All posts by h716a5.icu

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Jordan Pickford has rather foolishly admitted that Newcastle fans got to him during their dramatic comeback over his Everton side, and fans are responding by turning up the heat even more.

It is standard procedure for a player to attract boos when they visit their former rivals with a new club, but the performance and behaviour of Pickford at St. James’ Park was truly bizarre.

The ex-Black Cat appeared to forget that football is a game of two halves, winding up the Toon Army at every opportunity after his side took an early 2-0 lead.

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

Of course, the Toffees collapsed in the second half, and Pickford was solely at fault for the second Magpies goal.

The 25 year-old has finally had his say: “With me being a Sunderland lad, in front of 52,000 Newcastle fans hurling abuse at you for the full game . . . too much stuff; it was just all about being a Sunderland fan.

“That sort of language, maybe it did get to me a bit too much. But I’m only 25. It’s a learning curve. Next time I go there, I won’t be getting involved as much. I bounced back with a solid performance against Chelsea. It’s ‘How do I improve for the next game?’”

While Pickford’s honesty is somewhat admirable, it does seem rather foolish, as it will only invite even more abuse the next time he visits his old foes.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where the Newcastle faithful have absolutely no sympathy for the England international…

West Ham have not had the most consistent of seasons with their away from, in particular, being very poor this term.

That being said, overall, it has still been a promising campaign for the Hammers with their former boss Harry Redknapp predicting them to finish in the top half of the table.

The Breakdown

“Yeah he’s [Manuel Pellegrini] done a decent job, I thought David Moyes had done a good job last year you know,” Redknapp told the Daily Star in an exclusive interview when asked how he felt Pellegrini and West Ham were doing this season.

“They’re sort of in the same type of position, I think they’ll finish around about eighth or ninth. They’ve had good results but they’ve been up and down, they’ve been inconsistent.”

As inconsistent as they have been, West Ham still find themselves just two points behind seventh-placed Wolves, albeit having played a game more.

Nevertheless, the east London club are still in the fight for that spot outside the Premier League top six and certainly have the tools to secure it come May.

With the likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Javier Hernandez to call upon, Pellegrini easily has one of the best attacks in the division away from the big boys.

Finishing above Nuno Espirito Santo’s incredibly coached Wolves side will be no easy task, while Watford will also be eyeing up seventh.

But if Redknapp thinks it is far beyond his former club, then he is wrong with plenty of points still up for grabs.

West Ham fans, do you agree with Redknapp’s prediction? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have reacted with genuine humour to a tweet from a West Ham United supporter claiming that the London Stadium is better than Spurs’ newly-opened ground.

The first game was played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, as the club’s Under-18 team beat Southampton 3-1.

While the capacity at the stadium was capped, there was a feeling of relief at finally leaving Wembley and amazement at seeing the world-class architecture now present in north London.

However, as is often the case with football, rival supporters have been quick to give their takes on social media.

West Ham, of course, moved into the London Stadium in the summer of 2016 and one fan expressed his belief that the Irons’ ground is better than Spurs’ new home.

That take, predictably, led to a number of Tottenham fans piling in on the tweet and deriding the opinion.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Success has been a lot harder to come by than Steven Gerrard may have first anticipated it would be but the Englishman will hope to be backed in the transfer market to show that everyone has confidence in him to be a hero at Rangers.

Having dipped below Celtic once again, the hope will be that next season, now that Gerrard has become accustomed to management – he and his team will shine.

Surely, a number of players are sure to leave Ibrox in the summer but an influx of new ones will have to greet the fans as well if this project is going to enter its second phase well.

But hold on one second. Instead of immediately splashing the cash, a look at the youngsters available to Rangers could do them no harm.

In fact, giving another first-team opportunity to Glenn Middleton would be a very sensible idea. Middleton, (who is valued at £135k on Transfermarkt) will surely be hoping that he can work his way back into Steven Gerrard’s plans after failing to sustain a place with the first-team squad recently.

Having made 28 appearances in all competitions this season, Middleton had done well to register five goals and five assists, yet it wasn’t enough for him to have a safe spot within the squad.

The 19-year-old knows he has to work hard to stay in the squad and Rangers could benefit massively from having him back in contention.

After all, for a youngster, he does have great quality and looks to be capable of turning a game on its head.

Of course, with Rangers reportedly (as per Liverpool Echo) set to miss out on signing Ryan Kent permanently in the summer transfer window, perhaps Middleton can fill the void having shown he can score and create.

Whether he is cutting in from the left-hand side or the right, Middleton possesses good versatility which means he can be a useful asset for Gerrard’s side, if only they continue to trust him.

Do you agree that Middleton deserves another shot in the first-team… Let us know!

In the Premier League, they say 40 is the magic number for survival, except if you’re West Ham.

In the 2002/03 season, the Hammers were relegated down to the Championship with a points total of 42, making the east London side one of the three teams in the history of the Premier League to go down with an end of season tally of 40 and over.

A moment in time – West Ham relegated, 2003

With West Ham currently on the same number of points as that side that went down 15 years ago and the east London side having a difficult run-in going into the final games of the season, there could be a sense of déjà vu around the club should Manuel Pellegrini’s side do the unthinkable and be relegated from the Premier League this season.

The Hammers, on paper, seem like a team too good to go down, but so was the side that was relegated in 2003. Although that West Ham team only lost four league games from the New Year till the end of the season, three wins in the opening 21 games were ultimately what doomed Glen Roeder’s side.

Considering the fact the Hammers have games against Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham coming up, nothing is confirmed.

Speaking to premierleague.com, former Hammers man Don Hutchison was baffled how West Ham went down despite amassing 42 points that season. The retired midfielder said: “It’s difficult to put your finger on it, maybe a little bit of complacency, maybe players weren’t playing at a certain level, maybe we had injuries and suspensions,”

West Ham being relegated on 42 points remains the highest points tally a Premier League has gone down with, and it is likely that this record will remain for some time with the gap between relegation favourite teams, the mid-table sides and the top-six widening every year, and although Pellegrini’s side this season look safe from the drop, history tells a more different story for the club if they aren’t cautious.

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Loads of Manchester United fans have been running the rule over their victory against West Ham, and they’re not too happy with Jesse Lingard.

Just like their win against Watford, the Red Devils put in an underwhelming performance at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Hammers, who were coming off the back of some woeful performances of their own, looked the better team in the opening stages, and were unlucky to see a Felipe Anderson goal incorrectly ruled out for offside.

Watch the video below to find out what Jesse Lingard is like off the pitch in the latest Match Of The Bae with Emma Conybeare…

Paul Pogba then scored from the spot after a dubious decision from the referee, but Anderson did get his goal in the second half, sneaking in at the back post to equalise.

And although Pogba’s second penalty of the day gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side all three points, fans aren’t happy with their performance, particularly from Lingard.

When playing mid-table sides at home, attacking players like the English international need to be involved and making things happen. He completed zero dribbles, zero key passes and registered zero shots, per Whoscored.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Jesse…

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Aston Villa have goals, they have a sensational midfield and they’ve also improved defensively.

However, despite a seven-match win streak, there is still one issue that is going under the radar in the Villa side.

Their wide players are incredibly inconsistent and the performances of Albert Adomah and Anwar El Ghazi in the first half against Rotherham in midweek displayed that.

However, with a change of formation, it’s a problem that can be resolved during Villa’s remaining games in the hunt for a play-off place.

Time to change

Villa have been brilliant in recent weeks but they were in danger of dropping points against the Millers last Wednesday night.

But the introduction of Jonathan Kodjia helped change the game, as he showed glimpses of his former self, scoring from the penalty spot and making himself a nuisance for defenders.

He’s a player that scored 19 goals during the 2016/17 season but unfortunately for Villa, has struggled since. However, this could be his time to flourish alongside Tammy Abraham in a two man attack.

Considering Villa’s wingers haven’t been particularly amazing this season there is a sense that they wouldn’t lose too much without them.

The fact most of their play comes through the likes of Jack Grealish and John McGinn too says they’d be better off playing a narrower system. It may also allow Henri Lansbury to come out of the Villa wilderness.

El Ghazi has scored just one goal in his last 20 matches. Adomah, meanwhile, only has three goals in all competitions this term. It’s something which only shows why change is needed.

Although in such impressive form, Dean Smith cannot afford for performances to drop off going into the final weeks of the campaign.

A triangle of Abraham, Kodjia and Grealish could be extremely effective. It’s now time for the manager to put it to use.

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According to El Gol Digital, Leeds United are considering a summer move for Real Sociedad midfielder Ruben Pardo.

What’s the word, then?

Leeds are currently second in the Championship table, four points off leaders Norwich City and three points ahead of third-placed Sheffield United.

The Whites are very much in the mix for automatic promotion and will be desperate to secure a return to the Premier League for the 2019-2020 campaign.

If that is the case then it will be very, very busy summer window for the club.

Leeds have a lot of pulling power as it is, but earning promotion to the Premier League would open up a whole new level of players.

According to El Gol Digital, Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa is keen to bring Pardo to Elland Road in this summer’s transfer window.

And the 26-year-old would be a wonderful signing for the club.

What are Pardo’s credentials?

Pardo came through the youth system at Sociedad and has made 187 appearances for the Basque outfit in all competitions.

An incredibly experienced midfielder, Pardo has made 174 La Liga appearances during his time with both Sociedad and Real Betis.

He has not been capped at senior level by Spain, but turned out on seven occasions for the nation’s Under-21 side.

It is unlikely that Leeds would have to break the bank for the midfielder, who would be the perfect summer arrival for the Whites due to his skill set. Pardo is no slouch, but it is his technical quality that would improve Leeds so much.

Bielsa will be aware that signings will be needed if Leeds are to compete in the Premier League next season and Pardo would be a fine summer addition.

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International Liverpool fans on Twitter are not best pleased after a major announcement by the club regarding preparations for next season.

The Reds confirmed on Tuesday evening the destination for their pre-2019/2020 summer tour, heading to the USA for the second consecutive year after journeying to North Carolina, New Jersey and Michigan to encounter Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Manchester United in 2018.

This time around, Jurgen Klopp’s men will first clash with Borussia Dortmund at the Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana on 19 July, before facing off with Sevilla at Fenway Park in Boston two days later, and rounding off the trip against Sporting CP at the Yankee Stadium in New York on 24 July.

Chelsea fans were giving it large at Anfield on Sunday. Watch their afternoon get slowly ruined in the video below…

However, the exciting news has upset some unhappy Reds supporters from all four corners of the globe, complaining that the Premier League title contenders didn’t choose destinations such as South Africa, Singapore and Switzerland amongst others.

Check out the pick of their replies below…

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According to reports in the Daily Mail, Sheffield United are ready to make Gary Madine a permanent fixture at Bramall Lane in the Premier League.

The Cardiff City loanee has been brilliant since joining the Blades in January but should the Yorkshire club keep him beyond this season?

Good for the Championship

Madine is undoubtedly one of the best forwards available to clubs in the second tier.

His game is dynamic as he can be deployed as both a target man and a poacher, he has fantastic hold-up play but also possesses a decent scoring record when used as the main striking threat.

During his last season at Bolton, the striker netted 10 times in the league but the goals dried up when he moved to Cardiff.

A loan spell to United followed, and despite only netting three goals, the 28-year-old has been seen as a handy player up top.

Lack of ambition

If this move is a sign of things to come for Sheffield United in the next season, then their fans should be anxious.

Although Madine has enjoyed a good spell at the Lane so far, he isn’t good enough to make an impact in the top flight.

Perhaps this move suggests that the funds aren’t there or that the Yorkshire club are making an early insurance signing for potential life back in the Championship.

With the abundance of wealth that comes with promotion to the Premier League, Chris Wilder could surely look at more lucrative players to play their target man role.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

One positive for Blades supporters is that this move may open the door for Dean Henderson to return after his initial loan spell. Wilder clearly isn’t adverse to keeping on the loanees that helped him win promotion this season.

The Man United goalie has kept 20 clean sheets in the league, and therefore the Blades would be foolish to not go in for him ahead of their top flight return.