All posts by h716a5.icu

[ad_pod ]Aston Villa began their first Premier League campaign in three seasons with defeat at the hands of Tottenham in north London last Saturday as the Champions League runners-up came out on top with a 3-1 win.John McGinn had opened the scoring for the visitors and Villa held firm for the best part of an hour before a trio of goals put to bed a dream start for Dean Smith’s men.Summer arrival Tanguy Ndombele scored a long-range strike before Harry Kane’s quick-fire brace wrapped things up in the final four minutes.The following morning after the match, Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane dug out a tweet from five years ago which had previously doubted his potential, ironically from one member of the Villa fanbase…

Hourihane has worked his way up from League Two and Plymouth Argyle to the Premier League with Aston Villa via a spell at Barnsley in League One and the Championship.

The tweet sparked quite the reaction from much of the Villa Park fanbase.

One supporter lauded the 28-year-old, stating that his goals and assists got the club back to where they belong and after Saturday, he could say he stood up to one of the best in the country.

A further fan praised his top attitude and personality, telling him not to listen to any doubters whilst one added that he was class in the first half against Spurs.

Hourihane scored eight and assisted 11 goals last term in the Championship.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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Lots of Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Teemu Pukki, after the former Hoops striker notched a Premier League hat-trick for Norwich against Newcastle on Saturday.

The Finland international spent one season at Celtic Park, making 38 appearances back in the 2013/14 campaign, but failed miserably before leaving to sign for Brondby.

Pukki netted just nine goals in those 38 appearances, and some fans below are amazed at his progression into a Premier League hat-trick hero after developing a reputation amongst the Bhoys’ fanbase as a flop – as you can see from some of the comments below – with one supporter even believing the 29-year-old could be worth £25m now.

The 5 foot 11 forward’s three-goal haul against the Magpies puts him joint-top of the scoring ranks alongside Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling on four goals after two games, and Pukki is looking like a totally different player to the one who stunk out Celtic Park a few years ago.

Let’s see what the Celtic fans on Twitter have been saying about the former Schalke man…

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Having arrived from Belgian side Club Brugge in a £22m deal earlier this summer, Wesley has immediately become first-choice under Dean Smith.

The Brazilian may not have been a prolific goalscorer in his time in Belgium, but he certainly had a respectable record in his final campaign at the club with 17 goals in 48 games.

But having drawn a blank in Villa’s first two Premier League games of the season, the 22-year-old got his campaign up-and-running with a clinical finish to open the scoring against Everton.

After seeing Smith’s side go on to clinch a 2-0 victory at Villa Park, fans of the Midlands side took to Twitter to hail their big-money summer signing.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many Villa supporters hailed the 6 foot 3 striker’s hold-up play against the Toffees’ centre-backs, and one suggested he was simply “unplayable”. The Brazilian won two aerial duels and provided two key passes as the striker ran Everton’s defence ragged.

Indeed, another fan insisted that whilst Tammy Abraham’s numbers in the Championship were impressive last season, Wesley is “exactly the type of striker” the side needed.

Check out some of the reaction of Villa fans below:

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to a throwback video posted by the club’s official Twitter account, as they celebrated a home debut goal from fan favourite Julio Arca.

It’s not been a great few years for the Stadium of Light faithful. Back-to-back relegation seasons were absolutely brutal for the fans, while the actions of players like Jack Rodwell, Darron Gibson and Papy Djilobodji have only compounded their misery.

Things may be looking up after the latest rumours regarding a possible takeover though, and fans are also enjoying an old video of one of their favourite ever players.

Arca spent six years on Wearside, racking up 164 appearances, scoring 19 times and adding another nine assists.

And one of those goals came on his home debut, as he glanced in a header against West Ham.

He celebrated with more passion than the three aforementioned names put together ever had for the club, which is perhaps how he endeared himself to the fans so quickly.

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

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The good news seems to keep on rolling out of Elland Road at the moment.

Earlier this week Kalvin Phillips put pen to paper on a new contract at Leeds but that’s been followed up with the announcement of deals for Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper.

The Whites say that Dallas has renewed until 2023 whilst Cooper’s terms are a year more.

A host of Leeds fans were understandably elated as they extended their current stays with the west Yorkshire club.

One said that it was unexpectedly brilliant as another simply deemed the news as huge.

A further individual was quick to note how the announcement had come out of nowhere. One supporter even deemed it a surprise.

Find out which club English football NEEDS back in the Premier League (and which one that doesn’t) in the video below…

Cooper was recently rewarded with his first international cap as he made his debut for Scotland against Russia last week.

Dallas, meanwhile, was in action against Germany for Northern Ireland over the break.

Both have been influential for the Whites this term and have played a part in a Leeds defence that’s only conceded three times in the Championship.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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Rangers completed the £7m signing of Ryan Kent on the last day of the transfer window following qualification to the Europa League. Chris Sutton, who has never been one for avoiding headlines claimed in his column for The Daily Record that Rangers signing of Ryan Kent has been a “panic buy”.

This was met with wide scale derision from Rangers fans with most tweets following a similar pattern. Kent has been a Rangers target all summer, he was Young Player of the Year in Scotland and Sutton himself claimed Celtic should make a bid for him.

Rangers fans let him know about the validity of his opinion. One of the obvious points being that the club would be reluctant to spend such a vast amount of money before securing Europa League qualification. Kent had also been a target all summer, something Steven Gerrard was never shy of telling the press. These fans informed Sutton of this, if he didn’t already know.

Ryan Kent was Young Player of the Year in Scotland last season. This proves that he has the credentials to play for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. Another sign that it is far from a panic signing.

Sutton alluded to the fact he had suggested Celtic should make a move for Kent. Another sure fire reason for Rangers fans to get stuck in about him, he left himself wide open and Rangers fans duly obliged, in their hundreds!

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

West Brom came away from a clash against Fulham with a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon as they maintained their unbeaten start to the term.

Slaven Bilic’s side took a while to get going but by bringing Kyle Edwards on it helped Albion significantly.

He shone, completing three dribbles in just over half an hour on the field but there were also concerns during the stalemate.

The Baggies failed to keep a cleansheet whilst midfielder Jake Livermore once again showed his tendency to make a mistake.

As a result, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he eventually made way in this Albion side.

On the chalkboard

Livermore was incredibly lacklustre against Fulham and was dispossessed at a key moment in the match.

Attempting to move the ball on in the middle of the park he lost possession and was then punished by Anthony Knockaert for the opener.

He managed a pass success rate of just 60%, not really showing too much in an attacking phase or defensive phase – failing to register a shot and making just one tackle, via WhoScored.

The 29-year-old was one of the players who didn’t really feature under Jimmy Shan in the back end of 2018/19 but after this display, there were warning signs.

The fact is that once Ahmed Hegazi returns from injury in the coming weeks, Livermore could be dropped.

This would be at the expense of Semi Ajayi who should be shifted into midfield, thus ensuring a seamless transition into the starting XI for the Egyptian centre-half.

Ajayi was a revelation in that role for Rotherham last term and scored seven goals but has been playing in defence since arriving at the Hawthorns.

The former Arsenal man had yet to show his qualities in forward areas for West Brom but did so on Saturday for the first time as he headed home from close range.

In comparison to Livermore, he offers far more in that area of the pitch. Last season Ajayi won 4.3 aerial duels and 2 tackles each game on average according to WhoScored.

The former, meanwhile, scored only twice and won 0.5 of his aerial duels per outing.

Hegazi could prove key in shoring up Bilic’s defence after starting 40 times in 2018/19, but moving Ajayi into Livermore’s role when he’s back will also give them a more dynamic option in midfield.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Tottenham Hotspur fans may well be on the verge of getting exactly what they’ve been demanding ahead of the Carabao Cup clash against Colchester United on Tuesday night.

It’s fair to say that Spurs have very rarely been the team they have shown they can be in the past so far this season, and their two recent results against Olympiacos and Leicester City sum things up.

However, they have the chance to bounce back against the League Two club, and it could allow Mauricio Pochettino to hand out a chance to some of the club’s younger players.

17-year-old striker Troy Parrott made a decent impression during pre-season and has made a big impact for the north London outfit’s youth teams, too.

As well as finding the net in the UEFA youth league match against Olympiacos last week, he also netted twice for the U23s in a 3-1 win against Manchester City last month, meaning he has three goals in just 151 minutes on the pitch, as per Transfermarkt.

In addition, he inspired the Republic of Ireland’s U21 team to a 2-1 victory against Sweden earlier this month with a second-half brace.

When the Colchester draw was made it led to plenty of calls from fans for him to be given a chance, and it does make sense in general with no out-and-out centre-forward competition for Harry Kane following the summer departures of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente.

Football London report that Pochettino has admitted he is considering handing the teenager his debut against the League Two club, and that was further backed up by the fact he was left out of the squad as the U23s were beaten by their Blackburn Rovers counterparts on Monday.

It remains to be seen whether he will be in the starting XI or on the bench, but it does appear as though the wishes of Tottenham fans are going to be granted.

Should he play, it will be the moment of truth to see if he is ready to make an impact for the first team now.

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In today’s Newcastle United roundup, we take a look at what news has been making the headlines surrounding the Magpies. Ian Holloway declares Jonjo Shelvey a ‘genius’ in the right team, Steve Bruce is keeping tabs on Yussuf Poulsen, and Andy Carroll may have to take a seat on the bench for the rest of the year, as he continues to recover from a problematic ankle injury.

Carroll may not start a game this year

Report: Andy Carroll returned to St James’ Park as a Newcastle player last week, seeing eight minutes in the goalless draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. However, the Telegraph report that the Newcastle medical staff fear he may not be able to start until after Christmas at the earliest.

Verdict: The Magpies have been struggling for goals this year and have netted just four times in six games in the Premier League – the joint lowest in the competition. Bruce so far has invested plenty of time in both Joelinton and Miguel Almiron, although the former has netted just once in six games, whilst Almiron is yet to contribute a single assist or goal in Newcastle colours.

However, Carroll has proven in the past that he can smash in the goals wearing the white and black, as he bagged 33 goals in 91 appearances before his departure to Liverpool. The Englishman, if he restores this form, could be a massive signing for the club, and it is a shame that he is struggling to kick the ankle injury that continues to haunt him.

Shelvey a ‘genius’ in the right team, says Holloway

Report: Former Premier League manager Ian Holloway has defended under-fire midfielder Jonjo Shelvey after stating he is a ‘genius’ if he plays amongst the right team around him. Holloway, when asked about Shelvey this season, tweeted: “I feel for him. He’s a genius in the right team.

“He can dictate the play if he has runners around him. I love him and hope he gets back to his best soon.”

Verdict: Shelvey has already scored this season, netting in the defeat to Norwich City. However, despite it being a fairly meaningless goal within the 90 minutes, the Englishman is still the joint top scorer for the club this season.

Shelvey’s best year for the Magpies came when they won the Championship back in 2016-17, a campaign in which he scored five goals and assisted eight, earning his place in the Sky Bet Team of the Season. However, since Newcastle have returned to the Premier League, the ex-Liverpool man has bagged just three times and provided four assists in 55 league outings.

Indeed, Shelvey has proved that, with those around him, he can prove to be a great player.

Bruce keeping an eye on Poulsen

Report: As reported by the Express, Newcastle have been watching RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen for a while and continue to scout the 25-year-old ahead of the January window.

Verdict: As alluded to earlier, Newcastle have lacked goals for sometime now, and as Poulsen netted 15 in the Bundesliga last season, he could well be the answer. This campaign, the Dane has just one goal in the league, although he has provided two assists in the competition and bagged another assist in the Champions League.

Considering the lack of goals from Joelinton and the fact Carroll is still recovering from injury, Bruce could benefit with an extra option in attack, so it’s no surprise that he is scouting the market for further reinforcements.

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk was condemned to his first league defeat as Owls manager on Tuesday evening as substitute Tom Eaves scored the only goal of the game to hand Hull City all three points at the KCOM Stadium.

The striker powerfully headed home an Eric Lichaj cross just six minutes after entering the pitch to bag his first goal for the Tigers.

Monk, on the other hand, was without his main man Steven Fletcher, who has netted five already this campaign – his absence perhaps came as a shock as there was no news about the 32-year-old’s injury prior to the match.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It meant that Sam Winnall and Atdhe Nuhiu led the line as Monk continued to operate a 4-4-2 system.

The former Barnsley forward had the best chance of the game just after half-time as he directed a header of his own narrowly wide from a mere six-yards out.

His performance certainly failed to inspire many of the Hillsborough faithful with some taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on the 28-year-old.

One supporter compared the 5 foot 9 man to a former Wednesday flop by calling him an ‘English Stevie May,’ who scored just seven times in 42 appearances.

Winnall has only bagged five goals in 31 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

Another member of the Owls crowd believes the striker is too slow and offers nothing while a further fan called him a ‘myth.’

Here’s the best of the reaction: