All posts by n8rngtd.top

What a difference a few days make for Barnsley.

On April 9th, the Tykes were facing the prospect of falling three points behind automatic promotion rivals Sunderland as Jack Ross’ side faced off against Burton Albion. However, despite entering the clash as overwhelming favourites, the Black Cats failed to fully capitalise at the Stadium of Light as they were held to a draw by the Brewers.

Although this gave the Wearside-outfit a one-point advantage over Barnsley, events on Saturday saw the League One standings switch once again. By securing a 4-2 victory over Fleetwood Town at Oakwell, Barnsley moved back into second place in the standings after Sunderland suffered a shock 5-4 home defeat at the hands of Coventry City.

With four games left to play for Daniel Stendel’s side this season, the German will be totally focused on securing maximum points yet he could still be helped by results elsewhere. Sunderland are scheduled to play fellow promotion challengers Portsmouth on April 27th with the outcome of this game likely to have a major impact on the race to finish in the top-two.

Both sides have played one game less than Barnsley and so if either of them can finish the campaign with five victories, they will guarantee Championship football for next season. However, if this particular showdown ends in a draw, the Tykes know that their fate will be in their own hands heading into the final week of fixtures in League One.

Although there is expected to be a number of twists and turns in the third tier before Pompey visit the Stadium of Light later this month, the importance of this fixture cannot be underestimated as it will undoubtedly have ramifications for the rest of the promotion challengers.

What do you think Barnsley fans? How important is the clash between Portsmouth and Sunderland in terms of your club’s promotion hopes? Can Stendel lead your side to four wins in their last four matches? Get in touch below.

Chelsea will be heading into the summer with an uncertainty hanging over the club with a transfer ban set to affect any potential dealings.

The Blues will of course be looking at getting that ban overturned and will be keen to spend money on the squad if they can indeed bring new players in.

However, there is also set to be a few Blues players who could well be looking at the exit door, and one man who has been linked with a permanent move away from the club this weekend is former Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who has been on loan with AC Milan this season.

Bakayoko has rediscovered an element of his best form since making the move to Milan, and while Chelsea might be tempted to bring him back and get that form out of him themselves, it has to be said he just did not look the part for the Blues before.

A move on a permanent basis would make all kinds of sense really, with Chelsea receiving a decent fee for a player they spent heavily on themselves, while Bakayoko would be moving to a club where he has clearly settled well.

There is no denying that Bakayoko can be a talent and a force in the middle of the park., it’s just that it might not be in the Premier League at this moment in time.

Chelsea would be wise to move him on, and with the likes of Loftus-Cheek and Barkley ready to step in anyway, the Blues have plenty in the squad to call upon if need be.

When West Ham signed Javier Hernandez, he looked to be the perfect signing for the club. A proven goalscorer with bags of experience and talent in a team that lacked goals – what could go wrong?

As it turns out, quite a lot could go wrong – as Hernandez’s run in London has been poor to say the least. He hasn’t been able to capture his best form, and it’s fair to say that his tenure has been under par, to say the least.

Could he be running out of time at West Ham, then? Well, certainly, it seems like there’s a chance. After all, he’s just not been good enough. He hasn’t scored since mid-March, and with only 7 league goals this term, he’s not exactly showing the form of a deadly Premier League veteran.

There’s 3 Premier League games left in West Ham’s season, and that’s got to leave you wondering, is it now or never for Hernandez?

A few good games, with a couple of goals, may suggest that he’s still got the talent. He had moments of brilliance for club and country this term, but the lack of consistency is a real concern.

Still, if he can help fire West Ham to strong conclusion to the season, that may serve to rid the majority of the bad memories that have prevailed over his season thus far.

Of course, it could go the other way. If he doesn’t score, it seems obvious that West Ham will look to bring in a new forward, as they desperately need someone upon which they can rely, and that should worry him.

The next few games could have a big impact on the future of West Ham, that’s for sure.

West Ham fans – is it time to cash in on Chicharito? Let us know below!

Dale Jennings’ move from Tranmere Rovers to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in 2011 was an odd one to say the least.

Tranmere Rovers fans may remember Dale Jennings to be quite the player despite him only spending a season at the club before the European giants swooped in and stole him away.

A gifted winger with all the on-field traits you would expect from a pending star, Jennings whipped around League One with relative ease, bagging six goals and supplying five assists in his first and only season with Tranmere.

His efforts were enough to earn the attention of former Liverpool man and Champions League winner Dietmar Hamann personally recommending the Jennings to Bayern’s technical director, Christian Nerlinger.

Youngsters dream of “making it” on the European stage, don’t we all? But very rarely do they ever get to realise that dream in the same way as 18-year-old Dale Jennings, who made the jump from the lowly third tier of English football to Bayern Munch in 2011 for a reported £1.8million.

It was unprecedented territory, a Tranmere Rovers player moving straight to the Bundesliga – sort of the equivalent of one of us jumping from Sunday League into the Championship. But here was Jennings doing just that.

Unfortunately for the midfielder, it was a case of too much too soon and the move never really worked out. He failed to integrate into his new surroundings, and with the language barrier proving to be a huge problem, became increasingly isolated from his teammates and the coaching staff.

Such was his incapacity to live independently, it is said that one cupboard in his Munich apartment was used purely to store Pot Noodles. We have all been there, Dale, do not worry.

You may ask yourself, what happens in this kind of situation? What becomes of a player who essentially peaked too early in their career? Who will likely never reach the highs of Bayern Munich ever again? Well, the only way is down – clearly.

Jennings moved from Bayern to Barnsley in 2013, before being loaned out to and purchased by MK Dons.

After being released by the Dons in 2016, it took Jennings two years to find his feet again, settling for ninth-tier side Runcorn Town in 2018 in the hope that he can restart his career.

Tranmere fans, what are some standout memories of Jennings? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Former Arsenal star Charlie Nicholas has backed Tottenham Hotspur to beat Ajax in their Champions League semi-final, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

Spurs progressed to the last four after beating Manchester City over two legs, with the second leg perhaps the most controversial tie in the Champions League this season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men lost 4-3 on the night but their third goal was vital, Fernando Llorente diverting the ball past Ederson with a combination of his hip and his elbow. The referee, Cuneyt Cakir, awarded the goal but ruled out Raheem Sterling’s last-gasp winner due to an offside in the build-up. With Spurs having won the first leg 1-0, they advanced on away goals.

Ajax, meanwhile, defeated Juventus 3-2 on aggregate, having thumped Real Madrid 5-3 in the Round of 16.

And Nicholas believes that the English club have the talent required to best their Dutch counterparts in the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.

He said: “Tottenham are hitting this awkward spell at the moment. Are they the favourites? They have never been here before. Ajax, as players, have never been there before but their side have on some occasions.

“This young side do not have any fear, they have five or six super young players who know how to get the job done. Dusan Tadic didn’t have the consistency at Southampton but he and Daley Blind have been great.

“Tottenham, on their day, with the pace of Lucas Moura, alongside the skill of Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, are guaranteed to score. I feel Ajax will play and open up the game, Spurs could afford to let Manchester City come onto them, but they will see more possession here.

“I see Tottenham securing the first-leg advantage ahead of next week’s return in Amsterdam.”

Surprise prediction

As an ex-Arsenal man, this is something of a shocking prediction from Nicholas.

Indeed, this is a really difficult tie to predict for anyone who has followed both clubs in Europe.

Ajax have beaten two European giants already this season, eliminating both Juve and Real from the competition, and it would not be a surprise if they were to dump Spurs out too.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men, though, ran rampant against Borussia Dortmund – winning 4-0 on aggregate – and also earned a draw with Barcelona in the Camp Nou in the group stages.

The semi-final, then, could go either way and it is a surprise that Nicholas has come off the fence with a prediction that Arsenal fans are sure to disagree with!

Celtic are apparently set to battle it out with Aston Villa and Fulham for Gary Hooper’s signature – but why?

It was revealed (by the Scottish Sun) earlier in the week that Celtic interim boss Neil Lennon would like to make former Celtic striker Gary Hooper one of his first signings if he becomes the club’s new permanent manager, which was confusing enough in the first place as he’s past it (and that could apply to either player or manager).

Unsurprisingly it’s understood that the 31-year-old would be keen on a Parkhead return – and who wouldn’t, guaranteed domestic success and Champions League? Beats scrapping it out midtable in the English Championship. But it seems now Fulham and Aston Villa (as per the Scottish Sun again) are also looking at the player, which could threaten Lennon’s attempts to live ten years in the past.

Hooper was a decent player back in the day and scored 63 goals in 90 league starts between 2010 and 2013 before making an ill-fated £5million switch to the vastly inferior Norwich City.

The Englishman earned himself a special place in the hearts of the Parkhead faithful when he scored in every possible competition for the club, including the Champions League and Europa League, plus – of course – some goals in Old Firm derbies and a brace in the 2013 Scottish Cup final win over Hibs.

Interim boss Lennon is apparently waiting to hear from major shareholder Dermot Desmond and chief executive Peter Lawwell whether he’ll be given the job of replacing Brendan Rodgers in the long-term, which in itself is an appointment many Celtic fans aren’t too keen on.

Indeed, like with Hooper there is a general feeling among the Green and White faithful that some things are better left in the past.

With that in mind, surely recruiting a youthful manager with progressive ideas and strategies would be a far better idea than Neil Lennon, who had a good innings, yes, but is starting to show his age with interest in has-been players like Gary Hooper.

Celtic fans, would you be happy to see Hooper representing your club again? Is it really a step in the right direction? Let us know in the comments below!

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Leeds kept their first clean sheet in almost a month at Pride Park on Saturday, and that is in no small part down to the change of personnel at the back.

Gaetano Berardi stepped in for the injured Pontus Jansson and played brilliantly. The Swiss defender’s performance at the weekend should be enough to keep the Swede out of the team on Wednesday regardless of his fitness.

Berardi’s performance

Despite not being Marcelo Bielsa’s first choice centre-back Berardi was arguably the best player in the Whites’ backline at Pride Park.

The 30-year-old made six tackles and two clearances, while also having a pass completion rate of 85.4 %, more than any other player who played the full 90 minutes for the Whites.

Berardi didn’t let the occasion get to him, he allowed himself to play his natural game and was instrumental to the Yorkshire club keeping a clean sheet which sees them heading into the second-leg with a goal advantage.

Jansson’s tendencies

Although the 28-year-old is a great defender individually when he is supposed to be working in an organised unit, he can try to do too much which leaves spaces for the opposition to exploit.

Whereas Berardi complemented his defensive partner Liam Cooper, Jansson can sometimes be a burden as he tries too hard to be a hero.

There isn’t a greater chance for a player to be that than in the playoffs, but when it is a defender going out of line to make headlines, it can be dangerous.

During these crucial games Leeds need cool, calm and collected heads at the back, and whereas Jansson and his maverick style of defending can be counter-productive, Berardi provides stability.

Denis Odoi last season fell into the same trap that the Leeds man may fall into. The defender scored the header that sent Fulham to Wembley, but in an attempt to be the hero once again he overextended himself and was sent off in the final.

The Belgian’s blushes were spared as the London club won that day, but Bielsa can’t afford to run the risk of starting Jansson if he is going to be unpredictable at the back.

Just when you thought Southampton were on the up again under Ralph Hasenhuttl, news some might deem as worrying starts to emerge from St. Mary’s.

Following a disappointing end to the season after some very decent results under Hasenhuttl, the Austrian made it clear he needed reinforcements for the next campaign (Sky Sports).

The former RB Leipzig manager, however, does not sound too confident about getting exactly what he wants.

“We need to have more quality next season,” Hasenhuttl said (also per Sky Sports). “It will be a difficult summer, I think, because we have our limits with transfer fees, things like that.

“But we must be clear that we have to make a few new players in the team. We have to sign a few new players and work with them in the same way we work with our players now and try to create a new spirit.”

Considering the last few transfer windows Southampton have had, the last thing the south coast club need is a “difficult summer”.

Over the last couple of years, the Saints have brought in too many players who have gone on to struggle while losing some big names along the way — and it has cost them.

Another summer of bad recruitment, and they might not get so lucky next time in the Premier League.

With all of that being said, you would still expect the Southampton board to back Hasenhuttl and bring in a couple of quality additions.

With the Premier League television money, there really are not too many excuses for money not to be spent, while Hasenhuttl has certainly done enough this season to earn some backing in the transfer market.

Southampton fans, how do you think the club’s summer will go? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after a Manchester City fan was recorded bursting into the press section at Wembley on Saturday to explicitly rant about his team’s lack of coverage in the media, whilst namedropping Mohamed Salah.

The clearly disgruntled fan was holding his plastic City flag when he lambasted the lack of coverage his team have been getting after their hugely successful season, and told the onlooking journalists that they’ll probably have Salah on the back pages after the 6-0 FA Cup final win.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…

Extremely odd behaviour. Imagine your team becoming the first English side ever to win the domestic treble, and all that’s on your mind is Liverpool and the media’s coverage of them. Enjoy the occasion!

This is a sentiment that a number of Reds supporters on Twitter have echoed. Some have called the Citizens a small club, several have rightfully declared the moment as embarrassing and others have commented on how obsessed they are.

Let’s take a look at what the Liverpool fans on Twitter have been saying about the bizarre outburst…

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Going into what could be a rigorous 2019/20 campaign for Wolves they will need more depth. It’s something that’s no secret, especially given some of the tired performances we saw from them following their FA Cup semi-final defeat.

Although Nuno Santo’s men were then able to rally, there were some individual performances that hadn’t reached the levels we saw earlier in the season.

Next term, the Midlands club will have the Europa League to deal with and as a result they’ll need a bigger squad, particularly if they come through the qualifying rounds.

At the moment they’re particularly thin on the ground for quality in the attacking third of the pitch and reinforcements will be needed.

On the chalkboard

Last weekend, The Evening Standard reported that Wolves had an interest in Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck. The 28-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and therefore available on a free transfer.

If they were to continue to pursue the England international it would be a smart signing for a club like Wolves.

And given his performances in the Europa League this season, he could help them thrive on the continental stage.

Welbeck’s displays are never too convincing but he’s a big game player, something Wolves aren’t lacking. Before suffering a horrific broken ankle against Sporting Lisbon he was in very promising form.

Playing mainly as a striker in Europe throughout the early parts of 2018/19, he averaged 2.5 shots per game. That’s a record this season only bettered by Raul Jimenez from a Wolves perspective who had 2.9 shots per match in the Premier League.

As such, he could be the perfect player to help share the workload from an attacking point of view.

Welbeck is a phenomenally hard worker and his two goals in the four games he played in the competition before injury showed he’s more than capable of providing able back-up. He’d also perfectly fit the counter-attacking style Wolves play with.

We’ve found Raul Jimenez’s No. 1 fan and… it’s a little scary. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

Capped 42 times by England, he started the season by scoring five goals in his first ten matches in all competitions.

Wolves fans may need convincing that he’s the right option but should contact be made with the attacker, there would be few better options to help tackle the task of the Europa League.