Between The Lines: Departing Huddersfield chairman doesn’t see bright future for club

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Speaking to the Examiner, departing Huddersfield Town chairman Dean Hoyle has offered his replacement Phil Hodgkinson some advice on how to run the club, but his comments may give greater insight into why he has chosen to sell up.

What’s he said then?

Hoyle didn’t sound overly optimistic when passing his wisdom on to the new owner.

He heeded the warning that the club needs to be financially sensible rather than throwing cash at the squad in order to give them a steady footing in the second tier next year.

Hoyle said, as quoted by the Huddersfield Examiner: “So look at next season. What we can’t afford to do is boil our brains – a decision after we have a fire sale, a decision we hope for survival – it can’t happen.”

Furthermore, when asked if returning to the Premier League was a priority he said:

“I think if you make it a priority you are doomed for failure.”

How can that be interpreted?

Talking about survival after just being relegated from the Premier League is never a good sign.

The more you think about it, the more Hoyle’s sale of the club seems like a captain jumping from a sinking ship.

There is a severe danger that Huddersfield could go the way of Sunderland and suffer back-to-back relegations and end up in League One.

The former owner knows that and has surely sold up before the value of the club depreciates upon their downfall. Hoyle was under no illusions; he is aware that the Terriers’ best players will have to depart this summer, but he’s worried that the squad will be left bare.

The 52-year-old has warned Hodgkinson about the perils of a considerable squad turnover, but it remains to be seen as to whether or not the new man follows his advice.

He didn’t seem confident that the Yorkshire club will be back in the big time anytime soon and he seems to just want stability in the Championship rather than a Premier League return.

This should be a huge red flag for any Huddersfield fans, that a man who knows the club inside out isn’t looking for a Premier League return and has sold the club.

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The new owner may come in overly ambitious and undo all the hard work that was put in by Hoyle during his decade in charge at the John Smith’s stadium.

Arsenal: Markus Schubert is the ideal replacement for Petr Cech

The Europa League final is set to be one of Arsenal’s most important games in a very long time.

Win, and the Gunners land themselves a spot in the Champions League for the first time in two seasons and an injection of cash that Unai Emery desperately needs in order to improve the squad over the summer. Lose, and Arsenal return to step one in their quest to return to European’s elite competition and face a summer of cheap signings and mass player sales.

But the final will also be a sombre one, in large part because of Petr Cech.

The veteran goalkeeper is in line to make his final ever appearance in professional football in Baku against the team he made his name at, and with Cech retiring the Gunners are in need of a new backup at the club, and a recent name could prove to be the answer.

According to Bild, Arsenal are interested in Dynamo Dresden goalkeeper Markus Schubert, who will be leaving the East German side this season on a free when his deal with the 2.Bundesliga side runs out.

A first-team player since the age of 18, the Germany U-21 keeper has made a name for himself in Germany in the past two seasons as a player with the potential to one day represent the senior national team. And, Schubert, who is valued at £900,000 on Transfermarkt, would prove to be an excellent addition this summer for the Gunners.

At 20-years-old, the German is in the early days of his footballing career yet already has enough experience in a respected league to be a suitable backup option for Arsenal next season. And, playing understudy to Bernd Leno, Schubert will be learning from not only a fellow countryman but also a keeper who has proven to be one of the best in England this campaign.

Cech has had a lasting impact on the Premier League and at Arsenal, but in Schubert, the Gunners will have a keeper who can take the goalkeeping great’s place on the bench and one day be a successor to Leno in the future.

Arsenal fans, would Schubert be a good replacement for Cech? Let us know!

Sheffield United: Wilder must consider signing Kasey Palmer in the summer

It has been quite a year to be a Sheffield United supporter, hasn’t it?

Under the guidance of Chris Wilder and Alan Knill, the Blades have exceeded all expectations this season with last week’s victory against Ipswich Town confirming their automatic promotion to the Premier League.

With a massive summer ahead for the club, it is clear that they will need to strengthen their squad in the transfer window in order to give themselves the best chance of competing in the top-flight.

One area that Wilder will be targeting specifically is central midfield as he will need to find a sufficient replacement for Kieren Dowell whose loan deal at Bramall Lane expires at the end of the month.

According to reports in the Sun (as quoted by HITC), the former Northampton Town boss may have already found his man as he has been linked with a move for Chelsea ace Kelsey Palmer.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant loan spell at Bristol City this season and is one of the key reasons to why Lee Johnson’s side are still in contention for a play-off place in the Championship.

An exciting, skilful young prospect, Palmer has all the ingredients needed to succeed at the highest level yet in order to fulfil his potential, he may have to leave Stamford Bridge as staying at the Blues could hamper his development.

Therefore, if the £1.35m-rated midfielder (via Transfermarkt) is made available for transfer, Wilder must go all-out to secure his signature. Although Palmer has only been directly involved in four goals this season for the Robins, he could be the perfect fit for the Blades’ 3-5-2 system and it may be worth the risk to bring him in.

What do you think United fans? Should Wilder do everything he can to bring in Palmer in the summer? If not, who do you think he should be targeting when the transfer window opens in July? Let us know below.

Tottenham fans call on players to copy Liverpool in vital European clash

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Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool could play each other in the first all-English Champions League final since 2008, leaving Spurs fans in a state of shock.

The Reds produced a genuinely miraculous comeback on Tuesday evening, overturning a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona with an astonishing 4-0 victory at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will find out their opponents in Madrid on Wednesday, with Spurs set to take on Ajax in Amsterdam.

Tottenham lost 1-0 to the Dutch giants in the first leg in north London but will perhaps take heart from the amazing feats of their Premier League counterparts; they know that a victory by two goals or more would see them through.

And Spurs fans have called on their players to take inspiration from the Reds as the club yet again try to upset the odds in Europe.

They had taken one point from their first three games of the group stages, but staged a fight-back to qualify for the latter stages, before thumping Borussia Dortmund and somehow scraping past Manchester City.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

West Ham: Reece Oxford’s exit should only induce shrugged shoulders

With a proper overhaul surely required to take West Ham United to the level Manuel Pellegrini wants them at, there have to be some sacrifices. That’s just life.

Cruel, cruel life.

In order to sign new players, some of the existing lot surplus to requirements have to make way.

It seems like the Hammers are already preparing for a busy summer window and have come to terms with Reece Oxford’s seemingly imminent departure. The youngster is keen on moving permanently to Bundesliga outfit Augsburg, according to reports (via Sky Sports) and, to be fair, it’s all a bit meh.

Indeed, the 20-year-old, who made history in becoming the Hammers youngest ever Premier League player, is enjoying life in Germany and a deal is said to be close.

He’s grown fond of the Bundesliga as his current employers are keen on making him an important cog in their defence. Oxford might’ve only made 6 appearances so far, but impressive stats like 2.3 clearances and 1.8 interceptions per game (stats via WhoScored) have made Augsburg fond of his talents.

It’s not as if his talents have ever been questioned. It’s just that things haven’t worked out since his stunning debut and everyone has, well, moved on.

With Pellegrini now trusting Issa Diop as his future defensive general and keen on making some signings to reinforce his back-line, Oxford’s services aren’t really required anymore. Despite his early debut, he never fit into the intensity of the Premier League, costing West Ham quite a few times.

While it’ll be disappointing to see an academy graduate leave so early, it won’t really sting the Hammers. They won’t really be in trouble without him and can take advantage of his sale, bringing funds back into the club.

West Ham fans, would you be disappointed to see Oxford move away next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Whoops! Man City fans look foolish after their pre-match moans vs Leicester

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Some Manchester City fans on Twitter are looking particularly foolish right now after last night’s hugely significant 1-0 win over Leicester.

As most of you will already know, the Citizens scraped past the Foxes courtesy of Vincent Kompany’s goal-of-the-season contender, a fierce strike into the top right corner from 30 yards out.

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It is these kind of games, in which so much is at stake, where the Belgian centre-back thrives.

He always seems to come up trumps for his club in crucial moments, and the impact of his strike against Brendan Rodgers’ men was reminiscent of his thumping header against Manchester United in 2012, which put City in the driving seat for the title.

His leadership and calmness in these situations is pivotal, and it is probably why Pep Guardiola decided to play him against the likes of Jamie Vardy and James Maddison, two nippy players who many thought would cause the ageing Kompany some issues.

Many City fans on Twitter were moaning about the captain’s inclusion in the starting eleven prior to kick-off on Monday night, and they have been forced to eat their words after the 33-year-old’s match-winning performance…

اتحاد السلة يعلن غياب الجماهير عن تصفيات إفريقيا المقامة بمصر

أعلن اتحاد كرة السلة عدم السماح لأي فرد بدخول صالة نادي الاتحاد السكندري خلال إقامة تصفيات المنطقة الخامسة لبطولة إفريقيا لكرة السلة، إلا للفرق المشاركة وأجهزتها الفنية والقائمين على تنظيم المباريات.

ويستعد منتخب الفراعنة لتصفيات المنطقة الخامسة لبطولة إفريقيا، والتي تقام في الإسكندرية من 27 لـ 29 نوفمبر، والتي يتواجد فيها المنتخب المصري في مجموعة واحدة مع المغرب وأوغندا ومنتخب الرأس الأخضر.

اقرأ أيضًا.. اتحاد السلة يعتمد بندا جديدا لحماية حقوق مدربي الأندية

وجاء قرار اتحاد السلة بناءً على تعليمات أجهزة الدولة ووزارة الصحة وبروتوكول التعامل مع فيروس كورونا “كوفيد-19″، وحرصًا على سلامة وصحة المواطنين بالتزامن مع الموجة الثانية لفيروس كورونا.

وكان عمرو مصيلحي عضو مجلس ادارة الاتحاد المصري لكرة السلة، ورئيس اللجنة المنظمة للتصفيات، قد قام بصحبة رؤوساء اللجان على معاينة أرض الملعب مطلع الأسبوع الجاري، وأشاد بمدى الجدية في إنهاء كافة التجهيزات في المواعيد المحددة.

Disgusting: Man United fans slam Marcos Rojo after his disrespectful comments

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in disgust after Marcos Rojo revealed what he and Angel Di Maria got up to in their early days at the club.

Rojo told ESPN Argentina: “We went to English classes with Angel Di Maria and we killed each other with laughter.

One point separated City and Liverpool but twenty-five separated them from the rest! Fans discuss who could reduce the deficit next season in the video below?

“Afterwards we did not go to those classes anymore and they (United) started fining us because they were already paying.”

Unsurprisingly, Di Maria has since left the club after spending one failed season at Old Trafford, managing to score just four times following his £59.7m move from Real Madrid.

Rojo, however, signed a contract extension as recently as last year, but only made six appearances for the club in the campaign just gone.

A lot has been made of the poor attitude at Old Trafford right now, and it is seemingly a huge reason behind the club’s dismal season under Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer; the latter even threatened to sell some of his players due to their woeful attitudes.

Having heard how the two Argentina internationals treated the club and the lack of effort they put in to their English lessons, the United supporters on Twitter have reacted lividly and feel the pair have been disrespectful to the club…

Loads of QPR fans send messages to Clint Hill

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QPR limped towards the finishing line in 2018/19 but were able to sign off for the season in style as they beat 12th-placed Sheffield Wednesday away – one of the highlights of a disappointing campaign.

Mark Warburton has come in with a refreshing attitude and promises to be a good appointment for the Hoops, who will be hoping for another day like 24th May 2014 in the coming years.

The Loftus Road outfit, captained by Clint Hill, lifted the play-off trophy at Wembley Stadium having beaten Derby County and secured promotion to the top flight.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

The 40-year-old spent six years at W12 between 2010 and 2016 – a period of time he referred to on Twitter as the ‘good old days’ – making 169 appearances and scoring five goals.

As former players united to celebrate their achievement of five years ago, some QPR fans took the opportunity to send some warming messages to the Huyton-born retiree – you can check out the best of the reaction below…

هاري كين عن مارادونا بعد وفاته: شرفت بلقائه

أبدى نجم فريق توتنهام ومنتخب إنجلترا هاري كين، كامل حزنه لوفاة أسطورة كرة القدم الأرجنتينية دييجو مارادونا اليوم الأربعاء.

وكان الاتحاد الأرجنتيني لكرة القدم قد أعلن منذ قليل، وفاة مارادونا بعد صراع طويل مع المرض (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

ونشر هاري كين، عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “تويتر” صورة تجمعه بـ مارادونا.

وكتب النجم الإنجليزي: “شرفت بلقائه، أخبار حزينة جدًا، ارقد في سلام مارادونا”.

والتقى مارادونا بـ كين قبل 3 أعوام خلال تواجد الأرجنتيني في مباراة توتنهام وليفربول في الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث اجتمع مع مواطنه ماوريسيو بوتشيتينو مدرب الديوك في ذلك الوقت.

وأثنى مارادونا على كين آنذاك، ونصحه بألا يسدد الكرة فقط في الزاوية البعيدة للمرمى، بل القريبة كذلك حتى يخدع حراس المرمى.

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