All posts by h716a5.icu

Eight games stand between Southampton and Premier League survival this season.

A dreadful start to the 2018/19 campaign under former boss Mark Hughes saw the Saints consistently produce dismal displays of football which more often than not resulted in defeat.

By the start of December, Southampton’s poor form had seen them fall into the relegation zone which forced the club’s hierarchy to make the decision to bring an end to the Welshman’s brief spell at the club by replacing him with former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hassenhuttl.

Since the Austrian’s arrival, the club’s fortunes on the pitch have improved significantly as they have picked up 21 points from 16 games bringing their total for the season up to 30. The likes of James Ward-Prowse and Danny Ings have thrived under the guidance of Hassenhuttl yet his influence has not had the desired effect on others with one player in particular standing out from the rest.

Nathan Redmond was once tipped to be one of England’s brightest prospects whilst coming through the ranks at Birmingham City having burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2010. A move to Norwich City three years later saw him develop his talents further, helping the Canaries achieve promotion to Premier League via the play-offs.

Despite being unable to save his side from relegation in the following season, Redmond produced a number of impressive performances in his debut campaign in England’s top tier which attracted the interest of Southampton.

The south-coast based side agreed a deal with Norwich to sign the winger in 2016 and early signs were promising as he scored seven Premier League goals which contributed to an eighth-placed finish for the Saints.

However, in the past two seasons Redmond has failed to match these totals as his form has notably regressed. This can be illustrated by the fact that he only scored once in all competitions last season and has just three goals to his name in the Premier League during the 2018/19 campaign despite making 30 appearances for the Saints.

Although he is still an undeniably talented player, his inconsistencies in a Southampton shirt could see Hassenhuttl call time on his career at the club. Any decision surrounding Redmond’s future will ultimately come down to whether the former FC Inglostadt boss believes that he can finally add some much-needed end product to his game on a consistent basis.

Regardless on whether the Saints are playing in the Premier League or the Championship next season, the next nine games could prove definitive for Redmond’s career at the club.

What do you think Southampton fans? Do you think that you should sell Redmond in the summer? Who would you replace the England international with? Let us know below.

Harry Redknapp may have won the hearts of the nation thanks to his recent TV escapades, but he has done precious little to convince the fans of the clubs he has left in ruin.

The former Birmingham manager has recently defended himself for his role in plunging the club into a state of financial ruin that could see them deducted 12 points, enough to land them into a relegation dogfight.

“It’s surely down to the people who run the club, like the chief executive and the chairman, or whoever, to know if we’ve got any money to spend,†he toldÂThe Daily Telegraph.

“I didn’t know anything about Financial Fair Play. I was never warned by anyone at the football club that there was going to be a problem with that,†he continued.

Adding, “I don’t think any of the signings were mine. I was taking John Ruddy on a free transfer from Norwich and instead they brought in David Stockdale from Brighton. The director of football [Jeff Vetere] wasn’t brought in by me either.â€

Unfortunately for Redknapp, the man who once terminated an interview after being referred to as a ‘wheeler dealer’, his account is hard to believe.

Disgraced presented Richard Keys had this to say in response via his Twitter account: “Of course he didn’t. Same bloke f****d up QPR Pompey & West Ham & might have done at Spurs but for Daniel Levy. Let’s hope he’s out of the game now and can’t do anymore damage – whoever he was.â€

Indeed, Spurs fans can find solace in the fact that Daniel Levy, for all his frugality in the transfer market, has turned the club into what it is today; they can sit comfortably knowing that the man in charge is, despite common misconceptions, doing the best he can for the club, and they will soon reap the benefits of his guidance.

This, of course, follows unrest over the club’s failure to sign any players in the previous two windows.

Tottenham fans, has this changed your opinion of Daniel Levy – and, if not, why? Let us know in the comments below…

Modern football is a disaster, and Tottenham Hotspur are the evil purveyors of all things wrong in our game.

Picture this: the year is 2030 and the final reasonably priced blocks at *insert any Premier League stadium* have been replaced by cheese rooms, cinema screens, hotel suites, theme parks and gyms. Football has ceased to be about watching the sport and has devolved into a corporate playground within which the fans have become secondary to complimentary drinks and gift bags.

An array of all things sanitised have exploded onto the beautiful game stripping away the pure, unadulterated essence of what makes football so great.

Spurs’ new stadium may be a thing of beauty, and believe us, it is, but it has become a flagship for everything disastrously wrong in the modern game.

The “Tottenham Hotspur Stadium” – until it is otherwise named after some sort of deodorant, coffee brand, energy drink or airline company – boasts a number of pointless gimmicks.

Consisting of a cheese room, a “tunnel club” – where fans can gawp at players through a glass pane like a zoo, a microbrewery because, hey, clubs love fans drinking at games, an in-house bakery (?), a sky-lounge, and the feature we all have not been waiting for: USB ports bedded into the seats – ideal for those wanting to document their experience on social media.

Yes, Tottenham’s new project has become a hotbed for modern ploys. The stuff average lifelong fans never asked for but must suffer the consequences of.

According to TalkSport, most matchday tickers at £10 more than they were at Wembley, whilst Category B and C tickets are 30 to 50 per cent more expensive than they were at White Hart Lane. Fans being priced out of the game. Again.

If the aforementioned did not shock you enough, however, brace yourself for Spurs most recent announcement.

The Sun have reported that Tottenham are keen on hosting the Super Bowl and want to be ‘home the first NFL team outside the US’

“From the start we’ve had NFL  in mind,” said the club’s head of business development Aidan Mullally.

“The anchor tenant is Tottenham Hotspur, but this is designed to be a permanent home for the NFL outside the US.”

But why? What benefit will this bring to the lifelong fans of Tottenham? What will the average supporter gain from their increased ticket price? Why are Tottenham so utterly obsessed with satisfying the needs of other fans before their own?

There are so many questions that need answering.

Tottenham fans, what do you make of the NFL news? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

[ad_pod ]It will certainly be a quiz question in the future – who scored the first official goal in Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium?The answer is Son Heung-min, with the 26-year-old making the breakthrough in the 55th minute of Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.After a cagey first period, Son opened the scoring early in the second period, before Christian Eriksen struck late on to secure the points for Mauricio Pochettino’s team.As if the Spurs fans needed another reason to lavish praise on Son.The attacker – a 2015 arrival from Bayer Leverkusen – is adored by the club’s supporters having gone from strength to strength over the last couple of seasons.

According to WhoScored, as well as his goal, Son had a pass success rate of 88%, whilst he also had four dribbles against the Eagles.

Unsurprisingly, a whole host of the Tottenham fans took to social media after the Premier League match to hail the South Korean – a selection of which can be seen below:

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According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle United are ‘reluctant’ to spend more than £12m on Salomon Rondon in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Rondon joined Newcastle on loan from West Bromwich Albion last summer, with Dwight Gayle moving in the opposite direction.

The Venezuela international is enjoying a fine season for the Magpies, finding the back of the net on nine occasions in the Premier League.

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are keen to land the striker on a permanent deal, but do not want to spend more than £12m.

Rondon has a £16.5m release clause in his current deal with West Brom, which will expire at the end of the 2019-2020 campaign.

It seems difficult to believe that the Premier League club will potentially miss out on the South American over a difference of £4.5m, but that could well occur.

Should Newcastle hold firm?

No, pay the £16.5m. The simple fact of the matter is that Newcastle will not be able to sign a player of Rondon’s quality this summer for that price.

It is not exactly as if the forward is entering the final stages of his career. Indeed, he will not turn 30 until September and arguably has another three or four seasons left at the top level.

Rondon’s nine Premier League goals this season have helped the team, but his overall work rate has been clear for everyone to see and will have been much appreciated by the supporters.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

It is not difficult to understand why Newcastle are reluctant to meet the buy-out figure due to the fact that the striker’s deal with West Brom will expire next summer.

However, to potentially miss out on a move for Rondon over a relatively small figure would be poor business when considering the player’s quality.

[ad_pod ]Everton fans have taken to Twitter to heap praise on Phil Jagielka, after the veteran defender scored the only goal of the game to help his side beat Arsenal 1-0.The 36-year-old wasn’t even meant to be starting against the Gunners, until Michael Keane was forced to withdraw from the eleven during the warm up due to illness.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…The 6 foot defender was making just his third Premier League start of the season for the Toffees, and managed to net his first goal since April 2017 with a predatory effort after a scramble in the box.His goal game early, but alongside Kurt Zouma, the former Sheffield United centre-back defended admirably to preserve the Merseysiders’ clean sheet and earn them all three points – they have now won their last three games without conceding a goal.

His contract is up in the summer and he is yet to be offered fresh terms, but for now, let’s see what the Everton fans are saying on Twitter about the experienced Jagielka…

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According to German media outlet Bild, Newcastle United are exploring the option of signing FC Nurnberg midfielder Patrick Erras this summer.

The Magpies aren’t yet safe but will move a huge step closer if they can pick up three points against Leicester City on Friday night, allowing them to start planning for another season in the Premier League.

Before Rafa Benitez and Mike Ashley bring the 24-year-old to St James’ Park however, they have three key questions they need to answer.

Is he really better than what they have?

It’s certainly a legitimate question given the defensive midfielder has only made 13 league appearances – seven of those being starts – for a side lying in 17th position in the Bundesliga standings at the moment.

Five of those starts have come since the beginning of March to show just how out of favour the German was previously, and certainly raises more than a few question marks over his quality and ability to step up into the Premier League.

If the likes of Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame do go this summer, Erras would hardly be an inspiring replacement.

Will he be a Schar or a Muto?

With a year left on his contract by the summer and not being a regular in the Nurnberg team, you would have to think that the 24-year-old midfielder will be available for a decent price should Newcastle move for him.

Last summer the Tyneside outfit completed two relatively cheap moves for Fabian Schar and Yoshinori Muto, from relegated Deportivo La Coruna and Mainz respectively.

While the former has shone at St James’ Park, the latter has found it difficult to make the transition to English football.

Every away fan seems to face the same problem at St. James’ Park. Find out what in the video below…

Erras certainly has the height and power given his 6 ft 5 frame, but the initial feeling from us at least is that he would be more of a Muto than a Schar.

What would his arrival mean for Longstaff?

Should Erras sign and no midfielders depart, Benitez would have the German, Sean Longstaff, Ki Sung-Yueng, Shelvey, Hayden and Diame to pick from.

The fact that they are targeting a central player at all suggests at least one of those is leaving – Hayden recently admitted again he still wants to go – but what would it mean for the promising Longstaff?

Firstly Erras would need to prove that he should be a starter – something the 21-year-old has already done – and that he is better than Ki.

Depending on what formation Benitez intends to play, partnering him with Longstaff could actually be a blessing in disguise for the former Blackpool loanee, who would likely be given a little more freedom to go forward.

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Liverpool fans on Twitter have been arguing amongst themselves over who should’ve taken the penalty in the 2-0 win over Cardiff on Sunday.

Mohamed Salah won the spot-kick after going down under pressure from Sean Morrison, but the Reds’ designated penalty taker James Milner had entered the pitch by that time and made no mistake in converting from 12 yards.

Chelsea fans were giving it large at Anfield on Sunday. Watch their afternoon get slowly ruined in the video below…

However, footage has emerged of Salah appearing to hold onto the ball, where he seemingly wants to take the kick himself – he is tied with Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on 19 Premier League goals in the race for the Golden Boot.

Many Liverpool fans are annoyed with Milner for taking the ball away from Salah and damaging his Golden Boot hopes in the process, although a number of fans have also backed the former Leeds man, saying that he is the designated taker and had every right to take it with the score still delicately poised at 1-0.

The three points should be the main thing for the Liverpool fanbase in such a tense title race, but the penalty debate has become heated on Twitter…

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Fernando Llorente proved on Tuesday that he cannot be trusted in big Tottenham Hotspur games.

The Spaniard played the full 90 minutes as Spurs laboured to a 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

On the chalkboard

Manager Mauricio Pochettino showed a great deal of loyalty to Llorente on Tuesday evening, playing the striker despite his obvious drawbacks.

He is not a quick player, like Son Heung-Min, nor is he clinical, nor is he, contrary to common belief, any good in the air.

Playing against a team that were set to defend throughout the 90 minutes, utilising a low block, was never set to work out for Llorente.

But, per WhoScored, he turned in a remarkably leaden-footed performance at the worst possible time.

With a clash with Ajax, a Champions League semi-final, looming, this was a chance for Llorente to prove his worth.

Instead, he touched the ball just 23 times, failed to have a shot on goal and completed just 18 passes, the fewest of any Spurs player.

He did win two aerial duels, though he challenged for nine, while he also failed to complete a dribble or a tackle.

It is hard to stand out as a striker at Spurs unless your name is Harry Kane, but with the England captain injured, and the biggest game in the club’s history looming, Pochettino needed Llorente to step up.

He roundly failed.

One moment does not a striker make

Llorente scored the decisive goal in the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City. Challenging for a corner at the near post, he lost Aymeric Laporte and diverted the ball past goalkeeper Ederson, though he may not have known too much about it, as it hit his hip before crossing the line.

That has left Spurs within three wins of the unlikeliest of European triumphs, but emotion cannot cloud judgement of his ability.

Llorente is 34 and lacks the basic mobility Tottenham need, while his goal record does not speak to any lengthy stay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After his display against Brighton, Pochettino has a decision to make. Lucas Moura should probably lead the line in the first leg against Ajax, otherwise Spurs risk having a deficit to overturn if they are to reach the final.

This run of form is unbelievable! Portsmouth are doing absolutely everything they can to launch themselves into the automatic promotion spot and the way they’re going, they really could do it.

Indeed, it seems the boost that the Checkatrade Trophy victory has provided has been massive for Pompey and consequently, the position they find themselves in now is a lot healthier. Throughout the years of pain, the South Coast have maintained their passionate fanbase and they are seemingly in good spirits, hoping they will be getting more success by the end of this season.

If they do make it back into the Championship, the jump up and gulf in class between the two leagues cannot be underestimated, so great care and consideration has to go into who Portsmouth will buy to improve their team.

Ryan Yates is someone Nottingham Forest have tended to use in occasional rotation but for a player of his ability, he could bring so much more to the table than the service he is currently providing, instead for Portsmouth. The 21-year-old central-midfielder is someone the club have reportedly (the Mirror via HITC in December) tried to pursue before back in January but for whatever reason, a deal failed to materialise.

Since the turn of the year, Yates has been more involved with Nottingham Forest’s first-team, with 12 appearances to be exact, though Portsmouth can still fancy their chances about securing a deal to bring him to Fratton Park.

The Englishman is a hard-working midfielder and one that would certainly improve upon the current options Kenny Jackett has available to him.

Whether or not promotion becomes a reality, it goes without saying that Ryan Yates would be able to hack it in either league Pompey may find themselves in.

Portsmouth fans, would you take Yates? If not, why not? Join the discussion by commenting below…