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Scotland beat Cyprus 2-1 away from home on Saturday and while this didn’t mean anything in terms of qualification to Euro 2020 it certainly will have been a boost.

That will definitely be the case for Ryan Christie, who pulled off a wonderful goal for the opener, working his way forward until he was just outside the box before curling an effort into the top corner:

Ryan Christie with a belter for @ScotlandNT! https://t.co/zTMJfuL836

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 16, 2019

This acts as a continuation of what has already been an impressive start to the campaign from the 24-year-old Celtic man.

Across the SPFL, Champions League qualification and the Europa League, he has 12 goals and 1 assist from 17 starts and 3 substitute appearances.

With Celtic’s own European prospects looking strong, after taking 10 points from a possible 12 in the Europa League group stages, it will be encouraging to see Christie excelling on the continent again.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the goal, including posts from gushing Celtic fans, can be seen below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has jumped to the defence of Naby Sarr, who has been widely criticised for his performance against Millwall, as reported by London News Online.

What did he say?

Sarr had a bit of a shocker against Millwall, as the Lions’ goals in their 2-1 win came from the 26-year-old being easily beaten in the air from set-piece deliveries.

Fans were far from impressed with him on social media following the game, feeling that he cost them the points on the day.

However, Sarr, who recently got his first call-up to the Senegal national team, has received the public support of Bowyer: “We have to remember how far he has come, when I first took over 18 months ago he was in a bad place.

“Yeah, it was a shame he was at fault [against Millwall] but he has played a lot of games for us.

“So you can’t just get caught up in that game. All players make mistakes at one time or another.

“Once you come away from it and have had a couple of days to calm down you have to look at the bigger picture, that’s all I’d say. And that is how far he has come in the time that I’ve been in charge.”

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Unacceptable form

Regardless of whether or not Sarr has improved, Charlton can’t afford for the centre-back to carry on putting in performances like the one against Millwall.

He did provide the assist for Jonathan Leko’s goal, but his defensive showing was very suspect during the game, as shown below:

It should also be noted that the 26-year-old was hooked off at half time in the previous match against Preston North End, having failed to make a tackle, interception or clearance.

The defender has shown that he can give solid performances in the Championship, as in October he was given a WhoScored rating of 8.4 in Charlton’s 3-0 win over Derby County.

This came from a performance in which he made 6 clearances, 1 tackle, 3 clearances and scored a goal.

He needs to get back to defensively solid performances like this to prevent further questions being asked about his place in the team.

Wolverhampton Wanderers star Raul Jimenez has drawn comparisons between himself, Liverpool talisman Roberto Firmino, and Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero.

What’s the word?

In the absence of Premier League football, the Mexico international has been speaking to Wolves’ official club website.

During a Q&A with the Old Gold, Jimenez – valued at £45m by Transfermarkt – was asked which Premier League footballer was most closely aligned with his playing style, and he name-checked Aguero and Firmino – two players who, by his own admission, he tries to emulate.

“I think I have different characteristics from some players, but maybe I have some similarities with Firmino and Aguero. They are very good players and I follow them and try to be similar.”

Who said it: Klopp or Thanos?

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Comparing with the elite

Jimenez, who has scored 22 goals in all competitions already this season, is comparing himself with arguably the two best centre-forwards in English football.

That in itself is a testament to the former Atletico Madrid man’s confidence in his own ability, while the fact he aims to emulate Firmino will certainly please the Brazilian.

The aforementioned South American strikers are stylistically rather different, with Firmino more of a false-nine rather than a traditional number nine like Aguero, but both possess immense technical ability and a desire to contribute to the build-up play.

With 1.4 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per game so far this season, per Whoscored, there is ample evidence to suggest Wolves’ star striker is eager to act as a focal point for the attack rather than a mere poacher to finish off chances inside the penalty area.

He’s not quite at the elite table alongside Aguero and Firmino just yet, but a return of 39 goals and 18 assists from 88 appearances at Wolves suggests another successful season at Molineux could take his reputation to a higher level.

In other Liverpool news, plenty of fans have reacted to an intriguing report about Philippe Coutinho…

Crystal Palace have failed Wilfried Zaha.

Very rarely does a player of such talent play for a team outside the top six, and it is even more rare for said player to stick around while the club continually battle relegation and fail to surround him with better players.

Look at Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk dumping Southampton for Liverpool, Riyad Mahrez jumping ship to Manchester City or even Richarlison leaving Watford to pursue bigger things at Everton.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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Unfortunately for Zaha, his loyalty has not been rewarded by the Eagles, who for years have been relying on the “give it to Zaha and see what he can do” gameplan.

Just take a look at some of his incredible skills in the video down below…

How can it be that a player of such magnificent ability is playing week in week out with Christian Benteke, who has averaged one goal per season in the last two years, or Cenk Tosun, a failed Sam Allardyce signing at Everton, all for a team who have never finished higher than tenth in the Premier League.

Zaha has bagged a remarkable 56 goals and 70 assists in Palace colours, and those numbers are even more impressive when you consider the 27 year-old has had zero help the entire time. Think of an American football quarter-back with poor coaches, no run game, defence or offensive line (Matthew Stafford for you NFL experts out there).

With the £49.5m-rated (Transfermarkt) Ivory Coast star now entering his prime and sure to draw yet more transfer rumours this summer, the Selhurst Park outfit will have no one to blame but themselves if they let perhaps their most talented ever player walk out the door without ever having a genuinely competitive supporting cast around him.

According to a recent report, Liverpool could look to sign Adam Traore this summer if Sadio Mané or Mohamed Salah are to depart the club.

Football Insider have reported that the Wolves winger could be in-line to be a replacement for either of Liverpool’s wingers if another club is to come knocking.

Fears are heightening over the departure of Mané who has recently been linked with a move to Real Madrid, with Zinedine Zidane claiming he is making him a summer priority.

A recent report from David Maddock has claimed Liverpool are not – and never have been – interested in acquiring the services of Jadon Sancho. Traore is now on the club’s shortlist of attacking options should they look or need to expand their personnel.

The Spanish powerhouse averages 5.1 successful dribbles per game whilst also winning 9.8 duels per 90 minutes (via Sofascore).

Reds fans are head over heels with the idea of bringing the 24-year-old to Anfield, with one supporter saying ‘he would destroy’ under Jurgen Klopp’s system. Others are simply appreciating being linked with such a ‘beast’.

Support the amazing work of the NHS and AGE UK by getting involved in the #FLYTHEFLAG campaign, to find out more click here!

A post by a fan page on Twitter has got West Ham fans debating over who the best tackler they have seen at the club is, and a lot are suggesting it is Scott Parker.

The central defensive midfielder made 129 appearances for the East London side, managing to pick up 12 goals and 11 assists along the way, per Transfermarkt, from 2007 to 2011.

However it might be quite surprising that the player still receives such appreciation from West Ham supporters, considering he left the club for bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in August 2011 for £5.18 million.

Looking at his last two campaigns at the East London club, which are available on WhoScored, you can see why fans believe he is one of the best if not the best tackler to have played at the club as he averaged 3.3 tackles a game in the 2009/10 campaign and then bettered that the season after by averaging 3.8 tackles per match.

It was a big part of his game, and his tenaciousness did not go unnoticed as the former Premier League winner, via Transfermarkt, made 18 appearances for the Three Lions in his career.

Here is what fans had to say following the post:

West Ham fans, is Parker a West Ham legend? Comment below!

Newcastle United still await the outcome of the Premier League’s owners and directors test over Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabian-backed consortium taking over the northeast sleeping giants, something that has been with them for several weeks now.And journalist Paul Smith has made an interesting claim about the situation on Twitter which would provide some encouragement.

He suggests that there would be ‘repercussions’ if the top-flight do not rubber-stamp the move as it would create ‘untold problems’ in relation to club ownership – and he’s not wrong as several clubs are controlled by Middle Eastern states.

Manchester City are owned by UAE’s deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour while Sheffield United have Saudi ties too.

Smith said:

What he is effectively saying is that if the Premier League rules against the takeover of the Magpies by a group involving Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, then other ownership in the division will be called into question.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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Therefore, an even bigger can of worms could well be opened by the top-flight big wigs should they not accept Mike Ashley’s sale of the club.

AND in other news, Chris Waugh tips 22-goal STAR as potential target for Newcastle…

One of the undoubted bright sparks of Rangers’ campaign this year, Ianis Hagi has finally joined the club on a permanent deal.The starlet joined the club on loan from Belgian outfit KRC Genk, and had been in inspired form for Steven Gerrard’s side in the short time he has been at Ibrox, netting three times and providing two assists in 12 games.

Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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Speaking after the confirmation of his permanent arrival, Gerrard said: “Ianis is recognised throughout Europe as a young, exciting player so to have him join Rangers on a permanent basis is great news.

“I was able to develop a relationship with Ianis very quickly, he is a pleasure to coach as he is willing to learn and become better every training session. He has already experienced the pressure and expectation of Ibrox, I know he is ready for next season.”

And judging by the reaction of most Rangers fans, they have been left buzzing by the news too.

Some Gers supporters were quick to thank sporting director Ross Wilson for getting the deal over the line, with reports suggesting that Hagi will only cost around £3.5m.

One Rangers fan in particular appeared to poke fun at Michael Stewart, who was particularly critical of the club going after Hagi on a permanent deal in recent days.

Already a ten-cap Romania international at just 21, Hagi could be the kind of player Gerrard builds the side around at Rangers for the years to come.

And for the reported low cost that they appear to have signed him for, he promises to surely at least make a hefty profit for the club if he does leave later.

A legendary player who made 558 league appearances for Arsenal over 17 seasons with the club, as well as earning 68 caps for the Republic of Ireland, David O’Leary dipped his toe into management for the first time at Leeds United.

Having ended his career as a player at Elland Road, O’Leary worked at the club as an assistant before taking on the job full-time.

In his stint at the club he certainly helped bring success, with a Champions League semi-final appearance and the record of Leeds never finishing outside of the top five in the Premier League while he was at the helm.

However, despite significant expense in the transfer market, O’Leary never earned the club a trophy and his departure was followed by a steep and dramatic decline in the club’s fortunes, with a series of important players moving on and Leeds being relegated.

Here, we look back on O’Leary’s spell and see how much of it you can remember with 10 tough questions.

Sunderland chief executive officer Jim Rodwell has issued an apology to fans over the delay in season ticket refunds.

The Wearside club saw their season culminate in disappointment as the League One season was ended via a points-per-game system. Finishing eighth in the table, the Black Cats missed out on the chance to gain promotion to the Championship for a second consecutive season.

Following the end of 2019/20, Stadium of Light season ticket holders missed a total of three home games and a recent announcement by the club has seemingly angered many of those fans.

The latest announcement made by Sunderland revealed that those fans with season ticket cards for the 2019/20 campaign will not be refunded until August at the earliest. Those supporters missed home games against Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley and Peterborough United and club chief Rodwell has now issued an apology.

“We in the midst of a pandemic and we are very thankful to people for sticking with us,” Rodwell is quoted as saying by Chronicle Live.

“It is difficult. We’ve had no significant income since March and we don’t know when we will have again.

“We are doing our best to repay people as quickly as we can.

“I accept and I apologise that it isn’t as quickly as people would like.

“We are trying to do it in as fair and equitable a way as possible but I accept not everyone is going to be satisfied with that.”

Rodwell also revealed that more than 10,000 season card holders have opted to renew for the 2020/2021, a figure which marks a reduction of more than 50% on this time last year.

You cannot blame fans for not renewing their season tickets at Sunderland. Not only do they have the coronavirus pandemic leaving doubts over when they can attend games, but their appetite for another season in League One will likely have waned.

The future looks bleak for the club at the moment and it will be interesting to see where they are come pre-season.

Do you think Jim Rodwell’s apology is good enough, Sunderland fans? Let us know in the comments section below…