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Everton could reportedly still sign FC Porto attacker Goncalo Borges after making a bid for the player.

The Lowdown: Attackers wanted

It seems as if the Goodison Park outfit still want to bring in a new attacker before the deadline, having recently been linked with moves for Watford’s Joao Pedro and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze.

They have recently confirmed the signing of Idrissa Gueye from PSG, and their business may not be done there given the need for more firepower up front.

The Latest: Borges bid

As per Portuguese news outlet O Jogo (via Sport Witness), the Merseyside club have made a €12m (£10.3m) bid for Borges, which has been rejected by Porto.

The Portuguese giants are holding out for a transfer fee closer to €15m (£12.9m), and Frank Lampard’s team face competition from Estoril for his signature.

Porto intend to try and keep hold of Borges in the last hours of the window, but a number of clubs in Portugal are thought to be keen, and the Toffees could still raise their offer.

The Verdict: Time running out

If the Blues are serious about wanting to sign Borges, then they need to put in an improved offer fast that matches Porto’s valuation of the player.

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig claims that he is a ‘similar’ player to Bayern Munich and Germany star Serge Gnabry, reporting his strengths in pace, dribbling, technique, ball control and creativity.

The 21-year-old is clearly very talented, having scored ten goals with six assists for Porto at youth level, as well as making three appearances for the senior team (Transfermarkt).

Borges also actually shares the same agent as four EFC players, and so this could help push a last-minute deal through before the deadline.

Everton have been linked with Armando Broja on several occasions over the summer transfer window, and Frank Lampard may finally get his target as the club is hit with a huge transfer dilemma.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that despite a bid for Anthony Gordon being rejected by Everton, there could still be a deal struck as Chelsea may include one of or some of the players Lampard is interested in this summer to sweeten the deal.

Romano tweeted: “Chelsea are discussing internally of new proposal for Anthony Gordon as opening bid worth £40m has been rejected by Everton today.

“Chelsea could try to include players in the deal as Frank Lampard wanted more than one CFC player this summer.”

The Athletic again today linked Everton with a move for Chelsea youngster Broja.

Lampard could finally sign Broja

The proposition that could be proposed to include some of the Chelsea players Lampard has been eyeing up will create a huge dilemma for the Everton boss when it comes to letting go of Gordon.

The Toffees winger is a very popular player with the Goodison Park faithful as he is a boyhood Evertonian, breaking through the club’s youth system to become a key player in the first team, however, they are in a position of desperation when it comes to goal-scoring forwards.

So far, Lampard’s side haven’t picked up a single point and have scored just one goal in their Premier League campaign and following a relegation scrap last term, the club know they’re in a situation that could repeat itself if they don’t get everything right.

Everton do boast enough wingers to cover the position of Gordon with Demarai Gray and new signing Dwight McNeil more than capable of stepping up in the wider areas of the front-line, however, when it comes to proper goal-scorers and strikers, the team is weaker than ever following Richarlison’s departure and Calvert-Lewin’s injury problems.

As a result, the opportunity to sign Broja could be enough to see Gordon head in the direction of Stamford Bridge this season as the club desperately tries to recoup the goal contributions lost without the Brazilian winger and their number nine.

The £30m-valued Albanian who was hailed as “dangerous” by Ralph Hasenhuttl had a successful loan spell over at St Mary’s with Southampton last season, scoring nine goals and delivering one assist over his time on the South coast.

Broja is now back with Chelsea and has featured in both of their Premier League games so far albeit making just 12 minutes worth of appearances, but will surely be hungry for a more permanent position in either the London-based team or he could make the move up to Merseyside to reunite with the manager that gave him his top-flight debut.

In terms of a like-for-like replacement, Broja plays solely in the centre-forward role compared to Gordon who has only been deployed in the role to cover for Calvert-Lewin at present.

Therefore, there is no doubt that Lampard would prefer to bring in somebody who is not only experienced in the position but knows the style of play he is keen to execute, something that their young prodigy cannot do from a central area.

With that being said, the signing of Broja would be a great piece of business for Everton, however, if it comes at the cost of Everton losing one of their most beloved players it would be a huge risk.

Santi Aouna has dropped an update on the future of reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Nicolo Zaniolo.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Foot Mercato journalist revealed that, following a number of reports linking Fabio Paratici with a move for the AS Roma midfielder this summer, the Italian sporting director is in continued negotiations with the Serie A side regarding a deal for the 23-year-old – for whom Jose Mourinho’s side are reported to be demanding a figure in the region of €50m (£42m).

In his tweet, Aouna said: “Roma continues to activate. Ongoing discussions with Tottenham for Zaniolo.”

Conte will be buzzing

Considering that it has been reported Antonio Conte would still like to add a new attacking midfielder to his Spurs squad prior to the kick-off of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign next week, Aouna’s claim that Paratici remains in talks with Roma regarding a move for Zaniolo is sure to have left the 52-year-old manager buzzing.

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Indeed, it would appear as if the £33.6m-rated talent would make an excellent addition to Tottenham’s current options in the middle of the park, as the Italy international could provide the attacking spark that is somewhat lacking from Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Zaniolo proved this over his ten appearances in the Giallorossi’s victorious Europa Conference League campaign in 2020/21, scoring five goals – including the winner in the final – registering four assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £76k-per-week Romanista – who can operate from central and attacking midfield, on either flank and up front – average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Mourinho’s sixth-best performer in the European competition.

As such, Aouna’s suggestion that Paratici is actively working on a deal to bring the 23-year-old to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer is undoubtedly incredibly exciting news for everyone involved with the north London side – not least Conte himself – as the nine-cap international could well prove to be the club’s final piece of their midfield jigsaw ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

AND in other news: “Spurs absolutely love him…”: Gold reveals huge transfer update supporters will love

Former Premier League defender Alan Hutton believes Manchester City will wait to sign Brighton and Hove Albion star Marc Cucurella. 

The lowdown: One in, one out

Cucurella has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester in recent weeks and the speculation has only intensified as Oleksandr Zinchenko edges closer towards a move to Arsenal.

The 24-year-old fully fledged Spain international enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in England, having arrived from La Liga outfit Getafe for an undisclosed fee last summer, and was praised for his ‘absolutely outstanding’ form after a 1-1 draw against Chelsea by journalist Josh Bunting.

After seeing an initial £30million bid rejected, the Blues are expected to return with an improved offer for the man who ‘only wants Man City’ according to Fabrizio Romano and one pundit has now delivered his verdict on the situation…

The latest: Cucurella or no one?

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Aston Villa right-back and BBC Sport co-commentator Hutton suggested that Manchester City would be happy to bid their time to land the five-cap ace.

He said: “They seem as if they’ve identified him as the number one target. I think they’ll try and hold on for as long as possible. I thought he was excellent last season in the Brighton team, he loved getting forward, he was tenacious, everything that Pep Guardiola likes.

“With Zinchenko going, [Nathan] Ake, these types of players, it’s one of those that he’ll need somebody in. I think a natural left-footer on that side helps with the balance. I’ve just got a feeling that he’s the number one target and they will wait for him.

“They’ve got [Joao] Cancelo who can play over there if it doesn’t materialise, so they’ve got an option. So it’s not a problem for Man City and I think they’ll hold out as long as possible.”

The verdict: Stop-gap may be required

As Premier League champions with a hunger for success in Europe, Guardiola and City moreover are unlikely to settle for alternative options in the market, particularly when Cucurella is clearly so highly regarded at the Etihad.

Last season, the marauding Spaniard – himself formerly of Barcelona – earned an outstanding 7.11 Sofascore rating whilst winning 5.5 duels, making 1.9 clearances and completing 1.2 key passes on average per game – highlighting the aforementioned ability in both a defensive and attacking capacity.

Under contract until 2026, the south coast club are in a position of great strength and whether or not the City hierarchy are willing to match Brighton’s £50million valuation remains to be seen.

Therefore, should the deal prove to be impossible to complete, not signing a Zinchenko replacement could be out of the question and Benfica full-back Alejandro Grimaldo, who has reportedly been offered to the Sky Blues, may need to be considered as a purely stopgap option at Eastlands if push comes to shove.

Everton have been linked with a move for Steven Bergwijn this summer, and now there has been an update on the club’s progress in pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf, Everton have tabled an offer to the Tottenham Hotspur attacker that is much more lucrative than what Ajax have put forward.

As per the report, the Toffees are making their fourth attempt to tempt Bergwijn with a move to Goodison Park this summer and seem willing to meet the transfer fee that has been requested by Tottenham Hotspur.

Lampard needs him badly

With the speculation surrounding Richarlison’s exit ramping up, Frank Lampard will be on the lookout for potential replacements who can come in and make an instant impact in the side, and the manager needs an attacker like Bergwijn badly.

The Dutch winger has had limited game time at Spurs as Bergwijn made 32 appearances in all competitions last term, averaging just 27 minutes per game, but during his appearances has shown glimpses of his talents and capabilities that could be a great asset at Goodison Park next season.

The £20m magician who was hailed “unique” by Nuno Espirito Santo, scored three goals, delivered one assist and created one big chance, with a pass accuracy of 88% in his own half over 25 appearances in the Premier League.

Bergwijn is also a consistent performer for his national team with 22 appearances, six goals and two assists, but Netherlands manager Louis Van Gaal has been concerned over the player’s lack of game-time.

Van Gaal claimed: “You don’t develop form at the Dutch national team, but at the club. Only not Bergwijn.”

“I can no longer maintain that players who play little at their club are no longer drafted into Oranje. Unlike twenty years ago, we are dealing with a generation that maintains itself well. That’s why it’s about the quality of the player.”

With that being said, Bergwijn will be desperate to find consistent game-time and first-team football in order to get into the World Cup squad at the end of this year, something Everton may be able to provide if Richarlison leaves the club this summer.

Lampard will be wanting to get his squad together in time to have a good pre-season to prepare for the Premier League season ahead, and Bergwijn could become a key player in Everton’s efforts to have a better campaign next season.

AND in other news: “My understanding”: Alan Myers drops Everton transfer update, supporters will love it

Newcastle have approached Leeds United over a potential deal for Jack Harrison, according to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards. 

The lowdown

Leeds paid £11.5million to sign Harrison on a permanent deal from Manchester City in the summer of 2020.

He’s under contract for another two years but is thought to be earning just £15,000-per-week at Elland Road.

A left winger, Harrison has potentially been identified as a candidate to replace Allan Saint-Maximin, with transfer insider Dean Jones revealing last month that Newcastle would listen to offers for the Frenchman in the coming weeks.

The latest

Edwards says that Newcastle enquired about what it might take to sign Harrison.

Leeds responded with demands of £30million, but Newcastle are apparently ‘adamant that they will not be ripped off’ and view that as too much money.

As such, they haven’t taken their interest any further up to this point.

The verdict

Is £30million really too great a price tag for Harrison?

He scored eight Premier League goals last season for a side that finished down in 17th, and the previous year, he had 16 goal involvements in the top flight (8G, 8A). Those are certainly competitive numbers.

What’s more, he’s only 25 years old, so he still has plenty of his peak years ahead of him in theory.

Newcastle’s all-time leading goalscorer Alan Shearer is certainly a fan of Harrison, telling The Athletic’s subscribers in 2020 that he had ‘impressed me hugely’.

It perhaps wouldn’t be a surprise to see another club meet Leeds’ valuation.

In other news, this maestro is willing to bide his time in order to seal a Newcastle move.

Manchester United are looking to beat Tottenham in the race for Darwin Nunez and have now made a bid for the Benfica striker.

The Lowdown: United and Spurs links

Erik ten Hag is yet to make a first marquee signing since taking over at Old Trafford. The club have been heavily linked with a move for Nunez, though, with transfer insider Dean Jones believing a move has been ‘extremely close’.

Spurs are also ‘fully in the race’ for the ‘big name’ striker, and it looks as if United have now acted on their interest looking to beat Antonio Conte’s side to a deal by launching a formal offer for the player who is keen on a move to Manchester.

The Latest: £90m bid

Sports Witness relayed an update from Correio da Manhã regarding Nunez on Friday. They claim that United have tabled an offer worth a total €105m (£90m) for the Uruguayan.

The Red Devils are willing to pay an initial €75m with €20m in bonuses and the final instalment coming in the form of a loan of a Red Devils player worth €10m.

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The Verdict: Good move

Nunez is clearly a man in demand this summer, which doesn’t come as a shock following his 34-goal tally last season, so it’s good to see that United have firmed up their interest with a serious sounding offer.

Ten Hag could do with another marquee forward to either partner or challenge Cristiano Ronaldo next season, especially with Edinson Cavani set to depart.

Nunez, who can also turn out in a deeper role or from the left, now appears to be the club’s main attacking target, so hopefully, it won’t be long until we hear Benfica’s response.

In other news: Sky Sports now relay big Man Utd news as Ten Hag plots move for English star. 

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will already have one eye on the summer transfer window with one Premier League game left in the campaign.

PIF have shown that they are willing to dip into their pockets to strengthen his squad as they brought in Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier.

They may now look to invest again to take the club to the next level and they already have targets in mind if reports are to be believed.

One player the Magpies have been linked with a swoop for is Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey, with Brentford, Napoli, and Arsenal also eyeing up the gem – who Fabrizio Romano claimed is valued at up to £20m.

The club are reportedly wanting to sign Targett on a permanent deal and already have Trippier at right-back and this may cause fans to wonder why there is an interest in the Serie A gem.

Imagine him & Bruno

Well… that is because his future may not be at left-back. Scottish coach Austin MacPhee once compared the defender to a Barcelona defensive midfielder, saying: “He’s so young he could play a lot of positions. He could end up being like Busquets.

“Right now he reminds me of Jonny Evans, who I’ve seen in training with Northern Ireland. It’s the way he defends, moves and always wants the ball as a defender.”

Former Hearts boss Daniel Stendel dubbed him an “extraordinary talent” and backed up MacPhee’s claim as he said:

“Aaron as a player is like Philipp Lahm. For me at Hearts, he played as a full-back. He not only runs up and down the line, but looks for attacking moves like Lahm once did. And Aaron can also play in the central midfield.”

These quotes suggest that he is a player Howe can develop into being a dream midfield partner for Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle.

The Scot’s statistics for Bologna in the Serie A at the age of 19 indicate that he has the potential to make it at the top level and two of his coaches have backed him to transition into midfield. In the Italian top-flight this term, he has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.85 – making 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game.

He can provide a defensive, assured, presence at the base of the midfield and provide Guimaraes with a platform to break forward and work his magic in the final third. The Brazilian has registered five goals and one assist in ten starts for the Magpies in the Premier League and this shows that he has the quality to have a big impact in attack.

Therefore, they can work well as a pairing as Hickey sits deeper and protects the back four whilst the ex-Lyon man joins in with attacks and attempts to be a match-winner. This is why PIF must now seal this deal in the coming weeks or months.

AND in other news, Howe can get SJP rocking with NUFC swoop for £21m predator with the “scoring nose”…

Four years after a pummeling at the hands of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, the offspinner returns to the UAE as a smarter bowler who has learned to tailor his style to Asian pitches

Daniel Brettig24-Sep-2018Nathan Lyon’s previous visit to the UAE for Test matches was a horror show. In two Tests in late 2014 he was outright bullied by Pakistan – swept with impunity by Younis Khan in Dubai, thumped out of sight by Misbah-ul-Haq in Abu Dhabi – and finished the series with the following set of numbers: three wickets at 140.66, at a cost of 3.83 runs per over.While Lyon would go home to be the match-winner of the memorable Adelaide Test against India, the ugliness of his domination by Pakistan would be an early step on his long road to learning how to bowl fruitfully in Asian conditions. The term he coined in concert with his mentor John Davison was “bowl ugly”, a conscious abandonment of the topspinning, flight-and-drop method he favoured in Australia to embrace the flatter, tighter, “trap them on the crease and hit the stumps” ways of spinners raised in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.Four years later, Lyon has returned to the UAE as Australia’s undisputed No. 1 spin bowler, and also the most experienced member of a touring team shorn of Steven Smith and David Warner by the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. While the coach Justin Langer, captain Tim Paine and selection chairman Trevor Hohns must find a way to cope without the two men who topped Australia’s Test aggregates and averages in 2014, Lyon at least knows what he must do, in concert with Jon Holland and the pacemen.”I think I’m a better cricketer and a better person to be honest,” Lyon said in Dubai. “The amount of cricket we play, you keep learning, and if you’re not learning that’s where you start getting in a little bit of trouble. But I’ve definitely learned a lot from past experiences in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, even going back to Dubai here. So I feel like I’m in such a better place, very happy with the way I bowled today, very confident the way they’re coming out, and that’s in my terms the ugly style.”For me, this is my term, it’s about bowling ugly over here, going away from what I’ve fallen in love with, the offspinning ball, spinning up the back of the ball with that nice shape. We have to find a way to hit the stumps, and that may be bowling square or round-arm or whatever it may be. It’s having those conversations and we’ve got a brilliant lead-up here before the first Test match. The four-day game here in a few days is going to be a great time for us to experiment, and also to see the way they’re going to play us.”I know four years ago they really tried to attack me last time they were here, so I’m expecting pretty much the same type of batting. They’ve got different guys rather than Younis and Misbah, but they’ve still got a very talented batting line-up, some superstars in there already, so it’s going to be a great challenge. They’re going to bring the game to us, and that’s going to be an exciting part.”

“It’s about bowling ugly over here, going away from what I’ve fallen in love with, the offspinning ball, spinning up the back of the ball with that nice shape. We have to find a way to hit the stumps, and that may be bowling square or round-arm or whatever it may be.”Nathan Lyon

Recognition of the callowness of the squad, save for Lyon, Mitchell Starc and the recalled Peter Siddle, arrived in the first few days of acclimatisation after the Australians landed in Dubai. Lyon and Starc sat together and pondered their roles as bowling leaders, before broadening the commission to help ensure every bowler – whether Holland, Michael Neser or even the youthful Brendan Doggett – is up to the task, whether it is to attack, defend or somewhere in between.”I know Starcy and I spoke a bit about that sitting in I think it was his room the other night, but it’s just about providing good examples and leading the way as we try to do each and every game,” Lyon said. “The big thing over here is we’re going to have to bowl well in partnerships. The fast bowlers are not just here to make up the overs, they’re here to attack and defend in whatever the roles may be at the right times.”There’s not just one certain person who has to stand up here, it’s the whole bowling unit. It’s going to be a great challenge, and if we can bowl well in partnerships and really put the Pakistan batting lineup under pressure and make sure they’re being asked questions of their defence, that’s going to be the biggest thing.”I’m a big fan of Jon Holland. He’s done extremely well in the Shield back home over the last few years, he’s a very talented bowler, he spins up the back of the ball, which I love. It’s my absolute mantra, especially bowling spin, so to see him doing that out here, we’re good mates as well, so our communication and bowling out in the middle today was brilliant. Hopefully we can really build that relationship here and really take that out into the middle. That’ll be a massive key for us.”While Lyon spoke of being open to playing three spin bowlers, the selectors have rather shown their hand by leaving Ashton Agar at home to play extra domestic limited-overs matches before he joins the Test squad this week. Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne and the seam-bowling allrounder Mitchell Marsh will be the extra balance components for the touring team. Additionally, Lyon noted the fact that in 2014, it was not so much the breadth of spin as the flatness of the pitches that helped Pakistan wear the Australians down.”If it’s going to be a Pune [in India in 2017] wicket, why wouldn’t you play three spinners,” Lyon said. “But going off the last tour here, they were pretty flat, they were hard work, and with the two guys in my eyes vying for batting five or six, Marnus and Travis Head, and they both offer us a spin component as well, I think we’re going to have a minimum of three spinners in the side no matter what anyway, and whether they want to go with three frontline spinners is totally up to Cracker [Trevor Hohns], JL and Tim Paine, what type of way they play their cricket.”Out here it was pretty flat, Abu Dhabi was pretty flat last time and looked to spin later in the game, but if you look four years ago we got beaten on the inside of the bat, so we actually got out when the ball was going straight on, so good luck to the selectors…”

A play about the life and untimely death of Colin Milburn conveys the highs and the lows of a unique cricketer

David Hopps11-Nov-2016Colin Milburn was about as far removed from the identikit picture of the perfect international cricketer as it was possible to be. So overweight that he could have starred in – Morgan Spurlock’s exposé of the fast-food industry. Dishevelled, disorganised and gradually drinking himself to death, it was astonishing even in the 1960s that England ever turned to him. These days, even at county level, he would not get a look in.But that was much of Milburn’s charm. For all his 18 stone (“and the rest” according to some of those who tried to change his ways at Northamptonshire), he was light on his feet, possessed of rapid reflexes and destructive of shot. The ball could disappear many a mile off a Milburn bat. Add his perpetual image of cheery bonhomie, his love for a joke and a night out, and he was an extraordinary antidote to the seriousness that pervaded English cricket half-a-century ago. For all the notion of the Swinging Sixties, in English cricket only the fat man was swinging.An average of 46.71 in nine Tests tells of Milburn’s talent. But the barbs were already out about his fitness when he lost an eye, and damaged the other, in a car crash in 1968. Northants had just beaten the West Indies tourists and Milburn was in celebratory mood. He lost control of the car, heading back to the Abington pub by the Northants ground for some more beers, and crashed through the windscreen. The Road Safety bill had been introduced in 1966, the breathalyser a year later; seat belts became compulsory in 1983. It was a tragedy of its time, not carrying the mantle of shame that it would today.Milburn’s gloriously unlikely career, and the extent of the mental-health issues that welled up after his accident, are explored in , a one-man play written by Dougie Blaxland (aka James Graham-Brown, the former Kent cricketer), which is about halfway through its tour of the county grounds. It has been produced in association with the Professional Cricketers’ Association to promote mental health and well-being. In a desperately unhappy turn of fate, Alan Hodgson, Milburn’s former county team-mate, flatmate for a decade, and a primary source for much of the material, died a few days before the premiere.The strong implication is that Milburn’s seeds of self-destruction were sown even before his car accident, and the fact that this is a one-man performance adds to his sense of isolation. “The more you are hurt, the more you smile,” was actually the cricketing advice of his father, Jack Milburn, a Durham local-league slugger, about how to take a blow from a fast bowler, but it neatly widens out into Milburn’s message for life as he learns from childhood to tell a succession of fat jokes against himself.

Remaining dates

• November 11 – Durham (Riverside Emirates)

• 12 – Burnopfield CC

• 14 – Essex (County Ground, Chelmsford)

• 15 – Kent (Spitfire Ground, Canterbury)

• 16 – Sussex (1st Central County Ground, Hove)

• 17 – Surrey (Kia Oval)

• 18 – Middlesex (Lord’s)

• 19 – Teddington CC

• 21 – Hampshire (Ageas Bowl)

• 22 – Leicestershire (Fischer County Ground, Leicester)

• 23 – Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge Inn, Nottingham)

• 24 – Northamptonshire (County Ground, Northampton)

• 25 – West Hallam CC

Only cricket sustains him. A long-standing engagement eventually falters because he prefers to be out with the lads. He cannot hold down a job in the off season. Whenever he seems down, his mates do what men did – still do – and take him to the pub to cheer him up.Milburn’s accident hastened a decline that perhaps was inevitable, although his mother, Bertha, felt that effectively his life was ended on that night. With his left eye lost – his leading eye, unlike in the case of the Nawab of Pataudi, whose example Milburn hoped he could emulate – and his right eye badly scarred, his prospects of a comeback were minimal, but his bedside manner was so defiant the hospital report that year suggested that it was he who was lifting the nurses.Ill-advisedly, Northants allowed him one last heave in 1974 – their version, perhaps, of caring for his welfare – and predictably he did not succeed, save for an hour at Guildford against Surrey in light so bright that “the sun lit up the sky like a meteor”, one of the most moving passages of the play. But then the clouds rolled in and they never departed.”I tell them every fat joke I know… I am ‘Comedy Ollie’, the joker, but it never occurs to you that one day you might run out of jokes.”The play is set in the bar of the North Briton pub in Newton Aycliffe on the last night of his life. It is one last performance for “Comedy Ollie”, a traipse through the highs and lows, the tales, the songs and the bonhomie that characterised his life. Feedback from those former Northants team-mates who have seen it has been highly positive: it connects with the Ollie they knew well. Even now, there is a reluctance to accept that there was too much unhappiness, and to some degree the play respects this. Nevertheless, as Milburn reminisces, there is little sense in Dan Gaisford’s performance of the alcoholic exhaustion that had set in. His moment of death is delicately skipped around: not so much as a sound effect.Inevitably this is theatre at its most rudimentary. There is no set, apart from a table, chair and a large glass of gin and coke. Milburn’s girth is symbolised by a bit of extra padding around Gaisford’s middle, and he is not an overweight man. But by no stretch of the imagination is this austere theatre: there is much laughter to be had. I don’t know if the baby balloon joke was Milburn’s, but it should have been.When I was eight, I would pretend to be Ollie Milburn in a knockaround cricket match on a patch of village green. Overweight at the time as I was, it doubtless had its psychological benefits. The role duly chosen, the intent was to try to hit the ball many a mile, a feat occasionally achieved alongside the tumble of many wickets. “Can you be Boycott instead,” my mate Bob pleaded one day. “We’ve only got one tennis ball left.”Late in his life, in the mid-1980s, I joined Milburn as an emergency fill-in for an hour’s county cricket commentary at Scarborough on a premium telephone service. He was hungover, shambolic and had little to say. This being Scarborough, I was probably hungover too, and had even less to offer. People were expected to phone in and pay about 30p a minute. There was surely nobody on the line. It was probably his last job and it paid his bar bill. His decline was all too apparent. succeeds in capturing Milburn’s uniqueness – not an overused word in this case – conveying something of his life at his highest and lowest moments. It left me hankering for something even more ambitious; in its exploration of the sadness behind the famous sporting figure there were reminders of . Being about football and Brian Clough, that had a successful theatre run. Cricket, by contrast, must take what it can get but all involved in this production, the PCA included, have delivered not only an entertaining night’s theatre but a story that needed to be told.When The Eye Has Gone is part of the PCA’s commitment to mental-health and well-being issues, notably the Mind Matters series, which warns about addictive behaviour through alcohol, substances or gambling and educates about the warning signs of anxiety and depression.