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Tottenham Hotspur fans have expressed their relief that Louis van Gaal rejected the club after managing the Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup.

The Dutchman moved to Manchester United and spent two years at Old Trafford, finishing fourth in 2014-15 and fifth in 2015-16, though he won the FA Cup in his second season at the club.

Nevertheless, he was sacked despite the achievement, with Jose Mourinho appointed in his stead.

United struggled with the Dutchman’s playing style; he tended to favour a slow, ponderous build-up and did not appear to get up to speed with the pace and intensity of the English top-flight.

He was close to moving to Spurs, who were looking to replace axed Tim Sherwood following the World Cup in Brazil, but he instead opted for a switch to Old Trafford.

He has now admitted that he regrets that decision, with Spurs, under Mauricio Pochettino, finishing above United in two of the three seasons since his appointment.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “Tottenham were a better selection because Manchester United were an old team and I knew I would have to transform them.

“Was it the wrong choice? Maybe, but I follow my heart. I worked at the number one team in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and now also in England.”

And fans have now revealed their relief, in hindsight, at the 67-year-old’s choice. Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

[ad_pod ]Manchester United avoided a fifth defeat in their previous six matches as they narrowly beat West Ham United 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday.The Red Devils were pretty much second-best throughout however as they relied upon two Paul Pogba penalties to see them over the line against Manuel Pellegrini’s men, with Jesse Lingard getting the nod on the right-hand side of a 4-2-3-1 formation.The England international has played in a range of positions in recent weeks including attacking midfield, winger and behind the striker, but he is really struggling for goals and assists.In fact, he hasn’t found the net in the Premier League since December and has just the one assist in his previous 10 top flight appearances despite often playing in an advanced role for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.One United supporter on Twitter believes that the 27-year-old may be more suited to a deeper role in the middle of the park, but are they right?

The positives

Lingard often gets lost out wide and doesn’t have the pace and skill to take opposition full-backs on – as proved to be the case against Arthur Masuaku at the weekend – but he wouldn’t particularly need those traits in the middle of the park.

In that area of the pitch you rely more on your stamina and your ability to win the ball – no United player won more tackles than the Englishman’s five on the home on Saturday, as per WhoScored.

The 27-year-old playing in a deeper role could potentially allow Paul Pogba – who once again looked lost in a less advanced position against the Irons – to move further forward.

The negatives

At home playing Lingard there could probably work as United do most of the attacking and look to break teams down, but it would likely be a different story on the road.

He may well have a never-say-die attitude but you need that defensive nous at all times against bigger teams on the road for example, and it would certainly be a risk by Solskjaer to deploy him there regularly.

The Three Lions star is also prone to being bullied by some opponents and isn’t always the greatest in possession, and that would be a worry if he was in such a key area.

The verdict

Playing Lingard out wide clearly isn’t working as he just doesn’t have the traits to be a successful winger, so something needs to change if he is going to carry on being a regular in the XI.

Perhaps the answer is to leave him on the substitutes’ bench for a few matches, but it certainly seems as though he needs to play central to get some form back.

Given he isn’t prolific in terms of goals and assists, perhaps the deeper role where he can win tackles for his team is the right way to go now.

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Since West Brom sacked Darren Moore in early March, the club have reportedly shown a degree of interest in Preston boss Alex Neil.

However, the Scot has now claimed he’s making plans for his current club ahead of next season, swatting away rumours of a potential move to the Hawthorns.

The current managerial situation at the Midlands outfit has been frustrating for fans with Albion’s hierarchy no closer to making a decision over who may take the role permanently.

But reacting to Neil’s comments, West Brom supporters have expressed their relief at the news as one fan laid into the 37-year-old claiming he was useless.

One supporter specified that he wasn’t the answer to the club’s current plight whilst another individual bluntly said that he didn’t want Neil.

Talks with Slavisa Jokanovic haven’t materialised and James Shan, who is currently the manager on a caretaker basis, looks as though he may take the reins until the end of the season.

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

West Brom had been in poor form leading up to Moore’s departure but they’re now on a run of three wins since Shan took charge.

Here’s the best of the reaction from Twitter.

Middlesbrough have suffered a poor run of form at just the wrong time, with three successive defeats having Teesside nerves jangling at the prospect of blowing their play-off chances.

Failure to rectify the downturn in form will undoubtedly see them overtaken in a play-off race that is as wide-open as it has been for many seasons.

Seven teams are within seven points of Middlesbrough, meaning any side all the way down to Hull in tenth will fancy their chances of putting a run together to make a charge to the post-season games.

Sheffield Wednesday, under Steve Bruce, are the perfect example of that, with their double digit unbeaten run seeing them come from nowhere to the heart of the battle.

Boro’ have to put things right before it is too late, but they have a massive task to end their miserable run this weekend, with a teatime game against leaders Norwich at the Riverside.

But after this game, the fixtures do not appear to bad for the Teessiders, and we have crunched the numbers, and see Tony Pulis’s side picking up the points needed to secure their play-off place.

Crucially, if our predictions prove correct, Boro’ will finish fifth, avoiding the unlucky loser in the automatic promotion race — who will be Sheffield United in our opinion.

It will see them take on West Bromwich Albion in the semi final, and although that will be an incredibly difficult game, it will be better than it could have been.

We have Boro’ losing just two more games this season — Norwich on Saturday and the away game at Aston Villa — while managing draws at Swansea and Nottingham Forest.

Strugglers Bolton and Rotherham look like two straightforward away games, while Bristol City, Hull, Stoke and Reading will be seen off at the Riverside.

That said, the longer the poor run goes on, the more confidence takes a hit, and the domino effect will see each game become harder and harder as a result.

But as long as they get back to winning ways soon, we cannot envisage them missing out. Boro’ fans will be hoping for the same.

What are your thoughts on your run-in Boro’ fans? Do you think they will get out of their slump soon? Who is to blame? Let us know below…

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Bournemouth bowed out for the international break with a 2-2 draw with Newcastle and can perhaps feel unfortunate that they didn’t take all three points from the clash, with Matt Ritchie netting a late equaliser at the Vitality Stadium.

This lack of concentration in the final minutes is perhaps due to a lack of leaders on the pitch, with the Cherries keen to succeed with a youthful squad. As one of the more senior members, Nathaniel Clyne should certainly have been setting an example to the younger players at the weekend but failed.

On the chalkboard

Having been a fixture for Liverpool up until the 2017/18 season, from when injuries and Trent Alexander-Arnold kept him out of the starting XI, Clyne’s move to Bournemouth looked like a perfect move for all involved – the right-back would get game-time and a Cherries problem area would be solved.

With Champions League experience under his belt, he was surely expected to bring that kind of quality and confidence to the Cherries’ back-line but he was by far their worst performer last time out.

Come on Clyne

The 27-year-old’s resume would lead you to believe that he would succeed if you threw him into a mid-table side and be one of the most dependable players in the XI, however his performance against the Magpies was poor.

The former Southampton man completed just 56% of his attempted passes – likely reminding Liverpool fans why the aforementioned Alexander-Arnold is first choice at Anfield – while also attempting just 1 cross.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

At least he was solid in defence, right? Wrong. The number 23 completed just 1 tackle and failed to intercept or clear the ball once all game, while Charlie Daniels on the opposite flanks completed 3, 1 and 2 respectively.

The Cherries visit Leicester next time out and Eddie Howe will surely be expecting much more from the 5 ft 9 January arrival.

West Bromwich Albion are currently in a confusing predicament.

One day they are capable of playing stunning football, blowing away opponents and the next day they fall to a disappointing loss. Perhaps that’s just the nature of the Championship but the Baggies really need to be in the Premier League, considering the type of talent they have on the books.

So, regardless of his somewhat unconvincing run until THAT win over Preston last weekend, those behind the scenes have obviously decided to keep Jimmy Shan in charge until the end of the season.

Clearly, fans must have largely been hoping for someone with some experience in the play-offs, though they’ve instead been rewarded by the appointment of Steven Reid as an assistant coach. The former Reading coach has experience in such a lottery, having been part the Royals’ journey deep into it and to Wembley during his tenure as a first-team coach.

Now he can use his expertise to help Shan in the difficult journey ahead.

The positives from Reid’s appointment is that he’s a popular figure at the Hawthorns after spending his late years as a player. Making 62 appearances for the Baggies, he must be fairly popular amongst the supporters reading this. Indeed, having both played and coached in these situations before, Reid also knows how to handle pressure-situation and can avoid a case of nerves for the Baggies.

West Brom have a pretty good squad which can overwhelm the others, but they lack consistency. They need to make sure to put their best feet forward in the promotion games, as Reid needs to help Shan shape the team perfectly to oust oppositions in the big-game scenarios.

Reid’s arrival can possibly prove a breath of fresh air at West Brom. The Baggies need some inspiration to survive the upcoming onslaught and win promotion, as their former midfield general could be the source of motivation Shan hasn’t been.

West Brom fans, how are you feeling about this appointment? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

علق نجم الكرة الإنجليزية السابق، مايكل أوين، على المشادة الأخيرة التي جرت بين جناحي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، محمد صلاح وساديو ماني، في مباراة شيفيلد يونايتد ببطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وظهر ماني يعاتب محمد صلاح في الشوط الثاني، بعد فرصة المصري الدولي التي اصطدمت بالقائم، حيث كان يرى السنغال أنه في وضعية أفضل ليمرر له الكرة من أجل تسجيل الهدف الثالث في المباراة.

وحاول محمد صلاح شرح الأمر لماني مؤكدًا له أنه كان في وضعية مثالية لكن الكرة قد ارتطمت بالقائم وحرمته من الهدف لسوء الحظ، لكن يبدو وأن القرار بالتسديد لم يعجب ماني كثيرًا.

هذا الأمر ليس بجديد على الثنائي، حيث سبق وغضب ماني في مباراة بيرنلي بالموسم الماضي، لكن في النهاية، مرت الأزمة بسلام تام في ليفربول.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: فيرمينو يحلم بالرحيل عن ليفربول إلى ريال مدريد

وتحدث أوين عن وجهة نظره في الأمر خلال حواره مع شبكة “DAZN” الإيطالية، وقال: “كانت لعبة رائعة من محمد صلاح، بعدما تغلب على المدافع بحركة عكسية مميزة لداخل منطقة الجزاء بل وسددها ببراعة، بالطبع ماني كان يتمنى ولو مرر له الكرة ليسجل الهدف”.

وتابع: “بالتأكيد ماني كان يقول شيئًا لمحمد صلاح، كما نرى بعد اصطدام الكرة في القائم، لذلك اعتقد أن مازال هناك شيء ما بين الثنائي (بعد مباراة بيرنلي في الموسم الماضي)”.

وأضاف: “أتوقع ذلك وربما يكون صحيًا في هذه المرحلة في الوقت الحالي، لكن إذا كانت لها تأثير في المستقبل فستكون أمرًا كارثيًا، على الرغم من أنني أرى المنافسة بينهما جيدة ولصالح ليفربول”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “ليست تلك هي المرة الأولى التي نشاهد فيها الثنائي بهذا الموقف ولا أعتقد أنه يستحق المبالغة فيه بالوقت الحالي، لكن هذا لا ينفي أن ما زال هناك شيئًا ما بينهما”.

شاهد لحظة مشاهدة محمد صلاح وماني في مباراة ليفربول وشيفيلد

قرر الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالأهلي، بقيادة بيتسو موسيماني، تصعيد 6 ناشئين جدد وإشراكهم في المران الجماعي، الذي أقيم مساء اليوم الثلاثاء على ملعب التتش.

ويلتقي الأهلي أمام منافسه طلائع الجيش في المواجهة المقرر إقامتها مساء السبت المقبل في إطار منافسات الجولة الأخيرة للمسابقة المحلية.

طالع.. مران الأهلي | تدريبات خططية للاعبين.. عودة أيمن أشرف واستمرار تأهيل الثلاثي المصاب

وشارك الناشئون الستة في المران الجماعي للفريق وهم:

محمد حسام «ميدو»، مدافع، مواليد ٢٠٠٠، وفارس طارق، ظهير أيمن، مواليد ٢٠٠٠، وأحمد محمد عبد القادر «حمدي»، مهاجم، مواليد ٩٩، وعبد الرحمن أشرف «مانو» ، لاعب وسط دفاعي، مواليد ٩٩، وأحمد سيد عبد النبي، ظهير أيمن، مواليد ٢٠٠٢، وأحمد نبيل «كوكا»، لاعب وسط دفاعي، مواليد ٢٠٠١.

فيما تشارك مجموعة أخرى من الناشئين بشكل منتظم في مران الفريق، وهم محمد فخري ومحمد شكري وشادي رضوان والحارس أحمد طارق.

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Former Falkirk and Inverness manager John Hughes has heaped praise on Scott Arfield after the midfielder’s hat trick on Sunday.

Arfield showed the Ibrox faithful what they have been waiting for all season on Sunday, finally adding some goals from midfield.

The lack of a proper “number ten” and goals from midfield has been a huge issue as the Gers have struggled to break down deep defences in recent months, but that problem could now be solved if Arfield’s performance against Motherwell was anything to go by.

And Hughes, who brought Arfield into his Falkirk side as a teenager, thinks the ex-Burnley ace will have a huge role to play in bringing silverware to Ibrox.

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

What did he say?

“I love Scott. I have been on record before as saying he is the kind of player who will end up being first on Stevie Gerrard’s team sheet because he is a manager’s dream,” Hughes said, as reported by The Scotsman.

“Actually, the only problem for Scotty is that he can play in a number of positions and you don’t know what his best position is.

“He could play right-back, trust me. He was a great right back and able to bomb on throughout a game.

“He can also play sitting midfield, right wing, left wing and come off a striker and into the pockets of space behind him.

“You look at what he did at Fir Park on Sunday and it was three good goals, really accomplished finishes.

“As I said, he is a manager’s dream. In the way he trains as well as plays. He trains every day like it is his very last day at training. He is at it all the time. Never slacks off.”

Manager’s dream

Hughes went on to say that he expects Rangers to compete with Celtic for trophies in the near future, but only with “three or four” new additions to the first team.

And he clearly thinks Arfield will have a huge part to play in any success Gerrard does have at Ibrox, though only time will tell if that comes as a number ten or in one of the countless positions Hughes mentioned.

Either way, the 30 year-old Arfield is an extremely useful player for the gaffer to have at his disposal, and if he can keep up his form heading into next season maybe the club won’t need to sign an out-and-out number ten after all.

Everton have an exciting project ahead, but they won’t be taken for fools in the transfer market, and their rejection of Marcos Rojo proves just that.

When Manchester City were aiming for the top, they paid stupid money to attract players who wouldn’t usually want to play for them. Duncan Castles on the Transfer Window Podcast (via The Daily Star) revelation’s that Everton brushed off Rojo’s £160,000 wage demands suggests they’re not going to take that route.

City have become harsher with their own wage bill recently, not following through on Alexis Sanchez for that reason. Everton are seemingly doing that early on and it’ll stand them in good stead for the future. They need to invest, but only when it makes sense.

On this occasion, it didn’t.

Rojo, like most United signings post-Sir Alex Ferguson, has been a flop. It’s reported United wanted to get rid of his last summer and Everton were interested. It’s very easy for fans to say “just pay the money”, but what’s the point if it wouldn’t be a good investment?

He’s 29-years-old and reportedly on a weekly wage of around £160k so the signing would have been short-term to begin with. Then, even in the short term, it’s hard to see how the club would get their money’s worth out of him anyway. Yes, they need a replacement in that position, but there are better players who would demand much less.

Marco Silva surely has high ambitions for the club and with a new stadium on the way, things are looking up. They must make sure they keep their heads in the transfer market though, because otherwise agents or clubs will try and take advantage of their ambition and hold them to ransom.

Everton fans, was it the right decision to not sign Marcos Rojo in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…