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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard ripped into his team for their second-half performance in the 4-0 win against Dundee at Ibrox on Wednesday night, and his comments might not be positive for midfielder Steven Davis.

What’s the word, then?

When Rangers signed the 34-year-old from Southampton during the January transfer window the expectation surely would have been that he would be a key player for them in the second-half of the campaign, but it hasn’t really worked out that way.

The Northern Ireland international has usually had to settle for a cameo from the substitutes’ bench – as he did against the Dens Park outfit – although he didn’t even get on the pitch in the defeat to Aberdeen at the beginning of February.

The 5ft 8in star replaced Arfield at the break on Wednesday with the scoreline at 3-0, but Gerrard was not impressed with what he saw from his players after the interval, via the BBC: “It’s another clean sheet, it’s another strong win, but there were two sides to us tonight.

“If you compare the first half to the second, it’s completely different. We were outstanding for certainly half an hour. In the second half, I didn’t really recognise us.”

Having a go at Davis?

While the veteran Northern Irishman won’t be getting individual stick from the 38-year-old manager, the fact that he replaced the influential Arfield at half-time for a poor second-half showing suggests he is one of those in the firing line.

The34-year-old simply hasn’t hit the heights following his return to Ibrox last month, and the latest victory was just another example of that.

Davis clearly needs to improve in terms of quality on the ball and movement in the coming weeks and months if he wants to be a regular in the XI, as he is behind the likes of Arfield, Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara for a midfield spot as things stand.

Tottenham Hotspur won’t accept anything less than a top four spot in the current campaign, despite their recent run of poor form, as they’ve enjoyed plenty of success under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, one big worry for fans in recent times has been Mauricio Pochettino’s future, as according to The Sun, Tottenham fear that the Argentine will quit for Real Madrid in the summer.

Interestingly, the report states that Pochettino has told Daniel Levy that his burning ambition is to win titles and he wants the financial backing to compete for the game’s top honours.

Pochettino has completely transformed Spurs over the years, as well as establishing himself as one of the best managers in the whole of world football, so making sure he stays in North London is vital.

One thing that Levy must to do show the 46-year-old that he means business is to splash out on a number of big-name signings in the summer transfer window. Indeed, the North London club have been hugely disappointing on the transfer front in recent times as they’ve failed to spend a single penny in the last two windows.

Spurs already have a strong squad but Levy needs to draft in some reinforcements if the Lilywhites are to stand any chance of challenging for silverware and top honours, so backing the Argentine and making promises prior to the summer transfer window would be a good start.

Also, Levy can show his ambition by gettingChristian Eriksen to sign a long-term deal, as the Dane’s contract runs out at the end of the current campaign. Eriksen has been one of the shining lights for Spurs in in recent years and he’s arguably one of the best attacking midfielders in world football, so offering him whatever he wants in order to get him to put pen to paper would show Pochettino that he’s willing to go the extra mile to keep talent at the club.

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QPR finally gave their fans something to – somewhat – be happy about as they came back from two down to draw away at Hull on Saturday, having been the Championship’s punching bag for the last couple of months.

The result was much-needed after loss to Rotherham, in which Darnell Furlong gave away a free-kick in the dying seconds, from which their visitors were allowed to score a winner.

The young right-back has, like many of his teammates, been poor in recent weeks so the surely nearing return of Angel Rangel to the ranks will be a huge relief to fans.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The veteran defender tore a tendon during the win over Leeds in February and completed a solid 45 minutes for the R’s in a friendly against Southampton this week. Geoff Cameron, who has also been injured, got through the whole game.

Here’s what the Hoops faithful had to say on Twitter, with many relishing the 5 ft 10 Spaniard’s comeback…

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The likes of Yan Valery and Michael Obafemi have benefited greatly since Ralph Hasenhuttl took the Southampton wheel, with the former scoring his first goal – and some goal indeed – for the club in the loss to Manchester United on Saturday.

The pair have flourished since coming through the academy and are rightly playing for the first team. There is one player who hasn’t been so fortunate but whose performances on loan should show Hasenhuttl that perhaps he should be reintegrated into the senior squad next term.

Since signing for MK Dons in January, the 22-year-old has netted two goals in six games, with his impressive displays earning him the Royal Cabs Player of the Month award for February.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Having seen the success of the aforementioned duo this season and what Hesketh can do in the past, many Southampton fans on Twitter were questioning why the Stockport-born midfielder is currently plying his trade in League Two…

يشهد جدول مباريات اليوم الجمعة 9–10–2020 إقامة عدد من المباريات الهامة في الدوري المصري، وعلى رأسها مباراة المصري والإسماعيلي.

يلتقي المصري البورسعيدي نظيره الإسماعيلي، عصر اليوم الجمعة، في اللقاء المؤجل بينهما من الجولة التاسعة عشر من مسابقة الدوري المصري، المقرر إقامتها على استاد برج العرب.

ووديًا يلتقي منتخب تونس نظيره السودان، مساء اليوم الجمعة، في المباراة الودية التي ستجمع بينهما على استاد الملعب الأولمبي حمادي العقربي. مواعيد مباريات اليوم الجمعة 9 – 10 – 2020 والقنوات الناقلةمواعيد مباريات الدوري المصري اليوم

تُقام مباراة المصري والإسماعيلي، في الثالثة عصر اليوم الجمعة بتوقيت القاهرة، الرابعة عصرًا بتوقيت السعودية، على أن تُذاع عبر قناة أون تايم سبورت.

تُقام مباراة طنطا والمقاولون العرب، في الخامسة والنصف من مساء اليوم الجمعة، بتوقيت القاهرة، السادسة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت السعودية، على أن تُذاع عبر قناة أون تايم سبورت 2.

تُقام مباراة سموحة والاتحاد السكندري، في الثامنة من مساء اليوم الجمعة، بتوقيت القاهرة، التاسعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت السعودية، على أن تُذاع عبر قناة أون تايم سبورت. مواعيد المباريات الودية الدولية اليوم

تُقام مباراة اليابان والكاميرون، في الثانية من ظهير اليوم الجمعة، بتوقيت القاهرة، الثالثة عصرًا بتوقيت السعودية، على أن تُذاع عبر قناة Sharjah Sport HD.

تُقام مباراة تونس والسودان، في الخامسة من مساء اليوم الجمعة، بتوقيت القاهرة، السادسة مساءً بتوقيت السعودية، على أن تُذاع عبر قناة Television Tunisienne 1.

تُقام مباراة المغرب والسنغال، في الثامنة من مساء اليوم الجمعة، بتوقيت القاهرة، التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت السعودية، على أن تُذاع عبر قناة Arryadia SD/HD.

يمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة على مركز المباريات من هنا

Former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin thinks the sentence handed out to hooligan who attacked Jack Grealish is too lenient, and fears that a player could be killed if harsher punishments are not enforced.

The thug — who we will not name and give any further unwarranted publicity to — was sentenced by the Birmingham Magistrates Court to 14 weeks in jail and a 10-year football banning order, although Birmingham City have said they have banned him from St Andrews for life.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Debate show, Dublin said: “It’s good that he’s been jailed, I just don’t think it’s long enough. What he dis is so, so dangerous. If he had a knife in his hand, he could have killed him… and that’s not going over the top.

“The only way to stop it [similar incidents] is to put fencing all the way round the pitch, [but] it’s not fair on the 99 per cent of the fans that are bang on.

“Why not ban him for life completely, and give him a longer sentence? Ban him from all football venues world wide [for life].”

If it was a first offence, the sentence served could be as short as seven weeks, and Dublin was asked if that is enough of a deterrent?

He replied: “Maybe not. We don’t know what is going to happen now. If people have seen this and though ‘right, ok, I’m not doing that’ [and] it doesn’t happen again, then yes, it was the right sentence.”

Paul Merson, another former Villa star and fellow guest on the show, said it was “the worst I’ve seen on a football pitch” and also suggested that a relatively short sentence like that could be seen by some as worth it for a moment of infamy.

We certainly think the sentence should have been longer, but the courts have guidelines for offences that they have to stick to. But the fact that he is off the streets and banned from football, preventing him from repeating his idiocy again must be seen as a good thing.

What are your thoughts on the incident and the subsequent sentence Birmingham and Villa fans? Let us know…

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If rumours linking Abdoulaye Doucoure with a switch to Spurs, as per The Mirror, are to be believed, then you would be forgiven for thinking that the Frenchman has been the standout performer for the Hornets this campaign.

The statistics, though, show that someone is close to the former Granada man – right next to him in fact – and his numbers this campaign are far better.

Who is the unsung hero? Doucoure’s partner in crime, Etienne Capoue.

On the chalkboard

Doucoure has established himself as one of the top enforcers in the league in the past couple of seasons and is certainly of a top-six standard, or at least worthy of a move to a top side in order to prove himself as such.

The midfielder is renowned for his powerful runs from deep and his ability to break up of play at the base of Watford’s midfield quartet, where he and Capoue make the lives of Roberto Pereyra and Will Hughes far less complicated.

The numbers behind the duo’s game, though, prove that the latter number 4 is perhaps more influential than his highly-rated partner. Of course, age plays a factor in all transfers and Capoue is 30, but the fact remains that he is outperforming Doucoure by some way – is he not receiving the credit he deserves?

The numbers

As previously mentioned, Doucoure’s marauding runs through the middle of the pitch are seen as one of his biggest strengths but, in fact, Capoue is better at them – the former completes 0.9 dribbles per match to the latter’s 1.

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

While there isn’t much in that, former Spurs man Capoue’s defensive output blows his teammate’s out of the water – he completes 2.7 tackles and 2.9 interceptions per game to Doucoure’s 2.1 and 0.9 respectively.

Of course 1-cap international Doucoure scores and assists far more frequently but perhaps this is exactly why Capoue’s exploits fly under the radar. If the 6 foot 2 tough-tackler can add either to his game, he may finally get the appreciation he deserves.

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Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish was assaulted by a Birmingham City fan during the Second City derby in the Championship on Sunday.

Grealish, who recently returned from a shinbone injury, was targeted by a pitch invader in the opening stages of the first half.

The supporter, who managed to evade security, punched the England Under-21 international in the side of the head from behind.

He was escorted from the pitch and a tweet from West Midlands Police subsequently confirmed that an arrest had been made and that the perpetrator was en route to a “custody block”.

Supporters were baffled by the scenes, with the incident, so rarely seen in English football, decried as “disgraceful” by many.

Indeed, some Villa fans believe that a precedent should be set, with the guilty party sent to prison and handed a lifetime ban from attending any matches, while others claim that Birmingham should be punished too.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

Leeds United fans will feel gutted with today’s result as they enjoyed the better of the chances. And, the disappointing defeat has now pushed them out of the automatic promotion places. 

The Whites had the perfect opportunity to take another step towards securing promotion to the Premier League earlier on today but they passed it up, so they’ll now have to play the chasing game.

One thing that is certain is the fact that Marcelo Bielsa will already have his eye on the summer transfer window, with reinforcements needed regardless of whether promotion is achieved.

Leeds were reportedly (as per Daily Mail) plotting a move for Hull City’s Jarrod Bowen back in December of last year but nothing developed as the Englishman ended up staying at the KCOM Stadium.

Indeed, many Leeds fans will remember his dominant performance two days after being linked as he netted both of Hull’s goals to silence Elland Road. The 22-year-old has gone up another couple of levels since the turn of the year as he’s taken his goals tally to 20 in all competitions, as well as producing three assists.

Jack Clarke will inevitably attract interest in the summer transfer window and Jack Harrison is set to return to Manchester City once his loan spell expires, so they’ll need to bring in an attacker. And, with Pablo Hernandez turning 34 next months, it’s safe to say that Leeds will need to look for a long-term replacement.

Bowen would be the perfect replacement for the Spaniard as he’s shown that he can create in the final third this season having provided three assists and he’s constantly involved in the build-up to goals. Also, he’s been prolific in front of goal and still has his best years ahead of him at the age of 22, so the future is bright.

Although, Bielsa will need to work his magic to bring Bowen to Elland Road as Everton and Norwich are reportedly interested, along with Spurs, so promotion may be required.

Leeds United, do you think you can lure Bowen to Elland Road? Surely it depends on promotion…

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino served the first game of his two-match ban against Southampton at the weekend.

The Spurs boss watched on from the stands as his side lost 2-1 to the relegation-threatened Saints.

The FA handed Pochettino the ban, along with a £10,000 fine, after an altercation with referee Mike Dean following the club’s 2-1 loss to Burnley.

The Argentine and the official were involved in a heated confrontation at Turf Moor, with Pochettino seemingly reacting to something said by Dean.

The FA have now revealed the official reasons, via Daily Mail, for Pochettino’s ban, with Dean alleging in his report of the game that the Spurs boss said “you know what you are” repeatedly to him on the pitch, before saying it again in the tunnel.

However, supporters are not happy with the reasoning, insisting that they need to know what was said by Dean as well, with coaches Jesus Perez and Toni Jimenez also reacting adversely towards the man in the middle.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!