Rangers got back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, thrashing Dundee 4-0 at Ibrox.
Graeme Murty’s outfit had failed to win their previous three matches in the top-flight heading into the match against the Dees, but finally produced a performance worth shouting about to pick up the three points and move into second place above Aberdeen.
It was the perfect confidence booster ahead of next week’s massive semi-final against Celtic, a game which will see the Gers need to raise their game again even from Saturday’s win.
It was also a day that saw the return of defender Ross McCrorie, playing his first match since December after an ankle injury. He was impressive again before being substituted off just past the hour mark and fans couldn’t be more delighted to see his return.
They’re all hoping he’s fit enough to face the Hoops at Hampden next week, believing he’s the best option in defence or defensive midfield.
Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his return…
Manchester United should go all out to sign Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale in this summer’s transfer window, according to former Red Devils captain Rio Ferdinand.
Bale started Real Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Roma on Tuesday night, but was hooked at half time following a poor first 45 minutes.
The 28-year-old is reportedly keen to stay at the Bernabeu, but Real Madrid are said to be preparing to sell the Wales international to the highest bidder this summer.
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United were strongly linked with Bale before the attacker joined Los Blancos from Tottenham Hotspur, and continue to be credited with an interest in the former left-back.
Ferdinand has said that he would ‘100%’ take Bale at Old Trafford despite the former Spurs winger finding it difficult to remain injury-free over the last couple of seasons.
Ferdinand told BT Sport:
“For his talent, 100% [I would want him]. If you get him at a decent price, but talent-wise there’s not doubting this guy. But it’s just getting him out on the pitch every week is the problem. He hasn’t been able to do that.
“He’s a huge talent. He’s had a bad season by all accounts from what they’re saying, their fans are disgruntled and not happy about him. He’s got 16 goals. In the Premier League, I’d love to see him here.”
Bale has managed 81 goals and 59 assists in his 182 Real Madrid appearances since making the switch from Tottenham in the summer of 2013.
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This term, the Welshman has managed 14 goals and eight assists in 32 appearances – including 11 in 21 La Liga matches.
When Philippe Coutinho left Liverpool to join Barcelona in January, the likelihood of the Brazilian winning trophies increased significantly.
The Catalan giants are serial achievers, but there is one competition that they will not be victorious in – the Champions League.
At the start of the season, not many would have predicted that Liverpool would go further on the elite stage than Barca, but exactly that has transpired.
On Wednesday evening, Jurgen Klopp’s side secured a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the second leg of their quarter-final tie at the Etihad Stadium.
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The Merseyside outfit were hugely under the cosh in the first half, with many thinking that City were going to overturn the 3-0 deficit from the first leg after Gabriel Jesus scored two minutes into the clash.
However, the Reds weathered the storm before Mohamed Salah struck in the second half to secure that all-important away goal.
Liverpool maintained their composure and Roberto Firmino wrapped up the victory with 13 minutes left on the clock.
Elsewhere in the Stadio Olimpico, Barcelona were stunned by Roma as the Italian outfit came from 4-1 down in the first leg to earn a dramatic 3-0 triumph on home soil.
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The away goals sent them through to the semi-finals, and instantly, Liverpool supporters turned on Coutinho, who caused hurt among the club’s following when he left.
The Brazilian was ineligible to play in the Champions League for Barca due to being cup-tied, but Reds fans find it amusing that his new club failed to progress further than Liverpool.
After reports linking Rangers with a move for Hull City goalkeeper Allan McGregor this week, the long-term future of current Ibrox shot-stopper Wes Foderingham is now in doubt.
If the Light Blues do sign McGregor up for a summer return to Glasgow then it’s unlikely to be so he can play second fiddle to Foderingham and likewise the current Rangers number one is unlikely to be happy sitting on the bench.
The 27-year-old has strengths and weaknesses to his game but overall has been a hit at Ibrox and become a favourite with supporters who recognise his ability to pull off special saves and win his team points across the course of a season.
The prospect of him leaving isn’t going down too well with fans, even those who have a fondness for Allan McGregor and would be eager to see him return to Ibrox.
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Many believe Foderingham has plenty more to offer Rangers and took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
Rangers trail Celtic 3-0 at half-time in the last Old Firm derby of the season at Celtic Park in a match they have to avoid defeat in to stop their arch-rivals winning the Scottish Premiership title, and Gers fans have destroyed 5ft 10in winger Daniel Candeias for his display in the opening 45 minutes.
The 30-year-old has made a big impression in the final third for the Ibrox outfit this term with eight goals and a further 13 assists in all competitions, but he was partially at fault for the first goal his team conceded against Brendan Rodgers’ men.
The Portuguese wide man allowed Kieran Tierney to cross with his favoured left foot and put his hands behind his back even though he was standing outside of the penalty area, and Odsonne Edouard was on hand to fire home.
Rangers supporters, who earlier demanded on Twitter that Halliday didn’t start at left-back, were quick to have their say on Candeias’ performance via social media, and while one labelled him as “just as bad as Halliday”, another said “get Candeias off now”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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Chelsea’s growing momentum was stunted by their tepid performance in the 1-1 home draw against Huddersfield and now Antonio Conte faces a battle to regain momentum ahead of next weekend’s FA Cup final against Manchester United.
He has just one game in which to do that; the trip to face Newcastle, of course managed by former Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez, on the final day of the Premier League season.
The last two times Chelsea have played the Magpies on the final day, they have lost on both occasions; in the closing act of Jose Mourinho’s first two title-winning seasons in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
It will not be an easy afternoon for the Blues so Conte will have to ensure his side are at the races to a greater degree than they were against the Terriers, who secured the point they needed for survival at Stamford Bridge.
That’s why we asked you whether Conte should recall Victor Moses to the starting eleven for the trip to the north-east and the result was resounding.
84 per cent of Blues supporters want the man valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt back in the starting eleven and you can check out the full results of the poll below…
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According to reliable club insider @ExWHUemployee on Episode 89 of the West Ham Way radio show, West Ham United are keen to sign Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, speaking on the radio show @ExWHUemployee confirmed that new Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini, who can make the best start to his reign by signing a 25-year-old defender who dominated Marko Arnautovic, is looking to add young players with pace to his squad this summer, and Traore is on his list of targets.
The former Barcelona starlet has often been criticised for his lack of end product with Aston Villa and then Boro in the past, but he finally stepped up and showed what he could do during the 2017/18 campaign as his current side were beaten by his old club in their Championship semi-final play-off tie.
How did Traore do this season?
The 22-year-old showed he is far more than just being quick and great at dribbling as he scored five goals and provided a further 10 assists in 34 Championship appearances.
The right winger tormented many full-backs during the campaign with his direct style too, and according to WhoScored.com he successfully completed 262 of the 336 dribbles he attempted in 36 league games – including the play-off matches.
However, one blot on his copybook was the fact that he was sent off twice during the campaign, and that is something that would need to be sorted if he was to move to the top flight this summer.
Would he be a good signing for West Ham?
He certainly could be, yes.
While the 22-year-old still isn’t the finished article yet, his latest season with Middlesbrough showed a real glimpse of the quality and potential that he has.
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The winger’s speed and dribbling ability would scare opposition defenders in the Premier League, and now he seems to have matured and is less raw than he was before, he could make a real impact for West Ham in the top flight next term.
His arrival at the London Stadium would also be great news for striker Javier Hernandez – who looks set to play a key role under Pellegrini having previously looked likely to leave this summer – given that he will be looking for assists and service in general in order to find the net on a regular basis next season.
Tottenham Hotspur could have a busy summer ahead as Mauricio Pochettino tries to shape his team for the new season.
Many of the club’s first-team players have been linked with moves away, but many targets are filtering through the transfer gossip pages.
One of which is Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last year.
According to FC Inter News, Tottenham have opened talks with the 29-year-old’s agent Fali Ramadani regarding a possible move.
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The North London outfit have been linked to numerous wingers over the last few months, but the alleged interest in Perisic is left-field.
The Croatian international, who is more of a direct winger than a creative one, scored 11 goals and created 11 assists in all competitions this season.
Given that he will be 30 years old next year, it seems like an odd choice for Pochettino.
The Argentine coach likes to develop young stars, and it seems that plenty of fans have been left bemused by the rumour.
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As reported by The Sun, Manchester United have opened talks with Anthony Martial about signing a next contract with the Red Devils.
What’s the story?
The French international has been linked with a move to the likes of Chelsea in recent weeks after failing to win a regular place in Jose Mourinho’s starting eleven in recent months.
However, it seems that the Old Trafford outfit are keen on keeping him in Manchester.
That’s according to The Sun, who say the club have opened discussions with the attacker about a new extension to his current contract.
The paper say that it could be tough to convince him his future lies with Mourinho’s side, after he missed out on a World Cup place with France due to a lack of regular action.
Rated at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, is signing him up to a new deal the right thing to do?
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Does he deserve more games?
With 11 goals and seven assists in the 2017/18 season, Martial still managed to contribute a fair bit to the Man United cause, but failed to really produce the consistency that the club need if they are going to challenge for major honours.
That being said, he never really had the opportunity, rarely getting a run of games to show what he can do over a period of weeks, never mind months.
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Still just 22 years of age, he has plenty of room to improve further are the club are right to protect his transfer value with a new contract.
If they manage to convince him to sign a new deal, Mourinho should show similar faith in the player and give him a real chance in the starting eleven at the start of next season. He simply has too big a talent to risk letting shine elsewhere.
According to Sky Sports News, Everton are interested in signing Hertha Berlin defender Marvin Plattenhardt in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Everton are expected to be busy this summer following the arrival of Marco Silva as head coach.
The Toffees could also soon have to replace Leighton Baines in their back four, meanwhile, with the full-back strongly linked with a move away from Goodison Park this summer.
According to Sky Sports News, the Merseyside giants are interested in Hertha defender Plattenhardt, who is currently with the Germany squad at the 2018 World Cup.
Watford are also believed to be considering a move for the left-back this summer, but it appears that the interest from England is being headed up by Everton.
Would Plattenhardt be a good signing?
As mentioned above, Plattenhardt is currently with the Germany squad preparing for the World Cup, and will hope to add to his six international caps this summer.
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The 26-year-old will enter the competition off the back of a fine season at Hertha – registering eight assists in 38 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit during the 2017-18 campaign.
Plattenhardt is very much the modern-day full-back when considering that he can both attack and defend effectively, which is so important in the Premier League.
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It is unlikely that Everton would have to break the bank to sign the German this summer, meanwhile, and it would be a terrific coup if the Toffees managed to pull it off at a reasonable price.
That said, the Premier League club will now surely have to wait until after the World Cup to complete a deal, and by that time, other parties may well have joined the race.