LONDON // From getting the cold shoulder at third-tier Wolverhampton Wanderers, 30-year-old defender Roger Johnson is set to make his West Ham United debut at Manchester City in the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Johnson, who played in the Premier League for Wolves and Birmingham City, was not even given a squad number at the start of the season and was subsequently loaned to struggling Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
However, after agreeing to a loan deal with injury-hit West Ham on Monday, the centre-half has the chance to impress against a City side boasting a formidable array of attacking firepower.
“He is very determined and very excited about the opportunity he’s got after being frozen out at Wolves and pursuing his career at Sheffield Wednesday recently,” manager Sam Allardyce said ahead of Wednesday’s first leg.
“Our central defensive situation has been so difficult recently and it’s one of the main reasons why we haven’t got the results we wanted.
“The one big thing about Roger is his Premier League experience at Birmingham City. His height in terms of being a central defender has been one of our weak points recently, and his desire to come and show he has still got the capabilities to play at this level.
“We are going into one of the biggest games of the season with somebody of his experience, height and aerial dominance against, let’s face it, one of the biggest teams in the Premier League.”
West Ham are only one place off the foot of the Premier League, and a weakened line-up was thrashed 5-0 by second-tier Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Even diehard fans give them little chance of toppling City over two legs, but Allardyce said they hope to at least get back to Upton Park with a chance to advance.
“We don’t have to beat them on Wednesday night. We have to come back with something realistic to beat them at home if we can,” he said. “We have to stay as focused as we can and we have to nullify what is a great attacking force.”
Allardyce said that striker Andy Carroll will soon be available, having been sidelined by a foot injury since completing his permanent £15 million (Dh90.48m) move from Liverpool in June.
“Andy is training today,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll see him on the bench in the next week or so.”
For City, winger Jesus Navas will sit out the contest with a knee complaint.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini says the problem is not serious, but he does not want to risk the Spaniard. “It is not very important, it is just a precaution,” he said.
Top scorer Sergio Aguero remains on the sideline, but he is back in training and on course to return sometime this month.
Aguero has been out since suffering a calf injury in a 6-3 win over Arsenal on December 14.
“He is working, he is training,” Pellegrini said. “It is very good news. All players recovering from injuries is good news, especially a player who is as important as Kun Aguero.”
Pellegrini is yet to decide which goalkeeper will play in the cup match. Costel Pantilimon, who recently reverted to being second choice after a spell in the side for Joe Hart, returned at Blackburn but made a costly error.
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Racecard:
2.30pm: Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoun Emirates Breeders Society Challenge; Conditions (PA); Dh40,000; 1,600m
3pm: Handicap; Dh80,000; 1,800m
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Mile Prep Rated Conditions; Dh110,000; 1,600m
4pm: Handicap; Dh95,000; 1,950m
4.30pm: Maiden; Dh65,000; 1,400m
5pm: Handicap; Dh85,000; 1,200m
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
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Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
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What is a portfolio stress test?
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What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?