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Eddie Howe is now flying as Newcastle United boss as he is unbeaten in six Premier League matches and has guided the team outside of the bottom three in the table. 

Fans may be starting to take to the former Bournemouth man in a way that they have not done since Rafa Benitez was at the club prior to Steve Bruce’s spell in charge.

However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows for the recently-axed Everton head coach as he made his share of errors with the Magpies.

Disasterclass

One player the Spaniard played a disasterclass with was central defender Chancel Mbemba. The DR Congo international played 59 times for the Magpies in three seasons, with Benitez joining midway through his first campaign at the club.

He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.95 in 2015/16 as he produced top performances on a consistent basis in the Premier League. This showed that he had the potential to be a useful asset for the club in the top-tier moving forward, but it did not work out between him and his manager.

Former Porto player Steven Defour claimed that Benitez’s management of the defender resulted in his eventual departure, saying:

“Mbemba is a tough defender in the individual marking, he is a fast player who has passing quality and who risks going out to play from the defence, he has a good aerial game, he has talent and qualities to impose on FC Porto.

“I think he just could not stay at Newcastle, because they made him play right-back, a position that is not his. It was a shame.”

Five of his nine Premier League appearances in his final year at the club came at full-back, with Defour believing that his positioning caused him to want a transfer away from St. James’ Park. This shows that Benitez’s handling of the defender was directly responsible for the situation.

He sealed a move to Porto in the summer of 2018 for a fee in the region of £7.1m. Since making that switch, he has played 120 matches for the Portuguese side and his market value has skyrocketed from £5.4m to £13.5m – as per Transfermarkt.

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This shows that he has been able to kick on since leaving the club, with Benitez unable to extract the best out of him after a promising first year.

His use of the DR Congo machine was seemingly to blame and his soaring value since his exit suggests that the ex-Liverpool boss endured a howler with him during his time at St. James’ Park, as Newcastle have potentially missed out on keeping a quality player with a high resale value.

AND in other news,  Fewer passes than Dubravka: Newcastle lightweight who made 0 tackles blew his chance…

Darren Lehmann is ready for his first outings for South Australia since giving up the captaincy © Getty Images

Darren Lehmann will bolster South Australia’s fragile batting line-up when he returns to the side this weekend after recovering from a torn hamstring. Lehmann is one of four inclusions for the Pura Cup match against Tasmania starting on Monday at Bellerive Oval following the Redbacks’ 270-run humiliation at the hands of Victoria in their season opener.Cullen Bailey’s hopes of a national call-up this summer suffered a setback as he lost his place in the side following match figures of 1 for 103 against the Bushrangers. Jason Borgas, Cameron Borgas and Daniel Harris were also axed to make way for Shane Deitz, Shaun Tait and Andy Delmont.Deitz, who kept wicket last season and was one of South Australia’s most consistent run-scorers, might play as a specialist batsman as Graham Manou has been retained in the 12-man group. Delmont made his FR Cup debut in the middle order last week and could follow it with his first-class debut, while Tait’s successful return in the one-day match against Victoria has led to his inclusion for his first four-day game after elbow surgery.The Redbacks will also take on Tasmania in an FR Cup match in Hobart on Saturday and their limited-overs squad is more settled. The only change is the return of Lehmann at the expense of Cameron Borgas, who made 0 in the last game and a pair in the Pura Cup match. The Hobart games will be Lehmann’s first outings for South Australia since quitting the state captaincy at the end of last season.Tasmania have regained Ben Hilfenhaus for the one-day clash after his trip to India with the Australia squad, while Luke Butterworth also returns from injury. Ricky Ponting will miss the FR Cup game due to cortisone injections but is expected to be available for the Pura Cup match.South Australia FR Cup squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Mark Cosgrove, Nathan Adcock (capt), Darren Lehmann, Andy Delmont, Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Harris, Mark Cleary, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Shaun Tait.South Australia Pura Cup squad Matthew Elliott, Shane Deitz, Mark Cosgrove, Nathan Adcock (capt), Darren Lehmann, Andy Delmont, Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Harris, Mark Cleary, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Shaun Tait.Tasmania FR Cup squad Michael Dighton, Travis Birt, Michael Di Venuto, Daniel Marsh (capt), George Bailey, Tim Paine (wk), Luke Butterworth, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Ben Hilfenhaus, Adam Griffith.

Amol Muzumdar, the 32-year-old middle-order batsman, has been named captain of the Mumbai team for the forthcoming Ranji Trophy season. Muzumdar replaces Nilesh Kulkarni, the left-arm spinner, who led the side last season.Explaining the decision, Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, said: “The selectors wanted Nilesh to concentrate on his bowling. He is our main strike bowler and captaincy was affecting his bowling.” also quoted Vengsarkar as saying that the four-member selection committee – which also included Sanjay Patil, Milind Rege and Abey Kuruvilla – unanimously decided to opt for Muzumdar. Pravin Amre, the Mumbai coach, supported the decision as well, saying that batsmen usually made better captains than bowlers.Muzumdar had been in contention for captaincy last season as well, after Sairaj Bahutule left for Maharashtra, but Kulkarni was handed the job instead. Reacting to the decision, Muzumdar said he was “thrilled and excited”, and hoped to pass on his experience to the younger players. “I would like to display whatever I have learnt over the past 13 seasons in my stint. Guiding the youngsters will be my primary task.”Muzumdar has played 113 first-class matches and averages 51.23, with 20 centuries. He was especially prolific in the Ranji Trophy last season, finishing sixth in the averages list in the eight matches he played.

England are likely to face a demanding schedule when they tour Australia to defend the Ashes in 12 months time.The tour will be sandwiched between the ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in India in November, and the World Cup in the West Indies in March. Despite the time constraints, five Tests will be squeezed together in just six weeks.The ECB and Cricket Australia are still in negotiations but, as reported in the schedule would mean England playing 25 days of Test cricket in just 45 days. Only between the second and third Tests are the players afforded a significant break of nine days.”I’m afraid I can’t comment on the itinerary because it has not been finalised, “John Carr, the ECB’s director of cricket operations, told .”There are one or two points that are under discussion. As soon as it has been agreed, we will release it because there are a lot of people who want to know the dates so that they can make their plans.”But it is going to be a very busy winter because of the Champions Trophy and the World Cup. The intention is to let the players have a couple of weeks between the Champions Trophy and the start of the Ashes tour, and a break after the Ashes series and the start of the World Cup, which will benefit both teams.”

Chris Adams: one year on© Getty Images

This time 12 months ago Sussex were poised to secure their first County Championship title. A year later and things at Hove are a little different with a top-three finish the best the county are likely to achieve after a poor start to the summer.But the enthusiasm of Chris Adams, in his eighth year as Sussex captain, remains undiminished, and he has ended speculation that he was about to stand down by telling the local newspaper that he is keen to continue – if he is wanted.”Last year took a lot out of me,” he told the Sussex-based Argus newspaper. “I did seriously think about going out on a high. But that wouldn’t have been fair on the players or the club who have backed me and deserved some loyalty in return.”I have said to the club that I see myself doing the job as long as they want me to,” Adams continued. “If someone else stepped forward then I’d happily stand down, but at the moment I’d be delighted to carry on next year and maybe beyond. Who knows?”As there is nobody at Sussex who stands out as a rival, and budgetary restrictions rule out a big-name signing from another county, Adams’s position seems secure.”It can be very stressful at times, but it’s also hugely rewarding,” Adams added. “I love doing it and would be delighted to carry on. Obviously, in a year’s time if someone stood out we’d have to take a look at it again.”

Hampshire slumped to their second Frizzell Championship defeat of the season, when they went down to Northamptonshire at Wantage Road within three days.Northamptonshire added 77 runs for the last wicket, just three runs short of their all time record against Hampshire for the 10th wicket. Shaun Udal finally dismissed the persevering Brown giving the home side a vital advantage of 93 runs.Again Hampshire’s batsmen could not contend fully with the conditions, and after losing both openers for 19 runs, were always against the pace. Simon Katich and Robin Smith stayed for a while, and a patient 36 from John Francis held up the inevitable, but again a middle to late order collapse reeked disaster.Dimitri MAscarenhas the hero with the ball in Northamptonshire’s first innings wealded some lusty blows and with Shaun Udal gathered a few extra runs, but with 3 wickets apiece from Damian Wright and Mike Cawdron, the target set the home side was just 87.James Tomlinson took three wickets in bowling not too disimilar to Twenty20 cricket, as Northants claimed the extra half hour.Hampshire Hawks meet the Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Sunday in a vital National League match at Wantage Road, and they have recalled James Hamblin, Lawrence Prittipaul, Ed Giddins and Wasim Akram (subject to a fitness test).

The secretive philanthropists who bought letters by Sir Donald Bradmanat an auction sustained the mystery today by using a Melbourne boy toreturn them to the cricket icon’s family.The five letters, written to former Australian captain Greg Chappellduring the 1970s and 80s, were handed to Bradman Foundation directorRichard Mulvaney during a luncheon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)to mark Sir Donald’s birthday today.The anonymous group of businessmen paid $25,850 for the five letters ata Christies sporting memorabilia auction in July, amid outcry that theletters were being sold.

Usman Khawaja has been confirmed as the new captain of Queensland for the 2015-16 season. Khawaja will replace allrounder James Hopes, who stepped down from the captaincy at the end of last summer, and will form a fresh leadership combination for the state with coach Phil Jaques, who was appointed in May.”Usman has shown his class and ability on numerous occasions on the field since moving to Queensland a few seasons ago, but he has also demonstrated his maturity and vision to many of us away from the playing arena,” Queensland Cricket chairman Jim Holding said. “He is an impressive thinker about the game and we feel that he commands the respect of the group through his words and deeds.”Khawaja, now 28, moved to Queensland from New South Wales during the 2012 off-season, and has played nine Tests and three ODIs for Australia. He is currently captaining Australia A on their tour of India. He said he was happy that his predecessor, Hopes, would stay on at Queensland.”Hopesy has been a legend for Queensland and I’m pleased he is playing on,” Khawaja said. “One of the things I will be looking forward to this summer is walking out with him when he plays his 100th game for the Bulls this season as I know how much he has devoted to the game here.”I’m greatly honoured to be appointed Queensland captain, as I know how much the Bulls mean to the fans around the state. I will be out to do my best to continue to work with the rest of the players to make us successful. We have a lot of guys in the squad who are poised to make a big impact in Australian cricket and one of our collective goals will be to work hard to ensure we are ready when opportunities arise.”

Scorecard

	Carlton Baugh’s century steadied the Jamaica XI after a difficult first session © Getty Images

Carlton Baugh’s unbeaten 111 was the main stumbling block for the Australians on the first day of their tour match against a Jamaica XI, but any concerns were eased by the performance of Stuart MacGill. Less than a week before his return to the Test side, MacGill earned four wickets as the home team was dismissed for 297 in the final session.MacGill delivered 12 overs before lunch, claiming two stumpings and an lbw, and he recovered from some Baugh punishment to remove Gavin Wallace after tea, ending the ninth-wicket stand of 89. It was a solid pre-Test workout for MacGill, who has recovered from wrist surgery, and he finished with 4 for 79.While his team-mates struggled, particularly in the first session, Baugh, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, helped them out during an aggressive display. Dropped on 7 by Brad Haddin, Baugh made the tourists pay by hitting nine fours and two sixes during his 112-ball stay.Baugh entered at 117 for 5 and started the strong recovery, which gained momentum when he was joined by the No. 10 Wallace. Mitchell Johnson and Simon Katich had both picked up two wickets and it was left to MacGill and Brett Lee to finish off the innings.Haddin said MacGill made good use of a pitch that was like “rolled mud” and had picked up where he left off in the Pura Cup final in March. “The wicket was particularly conducive to spin, and I thought MacGilla bowled quite well,” Haddin told . “Simon, too. Stu looked like he had good rhythm, which is a good sign leading into the tour and having the Test match start in less than a week. He looked really good.”Haddin said his leg-side miss against Baugh was not a major worry, and he finished with three catches and two stumpings ahead of what will be his Test debut next week. “It’s always good to get some dismissals, but in all honesty in these sorts of games leading into the Test series, you’re more worried about your own rhythm and getting your game into order,” Haddin said.”Chances sometimes aren’t really a true indication of how the ball is going into the gloves. But today it felt like my rhythm was OK. We’ve got a second innings and a few more days before the first Test and with a bit of luck, I’ll be alright by Thursday.”In a sign they will pick a specialist batsman to fill the absent Michael Clarke’s place for the first Test next Thursday, Australia chose both Katich and Brad Hodge. Ashley Noffke was left out alongside Matthew Hayden, who was rested.Katich improved his chances of appearing at Sabina Park with 35 not out as Australia reached 89 for 0 at stumps. Phil Jaques added an unbeaten 44 in a good warm-up for the first Test.The home team won the toss and the first two breakthroughs came from Johnson and Stuart Clark. Brenton Parchment, the captain, has been named in West Indies’ first Test team, and he collected 25 as the Jamaica XI started with a 51-run partnership. Simon Jackson (29) and Xavier Marshall (30) also contributed before MacGill struck.

Mitchell Johnson: “I’ve had to work pretty hard to get here, so I’m quite proud of where I’ve come” © Getty Images

Mitchell Johnson has warmed up for his Test debut by warning Sri Lanka’s batsmen to prepare for a string of bouncers at the Gabba. Johnson picked up only two wickets during the tour game in Brisbane, where he was out-bowled by his Queensland team-mate Ashley Noffke, but he felt the pitch prevented him from unsettling the tourists with his short balls.The Gabba is expected to produce more consistent bounce and Johnson, who was 12th man for the entire 2006-07 Ashes series, wants to take advantage of it. “I probably didn’t bowl enough bouncers at them [during the tour game], which I’d love to do out here,” he said at the ground. “I’d like a few more short balls to unsettle them.”In the lead-up to the match the Sri Lankans have insisted any problem with this type of bowling is a myth, but Johnson and his team-mates plan to test out the theory from Thursday. “I’m sure they are going to give their fair share [of bouncers] and I’m sure they’ll get their fair share back,” Johnson said. “Brett Lee is in the side and he bowls quick, so I’m sure there’s going to be a bit of chin music out there.”Johnson has not had his place in the team confirmed, but he is ahead of Tasmania’s Ben Hilfenhaus and destined to join Lee and Stuart Clark. “Any opportunity would be great, but I’d love to get the new ball,” he said. “I get it for Queensland, so that’s a strong point for me.”A series of serious back injuries threatened Johnson’s career and led to him losing his state contract in 2004. After the demotion he spent a month back home in the north Queensland city of Townsville working out what he wanted to do with the sport. He got healthy and returned with a more aggressive attitude, which has assisted his development into a bowler on the verge of his first Test.”To be in this situation now, it’s a real bonus for me,” he said. “I’ve had to work pretty hard to get here, so I’m quite proud of where I’ve come.”