Tottenham Hotspur: Anyone would be mad to leave

Positive signs at Tottenham surely means there is no chance of players, or manager, jumping ship at this point.

There are two angles to be taken when discussing why Tottenham players would want to leave a club during this point of transition.

The obvious one is ‘they would not’.

Spurs are due to move in their brand-new stadium this season having played the majority of their games at Wembley for the previous two terms, and that in itself is a welcome change for us all.

Surely the most exciting bit of news for players and fans alike is that they are due to move into their new mega-stadium at some point this year after repeated, frustrating delays and two season at Wembley.

Indeed, it is a welcome change for us all to see domestic cup final venue Wembley finally on the road to recovery after becoming a tedious formality in English football.

And we are sure Tottenham share this sentiment.

There is also the small point that manager Mauricio Pochettino is surely set to remain as the manager.

Manchester United and Real Madrid were both heavy favourites to secure his services following their respective managerial mishaps, but now with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the wheel and Zinedine Zidane returning to the Spanish capital, there is very little chance of the Argentine getting itchy feet and moving on.

There is, like so many people have said before, a major project going on at Tottenham at the moment. The club have done tremendously well to perform without making any new additions in the summer, but having seen their promotion hopes dashed, and their third-place finish in doubt, there is every chance that the club will spend uncharacteristically big to shake their ‘bottle job’ status.

Tottenham fans, how confident are you of keeping everyone on board this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Leeds United: Bielsa should be aiming for the title, not just promotion

It has been a fascinating automatic promotion race in the Championship this season, hasn’t it?

In what has developed into a three-way battle for the top-two positions, Leeds United, Sheffield United and Norwich City have all swapped places in recent months yet it is the Canaries who now find themselves five points clear of their rivals.

Nevertheless, with seven games left this season, there is still a lot to play for and so there should be no reason why Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites cannot win the title in May, especially if they embark on a long-winning run.

21 points from their remaining fixtures would see Leeds reach a total of 97 points which has been enough to finish in first position for the last twenty seasons in the second tier. Although this would be an almighty ask for Bielsa’s side, even five victories and two losses should see them challenge Norwich. The Canaries’ run-in includes tough fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa who are both challenging for a play-off position whilst an away trip to relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic could prove to be a potential issue for Daniel Farke’s side.

If they do slip-up, Leeds should be prepared to take advantage and could use the goal of winning the title to avoid any complacency in the coming weeks. With Sheffield United just two points behind the Whites in the league, Bielsa’s men will need to be on top-form to fend off their Yorkshire rivals and so they could use this pressure to keep tabs with Norwich which will in-turn create a fascinating crescendo to what has already been a season to remember in the Championship.

Lifting the title in May has over the years traditionally resulted in the side maintaining their Premier League status for the following campaign with the only exceptions in the last six years being Cardiff City in 2014.

What do you think Leeds fans? Can your side still launch a late bid for the title? Do you think it matters how you achieve promotion? Let us know below.

Greedy! Liverpool fans bemoan Mohamed Salah’s selfishness against Fulham

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter in annoyance after Mohamed Salah spurned a number of glorious opportunities against Fulham, chances that would’ve eased the nerves in the away end at Craven Cottage after a slender win.

The victory against the Cottagers puts Liverpool back to being just a single point behind Manchester City, with the Citizens yet to play their league fixture having been in FA Cup action against Swansea.

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

The Reds are keeping the pressure on, but a noticeable aspect of their play in recent weeks has been Mohamed Salah’s lack of goals.

Amazingly, the Egyptian hasn’t scored for seven games, and against the Cottagers, the 26-year-old was visibly desperate to get his name on the score-sheet.

However, his personal pursuit failed, and in doing so, he appeared greedy and selfish at times where his teammates were better placed, much to the annoyance of Liverpool fans – his next goal will be his 50th Premier League strike for Liverpool, and he appears desperate for it.

Let’s see what the Reds supporters on Twitter were saying about their talisman’s barren spell and consequential selfishness…

West Ham: Hammers need a striker, but Maxi Gomez isn’t the answer just yet

West Ham are braced for a massive summer ahead, and one area of the pitch that will be under construction is the attack.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are in need of striker this off-season, and plenty of names have been thrown about already. Serie A strikers Andrea Belotti and Duvan Zapata are two names that have been churned out by the Italian media, as well as Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez who the Star report West Ham will potentially be able to acquire for just half of his £43 million release clause.

The Uruguayan striker has been a name long-touted with a move to the Premier League, with Liverpool and Chelsea reportedly interested in the 22-year-old striker according to the Sun, however the Hammers have been the side closest to signing the promising forward with Sky Sports reporting that the east London team were close to agreeing a deal with Celta in January, but the move never materialised.

Gomez, who is valued at £31.5 million (by Transfermarkt), has all the qualities to be a striker that can go all the way. Being Uruguayan has naturally seen the forward be compared to former Liverpool star Luis Suarez, but despite these flattering comparisons and decent track record in La Liga, West Ham should be looking elsewhere for a starting striker next season.

At 22, Gomez is still a player who is learning his trade in football. Although he’s shown the ability to play top-flight football, scoring 27 goals in 65 games in La Liga, West Ham are in need of a striker that has been consistent for some time and is the finished product.

Gomez has the potential to one day be the striker West Ham need, though. The Hammers have always enjoyed their best football with a physical striker up top who is intelligent enough to beat defenders with brains as well as strength, but Pellegrini needs the player who can do that now, not someone who could potentially be that in two or three years time.

David Gold and David Sullivan might be able to acquire the Uruguayan striker for £21 million should Celta be relegated this season, but it would be in the best interest of the club to look elsewhere for that striker who can plug the hole that has needed attention in east London for some time.

West Ham fans, what striker should the club bring in this summer?

ليفاندوفسكي ومولر يقودان بايرن ميونخ لسحق بيليفيلد برباعية في الدوري الألماني

فاز فريق بايرن ميونخ على مُضيفه فريق بيليفيلد، برباعية مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، مساء اليوم، على ملعب “شوكو أرينا”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الألماني.

انتهى الشوط الأول من المباراة، بتقدم بايرن ميونخ بثلاثة أهداف نظيفة، الأول سجّله توماس مولر في الدقيقة الثامنة.

وفي الدقيقة 26، تمكن الدولي البولندي روبرت ليفاندوفسكي من إحراز الهدف الثاني لـ بايرن في الدقيقة 28، وفي الدقيقة 45+1، عاد ليفا لإحراز الهدف الثاني له والثالث لـ بايرن.

وفي الشوط الثاني من المباراة، تمكن مولر من تسجيل الهدف الرابع لـ بايرن في الدقيقة 51.

وأحرز دوان هدف تقليص الفارق لـ بيليفيلد في الدقيقة 58، كما حصل توليسو على بطاقة حمراء في الدقيقة 76، ولكن ذلك لم يكن كافيًا للفريق الأزرق للعودة في النتيجة.

هذا الانتصار رفع رصيد بايرن ميونخ للنقطة التاسعة، ليرتقي لوصافة الدوري الألماني، بفارق الأهداف عن بوروسيا دورتموند، وبفارق نقطة عن المتصدر لايبزيج، فيما توقف رصيد بيليفيلد عند 4 نقاط بالمركز الثالث عشر.

Opinion: Celtic should bleed Leicester dry for Tierney

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Leicester City want to replace Ben Chilwell with Kieran Tierney this summer, reports claim, and Celtic should not stand in their way.

What’s the story?

According to Foxes of Leicester, a popular club fan site, Chilwell’s move to Manchester City is already agreed.

The report claims it is “as good as a done deal”, with the 22 year-old sure to command a huge fee from the English champions.

According to the report, Celtic’s Tierney is the man Leicester have identified to replace Chilwell, with Brendan Rodgers keen to work with the youngster who already knows his system.

Fans may not like it, but here’s why the Bhoys should bleed them dry for the 21 year-old.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Blessing in disguise?

Tierney eats, sleeps and breathes Celtic, but as he develops there is only one place the full-back will end up and that is the Premier League.

Quite simply, he is just too good not to attract interest from the English top flight, where the lights are brighter, the cheques are bigger and the chances of success in the Champions League are higher.

It is inevitable that the youngster will leave the club eventually, so by stalling the move the club would only be harming themselves.

If Leicester do indeed sell Chilwell to Pep Guardiola’s centurions, Celtic will be in an extremely strong negotiating position, and selling now while his contract still has four years on it and the Foxes have a huge lump of cash in their back pocket would be the smartest move.

With much of the squad in need of an overhaul this summer, this money could help Celtic increase the gap between them and their domestic competition, and even build a better squad capable of making some noise in Europe.

West Ham fans sick of hearing the same excuses

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West Ham fans are sick of the team making the same mistakes again and again after Aaron Cresswell attributed Monday’s loss against Chelsea to a poor start in the game.

Hammers fans are getting fed up of hearing the same record over and over as poor starts have become somewhat of a habit for their side this season.

The Irons have conceded 24 first half goals in the Premier League this season whilst only scoring 18 goals in the first 45 minutes of games.

The London club currently sit 11th in the Premier League with five games to go, and their hopes of a Europa League finish now look slim despite looking to be in a good position a few weeks back.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have now lost back to back games and West Ham fans aren’t happy with the inconsistency shown this season as well as the poor starts that have become regular for the manager and his troops.

It is of course made even worse by Cresswell coming out and giving excuses for a problem everyone already knows exists, and here’s what West Ham fans have been saying on Twitter…

Please don’t get injured: Leeds fans fear the worst for Ezgjan Alioski

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Leeds United ace Ezgjan Alioski is currently with the Macedonia squad preparing for their upcoming matches against Latvia and Slovenia.

The 27-year-old is a key player for his country, finding the back of the net on three occasions in 21 appearances since making his debut in 2013.

Alioski is also very much a key figure for his club, however, having scored seven times and provided five assists in 38 Championship matches this term.

He started the season as an attacker, but has dropped into the left-back role in recent months.

Leeds saw their automatic promotion hopes suffer a blow when they lost 1-0 at home to Sheffield United last weekend, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side are still in a strong position as they look to secure a return to the Premier League.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

On Wednesday, Alioski posted an image of himself in training for Macedonia and the Leeds fans responded by begging him not to get injured whilst on international duty:

West Bromwich Albion: Interim appointment lacks ambition and disrespects fans

When West Brom sacked Darren Moore, in what was a surprise move to many, fans believed the only logical explanation was that they had already approached his potential successor, and would appoint someone immediately.

A play-off spot to secure, followed by a hopeful, as opposed to anticipated, promotion to celebrate afterwards, meant that surely the new man would slip into the hot-seat seamlessly, and get on with the job at hand.

But those hopes have been well and truly thrown out the window, as the hunt for the next Baggies boss goes on… and on… and on, and the timing of Moore’s sacking becomes seemingly more farcical by the day.

So much so, that having spoken with former Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic, and courting Preston manager Alex Neil, the Mail Online are now reporting that the fans’ nightmare outcome is looking more likely — another temporary appointment until the end of the season.

Albion fans can quite rightly claim that the club have learned absolutely nothing from a year ago, when the hopeless Alan Pardew was replaced by the, now ousted, Moore on an interim basis.

James Shan winning the two games he has been in charge for is great news for fans. It is exactly what was needed to regain momentum in the play-off race.

But what happens next?

The play-off platform foundations were laid by Moore. Yes, the club probably expected a more concerted automatic promotion push, but they find themselves in a relatively safe spot to reach the post-season, and is that really a position to sack your manager from?

If Shan — and a partner who could be brought in to help him — secure the play-off spot, and maybe even win promotion, what are those in charge of the hiring and firing going to do?

If they then decide to keep faith with the duo in place, fans will argue that this is the same merry-go-round scenario, and that it would be likely to have the same outcome next year.

West Brom’s very own Groundhog Day!

The ineptitude of the board is stunning, and they have sold Baggies fans short with their bungling efforts to bring in a manager that will take the club forward.

Forget interim appointments, approach the right man, and pull out all the stops to have him in place now. The future of the club depends on it!

What are your thoughts of the whole managerial farce at your club West Brom fans? Leave a comment below and share your thought…

Arsenal: ‘Wengerball’ is still alive at Arsenal, and it needs to get out of the system

It’s no secret that Arsenal are enjoying a resurgence to form with Unai Emery at the helm, but the philosophies of Arsene Wenger still linger at the club.

For all the social media attention and praise ‘Wengerball’ got during the legendary manager’s final season with Arsenal, it’s clear to see that the team are still stuck playing some of the styles Wenger laid out in his decades at the club.

This was evident in Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Newcastle, where there were many times where the Gunners played way too many passes in an attacking sequence or tried way too hard to try and walk the ball into the net.

Of course, the result is the only thing that really matters at the end of the day, and the performance overall was a positive one from the Gunners with Mesut Ozil having one of his best games this season and Ainsley Maitland-Niles yet again stepping up in a big game, but with Unai Emery keen to get his team to play his way of football, it’s pretty damming that the XI are still occasionally playing Wenger’s style of football.

We have seen countless times this season when Arsenal stick to Emery’s plan, goals and fluid attacking football are a given, but through the cracks that are there under the Spaniard’s system we have seen the team resort to the ways of old under Wenger, and the sooner this is weeded out of the club the better.

There’s no doubt that Wenger’s style of winning in a flashy and sometimes beautiful fashion revolutionised English football, but in the modern era, that style of football does not win you titles unless you are willing to adapt it, which is why it is important for Emery to filter out that style at Arsenal.

The Gunners have a good future under the former PSG manager, but if the team aren’t willing to shake off the ghosts of the past, then Arsenal as a club will not progress.

Arsenal fans, what have you made of Emery’s tactics this season?

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