All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers will be hoping for a win in the Old Firm derby as they look to bounce back from their Europa League defeat on Thursday, but Leon Balogun has struggled so far.

The Gers travelled to Parkhead after losing 2-0 to Slavia Prague during the week. While they are now out of European competition, they still have a chance to go the Premiership season unbeaten (BBC).

However, their clash against Celtic didn’t start fantastically as Mohamed Elyounoussi put the Bhoys 1-0 up, and Balogun was arguably at fault for the goal after he was caught out at right-back. Alfredo Morelos equalised shortly before half-time with his first goal in an Old Firm derby.

Usually a central defender, Balogun has looked particularly poor in an unfamiliar position – Steven Gerrard may decide to bring on 19-year-old Nathan Patterson for the second half even though he was an injury doubt in the build-up to the game (Daily Record).

These ‘Gers fans were far from happy with Balogun’s first half performance, with one calling it a ‘disaster’, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Balogun below

“Balogun down the right is a health hazard”

Credit: @AndrewKelly_

“Balogun is a disaster at RB. Get Patterson on. Even injured he’ll be better.”

Credit: @jaayfc

“Balogun again, horrendous”

Credit: @1872Curt

“Get Balogun off he’s awful”

Credit: @rob_wils

“Balogun gives me the fear today”

Credit: @cameronamcg

“Balogun is so so bad”

Credit: @JamieRFC14

In other news, some Rangers fans slam this BBC pundit.

Leeds are one of a number of Premier League sides interested in signing Barnsley striker Daryl Dike this summer.

What’s the story?

The 20-year-old has been in fine form since joining the Championship side on loan back in the January transfer window, netting five goals in league games.

According to TEAMtalk, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are among the clubs interested in signing the 20-year-old, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea also said to have been impressed.

The report adds that as it stands, it’s Everton who are the most interested in Dike, and that the only way Barnsley would be able to keep the striker on a more permanent basis, is if they earn promotion – they currently lie in fifth in the Championship table.

Tailor-made for the Premier League

Despite being 20, Dike already looks like a real handful as a striker, standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, and bullying Championship defences already.

A player profile done by SBNation noted: “A physical striker, Dike is more than a bruising finisher. His ‘delicate touch’ and high level of technical ability belie his size, enabling a confidence in possession with both passing and dribbling. That said, he scores a lot of goals in a variety of ways. Headed finishes, short-range placement, and long-range bombs, the 6’2” attacker can do it all.”

His teammate Jordan Williams meanwhile said: “Daryl has got a rocket of a right foot. I think he’s similar to Lukaku. He hasn’t scored as many goals yet, but he can hit a ball just as hard. He’s only 20 years of age. It’s amazing.”

Apart from having surprisingly good technical ability for a player of his size, it’s his temperament that has really got some of his former mentors talking.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

His former coach at Virginia, George Gelnovatch, raved: “But one of the things about him that nobody ever talks about is relentlessness. He is a relentless competitor, a ruthless guy on the field. You put that inside a body like his, and it’s pretty impressive.”

Given his natural physical attributes, and the fact he seems to have the perfect mentality, Dike seems tailor-made to succeed in the Premier League.

Bielsa could help Leeds wreak havoc in the top-flight next season by signing the powerful centre-forward this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds must keep this man at all costs this summer…

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast that Jose Mourinho has to stop chopping and changing his defence and begin adding some consistency to his selections.

The club have really struggled this season and are currently seventh in the Premier League table.

The loss to Manchester United at the weekend has left the club six points behind fourth-placed West Ham United and clinging on to any hope of qualifying for the Champions League by their fingertips.

Against United, Eric Dier and Joe Rodon played at centre-back; versus Newcastle United, it was Rodon and Davinson Sanchez, as it was against Aston Villa, while against Arsenal, Mourinho picked Toby Alderweireld to partner Sanchez.

He has also rotated between Matt Doherty, Serge Aurier, and Japhet Tanganga at right-back, and Ben Davies and Sergio Reguilon at left-back, and Roberts believes that such uncertainty is leaving Spurs without a proper defensive understanding.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “The bottom line of it is that we have to get some consistency. We know the team gets changed every week. And you can’t have an understanding in a team, the goalkeeper doesn’t know who’s in front of him most weeks because it changes every week.

“So how’s he supposed to get an understanding with them? I think that’s been the let-down this year.

“We haven’t had a settled side that we could put out and play every week.”

Indeed, there are just two players that have played every minute of every Premier League game this season: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who spent one season with West Ham United, admits he can’t see Declan Rice staying with the Hammers in the long term unless they continue to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.

With Mark Noble not starting many games this season, it has been Rice captaining the side, something Lee says is an unbelievable achievement for someone who is just 22 years of age.

West Ham are currently challenging for the top four, however, Lee can’t seee that being a regular occurrence at the London Stadium, which is one of the reasons why Rice will search for pastures new in the coming years.

Rice has become one of the first names on the team sheet for David Moyes as well as forcing his way into Gareth Southgate’s side, however, the dream of Hammers fans seeing their midfielder emulate Noble’s one-club mentality may be smashed, according to Lee.

The former Hammers midfielder fears Rice won’t be around for the long term future with an inevitability of him being prised away by a bigger club, in financial terms and in terms of winning trophies.

“Unfortunately, for my hometown team, no.” Lee told FFC when asked if he sees Rice becoming a one-club player like Noble.

He added: “West Ham have done brilliantly, but to keep that going, you have to spend money, a lot of money to keep up with the likes of Man City, Man United and Chelsea.

“He’s probably the best player at doing what he does, sitting in the midfield for a young guy, he’s probably the best I’ve seen for a long time at doing what he does. For him to be captain at such a young age is a great achievement for him.

“So, I think eventually he’ll be prised away.”

Rice has improved season-on-season and was regularly touted with a move to Chelsea when Frank Lampard was manager and one club players seem a rarity nowadays.

The England international has proved his worth at West Ham and may only be a matter of time before he gets a move away from the London Stadium.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed Brandon Williams will not be leaving Old Trafford on loan before the transfer window closes today.

What’s the word?

Recent reports revealed the Red Devils were considering whether or not to loan out Williams amid interest from four Premier League clubs including Southampton having struggled for game time under Solskjaer this season.

It’s claimed the 20-year-old had emerged as Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s preferred candidate to provide backup for the likes of Ryan Bertrand and Kyle Walker-Peters after the Saints targeted him last summer.

However, Solskjaer dismissed all talk of Williams leaving on loan this month following Jesse Lingard’s switch to West Ham.

“Brandon will stay,” he said. “He played [for] the U23’s against Liverpool [on Saturday], he needed the match fitness. He has been working really hard. We don’t have any more players that we feel should be going. We need a strong squad.”

Chance to impress

Nonetheless, he may want to reconsider his somewhat hasty decision. It’s fair to say that it has been a frustrating season so far for Williams, who has fallen down the pecking order after the arrival of Alex Telles in October.

The left-back, who can also provide cover at right-back, has only featured six times for United so far this season, with his last appearance coming as a substitute in the second half in the 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig in the Champions League last year.

By comparison, both Telles and Luke Shaw have cemented their places in the starting line-up, with the two jostling for position alongside club captain Harry Maguire.

The £9.9m-rated ace has only made one appearance in the Premier League, once again as a substitute in the 3-2 win against Southampton at St Mary’s, which should indicate that Solskjaer has no intentions of including him in his plans for the immediate future.

It’s not too late for the club legend to change his mind, with there still being a few hours left on the clock until the transfer market shuts its doors tonight.

There’s no doubting the fact that the academy product who broke through the ranks into the first team last season and was dubbed an “outstanding” talent by Solskjaer has been blessed with both obvious talent and vast potential but he needs to get some game time under his belt to continue his development.

Williams, therefore, should push his representatives to try to force a loan move as he has so far been unable to oust Shaw and Telles as Solskjaer’s preferred options at left-back.

AND in other news, Manchester Utd should sign Sergio Ramos after transfer update…

After continuing their recent good form with a 1-0 victory over Rotherham, Nottingham Forest take on Derby County on Friday night looking to make it three wins on the bounce.

Chris Hughton’s side have turned things around since the start of the new year, losing just three times in all competitions, including really improving things defensively – Forest have conceded just two goals in their last seven games.

While Hughton may be reluctant to make too many changes from the side that beat Rotherham on Tuesday evening, one player who the Forest boss should be looking to bring back into the fold is Alex Mighten.

The 18-year-old was dropped to the bench for the clash in mid-week, perhaps with one eye on being given a start against the Rams on Friday. And when you look at how the teenager has performed since emerging onto the scene, it’s clear why he could well be a potential game-changer for Forest.

The Championship side have rather understandably looked to protect Mighten from over-exposure and placing too much responsibility on his shoulders, and it’s no surprise that despite making 13 appearances this season in the league, that’s only amounted to 572 minutes of action.

Hughton has tried to ease him into things, but the talent is unquestionable. Forest right-back Cyrus Christie waxed lyrical about his ability, saying:

“Alex gives us a different dynamic. He is unorthodox. You do not know what he is going to do. He is so tricky and lively. You hate playing against him in training when you perhaps don’t feel 100 per cent but he is somehow operating at 120 per cent. He has been fantastic. He has not let his head drop.”

The £3.5k-a-week earning gem ranks joint-sixth for most dribbles per game in the Championship this season for Forest (1.1), while only three other players in the squad are fouled more times than him (1.8).

It’s a testament to his constant desire to make things happen and take Forest forward, rather than just trying to settle for the simple pass and play things safe.

It’s exactly the kind of fearlessness that Hughton should look to unleash for the Derby game, and Mighten’s directness and skill could be the key to ensuring Forest’s excellent recent run continues.

Manchester United will take on West Ham on Sunday evening in a game that could be key for their hopes of a top four finish.

At the time of writing, the Red Devils sit second in the table, eight points clear of the Hammers, albeit having played a game more.

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s troops having only taken to the pitch on Thursday in the 1-1 draw with AC Milan in the UEFA Europa League, how many alterations are we expecting him to make to his team at the weekend?

There could be as many as four changes to the United lineup, with an injury crisis having hit Old Trafford.

Despite David de Gea being back in contention, the Red Devils should stick with Dean Henderson in goal. The former Sheffield United loan star has impressed in recent weeks so is deserving of his place.

A couple of alterations should occur in the backline, however. Both Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof were rested against Milan so should be restored to the starting lineup. This would mean that both £31.5m-rated defender Alex Telles and Eric Bailly would drop out.

Another man who is likely to return is Brazilian midfielder Fred. The former Shakhtar Donetsk man was replaced by Nemanja Matic in midweek but will once again return to the middle of the park. Bruno Fernandes will take his place, as always, just in front of the midfield duo of Fred and Scott McTominay.

One headache that Solskjaer does have, however, is in attack. Edinson Cavani is ruled out, whilst Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are both major doubts.

Given these injury worries, Daniel James and Mason Greenwood should continue in the starting line-up, and they are likely to be joined by Amad Diallo. The Ivorian scored his first Manchester United goal against Milan with a clever header so could well have justified earning a maiden Premier League start against West Ham.

AND in more news, have a look at why Solskjaer needs to stick with Henderson despite the return of de Gea…

Manchester United have got their transfer business off to a flying start this year. Having added Timothy Fosu-Mensah to the list of players departing from Old Trafford, Ed Woodward has started to create some space in the squad for new additions. However there is still much more to be done if the Red Devils are to reduce their wage bill and bring in more quality signings.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, French side Nice have reportedly held talks with Jesse Lingard’s representatives over a possible loan move in January.

It’s claimed the French Ligue 1 club have held initial discussions and an formal offer is expected to arrive next week, although it remains to be seen if the Red Devils will allow him to depart Old Trafford halfway through the season.

Lingard made his first-team debut in the 2-1 defeat to Swansea City under former United manager Louis van Gaal in 2014 and has since gone on to make over 200 appearances for his boyhood club.

But chances have been hard to come by for the 28-year-old this season, as he has been restricted to just two starts so far and hasn’t started in a Premier League game for over a year – a clear sign that he isn’t offering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer anything at the current moment in time.

It’s time for Woodward to get rid of the deadwood

With the 18-year-old Amad Diallo’s arrival at Old Trafford from Serie A side Atalanta this month, it seems like Lingard’s services are no longer required.

United have an abundance of quality and depth in almost every area with their current squad intact, none more so than the wealth of riches currently available to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The club’s official website currently lists 13 first-team players in the midfield, and that’s without even mentioning the likes of Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani upfront.

Considering that the club were heavily linked with a £100m move for Jadon Sancho in the summer, it’s safe to assume that Lingard has been deemed surplus to requirements, as the former England international has been limited to solely three cup appearances this season – which is even fewer than his teammates Daniel James and Juan Mata.

In actual fact, in a similar way to Fosu-Mensah, Lingard could leave the club without requiring any replacement. Bruno Fernandes and Greenwood have become regular starters in the Premier League, meaning his options are limited once more, as he has fallen even further down the pecking order.

Peter Schmeichel certainly didn’t pull any punches when he appeared to take aim at Lingard after a number of poor performances in 2018. He told MUTV’s Group Chat, via talkSPORT: “I’m on record for saying this a long, long time, since Ole came, that his most important job is not really to sign players, it’s to get rid of players.

“There’s a few players in the squad that we absolutely do not want there.

“They’re not there to play for the badge. They’re there to create a profile for themselves.

“I was reading about one player trying to make themself a brand like Beckham which is shocking really. But there are players there that do not belong in the dressing room.”

Whilst he didn’t specifically mention Lingard, one would have to assume it was the right winger who drew Schmeichel’s ire. After all, he earned the wrath of fellow club legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane for launching a clothing line days before the Liverpool clash in 2018.

Given he earns around £100,000-per-week at Old Trafford, it’s fair to say that Lingard has outlived his purpose, as Greenwood has emerged as a reliable option on the right wing while James, too, has started to show flashes of his obvious potential, and that’s without even mentioning Diallo and Facundo Pellistri, who are waiting in the wings as well.

It has left Solskjaer with several options out wide and although the Norwegian needs two wingers in his preferred 4-2-3-1, Ed Woodward must offload a couple of his options in the coming weeks and months ahead. Lingard, therefore, should be the one to accompany Fosu-Mensah out the Old Trafford exit door.

AND in other news, Luke Shaw slammed by Carlton Palmer for decision-making during Man Utd’s defeat to Man City…

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic faces an almighty crunch match later this evening as the Premier League’s bottom two clash at the Hawthorns.

The Baggies will welcome the only side below them in the division, Sheffield United, knowing that a defeat will only increase the pressure on the Croatian amid uncertainty over his future in the Midlands.

Neither side has yet recorded a victory this season. Between them, they have picked up just four points from their opening nine fixtures.

Albion have lost each of their last three matches in the top-flight, failing to score in all of those three defeats, so Bilic certainly needs a reaction at home tonight.

But what sort of side could line up against the Blades? Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be as many as three changes for this encounter as Bilic battles a mixture of the virus, other injuries and underperforming players.

Between the sticks, Sam Johnstone remains despite potentially being at fault for Spurs’ winner two weeks ago, though we’re expecting the home side to revert back to a flat-four with Kyle Bartley and Darnell Furlong dropping out at the expense of 21-year-old defender Dara O’Shea.

Semi Ajayi and Branislav Ivanovic partner in the middle with Conor Townsend starting over Kieran Gibbs, who is one of two players that may miss this one through illness.

The other player may be skipper Jake Livermore after Bilic revealed that one of the pair was still feeling rough despite testing negative, as per the Express & Star.

It means we could see a midfield three of Romaine Sawyers, Conor Gallagher and Filip Krovinovic, with the Croatian playmaker playing furthest forward in the no.10 role.

Out wide, Grady Diangana’s disappointing form has continued so he may be axed for Callum Robinson whilst Brazilian enigma Matheus Pereira continues on the other flank.

Hal Robson-Kanu is back amongst the side but he’s likely to have to settle for a place on the bench with summer signing Karlan Grant getting the nod to lead the line this evening.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Harewood tips one manager to bring West Brom back up if relegated…

After their incredible run of form was stopped by St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup, Glasgow Rangers will be desperate to get back to winning ways when they host Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday.

Rangers beat Lech Poznan to win Group D to secure a seeded place in the Europa League last 32 draw, before beating Dundee United at Tannadice Park last weekend.

But the loss to the Saints stopped Steven Gerrard’s side in their tracks, and with the Premiership clash with Motherwell looming ever closer, the Ibrox boss faces some tough decisions as he looks to get things going again.

Gerrard has admitted some players may have to “step aside” for the time being against the Steelmen.

He said, as quoted by Glasgow Live: “You learn an awful lot about your players every game and I’ll be looking extremely close to see who will react in the right way and if anybody is feeling sorry for themselves and want to take this feeling into the weekend.

“Unfortunately, they might have to step aside because we need to bounce back and react in the right way and try and get three points against Motherwell.”

While we’re not exactly sure which players will lose their places in the starting line-up – though Joe Aribo may be nervously looking over his shoulder after he suffered a shocker at St Mirren – one man who should be in contention to start is Croatian left-back Borna Barisic. After starting and completing the full 90′ minutes in ten of the Glasgow giants’ past 17 games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, Barisic was benched by Gerrard for the Betfred Cup exit, who may have regretted his decision almost immediately after Bassey gave away a penalty.

Bassey’s relative inexperience outweighed his youthful exuberance, and with an acid test against Motherwell on the horizon, the 28-year-old’s reliability could play a key part in preventing the cup disappointment from festering.

We said just this last month that Gerrard needs to starting giving the 20-year-old more opportunities to test himself on a regular basis, but the youngster was swamped on the left wing as he struggled to overlap with Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent, so starting Barisic in the back four could go a long way towards stopping the rot from seeping into their title ambitions.

After all, it’s the Croatia international and James Tavernier’s partnership that has played an instrumental part in the Gers’ surge to the summit of the Scottish Premiership, with Alex Rae hailing him as a “terrific” talent, while former Rangers manager Alex McLeish admitted he has “exceeded expectations.”

The pair are a sight to behold bombing up and down the flanks, and Barisic’s ability to ping crosses into the box – he averages 2.1 key passes per game in the league – sets him apart from his younger understudy.

Bringing Barisic back into the starting line-up should add that extra impetus going forwards.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must start Steven Davis against Motherwell…