[ad_pod ]Andy Reid has admitted to talkSPORT that he regrets the way he behaved during his spell at Nottingham Forest under Stuart Pearce.

Reid spent five years at Forest between 2011 and 2016, making 262 appearances for the club.

What’s the word?

Pearce spent under a year at the City Ground, between July 2014 and February 2015.

Reid started the first six games of the season under Pearce but sustained a serious groin injury against Derby County in September and missed the remainder of the season.

The former Republic of Ireland winger made his return in August 2015, with Pearce having already been long since sacked.

And Reid admits that he was not in the right frame of mind to support Pearce through his reign.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “I really struggled after I got injured, you know. I didn’t feel that I was probably going to make it back and I was struggling mentally at the time.

“In some ways, I probably let Stuart down a little bit around the place, because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to maybe help him and I probably should have done it a little bit more.

“So I feel like I’ve probably let him down, as did a lot of people.”

Pearce’s bed was made

After a sterling start to his tenure at Forest, Pearce struggled to keep the club’s form going.

A run of seven games unbeaten – including five wins – raised hopes of promotion to the Premier League.

However, following a 5-3 win over Fulham in September, Forest went nine games without a win, including five draws.

They never strung together more than three wins for the remainder of the season, even after Pearce’s departure, and finished the season in 14th, 19 points adrift of the play-offs.

Reid is being too hard on himself, then, to claim that he let Pearce down.

Forest’s form was largely down to the man in the dugout, not the winger on the treatment table.

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According to France Football, Everton were rejected by Lyon midfielder Lucas Tousart in the January transfer window, who also rejected a proposal from Zenit St Petersburg, which helped keep Idrissa Gueye at the club.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Toffees were extremely keen to add the 21-year-old midfielder to their ranks, as he is a player who has impressed massively for the Ligue 1 side.

French giants Paris Saint-Germain had Gueye in their sights throughout the January transfer window, and saw a £25m bid swiftly rejected as Everton were adamant that the Senegalese international would not be sold.

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Gueye did in fact hand in a transfer request to try and force the move to the French capital, and it is believed that if Tousart had agreed to sign for the Merseyside-based club, the former Aston Villa star would’ve been allowed to link up with the Parisians.

A blessing in disguise 

Before the whole PSG transfer saga, Gueye was visibly not performing to the standards that fans of Everton and the Premier League have come to expect from the 29-year-old.

However, since he was forced to stay at Goodison Park, he has knuckled down and rediscovered the form that attracted one of Europe’s biggest clubs in the first place, and appears to have a newfound motivation.

His heroic performance in the 3-0 away win over Cardiff, along with his tidy showing in the Merseyside derby, helped Everton keep two successive clean sheets.

It is almost as if the Senegalese midfielder knows that the Parisians can sign almost any player that they want to in world football given their ridiculous resources, so must maintain the high quality of his performances in order to keep them interested.

Whilst that may be bad news for the Toffees come the summer, Gueye’s tireless efforts are certainly a positive for them right now.

أشاد مدرب فريق مانشستر يونايتد أولي جونار سولشاير بالأداء الذي قدمه اللاعب خوان ماتا في مباراة الأمس أمام برايتون، في كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية.

وفاز مانشستر يونايتد بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، وتأهلوا إلى دور ربع نهائي البطولة.

وشارك خوان ماتا في تلك المباراة، حيث قدم أداءً رائعًا وصنع الهدف الأول وسجل الثاني.

وقال سولشاير، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “أداء رائع من خوان ماتا، لقد كان هو الشخص الذي يحصل على الكرة ويهدينا إياها، كان كالمؤلف”.

وأضاف: “لقد صنع الهدف الأول بشكل أو بآخر، أنا لا أشعر بالاندهاش عندما يلعب بتلك الطريقة، لقد كان بالقرب من منطقة الجزاء ويعرف كيف يتحرك بالكرة، يقوم بعمله وهو في الخلف ليحمي الكرة كما حدث أمام دان بيرن عند ركنية في الشوط الثاني”.

وواصل: “كنا بحاجة إلى أول 20-25 دقيقة للحصول على ثقتنا والحصول على الكرة، لقد عملنا على الكرات الثابتة، المحافظة على الشباك نظيفة أمر هام خاصة بالنسبة للمدافعين”.

واستكمل: “بوجبا؟ أردنا إشراكه لمدة 25 – 30 دقيقة حتى يكتسب المزيد من اللياقة، لقد وجد هو وراشفورد بعد اللمسات الجيدة”.

وعندما سُئل عن إمكانية إبرام صفقات جديدة في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي الحالي، وتحديدًا لاعب بوروسيا دورتموند جادون سانشو، أجاب سولشاير: “لا يمكنني إخبارك بأي شيء، نحن نعمل مع ما لدينا، لدينا فريق كبير، قمنا بتغيير 10 لاعبين اعتبارًا من يوم السبت، إذا كان هناك أي تحديث، فسنخبرك بذلك”.

واختتم: “أنا لا أعلق على لاعبي الفرق الأخرى، لا أستطيع أن أشغل نفسي بالأندية الأخرى، أعرف أن النادي يعمل بشكل جيد ويعمل بجد ليكون لديه فريق قوي قدر الإمكان، في بعض الأحيان تكون التكهنات موجودة ولا يمكننا التحكم في ذلك”.

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Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says that Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale would be wise to consider a return to the north London club.

What he said

Speaking to Cadena Ser radio station – as translated by ESPN – the 36-year-old Dutchman was asked about how Bale is doing at the Bernabeu. He said: “I think he [Bale] wants to stay at Real Madrid and play more…But I believe that a team like Manchester United or a return to Tottenham would be better for him”.

Bale has had a tough time with the La Liga giants this season. The club’s fans, and the local media, have all criticised the Welshman at times this year. 

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The 29-year-old has racked up a respectable return of thirteen goals and five assists in all competitions so far, as per Transfermarkt’s stats. However, more is expected of the man Real paid £85 million to sign in 2013 – especially since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Out of reach

The 74-cap Wales international would certainly be welcome back at Spurs. Bale would also give Mauricio Pochettino’s side a huge boost of quality. How he might combine with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen is a frightening proposition for other Premier League clubs to consider.

However, even though Bale is not the most popular figure in Madrid, he still has a Transfermarkt valuation of £72 million and a contract set to run until 2022. The Spanish club would surely command a huge fee in exchange for the forward, far beyond what Daniel Levy would likely be prepared to pay.

A return to Spurs may well suit Bale, but he is no longer within the club’s reach.

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to a hugely significant club update, as captain George Honeyman will be allowed to play in the Checkatrade Trophy final at Wembley.

Duncan Watmore scored four minutes into stoppage time to rescue a point for Sunderland at Wycombe on Saturday, but it was what took place after the goal that has really got people talking.

A bench-clearing brawl resulted in red cards for Honeyman and the Chairboys’ Nathan Tyson, while Marcus Bean was dismissed a couple of minutes later for picking up a second yellow card.

Honeyman was handed a three-game ban for the incident, which was originally set to rule him out of the Checkatrade final vs Portsmouth, but he will now be allowed to play at Wembley.

The Black Cats appealed the ban, and while the appeal was unsuccessful, the ban will now only apply to league games, a club statement confirmed.

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Honeyman is a hugely popular figure at the Stadium of Light for obvious reasons, and fans are over the moon at this massive announcement from the club.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has returned to first-team training ahead of this weekend’s clash with Burnley, per the London Evening Standard.

The England captain sustained ankle ligament damage in January’s loss to Manchester United.

The BBC subsequently claimed that he could be out until March, but the aforementioned London Evening Standard report claims that he could even feature this weekend.

The London Evening Standard claim that Kane has been reminded previously that he must not push himself too hard and manager Mauricio Pochettino may subsequently start him on the bench, particularly with back-to-back derbies against Chelsea and Arsenal looming.

Indeed, Spurs have not lost a Premier League game since the forward was ruled out, beating Fulham, Watford, Newcastle United and Leicester City. They were eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup but beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie last week.

Nevertheless, Spurs are delighted that Kane is readying himself for a comeback. Take a look at the best reaction on Twitter below!

نجح فريق توتنهام هوتسبير الإنجليزي في التأهل لمجموعات الدوري الأوروبي لموسم 2020/2021، بعد الانتصار على مكابي حيفا الإسرائيلي بنتيجة 7-2، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، مساء اليوم الخميس.

انتهى الشوط الأول من المباراة بتقدم توتنهام بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدف، الهدف الأول، أحرزه هاري كين في الدقيقة الثانية، وفي الدقيقة 17 عادل تيارون شيري النتيجة لـ حيفا.

وفي الدقيقة 20، تمكن الدولي البرازيلي لوكاس مورا من تسجيل الهدف الثاني، وفي الدقيقة 36 أحرز الأرجنتيني جيوفاني لو سيلسو الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 36، وبعدها بدقيتين، عاد النجم الأرجنتيني لإحراز الهدف الثاني له والرابع لفريقه.

وفي الشوط الثاني، قلص من جديد حيفا النتيجة بالهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 52 من علامة الجزاء، عاد هاري كين من جديد، لزيارة شباك حيفا بالهدف الخامس من علامة الجزاء في الدقيقة 56.

وفي الدقيقة 74، سجّل الدولي الإنجليزي هاري كين الهدف الثالث له في المباراة “هاتريك” والسادس لفريقه، وفي الدقيقة 91، اختتم ديلي مهرجان الأهداف بالهدف السابع من ركلة جزاء.

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What a player Ledley King was by the way.

The one-club man made 313 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur between 1999 and 2012 before being forced into an early retirement.

King hardly trained in the latter stages of his professional career as he desperately attempted to manage his chronic knee issues.

King was ultimately forced to retire in July 2012 at the age of 32, but over 300 appearances for Tottenham is extremely impressive, whilst he also turned out on 21 occasions for the England national team between 2002 and 2010.

Now an ambassador for Tottenham, it would be fair to say that the former centre-back is still a hero with the London club’s fans.

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And many took to social media earlier this week to lavish praise on King – a 2008 League Cup winner with Tottenham – in response to a video which cropped up on the club’s official Twitter account.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the adoring Spurs supporters can be seen below:

Midfield creativity has been a huge issue for Liverpool this season as their over-reliance on their fearsome front three has seen them stumble in recent weeks in the Premier League.

Following the departure of Phillipe Coutinho last year to Barcelona, boss Jurgen Klopp has used the money recuperated to bolster the club’s defensive options by signing the likes of Alisson Becker, Fabinho and the excellent Virgil Van Dijk.

As a result of these purchases, the Reds have clearly shown a marked improvement at one end of the pitch yet in doing so have sacrificed a fair share of their attacking abilities. The failure of securing a deal to bring in Nabil Fekir last summer from Olympique Lyonnais has left Klopp’s side clearly lacking a spark at times in the Premier League this season.

Goalless draws on their travels at Everton and Manchester United in the last month has emphasised the chasm in midfield options between Liverpool and Premier League leaders Manchester City. Whereas Guardiola’s side has the luxury of choosing between the likes of David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, the Reds’ lack of squad depth may make all the difference in this year’s title race.

In order to address this issue next season, Klopp has to give up on the failed project of trying to get Adam Lallana back to his best.

Having moved to Anfield for a fee reported to be in the region of £25m by the Guardian in 2014 following an immensely successful spell with Southampton, the midfielder seemingly had all the hallmarks of becoming a world class talent.

Yet despite impressing initially in his first two seasons at the club, Lallana’s development was hampered by a myriad of injury problems which saw him miss 18 games for the Reds. The England international’s habit of spending far too much time sidelined has continued in the last three years as he has been unavailable for selection for a further 49 matches.

However, even when fit and playing for Liverpool, Lallana has been very inconsistent with the play-maker only producing glimmers of his talent during his five year spell at Anfield.

In terms of this season, it is clear that Klopp has a decision to make in the summer as the former AFC Bournemouth star has been incredibly underwhelming having yet to register a goal or assist in 15 appearances in all competitions.

If the Reds are to build a squad that can dominate both in the Premier League and in Europe over the next five years, they simply have to get rid of some of the deadwood in their squad. Unfortunately for Lallana, his form this season means that he has to be one of the players to depart in the upcoming transfer window.

The sale of the midfielder could suit both parties as for Liverpool, they can use some of the funds to bring in a young, exciting creative player whilst Lallana could also benefit from a new start elsewhere which could allow him to re-build his career.

What do you think Liverpool fans? Should Klopp give up on Lallana? Or does the England international still have what it takes to perform at the top level? Let us know below.

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Adam Idah is pulling up trees at Norwich City.

Aged just 18, the striker has been in prolific form already this season, scoring a total of 10 goals in 15 outings in the Premier League 2.

His most recent strike came from the penalty spot, in a 2-1 win over Manchester United, a club to which he was briefly linked during Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Old Trafford.

Idah, signed from Irish club Corinthians, has already made his mark at Carrow Road.

In May, he was awarded the Academy Player of the Year, as well as the Under-18 Player of the Year.

This came about after the teenager signed a boot deal with Adidas, the sportswear giant who are already high on his potential.

Speaking to Pundit Arena, he confirmed in April of last year: “Such a big brand like that signing me, it’s great. For them to be looking at me, it’s a great thing.”

That is not to mention his international form.

Idah has been superb at youth level for the Republic of Ireland, winning 20 caps for the Under-17 team and scoring 13 goals.

He was the top scorer in qualification for the European Under-17 Championships last summer, netting eight times, and scored once at the tournament, against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Such has been his form, he has also played for the Under-18s and the Under-19s.

He has scored twice in four outings for the former and twice in three games for the latter.

It seems that the higher he climbs, the bigger the stage, the more Idah thrives. Norwich, indeed, are enjoying a fantastic season and are currently top of the Championship, with plenty of talent in the starting XI.

However, if Idah’s form continues, it will not be long before he too is playing under Daniel Farke, perhaps in the Premier League.

One thing seems certain; he is destined for bigger things, and may well be strutting his stuff at a top club sooner rather than later.