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Loads of Rangers fans have been reflecting on the weekend’s action, and they’re absolutely fuming at Connor Goldson.

Goldson has become a very popular figure at Ibrox since his summer move from Brighton, making 44 appearances so far in his first season with the club.

The 26 year-old has been the one fixture in the heart of Steven Gerrard’s defence as the gaffer chops and changes between Gareth McAuley, Nikola Katic and Joe Worrall for the other centre back spot.

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

However, his form has gone off the deep end in recent weeks, and his showing in Friday’s 1-1 draw at Easter Road is drawing a lot of criticism.

The Gers travelled to take on Hibernian knowing only a win would realistically keep them in the title race, but Florian Kamberi’s second half strike cancelled out a wonderful opener from Daniel Candeias.

Celtic’s goalless draw on Saturday keeps a faint glimmer of hope alive, but fans are fuming nonetheless, and the Twitter reactions down below are pointing a lot of that fume at Goldson…

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Crystal Palace progressed to the quarter finals of the FA Cup with their 2-0 win over League One Doncaster on Sunday, with goals from Jeffrey Schlupp and Max Meyer enough to see the Selhurst Park outfit through to the next stage of the domestic competition.

The performances of the aforementioned duo give Roy Hodgson a bit of a headache going forward and he may have to make some huge sacrifices if he is to accommodate all of his best options.

On the chalkboard

Meyer, who joined from Schalke in the summer on a free – surely to much fanfare – has been unable to earn an extended run in the starting XI and has made just 10 Premier League starts, with many of his opportunities coming in the cup competitions.

At 5-foot-7, the maestro is hardly a physical presence or a player you would associate with heading the ball but his nodded effort in the dying minutes of the first half proved decisive. Aside from that, the German constantly looked to make things happen – as he usually does when granted a start – and may have finally done enough to warrant dropping one of the Eagles’ key men.

Meanwhile, Schlupp has continued his impressive run in central-midfield and the powerful run preceding his goal-bound, left-footed drive has become a key feature of his game as Hodgson favours the Ghanaian’s pace and energy in the middle rather than on the wing, where he had previously plied his trade.

Both deserve to start

Both Schlupp and Meyer bring different dimensions to the Palace team and ones that are difficult to expend, so Hodgson may be forced into changing to a more narrow formation in order to maximise the utility of his new-found midfield depth – Luka Milivojevic is always solid, while Cheikhou Kouyate has impressed and James McArthur seems undroppable in Hodgson’s eyes.

Doing so could prove terminal for Andros Townsend, who has been excellent for the Croydon outfit this campaign. Perhaps playing Meyer in the number 10 role behind Wilfried Zaha and Michy Batshuayi is the way forward, with the regular midfield three tucking in behind in a 4-3-1-2.

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

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Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he believes that the reason Everton have struggled so much in recent months is down to the last-gasp 1-0 defeat they suffered in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool in December, ahead of the reverse fixture at Goodison Park on Sunday.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Toffees went into the clash against Jurgen Klopp’s men last year in sixth position, eight points adrift from the top four and above Manchester United on goal difference.

They were high in confidence and would have fancied their chances of taking something at Anfield, and they almost did before Jordan Pickford’s mistake led to Divock Origi’s 96th-minute winner.

Since then, Marco Silva’s men have only taken 14 points from their 14 Premier League fixtures – including three in the 3-0 win against Cardiff City during the week – and lie in ninth position, 20 points from the Champions League qualification spots and significantly closer to the relegation zone than they are to sixth-placed Chelsea.

Lawrenson feels the lost against their local neighbours had a big part to play, telling BBC Sport: “I was at Anfield when Liverpool beat Everton in November as Jordan Pickford’s injury-time error let in Divock Origi for the winner.

“Everton had played really well, from front to back. They created some really good chances but lost because of a piece of bad luck, and there is an argument that result has seriously affected their season.”

Is he right?

The evidence is pretty damning, and Everton certainly haven’t been the same since that moment.

Considering the money they have spent and some of the players they have at their disposal, the fact that they have lost eight of their previous 12 top-flight fixtures is unacceptable, and it is fortunate that they started the campaign well otherwise they would be in big trouble right now.

Home advantage and the motivation to cost Liverpool in the title race means the Sunday clash will be intriguing though, with Lawrenson tipping the hosts to take a point.

طمئن لاعب تشيلسي، تيمو فيرنر، جماهير النادي الإنجليزي بشأن حالته بعد مواجهة فريق برايتون مساء أمس، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتواجه الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى، حيث فاز تشيلسي بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.

وشارك فيرنر في تلك المباراة، وهي الأولى له مع تشيلسي منذ انتقاله إلى النادي اللندني، قادمًا من لايبزيج هذا الصيف.

ولعب فيرنر المباراة بأكملها، ولكنه شوهد عقب اللقاء وهو يضع كيسًا ثلجيًا فوق ركبته، وهو ما أدى إلى إثارة التكهنات حول إمكانية مشاركته أمام ليفربول الأحد المقبل.

ولكن فيرنر طمئن جماهير تشيلسي، حيث قال في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ديلي إكسبريس” الإنجليزية: “لقد تلقيت ضربة في ركبتي عندما حصلت على ركلة الجزاء”.

وأضاف: “ركبة حارس المرمى أصابتني مباشرة في العضلة وتضررت بشدة، وظلت تؤلمني كثيرًا طوال المباراة”.

وواصل: “لا يمكنني القيام ببعض الحركات لأن العضلات تتحرك بقوة، لكن في النهاية أنا سعيد لأننا فزنا”.

وعندما سُئل عما إذا كان يعتقد أنه سيكون لائقًا لمواجهة ليفربول، الأسبوع المقبل، أجاب فيرنر: “بالتأكيد، في مثل تلك المباريات تكون دائمًا لائقًا”.

In his latest Q&A for The Athletic, Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay asked fans for their dream and realistic signings should the club win promotion back to the Premier League this season, with one familiar name cropping up – striker Chris Wood.

What was said?

Well, one supporter suggested that the Yorkshire outfit would need a free-scoring striker should they make it back to the top flight when the 2019/20 campaign resumes, and suggested Wood as an option.

Of course, the 28-year-old left Elland Road for Burnley in slightly controversial circumstances in August 2017, having ruled himself out of the Championship clash with Sunderland at the last minute in order to get the move over the line.

However, as Hay says below, the deal had already been agreed before the clash with the Black Cats, so it wasn’t too surprising that the New Zealand international didn’t want to play, and the journalist feels like the centre-forward would be an unrealistic target.

He said: “But let’s face it, it’s unlikely that he’ll ever be back here.”

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

Is he right?

You’d have to think so, yes.

Firstly, the way in which he left Leeds doesn’t appear to have been forgotten by many fans given what Hay said in his reply, and the Elland Road faithful probably aren’t the easiest to win back over once you’ve got on the wrong side of them.

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In addition, you’d have to argue why Wood would want to leave the Clarets at the current time anyway, given he has started 25 of the 26 Premier League matches he has been available for this term, scoring 11 goals.

Leeds may well need a new striker or two if they do go up, but as Hay says it’s unlikely that the 28-year-old will be one of them.

In other Leeds news, Phil Hay has raised the idea of the Whites signing a Sheffield Wednesday star if they win promotion…

George Caulkin appeared on the Pod on the Tyne podcast recently and talked about the potential issues any manager would face at Newcastle United at the moment.

On a run of four games without a win and beaten by Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Magpies have suffered a downturn in the kind of form that saw them initially steer clear of the relegation zone. Still, while Steve Bruce has invoked the ire of fans at times this season, he is obviously working under a Mike Ashley regime to have sparked protests from the club’s fanbase.

While answering a fan question about which manager would potentially do a better job at Newcastle, Caulkin said on the Pod on the Tyne (26/2/2020) that whoever it was in that hot seat, they would possibly face the same roadblocks due to bad planning and management: “If there’s no director of football, if there’s no person taking football decisions, would they come up with the same roadblocks that [Rafa] Benitez came across, which was that when he wanted to sign players, they wouldn’t be available, they would take too long to get them. And so at the end, you’re scrambling around to get people. Would they have appointed a director of football? No, they don’t show any interest in doing that.”

Indeed, the issues run much deeper than that after 12 years of Ashley’s ownership and the problems that led to the departure of Benitez, so Caulkin is right to believe that any manager would struggle to restructure and improve the team because of the lack of control they’d have in the transfer market.

Newcastle fans, do you agree with Caulkin’s verdict or do you think a new manager would be a good start for your club? Let us know in the comments below!

With the FA Cup break last weekend it’s been a little while since Leeds were involved in Championship action.

Last time out in the league, United drew 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion in a clash between two promotion contenders, and this weekend’s match is another tough fixture for the Whites.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have to play against another top-six contender in the shape of Sheffield Wednesday.

Of course, playing against the Owls also sees the Elland Road outfit come up against their old boss Garry Monk, and with Bielsa failing to get the better of the 40-year-old in their past three meetings he has to be very particular about his team selection for this one.

Here’s how we think Leeds will lineup against the Steel City outfit on Saturday, with four changes expected.

Firstly, despite Illan Meslier earning plaudits from fans for his performance against Arsenal, Kiko Casilla returns in goal to continue his streak of starting every single league game this term.

The back four remains relatively similar to the one that started against the Gunners, but Liam Cooper returns in place of Gaetano Berardi.

Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich retain their starting spots, but Robbie Gotts isn’t so lucky as Stuart Dallas steps in for him.

Jack Harrison returns to his more regular left-wing role after playing on the opposite side last Monday, while Helder Costa features on the right.

Up top Patrick Bamford starts as he remains Leeds’ only senior striker within the squad.

Meanwhile, one of Leeds’ transfer targets could be a perfect Pablo Hernandez replacement.

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According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Paris Saint Germain are interested in signing Idrissa Gueye in the January transfer window. However, Everton fans on Twitter have been laughing off the rumours.

The 29-year-old has become a key figure at Goodison Park, and his absence through injury in recent weeks has highlighted just how important he is to Marco Silva’s side. With Gueye out of the side, Everton have now lost 3-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad and 6-2 at home to Tottenham.

Gueye provides that protection in front of the back four that every team needs, no matter how good the football they play when in possession.

A Senegalese international, he is one of the best in the business at breaking up play and making crucial tackles, so letting him go would be a serious error if the club have ambitions to break into the top six.

Clearly, Everton fans on Twitter don’t believe the hierarchy will accept an offer though and they have been joking about the rumoured interest from the French champions. Check out the best tweets below.

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West Ham made it seven points from their last three matches with a momentous win over Manchester United on Saturday, and the performance of Fabian Balbuena showed the Hammers got their transfer business spot on this summer.

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When West Ham managed to sign Manuel Pellegrini this summer, everyone knew that despite all his success, it was simply not enough.

The arrival of Mario Husillos as the new director of football was perhaps even more important, and the pair’s work in the transfer market is finally passing inspection.

After a difficult start to the season, the likes of Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop and Andriy Yarmolenko are starting to shine, but the bargain capture of Balbuena might be the best of the lot.

What the Hammers were really missing at the back last year was a commanding leader, and signing the man that Corinthians fans referred to as “the General” is certainly a good way to go about fixing that.

The 27 year-old cost the Hammers just £4m, and his budding relationship with Diop is extremely promising.

The pair made a whopping 15 clearances against the Red Devils, and Balbuena was responsible for ten of those.

He also won three aerial duels, three tackles and made two smart interceptions, in one of the most dominant centre half performances the London Stadium has seen.

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Of course, playing for Pellegrini isn’t all about defending though, and the 6 ft 2 in Paraguay international completed 87 per cent of his passes, while Diop completed an incredible 96 per cent.

Balbuena wasn’t the most glamorous signing of the summer, but if he keeps improving at the rate he is while helping Diop develop alongside him, he might just this season’s biggest bargain.

So, West Ham fans, how impressed were you by Balbuena on Saturday? Will he and Diop forge a long-term partnership? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Manchester United fans are absolutely crucifying Phil Jones, after the England defender struggled massively in Saturday’s clash with Belgium.

Jose Mourinho has some work to do this summer if he wants to catch Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and the first priority has surely got to be in the heart of defence.

While fans are desperate for the signing of Alex Sandro to take over at left back, the Red Devils are uncharacteristically weak in the middle, where neither of Jones or Chris Smalling have ever lived up their billing.

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Jones is taking loads of flak for his performance against Belgium on Saturday, as the 26 year-old was all over the place on several occasions.

Eden Hazard slipped in behind him to grab Belgium’s second goal in the 2-0 win, and the 6 ft defender’s positioning was just really poor throughout the match.

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Fans will be hoping Eric Bailly can stay fit and Victor Lindelof can continue his impressive World Cup form, but if not they may be stuck with Jones yet again.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Phil…