All posts by z3u9t.icu

David Beckham, one of the world’s most iconic celebrities, worshipped in the far corners of the world, playing for Third Division side Preston North End – it defies belief.

What a truly remarkable event in time this was – a 19-year-old star-to-be David Beckham taking his talents to Lancashire’s very own Preston North End.

The paradox of the former Manchester United star playing in the grizzly depths of the Third Division is almost comical. This is a man who would later leave a club after having a boot thrown at his head – how would he survive in the melee of 90s era lower tier football?

Not very well it would seem – at least not from the perspective of the hardened fans at Raising the Coffin, Preston North End’s former monthly in-house fanzine, anyhow, who included the winger in ‘Preston’s worst ever XI’ (via the Lancashire Telegraph).

The reason for his inclusion is a little ambiguous given he had actually been playing quite well for the side scoring two goals in five appearances, one of which he scored directly from a corner.

Indeed, we can only imagine his antics off the pitch was the sole reason for the inclusion.

Anecdotes from far and wide about how the team teased their new recruit have been documented in one convenient location by FourFourTwo, including this one from former teammate Ryan Kidd: “We were travelling to Exeter and David was reading Match magazine,” reminisces Kidd.

“He was reading an article about himself: when he scored in Europe and celebrated with Eric Cantona. Raymond Sharp, the Scottish left-back, got hold of this and started reading it out loud to everybody – something along the lines of ‘I ran into Eric’s arms and it was wonderful’. He embarrassed him to the high heavens! I could see him glowing red but that was the way Sharpy welcomed him into the squad.”

Beckham went on to win a famous treble with Manchester United before making a big money move to Real Madrid, where he became the very definition of what it is to be a ‘Galactico’.

Four years later he made the surprise move to the MLS to play for LA Galaxy, where he spent five successful years boosting the profile of American “soccer,” setting the way for the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Final stints in Europe were spent between Milan and Paris – a point in his career that sounds more like a fashion grand tour than the final years of an icon’s footballing career.

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Wolves fans have shared mixed views as they react to a report from A Bola claiming that Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes is attracting interest from the club in what could be a €40m (£34.4m) deal.

Fernandes is a hotly tipped prospect in Portugal and has caught the eye for his club at the tender age of 20. But he could be about to leave his home country in favour of a move to England, where many of his countrymen also play their trade.

The news has provoked excitement from certain Wolves supporters who want the club to pay the fee. However, it did leave one fan to question whether that could be the end of key player Ruben Neves’ time in the Midlands.

Nuno Santo already has a wealth of midfielders at his disposal so Fernandes’ possible arrival means one of them may have to depart.

The box-to-box midfielder has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, playing 18 times in Liga NOS whilst making four appearances in the Europa League.

Here’s how Wolves fans have been responding to the speculation on Twitter.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham are interested in a move for Barcelona star Malcom, a player who has found chances hard to come by in Catalonia during his time with the Spanish champions.

Barcelona signed the Brazilian for £36.5m back in the summer on a five-year contract, having swooped in to snatch the attacker from the clutches of Roma – the Italian side had even agreed personal terms with Malcom.

The North London Derby of 2008 may never be matched for drama. Lewis from Norwich City Central explains why it’s his all time favourite derby in the video below…

However, despite their efforts to lure him away from Roma and towards the Camp Nou, the former Bordeaux forward hasn’t been able to repay the club’s faith in him – he has scored just three goals for the club in 15 appearances.

In fairness, he has only made one start in La Liga this season, but he is quite clearly a player that comes with some doubts – as a result, Football FanCast take a look at some potential consequences of Tottenham spending big on Malcom…

Big risk, no reward

Apart from a stellar period with Bordeaux, in which he found the back of the net 23 times and recorded 16 assists in just under 100 appearances, Malcom has done very little in European football to merit such a huge fee – the aforementioned report from Mundo Deportivo states that they will not sell him for less than €50m (£43.05m).

To spend such a huge fee on a 22-year-old who hasn’t really proven himself at all yet would be a huge risk, and not one that Spurs need to be dealing with whilst a number of problematic areas already exist.

Money wasted on needless area

The north London side are very strong in attack and never seem to find it difficult to score goals.

Mauricio Pochettino has the likes of Heung-min Son, Lucas Moura, Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen at his disposal, almost all of whom are marquee attackers and would almost certainly keep Malcom out of the side.

Do Spurs really want to be spending a huge sum of money on someone who will be a rotation option at best? Even more so when the full-back areas are so weak and the departed Mousa Dembele has still evidently not been replaced.

Lucas Moura moved on

Both Lucas and Malcom are very similar players; both are diminutive, weak attackers, who lack  consistency. Oh, and they’re both Brazilian.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward looked to be finding his feet in a Tottenham shirt, although he has tailed off significantly barring a goal against Liverpool on Sunday. Prior to that his last goal involvement came at the start of January, and even that was only an assist against Tranmere.

Given the fact that they are both similar players, if Malcom were to be bought in, it could potentially signal the end of Lucas’ time in north London.

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Sheffield Wednesday are hoping to sell forward Lucas Joao this summer according to a report in the printed version of The Sun on Sunday 7th April (page 61). But are they wrong to be considering selling?

What’s the word?

According to Sunday’s edition of The Sun, Sheffield Wednesday are weighing up whether to sell one of their top goal scorers this season in Joao for £8m.

The Owls are hoping to balance their books by offering out the 25-year-old who has recently been missing with injury.

Joao’s contract at Wednesday ends in 2021, per Transfermarkt, so it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see the club cash in on the player, rather than seeing his value plummet over the next year. Transfermarkt values the player at £1.8m, some way off the club’s own valuation.

The same report in The Sun also suggests Fernando Forestieri could leave the club.

Joao has to stay

A potential sale of £8m looks attractive for a Championship club but the Owls simply have to keep Joao. Although injured since February, the attacker was vital for the club earlier in the season and is currently their second top goal scorer on nine for the campaign.

Steve Bruce hasn’t had a proper chance to see the player in action since he arrived at Hillsborough, but regardless, has to keep him at the Yorkshire club.

Gary Hooper may have returned but considering Joao’s early season form he still has to be considered as one of their top players.

With Hooper and Steven Fletcher now the wrong side of 30, Wednesday need someone younger in their ranks to stay, and considering how much they’ve missed the similarly direct Rolando Aarons in the past two matches, they must keep Joao.

His direct nature helps to give a different dynamic in the final third and his versatility can also be a huge asset.

The positives of keeping Joao, therefore, outweigh the negatives and Bruce has to keep hold of him.

As long as a contract remains unsigned at Newcastle, questions will continue to be asked about the future of Rafa Benitez, and where he is likely to be in August.

One thing that seemed to be a non-starter, was the rumour from L’Equipe (in French), that Benitez was looking for a managerial position in France’s Ligue 1.

With Benitez emphatically shutting down all talk of other clubs, and football agencies, in his press conference before the Crystal Palace game, it was hoped that it would put an end to the French speculation.

So it is surprising to see, yet again, a story from the same outlet via Sport Witness linking Rafa with Ligue 1 — this time to take over at Olympique Lyonnais.

The irony, of course, is that Lyon’s current manager, Bruno Genesio, was credited as someone Newcastle were looking at to replace Benitez, should he decide to leave.

It could, of course, be a case of the French press doubling-down with this latest claim, in order to give their previous article, which was denied by Benitez, more credibility.

But regardless of this ‘ifs’, and ‘whys’, these rumblings will persist until a contract is signed.

The worry for fans, will be the effect it is all having on the players.

With Premier League survival not yet guaranteed, and a couple of bad defeats seeing the Geordies pulled right back into the thick of the relegation scrap, the last thing needed is distraction.

Whether it is from alleged French moves, or lack of signed contracts, the not-knowing is damaging, and must play on the minds of both players and fans alike.

It is easy to say they should put everything other than the match in front of you out of their minds, but you cannot switch emotions on and off like a tap.

The one thing that would help the situation of both club, players and fans, would be an announcement that a contract has been signed, and then everyone can focus, and get on with the job at hand.

It is remarkable that the club have let it get to this stage without sorting anything out — remarkable, yet completely unsurprising.

Every deal that Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley have ever done has dragged on, and taken an eternity to complete.

But for all their other failings, not having this one done and dusted long ago, may prove to be their costliest error yet.

What do you think, Newcastle fans? Are you fed up with reading rumours surrounding your manager? Should he sign? Will he leave? Let us know below…

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Southampton are edging closer towards securing their Premier League safety after opening up a five point gap on 18th-place Cardiff City.

With Ralph Hasenhuttl at the helm it seems like the Saints should have enough to remain in the division this season, but they cannot afford to spend another season treading water following two thoroughly underwhelming campaigns.

The summer transfer window will be key to providing Hasenhuttl with the tools he needs to transform Southampton into the top-ten side they once were.

A recent report from The Sun earlier this week suggests that the club have already identified a summer target in the shape of Birmingham City hitman Che Adams, although Everton, Burnley and Norwich City are also interested.

And the rumour has sparked plenty of debate at Football FanCast towers regarding Adams’ potential to thrive in the top-flight and whether he would actually represent an upgrade on Danny Ings.

Take a look at what our writers have said about Southampton’s link to the Championship goal-machine…

James Beavis

“He wouldn’t be an upgrade on Ings, but I would be interested to see him playing alongside Ings next season. Ralph Hasenhuttl has preferred a 4-2-2-2 system in his previous jobs, and the duo could form a strong partnership together. Ings is undoubtedly a penalty-box striker and given his consistent injury issues, he could do with someone alongside him to do the running for him. Step forward, Adams. The impressive striker is something of an all-round centre-forward given his pace, strength and work rate. In my opinion, they’d be Saints’ best striker partnership since Pelle and Mane.”

Matt Dawson

“Undoubtedly. Adams has been a revelation for Birmingham this season and definitely deserves a Premier League move. It’s unlikely there will be a shortage of suitors this summer and it would be extremely exciting to see how he’d fare under Ralph Hasenhuttl. He’s an extremely progressive coach and Adams would suit Southampton perfectly.”

Jack Saville

“I’m a huge fan of Adams and it could prove to be a stroke of genius if Southampton sign him for the £15 million which Birmingham are believed to be demanding for his signature. While Ings has the potential to be a fantastic top-flight striker, his torrid record with injuries proves that he cannot be relied upon for more than a few weeks never mind a full season. Bringing Adams in to the club would give the Saints a talisman for the fans to worship and he certainly has the potential to establish himself ahead of Ings in the pecking order.”

Harry Elnaugh

“I think he could be an upgrade on Ings. Southampton’s front line has been plagued by injuries this season and, while Ings is a fantastic finisher who could score 15 goals a season under Hasenhuttl, he isn’t guaranteed to stay fit, so relying on him so heavily for goals could be a mistake. Adams, meanwhile, has played 40 games in the league for Birmingham this season and epitomises the never-say-die attitude that Hasenhuttl has instilled at St Mary’s. He’s got raw pace, power and an incredible engine, all of which are attributes that make him the perfect man to lead a high-intensity front line.”

On the 2nd June 2014, Liverpool announced the signing of Rickie Lambert from Southampton for a reported fee of £4 million.

The veteran striker was an unusual signing for the Reds, who were off the back of one of their best ever seasons in the Premier League where Brendan Rodgers’ side went within touching distance of sealing their first league title in over 20 years, but fell short in the final few games.

With Luis Suarez hotly tipped to make a move to Barcelona, a transfer that would happen a month later for a reported fee of £75 million, Liverpool were in need of strengthening in the attack that came so close to winning the Premier League title, and with Lambert available on the cheap after a second season with Southampton where the English international scored over 10 goals, it seemed like a smart move for the Reds.

Lambert joining Liverpool was also seen as a fairytale move, as the veteran striker had been a fan of the club for most of his life and even played for the team’s youth-sides before being released at 15-years-old.

Here’s how Liverpool fans reacted to the signing…

Despite the fairytale return to his boyhood club, Lambert’s time at Liverpool is often forgotten about when asking fans about his time back on Merseyside.

Lambert only spent a single season at Liverpool, making 36 appearances, most of them off the bench, and scoring just three goals.

His goal against Ludogrets in the Champions League made the striker the only player in history to score in all four tiers of the professional English footballing pyramid, the England national team, and in Europe for an English club.

The striker was sold to West Brom after just one year back in Liverpool for a reported fee of £3 million, where yet again Lambert failed to make much of an impact for. Though he would spend two seasons with the Baggies, the ageing forward only managed one goal for the club in his time there.

His final stop in his inspiring career came at Cardiff City, where after scoring just four goals in the Championship, he was released by Neil Warnock, and not long after that Lambert announced his retirement from the game.

Lambert’s fairytale return to Liverpool didn’t go as expected, but it was still a fitting deal for a striker who started his career on a low and ended it on one of the highest of highs.

Liverpool fans, what was your favourite memory of Lambert? Let us know!

They’ve done the business against Watford, they repeated it against Napoli, and now Arsenal have to do it against Wolves.

After two back-to-back wins on the road, Arsenal look to have found their stride away from home after a season of persistent form issues whilst away from the Emirates, but a shock defeat to Crystal Palace on Easter Sunday has disrupted what looked to be like a run of form that will get the Gunners over the line for a top-four spot, and now they head into their hardest remaining game of the season.

Wolves might have slumped in recent weeks, but there’s no question that this is a game that Arsenal will find difficult. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were unlucky to leave the Emirates with just a point in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, and their form against top-six teams at home give the Gunners a disadvantage.

Arsenal will be heading into this game well aware that they need a win and nothing else, and that failing to do so will gift Chelsea and Manchester United the chance to slip into fourth place in the table.

Although the Gunners head to Molineux off the back of an embarrassing defeat to Palace, they should be confident in themselves of pulling off a result despite the odds being against them.

If they can play with the same urgency and energy they played with against Napoli last week, the Gunners can easily find themselves on the winning end of the match. Saying it is one thing, though, doing it is another, and Arsenal will need to put on a big performance if they want to return to north London with three points.

Arsenal fans, can the Gunners get a win away to Wolves? Let us know!

Ashley Young surely brings back very fond memories of the days when Aston Villa were good.

Those were the days, weren’t they? When Ashley Young and James Milner were commanding the wings for Aston Villa, with big John Carew dominating the middle and Gareth Barry commanding the midfield alongside Stiliyan Petrov and Nigel Reo-Coker.

Once upon a time when he wasn’t taking flak from Manchester United fans on a daily basis, Ashley Young was the jewel of the Villa squad. The man who made things happen from the wing, and never looked short of answers.

If someone asked you who was better out of Young or Messi, you would likely laugh in their face, right? Well, back in the good old days of 2008 when the Argentine wizard had only collected 16 goals and 15 assists in 40 appearances, Martin O’Neill claimed Ashley young to be, and I quote, “on par with Lionel Messi”.

Although uttering this statement would earn someone a one-way ticket to an asylum nowadays, at the time we could sort of, maybe, kind of understand where O’Neill was coming from as the tricky wing wizard had accumulated a career-best 16 assists during the 2007/08 campaign.

His ability to sit on the left-wing and cut inside on his right peg and swirl in a well-calculated howitzer of a cross for his teammates was, dare we say, unparalleled at the time, and Villa, for the most part, enjoyed their most prosperous campaigns in recent memory around the time he was donning the claret and blue.

Young was twice named in the PFA Team of the Year thanks to his efforts at Villa Park before eventually joining Manchester United in 2011 for a reported £17million.

While six goals and 11 assists is about as good as it will ever get for the Englishman, who has only managed to make 30+ league appearances for the club once in eight years, he has enjoyed his most successful years at Old Trafford in terms of silverware – winning four major trophies, including the Premier League and Europa League.

At the tender old age of 33, Young is seeing out his days as a Manchester United player as a target of fans frustration, as the club go from one misery to the next (he hasn’t been great, to be fair). Whether he survives the upcoming exodus as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attempts to change United’s fortunes remains to be seen.

Note: Ashley Young still hasn’t managed to surpass his Villa stats at Old Trafford (37 goals & 59 assists in 190 appearances compared to 18 goals and 48 assists in 241 appearances).

Aston Villa fans, what are your standout memories of Ashley Young? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to an article on popular fan site Roker Report, discussing the impact of Josh Maja’s departure.

Maja was the most crucial part of Sunderland’s campaign until January, bagging an incredible 15 goals in 25 League One appearances.

The 20 year-old used his contract situation to force a move away from the club though, and swapped Wearside for Bordeaux for an undisclosed fee, per BBC.

The Black Cats weren’t slack in replacing the youngster either, bringing Will Grigg to the Stadium of Light in the hopes his incredible lower-league scoring record would carry them through to automatic promotion.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Of course, that hasn’t happened, as Grigg has mustered just four League One strikes since January, and fellow front man Charlie Wyke just cannot seem to find any sort of consistent form.

With the daunting play-off gauntlet looming, fans appear to be split on Maja’s departure, with some saying good riddance to a player who didn’t want to stay, while others wonder what could have been.

Either way, take a look at the best Twitter reactions down below…