All posts by h716a5.icu

It’s an exciting time to be an Everton fan these days! A new stadium is on the way, they’ve appointed a manager with an attacking philosophy and have the money to back him. But, if the Toffees are going to join England’s elite, they’re going to have to break the bank.

Manchester City were in the same position is 2008, where they had all the ambition, all the money and the loyal fanbase to build a successful club. It’s taken them over £1bn in transfers to make their fans’ dreams become a reality, and Everton will have to do the same to replicate it.

City didn’t have a global reputation when they were taken over, and so they had to pay well over the odds in wages and transfer fees to convince players to play for them and believe in the dream. Everton are in the same position now, with players like Nabil Fekir linked (albeit, dubiously by Calciomercato) who would be a great addition to the team.

They have claimed the Toffees are interested in the Lyon midfielder, but so are bigger clubs in Europe and if they’re to win the battle for him they’ll need to pay well over his £63m market value on Transfermarkt.

This is the reality of a club who’s hoping to join England’s elite. Chelsea and City the same, overspending is crucial at the start, that’s just the sad reality of it.

They have to go all-out and forget the criticism of jealous clubs below them and entitled clubs above because that’s the only way a team can ever become successful consistently. Money has been swallowed up by Europe’s elite and the gap is widening, particularly with financial fair play now squashing the dreams of any fan who hopes their club can rise like City have.

They have to reach out and create large commercial deals and spend as much money as they can until their reputation becomes big enough to attract the top players themselves.

It’s going to cost a fortune, but Everton have the capacity to challenge for Europe again if they put their all into it.

Everton fans, who do you think Marco Silva should sign in summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Liverpool fans have waxed lyrical over former defender Daniel Agger after he once again pulled on a red shirt for a legends game against AC Milan on Saturday.

The Reds ran out 3-2 winners at Anfield in a star-studded fixture.

Two former strikers, Robbie Fowler and Djibril Cisse, gave the Reds a 2-0 lead in the game, which was played to raise money for the LFC Foundation.

Milan, however, fought back and Andrea Pirlo and Giuseppe Pancaro levelled proceedings before, perhaps inevitably, Steven Gerrard scored a last-minute winner for the hosts.

Agger featured, too, making his return to Merseyside for the first time since 2014.

The former Denmark international retired in 2016, after spending two years with his first professional club, Brondby.

Agger won the League Cup with Liverpool in 2013-14 and made a total of 232 appearances for the Reds over an eight-year stay.

And Reds fans, in reply to a tweet posted by the club’s official Twitter account, have lavished praise on the ex-defender, who is still highly thought of at Anfield.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

It’s looking like Aston Villa will need to find a replacement for Albert Adomah then, isn’t it? Contract talks have reportedly (via the Birmingham Mail) been shelved and he looks like he’s on the way out, but they might just have found an ideal replacement in Cardiff’s Kadeem Harris.

It’s been reported in the Sun previously that Villa were interested in the right midfielder, so now’s the time to finally land their man. The tables have turned, with Villa flirting with the play-offs spots and Cardiff looking to be heading back into the Championship.

The Welshman is 25-years-old and while he’s not the young prospect he once was, he still has his best years ahead of him. He’s played just 12 times in the Premier League this season, scoring just once, so it’s fair to say he’s had as miserable a season as his club have had.

It was always going to be tough though, and if Neil Warnock’s men do get relegated then the mood at the club will be down and Villa, if they continue their form, will be in much higher spirits. If they go up, they’d be in a great position to sign their target, but even if they don’t, they’re still looking likely to make the step up soon.

He’s going to leave (as things stand) as a free agent at the end of the season, so Dean Smith could take the risk on signing him without the pressure of a bigger price tag on his head. Adomah will need to be replaced, so a move needs to happen fast.

He looks to be suited for the role, and the fact his contract is ending means the stars could be aligning for Villa to secure themselves their new starting right midfielder. He could well be the man to earn them promotion, or maybe even keep them in the Premier League next season if they continue how they are.

Villa fans, who do you want to see replace Albert Adomah if he leaves. Join the discussion by commenting below.

Craig Levein and Hearts have a massive ten days ahead of them, with the Edinburgh derby on Saturday sandwiched between a huge game at Rangers tomorrow and a Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness the following week.

To be fighting for cup glory and a top three finish is fantastic for the Tynecastle club, but the what they cannot afford, are more injuries.

With on loan striker, Steven Naismith, recovering from knee surgery, the last thing they wanted was to lose their other goal threat, Uche Ikpeazu.

Having scored what turned out to be the winning goal against Aberdeen on Saturday, he suffered a head injury, which forced him off.

With concussion being in the spotlight following the Fabian Shcar incident for Switzerland, it is refreshing to know that the Scottish Professional Football League has strict guidelines for clubs to adhere to, although it is bad news for Hearts fans.

As a result of the injury, Ikpeazu will not be permitted to play against Rangers on Wednesday.

It is a huge blow for Levein and Hearts, but the health and safety of the player must come first.

Levein told BBC Sport: “He’s passed all the tests so far and he feels good.

“Providing everything goes well for the rest of the week, he should be okay for the Hibs match.”

“He won’t make the Rangers game, but I’m pretty confident he will be okay for Saturday,” Levein said.

“The guidelines are very strict, but he was fine on Sunday morning when I spoke to him.”

With third placed Kilmarnock visiting Hibs — who are just two points behind Hearts — on the same night, with Aberdeen playing Motherwell too, Levein would have hoped to have his striker fit, in what could prove to be a pivotal night.

It seemed like a good time to be facing Rangers, a side who are reeling from an Old Firm defeat, and have striker Alfredo Morelos suspended, but the situation has now changed somewhat.

It is a strong likelihood that 21-year-old Craig Wighton will be used as a lone striker in the game now, and Hearts will be looking to play much of the game without the ball, but counter attacking when they have it.

The hope now will be that Ikpeazu will be available for the derby on Saturday, and depending on results on Wednesday, that may become a must-win game for Levein’s side.

What are your thoughts on the striker options available for the Rangers game, Hearts fans? Let us know below…

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after discovering that Raheem Sterling had voted for Harry Kane as his choice for the PFA Player of the Year, whilst Virgil van Dijk voted for the Manchester City forward.

All three players have enjoyed excellent campaigns, but it is somewhat strange that Sterling has voted for a player who missed a chunk of the season through injury, and also hasn’t been involved in the title race like he and van Dijk have.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Kane has still managed to notch 17 Premier League goals, whilst Sterling has 15 to his name, but it is van Dijk who has arguably had the biggest impact on proceedings – the Dutchman and Sterling are the two front-runners for the award.

As a result of that, some Liverpool fans have suggested that their former player and academy graduate has strategically voted for Kane so that he has a better chance of winning the award himself.

Let’s see what the Reds supporters have been saying about it all on Twitter…

Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon’s last two matches for the club signalled some worrying signs to manager Rafa Benitez after he failed to make his presence felt on Arsenal’s and Crystal Palace’s defenders.

The North East club suffered defeat at the Emirates last Monday and at St James’s Park over the weekend with some very poor showings in both encounters. Rondon, though, was probably the biggest let down in these two matches after he didn’t work hard enough to intimidate the opposition defenders.

Even against Arsenal, the 29-year-old managed to secure the ball in heaps of space after defender Shkodran Mustafi slipped and gave him possession with only the keeper to beat.

Rondon could’ve probably taken the ball a few yards further but instead tried to test Bernd Leno from a difficult angle, which the German easily pushed away.

Other than that opportunity, Rondon was hardly visible in the match as Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 victory.

The Magpies also struggled to create good goal scoring opportunities on Saturday and instead tried their luck from far out with a total of 18 shots fired at goal but only five of them on target.

The striker, who is valued at £13.5 million (by Transfermarkt), had a good opportunity to test Palace’s keeper Vicente Guaita in the 29th minute but Rondon failed to keep his header down after a brilliant cross by DeAndre Yedlin.

Given his height and good physical attributes, Rondon should try and throw himself more at defenders for long balls heading towards him, while he should also use his strength to his advantage to take on vulnerable defenders.

He shouldn’t wait for the perfect pass or moment to be in the best position to unleash a shot and short work hard on his movement when Newcastle are not in possession of the ball. Right now, it seems easy to see why Mike Ashley is seemingly reluctant to splash the cash on him.

If he can manage to put opposition teams under pressure without the ball then he will develop into a proper and feared striker he could still achieve great heights.

Newcastle fans, do you think you can improve on Rondon? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

The League One promotion race saw yet another twist at the weekend which must have delighted Barnsley’s supporters.

After suffering their first defeat in 20 outings against Burton Albion, the Tykes responded in dramatic style on Saturday as goals from Mike-Steven Bahre, Cauley Woodrow, Cameron McGeehan and Jacob Brown helped them secure a 4-2 victory over Fleetwood Town. Although the result was overshadowed by an alleged assault by Joey Barton on Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel after the game (via the BBC), events unfolding in Sunderland’s clash with Coventry provided even more drama on what was a surreal day in the third tier.

Despite coming back from a 3-1 deficit to end the first-half all-square at the Stadium of Light, the Black Cats ended up losing 5-4 to the Sky Blues in what was the highest scoring game of the year in League One. As a result of this defeat, Barnsley were able to leapfrog their promotion rivals in the standings in what could prove to be a pivotal period of the season.

Although Sunderland and Portsmouth still have a game in hand over the Tykes, it could be argued that by having a two-point lead over both teams, Stendel’s side now have the advantage in the battle to finish in the top-two, especially when you compare the respectives run-ins between now and May.

Whereas Barnsley only have to face one side who are in top ten (Blackpool), Pompey and Sunderland have to both face three, which includes the clash between themselves which is set to take place on April 27th. If the Tykes can secure maximum points from their final four fixtures, they would finish on a total of 96 points which has been good enough to secure automatic promotion for each of the last ten seasons in the third tier.

However, any potential slip-ups could end up being very costly for Barnsley in the race for second place as they may have to settle for the lottery of the play-offs if they fail to produce at this vital stage of the year.

What do you think Tykes fans? Will Saturday’s victory provide you with the impetus needed to secure automatic promotion? Are you confident that your side can win all of their remaining fixtures? Let us know below…

To say the tie against Porto was concluded when the two teams were drawn out of the bowl would be an understatement, but Liverpool’s results over the Portuguese side were a statement for the remaining teams in Europe.

A 6-1 aggregate win over the Portuguese champions was simply too easy for Liverpool, who knocked Porto out of the Champions League by a margin of five goals for the second year running, but their upcoming semi-final game against Barcelona might just be their hardest European game to date, even so, more than the final against Real Madrid last season.

Barcelona’s sheer dominance over Manchester United and Lyon in the previous two rounds have shown the continent that this year might be the one the Catalan giants finally reclaim Europe’s top prize, but for Liverpool, they will be taking on Lionel Messi and company with the belief that they can cause an upset.

Liverpool’s mentality this season in both Europe and domestically has been second to none, with Jurgen Klopp crafting and neutering a team that plays without fear and can get at most teams without even batting an eyelid, and this is what’s made the Reds stand out from the rest of the pile this season.

And against Barcelona, all those months of learning the Klopp way and dominating in most games will come to a head when they face off against the current La Liga holders.

It’s going to be a difficult test, but Liverpool have what it takes to get past Barcelona and set themselves up for another Champions League final, and this year could be their year to win Europe’s top prize for the sixth time in their history.

Liverpool fans, can the Reds progress to a second consecutive Champions League final? Let us know!

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Outspoken Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has made a prediction about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of Manchester United vs Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.

What’s he said, then?

The Red Devils face the might of their bitter rivals off the back of a humiliating defeat at Everton on Sunday afternoon and four losses in their last six in all competitions.

Meanwhile, their opponents at Old Trafford under Pep Guardiola can go back to the top of the Premier League with three points and into the driving seat in their bid for back-to-back titles with a trio of matches remaining.

And Merson had this to say to Sky Sports on what kind of performance he expects from United:

“They will park the bus.

“You will be watching a Jose Mourinho team. After he has gone, it’s one massive swing around, it’s taken six months to swing it all the way round to see them play the way that Mourinho got hammered for.”

Well wide of the mark, Paul – completely wrong

The former England international couldn’t be further wide of the mark or more completely wrong with these pre-match comments – this really is poor punditry.

You won’t believe who Flying Pig United has named as Man Utd’s player of the season in the video below…

You have to question whether at all Merson has watched Man United under Solskjaer in any great detail if he’s saying stuff like that.

The former Red Devil has injected the kind of football fans have been wanting to see for a long time into the club, a free-flowing and attacking style, and he’s not going to abandon that for the methods of Jose Mourinho even if the going has gotten a little tough of late in Manchester. Never in a million years.

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For the time being, Aston Villa are still the NextGen series holders. The European competition for U19s was first played in 2011, but two years later, just months after Villa had won it, the tournament was disbanded because of a lack of funding.

The fact remains that it was a remarkable achievement by the Villans though, who were victorious over Chelsea in the final at Lake Como in Italy back in April 2013.

En route, they beat a pedigreed Ajax team, as well as defeating Olympiacos and Sporting Lisbon. However, in 2019, there is just one survivor from that triumphant youth side; Jack Grealish. Not only has Villa’s senior side deteriorated, but so has their youth set up.

The fact that only one player has made it into the first team should be alarming, but in the modern game, it’s hardly a surprise. With that in mind, here’s a look at the team that started and some of the players that played their part.

Samir Carruthers

The midfielder was one of the brightest players to come through the Villa youth setup at the time, having made a move from Arsenal in 2009.

He was, in fact, the victorious captain who held the trophy aloft in Como, but unfortunately for the now 26-year-old, that’s pretty much as got as its got. He would go on to make just three first team appearances, initially making his debut against Liverpool.

A loan spell with MK Dons followed for the midfielder before he then joined them permanently in 2014. He achieved promotion from League One with the Dons but was then sold to Sheffield United.

Carruthers has now spent three years with the Blades, but after failing to really nail down a place, has spent the current term on loan at Oxford United.

For someone who was held in such high regard, his fall has been disappointing.

Graham Burke

Aston Villa’s key man and star striker was Burke. He finished the NextGen series as top scorer, notching seven goals on his way to helping the Villans lift the trophy. The forward also happened to be the hero in the final, scoring two penalties.

Given his goals record, he should have been a player ready to make a breakthrough at senior level but that wasn’t the case as he made just two appearances for the club when Paul Lambert was in charge.

The Irishman hasn’t gone on to realise his full potential but he has enjoyed a solid career to date. He made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 2018 and now finds himself on loan at Gillingham from Preston.

Burke’s path after Villa saw him join Notts County before enjoying a prolific spell with Shamrock Rovers where he scored 21 in 45.

Jordan Lyden

Lyden only left Villa in March 2019 when the Midlands side decided to release him but he was one of the youngsters to feature among the substitutes in the final all those years ago.

The Australian played a part in the first team in the 2015/16 campaign when they were relegated from the Premier League but he would only appear eight times over numerous years before moving on.

Unfortunately for Lyden, his career has been hampered by injury and had it not been for repeated spells on the treatment table, the midfielder may have been able to make more of an impact.

The 23-year-old represents one of many what ifs from this NextGen side.

Dan Crowley

Another substitute in the final was Dan Crowley, who after that game soon made a move to Arsenal. He made no first team appearances for either club, despite possessing a similar style to Jack Wilshere.

Crowley has since earned himself a bad boy attitude in England, falling out with various people including the manager when he was at Oxford United.

The talented midfielder is still only 21 but has forged a career for himself out in the Netherlands. He now plays for Willem II in the Eredivisie where he’s scored an impressive five goals and claimed seven assists this term.

Out of everyone in Villa’s NextGen winning team, Crowley is arguably the best youngster to have escaped the club’s grasp.