All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after Florian Lejeune suffered a serious injury in the 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace at St James’ Park.

The issue, which appears to be a damaged cruciate ligament, is not the first severe knee injury that the Frenchman has endured throughout his time on Tyneside.

Has injury cruely robbed Sean Longstaff of a potential England place? The Magpie Channel’s Matty belives he was nailed on in the video below…

Lejeune came into the current season with an injury to his right knee after damaging it in pre-season, and only returned to training back in October – now, however, he looks set for another spell on the sidelines with damage to his other knee.

The extent of his injury remains to be seen, although Magpies boss Rafa Benitez did little to sugarcoat matters when he said that: “It seems bad”.

The former Eibar defender left the pitch on a stretcher to round off a truly miserable day for the club, and many Newcastle fans on Twitter have been sharing their sympathies with the unfortunate 27-year-old…

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Oliver Burke is currently on loan at Celtic, having joined the Scottish giants from West Bromwich Albion during the January transfer window.

The attacker only made three Championship appearances for the Baggies in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign and therefore it was not a surprise when he departed at the mid-point of the season.

For Celtic, the six-time Scotland international has managed four goals in 10 Scottish Premiership appearances since his arrival.

Just 22 years of age, Burke still has time to forge a successful career in the game.

It has not quite happened since arriving at West Brom in August 2017 and it is worth remembering that the Baggies paid £15m for his services.

That said, there are a selection of West Brom fans who still feel that Burke could have a career with the club.

Indeed, in response to a tweet from the Championship side on Sunday, many supporters took to social media to reveal their views on the attacker:

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Lucas Moura scored a hat-trick for Tottenham Hotspur in their 4-0 thumping of Huddersfield Town on Saturday and then melted Spurs fans’ hearts afterwards.

The Brazil international netted the final three goals of the game as Mauricio Pochettino’s men put the already-relegated Terriers to the sword.

His treble was Lucas’ first ever hat-trick in European football and he celebrated in perhaps the best way possible.

Having capped his treble in injury time, after a fine through ball from Son Heung-Min, Lucas waited for his family to greet him on the pitch.

His wife and son rushed down to meet him and the hat-trick hero took his boy in his arms before enjoying a kickabout with the toddler on the pitch, with the match ball.

And Spurs fans were swept away by the show of familial love at the end of the game.

Take a look at the best of the reaction to the adorable moment below!

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Leeds fans on Twitter have praised Kemar Roofe for his unselfish attitude after his comments in Wednesday’s press conference.

Roofe insisted that the accolade of being Leeds’ top scorer doesn’t mean anything to him and that the performance of the team is more important.

The striker was asked whether or not there was a rivalry emerging between him and Pablo Hernandez as they both compete at the top of Leeds’ scoring charts this season.

Roofe has netted 14 goals in the league so far whilst the Spaniard has found the back of the net 12 times.

The Englishman reckons he isn’t too fussed about outscoring Hernandez and that the team fulfilling their aspirations of being promoted to the top flight is more important.

Roofe has been out of the starting 11 recently due to Marcelo Bielsa’s preference to use Patrick Bamford  but during the press conference, the 26-year-old stated that he inevitably won’t be in the team as long as they keep winning.

Fans of the Yorkshire club have praised Roofe for his attitude towards his personal game, with many believing that it epitomises the club’s motto of “Side before self, every time”

Here’s what Leeds fans are saying on Twitter…

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Sheffield United fans on Twitter are bewildered after the announcement of the PFA’s Championship Team of the Year.

Blades fans felt aggrieved because none of their defenders were involved in the team despite their club keeping the most clean sheets in the division, as well as conceding the least number of goals.

Fans of the Yorkshire club felt that at least one of John Egan, Dean Henderson, Jack O’Connell or Enda Stevens deserved a spot in the Team of the Year.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

It’s hard to argue against the points made by the United fans, Chris Wilder’s side have conceded just 39 goals all season whilst their star goalkeeper Henderson has kept a staggering 20 clean sheets.

In place of Henderson was Darren Randolph whilst Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper, Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis got into the back four.

Wilder’s side did have two representatives in the team with Billy Sharp and Oliver Norwood earning spots in midfield and attack, but it is the lack of defenders in the team which has Blades talking on Twitter.

Here’s what Sheffield United fans have been saying on Twitter…

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In the buildup to Aston Villa’s final league outing of the season against Norwich, The Mirror reported a staggering piece of transfer news, claiming that Jack Grealish has a £60m buyout clause in his current contract.

It’s news that will come as a huge relief to the Villa Park faithful after the 23-year-old had attracted the eyes of both Tottenham and Crystal Palace in recent months.

Grealish signed a new deal last September after the club fought off initial interest from Spurs but they may now be put off entirely after his remarkable clause was revealed.

Reacting on Twitter, the response was rather split. Some Villa supporters were stunned, as one called it an incredible development. A further fan joked that it would now soften the blow of him leaving from 100% to 99.9%.

Other individuals chose to focus on the board, appearing delighted that the club’s top officials finally had some business nouse whilst another was relieved at the level of competency.

The Villa skipper has had a superb season, being named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year after scoring six goals and claiming a further six assists in the league this term.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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Rangers are reportedly eyeing a move for Andre Gray, but is he the right man to possibly replace Alfredo Morelos?

What’s the story?

According to The Evening Times, Steven Gerrard is considering a loan approach for Gray, who has scored nine times for Watford this season.

The report continues that Jordan Jones, Jake Hastie and Greg Stewart are all expected to become Rangers players this summer, and that Gray is now a target as well.

The 27 year-old cost Watford £18m two years ago but has struggled to hit the back of the net consistently, which begs the question; why on Earth would Rangers want to sign him?

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

A dreadful signing

A recent report in The Express said Morelos is on “thin ice” after his red card in the Old Firm, so one would have to assume Gray is being targeted as a possible replacement for the Colombian.

However, the problem is that there is nothing in Gray’s past to suggest he can come anywhere close to the 29 goals Morelos has bagged this campaign.

Gray has struck 30 goals in a season once in his career, in the fifth tier of English football in 2013/14, and he did break the 20-goal barrier with 23 Championship strikes in the 2015/16 season, per Transfermarkt.

Since entering the top flight though, he has mustered ten, five and nine goals in the last three seasons, a truly woeful scoring record of just 24 league goals in three whole years..

There seems to be an assumption that any striker capable of scoring a few goals down south will be unstoppable in the SPFL, and Jermain Defoe has certainly looked comfortably since his move to Ibrox, but the difference is Defoe actually scored goals in the Premier League.

Gray has struggled to be anything more than an average top flight player, and given that he would likely want to become the highest-paid payer at Ibrox – he currently makes £70,000-a-week, per Sportrac – this is a move Gerrard and the Gers should steer well clear of.

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According to a report in The Scottish Sun, Neil Lennon is keen to re-sign striker Gary Hooper for Celtic if he gets the job permanently this summer, and the link is exactly what he shouldn’t be handed the role.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Scottish Sun report that the 31-year-old, who is available on a free having been released by English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday, is on the former Hibernian boss’ transfer wish-list.

The Scottish Sun report that the centre-forward would be keen on a return to Parkhead, where he scored a remarkable 82 goals in 138 games during his previous spell with the Glasgow giants.

Of course, Lennon is still to find out whether he will be Brendan Rodgers’ long-term replacement, having steered the club to the Scottish Premiership title following the Northern Irishman’s mid-season decision to depart for Leicester City.

Exactly why he shouldn’t get the job

The fact that Lennon reportedly wants to bring Hooper back to the club is one of the reasons why the Bhoys should be looking elsewhere for their new manager.

Controversial. Uncompromising. Leader. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith talks the future of Celtic’s evergreen captain Scott Brown in the video below…

With Steven Gerrard and Rangers set to be stronger next season, and with the club needing to make big improvements in the Champions League, Lennon and Hooper are not the men to help them do that.

The latter has been plagued by injury issues during the latter part of his spell with the Owls, making just five appearances in all competitions this term.

Celtic need to look to the future instead of the past and add a younger and more exciting striker to their frontline for the 2019/20 campaign if they want to progress – re-signing Hooper would ultimately be a backwards step.

It’s time for Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell to show some ambition, and if they do then the 31-year-old won’t be lining up in a Hoops shirt for the second time in his career.

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According to German outlet Kicker, Manchester United have inquired about the availability of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, along with French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Red Devils have asked about the Poland international’s availability with Lewandowski still yet to agree terms over a new contract – his current deal expires in the summer of 2021.

The 30-year-old hitman has scored 38 goals and recorded 13 assists in all competitions across the 2018/19 campaign, and still has one Bundesliga game to play as Bayern look to fend Borussia Dortmund away from their crown.

Will OGS still be in charge of Man Utd come next May? The Flying Pig discusses in the video below…

Lewandowski is undoubtedly one of the best forwards in Europe, and has produced an excellent strike rate wherever he has gone; he hit 103 goals in 187 appearances for Dortmund, and has 189 in 240 games for Bayern.

Having said that, he would be a terrible signing for United.

Why would it be a bad move?

354 goals in 541 games across his career, and no signs of slowing down. Why would it be a bad move for United to swoop for the Pole?

Well, to put it simply, it would show that the Red Devils aren’t learning from their previous mistakes.

Alexis Sanchez. Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Nemanja Matic. Bastian Schweinsteiger. Big names, signed with little thought in regards to the long-term future of the club, and presumably all on mega salaries; why were they signed?

Sanchez is now desperately trying to be offloaded by the club, whilst Matic was amongst their worst performers in the season just gone; Ibrahimovic performed well for about a year before being moved on in the twilight of his career; Schweinsteiger was a ghost of the player who lifted the World Cup with Germany.

Even if Lewandowski does hit the ground running, it is such short-term thinking from United. He could score 30 goals in two seasons at the club, but the Pole will still need replacing in no time and would not command a transfer fee anywhere near what he would cost United right now.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side must learn from their previous mistakes and stop signing these marquee names with little sell-on value or long-term potential.

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Rangers are interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur youngster Albert Rachi, according to The Evening Times.

What’s the story?

The Ibrox side aren’t messing about this summer when it comes to player recruitment having already completed deals for Jordan Jones, Jake Hastie and Steven Davis.

Just as important as those first-team deals though is making sure the club are in the market for stars of the future, and The Evening Times reckon the club have teenage prospect Rachi on their radar.

Who is he?

Rachi only joined the Spurs set up last year after graduating from the Eurostar academy, who describe the 15-year-old as a player who “has a smooth and fast playstyle” and “attacks the net with extreme speed and pace.”

Those attributes certainly sound like the kind of thing Rangers would be after and although clearly any potential move would be one to bolster our youth ranks, the fact they are paying such close attention to recruitment in the academy sides bodes very well for the future.

Check out Keith from C’mon the Hoops’ fascinating video on the origins of the Old Firm derby below…

Gerrard’s long game

It’s become clear to most observers that Steven Gerrard isn’t at Rangers to make a quick impact and disappear again, he has gradually been putting in the building blocks that cane bring success to the club long-term.

From improvements at the training ground to these latest reports targeting promising youth players, the Ibrox boss is keen on building a lasting legacy in Glasgow.

That long game view of Rangers has arguably been neglected in the past and their supporters must be hoping that it’ll all pay off on the pitch next year and beyond.