All posts by n8rngtd.top

When asked by a supporter on social media if there is any chance striker Michail Antonio could be back in contention for West Ham as they gear up to face Newcastle United this weekend, club insider ExWHUemployee dropped a bleak five-word response (Twitter).

ExWHUemployee drops damning five-word injury claim

Antonio, who is currently out injured with hamstring trouble, has been at the centre of some reports claiming he could be out for the rest of this campaign (The Guardian).

David Moyes, however, has remained cryptic surrounding his injury and has not put a timescale on his return or shared any intricate details on Antonio’s recovery in the manager’s latest press conferences.

Possibly as a result, one supporter optimistically enquired whether Antonio could be available as soon as the Newcastle game this weekend – with ExWHUemployee dropping the damning five-word message ‘I don’t think so mate’ in response.

Transfer Tavern take

West Ham managed to cope fairly well without Antonio’s presence during their last outing against Leicester City, with Jarrod Bowen proving deadly in the striker role.

The Englishman notched a goal during the nervy 3-2 win and assisted Jesse Lingard for his second of the afternoon (West Ham official).

If the 24-year-old continues to display that effectiveness going forward, Moyes will be relieved that his decision not to sign a striker in January may not come back to haunt him.

In other news: West Ham are interested in this towering colossus, find out more here.

In the space of eight rapid days, Sunderland have gone from being the favourites to promotion to a team in free-fall.

Things are never done easily at the Stadium of Light and the last week has been a perfect representation.

With two games in hand, automatic promotion was well and truly in Sunderland’s control. However, three straight defeats in League One have left Lee Johnson and the club sweating over their future.

They are now eight points behind Peterborough in third place while Lincoln are only three points off the Mackems with a game in hand.

You can excuse the defeat to fellow promotion hopefuls Charlton but their performances in the last few games have left a lot to be desired. Catastrophic defending let them down against Wigan but their finishing was the issue this time around.

Johnson’s men enjoyed 67% of the ball against Blackpool and had six more attempts at goal than the hosts. However, it was the Tangerines who prevailed 1-0.

One of those players who let the manager down on Saturday was Aiden O’Brien. He didn’t start against Wigan but was brought back into the side this weekend.

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Unfortunately, Johnson will be ruing that decision. The attacking midfielder didn’t ever look like scoring and once he’d been dragged off on 75 minutes, he’d failed to have a single shot. You can never fault his work rate and desire but those were the only positives on Saturday.

O’Brien didn’t manage a dribble or take-on as he was constantly stopped in his tracks by a Blackpool defence which included the imperious Daniel Ballard.

The Arsenal loanee barely gave Sunderland a sniff, winning a colossal seven aerial duels.

He stifled O’Brien considerably, so much so that he managed just 16 passes and 25 touches. Both numbers were fewer than Mackems goalkeeper Lee Burge.

The 27-year-old was bullied and wasn’t too strong in the challenge, losing a whopping 62% of the duels he was involved in. This was a poor day at the office for a player who hasn’t always been a regular this term.

With that in mind, he will have to improve considerably. Johnson certainly isn’t short of options in a forward position, after all.

AND in other news, SAFC flop has seen his value rise by £7.2m after leaving, he’s “excellent” in Europe…

Many Southampton fans were far from happy with the performance of Nathan Redmond during their FA Cup semi-final defeat on Sunday.

The Saints were in action against Leicester City at Wembley as they attempted to reach the final of the competition. While it has been a difficult few months for Southampton, their FA Cup run has been their saving grace. However, they failed to muster even a single shot on target against the Foxes as they lost 1-0 (SofaScore) – quite simply, that is just not good enough.

Many supporters were disappointed with the performance of Redmond in particular. The 27-year-old started in the unfamiliar position of centre-forward and it was quite clear he was uncomfortable in that role. He completed only nine passes and failed to have much of an impact on the game, not even recording a single shot.

These fans were far from happy with the display of the former Norwich City man, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts, with one disgruntled supporter even dubbing him “useless”.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Redmond below

“Next season Redmond and Bertrand should be sold. Don’t add anything and won’t be missed.”

Credit: @OliJerrim

“Very very poor…… Bertrand, Redmond, Diallo – simply not good enough.”

Credit: @RobGibs69037389

“Any manager who thinks playing Redmond as a striker needs questioning, Puel did it and was hung out to dry for it. He adds nothing, terrible player who has a handful of good games in amongst an avalanche of mediocrity”

Credit: @beatlesaint

“I think it proved that we only have 6/7 players in the squad of prem standards at this point in their careers… Redmond, Djenepo, Diallo, Bertrand, Walcott, Bednarek not good enough.. such a massive clear out needed .. jury’s out on Ralph”

Credit: @smorgy13

“Danny, you are never going to score with Djenepo, Walcott and Redmond in midfield. Utterly useless and embarrassing. Also tell Forster to come for corners over 7ft tall with hands up rarely leaves the ground. Cheers”

Credit: @m_glass1052

“Djenepo, Diallo, Redmond and Ings, all must go as attitude is not good with them in the camp, I feel that they are no longer committed to SFC”

Credit: @TonyTonyprince

In other news, this man has been urged to leave Southampton.

Former Newcastle United winger Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that he is growing tired of constant talk surrounding the proposed takeover of the club.

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia have been involved in protracted talks to buy the club.

That deal is currently going through arbitration in court but it has taken a fair few twists in recent days.

The Daily Mail have reported that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia personally lobbied Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene in the potential takeover.

Elsewhere, owner Mike Ashley has shut the club shop and is said to have sent a letter to staff claiming that the decision stems from the new ownership, again per The Daily Mail.

Gillespie, though, insists that the Magpies’ fans deserve better than to constantly be hanging on news reports, and seeing their excitement both grow and diminish as a result. Indeed, he is aware of how many proposed takeovers in previous years have fallen apart at the last hurdle.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “In terms of will there be a takeover? It’s not something I listen to too much now, because I’ve heard it too often.

“You get asked to comment on this quite a bit when there’s talk again. Until something is confirmed, Newcastle fans don’t deserve to be put through the mill every single time, because they’re so passionate about their club and they want this takeover to happen.

“They start to get a little bit of belief that they could be getting closer, and then bang, it falls apart again. I feel sorry for them in that way.

“For me, until there is something concrete and we are very, very close, it’s not something that Newcastle fans deserve people to be talking about, because we’ve seen in the past how often it’s just fallen apart.”

A recruitment source has dropped a big transfer update involving Newcastle United and Danilho Doekhi.

As per Football Insider, the source has claimed that both the Magpies and Fulham are keeping tabs on the Vitesse Arnhem ace ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

Rangers are also reportedly in the race to sign him, but the Tyneside club will be looking to fend off the competition for his signature should they make a move for him.

Newcastle should sign Doekhi

Newcastle should be looking to sign Doekhi as he could give them another solid option at the heart of the defence. At 1.9m (6 foot 3), the big central defender should have no problems at all in adapting to the physical and aerial demands of the Premier League.

This has shown in his stats in the Eredivisie so far this season, as he wins a mammoth 5.4 of his duels per game in the Dutch top flight, as well as averaging 3.1 clearances, two tackles and 1.7 interceptions per match (Sofascore). His manager Thomas Letsch has had high praise for the 22-year-old all throughout the season, branding him as a ‘class’ player back in January.

Doekhi certainly seems somebody who could be of use to Steve Bruce and the Magpies come next season if they can beat Fulham and Rangers in the chase to sign him.

In other news, find out what Allan Saint-Maximin injury update has been dropped by Steve Bruce!

Rangers’ decision to sign Connor Goldson from Brighton has certainly paid off, as his value has risen 550% since making the move to Ibrox, with the centre-back now a key figure in Steven Gerrard’s side.

The English centre-back joined the Light Blues in the summer of 2018 and has gone on to make 159 appearances for the club, contributing 16 goals and five assists.

The 28-year-old has played a huge part in Rangers’ Premiership title win this season, appearing in 33 of their league fixtures, in which he has contributed four goals and two assists, averaging a superb 7.38 WhoScored rating for his performances.

This is enough to rank him as the fourth-best performer in Gerrard’s side so far this season, which emphasises just how important a player he has become at Ibrox during his three years with the club.

Earlier in the season, the 40-year-old manager sang the praises of his powerful centre-back, saying: “Connor has been an absolute mountain for this team, a true warrior. He’s had a lot of stick over the years, wrongly in my opinion. But he’s continued to improve and has been one of our most consistent players. I wasn’t too happy with the back line in Belgium on Thursday but if you look at the big picture, Goldson has been absolutely immense.”

It is not just his appearances on the pitch which mark him down as an excellent piece of business by former Rangers sporting director Mark Allen, but his market value.

When Goldson joined the Gers, he was valued at just £900,000 by Transfermarkt, but his valuation now stands at £4.95m, which represents a 550% increase and is also the highest market value of his career.

Although many Rangers fans won’t want to see Goldson depart Ibrox anytime soon, they are safe in the knowledge that the club should make a profit on the £3m they paid for him back in 2018.

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Therefore, when you consider his massive rise in value and his superb performances on the pitch, his signing should definitely go down as a Mark Allen masterclass.

In other news… Rangers suffer huge blow over “special talent”, Gerrard will be fuming

After all the drama that came out of the training ground bust-up between Matt Ritchie and Steve Bruce a few weeks ago, it’s fair to say that things have worked out fairly well since then for Newcastle.

Reports back in early March suggested that the two were involved in a heated confrontation, with the Scotland international even going as far as calling the Magpies manager a “coward”.

Fast forward a couple of months later, and things on the pitch are going far more swimmingly, with Ritchie instrumental in a superb 4-2 win over Leicester in the Premier League on Friday night.

The left wing-back was his usual snarling self, bombing up and down the flank and not being afraid to dish it out either to his teammates or the opposition.

As per Sofascore, Ritchie completed two of his three attempted dribbles on the night, which was a number only bettered by Allan Saint-Maximin (five). He also had the most touches and crosses of any Newcastle player – that’s not to mention the absolutely superb delivery from the corner which Paul Dummett headed the visitors’ second goal.

The vocal leadership was also something which was clear to see, with the Magpie 24/7 fan channel tweeting that he “didn’t stop shouting all night” and that “the difference he’s made to this team since that Brighton defeat isn’t commended enough.”

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Shields Gazette, Liam Kennedy gave him an eight, saying: “A typical all-action display down the left. And, for a change, didn’t look open defensively. Two more assists to add to his tally for the campaign.”

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While many of the plaudits will naturally go towards the goalscorers on the night, Ritchie deserves plenty of credit for the way he set the tone with his intensity and energy.

He may not have been wearing the captain’s armband, but the £45,000-a-week machine was the leader the Magpies needed, and arguably Bruce’s real hero on the night.

Rangers are reportedly interested in Nimes winger Zinedine Ferhat, and should he arrive at Ibrox this summer, he could be the man to replace Ianis Hagi in Steven Gerrard’s side.

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato (via Daily Record), Rangers and Sassuolo are keen on signing the Algerian, who has impressed in Ligue 1 this season despite Nimes’ likely relegation to the second tier.

The report suggested that both Gerrard and Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson are ‘hell bent’ on signing the 28-year-old, and considering that Nimes are second-bottom in the French top flight, a summer exit looks likely for Ferhat.

So far this season, the versatile attacker has contributed an impressive six goals and 10 assists in 32 Ligue 1 appearances, which has helped him average a fine 7.25 rating from WhoScored. This comfortably ranks him as Nimes’ best performer so far in 2020/21, so it is easy to see why Rangers might be keen on adding him to their squad ahead of next term.

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If he were to make the move to Ibrox, then he could potentially arrive as a replacement for Hagi, who has been heavily linked with a move away in recent weeks, with the likes of Lazio and Sevilla among his suitors.

It could prove difficult to keep the Romania international should either of those clubs meet his asking price, despite the success he has enjoyed during his brief time at Ibrox.

Both Ferhat and Hagi are predominantly deployed on the right wing, although the Algerian looks to be a lot more versatile than the 22-year-old Rangers man, as he has featured in a number of positions in attack and midfield throughout his career, even filling in at right-back on numerous occasions.

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With such versatility and an impressive goal contributions tally, he seems to be the sort of player who Gerrard would love to have in his squad ahead of next season. Whilst his arrival could prove to be a catalyst in Hagi’s departure, his statistics this season suggest that he would be an excellent addition at Ibrox, so Wilson should definitely be looking to bring him in.

In other news… Gerrard could sign Rangers’ next Ryan Kent with swoop for “hugely impressive” beast

A new name has been spoken about as a possible option to take the Crystal Palace job this summer…

What’s the word?

It is widely expected that Roy Hodgson will walk away from Selhurst Park following the expiration of his contract next month, with London News Online recently claiming it is ‘highly likely’ he steps down after four seasons at the club.

The Eagles would need to find a new manager and plenty of candidates have emerged over the past few weeks. It is thought that Sean Dyche is their top target, whilst the club are said to have held talks with the currently unemployed Eddie Howe.

But now an intriguing claim has been made by Darren Bent on talkSPORT (Tuesday 11th May, 08:10am).

He said:

“What was good about [Scott] Parker, is that he understood the problems at the start of the season. They were conceding, getting battered, but he changed it and made it harder to beat. There is no reason why cannot go to Spurs. But he could also go to Crystal Palace.”

Fresh twist

Parker would certainly be an interesting option and a clear change in direction from Palace chairman Steve Parish; going from the division’s oldest manager to one of the youngest.

It is true that the Cottagers have struggled greatly this campaign, resulting in an instant relegation back to the Championship but their performances have been worthy of better results and there have been major signs of improvement throughout the season.

A switch to Palace, over Spurs, in the summer could be a wise move as he may not be ready to join his former club just yet.

The 40-year-old has rued the lack of a proven goalscorer in his side, something that would be fixed in an instant at the Eagles, with Wilfried Zaha at his disposal and he’s earned a reputation for his trust and development in young players, which could further suggest Palace’s change in plans.

Signings like Eberechi Eze are only going to continue going forward and Parish will need a young, progressive coach to match the exciting, high-potential additions.

Even though they were relegated on Monday night, we have seen vast improvement in Fulham defensively. They have leaked the second-fewest goals of any team tenth or below, including Palace, who have seen 12 more goals fly into their net – yet they are safe.

Once dubbed “intelligent” by Paul Robinson and “incredibly good” by Man City boss Pep Guardiola, Parker would be a very good option for Parish to consider and given he’s gone down to the Championship, it could make any move for him that little easier – especially over Dyche, who remains in work.

The Eagles CEO must now act to try and bring the Fulham boss to southeast London.

AND in other news, Parish handed Palace managerial boost amid fresh Hodgson claim, fans surely buzzing…

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder and current Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes Celtic only want Eddie Howe.

While Howe is now said to be close to being named Celtic manager, the ex-Bournemouth boss had left the Glasgow giants waiting for a while.

It had seen Celtic consider other options, with Football Insider recently reporting that the Bhoys have interviewed former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre and Roy Keane.

Hendrie, though, is convinced that Howe is the only real candidate that the Celtic hierarchy are desperate to bring to the club.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Howe and Celtic’s search for a new permanent manager, the ex-Aston Villa star said:

“I’m pretty sure that Celtic want him there for sure because he just seems to be the prime suspect that they want at the football club just for the way he plays and his style of football, which is certainly attractive.

“It just seems like he’s dragging his feet a little bit and that’s my only concern.”

If reports are to believed, then this long saga could be about to come to an end, which would be great news for Celtic.

After an extremely disappointing season, the Bhoys will be desperate to start planning for the next campaign where the aim will be to wrestle their title back from rivals Rangers – something they cannot do properly without having a manager.