All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to state their desire to see Fernando Llorente sign a new contract with the club, following a six-minute cameo appearance against Borussia Dortmund in which he nodded in the game’s third and final goal.

Llorente has found game time hard to come by at Spurs this season as Harry Kane has understandably been named ahead of him in the starting line-up, but following an injury to the England international the 33-year-old has stepped up to the plate.

The former Juventus forward has hit seven goals so far this season in all competitions, despite making just seven starts, whilst he has shown excellent professionalism and a great attitude to bide his time and be patient for an opportunity.

This mentality seems to have endeared him to the Spurs fans, and with Llorente’s contract set to be up in the summer, supporters of the north London-based side on Twitter have called for him to extend his stay in north London…

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There has been a cautious welcome from Scottish football fans to a report suggesting foreign referees could soon be in charge of Scottish matches.

According to a report in The Daily Record, that notion is being pushed strongly by Celtic after a meeting of Premiership clubs and the SFA to discuss the current issues with referees and discipline.

In 2010, during a strike called by referees, match officials were called in from Israel and Luxembourg before the problems were resolved.

This season there has been an unprecedented focus on refereeing decisions with a red card rescinded against Alfredo Morelos on the opening weekend of the season kicking off the mayhem.

A new Compliance Officer, Clare Whyte, at the SFA has complicated the issues through mixed messages and inconsistencies being sent out almost on a weekly basis.

It remains unclear in what circumstances the Compliance Officer can overrule decisions witnessed by match officials with almost all top flight clubs issuing statements of concern at some stage this season.

Celtic are reportedly keen to play a key role in drawing up recommendations for reforms to the current refereeing setup in Scotland, backing a proposal to recruit officials from other countries – similar ideas have already been floated by manager Brendan Rodgers and Tom Boyd.

The mechanics and costs of bringing in foreign referees has still to be assessed. Whether they’d get co-operation from Scottish assistants remains to be seen but the principle seems to be one that has support among fans of many clubs throughout Scotland.

Here’s a look at how they reacted on Twitter…

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reflecting on their fourth consecutive home league win, and they’re full of praise for Florian Lejeune.

Newcastle are now looking up the table instead of at the chasing pack behind them, as the Magpies moved seven points clear of the relegation zone on Tuesday night.

This means they are now closer to the top ten (five points) than they are to the bottom three, and it’s no coincidence that the turnaround in form has coincided with Lejeune’s return to the side.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Federico Fernandez had an excellent start to the season, but Lejeune appears to have the perfect balance alongside Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar, and the Frenchman has lost just twice since returning from injury eight games ago.

He was at his very best again when Burnley came to town on Tuesday, as the Magpies won 2-0 courtesy of goals from Schar and Sean Longstaff.

Lejeune completed six out of 11 long balls, 76 per cent of his overall passes, and also won five aerial duels and made eight clearances.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where the 2017 arrival is being showered with praise…

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Leeds United were in electric form against West Bromwich Albion on a special evening for the Whites faithful at Elland Road.

What’s the word?

Leeds has been a city consumed by promotion-fever this season, and that feeling was intensified by a thumping 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion last week.

It was a game which saw gushing admiration pour in for Marcelo Bielsa and his talented squad of players and David Prutton, a regular Sky Sports pundit, joined the eulogisers as he delivered his verdict on the game, per Yorkshire Evening Post.

The former Leeds man singled out three key players for individual praise, including midfield lynchpin Kalvin Phillips.

‘Tyler Roberts was very good, Pablo Hernandez was very good and Kalvin Phillips kept things ticking along as he does – unsung but highly effective.’

While the role of the defensive midfield enforcer has often been underappreciated and neglected, it’s fair to say that Phillips is far from unsung.

A firm fan favourite – time to bust a myth?

In the role Phillips plays the headlines will seldom belong to him, and Friday’s game served to prove that.

Naturally, Roberts’ creative genius and Pablo Hernandez’s artistry were at the forefront of the post-match reaction throughout the media, but Phillips’ contribution would have been duly noted by the supporters.

That the 23-year-old midfielder has been nicknamed the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ and has even prompted some supporters to tip him for an England call-up speaks volumes about the enormity of his reputation at Elland Road.

With the likes of Declan Rice and Fernandinho also joining Phillips by earning gargantuan praise for their performances so far this season, it’s fair to say that attitudes are changing in regard to how holding midfielders are perceived throughout the footballing world.

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Scott Parker tasted defeat in his first game as Fulham caretaker manager after replacing Claudio Ranieri, as his side were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea at Craven Cottage.

The west London derby was an exciting, end-to-end affair, and the Cottagers’ character was on full display.

After falling behind to an excellent Gonzalo Higuain strike, Fulham equalised through defender Calum Chambers. However, Jorginho scored what proved to be the winner with a languid effort from the edge of the box just three minutes after the leveller.

Fulham continued to push, however, and Ryan Sessegnon appeared to have earned his side a point in the final minute, only for the linesman to correctly flag the winger offside.

Despite the defeat, which leaves Fulham languishing in the relegation zone and a staggering 10 points off safety, fans were impressed with Parker’s impact on a team that is surely doomed.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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Gareth Southgate has announced his England squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers, prior to which the question on every Palace fan’s mind was whether Aaron Wan-Bissaka would get a maiden call up to the Three Lions first team.

Unfortunately for the young right-back, he isn’t included in Southgate’s selection, with Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold proving difficult to oust from the setup.

The 21-year-old has been in exceptional form for the Eagles this season and, unlike the aforementioned names, very rarely has a bad day at the office – he can surely feel aggrieved over his omission.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

Completing an average of four tackles per league match, the London-born defender’s numbers are up there with the best in Europe although it has to be said that, while his defensive output is immense, he offers far less on the front foot than the three names keeping him out of the team.

Perhaps a change of system is needed for Wan-Bissaka to get into the Three Lions squad but, regardless, Southgate cannot leave him out for much longer if he keeps improving at such an astounding rate.

Here’s what the Selhurst Park faithful had to say on Twitter…

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Everton looked set to get back to winning ways as they stormed into a 2-0 lead over Newcastle on Saturday, although that wasn’t to be the case for Marco Silva’s men, who would bottle that advantage and allow their hosts to pull off a late, great comeback, thus ensuring all three points remained on Tyneside.

Having lost three of their last five, it was essential for the Toffees to get a result against a resurgent Magpies side and for much of the first half it appeared they were on track for a decent victory. Salomon Rondon, Ayoze Perez and Everton’s own Jordan Pickford had other ideas.

The England number one, after his side went up, frequently taunted the St James’ Park faithful and you can certainly said he got what he deserved – the former Sunderland man was largely culpable as Everton’s lead crumbled.

First, Pickford rugby tackled Rondon to the ground after failing to deal with a ball into the box and fortunately saved the resulting penalty – he undoubtedly got away with this one as, not only was the spot-kick from Matt Ritchie poor, but the custodian should have been sent off.

The 25-year-old’s luck wouldn’t last though – he arguably should have done better with Rondon’s shot at goal, letting it under him perhaps too easily, while he parried Miguel Almiron’s long-shot straight into the path of Perez, who slotted home the equaliser.

Three minutes later, the Magpies were a goal ahead with Perez having bagged his second and Pickford’s inflammatory antics in front of the home crowd had stopped completely.

With this underwhelming performance the latest of many in recent months, it seems that the shot-stopper’s starting berth for the Three Lions is under real threat.

Every England fan fell in love with Pickford in the summer for his loudmouth approach but now that is seriously jeopardising his career – he must focus on the game far more or risk his increasingly frequent mistakes taking him down the path Joe Hart followed at a similar stage in his career.

Burnley stopper Hart won the Golden Glove four times between 2010 and 2015 but one year within that five year period was calamitous. In 2013, the then-26-year-old had an error-stricken season, summarised in this article by The Guardian.

The former Manchester City man, who twice won the Premier League with the Citizens, had similar difficulties as Pickford, with poor handling costing him and his side on multiple occasions that year. Particularly in the 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in October 2013, Hart was at fault twice; beaten at his near post on two occasions, the ‘keeper’s horror show led to a scathing assessment from Gary Neville and doubts being cast on his suitably as England’s number 1.

A few campaigns down the line an over-hyped Hart frequently cost his side again, this time with England at Euro 2016 *shudders*. The 75-cap international let Gareth Bale’s long-range effort inexplicably find a way under him before, more crucially, failing to keep out Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s winner in the embarrassing loss to Iceland in the last 16.

Hart is a player who plays with character and raw emotion. The problem is that his exuberance between the sticks has impacted on his concentration. It’s all well and good expressing yourself on the pitch and, in Pickford’s case, jibing the opposition supporters, but an overzealous approach to that side of the game can detract from the fundamentals which really matter.

If Pickford continues to allow his emotions to tarnish his performances then, just like Hart, he could suddenly find both his club and England career in trouble.

What a comeback by Newcastle against Everton on Saturday! Check out what the jubilant Geordies made of it all in the video below…

Last weekend we saw the danger posed to players by fans who get a bit too emotionally invested in the occasion of a football match so it certainly isn’t wise, either, of Pickford to stick his tongue out at the crowd. You should only talk the talk if you can walk the walk and, recently, the out-of-form ace is stumbling at best.

Hopefully Saturday’s poor result should serve as the lesson Pickford needs ahead of a difficult clash with Chelsea this weekend.

Deadline day transfers are always a fascinating spectacle.

The hustle and bustle to get deals over the line can lead to future-defining signings for clubs being completed with just minutes to go. Yet they can also easily go the other way if panic begins to set in and a last-minute move delivers disastrous results.

This, unfortunately, was the case for forward Emile Sinclair when he arrived at Sixfields Stadium in January 2014 to sign for Northampton Town on a short-term loan deal which included an option to buy at the end of the season.

Prior to the switch, the striker had enjoyed relatively successful spells at Macclesfield Town and Peterborough United yet it would become glaringly obvious that his previous exploits would not be reoccurring in a Cobblers shirt.

Although he did manage to score a brace in his third appearance under then-boss Chris Wilder in an away win at Torquay United, his ineptitude in front of goal saw him go on a run of seventeen games without finding the back of the net. In a season where Northampton survived a serious relegation scare from League Two via a miraculous cameo from Ivan Toney, it was very surprising to their supporters when they made the decision to sign Sinclair on a permanent basis in the summer.

This choice by Wilder ultimately backfired as the striker was incredibly even worse in the following season as he failed to score a single goal before leaving just a year after joining the Cobblers for fellow League Two side York City.

However, by the time he had joined the Minstermen, the damage had already been done to Sinclair as he was now a shadow of his former self. A terrible return of just two goals in two seasons for York warned any Football League clubs from making the same mistake of signing the 31-year-old, which has led to an incredible demise in recent years.

After leaving AFC Goole in 2018, Sinclair is now playing for Liversedge FC in the depths of the non-league footballing pyramid with any dream of returning to professional football all but extinguished.

Although injuries have clearly played a role in the striker’s fall from grace, he is just one of a number of players who have paid the price of taking their footballing careers for granted.

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Henri Lansbury could be Jack Grealish’s possible replacement if he were to leave Aston Villa, according to Birmingham Live, who say Dean Smith sees him as the man to step up and fill their talisman’s shoes.

It’s news that hasn’t been taken very positively by some Villa supporters, who of course have a great affection for Grealish.

One fan laid into Lansbury in response, saying that he wasn’t fit to lace Grealish’s boots, whilst others picked up on his horrendous injury list since arriving at Villa Park.

Another supporter asked if the manager had even seen him play yet, such is the continued absence of the midfielder this season.

The former Arsenal man has started just one game and made two substitute appearances this term because of injury.

He also sat on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time throughout the 2017/18 campaign, playing only ten times.

The 28-year-old’s spell with the club hasn’t gone down too well and it does seem slightly odd that Smith may see him as the man to replace one of their key players.

Here’s what supporters have been saying.

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Phil Foden was in scintillating form for the England Under-21 side on Tuesday evening and his outstanding performance has prompted Owen Hargreaves to make a stunning comparison.

What’s the word?

Manchester City have been crucified at regular intervals for failing to start Foden on a regular basis, and his latest performance is only likely to intensify the prominence of that theme.

The 18-year-old was a class above yesterday, showcasing his immaculate ball control and wonderfully crafted technique within an advanced playmaker role.

It was the type of performance to get fans salivating over what the future holds for Stockport’s answer to Andres Iniesta, and Owen Hargreaves’ post-match comments will certainly add to that feeling.

Indeed, the BT Sport pundit was overwhelmed by the individual display, leaving viewers with little uncertainty about his level of appreciation for the rising star’s ability.

“I think Phil is just one of those types of players – a bit like Paul Scholes – he is one or two steps mentally ahead of everyone else.

“He makes the game look easy, he’s silky smooth, got a wand of a left foot, but his intelligence and smartness is what sets him apart”

Similarities to Paul Scholes?

There is something enigmatic about Foden’s development which suggests he possesses the talent to climb to the highest reaches of the game.

Hargreaves’ comparison appears sensationalist on the surface but the basis of his argument is valid: like Scholes, Foden has a footballing brain which is reserved for the elite players in world football.

He does not require any dominant physical quality to thrive in central midfield; his technical ability and awareness ensure that he will always drift into pockets of space unmarked before casting that left wand of his.

Scholes is one of the greatest technicians English football has ever seen, but Foden, valued at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt, could be the next midfield wizard to blossom into a legend in Manchester.