All posts by n8rngtd.top

[ad_pod ]

West Brom picked up an impressive point against Fulham on the road on Saturday as Albion managed to come from behind.

Anthony Knockaert gave the hosts the lead but the Baggies fought back and scored from a corner via Semi Ajayi as it finished 1-1.

Slaven Bilic’s side left it late to get going after the Croatian made three subs during the match but it was an outing that didn’t come without its troubles.

Jake Livermore gave the ball away for Fulham’s strike and as a result, he was slated by certain supporters on Twitter.

One said the 5 foot 11 midfielder was utter garbage whilst another went as far as saying they were better playing with ten men.

A further individual claimed he’d been so bad during the match.

Livermore started the game as captain but was eventually withdrawn as Filip Krovinovic replaced him in the middle of the park.

The 29-year-old’s pass success rate throughout the game was pretty woeful, finishing on 60%. He struggled with the rhythm and also made two fouls, according to WhoScored.

Here’s the best of the reaction from various fans.

[ad_pod ]

Many Leeds United supporters have been reacting on social media, after Leeds Live claimed that Mateusz Klich and Luke Ayling are set to sign new contracts at the Elland Road outfit imminently.

The Whites have recently tied Kalvin Phillips down to a new five-year contract, and agreed terms with Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas to pen new five and four-year deals respectively.

Klich is expected to follow his teammates in putting pen to paper in the coming days, and commit his long-term future to the Championship outfit currently topping the second-tier table on goal difference over Swansea City.

Poland international Klich has featured in all of the eight league games played so far this term (WhoScored), and has contributed one goal while assisting the opener at home to Nottingham Forest before Sabri Lamouchi’s men later equalised.

He had a chance to double his personal goal tally for the term from the penalty spot on Saturday when Phillip Cocu’s Derby County travelled to Elland Road, but rolled the ball the wrong side of Kelle Roos’ post before the Rams pulled level in stoppage-time.

Leeds are keen to cement Klich’s place in Marcelo Bielsa’s plans with a new deal, as his current terms are due to expire in the summer of 2020, and doubt remains over an alleged 12-month option to extend.

The West Yorkshire outfit are also said to be in talks with Ayling over a new contract, and an announcement of his continued future should follow that of Klich’s, as negotiations are believed to be progressing positively.

Ayling is yet to feature for the Leeds first-team so far this season as a result of his ankle surgery carried over the summer break, but continued to step up his rehabilitation process in the Under 23s last week as he completed 70 minutes for Carlos Corberan’s junior side against Hull City (Yorkshire Evening Post).

The London-born 28-year-old made 42 appearances for Leeds across all competitions last season (TransferMarkt), scoring twice and assisting six goals all in the regular Championship campaign.

Here are a few of the reactions shared to news that Ayling and Klich are in line to sign new, long-term contracts….

[ad_pod ]

The wait is finally over – FIFA 20 is here.

There are many new features to feast your eyes on in EA Sports’ latest edition of the FIFA series, so we thought we’d break this review down into segments based on each game mode to make life simple for you – because, you know, we’re nice like that.

Before diving head first into age-old modes such as Ultimate Team, Career Mode and Pro Clubs, what better way to kick off our review than to analyse the new ‘Volta’ game mode – a modern-day spin-off from the iconic FIFA Street game.

Volta

A bit more focused on realistic possibilities rather than Peter Crouch performing rainbow flicks alongside Ronaldinho (not that the big man isn’t capable of such, of course), EA’s new Volta mode hits the nail on the head in terms of indoor football, as well as life inside the cage.

Early days on the game mode may have you feeling like your player has the same amount of ‘tekkers’ as Danny Welbeck had on Manchester United’s pre-season tour back in 2013, but it does require patience as your pro develops their ability.

I managed to find the back of the net twice in my first ever taste of Volta – which bodes well for the rest of you – with the aptly-named ‘Skillz Boii’ putting on a real show for those watching this intense game of indoor football.

There he is, with the little red marker above his head – what a legend.

Contrastingly to past FIFAs, in which you could only edit your player with masculine features, you now rightly have the choice to make your player a women, with women’s features and hairstyles – good stuff from EA.

With every passing game, Volta mimics the player progression model from Pro Clubs in which you earn skill points to spend on enhancing chosen attributes for your player – you can also unlock different pieces of clothing to make your pro look the part as he develops in the Volta world.

You also have the chance to fly all around the world – yes, there’s even a cut-scene of you on a plane – where you can compete in tournaments in all sorts of venues – the amount of skill points and shop progression you obtain depends on how successful you are at the competition.

All in all, EA have smashed it with this fresh game mode, which gives players the chance to step away from the grass and hone their talents in a smaller-scale environment.

Volta: 9/10

Career Mode

Not too much different to past FIFAs, but still some noteworthy features nonetheless.

Firstly, a lot more emphasis has been placed on allowing you to make your manager, or player, as unique as you’d like them to be.

I opted to start a Manager Mode with my beloved Crystal Palace, where I named my boss after the legend that is Roy Hodgson – having said that, giving him the same name was about all that I did in terms of matching the 72-year-old.

Ignore the atrocious pink blazer and black beanie combo for a second, and you may wonder where this terribly-dressed manager is.

Well, after watching your side win, lose or draw a game, you have to option to attend a post-match interview where you can share your thoughts on the game.

Similar to The Journey in which Alex Hunter’s words would be deemed either ‘cool’ or ‘fiery’, your manager’s comments now have an effect on squad morale – be sure not to criticise them too heavily after a loss, or be too cocky in your responses after a win.

On that note, squad morale is perhaps the other most significant addition to Career Mode – those of you who struggle to keep your players happy on Football Manager won’t want to hear that.

Ignoring a player’s plea to start a game can prove costly, with their morale potentially slipping into the red zone.

Much more realistic from EA, although you may argue the fact that Jordan Ayew scoring away at Tottenham to put Palace 1-0 up is nowhere near as accurate to real-life events.

Career Mode: 7/10

Ultimate Team

Again, like Career Mode, not too much has changed.

Other than some smoother transitions and a much easier way to hand your players’ contracts, injury healers and so on, the classic Ultimate Team mode remains pretty much the same – which is not a bad thing by any means, as it has always been a fun, opportunity-laden experience.

Having said that, one main difference is the added focus on crowd atmosphere, with ‘tifos’ even being available to you to ensure that your stadium of choice has the most passionate fans around.

Ultimate Team: 8/10

Pro Clubs

Another hugely popular feature which hasn’t had too much of a drastic overhaul is Pro Clubs.

Things are pretty much the same other than layout changes similar to those found in Ultimate Team, although as aforesaid when discussing Volta, the options when designing your pro are almost endless.

Women’s hairstyles and boots join forces with men’s hairstyles and boots to allow you complete free reign over what you want your pro to look like.

There isn’t too much that needs changing in regards to Pro Clubs anyway, seeing as at the end of the day, the fun you have while playing it with friends and watching the opposition have a 5 foot 5 goalkeeper in between the sticks is unparalleled to anything else on FIFA.

Pro Clubs: 8.5/10

Overall Gameplay

Almost immediately after taking to the latest FIFA, you will feel that the game is slower with more importance being placed on building the play up from the back.

Dribbling, passing and choosing your moments take precedence over simply sprinting past your opponents, whilst the so-called ‘overpowered’ finesse shots from FIFA 19 have been refined to normality – phew.

It must be noted that free-kicks will potentially cause you a bit of confusion early on.

Instead of the old way of doing things, there is now a circle which you can move around (as you can see in the above image of a penalty scenario), where you have the option to knuckle-ball your shot and so on.

I’d love to tell you how to nestle one into the top corner in Cristiano Ronaldo vs Portsmouth fashion, but admittedly, I am still having trouble executing them myself. But practice makes perfect, so don’t be disheartened.

Gameplay: 8/10

[ad_pod ]Here are some stats and facts about Liverpool’s defensive colossus Virgil van Dijk.Last month Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe became the first player in 50 Premier League games to successfully dribble past the Dutchman.In April he became the first defender since John Terry to be awarded the PFA Player of the Year and he subsequently followed that up by beating Messi and Ronaldo to the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award.In the league last season he won a remarkable number of individual duels, 244 all told. The player has been credited with single-handedly transforming Liverpool’s back-line from one too often susceptible to individual errors to the most miserly unit in England.On his departure from Manchester City this summer Vincent Kompany – himself a stopper of fine repute – insisted van Dijk was the Premier League’s ‘best ever’ centre-back.In his down-time the 6ft 4 giant likes to invent medical equipment that helps save the lives of millions, while recently he stared at Mount Everest and its peak crumbled off in pure intimidation.Obviously, a couple of the above aren’t true, and were we living in normal, rational times they would be very easy to pick out.But we’re not living in rational times. We’re living in an era where Liverpool FC are flying high, missing out on a title by a singular point last year and then securing the Champions League. What’s more, a player has come to the fore; a leader who encapsulates all that is formidably impressive about this Jurgen Klopp creation. Put these two things together and it is fair to say that the public and media alike has gotten a little excitable of late.The exaggerated acclaim of Liverpool football club and celebration of every detail therein by its fans and the press has long been a source of irritation for many of us even though it is admittedly harmless in the first regard and understandable – to an extent – in the second.So Reds like to shout their club’s merits loudly from the rooftops? Frankly, if only more of us did likewise instead of putting down our own. As for the media, they have traditionally been acutely aware that in their coverage of Liverpool they have a huge fan-base only too happy to lap up – and crucially click and share – any and all positive content concerning their club.Again, being generous we could say that the first instance is passion, the second good business sense.Yet even by these well-established tropes that have previously brought to mind Pravda at its most trenchant – from the lionising of ‘Stevie G’ over Frank Lampard to television networks falling silent during You’ll Never Walk Alone as if it’s a reverential hymn. But even by Liverpool’s standards the veneration of Virgil van Dijk is a bit much.A recent clip of the 28-year-old jumping for a ball that hung from a corridor ceiling had one tabloid compare him to Michael Jordan. Late last year Jamie Redknapp insisted the player was Nemanja Vidic, John Terry, and Rio Ferdinand rolled into one.In April with Spurs’ Moussa Sissoko breaking through on goal van Dijk showed him onto his weaker foot, a tactic coached into defenders from the get-go. The Liverpool Echo’s match report had this for its opening line: ‘In a phenomenal six second sequence, Virgil van Dijk once again proved why he is considered the Premier League’s number one centre back’. The last minute goal that decided the contest was demoted to the third paragraph.On social media, meanwhile, people have virtually lost their minds.

Granted, the former Southampton defender is presently in the running for this year’s Ballon d’Or while last week he narrowly lost out to Lionel Messi for the FIFA Player of the Year award. These things do not happen unless you are unquestionably a special player. On that note it should be granted too that van Dijk is a very, very good defender who has enjoyed an exceptional 20 months since signing from the Saints for £75m.

Some perspective is needed though surely because if it’s incongruous to claim that the Liverpool star is over-rated it is absolutely on the money to state that he is over-celebrated.

Last season he was not alone in guiding his team to the top of the league via a series of immaculate defensive displays. Up the M62 Aymeric Laporte was equally a proverbial Rolls Royce at the back for Manchester City and similarly too he is a player who arrived during a January transfer window to elevate a defence not previously averse to calamity.

Leaving club bias aside to compare van Dijk and Laporte and their performances to date puts the former ahead. To compare their reputations via the coverage they receive, however, places one mortal and on the ground – despite helping his side to a clean sweep of domestic trophies – while the other is praised and elevated into to the stratosphere.

Why is this? It is because of the clubs they play for.

Many West Ham fans have voiced their concerns after the news that key player Lukasz Fabianski will be forced to miss at least two months with a torn hip muscle.

The Polish ‘keeper, 34, got the injury while taking a goal-kick in his side’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Saturday, and was duly subbed off.

According to The Guardian, there were hopes from West Ham that he had merely strained a muscle after he limped off at the Vitality Stadium, but further examination has shown that Fabianski will be sitting out a large chunk of the season – with reports suggesting it could be even longer than three months.

It’s a big blow for the Hammers considering the ‘keeper was the club’s Player of the Season last year.

Replacing Fabianski is likely to be Roberto Jimenez – a Spanish goalkeeper brought to the club in the summer after a three-year spell at Espanyol.

Unfortunately for Jimenez, it seems he is yet to convince the fans yet, playing twice in the EFL Cup and conceding four goals.

Here are some of the responses to the news of Fabianski’s impending absence…

How big a blow is it for West Ham to lose Fabianski? Can Jimenez step up adequately in his absence? Let us know your views in the comments section below!

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…

Writing in The Times, Tony Cascarino has suggested Eddie Howe is the “most exciting prospect in England” amid growing doubts over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long-term future at Manchester United.

What did he say?

The Red Devils’ horror start to the season has already raised serious questions over the decision to give Solskjaer the permanent job at Old Trafford last season, with reports in recent weeks suggesting the club could swoop for Mauricio Pochettino from Tottenham.

However, Cascarino has insisted the Argentine may not be the right man for the job, and instead threw his backing behind current Bournemouth boss Howe.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

He said: “I am not convinced he (Pochettino) is a ready-made Manchester United manager. The most exciting prospect in England is Eddie Howe, who delivers a great style of football at Bournemouth. Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolves is attack-minded and forward-thinking. I like Thomas Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain. Lucien Favre’s Borussia Dortmund play the way United fans expect of their team.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

“United took their eye off the ball the moment Sir Alex Ferguson retired. They focused too much on making money and thought David Moyes would be a safe pair of hands to continue the club’s domestic dominance. But the best sides are coached by bold, innovative individuals who deliver thrilling, attacking football – not by a safe pair of hands.”

Philosophy

As a young, but experienced boss at the highest level in English football, Howe certainly has his credentials for becoming the next United boss. The 41-year-old has established Bournemouth into a solid Premier League outfit, and has done so whilst sticking to his philosophies of playing on the front-foot.

He would represent an exciting choice of manager for the Red Devils, and a far cry from the kind of appointments the club have made previously. Rather importantly, he would help forge a connection between the fans and the players through his insistence on getting the team to attack.

The Old Trafford faithful have been essentially bored to death with their lack of goals and excitement over the years, and Howe’s appointment would go a long way to rectifying that.

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…

Glen Johnson believes Roy Hodgson failed as manager of Liverpool because he wasn’t ready to manage such a big club.

What did he say?

The former Red spent six years on Anfield playing under the likes of Rafa Benitez, Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers and Hodgson, so is well-placed to judge what it takes to succeed at the club.

All four managers had different approaches and although the latter has had a lot of success at various clubs and in different countries, Johnson believes he lacked the mentality necessary to achieve with Liverpool.

Watch a Liverpool fan discover the internet and get a nasty surprise in the video below…

Speaking to The Anfield Wrap, via The Mirror, he said: “Well Roy, no disrespect, had come from smaller clubs and I don’t think he was ready to manage Liverpool.

“We’d be worried about playing a smaller team at Anfield. No disrespect to the smaller teams but you have to grab the bull by the horns and just go and put them to bed, and he just didn’t have that sort of mentality, it was all a bit straight line and defensive.”

That goes some way to explaining why the former England manager wasn’t the right fit. Along with poor signings such as Milan Jovanovic and Paul Konchesky – who each made just 18 appearances for the club – he won just 13 out of 31 games.

Negative mindset

Hodgson’s most notable success in recent years has been at Fulham and West Brom, whilst he has done a very respectable job at Crystal Palace after taking over in difficult circumstances.

However, at both England and the Reds it is fair to say he was a disaster because he didn’t understand the ethos of Liverpool in terms of what was expected from the team.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Results failed, in part, due to his negative set-up and defensive style, with his side scoring 41 goals under his tenure. Many fans were also frustrated at an attitude which saw the Reds “praying for draws” against the likes of Blackburn, Wolves and Bolton.

Liverpool fans’ concerns at the time were justifiable, having seen their team play negatively with one striker in several games, as well as enduring a seven-game winless streak which also included a League Cup defeat at home to Northampton.

He also failed to get the best out of Fernando Torres, with the Spaniard scoring only six goals in 22 games, which suggests that Johnson is right in his assessment that Liverpool too often failed to assert themselves as a dominant threat.

Gareth Southgate has a real conundrum at the moment.

Having a plethora of talented players at your disposal isn’t exactly the worst headache to have, but it is still an issue he needs to solve before Euro 2020.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

One position that is very competitive within the Three Lions squad is centre-back.

There are a number of quality defenders to choose from in the England squad, and when Stuart Pearce and Phil Babb were asked to name their best XI, there was some disagreement as to who should start in the heart of the defence.

Pearce wants to see Joe Gomez start alongside Harry Maguire, while Babb believes that Tyrone Mings is the better option alongside the Manchester United man.

It’s interesting to see a man who played over 150 games for the Reds opt to snub a current Liverpool player, especially one with Gomez’s potential.

It remains to be seen who Southgate actually picks to start at the back, but based on Pearce and Babb’s selections it seems like it’s going to be a tough choice.

Wolverhampton Wanderers fought back to secure a 1-1 draw against Southampton on Saturday, but the performance of one player has agitated some of the club’s fanbase.

Jesús Vallejo, 22, was signed on loan from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window, but Nuno has mostly opted to deploy Willy Boly, Ryan Bennett, Romain Saiss and Conor Coady in central defence in the Premier League. 

Making just his second appearance in the Premier League this season after being substituted on for Bennett in the 18th minute, Vallejo failed to impress and was criticised by some of the club’s fanbase for his performance at Molineux.

With Wolves’ season back on track after a tricky start to life in 2019/20, Nuno’s side are now unbeaten in their last four Premier League games. These fans, however, are more concerned that Vallejo appearing in the first team does not become a regular occurrence.

Here are some of the best reactions to the Spaniard’s underwhelming performance against Southampton….

Everton fans have taken to Twitter to express their frustration following reports that Yerry Mina could be set for a spell on the sidelines.

The defender was replaced by Mason Holgate in the win over West Ham United last weekend after he was seen to pick up a hamstring injury. Sky Sports have reported that Mina has missed Everton’s training lately and that he remains a doubt for the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday.

It would be extremely unlucky if the Colombian were to miss out, as he helped Everton keep their first Premier League clean sheet since the second game of the season last week. Mina has started every game so far in the league for the Toffees and proved against the Hammers he can still be of great importance to Marco Silva.

The news has indeed wound up a lot of fans, with some supporters claiming they are “cursed” with injuries. Others are now hoping for a start for academy star Lewis Gibson, as a result.

Most likely, however, Holgate will step into the side in his place just as he did against West Ham – the Englishman has played just 18 minutes of Premier League action so far.

Here’s what some supporters have had to say about the latest injury scare…