All posts by h716a5.icu

Martin Dubravka has built up a reputation as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers since his initial loan arrival at Newcastle from Sparta Prague last January.

Newcastle made a shrewd move in negotiating an option to buy the stopper at the end of his temporary deal, and the Slovakian has gone from strength to strength this season.

His ability had come into question in recent weeks after some high profile errors, but on the whole, his contribution to the Magpies has saved many more points than it has cost them.

But although Dubravka’s contract at St James’ Park is not due to run out until 2022, the Newcastle Chronicle worryingly report that his agent, Pavel Zika, while speaking to the Czech media, has insisted there is interest in his client from European giants Juventus, as well as other Premier League clubs.

He also added, however, that both his, and the player’s, preferred option is to sign an extended deal at Newcastle.

It is easy to see why players would have their heads turned when the likes of Juve are among their admirers, but Dubravka arrived at Newcastle as a relatively unknown figure, and it was Rafa Benitez who gave him the platform in the biggest league in the world.

Any thoughts he may harbour of playing in the Champion’s League, or for a European elite club, should be placed on the back-burner, and his sole focus should be on repaying the faith Newcastle had in him.

Obviously, down the line, his Champion’s League dream will almost certainly lie away from Gallowgate — unless some, as yet unknown, multi-billionaire transforms the Magpies into the next Manchester City — but for now, he should continue building his reputation exactly where he is.

He is adored by the legion of Toon fans who sit behind him in either the Leazes or Gallowgate Ends, singing his name game after game, and he will not be idolised in the same way at many other clubs.

Of course, playing contract negotiations out in public is an old trick, and we believe the likelihood is simply an agent trying to frighten a few extra pounds out of the club when his improved deal is offered.

What are your thoughts on Dubravka? Will he sign a new deal and stay at Newcastle in the long term? Let us know below…

It’s not often a player is given the nickname ‘Psycho’ and thirty years after their retirement that name still strikes fear into rival fans and for former pros, but for Forest supporters and Stuart Pearce, that’s a privilege they are given.

Pearce is one of the quintessential working man’s footballers. Juggling playing for non-league Wealdstone and working as an electrician at 16, the talented fullback got his move into professional football after five years with Alliance Premier League club by signing for Coventry City.

Two years under Bobby Gauld’s side and Pearce was on the move again, this time to Forest, and although we now know the combative fullback would go on to spend 12 years with the Reds, the 23-year-old Psycho at the time was so unsure of his future as a football player that for some time he advertised his electrician services in Forest’s matchday programme.

But alas, we know the story now. Pearce went on to become an icon for the club, as well as for England. In a 12-year career at Forest, the England international went on to make over 500 appearances for the Reds, scoring 95 goals. Psycho also led the club to two League Cups as well as the Full Members Cup.

As well as the highs, Pearce remained at the club for some of its lows. The defender stayed at the club following relegation to League Division One, what is now the Championship, in 1993, and Pearce was involved in the FA Cup semi-final match between Forest and Liverpool in 1989 at Hillsborough, where 96 fans tragically lost their lives.

It was Pearce’s time in League Division One with Forest that immortalised him as a legend at the club. As well as helping the Reds gain promotion on the first attempt, their returning season in the Premier League saw Nottingham finish third in the league, qualifying them for European football for the first time in over 10 years.

Sadly, this was to be Pearce’s last hurrah with the club. Following the resignation of manager Frank Clark in December 1996, the now 34-year-old defender took up the mantle of caretaker manager, which resulted in Psycho leaving the club entirely the following March due to the appointment of Dave Bassett.

Pearce would return to Forest almost 20 years later as manager of the club he is so beloved at, however, this was also to end badly. With the Red sitting in 12th place in February and elimination from Rochdale in the FA Cup being a low point, Pearce was sacked by the club.

His managerial stints might have damaged his reputation at the club slightly, but there is still no doubt that Pearce is an icon of Nottingham Forest, the working-class player who became captain and led them back to success and to European football.

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Leeds United came so close to signing Swansea City winger Dan James during the January transfer window, but following his goalscoring exploits for Wales this week and the fact that John Hartson believes he could now be worth £30m, it could be time to turn their attentions elsewhere.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Hartson has told talkSPORT that he believes the 21-year-old could now be valued at treble the £10m fee the Yorkshire club wanted to pay for the attacker just a couple of months ago.

That will surely cause an issue for the Whites even if they secure promotion to the Premier League this term, but there has been another interesting update on a former target in Albert Adomah, who they were reportedly keen to bring to Elland Road last summer before the player snubbed them.

The Birmingham Mail report that even though the 31-year-old’s Aston Villa contract expires this summer, the Midlands outfit are ready to put talks over a new deal on hold until the season is over.

Should Leeds move?

If he is to leave Villa Park for free then they would certainly be silly not to consider it, whichever division they do find themselves in next term.

The pacey winger has struggled for form, goals and assists during the current campaign, but he has been more of a regular in the starting XI in recent weeks under Dean Smith.

14 goals and five assists in 26 Championship appearances between September and March last season show exactly what Adomah is capable of when he is fully on his game, and that pace and finishing ability could be just what Leeds need.

Given the potential price tag difference between he and James, it is a bit of a no-brainer with Marcelo Bielsa surely able to transform him as he has done with so many others since arriving at Elland Road.

[ad_pod ]Loads of Celtic fans have been reflecting on the weekend’s action, and they seem to have done a complete U-turn on their opinions of Mikael Lustig.Not too long ago, a large portion of Celtic fans wanted Lustig out the exit door this summer.The Swedish international has racked up 269 appearances for the club, scoring 20 times, but to say he was awful earlier this season would be an understatement.Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…The 32 year-old was shocking in the disastrous Champions League qualifying campaign, and until recently his domestic form wasn’t much better either.Due to the total lack of options to replace him though, he got the nod for the Old Firm and reminded Bhoys fans why they loved him so much in the first place.

Lustig was dogged and determined in defence and far more comfortable in possession than he has often been this season, and even ended the match with his shirt ripped in two.

Fans are now hoping the veteran defender extends his stay at Parkhead before his contract expires this summer, perhaps looking to use him as a squad player next year.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Leeds fans have been slating Jack Harrison after yet another poor performance against Preston on Tuesday night.

Harrison had very little impact on proceedings at Deepdale, as he consistently gave the ball away and created next to nothing going forward.

This is the latest in a string of bad showings from Harrison, and even though the Man City loanee has scored just three times since joining Leeds and has provided a measly two assists during his time at Elland Road, he still continues to be a regular in the starting XI.

Harrison was eventually subbed in the 76th minute to be replaced by Gaetano Berardi, a change which Leeds fans surely would have welcomed after the winger’s ineffective display.

Heading into the last few games of the season Leeds are still embroiled in a race for promotion and the 22-year-old will have to buck up his ideas if he wants to play a part.

Fans on Twitter were critical of Harrison both during the game and after proceedings had come to a close.

Here’s what they had to say on Twitter…

Everton claimed another important and impressive win on Sunday when they saw off Arsenal in a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.

It was the Toffees’ third consecutive Premier League victory and the players have shown great resilience to get their campaign back on track. The most impressive thing of their turnaround has probably been the character and fight by a few of the club’s senior players like Seamus Coleman and Phil Jagielka, who have both been brilliant in their previous two matches.

Jagielka scored the only goal in Sunday’s win over the Gunners, becoming the oldest player (36) to score in the Premier League this season.

Last week Coleman was exceptional in Everton’s 2-0 win at West Ham United where he provided an assist for Bernard to score their second goal of the afternoon.

Everton struggled with consistency this season and manager Marco Silva was often criticised for failing to develop his best starting lineup but Coleman and Jagielka stepped up to plate when the club needed it the most and has put them in a good position to finish the season with a bang.

For the first time of the season, Everton look like they’re finally playing the style of football Silva has been trying to implement at the club.

Their defence has also been nothing short of spectacular, keeping clean-sheets in all three of their last three matches against tough opposition.

The impact Coleman and Jagielka have had on that aspect of their game has been instrumental to their recent success, especially given how poor they were a while ago in defence.

Their leadership qualities have definitely had a major influence on their teammates and Everton suddenly look a completely different and composed outfit.

If those two players continue to bring their experience and pride to the team then it will only help to inspire the rest of the squad to keep on delivering solid performances.

Everton fans, how good is it to see your veterans rolling back the years? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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In amongst the spending and mass import of players at Wolves over the past two years, there is a phenomenal young academy prospect waiting in the wings.

Niall Ennis has been highly touted at the club but several factors have played a part in the striker’s career stalling.

The 19-year-old could easily have featured on a regular basis for the senior team by now but is instead tearing it up at U23 level this term after a succession of injuries.

He is a natural goal scorer and the type of player who would compliment Raul Jimenez perfectly, such is the crafty nature of the player.

Given how Diogo Jota has been playing alongside him, it’s a role we could see Ennis featuring in as well in the not too distant future. Both are of similar stature so would work well alongside their record signing.

But Ennis will be more focused on the present with the club’s U23 side gunning for promotion this term. When they take on Stoke in Premier League 2 at Molineux next Monday, they’ll have a chance to go one step closer to replicating a similar success to their senior team from last year.

And Ennis will have a major say in whether they can achieve that and his performances to date demonstrate he has what it takes.

An England youth international, the forward has scored an impressive eight goals in 18 league matches. Four of those have come as the lead striker, the other four from the left flank. His versatility, therefore, is something that could benefit the first team greatly.

In fact, he’s made one first-team appearance in his fledgeling career to date. Albeit a substitute appearance from the bench, but it’s an encouraging sign for a player who has had a breakthrough 2019 so far.

Wolves Fan TV place the blame for Wolves’ FA Cup semi-final collapse on John Ruddy in the video below…

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his game is his mentality. During the 2016/17 campaign, he suffered a broken fibula and then also suffered a knee injury whilst on loan at Shrewsbury last season. It was a problem that cut short his spell after just two matches.

But, the youngster is now firmly back in the frame, and after a productive season for the U23s should be ready to make a similar step that fellow academy product Morgan Gibbs-White has made this season.

Aston Villa made it ten wins on the bounce this weekend as they saw off Milwall 1-0 on Easter Monday.

Dean Smith’s men have been the form team of the Championship in recent months and look a massive bet to win out in the play-offs come the end of the season.

The Villans are likely to face bitter Midlands rivals West Brom in the end of season shootout, and they will be confident of seeing off both the Baggies and anyone who gets in the way as they chase a return to top flight football.

However, if they are promoted, then the club simply have to ensure they go all out to sign on-loan defender Tyrone Mings, who has been nothing short of superb since making the move to the club in January.

The big defender, who had suffered serious injury when he moved to Bournemouth, has proved himself to be quite the defender at Championship level, and there is little doubt he can indeed go on and do it in the Premier League.

And while all the plaudits surround the likes of Jack Grealish and Tammy Abraham, it has to be said that the signing of Mings has proved a massive turning point for Villa.

Strong as an ox and someone who seems to bring the team together with his attitude and workrate off the field, Mings simply has to be at the top of Dean Smith’s list if he can indeed guide his team to promotion.

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Southampton striker Shane Long’s rich vein of form continued as became a Premier League record-breaker in the 1-1 draw with Watford at Vicarage Road on Wednesday, and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl deserves the plaudits for the Republic of Ireland international’s revival.

On the chalkboard

As has been well publicised time and time again, the 32-year-old doesn’t have the best record when it comes to scoring goals – a clear issue when you are a centre-forward.

However, the former Reading and West Bromwich Albion man has begun to find the net on a regular basis in recent times, with the strike against the Hornets following on from goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool.

The Irishman’s confidence was clearly shot before the current run, as he was even struggling to do the things he is best at – chasing and harrying defenders using his pace and strength.

That is exactly what led to his goal against Javi Gracia’s men though, and Hasenhuttl deserves the praise for the work he has clearly done with Long.

How has he changed things?

As with other players that have made an impression under the Austrian that were struggling for game time under his predecessor Mark Hughes – Jan Bednarek, Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse spring to mind – he has accepted the striker’s limitations.

There is no doubt that Long isn’t the best technically – as shown when he missed the ball in a great position against Jurgen Klopp’s men – but he has plenty to offer in other ways.

Hasenhuttl has played to those strengths, and now the 32-year-old is benefitting from a bonus goalscoring streak ahead of the visit of Bournemouth on Saturday.

The fact that the former RB Leipzig boss has forgotten about Long’s record of putting the ball in the back of the net, and instead helped him have a purpose in the side and become a vital member of the starting XI, tells you all you need to know about the 51-year-old.

Who has been your club’s unsung hero the season? Fans nominate theirs in the video below…

Brighter things are coming for Southampton and the Republic of Ireland international next term.

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West Ham United have struggled this season defensively.

Their fullbacks have been regularly exposed and they have relied heavily on Lukasz Fabianski.

One of the main reasons for this is because they have not been able to find a solid defensive system.

Despite this, though, Issa Diop has been an outstanding player.

The Frenchman posted a picture of training on Thursday.

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His teammate Declan Rice was quick to respond with a gushing comment.

It is clear from the comment that Diop has made a big impression on the West Ham squad and has to be considered one of their signings of the season, if not the signing.

It’s hardly surprising that Rice has expressed his admiration for his teammate after he turned in his best performance of the season last Saturday as West Ham became the first team to win at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium.

The winner was scored by Michail Antonio but it was the French Under-21 defender that excelled, he led the back-line brilliantly and snuffed out numerous attacks, as well as keeping the usually deadly Son Heung-min quiet.

He even found time to go on a charge up the pitch after he had beaten Son to the ball, he waltzed past Victor Wanayama and then pushed the ball past Davinson Sanchez, leaving him one-on-one with Hugo Lloris but he dragged his shot wide of the far post.

The £22m signing from Toulouse has quickly become a fans’ favourite and this man-of-the-match performance against Spurs will only strengthen this feeling in the fan base, as it appears to have done within the squad.