All posts by h716a5.icu

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Chris Maguire is one step closer to a return to fitness, so could he be Sunderland’s secret weapon at Wembley?

What’s the word?

Sunderland’s Maguire is “back running”, club captain George Honeyman confirmed this week.

The 30 year-old has missed the last few games with a leg injury, but there has been very little information from the club on the extent of the damage.

As well as Honeyman’s revelation, Maguire took part in a Black Cats’ promotional photo shoot for the trip to Wembley, which was revealed on the official Checkatrade Trophy Twitter account.

What does it mean?

Well, players can take weeks to return to first team action even after getting back on the training pitch, but the Checkatrade final against Portsmouth is not until the end of the month, so the Scottish international does have time on his side.

Even more telling is the pre-Wembley photo shoot, as it seems very unlikely the winger would be involved if he wasn’t in with a shot of playing on March 31st.

Add to that the fact that the club have been quite coy over the 30 year-old’s condition – is Jack Ross plotting a surprise for Portsmouth?

A Wembley stunner?

If Maguire is fit to play, his ability to create something out of nothing completely changes the tale of the game.

Cup finals can often be cagey affairs, and they are usually decided by either a crucial mistake or a moment of magic. Maguire is more than capable of producing the latter.

He has bagged seven goals and seven assists during his first season on Wearside, with a couple of those goals certainly in the conversation for goal of the season.

And if the Scotsman returns to score another stunner at Wembley, then Ross and the club have played an absolute blinder by keeping his return so quiet.

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Isaac Hayden tried to leave Newcastle United last summer and again in the January transfer window for family reasons.

In January, the midfielder said that he hoped ‘a solution’ could be reached for him to depart the Magpies before the end of the month.

That never happened, though, and Hayden remains a Newcastle player, with his contract running until the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

The Englishman has not sulked, however, far from it actually. Indeed, Hayden has been in fine form for Rafael Benitez’s side in recent weeks.

It was the midfielder’s 24th birthday on Friday and as expected, Newcastle’s official Twitter account was on hand with a special message.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

That led to a number of Newcastle supporters offering their views on Hayden and the majority are keen for the 6 ft 1 ace to remain at the club this summer, if at all possible.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Danny Graham has been in great form for Blackburn Rovers since making his return and news that he is open to the idea of finishing his career with the club will truly excite fans.

The former Sunderland forward recorded his 50th goal for the club with a brace against Wigan earlier this month and has shown the kind of goalscoring antics that promises major Championship success if they are harnessed correctly.

“I’m 33 now, I know I’m not going to be around forever,” Graham told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“I’m enjoying my football. I love being at this football club and if I can get a few more before the end of the season, I will have the off season, work hard and look to have a strong season next year.

“I certainly would. I don’t see myself moving to another club. If there was a chance I don’t think I would take it.

“I’m very settled here. I love the boys, staff, everyone around the club.”

This positive news follows a tumultuous period at Sunderland where he was shipped out on loan four times before finally making a permanent move to his current side, and Graham clearly could not be any happier after admitting he had fallen out of love with football while at the Stadium of Light.

“More importantly for me, after my time with Sunderland, I’m enjoying my football again and I want that to continue,” he admitted.

“I don’t see the need to move on or leave any time soon.”

He may be 33-years-old now, and closing in on the twilight years of his career, but Graham has shown great form since joining Ewood Park netting double figures in the previous three season.

You need only look at the case of Billy Sharp to appreciate why keeping Danny Graham is so significant. Indeed, the Blades’ star man has consistently performed at this level, rising as one of the English Football League’s most proficient forwards, and his efforts are finally paying dividend this term.

Should Graham continue this promising vein of form, there is no reason why Blackburn could not taste promotion in the next couple of years.

Blackburn fans, how important is Danny Graham to your future promotion hopes? Let us know in the comments below…

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Harry Kane failed to score as Tottenham Hotspur opened their new stadium against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, much to the chagrin of many fans.

The England captain started up front in the very first official Premier League game at the new stadium, but had to watch on as Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen scored the goals on a momentous evening for the club.

Roy Hodgson’s men were beaten 2-0 as Spurs regained the initiative in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

Kane, of course, scored in the final game at White Hart Lane as Manchester United were beaten 2-1, but he showed no signs of bitterness after his blank against the Eagles.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “What a feeling to play and win in our new home.”

And supporters are hopeful that he is merely saving his goals for next week when Spurs take on Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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Tottenham Hotspur fans want the club to revive their interest in Youri Tielemans in the summer after his superb goal for Leicester City against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

The Belgian youngster netted an excellent strike as the Foxes ran out 4-1 winners against the already-relegated Terriers.

The Daily Telegraph reported in January that Spurs were considering a swoop for the player, who eventually moved to the King Power Stadium on loan from AS Monaco.

Since his move to the club, Tielemans has scored twice – the second goal coming on Saturday – and laid on a total of four assists in just seven games.

His latest display has seen some Spurs fans debate the club’s failure to bring in the midfielder – they did not sign a player at the turn of the year, nor last summer, despite Mousa Dembele departing in January – with others hopeful he could end up moving to the north London club during the summer transfer window…

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

Erik Lamela’s work ethic may endear him to the fans, but is it time for Tottenham to cut their losses?

It’s true, Lamela epitomises everything Mauricio Pochettino wants in a player. He never stops running from the first minute to the last, he’s never afraid to get on the ball and importantly, he never gives up.

Despite this, it may be time for the Argentinian to move on. Lamela has shown glimpses of quality since his £30m arrival from Roma in 2013. His low strike against United that had Martin Tyler screaming his name certainly a highlight, alongside his audacious ‘rabona’ against Asteras Tripolis.

The tricky winger has ultimately failed to live up to his dazzling reputation, however, scoring only 14 goals in 128 Premier League appearances.

Lamela, who earns £80k-a-week, according to Spotrac, endured a torrid start to his life in London, starting only nine league games in his first season, failing to score in any.

After finally breaking his duck against Burnley in 2014, Pochettino stated it was only the beginning. Although he has gone on to improve, Lamela has never consistently performed to a level he’s shown he is capable of.

Injuries disrupted much of both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, while he has only featured in 18 of 32 league games this season. He currently remains sidelined and out of the impending Champions League tie against Manchester City.

It seems a common theme with the winger. He returns from injury, shows glimpses of form before struggling with injuries again. The winger now finds himself a way down the pecking order, behind Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura.

Tottenham should strongly consider his sale in the summer. The Evening Standard report that Tottenham are open to offers for 12 players this summer with Lamela believed to be on the list – although only for a substantial bid.

His departure would not have a hugely detrimental impact on the squad, adding funds for a potential replacement. But who would take the winger for a reportedly hefty fee?

Tottenham fans join the debate – should Lamela be sold in the summer? Comment below…

Newcastle United have never played in the third tier of English football, but older fans will travel to Leicester later, reminiscing about the game between the two that kept that record in tact, and probably saved the club from going out of business.

When Ossie Ardiles was sacked by Newcastle after a dismal 5-2 defeat at Oxford United, The Magpies found themselves second bottom of the table, four points adrift of safety, and looking doomed to be dropping down into the third division for the first time in their history.

A moment in time – Newcastle vs Leicester, 1992

When a hastily arranged press conference took place, and the next Newcastle manager, Kevin Keegan, walked in, it left the football world gasping.

Little did anyone know what the next few years would have in store for the club, but at that time, Keegan, along with his number two and friend, Terry McDermott, had one task on his remit — to save Newcastle United.

Keegan lost just two of his first nine games in charge, and things were looking better for the Toon, who had climbed above rivals Sunderland with a 1-0 win over their arch enemy, and a full five points clear of the drop-zone.

But a 6-2 defeat by Wolves began a five-game losing slump, that saw Newcastle back in the relegation mire. They were third bottom with 46 points — the same number as Oxford a place above them in safety.

Newcastle squeaked to a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in their last home game of the season, which meant Keegan’s side went to Filbert Street in the last game of the season, in 20th spot, just two points above the bottom three, with Plymouth Argyle a point behind them, and Oxford a further point back.

If results went against them, Newcastle would go down, so it was a tense atmosphere for fans before the game.

Leicester were second in the table, and looking to secure promotion, with Derby and Middlesbrough two and three points behind them respectively.

So it was a massive game, with everything on the line for both sides, although Leicester were odds-on certainties to win — but Keegan and Newcastle had not read the script.

In a tense first half, Gavin Peacock latched onto a dreadful back-pass on the stroke of half-time to chip the advancing goalkeeper, and give Newcastle a shock 1-0 lead.

The Newcastle fans were delirious, while the home fans were in a state of disbelief.

The tense feeling around the ground continued throughout the second half, and it looked like Keegan had worked the miracle, and staved off any threat of relegation, as the game moved into injury time.

But there was despair for the travelling Geordies, when big centre-back, Steve Walsh, leapt above the Newcastle defence to smash a header in, leading to scenes of pandemonium in the ground, with jubilant Leicester fans running onto the pitch, their promotion dream alive again.

When they were shepherded from the playing area the game kicked off again, with just seconds left.

But fate still had a twist in its tail, when Foxes goal hero Walsh got on the end of a desperate Newcastle punt up-field, and mistimed his header, and in a last-ditch attempt to nudge the ball back to his keeper, and away from the chasing Peacock, he poked it into his own net.

Newcastle were back in front, as the home fans ran onto the pitch and made a bee-line for the celebrating Newcastle support, leading Keegan to take his players off the pitch.

Referee, David Elleray, ended the game and Newcastle were safe, but the result meant Leicester dropped to fourth, with both Middlesbrough and Derby winning, leaving them in the play-offs, in which they lost the final against Blackburn.

As bad as things seem now for Newcastle fans under Mike Ashley’s ownership, there are a generation of fans who will look back to these times, and recall that things were a lot worse then, than they are now.

What happened after that season is legendary now, with a title-winning season the next year, and then Keegan’s Entertainers were born.

How Newcastle’s loyal following would love to think a similar win at Leicester this week could kick-start a chain of events like they did on that special weekend in 1992.

Were you at that game 27 years ago, Newcastle fans? Do you think Ashley’s could bring back the horror days like those again? Let us know…

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According to The Sun, Roy Hodgson wants to bring Jordan Ayew, who has been on loan at Crystal Palace this season, to Selhurst Park on a permanent basis this summer despite the Ghanaian having netted just once in the league in 18 appearances.

Michy Batshuayi’s arrival has seen the former Aston Villa man slip down the pecking order but that doesn’t mean Hodgson doesn’t see him as a useful squad player for next season, with the Premier League’s oldest boss keen to make the £4m striker his first signing of the summer.

Goals remain a problem for the SE25 outfit and offensive reinforcements are clearly required in the summer – Ayew plays up front, but should he return to the Eagles once his loan move expires? Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts on a Palace swoop for the number 14 below…

Ben Goodwin

“Any amount of money spent on Ayew would be money wasted by Crystal Palace. Last time I checked, the Eagles are suffering because none of their strikers can score goals, so why on Earth would they spend part of their transfer kitty on a striker with 2 goals in 23 appearances? He is not physical enough for the Premier League and needs to be let go for his woeful form, not rewarded with a permanent deal.”

James Beavis

“While I can see why a £4m transfer may be tempting in this day and age, it would be madness to bring Ayew to Selhurst Park permanently. The Ghana international would have been signed by the south London club to score goals and give the Eagles a boost in the final third, and he has failed to do that. They have signed a number of attackers over the years that have failed to make their mark such as Yaya Sanogo and Emmanuel Adebayor, and Ayew would be an even worse signing than Adebayor in the circumstances.”

A Crystal Palace fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Eagles in the video below…

Jack Saville

“Ayew has had ample chances to prove himself at this level and he hasn’t taken them. Palace have been starved of a reliable goalscorer for the past two seasons and Ayew quite clearly isn’t a solution to the problem, he’s a major part of it. Roy Hodgson would be a fool to sanction a deal even at £4 million.”

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Danny Rose is desperate for Christian Eriksen to stay at Tottenham Hotspur, per Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

Eriksen’s current contract expires at the end of next season.

Rumours continue to swirl over his future, with both Real Madrid and Barcelona linked with a potential interest.

If no new deal is agreed and Eriksen does not leave this summer, Spurs risk losing him on a free transfer at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season.

Eriksen sent Spurs a reminder of his value on Tuesday night, as he scored the winning goal in the club’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And Rose has told Sky that Spurs have to bend over backwards to ensure the Denmark international remains at the club.

He said: “It’s obviously vital [that Eriksen stays]. If you look over the five years that the manager’s been here, Christian has played the most games and that says a lot.

“When Christian doesn’t play, there are questions that we don’t look the same. He links everything up for us. The lads in the changing room trust the people upstairs to hopefully get him to sign.

“We have every possible foundation at the club – the training ground, the stadium now, the fan-base, the players. But it’s not just the foundations that attract players and make players want to stay.

“It’s out of the players’ control. We just have to trust that the people upstairs are going to do whatever they see fit to help us make that next step. We know that our manager is a winner. He demands the best from us and he wants to win something as well.

“So while everybody is on the same page, we can just look forward to next season and see what it brings.”

A dressing room leader

Rose is well-known for speaking his mind and has emerged as something of a dressing room leader during his time at Spurs.

That he has come out in such open terms and pleaded with the club to retain Eriksen’s services surely speaks to the mood of the squad.

A 27-year-old who has continually proved his worth at the club, many believe that this is the perfect time for Spurs to cash in and receive a massive transfer fee.

But if the selling of Eriksen is set to destabilise the dressing room, perhaps keeping him could be the best outcome.

And maybe Rose’s intervention will hurry the hands of those in the club’s boardroom.

Leeds United have had their fair share of troubles with the goalkeeping position this season, haven’t they Whites fans?

Having began the year with Jamal Blackman and Bailey Peacock-Farrell as his two main shot-stoppers, Marcelo Bielsa must have been fairly confident that they could provide the necessary levels of performance required to help the club sustain a push for promotion.

However, whereas the former was forced to return to his parent club Chelsea after breaking his leg in November, the latter’s tendency to make mistakes eventually culminated in his Argentine manager taking decisive action in the January transfer window by signing Kiko Casilla from Real Madrid.

Since making his debut for Leeds in a 2-1 victory over Rotherham United, the 32-year-old has been fairly impressive for his new side, keeping five clean sheets in 16 games.

Yet it could be argued that a lack of competition from Peackock-Farrell may be holding back Casilla somewhat as he knows that unless he makes a catastrophic blunder, he will almost certainly be the first name on Bielsa’s team sheet.

Therefore, in order to keep the Spaniard honest next season, the Whites must consider re-igniting their interest in Emiliano Martinez in the summer, a player who they were linked with earlier this year (via the Daily Mail).

With the Argentine keeper’s loan deal with Reading set to expire at the end of the month, reports in the Sun suggest that he is ready to leave Arsenal due to a lack of first-team opportunities at the Emirates.

A commanding presence in goal, Martinez has been one of the main reasons for why the Royals have managed to avoid relegation to the third tier this season.

If the Gunners do indeed put him up for sale when the transfer window reopens in July, Bielsa must do all he can to convince the 26-year-old to relocate to West Yorkshire as he has all the qualities needed to succeed at a higher level.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa consider swooping for Martinez in the summer? Or are there other areas that the Argentine needs to prioritise? Let us know below.