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Newcastle United fans have been left fuming by the latest news to come from their prospective £300m takeover as the Premier League’s CEO, Richard Masters, has commented on matters.

He was in conversation with Sky Sports’ Bryan Swanson on Friday afternoon where he said: “I don’t think timing is an issue here. I don’t think we have any specific views about when these things need to be done by. We need to ensure all processes are followed properly, and when the decision is made it’s the right one.”

But the Magpies faithful disagree, claiming the club has been left “rudderless” in a time where clear leadership is needed.

Players’ contracts are expiring, staff are on furlough and money is still being taken for season tickets.

Given Mike Ashley is still the current owner at the northeast outfit, many have placed blame on him, which is hardly a surprise given how poorly he’s run the club during his 13-year tenure.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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Several seasons of mediocrity and two relegations to the Championship cover just a fraction of fans’ disappointment.

The interview has also led to some members of the St James’ Park faithful to speculate when the takeover might actually happen, even if some are more tongue in cheek.

Evidently, some are sick of the length of time this whole process has taken, let alone how many more weeks it is before an official announcement.

AND in other news, Newcastle transfer target tipped to “excite” fans…

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…

Manchester United clawed their way back to 3-3 draw against Sheffield United but despite being second best for the majority of the game, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wasn’t too disappointed with his team’s performance.

What did he say?

But for a ten-minute spell in which the Red Devils scored all three goals, Solskjaer would have been facing a difficult situation with his players underperforming in an away match once again.

A point at Brammall Lane will be viewed as a good one considering the flow of the match, though it would have been all three but for Oli McBurnie’s last-minute equaliser.

As a result, it was a difficult game to assess, and that is reflected in Solskjaer’s post-match reaction. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

“Mixed emotions. We cannot be happy, we have not performed for the majority of the game, but we turned it around and we showed what we could be capable of. We have to do it now for a whole game.

“We know we can, we just have to show it. When you are 2-0 down you have to go for it, play with less fear and just go for it.

More worrying was his explanation for the first-half display, with several Manchester United players being out-fought on the ball leaving the Blades in the ascendency.

“It’s not something you can put your finger on here and now, but they looked like they wanted it more than us,” said Solskjaer, as reported by Fox Sports.

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Wrong mindset

The fact United don’t seem to be learning from past mistakes and poor performances is a concern.

This term alone they have failed to win away matches at Southampton, Bournemouth and West Ham to name a few, with insipid performances demonstrating a lack of effort and perhaps a lack of belief that exists in the squad.

That is not the Manchester United team that became so famous and allowed them to win so often, and it is up to the manager and more senior players in the squad to put it right.

At times in the first-half Harry Maguire was visibly angry with his teammates – Dan James and Fred bearing the brunt of his criticism due to continued sloppy mistakes in giving away possession.

The comeback displayed a strong spirit but if Manchester United want to progress they cannot rely on teenagers like Brandon Williams and Mason Greenwood to claw their way out of trouble.

They failed to put their stamp on the game throughout and if that style continues away from home then it is unlikely results will pick up any time soon.

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…

Roshane Thomas, of The Athletic, has been speaking about West Ham United’s goalkeeper situation, following the 3-0 loss against Burnley.

What did he say?

Roberto made another big mistake against Burnley when he attempted to punch away a corner, seeing the ball spin off his fist and over the line.

The goalkeeping situation is beginning to severely cost the Hammers, as they have now gone on a run of seven games without a victory in all competitions – with Roberto making a number of questionable saves during that time.

During a Q&A on The Athletic, one fan put it to Thomas that Roberto should be dropped and that Adrian was never adequately replaced, to which he replied: “Yep, I also think Martin should start the next game. Roberto was very poor today. He’s yet to keep clean sheet in the Premier League. Pellegrini pretty much refused to talk about his performance.

“I don’t think the situation would be this bad if Adrian was still the club’s second-choice goalkeeper.”

Watch West Ham United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Hard to argue

Adrian definitely would have been able to help the Hammers’ situation because Roberto’s frailties have been a big reason behind them, with fans having shown their frustrations towards him.

A contrast between Roberto and his fellow Spaniard shows just how bad a deal West Ham set out for themselves during the summer.

Adrian played an important part in Liverpool’s UEFA Super Cup win, saving Tammy Abraham’s penalty shootout, with only 1 of his 11 appearances this campaign ending in a loss.

He has also become a surprisingly popular figure at Anfield, which cannot be said for the Hammers’ back-up goalkeeper based on reactions to yesterday’s performance.

The 32-year-old also impressed Garth Crooks when featuring against Burnley, as he was quoted on BBC Sport as saying: “The relationship between the Liverpool back four and stand-in keeper Adrian has had its good and bad moments.”

“Adrian’s performance against Burnley, however, was about as good as it gets. The Spanish keeper made a superb save from Chris Wood at a critical time in the first half, while his defensive unit made sure Adrian was not required to come to their rescue thereafter.”

The Hammers certainly miss the stopper, but will need to find a solution to the issue if they are to pick up points while Lukasz Fabianski is out injured. That may well come in the form of David Martin, the current third-choice, starting between the sticks next time out.

Liverpool face Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday with the chance to put clear distance between themselves and the Sky Blues, but some Reds supporters have felt the need to demand that Mohamed Salah improves his game ahead of the key tie.

Salah had taken to Twitter ahead of the crunch clash to share a selection of images of the winger in training, as the Egyptian worked on his balance at the Anfield outfit’s Melwood facilities.

Some supporters have replied to the post by suggesting that the 5 ft 8 forward should be working on his shooting instead, following a number of fans slamming Salah for his efforts in front of goal against KRC Genk in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Re-live the moment Sadio Mane robbed Leicester City of a point at Anfield through the eyes of the Foxes fans in the video below…

Fans were left disgruntled despite Jurgen Klopp’s men beating the Belgian side, as Salah attempted a joint-game-high five shots but only managed to direct one on target.

His shooting is not the only thing some Liverpool fans appear to be concerned about ahead of facing Man City, though, as supporters have also suggested the 27-year-old must work on his ball retention.

Only Sadio Mane has been dispossessed by an opponent more often in the Premier League than Salah of those called upon by Klopp thus far, with the Senegal forward losing the ball 24 times to the Egyptian’s 19 instances, per WhoScored data.

Mane is also the only Liverpool player to give away possession more often through unsuccessful touches, as the former Southampton star has gifted the opponent control 33 times in 11 games to Salah’s 32 in 10 appearances.

Here are some of the messages shared in response to Salah’s post of the winger working on his balance…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Tottenham Hotspur have a problem on their hands.

Well, they have several when one considers their league form, but one that has gone unnoticed is the puzzle handed to manager Mauricio Pochettino by Ryan Sessegnon.

Signed for £25m in the summer from Fulham, he simply hasn’t had a chance to show his worth.

That has mostly been down to a hamstring injury that unfortunately ruled him out of the first 10 games of the Premier League season and he has since played twice – coming on as a substitute in injury time versus Everton and then playing 15 minutes against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.

That latter appearance is instructive too. He replaced Son Heung-Min in that game, meaning he was deployed as a left winger, and he subsequently registered an assist, laying on the pass from which Christian Eriksen scored his side’s fourth goal.

But is he likely to get much playing time on the left wing?

Son is the starter in that position, playing there eight times already this season and 18 times last season. When he was shifted into a centre-forward role, Spurs adapted their formation to regularly utilise a narrow 4-4-2 diamond, as seen against Barcelona and Ajax in the Champions League.

There is an obvious problem with that: Sessegnon can’t play central midfield or centre-forward.

Now, the argument could be made that he could play at left-back and that is certainly true, but it is one area of the squad where Spurs actually have decent depth.

Not only is Danny Rose still trusted by his manager, but Ben Davies is also an international calibre full-back, too, having won 48 caps for Wales.

It is difficult, thus, to see where Sessegnon’s opportunity is going to come from.

Spurs are currently in poor form and haven’t won in the Premier League since September. They last won on the road against Fulham, in January, in a game in which Sessegnon came on as a substitute for the hosts.

Mauricio Pochettino, then, has to continue to pick his best team as he looks to arrest this slump.

At this point, that means Son plays on the left wing and one of Rose or Davies plays at full-back.

Sessegnon, it must be said, is young and he has time on his side but at this point, he may well be left waiting for the FA Cup to roll around – or for a player to pick up an injury – before he actually gets 90 minutes under his belt.

That cannot be good for his development, nor for his chances of staking a claim to start on a regular basis.

With the Premier League announcing today that action won’t resume at the end of May as previously planned, it could be a long time before we see Newcastle back on the pitch.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains a matter of debate – before beating Southampton in their last match, the Magpies had won just once in ten Premier League games.

Nonetheless, Newcastle are one of the most well-supported clubs in the country and it’s inevitable some sections of the Toon Army will be getting withdrawal symptoms around now.

And we just might have something to cure that itch, in the form of a quiz that all Newcastle fans will be able to dig their teeth into.

This piece of trivia has a simple premise – we show you a picture of an obscure former Newcastle player, you select the according name from four possible answers.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? We can assure you this’ll be anything but…

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…

Luka Jovic was one of Real Madrid’s big summer scoops, but despite his successful stint at Eintracht Frankfurt prior to the big move, life in the Spanish capital hasn’t been that dreamy for the young Serbian.

Zinedine Zidane finally addressed the issue in his latest press conference.

What did he say?

It took Real Madrid a reported sum of £53.2m to land their 21-year-old target and lure him away from the jaws of the Bundesliga where he was definitely thriving.

Jovic managed to net 27 goals and assist seven more in the 48 games he played for Eintracht Frankfurt across all competitions in the 2018/19 campaign so Los Blancos’ interest wasn’t really that much of a surprise.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

What was a surprise, however, was Zidane’s reluctance to actually play the Serbian and give him a proper chance. As a result, he only tallied 218 minutes across seven games for the Galacticos so far in the ongoing season.

For that reason, the Frenchman was asked about his “demotivated” outcast by the press.

Here’s what he said in full:

“He’s not demotivated. He’s just arrived and he’s looking much better now than when he came in. He’s slowly learning Spanish and becoming part of the group. I will be counting on him and he’s important despite the fact he hasn’t played much recently.”

Not done yet

Zidane’s words will definitely come as a relief to Jovic, and to any football fan who enjoys seeing young talent thrive.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

His situation is a strange one, as even though he is presumably a bet for the future since he is very much at the beginning of his career, Real Marid’s recent rumoured transfer targets and preferences in the market have put the Serbian’s transfer under question.

After all, why would the club be on a lookout for a new striker to replace Karim Benzema if they already have one within their ranks?

Still, Zidane seems to believe there is a place for the young forward in this Los Blancos squad and just by stating the 21-year-old is important should at least give the Jovic fan club some hope.

By all accounts, he is not done just yet and his chance might be coming in the near future.

All he has to do is be patient.

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’s run of three games without defeat in the Premier League was halted by the reigning champions Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, but they can put things right this week by advancing in the Carabao Cup.

Dean Smith’s side host Wolves at Villa Park on Wednesday night knowing a victory would see them into the quarter-finals of the competition.

Last time out, the west Midlanders soared past a youthful Brighton & Hove Albion line up as the 48-year-old rung nine changes, which he has frequently done in the cup so far this season.

Based on that, Smith remains likely to rest several players in favour of those on the fringe of the squad – Keinan Davis, Ahmed Elmohamady, and Henri Lansbury should all surely feature if fit.

On the Chalkboard

However, the latter could be in the firing line come January if the latest reports surrounding the club is accurate.

The Daily Mail claim Villa are one of four Premier League clubs monitoring Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara, who was once on the books of Arsenal as a youngster.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 24-year-old has proved to be instrumental in Steven Gerrard’s engine room across matches in both the Scottish top-flight and in the Europa League – the 14-cap Finland international has played 15 times this term.

Given that Villa added Marvelous Nakamba and Douglas Luiz to their midfield of John McGinn, Conor Hourihane, and captain Jack Grealish in the summer, it seems unlikely that he would come in to replace any of these players.

All have played their part in the season to date, featuring in at least six of their ten Premier League matches.

Aston Villa’s summer signings’ performances so far this season are rated in the video below…

Whereas Lansbury continues to be a bit-part member of the squad with persistent niggles restricting him to three appearances this campaign.

Adding a player that has been competing on the European stage would certainly be one way to supplement their ambitions to remain in the big time, more so than hanging onto one of Steve Bruce’s signings, who has been blighted by injuries – he even only played six games in their playoff-winning season.

Patience may be wearing thin over the 29-year-old.

Loads of Wales fans on Twitter appear to be split on Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies following his performance in his nation’s 1-1 draw against Slovakia on Thursday night.

Ryan Giggs’ men would have been looking to pick up a win in Trnava to boost their chances of qualifying for EURO 2020, and they made a good start following Kieffer Moore’s first-half goal.

However, the visitors conceded just eight minutes after the break and the initial play leading up to the goal came down Davies’ side, although it would probably be unfair to blame the left-back for the subsequent series of events.

The 26-year-old has found first-team opportunities hard to come by in the Premier League for Spurs this season, featuring for just 106 minutes according to Transfermarkt – 90 of which came in the defeat against Brighton.

Wales supporters certainly appear undecided on the former Swansea City man’s most recent display for his country, with one individual labelling him as “outstanding”, and another saying he is “so, so average”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Nicolas Otamendi has had a month to forget in the blue of Manchester City, with him losing the ball to give Norwich a 3-1 lead a few weeks ago and diving in to allow Adama Traore to put Wolves 1-0 up last weekend. He’s off on international duty in the blue of Argentina now, and got 90 minutes under his belt in a 2-2 draw with Germany.

He was City’s most reliable centre-back in their ‘Centurions’ season, making more league appearances than any other player in his position (34). But since then, his recent form has clearly stuck in fans’ minds. Considering they’re now eight points off the top, his form is a real concern.

City’s official Twitter account updated their fans’ on his involvement with his national team on Wednesday night, and it was clear to see that some supporters have lost patience with the 31-year-old. They took to the replies to show their discontent that he was getting game time for Argentina, although some did show support for the centre-back.

You can see some of their reactions to the tweet below:

Some fans were supportive, though:

How do you think the title race will play out over the rest of the season?