Australian left-hander Karen Rolton showed why she is the best batsman in women’s cricket when producing a magnificent century and a sneaked last ball single to give her side victory over New Zealand in a record-breaking game at Bert Sutcliffe Oval today.Rolton ran flat out for the other end as the ball passed through to CLEAR White Fern wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls, who had scored the century that ensured Australia would face a record chase for a 50-over match.The third most runs in a women’s One-Day International was scored (505) as Australia’s 253/4 edged out the White Ferns, who had made 252/9, the second-highest score against Australia in an ODI after England’s 279/3 in 60 overs at Birmingham in the Women’s World Cup of 1973.Rolton and Melanie Jones added 144 in 132 balls for the fourth wicket to set up a thrilling finale in which Rolton dictated to the inexperienced Frances King in the New Zealand attack, and applied pressure to other bowlers, and to the fieldsmen as they reduced the required run rate from over seven at one stage, and finally laid the ghost of its CricInfo Women’s World Cup final loss to New Zealand to rest.”I was cramping and starting to really struggle by the end,” revealed Rolton, who described the win as a “great team result,” that was “probably the most satisfying” she had been involved in for Australia. “I guess I was worried when Melanie got out,” she continued. “It was chaos out there, but off the last ball I knew I had to run.”A record stand for any wicket against the Southern Stars by Rolls and Emily Drumm should have been more than enough to pull the White Ferns back to a 2-4 win-loss record in the series.However, it was not to be. Drumm said, “It was gut-wrenching. It hurts more because we should be able to defend 250 against most sides in the world. The fact is inexperience showed in that one of our bowlers didn’t bowl well enough.”However, Drumm’s reluctance to use Kathryn Ramel was odd, despite her poor form in Australia, and bringing back King, a rookie at this level for the 49th over was a huge risk.None of this drama seemed possible as New Zealand’s second wicket pair put on 170 after Paula Flannery was run out early on in the game.Rolls hit the numerous bad balls unfailingly to the boundary, punishing leg side deliveries aggressively to bring up fifty in 63 balls and her maiden international century in 111 balls.In all New Zealand hit 26 fours and a six in the innings. Right-handed Auckland wicket-keeper Rolls, 26, had a previous ODI best of 84 not out, scored against South Africa in 1998/99. “I’m very jealous of her that she’s got a one day hundred against Australia,” joked Drumm afterwards. Drumm’s opposite number Belinda Clark said, “Sometimes she (Rolls) comes off and sometimes she doesn’t.”Today Rolls’ attacking style worked unprecedentedly well as she recorded a maiden century at any senior representative level.Drumm’s role in the stand was less dominating, although she reached a 12th ODI fifty in 95 balls.When Rolls lobbed to square leg off opening bowler Therese McGregor’s leg-spin variation, the pace did not let up, although Drumm was beaten by fellow skipper Clark’s throw from mid-off two runs after Rolls was dismissed.Haidee Tiffen hit 34 off 27 balls, but fell to Cathryn Fitzpatrick towards the end. Fitzpatrick moved to 95 ODI wickets with possibly the slowest spell of bowling in her cricketing life. A calf injury had forced the world’s fastest female bowler to cut her run up, and resulted in just the second stumping dismissal of her career, when Julia Price sent Ramel on her way for a duck.New Zealand lost five wickets for 21 runs in the last 28 balls and this show of spirit spilled over into Australia’s reply.Clark and Lisa Sthalekar had no problems against Rachel Pullar, who used the bouncer effectively, Anna Corbin, who opened up with her off-spin, or with slingy newcomer Louise Milliken in the early overs.Clark called Lisa Keightley’s replacement by Sthalekar “a harsh call” but it was a justified one in that it set Australia up for an attack with wickets in hand at the end of the day.The fifty came in 65 balls, and although the required rate was almost at six an over, it took the run out of Sthalekar for a joint-best ODI score of 33, and, more importantly, the wicket of Clark, who had hit a 25th ODI fifty, lbw to Pullar. Michelle Goszko went too, caught behind by Rolls, who seemed to be having the day of her dreams.Only Rolton, with support from Jones, was left to carry the fight, New Zealand as the rate required approached eight an over.Crucially, Rolton was dropped by Nicola Payne at mid off when on 68.”If we’d taken that chance we probably would have won the game,” rued a phlegmatic Drumm.The excitement never stopped, even after Rolton’s hundred came up off 98 deliveries, with Jones holing out for 47 with three runs needed off four balls.A bash to extra cover by Rolton, who had crossed, almost resulted in new batsman Sally Cooper being run out without facing.Milliken fumbled at mid-on off the next, leaving Rolton to run a one bounce single (that she thought she hadn’t hit) to Rolls off the final ball for the amazing victory.Unscheduled guest appearances by the Canterbury Crusaders, a jockstrapped streaker and the England cricket team delighted a ground full of schoolchildren and boisterous students, who all enjoyed the sunshine as well as the facilities New Zealand Cricket provided.The White Ferns have a winter tour to England to look forward to while the Australian international calendar gives Clark’s triumphant team a year off to relish its recent achievements.

Prashant Veer, a 20-year old left-arm spin allrounder from Uttar Pradesh, and Kartik Sharma, a 19-year old wicketkeeper from Rajasthan, have smashed the record for the most expensive uncapped Indian player ever bought at an IPL auction, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bidding a whopping INR 14.2 crore for each of them at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.The previous record bid for an uncapped Indian was INR 10 crore for fast bowler Avesh Khan by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022.Veer and Kartik headlined a massive payday for uncapped Indians, with Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi getting signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 8.4 crore, and 23-year-old pace allrounder Mangesh Yadav by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 5.2 crore. Wicketkeepers Tejasvi Dahiya (INR 3 crore to KKR), Mukul Choudhary (INR 2.6 crore to LSG) and Salil Arora (INR 1.5 crore to SRH), batter Akshat Raghuwanshi (INR 2.2 crore to LSG), and fast bowler Naman Tiwari (INR 1 CR to LSG) were the other uncapped Indians to get to or past the INR 1 crore mark.Related

• Fleming on CSK's philosophy shift: 'Might've been a little bit slow to evolve'

• J&K star Auqib Nabi is used to IPL rejection, but this time 'feels different'

• Cameron Green becomes most expensive overseas player in IPL; uncapped Indians go big

Veer’s base price at the auction was INR 30 lakh but the bidding for him skyrocketed – it began between Mumbai Indians (MI) and LSG initially, followed by a battle between CSK and LSG, then with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and eventually Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joining in. At the time of the auction, Veer had played nine domestic T20s and his performances in the UPT20 League, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Uttar Pradesh’s Under-23 fixtures earned him a call up for trials with CSK.After CSK had signed Veer for INR 14.2 crore from the set of uncapped allrounders, they bid aggressively for Kartik, whose base price was also INR 30 lakh, from the next set of uncapped wicketkeepers. Once again MI and LSG began the bidding, followed by battles between LSG and KKR, KKR and CSK, and eventually CSK and SRH, who once again dropped out once the bid reached INR 14.2 crore. Kartik, who has been signed up by JSW Sports, which manages several top athletes including the Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, is building a reputation as a lower-order finisher who can hit big sixes. In 12 T20s, Kartik has scored 334 runs at a strike rate of 164, hitting 28 sixes.Prashant Veer (left) has become the joint most expensive uncapped Indian player bought at an IPL auction•UPT20 League

“Kartik Sharma, we had him last year and he did some trialing with us,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming said. “We’ve been watching Kartik for some time and I’ll go back to the scouting and the work that’s done in a lot of tournaments. Prashant Veer, given that we needed that kind of skillset with trading Jadeja for Sanju and we identified him as a good talent going forward and filling that spot for us, doing that skillset.”As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it. Only halfway through the tournament [IPL 2025] we had a big shift and you saw with the players we got in as reserves, there was a shift in what we needed to do. Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success but we identified that we needed to shift and partly the work that we did last season halfway through has enabled us to continue that work done.”We knew if we can get a strong core of local players I think your team’s in good shape, and sometimes you have to invest time in them and also money because what is happening is the scouting on numerous tournaments around India are becoming very important. So players are being watched and being studied and being bought with a view to perform in the way they’re performing now but also another eye on the future. The fact it can be life-changing is a very rewarding aspect for doing something that they love. But first and foremost they are bought for their skills and that’s what they’ve been identified as doing which is a celebration for them and their family.”The first uncapped Indian player to go big at the IPL 2026 auction was Nabi, who was signed by DC after they fought off competition from RR, RCB and SRH. Unlike Veer and Kartik, the 29-year-old Nabi has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket over the past few seasons. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he has taken 15 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of under eight and has been a net bowler with KKR and SRH in the past.”He’s done well in all formats, he’s somebody we believe that gives us an option up top, he can bat a bit, and there’s a reason why he’s gone for that [high] price,” DC head coach Hemang Badani said. “And only when someone else is bidding against us can someone go up to 8-8.5 crores. So, that tells you that this kid has something in him, like a Prashant Veer has or a Karthik Sharma has. There’s a reason why people go up to 12 or 14 crores. One kid doesn’t go up to that price unless there’s a bidding war. A lot of the younger boys are coming through and Auqib Nabi is one of those we feel will go forward. We believe he’s a good bowler for us.”Mangesh’s bidding was between RCB and SRH, and his bid rose from his base price of INR 30 lakh to INR 5.2 crore, at which point SRH dropped out. He has played only two domestic T20s, scoring 28 runs off 12 balls and taking three wickets, but made a strong impression in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League.

ScorecardGeorgia Elwiss and Heather Knight scored vital fifties•Gallo Images

Heather Knight and Georgia Elwiss produced a pair of composed innings to guide England to a series-clinching five-wicket victory at the Wanderers – as well as important points in the Women’s Championship – after their chase had been in considerable early trouble.South Africa battled impressively to post 196 for 9 after being 85 for 6 – Lizelle Lee making 74 off 77 deliveries – and in response England slipped to 38 for 3 in the 10th over when Chloe Tryon removed Sarah Taylor.Fresh from the memories of chasing down 263 in the second match – their first victory over England since 2004 – South Africa sensed a chance, but were thwarted by the middle order. Firstly, Charlotte Edwards helped steady the chase as she and Knight added 53 before Edwards fell to Ayabonga Khaka.Then Knight, who earlier claimed 2 for 36 in nine overs, and Elwiss took charge, forming a stand of 97 in 20 overs. Elwiss played the more aggressive role with 61 off 67 deliveries – her maiden international fifty – which included an early six off Dane van Niekerk to help relieve some pressure.Elwiss’ fifty came off 53 balls while Knight’s arrived from 84; Elwiss could not quite see England over the line but Knight remained unbeaten.England had set a good early tone after winning the toss when Anya Shrubsole struck fourth ball, but a second-wicket stand of 57 between Trisha Chetty and captain Mignon du Preez laid a solid foundation. However, they were stunted by two quick wickets – Elwiss making her first impression of the day when she bowled du Preez and then Danielle Hazell removing Marizanne Kapp for a duck – and the collapse reached 5 for 28 when Shrubsole returned to strike two further blows.The innings was revived by a seventh-wicket stand of 80 between Lee and Sune Luus. Lee’s fifty came off 79 balls and although she was eighth out, the last-wicket pair ensured South Africa batted out their 50 overs.At 30 without loss inside five overs, England were off to a brisk start in the chase but the openers – Lauren Winfield and Amy Jones – fell in the space of three deliveries and when Taylor fell for 2 the pressure was on, but England found a response. Victory drew them level with South Africa in fourth, with 13 points, in the Women’s Championship.Edwards said: “We are obviously disappointed not to have secured the full six points available for this series, but to come away with four points against a strong South African side away from home is still a pleasing result for us.”The last three matches have ebbed and flowed for us performance-wise. We have shown glimpses of what we are capable of with both bat and ball, but to be competitive with the best teams in the world we still need to be more consistent.”We are starting to show signs of the positive, proactive and fearless cricket that we want to play, and I hope we can take this into the T20I series starting in Paarl on Thursday, and then the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in India next month.”

Fabio Capello has revealed he knows the identity of 20 of the final 23 members of his England World Cup squad.

England take on Japan in a warm-up game in Austria on Sunday with Capello closing in on the make-up of his final squad for South Africa, which he will unveil on Tuesday.

The Italian has taken a 30-man preliminary squad to Austria for a pre-tournament training camp.

"I more or less know," he admitted."Not 23 but maybe 20.

"It will be disappointing when I have to tell some of the players that they must go home because all the players here have trained really well.

"I am really happy with their focus and the job they have done. But I have to choose."

Striker Darren Bent and midfielder Tom Huddlestone have been handed starting spots against Japan.

Fellow fringe members of the squad Michael Dawson, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Scott Parker are not included which could suggest they will not be part of the final squad.

One player Capello is hoping to include is Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry.

Barry is currently sidelined with an ankle ligament injury but has been given every opportunity to prove his fitness before the squad is reduced to 23 men on June 1.

"Barry has improved a lot. The last news was good," said Capello.

"But we have to wait and see what the doctor says. After that, we will know if he will be fit in a short time and ready to train with us, or whether he won't be ready.

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"He has to be able to train normally the day after the first game.

"He is doing a lot of physiotherapy to get the movement going and is following what the doctor says.

"But I don't know if he is running yet."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Football is known as the beautiful game across the globe, yet sometimes beauty is accompanied by malice.

Footballer players around the world all have different characteristics and play the game in a diverse manner. Some players have more  brain than brawn, others are very skillful and possess a lot of flair. Conversely,  several players (with the trades mentioned) also love to get stuck in and play the game rough.

This article lists my personal top 10 ‘dirtiest’ players in the Premier League. It wasn’t easy to decide, but after much deliberation, these are the players who made my official list, enjoy:

10. Paul Scholes (Manchester United)

If a tackle is named after you then surely you must be doing something wrong, right? The 35-year-old veteran midfielder looks as if he will never learn how to tackle properly. Scholes may appear to some that he is not a dirty player, and may use the excuse of ‘Scholes doesn’t know how to tackle’, but let me assure you, this is absolute garbage. The fact is, he goes in late on players for a reason and has continued this trade for 16 years now. Even at 35, the Manchester United man is still fairly in the mix. Last season the Englishman committed 30 fouls, which led to 9 yellow cards and a red one as well. You would think after 16 years of trying he would have given up on tackling.

9. John Obi Mikel (Chelsea)

As a defensive midfielder for Premier League champions Chelsea, Mikel’s job is to break up attacks and regain possession by any means necessary. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old cannot tackle with precision and as such gives many free-kicks away. His overall intent in going in for a challenge is bad as well. Having watched several games in which the Nigerian had featured in last season, it is clear to see that he loves to go in hard on opposing players even though he doesn’t need to. Mikel gave away 35 free-kicks and picked up 3 yellow cards last season, ok it may not appear bad, but it’s evident that the player does have bad intentions in his mind. His 4 year disciplinary record at Chelsea can vouch for this.

8. Craig Bellamy (Manchester City)

Craig Bellamy has a great level of passion and desire for the game, which again is commendable, but like Stephen Hunt, the winger can boil over. The Manchester City man is known for his fiery temper and as such can (and most of the time) be a dirty player if he wants to be. The 30-year-old may have not committed as much fouls (24) and received as much coloured cards (5 yellow, 1 red) as the other players on this list, but whenever Bellamy is tackled or goes flying into one, it is clear that the Welshman is a nutcase. A number of fans may be divided of Bellamy’s inclusion in this article, arguing the fact that he is more of a zealous than a dirty player. This maybe the case, however, Bellamy has lost his mind at times last season and the City man always likes to involve himself in feuds on the pitch as well.

Continue 2 page to see the rest of the list

7. Wilson Palacios (Tottenham)

Palacios is a hardworking player, but he does get a few tackles wrong and is considered a midfield hacker by many Premier League fans. The Spurs man committed 58 fouls last season and picked up 8 yellow cards along the way as well. Palacios has cut down these statistics from 2 years ago and credit to him, but the Honduran international is still very much a fouler and a prolific one in the Premier League.

6. Stephen Hunt (Wolves)

The Former Hull City (now of Wolves) has got to be in this list, if he weren’t then there would have been an outrage from many readers who didn’t see his name up. Stephen Hunt is one of the slyest players in the Premier League, he may appear innocent to many when going into a challenge, but deep down a number of fans know what the Irishman is up to. It’s good to see a level of determination, but sometimes it can boil over and eventually it will come out in a different form, this is what has happened to Hunt over the years. Who could forget the 28-year-olds collision with Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech at Stamford Bridge several of years ago, many still wonder to this day if the clash was intentional or not. Nevertheless, Hunt is a dirty player end of.

5. Fabrice Muamba (Bolton)

Although, the Bolton man did not receive a red card, Fabrice Muamba was statistically the most booked Premier League player last season. The 22-year-old defensive midfielder committed 63 fouls last season and received 11 yellow cards a long the way. Bolton are not known for their flair and attractive style of football in the Premier League, but more for their rough and tumble method which see most of their players commit a lot of tackles and Muamba is just one of them. The Englishman is not a ‘leg-breaking’ player, far from it, but with these statistics and the current holder of the yellow card holder, it is evident that the midfielder had to be apart of this list.

4. Michael Ballack (Chelsea)

A great player but Ballack simply doesn’t know how to tackle and win a ball cleanly in the process. The German international is a strong midfielder and does a good job for Chelsea, but he does manage to give a lot of free-kicks away. 50 fouls, 3 yellow cards, 1 red card, may not look as bad as others in this article, although, whenever Ballack is live on TV it is almost certain during the 90 minute match, that you will see the 33-year-old either be in conversation with the referee or standing by an opposing player who is on the floor.

Find out who made the top 3 on page 3

3. Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)

The Liverpool midfielder spends more time bringing down opponents than actually kicking a ball. He is a hardworking player but at times his raw emotion does get the better of him.

The 26-year-old Argentinean international was the third highest player in the list of committing fouls last season (he committed 66 in all). With those 10 fouls came 10 yellow cards and 2 red ones as well. It’s great to see the Argentine commit a foul (not a bad one of course) just for his pure reaction when the whistle is blown. Mascherano somehow feels that when he does bring down a player in a bad manner, loves to think there is nothing wrong with it, and as such, pleads his innocence to the referee…very entertaining to watch. A defintate ‘dirty’ player in the English game (his record speaks for itself), and if he were to leave the Premier League this summer, his antics will be certainly be missed by many of the fans, including me.

2. Kevin Davies (Bolton)

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Would anyone disagree with his enrolment into this list? Certainly not. The Bolton striker committed an astonishing 103 fouls in 38 games last season and holds the record of the dirtiest player in the English game…well done Kevin. The 33-year-old Englishman is known for his strength up front and loves to irritate and punish his opposing defenders by any means necessary. Davies picked up 9 yellow cards and surprisingly no reds in the process. However, for the sheer fact that he has committed so many fouls and his inability to actually play the game right earns him a place in this hall of fame.

1. Joey Barton (Newcastle United)

The prodigal son returns to the Premier League this season to recapture his crown as the official dirtiest player in the English game. Many would agree that the 27-year-old midfielder is one of the dirtiest, ruthless, and most vicious players that the Premier League has ever seen in recent times. Joey Barton will no doubt be contributing in more fouls, yellow and red cards rather than goals and assists. He has got to be my number one on this list.

Follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/TMer4kl1

Click image below to see a gallery of the Italian babes at the World Cup:

The last two years have produced something of a footballing anomaly – happy Wolves fans. Forever bemoaning their ill-luck at being unable to escape the Championship, they not only go and win it, but they survive their return to the Premier League with games to spare. With the risk of finally losing their tag as sleeping giants, Mick McCarthy will be looking to strengthen the squad and make Wolves a permanent fixture in the Premier League calendar.

For all the good that Wolves did last year, their weakness was stark. A mere 32 goals in 38 league games will only keep you up if you can defend well – which luckily they could. Of the strikers in the team only Doyle earned any plaudits while Iwelumo, Maierhofer and Ebanks-Blake failed to match expectations.

Let’s not do Wolves and injustice though, 15th was a fantastic achievement, but finishing on 38 points meant that they only did 5 points better than their last attempt in 2003 when they finished bottom. So you could argue that they were playing in a weaker league in 09/10. As Jez Moxey has said, next year will be a trickier affair, facing Newcastle and West Brom will be a tougher than Burnley and Hull.

So how has Mick done thus far?

I think he has gone about his business very shrewdly. He has been the only Premiership manager to have really made any moves in the transfer market as yet and by bringing in players early in the summer he is giving them maximum time the to become familiar with the rest of the squad. He has added strength and depth to his reasonably strong defensive unit with the additions of Van Damme and Mouyokolo who will be pressuring Berra, Stearman and Craddock for roles in the centre of defence.

Brought in as the player to solve Wolves’ goal scoring problems, record signing Steven Fletcher will be the one who will excite the Molineux faithful. He has shown he can flourish in a struggling side, and while the fans in old gold won’t want to see him in adverse circumstances next season, his credentials are very good. Even though he only scored 8 goals last year, you feel that he can add to that tally with better service – something that will be the test of Wolves next year.

Everyone sees goals as the reason the Molineux men struggled last season, which is true, but if you don’t create them then you can’t score them, and creative and attacking midfield players must be McCarthy’s focus for next season. Stephen Hunt is a good signing for the left of midfield. Even with the risk of him being unavailable until October you feel that Mick would have carefully weighed up his options before making the move. With the form of Jarvis as a cause for celebration last year, Kightly coming back from injury and talks of Jermaine Pennant arriving, it seems it will be an area much improved for next season. With Milijas failing to shine, a central attacking midfielder to partner Henry must also be on Mick’s wish list to pose a threat from the middle as well as out wide.

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A few pieces of the puzzle are in place for Wolves to do well next year, but what pieces are left and just how well they’ll do remains to be seen. At only £7 million, Fletcher is a good piece of business and with him partnering Doyle up front with better service from those behind I think Wolves can stay up again in the Premier League next year.

Written By Karl Sears

Joe Cole has passed his medical and put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Liverpool.

The England international agreed to join the Reds on a free transfer from Chelsea earlier in the week and has now completed the formalities on his move to Merseyside.

The 28-year-old midfielder passed a medical at the club's pre-season training camp in Austria to bring to an end a lengthy transfer pursuit for new manager Roy Hodgson.

Cole's departure from Stamford Bridge at the end of the last campaign had sparked a transfer scramble among several Premier League clubs.

"Liverpool Football Club are delighted to announce that Joe Cole has put pen to paper on a four-year deal," confirmed a club statement.

"The England international has passed his medical and has been allocated the squad number ten."

Meanwhile, Hodgson has pledged to continue his prudent approach to rebuilding the Liverpool squad following his arrival from Fulham.

The cash-strapped Reds, who finished a disappointing seventh in the Premier League last season, are currently seeking new owners.

"We don't have the unlimited funds that teams like Manchester City and even Tottenham to some extent these days, seem to have," Hodgson told the club's official website.

"In this current situation we don't have that. On the other hand some money is being made available and we are doing everything to use that money as sensibly and as intelligently as we can.

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"We had quite a good squad of players last season. We've talked about (Steven) Gerrard, (Fernando) Torres, (Pepe) Reina – these players means there is a certain strength to the team whatever we do.

"We would like to make some changes. Every manager who comes to a new club would like to make changes, to bring in some fresh players."

One of those changes will be the departure of defender Philipp Degen, who has been told he is free to find another club after two injury-plagued seasons at Anfield.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes Mario Balotelli will have no trouble settling into his new surroundings at Eastlands after completing the signing of the Italy international from Inter Milan.

The 20-year-old has penned a five-year contract with City and is believed to have cost in the region of £22million after one of the longest running transfer sagas of the summer was finally completed on Friday evening.

Balotelli has a colourful reputation, but Mancini said:"Balotelli is a young guy and he is a good guy. Like all the young men, sometimes his behaviour is not good. But it is wrong to say he is not a good man. I don't believe he will have a big problem.

"In one or two years he could become one of the best players in the world. He is one of the best players of his age in Europe and I am very happy to be working with him again. I know Mario very well. I put him in the first team at Inter when he was 17.

"He can play right wing, main striker or second striker. He is a fantastic player and he can improve purely because he has changed countries.

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"His style of play will suit the Premier League and, because he is still so young, there is a big chance for him to improve. He is a strong and exciting player and he will be a big hit with the City fans."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

There has been incredulity in the press this week at a certain set of transfer figures. HM press couldn’t wait to express their shock at how Real Madrid could buy Ozil and Khedira for the same price as Manchester City paid for James Milner.

Shock horror! Sometimes players go for more than they are worth and sometimes they go for less, for numerous reasons that the media were well aware of.

It is a stupid and pointless exercise comparing transfer fees as journalists are so keen to do every now and then, to make some irrelevant points about the state of the sport in this country. To compare the transfers of Ozil, Khedira and Milner in simple black and white terms is schoolboy journalism.

We all know English players have a premium added to their market value. This is old news, and doesn’t need revisiting. The new rules on squad sizes and homegrown players can only exacerbate this.

The value is added to further when the selling club doesn’t want to sell (and doesn’t need to), the buying club is desperate for the player (and Milner was a primary target for Mancini), the buying club is wealthy (very, very), and the player is tied down on a long term contract.

A situation we don’t encounter when discussing Ozil and Khedira. Yes, Madrid are capable of splashing the cash (the purchase of Ronaldo from Manchester United fits all the criteria above), but both players had a year to run on their contract. Khedira had said quite clearly he would not be signing a new contract. So the selling clubs had a choice – sell at a knock down price now, or keep a possibly unmotivated player for a year then lose them for nothing. It is this reason, and this reason alone, that they went for such (relatively) small fees. If they had both been on long term contracts, their combined fees would have far outweighed the fee for Milner.

And yet again we see the fawning over a player who has had a good world cup. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure Ozil will become a top class player. But he was nothing special for his club last season, whilst Milner was the Premiership’s Young Player of the Year. I am not for a moment trying to claim Milner is a superior player (they are different types of players anyway, so comparisons aren’t easy), but let’s at least have some perspective here.

The fact is, sometimes great players move clubs for small amounts, sometimes for nothing at all. You might as well compare Joe Cole moving for nothing against Chris Smalling for a fee approaching £10m. Or putting my “I’m paranoid about Manchester United” hat back on, why don’t a few journalists question why Ferguson called City’s spending kamikaze having just purchased a player for £7m he has never even seen on youtube, or question why he has purchased a player for £7m that was available on a free transfer three months ago?

But no, better to appear incredulous and wonder how this could possibly happen, as if the Bosman ruling and its endless ramifications have completely passed you by. Though having said that. I can’t believe Ozil went for less than the price of Ronaldo’s left knee!

Yours sincerely, a bitter blue.

Written By Howard Hockin

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Leeds United’s last title win was in 1992, the final season of the old Division One before the initiation of the Premier League. But where are those players now?

John Lukic:

The former Leeds shot stopper who enjoyed two stints at Leeds United and Arsenal played an integral role in the Championship winning season for the Yorkshire side and upon retiring in 2001 took up coaching. Lukic has been used by Arsene Wenger for coaching on a part time basis at Arsenal over the past few years.

Mel Sterland:

The Leeds United right back was seen as a bit of a Zico amongst the Leeds United faithful, being known for his set piece abilities. Sterland joined Leeds United when they were in the old Second Division and helped them gain promotion; furthermore Sterland was a key member of the title winning 1991/92 side. Upon leaving Leeds United Sterland played for Boston United before becoming player manager. He starred in football film ‘When Saturday Comes’ alongside Sheffield favourite Sean Bean and has released an Autobiography entitled ‘Boozing, Betting and Brawling.’ Unfortunately due to health issues Sterland is now unable to work, yet is believed to be penning a new book about his time as a professional.

Chris Fairclough:

The solid and reliable centre back hailing from Nottingham played a vital role in Leeds’s title winning side. Having joined Leeds United from Tottenham Hotspur in 1989 he was immediately placed in the heart of Leeds defence; having won player of the year in 1990 Fairclough was extremely popular with the fans. Upon his departure from Leeds the centre back had spells at Bolton, Notts County and York City. Fairclough is now a first team coach at a resurgent Nottingham Forest under Billy Davies.

Chris Whyte:

Leeds’s other centre back has been much of a journeyman throughout his career, The Londoner has played for numerous English teams such as Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Birmingham and West Brom as well as stints in the United States and Finland. Whyte made 113 appearances for the Whites and was last heard to be coaching in Finland for HyPS.

Tony Dorigo

The Australian born Englishmen enjoyed spells at Chelsea and Aston Villa before joining the title winning Leeds United side. The left back was of international quality with 15 England caps to his name. Following his retirement from the game Dorigo became a football pundit for numerous channels, particularly for Italian football coverage as he spent a season at Torino following his spell at Leeds. It is known that he is a property developer.

Continued on Page TWO

Gordon Strachan

The short Scotsman enjoyed some of his best football years at two of the biggest rivals in the game with spells Manchester United and Leeds. The talented right midfielder was quick, aggressive and his goal contribution was fantastic. With 37 goals in 197 appearances for Leeds, Strachan was a mainstay of the side. Upon retirement Strachan entered management and has been quite successful. Spells with Coventry City and Southampton gave Strachan the opportunity to manage Celtic where he won three successive league titles. Strachan now manages at Championship promotional hopefuls Middlesbrough.

Gary McAllister:

Another Scot who graced Elland Road for the Whites is still to this day a big Leeds United favourite. McAllister provided Leeds with much creativity in the middle of midfielder and was an experienced Scottish international. Having had a spell at Coventry and Liverpool following his Leeds career McAllister came back for a brief management spell at Leeds in January 2008, he was dismissed from the position just 11 months into the job following some poor results. McAllister is currently out of work but has made it clear he would be interested in a management position if one became available.

David Batty:

The former England international was a no-nonsense midfielder much in the mould of Roy Keane who played centrally alongside Gary McAllister. Batty was only 22 yrs old when Leeds won the title and was seen as one of the most promising young English midfielders of his generation. Sold to Blackburn Rovers in 1993, Batty has had a successful career with a Premier League title to his name for the Lancashire club in 1995. Following a stint at Newcastle Batty returned to see out his career at Leeds United. Batty now spends the majority of his time working for numerous charities, including Cancer Research.

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Gary Speed:

The evergreen Welshman made his name as a player during his Leeds United years and is one of the highest regarded players in British game. Having played on the left side for Leeds United, the former Welsh captain left Leeds in 1996 to join Everton before a lengthy spell at Newcastle United and a final flourish for Bolton and Sheffield United. With 669 league appearances, Speed was one of the games most reliable players. Following his spell at Sheffield United, Speed retired and is now a first team coach at the Yorkshire club.

Rod Wallace:

The former Southampton striker joined Leeds in 1991 and helped them gain the title in his first season. The pace filled striker scored 53 goals in 212 for the West Yorkshire side and after his spell at Leeds joined Ranger’s on a free transfer in 1998. Wallace was last seen as assistant manager of Kingstonian’s Under 18 squad in 2008.

Lee Chapman

The Leeds United legend has been hailed as the key ingredient to Leeds winning the league title in 1991. His 16 goals in 38 games that season were enough to pip Manchester United to the Championship. Known for his aerial presence, the striker scored many of his goals from set pieces or with his head. Having left Leeds in 1993 Chapman spent his final years playing for numerous clubs including Portsmouth, West Ham and Ipswich Town. Chapman now is married to actress Leslie Ash and runs numerous properties and bars around the country.