All posts by n8rngtd.top

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been having their say on the club’s confirmed fixture changes for May on social media.

Two fixtures involving Villa have been rescheduled due to broadcast rights, with the club confirming the alterations on their official Twitter page on Wednesday afternoon.

Dean Smith’s side will now take on Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, May 1 at 8pm, with the game available to watch on BT Sport.

Villa’s next fixture against Manchester United will take place eight days later on Sunday, May 9 at 2:05pm, broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Villa’s home clash against Everton is still yet to be rescheduled after being postponed back in January due to health protocol issues at Villa Park.

Villa fans react

This is what these fans had to say to the club’s tweet about the fixture changes, with a few left wondering about the reverse fixture against the Toffees.

“Schedule the second Everton game please it’s doing my head in”

Credit: @ReubenOwen_

“Please stop moving fixtures to a Saturday night when I can’t watch them”

Credit: @FootballJustFoo

“Everton double header”

Credit: @smithy1874

“I like how serious they look about the fixture change.”

Credit: @Elliot_CB

“right so what about the other Everton game”

Credit: @catrinedwards18

“How about a home match with Everton?”

Credit: @AVfc_PL

In other news: Many AVFC fans share love for Christian Purslow’s European Super League comments, find out more here. 

Given that he was linked with a move away from Leeds United in the January transfer window, it’s been a real turnaround in fortunes for Tyler Roberts in terms of his position at Elland Road.

The Wales international appeared to be heading for the exit door a couple of months ago, with reports suggesting that clubs from the Championship were looking to sign him.

Now, he’s become a permanent fixture in Marcelo Bielsa’s starting eleven over recent weeks, especially with summer signing Rodrigo struggling with injury, and is likely to be in contention to start against Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday night.

But while he had a couple of impressive cameos against Arsenal and Southampton back in mid-February, picking up a couple of assists, he’s been way off the pace in Leeds’ last six Premier League games – no goals or assists whatsoever.

Former Leeds Noel Whelan simply insisted that the £4.5m-rated forward just may not be cut out for the top-flight, saying: “Is he good enough? In my opinion he isn’t. I would love him to go out there and prove me wrong because I want everyone to succeed. I need him to show me more. He needs to show more fight and desire. I just do not see that.

“It makes me wonder whether he would be better off leaving and going somewhere where he would get regular game time. I do not think we have seen the real Tyler Roberts yet. I find it very hard to see a career for him at Leeds United on the current evidence.”

Whelan himself has even called on Bielsa to drop Roberts from the starting line-up before the game against West Ham last month, saying: “I’m just not seeing enough from him. There’s glimpses there but he’s not hurting teams with his performances and his creativity. Now number 10, you’ve got to be that special player. You’ve got to be that player that can open up teams and really take the game by the scruff of the neck. I just don’t think Tyler Roberts does that for Leeds.”

Playing in a Leeds team that operate at full throttle over the 90 minutes, and commit men forward to try and create chance after chance, Roberts should be racking up decent numbers, particularly when you think he’s been the man playing that support role to Patrick Bamford.

As per Whoscored however, his measly averages of 0.9 shots and 0.6 key passes per game in the Premier League are even worse than the likes of Stuart Dallas and Gjanni Alioski respectively, and a real indictment on his lack of end product.

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Roberts just hasn’t shown that clinical edge or creative guile, and Bielsa must absolutely drop him for the Premier League clash against Liverpool tonight.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a summer swoop for this European star…

Liverpool head into Wednesday evening’s meeting against Real Madrid aiming to avenge their UEFA Champions League final defeat of 2018.

Whilst not quite the same stage of the competition with two only meeting at the quarter-finals this time around, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds could deal a big dent in Los Blancos’ season with a victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The best chance they will have of doing that is by including the electric Diogo Jota from the start instead of Roberto Firmino.

Once labelled as a “monster” by Liverpool’s Assistant Coach Pep Lijnders, the Portuguese has been in electric form recently.

The 24-year-old netted three goals in just two matches over the international break for his country and continued that form upon his return to Merseyside by scoring twice in the 3-0 victory against Arsenal.

It all means that Jota has now scored 18 goals for both club and country since the start of September.

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This is a huge contrast to the form of Firmino who has found himself on the scoresheet on just seven occasions for the Reds this season.

Jota’s European form is also vastly superior to that of the former Hoffenheim man.

The 24-year-old has netted 11 goals in 23 European appearances for FC Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Reds which includes three hat-tricks against the likes of Atalanta, Besiktas and Espanyol.

Whilst Firmino betters that with 15 career strikes in the UEFA Champions League alone, he has scored just three times in his previous 24 appearances in the competition – statistics that will not strike any fear at all into Real Madrid.

With Zinedine Zidane’s men reportedly missing captain Sergio Ramos through injury, Wednesday’s clash is the perfect opportunity for the £36m-rated beast to extend his great European record and his stunning recent form.

Jurgen Klopp simply has to play him from the start at the Bernabeu – a move which could see Liverpool avenge their gutting 2018 final defeat.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent showing against Arsenal at the weekend…

Eddie Howe is thought to be closing in on a move to Celtic.

According to the Daily Mail, the Hoops could appoint the 43-year-old in the early part of next week following positive discussions.

Howe held face-to-face talks with Dermot Desmond in London this week and is ready to commit to the club, as long as specific structural changes he wants are put in place.

Howe happy with Kennedy and Strachan but wants Hughes

The Daily Mail also add that the former Bournemouth boss is prepared to stick with current interim boss John Kennedy and first-team coach Gavin Strachan as part of his coaching team but wants Cherries technical director Richard Hughes to join him in Glasgow.

Both Kennedy and Strachan have remained in the dugout following Neil Lennon’s resignation back in February, and it seems as if they could keep their jobs under Howe.

Transfer Tavern take

Howe’s former assistant at Bournemouth, Jason Tindall, is now a coach at Sheffield United, so perhaps the latter’s new role at Bramall Lane has played a part in Howe’s feelings towards Kennedy and Strachan.

Both Kennedy and Strachan have plenty of experience with the current Hoops squad, which could prove handy to Howe if a mass summer overhaul takes place ahead of the 2021/22 season.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano offers Odsonne Edouard update, find out more here. 

Despite earning a superb 1-1 draw against the reigning Premier League champions on Monday, there was one man who failed to impress for Leeds: Helder Costa.

The Portugal international was given the nod to start against Liverpool with Raphinha being out injured, and while those are some big boots to fill, he certainly didn’t show anything to Marcelo Bielsa that would warrant him keeping his place against Manchester United this coming weekend.

As per Sofascore, he missed one official big chance, failed to provide any accurate crosses, and managed just 12 successful passes in total – by and large, the game just seemed to pass the winger by.

Writing in his post-match player ratings, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross gave him a five, saying: “Never really figured as an option at any stage in attack for Leeds and was left for dead far too often by Andrew Robertson going in the other direction.”

Such was Costa’s ineffectiveness, that Bielsa took him off on the 67 minute mark, choosing to bring on the largely unseen Ian Poveda,

And, following his performance, former Leeds man Noel Whelan tore into the winger, even going so far as to saying that he’s simply been a “massive flop” for the price that they paid for him.

He said: “The one player that disappointed me was Helder Costa. Once again he was poor. There is something there that is not right because Poveda came on and did more in that short time than Costa did in the 60 minutes he was on the field.

“He is fourth in the pecking order in terms of wingers for me. Poveda has to come before him now. He is direct, exciting and wants to take people on. He wants to do his job as a winger and Costa does not. He plays it safe and he’s negative. For a player that cost £16m, I need to see a hell of a lot more from him.

“At least Poveda runs at people. He is positive and that is what a winger should do. Costa has been a massive flop. A real disappointment again.”

The winger has failed to score in his last seven Premier League appearances, and it’s been no real surprise that Bielsa doesn’t seem to trust him fully – he’s completed the full 90 minutes just once in the top-flight since November 2, and has either been hooked early or brought on as a very late substitute.

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With another clash against one of the Premier League’s big boys to come against United on Sunday, Bielsa has simply got to make a ruthless call on the £70k-a-week earning Costa and drop him from the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, Leeds should land this “exceptional” English striker…

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly one of the teams keen on signing Yves Bissouma this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Daily Star, who claim the North London outfit have made inquiries but it appears their arch-rivals, Arsenal, are the front-runners to secure the Brighton and Hove Albion star.

The 24-year-old still has two years on his current contract at the Seagulls and is valued at around £30m.

Fellow Premier League sides Everton and West Ham United are also mooted with interest.

Imagine him & Hojbjerg

Spurs are currently managerless but any new appointment is set to have multiple midfield options at his disposal, ranging from summer signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele.

But it is the Denmark international that has been a constant presence in the starting XI, playing every minute (3,060) of every league game this term – the only outfield player to do so.

Interestingly, Bissouma has exceeded the returns of Hojbjerg, who could be considered one of Spurs’ players of the season come the end of the campaign.

As per WhoScored, the Brighton midfielder has managed more tackles (2.8 vs 2.6), more interceptions (1.7 vs 1.3), and has committed fewer fouls (1.5 vs 1.8) per game in the Premier League than the £15m summer arrival.

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And unlike Hojbjerg, he offers far more going forward, which means he could be the perfect foil rather than a direct replacement or alternative in that role.

His 1.2 shots per outing is a better return than every single Spurs player barring the obvious two in Heung-min Son (two) and Harry Kane (1.4), whilst he’s not quite at Ndombele’s dribbling ability, managing only 1.5 successful attempts per game, he is a hard man to dispossess, having averaged only 0.8 dispossessions compared to the Frenchman’s 1.1 times per game.

Dale Stephens, a former teammate of Bissouma’s on the south coast, gave a glowing review about this aspect of his game to reporters in 2019.

“He’s got the ability of perhaps a winger playing in central midfield with the way he can go past players,” revealed the Burnley midfielder. “His feet are incredible and I’m sure he’s going to get better and better. He’s got everything you need to be a top player.”

The Mali international has also been dubbed a “wonderful talent” by ex-Seagulls boss Chris Hughton and described as “very skilful” by his old Lille colleague Lebo Mothiba.

It remains to be seen if Daniel Levy can afford to stump up around £30m for anyone this summer but if he can, then it should absolutely be on a player of Bissouma’s calibre.

Just imagine him and Hojbjerg in the heart of the engine room.

That would surely be enough to tempt anyone into the managerial vacancy – maybe even a certain Graham Potter? Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Spurs set for huge boost as Hotspur Way news emerges, Levy and Mason will be buzzing…

In a recent interview, the former Scottish Premiership centre-forward, Noel Whelan, discussed the contract of Glasgow Rangers left-back, Borna Barisic, amid reported interest in the Rangers star.

So far this season, Barisic has been a crucial part of Steven Gerrard’s title-winning side, with the defender scoring one goal and providing five assists over his 30 Scottish Premiership fixtures, as well as averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.35 – ranking him as Gers’ fifth-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

However, it would appear as if the 28-year-old’s displays for Rangers have caught the eye of West Ham United, who were reported to be interested in the Croatia international during the January transfer window.

Despite this reported interest, in recent comments made to Rangers TV, Barisic claimed that he was very happy in Glasgow, and, speaking to Football Insider, Whelan suggested that the left-back’s comments could be a hint that he would like to extend his stay at Ibrox.

He said: “That could be him hinting he wants to extend his contract. You’ve just won the Scottish Premiership. Why would you want to go anywhere else? He’s had a fantastic season. You’ve got to be happy where you are.

“Under Steven Gerrard and the rest of the coaching staff there, they are obviously really enjoying their training and generally being at the football club. You’ve got to be optimistic about where the club’s going. Plus you’re going to be in the Champions League next season.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering the fact that Barisic’s current contract at Rangers runs until the summer of 2024, with the Croatian last signing a new deal with the club towards the start of 2020, perhaps Whelan could be reading slightly too far into the defender’s recent comments.

Having said that, if West Ham are indeed interested in the 28-year-old this summer, perhaps it would not be the worst idea for Gerrard to offer Barisic an improvement on his current £18,000-per-week contract at Ibrox.

In other news: this source dropped Rangers’ plans for a sensational summer signing; ‘outstanding’ 25-goal star in the mix – find out more here!

Many Liverpool supporters have been praising Newcastle United star Allan Saint-Maximin after he stuck up for Sadio Mane over the weekend.

The Reds suffered another hugely disappointing afternoon on Saturday, with Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions only able to draw 1-1 at home to the Magpies. After Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool into an early lead, it looked like being a comfortable three points, but once again, poor finishing let them down.

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Mane was guilty of missing one enormous opportunity in the first half, freezing in front of goal and seeing a great chance go begging. It was a moment which summed up the Senegal forward’s season, with his form and confidence evaporating in recent months and just eight goals scored in the league.

After the game, Saint-Maximin defended Mane on Twitter after some supporters called for the 24-year-old to replace the Liverpool superstar.

Liverpool fans laud Saint-Maximin’s support for Mane

It was a touching moment and one which didn’t go unnoticed by a number of Reds supporters, who took to Twitter to praise the Newcastle forward.

“Respectful guy”

Credit: @DrHAlmarzooqi

“That’s a class response from a class player”

Credit: @sean3648

“This guy”

Credit: @mickbarrett72

“Top lad, him”

Credit: @ChudeDesigns

“Oozing Class! A lot of fans needed the reminder”

Credit: @FaraiJulian

“He deserves an upgrade. We need a player like him at Liverpool”

Credit: @Thiago6STAN

In other news, James Pearce has slammed one Liverpool player after the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United. Read more here.

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to a claim from Slavia Prague’s Alexander Bah that Gers fans stormed Ibrox after Thursday’s Europa League clash.

The 55-time Scottish champions were knocked out of the competition after losing 2-0 to Slavia at home and 3-1 across the two legs. However, the game was marred by a number of unsavoury incidents. Kemar Roofe committed a terrible challenge on Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar, while Ondrej Kudela allegedly racially abused Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.

The fall-out has continued since the final whistle, and now Danish defender Bah has had his say on the events. He has claimed Rangers fans stormed the stadium in the aftermath of the game (Bold.dk) – but it appears that may not be the case. Journalist Graeme Hanna shared a picture from the outside of Ibrox after the game, and there was not a person in sight.

He shared the photo on Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their anger.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the claim from Bah

“No one there as everyone is in the stadium, clearly”

Credit: @scaricus

“Connor Goldson is spot on, nothing will change while clubs and fellow players are lying to cover up what has actually happened. And this nonsense about it having been a dirty game, totally unbelievable!!”

Credit: @JBallany

“Slavia digging that hole deeper and deeper. Fans inside Ibrox…”

Credit: @55titles2021

“He’s a blatant lier and knows it… Been told by the club to say this”

Credit: @mightyger55

“Absolutely vile it’s been lie after lie after lie”

Credit: @conaghan_kathie

“We all know it’s a total lie. They are trying everything to deflect away the attention from what their player did. Seems to be used quite a lot in Scotland at the moment by certain people.”

Credit: @S_The_Invisible

In other news, Alan Hutton believes this Rangers ace may leave Ibrox this summer.

Yerry Mina was forced off just before the hour mark in Everton’s goalless draw with Brighton on Monday night.

Mina looked to have sustained a muscle injury after stretching to make a challenge and was replaced by Alex Iwobi.

Asked about the issue after the game, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti predicted that Mina would be out for two to three weeks.

Which games could Mina miss?

Ancelotti stressed that he is ‘not a doctor’, so couldn’t be sure at this early stage, but was certain that the Colombian international will not be fit for the visit of Spurs on Friday night.

Were to be ruled out for three weeks, he would also miss the games against Arsenal and Aston Villa.

The £18m-rated defender has started 20 of Everton’s 30 Premier League matches up to this point (via Transfermarkt), so that is a blow.

Elsewhere the news may be picking up though – top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and midfielder Allan are all expected to be back available for the Tottenham clash.

Here’s how fans reacted to the Mina news, passed on by the club’s official account, as one supporter called it ‘shock’ news while others joked they want the season to end now…

Everton fans lament latest injury setback

“Let’s just wrap up and come back next season….. this season is wrecking my head!!”

Credit: @BH_Design

“Shock”

Credit: @vicaz22

“We’re cursed”

Credit: @pwefc1

“He’ll be out all season. We’re everton”

Credit: @Stu1766645

“wow.”

Credit: @joeevertonleary

“This club”

Credit: @JstinR7

“Make it stop”

@shenandoahterp

In other news, Everton fans flocked to this exciting footage.