All posts by n8rngtd.top

Many Aston Villa fans are reacting to the latest comments from Dean Smith on injured star and attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

Grealish’s return date is unconfirmed at the moment, but the Villa manager tried to shed as much light as possible as he said: “I saw him before the game and he said to me if he gets on the grass he’s playing (vs Newcastle). But I said to him, ‘I’ve got to pick you first!’ which he laughed at…”

The Villans are definitely missing an attacking threat without the talisman as they drew 0-0 against rivals Wolves on Saturday night. With the English international picking up six goals and ten assists this season (WhoScored), he could have been the difference between a draw and a win.

The only worrying thing about this latest update on the player is that he is still not back on the grass, and this may be a cause of concern for many fans of the club.

Hopefully the fact that they are mentioning the Newcastle game as a possibility means that he will be back, but for now it seems “touch-and-go”, in the words of Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece.

Here is how Villa fans reacted to the comments from Smith:

“I don’t get it. Surely if he’s pain free and the players wants to play, no-one knows better than the player? Our medical staff are OTT.”

Credit: @AvfcSims

“That sounds hopeful that he will be back for Newcastle. Thought that midfield in first half was excellent, jack in the team and Traore other side or another winger and that is a real strong team”

Credit: @NashNash194

“We need Jack even if he is limping!”

Credit: @techvesting1

“Shouldn’t be needing to rush Jack against the likes of Newcastle, on the bench would still be a boost.”

Credit: @CS_UTV

“Don’t rush him back half fit we’re not in a relegation battle now.”

Credit: @jamsey55

“Judging by the second half display today, he will need to pick Jack even if he is half of his usual self”

Credit: @Berdan08914685

In other Villa news, some fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

West Ham United were dealt a huge blow in their FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday night with Angelo Ogbonna sustaining an ankle injury.

That’s according to the Evening Standard, who note that the Italian centre-half is due for scans after twisting his left ankle while blocking a goal-bound shot from Anthony Martial 16 minutes into the fifth round loss.

Ogbonna let out a hellish scream while down on the Old Trafford turf, but was able to limp back to the dressing room time with the help of the Irons medical team after receiving treatment for quite some.

Moyes will fear Ogbonna facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines having seen the 32-year-old establish a strong partnership beside Watford loanee Craig Dawson in recent weeks, and turn in several pivotal performances to help West Ham contend for European qualification.

The Irons boss also lauds Ogbonna as an important part of his plans at the London Stadium, and confirmed that the former Juventus enforcer has sustained an ankle injury while speaking following Tuesday’s defeat.

“Angelo will be a miss because he has played very well for us. He is a player who has been in the team every game for us, he is important to us,” he said, via quotes by football.london.

The Manchester United affair was Ogbonna’s 25th start of the season across all competitions, having opened all 23 of West Ham’s Premier League games to date plus two of their FA Cup ties.

Moyes has only opted to rest the £4.5m-rated titan against League One side Doncaster Rovers in the fourth round of the FA Cup, as well as all three of his side’s Carabao Cup fixtures.

Moyes’ worst fears coming true and Ogbonna now facing a lengthy spell out of action may leave the West Ham boss with only two fit centre-halves for when his side host Sheffield United in the Premier League on Monday night.

Issa Diop came on to replace Ogbonna against Manchester United, but later became the first player in English football history to be substituted through the recently implemented concussion protocols.

The Frenchman was taken off at half-time following a clash of heads with Martial, to potentially leave Fabian Balbuena and Dawson as Moyes’ only fit out-and-out senior options.

That being the case will afford Balbuena a chance to step up and regain his place in the starting line-up, having fallen into the wilderness in line with Dawson’s progress and be linked with a potential Deadline Day move away from east London last week.

Balbuena had also been tipped to earn a new contract following his run in the side earlier in the campaign, but is now inside the final six-months of his £40,000-per-week deal and has not featured in the top-flight since December 27.

After starting 12 of West Ham’s first 15 league games, the £7m-rated defender has since been left an unused substitute on six occasions and omitted from two matchday squads, while also left on the bench at Old Trafford despite the injuries to Ogbonna and Diop.

Clearly, Moyes prefers a partnership of Ogbonna and Dawson at the back now, but that will likely not be the case against Sheffield United on Monday after the blows suffered in the FA Cup.

AND in other news, West Ham will have to pay in excess of £26.5m to land a prolific 18 goal striker in the summer…

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Crystal Palace have reportedly added Steve Cooper to a potential list of candidates to replace Roy Hodgson this summer.

What’s the word?

Hodgson has recently admitted he remains “undecided” over his future at Selhurst Park, and with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, it is understood that the Palace hierarchy are looking at potential replacements.

Sean Dyche is also seen as an option to replace Hodgson, but the Eagles are reportedly keeping tabs on the Swansea City boss and still identify him as a viable target alongside Dyche.

The Sun claim Steve Parish would be able to land Cooper more easily than Dyche as Burnley are most likely to offer him a new contract.

Palace have only managed two wins in their past seven games in the Premier League this season and are currently 14th in the table.

Perfect Roy Hodgson replacement

The clamour from Crystal Palace fans who want the 41-year-old to replace Hodgson is there, although he could very well already be in the Premier League by the end of the campaign, as his side are currently chasing automatic promotion from the Championship.

However, if Parish can tempt Cooper to Selhurst Park, he could completely revolutionise the club’s philosophy. Despite bringing in a couple of fresh faces in the likes of Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson in the summer, Palace still have the oldest squad in the Premier League by quite some margin, although that can also be partly attributed to Ferguson’s long-term injury.

While Cooper has recently been credited for the work he has done with helping to develop young talents like Ben Cabango and Marc Guehi during his time at Swansea City, this has all stemmed from his early years in management, having previously managed England at under-16 level.

It’s no wonder Swansea have one of the youngest squads in the Championship with an average age of 25.3 but what is surprising to see is that they currently sit third in the league.

The Swans have also conceded just 15 goals in 27 games this season, which is five fewer than their promotion rivals Watford. Therefore, not only is he a game-changer in terms of their transfer business off the pitch, he has also transformed their fortunes on it, too by making them a much tougher nut to crack. By comparison, Palace have conceded 42 goals in 24 games thanks to that leaky defence.

Former Palace manager Tony Pulis has previously heaped praise on Cooper, insisting that the Englishman has done an “exceptional job” at Swansea.

If Palace are to take the next step in their development, getting rid of Hodgson and hiring Cooper would be a step in the right direction and be a dream in terms of bringing a new exciting and youthful identity at Selhurst Park.

AND in other Palace news, Michy Batshuayi was so wasteful in Crystal Palace defeat to Burnley…

Sheffield Wednesday caused one of the shocks of the Championship season so far on Tuesday night as they downed a promotion favourite to move one step closer to safety.

Substitute striker Jordan Rhodes came off the bench to score a 90th-minute winner for Neil Thompson’s Owls side at AFC Bournemouth. The victory moved them up into the final relegation place, just three points behind Birmingham with a game in hand, too.

The severity of the result was seen after full-time as the home side sacked their manager, Jason Tindall.

ExaminerLive’s Dom Howson rated Keiren Westwood as his ‘Man of the Match’ in his post-match ratings, grading him an 8/10. He wrote: ‘Pulled off a string of fine saves after the break to frustrate Bournemouth.’

This echoed the thoughts of several of the Hillsborough faithful who were watching from home: one supporter dubbed him the “best keeper in the league” whilst another claimed the veteran continues to prove Garry Monk wrong.

While his influence was vital – especially with that last-minute save to seal the win – it was another Owls star who ran the show on the night.

Barry Bannan was as influential as ever as Wednesday’s captain in the heart of the engine room.

No Owls player was as involved as much as the Scotsman. He recorded 56 touches, ten more than any other visiting starter on the night.

He also made one key pass, proving to be as creative as ever, and won 75% of his duels, meaning he had the better of the likes of Jack Wilshere and Lewis Cook, and put in three tackles, via SofaScore.

Industrious.

Bannan topped the charts for tackles in this match, so he clearly had a major influence on dictating the play and thwarting whatever the Cherries threw at them during the 90 minutes.

Not even central defensive duo Tom Lees and Sam Hutchinson combined for as many as the 31-year-old’s three, as per SofaScore.

The midfield beast, who is valued at £1.8m by Transfermarkt, has started all 26 of the Owls’ league outings and it’s hardly a surprise given the impact he has on this team.

He was Thompson’s star man once again as he stole the show on the south coast.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Palmer drops Sheffield Wednesday manager claim

Southampton have had some quality players come through their academy in recent times, with the likes of James Ward-Prowse and Jack Stephens both establishing themselves as first-team regulars under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Now, the Saints look to have another youngster on the brink of breaking into the Austrian’s first-team squad, in the shape of Swiss U19 international Alexandre Jankewitz.

The midfielder joined the Southampton academy from Swiss side Servette in 2018 and has been impressing with David Horseman’s B team in his time with the South Coast club.

After progressing through the U18 set-up, Jankewitz has now made 28 appearances for the B team, in which he has contributed one assist.

The 19-year-old was rewarded with a three-year contract in 2019 meaning he is set to stay with the Saints until 2022, at least.

The Swiss midfielder made his first appearance on the bench for the Saints in their 3-1 win at Watford last season, which led Hasenhuttl to suggest that:

“I think he’s the next young guy for us.”

The Southampton writer for The Athletic Dan Sheldon recently picked Jankewitz as his Saints youngster to keep an eye on in 2021.

He also suggested that during the summer transfer window, the midfielder was attracting interest from Serie A side Parma and La Liga giants Barcelona, which is testament to the youngster’s obvious potential.

Sheldon describes the 19-year-old as someone who is capable of playing as both a box-to-box midfielder and a holding-midfielder, who is technically very good, with his long-range passing amongst his best attributes.

Therefore, he could definitely be compared with current Saints captain Ward-Prowse, who has gone on to make 296 appearances for the first-team at Southampton, and perhaps we will see him break into Hasenhuttl’s first-team at some point this year.

And, in other news… Exclusive: Palmer claims Southampton target would “feel loved again” working under Hasenhuttl

Manchester City return to Premier League action on Sunday as they take on Chelsea away from home.

The Citizens’ last game against Everton was postponed after an outbreak of the virus in the Manchester City squad but with Pep Guardiola’s side having returned to training earlier this week after posting no new cases, there seems no current reason why Sunday’s game at Stamford Bridge won’t go ahead.

City haven’t lost in any competition since the game against Tottenham Hotspur in November, whilst Chelsea have picked up just one point from their last two games against Arsenal and Aston Villa respectively.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects City to line up against Chelsea on Sunday, with two changes from the starting side that beat Newcastle…

Unsurprisingly, City’s defence stays the same, with Guardiola’s side having now picked up eight clean sheets in their last 10 fixtures in all competitions, with the partnership of Ruben Dias and John Stones working wonders at the back.

Full-backs Joao Cancelo and Nathan Ake will be hoping to pick up where they left off against Newcastle, with Kyle Walker still unavailable for this fixture.

There’s one change on the wing, as Phil Foden replaces Bernardo Silva, with the Portuguese winger still without a goal or an assist in the Premier League this season and the young Englishman, once labelled a “magician” by Guardiola, warranting a start after his superb performances in the Champions League and Carabao Cup recently.

He starts alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling, both of whom will be key if City are to leave Stamford Bridge with three points on Sunday.

Finally, despite his goal last time out, Ferran Torres drops to the bench, with Sergio Aguero no doubt keen to continue his excellent goal record against Frank Lampard’s side, having scored 15 goals against the Blues in his career, which is the joint-most of any team.

If Guardiola’s side can pick up all three points on Sunday, it would put their title charge well and truly back on track.

And, in other news, Man City must seal transfer swoop for 20 y/o wonderkid who tore Real Madrid apart…

According to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans, Aston Villa won’t be pursuing a move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard in the January transfer window.

Johan Lange won’t pay up

Reports over the summer suggested that the Frenchman was a potential target for Dean Smith’s side, with Celtic boss Neil Lennon admitting that he was hopeful he would stay at Parkhead.

In the end, Edouard stayed put, and Evans now claims that Villa won’t be reigniting their interest in the centre-forward when the January transfer window opens in just over a week’s time.

Although it’s claimed that Villa will look to be proactive, they “are not expected to spend the sort of money that would be required to sign” Edouard, and that’s a major mistake from Johan Lange.

Smith must be fuming

Given the incredible start Villa have enjoyed to the Premier League season, Smith will surely feel he’s done more than enough to see the club’s owners and sporting director to release some of the club’s transfer warchest.

The Midlands club currently find themselves in ninth place, but were they to win both their games in hand on those sides above them in the table, would be just three points off leaders Liverpool.

Ollie Watkins has proven to be a masterstroke of a signing since his arrival from Brentford, bagging eight goals in 15 games. And whilst the Englishman has led the line superbly, bringing in Edouard in January would strengthen Villa’s firepower up top no end.

He’s fired in nine goals in 19 matches for Celtic, and the man described as a “special talent” would significantly boost Villa’s chances of breaking up the Premier League’s big six and finishing in a European place this season.

If it comes to the end of the season, and Villa miss out because they didn’t strengthen up front, then Smith would understandably be furious with those in charge at the club.

Meanwhile, Villa must desperately sell this £40k-p/w flop, Dean Smith has “seen enough”.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt has expressed his disappointment over not seeing Jack Grealish competing in a Lilywhites shirt.

During the summer transfer window in 2018, the north London outfit had the opportunity to sign the Aston Villa skipper on the cheap as they battled with the prospect of administration, as per The Sun.

However, Spurs supremo Daniel Levy thought he could drive a lower fee than their £6m asking price but as he made his way to the United States for a pre-season tour, Villa had been brought out and saved.

Since then, Grealish’s career has come on leaps and bounds for his boyhood club, and his phenomenal form has even earned him recognition for Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

And Mabbutt believes he would have been an ideal signing for Spurs, he told FFC:

“I’m a big Jack Grealish fan, I have been for a long time. When I was told a couple of years ago that we had the chance of buying him, I think I made it publicly clear that I thought he’d be a great player for Spurs.
“It was two years ago, Aston Villa was struggling financially. They need they needed the money to pay tax bills, etc. And it did look like Grealish was available and could come to Spurs. I think obviously, conversations took place.

“In the end, it didn’t happen. And I believe that Grealish himself was, at the time, extremely disappointed that a deal was not struck.
“So for me, I was very disappointed to see how well he’s done. And I knew that the quality that he had, he is a Spurs style player. What I’m saying is that I’d love to have signed him two years ago.” 
The 25-year-old has contributed to nine goals in just eight games in the Premier League this season, continuing on from last term where he finished as the runner-up to Kevin De Bruyne for chances created in the top-flight.
Grealish is averaging 2.9 shots, 2.6 key passes and 2.6 dribbles as the main focal point of Dean Smith’s resurgent Aston Villa side, via WhoScored.
Transfermarkt now value him at £40.5m whilst reports in the media have speculated fees in excess of £80m, so clearly, Levy made one disastrous mistake in not signing him for a fraction of the price two years ago.
It’s no wonder Mabbutt is bitterly disappointed.
AND in other news, Mourinho must unleash one man over his biggest liability against Chelsea…

Rarely a day goes by without Crystal Palace facing the same old questions about Wilfried Zaha’s future at Selhurst Park, but Roy Hodgson may have a more urgent matter on his hands if recent reports are to be believed…

What’s the story?

Recent reports had revealed that newly-promoted Premier League side West Bromwich Albion were interested in signing Andros Townsend in the summer transfer window.

However, a move failed to materialise, and the 29-year-old stayed at Selhurst Park. But his future is far from certain, as he has entered the final year of his current contract, which is set to expire in June 2021.

According to The Mirror, as relayed by HITC, Hodgson wants to give the winger a new deal, which would prevent him from leaving for free next summer.

Now, Palace chairman Steve Parish must convince Townsend to sign a new contract, as he has played in every single minute of Palace’s six Premier League games this season so far.

Shrewd move?

As far as we are concerned, Townsend has turned out to be one of the most reliable players at the club in recent years. In fact, he last suffered an injury during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, which speaks volumes about his professionalism and fitness levels. The former England international, who previously played for Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers, and Watford, among others, made 93 appearances for Spurs, and scored 11 goals and supplied 15 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

He has since gone on to make over 150 appearances for Palace, and played 24 games in the Premier League last term, whilst he scored one goal, supplied one assist, and made 1.6 dribbles per game, as per WhoScored. Not exactly numbers that you would expect to see from a right winger, but he has already bettered his tally this term, as he has scored one goal and supplied two assists in the English top flight so far.

Townsend played some of the best football of his career so far for Palace in the 2017/18 season, where he scored twice and created seven assists in the Premier League, and made 1.7 shots, 1.8 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored, whilst Hodgson hailed him as a “fantastic” player for his remarkable efforts.

It’s safe to say that Palace enjoyed a summer spending spree, as they recruited the likes of Eberechi Eze and Michy Batshuayi to bolster their attack. After a bright start to the season, their performances soon tailed off, as they suffered back-to-back defeats to Everton and Chelsea, before bouncing back with a 2-1 win over Fulham.

SofaScore gave Townsend a high grade of 7.6 for his heroics at Craven Cottage – he created one big chance, made three key passes, as well as won eleven out of twenty ground duels, whilst football.london gave him a similar score, claiming he “put in a couple of dangerous crosses in the first half, including one from which Zaha should have done better. His work rate and a great pass for Batshuayi led to the second goal.”

One thing’s for sure, the Palace chairman must tie the £8.55m-rated ace down to a new deal. Whether or not he will be able to produce the same level of consistency for the rest of the season remains to be seen, but, at this stage, it’s surely a win-win situation. Get it done, Eagles.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace ace Jairo Riedewald dominated the midfield battle against Fulham…

Steven Gerrard has warned Steve Clarke to take care of Glasgow Rangers’ Ryan Jack whilst the midfielder is away with Scotland on international duty.

The 28-year-old started each of the first seven Premiership matches of the season, but he was forced off after just 11 minutes of the the Gers’ clash against Dundee United, coming off with a calf injury. Since then, he has missed four matches, with him only returning to play 12 minutes against Galatasaray on Thursday night.

Despite that, though, he was included in the Tartan Army squad for their upcoming matches against Israel, Slovakia and Czech Republic. As a result, Gerrard has issued a warning to Clarke over how to used him. He said:

“It was great to have him back. He came on and worked his socks off. He put in a disciplined cameo for us. It was the sensible decision because he has only trained once or twice.

“Look, myself and Steve Clarke both know Ryan Jack, we both know his body, we know he needs support, we know he needs managing. But Jacko and Steve Clarke will decide when and how, if he represents Scotland.

“We are pleased when our players get called up, we are proud to see them going to represent their country. But the fact is that Jacko needs support and he needs to manage his body because he is capable of getting an injury if he’s not supported or looked after.

“But I’m sure everyone will use common sense with him moving forward.”

Given his recent issues, it is somewhat of a surprise that Clarke has decided to include the former Aberdeen man in his 30-man group. Of course, given there are three international matches during the break, that means that he has the luxury of selecting more players, and that may mean Jack will play a back-up role, but it is potentially dangerous for the player himself.

As said previously, the £1.53m-valued man (as per Transfermarkt) is an important player for the Gers, and he provides defensive stability in front of the back four – it is no surprise that the two Premiership matches he has missed this term have seen the 54-time Scottish champions concede three goals after they had kept seven clean sheets in a row. Gerrard cannot prevent him from representing his country, but he will be hoping that Jack returns to the Gers fold with no further complications.

Let us know what you think below!