All posts by z3u9t.icu

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were left slamming referee Kevin Clancy after their 1-1 draw away at Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday night.

It was a frustrating game for the Ibrox faithful as they dropped two points in their race for the SPFL title, as Ianis Hagi’s opener was cancelled out by a penalty from Lewis Ferguson after Alfredo Morelos handled the ball inside his own penalty box.

Clancy decided to give the Colombia international a yellow card for the incident too, which seemed harsh as he could not really get his hand out of the way of the line of the shot.

This was one of five yellow cards in total given to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team, including two to Ryan Kent which resulted in a red, again the second seemingly harsh for a minimal clip on former Celtic midfield player Scott Brown.

Nonetheless, a lot of Teddy Bears were left very unhappy with Clancy’s performance on the night.

Rangers fans slam Clancy

These Light Blues slammed Clancy on Twitter, with one Gers supporter even going as far as to call him ’embarrassing’:

“This referee is ridiculous a complaint should be made”

Credit: @linden1974

“Clancy gets paid for this? Absolute farce. Shouldn’t even be on a yellow, never mind a red”

Credit: @D_Boag

“Never a red ref tonight is shocking”

Credit: @gers_fan55

“Does Clancy have a pair of eyes?”

Credit: @_Ryan56

“Ref has lost the plot”

Credit: @real_god69

“Clancy is embarrassing as is Brown. Standard of refereeing is absolutely abysmal beyond belief how bad they are.”

Credit: @Kirky_8

In other news, find out who RFC are now targeting here!

Crystal Palace have joined Newcastle United in the race to sign Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier, 90min report.

The Lowdown: Trippier’s situation

Trippier, labelled as ‘outstanding’ by Gareth Southgate, made the move to Spain from Tottenham back in 2019 in a deal worth just shy of £20m.

Since then, he’s made 83 appearances under Diego Simeone, helping Atletico win La Liga last season.

He’s out of contract at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in 18 months’ time and wanted a return to the Premier League in the summer, and it seems as if he won’t be short of options in 2022.

The Latest: Palace name-checked

90min shared a story on Wednesday afternoon, suggesting Newcastle are set to offer the 31-year-old a club-record contract.

They then go on to add that Trippier is still keen on a Premier League return, with Palace, Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester United ready to make a move, should Atletico be open to selling the England international.

The Verdict: Freedman would need to smash club-record

90min suggest that Atletico would demand a fee in excess of £39m from Newcastle for Trippier. Should Palace be the ones to make their move, you’d expect there would be no change to that fee, meaning Dougie Freedman would need to smash Palace’s club-record in order to bring Trippier to Selhurst Park.

Patrick Vieira currently has three right-backs to choose from, with Joel Ward a regular and winning the club’s Player of the Month award for October.

On that basis, if Palace are willing to go big in January, then perhaps they should look at bolstering other areas of the pitch, with just one left-back and no right midfielders at the club. [Transfermarkt]

In other news: ‘I will flip’ – Many Palace fans react as ‘class’ transfer news emerges. 

According to Sky Sports, a fresh transfer claim has come to light involving Newcastle United and Odion Ighalo.

The Lowdown: Newcastle set for January moves?

Ahead of what looks likely to be a long and arduous relegation battle for Eddie Howe’s side, the Magpies and their new owners PIF have been linked with a plethora of January swoops to boost their chances of Premier League survival.

The likes of Ousmane Dembele and Kieran Trippier have been mentioned in recent weeks, with the Magpies aiming to maintain their top-flight status and kickstart a new era on Tyneside.

It appears that some players are even keen to be a part of Newcastle’s new age as Sky Sports now share news on former Manchester United marksman Ighalo.

The Latest: Sky make Ighalo claim…

According to their information, the 36-cap Nigeria international has now been asked by his current club Al Shabab whether he would agree to join Newcastle and Howe should they make a move for him.

Ighalo’s response was apparently that he would seriously consider a move to St James’ Park should the Magpies and PIF come knocking.

The Verdict: Should they swoop?

Once called ‘superb’ by Geordie legend and all-time Premier League top scorer Alan Shearer (via African Football), the 32-year-old has previously turned it on for his former club Watford. Indeed, Ighalo bagged 16 goals and five assists in 27 Premier League appearances for the Hornets over 2015/16, but that was his last great season at an elite level.

Prolific campaigns have followed in both the Chinese Super League and Saudi Professional League but this arguably isn’t enough to prove that he could come in and seriously bolster Howe’s chances of Premier League survival.

It remains to be seen whether Newcastle do make contact, but it’s arguable that Ighalo’s signing wouldn’t pull up any trees.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ ace NUFC are now ‘most likely’ to sign here!

Newcastle travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the Premier League as they again go in search of their first win of the campaign.

Eddie Howe is set to be in the dugout for the first time as the club’s manager and his impact could give the Magpies the lift they need to get themselves off the foot of the table.

Their 3-3 draw with Brentford last weekend saw them slide to the bottom of the league, with Norwich moving up to 19th, and they are the only team in the division without a win.

How many changes will Howe make to the team against the Gunners? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side from last week, with Martin Dubravka, Isaac Hayden and Ryan Fraser coming in.

Starting off in goal, Karl Darlow could be axed from the team for Dubravka to be handed his first start of the season. We published an article explaining why the former deserves to be dropped from the team after his recent blunder against Brentford, and the Slovakian could benefit from such a decision.

It would then be over to the 32-year-old to show that he is able to hit the ground running and reclaim his place as the club’s number one. A strong performance and a clean sheet could be a perfect return to action for Dubravka, and we are predicting that Howe will give him the opportunity to play.

In midfield, Isaac Hayden could come into the side ahead of Joe Willock. Playing at the Emirates could require an added defensive emphasis on the midfield and the 26-year-old enforcer could be selected to play as a holding midfielder next to Jonjo Shelvey. He has averaged 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game this season, showing that he has the ability to cut out attacks in the middle of the park.

Finally, we are predicting that Ryan Fraser will come into the side for Ciaran Clark in order to facilitate a change in formation. Howe’s favoured setup is said to be the 4-4-2 with two number sixes in midfield, which would mean that a centre-back needs to be dropped for a winger from the starting XI against Brentford.

Clark has been in poor form this season and the £42k-per-week dud should be axed from the side for Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar to start as a centre-back pairing, with Fraser moving out wide. He could then provide service to Callum Wilson and Joelinton up top.

AND in other news, PIF submit NUFC proposal to beast tipped to be “one of the best”, fans will be buzzing…

With the EFL discussing ending the current tv blackout of 3pm kick offs, I wonder how long it will take for the Premier League to also start looking at tv options and the constant fixture changes?

With the world at a standstill not long back, with lockdowns and restrictions to attending live games, the football world illustrated perfectly it was able to screen all games to keep us football fans happy and connected to our clubs.

I think there are those amongst us now, who would prefer to slow down, and watch some of the games at the more traditional Saturday 3pm instead of scrambling around for all the different kick off times.  As Simon Jordan said   in his TalkSport show , ‘Live is live’ and those who enjoy getting to the game, will still do exactly that.  But for those that have responded to the slow down during the pandemic, surely it is time for sport to look again as to how people consume the game and how best to cater for it?

Fans of Sky Sports Soccer Saturday will no doubt be aware that, after 25 years presenting the show, Jeff Stelling is stepping down at the end of the season and he has partnered with Abbot Ale to introduce a new pint drinking concept to British pub culture.

Football is amongst the top ten activities we like to do, when not working – and with the UK being amongst the worst in Europe for long working hours, it does look like there is an appetite for having a re-think over work to life priorities.

Abbot Ale revealed that Brits expect to be able to slow down at the age of 43 – after living a ‘fast paced’ life for 25 years.  They questioned 2000 people and almost half agreed the slower pace during lockdown was enjoyable.

That is why Abbot Ale is on a mission to get the nation to slow down and savour.

Jeff Stelling is set to spread the slow down message, explaining;

“As I get a little older, I am trying to slow down! Life is still so frantic but I want to enjoy pleasures like a dog walk, a round of golf or especially a good pint! I say cheers to those who have the option of slowing down that bit sooner than me!”

 And after 25 years fronting Soccer Saturday, no one can disagree that Jeff deserves some time to slow down and chill.

TOP 10 ACTIVITIES BRITS DO – WHEN THEY SLOW DOWN:

Go for a walk Enjoy nature Read a book Listen to music Going for a meal Do some gardening Cook something nice Have a beer or wine Watch sport Going to the pub

And some work together very nicely don’t they?  I like to walk to a pub, have a pint, a meal, watch the football, then walk home….!

Lots of West Brom fans have been left raging as some early team news emerged ahead of their game away at Fulham in the EFL Championship on Saturday.

As per The Express & Star and WBA journalist Joseph Masi, following on from Valerien Ismael’s latest pre-game press conference, it is ‘likely’ that Jake Livermore will start the match against Marco Silva’s team, even though the manager was ‘delighted’ with both Robert Snodgrass and Jayson Molumby after their performances against Bristol City.

Molumby won eight of his duels in that game, the joint-most out of any Albion player, and also successfully completed all of his dribble attempts, while Snodgrass made two key passes and had 68 touches of the ball in total, the most out of any player on the pitch (SofaScore).

Thus, it would be very harsh to drop either of them, especially for a player in Livermore who has recorded no goals and just one assist in 13 appearances in the league so far this season (Transfermarkt).

West Brom fans on Livermore news

These Baggies raged as the team news was shared on Twitter:

“As always got to bring captain Jake back in for his “leadership”, How you can drop either one of Molumby or Snodgrass after last weekend is beyond me”

Credit: @WBAvlogs

“Livermore?!”

Credit: @gavin_poulton

“Sorry but what does Livermore bring to this team what Snodgrass and Molumby don’t other than giving away fouls and treating a football like it’s hot potato”

Credit: @lewis_botfield

“Livermore starts I’m Val out”

Credit: @wbaIiam

“Can’t we just bin Livermore off I’m tired of this guy donning the famous stripes”

Credit: @Rondxnn

“That’s an awful call if Livermore starts”

Credit: @wba_mitch

In other news, find out whose display against Bristol City was slammed here!

Frank McAvennie has declared it ‘inevitable’ that Everton will sack Rafael Benitez in the foreseeable future.

The lowdown

The 61-year-old only took over at Goodison Park in the summer, replacing Carlo Ancelotti after he left for Real Madrid. The Spaniard signed a two-year deal with the option for a third, agreeing an annual salary of £15m (via The Independent).

Everton started the season well, with their 3-1 victory over Burnley in mid-September taking them fourth in the table. However, they’ve only added six points to their tally in their seven matches since, and Sunday’s goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur snapped a three-game losing streak.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said he can only see Benitez’s tenure ending one way, sensing that many Everton fans aren’t behind the former Liverpool boss.

He said: “They were never going to take to Rafa, it just wasn’t going to happen. The whole this is only going to end in tears and I’m not surprised at where they find themselves.”

McAvennie also said that Everton’s league-low £1.6m summer spending had made it very difficult for Benitez to take them into Europe, stating: “Everton spent nothing in the summer and they don’t have a squad that can challenge the likes of West Ham, never mind Liverpool.

“They have been terrible in recent weeks, from what I’ve seen anyway. Is Rafa ever going to win a trophy or get Everton into Europe? I don’t think so.

“I think it’s a matter of time before he goes, whether it’s deserved or not. It’s inevitable. It’s a big decision but they will be left with no choice soon.”

The verdict

McAvennie’s fears for Benitez aren’t without foundation, given that many Everton supporters were naturally opposed to his strong ties with arch-rivals Liverpool. Also, five Premier League managers have already lost their jobs this season – one of whom, like Benitez, was only appointed in the summer, namely Nuno Espirito Santo at Tottenham.

The 5-2 defeat against Watford last month was woeful, and the response against Wolves inadequate, but Everton’s struggles shouldn’t be overstated. They find themselves a reasonable 11th place in the table and are only two points off the top six.

The decision-makers at Goodison Park will also surely appreciate that Benitez has had to do without Dominic Calvert-Lewin, by far the Blues’ top scorer in 2020/21, and the impressive Abdoulaye Doucoure in recent weeks. Marcel Brands and co shouldn’t make an unnecessarily hasty decision on the Spaniard’s job unless things really fall to pieces for Everton over the winter months.

In other news, many Everton fans flocked to an image which surfaced from Sunday’s draw against Spurs.

Manchester United could be set for a significant boost after an update was provided on Paul Pogba’s future at the club.

What’s the story?

The star midfielder has entered the final year of his contract at United and is yet to commit his future to the 20-time English champions, leading to speculation that he could depart over the coming months.

Now though, The Athletic’s Andy Mitten has revealed that the Old Trafford outfit’s hierarchy have tabled a significant offer to Pogba in an attempt to keep him in the red half of Manchester.

Mitten’s report states that: “United have made a Pogba a very good offer to stay at Old Trafford, which will make him one of the world’s best-paid footballers and the second-highest earner at the club on close to £400,000 per week.”

It goes on to claim that the France international is “open to re-signing”, although he’s understandably taking his time over what is a huge decision at a crucial stage in his career.

Fans should be excited

French giants Paris Saint-Germain were heavily linked with the 28-year-old in the previous window before their shock move for Lionel Messi meant Pogba’s arrival was no longer a financial possibility.

It’s believed that the Ligue 1 outfit, Juventus and Real Madrid are still interested in the creative talent’s signature, and he recently addressed a potential move back to Turin during the international break.

“I always speak to my former Juventus teammates, like Paulo (Dybala),” said Pogba, who was then asked about what lies ahead for him. “I’m in Manchester, I’ve still got a contract there for a year, and then we’ll see.”

But United fans will be encouraged and excited by Mitten’s latest revelation regardless of the player’s latest comments. Pogba and his controversial agent have often flirted with the possibility of seeking pastures new in the past only to stay put on English shores and carry on regardless.

And a large section of the fanbase will be hoping this ongoing saga ends in a similar fashion, given the importance of the 6 foot 2 dynamo to Ole Gunnar Solsjaer’s charges.

Since the beginning of 2020/21, Pogba has bagged six goals and an impressive 18 assists in his 51 appearances for the Red Devils, illustrating his truly world-class form of late.

Only time will tell whether the World Cup winner puts pen to paper on fresh terms at United, but the signs are certainly promising at this moment in time.

And, in other news…Imagine him & Pogba: Murtough must seal MUFC move for £27m-rated “complete midfielder” 

Taking to Twitter, reporter Ekrem Konur has backed some transfer news out of West Ham United involving Clermont Foot striker Mohamed Bayo.

The Lowdown: Newman in striker chase…

While manager David Moyes is coping well so far without a natural back-up option to star man Michail Antonio, there is always a worry this could change if the Jamaica international gets sidelined again.

Indeed, the 31-year-old’s injury record has proved a concern for West Ham in recent seasons and that has prompted the club to look at other options in the transfer market.

They haven’t been able to sign a new forward for the past two windows and it is surely a priority for new recruitment chief Rob Newman – who has already been linked to a couple of forwards.

Now, some news has emerged on who else he could be targeting.

The Latest: West Ham eye Bayo move…

As per Konur, West Ham ‘continue to be linked with a move’ for Ligue 1 striker Bayo – who’s prolific record over the last few seasons has turned heads.

The reporter even dubs him ‘the new Lukaku’ as Newman and co apparently eye a swoop – coming after he played a starring role in securing Clermont a promotion to France’s top flight last season.

He scored 22 goals and assisted seven others in 38 Ligue 2 appearances over 2020/2021, attracting West Ham’s alleged interest.

The Verdict: Best option?

Despite his fairly eye-catching record of 44 senior career goals since 2018/2019, and the fact Bayo has labelled himself a ‘big’ striker, we believe Moyes and Newman could be served looking elsewhere.

Andrea Belotti, for instance, should be at the very top of West Ham’s priority list given his contract situation at Torino and proven goalscoring record at both club and international level.

In other news: ‘Disgrace’, ‘Get him gone’…Many West Ham fans slam ‘painful player’ after ‘shocking’ Genk display, find out more here.

After falling to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool last week, Leeds United will be hoping to record their first win of the new Premier League season when they take on fellow strugglers Newcastle tonight.

The teams languish in 17th and 19th respectively before Friday night’s kick-off, and Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be keen on finally kick-starting the Whites’ campaign at St James’ Park.

The Leeds manager will have some big calls to make over his team selection, and one decision that he simply has to make is to drop Rodrigo from the starting line-up.

The Spaniard has been nothing short of a disaster in these first few weeks of the new campaign, failing to score or assist in his three top-flight appearances, even being hooked at half-time in two of those, including last time out against the Reds.

Rodrigo endured a difficult debut campaign at Elland Road last season, completing the full 90 minutes just four times in the Premier League, while also missing a number of games either through injury or a viral infection.

After being given the chance and trust of his manager to start in the opening game of this season against Manchester United, the 30-year-old completely let Bielsa down with a truly disappointing display.

Writing in his post-match player ratings, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross gave him a four, saying: “Had next to no impact on the game with or without the ball. Really struggled with picking up the right men when the hosts had the ball. Hooked at the break.”

It was no surprise that numerous Leeds fans slammed the Spain international for his performance against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, while he was equally ineffective against Liverpool too.

He had no successful dribbles, just that one shot on goal with which he really should have done better, made only ten passes and and lost the ball on seven occasions before he was taken off at the break.

Once again Cross was critical of him in his player ratings, this time giving him a five and saying: “If he buries that chance in the fifth minute, who knows what kind of game we would have had. Such a superb chance, middle of the goal with time, but straight at Alisson.

“A lot more head-shaking when things didn’t come off for him. Never had a handle on the Liverpool midfielders going towards his own goal.”

It’s high time for the £16.2m-rated ace to be dropped from the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, Leeds are plotting a January swoop for this star…