The departure of Brendan Rodgers at such an integral part of the season has surely provoked inquiries into the ambition of Celtic Football Club.

Regardless how big Celtic may be, and we do not doubt their significant influence, clubs in Scotland are always susceptible to losing players to the richer clubs in the south, and abroad.

It is an unfortunate reality that has weaved itself in the fabric of the modern Scottish game.

Indeed, losing Brendan Rodgers to Leicester City at this stage of the season, with a domestic title all but secured, is testament to the state of the current football food chain.

Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell has a real test on his hands now to manage a potential exodus of players and ensure the club do not fall victim to further poaching.

And this difficult task may be made even harder if The Scottish Sun’s reports are true.

Prized possession Kieran Tierney is said to be the subject of interest from German giants Borussia Dortmund this summer, alongside Unai Emery’s Arsenal and Rodgers Leicester – who are both long-term admirers of the player.

Lawwell must demonstrate that he is still ambitious if he wants any chance of keeping his star players this summer – and ambition roughly translates major transfer activity, nowadays.

Admittedly, there has been a minor flurry in the market, and permanently bringing in Odsonne Edouard, Vakoun Issouf Bayo and Maryan Shved is all very good.

But it is hard to ignore the fact that a majority of Parkhead transfers have either arrived on loan deals or free transfers.

And where it is exciting to see the likes of Timothy Weah and Oliver Burke strutting their stuff the Bhoys, their temporary service shows a desperate lack of ambitious and a worrying sign of Celtic’s weakness in the market.

If Lawwell wants to ensure players that the club is going places, he is going to need to invest some serious money.

Celtic fans, do you think you are stuck in an impossible situation in terms of recruitment and keeping players? Let us know in the comments below…

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford says the pressure is now on Sheffield United, in post-match comments reported by The Yorkshire Post, following the Blades’ 1-0 win at Elland Road on Saturday, and he has pulled off a genius masterstroke with his comments.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Whites had the opportunity to extend their lead over their Yorkshire rivals to five points when they hosted them at the weekend, but instead they ended up on the losing side meaning they now trail Chris Wilder’s men by a point.

With eight fixtures left to play it is very much still to play for in the automatic promotion race in the Championship, and Bamford was keen to put some pressure on the Blades, as reported by The Yorkshire Post.

He said: “The gap is not massive. It is tight and having been up there all season we have dealt with the pressure pretty well. Now the pressure, I think, will turn on Norwich and Sheffield.

“Norwich have been handling it, but for Sheffield it is the first time they have been in this position. It will be interesting to see how they cope with it, no longer being the underdogs and being in that pole position.”

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

Brilliant from Bamford

On the back of such a disappointing result, the former Chelsea man has played this one very well.

While everyone will be talking about Leeds bottling promotion, the 25-year-old has spiced things up with his comments on Sheffield United.

Of course, the Bramall Lane-based outfit found themselves in a similar position earlier on in the campaign last term before fading away, and despite being heavily involved in the automatic promotion race in recent weeks the hub of the focus has still largely been on Leeds and Norwich.

Now Bamford has put the pressure on the Blades and taken some off of the Whites as result, and now we must wait and see until the end of the month to see how they deal with it.

[ad_pod ]

Robbie Keane believes that Tottenham Hotspur can beat Manchester City in the Champions League.

The former Spurs striker scored a genuinely superb goal on Saturday as a Spurs legends team took on Inter Forever, lobbing Julio Cesar with his back to the stopper.

The Republic of Ireland international is Spurs’ 11th-highest goalscorer, having enjoyed two spells at the club, and he insists that Mauricio Pochettino’s men have every chance of beating the Premier League champions in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition.

Speaking in the mixed zone after the 5-4 thriller, he said: “It’s going to be a tough one because you’ve got two fantastic teams.

“People will say City are the favourites because of how they’re playing at the moment but this Tottenham team can beat anyone on their day.

“They’re a difficult team to play against and have some top, top players. It’ll certainly be an intriguing game and I’m looking forward to it.”

Spurs have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League and face a significant task if they are to overcome City.

Pep Guardiola’s side racked up 100 points last season and are continuing to fight for the Premier League title, alongside Jurgen Klopp’s exciting Liverpool team.

City won 1-0 at Wembley earlier this season, in a game that was played on the remnants of an NFL pitch.

[ad_pod ]

According to the Daily Mail, Everton are checking on Lille striker Rafael Leao, who they are reportedly looking to sign in the summer as Marcel Brands looks to build a team that ‘can move forward’.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Portugal Under-21 striker only joined Lille back in the summer on a free transfer after his departure from Sporting Lisbon, which came following a training ground invasion which saw some players assaulted.

Since his arrival in France, Leao has performed admirably, showing the form which caught the attention of Manchester City before he opted to move to Ligue 1 in hope of more first-team football – the 19-year-old has hit seven goals and recorded two assists in 15 league starts.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Leao is a direct, pacy forward who can play on the left or in the centre, and is a player that Lille reportedly don’t want to lose, despite being braced for offers – the teenager has four years remaining on his contract.

Everton moving in the right direction

Marco Silva and Brands are moving in the right direction with their work in the transfer market.

Following their capture of Richarlison, the Toffees are snapping up just the right kind of player – young, hungry footballers whose values will only increase as they get older.

This has been proven by AC Milan’s interest in Richarlison, with Everton wanting around £60m for their 21-year-old Brazilian, a fee which could easily be met by one of Europe’s giants.

Leao is a dynamic, young forward who looks to have bags of potential, highlighted by Manchester City’s interest in him, as aforesaid.

Along with the signings of Jordan Pickford, Lucas Digne and Bernard, Brands is certainly identifying, and signing, the correct profile of player, and moving away from the scatter-gun approach of old which saw names such as Davy Klaassen, Theo Walcott and Morgan Schneiderlin arrive.

[ad_pod ]

On Thursday evening, Tottenham Hotspur’s official website revealed that Harry Kane had suffered ‘a significant lateral ligament injury to his left ankle’ during Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Manchester City.

Kane suffered the problem in a challenge with Fabian Delph and it seems unlikely that the 6 ft 2 striker will be able to play again this season.

Tottenham have not actually ruled the England captain out of the remainder of the campaign, but it seems improbable that he will be able to feature over the next month or so.

It is a bitter blow to the club’s chances of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League, in addition to their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

It is certainly not the news that the club’s supporters wanted and a number took to social media on Thursday evening to reveal their thoughts.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

فاز فريق أولمبياكوس على فريق أتروميتوس برباعية نظيفة، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، مساء اليوم، على ملعب “كارايسكاكيس”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الخامسة من الدوري اليوناني.

أحمد حسن كوكا، مُهاجم منتخب مصر، والمُحترف في صفوف أولمبياكوس، شارك في المباراة كأساسي وسجّل هدفا وخرج في الدقيقة 76.

انتهى الشوط الأول من المباراة، بالتعادل السلبي دون أهداف، حيث فشل هجوم الفريقين على مدار الـ45 دقيقة الأولى في هز الشباك.

وفي الشوط الثاني من المباراة، سجّل يوسف العربي الهدف الأول لـ أولمبياكوس في الدقيقة 53.

وفي الدقيقة 65، تمكن كوكا من إحراز الهدف الثاني، بعدما استغل خطأ من دفاع الضيوف.

وعاد يوسف العربي للتألق في المباراة، حيث سجل هدفين في خمس دقائق ليوقع على الهاتريك في الدقيقتين 82 و87.

هذا الانتصار رفع رصيد أولمبياكوس للنقطة العاشرة، في وصافة الدوري اليوناني، بفارق الأهداف عن فولوس، فيما توقف رصيد اتروميتوس عند 5 نقاط بالمركز السابع في سلم الترتيب.

Their away record might not be that good this season but Everton have shown in recent weeks why Goodison Park is such a difficult place to play at for visiting teams. At long, long last. 

Indeed, the Toffees recorded an impressive 2-0 win over Chelsea at their home ground on Sunday afternoon, handing the Blues a massive knock in their top four aspirations. Furthermore, the noise and determination of the Everton supporters on Sunday emphasised how badly they want their team to succeed after what has been a very disappointing season for the Merseyside club.

Most people would’ve fancied Maurizio Sarri’s men to walk away with the spoils and in the early stages of the match it seemed like another long afternoon was waiting for Everton. Still, an inspired second-half performance and more focus from Marco Silva’s charges saw them take control of the encounter with the Goodison Park crowd firmly behind their team and helping them over the line in the end.

Everton showed against Liverpool at the beginning of the month that they are capable of holding firm against the bigger clubs in the Premier League when they kept the Reds to a goalless draw at home in the Merseyside Derby.

The Toffees also made life a bit difficult at home for Manchester City earlier this year when they pushed the Citizens all the way, despite Pep Guardiola’s men eventually securing a 2-0 win. Given the fact that Everton have been really poor on the road this season their fans clearly feel they should use Goodison Park to their advantage to salvage any sort of pride from their campaign before the season draws to a close in May.

And with Arsenal and Manchester United still having to make the trip to Everton, the fans will be hoping for very similar results like Sunday.

Both the Gunners and the Red Devils have found it tough to play at Goodison Park in the recent past and will certainly be wary of the threat Everton pose with their fans cheering them on. Well over a month after Silva promised to give the home faithful ‘what they deserve’ (quotes from BBC), Everton finally are.

Everton fans, have you turned a corner of late? Is Goodison Park finally a good place to go again? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

What a few weeks it’s been for Aston Villa! Four wins in four took them from eleventh to the play-off spots on Saturday, but the international break is coming just at the wrong time.

Dean Smith would surely have his team playing every three days until the end of the season if he could, considering the blistering form they’re in. Jack Grealish returned in the first of those four games, during their 4-0 win against Derby County, and they haven’t looked back since.

Still, they could have peaked too early.

There are eight games left of the season, but first, there’s the international break which can either be a blessing or a curse. For Villa, it’s most certainly a curse because, despite the players being able to rest more, it could disrupt their rhythm and cause them to fall back from the pack.

The Villa faithful will be confident they can continue to tear up the division and march towards the Premier League return the club needs. But not enough focus is placed on the mentality of a play-off spot battle. Maintaining momentum and focus is just as, if not more, important than rest.

Considering how long it took for Smith to build up any kind of momentum at Villa Park, having a break now during his best run in charge really is a nightmare.

Their next fixtures are at home against Blackburn and then away at Sheffield Wednesday, so they’re games Villa will have thought they coud win, despite the Blades’ success. They’re also games they need to win to keep themselves in the play-offs, because one slip in these games and the great pre-break form will seem a mile away.

The fans have seen what this team are capable of and their expectations are now even higher than they were at the start of the season. The Villans could do without the time to overthink what promotion would mean for the club, but it’s unavoidable.

It could well be their stumbling block.

Villa fans, Do you think the international break will be an advantage or hindrance to your club’s play-off hopes? Join the discussion by commenting below…

It has been quite a fall from grace for Alex Pritchard this season, hasn’t it Terriers fans?

Signed for a fee reported to be in the region of £12m (via Sky Sports) from Norwich City, the midfielder played a pivotal role in helping Huddersfield Town retain their top-flight status by offering an important attacking outlet for the club.

However, the 2018/19 campaign has seen him not come anywhere near producing the same level of performance as he has yet to record a single assist despite having played 11 more games compared to last season. Although scoring goals has never been one of Pritchard’s strongest suits, his record in that particular department for the Terriers has nevertheless still been poor, especially when you consider just how much the club spent on him.

With Jan Siewert’s side almost certainly heading for a return to the Championship in May, the German manager has to make a decision on the midfielder’s future in the summer. By selling Pritchard, Huddersfield could cut their losses on the England under-21 international and use the money to reinvest elsewhere with the position of striker in particular need to be vastly improved.

Although his last spell in the second tier was immensely successful with Norwich, there are no certainties that he will be able to replicate this for the Terriers. A truly awful campaign for Pritchard may have taken its toll on his confidence and so for his sake, a move elsewhere could be extremely beneficial as it would help him rebuild his career.

Huddersfield’s relegation to the Championship could be confirmed at the weekend if results do not go their way and it is imperative for their future that they look ahead to what they need to succeed next season. If Pritchard doesn’t fit the bill, they must cut their ties with a midfielder who ultimately has failed to live up to all the hype that surrounded his arrival.

What do you think Terriers fans? Should the club sell Pritchard in the summer? Or does his previous success in the second tier mean that he should stay? Let us know below.

كشف مصدر بالنادي الأهلي لـ”بطولات” موقف علي معلول لاعب  من المشاركة أمام الوداد، في مباراة الغد بإياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويواجه الأهلي منافسه الوداد على أرضية استاد القاهرة، وكانت مباراة الذهاب قد انتهت بفوز بطل الدوري المصري بهدفين دون رد على الفريق المغربي.

وقال مصدر داخل الأهلي لـ”بطولات”: “الجهاز الفني للأهلي يرفض المخاطرة بإشراك علي معلول في مباراة الوداد، لأنه يعاني من إجهاد في العضلة الخلفية”.

طالع أيضًا.. موعد والقنوات الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي والوداد اليوم في إياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأضاف المصدر: “إذا غاب التونسي عن المباراة سيكون أحمد فتحي هو الأوفر حظًا لقيادة الجبهة اليسرى بدلا من معلول”.

يذكر أن المتأهل من مباراة الأهلي والوداد سيواجه الفائز من الزمالك والرجاء في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.