Noffke's stunning season ends in multiple awards

Ashley Noffke became only the third Australian to complete the season double of 50 wickets and 500 runs © Getty Images
 

A pile of prizes went to Ashley Noffke on Saturday night as he gained more rewards for his outstanding domestic season with Queensland. Noffke, the third Australian to collect the 50-wicket, 500-run first-class double, claimed his second consecutive Ian Healy Trophy for the state’s Player of the Year.There was not much competition for Noffke after the Bulls finished last in the Pura Cup and missed the finals of the one-day and Twenty20 competitions. Noffke led the first-class batting with 741 runs at 46.31 – Ryan Broad was second on 566 – and the bowling with 51 wickets, 36 ahead of the second-placed Michael Kasprowicz. It was the first time a player had topped both Queensland lists since Ron Oxenham in 1936.The returns pushed Noffke to international Twenty20 and one-day debuts and he should be a certainty to tour the West Indies with Australia in May. “I’m really happy I was able to put it all together this season,” Noffke said.”It’s disappointing we didn’t get the results we were after, but cricket is a game of roundabouts. It can be a long year when things don’t go according to plan, but everyone stuck together really well and that’s the true test of a side.”Noffke also picked up the state’s award for the Pura Cup and the players’ player prize while James Hopes won the FR Cup gong and Shane Watson was recognised for his belligerent Twenty20 batting. The Australian representative Jodie Purves collected the women’s trophy for scoring 214 runs at 30.57 and claiming 16 dismissals in the national league.

Yorkshire cling on after wobble

ScorecardYorkshire, after threatening to lose to Nottinghamshire at their ownheadquarters, eventually fought their way through to a draw, thanks to thetenacity of their ninth-wicket pair of Tim Bresnan and Darren Gough, after somefeeble batting from their middle order. It was an intriguing final sessionafter a draw had seemed likely for most of the day.At start of play Darren Gough made an unusual but perceptive decision to open the bowling with leg-spinner Adil Rashid. The overnight batsman Stuart Broad, much less assured against spin than he had been against pace the previous day, was soon bamboozled and trapped lbw for 53. He had added 113 for the seventh wicket for the seventh wicket with Chris Read, who played himself in carefully, suggesting Nottighamshire were looking for a sizable lead.Mark Ealham was more intent on building that lead quickly, clubbing his first ball past mid-on for four, and running up a rapid 26 before hitting across a full toss and becoming a third successive lbw victim. Read was by now opening up; he lost Ryan Sidebottom, nudging Tim Bresnan weakly to the keeper, and then, with last man and renowned non-batsman Charlie Shreck at the crease, sent up a huge skyer which was eventually well held near mid-on by the bowler Bresnan. He departed for a highly creditable 142, and his team was now dismissed for 422, a lead of 123.Despite losing Joe Sayers, out of form, before lunch for 8, caught in the gully as Sidebottom finally took a long-overdue wicket, Yorkshire for a long time looked immune from defeat. Sidebottom and Shreck bowled well but did not look as lethal as during the first day. Michael Vaughan batted with caution but produced the occasional vintage drive, while Anthony McGrath provided his usual stabilising influence at number three.Vaughan would again rue his dismissal: he cut at a ball from Graeme Swann that was not quite wide enough for the stroke and dragged it on to his wicket for 34. Soon afterwards McGrath (43) was out caught behind hooking for the second time in the match, but with a teatime score of 127 for 3, four runs ahead, Yorkshire looked relatively safe.After the interval, however, the Yorkshire innings resembled the slow subsidence of the Titanic, rather than any dramatic collapse. Jacques Rudolph had again looked very sound, a no-frills batsman playing every ball on its merits, but perhaps he was too quick to assume that the match was safe when he went for his strokes after tea. With 32 to his credit, he played an indecisive shot outside the off stump to Sidebottom and was caught at the wicket.He was followed by a further three wickets in the next half-hour, more due to loose batting than inspired bowling, though Rashid was unlucky to flick a ball low and hard but straight to Adam Voges at backward short leg. Suddenly Yorkshire were up against the wall, and Tim Bresnan and Morne Morkel, the latter with a runner after his hamstring injury yesterday, found themselves unexpectedly having to dig in. At the start of the final hour the match was still in the balance, Yorkshire on 164 for 7, 41 runs ahead.An inspired bowling change saw Samit Patel come on and immediately have Morkelcaught in the leg trap for 8; 168 for 8. But Bresnan kept a mature head on his young shoulders (12 not out off 41 balls) and, aided by his skipper, saw Yorkshire through to safety. Gough had suffered a poor match until the end, but his last ditch captain’s innings was just what his team needed. With six overs remaining, three of which would have been lost to a change of innings, and Yorkshire 64 runs ahead, the teams shook hands.

Gambhir and Dhawan seal Delhi win

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Gautam Gambhir made a fine fifty to guide the Delhi Daredevils to an easy win © Getty Images
 

After two first-innings totals which had gone in excess of 200, the bowlers at last had their say at the Feroz Shah Kotla, as Delhi Daredevils thrashed Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets in a disappointingly one-sided game. Rajasthan didn’t have a chance after their batsmen had floundered badly, putting up a dismal 129 on the board. Gautam Gambhir’s unbeaten 58, and his 112-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan – who helped himself to a half-century as well – finished off the run-chase in a mere 15.1 overs.The only bit that went right for Rajasthan was the toss, which Shane Warne, their captain, won and had little hesitation in choosing to bat. When Taruwar Kohli survived five deliveries from Glenn McGrath in the corridor and spanked the sixth one over cover point for six, it seemed the run-fest had started all over again. As it turned out, Rajasthan had little to celebrate thereafter. In his next over, Kohli chanced his arm again against McGrath, but only found Mithun Manhas at midwicket. McGrath went on to bowl the first maiden over of the tournament, and from there Delhi never let the initiative slip.Rajasthan did their cause no favours with two run-outs, which severely hampered their momentum. Shane Watson hinted at carrying on the good work that his fellow Australians had managed earlier in the day in Mohali, pulling McGrath and Brett Geeves for fours, but his resistance was ended swiftly following a misunderstanding with Mohammad Kaif. Yusuf Pathan had already fallen to the run-out route earlier, and when Kaif, who struggled to find the gaps and the runs, scooped one to Geeves at short fine leg, Rajasthan had slumped to 57 for 5.In a team which had the immense figures of McGrath and Daniel Vettori in their bowling line-up, the hero of the day was Farveez Maharoof, who bowled with excellent control, changing his pace and offering the batsmen no width to score off. His dismissal of Darren Lehmann, who was trapped on the shuffle, was another blow to Rajasthan’s hopes of getting a challenging total on the board.Ravindra Jadeja, the left-hand batsman, offered some resistance, hitting Vettori for a six and a four off his first two balls, but Vettori had the last laugh, deceiving him with a quicker one which rattled the stumps. Warne and Dinesh Salunkhe ensured that Delhi needed to score at more than a run a ball, but on a flat pitch against a batting line-up which included Virender Sehwag and Gambhir at the top of the order, there was little chance of defending that score.Their opening partnership lasted just ten balls, but it was enough to set the tone for the run-chase. Gambhir’s slash and straight drive in the first over off Munaf Patel both found the boundary, while Sehwag had the home crowd on their feet and cheering wildly after just three balls, all of which sped to different parts of the ground: a lofted straight drive over Watson’s head, a spanking pull through midwicket, and then the best shot of them all – a delectable late cut between the wicketkeeper and slip. That, unfortunately, was as good as it got, as Watson hit back, ripping a quick one which rattled the stumps off the pads.Nothing could stop Gambhir, though, as he continued the Twenty20 form he had shown in the World Cup in South Africa. An audacious extra-cover drive for six and a late cut off Munaf quickly brought the asking rate below a run a ball, after which it was a cool canter.Rajasthan’s one hope was Warne, but Gambhir and Dhawan didn’t allow him to settle in either, sweeping and pulling him for fours even as Warne’s reactions suggested he was only a whisker away from a wicket. He pulled himself off the attack after just two overs, and the rest was a mere formality.

Sydney Sixers sign Hong Kong's Ming Li as community rookie

Legspinner Ming Li, who has played Twenty20s for Hong Kong, has signed with the Sydney Sixers as their community rookie for the 2015-16 season. Ming, 24, is a legspinner who honed his art by watching Youtube videos of Shane Warne, and his addition to the BBL community rookie programme has been hailed as a significant step.”This is one of the most exciting developments in Hong Kong Cricket history,” Tim Cutler, the CEO of the Hong Kong Cricket Association, said. “We do hope this is the start of a great relationship with the Sydney Sixers and New South Wales Cricket.”We believe this is the first time any Hong Kong sportsperson has participated in such an elite ‘franchise’ tournament and we can’t wait to see the positive effect Ming’s BBL involvement will have on the already rapid development within the growing Chinese cricket community.”With the Hong Kong team competing in next year’s ICC World Twenty20, it will not only give Ming a head start in preparations but also allow him an insight into some of the best players in T20 cricket.”The BBL community rookies are not officially part of the playing squad for the tournament, but can be elevated as a replacement player, as happened with Solomon Mire at the Melbourne Renegades two seasons ago.The aim of the community rookie programme is to provide opportunities for players who might not otherwise be identified by Australian cricket’s pathway programmes.

Laying off short ball was key – Williamson

Omitting the pull and hook shots early in his innings was what Kane Williamson has said was the key to scoring the second-innings ton that saw his side to victory in the Hamilton Test.”All the guys like to play the pull, but like any shot, on some surfaces it’s important you try to select the right ball,” Williamson said. “I was a victim of that in the first innings as well, having played the pull shot a lot in previous games and thinking I could go out and do that again. I wanted to make sure I was sounder in my decision making in the second innings.”Day three of the match had seen 15 wickets fall to short deliveries as batsmen from both teams failed to contend with sustained bouncer barrages. Williamson scored the only hundred of the match, finishing on 108 not out, but was also the only batsman to cross 50 in the second innings.

Angelo Mathews on Williamson

“His innings was brilliant. It was controlled aggression. I thought he’s up there when it comes to the top-ten batters. He’s been having a great run for New Zealand in the last few years. He was batting well and we just couldn’t get him.”
“He’s surely going to break more records. He’s a tremendous player. At his age he can achieve a lot more than he has achieved right now. He’s really taken up the responsibility and is batting through the innings. That kind of a player is very valuable in the team.”

He occasionally utilised the pull in his second innings, but each of those shots were controlled, and generally played towards the ground. Williamson said he adjusted his batting plan after having been out hooking for one in his first dig.”I think in the first innings we didn’t adapt to the change in the surface and the extra bounce compared to Dunedin. The bounce was a bit variable – some stood up and some kissed through quickly and quite steep to make it more difficult. I wanted to take in a sound game plan to stick to. That meant initially going under the ball when it was hard and then, as it got softer, when the bowlers had a few overs under the belt, I’d look to play the pull bit more. It was important not to get carried away with the shot.”Williamson, who broke the New Zealand records for most centuries and runs in a calendar year — five and 1172 respectively — during his second-innings century, said it was pleasing to be recognised but stressed team success. His tally puts him at fifth for highest run-scorers in 2015 — behind Alastair Cook, Joe Root, David Warner and Steven Smith — though his average of 90.15 is more than 13 runs higher than that of any other batsman to have scored 400 runs. The innings at Hamilton comprised 57% of New Zealand’s fourth innings score of 189.”It’s always nice to get a score but it means more when you spend some time in the middle and make a larger contribution to a team performance,” Williamson said. “The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on. It wasn’t the biggest chase but it seemed some distance away because both teams came up with pretty sound bowling plans.”Williamson lauded the adaptability of New Zealand’s seam bowlers, who had largely bowled full in search of edges in the first innings. Nine of their second-innings wickets had come from the short ball, however, with the tenth being a run out, also partly caused by the use of a bouncer.”We’ve got good swing bowlers and guys that seam the ball, but to have to basically all of them come on the other side of the wicket and bowled short to execute a plan, was very good to see,” Williamson said. “It was different to all those Tests, certainly, that I’ve played. We had to adopt very different tactics. Sri Lanka bowled the short ball very well, and we certainly learnt from their efforts in our second innings in the field.”Dushmantha Chameera had been particularly effective for Sri Lanka with the bouncer, picking up his first five-wicket haul in the first innings, and taking 9 for 115 in the match.”Chameera’s a very talented bowler,” Williamson said. “Anyone that bowls with good pace is an asset to a side. Coming over here on slightly greener surfaces that we feel are suited to our bowlers, he bowled very well on them. I’m sure he will get a lot out of coming over here, playing in these conditions, and continue to improve.”

Vidarbha 59 all out; Sanklecha takes seven

Vidarbha slumped to their fifth-lowest score in Ranji Trophy history as Maharashtra bowled them out for 59 runs in Kolkata, on the back of Anupam Sanklecha’s career-best figures of 7 for 25.Shalabh Shrivastava top scored with 19, but with no other batsman reaching double figures. Sanklecha cleaned up the tail as they lost their last five wickets in the space of eight runs. In response, Maharashtra’s Naushad Shaikh scored his second-consecutive ton. He remained unbeaten on 111 with Ankit Bawne (75) as Maharashtra finished on 240 for 3, with the partnership worth 181.In Agartala, Prerak Mankad’s 137-ball 96 helped Saurashtra post 277 against Jharkhand. Asked to bat, Saurashtra fell from 11 for 0 to 38 for 4, before the captain Jaydev Shah (51) and Mankad put together 62 runs to take them to 100, following which Jaydev was bowled by Samar Quadri. Mankad reached his second fifty in his second first-class match before falling short of a maiden century when Ashish Kumar dismissed him four shy of triple figures. A 40-run last wicket partnership between Vandit Jivrajani and Kushang Patel took them to 277. Kumar and Shahbaz Nadeem were the pick of the Jharkhand bowlers picking up four and three wickets each, respectively. In the 9 overs Jharkhand batted, openers Anand Singh and Pratyush Singh scored 29 runs by stumps, trailing by 248.Three half-centuries from Karnataka’s batsmen powered them to 345 for 6 at stumps against Rajasthan in Vizianagaram. Choosing to bat, openers Ravikumar Samarth and KL Rahul scored 111 runs before Rahul, returning to first-class cricket to prove his match fitness ahead of the third England Test, was dismissed on 76 by left-arm pacer TM Ul-Haq. Mayank Agarwal, who has just one fifty-plus score this season, stitched together a 68-run stand with Stuart Binny. He made 81 and was dismissed with Karnataka on 283 for 5. The lower middle order then conjured up a fight to take them close to 350.Assam scored 224 for 5, on the back of a 131-run partnership for the fifth wicket, against Odisha in Hyderabad.After losing their first three wickets for 37 runs, Sibsankar Roy laboured to a 142-ball 37, before being dismissed after adding 60 runs for the fourth wicket. Kunal Saikia and Arun Karthik then batted till second-last over of the day, adding 131 before the latter was dismissed by Basant Mohanty on 62. Saikia finished not out on 88 – his highest first-class score – with Arup Das (0) as play ended on day 1. Mohanty and Suryakant Prasad finished with two wickets each for Odisha.

Chennai clinch rain-reduced game

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Salman Butt’s classy 73 lifted Kolkata Knight Riders to 149, but it wasn’t enough (file photo) © AFP
 

For the second successive day, the weather played spoilsport and forced Duckworth-Lewis to decide what was shaping into a fascinating contest. This time, Chennai Super Kings were on the right end of the result, as their total of 55 without loss after eight overs, chasing 150, was three runs ahead of the par score when a severe dust storm descended upon the Eden Gardens, and the rains that followed ensured there was no chance for the match to resume. The two points to Chennai moves them up to 14, while Kolkata Knight Riders are stuck on ten points from 11 games.The weather marred the contest, but through 28 overs the crowd witnessed a couple of fine performances. At the same ground where he had announced his arrival in international cricket, Salman Butt played another gem, scoring a classy 73 off 54 balls, to lift an otherwise subdued performance from Kolkata. Chennai had their own man for the moment, as Makhaya Ntini took the third hat-trick of the IPL, dismissing Sourav Ganguly in his third over, and then returning 11 overs later to bowl Debabrata Das – who had been involved in an 86-run stand with Butt – and David Hussey off successive balls.That stand gave Kolkata’s bowlers something to defend, but the most crucial moment of the match came three deliveries before the interruption. Their defence of the total had got off to a poor start as Shoaib Akhtar struggled with what seemed an injured ankle. Stephen Fleming, at last showing the form and fluency of old, and Parthiv Patel had eased to a half-century stand when Parthiv top-edged a pull, but Ashok Dinda put down the skier, and in the process allowed a single. Had that chance been taken, Chennai would have ended level with the par score, and with no further play possible, Kolkata would have gone away with one point.The only positive for Kolkata was that their batting put together a reasonable performance after their abysmal display against Mumbai Indians, when they had been bundled out for 67. Butt’s knock wasn’t the fastest by Twenty20 standards, but considering the context – a pitch lacking in pace, and a batting line-up lacking in confidence – it was just what Kolkata would have wanted.Their start was poor yet again, as Ntini struck twice in his first three overs – Mohammad Hafeez flicked to fine leg and Sourav Ganguly attempted an ungainly heave and found his middle stump knocked back.At 28 for 2 after five overs, Chennai had taken the early honours, before Butt found a partner who was ready to play the support act. Das, drafted into the side in place of Aakash Chopra, creamed a couple of audacious straight sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan – who had a day to forget – but for the most part he was content to play second fiddle to the classy Butt, who played an outstanding knock.As is his wont, Butt was all silken grace through the off side, either making room to cream drives through the covers, or getting behind the line to pepper the point and cover boundaries off the back foot. Manpreet Gony was crisply hit through the covers in his first over, while Ntini, who otherwise gave little away, leaked successive fours off two exceptional shots, as Butt moved away and lofted one through the covers, and then square-drove the next ball through point. Muralitharan was not spared either, as Butt slog-swept a six over midwicket, and then carved three successive fours through midwicket and third man in his last over, as Muralitharan finished with unflattering figures of none for 41.Apart from that partnership, there wasn’t much cheer for Kolkata. Ntini, bowling a full length and attacking the stumps, bowled both Das and Hussey to complete his hat-trick and ended with excellent figures of 4 for 21. Gony’s control was exceptional as well, landing the ball on a length and allowing the batsmen no room. The fielding wasn’t as impressive – S Vidyut was guilty of sloppy misfielding and a missed catch off Butt, while Gony dropped one late in the innings – as Kolkata managed to reach a competitive target. With Shoaib in the attack, there was plenty of hope for the home crowd, but his limp performance, followed by the rain, means Kolkata have plenty of catching up to do to win a semi-final berth.

Kenny, van de Beek, Allan Everton worst

Everton slumped to another loss in the Premier League to really ring alarm bells, this time a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Stuart Armstrong and Shane Long grabbed the goals for the hosts which leaves the Goodison Park faithful still anxiously looking over their shoulders in the table.

Some performances were certainly not up to scratch, and The Transfer Tavern have since used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the visitors on the day:

Allan – 6.3

Although tied with other players in terms of rating (6.3) Allan ranks in third here as he only played the first half.

The Brazilian lost out on six of his duels, and also failed to record any clearances, interceptions or key passes.

Allan also lost the ball seven times, and picked up a needless yellow card just 15 minutes into the game, summing up his underwhelming half.

Donny van de Beek – 6.3

van de Beek was also given a 6.3 rating, but ranks in second here having played the whole match.

The Manchester United loanee also lost six duels like Allan, and failed to hit the target with all three of his shot attempts.

He also made no key passes, and gave possession away on no fewer than on 19 separate occasions in total, the joint-second most out of his teammates.

Jonjoe Kenny – 6.2

With just a 6.2 overall rating, Kenny was ranked as the Merseyside club’s worst player.

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Playing as a makeshift left-back, he lost all six of his duels, and did not manage to make any successful dribbles, tackles or accurate crosses, all while giving the ball away 15 times.

In other news, find out which Toffee is wanted on loan here!

Hitzlsperger to join Hammers

West Ham United have confirmed the capture of Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger on a three-year contract.

The 28-year-old former Aston Villa midfielder will officially join the Hammers on July 1 after his contract with Italian side Lazio was cancelled by mutual consent.

Hitzlsperger, who made 99 appearances during four years with Villa before leaving to join Stuttgart in 2005, is Avram Grant's first signing since becoming the new Upton Park boss earlier in the week.

"We had to move quickly to secure his services when he became available, especially as there was understandably so much interest in him from around Europe and back in Germany," chairman David Sullivan told the club's official website.

"Thomas is a top-quality player who I know the fans will love. He is a whole-hearted midfielder with an eye for a goal who gives everything in every match.

"He is the first of many signings this summer. We are going to sign a mixture of exciting young talent as well as the very best senior pros who can add real strength to the squad like Thomas."

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A quartet of signings that could help Roy reignite Liverpool this season?

Roy Hodgson will reportedly be handed an initial £15 million transfer kitty to spend during the summer window after becoming the new boss at Liverpool today, and it appears the Englishman has already drawn up a list of players he wants to bring in.

With the likelihood of Javier Mascherano leaving for Barcelona for approximately £25 million and Yossi Benayoun’s proposed £6 million deal to Chelsea looking increasingly more likely to go through, Hodgson would conjure up and add to his current transfer fees in order to spend it on the quartet he has targeted this summer.

Rafael van der Vaart, Gilberto Silva, Brede Hangeland and Danny Murphy are high on the Englishman’s wish-list. However, are these four players the idealistic quartet to reignite Liverpool football club for the upcoming season?

Gilberto Silva

With odds on Mascherano departing this summer, Gilberto Silva would prove to be a ready-made replacement for the Argentine midfielder. The Brazilian anchor-man has valuable Premier League experience from his time at Arsenal and even though at the age of 33, the defensive midfielder can still produce the goods as he has proven in the Greek league for Panathinaikos and in South Africa so far. The Greek club are in financial crisis and have made him available which is a good sign for Hodgson. Gilberto has become sluggish in his movement due to time taking its obvious toll, but technically and for what he is paid to do, the Brazilian is still very much capable of doing his job. Some Kop fans may feel Hodgson should target a more youthful holding midfielder, but surely an experienced one, who has played in the English league before is a better option?

Ideal Rating: 7/10 – Very experienced footballer who has Premier League experience, although his age and lack of pace does look a problem, especially in the fast and competitive English game.

Brede Hangeland

Brede Hangeland would be another good signing should Hodgson pull it off. The tall centre-back has a good relationship with the Englishman and bought the Norwegian to the Premier League in 2008. Hangeland is an experienced defender in both international and club level, and at the prime age (for a defender) of 29, would fit well into the Liverpool squad. His aerial ability is second to none due to his height, yet his positional marking and movement is suspect at times. Liverpool already have Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Sotirios Kyrgiakos on the books, so more than likely, Hangeland would be spending more time on the bench rather than on the pitch. He is an ideal target for Liverpool, but surely just for cover in the back-line, right?

Ideal Rating: 6/10 – Good tall defender, although there are better options at the club and possibly elsewhere.

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Danny Murphy

Kop fans may feel a bit puzzled as to why their new boss has targeted Danny Murphy, purely for the fact that he will not be a starter and because of his age. The 33-year-old creative midfielder has played under Roy Hodgson and has also had a 7 year spell at Liverpool from 1997 to 2004.

The Fulham man has been impressive for the London club, especially last season where he helped the side reach a Europa League final. Murphy has great passing and technical attributes but due to his age and deterioration of pace, he has subsequently dropped deeper than he has done in the past. With Liverpool’s formation currently at a 4-2-3-1 (not too sure what Hodgson will set-up this season), it looks as if Murphy would not get into the starting eleven. Lucas Leiva and Alberto Aquilani would be in front of Murphy in the pecking order. However with that being said, if Hodgson can acquire the midfielder for experience and squad depth then why not.

Ideal Rating: 7/10 – There are better alternatives out there, although Liverpool do lack Premier League experience in the midfield, which certainly Danny Murphy could offer to them should he sign for them this summer.

Rafael van der Vaart

With Yossi Benayoun possibly on his way to Chelsea this summer for £6 million, Rafael van der Vaart would be an ideal replacement for the Israeli international. The Dutchman is very versatile and can play on the wings as well as just behind the striker. Van der Vaart’s creativity and technical ability is second to none, yet somehow the attacking midfielder struggles to get games at Real Madrid. The 27-year-old is currently in South Africa with the Netherlands squad and has impressed enormously so far when he has featured for his country. The Dutch star would certainly get into the current Liverpool squad for the skills that he possesses, and his versatility would absolutely make a great addition to the group. Jose Mourinho would not stand in the player’s way if he wants to head out of the Bernabeu this summer, which again works in Hodgson’s favour. The only thing that could cause a problem in acquiring his signature would be that Liverpool do not seize Champion’s League football for the approaching season, which ultimately may see the Dutchman look for a club that does offers this. Nonetheless Roy Hodgson has definitely targeted a superb player, which Liverpool fans will be encouraged by…the new Kop boss may just pull it off, who knows.

Ideal Rating: 9/10 – A very talented and versatile player who is at peak age for a footballer. If Liverpool can target more players like this, then they will be fine this season coming.

All of the players on Roy Hodgson’s wish-list should encourage the clubs fans, even if some of the players have had their better days. The sign of a manager wanting to buy players is always a good sign, but, like many believe, Liverpool’s failure to qualify for the Champions league has hurt them dearly. The club can still attract players, but certainly not the best because of their letdown last season. Everybody knows that Roy Hodgson has a big summer ahead of him, but early signs suggest that he has the right intentions in mind.

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