Leeds fans are not impressed by Pontus Jansson after the big Swede praised the atmosphere at Elland Road.
There are plenty of problems at Elland Road right now, and fans are growing increasingly frustrated with current crop of players. One thing that will infuriate the Leeds faithful more than anything is the apparent lack of effort, especially at home.
All too often the current side collapses under the pressure at Elland Road, and when the going gets tough the players seem to perform even worse.
Fans have now been annoyed by the comments of Pontus Jansson, who applauded the atmosphere from the fans.
“They support me and the rest of the team all over England in huge numbers – but there is nothing like playing at home,” the 27 year-old said.
“The noise you get when Elland Road is rocking is amazing and we have shared some great memories together which will live with me forever.”
Jansson’s comments have been met with scepticism from more than a few fans, who were amazed last week by an embarrassing statistic on the side’s home form.
Leeds welcome Bolton to Elland Road after the international break before a difficult trip to Fulham. Any hopes of a playoff push have completely evaporated, but a positive end to the season could lift spirits ahead of an important transfer window.
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Fans have been reacting to Jansson’s comments on Twitter, and let’s just say they’re not particularly optimistic…
It would be fair to say that there is a lot of excitement surrounding 16-year-old Manchester United attacker Mason Greenwood.
The Englishman has scored 14 times in 14 appearances in the Under-18 Premier League this season, which are numbers that must be respected at any level of football.
Greenwood was also on the scoresheet on Sunday night as United opened the Dallas Cup with a 2-2 draw against Tigres in Texas.
The attacker scored in the 77th minute courtesy of a slick finish, and he was pictured in the tweet that included a link to United’s match report.
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As expected, a number of United fans, who have also recently called on their club to sign this England international, responded to the post by revealing their thoughts on Greenwood, who has been tipped to become a first-team star at Old Trafford.
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Angel Gomes is considered by many to be United’s best young talent, but Greenwood continues to go from strength to strength, and it might not be too long before the teenager is given a sniff of first-team action for the 20-time English champions.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Manchester City face Manchester United on Saturday in what is shaping up to be one of the most significant Manchester derbies of all time. A win will not only see City do the double over the Red Devils in the Premier League this season, but will also clinch them the top flight title against their local rivals.
After being unexpectedly thumped 3-0 by Liverpool in midweek, Pep Guardiola has some key decisions to make for Saturday’s game – chiefly whether a historic win against United should take priority over the return leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
Bearing that in mind, we asked City fans earlier this week whether they would risk starting 5 foot 8 striker Sergio Aguero against United, with his state of fitness yet to be confirmed after sitting out the clash on Merseyside due to injury.
And according to our poll, a slim majority of City fans – 57% – would risk starting the Argentine assassin up front, perhaps because Gabriel Jesus struggled in that role at Anfield, despite him being notoriously injury-prone.
How would you line up Guardiola’s side against the Red Devils? Let us know by commenting below…
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According to ESPN FC, Arsenal have joined the race for Chelsea attacker Kenedy, and could move for the Brazilian in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Kenedy joined Newcastle United on loan in January after finding himself out of favour under Antonio Conte at Chelsea in the first half of the 2017-18 campaign.
The versatile attacker has been in fine form for the Magpies – managing two goals and two assists in eight Premier League appearances since his arrival.
It has been reported that Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have both asked to be informed if Chelsea decide to sell Kenedy this summer, and according to ESPN FC, Arsenal are also closely monitoring developments as the Gunners consider a move.
It would be quite something if Chelsea allowed the 22-year-old to join their London rivals this summer, but it has been claimed on a number of occasions that the Blues will be open to permanent offers at the end of the current season.
Would Kenedy fit in at Arsenal?
The Brazilian, who is valued at £6.3m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has only actually managed three goals in his 27 appearances for Chelsea since making the move to Stamford Bridge from Brazilian side Fluminense in 2015.
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The fact that Kenedy can play in a number of different positions made it difficult for him to secure a regular spot with the Blues, but it is that versatility that makes the attacker an attractive proposition for Arsenal.
Indeed, Kenedy has shown at Newcastle that with regular minutes, and the confidence of the manager, he is capable of producing excellent performances at Premier League level.
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Arsenal are in need of some fresh blood this summer, with the likes of Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi consistently struggling to impress in the forward positions.
Chelsea would be extremely naive to sell the former Brazil Under-23 international to a Premier League rival this summer according to their fans, and Arsenal would be getting a passionate and indeed impressive winger if they managed to pull off the deal.
In this modern age of fame and celebrity, even footballers are sometimes grouped into that category and many fall victim to criticism.
Manchester City star Raheem Sterling is not one to regularly open up about his personal life away from the pitch, but he is followed by paparazzi when carrying out day-to-day activities.
The Daily Mail ran a piece documenting the winger returning to his Mercedes after going out for some breakfast in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
The publication claimed that Sterling’s trip came the morning after he missed out on winning the PFA Player of the Year award, which was won by his teammate Leroy Sane.
The non-story managed to capture the attention of City fans, but for the wrong reasons, as they laid into the media for even running the piece.
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On Reddit, supporters mocked the article with a an array of sarcastic comments.
Comment from discussion Damn it Raheem, how dare you treat yourself to a breakfast after losing out on YPOTY. You should be ashamed of yourself smfh.Comment from discussion Damn it Raheem, how dare you treat yourself to a breakfast after losing out on YPOTY. You should be ashamed of yourself smfh.Comment from discussion Damn it Raheem, how dare you treat yourself to a breakfast after losing out on YPOTY. You should be ashamed of yourself smfh.Comment from discussion Damn it Raheem, how dare you treat yourself to a breakfast after losing out on YPOTY. You should be ashamed of yourself smfh.Comment from discussion Damn it Raheem, how dare you treat yourself to a breakfast after losing out on YPOTY. You should be ashamed of yourself smfh.Comment from discussion Damn it Raheem, how dare you treat yourself to a breakfast after losing out on YPOTY. You should be ashamed of yourself smfh.Comment from discussion Damn it Raheem, how dare you treat yourself to a breakfast after losing out on YPOTY. You should be ashamed of yourself smfh.
Sterling’s finishing has drawn criticism from fans and pundits alike this season, but there is an argument that the former Liverpool star is being judged purely on his errors.
To celebrate 25 years of the Premier League each week in Football Fancast we’re going to be looking back at a memorable game that took place on the corresponding date. This time out we revisit the opening charge of a forgotten great escape.
Think of the great Premier League relegation rescue acts and Coventry and West Brom spring to mind; Middlesbrough too, but for whatever reason Fulham’s twin salvations less so.
The Cottagers’ 2006/07 late escape from the dreaded trap door required a nervy win over Liverpool on the penultimate game of the season and the man they had drafted in to oversee it – Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez – was suitably rewarded with a full-time gig for the subsequent year and beyond.
Only Sanchez swiftly proved himself to be limited in the role, bringing in a huge influx of new players that struggled to gel and by Christmas his side of strangers had triumphed just twice. Fulham would have unquestionably been rock bottom had it not been for Derby County enduring the worst campaign in recent history.
In crisis the club turned to a post-Blackburn, pre-Liverpool Roy Hodgson to steady the sinking ship and unsurprisingly results improved but surprisingly not by a great extent. With just three games to go Fulham travelled to Eastlands, Manchester five points adrift of safety and knowing that defeat could send them down.
Their hosts and possible executioners that day were experiencing a somewhat surreal season of their own. The previous summer City had been bought out by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and before he went into exile using six different passports to evade a cornucopia of charges ranging from money laundering to human rights violations ‘Frank’ was regarded as a rich saviour for a club in terminal decline.
His first act on taking the reins was to lure Sven-Goran Eriksson out of the doldrums following his England sacking and true to form the high-profile Swede did what he did best and spent lots of money. City ultimately finished ninth that year and were never less than entertaining but a failure to secure European football meant that managerial alternatives were being bandied around as early as March. If Fulham were probably doomed then Sven certainly was.
From here on in the Blues will fade to the supporting cast in this story because this is all about Fulham save to say that on the final day of the campaign City haemorrhaged eight against Middlesbrough, essentially downing tools. At the time it felt like the latest low ebb for a club accustomed to disappointment. They were five months away from being forever transformed in the most remarkable way imaginable.
21 minutes into this game, Benjani drilled home a low cross to make it 2-0 to the home side after a splendid curled effort from Stephen Ireland had broken the deadlock. With Bolton and Reading both drawing that meant a loss here would mean Fulham were all but mathematically down.
The score-line remained two-nil to City and ruination for the visitors until 20 minutes remained, when Diomansy Kamara gave them hope. It really was a goal from nothing: a long ball putting the Senegalese striker one-on-one with Vedran Corluka and unable to beat his marker he simply punted a patty-cake shot goal-bound that hit a young Joe Hart on his instep and ricocheted into the roof of the net. On such things the narrative of games can change and also in this instance the direction of a season.
Ten minutes later Sun Jihai wrestled Nevland to the ground inside of the box and a penalty was duly awarded. Danny Murphy’s effort was saved which would have given the two thousand away fans brief palpitations behind the goal but the midfielder kept his cool to convert the rebound.
Now it was game on and Fulham had all of the belief and momentum if scant time to capitalise on it. The ninety minutes were now up and at least a draw would have postponed their fate for one more week. At least that was something.
Kamara however wasn’t done yet. In the 92nd minute a routine through-ball from Murphy would have been taken out wide by most front men but desperation drove the forward central. Two touches and a burst of pace was all it took to shrug off Brazilian Elano who was weirdly playing right-back that afternoon and with the whites of Hart’s eyes now visible Fulham’s joint leading goal-scorer that year blasted an unstoppable rocket into the near corner.
“I never lost hope, but to win it was extraordinary,” a gob-smacked Hodgson said afterwards. “We’ve given ourselves a chance now”.
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At the start of play that was the very best they could have hoped for. The great escape was on.
What happened next?
Victories over Birmingham and Portsmouth ensured that Craven Cottage would be hosting Premier League football for another year, a survival achieved on goal difference and by the skin of their teeth.
Sven-Goran Eriksson was sacked by Manchester City a fortnight later and replaced by Mark Hughes. That September news broke of their second takeover within 18 months. This time they really did have a rich saviour.
Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways on Monday night as goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane gave them a 2-0 victory over Watford in the Premier League.
Watford had their moments at Wembley, but it was largely a comfortable 90 minutes for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who took a big step towards securing a top-four position.
The Spurs supporters were not overly pleased with what they saw from a number of their players on Monday night, however, with Eric Dier taking some criticism on social media for a lacklustre performance in the middle of the park.
Dier was not the only one, however, with Moussa Sissoko also being blasted.
Mousa Dembele has been outstanding for Tottenham this season, but the 30-year-old was off-colour against the Hornets, and he was heavily criticised by the club’s supporters.
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Dembele has been tipped to leave Tottenham this summer after failing to agree a new contract, and it seems that the fanbase would not be too disappointed if that occurred.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Veteran midfielder, Michael Carrick, made his farewell appearance at Old Trafford during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Watford.
In his 12 years with the club Carrick won 12 major trophies, including five Premier League titles, but the 36-year-old has suffered an injury hit season this term which has limited him to just five appearances.
What’s the story?
However the player is set to continue his relationship with the club and will join up with Jose Mourinho’s backroom staff next season.
Carrick’s teammates, both past and present, have had their say on the veteran’s influence around the club’s Carrington training ground.
Young midfielder Scott McTominay, 21, who broke into the first team picture this season, hailed Carrick as a mentor figure, saying:
“There have been numerous times this season where he’s asked if I want to do a bit of training with him. I’m always champing at the bit to train with him and to listen and learn from him. He’s been incredible.”
While defender Chris Smalling, 28, has praised Carrick’s strong leadership.
“With Michael I think it doesn’t feel too weird that he’s going into the coaching because he is such our figurehead of the team.
“I mean, our team is getting younger and younger, but Michael is the standout leader of our team.”
Smalling added: “To see him stay with us and go into the coaching I think feels quite nice for all of us players, that there is a familiar face going into the coaching and someone we already looked up to massively anyway.” What next for Carrick?
The game on Sunday also marked Rui Faria’s final appearance at Old Trafford. Mourinho’s long-term assistant recently announced his impeding departure in pursuit of a No.1 job elsewhere and Carrick is reportedly being groomed for the role.
“I’m going to organise my coaching staff next season in a way where the assistant-manager doesn’t exist, I think it will be Michael Carrick in the future when he has his badges, his pro licence.”
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“People think you can be a player one day, coach the next, but it’s not like that. Your brain can feel ready but you need the practice.”
Carrick previously revealed an ambition to go into management and the Champions League winner is excited to work under Mourinho.
‘I look forward to learning off him,’ said the United captain. ‘He is one of the very best. I am sure he will teach me a few things and certain we will have some success.’
AnalysisMichael Carrick has enjoyed a remarkable career with Manchester United and knows the ethos and ambition of the club inside out.In a similar dynamic to Louis Van Gaal and Ryan Giggs, Carrick can act as a mediator between past and present – ensuring that future teams developed by Mourinho adhere to the club’s style and pay homage to the club’s history.
Due to his price-tag, Paul Pogba will always become the scapegoat whenever things start to go wrong at Manchester United. By the same hand though, the Frenchman probably hasn’t reached the levels expected when the Red Devils shelled out a world-record fee to bring him back to Old Trafford from Juventus two summers ago.
And in many ways, his failure to emerge as Jose Mourinho’s talismanic leader in midfield epitomises much about this United side, having struggled to produce their best football under pressure this term – including in Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea.
After the match, we asked United supporters whether it’s time to sell Pogba and start building the team around another top-class entity, and our poll has revealed that a whopping 67% of Red Devils fans would move the powerful midfielder on this summer.
But who should United target as Pogba’s replacement? Let us know by commenting below…
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According to reports in The Sun, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is considering making a summer move for Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, and Red Devils supporters have been quick to have their say on the link.
The Sun says that United like the 22-year-old’s driving runs from deep-lying positions in the middle of the park, and obviously feel that the Republic of Ireland international can add something alongside the likes of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba in midfield next season.
Grealish certaily looks more likely to leave Villa this summer after they failed to win promotion back to the Premier League on Saturday following their Championship play-off final defeat against Fulham at Wembley.
Man United supporters, who are desperate for one 22-year-old to remain at Old Trafford this summer, took to social media to give their thoughts on the link to the midfielder, and they were unimpressed.
While one said “I don’t think he’s a United player”, another said “Scott McTominay is actually better”.