All posts by h716a5.icu

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Loads of Celtic fans have been reacting to some comments from John Hartson, as the legendary striker has tipped Neil Lennon for the permanent job at Parkhead.

Celtic are set to be crowned Scottish champions for the eighth consecutive season, and the Bhoys could yet accomplish a historic “treble treble” as well.

They will face Aberdeen in the Scottish cup semi-finals before a final against either Hearts or Inverness, having already beaten the Dons for a League Cup success in December.

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

Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing since Lennon’s arrival as interim boss though, as the Bhoys were moments away from recording their second consecutive dull draw until Odsonne Edouard scored a late winner at Dundee.

The Bhoys have not played anywhere near the expressive, exciting football that they often did under Brendan Rodgers, yet Hartson thinks Lennon should get the permanent role.

“I have said all along that I think he is the man for the job on a permanent basis and I still hold on to that,” the 43 year-old told The Evening Times.

“The way that he celebrated with the Celtic support on Sunday after that last gasp winner at Dens Park would tell you everything you need to know about how hard he will work to keep the success coming at the club.”

Hartson may have a point about Lennon’s passion for the club, but fans want more than that- they want an experienced tactician who can guide them to more than just domestic dominance.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where hardly a single fan agrees with Hartson…

[ad_pod ]After a miserable few months on the pitch, the QPR players were surely relishing the chance to take off their boots for a little while during the international break. There is no time for rest, though, and the R’s played out a thrilling friendly with Southampton on Wednesday instead.The Saints ran out 3-2 winners, with former Loftus Road favourite Charlie Austin netting his side’s opener in the first half. Steve McClaren’s men would go on to pull the score level not once, but twice, although Southampton’s Jake Vokins eventually put the game to bed.Austin left QPR in 2016 for a cut-price fee and how the Hoops could do with their former striker now. With seven league games left to go, they are eight points clear of the relegation zone but anything could happen judging by their recent form.Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…Here’s how the Loftus Road faithful reacted to the 29-year-old’s appearance against them, with many pining for what would be a surprising return to the Championship club…

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BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has ripped into Arsenal in his latest set of Premier League predictions, and while he has tipped the Gunners to see off Newcastle United at the Emirates on Monday night he has been far less impressed with their form on the road.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the former Liverpool player believes that Unai Emery’s men will take all three points against the visiting Magpies, but he took the opportunity to also speak about the north London outfit’s sketchy away performances and results.

While only Manchester City and Liverpool – the latter only by goal difference – have better records on their travels in the top flight this term, Arsenal find themselves as the 10th-best team when they aren’t on their own patch.

Their displays away clearly haven’t gone unnoticed by Lawrenson, who told the BBC: “It is a worry the Gunners are so different on their travels, though. What that basically says is that everything is good at home when they have loads of the ball and that is the strength of the team when they are going forward – like they should be on Monday.

“But, when they are away, and under the cosh more, they can’t seem to cope with that. They don’t seem to be able to pick up points on a regular basis, and their results in Europe have been disappointing too.

“Unai Emery has made plenty of changes after replacing Arsene Wenger as manager but in that regard, it is still ‘same old, same old Arsenal’.”

Have Premier League grounds become “lifeless tourist attractions”? Decide for yourself by watching the video below…

Emery won’t want to see this

The Spaniard has clearly made plenty of changes since replacing the experienced Frenchman at the helm last summer, but one thing that hasn’t drastically improved is club’s away form.

The 47-year-old will be well aware of that and will know that a big improvement is needed next term, but he still won’t be happy to see his reign compared to Wenger’s in a negative sense nearly a year after the managerial change was made.

Whatever the case, Arsenal need to find a winning formula on the road if they want success in the Premier League and in Europe in the future.

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Everton will have to pay £60million if they wish to keep both Kurt Zouma and Andre Gomes at the club next season, per The Times.

The two loanees, from Chelsea and Barcelona respectively, are highly rated at Goodison Park and the club has already told Chelsea that they wish to buy Zouma.

What’s the word?

Zouma and Gomes have both featured prominently at Goodison Park this season.

The three-time France international’s future is, per the report, complicated by Chelsea’s transfer ban but there is a chance that an appeal against FIFA’s judgement could be successful, leading to the possibility of the Blues being allowed to buy players this summer.

That would surely leave them more open to the sale of Zouma but, even so, the Times report that he would cost around £30m.

The same goes for Gomes, who had been struggling to find his way into Barcelona’s team in La Liga.

For the Toffees to keep both players, then, and before considering any further additions to the squad, they face a payout of £60m.

The report also claims that the futures of defenders Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines remain up in the air, with their contracts set to expire in the summer.

A ruinous deal

These deals could set Everton back significantly, and not just in monetary terms. There is a major rebuild needed at Goodison Park after a season of stagnation under Marco Silva.

A new striker, a couple of new midfielders and a defensive overhaul is required, but paying £60m to keep two players who have hardly set the world alight seems a poor start. It’s more than they forked out for £45m club-record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson two years ago.

Zouma and Gomes are clearly talented but the risk here is Everton spending most of their summer budget on two players who have already proven that they are not superstars and subsequently ignoring the bigger issues at play.

For starters, Everton still haven’t found a convincing replacement for Romelu Lukaku, an issue which has plagued Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce and now Silva. The wing berths remain conundrums too, while Jagielka and Baines’ potential departures will leave a huge leadership void throughout the first team squad.

Those problems need addressing this summer, so the question has to be asked: How much money would be left to fix them if both players joined permanently?

Everton should be very wary of paying £60m just to maintain the status quo.

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Newcastle United’s young lads continued their fine season with a fantastic 3-2 win at the Bet 365 Stadium to secure a play-off spot in Group Two of Premier League 2.

The Toon found themselves two goals down at half-time but a double from captain Owen Bailey and one from Yannick Toure secured a wonderful win for the team in black and white.

Owen Bailey had missed a penalty in the first half but he picked himself up to score two bullet headers, the result leaves Newcastle third in the table with two games of the season remaining.

The team manged by Ben Dawson; who took over after Peter Beardsley was sacked for bullying and racism, have had a brilliant season with Elias Sorensen second top goal scorer and Sean Longstaff making a breakthrough into the first team and excelling.

This result has led to many Toon fans heaping the praise on what appears to be a talented set of youngsters on Tyneside.

Manchester United will be expected to make a big splash in the transfer market this summer as they look to build on some positive early signs under Ole Solskjaer.

The Norwegian manager is expected to be backed with some big money from the United board, and he will no doubt already have a list of targets drawn up who he thinks can come into Old Trafford and make a real difference.

One big area of concern for the club is in defence, where it has been clear for some time that United need some world class talent in order for them to compete with some of the other big spenders across Europe.

This weekend has seen the emergence of news surrounding Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, with United reportedly interested in paying the £110m fee that the Italian club value their powerhouse centre half at.

And here in the Tavern, we feel that spending this sort of money might be just what United need to do to ensure they keep pace with the top clubs in England and Europe.

We have seen over at Anfield the impact of having a commanding centre half can have, with Virgil Van Dijk making a huge difference for Liverpool this season.

Koulibaly could have the same sort of impact on proceedings at Old Trafford too, and he has already shown for Napoli just how good he can be.

United simply have to get someone in at the back who can dominate and set the tone of games from defence, and the big 27-year-old could well prove a real difference maker for the Red Devils next season.

Please Rafa, sign the contract! For all that Newcastle fans aren’t surprised a deal is yet to be agreed, they’re so desperate to see Benitez stay at St James’ Park beyond this season. He just has to, there’s simply no other option. 

Clearly, there would be a tremendous boost around the ground should the Spaniard stay and it could help Newcastle sustain a better future. The Mike Ashley era has given fans precious little reason to smile but the sight of the former Liverpool boss extending his deal would do exactly that.

Though whether or not it will happen is another matter and that is desperately worrying those adoring fans.

For all that Rafa Benitez has done for the club, it would be horrendous to see him leave and that’s why Mike Ashley needs him to sign a new contract and then make available a stunning war-chest that will ensure Newcastle are very active in the summer transfer window.

Big signings are the ones that fans dream about and Atletico Madrid’s Gelson Martins would certainly be a player who fits that category.

Martins, (who is valued at £25.2 million on Transfermarkt) was a January target for Newcastle (as per Sky Sports), at least until Monaco swooped in and stole him away at the last minute.

Since, the Portuguese winger has scored three times in nine appearances, helping Monaco consequently steer clear of the relegation zone. Though Newcastle seem to be alright and will play Premier League football next season, the addition of Gelson Martins would have been tremendous and could of help seen a more rampant move up the table.

If they have the audacity to try again in the summer, a wing-wizard with the quality that Martins possesses is exactly what they need. Explosive and unpredictable, he’d offer the ultimate upgrade on wide options such as Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie, as well as making a statement in the transfer market.

Clearly, there’s interest there and surely Monaco will undergo major changes – they already have since Martins’ arrival in January – so perhaps the Toon Army would be wise to try and relaunch a move. Things haven’t worked out in the Spanish capital but the former Sporting Lisbon ace is so obviously a talent.

With pace in abundance, skill and overall end product, Martins is still only 23 and therefore has time on his side to really adapt to life in Newcastle.

Do you agree that Newcastle should try and sign Martins again? If not, why not? Let us know!

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Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the top four suffered a big blow as they were beaten 3-2 by Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The Gunners came into the clash with their London rivals with a brilliant record on their own patch this term, but like Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the campaign the Eagles secured a brilliant and unlikely away victory.

Much was made of the starting line-up as Carl Jenkinson, Shkodran Mustafi, Matteo Guendouzi and Mohamed Elneny all started the clash against Roy Hodgson’s men, and it did prove to be a factor with Mustafi in particular at fault for Wilfried Zaha’s second for the visitors.

Trailing 2-1 at that stage Emery decided to bring Lucas Torreira on for Mohamed Elneny in the 68th minute, but just a minute later they found themselves with a two-goal cushion to make up when James McArthur netted.

It was hardly a substitution that would have sparked fear into Palace even if Arsenal already had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Alex Iwobi on the pitch.

Are Man City better than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’? Fans discuss in the video below…

With Eddie Nketiah and Henrikh Mkhitaryan still on the bench and with the Gunners having nothing to lose as they chased an equaliser, the Spaniard’s decision to bring on a defensively-minded midfielder instead was confusing.

Indeed, it was Mkhitaryan who should have replaced Elneny prior to the Eagles scoring their third.

Despite his inconsistencies he is a player that can make a difference in the final third for his team whether it comes in the form of goals or chances created, and he is someone that would have put the Hodgson’s visitors on the back foot again and boosted a frustrated home crowd.

Emery has enjoyed a pretty decent first season at the helm, but this was another lesson to be learned for the former Sevilla man ahead of next season.

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According to an exclusive from The Sun, Unai Emery’s Arsenal are eyeing a move for outcast Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

The Gunners will reportedly seek to open negotiations at £20million for the Ivorian as they set about trying to fix their leaky defence, Emery has admired the player since his days in La Liga, per the report.

Bailly moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 from Villarreal. First impressions were good but the 25-year-old has struggled gradually ever since, making just 11 Premier League appearances all season and not playing a minute under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since early March.

Before transferring to the Premier League, the 32-cap Ivory Coast international made a name for himself in Spain with the Yellow Submarine having moved from Espanyol where he spent much of his youth career – the defensive ace is a tall, physical centre-back.

Good news for Arsenal, bad news for forgotten 24-year-old

While a move to bring a player in Bailly who could potentially revamp the North Londoners’ defence would be good news for Arsenal, it would be bad news for their forgotten 24-year-old.

Centre-back Calum Chambers may have impressed this season on loan at Fulham in midfield, but he was mainly seen in his primary position of centre-half when playing for his parent club.

When the former England international returns to north London in the summer with little more than a relegation under his belt, his chancing of staying will be even slimmer if Bailly is there too.

One fan is happy (but very confused) after Wolves beat Arsenal in the video below…

In central defence, Emery already has the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis, Rob Holding, captain Laurent Koscielny and youngster Konstantinos Mavropanos at his disposal.

The fact that he’s looking to add more players to that list surely means he isn’t giving much thought to Chambers and with his contract due to run out at the end of May, the Southampton academy graduate may well find himself searching for a new permanent club soon.

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A few weeks ago Leeds United looked to be favourites to finish in second in the Championship table.

However, heading into the final game of the season finishing in fourth is a real possibility for the Whites, but that may not be the end of the world.

On the chalkboard

With Derby County drawing against Swansea on Wednesday night their spot in the playoffs is now up in the air as they travel to the Hawthorns on the final day of the season.

For Leeds to finish fourth they would have to lose against Ipswich and West Brom would need to beat Derby. Which would leave the door open for Boro to sneak into the playoffs as they travel to already relegated Rotherham.

The Whites come up against Ipswich Town on Sunday, and they will have to lose that game if they are to finish fourth, but that may be the preferable route if West Brom and Middlesbrough both win.

Avoid Middlesbrough at all costs

Playing Tony Pulis’ side over two legs would be the worst outcome possible for Marcelo Bielsa.

Of all the teams in the running for the playoffs, Boro are the only side the Whites have been unable to beat all season, their systems clash in a way that favours the north-east club.

Middlesbrough’s defensive resilience can frustrate Leeds no end. Patrick Bamford will be missing for the first leg so their attacking threat will already be reduced and on top of this, they have been the most wasteful team in the league in recent weeks.

If the Whites are to win in the playoffs, they will have to create chance after chance and against Boro that will be almost impossible.

Finishing fourth would set up a semi-final clash with Aston Villa, a team who Leeds have extra motivation to beat after their last meeting.

On top of this Bielsa knows how to nullify the Midlands club’s main threat. Jack Grealish had an incredibly quiet game the last time the two sides met as Kalvin Phillips didn’t allow him to play his own game.

The likely scenario is that Leeds finish third and if Derby end up in the playoffs on Sunday that would be their preferred matchup.

Though if this weekend plays out in a way that leaves the Whites in fourth it may be favourable if it means avoiding Middlesbrough.