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The ECB’s head-hunter led search for candidates to be the team director closes on Friday

Andrew McGlashan in Trinidad05-Mar-2009
Amjad Khan has impressed in the nets, but it it will be harsh on Ravi Bopara if he is axed © Getty Images
The ECB’s head-hunter led search for candidates to be the team director closes on Friday. The same day the final Test in Trinidad begins, the result of which will decide whether the new man in charge of the England team will take over a team that has just handed back the Wisden Trophy, or has saved faced with a series-levelling victory.If it is to be the latter England will have to win the first meaningful match since first leaving home shores in October. It has been a winter of discontent, where they have lost a captain and a coach and struggled to find a winning formula in any format of the game. If they achieve a victory here it won’t be a quick fix, but would a least provide a fillip ahead of the one-day series and the home season.”We are very confident we can do well,” Andrew Strauss said. “The cricket we have played in the last two matches shows we can beat West Indies. We need to go out and do it this week, there is a bit of pressure on us to perform but we have taken a lot of confidence over what has happened in the last few weeks. A terrible session in Jamaica has put us in this position and we have one more game to get us out of it.”Strauss, Andy Flower, Ottis Gibson and James Whitaker, the touring selector, arrived at the Queen’s Park Oval ahead of the rest of the squad on Thursday and spent a significant amount of time looking at the pitch. England will be praying it offers more than the featherbed in Barbados because it has become plainly clear that their attack needs some help to take 20 wickets.”There looks as thought there will be a little bit of help in the surface but how much remains to be seen,” Strauss said. “It certainly doesn’t look as flat as the last couple we have played on, but I think bowlers are still going to have to work quite hard.”It is very much a guessing game over the formula England will use to try and level the series. Strauss didn’t give much away, but a five-man attack is shaping as a very realistic option. Matt Prior’s return from paternity leave means he could bat at No. 6 with Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann to follow. Then it would be a case of three from five.”There is definitely more of a case for five bowlers than there has been previously,” Strauss said. “That is definitely one option we are considering. The exact balance of that bowling attack is important, and also whether we have got enough batting capability to get the runs we need to win the game. We have a fair idea which way we want to go but won’t decide for certain until the morning.”It’s impossible to think that Ryan Sidebottom can be given another game and Flower’s recent comments about Steve Harmison suggest he has a lot of ground to make up. England’s bowlers always ‘look good in the nets’ but Harmison will have had to have looked a world-beater to win back his place otherwise all the talk will just sound like hot air. That leaves three – James Anderson, Amjad Khan and Monty Panesar.Anderson has deserved better returns in this series, but the last two would be selected on a wing and prayer. Amjad has impressed in training, but what a time to win a first Test cap, while Panesar hasn’t had much chance to prove he has rediscovered the art of spin bowling. Needs must, however, and they are the only options out here.Strauss, perhaps giving a small insight into plans, said he had been impressed by Amjad. “He has got quite a deceptive action and seems able to reverse swing it pretty well. Certainly in the two-day game in Barbados recently he got it through nicely. But at the same time he is inexperienced and no-one can be really sure how he will react to Test cricket.”Conceivably the six batsmen balance could be retained, but if one goes it’s a choice between Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara and for both it would be a harsh call. Shah has been told he will have a run at No. 3 to prove himself and Bopara is coming off a maiden Test century. The argument of consistency would seem to favour Shah, an eye on the long-term future would be on Bopara’s side. But England need to treat this as a one-off Test to win, victories have been too few and far between of late for them to get too cute about decision making.”We can’t afford to lose or draw this game. The only thing we can focus on is winning and clearly that’s an important motivating factor for us,” Strauss said. “Everything we do this week has to be with that idea in our mind. A draw isn’t good enough. A 1-0 defeat or a 2-0 defeat is still a defeat so that’s not a massive issue for us, it’s all about winning the match.”

While Everton very quietly went about their transfer business this summer, there was a big saga that engulfed Goodison Park.

That happened to revolve around James Rodriguez, a man who was desperate to escape Merseyside and move elsewhere.

What’s the word?

James missed a big portion of games towards the back end of last season due to fatigue and hasn’t been seen in a competitive sense on a regular basis for Everton since April.

The Colombian did play in pre-season but hasn’t played a single match in the Premier League since Rafa Benitez took charge.

His agent was trying to engineer a move to Italy while a return to former club Porto was also on the table.

A swap deal involving Luis Diaz was proposed and Everton were confident of reaching an agreement. Ultimately, Rodriguez couldn’t find a suitable club and has stayed with the Toffees.

Greg O’Keeffe issued an update on the playmaker shortly after the deadline passed, revealing what he’d been told and also the remarkable wages he was earning.

The Athletic reporter said: “Suggestions I’ve heard, which I can’t fully describe, is that you might be looking at north of £200,000 a week when you factor in everything – [the] full extent of his deal.

“So this is a player who’s on eye-watering money. And unless something changes, could well be kicking his heels till January at least.

“You know, he’s been told, surplus to requirements, face doesn’t fit – he’s been told that. He had an opportunity to leave, he wouldn’t budge on his wage demands.”

Fans fuming

Everton may have signed the former Real Madrid star on a free transfer but if he does really earn around £200k-per-week, supporters should be fuming.

Rodriguez contributed to ten Premier League goals last term and was their most creative player for key passes per match. That being said, his attitude on and off the pitch over the last six months has been extremely questionable.

The idea that he was too tired to play should have sent alarm bells ringing at the back end of last season and his discipline this term has also been bizarre.

Rodriguez had to self-isolate at one stage and during a remarkable Twitch stream, he declared that he didn’t even know who Everton’s next opponents were.

For any player at the club, that is a strange admission, but for one who earns as much as he does, it’s even worse.

Cutting ties with him this summer, especially in return for Diaz, would have been the perfect solution.

Instead, Benitez will have to decide whether he wants to call on a player who doesn’t want to play for the club.

Rodriguez’ talent is undeniable but his commitment is poor. Fans should be extremely unpleased with how it’s all unravelled.

AND in other news, Reporter shares the player Everton missed out on after Van de Beek, Rafa surely gutted…

A preview of the Twenty20 International between West Indies and England in Port-of-Spain

The Preview by Will Luke14-Mar-2009Match factsSunday March 15
Start time 2.00pm (18.00GMT)Big pictureA lot has changed for England in the five-and-a-half months since they were rolled and humiliated for 99 and deprived the riches of then-saviour, now pariah, Allen Stanford. Back in November England were playing for an unprecedented US$20 million. Now they’re seeking just pride and respect, neither of which will pay for a new car or house, but those two cashless entities are craved by a sport and country who went cap in hand to a grinning face of fraud. Therapists call it closure, and England need to draw a line under the past and get their cricket back on track.It will not be easy. They lost 1-0 in the Test series to a team they were expected to beat by at least two Tests, and they remain a side without a formal coach, whose bowling attack has groaned and creaked on unforgiving pitches. The biggest challenge for Andrew Strauss tomorrow, however, is himself: he hasn’t played a one-day international for England since the World Cup two years ago, when he was horribly out of form, and it’s three years since he pulled on a Twenty20 shirt. His remarkable Test form counted as a genuine plus for England, but whether he can translate that into ODIs remains to be seen. He is not the Marcus Trescothick-replacement that England crave, so there could be an opportunity for Ravi Bopara – who creamed his maiden Test hundred in Barbados – to shift up the order and get England off to the flier they so often fail to. Dimitri Mascarenhas also seems certain to play. Oddly ignored since last June, he is the only England player to have jumped ship to the IPL and was effectively dropped in place of Samit Patel, who has paid the price for his continued portly stature.For West Indies, they welcome back Dwayne Bravo, who has been injured for six months, along with three members of the Superstars who walloped England for US$20 million last November – Andre Fletcher, Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy. Their captain, Chris Gayle, remains injured however and England, too, are shorn of experience with both Paul Collingwood (stomach bug) and Andrew Flintoff unlikely starters.Form guide (most recent first)West Indies AWWWL
England LTWLWWatch out for …Keiron Pollard Still just 21, Pollard was last Thursday named the one-day player of the year by the West Indies Players’ Association. He cracked 174 against Barbados in the regional four-day competition two weeks ago, and although he has yet to reach fifty in nine internationals so far, his Twenty20 strike-rate promises an explosive future at 160.71. Young, powerful and incredibly exciting.Ravi Bopara Two fifties against India late last year confirmed his promise; three other low scores reiterated the feeling of frustration for someone so clearly gifted. His sublime Test hundred at Bridgetown, however, ought to have given him the confidence to play the game his own way. His thrilling happy-hooking against Fidel Edwards signalled a man content to take on the opposition, and England urgently need him to do just that.Team newsCollingwood looks likely to miss the Twenty20 with a bug, while Flintoff is expected to be rested. Flintoff flew home and missed the fourth and fifth Tests with a hip injury, but England are confident he will play some part of the forthcoming one-day series. Meanwhile Gayle is out of Sunday’s match with a tear to his hamstring, sustained while running the single to bring up his first innings hundred in the final Test, with Denesh Ramdin taking over the captaincy. West Indies do, however, welcome back their inspirational allrounder Bravo after a six-month injury lay-off.West Indies (possible) 1 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 4 Kieron Pollard, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Denesh Ramdin (capt, wk), 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Sulieman BennEngland (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Owais Shah, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 8 Gareth Batty, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Amjad KhanPitch and conditionsThe small matter of 5090 runs were ground out at the Queens Park Oval in the teams’ first innings alone last week. The arena has yet to host a Twenty20 International but runs should not be hard to come by; the match is being played in the afternoon, not evening, so there will be no evening assistance for the bowlers. The weather is expected to be fine, though there is a chance of a shower and changeable conditions in the afternoon.Stats & TriviaWest Indies and England have met eachother twice in Twenty20s (not including Stanford-named matches), each side winning one apiece.England have won six and lost eight matches in their Twenty20 history. West Indies have tied two (both versus New Zealand) and won three of their ten matches.Andrew Strauss hasn’t played a Twenty20 since 2006 and averages a measly 17.00 from three matches.Quotes”It is always fun hitting sixes and I love it. I think the best thing about cricket is scoring runs and hitting big sixes so if I get the chance I’ll try to do that.”
“I think the reason why India have gone through the roof is because of the Indian Premier League. After missing out last year, there is no way we can get up there if we don’t play.”

Journalist Conor McGilligan has suggested that Leeds United’s pursuit of Lewis O’Brien could get significantly more difficult now following a recent update.

What’s the story?

Alan Nixon had previously claimed via Twitter that the Huddersfield Town midfielder was “very near” to the top of the shortlist for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this summer, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Following that, The Yorkshire Live have revealed that O’Brien is in talks with the Terriers over extending his contract at the club, and that is something McGilligan feels could throw a real spanner in the works for Leeds.

While speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, he said: “It’s big news, really, because if he does sign this contract extension, it doesn’t mean that Leeds United are not going to be able to go back in for Lewis O’Brien, of course not.

“But what it does mean is, if we’re haggling over £4m, which it seemed Leeds United were over the summer months, this is going to be very, very difficult.

“Because if it’s sort of £6-8m and Leeds don’t value him at that price, that’s going to be a problem, because the contract extension – which you probably would look to as a minimum of three years, especially for a youngster securing his future – is going to potentially put him up to that £10m bracket that Huddersfield Town were valuing him at the start. So Lewis O’Brien, that’s going to be difficult.”

Radrizzani can redeem himself

A new central midfielder was no doubt a big part of the summer agenda for Leeds, and Nixon’s claim that O’Brien was “very near” to the top of the short-list was an indication of just how badly Bielsa wanted him.

The fact the Whites were haggling over a literal few million pounds as McGilligan himself says, was a brave gamble by Andrea Radrizzani to try and ensure the club got the best deal possible.

But instead, Huddersfield held firm and called their bluff, and ultimately, it’s Bielsa who’s gotten badly burnt given that he once again goes into a new season without a new central midfielder.

Radrizzani can however redeem himself either in the January transfer window or next summer, by opening up his chequebook and finally sanctioning a move for O’Brien, even if now the price might be higher.

As everybody saw with how Bielsa eventually got his man in Dan James from Manchester United, the Argentine has a clear idea of who he wants, and O’Brien seemingly fits the bill for him.

It’s imperative Radrizzani delivers on his manager’s wishes.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped an update on this Leeds United star…

Bangalore Royal Challengers captain Kevin Pietersen got away with just a warning after expressing his disappointment at being adjudged lbw to Muttiah Muralitharan by umpire Simon Taufel

Cricinfo staff21-Apr-2009Bangalore Royal Challengers captain Kevin Pietersen was warned by the match referee for expressing his disappointment at being adjudged lbw to Muttiah Muralitharan by umpire Simon Taufel. He was out for a golden duck in the match against Chennai Super Kings in Port Elizabeth on Monday and his dismissal was crucial as Bangalore were thrashed by 92 runs while chasing an imposing 179.Pietersen had come in after Jacques Kallis and Ross Taylor had departed in quick succession. At 47 for 3, with the fielding restrictions over, Bangalore were staring at an uphill task. Facing Murali for the first time, Pietersen came inside the line against a delivery that pitched on off and straightened a little before hitting the pads. Taufel raised his finger immediately while Pietersen indicated with his bat that may have taken a faint edge. He appeared surprised and kept shaking his head on his way back to the dug-out.GR Viswanath, the match referee for the game, warned him for dissent after Taufel reported the incident to him. Viswanath said it was a Level 1 offence but Pietersen was spared any fine and was given a “severe warning”.Bangalore had won their first game, against Rajasthan Royals, before yesterday’s defeat.

Crystal Palace have suffered an injury setback ahead of their Premier League encounter with Liverpool this afternoon after Jeffrey Schlupp was ruled out of action.

What’s the word?

The versatile 28-year-old picked up an injury while on international duty with Ghana and was also unavailable for Palace’s impressive victory over Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

Schlupp had played a part in all of the Eagles’ fixtures up until his enforced absence, and manager Patrick Vieira confirmed that he’ll be sidelined once again for today’s trip to Anfield.

“Jeffrey Schlupp is getting better but is not going to be involved tomorrow,” the Frenchman revealed in Friday’s press conference.

“He didn’t have enough training with the squad, so will stay behind and do a session tomorrow, before getting with the team on Monday morning.”

However, Vieira did have some positive updates for the Palace faithful. Youngster Eberechi Eze is currently on the treatment table with an Achilles injury, although he’s making good progress in his recovery.

The manager stated: “He’s improving, he’s going to start working outside very soon. Him and Nathan (Ferguson) are getting better.

“We can’t put any date (on his return to action). The positive side is he is getting better, and that is positive, but we can’t put any date because we don’t want to push him.

“There’s a medical journey that we have to take into consideration, and then we’ll know the next step with him. The same for Nathan.”

Patrick Vieira will be gutted

Despite Palace securing a famous three points over Spurs in Schlupp’s absence, Vieira will still be gutted that he is unable to call upon the Ghanaian’s services against Liverpool.

The midfielder adds energy and an attacking flair to the Eagles’ engine room, assets which the likes of James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic and Cheikhou Kouyate can’t replicate. Indeed, only four of Schlupp’s team-mates have completed more dribbles per game this season.

Considering that the Reds have started the 2021/22 term in impressive fashion, Vieira will not be at all amused that he will be forced to make do without a seasoned campaigner in the 28-year-old.

In other news… Signed for £26m, released for free: Parish endured a Palace nightmare over 31y/o dud 

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, could delay his departure to England from South Africa by two days to take part in one more match for the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders

Cricinfo staff01-May-2009West Indies have reluctantly given Chris Gayle permission to extend his day with Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL by two days if he wants to play an extra game. It means he could arrive in England just 48 hours before the first Test at Lord’s, which will leave him precious little time to adjust to conditions.With poor batting and inclement weather robbing West Indies of much-needed momentum ahead of the Test series, the tourists are now bracing for Gayle to remain in South Africa longer than originally agreed.”The West Indies Cricket Board has been informed of this development and has agreed for him to arrive in England on Monday, May 4 if it becomes necessary,” Omar Khan, the West Indies team manager, confirmed to reporters at Derby where they are playing England Lions, but also admitted it would “not be ideal preparation for a Test match.”John Dyson, the West Indies coach, said the decision didn’t help his team. “It’s not enough time for an ideal preparation (for a Test match) but we will work with it. The medical boys all say that, after that length of flight, you need a minimum of a couple of days to get over the jet lag and re-acclimatise and then you need a couple of days of practice.”We were prepared to work around that and now that it’s been extended out a bit further it puts more pressure on Chris and I suppose the people in the West Indies Cricket Board who made that decision.”Fresh from a 1-0 Test series victory in the Caribbean – a win that moved them within sight of sixth-ranked England on the ICC table – the West Indians have experienced a substantial reversal of fortunes since arriving in England. Already without the services of star allrounder, Dwayne Bravo, who was mysteriously ruled out of the Test series on medical grounds but cleared to play in the IPL, West Indies are desperately in need of Gayle’s services after indifferent batting displays against Essex and England Lions.Gayle was originally scheduled to join his West Indian team-mates after Friday’s IPL game against Mumbai Indians, but he wrote in his column in the that he “might still stay back for the game on May 3 [against Kings XI Punjab]”. The West Indies captain said he had “yet to make a final decision on the matter” and was mindful of his commitment to play in the first Test, which begins at Lord’s on May 6.He added that his staying on in the IPL depended on how Kolkata fared in Friday’s match against Mumbai; a game in which he was bowled for just seven by Zaheer Khan to a flat-footed swat as Kolkata lost by nine runs.When Gayle does present himself for national duty, there is no guarantee he will be at peak fitness. Kolkata coach Matthew Mott confirmed Gayle was carrying a foot injury – he required a runner during his recent innings against Bangalore – but did not think it serious enough to keep him from playing the Test series. Gayle’s ability to bowl his off-spinners in recent matches will partially allay fitness concerns, although his lack of footwork in Friday’s innings could be an indication of restricted movement.Gayle’s explosive batting in the opening rounds of the IPL had been among the few bright spots for Kolkata in an otherwise dismal campaign to date. Kolkata entered Friday’s game against Mumbai in last place on the IPL ladder, and hounded by reports that team owner, Shah Rukh Khan, is considering selling the under-performing franchise. Kolkata have denied those reports, but are still preparing for their out-of-sorts leader, Brendon McCullum, to stand down from the captaincy in the coming weeks.West Indies’ players had been cleared by their board to play in the IPL until May 1, after concerns they would boycott the tour of England in preference for the lucrative Twenty20 league. One of the complaints raised by players in their recent dispute with the WICB was the ruling body’s unilateral decision to tour England without their consultation, and at a time of year that placed it in direct conflict with the IPL.IPL-related disruptions are not new to the West Indies team, which last year was denied access to its leading players until just days before the first Test against Australia. Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul joined the national squad did not attend a pre-series training camp, while Bravo arrived into Jamaica on Test-eve aboard a private jet, paid for by Mumbai.

Some Everton fans have been left buzzing as some news emerged on their proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, an investment package of up to £45m in order to support the delivery of the new ground and the Goodison Legacy Project has now been approved by the Liverpool Combined Authority.

£15m of that package will be used to assist with infrastructure work to public space and heritage sites on and around Bramley-Moore Dock, and a loan of up to £30m will be used towards the overall project to build the new 52,888-seat waterfront stadium.

The project will offer a boost of £1.3bn to the local economy, attract an extra 1.4m visitors to the region every year and deliver an additional £237m of social value.

There are certainly exciting times ahead not just for the supporters of the Merseyside club, but those who live in and around the community too, as the stadium project gathers momentum.

Everton fans on Bramley-Moore Dock stadium news

These Toffees buzzed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘excellent news’:

“Excellent. That should be enough for Luis Diaz come January”

Credit: @SilentBlueGiant

“Imagine the new stadium with safe standing as well. Going to be amazing.”

Credit: @IptvZombie

“Great news on Everton’s new stadium”

Credit: @MartinC46967851

“Great news! It will enhance the entire city. Hope I get a season ticket to enjoy it. It will be the most iconic stadium in the most beautiful surroundings in the country. It’s win win win for everyone.”

Credit: @artikkle

“Excellent news”

Credit: @lingsfishtoast

“Great news imo.”

Credit: @CoppellRob

In other news, find out what early Team News before Norwich City has Evertonians gushing here!

Venues in Ireland and Scotland are in the running to host Pakistan’s international matches against Australia next year

Osman Samiuddin and Andrew Miller21-May-2009Venues in Ireland and Scotland are in the running to host Pakistan’s international matches against Australia next year, as the expense of hosting a series in England becomes clearer to the Pakistan board.Discussions between the ECB, Cricket Australia and the PCB are already underway for Pakistan to ‘host’ Australia for two Tests and two T20Is in England next summer. But the venues have yet to be finalised and the prohibitive costs of organising a Test series in England for a financially-struggling PCB means other options are being looked at.”There are proposals from Scotland and Ireland and we are seriously looking at them,” a PCB official told Cricinfo. “They are cheaper than the options in England, which are quite high, in terms of accommodation and travel. We were scheduled to play a match in Glasgow against India which was eventually washed out, so we will look at it.”Cricket Australia would be comfortable if the engagements were held in the United Kingdom. “It’s their [Pakistan’s] series, so it’s up to them to work out the venue,” a Cricket Australia spokesman said.Both Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, and his Scotland counterpart, Roddy Smith, confirmed an interest in hosting matches, with Deutrom even proposing Stormont in Belfast as a possible venue for a Test match. Both boards, however, said they had not received any feedback from the PCB since holding preliminary discussions earlier this year.”Discussions haven’t really progressed that much further in the last few weeks,” Deutrom told Cricinfo. “Our proposal was simply outlining some headline costs for accommodation and transportation, and we forwarded that information to the PCB. Thus far we haven’t had a response, so I’m guessing they are still considering all the options.”We clearly wanted to throw our hat into the ring for any match, whether it was a Twenty20, ODI, or a Test match, because it’s an excellent opportunity to host Pakistan, and potentially to play against them as well. We are already hosting Australia next year in an ODI, and if Pakistan are over here as well it would be unseemly not to suggest we have the opportunity to play them too.”Ireland are currently on a high after topping the table at the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, and Deutrom believes that the challenge of hosting a Test match would not be out of the question. “We hosted India and South Africa at Stormont in 2007, and played five ODIs in nine days,” he said. “Obviously they were played on different pitches, but if Ireland’s facilities are good enough to host four-day Intercontinental Cup matches, we could also host a five-day Test match.”Cricket Scotland have rather more limited ambitions, but nevertheless remain interested in bringing Pakistan and Australia north of the border for one-day contests. “In all honesty I think they will play in England as it makes more economic sense to play in big stadia,” Smith told Cricinfo. “But we’ve been consistent all the way through that they we’d love to play them, and also we could be used as a venue.”It all depends on the economics – we can’t provide a 15-20,000-seater stadium, our grounds are nearer 4000-5000,” said Smith. “We have a large Scottish Asian population but not the numbers they have in England. But the ball is in the PCB’s court, so we’ll wait for firm discussions and proposals on both sides.”The PCB, for their part, seem unconcerned about the limited capacity of Scotland and Ireland’s grounds, even though some English counties, most notably Yorkshire, believe they could attract full houses if they were to stage Pakistan international fixtures.”Though there are no stadiums as such, they have grounds there,” said the PCB official. “Temporary erections can be put up there like they used to do at the ground in Toronto where the Sahara Cup used to be held.”An ECB spokesman confirmed that England’s stance had not changed since last week, when the chief executive David Collier welcomed the prospect of offering Pakistan a temporary home in the country.

Leeds United fans may be made to wait for Joe Gelhardt’s senior debut because ‘Marcelo Bielsa is not one to bow to supporter demands’.

That’s according to Leeds Live journalist Joe Donnohue.

The lowdown

Bielsa’s side face Fulham on Tuesday night in the third round of the Carabao Cup; and Gelhardt, who joined the Whites from Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee in August 2020, may view the fixture as an opportunity for a senior Leeds debut.

He has made the matchday squad in the Premier League on nine separate occasions without earning a runout (via Transfermarkt), but Gelhardt’s form for the Whites’ under-23s has been electric, with 15 goals in just 22 appearances.

He bagged two goals and set up another on Sunday as Leeds’ youngsters ran out 4-0 winners away to Liverpool, with coach Mark Jackson labelling the goals ‘special’ (via Yorkshire Evening Post).

The latest

Writing for Leeds Live, Donnohue has said that a debut for Gelhardt ‘seems to be the flavour of the month’, but thinks that Bielsa will opt instead for the ‘vastly more experienced’ Tyler Roberts up front tonight, despite the Welshman’s poor return of just one top-flight goal in 32 games since the start of last season.

‘That may well be the scenario’ because the Leeds manager ‘sets out to win every game’ and won’t hand out opportunities for the sake of it, according to the journalist.

Donnohue did add, however, that Crysencio Summerville and Charlie Cresswell are ‘in line to start’ as part of what could be ‘a young team’.

The verdict

Having played 90 minutes against Liverpool’s under-23s on Sunday, it may be the case that Gelhardt isn’t physically ready to start a game on Tuesday night, but perhaps he could feature as a substitute.

It is a little strange that he is yet to see any first team action despite being named on the bench on multiple occasions, and Leeds ought to be wary of frustrating one of their top prospects. How long will it be before he leapfrogs the largely ineffective Roberts in the pecking order…if he is given the chance to do so?

In other news, Leeds are still interested in this summer target.