All posts by h79snht.top

When Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool were all put in the pot for the Europa League, it was always likely that two of them would be facing each other. So what better than Man United and Liverpool drawing eachother, and many are claiming that whoever wins the tie will have a good chance of getting to the final.

Neither side have faced each other in European competition, and both sets of managers wanted to play each other. Liverpool have won the Europa League/UEFA Cup on several occasions, whereas United are yet to win the competition. But with both sides desperate for Champions League football next season, this would be the best opportunity to get it.

Louis van Gaal has a good record against Liverpool, with four wins from four matches.

For Jurgen Klopp, its a chance to redeem himself amongst the fans. His record at Liverpool hasn’t been any better than Rodgers, however he continues to be popular amongst disillusioned Liverpool fans, with a recent 3-0 win over Man City and a 5-4 win over Norwich making them think everything is ok.

Although Manchester United are currently in with a chance of still finishing in the top four, they need to be more consistent, which van Gaal does not believe will happen. The Dutchman has consistently said that United’s best chance of Champions League football is to win the Europa League, and beating Liverpool will highlight their intent.

For Liverpool, this will be a chance to get a Champions League spot that they really don’t deserve. This season they have been poor, and given their current squad, they should be sitting higher than 7th.

You can guarantee that when the two meet, Liverpool fans will be reminding everyone of how he red half of Merseyside have five European cups. United fans will quickly respond that they have won 20 league titles. Unless both sides use these nights to propel their season to success, then they will be at risk of being history.

The fact that these sides have never met in European Competition will make this a fiery affair. Under the floodlights, it could prove to be a real exciting, explosive and competitive fixture. The atmosphere will be incredible, and United will be thankful that the second leg is at home for them.

Liverpool only just narrowly beat FC Augsburg in the previous round, and were very lucky to make it out of their Europa League group. This rivalry recently has lacked the spice it had eight years ago, but hopefully these European nights can reignite that spark.

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West Ham have been the surprise package of the Premier League season. They’ve beaten Leicester to that title because we all knew Claudio Ranieri would do this, didn’t we?! No..? Well, anyway, well done West Ham.

Although the Irons have fallen just short of the top four, its still been a splendid campaign. However, their official Twitter account is getting a little carried away with their play at the minute. Its not quite peak Barcelona 2011 at the moment, guys, sorry..

The endlessly loveable Slaven Bilic has carried a team of talented players to a potential European finish and he will be even more of an icon if they squeak into the top four. Although the hype around the Champions League places may well die down, its been a wonderful year for the Hammers.

The love is real, but there are signs of a the honeymoon period ending with the Hammers faithful. Fortunately they aren’t exactly irritated with the charismatic boss, after the gifts of watching Payet’s sexy football, Kouyate’s marauding all-pitch game and a return of Andy Carroll.

But, the man they love most of all is the one they should be praising more than any other.

Mark Noble is West Ham. Noble is to West Ham what John Terry is to Chelsea or Paul Scholes to Manchester United, an icon. He has been there through it all and he might well have missed out on an England career by sticking with the Irons.

And he just keeps getting better and better!

He’s been good, very good, but let’s not get too carried away, folks.

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What happens when two British men start a football team for the miners in Spain back in 1889?

They unearth and begin Recreativo de Huelva, to date, Spain’s oldest, and one of the most historic, football club. The original chairman, Charles Adams, would be a little less happy with how his club is being run these days, however, as Recreativo are on the brink of extinction.

So whats the story?

The club owes over €20m in taxes and players haven’t been paid for over eight months. To put it in perspective a little, these aren’t top-flight millionaires that can survive on a week’s wages. Actually, they mostly earn far from the glittering salaries that La Liga stars take, and that’s why this is such a sad story.

Recreativo are struggling to stay afloat in the country’s third division. The two Scotsmen, Alexander Mackay and Robert Russell Ross, who founded the club were trying to put a team together for the overseas workers in the Rio Tinto mines. It’s a well known tale in Huelva and the fans remember their humble roots. There is nothing overwhelming about this place: its a small port city with just 150,000 occupants.

But today’s situation is far from conditions that greeted them in their first game against Sevilla. This team started as a fan-owned project, something the whole town could be part of. Sadly, it’s demise is a very modern footballing problem: ownership.

The owner refuses to sell and the club’s players, staff and supporters have now taken matters into their own hands. They urged the footballing community across Spain to come together and show that the Estadio Nuevo Colombino can be filled, and that Spain’s oldest club still has a heartbeat.

Fans from all over the country descended on Huelva for a crunch tie, with 21,000 tickets being sold for one euro each – almost symbolic. The match could have been El Decano’s quiet swansong but the game sold out in 24 hours. The SOS call was well and truly heard.

The community came together with buses and taxis offering reduced rates to supporters ahead of kick off. Social media exploded and people tuned in to watch the match. Thankfully, Huelva triumphed, scoring in the 89th minute to send their supporters into raptures.

But this is a story that is all too common in Spain. Real Oviedo were saved from a similar situation not too long ago and it seems like the world’s footballing family have come together to delay the inevitable once again.

Kick-off times have to be changed to as early as possible so as little electricity is used as possible, and the only expenditure here is for playing referees and away travel. Those are the two most important aspects for Recreativo, and paying these alone allows them to play.

Owner, Pablo Comas, and majority shareholder, Gildoy Espana, are refusing to let go. They refused an offer which prompted the response from the supporters and it’s only going to continue in this light.

“For us it would be as if a tsunami came here and swept everything we’ve worked for away,” said local supporters’ club president Jose Antonio Cabrer. That’s how much it means. Football is about more than money.

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Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has said that Celtic would be a “fantastic job” amid links with a move to Glasgow.

The 46 year old stated, however, that he is committed to focusing on this summer’s European Championships and would not be drawn on whether he would be interested in the job after the tournament.

WANT MORE? >> Celtic transfer news | Scottish Premiership transfer new

O’Neill told the Scottish Sun that he will commit himself to the Northern Ireland job and then see what happens after the Championships in France are finished:

“There have been a number of names linked with that job and it is a fantastic job. But I felt the right thing for me to do was to commit to NI leading into the finals to take that speculation away.I don’t think it would be possible for me to have something like that in the back of my mind and be focused on making sure we do well.

“It’s been 30 years since we’ve been there so I want it to be a positive experience for me, for the country, for everyone.If we can perform well hopefully it will enhance my reputation and we will see what happens after that.”

Northern Ireland face world champions Germany, Poland and Ukraine in the group stages.

If they manage to get out of their group against such tough opposition, O’Neill will no doubt be a prime candidate to replace Ronny Deila at Celtic Park.

The only issue is that the Bhoys will want a manager in place to prepare for the Champions League qualifiers in mid-July.

O’Neill’s commitments to Northern Ireland mean he will only speak to Celtic after the tournament, and by that time, the Scottish club may want to have a manager already in place.

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With Pep Guardiola now installed as Manchester City manager he has already wasted no time in signing four new players and after the team only finished 4th in the Premier League there will certainly be an overhaul of the squad this summer. Let’s now see who can be for the Etihad Stadium exit over the next few weeks.

Jesus Navas

With the addition of Nolito to the squad it looks as if the ex Sevilla player’s time could be up at Manchester City. After three seasons in the blue half of Manchester, Navas has made 99 league appearances and has only scored four times. That run is even more barren considering he hasn’t scored in the last two seasons.

He has never quite stepped up to be the kind of player who shone in La Liga and has tasted international success for Spain. As a player who suffers from homesickness perhaps a move back home could be exactly what the doctor orders to kickstart his career.

Pablo Zabaleta

There’s no question that he has been a fantastic servant to Manchester City but after eight years at the club is his time now up. Last season saw the least amount of game time for the Argentine and at 31, he hasn’t quite got that surging pace that saw him bombard down the right flank in the past.

He’s still a handy player to have, but with Bacary Sagna ahead of him in the right-back pecking order you have to wonder where Zabaleta will get game time this season. The fact that Sagna is 33 and was still used more than Zabaleta last season also speaks volumes.

Wilifried Bony

Manchester City played mostly one up top last season, this meant that the Ivorian Bony was demoted to third choice. He was never going to be chosen ahead of Sergio Aguero and the emergence of Kelechi Iheanacho only saw his game time further diminished.

That said when he was given opportunities he failed to make the most of them and has come nowhere near justifying the £25m fee that was paid to Swansea for his services. Very close to being marked a flop, that price tag does him no favours.

Samir Nasri

In what was an injury struck season last time around, Nasri only managed a total of seven league appearances after picking up two league winner’s medals you do have to wonder if Nasri will be sticking around to try and win a third.

Is he the kind of player that Pep Guardiola will want his squad let alone his starting XI? With those injuries that he picked up in the previous campaign will Nasri ever get back to what he considered his best form.

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Has there ever been a Premier League team quite so thoroughly unprepared for Premier League football than Hull City?

They have no manager, no players, no signings, no hope. The chairman is ill, but don’t worry, his son is doing a bang-up job! The fans are worried, and so is everyone with a connection to the club. And plenty of those without a connection.

Last season

Last season started well for Hull, but they stagnated somewhat throughout the year. Ultimately, though, they did exactly what they needed to do to get themselves back in the Premier League.

Their squad was always too good for the Championship, but clearly isn’t good enough for the Premier League right now.

What does success look like?

Survival is success for Hull, but given the circumstances and the strife around the club just now, maybe success is simply beating Derby County’s 11 point haul from 2008.

A new manager will at least have a few weeks to bring in some new players, but even if he does manage to bring in new faces, he only has two weeks to get his team ready for the new season. Without a proper pre season, things can go really badly even with the best of squads.

How has the summer gone?

After the high of winning promotion, Hull City fans have been brought straight back down to Earth with an almighty crash.

This should be a time of unbridled optimism. What’s interesting is that recently-relegated Newcastle United fans feel like they are in a wonderful position whilst recently-promoted Hull are in the opposite position. The summer has been that bad.

Key man

At this point, Hull really only have one man to rely on. With so many key players injured, with Mo Diame off to the Championship (!) in search for greener pastures, Hull will surely be relying on Abel Hernandez.

Last season he was a cut above in the Championship, but when Hull last relied on him in the Premier League he didn’t come up with the goods. Will that change this time around?

Make or break season

The entire squad are in for a make or break season, to be honest. Players like Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore took a gamble by staying with Hull after their relegation, and you could argue that they’re taking a gamble this season by staying on after promotion. Another relegation would not look good on a CV.

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Tottenham will be eagerly awaiting news on Harry Kane after the striker injured his ankle in their 1-0 win over Sunderland.

Kane could face a number of weeks on the sidelines after he was stretchered off following a collision with Sunderland defender Papy Djilobodji.

The fear for Spurs fans is that their main man could be out for a number of weeks, especially as they travel to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League next Tuesday and have a potential Premier League crunch game against leaders Manchester City just around the corner.

The England international had scored an impressive 51 goals in 88 games for Tottenham and won the Premier League Golden Boot in the last campaign, finding the net 25 times. While it is a huge blow for the North London side, however, there are some positives that can be taken should Tottenham’s fears be realised.

Here we look at five reasons Harry Kane’s injury could be a positive for Tottenham…

TIME FOR JANSSEN TO STEP UP

The first positive news for Spurs fans is that they’ll get to see Vincent Janssen in action.

The Dutch striker moved to White Hart Lane for £17million from AZ Alkmaar after scoring 27 goals in 34 games, finishing up as the Eredivisie’s top scorer.

Janssen has found playing time limited this season, starting only one game and coming off the bench four times.

Janssen has looked dangerous at times and will be hoping to use Kane’s absence as an opportunity to prove he deserves a starting place.

KANE WILL FINALLY BE GIVEN A REST

While not the ideal way for it to happen, Kane’s injury does give him a chance to let the rest of his body recover.

Kane has been more or less playing non-stop for the last two seasons, having been the only striker to start every league game least season as well as appearing at Euro 2016 and the 2015 Euro U21 Championship in Prague.

The Spurs man looked laboured at the Euros and hasn’t quite been at his red-hot best so far this season, despite scoring twice in the opening five games.

Perhaps a little time on the sidelines will give Kane the chance to really get going later in the year.

SON IS SHINING

Despite wanting to leave in the summer, Son Heung-Min has looked superb in his last two Premier League games.

The South Korean followed up his two goals and assist against Stoke with a man-of-the-match performance against Sunderland, and is looking more and more like the player Spurs forked out £22 million on last summer.

Son was continuously linked with a move back to Germany having failed to nail down a first-team role last season.

Son now looks like a man willing to fight for his place and will see more pitch-time as a result of Kane’s injury. If he succeeds, Spurs fans may look at this period as the time he turned it around.

THE GOALS WILL BE SHARED AROUND

Even without their talismanic striker, a team like Tottenham should still create enough chances to score goals.

In players like Alli, Eriksen, Lamela and Son in the side, Spurs have plenty of players capable of chipping in.

Kane adopts a ‘shoot on sight’ policy and had 159 efforts last season, with about a third of those coming from outside the box. With Kane out the side, Spurs’ midfielders can expect to have more chances to shoot and share the goals between them.

IT MAY FORCE POCH TO SIGN ANOTHER STRIKER

For many Spurs fans, the transfer window was a slight disappointment.

While Janssen has the potential to be a good player, most people wanted to see a more proven striker brought in to ease the burden on Kane.

If Tottenham’s worst fears are realised and Spurs go on a poor run without the England international, it could persuade Levy and Pochettino to spend the money and bring in the proven striker Spurs fans have been crying out for.

FIFA 17 is coming, it’s almost here! As the days pass, September 29 is looming larger and larger on the horizon, and we at FFC Towers are sure you, like us, have your copies of FIFA 17 reserved and ready to head your way soon.

We’ve brought you some interesting updates including the top 30 players in terms of rating in FIFA 17, the top 20 Premier League players in FIFA 17 and the Career Mode gems you simply must look out for of late, and we’re fed up of being serious now, so here’s a light-hearted look at the upcoming game courtesy of Spurs’ Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

The Tottenham squad are known as a pretty likeable bunch of guys off the field, and that comes across in the below video in which the striker and midfielder give each other their key ratings for the game as well as an overall score – Alli rates Kane at 93, the same as Lionel Messi!

Kane, speaking on behalf of EA SPORTS FIFA 17, also chatted in detail about his actual rating, 84:

Harry, what are your first thoughts on your FIFA 17 ratings and which of your individual ratings are you happiest with?

I’m okay with them, they’re not amazing, they’re not terrible, it’s in the middle. 84 overall is okay and hopefully keep improving with every year and it will keep getting higher every year. Probably the best stat is shooting, 84. Would have liked it to be in the 90’s as it’s my best attribute but probably the best on there so not too bad.

A year on year increase though, so you must be happy with that?

A: Yeah, of course. It shows that I’m getting better as a player which is the main thing. So like I said, hopefully win another golden boot, have another good season and the stats will fly up there – maybe into the 90’s if I’m lucky.

Footballers are never known for being happy with their ratings; which rating would you most like to see improved on the game?

Passing I think is disappointing, 71, I think I’ve got a good pass on me. I do like to switch the ball, switch the play now and then so I would like to see that in the 80’s and probably a bit faster; 73’s a bit harsh!

Harry Kane and Dele Alli were speaking ahead of the launch of FIFA 17. For more information on the release of FIFA 17 on 29th September, head to www.easports.com/uk/fifa

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The Champions League returns tonight and there are several huge fixtures across Europe to keep us occupied.

Barcelona, Arsenal, PSG and Bayern Munich all compete tonight, as do Diego Simeone’s Ateltico Madrid.

It’s the fourth round of group stage fixtures, which means a number of clubs can effectively secure their place in the last 16 with victory.

Arsenal will definitely fancy their chances away at Ludogorets, who they walloped 6-0 at the Emirates Stadium just a couple of weeks ago, while PSG can also join the Gunners in the last 16 with victory over Basel.

Elsewhere, Barcelona can progress with a victory over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium and Atletico Madrid can also qualify if they beat Rostov at home.

But who should you be backing in your accumulator with Winner Sports tonight?

We’ve picked up five teams that will make you some early-November cash on Tuesday night…

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Barcelona – 6/4

Barcelona made easy work of Manchester City at Nou Camp last time out, and it’s difficult to see a reverse at the Etihad tonight.

City have lost all five of their games against Barcelona and despite ending a five game winless streak by thrashing West Brom last weekend, they’ll struggle to end this streak against Barca.

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Atletico Madrid – 1/9

Atletico Madrid have a 100% record in Group D and will qualify with victory against bottom side FC Rostov.

They only scraped a 1-0 win against the Russian outfit last time out, but Atletico are a different animal at home and should win comfortably.

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Arsenal – 4/11

The Gunners thrashed Ludogorets at the Emirates a couple of weeks ago and although they always tend to struggle for results in November, they should not be troubled here.

They’re in incredible form and should secure their progression tonight.

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PSG – 8/13

Like Arsenal, PSG thrashed opponents FC Basel last time out and will qualify for the next stage with victory here.

Unai Emery’s men aren’t having the best of times in Ligue 1, but they’ll make easy work of Basel again tonight.

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Bayern Munich – 3/10

Bayern will effectively qualify from Group D if both they and Atletico win, which they should.

They travel to PSV tonight and will be confident of beating them again after thrashing them 4-1 in the previous round of fixtures.

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Manchester United versus Arsenal is one of the most illustrious fixtures in the Premier League calendar and comes with its fair share of historic goals.

It’s to be expected from two sides who have boasted players with the quality of Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp among many more.

It has often been fiery when the two sides meet – particularly in the days when Alex Ferguson was opposite Arsene Wenger in the manager’s dugout – but more often than not it was a moment of quality that settled affairs.

Lately, United have been struggling to match their old rivals in terms of Premier League finishes, but you can always back them to muster a performance against Wenger’s side.

There have been some thrilling games between the Red Devils and the Gunners in the Premier League era and some stunning goals to match.

We’ve compiled five of the best from down the years.

CRISTIANO RONALDO, 2009

The first goal on our list comes courtesy of one of the greatest players to bless the Premier League in modern times.

United and Arsenal met in the Champions League second leg with the Red Devils 2-0 up on aggregate including a valuable away goal courtesy of Park Ji-Sung.

Minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo put the tie beyond doubt with a 35-yard thunderbolt directly from a free-kick. Ferguson’s side went through as 4-1 winners and eventually beat Chelsea on penalties in the final.

THIERRY HENRY, 2000

Having scored an incredible 226 goals in 369 appearances, it was always likely Thierry Henry would appear somewhere on this list, and the choice of which goal to pick was easy.

With the scores deadlocked at 0-0, the Frenchman stunned the Highbury crowd as he collected a pass with his back to goal, teed himself up and hit a beautiful swivelling volley over a helpless Fabien Barthez.

Unfortunately for the Gunners, United went on to win the title that season, but Henry at least gave the Arsenal faithful a moment they would never forget.

ASHLEY YOUNG, 2011

In 2011, United faced up to an Arsenal side severely weakened by the losses of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy in the summer transfer window.

They Red Devils were ruthless and made the Gunners defence look like schoolboys as they ran riot in an 8-2 victory.

Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick that day but arguably the best goal came from Ashley Young after he cut in from the left, made space for himself and unleashed an unstoppable curling shot in the top corner.

ALEXIS SANCHEZ, 2015

As we outlined in our intro, Arsenal have been the better of the two sides in recent years.

This was particularly evident in 2015 when the Gunners ran out 3-0 winners at the Emirates Stadium.

Alexis Sanchez grabbed two brilliant goals but it was the opener that really stood out, as the Chilean completely wrong-footed David De Gea with a clever flick at the near post.

United at least got their own back in the return fixture as Marcus Rashford scored twice in a 3-2 win.

RYAN GIGGS, 1999

This list wouldn’t be complete without one of the most famous FA Cup goals of all time.

There was nothing to separate the two sides in their semi-final clash with the replay in extra time, having already drawn the first game.

That was until Ryan Giggs won the match with a scintillating solo goal. He picked up the ball at the halfway line, left five defenders for dead with his mazy dribbling and fired a powerful drive past David Seaman.

United went on to beat Newcastle United in the final as part of their treble-winning season.