All posts by n8rngtd.top

Former England international Carlton Palmer has hailed David Moyes and has told Football FanCast that he is on the comeback trail after his spell at Manchester United.

Moyes has been attempting to rebuild his reputation after failing at Old Trafford following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Scot did not even last a season in 2013/14, and has since managed Real Sociedad in La Liga, spending 12 months at the club, and Sunderland, with whom he endured the first relegation of his career.

In his first spell with the Hammers, in 2017/18, he kept the club up, and was reappointed in December of 2019.

Since his appointment, he guided the Hammers to a 16th-placed finish last term despite the very real threat of relegation, and is now attempting to take them into Europe.

While Palmer does not believe the Irons will qualify for the Champions League, he does think that Moyes deserves an immense amount of credit for the job he is doing.

He told FFC: “I don’t see West Ham finishing in the top four but they’re having a fantastic season. I’m delighted for David Moyes because I think David Moyes has never really recovered from taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

“David Moyes was and is a top manager and unfortunately there was a massive rebuilding job to be done at Manchester United and it was always going to be difficult for him, stepping into the shoes of Sir Alex.

“It seems that he never really recovered and it seems that he’s gone to West Ham, his first spell there, and he’s found a little niche like he did at Everton and he’s back to doing what he does best. He knows how to win football matches and he’s a fantastic coach.”

The Irons are next in action on Monday against Leeds United as they bid to increase their chances of a remarkable top-four finish.

The wait is finally over. Celtic’s season is done and dusted in early March and for the first time in a decade, they will not be crowned Scottish Premiership winners.

It has been a torrid campaign for the Hoops and on a day where they had the chance to take things on at least another week in terms of the title race, they blew their chance.

If there was any positive, it would be that Rangers wouldn’t win the league at Parkhead. That is a measly consolation prize, however, especially after losing their dominance to the club’s biggest rivals.

Celtic’s performance against Dundee United on Sunday just about summed things up this term. They were devoid of quality in the final third and lacked a killer instinct in front of goal, drawing 0-0.

Benjamin Siegrist was in inspired form as he made no fewer than 12 saves in a rousing performance from the Dundee United stopper.

Try as they might, the Bhoys couldn’t find a way past him. Odsonne Edouard was off the pace while the withdrawal of David Turnbull after an hour didn’t help proceedings. The returning James Forrest – making his first outing since September – also failed to have a positive influence when he came on.

Though, a man who typified the afternoon and indeed Celtic’s season was Diego Laxalt. With Greg Taylor out injured, the Uruguayan started at left-back but was wasteful in possession and lacklustre at the back.

The left-back even missed a wonderful chance to score in the first half. The Hoops moved things infield and then when the ball was played into his path in the penalty area, he had all the freedom in the world to fire home.

The net was at his mercy but instead of firing it across the goal and into the far corner, he put it wide of Siegrist’s near post.

Offensively, Laxalt was off the pace, only attempting one cross in the entire game. Creatively, he was worse than the enigmatic Ryan Christie too.

The Scot has now only scored once in his last 25 outings but did at least provide four key passes on Sunday. Laxalt, though, only managed two in a performance where John Kennedy’s men enjoyed the best chances.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

The AC Milan loanee was desperately poor in possession of the ball, surrendering it on no fewer than 22 occasions; the worst tally of anyone in green and white. Laxalt was only successful with 72% of his passes too.

As the full-back pushed on more and more in the second half, he left his side exposed on the counter-attack. Lawrence Shankland had plenty of space to raid down the left but fortunately for the Uruguay international, Dundee United failed to capitalise.

Laxalt wasn’t the only player who was poor on Sunday, but he did let Kennedy down in pretty significant fashion.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Edouard: Celtic must swoop for £7.2m-rated beast with 8 G/A this term…

Leicester City are reportedly scouting young centre-back Jack Hendry ahead of a potential summer move.

The Scottish defender, who is on loan at Belgian outfit KV Oostende, has impressed in the Jupiler Pro League, with 90min.com revealing that Foxes have kept a close eye on his performances.

Any potential move would reunite Hendry with the manager that brought him to Celtic, Brendan Rodgers, and that could be a transfer that benefits both the Foxes and the player.

Having initially struggled at Celtic, the centre-back appears to have regained form with Oostende. He has made 23 appearances, scoring twice so far this season.

That improvement could well continue at Leicester, with Rodgers having had his influence in the development of a number of young players at the King Power Stadium, namely Harvey Barnes, Ben Chilwell, James Maddison and James Justin.

As a matter of fact, it is clear that Rodgers has an extremely high opinion of Hendry having stated that he “never goes missing” during a tricky spell at Celtic Park. Should the Northern-Irishman still rate the defender, despite that indifferent run of form, then he must certainly have talent.

Even if he does not go straight into the Foxes’ first team, Hendry would provide useful cover in defence. Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans are at the wrong side of 30 years of age, leaving just Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu as the younger, natural centre-backs in the East-Midlands.

With all four of them having suffered from respective injuries this season too, bolstering the defensive positions could well benefit the Foxes.

Rated at just £900k, a move for Hendry could well be a smart and shrewd purchase from the East-Midlanders.

AND in more news, take a look at why Leicester could already have a perfect Kasper Schmeichel replacement at the club…

Aston Villa are making a major transfer mistake over Ross Barkley amid an update on Christian Purslow’s plans for the midfielder.

What’s the story?

The England international joined Dean Smith’s side from Chelsea on a season-long loan last September and, after putting in some impressive performances in the first few weeks of the campaign – he netted against the likes of Liverpool and Leicester – has seen his form fall off a cliff.

The £18m-rated man has completed the full 90 minutes just once since the start of the year, and has bagged just four goals and provided one assist all season.

Despite that, Football Insider claimed that Purslow is the driving force behind doing a permanent deal for Barkley come the end of the season, even with Smith himself being “unconvinced” over whether the 27-year-old is worth the money needed to sign him.

Smith will be fuming

The fact the manager is apparently “unconvinced” over a player, and yet is still seeing those above him in the hierarchy trying to push for a deal, says it all about how this is simply a nightmare for Villa.

More than anything, Smith has earned the right to have the final say-so on new signings and those coming into the club, and for him to be seemingly overruled over a decision on Barkley is a real slap in the face for the Villa manager.

Barkley hasn’t pulled up any trees at Villa Park, and it’s been a telling sign that, even amid Jack Grealish being out injured over the past few weeks, the English ace hasn’t started a game since the 2-1 defeat to Leicester.

Speaking after he was taken off yet again in the second half against the Foxes a month ago, Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott slammed the midfielder for his performance, saying: “For me it’s another missed opportunity for Ross Barkley to show up and demand, he’s been subbed off again and you can see in his face he’s not happy. But how many chances does a player need?

“You need to take it upon yourself. There’s only so many chances that he can be deserving. He’s missed another opportunity today.”

Purslow is making a real mistake over Barkley, and it’s something that will surely have Dean Smith livid.

Meanwhile, Villa should unleash this teenage talent “everybody’s talking about”…

A number of Liverpool fans have been hailing the quality of youngster Kaide Gordon following an eye-catching performance in a training match.

The Reds acquired the services of the teenager last month, snapping him up from Derby County and adding him to the club’s academy.

A highly-rated young English prospect, Gordon is considered one of the most exciting players in the country in his age group, and became Derby’s fourth-youngest player of all time earlier in the season.

It appears as though the 16-year-old has taken little time making an impression at Liverpool as he looks to eventually become a first team star at Anfield.

The midfielder took part in an internal game at the AXA Training Centre on Saturday alongside a number of first team players including Adrian and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

His quality was plain to see in a video shared on the club’s official Twitter account, playing a key role in one of Ben Woodburn’s three goals on the day.

Liverpool fans laud Gordon’s quality

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to heap praise on Gordon, who one Kopite has hailed as “special”.

“Kaide is going straight to the top”

Credit: @Maestro_Xtra

“What a pass by Kaide Gordon”

Cired: @JotaSZNx

“No.9 looks handy”

Credit: @RexRaces

“Kaide Gordon is special”

Credit: @FalseEightEra

“That kid wearing No9 seems better than Firmino”

Credit: @MrB10A

“When’s Kaide Gordon starting then?”

Credit: @_Pin98

In other news, one Liverpool player is reportedly on his way to pastures new this summer – find out who it is here.

Fans of Sunderland have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the club relayed the recent comments of the Black Cats manager, Lee Johnson.

Since being appointed as Sunderland boss in December of last year, Johnson has overseen a rather remarkable turnaround in form at the Stadium of Light, with the 39-year-old winning 11, drawing seven and losing just three of his 21 League One fixtures with the Black Cats thus far – results which include a current run of 13 matches unbeaten in the league – taking the club from 10th to third place in the third tier standings.

In reflection of the Sunderland players’ efforts, Johnson claimed that his side have “put in a massive shift” in recent weeks, before looking ahead to the club’s upcoming clash with Bristol Rovers, for which the manager believes his side are “fully prepared” and are “ready to put in another energetic and bright performance”.

And, after Sunderland relayed Johnson’s comments on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many heaping a considerable amount of praise on their manager.

So, what exactly did these Sunderland fans have to say in reaction to Lee Johnson’s comments?

“Got a good feeling with Johnson at the helm.”

@colinappleby57

“Just love what I’m watching right now! Very exciting times coming if we can keep up this form.”

@BlakeLevy6

“LET’S GOOOO.”

@KDICKERSON1972

“Lee Johnson’s Red and White Wizards.”

@ow3n___

“Come on the lads!!”

@JohnJay1993

“Come on lads only eleven more cup finals left…”

@KelvinH65947491

“Our gaffa.”

@allinson_terry

In other news: these Sunderland fans were left furious by this Jordan Jones news – find out more here!

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Sevilla star Lucas Ocampos this summer, with a number of clubs thought to be keen on him.

Marcelo Bielsa will be eyeing up additions in the next transfer window as he looks to make his squad more formidable ahead of next season.

Leeds have impressed in their first year back in the Premier League, but they need to ensure they kick on and don’t go backwards in 2021/22. Bielsa may feel that more attacking firepower is required and an exciting new rumour suggests that is the case.

[freshpress-quiz id=“347980″]

Leeds keen on Ocampos move

According to Football Insider, the Whites are interested in snapping up Sevilla hero Ocampos, with the report claiming that they are ‘keeping tabs’ on the £36m-rated winger. Even better for Bielsa, the Europa League holders are reportedly willing to sell him for much less than his £62m release clause due to the financial effects of the global pandemic.

The 26-year-old has chipped in with four goals and assists apiece in La Liga this season, starting 21 of Sevilla’s league matches.

Transfer Tavern take

Ocampos seems an exciting player, so it would feel significant if Leeds could get a deal over the line. At 26, he is at a prime age to come in and make an immediate impression.

Wolves are also believed to be interested, however, as are other clubs, so Bielsa may have to work all of his magic in a timely fashion if a deal is to be completed.

In other news, one international Leeds player is set to leave the club this summer – find out who it is here.

West Bromwich Albion fans have been reacting to the news that they spent the least in agent fees from February 1st 2020 to February 1st 2021 amongst sides in the Premier League.

Throughout this campaign, the Baggies have spent £37.93m on new acquisitions (Transfermarkt). While that fee is not the lowest in the top flight, they have still managed to spend the least on agent fees. They parted with £4.2m, which was less than the likes of Burnley, Crystal Palace and Brighton, all of whom spent less on transfers during the summer and winter windows.

However, that may well be corroborative with the fact that they are where they are in the Premier League table. The top four biggest spenders on agents are Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool – three of those sides are currently in the top four of the table.

The news was shared on Twitter by journalist Joseph Masi, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Baggies supporters. The fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the update from Masi below

“Shows in our league position”

Credit: @robertupton9

“Madness that we’ve managed to spend less than Burnley!”

Credit: @AshDavies21

“Proud of that”

Credit: @albion_gaming

“Good, I’m really happy we aren’t throwing money at middle men who are fleecing the game. Well done WBA more should follow your lead .”

Credit: @AdKido44

“If your not willing to pay the money don’t be surprised when were going straight back to the championship.”

Credit: @sicoop01

“No surprise is it looking at the amount we spent on transfer fees”

Credit: @steaksworth

In other news, West Brom are interested in this 24-year-old.

Celtic could release striker Leigh Griffiths over the coming months, according to The Scottish Sun.

The report suggests that the 30-year-old is waiting to hear from the Hoops regarding a potential 12-month extension.

Transfermarkt claim that Griffiths is already under contract until 2022, however, it seems that is not the case.

Aberdeen and Hibs keen on Griffiths

Celtic have until April 30th to activate the clause, which could be worth close to £1m.

If they decide against keeping Griffiths on, the forward could move to either Aberdeen or Hibernian for nothing, with both sides thought to be keen on the Scot.

Transfer Tavern take

Griffiths, on £15,000-a-week, has been a brilliant servant to the Hoops, with Alan Hutton describing him as ‘excellent’ earlier this month.

He’s made over 250 appearances, scored over 120 goals and registered more than 50 assists during his Parkhead career, winning seven league titles.

However, he’s fallen out of favour this season, featuring in just 794 minutes of action, so it could make sense to allow him to move on over the coming months.

In other news: ‘I can exclusively reveal’ – Huge claim on Howe to Celtic emerges after worrying update, find out more here. 

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have hit out at the club’s official Twitter post regarding Jack Grealish.

Villa shared Dean Smith’s comments ahead of Saturday’s trip to Liverpool, with the manager confirming Grealish has now suffered a ‘setback that will probably put him back a couple of weeks’.

The 25-year-old has missed the club’s last seven games with a shin injury, and it seems as if he’ll be missing at least a few more following this latest update.

Villa have struggled without the attacking midfielder, picking up eight points from a possible 21 without their talisman.

Grealish also missed out representing the Three Lions during the recent international break, and this latest setback may impact his chances of going to this summer’s European Championships.

Villa fans react

Villa shared Smith’s comments on Grealish on Friday morning and it didn’t take long for hundreds of supporters to have their say.

These fans weren’t impressed, with one labelling the update as ‘ridiculous’.

“Something fishy going on here”

Credit: @seantk83

“logging off.”

Credit: @catrinedwards18

“This is just getting ridiculous now”

Credit: @JamieBenFord2

“Why won’t the club tell us what the injury is then? Which will then stop the rumours circulating.”

Credit: @gazswain

“I’m not even surprised anymore. He won’t play again this season& won’t go to the euros”

Credit: @tom_avfc1

“So disappointing. I was so excited to see Jack play loose now that we’re guaranteed safety and I really think he would’ve exploded leading up to the Euro’s. I just hope his long term health is okay and he can still get to the Euro’s.”

Credit: @VikingsAndVilla

In other news: Many AVFC fans buzz at John Percy update regarding £65k p/w star, find out more here.