All posts by h716a5.icu

The hurt, the pain, the anguish, it is all over for Sunderland. It has been 48 years since they lasted lifted silverware after taking home the 1973 FA Cup.

The honour on this occasion might not have been as prestigious but Black Cats supporters won’t care; they are now EFL Trophy winners.

Gone are the days of Phil Parkinson, Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven. They now have Kyril Louis-Dreyfus at the helm and he already has a trophy to show for his troubles.

Lee Johnson has led a tremendous revival at the Stadium of Light and after lifting the club into the playoff places in League One, he engineered a memorable afternoon at Wembley on Sunday. It finally seems like the club are on the right track.

Lynden Gooch had a quiet first half but ultimately scored the goal that made the difference. He was set free by Aiden McGeady in the second half before stroking the ball home for the only goal of the game.

There were a number of heroes in London. Luke O’Nien was given the Man of the Match award while McGeady came up with several important actions.

That being said, with places up for grabs, Josh Scowen did himself no favours.

The 27-year-old played in midfield with Carl Winchester cup-tied but he didn’t exactly prove himself to Johnson that he should be a regular in the XI. A host of players staked their claims, no less Gooch, but unfortunately, Scowen didn’t do the same.

He and Grant Leadbitter were often overrun in the middle of the park with Tranmere enjoying far more of the ball than Sunderland would have liked.

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They were pegged back on numerous occasions with Callum McFadzean enduring a particularly tough game against the marauding Otis Khan. The Tranmere right-back was relentless in the final third, completing four dribbles down the right-hand side.

That being said, the defender did prevail in four of his defensive duels. Scowen, on the other hand, was rather lightweight.

He won just 14.2% of his ground and aerial duels during the contest, a measly amount when you consider the position he plays in and the pressure the Black Cats had to withstand.

Scowen failed to make a single tackle while his passing, despite a completion rate of 90%, was far from inspiring.

With Leadbitter back from injury and Winchester beginning to adapt to life in the north-east, Scowen needs to improve.

His performance on the big stage was not good enough and will have told Johnson plenty ahead of the promotion run-in. He missed a chance to make an impression here.

AND in other news, Dreyfus may be on the verge of repeating one of Donald’s biggest SAFC mistakes already…

Dean Windass has spoken exclusively to Football FanCast and given a scathing verdict on Newcastle United’s survival chances.

Steve Bruce’s side have taken just nine points from a possible 45 and recorded just two wins in their previous 17 matches. A worrying statistic that has seen the Magpies plummet into a relegation battle.

Newcastle’s Achilles’ heel has been finding the net consistently this season and with Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin now out until April the picture is looking extremely bleak.

The Magpies have improved their performances recently, however, it is all about results now with Bruce firmly in the hot seat with the club’s future firmly in the balance. With a potential takeover still in the pipeline, a relegation could scupper those plans.

A point against Wolverhampton Wanderers would usually have been seen as a positive result but Newcastle need wins with Fulham looking solid and difficult to beat. Newcastle have an eye on the Cottagers but must find a way to grind out results, even if that means performances become less attractive.

Many pundits fear the worst for Newcastle who could be set for a third relegation under the ownership of Mike Ashley.

Football Fancast spoke exclusively to Dean Windass with the former Darlington striker, not sugar-coating it for Newcastle fans.

A straight forward “yes” by Windass when asked if the Magpies could go down says everything you need to know about Newcastle as a club at the minute, people seem resigned to the fact they are going to be overtaken in 17th by Fulham.

Windass added: “It’s going to be a long [rest of the] season. 

“The one thing about Newcastle is that, no disrespect to Callum Wilson, how do you replace Alan Shearer?

“Newcastle never won anything really and Shearer was getting you 30 goals a season.

“Now, you need somebody to get you double figures a season to keep you in the Premier League.”

Newcastle’s future could be determined in the coming days if scans on both Almiron and Saint-Maximin’s injuries are to be as bad as first feared then the Magpies place all their creativity on Ryan Fraser who has had his fair share of injuries this campaign.

There are 12 games remaining and Newcastle fans will be buckling in for a long slog for some precious points which could set them up for a bright future in the Premier League under new ownership.

Roy Hodgson must urge Steve Parish to sanction a summer swoop for Juventus centre-back Radu Dragusin amid reports of interest from Crystal Palace.

What’s the word?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Dragusin finds himself on Hodgson’s transfer list, having already been identified as a top priority for Steve Bruce at Newcastle United.

Andrea Pirlo handed the 19-year-old Romanian his senior debut for the Serie A giants in the Champions League this season in what could be seen as a show of faith by the club legend.

However, with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, time is quickly running out for the two parties to reach an agreement over a possible extension.

And now, it seems Palace and Newcastle are set to slug it out with RB Leipzig for the highly-rated defender when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.

Cahill 2.0?

It goes without saying that Palace have the oldest squad in the Premier League by quite some margin, hence their interest in Dragusin. The Eagles were badly beaten 3-0 by Burnley last weekend, which has cast considerable doubt over Hodgson’s future at Selhurst Park.

So why are they so leaky at the back? Well, it cannot help that their defence largely consists of injury-prone veterans who are well over the age of 30. Palace have conceded the second-most amount of goals (42) in the top flight – level with newly-promoted Leeds and only Premier League strugglers West Brom have conceded more – and have also kept just four clean sheets.

That’s not to say that signing a bunch of youngsters is necessarily the answer to all their problems, but they do need to start planning for the future.

However, they may not have to look much further than the young Romanian, who has developed quite the reputation at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.

Just like Gary Cahill, who WhoScored lists as an indirect set-piece threat, Dragusin is a powerful threat in the air, who has started to show signs that he is a robust central defender. Against SPAL, he made one tackle, two interceptions, one clearance and blocked one shot in only his second start for the club, which suggests that he reads the game well and has a fine sense of positional awareness.

Pirlo has previously sung the praises of Dragusin in the past, saying: “He’s physically very strong. He’s very young and must develop on a technical level, but he will have time to do it, training every day with great champions.”

That sort of physicality would be most welcome in south London, and to be able to nab a player who clearly has so much potential could be an extremely smart bit of business if Parish can bring him to Selhurst Park in the summer.

AND in other Crystal Palace news, Steve Cooper could change Crystal Palace’s philosophy…

Liverpool have struggled to score in recent fixtures, with just one goal in their last four Premier League games, which could be due to Mohamed Salah’s drop in form.

The Egyptian winger started the season on fire but his last four appearances in the top-flight have been far from good enough and have been his worst four performances of the season in the Premier League.

The former Roma man looked short of confidence against Manchester United at the weekend, regularly turning back when presented with the opportunity to try and take on Luke Shaw, as he attempted just one dribble, which was unsuccessful.

Salah’s downturn in form could be a result of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return to the side, as in the nine games the 22-year-old has featured in since his return from injury, the Reds have won just three times – against Wolves, Spurs and Crystal Palace.

The winger has earned just one man-of-the-match award from WhoScored since his opening game hattrick against Leeds, which came in the 4-0 win against Wolves before Christmas, a game in which right-back Neco Williams started in.

In that game, Salah would attempt three dribbles and three shots whilst also creating one big chance, which led to him scoring and assisting once.

Against United, when supported by Alexander-Arnold, he would manage no shots on target, which could be because of the lack of space he has when playing on the right-hand side with the England international, as opposed to the Welsh youngster.

The £99 million-rated academy graduate loves to cross from deep and play the luxury passes across to Andrew Robertson, which unfortunately aren’t producing results at the moment, as his assist numbers are seriously down from last season when he managed 13 in the top-flight.

Williams is the opposite in his style of play, however, as he likes to overlap and cross from the byeline, which creates more space for Salah to cut in and shoot as the full-back is often concerned with the overlapping run.

So, when Alexander-Arnold plays, full-backs can press Salah and show him onto his right foot in the hope that he turns back and plays it to the right-back to swing in a cross from deep, which, in the absence of any target man, is not proving to be effective this season.

Therefore, Klopp should consider recalling the “confident” Williams to his first-team for Liverpool’s game against Burnley on Thursday, as it could prove to be the catalyst for Salah’s form improving.

And, in other news, Klopp can sign his next Coutinho at LFC in 26 y/o who scores and assists…

For the most part, Andrea Radrizzani’s business at Leeds has been stellar. After pumping millions into the club, he has taken them to the Premier League with the aid of both Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta.

However, there have been some rather shoddy investments in the process.

What’s the word?

According to Voetbal International (via Sport Witness), Jay-Roy Grot’s future at Leeds is still very much up in the air.

The 22-year-old Dutchman hasn’t been seen all season and is now reportedly training with ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands.

Considering he’s still under contract with the Whites, it’s a rather bizarre set of circumstances. The 6 foot 4 forward spent last term on loan in the Eredivisie and it would appear that he’s not properly returned to England.

ADO are seemingly keen on signing Grot permanently and considering he’s training away from the club, it would appear he’s finally on the verge of departing for good.

Get rid

This has been an absolutely disastrous acquisition from Radrizzani. Grot has played just 22 times for the club after his £1.4m move in 2017 and is yet to even make a single appearance under Bielsa.

It’s safe to say that his time in Yorkshire has been far from profitable. He has been ransacking the club’s pockets for a number of years and now simply has to be the time they cut ties with him.

Grot has spent the last two years on loan at VVV-Venlo and Vitesse and as a result, hasn’t played for the Whites since April 2018.

That was just months before Bielsa walked through the door and it would appear the Argentine hasn’t taken kindly to him or his attitude. The head coach usually sets one clear precedent – work hard or you’re getting nowhere near his plans.

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He has only ever scored once for Leeds and it speaks volumes that the club have let him train away from Thorp Arch despite being under contract with the Premier League side.

When he first signed for the club, internet memes joked that he could be the club’s very own Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, for the Dutchman, it simply hasn’t worked out over the last four years.

Like Ouasim Bouy, Pawel Cibiki and Laurens de Bock, this deal has to go down as one of Radrizzani’s worst.

On £2k-per-week for the duration of his stay, Grot has earned a pay packet without really doing much. Leeds’ Italian owner can’t be pleased at how this has played out.

Fortunately, with his contract expiring in the summer, his hellish nightmare at Elland Road will end sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, Bench him: £15k-p/w Leeds liability who lost possession 12x let Bielsa down on Tuesday…

According to popular club insiders WestHamFans.org, via Hammers News, the Irons negotiations for Slavia Prague striker Abdallah Sima have ‘accelerated’ due to ‘sudden’ interest in the player from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United – prompting these supporters to buzz as this news emerges. 

Sima, who has been touted as a Hammers target in recent weeks as the club eye a new striker in January, could be another Prague star who makes the move to east London if the move can be completed.

A player that could follow in the footsteps of West Ham favourites Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, the attacker is already showing huge promise – so much so he has turned the heads of GSB as a potential January addition.

As per this inside update, the club’s negotiations for his signature have sped up – and he is apparently far more likely to choose the east Londoners over alternative suitors due to his former colleagues.

Flocking to this update, many Hammers were buzzing at the revelation – find out more here.

West Ham fans buzz over Sima update

“Please let this be true!”

Credit: @whufcStuart 

“I’ve watched a couple of their Europa League games. Sima looks to be the real deal, good pace and very active. ⚒⚒⚒”

Credit: @BHaasTSD

“I wonder if they’d take Haller in part exchange”

Credit: @Paulie_Cashews

“Just get it done @davidgold no messing about this time”

Credit: @Nigel7694990 

“Hopefully sign him in January and loan him back for the rest of the season. Reckon they’d accept that”

Credit: @irons85858585 

“I am begging oh my days what a baller he is”

Credit: @ImlikeDinho 

In other news: This talkSPORT pundit was excited over a club announcement, find out more here.

Leeds United picked up a great result against Newcastle United on Wednesday night as they won 5-2. However it was a surprise to see Helder Costa not feature in the match day squad.

What Bielsa had to say about Costa

When asked if there was an injury to Costa and whether that was why he was not involved against Newcastle, Bielsa simply said: “No injury.”

Helder Costa has to prove himself

This simple message highlights that at the moment Bielsa believes there are 18 better players than the winger who deserve a spot in the squad more than him.

He definitely has the quality to succeed, with his former manager Nuno Espirito Santos saying: “The first season we were in the Premier League, Helder was immense and had a huge impact on the team.

He’s a very talented player, but things happen naturally, players move from here to another place. It happens in football. Honestly, I’m delighted he’s showing his quality and enjoying his football.”

However this season has not shown his quality. The 26 year-old has scored twice, in ten appearances, and has only managed on average 0.9 shots and 0.7 key passes a game (WhoScored).

The player now knows that he has to perform better and more consistently when given the chance if he wants to be playing more for the club.

In other news, Leeds United tipped to go in for £14.4m-rated Premier League winner.

Former Liverpool man Danny Ings is finally living his footballing dream. After years on the bench at Anfield and multiple injuries setting him back, Southampton have now made the England international the focal point of their attack. The 28-year-old has finally been able to unleash his true potential and has rapidly established himself as one of the most clinical strikers in the Premier League.

Seeing his unstoppable form will undoubtedly have those in the Liverpool camp kicking themselves for letting him go. Whilst he made just 14 senior appearances across all competitions for the Reds in his final season, Jurgen Klopp will still be thinking ‘what if?’

Ings to Southampton: Bittersweet for Liverpool

With Roberto Firmino’s increased lack of goals, Liverpool are relying on Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to perform in attack. The Brazilian, rated at £64.8m by Transfermarkt, has developed a niche role, operating deeper in order to create chances for the wingers. However, a goal-poaching striker is arguably something Liverpool are lacking and it’s something that would take them to the next level.

Had they kept Ings, they could have opted to deploy him at the forefront of the attack, with Firmino playing just behind him. The Reds would boast a blistering attack that would be extremely hard to defend against. But with an improvised 4-2-3-1 formation, it would see one of Klopp’s midfielders snubbed of a place.

Naby Keita has recently come into his own and showed some impressive performances. His creativity in the engine room is something Liverpool really benefited from last season, particularly against Aston Villa and Brighton (via Sofascore). Similarly, the club brought in Thiago Alcantara, who is ready to improve the chances created from the midfield.

It can be argued that the sale of Ings was not only to give him another shot at first team football, but to pave the way for the likes of Keita and Thiago to make their impact in the middle of the park.

In other news, Diogo Jota could pave the way for a whole new chapter at Liverpool…

Scotland ended 22 years of pain for the Tartan Army by qualifying for their first major tournament since 1998 after a dramatic shootout victory over Serbia in the play-off final sent them through to Euro 2020.

Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson was magnificent, Lyndon Dykes was impressive, but Glasgow Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack was the standout from the rest of the pack, which should give Steven Gerrard a huge boost.

Jack would have been forgiven for feeling a little bit threatened after the Gers brought in Bongani Zungu from Amiens on an initial loan deal with the option to buy. But the 28-year-old sent Gerrard a timely reminder with his midfield masterclass against Serbia.

He received a solid rating of 6.9 from SofaScore, although this perhaps isn’t truly representative of his overall performance – he won four out of his six ground duels, made two tackles, two interceptions and one clearance, whilst he completed 36 out of 43 passes at a pass accuracy rating of 84%, took 58 touches of the ball and produced three accurate long balls over the top.

A look at his heatmap reveals a hub of activity in his own half, predominantly in the middle of the pitch, which coupled with the statistics shows that Jack was an important part of the supply chain for Dykes, John McGinn and Ryan Christie as well.

Sky Sports gave him a high grade of 7/10 for his efforts, whilst The Daily Record gave him a similar score, claiming he was ‘a class act and a cool presence in the middle of the pitch’, adding his ‘work sometimes goes unnoticed as it might not be flashy, but it’s brilliantly effective’, as ‘he was brave, he broke up play, built possession and generally bossed it.’ The Sun went even further, handing him an ‘outstanding’ rating of 10/10, saying he had ‘passing conviction’, ‘won his tackles’ and ‘read game typically well.’

Once hailed as an “incredible” dynamo by the Ibrox boss, Jack has made over 100 appearances for the Gers, scoring nine goals and supplying 11 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

He has been an ever-present in Gerrard’s side ever since he first took charge of the Ibrox outfit, as his presence in the midfield has played a major part in their success in recent years. The 9-cap Scotland international will now be hoping he can continue his fine form when he returns to the club after the international break.

Whilst most of the focus has been on Zungu’s arrival, that doesn’t mean that fans should forget about the ever-reliable centre-midfielder who is comfortable on the ball and confident in possession.

AND in other news, Rangers have discovered true gem in James Tavernier, who has drawn comparisons with Steven Gerrard…

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa midfielder Henri Lansbury is in line to leave the club before the end of next week.

What’s the word?

The former England U21 international has only featured in the Carabao Cup this season, and made just ten appearances in the top-flight in the previous campaign.

Now, Football Insider claim that Villa are keen to get rid of the £40k-per-week ace off the wage bill as he is now dropped out of first-team reckoning.

The report adds that the Midlands club are currently listening to offers for the 29-year-old, with his contract at Villa Park coming to an end next summer. It’s further suggested that Lansbury’s wages are a stumbling block for moving him on, and that whilst a permanent exit is possible, a loan to a Championship club seems more likely.

Villa need to cut their losses

Even despite the spending spree that Villa went on in the summer transfer window, there’s absolutely no way they can afford to be paying a player £40k-a-week to be playing in the odd Carabao Cup game.

It’s clear to see that Smith simply doesn’t fancy him, with it being particularly telling that Lansbury hasn’t crossed the ten appearances mark in the league for the past three seasons.

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2021, Villa won’t have to put up with the midfielder’s wages for too much longer, but if they can strike a deal where another club takes on his contract either via a loan or a permanent deal, then they have to take it.

Johan Lange and co have to be ruthless, and Lansbury’s departure would be a step in the right direction.

And in other news, this Aston Villa ace outshone Jack Grealish on international duty.