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Newcastle United fans have been reacting to something other than a piece of takeover news this week as ChronicleLive’s Mark Douglas tweeted out an exclusive interview with former striker Demba Ba.

The 34-year-old now plies his trade in Turkey for Istanbul Basaksehir but enjoyed a fruitful two-season spell in the northeast for the Magpies.

Across both the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns, Ba bagged 29 goals in 58 appearances and quickly became a fan-favourite before a switch to Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Many fans have been drooling over him, claiming he’s the best striker Newcastle have had since club legend Alan Shearer.

In the interview, the Senegalese forward talks about the interesting circumstances surrounding his contract at the club and subsequent exit when the Blues came calling.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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

Of course, this has led to many slamming the soon-to-be departed chairman Mike Ashley.

It’s no surprise that the Europa League qualifying squad of then has since gone on to suffer relegation to the Championship and a highest finish of just tenth.

Here’s how the Magpies faithful have been reacting…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react to links with £60m PL RIVAL star…

كشف عمرو الدردير المتحدث باسم نادي الزمالك، تفاصيل إنشاء شركة كرة قدم للقلعة البيضاء، معلنًا الرغبة في تأجيل مباراة الفريق أمام الإسماعيلي بكأس مصر.

وقال الدردير في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “كان هناك اجتماع اليوم من أجل اتخاذ القرار بإنشاء شركة كرة القدم، وسيتم تحديد أسعار اللاعبين، وستطرح الشركة الأسهم في البورصة، وستكون 98% من الأسهم مملوكة للنادي”.

وأردف: “هذا في البداية، ولكن بعد ذلك ستختلف النسب، ولكن سيظل الزمالك صاحب الأسهم الأكبر ليكون له حق الإدارة، ومن المتوقع أن يكون رأس مال الشركة حوالي 2 مليار جنيه”.

طالع | على غرار الأهلي.. الزمالك يعلن تأسيس شركة لكرة القدم

وبسؤاله “هل الفكرة كانت موجودة من قبل أم تم الإعلان عنها بعد إعلان الأهلي؟”، أجاب: “الفكرة مطروحة منذ 3 أشهر، ونعمل عليها قبل أن يفكر فيها الأهلي، وأعلنا عن ذلك من قبل وكنا ننتظر الموافقات، وبداية من الغد سيتم إنشاء الشركة”.

وأضاف المتحدث باسم الزمالك: “النادي سيخوض 4 أو 5 مباريات في وقت ضيق جدًا، في القاهرة ثم الإسماعيلية ثم السويس ثم القاهرة مرة أخرى وبعدها الجونة، وهذا أمر صعب جدًا، ونحن نُطالب بنقل مباراة الإسماعيلي إلى الإسكندرية”.

وتابع: “سنطلب غدًا تأجيل مباراة كأس مصر مع الإسماعيلي، ولكن سنجري اتصالات مع إدارة الدراويش أولًا”.

وبشأن المباراة الفاصلة أمام الأهلي في بطولة الجمهورية، أوضح: “لم نتخذ القرار ولكن هناك صعوبة في لعب المباراة، الفريق يفتقد 7 لاعبين”.

So Leeds have really picked up the pace in the fight for promotion this season. After a commanding 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon, Marcelo Bielsa’s side went top of the Championship, a point above second-placed West Brom.The Whites were in complete control from the very first whistle in their contest against Jonathan Woodgate’s side, with Patrick Bamford netting after just three minutes of the game. A Mateusz Klich double made it 3-0, before Helder Costa put the icing on the cake with a fourth mid-way through the second-half.But whilst the side’s attacking players were all on song, one man at the back appeared to impress the Leeds faithful more than most. Just days after being criticised for his performance against Reading, Luke Ayling was back in the good books with a dominant display at the back.As per Sofascore, the 28-year-old won ten of his 13 ground duels, made five tackles and completed four interceptions too.And after watching his defensive masterclass, Leeds fans took to Twitter to voice their approval of the defender.Many supporters of the Elland Road side hailed his “unreal” display, with one fan in particular insisting that he was a “cut above” the rest of the team.Check out some of the reaction of Leeds fans below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

On Sunday afternoon, it was a dark day.

Wolves’ first game without mainstay centre-back Willy Boly, who has made such a crucial impact in Nuno Santo’s defence over the past 12 months or so.

The 28-year-old suffered a broken leg during training on Saturday morning after he slipped at the Sir Jack Hayward Traning Ground.

This week he will undergo an MRI scan and will also see a specialist to figure out the extent of the damage. Either way, it is a devastating blow to Wolves’ season prospects.

In his absence, the Portuguese boss surprisingly opted for Matt Doherty in central defence over the more natural Max Kilman or Jesus Vallejo.

Let’s just say that the experiment failed.

The Ireland international only played the first half in the new role, which tells you everything you need to know about how well it went.

Per SofaScore, Doherty managed a passing accuracy of just 76% and conceded one foul as Wolves drew with Newcastle United.

At half-time, Nuno dropped Leander Dendoncker in there from midfield, forcing Adama Traore into a more advanced role in a 3-4-3 formation, and the 27-year-old back to right wing-back.

The west Midlands club conceded in the first half, but not in the second, so I guess you could say they were stronger with Doherty in his more familiar role – the Magpies still had four shots at goal with three coming in the box during the final 45.

This all comes as a major worry over the next few months as Boly rates out as Wolves’ best player by WhoScored, having averaged 4.9 aerial duels won, three tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game this season.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He’s a monumental loss in defence as the only game he didn’t feature in this campaign was the 5-2 loss against Chelsea – just one of their two defeats all season. He even was part of the defence to keep a clean sheet against Manchester City.

Nuno clearly doesn’t trust Vallejo or Kilman; otherwise, they would have started, the Spaniard was surely a shoo-in for that spot.

Therefore, expect some significant struggles ahead for Wolves as better teams will punish his absence.

Oh how the club must be rueing their failure to secure an extra central defender in the summer having been linked to Ruben Dias continually.

حرص الدولي النمساوي، ديفيد ألابا، ظهير بايرن ميونخ، على توجيه رساله لمدربه الألماني هانز فليك، مدرب النادي البافاري، بعد إعلانه عزمه الرحيل عن بطل ألمانيا بنهاية الموسم الجاري.

فليك عقب مباراة فولفسبورج في الدوري الألماني، خرج في تصريحات صحفية لوسائل الإعلام، أعلن من خلالها أنه أبلغ إدارة ناديه، أنه اتخذ قرارًا بالرحيل بنهاية الموسم (طالع ماذا قال؟).

اقرأ أيضًا.. أليجري يدخل دائرة اهتمامات بايرن ميونخ لخلافة فليك

وكتب ألابا عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “لقد خضنا خطوات ضخمة معًا”.

وأضاف: “الخطوات الأخيرة أيضًا سنخوضها معًا، سنقاتل حتى النهاية أيها المدرب!”.

Huge steps together.
Last steps together.
Fighting till the end coach! pic.twitter.com/fJJj2zoVTC — David Alaba (@David_Alaba) April 17, 2021

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…

There’s one thing that really needs to be sorted out at Nottingham Forest.

And the key part of that sentence is ‘one’ because that’s how many years head coach Sabri Lamouchi was signed up for when he was appointed in the summer.

What’s been said?

It might be slightly strange that he was given such a short term deal but despite a start that sees Forest sitting second in the table, there isn’t much to suggest that Lamouchi’s long-term future will be sorted soon.

As revealed by Paul Taylor in his latest Q&A for The Athletic, there has been no progress in regards to a new contract.

He said:

“No talk just yet of a new deal…When they signed him on a short-term deal, you thought to yourself ‘that makes sense’ – you could see the logic in it. It is just typical that, after taking a cautious stance, Forest look as though they have landed a good appointment in Lamouchi.

“It is still very early days… but Forest are not daft. If the good form continues, I am sure that it will be something that is soon on the agenda.”

Thogden ranks all 24 Championship away kits in the video below…

The sooner the better

As David Prutton pointed out the other day, if Forest can make themselves an attractive commodity as possible come January, that will only increase the calibre of player they are able to attract.

That’s what this season for the Midlands outfit should be all about, making themselves as hot a prospect as possible for any potential new players, or dare I say it, any potential new owner wanting to take advantage of a club on the rise.

What better way of showing the kind of vision that someone has for a football club than by tying down the manager on a long-term deal?

Now that doesn’t mean that they need to go out and give him a six-year deal like Manchester United gave to David Moyes, but just a little something to show any potential players ‘we have a plan here, and we have faith in this manager to make it happen’.

After all, Lamouchi has already shown outstanding progress and nouse in the English game.

Will a player be willing to move to a club if he doesn’t think the head coach is going to be there in a few months’ time? Would they be willing to take that risk? Arguably not.

That’s why the club need to get him tied down to a deal as soon as possible, to put to bed any sort of doubt about where Forest are going, not just this season but beyond it as well.

When it rains, it pours. Manchester United have had major struggles with injuries since the start of the current campaign, and unfortunately for them, it’s been largely centred around the area they could least afford it.

Having sold Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the summer transfer window, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have very few options at the centre-forward position. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have had their injury problems already, and the latter has remained out of action since missing the game against Southampton.

Now, things appear to be going from bad to worse, with the Red Devils confirming via their official Twitter account, that rising prospect Mason Greenwood has withdrawn from the England U21s squad due to a back problem.

It adds “he will remain at the Aon Training Complex” ahead of the clash against Liverpool on October 20, but there is no word as to whether he will be fit in time for the match.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After hearing the injury update on the teenager, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their frustrations with the situation.

Many supporters of the Manchester side appeared to be in meltdown, and one fan in particular simply insisted the club are heading for relegation this season.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Aston Villa will play their third game in just under seven days on Saturday as they welcome a stern Burnley side to Villa Park.

Dean Smith will yet again be looking for better fortunes in the Premier League as they have started the season with just one victory in six matches.

Last time out, they were disappointingly defeated by a ten-man Arsenal side despite the west Midlands outfit holding the lead twice, and obviously having that player advantage.

There are no easy games in the top-flight and that trend continues as ninth-placed Burnley make the trip from Lancashire on Saturday.

Sean Dyche’s men managed to keep Teemu Pukki quiet last weekend so it’s likely that their defence will hold the keys to whether Villa can pick up their second win of the season or not.

On the Chalkboard

Most notably, James Tarkowski, who is likely to be the most crucial figure in stopping Villa’s barren frontline from scoring.

Until the Arsenal match, the Villans had scored just four goals and the Gunners’ defence is up there with the worst in the league, having faced more shots than anyone else in Europe prior to kickoff, so too much shouldn’t be taken from the match on that basis.

Tarkowski is winning 4.3 aerial duels per game on average while also averaging a massive 4.2 clearances and 2.3 tackles per match, via WhoScored.

It’s pretty obvious to suggest that Smith will lineup with just the one striker, their only fit senior option too, in Wesley.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Their club-record man has netted twice this season, including a decent effort against Arsenal, but he will have to improve in other areas if he is going to have success against the 26-year-old.

Wesley has won just 1.7 aerial duels per game and also registers 2.3 unsuccessful touches per match too – something that the two-time England international should thrive off.

It’s the battle of two titans at Villa Park and who comes out on top could well decide the game.

[ad_pod ]Oh dear, oh dear.Given Manchester United’s recent form, which has seen them win just three in 16 since “that†night in Paris, injury problems are the last thing they need heading into this weekend’s match against high-flying Leicester City.However, that’s exactly what they’ve got, and plenty of them.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst recently confirmed that Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial are amongst the five United players out of the reckoning for the match against Brendan Rodgers’ side this weekend.

Luke Shaw is also absent due to a hamstring injury he picked up against Crystal Palace last month, while Diogo Dalot and Eric Bailly are still recovering from long-term issues.

Solskjaer was also unable to confirm whether Aaron Wan-Bissaka, arguably United’s best performing defender, with an average of 6.5 tackles per game, or Jesse Lingard will be available.

In light of United’s woes, Luckhurst tried his best to predict what Solskjaer’s lineup could look like on Saturday…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

According to talkSPORT, Crystal Palace are eyeing up a move for Rangers captain James Tavernier, as the Scottish giants monitor Leonel Di Placido as a potential replacement.

Tavernier has emerged as a key member of Rangers’ squad since signing from Wigan back in 2015, becoming a real attacking force as well as being appointed as the Gers’ skipper.

The 27-year-old racked up a quite astounding number of goal involvements for a right-back last term, netting 11 goals and recording 14 assists in his 33 Scottish Premiership appearances, whilst he scored 17 and assisted 20 across all competitions – world-class attackers would be proud of those figures.

Whilst those numbers will presumably excite some Palace fans, the Eagles may have to adapt differently to life with such an attacking force down the right side.

Roy Hodgson hasn’t really had a genuine attacking force at right-back since arriving at the club, using only Joel Ward and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the position – the latter has since left for Manchester United.

Both of them are nowhere near as attacking as Tavernier, reinforced by the fact that Ward has only ever scored 12 goals and got 14 assists in 345 career appearances, whilst Wan-Bissaka has just four assists in 47 appearances.

Contrastingly over on the other side of defence, Palace do have a left-back who loves to attack in Patrick van Aanholt, a man who has scored 17 goals in the four Premier League seasons before the current campaign.

Given that fact, if Palace deploy the Dutchman and Tavernier together, they will have two attacking full-backs for the first time in a while and definitely the first time under Hodgson, meaning the south Londoners will need to adapt.

Whether this means that the two communicate and decide when one should go forward and one should stay back, or if midfielders such as James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic are asked to cover for them whilst they venture forward, Hodgson will have to adapt and overcome the problems that would arise from having Tavernier in his team.

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