All posts by h716a5.icu

Andy Blignaut is set to return to international cricket after a hiatus of almost five years after he was included in Zimbabwe’s squad for the World Twenty20 in West Indies.

Cricinfo staff26-Mar-2010Andy Blignaut is set to return to international cricket after a hiatus of almost five years after he was included in Zimbabwe’s squad for the World Twenty20 in West Indies.His inclusion completes a remarkable return by Blignaut, 31, who was one of the ‘rebel’ cricketers whose row with Zimbabwe’s cricket board resulted in the sacking of 15 senior white players in 2004. He subsequently returned to the side, and had been tipped as a potential national captain, but then walked out again in 2006 over after a disagreement about money owed to him by the board.Blignaut hinted at a possible comeback in January this year, and after his fitness had been assessed by the Matabeleland Tuskers franchise he returned to action in Zimbabwe’s domestic Twenty20 competition, striking 111 runs in four innings at an average of 37.00 and a strike rate of 133.73, including a matchwinning half century on his return to competitive cricket. He was then included in a provisional squad for Zimbabwe’s tour of the West Indies, but didn’t make the final touring party.The 15-man group also includes batsman Craig Ervine, the younger brother of former national player Sean Ervine, who has returned to Zimbabwe but is still tied to a contract with Hampshire. Shingi Masakadza and Stuart Matsikenyeri, who were both members of the Zimbabwe side that toured the West Indies in March, have not been included in the squad.Masakadza played in only one international game on the tour, taking two wickets in the final over of the second ODI in Guyana to set up a tense two-run win on his international debut. Despite good returns in domestic cricket, Matsikenyeri was woefully out of form on the tour, scoring just 42 runs in six innings.Chamu Chibhabha also returns to the national set-up, being reward for his sparkling Twenty20 form for the Southern Rocks. He was the second-highest run scorer in this season’s Twenty20 tournament, racking up 230 runs at 57.50, including three fifties.With Zimbabwe seeking to bolster their sparse fast-bowling resources as they build towards a return to Test cricket, Tendai Chatara, the Zimbabwe Under-19 opening bowler, will travel with the team to the West Indies to gain some experience of cricket at higher levels, and will play in a four-day match against West Indies A, starting on April 16, before returning home.The World Twenty20 tournament, which begins on April 30, will also see new coach Alan Butcher take control of the side for the first time. Zimbabwe are grouped with Sri Lanka and New Zealand at the competition, and begin their campaign with a game against the Sri Lankans at the Providence stadium in Guyana on May 3.Zimbabwe squad Prosper Utseya (capt), Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Andy Blignaut, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, Chamu Chibhabha, Chris Mpofu, Timycen Maruma, Craig Ervine

Nine English players will feature in the IPL auction on January 19 after league officials said a dispute over NOCs had been resolved. This takes to 60 the number of players who will be involved in the auction

Cricinfo staff07-Jan-2010Nine English players will feature in the IPL auction on January 19 after league officials said a dispute over NOCs had been resolved. This takes to 60 the number of players who will be involved in the auction.On Wednesday, the IPL had released what it said was the “complete” list of players who would be part of the auction; it featured none of the eight England players who were on the long-list drawn up at the beginning of the month. Those eight were Tim Bresnan, Anthony McGrath, Eoin Morgan, Monty Panesar, Adil Rashid, Jonathan Trott, Usman Afzaal and James Foster; with Graeme Swann now added to the mix in light of his outstanding international form.The point of dispute was the availability of English players outside the IPL season, Sundar Raman, the IPL chief executive, told Cricinfo. “We wanted clarifications specifically related to the availability of players outside of the IPL season so we don’t need to keep going back for the NOCs,” he said. “Franchises then can plan friendlies and practice games outside of the IPL season. That was one of the things that needed to be ironed out.”He also said that only those players available for the full season would feature in the auction. “That is not a condition, that is a preliminary requirement,” he said, adding that the ECB had cleared it.Raman said the IPL would release the names on Friday once it received the NOCs from the ECB. The delay, he said, was because some of the English players like Jonathan Trott were busy with the Test series in South Africa. He implied that the final call on the NOCs rested with the English board. “The ECB might want some of the players to be rested or available on tour or they might want to keep a check on any player who has suffered an injury,” he said.There were reports that the IPL had introduced new changes to the terms and conditions in the NOCs; that is reported to have become a sticking point with the ECB, which wanted to sign an NOC related to the terms negotiated in February 2009. Raman said the NOCs signed in February 2009 applied to “that set of players” at that time. “But our player contracts are undergoing some changes and the new NOCs should reflect those changes in terms of his availability, payment terms and things like that,” he said.

Aston Villa have made an enquiry regarding Graham Potter’s availability.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Express & Star, who claim that Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens (NSWE) have made an informal approach for the Brighton & Hove Albion manager in the club’s bid to appoint Dean Smith’s successor at Villa Park.

However, the report goes on to state that the possibility of Aston Villa being able to prise the 46-year-old away from the South Coast club is not believed to be overly strong.

He’d be perfect for Villa

While recent reports would appear to suggest that Steven Gerrard is very much the front runner for the vacant managerial post at Villa Park, it would be a difficult argument to make that the Rangers boss would be a better appointment than Potter.

In the space of seven years, he’s led Ostersunds FK from the third tier of Swedish football to a fifth-place finish in the top flight, has won the Swedish Cup and defeated Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates in the knockout stages of the Europa League – although losing the tie 4-2 on aggregate. Thus, it has been clear for a while that Potter is an extremely talented coach.

Indeed, these accomplishments convinced Swansea City to take a chance on the 46-year-old, where Potter would spend one season, securing a 10th place Championship finish with the Swans, before continuing his remarkable rise with a move to Premier League side Brighton.

And, after two identical campaigns of nine wins, 14 draws and 15 losses in his first two seasons on the South Coast, things look as if they have really started to click for the 41-year-old this term, with Brighton having picked up an impressive 17 points over their opening 11 fixtures of the season – leaving the Seagulls flying high in seventh place.

Aside from his track record of results, Potter has also drawn praise for his progressive and attacking style of play, with Jurgen Klopp stating his belief that the Solihull-born manager’s Brighton team “mirrors his ability,” as well as claiming that the coach “obviously a clear idea about football” and is “doing a brilliant job” at the American Express Community Stadium.

Furthermore, Pep Guardiola has also suggested that Potter is currently “the best English manager” in the game, something that it would be hard to disagree with.

As such, while Gerrard is undoubtedly a talented boss, when comparing the former Liverpool captain’s experience to that of Potter, there is a very clear winner – with the latter’s history of improving struggling sides and his desire to play attacking football looking to make the 41-year-old something of a perfect fit for Villa.

In other news: 73% win rate: NSWE could revive Villa with “remarkable” 51 y/o Gerrard alternative 

USA selectors must build for the future instead of sticking with ageing players

Peter Della Penna13-Nov-2009When America’s most talented players begin play in Fort Lauderdale on Friday for the USA Cricket Association (USACA) National Championship, each one will be full of hope about their team’s chances of walking away with the title. They’ll also be desperate to impress selectors at the grounds each day because the tournament is also acting as trials for the USA national squad to compete in February’s World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai and the World Cricket League (WCL) Division Five in Nepal.While attention will obviously focus on the players, the administration will be under equal scrutiny. This is a crucial moment in the Don Lockerbie era. It will be the first senior squad picked since he came on board this year as USACA’s chief executive. He may not have a direct hand in selecting the teams, but the players chosen will be responsible for helping to achieve Lockerbie’s vision of Project 15. This involves USA becoming a top 15 team by 2015 as well as qualifying for the 2015 World Cup.To achieve this goal it is necessary to blood homegrown players, who can get valuable experience and grow with the team for the next six years. However, the temptation to persist with expat heroes instead remains and continues to hamper the development of cricket in this country. Old habits die hard and old players who are entrenched in the team are even harder to cast aside.As was recently reported, Sudesh Dhaniram was chosen for the New York team that is playing in Florida. Dhaniram, a former Guyana player, is 42-years-old and played for USA in their last international outing a year ago in the ICC Americas Division One in Florida. The player he replaced, 21-year-old Andre Kirton, came up through the New York Under-19 program and represented the USA at the U-19 World Cup in 2006.Make no mistake, Dhaniram is a good player. He scored a blistering century in his local New Jersey 40-over league final last month and has a big reputation in the New York metro area. But Greg Matthews is still taking wickets in the Sydney grade competition too – it doesn’t mean he should be playing for New South Wales, let alone Australia.While it was exciting to see nine U-19 players in the list of 40 probables included in this weekend’s trials, it was alarming to 43 year-old Nasir Javed included at the expense of 19 year-old leg-spinner Saqib Saleem. Saleem was USA’s leading wicket-taker at the U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Toronto with 17 in 7 games including a five-for against tournament champion Ireland. He was left out despite eight of his other USA U-19 team-mates getting an invite.A glance at the 2006 U-19 World Cup rosters, the first time USA played in the event, reveals a slew of players who have gone on to represent full-member nations at the senior level. Wayne Parnell, Tim Southee, Martin Guptill, Kieron Pollard, Kemar Roach, Andre Fletcher, David Warner and Moises Henriques all featured in teams that USA played against in the tournament. By giving them an opportunity at the highest level each country demonstrated a continued commitment to development.

Make no mistake, Dhaniram is a good player… But Greg Matthews is still taking wickets in the Sydney grade competition too – it doesn’t mean he should be playing for New South Wales, let alone Australia.

Namibia, an associate level team which USA beat in the Plate competition that year, has had at least eight players from that squad go on to play at senior level. USA has had one, Akeem Dodson, who wasn’t even included in the list of 40 for this year’s trials.Even more disconcerting is the fact that the 22-year-old Dodson spent this summer playing league cricket in England, something that was supposed to enhance his resume. Discussions are often held in local circles that something should be organized to give young American players scholarships to send them overseas for a summer in England or a semester in Australia in order to get proper training and experience that is typically not available in the US. Dodson pursued this and his efforts have been ignored.On a broader scale, not engaging in development and failing to provide consistent opportunities to youth can cost USA financially. Lockerbie has been aggressively seeking a commercial sponsorship for USA since the summer. It is believed that one may be finalized and signed before the end of the year.In sports, sponsors most often seek out young, rising talent because it provides an opportunity to establish a relationship with an athlete that can last an entire career. If Lockerbie’s aim is to get a solid deal with a company to help fund US cricket, that company wants to see fresh faces. When players like Dodson, Kirton, Saleem, Ryan Corns and Ravi Timbawala get opportunities to play, it will demonstrate that USA is committed to developing cricket. In turn, companies will want to develop a relationship with cricket in the US because players like them offer the possibility of a very good return on their investment.Many companies would love to take an active and pioneering role in raising the profile of any sport in the country if they saw it had a future with young, vibrant athletes who have come up through a youth system. But it’s hard to see how any company can get excited about shelling out big bucks to represent a team full of guys that are pushing 40.Most importantly, USA’s team needs time to develop on the field. Lockerbie has often told the current U-19 team that they are the future of cricket in the country, that they will be 24 or 25 when by 2015, and that he hopes they will become the first crop of professional cricketers for the USA.If his projected future comes to fruition, USA will be competing in the World Cup that year. Many of the players from the U-19 team that will compete in New Zealand this January could form the nucleus of the senior squad in six years. But they need opportunities to play. It makes no sense to build a squad for 2015 on players who will be approaching their 40s and 50s by then.The onus will be on the selectors this weekend to choose a group of players that will give USA a strong chance of succeeding in February while also establishing a foundation and a development path for Lockerbie’s destination date of 2015 and beyond. By sticking with older players, project 15 could expire by 2010.

Southampton trio Alex McCarthy, Valentino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters all experienced poor days at the office in the 2-1 defeat to Norwich City.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side suffered a hugely disappointing loss at Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon, as Dean Smith won his first game as Norwich manager.

Che Adams’ early goal got the Saints off to a perfect start but strikes from Teemu Pukki and Grant Hanley turned the game on its head.

As per statistical website Sofascore, these were Southampton’s three worst performers in the defeat to the Canaries, with only those who featured for at least 45 minutes eligible for consideration.

Alex McCarthy – 6.3

McCarthy started between the sticks for Hasenhuttl’s team but his performance left a lot to be desired. Indeed, his was the lowest match rating awarded to a Southampton player.

The 31-year-old was beaten at his near post for both of Norwich’s goals and picked out a team-mate with only 11 of his 17 passes (65%)

McCarthy also played just two accurate long balls out of eight, won zero duels and lost possession six times at Carrow Road on Saturday.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

Valentino Livramento – 6.4

Livramento was another man who struggled, with the right-back failing to affect proceedings in a positive manner.

The 19-year-old didn’t play a key pass at Carrow Road, suggesting that a lack of attacking thrust was on show, and he won just six of his 15 duels, along with losing possession 17 times, the joint-second highest figure among Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team.

One accurate cross out of three was also a disappointing return from the youngster, who gave away two fouls.

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Kyle Walker-Peters – 6.7

Walker-Peters was another Saints defender who flattered to deceive at Carrow Road, failing to impress at left-back.

Just like Livramento, the 24-year-old ceded possession 17 times in the match and he lost nine of his 18 duels. The former Tottenham full-back also committed four fouls, suggesting that he was an erratic presence against the Canaries on Saturday.

In other news, some Saints fans slammed another player’s performance against Norwich. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has placed Matthijs de Ligt on his transfer wish list.

What’s the talk?

According to reports in Italy (via i News), the new Spurs boss has identified the Juventus centre-back as one of his top targets in the January transfer window as he looks to strengthen his options in the heart of the north Londoners’ defence, with both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier being tipped for an exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Daily Express reported that the 52-year-old has around £150m to spend in the winter market, something which would allow the former Inter Milan boss to meet the reported €70m (£60m) figure at which Juventus value the Netherlands international.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of potential that De Ligt quite clearly possesses, the news that Conte is plotting a move for the defender, coupled with the prospect of much-maligned duo Sanchez and Dier being moved on, is sure to have Tottenham fans buzzing. Indeed, both the Colombian and the Englishman have turned in some rather awful performances in recent weeks.

Indeed, while the 22-year-old has not quite hit the heights of his final season at Ajax since his £76.95m move to Turin back in 2019, the youngster has nevertheless demonstrated that he still possesses the ability to flourish into one of the world’s leading centre-backs – something which would likely be realise under Conte’s management.

Over his seven Serie A appearances this season, the £63m-rated Dutchman has helped his team to keep one clean sheet, scored one goal and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making 1.1 interceptions and one tackle, completing 42.1 passes and winning 4.7 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player who Italian football expert Carlo Garganese dubbed a “monster” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Massimiliano Allegri’s joint fifth-best performer – alongside legendary centre-back Leonardo Bonucci – in the Italian top flight.

As such, it would indeed appear a highly advisable move for Fabio Paratici to do all he can to get a deal over the line for the £200k-per-week De Ligt in January, as the defender seems like a player around whom Conte could build his Tottenham defence for many years to come.

In other news: “Conte greenlights…”: Journalist claims Spurs want £18m-rated beast, fans will surely be buzzing

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester United supporters have erupted over a pre-Liverpool blow involving star midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is already under pressure after watching his side drop a plethora of Premier League points over this last month.

The Norwegian has overseen losses to both Aston Villa and Leicester City whilst also dropping points in a home draw to Everton, coming as United aim to win their first Premier League title in nearly 10 years (manutd.com).

Ahead of a highly anticipated clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford today, many Red Devils fans have fumed as some team news emerges before they take on Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Indeed, as confirmed by Solskjaer, star man Fernandes is now a doubt for one of the biggest clashes of their season.

The Portuguese playmaker has four goals and two assists in just eight Premier League starts this season, marking himself out as a really key player.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder United supporters are worried he might not feature today.

Find all of their verdicts on the news down below.

Man United fans erupt over Fernandes blow…

“advantage liverpool”

Credit: @Ansh710839

“We are finished”

Credit: @martemmanuel_14

“Great.”

Credit: @Xire01

“OH GOD….we all know it will be Lingard at the 10 on Sunday!”

Credit: @OilDoug

“no bruno omg”

Credit: @rashy10_

“NOT BRUNO”

Credit: @MAX_DBN

“As if it couldn’t get any worse”

Credit: @Unit01773131

In other news: ‘Worse than Fred’, ‘Just sell’…Man United fans hammer ‘very weak’ player who ‘needs shipping out’, find out more here.

The ICC is confident that the Champions Trophy in South Africa will prove that 50-over cricket remains a relevant format in cricket’s shifting worldscape of greater financial reward and less time

Osman Samiuddin16-Sep-2009The ICC is confident that the Champions Trophy in South Africa will prove that 50-over cricket remains a relevant format in cricket’s shifting worldscape of greater financial reward and less time.The tournament begins in Johannesburg on September 22, amid increasing questions about its significance in the game. The ECB has scrapped its domestic 50-over tournament and the ongoing ODI series between Australia and England has been widely derided in England as a poor afterthought; South Africa, according to the ICC’s cricket manager Dave Richardson, may be toying with the idea of a four-innings format domestically, where each team bats twice, an idea that has found favour with Sachin Tendulkar, one of 50-over cricket’s greatest batsmen. The ICC itself may look at the idea and some, like Anil Kumble, suggest making it a 40-over game. Others have called for scrapping the format altogether.But the ICC believes a shorter, sharper Champions Trophy can prove that reports of ODI cricket’s death have been exaggerated. “In the context of 50-over cricket this is an important tournament,” Haroon Lorgat, chief executive ICC, said in a teleconference.”It reminds me of a year ago when people were talking about the death of Test cricket, with no crowds being there and so on. Similarly with the ODI, I think we are maybe running ahead of ourselves. Look at England where there is a lot of interest still in the ODI series despite England being so far behind Australia, crowds are still turning up. Similarly in the recent tri-series in Sri Lanka. We will see here, with the Champions Trophy, that there is a place for the ODI format in cricket.”The glut of ODIs, rather than the format itself, is often seen as the real problem. Though there is little the ICC can do about bilateral arrangements for seven-match ODIs and hastily-arranged tri-series, members have been told to keep in mind the problems of excess in the ongoing discussions to shape a new FTP. “These arrangements are made bilaterally by members,” Lorgat said. “But in the current FTP discussions we always talk to members of the importance of a balance [between the formats]. We’re mindful and cognisant of it. The current FTP is a work in progress and we need to be aware of the balance during that.”Lorgat also suggested that there will not be too much tinkering with the format or introduction of innovations until the cricket committee gets together next May. “From an innovations point of view, we’re always looking for new, exciting things. The batting Powerplay is a good example but we do not want to do too many things too quickly. Between the Champions Trophy and the 2011 World Cup, we are more in the mindset of retaining the format. Experts are in place on the cricket committee but I think we can leave it till next May.”The confidence within the ICC about the future of ODIs stems in part from the belief that they may finally, after years of trying, have hit on the right formula for the much-decried Champions Trophy. The event is much more streamlined than past editions, with only eight teams, all based at one venue. “We recognised that the tournament needed a bit of refreshing and relevance to ensure that it is a best of the best. We have made it a destination event where teams and everyone can settle in at one location for the whole event beginning to end and there is no routine of practice, play and fly again.”There is also greater prize money at stake and the lesser number of teams means most games will have something at stake. “There is differentiation in this Champions Trophy,” Lorgat said, “and we are confident that we will see ODI cricket as a relevant format through this.”

South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that Duncan Fletcher’s insight into the England dressing-room could be a vital factor for the forthcoming Test and ODI series

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2009South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that Duncan Fletcher’s insight into the England dressing-room could be a vital factor for the forthcoming Test and ODI series, after he linked up with the South Africa squad in Potchefstroom on Tuesday to resume his role as a batting and tactical consultant.Fletcher coached England for seven years up until 2007, and guided the team to unprecedented success in that time, including six series wins in a row leading into the 2005 Ashes. He led England on two tours to South Africa, starting with his maiden series in charge in 1999-2000 and culminating in a memorable 2-1 triumph five years’ later.During England’s warm-up match against South Africa A at Potchefstroom, however, Fletcher could be seen sitting in the stands alongside the South Africa chairman of selectors, and afterwards Arthur was delighted to speculate about the nuggets of information that will be divulged in the coming weeks.”I think Duncan’s voice in the dressing room just before a series against England is going to be brilliant,” Arthur told reporters after the match. “He’s with us until the second ODI and then he comes in five days before the first Test match, and he works with our Test squad until the end of the first Test.”Fletcher performed a similar role for South Africa on their historic tour of Australia in December and January last year, when they won their first series in the country since the end of Apartheid. “It’s a no-brainer really,” said Arthur. “When we signed Duncan last year we signed him for the Australian series, especially the one in Australia, and obviously thinking of the England series.”He flew in today and worked with us in a training session this morning. I brought him to Potch because we wanted to discuss a couple of things. It’s great having his knowledge around. I always think you need to keep refreshing, you need to keep stimulating the environment and the players. And we’ve done that by bringing in different voices at crucial times.”Although England’s squad is significantly different from last time Fletcher was in charge, during the 2007 World Cup, many of the key personnel were among his stalwarts, not least the captain, Andrew Strauss, and Paul Collingwood, whom Fletcher first selected in the summer of 2001.”The simple fact is he knows a few of us pretty well,” Collingwood told Cricinfo. “He knows our characters pretty well, but his main asset is his technical brilliance. He knows our techniques pretty well and I’m sure he will give some tips to the South Africans. But our technique and mentality towards the game probably changes all the time, so that’s a way to combat them when we come out and play our cricket in the middle.””I don’t know how he’s going to feel,” said Arthur, when asked if Fletcher would feel awkward about revealing inside information, “but Duncan brings a lot to us.”

This has been an incredibly difficult campaign for Celtic Football Club.

It was meant to be a fresh start for the Hoops who were finally rid of Neil Lennon and Peter Lawwell.

Ange Postecoglou has been appointed as the club’s manager but he’s overseen their worst start to a campaign for 23 years.

After seven matches, they have just ten points and without some of their key men due to injury, appear to be a sinking ship.

Kyogo Furuhashi, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Giorgos Giakoumakis are all currently out.

Any side would struggle without those faces but what only adds insult to injury, is the players they lost over the summer.

Odsonne Edouard has already scored twice for Crystal Palace while Olivier Ntcham and Ryan Christie are starting to perform admirably for Swansea and Bournemouth respectively.

Another player that’s now thriving away from Parkhead is Jeremie Frimpong. Anthony Ralston looks a useful replacement and Josip Juranovic will prove his worth eventually but the full-back areas are a position where Celtic are particularly light for options.

Indeed, that problem came about because of Frimpong’s surprise £11.5m departure to Bayer Leverkusen last January.

The 20-year-old was a vibrant prospect in Glasgow and was dubbed as one of the best young talents he’d worked with by Lennon.

Celtic were given a nice sum of money for the right-back but given his potential and performances for Leverkusen now, it might be seen as somewhat of a blunder from Lawwell to get rid.

Coincidentally, the Bhoys take on his new employers in the Europa League this week.

The German outfit will travel to Glasgow for the second match in the group stages of this competition and it wouldn’t be a great shock if Frimpong runs rampant.

He has been nothing short of sublime for the Bundesliga side this season, assisting four goals in eight outings.

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One of his best displays came during the first group stage match where he supplied two goals against Ferencvaros.

Frimpong was also in vibrant form last weekend as his side defeated Mainz.

The defender created another goal for his teammates in what was a complete performance from an offensive point of view.

The former Celtic man took 106 touches of the ball and with that, he used it to devastating effect. Frimpong was successful with three dribbles while he also played a trio of key passes.

He did surrender possession on 25 occasions but given the result, that shouldn’t matter to their head coach Gerardo Seoane.

That’s certainly one area he’ll have to improve in upon his return to Scotland on Thursday.

AND in other news, Forget McCarthy: Celtic gem who lost possession 20x cost Postecoglou on Sunday…