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Rangers’ rarely-seen midfielder Stephen Kelly has been backed for a loan move away from the club during the current January transfer window by former Ibrox striker Kenny Miller.

Speaking recently to Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard (via The Scottish Sun), the 42-year-old had this to say about the possibility of the club loaning Kelly out this month:

“There’s been a number of clubs mentioned with Stephen over the last two or three days and I’m sure he’ll end up somewhere playing in the first team. I think Kilmarnock is a big club with title aspirations so it would be a good fit for both parties.”

As a product of Rangers’ youth system, Kelly has had two previous loan spells away from the club, firstly with Ayr United in 2019 and then with Ross County the following year.

With just three senior appearances for the Gers so far across all competitions, it doesn’t seem likely that Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be giving the 21-year-old regular playing time throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Taking this into account, it seems that a loan move away from the club this month could be very beneficial for Kelly and his career development.

With six goals and four assists in 33 appearances with Ayr, followed by three assists in 29 appearances for Ross County, he has shown that he is capable of playing regularly at a decent level.

Labelled a “magnificent” player during his time in Dingwall by John Hughes, who then went on to describe Kelly as a “manager’s dream”, the midfielder certainly seems to have what it takes to succeed away from Rangers on loan, before potentially coming back and staking a claim to be in Van Bronckhorst’s side for the foreseeable future.

If he can do just that, he then has the potential to save the club millions in future transfer fees should the Gers see any of their current midfielders such as Glen Kamara or Joe Aribo, both of whom have been linked with a move to Aston Villa recently, leave Ibrox. Should that happen, it might just pave the way for Kelly to finally take his place in the Light Blues’ first team.

In other news: Jordan Campbell drops key Rangers transfer claim, Van Bronckhorst will be buzzing…

Liverpool will take on AC Milan tonight in a Champions League clash that means very little to the Merseyside giants’ campaign but will mean everything to their opponents who desperately need to win this game to boost their chances of moving forward in the competition.

Jurgen Klopp will go into this game with full confidence and nothing to lose, as Liverpool have taken maximum points and subsequently qualified with ease from their group in the Champions League after five wins out of five so far.

Despite being through to the knock out stages already, the German manager is not the type to happily concede a game and will be fully intending to continue the unbeaten run Liverpool find themselves holding on to in Europe this season, with the potential to qualify on maximum points.

If the Reds beat AC Milan at the San Siro this evening, they will become the first English side in the history of the Champions League to win every single group stage game, a record that we’re sure Klopp would love to have under his belt.

With that being said, Klopp will be buzzing to learn that his opposition go into this game with a number of injury concerns that could have a negative impact on their chances to put goals past the in form Reds, and will only encourage the German coach further to rotate his team with ease.

Milan have been dealt a double injury blow ahead of hosting the six-time Champions League winners, with both Pietro Pellegri and Rafael Leao set to miss out on the action due to sustaining muscular injuries.

These fresh injuries couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Italian giants, as they need to take all three points off the Merseyside outfit in the upcoming clash to qualify for a spot in the final stages of the competition, currently on four points in third position of the group, one point behind Porto.

It also represents a huge boost for the 19-time English champions as Leao has proven to be a devastating asset in the final third this term, scoring five and assisting three times. Thus, Liverpool’s defence will likely have an easier night defending their own goal, presenting them with the opportunity to perhaps field a young makeshift backline.

Not only will Milan need win tonight’s game, but they will also need to hope Porto do not take maximum points from their last game against bottom of the group, Atletico Madrid, who are also only on four points.

Atletico still have their chance to qualify too despite being bottom of Group B, needing to take three points from their last fixture against Porto and will need Liverpool to beat Milan.

Whilst the rest of their Champions League group remains open, Liverpool are now in a position to give their key players a rest and let their squad from the bench and youngsters step into cover positions, gaining a start in the line up and some much-needed game time on Tuesday evening.

In other news: Klopp could finally sign Wijnaldum replacement

MatériaMais Notícias

Após perder em casa por 1 a 0 para o São Paulo e chegar a seis partidas sem vitória, o clima no Atlético Goianiense já é de rebaixamento. Na lanterna do Campeonato Brasileiro somando 27 pontos, o Dragão ainda tem chances matemáticas de escapar, comissão técnica e diretoria já falam em terminar com dignidade e se planejar para 2018.

Durante a coletiva, o treinador João Paulo Sanches não questionou as perguntas sobre a queda e falou que o objetivo agora é honrar a camisa atleticana e trabalhar dentro da atual realidade.

– Nós vamos continuar firme enquanto tivermos por aqui porque o Atlético merece muito respeito e nós vamos sempre respeitá-lo. Sabemos o que estamos passando e passando cada dia mais. Se tem uma coisa que eu nunca fiz aqui foi omitir ou esconder alguma situação deles (jogadores) e eu te garanto que lá dentro (do vestiário) nós somos muito cientes do que nós estamos passando e nós vamos continuar cada vez mais dignificando esta camisa – declarou o técnico.

O deputado Jovair Arantes, que também presidente do Conselho Deliberativo já jogou a toalha assumidamente e fala em planejar o time para jogar a Série B em 2018 e voltar para a elite em 2019 com mais força. Para o dirigente, faltou investimento para se igualar às outras equipes do campeonato.

– Mantivemos o mesmo time da Série B. O planejamento foi manter o time do ano passado. (se investíssemos) Nós iríamos gastar tudo que tínhamos, manteríamos nossas dividas, e não nos igualaríamos aos principais times. Agora vamos jogar uma série B o ano que vem com tranquilidade e voltar para a série A. Vai ser mais um ano se sofrimento para voltarmos à Série A novamente – afirmou.

Fletcher, who currently works in an advisory capacity with South Africa, has not held a full-time coaching position since parting ways with England after the team’s ill-fated 2007 World Cup campaign

Alex Brown02-Nov-2009

Duncan Fletcher is understood to have expressed interest in returning to the international coaching ranks with New Zealand. Fletcher, who currently works in an advisory capacity with South Africa, has not held a full-time coaching position since parting ways with England after the team’s ill-fated 2007 World Cup campaign.Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC’s) chief executive, would not confirm whether he had been in contact with Fletcher, but hinted the Ashes-winning coach could come under the board’s microscope when a shortlist is drawn up over the coming weeks for the post vacated by Andy Moles last month. Unlike several other touted candidates, Fletcher could take on the job at short notice – he is currently without a full-time job, having been overlooked for the head coaching position with the Kolkata Knight Riders – and would bring with him a wealth of experience from his nine years at the helm of England.”Duncan Fletcher is obviously a very highly regarded and well-credentialled coach,” Vaughan said. “We are not going to disclose any candidates who have contacted us, or whom we might have contacted, but it’s fair to say that there has been a lot of interest from around the world.”For us, the most important thing is to find a coach who brings the right chemistry, skills and experience to the position. There has certainly been interest from coaches with international experience from all over the world. It’s still quite early … (and) we do not want to be progressing with discussions with any coaches until we are certain of the template of candidate we’re looking for. We would certainly value recent international experience – it couldn’t be someone from 20 years ago. A successful international coaching career would give someone extra points.”Fletcher could join a list of contenders that includes John Wright, the former coach of India, and John Dyson, who has led Sri Lanka and West Indies. The salary could yet loom as a sticking point, with NZC unable to go close to matching the estimated £300,000-a-year contract once paid to Fletcher by the ECB, although the lure of an international comeback may prove a powerful motivation.The emergence of several experienced candidates for the coaching post will delight NZC’s top brass, who encountered difficulty in replacing John Bracewell last year. Graham Ford, Mickey Arthur and Matthew Mott were among those to turn down approaches from New Zealand, resulting in Moles, then the coach of first-class side Northern Districts, winning the job virtually unopposed.Vaughan is hopeful of filling Moles’ former post before the end of the year, with the successful candidate to start with the national squad prior to Bangladesh’s arrival in New Zealand for a Test and ODI series in February. “I want Daniel (Vettori) to be involved in the discussions, so a good time (to begin the interview process) might be when the team get back from the UAE,” Vaughan said. “It is possible we could be looking at an announcement this calendar year.”

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could fix his side’s summer howler by signing Chelsea starlet Billy Gilmour on loan.

What’s the story?

The Whites were linked with a number of midfielders in the transfer window, including Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien, but failed to get a deal done for any of them.

Now, amid speculation suggesting that Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is considering recalling Gilmour from his loan spell at Norwich City, Kevin Phillips has touted Bielsa’s side as the perfect destination for the Scotland international.

He said: “He should go back out on loan to somewhere like Leeds. Bielsa plays good football, they aren’t rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, and he will probably get more game time.

“Leeds play more of the type of football Gilmour is suited to, so it would be a great move for him. We’ve seen Bielsa get the best out of some youngsters and there’s no reason why he couldn’t do that with Gilmour.”

Forget Forshaw

While Andrea Radrizzani pointed towards Adam Forshaw as the man Leeds could turn to as their midfield saviour, the Whites simply cannot afford to rely upon someone who has spent so long out with injury and could, by all means, break down again.

In Gilmour, they could get someone with some Premier League experience already and has been widely lauded by a number of people for the amount of potential he has.

Aston Villa and Scotland compatriot John McGinn hailed his fellow midfielder as a “world-class player”, and added: “He’s going through a rough patch at Norwich and is frustrated not to be playing. But when he’s in the Scotland jersey, he’s always at the top of his game.”

And, speaking after Scotland’s 0-0 draw with England earlier this year, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said: “He’s a fabulous little football player and when you factor in that last season he only made five starts in the Premier League for Chelsea, he’s not played a lot of football and he came into what was a hothouse of a game – high tempo, loads of pressing – and he managed to stay there.

“He’s just got that all round awareness of where people are all of the time and his first touch is generally away from the man who is marking him. He creates space for himself.”

The Whites’ inability to sign a new midfielder in the summer transfer window left them desperately short in that department, and early season injuries to the likes of Kalvin Phillips just went to expose that glaring lack of depth.

The £13.5m-rated Gilmour can be the ideal midfield cover Victor Orta looks to sign in January were he to become available.

Meanwhile, Leeds are battling to sign this striker…

Liverpool are set to lose Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita for the Africa Cup of Nations, with the rescheduled tournament set to begin on 9 January and conclude on 6 February.

Liverpool are hopeful that the trio won’t have to join up with their countries until after their clash with title rivals Chelsea on 2 January, but the associations are entitled to demand that the players be released on December 27.

Discussions are ongoing, but there’s a possibility that Salah, Mane and Keita could miss up to four Premier League matches. That could be a huge blow for the Reds given the sensational form of the Egyptian in particular, who leads the Premier League charts for both goals and assists.

Mane has chipped in with nine goals himself, while Keita is a valuable squad option, having started seven games in the Premier League and Champions League.

Doubts about wisdom of holding AFCON?

At a meeting on Thursday, the Executive Board of the European Club Association (ECA) ‘expressed its deep concerns about player safety and welfare’ ahead of the tournament. This is ‘in light of the worsening public health situation’.

The ECA will work with FIFA to ‘ensure all necessary precautions are in place’ for the protection of players and ‘club interests’.

Fan feed Anfield Edition relayed their statement, and here’s how some Reds supporters reacted.

Liverpool fans flock to AFCON latest

“I totally agree !!! AFCON SHOULDNT HAPPEN”

Credit: @lewedwards12

“AFCON must be cancelled for the sake of everyone’s safety”

Credit: @AngelDiMezzala

“I hope they just cancel or at least postpone it. Risks are huge and we would like to see empty stadiums again. Football without fans is nothing”

Credit: @SH13895102

“Can’t see it going ahead”

Credit: @deedna00

“There’s hope?”

Credit: @lewis20

“If they cancel it we might win it all…”

Credit: @PrinceTrent66

In other news, many Liverpool fans hailed this pre-Wolves injury update

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outOmar Phillips began his Test career positively, but his dismissal for 94 allowed Bangladesh back into the game•AFP

It was a cat-and-mouse affair in Kingstown. Every time West Indies threatened to get too far ahead, Bangladesh struck back to leave the game in balance. West Indies, courtesy contributions from Omar Phillips, David Bernard, and Darren Sammy did gain a vital 69-run lead but they have to bat last on a pitch which is increasingly offering assistance to the spinners.While Bernard and Sammy spiced up the afternoon with their positive batting, it was Phillips who set the platform with a patient 94 in the morning. There were occasional losses in concentration – first when he reached 50 and then, as he neared the debut century – but for the majority of the time, he was quite solid.When the day started everyone knew Bangladesh’s chances of coming back in the game lay in the hands of their spinners and in particular, Shakib Al Hasan. However, he was thwarted by the slow pitch, the determined Phillips and nightwatchman Ryan Austin. There was spin, and occasional bounce too, for Shakib but the ball came on slowly, allowing the batsmen the time to adjust.Bangladesh were also hampered by the fact that Mashrafe Mortaza left the field, leaving Shakib to captain, with the score on 38 when he collapsed after delivering the ball and hurt his right knee. But they were kept in the hunt by their bowling debutants – the slinger Rubel Hossain, who bowled well with the old ball, and the offspinner Mahmudullah, who decided that on this pitch it was better to push the ball through a tad quicker to get the results.For their part, Phillips and Austin put their heads down and concentrated hard on survival. Philips displayed a simple technique to reach a half-century; he used the crease well, going back or forward as the length demanded, to tackle the spinners. Now and then, he lunged forward to lift the ball over mid-on or mid-off and as the bowlers dragged back the length, he was quick to go back to cut it through point.Austin gave him admirable support with his stoic defense. For a nightwatchman, he displayed a sound ability to survive, displaying enough awareness to use the slowness of the track and hang on the back foot to tackle the spinners. It took a full delivery from Rubel to induce an edge that was taken very low by Imrul Kayes in the slip cordon.Phillips looked set to take his team into the lead but a rush of blood cost him his wicket, and a century on debut, as he failed to curb his instincts, striking Rubel straight to short cover. Dave Bernard, however, took charge after Phillips fell to push West Indies past the Bangladesh total; he played attractively, lashing out at every opportunity to drive through the off side. He started with two cover drives and a square drive against Rubel and even hit Mahmudullah for a six over long-off. But the shot of his innings was a delicious inside-out extra-cover drive against Shakib. He took care not to press the front foot across against Shakib, who is always looking for the lbw decision, and chose to drive with the turn.The West Indies captain Floyd Reifer assisted Bernard well. He started off with a couple of square drives – the second hit on a bent knee being the highlight – against Rubel but, once Bernard arrived and started timing from the word go, he dropped anchor and concentrated on rotating the strike.At this point West Indies were sitting pretty at 227 for 4 but Mahmudullah struck at the stroke of tea, removing Reifer – lured into edging to slip – and wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton – caught at backward short leg – off successive deliveries to bring Bangladesh back into the game. And when Shahadat Hossain had Bernard pulling the new ball straight to deep midwicket it looked like West Indies had squandered a good start, but Sammy fought back, playing several feisty drives to build a crucial lead.Sammy played almost similarly to Bernard, choosing to loft the spinners, in particular Shakib, over the off-side field. The stand-out shot was a lovely lofted drive, with the turn, over extra-cover. He was the last man out, bowled while playing inside the line to Mahmudullah, but had given West Indies a slight advantage. However, by the end of play, the Bangladesh openers had reduced the deficit to 43. Game on.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo começa nesta quinta-feira a decidir o título da Copa do Brasil de 2017 contra o Cruzeiro, no Maracanã. Na caminhada até a final, o Rubro-Negro eliminou o Atlético-GO, o Santos e o Botafogo. Antes do primeiro jogo da final, Rueda destacou a importância de Zé Ricardo na caminhada do time até essa fase.

– O professor Zé Ricardo fez um caminho importante para o Flamengo chegar hoje nesta final. Esse é o futebol, as vezes outro treinador entra no lugar do outro e é a lei da vida. São como os filhos, você cria, educa e as vezes outra pessoa desfruta. É lutar, trabalhar e é muito importante estar nessa final desse torneio que é histórico e muito importante para o futebol brasileiro.

Rueda assumiu na semifinal contra o Botafogo e conseguiu levar o Flamengo à final da Copa do Brasil. Nas oitavas de final contra o Atlético-GO e nas quartas de final contra o Santos, quem estava comandando o Rubro-Negro era Zé Ricardo, que atualmente está no comando do Vasco.

O treinador colombiano também falou sobre a final contra o Cruzeiro, destacando a importância de conseguir um bom resultado no jogo em casa. O comandante elogiou o adversário, mas vê grupo muito bem preparado para sair com o título da competição.

– São jogos muito intensos, esses de 180 minutos. Penso que todos os jogadores do Flamengo estão acostumados e preparados para assumir a responsabilidade nestes jogos. É muito importante esse primeiro jogo, para fazer a diferença. Temos um rival muito bem estruturado, mas estamos preparados.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O elenco do Corinthians se reapresentou ao CT Joaquim Grava na tarde desta segunda-feira após dois dias de folga. O período de duas semanas sem partidas tem sido importante para colocar o elenco inteiro à disposição do técnico Fábio Carille até o próximo sábado, na retomada do Campeonato Brasileiro contra o Vitória. Desta vez, a novidade ficou por conta de Marquinhos Gabriel, que participou do treinamento com bola e deve estar apto a disputar posição com Clayson após ser desfalque em dois jogos por conta de uma lesão na coxa esquerda.

As ausências da atividade desta segunda-feira foram o goleiro Caique, que sofreu uma fratura na mão esquerda e já iniciou tratamento, além do zagueiro Léo Santos e do atacante Carlinhos, que fizeram atividades regenerativas por terem jogado no sábado pelo sub-20, do volante Mantuan, do zagueiro Pablo e do meia Jadson, todos em transição física.

Pablo, aliás, está mais próximo do retorno aos gramados. Ele está fora há quase um mês em razão de uma lesão na coxa direita e nesta segunda-feira deu as caras na parte externa do CT Joaquim Grava durante sua travessia do Lab R9 até a academia. Ele caminhou sem dificuldades e deve iniciar a transição para o campo no máximo até o fim da semana. Jadson vive o mesmo processo, mas nesta segunda-feira não apareceu do lado de fora do CT.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansTimão ganha ‘filho perdido’ de goleiro da Seleção depois de lesão de reservaCorinthians14/08/2017CorinthiansCorinthians já vende quase 30 mil ingressos para volta ao BrasileiroCorinthians14/08/2017CorinthiansComo Corinthians garantiu ‘fico’ e valorizou Arana em mais de 100%Corinthians14/08/2017

Pablo dá as caras pela primeira vez desde a lesão. Fez trabalhos no Lab R9 e complementa na academia. Volta mais próxima #lanceCOR pic.twitter.com/Av9li96Q4r

— Gabriel Carneiro (@gabe_carneiro) August 14, 2017

Em campo, os demais jogadores participaram de um treino para aprimorar as triangulações e transições ofensivas comandado por Carille. O grupo foi dividido em dois e até os goleiros trabalharam com os pés em parte da atividade. Durante os trabalhos, o lateral-esquerdo Guilherme Arana e o meia Rodrigo Figueiredo sentiram dores após uma dividida joelho com joelho, mas completaram o treino sem demonstrar incômodo. Após o treino, Cássio e Giovanni Augusto permaneceram em campo para corridas ao redor do gramado.

O Corinthians volta aos treinos na tarde desta terça-feira, às 15h30, quando segue a preparação para a partida de sábado, ás 16h, contra o Vitória.

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansMarquinhos Gabriel

Everton fell to a 5-2 defeat at home to Watford on Saturday afternoon, with former Toffees striker Josh King netting a hat-trick on his return to Merseyside.

Tom Davies gave Rafa Benitez’s side the lead early on and Richarlison netted in the second half to put the Toffees back in front, but a crazy final 15 minutes saw the hosts concede four times and leave Goodison Park with nothing.

As to be expected with the result, a number of Everton starters disappointed, as The Transfer Tavern dives into the three worst-rated outfield starters by statistical specialists SofaScore…

Allan

The Brazilian midfielder kept up his record of starting every Premier League fixture so far this season, partnering Davies in a 4-4-1-1 system.

However, he had an afternoon to forget, recording a SofaScore rating of 6.1/10. Allan lost six ground duels and one aerial duel, while losing possession 13 times and being dribbled past on five occasions.

Seamus Coleman

Coleman also received a SofaScore rating of 6.1/10 – the joint-worst when it came to outfield starters alongside Allan.

The right-back lost the ball on 16 occasions, lost four ground duels and two aerial duels and was dribbled past three times.

He also only made one tackle all game, compared to Lucas Digne at left-back who made seven.

Salomon Rondon

Summer signing Rondon is still awaiting his first Toffees goal, and like Allan and Coleman, he failed to have a single shot on goal against the Hornets.

He had just 26 touches all afternoon, lost the ball eight times and struggled in the air, losing eight of his 12 duels and three of five on three ground.

It seems as if the quicker Dominic Calvert-Lewin can return from injury, the better, following the much-maligned Venezuelan’s SofaScore match rating of 6.5/10.

In other news: ‘Don’t make me cry’ – Many Everton fans buzz over ‘great news’.