All posts by n8rngtd.top

Glasgow Rangers defender George Edmundson faces an uncertain future as Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has been given a huge injury boost, if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Record, Nikola Katic is expected to make a full recovery from his long-term injury in January. The Croatian sustained an injury in training before the start of the season which has ruled him out of action for several months.

Gerrard brought in Leon Balogun as emergency cover in the summer and the Nigeria international has turned out to be a real bargain so far. But Katic is targeting a return from rehab for some time in January.

His agent Ives Cakarun said, as quoted by The Daily Record: “All is going well.

“We hope Nikola will be ready for January. It was a big operation, cruciate ligaments and both meniscus.”

The timing couldn’t be any better for Gerrard, as Balogun somewhat survived unscathed during the international break after a minor injury scare, which would have left him with only two viable centre-back options in Connor Goldson and Filip Helander, as Edmundson has been handed a lengthy suspension after breaking coronavirus protocols to attend a party with people from outside his household.

The Daily Record revealed both Edmundson and Jordan Jones have been hit with seven-game bans by the SFA for breaching COVID rules, which means they will only be available for selection by the end of December. So Gerrard and Ross Wilson must rid themselves of the Oldham Athletic academy graduate when the transfer market reopens in the winter as this is surely the final straw.

Get him gone, Wilson!

When trust is broken in a relationship, that is in essence where the problem lies. Gerrard, ever the consummate professional during his heydays at Anfield, will have been appalled by the fact that they couldn’t adhere to COVID regulations like the rest of their teammates.

Anyone who has watched The Last Dance will remember the time when Dennis Rodman went partying in Las Vegas during the NBA season. The trouble is, Edmundson isn’t Gerrard’s Michael Jordan, let alone Dennis Rodman. If anything, he’s a bit-part fringe squad player at best, someone who is often on the outside looking in. He has only made one appearance in the Europa League qualifying rounds so far this season, playing the full 90′ minutes against Lincoln Red Imps, before being left out of the squad along with Jermain Defoe and Jones for the group stage matches.

In two games in the Europa League last season, the 23-year-old made 6 clearances per game, but only managed 0.5 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game, via WhoScored. On the other hand, Katic, who is only one year older than his clubmate, managed 2 tackles per game in the European competition last term, as per WhoScored.

Former Celtic centre-back Gary Caldwell believes Edmundson, who reportedly earns wages worth £4,200-per-week, has made a “terrible” decision after the COVID breach. He told BBC Sportsound, as quoted by The Daily Record: “It’s terrible. Steven Gerrard will have something to say about it.

“If you can’t trust the players to adhere to Covid regulations, how can he trust them on the football park? To mark a man from a set-piece?

“It’s disappointing for Rangers but also disappointing for Scottish football.

“The situation clubs find themselves in financially, they’re going to need help at some point so we need to be showing Scottish football in the best light and unfortunately we didn’t do that.”

He burst onto the scene after a strong showing against Hamilton Academical at Ibrox last season, but will have hardly done himself any favours whatsoever with his latest blunder.

If everything plans out as is expected, it’s likely we will see Edmundson heading for the exit, either by way of a loan move or on a permanent basis, as Katic will probably battle Balogun, Goldson and Helander for a place in the starting line-up. You have to set an example, one way or another.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must put his faith in Ianis Hagi after “super” verdict from Romania U21 boss Adrian Mutu…

Many Liverpool fans have been reacting with delight to reports that Jurgen Klopp could start Diogo Jota against Aston Villa at Villa Park tomorrow.

The 23-year-old recently made the switch from Wolves to Anfield for a fee believed to be in the region of £41m and got off to a bright start with his new club after scoring during their 3-1 victory over Arsenal last Monday.

It looked unlikely that Jota would walk straight into Liverpool’s first team, due to the sensational form of Sadio Mane over the past five seasons. However, with the Senegal international being ruled out for their trip to the Midlands, there could be good news on the horizon for Jota.

Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph reported that the Portuguese winger could be in line for his first start for the Reds, giving him the opportunity to stake his claim in Klopp’s first XI.

While some supporters were understandably disappointed to be without Mane this weekend, they were equally as excited to see Jota possibly in the starting line-up. Here is a flavour of the Twitter reaction:

Should Diogo Jota make his first start tomorrow? Join the conversation by commenting below…

Burnley defender Ali Koiki has rejected the offer of a new contract from the club and could be set to leave Turf Moor, according to a report from Lancashire Live.

The 21-year-old left-back is keen to play first team football after a prolonged spell with the Clarets’ under-23 side and he was not involved in pre-season training with Sean Dyche’s squad due to uncertainty over his future (as per Lancashire Live).

Koiki has been named on the bench for four first team games with Burnley but has never made a competitive appearance for the Clarets (as per TransferMarkt), with his only senior experience being the 15 appearances he clocked during a loan spell with Swindon in 2019.

There has been a degree of interest in the 21-year-old from Football League clubs but no deal has been reached. The Robins wanted to take him back last summer after his loan spell but were unable to reach an agreement, while Charlton took him on trial recently but cannot purchase players at the moment due to squad restrictions. [via Lancashire Live]

Although the youngster impressed with a 10-goal haul at under-23 level last term, he faces stiff competition at left-back among Dyche’s first team ranks. The manager already has Charlie Taylor and Erik Pieters at his disposal, along with under-23 captain Anthony Glennon, who made the bench for a handful of Premier League games towards the end of last season.

According to Football Insider, Koiki is unhappy that the Clarets boss hasn’t given him a chance in the first team so far, believing that his performances at underage level have warranted a senior debut for the club.

It is frustrating that a promising young player in Koiki looks set to depart without getting a chance to show what he can do for the first team, but Burnley can at least feel that they did their bit in trying to keep him by offering him a new contract.

In any case, Dyche seems well-stacked in the left-back area, while the Clarets will receive compensation if the defender signs for another club as he is under the age of 24. Therefore, some good may come from the potential departure of contract rebel Koiki.

Burnley fans, should Koiki have been given a chance or is it a case of ‘good riddance’? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Liverpool have had an absolute barnstormer of a season, winning their first league title for 30 years.

It was no surprise that the Reds would go on to contend for the title this season given the agonising end to last year’s campaign, which saw them miss out on the title to rivals Manchester City by a single point, despite the success of the club winning the Champions League. It felt as though the wait for the title would go on – until now.

Their season was full of incredible moments, with Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football in full flow, leading the club to their best season on record with 99 points.

From going unbeaten at Anfield, to losing their first game of the season at Watford, the Reds’ season had it all – after 38 games, how well can you remember the biggest moments and all the stats that took Liverpool to the Premier League title?

Newcastle United have potentially been dealt a big blow if they were looking to sign Danny Rose on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur as the player has admitted that his future may be at Spurs with Jose Mourinho.

Speaking in an interview on the Second Captains podcast (via The Northern Echo), Rose said with regards to his future:

“I will just have to wait and see, but for me I would love nothing more than to play for those (Spurs) fans once again.”

Indeed, the 30-year old has dedicated much of his playing career to the team from North London, playing in a rather impressive total of 214 games in all competitions across the last decade, scoring 10 goals and making a further 29 assists in the process, according to Transfermarkt.

However, his playing time was limited in the 2019/20 season to just 16 matches in all competitions, with him completing the full 90 minutes in just seven of those, as per the website.

Thus, he moved on loan to the North East to play under Steve Bruce, as he helped them fight off relegation from the Premier League relatively comfortably in the end as well as to an FA Cup quarter-final against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in his 13 appearances.

Nevertheless, it seems as if the English international is looking to fight for his place at the Lilywhites with fellow left-back Ben Davies, which would be a big blow to the Magpies if they were looking to sign him on a permanent basis.

If Rose departs, perhaps the left-back position is an area to look at strengthening for the Toon, regardless of whether there is a takeover of NUFC or not.

Geordies, would you sign Rose permanently? Comment below!

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

There was a distinct Argentine flavour to Manchester City’s first Premier League triumph in 2011/12, with Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta and Carlos Tevez all playing their part in that memorable success. It was a recipe which the Etihad Stadium club sampled again in 2013 when they brought Martin Demichelis to England in a £4.2m deal from Atletico Madrid, who he had joined from Malaga only two  months previously.

The defender’s move to Manchester quickly reunited him with Manuel Pellegrini, who had been his manager at Malaga when they reached the Champions League quarter-finals a few months previously. His Premier League debut was delayed due to a knee ligament injury and, when it finally came, it wasn’t one to remember as City went down 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (as per TransferMarkt).

Demichelis would make up for lost time by becoming a regular presence in Pellegrini’s line-up over the course of the 2013/14 season but he wasn’t always the most assuring of figures in the Manchester City defence. He was sent off for a foul on Lionel Messi in a Champions League defeat to Barcelona which resulted in a penalty that his Argentina colleague dispatched to the net, although he publicly admitted his culpability afterwards and absolved referee Jonas Eriksson for the red card (as per Daily Mail).

Demichelis ended his first season in Manchester as a Premier League champion and League Cup winner, tasting success in the latter competition again in 2016 (as per TransferMarkt). He featured regularly in Pellegrini’s starting XI in his first two seasons at the club but found game-time much harder to come by once the 2015/16 campaign rolled around.

It was not a season which the Argentina defender would care to remember fondly. In March 2016, he was charged by the FA over breaches of betting rules and fined just over £22,000 as a result. Around that time, he also endured a miserable outing in a derby defeat at home to Manchester United, when he was given the runaround by a teenage Marcus Rashford. Demichelis prompted a melee when he hauled the England youngster to the ground, having earlier been guilty of the mistake which led to Rashford’s winning goal, and another error early in the second half saw him withdrawn by Pellegrini – a substitution which drew ironic cheers from some home fans.

Speaking on radio punditry duty, Robbie Savage described it as “the worst performance by a centre-half I have ever seen” [via Daily Express], while a user on the Xtratime.org forum duly began a discussion thread called “Is Martin Gaston Demichelis the worst footballer in the world?”

The Argentina defender was released from Manchester City in June 2016 and, despite winning three trophies in his time at the club, his time in England was scarred by some truly galling defensive displays and his inclusion in polls about the worst player in the Premier League. While fellow countrymen Aguero and Zabaleta would go on to be regarded as Etihad Stadium royalty, Demichelis fell far short of such standards.

Man City fans, what did you make of Demichelis during his time at the club? Comment below with your views!

Although Leeds have been enjoying a blistering season in the Championship – with promotion looking promising at the end of this season – we can still put the team under a magnifying glass and pick out those who have fallen behind the pack.

Unsurprisingly, there have been a couple of players who haven’t been up to scratch…

Ouasim Bouy

The 26-year-old’s 2019/20 season perhaps couldn’t have gone any worse after he was reportedly told he would not be playing for Leeds again. Bouy has had a difficult career with the Yorkshire side but it seemed this season was the turning point for Marcelo Bielsa to call the final straw.

According to Phil Hay, the Dutchman is training at completely different times to the first team and Leeds are now desperate to get him off their books.

Bouy’s market value is also the lowest it’s ever been whilst with the Whites, extremely disappointing from a player whose agent also manages the likes of Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland.

Isolation Busters: The only quiz you need to cure your boredem

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Jamie Shackleton

It’s always nice when English clubs can nurture homegrown talent and watch them grow into a top footballer. Frustratingly, this season hasn’t been a career-defining one for 20-year-old Jamie Shackleton.

In his first senior season for Leeds, the youngster managed to get himself two assists after playing an average of just 23 minutes in 19 games. However, with a bit more responsibility this campaign, it may have proven all too much for Shackleton.

The Englishman has started four matches out of 14 but hasn’t registered a single goal or assist for his side. In those four starting appearances, Shackleton lost the ball 29 times and made just three key passes.

Similar in age, West Brom’s Kyle Edwards is also being integrated into the first team and has scored two goals and has averaged a higher passing accuracy (84.6%) than Shackleton (83.2%).

Age is on his side, but if the 20-year-old wants to follow in similar paths to young English talent like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jadon Sancho he must pull his socks up.

What do you think, Leeds fans? Do you agree with the above or has there been worse performers this season?

Celtic fans have been discussing their former left-back, Emilio Izaguirre, on social media after the club’s official Twitter account wished him a happy 34th birthday.

The Honduras international departed Glasgow for his home country in the summer after eight seasons at Celtic Park.

Over the course of his Bhoys career, Izaguirre racked up 271 appearances, scoring five goals as well as providing 48 assists, via Transfermarkt.

Only real Celtic fans will get 100% on the Ultimate Hoops quiz. Test your knowledge below…

During his debut season, he clinched the SPFA, SFWA and the SPFL Player of the Year award before winning seven titles.

His game time quickly diminished following the emergence of Kieran Tierney at the club so he moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Fayha, but he soon returned to the Scottish giants after cutting his time short in the country.

He is clearly adored by much of the Hoops faithful with many lauding him on Twitter.

Here’s how they have been reacting to his birthday…

AND in other news, Celtic fans drool over Scott Brown footage…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Tyler Roberts went down with an injury during the first half of Leeds’ game against Reading on Tuesday, and now it has been confirmed that the issue he picked up during that game is enough to keep him out of action for this weekend’s clash against Middlesbrough.

Bad luck

This is just bad luck for the Welshman.

He was seemingly getting into his stride this season in an attacking midfield role, but once again, injuries are haunting him. The youngster scored a few weeks ago but after missing early parts of the campaign, he faces another period on the sidelines.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent stated in a recent Q&A session that he’d heard it was a minor hamstring strain, but there’s been no official confirmation of what Roberts’ problem is.

His absence leaves Marcelo Bielsa with a decision to make this weekend as he has to decide whether to change his formation or use another player in Roberts’ role.

[ad_pod ]

Bielsa’s choice

So, it seems as if the Argentine has two choices in this scenario.

He can either abandon his recent experiment in playing with a number 10 and revert back to using a four at the back system or use wing-backs in his three at the back.

Or he could use another player in the attacking midfield role.

Leeds don’t really have any out and out players who usually operate in the position, but they could use Pablo Hernandez there effectively.

The Spaniard moved into the space vacated by Tyler Roberts on Tuesday, and while he didn’t have the best of games, playing just one key pass, it allowed Helder Costa to operate much more effectively down the right.

Hernandez’s passing and dribbling skills should suit him nicely to a number 10 role, and with Costa putting in a solid performance that was capped off by an assist against the Royals, now would be a great time to experiment with both Costa and Hernandez on the same pitch.

In other news, Leeds fans are worried about one Championship team creeping up on them.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

It appears that West Bromwich Albion will see the return of Oliver Burke at the end of the season as Spanish football journalist Alex Kirkland believes his loan club, La Liga side Alaves, won’t make the move permanent.

What’s he said?

Burke joined the Hawthorns for a club-record £15m fee back in 2017 when ex-manager Tony Pulis signed him from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

Ever since then, the 22-year-old has failed to live up to the expectations that such money commands, scoring just once in 24 appearances.

After Slaven Bilic joined the club in the summer, it was soon clear to understand that Burke was never going to feature in his plans as academy prospect Kyle Edwards was promoted to the senior side, leading to him starting the first three Championship matches.

He was soon shipped out on loan to Alaves, where he has played just 332 minutes across nine appearances.

Speaking to the Express & Star about his temporary spell, Kirkland – from the Spanish Football Podcast – said:

“I’d say at this stage a permanent deal is quite unlikely.

“He’s probably not starting enough games to warrant that or contributing enough in the final third.

“But there’s still plenty of time for him to make an impact, it’s early days.”

Bad news Burke

It seems likely that the Scotsman will return to the west Midlands this summer, which would put Bilic in a bit of a predicament.

The Croatian clearly doesn’t fancy Burke in his side, for whatever reason that may be, as he made measures to sign a trio of wingers on deadline day in Matheus Pereira, Grady Diangana and Chris Willock.

Come the end of the current campaign, the Baggies flop will still have two years remaining on his contract, which is a potential source of bad news for Bilic.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

If the 14th-placed La Liga side were the only team willing to take him, what hope does he have in recuperating the extortionate fee they paid for him?

It will be more problematic if they gain promotion too as if he can’t get in their Championship side, then there’s next to no chance he does it in the top-flight.

This is something that Bilic could probably do without.