Rangers completed the £7m signing of Ryan Kent on the last day of the transfer window following qualification to the Europa League. Chris Sutton, who has never been one for avoiding headlines claimed in his column for The Daily Record that Rangers signing of Ryan Kent has been a “panic buy”.
This was met with wide scale derision from Rangers fans with most tweets following a similar pattern. Kent has been a Rangers target all summer, he was Young Player of the Year in Scotland and Sutton himself claimed Celtic should make a bid for him.
Rangers fans let him know about the validity of his opinion. One of the obvious points being that the club would be reluctant to spend such a vast amount of money before securing Europa League qualification. Kent had also been a target all summer, something Steven Gerrard was never shy of telling the press. These fans informed Sutton of this, if he didn’t already know.
Ryan Kent was Young Player of the Year in Scotland last season. This proves that he has the credentials to play for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. Another sign that it is far from a panic signing.
Sutton alluded to the fact he had suggested Celtic should make a move for Kent. Another sure fire reason for Rangers fans to get stuck in about him, he left himself wide open and Rangers fans duly obliged, in their hundreds!
Garry Monk’s reign as Sheffield Wednesday boss got off to the perfect start after a 2-0 victory over local rivals Huddersfield Town.
Steven Fletcher opened the scoring early on with his third goal in as many games, meeting Kadeem Harris’ pin-point cross before substitute Sam Winnall managed to bag his first in an Owls shirt in over two years to secure all three points.
The win moves Wednesday into ninth place, just one point from the teams occupying the final two playoff spots, so Monk’s side are in a good position going into a tough run of games against Fulham and Middlesborough with a Carabao Cup tie hosting Premier League Everton sandwiched in the middle.
There was also a nice accolade for midfielder Barry Bannan as he captained the side in his 150th league appearance for the club.
Several fans took to Twitter to discuss the 29-year-old’s role in the 2-0 victory.
One supporter called him the best midfielder in the Championship while another labelled him “outrageous.”
Bannan originally joined Hillsborough in the summer of 2015 from Crystal Palace and was once compared to midfield greats in Xavi and Paul Scholes by former Scotland teammate Darren Fletcher.
Luke Ayling’s period on the sidelines came to an end on Monday night as the full-back played for Leeds’ U23s against Watford in a 6-0 thrashing at Elland Road.
The defender was on the scoresheet while he also picked up an assist in the win that occurred in the Professional Development League.
Ayling has been out following ankle surgery but showed no signs of rustiness as a number of supporters were delighted to see him back in action.
One fan decided to hail the 6 foot 1 right back as a legend with another stating he played quality.
A further individual suggested he was a wholesome man while one said it was lovely he was involved in the goals.
The 28-year-old was a key member of Marcelo Bielsa’s side during his first season at the helm as Ayling featured in 40 Championship games.
He claimed six assists during that time but is yet to stake his claim in 2019/20. Stuart Dallas has stepped up confidently in his place, averaging a match rating of 7.16, according to WhoScored.
On that evidence, he may have his work cut out to get back in the side.
Connor Goldson has been under the spotlight in the last two Rangers games. Nikola Katic made way for Filip Helander in the 1-0 win over Feyernoord, but a number of Gers followers seemed to think Goldson should have been dropped instead, slamming his Europa League display.
He responded in the best way possible on Sunday, by scoring Rangers’ second goal against St. Johnstone in a 4-0 victory – leading to a defiant response from the Blue Noses still backing him.
Goldson has been a mainstay in Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side since signing from Brighton last season, playing 54 games in his debut campaign and 14 times already this term with two goals and an assist.
In that time, he’s established himself as one of the key members of the Rangers dressing room. Gerrard described Goldson as a ‘leader’ shortly after his arrival last summer, while he’s gone on to become the club’s vice captain behind James Tavernier.
After goal against St. Johnstone, a number of Rangers felt compelled to take the opportunity to stick up for the defender by hushing those who’d been slating his performances – telling the Goldson haters to put a sock in it. Despite clearly having his critics, it seems Gerrard and a strong contingent of the club’s support still have faith in the 26-year-old…
In today’s Leeds United roundup, we take a look at what news has been making the headlines for the Whites. Darren Bent is furious as Leeds United’s FIFA Fair Play award, three U23 stars sign new deals, and Kalvin Phillips hails fellow academy ace Jamie Shackleton as a ‘special talent’.
Bent baffled at FIFA Fair Play award
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Report: Darren Bent is furious that Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa have claimed the 2019 FIFA Fair Play award at the FIFA Football Best Awards in Milan on Monday. Bent told Football Insider: “It surprised me that. Yeah, what he did last season against Aston Villa, I understand that, but when they got caught with the whole Spygate thing and for him to come out and admit he did it to all the different clubs, that kind of voids them in that fair play discussion.
“What they did against Villa was brilliant, it was really, really respectful but for him to get caught on Derby training and say yeah, we did it but we did it against all the teams we played against, that should void them completely from that fair play discussion. That’s not fair play.”
Verdict: Based on the incident against Villa itself, Bielsa and Leeds are perhaps deserving winners. The game did end 1-1 as a result of Bielsa’s demands to let Villa equalise, and if Leeds had gone on and won the fixture, Sheffield United wouldn’t have been so far ahead in second at the end of the season, and perhaps the Whites could have been promoted.
Although, as Bent alluded to, the award just so happens to be in the same season Leeds were fined £200,000 for spying on Derby County’s training ahead of their must-win match together. Consequently, the EFL to opened an investigation into the club after Bielsa revealed he did spy on Derby and that he would do it again in the future as well.
As Bent suggested, perhaps the right does not overturn the wrong here. But, Bielsa’s passionate rant at his players to let Villa equalise was not something you see often, and as it was in such a huge fixture, maybe the club deserves the award based solely on that dramatic event.
Trio pen new deals
Report: Leeds have confirmed via their official website that Bryce Hosannah, Pascal Struijk and Kun Temenuzhkov have all signed new deals and will remain at Elland Road for the ‘foreseeable future’.
Verdict: Hosannah, 20, joined from Crystal Palace in 2017 and has been a regular for the U23s since he arrived from London. As for the Bulgaria Under-21 international Temenuzhkov, he has been at the club since leaving Barcelona in 2017. Finally, ex-Ajax man Struijk, has started the season in brilliant form for the Under-23s, netting two goals and keeping four clean sheets in five games at the back (all statistics as per the leedsunited.com report).
Indeed, these deals bode well for the Whites, having the club witnessed the likes of Jamie Shackleton and Kalvin Phillips break into the first team in recent years after spells in the academy ranks. Leeds have also recently seen Charlie Cresswell and Stuart McKinstry sign professional deals, and in handing the trio of youngsters new deals as well, it seems that the club are trying to promote and invest plenty of time in their youth.
Phillips hails fellow academy star Shackleton
Report: As told by the Yorkshire Evening Post, former academy star Phillips has hailed fellow graduate Shackleton a ‘special talent’. Phillips said: “He’s a special talent. The way that he gets around the pitch, the way that he closes people down, the way he gets beyond players, he does it with ease and it’s good to play with somebody like that.
“It gives you so much confidence knowing that your players are going to be in those positions where you want to play the balls. If he carries on playing like that, there is no reason why he can’t play many games for Leeds United.”
Verdict: Midfielder Shackleton has played six times for the Whites this season (four in the Championship, two in the League Cup), and has averaged a performance rating in the league of 6.37.
The 19-year-old has already become relatively experienced in professional football, having played 24 times for the Whites last season, also. However, perhaps what is most special about Shackleton is his versatility. The Englishman has stepped out for Leeds at right-back, centre-midfield, right-wing and as an attacking midfielder (as demonstrated by Trasnfermarkt).Of course, versatility and squad depth within the Championship is an essential ingredient for success, with clubs having to play 46 fixtures in the competition, as well as compete in the two domestic cups. It is, for this reason, why Shackleton can be a worthy addition to the Whites’ squad this season, as they once again push towards the Premier League.
For Leeds the injuries that engulfed last season are seemingly back. The Whites may be sitting in second place but there was obviously negativity from supporters when Liam Cooper was ruled out for six weeks.The Whites bounced back from their loss against Charlton last weekend by defeating previously unbeaten West Brom on Tuesday but the challenge of Millwall now faces them.Leeds will be hoping to go into the international break with all three points, especially after Swansea leapfrogged them into top spot on Wednesday.
Bielsa chose to go unchanged in midweek, perhaps something that was a gamble given they lost prior to that meeting.
However, this time around he’ll be forced into making a switch. Here’s what we’re tipping him to go with.
With Cooper and Jamie Shackleton absent, that means changes will have to be made to the XI at the Den.
Luke Ayling could be set for his first start for the senior team since returning from injury as he came off the bench in midweek.
The former Arsenal man replaced Tyler Roberts as Leeds favoured a more defensive look for the final quarter at Elland Road. Stepping in for Cooper could be Gaetano Berardi.
Stuart Dallas moved into central midfield and that remains a possibility this weekend. He’s become a key figure in the side and has started every league match this term.
This change is something Bielsa claimed could happen in his press conference on Thursday.
Pablo Hernandez is set to miss out again so Helder Costa should be given another opportunity on the right flank.
Patrick Bamford has gone goalless in his last five outings but received praise from supporters after that win over the Baggies as he impressed with his work rate.
Eddie Nketiah, therefore, will have to wait patiently on the substitutes bench again.
Jurgen Klopp may have a selection dilemma ahead of Liverpool’s clash against Manchester United, and that is who should partner Virgil van Dijk at centre-back if Joel Matip remains unavailable.
With Matip out injured the German has experimented with both Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren in Liverpool’s past two matches, and fans have been discussing who they think should get the nod.
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Both defenders have found game time hard to come by so far, but after impressing against Leicester with a WhoScored rating of 7.6 the Croatian international may feel that he is in with a chance of starting.
Gomez, though, provides pace at the back which could be key to combating the threat of Marcus Rashford and Dan James, and could be valuable in supporting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Klopp must therefore choose between pace and experience, and it is vital he gets the decision right, as although the Red Devils are out of form with nine points from eight league games, Liverpool have only won at Old Trafford once in 13 games since the start of the decade, and a draw there last year contributed to them missing out on the title.
Here is some of the reaction from Liverpool fans discussing who should play between Gomez and Lovren.
Mo Salah suffered an injury against Leicester and it is not yet clear if he will be fit to face Manchester United, leading some fans to point to Xherdan Shaqiri as his replacement.
The Switzerland international has been out of action himself in recent weeks after suffering a calf injury, and that has contributed to the fact he has played just 25 minutes this season.
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As a result, the winger will be eager to get game time and would likely jump at the opportunity to fill in for Salah, particularly against a side in Man United whom he enjoyed much success against last term.
His double at Anfield against the Red Devils hasn’t been forgotten by supporters and was the final nail in Jose Mourinho’s coffin as United manager.
This time around, another impressive display from Shaqiri and a Liverpool win could see the end of Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s tenure, with the Norweigan having got off to a dismal start to the season with only nine points from eight games.
Here is some of the reaction calling for the inclusion of Shaqiri.
In our latest instalment of the Flashback series, we take a look back at a certain moment and look at how things might have changed those initial reactions.
Following Portsmouth’s 0-0 draw against Gillingham, Kenny Jackett admitted that his side had not been creative enough, as they failed to break down the opposition’s resilient defence, as reported by the club’s official website.
Ben Close and Tom Naylor were the two midfielders, and while the latter put in a solid performance, the pair did not complete a dribble between them and only made 2 key passes combined, despite having a total 19.4% of the game’s overall possession, as per WhoScored.
Considering this, they could perhaps use a midfielder who can make more of a difference in the final third – while it will not be a player of the same quality due to the fact they are now in League One, there will be those at Pompey wishing for someone to come in and have a similar impact to Pedro Mendes’ in 2006.
With Pompey struggling in the Premier League, the Portuguese midfielder was signed in a £7m deal, which also saw Sean Davis and Noe Pamarot move to the South Coast from Tottenham Hotspur, as reported by The Guardian at the time.
He would go on to score some very important goals that campaign, with the first two of those coming in the form of a brace in a 2-1 win against Manchester City, which included an incredible strike that flew into the top corner from outside the box, as shown in the highlights video on the Portsmouth FC YouTube channel.
Mendes then followed that up with another strike from range, helping to earn a 4-2 victory over West Ham United, as reported by BBC Sport.
Speaking to The News Portsmouth, Mendes later recalled the strike against Man City: “When we got that winner, and the time it happened, the hope it suddenly gave to everyone was what you could pick out. There was a relief – but the most important thing was hope.”
Including the two aforementioned wins, Pompey went on to get an incredible 20 points from a possible 27, completing what has since been called The Great Escape.
It can be argued that staying up was his biggest achievement at the club because of how unlikely it seemed, but it should also be kept in mind that he was an integral part of Pompey’s FA Cup final win in 2008.
The challenges for any midfielder moving to Fratton Park will be very different to those faced by Mendes: rather than fighting to stay in the Premier League, they will need to help the club push for promotion from League One, while FA Cup finals seem a world away at the current time.
Nevertheless, with many fans bemoaning the football currently being played, there is definitely an opportunity for a midfielder who can change games to come in and be a heroic figure in blue.
Portsmouth fans, how fondly do you remember Mendes? Join the discussion by commenting below…
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Tottenham may have got back to winning ways in fine fashion on Tuesday but that hasn’t changed the thinking of Mauricio Pochettino, who still wants to get rid of several players at the club, according to The Daily Mail.
What’s the latest?
There are many players in Spurs’ squad whose futures remain under a cloud of doubt, with Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose both having questioned their future at the club in the past.
The pair are reportedly on Pochettino’s list of players he wants out of the club, which also includes Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Serge Aurier, all of whom have had a troubling 12 months.
Wanyama was close to joining Club Brugge over the summer but despite that the Kenyan is still keen on fighting for his place in the Argentine’s squad, though the addition of Tanguy Ndombele makes that a more difficult task.
Spurs continue to be linked with new additions, with Everton Soares and Max Aarons amongst the latest names, as Pochettino is reportedly keen to add “athleticism and energy” to his squad, possibly in a bid to get his side back to their pressing best.
Necessary step
There has been a lot of discussion about whether the Spurs boss needs to make the bold call to get rid of his long-serving players, many of whom are now letting him down.
The likes of Wanyama and Dier have struggled with fitness and made only 22 league starts between them last term, with Danny Rose and Serge Aurier also coming under scrutiny from fans due to their lacklustre performances.
Check out a hilarious FIFA Forefiet Challenge with a Watford Ladies pro in the video below…
As a result, Pochettino needs to have a clearout. It would mark a change of pace and a ruthlessness he had when he first arrived in 2014, when he soon got rid of first-team players such as Emmanuel Adebayor and Aaron Lennon.
That allowed him to rebuild the squad and he may have to do so once again, as other than the win against weaker European opposition in midweek Spurs have been stuck in a rut, with players said to be disillusioned too.
Out of the players listed Christian Eriksen would be the most stand-out departure, but even his loss wouldn’t impact the squad too significantly, particularly if their continued interest in Bruno Fernandes results in him joining the club.