West Brom fans absolutely loved Johnstone’s performance

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It would be fair to say that the West Bromwich Albion fans were delighted with Sam Johnstone’s performance against Swansea City on Wednesday night.

The Baggies recorded a 3-0 victory on home soil, with Chris Brunt, Mason Holgate and Jay Rodriguez finding the back of the net in the Championship affair.

The West Brom fans loved the display of Brunt, but they were also thrilled with how Johnstone performed at the Hawthorns.

According to WhoScored, the 25-year-old made seven saves and there were a few absolute crackers in there, with Swansea somehow failing to find the back of the net.

Johnstone joined West Brom from Manchester United in last summer’s transfer window and has managed just seven clean sheets in the Championship this term, which isn’t fantastic.

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His performance against Swansea, though, was very impressive indeed.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Brom fans can be seen below:

Superstar: Wolves fans in awe of Moutinho’s performances following bargain move

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When you think of Wolves this season, eyes are likely to be cast in the direction of Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota.

All three have been imperative to their wonderful first season back in the Premier League. But one man who goes under the radar is Joao Moutinho, a number in a line of Portuguese stars to feature for the club.

Following his performance against Manchester United last weekend, Wolves supporters have been left in awe of the midfielder, as he made seven key passes over the course of the 90 minutes.

Supporters at Molineux have had plenty to jump and shout about this season, but Moutinho presents them with the latest chance to rave over one of their players.

Individuals took to Twitter to laud the ex Monaco man, hailing him as the best player they’ve ever seen in a Wolves shirt whilst one tweeted that he was the best Wolves player he’d seen in his lifetime.

It was glowing praise for an experienced professional who has also been labelled by supporters as a superstar, world-class, a legend, and like a Jack Russell in the Wolves midfield.

What’s your club’s best chant? Check out the video below for a Wolves epic that surely has to be one of the best in English football…

Nuno Santo’s side signed him for a bargain price as one fan claimed it was the best £5m ever spent.

Here’s what was said about him on Twitter…

Transfer Flashback: Arsenal sell Wojciech Szczesny

On the 19th July 2017, Arsenal announced that Wojciech Szczesny had the left the club for Juventus for a reported (as per the Independent) fee of £10 million.

After a successful two-year loan-spell at AS Roma, many Arsenal fans expected the Polish number one to take over Petr Cech as the Gunners starting keeper for the upcoming 2017/18 season, however, Arsene Wenger surprised everyone by allowing the talented keeper to leave on a permanent deal.

Having come through the ranks at Arsenal, Szczesny has claimed time and time again that he is a fan of the north London club and that he would like to spend his entire career at the club, but after establishing himself as the number one ‘keeper mid-way through the 2010/11 season and looking like a shot-stopper who could go all the way to the top, the cracks began to show.

Attitude problems caused Wenger to drop the Pole for his international counterpart Lukas Fabianski on more than one occasion, and it all came to a head in the 2014/15 Premier League season when Szczesny was caught smoking in the dressing room following a 2-0 defeat away to Southampton.

Szczesny would never play for Arsenal again in the league after that incident, and the following summer he was shipped off to Roma on loan for two seasons, where the Polish keeper established himself as one of the best keepers in the division.

Which is why it was a surprise when Wenger not only allowed Szczesny to leave permanently when he returned to the club, but also allowing the keeper to leave on the cheap for just £10 million to Italian giants Juventus, who saw the keeper as a long-term replacement for legendary keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Here’s how Arsenal fans reacted to the news…

Since moving to Turin, Szczesny has done exactly what Juventus planned out to do. After spending a season playing as Buffon’s understudy, the Polish keeper stepped up as the club’s number one after the Italian legend opted to leave Italy for PSG, and the former Arsenal man has been a success.

Starting in both the league and in Europe, Szczesny has kept 18 clean sheets in all competitions for the Old Lady as the Italian side look set to not only wrap up the Serie A title in April but aim to finally claim the illustrious Champions League title that eluded the club for so long.

Arsenal fans, is selling Szczesny one of the worst mistakes Wenger made? Let us know!

الأهلي يستأنف تدريباته اليوم استعدادًا لمواجهة الإياب أمام الوداد

يستأنف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي تدريباته اليوم الثلاثاء على ملعب التتش استعدادًا لمواجهة الوداد المغربي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الأهلي يلتقي مع نظيره الوداد المغربي يوم الجمعة المقبل في إياب دور نصف نهائي البطولة القارية، والذي يقام على استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وكان الجنوب إفريقي بيتسو موسيماني المدير الفني للنادي الأهلي منح اللاعبين راحة سلبية لمدة 24 ساعة بعد الانتهاء من مواجهة الذهاب أمام الفريق المغربي.

جدير بالذكر ان الأهلي حسم مواجهة الذهاب لصالحه بهدفين دون رد بتوقيع علي معلول ومحمد مجدي أفشة.

Dean Saunders: I would get Paul Pogba out of Man Utd

There are some big characters at Man Utd, but Paul Pogba undeniably tops the list. The Frenchman is an incredibly well-known figure, and so whenever he says something, he gets people talking.

Unfortunately for Man Utd in this case, however, his latest comments have got people talking for the wrong reasons after he described another team, Real Madrid, as a “dream club”.

As per Goal, he said: “Real Madrid is a dream for anyone. It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world”.

Pogba isn’t doing himself any favours here, as these comments are only going to generate criticism, and that’s exactly what the Frenchman has earned at the hands of TalkSport pundit Dean Saunders.  

As per TalkSport, Saunders said: “I would never talk about another club if I was sat in front of the press. I would say, ‘I’m a Manchester United player and that’s all I care about’. Honestly, I think they should get rid of him. I would get rid of him.”

He continued: “Obviously he’s a really good player, there’s no doubt about that, but the problems that are being caused behind the scenes…The club should get their money back, give it to Ole and go and strengthen the team in other areas.”

Saunders isn’t holding anything back, and can you blame him?

Man Utd have finally turned a corner and are impressing in the English top flight, yet now they’ve been brought back down to earth by these comments. It’s hard to understand what the Frenchman was trying to achieve, but it’s clear that panic is the only thing that he’s going to be bringing back to Old Trafford.

Whether they should sell him or not is another question entirely, and there are likely to be fans on either side of the debate. On one hand, talk like this is just part and parcel of the game, and Pogba has proven his commitment to Man Utd already this term with his performances on the field. However, on the flip side, it’s also clear that the Frenchman has bigger dreams than Old Trafford; and that lack of commitment is telling.

Certainly, he’s a top player, and it will be down to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to assess the situation and determine whether these comments warrant further investigation. Saunders, though, clearly isn’t impressed.

Man Utd fans – should you sell Paul Pogba? Let us know below!

Rangers fans adore McGregor’s interview after he wins John Greig award

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Loads of Rangers fans have been sharing their views on the club’s award ceremony, which took place on Sunday night.

Rangers got back to form last week with two clinical and professional performances.

After the Old Firm heartbreak, the Gers responded with a 3-0 domination of Hearts at Ibrox before a trip to Motherwell, where a Scott Arfield hat trick was enough for all three points again.

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Following Sunday’s game, the players attended the club’s yearly award ceremony, the results of which you can find here.

Unsurprisingly, Alfredo Morelos swept up top goalscorer, player of the year and players’ player of the year, while Ryan Kent won young player of the campaign and Ryan Jack claimed goal of the season with his effort in the Old Firm.

Meanwhile, fan favourite Allan McGregor was handed the John Greig Achievement Award, an extremely prestigious achievement.

As a player and manager, Greig racked up five league titles, eight Scottish Cups and seven Scottish League Cups at Ibrox.

The club spoke to McGregor after he collected the award, and he appeared to be stumbling over his words as he expressed his delight.

Fans are heaping praise both on his clear passion for the club and the award, as well as the fact that he seems to have had a little bit too much fun at the ceremony.

Either way, you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Former hero: Liverpool fans still have a high opinion of Fernando Torres

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Fernando Torres, in his prime, was an absolute superstar.

A successful start to his career with Atletico Madrid led to a move to Liverpool in 2007.

The centre-forward scored 33 times in his first season for the Reds, before netting 17, 22 and nine respectively in his next three campaigns for the Merseyside outfit.

After managing 81 goals in 142 games, Torres left for Chelsea in January 2011.

The Spaniard’s career pretty much went downhill from that point; there were some brilliant moments, but he never showed the type of form from his Liverpool days.

Now 35, Torres currently turns out for Sagan Tosu in the J1 League.

The manner of the forward’s exit from Liverpool was not exactly brilliant, but it seems that the club’s supporters still have fond memories of him.

Indeed, in response to a Twitter post from Liverpool’s official account, the Merseyside team’s fans were out in their numbers to hail the 6 ft 1 ace:

Put faith in the academy? West Brom fans react as supporters’ club chairman speaks

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West Brom fans have been growing continually frustrated with their managerial situation and now the supporters’ club chairman John Homer has had his say on matters surrounding the club.

Homer spoke about the club’s youth academy, declaring that the players needed to step up and that whoever became the next manager had to take advantage of some of the promising youngsters coming through.

It became a hot topic of debate on Twitter with fans sharing a variety of opinions on the comments. One fan asked whether there was any other option because of a lack of spending, whilst another had concerns that they’d bring players through only for them then to leave.

Rekeem Harper was also debated with two supporters anxious over the 19-year-old’s contract situation.

The feeling in the air at the Hawthorns has been one of exasperation that the club appeared to have no plan in place once Darren Moore was sacked. Talks have since been held with Slavisa Jokanovic but nothing materialised.

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Current caretaker manager James Shan spent four years as the U23s coach with the club so if anyone was to prioritise youth it would be him. Whether he gets given the job on a permanent basis is another matter though.

Here’s how Baggies fans have been discussing Homer’s remarks.

اتحاد الكرة يتوجه بطلب إلى "كاف" بشأن مباراة الزمالك والرجاء

كشف مصدر بالاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، عن الطلب التي توجه به الجبلاية إلى الاتحاد الإفريقي “كاف” بشأن مباراة الزمالك والرجاء في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وما زال موقف مباراة الزمالك والرجاء غامضًا بسبب ظهور حالات إيجابية لفيروس كورونا في الفريق المغربي بالإضافة إلى قرار السلطات المغربية بمنع سفر البعثة إلى القاهرة وفرض حجر صحي على الفريق. طالع التفاصيل.

وقال المصدر في تصريحات خاصة لـ”بطولات”: “اتحاد الكرة كان بصدد الإعلان عن موعد مباريات الجولة الأخيرة بالدوري، ولكنه أجل الإعلان لحين وضوح الموقف النهائي لموعد مباراة الزمالك والرجاء”.

طالع أيضًا.. مرتضى منصور يعلن موافقته على تأجيل مباراة الزمالك والرجاء في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وتابع: “اتحاد الكرة طالب من خلال اتصالات هاتفية مسؤولي الكاف اليوم بسرعة الإعلان عن موقف مباراة الزمالك والرجاء سواء بإقامتها في موعدها أو تأجيلها، من أجل تحديد مواعيد الجولة الأخيرة بالدوري”.

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك كان سيواجه الرجاء يوم السبت المقبل في إياب دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

Sunderland: Jack Ross is the manager fans have been waiting for

Sunderland sit third in the League One table, level on points with second-placed Barnsley, with two games in hand, and looking certain to achieve automatic promotion at the first attempt.

But level-headed manager, Jack Ross, is not getting carried away, and does not want his players to lose focus either.

The young manager described tonight’s game against Burton as the “most important” of the season, knowing that failure to win games will render those matches in hand meaningless, and knows that already having the points bagged, means their rivals are always in a strong position.

He told the club’s official website: “When we looked at the other teams with points on the board, for me they are in a better position.

“Irrespective of the number of games you have to earn points and those teams had done that.

“What we have done now is get ourselves in a good position and we have this advantage now in terms of having games to play.

“But it is only an advantage if we go and win. Tuesday evening is big for us. It becomes our most important game of the season.

“It sounds cliched, but it is the truth. Wednesday was our biggest game of the season, then it was Saturday, then it was Tuesday.

“That has got to be our mindset until we get to the stage where we have achieved what we want and we have games to spare.”

He knows that playing catch-up adds its own pressure to games, but his approach this season has been first class, and even when they were drawing games they know they should have won, the manager never panicked.

He has instilled belief and confidence into the players, and it is clear that every member of the squad will give everything they have for their manager, and the red and white jersey.

It is why he added: “I think they are excited about these final four weeks of the season. I don’t sense any nervousness; it is more an anticipation of the games and relishing the challenge that they have.”

Ross has been a breath of fresh air at the Stadium Of Light, after a number of questionable managerial appointments in the past.

It remains to be seen if he can perform a similar job at Sunderland in a higher division, but it is surely only a matter of weeks until fans get the opportunity to find out.

And who knows, back to back promotions could be a very real possibility.

What do you think of the job Jack Ross has done at your club, Sunderland fans? Is he the right man to take your club forward in the Championship next season? Let us know your thoughts…

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