All posts by z3u9t.icu

Former Premier League manager Alex McLeish has tipped Barry Douglas to be a success at Watford if he moves to Vicarage Road this week.

It has proven to be a busy summer at Elland Road in terms of transfer business with a large number of new faces arriving through the doors of the Yorkshire club.

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa has improved his squad options but with the domestic transfer window still open until Friday (October 16), a number of fringe players could potentially leave.

The likes of Gaetano Berardi left the club this summer and it is now looking like defender Douglas could be set for an exit too.

A whole host of clubs have been labelled with interest in the Scottish left-back, and former Premier League club Watford have now emerged as front runners in the race to sign the defender this week.

Douglas receives McLeish backing to make Watford move

With Football Insider claiming Watford’s interest, former Aston Villa boss McLeish has given his thoughts on whether or not the former Wolves defender would make an impact at the Championship club.

“Watford aren’t in the Premier League, they’ll be smarting the fact that they were relegated, they will feel like they have something to prove,” McLeish told Football Insider.

“Troy Deeney, etcetera, in that dressing room will be cracking the whip and telling the other players in that dressing room that we have to get back to the Premier League.

“To do that in the Championship, there has to be a massive level of consistency and Douglas has got that experience. If Watford go for him then you would think he would add to the squad.”

Douglas has made 44 appearances for the Whites thus far.

The correct move for Douglas to gain sufficient playing time

Stuart Dallas has promoted himself as the number one choice at left-back in Bielsa’s side over the last 12 months and one can’t really see Douglas getting many chances to show his worth with Ezgjan Alioski there as a versatile option too.

With a whole host of defensive options available to him this season, Bielsa is fully equipped for the competition and threat of the Premier League, having the likes of Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Robin Koch, and of course Alioski, who have all been performing well over pre-season and over the start of the new campaign so far.

Douglas, will no doubt be eagerly anticipating Friday’s deadline day as he looks to start a potential new chapter in his career, but a move to Watford would be a superb one for the defender, especially given their ambition to bounce back and gain promotion back to England’s top flight.

Do you think Douglas would be a success at Watford? Can he help them get back in the Premier League? Let us know in the comments section below…

Key Information about Somerset Park

Somerset Park is the home ground of Scottish Championship side Ayr United, and it has been since they were founded in 1910.

The historic ground originally opened in 1888, and today Somerset Park has a capacity of just over 10,000, 1,597 of which are seats. Prior to Ayr United, the ground was the home of Ayr FC who merged with Ayr Parkhouse to form Ayr United in 1910.

Somerset Park comprises four famous stands; the Main Stand, Somerset Road End, the North Terrace, and the Railway End which now primarily houses away supporters.

A history of Somerset Park

The original Ayr Football Club commissioned Somerset Park back in 1888 to replace their former home of Beresford Park. This conversation began before a friendly match against Aston Villa as they needed to find an alternative venue as Beresford Park was being used for the famous Ayr Cattle Show at the time. Subsequently, the Beresford Park clubhouse and grandstand were dismantled and reassembled at Somerset Park.

Ayr FC entered the Scottish Football League in 1897, though were never considered as serious contenders to win promotion to the top flight. Ayr Parkhouse also played at Beresford Park and followed in Ayr’s footsteps by joining the Second Division of the league.

Due to both of the clubs struggles to win promotion to the First Division, in 1910, they decided to merge and form a new club – Ayr United as we know them today. Ayr United adopted Somerset Park as their new home ground, despite Beresford Park being used by the club during the First World War.

It was not until ten years after being formed that Ayr would purchase Somerset Park for £2,500, and four years after that the pitch was relaid and they built a brand new Main Stand, as well as erecting a roof over the Railway End Terrace in 1933 which was split into male and female sections. Ayr United recorded a massive record attendance at Somerset Park in September 1969, during a match between Rangers which was witnessed by just over 25,000 spectators.

Floodlights were finally installed one year later which finally meant that Ayr could host night-time fixtures in darker conditions for the first time. The Somerset Road End terrace was covered in 1971, and the Main Stand was redeveloped with a new wing which increased the seating capacity to 1,450. Strangely, Ayr United’s owner during the late 90s/early 00s had a construction company who built new stands for many Scottish clubs, though Somerset Park was not developed and this prevented Ayr from being promoted to the Scottish Premier League.

Tickets to Watch Ayr United at Somerset Park

Adult single matchday tickets are priced at £18, concessions at £12, and under-18s at just £6. Season tickets for adults priced at around £260 per season and £130 for half a season, whereas concession season tickets are priced at £160, and children from £40-55.

Related Links

https://ayrunitedfc.co.uk/ – Official Website of Ayr United

https://ayrunitedfc.co.uk/match-prices/ – Ayr United Ticket Office

Many Aston Villa fans have responded to a report that claims Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will not activate a buy-back clause for midfielder Douglas Luiz.

The Brazilian midfielder moved to Villa Park last summer from Manchester City and had a superb season with Dean Smith’s side, featuring in 36 Premier League games which saw him score three goals and gain two assists.

Such performances have since seen reports emerge that former club City, who have a buy-back clause available to use, were keen to activate it.

However, Martin Blackburn from The Sun has now claimed that Citizens boss Guardiola has no plans to make such a move.

The 22-year-old originally joined City in 2017, spending time away from the Etihad Stadium to continue his development with Spanish side Girona until last summer.

Valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, the Brazil international is expected to continue playing a large part in Dean Smith’s Villa side next term.

Reacting to the news which was shared by Twitter account @villareport, fans gave their opinion with many delighted that it appears the midfielder will remain at Villa Park.

How much do you think Douglas Luiz is worth? Let us know in the comments section below…

Arsenal are reportedly willing to take a hit by paying the full asking price of €50 million (roughly £44.5 million), whether it would be all in one go or in instalments, for Thomas Partey as they know what the Atletico Madrid central midfield player could add to their squad, according to ESPN.

In addition, Mundo Deportivo have reported that the north London club see the signing of him as a priority objective, and are especially attentive to the situation.

Partey’s international teammate for Ghana Joseph Attamah Larweh has also said that he would be happy to see the centre midfielder sign for the Gunners in the upcoming summer transfer window, as he spoke to ‘The Tracker’ on Citi TV (via Mundo Deportivo).

As per the outlet, the Ghanaian defender said that Partey has done everything at his club but urged him to go to a different league to prove himself.

His contract with the Spanish team expires in 2023, however, the club is interested in extending his contract until 2025, with a release clause larger than the current one, with the matter apparently being dealt with at the end of the season.

Indeed, Partey could add some perhaps needed steel into Mikel Arteta’s starting eleven based off his stats so far in La Liga in the 2019/20 campaign.

The 26-year old wins 6.6 duels per game, and also averages a relatively impressive 2.1 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per match, according to Sofascore.

If AFC are willing to pay the asking price as it has been suggested, then Partey could see himself playing at the Emirates Stadium from the next term onward.

Gooners, will Arsenal sign Partey in the summer? Comment below!

Tottenham Hotspur are confident they can sign Southampton star Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg this summer, according to The Daily Telegraph, as relayed by Ricky Sacks. 

Earlier this week, Foot Mercato claimed Tottenham have already made a move for Hojbjerg, after he was stripped of the captain’s armband by Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Spurs have pursuing the Dane for several months now, and this latest update could be good news for Jose Mourinho, after he indicated Hojbjerg is at the top of his summer shortlist, via Sky Sports.

Southampton are holding out for £35m for their former captain, but the Lilywhites are still optimistic they will be able to sign the midfielder, even though Mourinho will have to sell some players to raise some funds.

This should be more than affordable in principle, as Spurs spent £53.8m on Tanguy Ndombele last year.

A move for Hojbjerg will surely raise further questions about Ndombele’s future at the club.

Mourinho has a strained relationship with the club’s record signing, and the ongoing saga has dragged on for a number of months, although it has now reportedly reached breaking point.

He has been paying close attention to the 24-year-old’s performances as a result.

Hojbjerg, who has played for Bayern Munich in the past, has played 30 games in the Premier League this season, supplying one assist, winning 2.6 tackles per game, averaging 1.5 interceptions and successfully completing 1.6 clearances on average (via WhoScored).

Spurs may be able to include Kyle Walker-Peters to sweeten the deal, which would work to Mourinho’s advantage.

Walker-Peters didn’t do himself any favours after he took potshots at the Portuguese in an interview, and he only played one game for the Spurs boss before being shipped out to the Saints on loan.

Mourinho is acutely aware he will be restricted by a tight budget as Spurs struggle to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic. Therefore, he could use Walker-Peters as part of a swap deal to land his top target.

Tottenham fans, do you think should Daniel Levy sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!

A large number of Rangers fans flocked to Twitter to share their memories of Ted McMinn after an image of him in his former playing days emerged on the social media network.

OldRangersPics shared a photo of the former winger holding aloft one of the trophies he won during his time at the Ibrox outfit, which left plenty of supporters sharing their thoughts on him.

According to the club’s official website, who had done one of their big interview specials with him back in 2016, the Scotsman would go on to make 75 appearances for the Light Blues between 1984-87 and score six goals as he lifted the Scottish League Championship (1986/87) and the League Cup in the same year before moving on because he and Graeme Souness did not see eye-to-eye.

Despite only being with the Glaswegian outfit for three years, McMinn appeared to leave many associated with the club with fond memories, with many suggesting that he was a brilliant player, whilst others gave their opinion on what they felt his best match for them was.

Here are just some of their reactions…

Rangers fans, what are your memories of McMinn? Let us know below!

Newcastle United fans have had a very long week of mixed messages surrounding their prospective takeover and now they have been left reacting to a tweet from Sky Sports’ Pete Graves, who summed up the situation pretty well.

It began with reports from the Guardian suggesting that new evidence had raised question marks over the validity of the Saudi-backed consortium due to the piracy issue in the Middle East state.

Then The Sun claimed that as many as ten Premier League teams could group together to try and block the deal from happening after ‘growing unrest’.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But in more positive news as the week moved on past the halfway point, further reports from ChronicleLive stated that no red flags had been raised.

In reality, no one really knows what is happening considering the takeover is firmly in the hands of the Premier League, which is why Graves responded to a tweet suggesting that the top-flight board had a lot on their plate at the minute, given the circumstances.

Much of the Magpies faithful have now been responding to the Sky Sports reporter on Twitter.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react as Hatice Cengiz pens open letter…

Leeds United have been linked with a move for David Stockdale in January (The People 17/11 Via Leeds Live) as they face the prospect of losing Kiko Casilla to a lengthy suspension after the Spaniard has been charged with racially abusing Jonathan Leko earlier this season.

This isn’t the first time Leeds have been linked with a move for the stopper as they apparently looked to sign him back in 2017.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

A couple of years ago Stockdale was fresh off of a promotion campaign with Brighton, and Leeds fans were buzzing at the prospect of signing him.

There hasn’t been too much fanfare about the prospect of signing the Birmingham City stopper in January, but reactions of fans back in 2017 show just how highly-rated Stockdale was before his ill-fated move to St Andrew’s, and if he rediscovers that form he will be a fantastic signing.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful were saying on Twitter last time they were linked with Stockdale…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a very successful 18 months or so under the hair-raising stewardship of manager Nuno Santo, but he could be about to walk into a major mistake this summer – if reports are to be believed.

According to Fanatik, the west Midlanders retain an interest in Galatasaray centre-back Christian Luyindama, who stands at a colossal 6 foot 3 inches tall.

It’s claimed that Premier League rivals Everton are the front-runners to secure the 26-year-old and Wolves would be better off letting him flop at their fellow European contenders instead of causing disruption to their phenomenal journey.

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

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Either there or Aston Villa, that would certainly hand Nuno’s side the bragging rights next term.

The DR Congo international has been restricted to just 15 appearances this campaign are tearing a cruciate ligament against the Gambia back in November, and while an ACL injury is no longer a career-wrecker, it will undoubtedly have a considerable impact going forward.

An article from the Guardian claimed that above-average American football players regressed below the mean standard on their comeback from the injury while only the very best could top the middle ground.

In addition to this, Luyindama has hardly set the ground alight on the elite stage this term – playing against European heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stages.

But this change-up in competition merely exploited the centre-back’s weaknesses.

On average, his fouls doubled from one per game to two whilst he was dribbled past three times as much, going from just 0.5 times each match in the Super Lig to 1.5 times in the UCL, via WhoScored.

He also dropped off aerially despite being a monstrous presence, managing to win only 1.3 duels in the air compared to 4.4 in his domestic league.

This only spells trouble for Wolves as they have lofty ambitions to become a regular feature in the big time with chairman Jeff Shi even touting them for the title in the future.

Nuno simply must swerve any advance for Luyindama this summer. It’s truly a no-go.

AND in other news, could this Serie A star be the next Adama Traore for the Wolves chief?

Everton fans have been begging for youth star Anthony Gordon to break into the first-team, with the club still struggling in the Premier League.

The Blues sit just two points above the relegation zone and have only found the net 10 times so far. As a result of such poor form in front of goal, Everton fans think it’s time the 18-year-old goal machine makes his way into the senior side.

Gordon’s goal against PSV Eindhoven U23s earlier this week was his seventh in nine games so far this season.

This return is far superior to anybody in the current first-team, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s five goals the closest. Also, the Toffees fans were fuming with Marco Silva this week after the manager failed to include Gordon in the squad against Watford.

Yes, Everton won the game 2-0, but fans believed it was the perfect time to give the forward some valuable minutes in the first-team. Plus, now that the youngster has scored a few days later, supporters are even more disappointed in his selection.

Silva is not going to get many more chances to field Gordon, with the side already struggling in the league.

This was his best chance to date, and the fact he scored days later suggest it was a missed opportunity.

Here’s what some fans have had to say…