[ad_pod ]Nottingham Forest produced a committed, battling performance to overcome Derby County by a 1-0 scoreline at the City Ground on Monday night. A second minute strike from defender Yohan Benalouane was ultimately enough to seal all three points for Martin O’Neill’s well organised and hard working side.Striker Daryl Murphy claimed an assist for Benalouane’s goal when he reacted smartly to nod the ball down in the box. The 35-year-old forward had a good game all round and was strong and tireless in leading the line.

The Reds’ No. 9 has had his critics this season, and has been in and out of the team. His return of just three goals from 18 Championship appearances has also seen him come under fire from the fans at times.

The 33-cap former Republic of Ireland international stepped up admirably against the Rams though and produced a determined, energetic display.

After the match, plenty of Forest fans took to Twitter to praise his performance…

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after they found out that Frank de Boer had lost his first game in charge of Atlanta United.

The former Palace boss was appointed as the MLS Cup winners’ manager just before Christmas, but got off to a disappointing start with his new charges as they lost 3-1 to Herediano – in fairness, that’s better than his start with the Eagles, in which he oversaw a 3-0 loss to Huddersfield.

De Boer lasted just 77 days at Selhurst Park during his short tenure in south London, managing just four league games and failing to see his side score a single goal on their way to successive defeats – his only win came in the Carabao Cup against Ipswich.

The main issue with the 48-year-old Dutchman’s time at Palace was his tendency to deploy some players out of position, with Joel Ward stuck out in a right wing-back role whilst Luka Milivojevic was put at centre-back.

By the sounds of things, those issues are still going on at Atlanta, and Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react…

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Chris Sutton has absolutely blasted Steven Gerrard’s performance in his maiden managerial campaign.

The Hoops are in a fantastic position to secure their eighth consecutive league title and the Parkhead legend is not impressed by Gerrard’s first year at Ibrox.

Rangers dropped even more points on Saturday, with the Gers now needing nothing short of a miracle to eclipse their arch-rivals in the race for the title.

Gerrard and his side started the season well, impressing in their Europa League qualifying campaign in particular, but have faded badly since their Old Firm win over Celtic in December.

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

What has he said?

Asked to rate Gerrard’s season out of ten before their match against Kilmarnock, Sutton told BT Sport: “Four.

“He’s at a big club. He doesn’t manage a mediocre Premier League English team. It’s about winning trophies and they’re not going to win any.”

What’s the verdict?

Sutton’s comments have proven to be quite controversial, with the rest of the BT Sport panel questioning his rating while others scored Gerrard’s first campaign in Glasgow as an eight out of ten.

Despite all the reaction around the comments though, it is actually quite difficult to disagree, as any season without silverware is considered a failure at Ibrox.

The gaffer has dropped countless points with drab draws, most recently at home to Kilmarnock in a match where the visitors had a ridiculous 61 per cent of the ball, per BBC’s stats.

The performance that ended their Scottish Cup hopes against Aberdeen was absolutely woeful, and if the boss can’t motivate them for a match that would have set up a semi-final against Celtic then when is he going to be able to motivate them?

Sutton’s comments are controversial, but they’re a lot closer to the truth than some may be willing to accept, and the Gers proved him right for all to see with their woeful display against Kilmarnock on Saturday.

علّق الإسباني، إيميليو بوتراجينيو، مدير العلاقات المؤسسية، بنادي ريال مدريد، على قرعة دور المجموعات من دوري أبطال أوروبا لموسم 2020/2021.

القرعة التي سُحبت، اليوم الخميس، أسفرت عن تواجد ريال مدريد في المجوعة الثانية، إلى جانب إنتر ميلان الإيطالي، وشاختار دونستيك الأوكراني بالإضافة لـ بوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ الألماني (طالع القرعة كاملة).

وقال بوتراجينيو: “شاختار فريق جيد للغاية ولديهم أسلوب هجومي قوي، الإنتر يظل هو الإنتر؛ لديهم تاريخ ونعرف ما يمكن أنّ يفعلوه”.

وأضاف: “بوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ فريق خطير للغاية، لديهم إمكانيات كبيرة، ولا يجب علينا أنّ ننسى أنهم فريق ألماني”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “يجب علينا أنّ نكون مُنتبهين للغاية لجميع المُنافسين أي خطأ أو هفوة ستكون قاتلة”.

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Sheffield United maintained their momentum in the Championship promotion race with a 2-0 win over Rotherham United in the south Yorkshire derby at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

The vital goals for the Blades came courtesy of Jack O’Connell and Mark Duffy. Sheffield United fans will be especially delighted to have seen the latter score on his return to the starting XI.

On the chalkboard

The 33-year-old attacker produced a fine strike from range to double the Blades’ advantage over Rotherham. His goal also sent a message to manager Chris Wilder, who may now be regretting having ever taken the veteran out of the limelight.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

The Liverpool-born ace has notched four goals and six assists in the Championship this season, as per Transfermarkt’s stats. 

However, Wilder benched Duffy for Sheffield United’s two games prior to Saturday’s triumph, including the goalless draw against bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Many fans were furious to see Duffy left out of the line-up for the Steel City derby, and took to Twitter to make their feelings on the matter clear. However, the head coach now looks to have seen the light and is already benefitting from having the star back in his plans. 

Making room for Duffy

The experienced and versatile midfielder brings a great deal of creativity and guile to Wilder’s side. Despite his age, he still also has plenty of energy and stamina. With him in the team, the Blades are certainly less predictable in the final third. 

Whilst Everton loanee Kieran Dowell has impressed since his January arrival, Wilder should recognise that Duffy still offers something that the 21-year-old can’t. So the manager must continue to make room for the senior man in his starting XI, and fans will certainly be glad to see their boss doing this.

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Leeds United kept their title charge on track on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers at Elland Road.

The Whites weren’t at their scintillating best, and missed a number of very presentable chances to ensure a more comfortable margin of victory, but ultimately the three points are the most important thing at this stage of the season. A Patrick Bamford penalty and an Ezgjan Alioski strike were enough to secure the win for Marcelo Bielsa’s side. 

Bamford will have been particularly glad to get on the scoresheet to boost his confidence. Injuries have ravaged much of his campaign so far, and he still looks to be lacking a bit of match sharpness, but following the injury sustained by top scorer Kemar Roofe Leeds need the 25-year-old No. 9 to build up all the self-belief he can get.

Following the win over Bolton, plenty of Leeds fans took to Twitter to give their verdict on Bamford’s performance…

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Loads of Celtic fans have been entertaining themselves during the international break by offering up their unpopular opinions about the club they hold so dear.

Not too long ago, Celtic’s position at the pinnacle of Scottish football looked in genuine danger.

Arch-rivals Rangers downed the Bhoys at Ibrox shortly after Christmas, and the historic “treble treble” was thrown into peril when Brendan Rodgers left the club for Premier League outfit Leicester City.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

The boss’ departure has not affected the team though, and Neil Lennon’s side are now even further ahead of the Gers than they were when Rodgers left.

With the title in the bag and a cup semi-final still to come, the club is well-placed to grab all three domestic trophies once again.

Aforementioned, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing though, and plenty of fans have been giving some surprising opinions over the international break.

Have a look at the Twitter reactions down below, and keep in mind that these are supposed to be “unpopular”…

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Liverpool failed to overcome bitter rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and ultimately had to settle for a 0-0 draw with the Red Devils. The result is a blow to the Reds’ title ambitions, but Jurgen Klopp will know they’re not out of the race yet, but they soon could be should they fail to win their tough upcoming fixtures.

The Anfield club certainly have a difficult Premier League run ahead of them, with clashes with in-form Watford and local rivals Everton coming up in the next week.

Sky Sports pundit and iconic former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has given his verdict on the importance of the next week for his former club.

What he said

Speaking on Sky Sports after the Manchester United match, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo, Carragher said “it’s the week, not Manchester United which is important…If Liverpool can get to March 4, the day after the Everton game, and they’re top of the league they are in a great position to win the league.”

Easier said than done

It’s by no means a given, though, that Liverpool will emerge from this week unscathed. The Reds have been in poor form recently. Seeing Roberto Firmino forced off with injury on Sunday doesn’t bode well either for Klopp.

Not only that, but the Toffees will be determined to halt Liverpool’s title charge, and will have the home advantage in a roused Goodison Park atmosphere this weekend.

Manchester City could easily be in the ascendancy by March 4th.

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Leeds United are currently on the verge of securing a return to the Premier League after a fifteen year absence. The Whites are in the automatic promotion places with just nine Championship fixtures still to go.

They could give their hopes a huge boost on Saturday when they take on fellow promotion-hopefuls Sheffield United at Elland Road.

It’s a potentially season-defining encounter for both clubs and the pressure is very much on. Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is remaining calm in the build up to the game though and has given his views on how well equipped his side are to handle the occasion.

What he said

As quoted by the club on Twitter, Bielsa has asserted his opinion that Saturday’s match is not the be-all and end-all, saying: “No win is more important than any other at this stage.”

It is undeniable, however, that his team will be aware of the significance this match holds in the eyes of the fans.

Centre-back Pontus Jansson has already referred to the upcoming fixture with the Blades as “the biggest game of our lives”. It is vital that the Argentine coach doesn’t let the occasions overwhelm his squad.

He is confident that his team can rise to the challenge though, saying: “For me the emotion you get from big games is important, and our players have enough experience to manage this kind of situation.”

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

Will they crumble?

Bielsa has only said what you’d expect a manager to say ahead of a big game. However, Leeds’ ability to cope with such pressure can legitimately be called into question.

Earlier in the campaign, when they faced a similarly pressurised match against title-chasing Norwich City, they crumbled. Leeds slumped to a 3-1 defeat against the Canaries at Elland Road which allowed Daniel Farke’s side to gain on them in the table. Norwich now hold top spot ahead of then-leaders Leeds.

There are certainly grounds for concern there, as pointed out by some fans in response to Jansson’s aforementioned tweet.

Leeds fans, are you feeling calm and confident like Bielsa ahead of Saturday’s clash? Have you got any fingernails left? Drop us your verdicts in the comments below…

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Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to declare their happiness at seeing Neil Lennon return to the club, after the Scot guided his new charges into the Scottish Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Hibernian.

Lennon left the club back in 2014 after resigning from his post, and went on to manage Bolton and Hibernian before returning to the Bhoys following the departure of Brendan Rodgers to Leicester – coincidentally, Lennon’s first game back was against Hibernian.

The 47-year-old is only in charge on an interim basis following Rodgers’ shock exit, but the fans have already taken him back with open arms following a tough period for them after losing their manager.

Lennon guided the Hoops to three league titles and two Scottish Cup successes during his first stint in charge, and remains on course for a treble having successfully navigated his side’s progress into the semi-finals thanks to goals from Scott Brown and James Forrest.

Let’s see what the Celtic fans are saying on Twitter…