All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic legend John Hartson has called the customary guard of honour gesture ‘nonsense’.

The Hoops saw their run of nine consecutive league titles officially come to an end last weekend as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Dundee United.

There are still six matches left to play and they are set to meet arch-rivals and newly-crowned champions Rangers at Parkhead on 21 March.

‘Celtic don’t need to be told that they have deserved it’

Hartson said that ‘mutual respect’ is important, but adhering to the football tradition of applauding their rivals onto the field that day would be a step too far in his opinion.

He told the Daily Record: “Why would you start it now? And where do you stop it? There is respect between players.

“Celtic don’t need to be told this season that Rangers have deserved it. And the players will appreciate just how well Rangers have played and how consistent they have been.

“But the guard of honour thing is just a nonsense really. They are rivals and there has to be mutual respect but you can have that without needing to go down the guard of honour road.”

Celtic will be looking to send a ‘next season starts now’ message when the two sides face off on Sunday week. Rangers have won on their last two visits to Parkhead, having previously gone nine years without tasting victory on the Hoops’ turf.

Transfer Tavern verdict

You can’t help but be reminded of the debate over whether Manchester City should adhere to the tradition ahead of their meeting with champions Liverpool last summer.

Whilst there is a degree of humiliation involved, this can serve as a source of motivation to strike back, and Pep Guardiola insisted that his team show respect to their rivals (via Sky Sports).

Of course, the antipathy in Glasgow is on a vast scale, and you would ultimately expect neither team to agree to pay homage, behind closed doors or otherwise.

In other news, find out which England-based manager is reportedly being groomed for the permanent Celtic job.

Jacob Murphy must seize on DeAndre Yedlin’s imminent move to Galatasaray and lock down the right-back spot in Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United squad.

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, Yedlin will travel to Istanbul to carry out his medical after agreeing to join the Super Lig giants on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Newcastle have agreed a fee with Galatasaray to part with the United States international ahead of Monday night’s deadline, as Yedlin had entered into the final six-months of his £30,000-per-week deal.

Yedlin’s original preference had been to stay at St. James’ Park and he was offered assurances that he would feature in the remainder of the season, but will depart after the Toon opted against tabling a new contract offer.

The fee Galatasaray will pay Newcastle for Yedlin is thought to be based on his performances and appearances for the Turk Telekom Stadium natives, who currently trail rivals Fenerbahce and Besiktas in a close-fought battle for the Super Lig title.

Yedlin had been made available for a transfer last summer amid interest from Turkish and Major League Soccer outfits, with Bruce open to the fact that he would face a battle to displace Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth in the first-team picture.

The 27-year-old ultimately had to wait until December’s 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion to make his Premier League season debut, playing the final four minutes, before starting five of the Toon’ following seven top-flight fixtures. A visa issue meant he last featured on January 12th.

Yedlin’s exit is Murphy’s chance

Bruce had persisted with Manquillo and Krafth rotating duties at right-back before offering Yedlin a recall over the festive period, while occasionally turning to Murphy to play out of position with Miguel Almiron frequently fielded on the wing.

Manquillo was the one favoured for Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton as Newcastle snapped an 11-game winless run, but Murphy must now seize on Yedlin’s exit if he is to secure himself a regular starting role at St. James’ Park for the first time in his Magpies career.

Bruce had no place for Murphy in his matchday squad at Goodison Park, for only the third time all season and first since September, and has chosen to start the 25-year-old in just eight of his 13 Premier League outings this term. Only during the 2017/18 campaign when Rafa Benitez handed the £3m-rated maestro 13 starts in 25 games, has he opened more fixtures.

Of those starts under Bruce, half have come at right-back and three of which have returned Murphy’s best match ratings from WhoScored, having impressed enough to warrant a 7.74 at Wolves, a 7.08 against Leeds and a 7.01 at home to Everton.

For comparison, three of his four starts at right-midfield have returned scores below 6.3, including a 6.05 when beaten by Chelsea.

Manquillo earned a 6.99 rating during Saturday’s win over Everton for his third-best score of the season – a term-high 7.38 was achieved at West Ham on the opening day – while Krafth enjoyed his campaign-best showing at home to Burnley in October when awarded a 6.9.

Murphy has further offered a higher interceptions per game (1.5) score than Krafth (1.3) and Manquillo (0.7), and has shown that he is able to drive play up the field more successfully after snatching possession with 3.5 out of 5.5 dribbles to the Sweden international’s 0.3/0.5 and Spaniard’s 0/0.9, per WhoScored.

The 25-year-old is additionally more productive at the top of the pitch with 0.8 accurate crosses from 3.1 deliveries a game to Krafth’s 0.3/2.8 and Manquillo’s 0.7/3.1, for a higher rate of key passes with 0.8 to 0.5 and 0.6 respectively.

So, if Murphy is to establish himself anywhere in Bruce’s plans, it is likely to be at right-back, and thus he must seize on Yedlin’s departure to prove himself as more than just occasional cover.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Rob Lee slams “laughable” Newcastle and Steve Bruce decision…

Lee Johnson has dropped a triple injury blow for Sunderland ahead of their away trip to Crewe Alexandra in the EFL League One on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, the English manager confirmed that Bailey Wright is still two weeks away from a return, while Tom Flanagan is one week away and although Ross Stewart has been out running on the grass this week, he too will not be available for selection.

Sunderland dealt triple injury blow

The Stadium of Light faithful will be without three potentially key players as they look to try and get all three points away from home and strengthen their hopes of promotion back to the Championship.

Many Black Cats will be particularly eager to see Stewart play after his January arrival from Ross County, but he had previously been side-lined for their last seven games in total over all competitions and it is just a case of easing him back to full fitness.

Wright is a leader who is missed both on and off the pitch, as the central defender has captained the team in eight previous matches so far in the 2020/21 term.

Flanagan was a regular starter before his injury, making 19 appearances in total across all competitions this season, but all three players will be missed as the Wearside club look to build on their 2-0 home win over Fleetwood Town.

In other news, find out whose display versus Fleetwood was slammed by SAFC fans here!

Carlo Ancelotti is set for a huge Everton blunder amid reports the Italian does not see Gylfi Sigurdsson as part of his long-term vision at Goodison Park ahead of the January window.

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, Everton are to prioritise strengthening Ancelotti’s midfield in the winter market after deeming the position to be an area of concern despite the form of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez following their summer arrivals.

The Toffees are monitoring the situations of Tottenham Hotspur duo Harry Winks and Dele Alli in case Jose Mourinho grants either a move away from north London in January, while Sami Khedira has been in contact with Ancelotti as he looks to secure a move away from Juventus.

Everton are tracking several central midfielders after Sigurdsson and Tom Davies were deemed to no longer have long-term futures at Goodison Park, with future exits now on the cards.

Sigurdsson has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Merseyside since Ancelotti’s arrival, with the Iceland international said to have headed a vast clear-out as the Italian sought to stamp his mark on Marco Silva’s squad.

But the £16.2m-rated playmaker remained at Goodison Park in both the January and summer windows, and has been given frequent game time this season after moving ahead of Andre Gomes in Ancelotti’s pecking order.

Ancelotti’s set for a blunder

Ancelotti looking to sell Sigurdsson in January or next summer would see the former Chelsea head coach set himself up for a blunder, having begun to witness the Toffees’ £45million former record purchase begin to rediscover his form this term.

The 31-year-old had lost his way under Silva, going from the Blues’ “shining light” in the 2018/19 Premier League campaign with six assists and a joint-team-high 13 goals to a shadow of himself the following season with just one goal and an assist in 15 outings before the Portuguese’s sacking.

“He doesn’t look pretty, but he can finish and smell a goal. He’s the shining light for them all season. He’s been the only one that has kept his form together,” former Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders told talkSPORT (21/04/2019, 18:40).

Sigurdsson managed to rediscover some of his form upon Ancelotti’s arrival with a goal and two assists, but has come on leaps and bounds this term by delivering two of his best performances for a long while in wins over Chelsea and Leicester City.

And while Ancelotti believes there’s still more to come from the former Swansea City maestro, he, too, was impressed by how Sigurdsson offered six of Everton’s seven key chances while captaining the side in the 1-0 win over Frank Lampard’s Stamford Bridge natives.

“I agree, he did really well, supported the team offensively and defensively. He hasn’t started a lot of games, but he has played a lot of parts of games. I am satisfied,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “He can improve his level. But, in this moment, he is ok.”

AND in other news, an £18m-rated Everton ace once an automatic pick for Carlo Ancelotti faces a huge hurdle to regain his place at Goodison Park.

After seeing Celtic’s Scottish Premiership campaign crumble in front of his very eyes, Peter Lawwell will desperately be searching for ways to hit the reset button and kick-start a new era of dominance.

The Hoops have endured a nightmare first-half to the season thus far, finding themselves 21 points behind leaders and Old Firm rivals Rangers.

If planning for next season isn’t already under way at Parkhead, then there is something seriously going wrong at the club. But, according to The Daily Mirror, the Bhoys do seem to be looking at ways of setting up a more exciting future, with it being suggested that Wigan teenager Kyle Joseph is someone who they’re looking at potentially signing.

The report claims that Celtic are not the only ones tracking the Scotland U19 international, with Rangers, Tottenham and Sheffield United all in the race to sign him too, although their hopes are boosted by the fact his contract with the Latics comes to an end in June.

And whilst the sample size is small – he’s played just 13 games of senior football at Wigan so far – he’s already shown signs of being a really impressive young talent.

The 19-year-old bagged a hat-trick in Wigan’s last game in League One, when they beat Burton Albion 4-3. Despite the Latics being near the foot of the table, Joseph’s goals showed that he’s got the mentality to continue playing his way, and that kind of fearlessness is something Celtic would surely love to add to their side.

His teammate, Kal Naismith, said he has a “great appetite for the game” and works hard, insisting that “he’ll be a top player”. At 19, Joseph isn’t going to come in at Celtic and hit the ground running or be the saviour to topple Rangers next season.

But he can be a major building block for their future as they start afresh, and Lawwell would do well to fend off competition to bring him to Scotland.

Meanwhile, Celtic can get an Edouard replacement in this 27-goal striker…

Celtic suffer a blow in the Premiership as they blunder on the road against Hibernian. Despite Odsonne Edouard putting his side back in the running with a late penalty and a last gasp effort from Diego Laxalt, the Bhoys had to settle for a point.

A win would’ve been a huge result for Neil Lennon’s side, who are desperate to catch up to Rangers. Their bitter rivals currently top the Premiership table and have an eight-point lead on Celtic. However, the Gers are set to play against Aberdeen tomorrow, which could see them go further into the lead.

Although Edouard and Laxalt were the goalscorers, they were outdone by Ryan Christie’s magnificent work ethic.

Ryan Christie vs Hibernian

The Scotland international was by far Lennon’s best player after throwing everything at Hibs to try and find another goal for his side. According to Sofascore, Christie contributed a stellar 50% dribble success, five shots on target and three key passes, as well as winning nine of the 19 duels (47.3%) he faced. The 25-year-old also had 100% long ball accuracy and drew in three fouls, proving just how much of a problem he was for the Hibs defence.

Christie went into this fixture following a very successful international window. Scotland secured their Euros qualification with a dramatic win over Serbia. The £7,000 per week Hoops star was on song for his country after bagging a goal in the second half.

He received an abundance of praise for his performance and is clearly still on a high from the international break. Christie continues to be a crucial player to Lennon, who is currently experiencing a lot of problems with his squad.

If Celtic don’t want to see their title chances slip further and further away, the manager must be coming up with better game-plans and utilising his best players. A draw against Hibernian only puts Lennon in deeper water.

In other news, Celtic must withdraw interest in potential club record signing Omar Colley…

Crystal Palace host Premier League leaders Liverpool in south London on Saturday as Roy Hodgson’s side take on Jurgen Klopp’s defending champions at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles find themselves without Christian Benteke, after he was sent off against West Ham, whilst Martin Kelly, Wayne Hennessey, Nathan Ferguson and Connor Wickham have been ruled out due to injury.

Palace seem to have a problem in the midfield, as it’s fair to say that James McArthur has struggled for consistency so far this season, so Hodgson should put his faith in Jairo Riedewald instead.

The 24-year-old has impressed in the Premier League this season, as he cruised the midfield battle against Brighton in the A23, and he could be called into action against Klopp’s side on Saturday afternoon.

Whoever Hodgson picks to play in the midfield will have to be well-equipped to deal with the likes of Mo Salah, Robert Firmino and Sadio Mane, who have scored eighteen league goals between them so far this season, and Riedewald’s physicality could be exactly what he needs to disrupt the supply chain for the formidable front three.

Moreover, if the Dutchman can win his individual battles in the engine room, then it could give the Eagles a real chance of beating the Reds.

If Firmino is put under pressure by Riedewald and Luka Milivojevic, it’ll help to stop the influential false nine from finding Salah and Mane at almost free will.

McArthur has started to show signs he is beginning to rediscover the form that saw him named Crystal Palace’s Player of the Month for June, as he was solid albeit unimpressive against Spurs, but Hodgson must trust Riedewald to fill in for him against the league leaders.

Speaking to reporters after he earned his first recall in the Premier League since April 2018 last season, the Palace manager was effusive in his praise for the £55,000-per-week beast, saying:

“He’s an intelligent player who reads the game well. He uses the qualities he has to good effect and on several occasions against Watford his composure and calm on the ball was good.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace should reward Vicente Guaita with a new contract…

Defending champions Celtic endured a dismal defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals on Saturday afternoon as their quest to land a historic tenth successive title was dealt a devastating dent.

Neil Lennon’s side were outfought, outplayed and outperformed – in pretty much every aspect – as Rangers ran away with a 2-0 victory at Celtic Park, courtesy of a match-winning brace from central defender Conor Goldson.

The Hoops chief lambasted somebody “doing us in” after the game, claiming the leak of his starting XI was “disgusting” but in reality, it was that very team selection that proved costly, not the fact that the Light Blues had a little one-up prior to kick-off.

It was his decision to start a dubious duo in the attack that led to their tepid and spiritless performance…

On the Chalkboard

Over the course of 90 minutes, the Bhoys failed to register a single attempt on target. Not one. By comparison, Steven Gerrard’s men managed five on target, profiting from two of those chances.

And that’s despite only playing one striker up front.

Lennon opted to pair up Mohamed Elyounoussi, a winger by trade, with back-up frontman Patyk Klimala, in what was only his second start of the season.

What an awful call that turned out to be with neither player managing to surpass a 6.6 rating on SofaScore. In fact, the Saints loanee was arguably the worse of the two, which is hardly a surprise given that he’s a square peg in a round hole at the minute.

Elyounoussi lost possession 13 times, won just 50% of his duels and missed one big chance. It’s no wonder he was hauled off before the hour mark.

But why start him in the first place? Both Leigh Griffiths and Albian Ajeti were on the bench.

Yes, you can argue that the latter is only just returning from injury whilst the Scotsman has barely featured all season but in games like this one, you have to take those risks.

Griffiths knows exactly what an Old Firm derby means and even assisted the winner against St Johnstone in his first appearance before the international break; Ajeti has more goals (five) than Odsonne Edouard (four) in the SPFL this season.

That baffling call undoubtedly led to the embarrassment that unfolded at Parkhead. Lennon only has himself to blame for the defeat.

AND in other news, Anonymous lightweight who lost ALL of his DUELS let Celtic down massively vs Rangers…

West Brom’s wait for that elusive first win in the Premier League rumbles on after they could only muster up a point on the south coast.

In reality, the draw was actually a good one for Slaven Bilic as Karlan Grant snagged a late equaliser against Brighton & Hove Albion in only his second game for the Midlands outfit.

The Baggies were restricted to having six shots of nine from outside the box and were more dominant in possession (51%) and in their defensive battles, winning 22 tackles.

Bilic’s electric attack is yet to even sniff at the same heights as last season and that could be down to the worrying form of Grady Diangana, who put in another shocking display at the AMEX Stadium on Monday evening.

Against Burnley last week, the £18m arrival was uncharacteristically anonymous, as seen here, but he once again let his manager down with another drab showing.

Per SofaScore, Diangana claimed the lowest rating (6.2) of any Albion starter having lost 70% of his duels and failed to record a single shot or accurate cross. He also lost possession 15 times, managed one successful dribble from four attempts and had one key pass.

It is no wonder that he was hauled off in the 64th minute.

The 22-year-old sensation delivered eight goals and six assists during the Baggies’ promotion-winning campaign, managing 2.4 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per appearance.

So far in the top-flight, he’s managed to score just once and has regressed in all three facets – he is now averaging a poor 1.8 dribbles, 1.2 shots and 0.7 key passes per game, all via WhoScored.

It’s ever so clear that if Diangana is rendered ineffective by the opposition, as talented Seagulls wing-back Tariq Lamptey showed this week, then Bilic’s men falter in front of goal.

Only three teams have scored fewer goals than West Brom this season and they all find themselves in the relegation zone – Burnley, Sheffield United, and Fulham.

The Baggies are only two points ahead of the struggling pack, so the Croatian must find a way to bring the best out of his once-enigmatic star winger.

AND in other news, West Brom ace with “all the tools” DESPERATELY needs a loan move out of the Hawthorns…

One of West Brom’s signings from last summer appears to be edging ever closer to the exit door this transfer window and it only goes to show how poor of a decision it has been…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun on Sunday (page 61, 13th September), Baggies flop Kenneth Zohore is of interest to Sheffield Wednesday but his wages are proving to be a concern.

They claim that the Owls want to take the 26-year-old on a permanent basis this summer, however, he is now on £50k-per-week at the Hawthorns following promotion to the Premier League.

Garry Monk’s side would even struggle to pay half that, which raises question marks over a potential loan switch too.

With just three weeks remaining in the window, the £3.6m-rated striker is evidently running out of time at Albion – he wasn’t even named in their opening matchday squad at the weekend.

Dowling disaster

This has just been one massive catastrophe from Slaven Bilic and Luke Dowling considering they splashed out £8m for him last July.

In return, the Baggies received a disappointing five goals in all competitions. The Dane also averaged just 1.2 shots, 0.9 aerials won and 0.4 dribbles per game, via WhoScored, too.

It means the club have blown around £10m in total on Zohore in the past year, accounting for his £20k-per-week wages whilst in the Championship as well as that increase post-promotion.

You can see Bilic already regrets the move as he didn’t involve the 26-year-old against Leicester City on Sunday, instead opting for winger Callum Robinson to lead the line, which was rather damning itself.

He was pretty much anonymous and struggled to make much of an impact, so it only goes to show just how far down the pecking order Zohore now is at the club.

Perhaps it’s quite the surprise considering Neil Warnock once called him a “manager’s dream” – he too has been linked with a reunion in recent weeks.

They must do what they can to offload him before October’s deadline, though they’d be lucky to get a fraction of that £10m back in return.

AND in other news, West Brom target prolific sensation who’d be a dream for Matheus Pereira…