All posts by h716a5.icu

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Leeds United legend Gordon Strachan has told LeedsLive that the Yorkshire outfit can make waves in the transfer market this summer should they win promotion to the Premier League.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 62-year-old has been speaking about his former club as they remain in the automatic promotion race in the Championship with the season coming to a close.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men dropped to third following their 1-0 defeat against Sheffield United last weekend, but they are still just one point adrift of where they need to be to go straight up come what May.

Strachan believes that the club would make a big impact in the top flight should they get there, telling LeedsLive: “A lot depends on investment now. It’s huge. Recruitment’s huge in football now, no matter what club you’re at, it’s not so much tactics, it’s recruitment.

“Leeds can drag people, a lot of players in because of the atmosphere, the stadium, the history.

“They can do more than most clubs that get promoted.”

Exciting summer ahead?

It could well be.

There is no doubt that if Leeds do go up that Bielsa will want to strengthen his squad as well as keeping the faith with some of the players that had taken them to the Premier League, and it seems likely that he would be backed by owner Andrea Radrizzani in that case given the calibre of manager the Italian has at the helm.

Are Leeds set for another spectacular fall from grace? Ingood Nick believes so in the video below…

Adding some quality – especially in key areas of the pitch and throughout the spine of the team – could help the Yorkshire club make a huge impact not to dissimilar to the one Wolves have this term.

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It looked like being another dreary day for QPR when they went two down to Hull last time out but they turned it round and emerged from the clash with a respectable point – a result the fans certainly deserved.

Of course, the fact that the R’s still conceded two goals for the second game in a row – they haven’t kept a clean sheet and won since the end of February, versus Leeds – proves there is still a lot of work to be done in defence.

One youngster who will be hoping he can plug some gaps in years to come is Themis Kefalas – an up and coming Hoops centre-back impressing in the academy.

The 18-year-old, who has been featuring for the Under-23’s, was in focus on QPR’s official website this week and had this to say:

“I look at their [Premier League defenders’] defending style, their passes forward, how they defend, how close or far away they are from their centre-back partner and from the attackers. I definitely watch differently now.

“[I want to] train with the first team more next year.”

When asked whether he would like to go out on loan to get some regular first team minutes under his belt, the 6 ft 2 starlet replied:

“Why not? To play with men would be good. I want to be ready for the [QPR] first team in two years’ time.”

With the Hoops’ defence not getting any younger, the Greek’s targets seem pretty realistic but the first step is to ensure he has some experience playing in the leagues – the transition is far easier and very few of the best players make the grade without going out on loan first.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

If the R’s poor defensive record continues, though, Steve McClaren may call on Kefalas sooner than expected – can the Loftus Road outfit afford to let anyone out on loan while these struggles are ongoing?

Middlesbrough have suffered a poor run of form at just the wrong time, with three successive defeats having Teesside nerves jangling at the prospect of blowing their play-off chances.

Failure to rectify the downturn in form will undoubtedly see them overtaken in a play-off race that is as wide-open as it has been for many seasons.

Seven teams are within seven points of Middlesbrough, meaning any side all the way down to Hull in tenth will fancy their chances of putting a run together to make a charge to the post-season games.

Sheffield Wednesday, under Steve Bruce, are the perfect example of that, with their double digit unbeaten run seeing them come from nowhere to the heart of the battle.

Boro’ have to put things right before it is too late, but they have a massive task to end their miserable run this weekend, with a teatime game against leaders Norwich at the Riverside.

But after this game, the fixtures do not appear to bad for the Teessiders, and we have crunched the numbers, and see Tony Pulis’s side picking up the points needed to secure their play-off place.

Crucially, if our predictions prove correct, Boro’ will finish fifth, avoiding the unlucky loser in the automatic promotion race — who will be Sheffield United in our opinion.

It will see them take on West Bromwich Albion in the semi final, and although that will be an incredibly difficult game, it will be better than it could have been.

We have Boro’ losing just two more games this season — Norwich on Saturday and the away game at Aston Villa — while managing draws at Swansea and Nottingham Forest.

Strugglers Bolton and Rotherham look like two straightforward away games, while Bristol City, Hull, Stoke and Reading will be seen off at the Riverside.

That said, the longer the poor run goes on, the more confidence takes a hit, and the domino effect will see each game become harder and harder as a result.

But as long as they get back to winning ways soon, we cannot envisage them missing out. Boro’ fans will be hoping for the same.

What are your thoughts on your run-in Boro’ fans? Do you think they will get out of their slump soon? Who is to blame? Let us know below…

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Kemar Roofe has been passed fit for Leeds United as the Whites head to Birmingham City in the Championship this weekend.

The forward has been on the sidelines since picking up a knee injury against Swansea City in the middle of February.

However, ahead of the trip to Birmingham, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa revealed that the 26-year-old was available once again.

Roofe has scored 14 Championship goals for the Whites this season and his return is absolutely vital at a key period of the season.

Indeed, Bielsa’s side currently sit second in the Championship having won four of their last five matches, including a 3-2 success over Millwall last time out.

It is a huge few days for Leeds as they travel to Birmingham this weekend before making the trip to Preston North End on Tuesday night.

And Roofe is now ready to play his part.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:

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West Ham fans on Twitter were up in arms on Monday night after Manuel Pellegrini elected to substitute off Javier Hernandez for Robert Snodgrass at half time in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Perhaps their reactions, as seen below, are understandable – after all, it’s somewhat counter-intuitive to take off your most natural goalscorer when you’re chasing a 1-0 lead. It’s not as though fatigue was a factor either.

But Pellegrini’s controversial call turned out to be a stroke of genius. While it may not have sealed any points for the Hammers on a night when Eden Hazard decided the result virtually single handed, the visitors’ second-half performance was a drastic improvement on the first.

Indeed, with Marko Arnautovic leading the line and Snodgrass adding a bit more tenacity to the midfield, West Ham went on to take eight efforts at goal in the second half compared to just a solitary attempt in the first.

There were even moments when a West Ham equaliser looked far more likely than a second goal for the Blues, which perhaps proved to their detriment in the end as enough space opened up for Hazard to seal his brace.

But Pellegrini’s controversial half-time switch was the catalyst for the vast improvement in West Ham’s performance following the interval, silencing those on Twitter who branded him ‘clueless’ and even called for him to be dismissed as Irons boss.

Maybe next time, fans will be a little more patient before immediately casting judgement on the Chilean’s selection decisions.

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Manuel Pellegrini wants to use his experience at Villarreal to help take West Ham United to the next level, per the club’s official website.

The Hammers lost 2-1 to Manchester United at the weekend but turned in a spirited performance at Old Trafford, with the Chilean clearly hoping to build on that display.

What’s the word?

During his spell at Villarreal, between 2004 and 2009, Pellegrini achieved qualification for European football in every single season.

The Hammers have performed admirably against a number of the top-six this term, beating Arsenal and United at home and drawing with Liverpool.

After their latest display, Pellegrini has revealed his hope that he can emulate his success in Spain in east London.

Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “It’s my intention, at least. Maybe when I arrived [at Villarreal], I arrived to something different. It was 2004 and they were a very small team, but we were growing with a complete project with the club and, fortunately for us, we drew nil-nil four times with Manchester United [in the Champions League].

“We did very good work in that club and arrived in the semi-finals of the Champions League [in 2005/06].

“My intention is just to try to repeat here in West Ham what we did there and when we played like we did on Saturday, I think we can do it.

“Now, we must be consistent. When I started in Villarreal 15 years ago maybe the amount of money [paid for] big players was not so high, so now the big teams in this period have more advantage. In that moment we bought big players but now teams like Villarreal are not able to do it.

“Finally, the project and the style of football, I will try to do the same.”

Nowhere near

West Ham aren’t anywhere near Villarreal’s achievements.

The club qualified for the Champions League numerous times and, as Pellegrini said, reached the semi-finals.

West Ham cannot even qualify for the Europa League.

This is a club that simply cannot string wins together and these words are being said after yet another defeat.

Yes, West Ham played well, but if they are to take the step up, they need to be taking points from such encounters.

As it is, Pellegrini’s dream will remain just that.

[ad_pod ]As the majority of us will know, Everton haven’t been afraid to put their hands in their pockets in recent windows.The Toffees have splashed huge sums on the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Yerry Mina, Jordan Pickford, Richarlison and others, but have very little to show for their investments.With the positive-thinking managerial mind of Marco Silva, a man who always looks to play on the front foot, and a wealth of talent at his disposal, you would at the very least expect Everton to be pushing hard for a trophy or be in with a shot at Europe.In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…But no. The Merseysiders are currently sat in ninth place, crashed out of the FA Cup in embarrassing fashion to Championship side Millwall, and also exited the Carabao Cup early on having lost to Southampton on penalties.Whilst all of the aforesaid is the Toffees’ disappointment written in black and white, a recent table constructed by Daniel Storey highlights clearly just how underwhelming they have been.

The graphic demonstrates that, out of all 20 Premier League teams, Everton rank sixth for ‘highest combined transfer fees of 10 most regular starters this season’.

Whilst that in itself isn’t out of the ordinary given how much the Toffees have spent on their side – as previously mentioned – their league position amongst those around them in Storey’s table make for damning reading.

Everton find themselves amongst the Premier League’s ‘Top Six’ – they’re even ahead of 3rd-placed Tottenham – which is a hard-hitting indictment on just how much they are underperforming given the amount of cash they’ve spent.

Whilst their spending hasn’t necessarily been awful, with young players such as Lucas Digne, Richarlison and Jordan Pickford signed under Marcel Brand’s new vision for the club, those players currently aren’t pulling their weight at Goodison Park.

They obviously have bags of potential, but they must do better in the immediate future.

Can you think of a player that’s had a season as unique as Fernando Llorente? For much of his time at Tottenham, he’s struggled to get off his feet, with the Spaniard unable to challenge Harry Kane for a starting berth in north London.

As a result, he’s not been given a regular run in the first team, and generally when he has played, he hasn’t looked particularly good.

Of course, that doesn’t matter if he’s scoring goals, and that’s exactly what he did when Tottenham took on Man City in the Champions League. He popped up with a crucial goal – and one that helped send Spurs into the semi-finals.

Despite that, though, it’s fair to say that he’s still facing an uncertain future at the club. That goal will have made him more popular at the club, but with Harry Kane still out, Llorente has a big point to prove during Spurs’ last four Premier League games.

A strong end to the season may be enough, but if he finishes poorly, you’ve got to wonder if he’ll be a Spurs player next season. Despite occasionally important goals, more often than not, he’s an incredibly inconsistent player, and that’s not what you need from your back-up forward.

Not to mention, at 34-years-old, he’s not going to be getting any better, and that’s something else to consider. His form will only worsen, unless he’s able to step up.

Llorente is in an interesting situation, given that his contract expires at the end of the season, according to Transfer Markt. He’s not just needing to prove himself to prevent being placed on the transfer list, but rather, he needs to impress so that he isn’t moved on. Man City was a good start, but he must continue to impress.

Tottenham fans – would you move him on? Let us know below!

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Marcus Rashford remains one of few current Premier League footballers to have broken through the academy traps, earning himself a place as a Manchester United regular and building on the fast start to his career that his potential suggested he could achieve.

But if he remains at Old Trafford for another 18 months, at which point he’ll turn 23, the England striker will belong to an exceptionally rare breed. 

Indeed, while Rashford remains an inspiration for all, it’s becoming harder and harder for young footballers to break through and have a career as a footballer, especially at Premier League clubs.

The nature of society is so that possessing the talent isn’t enough. Social media, agents, contracts, sponsors and a greater public-watch than ever before are all factors that negatively impact the opportunities available to young footballers to grow their career.

Even those who deal with all these factors immaculately, such as Harry Kane, may have to deal with life on loan and the prospect of foreign talent arriving to take your place. Having a career as footballer is one of the hardest journeys you could possibly pursue.

You need a manager who’s brave enough to trust youngsters like Rashford and give them the opportunity to shine, rather than field an out-of-position option just because they have more first-team experience. A good example of this now is Chelsea starting Eden Hazard up front when Tammy Abraham is on loan at Aston Villa and scoring goal after goal.

To highlight this issue and quite the severity of it, two Sheffield Hallam University researchers found that only around 5% of players signed to Premier League sides at the age of 18 were still with their club by 23.

Dr Chris Platts and Melissa Jacobi, of the university’s Academy of Sport and Physical Activity department, followed the progression 142 18-year-olds in 21 different academies and centres of excellence in the four top divisions. 55 of these players were signed to Premier League clubs. By the end of the study, only three of them remained in the top flight, with ten of them in the Championship.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

The statistics from this research is damning on football clubs, especially those in the Premier League. At the age of 18, a footballer is beginning to truly blossom and all the talent and attributes that one needs to scout a player should be fairly easy to evaluate. The idea that players arrive at the age of 18, and by 23 have slumped down the pyramid is a great problem for scouts of these mega-rich clubs who should be able to determine more crucially and ruthlessly whether a player is cut-out for the top level or not.

Whether young footballers always make the right societal decisions come the age of 19 and 20 is a debate in itself. Dr Platts said: “Contemporary debate about professional footballers’ working lives is dominated by supposed high wages, excessive endorsements and the celebrity lifestyle.

“One consequence of this romanticised view of professional football is that the everyday realities of working in such a precarious career remain largely ignored. The research paints a picture of the complex, precarious, unequal and relatively short careers of the majority of footballers, particularly those signed to Premier League clubs.”

The responsibility is on football clubs to encourage the promotion of young footballing talent and to ensure their scouting teams are far more efficient with signing young players. Along with that, managers must be hired who are willing to trust young players and blend them into a squad of experienced professionals who can pave the way for the youth to break through.

This is all easier said than done, as the financial reward for football clubs’ success these days is so vast that short-term results will always take precedence over long-term gain. Ultimately, the road for youngsters is getting harder, and we’ll see fewer and fewer Marcus Rashfords in England despite the undoubted potential for so many more. 

Arsenal’s season is heading towards being a fairly successful one if they can pick up two wins in their final two games and cement a Champions League place. 

The Gunners, under the management of Unai Emery, have adapted well to life without Arsene Wenger and will be pleased overall with their performances throughout the season.

The Europa League also remains on the cards for the club in terms of winning a trophy, something which would add that something extra to Emery’s first year in charge.

The season has not been without it’s problems though, and there have been some harsh comments and opinions directed at various members of the Gunners squad, in particular, Mesut Ozil, who has often flattered to deceive with his performances in a Gunners shirt this year.

However, Ozil has turned round this week and made it clear he wants to stay with the club rather than move on in the summer, but we here in the Tavern feel he needs to be doing more if he does indeed stay put.

Ozil has enough ability to be the sort of player who is really impacting games, and really should be one of the first names on the team sheet for Emery when he is on form.

Something needs to change though for the German in all honesty, and he needs to quickly get back to his best if he is to aid Arsenal’s cause.

You don’t play for Real Madrid and have the career Ozil has had without being a quality operator, and if Arsenal are to be successful, they need him back to his creative and brilliant best.