All posts by n8rngtd.top

West Ham boss David Moyes successfully steered the side to safety but now it’s time for GSB to back their man in the summer window and they could be onto a bargain if latest reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to Jack Rosser at the Evening Standard, the Irons chief is aiming for a young influx of stars and Queens Park Rangers left wing-back Ryan Manning is high on the list alongside Eberechi Eze.

It claims that Moyes wants to shun the highly-paid underperforming flops at the club in favour of youth and exuberance.

And QPR’s versatile assist-king is one of several targets despite a potentially reduced budget.

Attacking threat from the back

A new left-back should certainly be on the agenda for next season if the Hammers are to substantially improve – not just defensively, but in an attacking sense too.

The 24-year-old has everything that Moyes is looking for having managed five goals and seven assists in all competitions this season.

Per WhoScored, Manning is averaging 2 tackles, 1,9 key passes, 1.7 crosses, 1.1 shots and 0.9 dribbles per game, which only emphasises his abilities at either end of the pitch.

This is something that the Irons currently lack tenfold – regular first-choice Aaron Cresswell managed half the number of crosses and key passes as the Championship ace during the 2019/20 campaign.

Manning is also able to play in central midfield, thus opening up further possibilities to Moyes.

Former Rs boss Ian Holloway brought the young talent to light a few seasons ago, claiming that he’s “absolutely outstanding and epitomised what my QPR was before and what I want it to be in the future.”

Everything about this deal makes sense, so it’s on GSB to now push ahead with the players Moyes is demanding.

AND in other news, 17-goal target can bring excitement back to the London Stadium

Monday marked the three-year anniversary of Leeds United being purchased by current chairman Andrea Radrizzani and plenty of supporters have taken to social media to celebrate.

It’s also been an opportunity for some to rave about the Italian businessman considering the turn in fortunes the club has seen under his stewardship.

Radrizzani paid £45m for the club and is said to have invested a whopping £100m or more since.

The Whites have effectively finished in the top three in the Championship in back-to-back seasons and are set for a return to the big time after a 16-year absence.

Radrizzani’s money and contact book has been a major factor in this given he convinced Marcelo Bielsa to manage in the second tier of English football and funded the signings of Patrick Bamford, Kiko Casilla and Helder Costa.

Would Leeds be where they are today without his input? Arguably, no. He was the man to put a stop to Massimo Cellino’s tumultuous tenure – one that saw managers like Steve Evans and Dave Hockaday at the helm.

Stuck in lockdown? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

It’s clear to see that many in west Yorkshire are rather grateful for his involvement in the club with him being lauded as the ‘best owner’ the club has ever had as well as being ‘outstanding’.

Here’s how fans have celebrated this week…

AND in other news, Phil Hay sheds light into Leeds’ summer transfer plans

Tottenham Hotspur fans may have not seen much of him, but they have been fawning over young defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott after he posted some footage to social media.

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho handed the 18-year-old his senior debut back in March as the north Londoners were knocked out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig with Fagan-Walcott getting a brief one-minute cameo late on.

Aside from that appearance, he has played 19 times this term for the U23 side across competitions such as the Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Back in November, the centre-back agreed on terms over his first professional deal, so that’s certainly a sign that the club rates him highly and given Mourinho’s trust in fellow graduate Japhet Tanganga this season as well as reports suggesting there will be a lack of a transfer budget this summer, might Fagan-Walcott garner more opportunity?

Plenty of supporters seem to hope so going by their reaction to the clip above. There are also doubts over the future of Jan Vertonghen (as per Gazzetta dello Sport via Daily Mail), who is out of contract this summer – if he were to depart, then there’s certainly going to be defensive void to fill.

Here’s how the Spurs faithful have been reacting to Fagan-Walcott’s post…

AND in other news, Spurs fans react to transfer report on Ligue 1 marksman…

Leeds fans have taken time to sing the praises of Reading’s Ovie Ejaria after his display against the Whites on Tuesday evening.

Journalist Graham Smyth suggested he “flattered to deceive” but many supporters disagree, suggesting he is a skilful and classy player – with one even declaring him to have been the best player on the pitch.

The 22-year-old has been in good form for the Royals this season with three goals and two assists in the league, but he is most adept at taking on opposition players with the ball at his feet.

[ad_pod ]

He has averaged 3.1 dribbles per game in the Championship this term, and his four against Leeds no doubt helped him to convince many of the talents he has.

As well as praising his performance, other fans commented that they’d like to see him play for their side, and believe that under Marcelo Bielsa, and in a team with greater attacking prowess, Ejaria would be even better.

Here are some of the reactions to Smyth’s statement.

After the Reading match Leeds fans were also vocal in their criticism of one of their own players, who has disappointed not for the first time.

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…

As we approach the end of the year, awards are being given out to the players who have lit up football over the past season.

Of course, the Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious, but a number of publications have been putting their own lists together, including ESPN. In a slightly different format, they have decided to choose the best player in each position rather than a simple list with all the players mashed together.

Liverpool have had a clean sweep of the defence in the rankings, with goalkeeper Alisson, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, centre-back Virgil van Dijk and left-back Andrew Robertson all picking up top spot in their respective roles.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The latter was particularly reserved when picking up his award. Rather than patting himself on the back, he was adamant that, in his eyes, Barcelona’s Jordi Alba was still number one. However, although his humility is nice to see, he needs to have more confidence in his ability. Over the last year, there is only one winner.

Both players were mainstays in their respective sides last term. The Scotland international started 36 Premier League games, whilst Alba was in the starting XI on 32 occasions in La Liga – although he did make four substitutes appearances as well.

In terms of their attacking contribution to their respective teams, the former Hull City man led the way. He picked up 11 assists to the 30-year-old’s eight, which came from 1.4 key passes per game to his rival’s 1.3.

Not only that, he managed more dribbles per match – 0.8 to 0.4 – and also landed 0.6 crosses to 0.3. In terms of pass accuracy, the Blaugrana man had the edge, with 85.6% to 83.2%, but he still lags behind in those other areas.

[ad_pod ]

Defensively, too, Robertson stole a march. Specifically, he had 2.2 tackles to the former Valencia man’s 1.2, and gave away 0.5 fouls per match compared to 0.7.

The former’s contribution to his team’s backline led to them conceding just 22 goals in the league, less than any other team. Barcelona, meanwhile, shipped 36 in Spain’s top tier.

In the Champions League, £45m-valued Alba – as per Transfermarkt – has the edge, picking out five assists to Robertson’s two. But in the end, the former Dundee United defender had the last laugh, starting 12 out of 13 matches in the competition as the Anfield outfit lifted the trophy in Madrid after a 2-0 victory against Tottenham. Medals also play a part in these rankings, and Robertson had the edge once again.

Given Alba’s stunning career and brimming trophy cabinet – such as his five La Liga titles – he deserves credit and must be recognised as one of the best. Having said that, over the past 12 months, he has been out-done by the £54m-valued man – as per Transfermarkt. This is something for Robertson to revel in.

Footy Headlines have allegedly leaked Tottenham Hotspur’s away and third kits for next season.

One will supposedly be green and the other one should be yellow, with the home kit most likely following a similar pattern as always and staying true to the team’s tradition – although there is no confirmation as of yet.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Interestingly enough, the kits had many Spurs fans divided and while some of them liked it and some hated it, which is not surprising, many of them were actually saying the same thing about it: it should look nice in the Championship.

Of course, that was their way of actually joking about the club’s recent run of poor form since Tottenham Hotspur are currently sitting in 14th place in the table and things are looking quite bleak.

For that reason, many of the fans are jokingly predicting relegation by the end of the campaign and are already looking forward to watching their team in these new kits in England’s second tier.

You can see some of their replies down in the tweets below:

Jordan Pickford did not have the busiest of nights for England against Montenegro.

Indeed, on just two occasions was the goalkeeper called into action to make a save, but he made a wonderful stop to keep out a bullet header from Marko Simic in the first period.

And many football fans have taken to social media to praise the 25-year-old for the role he played in Thursday night’s Euro 2020 qualification match.

Watch Everton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Pickford entered the clash off the back of keeping just three clean sheets in 12 Premier League appearances for Everton during the 2019/20 campaign.

The stopper remains England’s number one, though, having featured in each of their last 13 matches in all competitions.

And surely something dramatic would have to happen for the 6 ft 1 ace not to be between the sticks for his country’s Euro 2020 opener next summer.

Supporters from a variety of clubs were keen to pay tribute to the Toffees star on Thursday evening, a selection of which can be seen below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Takefusa Kubo is one of the brightest young talents in the world of football.

The 18-year-old prodigy is a Real Madrid loanee currently plying his trade over at Mallorca, and gaining some valuable experience in La Liga before eventually making his big return to the Spanish capital.

And a lot has already been said about his potential to usher in a new era with the Galacticos and start that revolution Florentino Perez wants to see at his club.

Watch Spanish Football Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

But sometimes it’s easy to forget that Kubo is still very young and these are his first steps with the big boys in Europe.

And just recently, in Mallorca’s home game against Villarreal, the young “Japanese Messi” finally showed signs of his brilliance and registered his best game in La Liga to date.

His team won 3-1 against a very tricky opponent and it was largely due to Kubo’s gigantic efforts.

The young 18-year-old starlet bagged one goal himself but also won one penalty on the night, giving his team a huge boost in the process.

He was taken off in the 67th minute but that was enough time for him to really make his mark both on the game and the league itself, announcing his arrival to the stage and undoubtedly turning a couple of heads along the way.

Apart from his involvement in the goals, Kubo also registered six crosses and two successful dribbles.

But the best part is that he was not only effective going forward and while attacking but also going the other way.

The 18-year-old prodigy tallied two interceptions and a total of three tackles on the night, registering a truly complete performance by the young Mallorca ace.

Zinedine Zidane will undoubtedly be happy to hear his loanee is doing exceptionally well at his temporary home and is gaining the necessary pedigree for his eventual return in the future.

If he can continue improving, Real Madrid will definitely have a major talent on their hands once he comes back from Mallorca.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Leeds United returned to the top of the Championship table on Saturday afternoon after they defeated Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side put in a tireless showing with Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison grabbing both goals to secure all three points.

The Manchester City loanee was first a provider as he fed the 20-year-old with the perfect ball to slot past the visiting goalkeeper and then he got on the scoresheet himself eight minutes from time.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Harrison pounced on a defensive mistake before slamming home the second.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder played the game at left wing-back and has often been a marmite figure in west Yorkshire despite now providing four assists in five matches, per WhoScored.

Although that attitude may be starting to change as several of the Whites faithful have been talking up his performance following Saturday’s victory.

One supporter claimed Harrison was better than Lionel Messi while another labelled him an ‘assist king.’

Others described his showing as a ‘masterclass’ and ‘excellent’ with a further member of the Elland Road crowd believing he is starting to prove his worth to the team.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Ryan Manning is enjoying a fine start to the season and suggested that he and his teammates are loving the new pressure they are playing under.

What did he say?

The 23-year-old has had to operate in different roles along the left flank for Mark Warburton so far, but there is no doubt that he has made a big impression and is an important reason why the team hovering just outside the play-off positions.

Premier League clubs West Ham and Newcastle have reportedly taken an interest in Manning, who last week earned his first international call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad.

It is some change in fortunes for the left-back, who had found himself in and out of a struggling QPR team last season – even going out on loan – but his positive mindset is clear from listening to what he has to say.

Speaking on the Loftcast podcast, he explained what it is like playing under a new pressure at the upper end of the table, saying:

“They’re the places we all want to be in as a squad, when the gaffer says there’s a chance to go second tonight everyone is buzzing at that fact, everyone wants to be in that position, nobody’s really shying away from it or afraid to say it.

“Everyone is embracing it and enjoying where we are, winning games, the pressures of playing at the top half of the table, of having to go out to win to try and get into first, second and the top-six.

“Everyone’s relishing the opportunities.”

Watch Queens Park Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Useful on and off the pitch

Manning is very level-headed for a player so young who is excelling currently, and he is a good example of the philosophy Warburton has instilled in the QPR squad since taking over.

Warburton himself deserves praise for setting the standards for his players to reach, as he may have been forgiven for setting a low bar considering the team’s low budget and its low finish in the last campaign.

As a result, the squad seems to have both belief and ambition, two factors which are a vital base for any team’s success, and if they can add the quality – and keep players like Manning – then they should be a mainstay in the top half of the table.

The Irishman’s words suggest there is no lack of strong characters in the squad, and that will be important to the team if things start going against them, such as their current winless run of three matches.

Manning, though, appears ambitious, and therefore he could be tempted by a move to the Premier League, particularly at the end of the campaign if QPR fall short of the play-off places.