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Journalist Ronan Murphy has been left reacting to some exciting Newcastle United transfer news which has now emerged.

The Lowdown: Ndicka interest from Newcastle

As per Bild, the St. James’ Park outfit are now interested in signing Evan Ndicka from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer window.

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His contract at the Bundesliga club expires in 2023, so he could be available on the cheap with just a year left on that deal.

The Latest: Murphy reacts to Ndicka transfer latest

Taking to Twitter, journalist and Bundesliga pundit Murphy has now given his reaction to the news, claiming that Ndicka is an ‘upgrade’ on Ciaran Clark as he said:

“Newcastle are interested in Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan N’Dicka, according to Bild. Definitely an upgrade on Ciaran Clark.”

The Verdict: Exciting

As Newcastle have all but guaranteed their safety in the Premier League, they can now start to look towards the summer in terms of upgrading their squad.

At 22 years of age, Ndicka is a rising star in football and is enjoying a fine season at Frankfurt, helping them to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Described as a ‘towering’ central defender, journalist Jacque Talbot has recently noted the Frenchman’s dominating presence, as the 6 foot 4 colossus has won a mammoth 3.8 of his aerial duels per match in the Bundesliga, notching an impressive four goals and four assists in the process.

Compared t0 Clark, who is now on the fringes at Tyneside, it is simply not a contest. Ndicka has averaged more tackles, interceptions, clearances, shots, key passes, dribbles and long balls per game than the Irishman in their respective domestic leagues this season (WhoScored).

Selling the 32-year-old and bringing in Ndicka would seem to be a smart piece of business from the Magpies, with Murphy’s statement a fair one based on the above metrics.

In other news, find out who could now be first to leave NUFC this summer

The Bombay High Court has upheld the stay issued by the judge hearing the arbitration between Rajasthan Royals and the BCCI, but subject to certain conditions

Tariq Engineer14-Dec-2010The Bombay High Court has upheld the stay on the termination of Rajasthan Royals issued by the judge hearing the arbitration case between the franchise and the BCCI. The board had earlier appealed against the order issued by the arbitrator, Justice BN Srikrishna, on November 30 that gave the team back all its rights under the franchise agreement, allowing it to participate in the player auction currently scheduled for January 8 and 9. Justice S Vazifdar, who is hearing the case, ruled in Rajasthan’s favour today.The court, however, modified the arbitrator’s order, adding conditions similar to those it issued in the Kings XI Punjab verdict last week, where it granted an interim stay on the franchise’s expulsion, subject to certain stipulations. In Rajasthan’s case, the court has asked for the owners – Manoj Badale, Suresh Chellaram and Lachlan Murdoch – to file an affidavit stating that “they are in control of their respective investment companies”, and to specify how they control these companies, by January 3, 2011. The franchise will also have to provide a bank guarantee, from a nationalised Indian bank (a bank owned by the government of India), worth $20.83 million – $18 million to cover the players’ salaries over two years and $2.83 million to cover their contract with the BCCI.Rajasthan’s lead counsel, Janak Dwarkadas, argued that the guarantee for players’ salaries should be reduced to $11.8 million because the franchise had retained Shane Watson and Shane Warne at a stipulated cost of $3.1 million per year, and the pair had agreed to sign with them knowing that the team was involved in legal proceedings. The court responded by saying the two players could choose to provide no-objection certificates saying they did not need their salaries protected by the court. If they do so, Rajasthan will be free to deduct $6.2 million from the bank guarantee amount.Rajasthan’s IPL affiliation was terminated by the BCCI on October 10 on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms that threatened to “shake the very foundation of the tender process”, as the notice put it. The two sides then decided to settle their dispute over the termination through arbitration on November 15 after Rajasthan had filed a case in the High Court challenging the board’s decision to take the step unilaterally.Both parties argued their case over four days, after which Srikrishna ruled in Rajasthan’s favour. The crux of his argument was that the BCCI all along knew Rajasthan’s ownership patterns, and that by communicating with it for three-and-a-half years – and accepting the guarantee money – effectively approved of it.The BCCI now has the option of appealing against the decision to the Supreme Court, but the court is closed for two weeks beginning December 17, meaning the franchise is practically guaranteed to take part in the auction, unless it is postponed again – something that the BCCI is reportedly considering. The decision is another blow to the board’s attempts to host an eight-team IPL in 2011, as opposed to the original decision made in Lalit Modi’s tenure – to field 10 teams from the fourth season onwards.The arbitration proceedings between Rajasthan and the board will proceed independent of the court’s decision on the issue of termination, and the stay will remain in place until six weeks after the arbitrator’s final ruling on the case.

After seeing their world-beating game-plan improved on by England,Australia are now looking to their Ashes dominators to provide a way outthis mess

Peter English at the SCG07-Jan-2011After seeing their world-beating game-plan improved on by England,Australia are now looking to their Ashes dominators to provide a way outthis mess. For more than a decade Australia were the leaders in planningand innovation, but over the past couple of years they have gone intofreefall.England’s 3-1 Ashes victory, their first Down Under since 1986-87, hasprovided Australia with another fierce reality check after a batch of themin 2010. “I think 100% we have to learn from what England did thisseries,” Clarke said. “Their performance, not only with bat and ball, butin the field, was outstanding for a five-Test series. There’s a greatstarting point to be able to turn up every day for five Tests, to performas well as they did.”Clarke was in the unfortunate position of being in charge when the trophywas handed over, having replaced the injured Ricky Ponting for the finalTest. He may have the job full-time if the selectors decide Ponting’s timeis up before the next tour of Sri Lanka in August, although Clarke loyallypledged his support to the official leader.If Clarke takes over at least he knows what his side needs to do tosucceed against the best teams. “It takes a lot of discipline, a lot ofplanning before the series,” he said. “The [England] bowlers have executedtheir plans outstandingly against our batters and their batters havecashed in when we haven’t bowled in the right areas. We do need to look athow England have played in this series and take a lot of notes from that.”The overall campaign was a poor one for Clarke, who performed so stronglyin the 2006-07 and 2009 Ashes campaigns. Clarke, who managed only 193 runsat 21.44, said it felt like the lowest point of his career.”Unfortunately I’ve lost a few Ashes series now and they’re all prettybad,” he said. “But being the vice-captain of the Australian team, andhaving such a disappointing series with the bat, it probably is [theworst].”Clarke, 29, has retired from Twenty20s to focus on improving his impact inthe longer forms of the game, but he was asked whether he should hold hisfive-day spot for the Sri Lanka trip. “I would like to, I really hope so,”he said. “Throughout this series I’ve played well in a couple of innings,but I couldn’t go out and make a big score.”If he had the series over again he would have practised more against tall,fast bowlers before the first Test in Brisbane. He spent the early stagesof the series being targeted by short-pitched deliveries when he wasovercoming a back injury, and was unable to find any fluency.Australia’s lead-up included one-day games against Sri Lanka and a coupleof domestic fixtures, while England were fine-tuning from the moment theirhome summer ended. They were better in all disciplines exceptwicketkeeping, where Brad Haddin and Matt Prior were evenly matched.James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, dismissed anycriticism of the schedule having an influence on the result. “To point thefinger at the preparation and suggest that was responsible for us losingthe series 3-1 is rubbish,” he said. “We actually played more Test cricketthan England did in the two or three months leading into the Ashesseries.”Clarke was hurt by the standard of the side’s fielding and said thebowlers needed more patience and discipline. “That’s what England havedone throughout this series,” he said, before offering his attack somesympathy.”I feel a bit for the bowlers, because I know they’ve copped a lot ofcriticism throughout this series, but I think we as batters have to take alot of responsibility as well,” he said. “If you can put 400 runs on theboard, as England have shown, your bowlers generally bowl a lot betterthan what we have. Putting 100, 200, 250 on the board and expecting thebowlers to get them out for that sort of target, I think we’re asking ahell of a lot.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett, who is currently on loan at Newcastle United.

What’s the word?

That is according to the latest report from 90min, who stated that Molineux is one of several possible destinations for the 26-year-old.

Leeds United and Leicester City are also mentioned as potential suitors, although they added that Targett – who makes around £35k per week, as per Salary Sport – would prefer to remain at Newcastle.

On the chalkboard

With Fernando Marcal set to leave at the end of the season with his contract expiring, Wolves have the opportunity to move for a new left-sided full-back in this summer’s transfer window.

The 33-year-old appears to be headed back to his homeland, with Brazilian Serie A club Botafogo poised to pick him up. That just leaves Rayan Ait-Nouri and Jonny Otto in the equation of Targett’s potential competition for the left wing-back berth.

Since the arrival of Lucas Digne at Aston Villa, Targett was cast aside and managed to seal a loan move to join Eddie Howe’s exciting project at St James’ Park.

The 26-year-old, who has been dubbed “tremendous” by Aaron Stokes and “a beast” by James Hendicott on Twitter, has rejuvenated his career at the Tyneside club and fits Howe’s 4-3-3 system perfectly.

His passing this season is what sets him apart from the likes of Ait-Nouri and Jonny, with the Englishman averaging five progressive passes per game, with 3.89 passes into the final third and an average progressive passing distance of 354.9 per game. Those returns see him ranked between the 85th and 88th percentile amongst positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBRef.

Compare that with Marcal and you can see that the Englishman would be an upgrade for Wolves. The Brazilian averages just over three progressive passes per game, with 1.73 into the final third, and a progressive passing distance of 250.17 per match. Those figures rank him in the 30th percentile or lower among position peers for each metric, as per FBRef.

With Targett’s creative statistics in mind, the idea of him featuring as a wing-back in Lage’s 3-4-3 system makes for an exciting potential proposition. For instance, his match average of 2.24 shot-creating actions would almost certainly increase in a system where he is granted even more freedom to attack.

Although it is said that the Aston Villa loanee would reportedly prefer to stay at Newcastle, a move to Molineux could be prosperous for both him and Wolves.

In other news: Wolves plot exciting bid for £13.5m-rated “octopus”, £133k-p/w duo could be axed 

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said performing under pressure has become India’s strength and that will hold them in good stead for the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2011MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said performing under pressure has become India’s strength and that will hold them in good stead for the World Cup where he admitted expectations will be high.”What we have done in the last three years is that we have changed the meaning of pressure to responsibility and we take it as an added responsibility,” Dhoni said. “Cricket is the biggest sport in India and it is widely followed. Everybody wants us to do well and we take that in a positive way. We just stick to the basics, prepare well for the game and at the end of the day we know we have got the potential to do well on the field.”One of the questions facing the India team, who play their first match on February 19 against Bangladesh, is how they will deal with the pressure of being tournament hosts along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India have failed to get past the semi-final stage in previous World Cups played on home soil. But Dhoni said he was concentrating just on the preparation. “I am ready to prepare well for the World Cup and that is what is in my hands right now.”Dhoni dodged the question of whether India were favourites for the tournament by saying: “For a change we won’t be considered underdogs.” He stuck to what has become almost a mantra for him in his time as captain in saying “processes” would take precedence over results. “I never predict much when it comes to cricket. We believe in each of us, and the support staff members are also there to help us. We believe in doing the process, so I have no prediction about the World Cup and we will just give it our best shot.”A day after England batsman Kevin Pietersen termed his side’s hectic schedule leading up to the World Cup as ‘ridiculous’, Dhoni admitted arriving at a balanced schedule was difficult. “The biggest thing in cricket is that we do criticise a lot. When we lose a game, even I have said in the past that we play too much cricket. To get the perfect balance is a very difficult task because there is a very thin line and it is not like technology where we can be close to perfection. It is an issue that will always be raised that either it will be a cramped schedule or there is too long a gap between games.”India have selected seven batsmen, four seamers, three spinners and just one wicketkeeper in their 15-man squad for the World Cup, and Dhoni said there were always players bound to miss out when you have to pick just 15 players. “We have tried to keep the best squad but you can’t accommodate everyone. You can only select 15 players, so you may miss some players who are key in some areas like a left-arm spinner or maybe a legspinner. It will always be a point of discussion, but what is important is that the 15 players who are selected right now make an impact on the World Cup.”Dhoni said he wasn’t thinking about the disappointing loss to Bangladesh – who are India’s first opponents in the 2011 tournament – in the 2007 World Cup. “I am certainly thinking about the match [against Bangladesh] positively. We may have lost in 2007, but there are plenty of positives that we can look for like the 2003 World Cup and the entire tournament we played then.”As far as the gaps between the games are concerned, we all know that it is there so what is best for us is to make a good plan to utilise it in the best possible manner. Of course, we play throughout the year, which means that in between these tense games the players will get time to relax themselves and at the same time if there are some niggles you can get over it.”It is the biggest tournament and it is the biggest thing that happens in cricket, so it is very important that you play with the best XI that your team has. You don’t want to miss many players because of injuries.”

A round-up of the second day of the fourth round of the Regional Four Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2011Spinners Davendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul picked up five wickets between them to give Guyana control of their game against Barbados at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Barbados looked to be in little trouble as the openers added 50 together, but when Dale Richards was trapped in front attempting to sweep Permaul, the floodgates opened. Bishoo had Kyle Hope caught in the deep, while Permaul sent back nightwatchman Jason Holder to leave Barbados 74 for three. Bishoo then bowled Ryan Hinds for 4, before having Kevin Stoute caught at slip for a duck to leave the Barbadians reeling at 88 for 5 chasing Guyana’s total of 330, which was built around Assad Fudadin’s 84 and Vishaul Singh’s maiden first-class half century. Singh needed 144 balls to reach his milestone, and then celebrated by smashing Pedro Collins for two fours before whipping Hinds through mid-wicket for another boundary. Collins got his revenge when he trapped Singh in front for 66, and finished with figures of 4 for 76.Jamaica piled up 504 for 5 declared to put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat against Leeward Islands at Warner Park in St. Kitts. Overnight centurion Marlon Samuels was dismissed early on the second morning for 167, bowled off an under edge by Gavin Tonge. When Tamar Lambert followed soon after, it looked like Leewards were finding their way back into the game but it would prove to be a false dawn. Wavell Hinds and David Bernard came together to add an unbroken106 either side of lunch, with both men making half-centuries, to set-up the declaration. Leewards lost two quick wickets, but Shane Jeffers and Gavin Williams steadied the innings with a 77-run partnership. Lambert eventually had Williams caught for 40, but Jeffers remained unbeaten on 80 at the close.Jimmy Adams and Jonathan Bairstow produced a big partnership but offspinner Ryan Austin ran through the England Lions middle and lower order to restrict them to 373 in their game against Combined Campuses & Colleges at the at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados. Adams and Bairstow added 134 for the fifth-wicket before Kavesh Kantasingh had Adams lbw for 142. Austin then got into the act, snapping up the last five wickets with clever flight and turn. He began his wrecking-ball act by having Adil Rashid caught at point and Chris Woakes caught at backward short-leg. Bairstow, who had batted beautifully for his 85, was then caught at slip trying an unnecessary reverse sweep. Austin then accounted for Danny Briggs and Maurice Chambers caught at forward short-leg and slip respectively. CC&C managed 176 for 5 in their reply, with Kyle Corbin making 54, still 197 runs adrift of the England Lions total.Winward Islands hold the edge over Trinidad & Tobagao at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent. Delorn Johnson took 4 for 34 to help dismiss T&T for 220. as Sherwin Ganga was only able to add six to his overnight score of 72, and the last four wickets fell for a further 33 runs, with Johnson claiming three of them. Tyrone Theophile made 46 and Andre Fletcher an unbeaten 49 to to take Winward to 149 for two in reply.

Ireland’s coach Phil Simmons has joined the clamour of condemnation following the decision to limit the 2015 World Cup to just the ten Test-playing nations, describing the move as “despicable”

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2011Ireland’s coach Phil Simmons has joined the clamour of condemnation following the decision to limit the 2015 World Cup to just the ten Test-playing nations, describing the move as “despicable”, and adding that the announcement on Monday had been “a dark day for cricket but a great day for greed and fear”.Ireland’s players and administrators have reacted with undisguised disgust to the decision from the sport’s governing body, with the team captain William Porterfield and the chief executive Warren Deutrom leading the outcry. The team is currently ranked 10th in the world, above Zimbabwe, and lived up to their growing reputation by beating England in a thrilling run-chase at Bangalore during the recent World Cup.However, they have been given no opportunity to build on a series of performances that captured the public imagination during the recent tournament, despite confirming the progress of a close-knit team following their spectacular victory over Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup.”It is a dark day for cricket but a great day for greed and fear!” said Simmons, the former West Indies opening batsman. “It is hard to find words to describe this despicable decision made by some who want to keep things among themselves and some who fear us.””There can be no cricketing reasons for this decision, as we answered the cricket question, the television rating question, and we are 10th ranked nation in the world – so what else is needed?”I`m afraid the next World Cup will be like the American World Series – you are crowned World Champions but the world did not take part – congratulations to India on winning the last real World Cup.””Finally – congratulations to ICC for pulling the game we love back ten years!”A Cricket Ireland statement said it was currently in discussions with fellow associates and affiliates about the avenues of action left open to them following the ruling by ICC.Deutrom earlier described the decision as “an absolute black day for the sport”. “It’s nothing short of outrageous,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “All of the principles by which a decision should have been made in the first instance – which is what’s best for the sport and what’s acting in the best interests of all 105 members – have clearly been abandoned.”

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the former India captain, has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking the appointment of an arbitrator in relation to the termination of his contract with the BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2011Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the former India captain, has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking the appointment of an arbitrator in relation to what he claimed was the BCCI’s failure to abide by its contract with him while he was a consultant with the board as well as a member of the IPL governing council. He has also claimed an amount of Rs.1.16 crore as fees for services rendered.According to the application filed by Pataudi in the High Court, his agreement with the BCCI came into effect in October 2007 and was to last for a period of five years, where he would be paid Rs 1 crore annually. In the event that one of the parties chose to terminate the contract, as stated in Pataudi’s application, they would have to invoke the agreement’s arbitration clause.In October last year, the BCCI made wholesale changes to the IPL governing council, slashing its membership term from five years to one year and taking a decision that no payment will be made to any member of the original council. These new terms were unacceptable to Pataudi, as well as Sunil Gavaskar, and both turned down posts in the new governing council.In January this year, Pataudi wrote to the BCCI seeking the appointment of an arbitrator since his ties with the governing council had ended. When there was no reply from the Indian board, Pataudi took the matter to court. The case will be heard next week.Pataudi was critical of the BCCI following his withdrawal, saying the board was in a “mess” over the controversies that plagued the IPL, it no longer enjoyed the goodwill it once did in the global cricket community and that the time had come for it to back its financial clout with moral leadership.

Kumar Sangakkara needed to take a few days to decide whether to accept the captaincy for the final Test against England in place of the injured Tillakaratne Dilshan

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2011Kumar Sangakkara needed to take a few days to decide whether to accept the captaincy for the final Test against England in place of the injured Tillakaratne Dilshan. Sangakkara stood down controversially after the World Cup final, but has agreed to resume the role for the good of Sri Lanka according to team-mate Mahela Jayawardene.Sangakkara took charge in the field during England’s second innings at Lord’s, but Thilan Samaraweera captained the Sri Lankans in their tour match against Essex over the weekend with Sangakkara wanting to focus on his batting after a lean tour. There was a suggestion he remained reluctant to captain the side again although he remained the logical choice as Sri Lanka try to level the series at the Rose Bowl.”He had to think about it for a few days, because he only stood down from the job back in April, but I think he felt that you have to take responsibility in a situation such as this,” Jayawardene told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a Test match, we’re one-nil down, and it’s an important opportunity to level the series. In the end he decided that for the team and for the country, it was the right thing to do.”It was unfortunate that we didn’t appoint a vice-captain for this tour, because we never anticipated a situation like this arising. However, Kumar was always the guy to look after things if they went wrong. He didn’t lead the side against Essex last week but that was simply because he needed a break and a chance to concentrate on his batting. Being such a class act, you always know he’ll come good after failing in a few games, and sure enough he batted really well for a big hundred. It’s not a big deal now, and everyone’s looking forward to the last Test.”However, Jayawardene admitted that Dilshan’s absence would be a major loss for the tourists after he scored a magnificent 193 at Lord’s to enable Sri Lanka to regain pride after the embarrassing defeat in Cardiff. Dilshan knew he was struggling to make this match as he sat out the final two days at Lord’s, but such is his importance to Sri Lanka they were clinging to hope that he would recover.”We gave him a chance to get back to full fitness, but he’s still not 100%, and after being struck on the thumb three times already, the doctors felt he would be risking a long-term injury if he was hit there again in this match,” Jayawardene said. “We took the call probably last evening knowing that his finger hadn’t recovered properly. They’ve decided it would be better to give him time to recover, and hopefully he will be fit for the one-dayers.”It’s a big loss, but we were never going to take any chances with our captain. The swelling on his thumb was pretty bad last week, although that has now gone down and his movement was pretty good in the nets the other day. But you don’t want to go in with the mindset that your finger is not 100%. I don’t think anyone wants to take that risk, especially someone as important to our team as Dilshan.Jayawardene, though, insisted it wasn’t a case of Sri Lanka prioritising the forthcoming one-day series – their first ODIs since the World Cup final – ahead of the last Test. “First and foremost, the Test was the most important thing,” he said. “We’ll wait for the one-dayers to see how he’s recovered, and I don’t think we will risk him if he’s not fit initially. We do have a pride in all forms of the game, not just one-day cricket, but with our recent form at the World Cup we want to continue that.”

Zaheer Khan, the Indian seamer, has singled out his stint with Worcestershire as the “turning point” in his career and encouraged young Indian bowlers to play county cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2011Zaheer Khan, the Indian seamer, has singled out his stint with Worcestershire as the “turning point” in his career and encouraged young Indian bowlers to play county cricket to prepare themselves better for international cricket. Zaheer, who was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup won by India, joined Worcestershire in 2006 after a phase in which he had struggled with injury and was left out of the national team. He topped the Division Two wickets list that season, picking up 78 in 16 games at 29.07.”In many ways it was [the turning point], Zaheer told the magazine . “The stint at Worcestershire helped me understand the game, why I am playing and other things in terms of preparations for matches and bowling on different kinds of wickets.”It was really important for me to play at the highest level, and to get back into the Indian side. I always knew I had the potential to perform but somehow I was not able to deliver. It was a great learning curve.”Upon his return to England in 2007, this time leading India’s pace attack, Zaheer topped the wickets list again, picking up 18 wickets in the Test series, including nine in India’s win in Trent Bridge.Zaheer said county experience helped players become more independent and professional and said he’d spoken to some of India’s younger bowlers, including Ishant Sharma, about playing county cricket. “I was advising all the young bowlers, like Ishant,” he said. “When you are at home, in many ways you are taken care of. But when you play a county season you have to do everything yourself and still be prepared for the game. That brings in a great sense of professionalism.”You also get a great understanding of cultures, and that definitely improves your social skills since you are out of your comfort zone. That itself is a great learning for any person, not just a cricketer.”Zaheer has been rested from India’s upcoming ODI series in the Caribbean. Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and R Vinay Kumar comprise the pace attack.