All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Celtic fans were left thrilled by the performance of winger Mikey Johnston during the club’s first pre-season friendly of the summer against Austrian minnows SC Pinkafeld on Wednesday.

The Hoops have been back in training for almost two weeks now, preparing earlier than most teams in Britain due to participation in UEFA Champions League qualifiers in just 12 days time.

Was Georgios Samaras a better player for Celtic than fans gave him credit for? Keith from C’mon the Hoops explains why he was in the video below…

Neil Lennon’s side ran out 6-1 winners and while the result obviously means nothing, fans were nonetheless buoyed by the performance of a very young Celtic team that was mostly made up of players from the club’s academy and reserve sides.

Johnston ran the show in the second 45 minutes, not only scoring twice but also assisting Armstrong Okoflex with a classy, defence-splitting through pass.

The 20-year-old made 23 appearances last term, scoring five times, but with most of those showings coming from the bench, he will be hoping to impress Lennon with a view to starting more matches next season.

Fans certainly enjoyed his contribution this week, taking to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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West Brom returned to match action at the weekend as they defeated AFC Telford 4-3 in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

Per journalist Matt Wilson, Oliver Burke, Jay Rodriguez and Hal Robson-Kanu were all on the scoresheet, whilst talented teenager Morgan Rogers also found the net.

The 16-year-old is clearly one of the most talented players currently playing in the academy at the moment, having already featured for the first team in the FA Cup last term.

And as a result of his goal at the weekend, Albion supporters have taken to Twitter to discuss the future of the young prodigy.

One fan made reference to Louie Barry, who has just recently departed the Hawthorns, suggesting that Rogers was closer to first-team action. Meanwhile, another supporter was keen to avoid a similar situation, urging the club to tie him down to a professional contract.

Another 16-year-old, Barry was offered new terms but rejected them as speculation mounts surrounding a move to Barcelona.

The academy has been a topic of heated debate in recent times and fans were quick to offer their thoughts once more as one supporter was concerned he’d leave as soon as he starts turning in good performances.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Rogers was in impressive form last term, scoring 18 times and claiming 11 assists in all competitions.

Here’s how some of the debate played out.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Leeds United confirmed on Wednesday that midfielder Samu Saiz had completed a permanent move to La Liga side Girona for an undisclosed fee, with manager Marcelo Bielsa ultimately getting his own way.

What’s the word, then?

Football Insider reported earlier on Wednesday that the 28-year-old Spaniard had been trying to secure a move back to his homeland all summer following the expiry of his loan spell with Getafe, but it proved to be a struggle to find a club willing to meet his £6m asking price.

They went on to say that an exit for a cut-price fee was on the cards, and Bielsa should be pleased that it has now all been confirmed.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The same source said last month that the Argentine had no intention of re-integrating Saiz into the Leeds squad on his return, after he chose to jump ship halfway through the 2018/19 campaign.

Bielsa shows his authority again

The 63-year-old isn’t someone that could be labelled indecisive and he knows what he wants, as proved by his stance on the whole Australian tour. And while he admitted he hadn’t made the direct decision to let the Spaniard leave Elland Road back in December, he clearly feels that it wouldn’t have benefitted the Yorkshire outfit if they had him back now.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

It may be a ruthless call in some ways given the level of performance Saiz has shown previously – five goals and five assists from his opening 18 Championship appearances is proof of that – but there is no point having a homesick player in a team that wants to be promoted next season having fallen short last time out.

Leeds need everyone in positive mood and pulling in the same direction, and in that respect it is clear to see why Bielsa has got his own way.

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Lots of Crystal Palace fans on Twitter are utterly bemused after a report linked Brighton and Hove Albion centre-back Lewis Dunk with a £45m move to Leicester City.

The Sun reported on Sunday that the Foxes wanted to sign the 27-year-old, who has 74 Premier League appearances to his name, to replace Manchester United-bound Harry Maguire, and that the one-cap England international would cost them £45m.

The central defender has spent his entire career with the south coast outfit – aside from a short loan spell with Bristol City – making 270 outings in all competitions, scoring 16 goals and providing a further 11 assists.

Watch Crystal Palace Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The story certainly piqued plenty of interest from supporters of arch-rivals Palace, who of course recently sold highly-rated 21-year-old Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the Red Devils for an initial £45m fee themselves.

In addition, it is understood that the south London outfit are demanding at least £80m if they are to be persuaded to let go of the want-away Wilfried Zaha, who is reportedly a summer target for Arsenal.

In the video below, find out which Chelsea academy prospect is reportedly being lined up to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka at Crystal Palace…

Eagles supporters certainly appear completely bewildered by the potential Dunk deal, with many choosing to compare it to their sale of Wan-Bissaka and their asking price for the Ivory Coast international – with the overriding feeling being that they undersold the former.

While one member of the Selhurst Park faithful said “Brighton have made us look like mugs if they get £45m for Dunk”, another simply said “we should have got more for AWB”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Sun, Newcastle want to sign Burnley’s Dwight McNeil as new boss Steve Bruce lines up a spending spree.

What’s the word?

This summer has been an extremely difficult one for the Toon Army to deal with, with Rafa Benitez and Ayoze Perez both walking through the exit door.

They’ve also had to come to terms with the fact that Salomon Rondon won’t return either, leaving Newcastle without their two top goalscorers from 2018/19.

However, after appointing Bruce as their new manager, there could finally be some good news on the transfer front.

Per a report from The Sun, it is suggested that Newcastle want to sign McNeil, and have done for some time. The newspaper claim that the teenager is rated at £30m, although the Magpies only want to pay half of that.

Almiron to move into a free role

McNeil burst onto the scene last season with the Clarets, cementing himself as one of their most promising players.

In the Premier League, the 19-year-old scored three goals as well as laying on five assists.

Playing on the left-hand side, he was a regular threat for Sean Dyche’s men but if he arrived in the north-east, it could force a change of position for Miguel Almiron.

That being said, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

After arriving last term, the Paraguayan was subjected to playing on the left-wing, an area where McNeil has thrived.

Therefore, if the Burnley man did indeed walk through the doors of St James’ Park, it can give Newcastle license to move him into his favoured position of behind the striker.

The prospect of Steve Bruce at the helm has Newcastle fans calling for the return of a very unpopular former manager in the video below…

When playing in MLS for Atlanta, he was devastating when playing in the number ten role.

Throughout the course of the 2018 campaign, he featured 26 times as an attacking midfielder, scoring 11 goals and also picking up the same number of assists.

You sense that continuing to play him on the left would be somewhat of a mistake but signing McNeil would allow him to change positions.

There could, of course, be some concern with who plays on the right, but if it helps to get the best out of Almiron, signing a capable left-winger and switching the Paraguay international could be game-changing.

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Newcastle United continued their preparations for the 2019-20 campaign with a 3-1 win over Scottish outfit Hibernian on Tuesday night.

The main story for the Magpies involved a goal for record signing Joelinton, who scored on his full debut for the club.

Sean Longstaff was also on the scoresheet just past the half-hour mark, before club captain Jamaal Lascelles registered in the second period.

Longstaff has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United this summer.

However, the midfielder, who missed the latter stages of last season with a knee injury, is still at St James’ Park as the transfer window prepares to slam shut.

It goes without saying that the 21-year-old is a hugely popular figure with the Newcastle fans.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And many took to social media in the aftermath of his goal against Hibernian to lavish praise on the academy product.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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BT Sport have collected the smartest brains in the football data game to collate and produce a prediction for the entire 2019/20 Premier League campaign, calling it ‘The Script’ which can be found here.

Those very predictions have Premier League newcomers Aston Villa finishing in 15th place which has already had many supporters debating where they believe the club will end up come May next year.

Club captain Jack Grealish has also had his say on Twitter by uploading a video of him physically launching ‘The Script’ over his head which was accompanied by him claiming that the team will write their own future this season.

His actions have sparked mass reaction amongst the Villa fanbase with many loving his attitude going into their first Premier League season since relegation in 2016.

One fan stated that he didn’t think he could love Grealish anymore but his latest tweet has proved him wrong. Others echoed this sentiment by expressing their love for him, stating his action was brilliant whilst one supporter praised his attitude.

Another member of the Villa Park crowd said the 23-year-old had the league on strings whilst one believed he was setting the standard as captain which was important with so many new arrivals joining the club this summer.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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It is fair to say that Granit Xhaka is a divisive figure amongst the Emirates Stadium faithful.

The Switzerland international joined Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, and he has been a Gunners regular ever since.

Overall, he has made 135 appearances for the London side, scoring 11 goals and providing 16 assists, and has even been the club’s captain on several occasions.

AFTV’s Robbie has his say on Arsenal’s owners in the video below…

However, despite all of that, he is not the that popular amongst the club’s fans. This is best shown by the reaction to the update that the midfielder is a doubt for his team’s game against Burnley on Saturday.

He is said to have suffered bruising to his lower back and leg in the win over Newcastle on the first weekend of the Premier League season.

The news appears to have gone down well with a good amount of the supporters, and they have taken to Twitter to share their pleasure. You can see some of the best comments below.

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So the transfer window has slammed shut, the dust has settled and there are five new faces on Tyneside, six including Steve Bruce, but how will the Magpies line up against Arsenal?

Bruce has varied his formation regularly during pre-season, but the final exhibition clash against St. Etienne saw his side line up in what was effectively a 5-3-2.

Miguel Almiron started alongside Joelinton up front, but with Allan Saint-Maximin now having a full week of training under his belt, we suspect the gaffer will alter his tactics to test out his new front three.

Arsenal conceded 51 times in the league last term and took loads of criticism for their sometimes comedically bad defence, and with Kieran Tierney injured and David Luiz the only other immediate reinforcement to arrive this summer, Bruce should opt for a pacey 4-3-3.

Joelinton’s striking resemblance to Roberto Firmino will see him drop into midfield constantly, dragging defenders with him and allowing space for the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff to drop the ball in behind for Almiron and Saint-Maximin.

Isaac Hayden will surely continue his fine form from last season in the anchor role, while Jetro Willems simply must start above Paul Dummett on the left – the former PSV man has bags of European and international experience.

Javier Manquillo has had a great pre-season and should get the nod over the injured DeAndre Yedlin and newly arrived Emil Krafth.

Bruce has five centre-backs to choose from, but captain Jamaal Lascelles is surely nailed on, while Fabian Schar’s phenomenal first season in English football should grant him the nod as well.

With the tenacity of Hayden setting the stage for Longstaff and Shelvey to do what they do best  – spray the ball around – while the new front three gets to test their mettle against an often spineless and shambolic defence, this XI has a great opportunity to stun Arsenal on Sunday.

The Gunners will expect to have most of the ball, which should leave plenty of gaps for the Magpies to counter attack into. This one could be very, very fun indeed.

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Surely it can’t just be us who find the unnecessary blue neon background lighting a little annoying. We just want to know what colour it is for goodness sake.

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