Sheffield Wednesday have been on a terrific run of form ever since Steve Bruce arrived and that is something they hope long continues. 

It remains a complete long-shot but with the form they’re showing currently, the play-offs aren’t even that far away and the Championship is known for its ever-changing scenario.

Steve Bruce is a quality manager and given full backing over the summer, Sheffield Wednesday could have themselves a very capable squad.

One player who would certainly be an improvement on current options is Leicester’s Matty James, a midfielder who has plenty of experience and knowledge of the game.

James, (who is valued at £1.3 million on Transfermarkt) has again this season been battling against injury, something that has stopped him being involved with the Leicester first-team.

Since, he has made one FA Cup appearance but that is it, something that could prove to be the end of his Leicester stay.

If the Foxes are unable to rely upon Matty James anymore because he’s constantly pushed back by injuries, Sheffield Wednesday should be the side to take a punt on him instead.

Having joined Leicester in 2012, James has a wealth of experience that could come in handy for Steve Bruce and his side.

Although their current midfield options are strong, one team can never have too many players and Matty James would bring something different.

At the age of 27, Matty James would be hoping of playing week in, week out but simply put, that hasn’t happened for him. If he can put injuries behind him and focus on performing to the best of his ability whilst staying fit, Sheffield Wednesday would have bagged themselves a very shrewd signing.

Do you agree… Let us know!

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Watford head into their FA Cup semi-final clash with Wolves this weekend on a high having thrashed Fulham 4-1 on Tuesday night, with Abdoulaye Doucoure getting on the scoresheet for the fifth time this season before taking to Twitter to express his delight at the win.

The Frenchman’s strike capped yet another fine performance at the base of midfield that will surely have caught the attention of the top-six clubs looking to raid the lesser Premier League outfits in the summer.

The 26-year-old has established himself as one of the best players outside of the Big Six and has said there was interest in his services from European giants PSG in January; it is uncertain as to whether he will remain at Vicarage Road beyond the current campaign.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Winning the cup or European football for next season would surely go a long way towards retaining the former Granada man’s services for another year, it’s just a question of whether they can get the better of their Midlands opposition both this weekend and over the seven remaining games of the campaign.

Here’s what the Hornets fans had to say in response to the 6 foot star on Twitter…

انتهت مباراة المصري البورسعيدي والاتحاد السكندري، بفوز الأول بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الإثنين، ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري الممتاز.

المصري واجه الاتحاد، علي ملعب برج العرب الإسكندرية، في اطار مواجهات الأسبوع الـ20 المؤجل من المسابقة المحلية.

وتقدم الاتحاد السكندري، عن طريق لاعبه كريم الديب في الدقيقة 11، من خلال متابعته برأسية سكنت مرمى المصري، بعد تسديدة رزاق سيسيه التي تصدى لها أحمد مسعود حارس الفريق البورسعيدي.

وتعادل للمصري عمر كمال عبد الواحد من ضربة جزاء في الدقيقة الثانية من الوقت بدل الضائع 45+2، بعد لمسة يد علي إسلام جمال مدافع الاتحاد السكندري.

وأحرز مفتاح طقطق لاعب المصري الهدف الثاني لفريقه في الدقيقة 59 من ركلة جزاء أيضًا.

وكان حكم المباراة محمد معروف لجأ إلي تقينة الفيديو “الفار”، للتأكيد من صحة احتساب ضربة الجزاء الثانية للمصري، بعد لمسة يد على مروان النجار مدافع الاتحاد السكندري.

وبهذا يتواجد المصري في المركز السابع في ترتيب الدوري برصيد 42 نقطة، بينما يحتل الاتحاد المركز العاشر بـ39 نقطة.

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When you think of Wolves this season, eyes are likely to be cast in the direction of Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota.

All three have been imperative to their wonderful first season back in the Premier League. But one man who goes under the radar is Joao Moutinho, a number in a line of Portuguese stars to feature for the club.

Following his performance against Manchester United last weekend, Wolves supporters have been left in awe of the midfielder, as he made seven key passes over the course of the 90 minutes.

Supporters at Molineux have had plenty to jump and shout about this season, but Moutinho presents them with the latest chance to rave over one of their players.

Individuals took to Twitter to laud the ex Monaco man, hailing him as the best player they’ve ever seen in a Wolves shirt whilst one tweeted that he was the best Wolves player he’d seen in his lifetime.

It was glowing praise for an experienced professional who has also been labelled by supporters as a superstar, world-class, a legend, and like a Jack Russell in the Wolves midfield.

What’s your club’s best chant? Check out the video below for a Wolves epic that surely has to be one of the best in English football…

Nuno Santo’s side signed him for a bargain price as one fan claimed it was the best £5m ever spent.

Here’s what was said about him on Twitter…

A sweet Wednesday night in Munich was slightly soured for Liverpool, who saw captain Jordan Henderson having to be taken off after suffering an ankle injury.

While his departure didn’t really impact the result as the Reds rode on Sadio Mane’s brilliance to progress into the Champions League quarter-finals, an injury at this point could be worrying. Indeed, according to the club’s official site, he suffered a twisted ankle, though the extent isn’t yet.

However, thanks to their varied options, Liverpool have players to fall back upon. Indeed, a player who could be blessed by this unfortunate incident is Naby Keita, seemingly exiled from the starting XI in recent weeks.

The summer signing hasn’t proven to be as effective as Jurgen Klopp thought he would but is getting the slow grind towards immersing into the system. Keita now has the opportunity to prove his ability and be the hard-working midfielder who can take the pressure of their front-three.

Like Fred at Manchester United, he’s also had enough time to adapt to the Premier League’s conditions and is now primed to make his mark. He scored six goals and assisted five in the Bundesliga last season and will want to replicate similar numbers in the final stretch of the season.

A creative midfielder who adds more fuel to the attack, Keita now needs to take control and dictate Liverpool’s midfield in the next couple of weeks. The midfielder’s dominating potential is well known, but the next few months will determine whether he’ll thrive at Liverpool in the long term or be discarded as Jurgen Klopp’s failed experiment.

If he’s ever going to prove he’s worth the money, now’s the time.

Liverpool fans, do you feel Keita can finally come good as Henderson’s replacement? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

كشفت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الكتالونية موقف مدافع الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، سيرجيو راموس، من اللحاق بمباراة الكلاسيكو أمام برشلونة.

ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على ملعب “كامب نو” في المباراة القادمة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني يوم 24 أكتوبر في تمام الساعة الرابعة عصرًا بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

ولكن أثار راموس قلق جميع جماهير ريال مدريد أمس في مباراة قادش، بعد خروجه بين الشوطين بسبب إصابة في ركبته اليسرى.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ماركا تكشف عن اللاعب الوحيد الذي رفض تخفيض راتبه في ريال مدريد

وخضع قائد ريال مدريد للفحوصات الطبية الشاملة صباح اليوم، الأحد، للاطمئنان على حالته، وأظهرت الموجات فوق الصوتية عدم وجود أي إصابة خطيرة في الركبة.

وبحسب ما ذكرته الصحيفة، سيخضع راموس إلى علاج في الركبة اليسرى يومي الإثنين والثلاثاء وربما يتمكن من المشاركة في مباراة الجولة الأولى من مجموعات دوري أبطال أوروبا يوم، الأربعاء، أمام شاختار دونستك.

ولكن هناك شكوك حول إمكانية مشاركته في دوري أبطال أوروبا وربما لا يخاطر به المدرب، زين الدين زيدان، وينتظر حتى يتعافى بالكامل للتواجد في الكلاسيكو.

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According to The Daily Record, Crystal Palace are keen on a move for West Brom’s Oliver Burke as they look to reinforce their attacking options.

The Eagles already have a fearsome front three packed with quality and, while the Scotsman wouldn’t bring anything too different to the attack, he shares his best qualities with Palace’s trio.

What’s the word?

Well, The Daily Record reports that Palace are eyeing a move for the five-cap international in the summer despite his time at West Brom having been far from successful – the winger has struggled to break through at The Hawthorns and was subsequently sent out on loan to Celtic.

In Glasgow the 21-year-old has been a huge hit with the Hoops, who are keen to extend his stay at Paradise beyond the end of the season – they may face fierce competition in the form of Palace for his signature though.

Burke still has another three years left on his deal with the Baggies but the Championship promotion-chasers are looking to cut their losses by offloading the £15m ace. What would he bring to Selhurst Park, then?

All-rounder

The former RB Leipzig man was rarely anything but underwhelming after crossing the channel to England, and was still of little to no use to the Baggies after they dropped into the second tier last summer.

A loan move to Celtic, where he would work with Brendan Rodgers until the Northern-Irishman turned tailcoat, looked the sensible move and now Burke is proving a fantastic signing for the Scottish Premiership champions.

He has chalked up four goals and an assist in nine league appearances up north – an output Palace could certainly do with – and is impressing with his tireless running.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

The versatile forward has Wilfried Zaha’s speed, Andros Townsend’s work-rate and, since he traded the West Midlands for Scotland, has applied the finishing touch of Michy Batshuayi. Burke might not be able to oust any of the aforementioned players from Roy Hodgson’s starting XI easily, but he does have all of their best qualities combined.

Amid their title challenge and one of the best seasons ever produced by an English side, there have been some valid complaints regarding Liverpool’s attacking style solely being pegged on their fantastic front-three.

Considering their quality and the form all three showed last season, they are expected to take the ball forward and create for themselves, as the Reds’ midfielders are normally too cautious to move forward.

‘Workmanlike’ is a term often bandied about when talking about the Reds.

However, the solution to eradicate the midfield’s creative block has finally been found.

Naby Keita, who was brought onto be that driving factor in Liverpool’s midfield, is successfully acting as their fourth attacker. The industrial midfielder’s finally come good for the Reds, showcasing his stunning ability at the best time possible, months after his £54m arrival from Germany.

After his inspired contribution against Southampton, where he scored his first Premier League goal to save Liverpool from misery, Keita weaved his magic in the Champions League. With another goal, he made it two in two and, if he wins his club either of those competitions, his transfer fee will look an absolute steal.

However, more than just the goals, it’s his overall contribution which made Liverpool pay big bucks for him.

Keita’s brought that unique factor no other Liverpool midfielder is capable of. Unlike Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, who like to sit back and dictate things, he’s more encouraged to go forward. Keita’s link-up play is superb, as he’s now been unshackled by Klopp, allowing him to wander into promising positions and fill the box with his tricky presence.

He gave a great example of his talent against FC Porto, making 60+ passes, 6 tackles, 10 recoveries and 3 successful dribbles (stats via Fotmob). The Guinean international’s sparked up his game after properly understanding Jurgen Klopp’s system.

He’s now showcasing the perfect blend of steel and creativity to help Liverpool plough through stubborn opponents, while also silencing those who mocked him.

Liverpool fans, are you impressed by Keita’s rise in form? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United were shockingly bad as they missed a huge opportunity to go seventh in the Premier League at the weekend, losing 2-0 to Everton at London Stadium.

What went wrong?

The answer to the question of what went wrong for the Hammers on Saturday evening was team selection – driven by the continued naivety of Pellegrini.

His team were outclassed by Marco Silva’s men from the first minute in east London, falling behind to Kurt Zouma early on before Bernard doubled the visitors’ advantage just after the half-hour mark.

Although there would be no further goals the Irons never really looked like getting back into the game and ultimately succumbed to their first home loss this side of Christmas, dealing their Europa League dreams a massive blow.

The key selection errors

There can be little doubt that this match was lost for Pellegrini after he picked his team, with his three substitutions, two of which came at half-time, doing little to reverse the events of the opening 45 minutes.

In defence, the fit-again Fabian Balbuena was overlooked again despite the fact that, as a pair, Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop had conceded five goals in their last two matches, both to sides in the bottom three.

In midfield, captain Mark Noble was left on the substitutes’ bench due to a rumoured family bereavement, but if he wasn’t in the right frame of mind he probably shouldn’t have been in the matchday squad at all.

In his place, Pedro Obiang struggled and this had a knock-on effect for the man babysitting him in the middle, young Declan Rice. However, this wasn’t the end of the tactical blunders.

Going forward, in-form Michail Antonio and Javier Hernandez were also relegated to the bench with the ineffective Lucas Perez and Robert Snodgrass, who offered nothing, coming in.

What these terrible changes did was clear to see in a flat, tepid and lackadaisical performance of pure nothingness that was a huge spurned chance for West Ham.

However, it’s not the first time that Pellegrini has approached a match in a naive fashion, not thinking he needs to field his best players to win, and it has to stop if the East Londoners are going to achieve anything of note in 2018/2019.

[ad_pod ]When Gary Bowyer was appointed Bradford City manager in early March, he will have been fully aware of the scale of the challenge he was taking on at Valley Parade.The Bantams are in trouble. The club are currently fighting for their lives in League One. However, the 47-year-old former Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers coach has already had a positive impact.Bradford captured a much-needed three points in Bowyer’s first game in charge against Peterborough. Whilst they lost to league-leaders Luton Town last time out, there were still plenty of positives for the Yorkshire club to take from their performance.ÂThe indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…The manager already looks to have inspired a lift in confidence and application amongst the ranks and has given his verdict on the squad’s attitude.Â

What he said

In his recent press conference, as quoted by the club’s official Twitter account, he said: “If you had been in the dressing room, after the game on Tuesday [Luton], you would have seen the frustration from the players. They were gutted to have not taken anything from it. They are desperate to make a success of the remaining games.â€

He continued: “You can see the fight and pride in the players’ performances. You only have to look how Luton reacted after the final whistle. They knew how much of a tough game they had been in. I have laid it on the line to them. We fight for everything now.â€

Heading in the right direction

The fact that Bowyer says his side fight for everything ‘now’ suggests that they perhaps weren’t quite so tenacious or committed prior to his arrival – which Bradford’s performances this season would back up.

It is clear that the 47-year-old has revitalised the group and is already seeing the benefits. Some optimism has been restored at Valley Parade. The Bantams still have a big job to do but they’re now heading in the right direction.