All posts by h716a5.icu

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to an update from the international break, as Alfredo Morelos was pictured promoting Colombia’s new kit.

It wasn’t too long ago that few outside of Scotland had heard of ‘El Bufalo’, but 29 goals, 11 assists and four red cards later, there isn’t a football fan on the planet without an opinion of the feisty Gers ace.

At 22, he has only recently been drafted into the Colombia first team, earning his first cap during the last international break, and he has now been spotted modelling the team’s new kit.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Fans are unsurprisingly heaping praise on their talisman, as it is quite the feat to go from not even in consideration for the senior squad to promoting the kit launch alongside the likes of James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao, which you can see here.

The young striker has signed two separate new contracts at Ibrox this season, the second of which is expected to keep him at the club until 2023.

Loads of Gers fans have been sharing their thoughts on Morelos’ drastic rise to the top, and there’s a lot of pride on show in the Twitter reactions down below…

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Charlton were dealt a heavy blow this week in the form of an ankle injury to Krystian Bielik – the Arsenal loanee returned early from international duty with Poland Under-21’s and Lee Bowyer is not expecting any good news regarding his defender.

The Addicks boss admitted to The South London Press: “Krystian is a worry. He came back early after his game. He’s hurt his ankle and we’re not sure how long he is going to be out.

“He went for a scan. We don’t know how serious it is yet, but it doesn’t look too good.”

On the chalkboard

The young Pole has been a solid signing for the Addicks this season and his versatility has been a huge asset to Bowyer, particularly in recent weeks when the fixtures have stacked up heavily.

Predominantly playing as a holding midfielder for Charlton, the number 4 is a centre-half by trade and so when Bowyer made big changes to his XI for the Bristol Rovers clash, Bielik was deployed in a back-three instead.

While a 0-0 stalemate is far from a result to be thrilled with, the conditions were appalling and the Addicks, with standout performances from Anfernee Dijksteel and Josh Cullen, did well to keep a clean sheet.

Cullen’s time

The aforementioned midfielder has been brilliant since signing on loan from West Ham and has deputised for Bielik when the defender has been out – he will likely have to continue at the base of Bowyer’s diamond from now on if the 21-year-old Gunner’s injury is as bad as the Charlton boss fears.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Bielik’s injury also means that Bowyer will struggle to return to a back-three set-up – the Pole offered ball-carrying and passing abilities from deep that are unmatched in the Charlton ranks – so expect the orthodox midfield diamond to return and stay against Bradford this weekend.

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Tottenham Hotspur and England forward Harry Kane has somewhat bizarrely revealed that he wants to play in the NFL before ending his sporting career.

Kane is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football, having scored 164 times in 249 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions.

The 25-year-old is also England captain and has struck 22 times in his 37 caps for the national team, including six at the 2018 World Cup to land the Golden Boot.

Kane – an avid follower of American Football – has said that he wants to try himself as a kicker in the NFL after he retires from football.

Kane told ESPN:

“[The desire to play in the NFL] is real. Something that in 10 or 12 years I definitely want to try. It goes back to that drive to be the best.

“Even if I download a game on my phone, can I be the best in the world? If you play in the Premier League and the World Cup and you then play in the NFL, would you then be considered one of the greatest sportsmen ever?”

For now, though, Kane will be fully focused on helping Tottenham secure a top-four position in the Premier League between now and the end of the campaign.

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…

No longer title challengers, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have lost three of their last four in the league and now sit just three points ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United.

Kane has scored 24 times in 36 appearances for Spurs during the 2018-19 season.

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Pablo Zabaleta believes West Ham United are too “mentally weak” to qualify for the Europa League this season.

The Hammers lost 2-0 to Everton on Saturday, a result that dealt a bitter blow to their chances of finishing in the top-seven.

What’s the word?

The Hammers now lie 11th in the Premier League, two points behind seventh-placed Wolves.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have a game in hand, however, as do 10th-placed Watford.

And Zabaleta has blasted the club’s mentality as they attempt to overhaul the promoted side and qualify for Europe.

Speaking to the London Evening Standard, he said: “I am not happy at all because if you look at the season so far, we have not been consistent enough. We have had three or four bad performances against teams around us.

“There are five teams looking for that seventh position and it is all about one or two points difference between them.

“We have lost so many opportunities to be in that seventh place and it shows the weak mentality that we have probably got and which we need to improve looking forward.”

Form dips

Manuel Pellegrini’s team have struggled for consistency throughout the season.

Since the turn of the year, they have not won two Premier League games in a row, and their loss to Everton came on the back of a win over Huddersfield Town and a defeat to Cardiff City.

Zabaleta, having come from Manchester City, is the elder statesman in the squad and is right to be drawing attention to the Irons’ deficiencies.

It’s quite shocking to see an active player blast his own team quite so harshly, but it’s difficult to argue with the highly-decorated ace.

He has to hope that his team-mates listen as the season reaches its conclusion, with the club still in with an outside shot of qualifying for the Europa League.

Such has been their fluctuating form this term, it would be a surprise if they went any great distance in the competition.

Leeds United fans must have been extremely worried when they heard that Pablo Hernandez had picked up a knock during their defeat at Birmingham City.

The Spanish midfielder has been at the heart of Marcelo Bielsa’s revolution at Elland Road with his 12 goals and 11 assists helping to propel the club into a battle for automatic promotion this season.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Hernandez left St Andrews on Saturday wearing a medical boot yet has still travelled with the squad ahead of their game with Preston North End later tonight. Although it is not certain whether he is fit enough to start, the Whites must not risk the 33-year-old as if they do, it could end up being a disastrous decision if he picks up another injury.

Hernandez is arguably Leeds’ best attacking outlet and could make all the difference between his side finishing in the top-two ahead of Sheffield United or having to settle for the lottery of the play-offs, a competition that they have not had a good relationship with in recent times. In 2006, the club lost 3-0 in the Championship final to Watford and following a relegation to the third tier they were unsuccessful in both 2008 and 2009.

With six games to go between now and May, the Whites may benefit from giving Hernandez a rest from action at Preston as not only will it freshen up the squad for their trip to Deepdale but it will also give the midfielder a better chance of recovering to full fitness for Saturday’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

Bielsa could replace the former Valencia star with Keemar Roofe or Stuart Dallas whilst Jack Clarke may also be an option although he is unlikely to start having featured for the club’s under-23 side last night at Elland Road.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa risk Hernandez at Preston tonight? Or is it too big of a risk to take at this stage of the season? Let us know below.

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According to Super Haber, Tottenham Hotspur could sign Fenerbahce midfielder Eljif Elmas during this summer’s transfer window.

The 19-year-old, who largely operates in central midfield, has scored once in 34 appearances for his Turkish club during the 2018-19 campaign.

Tottenham are widely expected to improve their midfield this summer with Mousa Dembele leaving for China in January and Victor Wanyama struggling for game time this season – forcing Mauricio Pochettino to rely on Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko for much of the campaign.

The Premier League club’s fans have been on social media reacting to the news and it would be fair to say that not too many are best pleased with the report.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

A number are unsure who the teenager is, whilst others have offered up alternatives ahead of this summer’s transfer window including Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Lyon ace Tanguy Ndombele.

A selection of the reaction from Tottenham fans on Twitter can be seen below…

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Luton Town are surely closing in on promotion to the Championship.

A 28-game unbeaten run prior to their 3-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic last weekend was the catalyst for their rise up the standings and creating an advantage at the summit.

There are just three games of the season remaining – Luton will play AFC Wimbledon, Burton Albion and Oxford United – and promotion seems likely.

But, after coming up from League Two last season, can Luton again pull up trees next season? Could they even seal another shock promotion and, in 2020-21, could we see the club in the Premier League?

Football FanCast writers give their verdict…

Matt Dawson

“Luton’s rise over the past two seasons has been magnificent and it will be fascinating to see how they cope after a number of years away from the Championship. However, after back-to-back promotions, it’s hard to see them being prepared to make the step up once again. As we’ve seen over the last few campaigns they’ve had goals in them on a regular basis but I’m struggling to see with the current personnel where they’d come from in a higher league. Danny Hylton and James Collins have managed to do it at their current level but I feel Luton will come crashing back down to earth next season.”

Jack Saville

“There’s no doubt Luton will need to be wise in the transfer market to ensure they are well prepared for the step up in class next season, but I see no reason why they can’t hold their own in the Championship. Plenty of clubs have managed to steer well clear of relegation in the Championship after earning promotion from League One and with Mick Harford in charge Luton are well placed to do exactly that. The gulf in class is significantly smaller than that which separates the Championship and the Premier League, and with Luton reigning supreme in third-tier football, they could be a surprise package at a higher level next season.”

James Beavis

“It will be a struggle for Luton no doubt, but they do have a couple of things in their favour. The momentum you can get from two successive promotions will be unbelievable. In addition, they can make Kenilworth Road a real fortress as the bigger teams won’t relish having to go to a smaller stadium like theirs. That is something the club must embrace as a whole, and create an atmosphere that will be difficult for opposition sides to deal with. This is their chance to prove they are officially back.”

[ad_pod ]West Ham United fans on Twitter can’t get over what attacker Michail Antonio did on Saturday during the 2-2 Premier League draw with Leicester City’s at London Stadium.Having put Manuel Pellegrini’s men a goal to the good on 37 minutes, the former England international ran straight for the Irons’ new pitch-surrounding claret carpet at their Stratford home.When he got there, Antonio dropped to the ground before gently and comically stroking it, showing his appreciation for the surface which was finally installed last week after years of pressure from supporters.Members of the Claret & Blue Army absolutely loved the ironic display from the 29-year-old, who is known for his funny antics on and off the pitch and renowned goal celebrations.The celebration is all they could talk about in the replies of the Tweet informing them that Antonio had fired West Ham ahead after converting a Mark Noble cross.Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…Below is a list of fans’ best Tweets…

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Jonathan Kodjia down on the turf, holding his leg and hurt.

A number of Aston Villa players had stopped, expecting the ball to be kicked out so the Ivorian could receive treatment, but why?

The referee is only required to stop the game if it is a head injury, which Kodjia’s wasn’t.

Who has been the Championship’s best player this season? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

So, when Mateusz Klich raced through and finished confidently to kick his side into the lead, a number of Villa players reacted angrily and got to grips with the Pole for his apparent lack of sportsmanship – however, why didn’t the Villa players play to the whistle?

Marcelo Bielsa instructed his players to gift Villa an equaliser, much to the annoyance of Pontus Jansson who tried to prevent the goal from happening against his manager’s wishes.

Is it this charitable attitude which has cost Leeds a place in the automatic promotion positions?

Klich and Jansson showed a winning mentality, something that evidently isn’t instilled in Bielsa or the rest of the players who didn’t protest the decision.

Bielsa’s methods, in which he appears to have sapped all of the energy from his players at this late stage of the season due to his intense demands, have already come under fire amid this late season collapse.

However, that is the physical aspect of the game. Leeds have led the table for long periods of the current campaign, although after Sunday’s draw against Villa, the mental side of their disappointing fall-off can now be brought into the conversation.

How much do Leeds want it? Players such as Patrick Bamford, whose pathetic play-acting got Anwar El Ghazi sent off, aren’t showing enough desire. Bielsa isn’t showing enough desire himself to get Leeds to where they need to be – would Chris Wilder or Daniel Farke have allowed the ball to be walked into their net when an automatic promotion place is still mathematically possible?

It is a team game, admittedly, and everyone has to be pulling in the same direction; clearly, not all of the Leeds players and staff are on the right page when it comes to the mentality adopted at Elland Road.

Cue the tears: Aaron Ramsey has played his last game for Arsenal.

The Gunners icon looks very unlikely to have his fairy-tale farewell party in a possible Europa League cup final in Baku on May 29 after being told by specialists (as per the Sun) that his season is finished.

This will come as a double blow to Arsenal manager Unai Emery who has watched his team dissipate their chances in recent weeks with three losses on the bounce and is in for a tough task tomorrow facing Valencia in the semi-final first-leg tie.

The man bound to become the highest ever paid British player at Juventus was actually never expected to feature in this week’s matchup after tearing a hamstring during Arsenal’s quarter-final second-leg win over Napoli on April 18, but the reality of his absence will still come as devastating news.

Hope is a terrible thing and the Welshman was handed a big bag of that when he was apparently told he may make a return to first-team services for the return leg in Spain, with Arsenal’s last Premier League game of the season at Burnley the supposed day of his full comeback.

However, the devastated midfielder had his injury re-assessed last week and the news no one wanted to hear was confirmed: his season is over.

As terrible as this is for Ramsey to hear, it is surely much worse for Unai Emery and Arsenal fans who desperately need his services to make something out of the remainder of their tumultuous season. After all, they are the ones who are going to be suffering the consequences next year, while the Welshman will be sitting pretty with Juventus in the Champions League alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and co.

It comes to us as no real surprise that the three Premier League games he has spent in the stands in recent weeks are the three games Arsenal have lost and looked at their weakest going forwards.

Gunners fans, just how big a blow is this? Join the discussion by commenting below…