All posts by h716a5.icu

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Patrick Bamford has only scored six Championship goals for Leeds United this season.

In fairness, the striker’s campaign was interrupted by a knee injury, but there is a general feeling that the Englishman misses more than he converts.

There is a lot of pressure on Bamford at the moment due to the absence of Kemar Roofe.

The 25-year-old has managed three goals in his last four Championship appearances, but could not prevent the Whites from losing 1-0 to Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon.

Bamford recently attempted to rally the fans ahead of the final run-in.

However, the 6ft 1in forward was instead criticised by the Leeds supporters, with a number calling for him to worry more about sticking the ball in the back of the net than making empty promises.

It would be a disaster if the Yorkshire outfit were not promoted after the season that they have had, but that is certainly a possibility entering a fascinating next couple of months.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Football writer Joe Urquhart posted a link to his Yorkshire Evening Post story, as per an interview with the player on Leeds United’s official website, about Adam Forshaw’s injury return progress on his Twitter account on Friday and Whites fans were quick to react on the thread.

The midfielder has missed the Yorkshire club’s previous eight Championship fixtures with a knee issue, but in a video interview with leedsunited.com the 27-year-old said he is hoping he will be back in contention for the huge clash against Millwall next Saturday.

The former Middlesbrough ban being fit and available would certainly give manager Marcelo Bielsa an extra headache, given he already has to decide who will fill in for the injured Pontus Jansson at the heart of the defence.

Elland Road favourite Gaetano Berardi is surely one of the frontrunners, but Forshaw’s return may convince the Argentine boss to push Kalvin Phillips back into the centre-back role again instead – something one supporter who replied to Urquhart’s tweet thinks could be on the cards after saying “bad news for Berra”.

However, many others feel that he only deserves a spot on the substitutes’ bench at most, which isn’t too surprising given he was the subject of a few costly errors prior to his injury.

Here is just a selection of the reaction…

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At the age of 26 and after 15 loan spells away from both Reading and Chelsea, could Michael Hector finally be about to settle down? Sheffield Wednesday fans certainly hope so.

The loan star has fuelled speculation on Twitter that he could stay around for longer than this season by posting an image of some personalised Wednesday shin pads he was given whilst on international duty with Jamaica.

Fans have been busy tweeting the player in the replies section by asking for him to stay permanently once his loan deal from Chelsea comes to a close at the end of the season.

Some supporters have meanwhile issued statements declaring that the shin pads are specifically intended for the new campaign.

Hector has played 31 times in all competitions this term and has become a key figure under Steve Bruce at Hillsborough.

Here’s what the Owls’ fan-base have been saying about one of their key men.

[ad_pod ]Debate about the next permanent manager at West Brom has been a key theme within the club over the past few weeks since Darren Moore’s departure.James Shan looks like he may be given the reigns until the end of the season but speaking to talkSPORT on Tuesday, Sam Allardyce revealed there has been no contact between himself and the club over the vacant position.

Baggies fans were incredibly frustrated with the news that Allardyce was even in the frame, with one fan labelling him a dinosaur.

Another fan claimed he’d rather stay in the Championship under Shan than have the former England manager in charge at the Hawthorns.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

Allardyce has a proven track record in the Premier League so if the Midlands club were to get promoted it would be a sensible option to go with.

However, some West Brom supporters are strongly against the idea.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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Wolves’ wing backs have been key to the success they’ve achieved this season with the displays of Jonny and Matt Doherty playing a major role at both ends of the pitch.

However, the past week has shown that Nuno Santo has a selection dilemma at right wing-back with Adama Traore and Doherty both performing well in that position.

What’s the issue?

Back in October, Watford inflicted a rare home defeat on Wolves who lost 2-0 to the Hornets at Molineux. On that day, both Doherty and Jonny failed to impress and were completely undone by the likes of Roberto Pereyra and Gerard Deulofeu.

It’s something that should prompt a change this weekend, especially after Traore’s excellent display against Burnley last time out. He was one of few players to actually play well as they lost 2-0.

The Spaniard then didn’t play against Manchester United in midweek as Doherty was preferred.

But, taking into consideration the Wembley pitch and the defeat against Watford, Traore is the man who must start ahead of his Irish teammate on Sunday.

Attacking quality

The former Barcelona man isn’t a wing back by trade but provided evidence that he can thrive in that role at Turf Moor. With the pace he possesses, the 23-year-old would have the ability to stretch Watford’s back line and ultimately cause more trouble in the final third.

The pitch at Wembley is incredibly big, with dimensions of 105m x 68m. The Molineux pitch is meanwhile only 100m x 64m. The extra length and width at the national stadium could massively benefit Traore and Wolves would be confident of being able to expose Watford with him in the side.

We’ve found Raul Jimenez’s No. 1 fan and… it’s a little scary. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

Traore has already starred at Wembley this season too. Albeit in a more advanced position, he was able to complete five out of five dribbles against Tottenham when the club beat them 3-1 in December.

He therefore simply has to start ahead of Doherty this weekend.

Barnsley had gone a remarkable total of 118 days unbeaten in League One before they faced Burton Albion on Saturday.

During this period, Daniel Stendel’s Tykes played 20 games and amassed a total of 44 points which saw them move into second place behind runaway leaders Luton Town. With only six games to play before the end of the season, it was looking increasingly likely that the Yorkshire-based outfit were going to extend their run up to May.

However, the Brewers had different ideas at the weekend as goals from Jamie Allen, Liam Boyce and Marcus Harness secured the victory for the home side at the Pirelli Stadium and thus snapping Barnsley’s streak.

Although the defeat to Burton was compounded by victories for promotion challengers Sunderland and Portsmouth, it may have been a blessing in disguise for the Tykes. During their run, they dropped points in no fewer than eight of their games which allowed their rivals to keep within striking distance of them.

It could be argued that the value of remaining unbeaten during this period inadvertently prevented Barnsley from going all out for victories and so by losing at the weekend, they may in fact benefit over the next month.

Indeed, the fact that Sunderland have the same amount of points as the Tykes but still have two games in hand means that Stendel’s side no longer are in control of their own destiny yet they remain in a good position to secure automatic promotion if the Black Cats slip-up.

However, even if they are usurped from the top two positions in May, the Tykes will still have a second chance of achieving promotion via the play-offs, which they have a great recent relationship with. In 2006, Barnsley achieved promotion from League One by defeating Swansea City in the final whilst a decade later they repeated the feat by emerging victorious over Millwall. A third consecutive victory in the knock-out competition therefore would not be entirely out of the question, especially when you consider how well Stendel’s side have been playing this season.

What do you think Barnsley fans? Can your side bounce back from defeat at Burton? Would you be confident of them securing promotion via the play-offs this season? Get in touch below.

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Middlesbrough Chairman Steve Gibson has launched quite a controversial demand that the EFL looks into the financial conduct of three Championship clubs.

Those being questioned by Gibson are Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby. According to The Telegraph, he is insisting that they’ve attempted to bypass new profitability and sustainability laws. As a result, a meeting has been arranged for all Championship clubs to attend on the 24th April.

However, Villa fans seem to have laughed off the accusations, with one individual calling Gibson jealous.

Another supporter labelled the Boro Chairman a grass whilst one fan claimed he was clutching at straws. One further member of the Villa Park faithful insisted that Gibson’s accusations were a result of their underperformance, hoping their play-off rivals would get a points deduction.

Aston Villa are currently one of the teams in the box seat for a play-off place, sitting in fifth, five points ahead of Boro who are a place outside the top six.

Dean Smith’s men have been on a tremendous run of form and seem to be timing their bid for promotion just at the right time having won eight games on the bounce.

Here’s the best of the reaction to Gibson’s demands on Twitter.

[ad_pod ]Sheffield United swept a poor Nottingham Forest team aside at Bramall Lane on Friday, and fans are once again delighted with the progress of Enda Stevens.While Leeds dropped points, Sheffield United took care of business on Friday afternoon, with several key players putting in superb performances in a 2-0 win.Jack O’Connell was monstrous at the back, Mark Duffy and David McGoldrick caused plenty of problems up front while John Fleck and Oliver Norwood ran the show in midfield.No one was more impressive than Stevens though, whose transition from traditional left-back to left-wing-back since joining the Blades has been remarkable.Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…Chris Wilder has turned the Irishman into one of the best full backs in the league, and his strike in the win takes his tally to two for the campaign, along with an impressive six assists.Fans are delighted with the 28 year-old’s form and Wilder deserves huge credit for getting the best out of him in a role he did not play at Portsmouth.You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Massimo Cellino was a very odd man at Leeds United and his pursuit of Fernando Forestieri pretty much proved that.

We think it is fair to say that Leeds United were not enjoying their finest years circa 2015. Off the back of their extremely poor 2013/14 and 2014/15 campaigns, the Whites found themselves staring down the barrel of another disappointing season in the English Championship. With little to no quality in the forward positions, and those who considered “decent†underperforming massively, they were in desperate need of someone new and exciting to revamp their squad.

Enter, Fernando Forestieri.

The one that got away – Fernando Forestieri and Leeds United

Realistically speaking, there is very little substance to this transfer story. Indeed, we are pretty confident the idea of signing Forestieri lived and died inside Cellino’s warped little head. But it is a juicy saga to discuss, nonetheless.

Much in the same way we all wanted the super-expensive toy when we were younger but could not have it, Cellino fixated on the idea of signing the former Udinese and Watford man Fernando Forestieri with no real prospect of signing him.

The former Italy youth international was a decent enough talent at the time. He had supplied a total of 20 goals and 22 assists during his stint in the Championship with Watford having moved as part of the club’s ongoing relationship with Serie A side Udinese and was evidently everything Leeds United were looking for.

But this was all made obsolete by the fact Forestieri had no intention of joining the club. At all.

The Italian would later switch to Sheffield Wednesday, his current club, much to the displeasure of Cellino. The former Leeds United owner, clearly not used to getting his own way, threw his toys out of the pram and claimed that Forestieri lacks the “right mentality†to play for his club (as per Yorkshire Evening News).

…Forestieri responded perfectly.

Ouch.

The Italian grabbed an impressive 15 goals in 36 appearances that year. While Leeds, on the other hand, were stuck with Jordan Botaka, a winger who managed just 14 appearances and one assist.

Terrible.

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Rangers fans and Steven Gerrard would all love to sign Ryan Kent again this summer, but former St Mirren boss Alan Stubbs believes the Gers have absolutely no chance.

What’s the word?

Well, The Scottish Sun reported recently that Gerrard would like to sign Kent again this summer, after the winger has enjoyed a phenomenal debut campaign at Ibrox.

Kent, who is on a season-long loan from Liverpool, has six goals and nine assists in all competitions, and he set up the deciding goal in the club’s only Old Firm win of the season.

Fans are desperate to sign him permanently too, but Stubbs, who lasted less than three months and won just two games during his most recent managerial role at St Mirren, believes the lure of the Premier League will be too great for the 22 year-old.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

“I would be surprised if Ryan Kent is still there next year,” he told the Scottish Football Extra Show on BT Sport (28/04/19).

“The season that he has had, I think there will be other suitors maybe down south queuing up to take him.”

Verdict

With all due respect to Kent, it seems unlikely that Premier League sides will be “queuing up” to sign him this summer.

Norwich, Sheffield United and whoever joins the promoted pair through the play-offs will have learned from Fulham’s mistakes of last summer, and will likely avoid revamping their squad with loads of new signings and Premier League loans.

In fact, Stubbs is perhaps being a little naive to suggest a player with just six goals in 40 games in Scotland could cut the mustard in the world’s greatest division.

Then one has to consider the relationship between Gerrard and Liverpool and the trust the boss and Kent have with one another, and suddenly a move looks more than possible.

After Liverpool quoted the Gers at a whopping £12m to sign Kent permanently, another loan deal seems the most likely option, and fans should ignore the judgement from a man whose last 23 games as a manager have yielded just three wins.