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[ad_pod ]Modern football can be cringe-worthy sometimes.With the advent of social media, football clubs are taking any given opportunity to mock each other online in order to grasp an opportunity for a viral tweet.In recent days we’ve seen this backfire with Manchester United’s quip at Chelsea quickly being fired back at them after their loss to Crystal Palace.The victors from Saturday’s clash at Old Trafford are also guilty of playing up to this trend as they posted a video of Wilfried Zaha bamboozling Ashley Young with the caption “Wilf had him dancing.â€And while they may be rivals on the pitch, one of the Eagles’ own players wasn’t too happy with the lack of respect his club were showing to the England international, and he took to Twitter to share his views.

Andros Townsend did his best impression of a Manchester United fan as he quickly defended Young, stating that even though he was left on the floor after Zaha’s tricks he still managed to block the cross.

The Palace man was quick to point out that he did this despite being a 34-year-old ex-winger playing in an unfavoured position.

While Zaha’s dribbling was exceptional in the clip, Townsend is certainly right in that the skill ended up producing a grand total of nothing, making you wonder why the club would be happy to brag about it in the first place. It’s all quite bizarre.

It’s good to see Townsend sticking up for his fellow professional, and perhaps this will now make the media team at Selhurst Park think twice before posting another one of these tweets.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Jonjo Shelvey has admitted that he was close to joining West Ham this summer before Newcastle decided to block the midfielder’s move to the London Stadium.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Charlton academy graduate is struggling to nail down a starting place under new Magpies boss Steve Bruce, having also found difficulty in making the starting eleven under Rafa Benitez – Shelvey managed just 10 Premier League starts least season.

So far this term, the England international started the Tynesiders’ first two league games in losses to Arsenal and Norwich – he netted a goal against the Canaries – but was then dropped for the game against Tottenham in which the Magpies won 1-0.

He missed a penalty in the Carabao Cup shootout loss to Leicester in midweek, and has now revealed that Newcastle stood in the way of a summer exit.

Newcastle did West Ham a favour

Shelvey would’ve been a pointless signing for the Hammers and Newcastle did the east Londoners a massive favour in blocking his move.

The Irons already have Manuel Lanzini and Jack Wilshere in midfield, two technically gifted talents who specialise in playmaking like Shelvey.

Additionally, Manuel Pellegrini’s side picked up their first win of the campaign after reverting back to a 4-2-3-1 system against Watford, having deployed a 4-1-4-1 formation in the 1-1 draw with Brighton – Mark Noble was also crucially drafted into the eleven against the Hornets.

Find out which Premier League stadium has been ranked the worst in the video below…

This suggests that they do need Noble and Declan Rice at the base of the midfield, which leaves room for just one creative presence ahead of them – with that in mind, when it comes down to Shelvey or Manuel Lanzini, the latter wins every time having scored 12 more goals for West Ham than Shelvey has for Newcastle in two less appearances.

Furthermore, seeing as Shelvey is the Magpies’ highest earner on £70k-a-week, it would’ve been a poor decision by West Ham to sign him as a squad player on similar or even higher wages.

Newcastle did the Hammers a huge favour.

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After signing only one senior player in Adrian over the summer, Liverpool fans are beginning to set their sights on future targets.

Despite having a Champions League winning squad at Anfield, they believe there is room for improvement, and many are eyeing Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen as a possible newcomer.

The 6-foot Dane has been an excellent servant for Spurs since arriving in 2013, scoring 67 and assisting 86 in his 281 appearances, but with his contract running out and a desire to leave, he has suddenly become a realistic proposition for the Reds.

It has been reported that the 27-year-old was seeking a move to Real Madrid, yet if he is available for no transfer fee he could spark interest from several clubs, and Liverpool could be one of them.

With a regular midfield three of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho, Klopp’s team lack creativity in the centre of the pitch, and Eriksen would provide a solution to that.

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Here are some Liverpool fans calling on the club to sign the Spurs playmaker.

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Boli Bolingoli’s had a varied start to his Celtic career but has opened up in The Evening Times about how he believes fans can now expect to see the real player the Parkhead club paid £3m for.

Early struggles

The full-back has had mixed reviews so far with The Herald going as far to suggest that he isn’t even really a left-back. Bolingoli’s loose pass in the Champions League qualifier against Sarajevo led to Celtic conceding a goal and many were concerned about his defensive ability.

Bolingoli now feels that he is settling into life at Parkhead where initially he didn’t feel his confidence and body language was a positive as it should be, now though, he can concentrate on his football and kick on after the international break.

Kieran who?

It’s not easy to replace a man who left for a national record transfer fee, when Kieran Tierney left for £25m to join Arsenal in the summer he left a huge whole in the Celtic defence.

Boli Bolingoli was the man to fill that gap and as already mentioned he struggled to start off with. However, he has since racked up solid performances against AIK in the Europa League and more importantly in the season’s first visit across the city to Ibrox. Bolingoli was rated at 8/10 by The Sun giving him his highest rating of the season, a much needed vote of confidence in the toughest fixture of the season so far.

Although Celtic bought Greg Taylor from Kilmarnock on the last day of the transfer window it looks as though Bolingoli has cemented himself as the first choice left-back with such commanding performances in difficult games. Celtic could be faced with a sixty game season so having an able deputy was always going to be required after experimenting with Callum McGregor v Cluj in the Champions League qualifiers proved unsuccessful.

The main thing is, it is now clear that despite his early struggles Bolingoli has settled into life at Parkhead and in the process has saved the club a small fortune. A solid left-back and £22m in the bank, a good piece of business all round.

[ad_pod ]It must hurt Gary Neville to have to lavish praise on Liverpool and their players every week, but sometimes you just can’t deny the truth.Indeed, Liverpool currently have some of the best players in the world at their disposal, and the Manchester United legend has had to admit that one of the Reds’ star players is world-class.

Indeed, although Neville has a deeply-ingrained hatred for Liverpool through his years of service for Manchester United, he couldn’t help but admit that Roberto Firmino is a world-class player.

This weekend’s performance against Newcastle had a number of players and pundits drooling over the Brazillian.

He provided a sublime assist for Mohamed Salah, and despite only coming on as a substitute he was voted Man of the Match.

Liverpool fans may not like the former England international, but they’ll certainly love this admission from a man who spent so long on the other side of such an intense rivalry.

It’s hard to disagree with Neville too, as Firmino has been a vital player for one of the best teams in Europe for multiple seasons now.

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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Celtic striker John Hartson has praised James Forrest for the big improvement he has made at Paradise, and believes he has a vital role to play for the club over the course of the next couple of months.

The 28-year-old has made an impressive start to the campaign for the Scottish giants, scoring seven goals and providing a further five assists in 13 appearances in all competitions, primarily from the right wing.

Two goals and one assist in two Europa League outings to date is certainly an impressive record ahead of the Bhoys’ opening group game away at Rennes on Thursday evening.

Prior to that clash in France, Hartson has made a big claim about Forrest when it comes to Neil Lennon selecting his starting XI, and the impact the Scotland international can have on the club’s European ventures.

“He’s doing tremendously well now for the national team and he’s the first name on Neil Lennon’s team-sheet. He will be vital now in the group stages.”

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18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions last term highlights the consistency the wide man has discovered in his game, which is something that hasn’t always been present, and Hartson is impressed with the giant strides forward the Prestwick-born player has made.

“Over the years he’s been somebody that has always had pace, has always been very direct. But now he’s getting his head up, he can see a pass, he makes the right ball when he’s wide.

“The decision-making has come on leaps and bounds and he’s added goals to his game.”

Hartson is spot on in his assessment of the ever-improving Forrest, whose performances have been described as “world-class” by teammate Fraser Forster.

Celtic could now do with some more of those from the winger to help lead them through the group stages of the Europa League.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Arsenal will face Eintracht Frankfurt in their first game of this season’s Europa League, and they will be looking to start off with a win at the Commerzbank Arena.

Stopping Filip Kostic will be essential if they are to get anything from the encounter.

On the chalkboard

After a fantastic season last time out, which saw them reach the semi-finals of this very competition, the Eagles had a difficult summer. Star men Sebastien Haller, Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic all departed the club and, while they were able to bring in some new faces, it remains to be seen if they have managed to replace their quality.

However, perhaps their most important player is still at the club.

Kostic was in fine form last term, and if the Gunners are to come away from Germany with a result, they will need to keep the Serbia international quiet.

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Unsung hero

The trio of Haller, Jovic and Rebic claimed the large majority of last season’s headlines, and rightly so. After all, they did score 57 goals and provide 25 assists between them in all competitions. Kostic, though, flew under the radar somewhat, despite netting 10 strikes and creating 13 himself.

This earned the 26-year-old a Bundesliga WhoScored rating of 7.26 for the whole campaign, which was behind only Haller and Frederik Ronnow – who started one match – amongst his teammates.

This season has seen an improvement, as well. Across the first three matches, he has a rating of 7.63, which leads the way for Frankfurt.

There has been one distinct difference between the two terms, and that is in regards to his crossing frequency. Last season, he averaged 1.4 per game – which led to four assists, more than double what any of his teammates could produce from such situations – but that number has risen to 2.3 this term. That puts him in the top 10 for the whole division.

Such an abundance of balls in from the flank would only make sense if the players in the box were comfortable in the air. Fortunately for Adi Hutter and co, there is more than enough aerial prowess between Bas Dost and Goncalo Paciencia. In the last three full campaigns, the former has scored 26 league goals with his head, while all three of the latter’s strikes last term came with that part of the body.

Stopping Kostic, therefore, should be at the top of Emery’s to-stop list. If they allow him to get into his groove down the left-wing and pepper the area with precise crosses, then it could be a long night for the Arsenal defence.

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Good battle to bounce back after the result on Saturday. Through to the next round! @WatfordFCOfficial ??⚽️
A post shared by Andre Gray (@andregray_) on Sep 24, 2019 at 1:53pm PDT

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Improve winning.
A post shared by GERARD DEULOFEU (@gerardeulofeu) on Sep 24, 2019 at 2:40pm PDT

The message was loud and clear. They were happy to finally win, and now they want to build on it by claiming victory in the next round as well.

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It remains to be seen if this result can kickstart Watford’s season, but the players are seemingly buoyed by the win, and that can only be a good thing.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

According to The Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is having a less hands-on approach to training at the club, and that is certainly a surprise development if he really wants to turn the fortunes of the north London side around.

The Daily Mail reports that a source has told them that the 47-year-old is less visible in training, and that even watches some sessions from indoors rather than being out on the pitch and playing an active role with the players.

Presumably given the claim, this is different to what the South American has done in the past when he would have had to work extensively on pressing and tactics to get Spurs to improve like they did, so this drop off means he is hardly doing himself any favours.

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Assuming it’s a credible story, you do have to wonder whether that is having an effect on the players, performances and results – there have been plenty of bad ones in recent weeks when it comes to the latter.

The 7-2 defeat against Bayern Munich this week especially suggested not enough time had gone in on the training ground to prepare for the Champions League clash, and it is clearly something that needs to change following other notable matches against Newcastle United, Arsenal, Olympiacos, Leicester City and Colchester United already this term.

The hands-off approach clearly isn’t paying off for Pochettino in what has been a largely dismal start to the 2019/20 campaign for Tottenham, and the former Southampton boss isn’t doing himself any favours whatsoever by doing it, if The Daily Mail’s sources are correct.

Now the message is clear. He needs revert back to being on the pitch for the whole session organising his players to ensure that he gives Spurs every chance of turning things around, otherwise the miserable displays and defeats will continue and the north London outfit will simply continue to go backwards.

In our latest instalment of the Flashback series, we take a look back at a certain moment and look at how things might have changed those initial reactions.

The summer of 2006 saw Everton hit the transfer market looking to build a side capable of challenging further up the Premier League table, after winning just half of their fixtures on route to an 11th-placed finish.

In came Joleon Lescott from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Andy Johnson from Crystal Palace and an FA Cup and EFL Cup-winning goalkeeper by the name of Tim Howard from Manchester United on loan, after Sir Alex Ferguson put his faith in a 35-year-old Edwin van der Sar.

In his debut season at Goodison Park, Howard rediscovered the form that departed him at Old Trafford to keep 14 clean sheets in 29 Premier League games (TransferMarkt), and convinced Everton to turn his temporary stint into a permanent arrangement (BBC) that February.

Howard would go on to keep a further 120 shut outs in 425 games across all competitions and help Everton to an FA Cup Final in 2009, before leaving for his homeland and joining MLS franchise Colorado Rapids in 2016 on a free transfer as a long-term hero at Goodison Park.

He has now called time on his career at the age of 40, having enjoyed a career which featured 121 outings for his country and appearances at two World Cups, having served as the back-up in his first of three (TransferMarkt), before retiring from international duty in 2017.

“Regrets I have a few, but then again, too few to mention. Thank you,” wrote Howard as he announced his retirement on Twitter on Monday, October 7.

Howard is now lauded as the best American goalkeeper in history (LA Times), after leaving a legacy behind him rather than a career, having made more Premier League appearances for Everton than any other player, enjoyed a 16-year international career, made three MLS all-star teams and twice be named as the US Soccer Athlete of the Year.

He also set a World Cup record in 2014 when he denied Belgium from scoring on 15 occasions, and retires with a career well lived.

That cannot necessarily be said for Everton’s current number one, as Jordan Pickford continues to leave much to be admired since first arriving on Merseyside from Sunderland in 2017 for an initial £25millon rising to £30m (BBC).

England’s first-choice ‘keeper put blunders at Newcastle United behind him last season to be a key part of the Toffees side which beat Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United at Goodison Park, but the errors did not leave him, rather laid dormant under the surface waiting for their chance to reappear.

At home to Manchester City last month, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville (via talkSPORT) was left irate by Pickford when he appeared to laugh as Everton were beaten 3-1 by the Premier League champions, in what was the Toffees’ third consecutive defeat in the top-flight.

Pickford almost gifted Pep Guardiola’s Citizens a fourth when he came rushing off his line late on, as well, and continued to be a cause for concern at Burnley last time out when Everton were again beaten by their own defensive fragility.

His rivals do not fear his talents, either, as Clarets ace Nick Pope is now hopeful he can dislodge Pickford from Gareth Southgate’s plans with the Three Lions (Lancashire Telegraph) after regaining his place in the squad after injury.

If Pickford wishes to maintain his place ahead of Pope and Aston Villa’s Tom Heaton, Stoke City’s Jack Butland and the next emerging crop of young English shot-stoppers, he would do well to look to his predecessor at Goodison Park for inspiration.

While Pickford lacks the authority to command the area, Howard did not. Roberto Martinez hailed the New Jersey native for his ability to take command of the box and lead from the back (Liverpool Echo) during his time at the helm, and looked at his experience as a valuable asset when it was thought Joel Robles would be the Spaniard’s number one (Fox Sports).

“It’s not just about his performances,” Martinez said. “As a goalkeeper, you have a big say about what happens in your own goal and to keep the amount of clean sheets that we have this season – which is already two more than last season when we had very good numbers defensively – is impressive.

“Then you see his human values and the way he effects youngsters; he is the perfect role model for our football club.”

Pickford has the expectations to deliver, and a glance to the past can see that he achieves that and, maybe, enjoy a career as well lived as the man who stood before him.

Everton fans, can Pickford take command like Howard managed? Let us know in the comments below…