All posts by h716a5.icu

[ad_pod ]Portsmouth fans have been sharing their best memories of Matthew Taylor after the club legend announced his retirement on his official Twitter account.Taylor played for Pompey between 2002 and 2008, scoring a number of sensational goals and helping the club win promotion to the Premier League.Upon leaving the club, he joined Bolton Wanderers, where he spent three years before embarking on something of a nomadic ending to his career.Spells with West Ham United, Burnley and Northampton Town followed prior to a move to Swindon Town, where he will see out his playing days.A versatile player with the ability to play at left-back, left midfield or in the centre of the pitch, Taylor has made 32 appearances in all competitions this season, with Swindon currently 13th in League Two.

He will retire upon the expiration of his contract this summer and Pompey fans have been quick to reminisce about some of Taylor’s best moments at Fratton Park.

Indeed, the 37-year-old represented Portsmouth 192 times, more than any other club in his career.

Take a look at some of the best reaction on Twitter below!

Some good news is finally emerging for Manuel Pellegrini, who has been able to unleash the full might of his West Ham United squad since joining the club in the summer due to a spate of injuries over the course of his maiden campaign.

Indeed, injuries have plagued his work in improving his side, but the Chilean will certainly be pleased with the boost of getting Jack Wilshere’s services back. As every Hammer reading this will know, the England man can be a game-changer on his day and the notion of him slotting into what is already an exciting attacking side should be hugely exciting.

The determined midfield enforcer has finally recovered from a bad ankle injury that’s kept him out for more than four months and seriously undermined the opening stages of his career in East London. Obviously, the former Arsenal man only made five appearances for West Ham this season, but that could grow with Pellegrini needing his energetic presence to lighten up his team.

Despite their good work, neither Declan Rice nor Mark Noble have been able to be that driving figure to bully their way past opposition midfielders. Both have been forced to look after their defence and keep distributing possession to their creative outlets, only displaying their attacking sides in set-pieces. However, Wilshere is very different to them and a persistent pressure figure in midfield.

Alongside the aforementioned pair, the former Manchester City manager might be able to field West Ham’s best engine room in years.

While the Irons manager would be wise to introduce him into the team slowly, his tenacious and talent nature could spell success at this point of the season. At a time when many oppositions players are facing fatigue, Wilshere’s wily nature could work in the Hammers favour to help them win more battles in midfield.

The former Arsenal enforcer’s not been able to properly assert himself in years. However, knowing his never-say-die spirit and inspired ability to keep fighting against the odds, Wilshere’s influential ability can be that X-Factor to drive Manuel Pellegrini’s side forward towards consolidating a top-half finish.

Hammers fans, are you excited to see Wilshere’s potential return this week? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Yerry Mina. A player who, apart from his three-goal haul at the World Cup last summer, has never truly set European football alight with his performances.

His performances for Palmeiras earned him a dream £10.5m move to Barcelona, where he lasted just half a season before ending up at Everton for almost three times that figure.

The Toffees have a track record of being particularly naive in the market in recent windows. Their expensive, and miscalculated, captures of Davy Klaassen and Morgan Schneiderlin have proven to be awful pieces of business, and their erratic swoop for Mina is starting to look just as bad.

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…

Signed after his excellent World Cup campaign, as aforementioned, Mina arrived on Merseyside carrying a slight foot injury – Marco Silva had targeted the 16th September for the Colombian’s debut, although it took until the 11th November for Mina to make his full debut.

Since that debut against Chelsea, Mina has managed to make just 12 appearances throughout the Premier League season as injury issues have defined his maiden campaign in English football.

Recently, the 24-year-old has come back into Silva’s starting XI, and has put in some impressive performances, but those came before the international break where Everton received some extremely frustrating news.

Mina sustained an injury to his hamstring during his country’s match against South Korea, a blow which has been described as ‘serious’ for the club and for the player himself.

To spend around £30m on a player who hasn’t even truly proven himself in European football – he made just six appearances for Barcelona – was a truly ludicrous decision by the Toffees and one that is beginning to look extremely foolish.

That isn’t to say that Mina hasn’t impressed when he has made it out onto the pitch, although those showings are becoming too few and far between for Everton to consider their purchase a successful one.

Things are starting to get real ugly at Chelsea with supporters having voiced their dissatisfaction with the team’s performance over the weekend. 

While they were able to claim victory in the end, the Blues were poor against Cardiff City, and fans let Maurizio Sarri know just that.

With so much still to play for, though, the Italian is urging the Stamford Bridge faithful to get behind the side.

The Breakdown

“They have to help the players during the match,” Sarri said in his pre-match press conference (via Chelsea’s official club website) ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash versus Brighton tomorrow night.

“After the match they can say everything, but during the match I hope they will be able to help my players.”

The current atmosphere among supporters will not do anyone any favours, but their frustrations cannot be blamed.

While, of course, it is important to support the team unconditionally, it is fully understandable if fans feel deflated and unmotivated at games right now.

The way Chelsea have been playing of late has not just been at a poor level, but has also been boring to watch in general.

That falls on Sarri who, simply put, is not getting the best out of this squad. If the former Napoli boss wants to get his supporters onside again, then he should consider given the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek some starts.

The duo are players capable of injecting some real excitement into the team, in contrast to individuals such as Mateo Kovacic, Willian and Pedro who have all grown a bit stale.

If Sarri does that, he could completely change the depressing atmosphere hanging over Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans, is Sarri right to call out those not backing his players? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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In Mark Lawrenson’s weekly predictions on the BBC, the pundit has claimed that he think Wolves will edge their FA Cup semi-final with Watford this weekend. The former Liverpool man predicted it to be a close game, but for the Midlands club to come out on top on penalties.

What’s he said?

Lawrenson was initially full of praise for Wolves, claiming that Nuno Santo deserved plaudits for the way he’s lead his team in 2018/19. He told the BBC:

 “At the end of the season, Hornets boss Javier Gracia and Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Sanchez will both get honourable mentions when the awards are handed out.

“Nuno, in particular, has impressed me. I know there is an argument that Wolves have got greater resources than Watford, but you have to consider the way they play and the fact they are a little bit more consistent than Watford.”

The pundit went onto talk about how Wolves have played this season, even after tasting defeat.

“I know Wolves have had a couple of slip-ups where you think their result is strange – like their defeat by Burnley last week.

“But Nuno knows that is what happens in the Premier League, and he has never changed the way he plays after a defeat. Instead he keeps on repeating his message to the players.”

He then finally predicted the outcome of their next match which sees them travel to Wembley.

“I think this one is going to be very tight. I would not be surprised if it goes to penalties – but I do think Wolves will edge it.”

Is he right?

Wolves have been a pleasure to watch this season and he is without a doubt right when it comes to Nuno. The Portuguese manager has done a brilliant job since he took over, guiding them from the Championship last season to the lucrative Premier League.

The fact they now sit seventh shows why he deserves to be in the conversation for awards come the end of the season.

Lawrenson is also right to bring up some of the strange results they’ve had this term. Their away form hasn’t been fantastic but they’ve usually had a way to answer any adversity they’ve faced. That was all too clear when they bounced back to beat Manchester United on Tuesday evening.

Although Wolves lost to Watford earlier in the season there is a sense that they may just have too much at Wembley for their opponents on this occasion.

Having signed Raul Jimenez permanently this week the club is surrounded by positivity which could drive them to success.

Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez was asked, as is the norm nowadays, about his contract situation at the club, and his response suggests that owner, Mike Ashley is simply sitting on his hands and letting the clock tick down.

It is a week since Rafa told the media that he was talking to the club about an extension to his current deal, which many fans took to be a positive sign.

But Rafa today said the position regarding his deal is “exactly the same” as it was a week ago, suggesting that no further dialogue has taken place.

It will be alarming to fans, who had started getting their hopes up in the wake of last weeks confirmation of talks between the Spaniard and the club.

The Daily Mail report Benitez said: “It is exactly the same situation that I had before, so I am waiting and the main thing if I am asked about this is just to talk about the game, and I just try to get three points.”

Ashley and Lee Charnley already know exactly what it will take to keep Benitez at the club, so quite why no further talks have taken place, is baffling.

Even if they are apart in their discussions, logic would say that they would have sat down and tried to talk through their differences, or at least tried to negotiate and find some common ground in the middle.

The fear is that Ashley has no real intention of giving any ground to Rafa, and is just waiting for the season to end, and — as he did with Alan Shearer after his temporary spell in charge — let the contract expire.

If that is the case, there will be mutiny on Tyneside, and it would be a risky game for the club to play, with fans threatening to boycott the club and cancel season tickets if their hero leaves.

As bizarre as many of the decisions the hierarchy at St James’ Park have made in the past, not doing anything to keep Benitez would take stupidity to another level.

Newcastle fans will hope that it is just a case of Charnley sifting through Rafa’s list of demands, before getting around the table and thrashing out a deal that suits both parties.

It promises to be a turbulent end to the season for Magpies’ fans, both on and off the pitch, with nothing less than a positive outcome in both being accepted.

What are your thoughts about Rafa’s contract situation? Do you think he will stay, or will Ashley and Charnley find a way to alienate the fans further? Let us know your thoughts…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have brutally mocked a West Ham United supporter for suggesting that the club should appoint Diego Simeone as manager.

The Argentine, of course, is currently at Atletico Madrid, where he has won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League, twice, and the UEFA Super Cup, twice.

The Hammers have endured an inconsistent season under Manuel Pellegrini this term and currently sit 11th in the Premier League, having won 12 and lost 15 of their 33 games since the start of the campaign.

One supporter, subsequently, has called on the club to consider the appointment of Simeone, a manager who has often been linked with a move away from the Spanish giants.

But Spurs fans have been quick to rip the opinion apart, insisting that a manager of the Argentine’s calibre would never so much as consider a move to the London Stadium.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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James Shan hasn’t done too much wrong since becoming manager of West Brom but after the club were able to seal their play-off spot on Monday with a 0-0 draw against Reading, supporters took issue with one major fault – Shan’s team selection.

The 40-year-old chose to play a number of fringe players, including the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu, Jacob Murphy and Conor Townsend but it didn’t go down well.

Reacting after the game on Twitter, the starting XI Shan chose to go with was berated as one fan said that he had to take the full blame for the game’s result. Another supporter simply said that they needed a proper manager.

Two fans claimed that there was a lack of ambition from the club, hinting that they didn’t care about what position they finished in the table after clinching a play-off place.

West Brom currently sit in fourth and as things stand would be facing a play-off semi-final against Midlands rivals Aston Villa, who are in red-hot form.

Had the Baggies won on Monday, then they’d have been three points off Leeds in third with two games to go.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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Lots of Manchester United fans were moaning about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to include Juan Mata’s in the starting eleven prior to kick-off against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

The former Blues attacking midfielder was making a surprise start, his first since the win over Watford at the end of March, and his inclusion was not a welcome one for some United supporters.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

On his 31st birthday, however, Mata was handed his 14th league start of the season and almost instantly rewarded the manager’s faith in him with a well-taken opening goal.

Some neat play from Romelu Lukaku and Luke Shaw in the build-up saw the latter cut the ball back across goal, where Mata was waiting to tuck the ball home for his second goal of the league campaign.

He will have loved scoring against his former side, especially on his birthday, but he also proved a lot of his own supporters wrong in netting after they moaned about seeing him in the lineup on Twitter…

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Alexander Sorloth departed Crystal Palace on loan in January having struggled for form at Selhurst Park and the Eagles have hardly missed him, with Michy Batshuayi chipping in with a couple of goals and Christian Benteke back to his best against Arsenal.

Any Palace fans who have been keeping an eye on the Norwegian’s loan stint at Gent will have noticed that he has been a successful signing for the Belgian outfit. Had Roy Hodgson been deploying the giant forward in the wrong position all this time?

On the chalkboard

Sorloth played just 173 minutes of Premier League football and failed to score for Palace before being shipped out three months ago, although he has found his shooting boots again across the channel it seems.

The 23-year-old has chalked up four goals and two assists in all competitions for Gent but hasn’t been doing it as a striker. Instead, the 6 ft 4 hitman has been deployed as a right winger and has clearly been reaping the rewards.

Naturally, his height and physicality mean he looks like a striker but, prior to his move to Palace and subsequent conversion to a centre-forward, the former Midtjylland man had been successful as a wide-man. Is this where Hodgson should be looking to use him when he returns ahead of the next campaign?

Big winger

The likes of Marko Arnautovic and Romelu Lukaku under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have proved that size is a huge asset on the wing and while Sorloth doesn’t have Wilfried Zaha’s dribbling or Andros Townsend’s shooting from range, he does have a bit of pace about him and his size would make him a nightmare for most Premier League full-backs.

There’s some exciting changes happening at Crystal Palace next summer. Find out what in the video below…

While the former England boss has come under some criticism for his management this season, he has shown that he isn’t afraid to patiently transform players into the type he needs – Jeffrey Schlupp has been converted into a central-midfielder and the aforementioned wing duo are now able to double as a strike partnership. It certainly seems worth a try, otherwise Sorloth will just end up being money down the drain.