Deserves a chance: Leeds fans are excited by Ryan Edmondson

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United’s Under-23 side played out a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace’s Under-23s on Monday afternoon and there was another goal for Ryan Edmondson.

Edmondson has now found the back of the net on 18 occasions this season, which has led to a number of Leeds fans calling for him to be involved in the first team.

The 17-year-old has played twice in the Championship this season, but his last involvement was against Birmingham City back in September.

It does seem unlikely that first-team boss Marcelo Bielsa will call for the teenager at this stage of the campaign when considering what is at stake.

However, some of the Leeds supporters feel that the forward should be given the opportunity to prove himself before the end of the campaign.

It really is a huge period of the season for the Whites, who have won their last two in the Championship against Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday.

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

Next up for Bielsa’s team is a home game against Wigan Athletic on Friday, where they will be looking to consolidate their spot in the top two.

A selection of the Twitter reaction in relation to Edmondson’s latest performance can be seen below:

Pundit View: Charlotte Marsh names James Maddison as PL signing of the summer

[ad_pod ]

As Sky Sports writers had their say on the Premier League summer signing of the season, journalist Charlotte Marsh has picked out Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison as her man.

What did she say?

After excelling at Coventry City and then Norwich City in the Sky Bet Championship, the young England talent finally made his big £20 million step up to the Premier League in the summer 2018 transfer window.

Breaking into Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad along the way, the 22-year-old has made 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring six and assisting six and here’s what Marsh had to say when naming Maddison her top-flight signing of the summer:

“It has been a stellar first campaign for James Maddison in the Premier League and despite a truly turbulent season for Leicester, the 22-year-old has remained unflappable and mightily impressive in midfield. He has started in 28 of Leicester’s 31 league matches – showing his importance to both Claude Puel and Brendan Rodgers – with six goals scored, which is already the second best return of his career. He has also created 81 scoring chances for his side – the joint-most in Europe’s top five leagues along with Atalanta’s Alejandro Gomez and Lyon’s Memphis Depay. At such a young age, it will be exciting to watch his development over the next few years.”

He’s up there, but can he be called signing of the summer?

No, despite how much the starlet has fulfilled his potential in his first Premier League season, his contribution hasn’t quite been enough to be called signing of the summer.

In a couple of years, we could be looking back on the best signing in recent memory for Brendan Rodgers’ men as Maddison is a very exciting prospect, but not just yet.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The star who can also do a job out on the wing is up there in the running for signing of the summer, with the likes of David Brooks and Felipe Anderson in the same position, however, he’s just short of the mark.

Maddison’s wonderful free-kicks have sometimes served a distraction from his shortcomings on the pitch and there is plenty of room for improvement, based on his first term with the Foxes.

The photo of the shock Jack Grealish incident you probably haven’t seen yet

[ad_pod ]

Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish was involved in a shocking incident during Sunday’s derby clash with Birmingham City at St Andrew’s when a pitch invader attacked him from behind, and we have all now seen plenty of images of the perpetrator and what he did.

However, there are some photos in the aftermath of the altercation that have gone under the radar, including the following one that shows Blues players gathering round the 23-year-old to ask if he is ok and to help the Villans captain to his feet.

On a day where one individual brought shame upon the game of football, it was good to see that even though it was a hostile occasion between two teams desperate for the bragging rights, the hosts were able to instantly react in the right way – as you would expect.

Who has been the Championship’s best player this season? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

Of course, Grealish went on to score the decisive goal in a crucial 1-0 win for his team, which took them one point above Garry Monk’s side in the league standings and just four adrift of the top six.

With one point separating the two and 10 fixtures remaining, it is still very much all to play for during the run-in.

Tottenham fans offer their views on Mason’s transfer advice

[ad_pod ]

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ryan Mason has urged the capital club to make a move to re-sign Gareth Bale in this summer’s transfer window.

Bale’s future has been the subject of much speculation following his struggles at Real Madrid during the 2018-19 campaign.

The 29-year-old has registered 13 goals in all competitions, but has been booed by the Real Madrid fans on a number of occasions this term.

Jonathan Barnett, who represents Bale, recently came to the Welshman’s defence, but it has been a struggle for him this season.

Mason has called on his former club to make a move for the attacker this summer and the Tottenham fans have been on social media offering their reaction.

Whilst it is a nice idea, many of the Spurs supporters feel that their club will be unable to afford the 6ft 1in ace due to his huge wages.

Others, though, are just against the move for their own reasons.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

West Ham’s striker issues to get worse as Hugill move to Middlesbrough in doubt

[ad_pod ]According to reliable West Ham news site Claret & Hugh, Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis has cooled on the idea of signing West Ham United striker Jordan Hugill on a permanent deal this summer following his season-long loan spell.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the centre-forward joined the Championship club on a temporary basis for the 2018/19 campaign last summer, having only made three appearances for the east London outfit between January 2018 and the end of last term.

Despite being a regular starter under Pulis, the 26-year-old hasn’t exactly set the world alight for Boro in terms of goals, scoring just the six in 26 league appearances for the Teesside outfit.

Claret & Hugh report that they are unlikely to look to make the move permanent should they achieve promotion to the Premier League, although they have been told that he will be returning to the London Stadium no matter what happens.

More bad news for West Ham

Manuel Pellegrini and the club would surely have been hoping that they had seen the last of Hugill and that they could recoup some of the £10m fee they paid Preston North End for the striker.

However, if Claret & Hugh are to be believed then that won’t be happening, and it is yet another striker blow for the east London side.

Andy Carroll is out of contract at the end of the season while Lucas Perez was reportedly left behind when the squad travelled to Marbella for a training camp this month because of his attitude.

Meanwhile, Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic were both heavily linked with exits during the January window, and it would be no surprise if we haven’t heard the last of the story involving the latter even if he did recently pen a new contract.

Southampton the ideal destination for Mohamed Elneny to reignite flailing Premier League career

According to a recent report from The Independent, Southampton are eyeing up a January move for midfielder Mohamed Elneny. The 26-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League giants Arsenal and has done so since leaving Basel back in January 2016, although struggles for regular game time at the Emirates Stadium this term has plunged his future at the club into doubt.

And a recent report from The Independent suggests that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton are seeking to lure him to the South Coast this month in a bid to end his Arsenal nightmare, with St Mary’s the ideal destination for the £9 million-rated outcast (as per Transfermarkt) to reignite his flailing Premier League career.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, things have never really got going properly for Elneny ever since swapping Switzerland for North London three years ago, with the Egypt international in that time only managing 40 league appearances for the Gunners, and just 81 in all competitions.

Injuries have certainly played a part in his struggles with issues to his calf, ankle, and hamstring very much disrupting his first team chances, but this term has seen him completely fall out of favour under new manager Unai Emery having appeared only twice in the Premier League for the North London heavyweights.

As such, his time at Arsenal very much appears to be up after just three years at the club, yet Hasenhuttl’s Southampton would surely provide him with the opportunity to resurrect his flagging career in English football.

Ultimately, the departure of Steven Davis to Scottish giants Rangers earlier this month has left the Saints slightly short of cover in the centre midfield area, especially in the more defensive-minded role given Mario Lemina and Oriol Romeu are the only men left in that particular department.

But such is the demand of Hasenhuttl’s dynamic and high-intensity pressing game, more options in that area of the field certainly wouldn’t go amiss, especially someone as solid on the ball but also with ability off it like Arsenal’s Elneny.

The 26-year-old may not have totally convinced in English football yet, but there have been signs that he has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League such has been his strength and overall reading of the game – he anticipates play well to help break up play and thwart oppositions going forward.

And with ability in getting on the ball and trying to pick a pass, the Egyptian ace would be a very accomplished addition to Hasenhuttl’s squad, not to mention the necessary quality needed to not only pull clear of Premier League danger this season, but also to help re-establish the club in the top ten in years to come.

As such, with the Saints reportedly (as per The Independent) keen on the midfielder, the South Coast does appear to be the ideal destination for Elneny to reignite his flailing career in English football.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Chris Sutton slams Steven Gerrard’s Katic call

Rangers have been cut further adrift from in the Scottish Premiership following Sunday’s draw and now manager Steven Gerrard has come under attack for one of his key decisions during that match.Chris Sutton has slammed the 39-year-old following his actions over centre-back Nikola Katic – the Gers boss didn’t want to sling the Croatian off during the first half for his dire display incase it hindered his morale, but then proceeded to throw him under the bus post-game.The former Celtic midfielder has described it as “pretty remarkable” on Twitter, he said:

Gerrard said: “I don’t want to take anyone off too early because that could ruin them for a long time. At times you have to accept that teams will get some joy against you, but for St Johnstone to get the joy they did against us was just too easy. If we defend like that against Braga we haven’t got a chance, that is for sure.” before adding: “teams are not cutting us to pieces. We are not being killed by individual brilliance. It is us who are shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Katic provided a blunder for both of the goals they conceded – one, he was found lost in possession, and the other, he was purely outmuscled by the opposition.

Life after football: Do you know what all of these former players did next?

It gives Gerrard plenty to think about ahead of their trip to Braga tomorrow evening where they hold a one-goal advantage, but the Portuguese outfit managed to secure two away goals, which only bolsters their chances.

Whether the 23-year-old keeps his place remains to be seen, though what is clear is that the former Liverpool midfielder still has plenty to learn about the managerial game. It’s a cutthroat industry.

And in other news, Rangers fans SLAM this Gerrard FAVOURITE after St Johnstone draw…

Mignolet hails Liverpool squad depth as they continue to lead title race

[ad_pod ]

Simon Mignolet has told the Liverpool Echo that Liverpool have the squad depth to win the Premier League title.

The Belgian was involved in the Reds’ last title chase, in 2013-14, as the Reds came agonisingly close to winning the league, only to capitulate at the last, allowing Manchester City to become champions.

What’s the word?

Liverpool are currently four points clear of City at the top of the Premier League table, with 15 games still to play.

However, Mignolet has been in this position before, seeing Brendan Rodgers’ side dramatically fail to clinch the title, despite building a seemingly unassailable lead at the top of the table.

The Belgium international, though, says that there is more quality running throughout the entirety of the squad this time around, and believes they have the numbers to weather all but the most serious injury crisis.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, he said: “So much has changed over the past five years here.

FFC’s James Jones has identified the one thing that could cost Liverpool the title. Find out what it is in the video below…

“It’s only Hendo (Jordan Henderson), Studge (Daniel Sturridge) and myself still here from the last time we really fought for the title.

“Back then a lot of it was about Luis Suarez and Studge, whereas now the goals are shared about more. We had a really good team in 2013/14 but the moment we got one or two injuries it became difficult.

“We’ve got a broad squad now which means we can cope with injuries. That’s probably the biggest difference with last time.”

The Reds face Leicester City on Wednesday before a weekend meeting with West Ham United.

Depth is key

In 2013-14, Liverpool were all too reliant on the mercurial talents of Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan scored 31 goals and provided 17 assists in the top flight, as per Transfermarkt, in what was undoubtedly one of the finest individual seasons in Premier League history.

However, this time around the Reds can call on Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, with the likes of Naby Keita, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum all too happy to chip in as well.

Jurgen Klopp is blessed with a fantastic array of talent on his bench; ironically, perhaps only Pep Guardiola can lay claim to having more in reserve than the Reds.

It is set up to be a fascinating run-in, particularly with the amount of talent packed in each squad.

One thing is for sure; if either side slips up, the other is certain to take advantage.

Revealed: Most Liverpool fans desperate for Gomez to start ahead of Lovren against Arsenal

[ad_pod ]

Joe Gomez has been one of the highlights of Liverpool’s season so far.

The 21-year-old has seamlessly stepped into the role of Virgil van Dijk’s centre-back partner since the campaign began.

Dejan Lovren ended the 2017-18 season as a regular in the first team, but after suffering an abdominal injury during the World Cup final with Croatia, he was forced to sit out Liverpool’s first few matches.

The 6ft 2in tall Gomez has spent the majority of his career at Anfield playing at right-back, but he has looked more than comfortable at the heart of defence.

His performances recently rewarded him with a call-up to the England squad, but in the last few matches, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has tinkered with Gomez’s position.

The defender has either been forced out wide to accommodate Lovren since his return to fitness, or has been rested.

On Saturday, Liverpool will go head to head with Arsenal at the Emirates, and it is unclear who will start at the back alongside Van Dijk.

After asking you who Klopp should pick, it became clear that most fans want to see Gomez back in the line-up, replacing Lovren, who started in last weekend’s 4-1 win over Cardiff City.

One Thing That Is Guaranteed To Happen To Every Premier League Team This Season

The start of a new Premier League season brings a lot of uncertainties, will City regain their title? How will the newly promoted clubs get on? Will all 20 managers still have a job come the end of the season?

That is why the Premier League is one of the greatest competitions in the world.

Despite all this uncertainty, there are some things as a fan that you can guarantee will happen to your club during a season.

From getting excited about the prospect of European football but finishing 7th to enduring a managerial merry-go-round, as fans we just know.

We take a look at the one thing that will happen to your team during the 2018/19 season, do you agree?

 

Man City Will Start Unbeaten

After beating Chelsea in the Community Shield, City will go on to be unbeaten in the league until January, with pundits and the media asking whether they can emulate Arsenal’s ‘Invincible’ season.

They will then play Newcastle away on Wednesday 30th January and lose to a Jonjo Shelvey winner.

Mourinho Will Moan About The Lack Of Signings And Injuries

Within weeks of the season starting, Jose Mourinho will begin to complain about his club’s lack of high quality signings in the transfer window and injuries. He will be forced to give Luke Shaw a game and that will be the last straw, he rants in a heated press conference before a Champions League group-stage game.

Pellegrini Will Ask Hammers Fans For More Time

With an almost brand new starting eleven, Manuel Pellegrini will struggle to ‘gel’ his players and West Ham will go on a barren run of loses. Pellegrini gets the backing from the chairmen David Gold and Sullivan, but calls a press conference asking the Hammers fans for more time.

Sky Sports Commentators Will Mention Arsene Wenger At Least Ten Times Every Arsenal Match

No matter what the result or performance, Martin Tyler’s co-commentator will make sure the name ‘Arsene Wenger’ is uttered at least ten times during a broadcast of the match to help his comparisons with Unai Emery.

Spurs’ Stadium Will Be Delayed Or Have A Boring Start

Sky Sports will have a massive countdown to Spurs’ first fixture in their new home, with at least 20 minutes of the broadcast dedicated to aerial shots of the stadium.

After all the hype, the game will be the worst in the history of Liverpool and Spurs, ending in a 0-0 draw.

There is the possibility that the stadium will be delayed and therefore Spurs fans will have to endure more fixtures at Wembley.

Wolves Will Be Called Portugal, Alot

Quips like ‘It’s like watching Portugal’ and ‘They’ve got more Portuguese players than FC Porto’ will haunt Wolves all season. They won’t care though as Ruben Neves guides his team to a top 10 finish.

Burnley Will Have Europa League Hangovers

The Turf Moor faithful will see their team on BT Sport beat Villarreal away from home on a Thursday night, but will then be forced to sit and watch their team lose to Huddersfield at home the Sunday after.

This will be a regular occurrence, seeing the club in threat of relegation come February.

Watford Will Sack Their Manager

No matter what position Watford are in the league, Javi Gracia will lose his job, probably citing mutual differences.

Ryan Sessegnon Will Be Hot Property In January Transfer Window

After scoring seven goals before Christmas, the top six will be queuing up for Ryan Sessegnon’s signature, he will be rewarded for his performances with his first senior England cap.

Maurizio Sarri Will Be Under Pressure After Early Cup Exit

Chelsea are knocked out of the League Cup by a Championship club or lose at home to Europa League minnows, which is in the middle of two horrendous results in the League.

The pressure grows on the Italian to turn things around.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus