Newcastle fans react as Ameobi in line for academy role

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to an update from Lee Ryder, who reports that Shola Ameobi is in the running for a new role at the club’s academy.

According to Lee Ryder of Chronicle Live, Ameobi is under consideration for one of three new roles on Tyneside.

According to the report, the Magpies are expected to employ “a loan coordinator, Under-23 boss and assistant Academy coach for a range of younger age groups”.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Under-18 manager Dave Watson will leave the club at the end of the season, while Peter Beardsley left his role as the development manager last month.

Ameobi scored 75 goals and racked up 28 assists in 390 Newcastle appearances, but the formerly popular front man has blotted his copybook with fans due to his views on infamous club owner Mike Ashley.

The 37 year-old defended Ashley’s leadership of the club last year, so it does seem quite the coincidence that he is now in line for a job.

Plenty of fans have made that connection too, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Dean Smith needs time to get Aston Villa back on track

Villa Park was left distraught on Saturday when West Bromwich Albion won the bragging rights for the West Midlands Derby by ousting them at their own yard.  

Indeed, even the fire of a derby couldn’t work to get Aston Villa back in form, as it did when they clashed with bitter rivals Birmingham City earlier in the campaign.

Dean Smith’s future may be questioned amongst certain sections of support after being winless in four. Once looking close to possibly attaining a play-offs position, that dream is over, as the Villains are seven points behind the cut-off having played more games. However, Villa shouldn’t become trigger-happy in letting him go.

Even at Brentford, where incidentally they lost recently, Smith needed time to get going. He unearthed some gems from their system and despite working on a meagre budget, did a splendid job in helping them defy the odds and finish in the Championship’s top ten for three consecutive seasons.

Smith’s attacking philosophy’s working at Villa. He’s elevated Tammy Abraham into enjoying his best goal-scoring season having scored 20 already (stats via WhoScored), while Conor Hourihane and Jonathan Kodija are also improving. The Villains have played sleek, attacking football under him. However, his kryptonite at Villa’s been their woeful defending.

The Villains have been too leaky in defence, hampering their rise under Smith. The gaffer needs to be given some time and resources to sign better defenders to try and challenge for the title next season. Aston Villa just needs to be patient with Smith, who can not only have them playing winning football, but could lead them back into the Premier League soon.

The Chalkboard: Kane struggles for form amid latest Tottenham defeat

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Tottenham Hotspur fell to another damaging defeat on Wednesday as they lost 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Harry Kane started up front in west London after making his comeback from an ankle ligament injury against Burnley at the weekend.

The England captain scored his side’s goal at Turf Moor as they lost 2-1, but he had no such personal success against the Blues.

Indeed, in a disjointed Spurs performance, Kane struggled to create anything of note.

Per WhoScored, the striker had three shots on goal but, like the entire Tottenham side, failed to test goalkeeper Willy Caballero.

In total, he touched the ball 37 times, the least of any other outfield player on the pitch.

It is hard not to question whether Kane is actually fully fit, such has been his sluggishness in his last two outings.

Usually so adept at protecting the ball, he was dispossessed twice and had a 29% dribble success. In short, he roundly failed to provide any sort of meaningful threat to the Chelsea backline.

Now, it is understandable as to why manager Mauricio Pochettino would want to play his star striker as quickly as possible. His goal against Burnley appeared to confirm that the Argentine had made the correct decision but, against Chelsea, he and the rest of the Spurs attack were languid and listless.

Bringing Kane back into the side has also hindered Son Heung-Min, who struggled to make a tangible impact against Maurizio Sarri’s side after enjoying an excellent spell while his team-mate was on the treatment table. He scored three goals in three matches with Kane out but, since the Englishman’s return to the team, he has failed to hit the back of the net.

Kane is likely to play again in the north London derby this weekend when Spurs host Arsenal at Wembley after avoiding a ban for an alleged headbutt aimed at Cesar Azpilicueta.

It remains to be seen if that will be the correct decision, however.

He is not fully fit and, though he will surely be chomping at the bit to play, Pochettino may have to leave him out for the good of his side’s attack.

Indeed, the sad reality is that his display against the Blues was evidence that, in his current state, he is perhaps doing more harm than good.

Celtic fans react to ex-Celt Moussa Dembele blasting Brendan Rodgers on Twitter

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It’s been all change in Paradise this week, with Brendan Rodgers departing for Leicester and Neil Lennon subsequently reinstated at the Celtic Park helm, and former Celt Moussa Dembele has taken to social media to share his take on the events.

The striker sought pastures new last summer and publicly criticised his former manager for rejecting Lyon’s approach although, eventually, the move went through and the Frenchman is now plying his trade with the Ligue 1 outfit.

However, the 22-year-old has now hit out at Rodgers once again, telling the Bhoys that he told them so, having previously suggested that the now-Leicester manager wasn’t a man of his word.

Check out a Celtic fan perspective on Brendan Rodgers leaving Celtic for Leicester in the video below…

Dembele may be gone and three new strikers, as Rodgers said he required, have replaced him, but that hasn’t prevented the Celtic faithful from clamouring for the hotshot’s return to Glasgow as he brilliantly slammed his former boss.

You can find the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

فيديو | إنجاز لـ فينيسيوس لأول مرة في مسيرته مع ريال مدريد بعد هدفه في ليفانتي

تمكن النجم البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور، جناح فريق ريال مدريد، من إحراز هدف التقدم للنادي الملكي، في شباك ليفانتي بالدوري الإسباني.

ريال مدريد يواجه ليفانتي خارج قواعده على ملعب “لا سيراميكا”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الخامسة من الليجا (طالع المباراة مباشرةٍ لحظة بلحظة).

جاء الهدف في الدقيقة 16 من زمن الشوط الأول، بعد ركنية من الجبهة اليمنى ارتدت من دفاع ليفانتي قبل أن يتابعها فينيسيوس بتسديدة رائعة على يسار حارس مرمى ليفانتي.

شاهد هدف فينيسيوس في ليفانتي

وذكرت شبكة “أوبتا” العالمية للأرقام والإحصائيات، أنّ فينيسيوس لأول مرة في مسيرته مُنذ الانتقال لـ ريال مدريد، يسجل في مباراتين متتالتين في الليجا.

فينيسيوس كان أيضًا سجّل هدف الانتصار في مباراة الجولة الماضية أمام بلد الوليد، في المباراة التي انتصر فيها الملكي بهدف نظيف.

Adams’ take on Ramsey’s Juventus move is absolutely ludicrous

As good as they can be on their day, Arsenal are no longer the European superpower they used to be.

With that in mind and considering the lesser role he has been handed by Unai Emery, it is hardly surprising that Aaron Ramsey has welcomed the challenge of moving to Serie A giants Juventus in the summer.

That is not a sentiment Arsenal legend Tony Adams appears to share, however.

The Breakdown

“It’s a different game and a different club to the one I left in 2002. We would be challenging and Juventus players would be signing for us,” the former Arsenal captain told Sky Sports.

“Aaron Ramsey is too good to let go. Why would you go to Juventus anyway? They are a smaller club than Arsenal – that’s the way I’ve always felt about the Arsenal.”

Bias aside, it is hard to understand how Adams has arrived at such a conclusion. This decade, Juventus have been a title-winning machine in Serie A, while they have also performed exceptionally well in the Champions League.

On top of that, historically, Juventus are obviously a huge club as well having won an abundance of honours.

In contrast, Arsenal, who have certainly had a lot of success in the past, have not mounted a serious title challenge in years. As for their track record in Europe during that time, not much needs to be said.

Under Emery, there are signs that they are heading in the right direction again. But at 28 years of age, it is easy to see why Ramsey has decided to join a serial-winning club like Juventus.

Arsenal fans, do you agree with Adams’ assessment on the whole Ramsey and Juventus saga? Join the discussion by commenting below.

Opinion: Biggest test for Solskjaer now with Man United honeymoon period over

Manchester United lost out this weekend in the FA Cup as Wolves dispatched them 2-1 at Molineux. 

The Red Devils were far from their best but there has to be great credit given to Wolves, who once again put in a fine display to see off Ole Solsjkaer’s men and move into the last eight of England’s premier cup competition.

The loss is really the first massive setback for Solskjaer since he took the reins at Old Trafford, and it will be interesting to see just how they bounce back now as the run for Champions League football enters it’s final few hurdles.

Most of what Solskjaer has touched since being the manager at United has turned to gold, and they are still in with a chance of winning the Champions League too, with a tough test against Barcelona the next obstacle for them to overcome.

Seeing how the Red Devils bounce back from a defeat like this is going to be a big test of the credentials Solskjaer will bring to the table on a full time basis if he is given the job, and it really is a chance to show once and for all just why he should be offered the role on a permanent basis.

United have improved massively, but the FA Cup would have been a nice trophy to add to the cabinet to cement the Norwegian’s success at the club so far.

United fans, what do you think? Will this prove a big setback or will you come back with ease? Let us know your thoughts!

A complete mess: Manchester United fans bemoan the club’s ruined wage structure

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to bemoan the club’s current wage structure, which has been seriously damaged by Alexis Sanchez’s reported earnings.

The Telegraph’s James Ducker has revealed that there has been a domino effect at Old Trafford following the Chilean’s arrival on a reported £350,000-a-week contract – rising to £500,000 dependant on bonuses – with many other United stars now demanding vastly inflated salaries as a result.

Which “global superstar” has just been named Man Utd’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video above…

What makes matters worse is Sanchez’s lack of impact, or even basic involvement most of the time, in the first team. The 30-year-old has scored just five goals in 41 appearances since arriving on a free transfer from Arsenal back in January 2018, doing almost nothing to warrant his astronomical earnings.

To further reinforce the negativity surrounding this situation, it is believed that arch-rivals Manchester City foresaw this situation and consequently backed out of a deal to sign Sanchez – a true disaster all round for the Red Devils.

Let’s see what the disgruntled United fans on Twitter have been saying about the messy situation…

Sign it: Tottenham fans again plead with Toby Alderweireld to pen fresh deal

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have made another plea for Toby Alderweireld to sign a new contract with the club.

Alderweireld will see his current deal with Spurs expire in the summer of 2020.

A £26m release clause will come into effect at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, though, and Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move as the Red Devils prepare to improve their back four.

It does seem likely that the Belgium international will move on in this summer’s transfer window, which will be awful news for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Alderweireld stepped out inside the wonderful new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, but even that might not convince the centre-back to sign on.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

The London club’s fans are still hopeful that will be the case, however, with a number taking to social media to plead with the former Atletico Madrid ace yet again.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:

كافاني: نجم باريس سان جيرمان أقنعني بالانتقال إلى مانشستر يونايتد

وضح مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر يونايتد الجديد، إدينسون كافاني، دور زميله السابق مع باريس سان جيرمان، أندير هيريرا، في انتقاله إلى قلعة “أولد ترافورد”.

وانتقل كافاني إلى مانشستر يونايتد في آخر أيام الميركاتو الصيفي الماضي مجانًا، بعد انتهاء عقده مع باريس سان جيرمان بنهاية الموسم الماضي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كافاني يتحدث عن خلافاته مع نيمار: كنا أصدقاء في الملعب فقط!

وتحدث إدينسون عن دور هيريرا في انتقاله إلى مانشستر يونايتد في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، وقال: “لقد تحدثت كثيرًا مع أندير ومع زملائي الآخرين مثل آنخل دي ماريا عن مانشستر يونايتد”.

وتابع: “لدي إعجاب كبير بشخصية هيريرا، لقد ساعدني الحديث معه في اختيار وجهتي الجديدة، لأنه أخبرني ما يعنيه اللعب لنادٍ مثل مانشستر يونايتد”.

وأضاف: “بعد حديثي مع أندير، حسمت أمري بالانتقال إلى مانشستر يونايتد”.

الجدير بالذكر أن هيريرا لعب مع مانشستر يونايتد لمدة 5 سنوات من 2014 وحتى نهاية عقده في 2019 وانتقل مجانًا إلى باريس سان جيرمان.

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