All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Middlesbrough gathered a huge three points in the Championship on Sunday afternoon, with Britt Assombalonga scoring the only goal of the match in a 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

It was yet another strong defensive performance from Boro, who occupy fifth spot in the Championship table having collected 54 points form their 32 games this term.

Assombalonga made the difference in terms of his goal, but Ashley Fletcher caught the eye of a number of the Boro supporters with his unselfish work in attack.

It would be fair to say that the former Manchester United youngster has not exactly been full of goals during his professional career.

Indeed, he only netted once for West Ham United, twice for Sunderland and has just six goals for Boro since arriving in 2017.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The 23-year-old’s unselfish work in the final third of the field made a huge difference on Sunday afternoon, however, and the Boro fans were very pleased with his display.

Fletcher will now he hoping to earn more chances at the Riverside Stadium as the clash with Blackburn proved to be his first league outing since December 15.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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So, it’s official. Brendan Rodgers has been appointed as the new manager of Leicester City after Claude Puel received his marching orders from the King Power Stadium.

Everything about the appointment makes sense from the Foxes’ point of view. Rodgers is a forward thinking manager who works well with youth and always tries to play football in the right way – the likes of Youri Tielemans, Demarai Gray and Ben Chilwell should thrive under him.

However, from Celtic’s point of view, the decision is unforgivable. Rodgers could have overseen a treble-treble, having won all three domestic trophies available to him for the last two seasons running – somehow, mid-table mediocrity and nothing to play for appealed to the Welshman more than achieving such a huge feat.

Former Hoops boss Neil Lennon has since been appointed on an interim basis, but let’s take a look at who could replace Rodgers on a long-term deal…

Rafa Benitez

The relationship between Mike Ashley and Rafa Benitez had become incredibly tense by the end of 2018, so much so that the Spaniard threatened to leave unless players were signed in the January window.

The Spaniard, who famously led Liverpool to Champions League success in 2005, was finally rewarded for his fine work on Tyneside in January with a marquee signing worth shouting about.

Miguel Almiron arrived for a club-record fee, but it remains to be seen whether or not that acquisition will tempt Benitez into signing a new contract with his current deal due to expire this summer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 

A bold suggestion, but if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t get the Manchester United job on a permanent basis his stock will be sky high for those searching for a new boss.

The Norwegian has lost just one of his 15 games in charge since being appointed at Old Trafford on an interim basis, and should certainly be in the Bhoys’ sights if the Red Devils decide to look elsewhere in the summer.

David Moyes

The former Real Sociedad boss has been out of work since his short-term contract at West Ham expired last season.

Moyes, 55, was born in Glasgow and began his playing career at Celtic, so the opportunity to manage them could be too good to turn down should he be offered the role – it is also worth noting that Moyes repaired his reputation somewhat during his time with the Hammers.

Alex Neil

The former Hamilton boss has been back to his best since being appointed as Preston’s manager back in 2017.

Neil has guided his side to a recent run of five wins and three draws from their last eight, form which has them sitting just six points off the play-off positions.

Born in Bellshill, the lure of managing a Scottish giant could be enough to lure him away from what is a decent project at Preston.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to ridicule Stan Collymore, after the former Red wrote a ridiculous column suggesting that Manchester City should sign Virgil van Dijk, and offer John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and £150m for his services and not stop upping the cash offer until the Reds agreed.

Obviously, with Liverpool and the Citizens locked in a race for the Premier League title this season, and one would assume the next campaign too, it is quite frankly stupid to suggest that either of them would sell a key player to the other.

Is Jurgen Klopp a “serial bottler”? The fan in the video below certainly thinks so…

In Van Dijk’s case, he is more than just a ‘key player’. The Dutch international has been worth his weight in gold to Jurgen Klopp this season, and is arguably more important than Mohamed Salah at Anfield.

The former Southampton man’s performances have made the world-record £75m fee spent on him look like a bargain and simultaneously silenced the doubters who scoffed at the price-tag when the deal was confirmed.

Let’s take a look at how the Liverpool fans on Twitter, including John Aldridge, reacted to Collymore’s suggestion…

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Crystal Palace emerged 3-1 victors of their clash with Burnley on Saturday and Wilfried Zaha’s exploits were enough to land him a place in Garth Crooks’ team of the week – the BBC Sport pundit was extremely impressed with the Ivorian winger, who joined Romelu Lukaku and Troy Deeney in his front three.

What did he say?

Writing in his regular feature on BBC Sport, Crooks said:

“It was like a rendition of The Beatles hit Twist and Shout. Only this time it wasn’t John Lennon on vocals but Wilfried Zaha calling the tune.

“The Ivory Coast international had Burnley’s Ben Mee and Charlie Taylor performing the dance before slotting the ball past Tom Heaton.

“There is nothing more humiliating than a skilful winger making defenders dance around the pitch unable to lay a boot on the player.”

Zaha’s the star

The 26-year-old has chalked up five goals and one assist in his last seven appearances, in which he has been restored to his berth on the left-wing.

Prior to this recent purple patch, the former Manchester United man had been having an underwhelming season in terms of goal contributions but he is now showing, for yet another campaign, that he can be simply unstoppable when he’s at his best.

The tricky number 11 played a crucial role in the build-up to Phil Bardsley’s own goal and then, as Crooks says, had Clarets defenders Mee and Taylor slipping and sliding all over the place before firing home on his weaker foot.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The Selhurst Park faithful will surely be hoping that their hero will be in scintillating, ankle-breaking form once again when they face arch-rivals Brighton this weekend.

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Robert Pires believes Arsenal can still win the Europa League, per Marca.

The Gunners lost 3-1 to Rennes in the first leg in France and need to win 2-0 in north London to have any hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

What’s he said?

A week of shocks in the Champions League has given Pires hope of a stirring comeback in north London.

Ajax thumped Real Madrid, Manchester United turned around a 2-0 defeat to PSG in France and Juventus beat Atletico Madrid after also going down 2-0 in the first leg.

And Pires thinks Arsenal have what it takes to qualify for the last-eight and subsequently go all the way in the competition.

Speaking to Marca, he said: “I’m confident and positive, like the players. All of the players and Unai Emery know that they played bad against Rennes, but this is football. Maybe it’s because Rennes played well.

“The atmosphere was very good, the fans added pressure and unfortunately, Sokratis [Papastathopoulos] was sent off, but we have a second chance at home at the Emirates.

“It’s strange, but maybe after the Manchester United win, I have a good feeling. Anything is possible because when Arsenal play at home they can beat any team.”

Asked about Emery’s reign thus far, Pires added: “I think he is doing well because they’re in the top four and I think they can qualify for next season’s Champions League.

“I think, and I hope, that he can win the Europa League, as he won it three times with Sevilla. So he has a lot of experience and knows there is good quality and a good squad. I think he has built a good team and they are now ready to fight for the end of the season.”

Anything is possible

Usually, Pires might have been laughed out of the building.

But this round of European fixtures has shown that nigh-on anything is possible.

United performed a miracle comeback and Arsenal are looking to follow in their footsteps.

Their task is not quite as pronounced; Rennes are a mid-table Ligue 1 side – they lie eighth in the standings, 34 points behind PSG, the team United beat – and they do not have home advantage in the second leg.

Arsenal will expect to win and that momentum could take them far; they are one of the biggest hitters in the competition and Emery has proven experience of winning it.

Overcome Rennes and the path may well open up.

The case of Harry Kewell is another miserable example of how wrong things can go once a player is hit by injury, and the impact it can have on the long-term sustainability of a players career.

The former Leeds United man joined Gerard Houllier’s side in 2003 in what some would probably describe as a dream move – the opportunity to represent one of the most successful clubs in the country, a big-stage moment, and the what is typically the pinnacle of a player’s career.

But it was anything but for Harry Kewell. It was a nightmare. The kind you cannot wake from, the one you amble around, watching time, memory and opportunity slip slowly out of your clutches.

Kewell has provided a poignant account of the miseries of his period at Liverpool, dubbing it “absolute nightmare” (as per EPSN via Liverpool Echo).

“I’ve had 14 operations and the majority were at Liverpool,” he said.

“You’d have an operation and you think ‘that’s it, that’s finished now’. I’m going to be brand new again.

“It doesn’t happen. An injury is like a jigsaw puzzle. You fix one area and something else goes.

“The bottom of the world is when you’re sitting on the end of the bed crying, and you’re going ‘am I ever going to play again?’ You’re sitting there going ‘what’s wrong with me’?

“Every time I’m kicking, I’m ripping a muscle. Every time I’m turning, I’m breaking down.

“I get back. I work hard for four weeks and I break down again. The pressure of people that keep going ‘what’s wrong’ with me.”

There are trials players must face in their career – ones that test the furthest reaches of one’s mental and physical resilience.

The Australian managed just 23 minutes before crashing out through injury allowing Vladimir Smicer the honours of competing in one of the most iconic moments in football history.

Over the space of two seasons Kewell failed that test. His extensive injuries ensured that he only managed 19 games in all competitions for Liverpool before being put out of his misery and moved on in 2008 to join Turkish side Galatasaray.

“He lost three and a half years of his career at Liverpool because the guys over there in England had, quite literally, no idea what they were talking about. You have to wonder what they’re doing over there. Perhaps they’re trying to protect their reputations, but they’re certainly not trying to protect their players,” his agent said in 2010 ( The Guardian).

“I think it’s a disgrace, as I think it was a disgrace the way Harry was treated. What goes around comes around, and people are now wondering, ‘How has he recovered like that?’ when everyone in England thought he was a broken toy.”

He did do remarkably well, to be fair. Scoring 34 goals in 91 games for his new club and continuing his career for another six years after leaving Anfield, playing for the likes of Melbourne, Al Gharafa, and Melbourne City, was far more than we could have ever anticipated from a “broken toy”.

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It’s easy for a goalkeeper down the pecking order at a club to be forgotten about and that seems to be exactly the case with Birmingham stopper Tomasz Kuszczak.

The 37-year-old hasn’t played a single game this term and only managed ten appearances in 2017/18 too. As a result, supporters of the Blues responded to the club’s tweet wishing him a happy birthday on Wednesday by questioning where he’d actually got to.

Some of the response was extremely sarcastic as one fan said he’d had a great season whilst another asked whether he was still locked in a cupboard.

Many fans claimed they weren’t even aware he was still at St Andrews, forgetting he existed altogether.

One supporter was rather more brutal, thankful that the 6 foot 3 shot-stopper’s contract is up at the end of the season.

But there was at least one positive response for Kuszczak with an individual saying he was better than Lee Camp, the current number one.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini has conceded that his club might be forced into selling Declan Rice in this summer’s transfer window.

Rice has been in excellent form for the Hammers during the 2018-19 campaign.

However, his stock has risen further following an excellent full debut for England in their 5-1 win over Montenegro on Monday night.

Manchester United have been linked with a move for the central midfielder as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plans for the future.

Pellegrini has admitted that Rice could leave and the West Ham fans have been on social media reacting to their head coach’s words.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Whilst many are disappointed, a number have praised Pellegrini for his honesty when it comes to the future of Rice, who is a brilliant talent.

For now, though, the 20-year-old will just be concentrating on finishing the season strongly for West Ham.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:

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Icelandic international Birkir Bjarnason turned down the chance to leave Aston Villa in the last transfer window in a bid to stay and fight for his place, according to Birmingham Live.

It was thought that Villa were trying to move him on because of fears over financial fair play with the midfielder on a wage of £30k a week. However, despite interest from Fenerbahce he wanted to stay.

Reacting to the news on Twitter, supporters of the Villans shared a mixture of views on the out of favour star.

Some praised him, explaining it was good to have players with that sort of attitude in the team, but at the same time claimed it would be difficult to get in ahead of the likes of John McGinn and Jack Grealish.

One came to the conclusion that he’ll likely leave in the summer, with competition for places in midfield healthy.

The 30-year-old has been out of favour with manager Dean Smith and has started just 11 times in the Championship this term. The last of those starts came back in January.

Here’s what Villa fans have been saying about the experienced international.

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There have been some hugely exciting talents to come out of West Brom in recent memory. Izzy Brown now of Chelsea tops the list, but the likes of Jonathan Leko and Saido Berahino are two more players to have risen through the Baggies ranks.

One of the newest prospects currently banging in goals on a regular basis is Jamie Soule. However, whereas Brown left the club and Berahino had significant attitude problems, supporters will be hoping that this 18-year-old talent can be developed with the club fully.

Soule has been phenomenal for the club’s youth sides in 2018/19, playing a major part in the U18’s reaching the FA Youth Cup semi-finals. It was a brilliant effort from the young Baggies who knocked out teams like Everton and Arsenal before coming unstuck against the might of Manchester City.

The forward was one of their standout players throughout the run, scoring twice against QPR and Lincoln in earlier rounds, whilst also netting against Arsenal and City.

Soule was born in 2000, a year that has become rather synonymous with some of England’s best up and coming talents; think Jadon Sancho for example.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

Although he has a long way to go before reaching the Dortmund starlet’s quality, the attributes to succeed at a higher level are certainly there.

He is a willing runner, with his ability to find space in the channels making himself a nuisance for centre-halves. That has been the case time and time again in the FA Youth Cup, with his goal against Arsenal coming from the right before firing underneath the goalkeeper.

His form has stood out in Premier League 2, scoring on an all too regular basis for the U23s too. In eight matches this season at that level, he has six goals.

Soule’s ability to find the back of the net with remarkable consistency is something that excites but there is more to his game than finishing. He is hard working and his sudden burst of acceleration when picking up the ball will be enough to scare defenders at any level.

Whoever is given the permanent managerial job at West Brom simply has to develop Soule and find a way of getting him into the first team.