just hopeful that he’s going to be ready in time.”Williams dismissed suggestions his team could opt to field first on Thursday to allow Gayle additional time to recuperate from his latest long-haul flight. “We’re not going to make a decision based on one guy,” he said. “If we get to the Gabba and we have a look in the morning and we feel it’s feasible for us to be bat then so be it.”Gayle’s mercy dash is the latest setback to hit the West Indian squad. A damaging industrial relations dispute and an injury to key fast bowler Fidel Edwards conspired to relegate West Indies to 12-1 outsiders with bookmakers for the Gabba Test, and Gayle’s absence would presumably see those odds inflate further.Despite the various crises confronting his team, Williams adopted a bullish stance ahead of Thursday’s series opener. “We have had a good look at the Australian bowling attack (and) we felt it’s not as experienced as previous attacks,” he said. “”Maybe we can put them under some pressure.”

With the pressure on Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reaching boiling point, a disappointing result against Watford over the weekend could see his tenure come to a close.

The Red Devils have failed to put in a convincing display since their curtain-raising demolition of Leeds United, losing six games in all competitions – including a humiliating defeat at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool.

Speculation surrounding Solskjaer’s future has continued to mount in recent days, with Brendan Rodgers appearing as the frontrunner to take over the Old Trafford hot seat unless things drastically improve.

It was meant to be the season that United moved away from their transitional period under the Norwegian and blossomed into a genuine title contender, but that ambition has now become as distant as ever before.

The 20-time English champions are currently sitting in sixth position in the Premier League table, nine points behind league leaders Chelsea as their hopes of a first top-flight crown in eight years lie in tatters.

But the solution to at least some of Solskjaer’s woes could be a relatively simple one. After a drawn-out two-year pursuit, United finally secured Jadon Sancho’s signature over the summer, splashing out £73m to prise him away from Borussia Dortmund.

And yet after his eventual arrival, it appears as though the 48-year-old tactician has no real plan of how or where to use the £350k-per-week earner.

Admittedly, the surprise arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo late in the window may have scuppered some of Solskjaer’s original plans for Sancho, but given time and a consistent run of games, there’s no doubt he will produce top-class displays week in week out.

During his time in Germany, the youngster contributed a quite ridiculous 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 appearances for BVB, claiming the DFB-Pokal along the way, leading to Owen Hargreaves claiming his “potential is off the charts.”

However, he’s failed to start more than two Premier League games in a row in the opening months of the current campaign, completing the full 90 minutes on just one occasion in all competitions for Solskjaer’s struggling side.

When players are adapting to a new set of teammates, a different league and a new style of play, it often takes time for them to find their best form before they hit the same heights they did so readily at their previous club.

For Sancho, it will undoubtedly be a similar process. Time is not something that Solskjaer currently has on his side, though, so the temptation to stick with tried and tested methods is a natural instinct.

Nevertheless, his ability to win a game with a moment of genius and truly world-class potential warrants a show of faith from the under-fire Scandinavian; he could just save his job in return.

And, in other news…”As things stand” – Romano delivers Man Utd update that’ll surely have fans gutted 

Although the sun made an appearance in East London an injury cloud remains over James Anderson’s knee ahead of the Test series against South Africa after he was ruled out of England’s opening two-day match against an Invitational XI at Buffalo Park

Andrew McGlashan in East London08-Dec-2009Although the sun made an appearance in East London an injury cloud remains over James Anderson’s knee ahead of the Test series against South Africa after he was ruled out of England’s opening two-day match against an Invitational XI at Buffalo Park. While the squad made the most of an unexpected improvement in the weather, Anderson was restricted to batting duties as his right knee is monitored.He is being lined up to take part in the second game from Friday after remaining behind in Durban following the one-day series to have further injections in his troublesome right knee. Numerous scans and a hefty supply of medical opinions have failed to pinpoint the source of the problem which has troubled him since early in the tour.Although he wasn’t wearing any strapping on his knee during the net session this is looking increasingly like a problem that will plague him throughout the trip. With Anderson being such a crucial part of England’s plans for the Test matches Andy Flower, the coach, admitted there is concern about the ongoing problem. “Yes, there is. He’s one of our main bowlers and he’s our strike bowler,” he said.”He had some further injections into his knee to try and settle things down. He had them on Saturday so we are allowing time for those to work. He’s had a good reaction so far, but won’t play in the first two-day game then will play in the second one and hopefully be ready for the first Test.”With a heavy workload of four Tests in five weeks on the horizon England are taking a cautious approach with Anderson who bowled through discomfort during the one-day series, both from his knee and a suspected broken toe after he stubbed his foot on a chair.”He could probably get through it [all four days] but we are trying to allow the injections to have an effect and he needs a little more time without any bowling and we are giving him that,” Flower added. “Two days of middle of practice in the second game should be sufficient for Jimmy.”Someone who is likely to have all four days in action is Kevin Pietersen as he continues his battle for form. Having said on Monday that he wasn’t shy of hard work, Pietersen lived up to his word by batting for more than 90 minutes in two separate stints. He started against throw downs from Graham Gooch, before facing up to some lively offerings from local bowlers keen to have a pop at him on a surface that was far from flat.The forecast for the two-day matches is also looking far more positive although any further rain will put a prompt start in doubt. The pitch was covered for much of the morning by a tent made from tarpaulins while inside fans were helping dry the surface. However, the groundstaff were able to remove the covering to start work on the surface and ideal drying conditions were also helping an outfield that has taken a lot of water in recent days and was certainly on the boggy side in places.The last thing England need is for the weather to seriously interrupt their four days of pre-Test preparation. For most of the players it has been more than three months since they played red-ball cricket and there isn’t much time to adjust before the first Test at Centurion Park on December 16.”This is unexpected good weather today, we thought it was going to be raining for most of the day so it’s great for our guys to get into the nets outside,” Flower said. “It’s not been ideal but it’s not the end of the world either. If we get three to three-and-a-half days of cricket out of the four that’s what we really want.”Adil Rashid, the legspinner, won’t play any part in the warm-up matches after he remained with the Performance Squad in Pretoria. Rashid was released from the one-day squad during the Cape Town match, along with Alastair Cook and Liam Plunkett, so that they could get some four-day cricket under their belts.Flower explained the decision was made to leave Rashid at the camp because they want Graeme Swann to play all four days in East London, while the legspinner has the chance of another game with the Performance Squad. “If Adil had come down they would have needed to share the games so I think it was a good opportunity for him to play a four-day game up there on a good pitch and allow Swann four days of cricket here.”Rashid has had a difficult time so far in South Africa. His one over in the second Twenty20 went for 25 then he bowled three overs for 27 in the second ODI before being left out for a fit-again Swann. When he was released from the one-day party James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner, remained on stand-by which suggested Rashid had fallen down the pecking order. He will rejoin the Test squad when they reach Johannesburg ahead of the first Test but seems highly unlikely to play any part in the series.