All posts by h716a5.icu

Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted that the club have decided to cut all ties with Reach PLC, who were in charge of putting together the club’s matchday programmes.

The Gers supporters do not have the best of relationships with Reach, who own outlets such as The Daily Record – the Ibrox outfit’s fans have had several issues with articles they have previously printed, and there has been a big movement away from mainstream media sources as fans look to get their news directly from the club or from supporter-run organisations.

There was already frustration that the club were working so closely with Reach (Rangers News), so the news that the partnership has been ended has gone down fantastically with the supporters.

The news was shared by Rangers Supporter Liaison Officer Greg Marshall on Twitter, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Reach PLC news below

“Absolutely delighted to hear this. Reach PLC as we all know are part the Daily Record group. They hate everything that Glasgow Rangers stands for. We should never ever be doing any business with this or any associated business cells.”

Credit: @Blabber08756401

“Excellent news.”

Credit: @rdonno1

“Best news in ages”

Credit: @WalterW31347418

“Excellent move on all fronts. Well done rangers.”

Credit: @craigmillar82

“Excellent news. Bin that lot and their associates. Keep it in house and maximise the profits.”

Credit: @Richard65272630

“Absolutely fantastic news! Thank you for listening to the fans.”

Credit: @Cosmos_Rangers

In other news, Rangers fans are far from happy with this pundit’s comments.

Steve Bruce has dropped an injury blow for Newcastle United ahead of their trip to Manchester United on Sunday evening.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men at Old Trafford, the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss has confirmed with regards to Federico Fernandez that ‘Man United will be too soon for him’.

The Argentina international, who is currently earning £45,000 per week at the Magpies, has missed the last seven games in total in the Premier League with a thigh muscle strain and the St. James’ Park faithful will have to try and cope without him again in what will be a very tough contest against the Red Devils.

Fernandez a big miss to Newcastle

Fernandez is a big miss for the Tyneside club, as the central defender has won no fewer than 4.1 of his duels per match in the top flight so far in the 2020/21 term and also averaging 5.6 clearances and 1.5 tackles a game (Sofascore).

The 31-year-old is a leader at the back for Steve Bruce’s men, and would have been a vital figure in terms of keeping his team organised against the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani.

Nonetheless, the North East side will have to find a way to try and get something out of the clash without him.

In other news, find out what PIF claim has been dropped by Liam Kennedy here!

Speaking to the press before their clash with West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho dropped the latest injury update on summer signing Sergio Reguilon (football.london) – with the manager believing he will not be available to take part. 

Reguilon, alongside Giovani Lo Celso and Serge Aurier, look set to be missing for the London derby as Mourinho drops a timeline on when he expects the Spaniard back in action.

Jose Mourinho drops Reguilon injury update

While Lo Celso and Aurier appear a long way off, with the former ‘not close’ to returning for Spurs, Daniel Levy’s summer signing from Real Madrid could return to action against Wolfsberger next week – but not today according to Mourinho.

“I think Reguilon next week against Wolfsberger home match,” he explained in a press conference (via football.london).

“Not Gio. No, no, no. Gio is still a few weeks away and of course we need him because he gives us lots of qualities and options and we’ve missed him for a long time.”

Transfer Tavern take

Debatably one of Tottenham’s more impressive acquisitions last summer alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Reguilon has impressed both when he has played and behind the scenes since his arrival, according to reports.

Football Insider claimed at the start of the season that Spurs staff had been blown away by the ‘phenomenal’ 24-year-old – but it seems as if Tottenham will have to cope without his influence for West Ham after this ‘disappointing’ update.

In other news: Alasdair Gold dropped a behind the scenes claim involving Harry Kane and Mourinho, find out more here.

Liverpool have been desperately unlucky with injuries to key defenders this season but 23-year-old Nathaniel Phillips has stepped up and shown that he can be relied upon by Jurgen Klopp.

The centre-back, who reportedly earns £70k-p/w at Anfield, was selected alongside Ozan Kabak for the 2-0 win against Sheffield United on Sunday and produced a solid display, earning a 6.8 match rating SofaScore.

Sheffield United’s forwards are certainly not easy to deal with, as both Oliver McBurnie and David McGoldrick possess an aerial threat, but Phillips dealt with them superbly, winning nine duels in total during the game.

The Englishman’s best quality is arguably his ability in the air as so far this season in the Premier League, he has averaged 5.1 aerials won per game – the second most of any Liverpool player.

He has also averaged a very solid 6.95 rating for his performances in the top-flight – the joint-sixth highest of any Liverpool player this season, which is even more impressive when you consider that he has never really had a run of games under his belt.

Following the Sheffield United win, Klopp suggested that both Phillips and Kabak were “super”, so perhaps we will see them continue as a partnership for upcoming games.

The German manager may well be tempted to reintroduce Fabinho in his defence, with the former Monaco man returning to training after injury recently, but he may be better served playing him in his natural position in defensive-midfield rather than at the back.

After all, Phillips scores higher than his Brazilian teammate when it comes to aerials and average rating, whereas Fabinho is better when it comes to interceptions, tackling and passing, something he can utilise best in a defensive midfield role.

Therefore, Klopp should forget about playing Fabinho as a centre-back in future fixtures and instead keep faith in Phillips, who has performed well on nearly every occasion that he has featured this season.

And, in other news… 95% pass accuracy: £90k-p/w LFC beast stole the show with near-perfect display

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer suggested his former club West Brom did all they could in the January transfer window.

During it, manager Sam Allardyce and technical director Luke Dowling were able to bring in the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mbaye Diagne, giving the Baggies a boost in their fight for survival.

With West Brom struggling at both ends of the pitch this season, though, the Baggies could have perhaps done with further strengthening. They are one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League, registering just 20 goals in the current campaign, and have the worst record when it comes to goals conceded.

However, Palmer believes the club did what was realistically possible in the transfer market, noting the need to be financially cautious. In an exclusive interview with FFC, the former England international said:

“Well, the problem is in the position that they’re in, it’s always dangerous, isn’t it? Do you overspend to try and stay in the Premier League? Because, you know, if you go down, you’re left with a big wage bill.

“And it’s not that easy, as we’ve seen, to get automatic promotion from the Championship, so I think it’s a balancing act. And I think they would have taken that with a view when they brought Sam in.

“At the time they brought him in, obviously the wage they’ll be paying Sam and the recruitment they’ve done, I think they would have taken a calculated gamble in what they were doing. So, you know, I think they’ve done as much as what they can.”

Whatever the case, West Brom will believe that they can stay up. The Midlands club are currently nine points adrift of safety; however, they play 17th-placed Newcastle United on Sunday in a relegation clash that could completely change the dynamic down at the bottom.

The players can also draw confidence from having a very experienced manager in charge in Allardyce, with the ex-England boss boasting zero relegations from the Premier League on his CV, leading previous sides Crystal Palace and Sunderland to top-flight safety.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 193 Premier League appearances during his career, believes the one difference between Newcastle United under Steve Bruce and Rafa Benitez is the Spaniard had Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez.

Rondon spent the one season on-loan at Newcastle but did strike up a great partnership with Perez – between them they netted 23 goals during the 2018/19 season.

The Magpies now have Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron to get the goals, however, with the trio out injured it’s become a struggle for Bruce to find an adequate replacement.

Bruce brought in Wilson last summer who currently has 10 goals making him the club’s top scorer this season, but Howey claims despite poor performances, the fact Benitez had two strikers helped him get results.

Speaking on the situation in front of goal for Newcastle and how Benitez could call upon Perez and Rondon during his time on Tyneside, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“Everybody talks about Rafa and rightly so because he did a great job, but at times the team was awful and they did have awful performances.

“He had two strikers in Perez and Rondon. Obviously, we brought in Wilson which was massive and I was really pleased with him as I’ve always liked him.

“I’m not being disrespectful to Gayle or Carroll but, where are the goals going to come from?”

Wilson has become someone Bruce relies on heavily since he signed the former Bournemouth striker for £20 million last summer.

Newcastle are fighting to stay in the Premier League as they sit just one point and two places above the relegation zone so, Bruce will be hoping his talisman can return to action sooner rather than later.

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Gers shared footage of their players instructing fans to stay at home for the Old Firm clash this weekend.

Following Rangers fans’ celebrations outside Ibrox earlier this month, after Steven Gerrard’s side clinched their first Scottish Premiership title for 10 years, the club faced significant criticism from Scottish MPs for allegedly not doing enough to discourage their fanbase from breaking lockdown restrictions.

In response, ahead of the Old Firm clash this weekend, the club put together a video that featured a number of first-team players instructing fans to abide by the restrictions, urging them to stay at home.

And, after the club shared this footage on Twitter, fans of Rangers flocked to have their say on the matter, with some appearing to feel victimised by the footage, however, others responded in a more sarcastic manner, while more suggested that the club were overdoing it with their repeated messages.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to the club’s footage?

“Yes, but what do you mean?”

@ross_acg_gibson

“Excellent, you just know that Bassey being involved is going to cause an implosion.”

@StephenHarper28

“What you saying here, guys?”

@chr1sbett

“100% fishing this post.”

@t3hShmo

“Dunno why I feel I’ve had my intelligence insulted here?”

@CostaLoyal

“Bit ironic having Bassey in there.”

@d44571044

In other news: many Rangers fans have slammed this Union Bears statement – find out more here!

Slavia Prague have torn into Glasgow Rangers following allegations of racial abuse directed towards Gers midfielder Glen Kamara.

Slavia slam Rangers after Kamara allegations

The Gers were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday after losing 2-0 to the Czech champions at Ibrox and 3-1 on aggregate.

The clash, though, was marred by a couple of unsavoury incidents. First, Kemar Roofe was sent off for an awful challenge on Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar, and there was then a coming together between Kamara and Ondrej Kudela. Towards the end of the match, Kudela leaned in towards Kamara to whisper something into his ear, and whatever he uttered outraged both the Finland international and his close-by teammate Bongani Zungu.

After the match, Steven Gerrard suggested Kamara had been racially abused (Sky Sports). This was not a view shared by Slavia at all, though, and they released a statement slamming the behaviour of the Ibrox outfit while also defending Kudela. They said (slavia.cz):

“Slavia resolutely denies the disgusting accusation of one of the team captains Ondřej Kúdela of racist behaviour. Already the founders of our club gave us crest with colours meaning “the purity of the idea of sports and fair contest where the rival is not our enemy, but respected opponent.” Today, Slavia is an international club based on respect for our opponents and mutual respect of all people and cultures.

“After one of the brutal fouls, Ondřej Kúdela spoke to one of the Rangers players. “I told him ‘You ******* guy’. It was said in emotions, but I absolutely deny there was anything racist in those words,” Kúdela stated.

“Slavia players faced an unprecedentedly malicious play from their opponents. They have never experienced such play in any game they participated in modern history of the European competitions. Many brutal tackles resulted in injuries of our players. Goalkeeper Ondřej Kolář was taken to hospital with ten stitches on his head.

“After the end of the game, the team was not allowed to enter the dressing room. Ondřej Kúdela was assaulted by player Kamara and hit with fists in the head when Rangers manager Steven Gerrard witnessed the incident. Even the UEFA representatives who were also present on the site of the incident were shocked by this behaviour.”

Bizarre statement

This is somewhat of a bizarre statement. The incident itself was clearly one that shook the Rangers players, and it would be hard to see Kamara retaliating in such a way if Kudela simply swore at him. It is a little demoralising to suggest the former Dundee man has lied without even wanting to look into the situation.

To then try and divert the attention towards an alleged incident after the match is quite shocking. This is an incident that was obviously not picked up by the television cameras, so only those who were present in the tunnel will know exactly what happened, but it seems unlikely that the Gers squad would do what has been claimed here.

Either way, a thorough investigation needs to be launched into all of the allegations.

In other news, Rangers are interested in this 18-goal striker.

Glasgow Rangers will be hoping for a win in the Old Firm derby as they look to bounce back from their Europa League defeat on Thursday, but Leon Balogun has struggled so far.

The Gers travelled to Parkhead after losing 2-0 to Slavia Prague during the week. While they are now out of European competition, they still have a chance to go the Premiership season unbeaten (BBC).

However, their clash against Celtic didn’t start fantastically as Mohamed Elyounoussi put the Bhoys 1-0 up, and Balogun was arguably at fault for the goal after he was caught out at right-back. Alfredo Morelos equalised shortly before half-time with his first goal in an Old Firm derby.

Usually a central defender, Balogun has looked particularly poor in an unfamiliar position – Steven Gerrard may decide to bring on 19-year-old Nathan Patterson for the second half even though he was an injury doubt in the build-up to the game (Daily Record).

These ‘Gers fans were far from happy with Balogun’s first half performance, with one calling it a ‘disaster’, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Balogun below

“Balogun down the right is a health hazard”

Credit: @AndrewKelly_

“Balogun is a disaster at RB. Get Patterson on. Even injured he’ll be better.”

Credit: @jaayfc

“Balogun again, horrendous”

Credit: @1872Curt

“Get Balogun off he’s awful”

Credit: @rob_wils

“Balogun gives me the fear today”

Credit: @cameronamcg

“Balogun is so so bad”

Credit: @JamieRFC14

In other news, some Rangers fans slam this BBC pundit.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has weighed in on the Trezeguet-El Ghazi debate in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, suggesting that the Dutch winger should be getting the nod at present.

It was Trezeguet who started in the recent 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, and the 26-year-old has since come in for criticism for putting in a subpar performance.

Ex-Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor was highly critical of his display and overall attacking contribution this season, stating Anwar El Ghazi should be in the team ahead of him, a sentiment shared by former team-mate Hendrie.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the two attackers, Hendrie said:

“I agree with Gabby about that. El Ghazi’s more of a direct player and he’s got a bit more versatility than Trezeguet. He can go down the line or he can cut inside and he’s scored goals this season, so I totally agree.

“I feel that because they’re not scoring goals, you need something of that dimension to try and bring into the side. If I had to choose one, El Ghazi would be my first choice.”

This season, El Ghazi has managed to score six goals in the Premier League, a tally only top scorer Ollie Watkins can beat. Meanwhile, Trezeguet has failed to register at all, so it is not hard to see why some feel that El Ghazi should be getting the nod over the Egypt international.