Manchester City’s Scott Sinclair is obviously a big fan of Coronation Street, as he’s currently dating ex-corrie star Helen Flanagan. The young actress faced a backlash from the Twitterati after posting on her Twitter page: “Started to get bored now, been in Wales too long, Lol. Must take action.”
The former Coronation Street star got into hot water with a few Swansea residents, especially after Scott was linked with a move to Manchester City in the press. Flanagan lived in Manchester for a long time when she starred in Corrie, and it seemed she might want to return. Luckily for her, Sinclair made the big move to the Premier League champions just weeks later.
However, with the current week-long international break, Mr. Sinclair finds himself alone in the love nest, as his other half is currently on the other side of the globe taking part in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! She hasn’t adapted well to the Australian jungle, first struggling to cross a rope bridge and then just a day later having to face the first public-voted Bushtucker Trial, where she had to be locked in an underground tunnel with all manner of creepy-crawlies. She lasted about 3 seconds and lost the task for her team.
Maybe that’s why she belongs on the glamorous streets of Manchester with her Premier League boyfriend Scott Sinclair. At least these pictures provide solid evidence that she belongs in civilisation, not out in the jungle!
Click on Sinclair’s missus below to see the full gallery
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Tottenham have been linked with a move for Colombia’s Juan Quintero, but it’s West Ham that should be eyeing up the crafty little playmaker.
What’s the word?
According to Argentinian outlet Ole, Tottenham have joined the race to sign Porto playmaker Quintero, who has been wonderful for Colombia at the World Cup.
The report claims River Plate, where he has been on loan from Porto, are set to trigger a clause that makes his move there permanent, but he will then have a new release clause of just €22m (£19.5m).
Mauricio Pochettino is clearly keen to add even more firepower to his exciting young Spurs squad, and Quintero’s performances at the World Cup have shown he may finally be fulfilling his potential.
However, if the player is looking for a fresh start, then West Ham can offer him exactly that, along with the promise of more regular playing time than he would get in North London.
The Hammers must add some creativity to atone for the loss of Manuel Lanzini, despite the Argentine confirming today his injury is not as bad as some media reports have made out, and at just £19.5m a move for Quintero is a no brainer.
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Pellegrini’s perfect project?
Quintero announced himself to the footballing world in Colombia’s first group game, firing a very intelligent free kick under the wall into the bottom corner.
The 25 year-old is a similar style of dribbler to Joaquin Correa, who the Hammers have already been linked with, but has a better eye for a pass than the young Sevilla star.
His creative passing was on display all night in his side’s 3-0 win to eliminate Poland on Sunday, as he attempted several penetrating passes towards front man Radamel Falcao, eventually finding his number nine for the second goal.
The Colombian playmaker has the ability to make something out of nothing, and the only thing holding him back until now has been consistency and discipline.
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Playing under an experienced manager like Pellegrini could help in that regard, and the slight edge to his game would certainly endear him to the fans in East London, just like it has for Marko Arnautovic.
Like Lanzini, Quintero can play on either flank, but is at his best as the number ten. If Pellegrini could get the feisty little playmaker playing to his potential on a consistent basis, the eventual return of Lanzini could give the Hammers one of the most creative and devastating attacks in the league.
So, West Ham fans, should you splash out around £20m on Quintero this summer? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…
After an impressive victory over Russian Premier League side FC Zenit last week, it’s Celtic’s turn to make the long away trip, facing off against Roberto Mancini’s side in the second leg this Thursday.
The first leg was one of those famous European nights in the East end of Glasgow, Callum McGregor’s guided beauty from Charly Musonda’s exquisite pass making Celtic Park explode with joy.
Brendan Rodgers will know, more than anyone, that Celtic’s job isn’t complete though. While keeping a clean sheet was crucial ahead of the trip to Russia, the Hoops will be expecting to be put under serious attacking pressure given the talents available to Mancini.
Does the Celtic boss try and set-up defensively, approach the game with his usual attacking mind-set or like last week attempt to strike a balance?
This is how the Hoops should approach a difficult evening…
Defence: Three man job
Undoubtedly the area that will be under most pressure on Thursday night is Celtic’s defence.
It’s easy to forget given the Hoops kept a clean sheet last week but Zenit are one of the most fearsome attacking sides in Europe, having scored more goals than any other side in the group stages of the Europa League.
In contrast, the Hoops conceded more goals than anyone in the group stages of the Champions League.
Still, Jozo Simunovic, Kristoffer Ajer and Mikael Lustig proved that they can perform at the elite European level and the result at Celtic Park is likely to have been a massive confidence booster for all three.
Protected by James Forrest and Kieran Tierney on the flanks, a central three is the way to go again in Russia. It’s clearly the best way for the Hoops to approach European ties against ‘stronger’ opposition having largely worked against both Zenit and Bayern Munich already.
Half the battle will be not making the individual errors that have littered the Hoops’ season. If they can do that you’d back Celtic have enough to get through.
Midfield: Nullifying Zenit’s counter
Celtic dominated the middle of the park last week against Zenit and have the ability to do that again in Russia if they can overcome the mental difficulty that comes from playing away in Europe.
In Scott Brown they have a capable and ferocious ball winner who will sit just in front of the Celtic defensive line and fight fires before moving the ball on. 20-year-old Eboue Kouassi showed he can get to grips with the defensive side of the game too, his physical presence proving too much for the Zenit midfield for large parts of the first leg.
Most of Celtic’s forward play will then be outsourced to the wide areas where wing-backs Kieran Tierney and James Forrest have the space and positional intelligence to cause real problems in the final third.
Their attributes mean they are also well-equipped to try and nullifying Zenit’s counter-attacking style. Last week the likes of Emiliano Rigoni and Aleksandr Kokorin were frozen out of the game, in no small part to the Hoops’ wide men.
With Olivier Ntcham now operating at a level that allows him to pull the strings at European level, Brendan Rodgers has a playmaker that could be the difference in Russia as they look to link defence and attack.
Both Rosenborg and Real Sociedad have travelled to Zenit this season and had the majority of possession, if Celtic can replicate that they are well placed to nick an away goal and go through, even if they lose on the night.
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Attack: McGregor can shine again in support of Dembele
Moussa Dembele was back to his best against Zenit last week. While he’s had a difficult second season at the Hoops, supporters were left in no doubt he still has exceptional ability after his brilliant target man performance at Celtic Park.
Holding up the ball and bringing others into play, it was another display that made it obvious why he is rated so highly.
Supported by Callum McGregor, and at times Olivier Ntcham, from midfield, Celtic were an attacking danger all evening and it’s something they can replicate in Russia if set-up the same way.
McGregor now has European goals against Zenit, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Maribor and Legia Warsaw, demonstrating he is more than capable of popping up on these big occasions.
Who would put it past him doing so again on Thursday?
Anyone who watched Belgium at the World Cup would have seen a glimpse of Divovk Origi, who dislodged Romelu Lukaku to lead the line for the Red Devils in Brazil. Naturally raw given that he’s still just 19, the teenager found the back of the net in the group stage, which was actually the effort that sealed the nation’s qualification for the last 16.
So what will Liverpool be getting for their money?
Potential. Origi is largely unproven and was relatively unknown outside of France prior to the World Cup. He netted five goals for Lille last season as the Ligue 1 club narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, showing signs that he has the talent to succeed. Originally a wide attacker, he moved into a central role when it became apparent that his powerful frame would be of use to the French club, and he looked more settled in the role. Tottenham have also been linked with him, so there clearly is bags of talent in the young man’s legs.
Will Origi be worth it?
//www.youtube.com/embed/mM55i3Ye60M
£10m is not much money in modern football, particularly when the Premier League’s new TV deal is brought to the table. It’s unlikely that Origi will be seen at Anfield until at least 2015, with a loan move back to Lille looking probable, which will give him time to develop. This seems initially like a little bit of a waste, with some of Brendan Rodgers’ spending due to make no impact over the coming 12 months.
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Will he soften the blow of losing Suarez?
Yes and no. A loan back to Lille means that he will play no part in replacing ‘El Pistolero’ in the short-term, but as another striking option for the future he may go some way to filling the void to be left by the Uruguayan.
Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Somewhere in the middle from us. There really isn’t a lot to go on with Origi, so keeping an eye on his performances in the increasingly competitive Ligue 1 next season will be vital in assessing the teenager further. He has bags of potential, and with Belgium having produced Lukaku and Benteke in recent years, the signs are good.
In 2005 Luke Rodgers left Shrewsbury Town to join Crewe Alexandra following a wonderful 6 year period playing for Shrewsbury Town.
He helped us achieve promotion from the conference before he left and was considered a real talismanic figure at the club. Since he departed Rodgers had played for a string of other clubs, most notably partnering Thierry Henry at New York Red Bulls last season where he achieved some great success.
Rodgers made himself a real fan favourite at the club but was forced to leave due to visa issues at the end of last season. He then found his way back to England via Lillestrom to cash strapped Portsmouth, after scoring 2 goals in 9 games for the south coast club it appears he has fell out of favour and is on his way out.
Rumours have been floating around both the Shrewsbury and Portsmouth messageboards that Rodgers is set to make a grand return to Shropshire and hopefully kick start our struggling campaign. If Rodgers does in fact sign the question ultimately is can he get us the goals we need to stay in this division.
For me he would be a fantastic signing. A proven goalscorer at this level and one with the experience that he has is what we have been crying out for all season. He is also renowned for his no holds barred attitude on the pitch and as I have pointed out in my recent posts, Shrewsbury lack any player who is vocal whatsoever. Hopefully Rodgers can give the players the proverbial kick up the back side they so desperately need.
Michael Hektor was sent back to Reading this week after his poor loan spell with us despite us only having 3 centre-backs in the squad, this begs the question: has Turner cleared him out to make sure we have room in our squad for another loanee? I hope so. We travel to Leyton Orient this Saturday and the O’s currently sit one position above us in the league by two points. We will be in desperate need of our first win in 5 games on Saturday and Rodgers may well be what we need to inspire that.
Rodgers posted a tweet today thanking Portsmouth and their fans for his time and the club so he is clearly heading for the exits, now it’s just a matter of waiting around and seeing if it us he comes to. If so it will be fantastic to see Rodgers back in the Blue and Amber shirt and hopefully in time for Leyton Orient away this Saturday.
You can follow me on Twitter @LiamHoofe
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Arsenal fans are all in complete agreement over their latest transfer target, as an overwhelming majority voted to swoop for Lucas Torreira this summer.
According to various reports, Arsenal are in the race to sign Sampdoria’s Torreira this summer.
The feisty little midfielder has bundles of energy, and would inject a lot of life into Unai Emery’s new look Arsenal side.
Napoli and Everton have also been linked with moves for the Uruguayan, who is valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, but the Gunners are thought to be leading the pack, with a report from the Mirror even claiming he will complete a medical this week.
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Averaging 2.8 tackles and 2 interceptions per game along with an impressive 87 per cent pass success rate, the 22 year-old could completely transform Arsenal’s midfield, and give the likes of Ramsey and Xhaka a lot more freedom.
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Fans are completely in favour of a summer swoop, with a whopping 92 per cent backing a move for the 5 ft 5 defensive midfielder.
New Leeds United manager Paul Heckingbottom takes charge of his first match when his team face Sheffield United in a Yorkshire derby at Bramall Lane on Saturday, and the 40-year-old may choose to change the formation against the Blades.
Former boss Thomas Christiansen favoured the 4-2-3-1 system during his six months in charge of the Whites, but his successor often used a 4-1-4-1 formation at previous club Barnsley.
This meant that the Tykes had two out-and-out wingers and two more creative players in the middle of the park ahead of a player sitting in front of the back four, and Leeds certainly have the personnel to line up like that against Chris Wilder’s men this weekend.
Heckingbottom is likely to go with a back four of Vurnon Anita, Pontus Jansson (if he is fit to start), Matthew Pennington and Laurens De Bock, and new boy Adam Forshaw may well be asked to play the role just in front of the two centre-backs at Bramall Lane.
The new width would allow Gianni Alioski to remain on the wing, while Stuart Dallas could make a rare start on the opposite flank after his cross led to Sol Bamba putting through his own net in the 4-1 defeat against Cardiff City last weekend that saw Christiansen get the chop.
That would leave Ronaldo Vieira, Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez fighting for the two spots in the middle, with Pierre-Michel Lasogga or Tyler Roberts likely to start up top.
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It will certainly be interesting to see what Heckingbottom decides to go with on Saturday, as he looks to get off to a positive start and end the club’s run of seven matches in all competitions without a win.
Tottenham are in a state of utter disarray at the moment. Meandering towards a season of disappointment with the Premier League top four challenge flagging and Europa League hopes now almost non-existent. The blame though is shifting; the animosity towards Sherwood is being replaced by more vitriol targeted at the club more generally.
Clearly there are concerns about boardroom level management; the new stadium, StubHub as well as the mismanagement of the playing squad and general poor treatment of fans are all emotive topics for Spurs fans. This is far from a happy club.
Last night capped off a preiod of discontent at Spurs with a 3-1 reverse at the hands of an impressive Benfica side. Sherwood was quick to praise the opposition who clearly arrived with a well-constructed plan and carried it through with ruthless efficiency, but Spurs themselves were disappointingly spineless. Man for man Spurs have the better side, but as a collective the North Londoners fall woefully short of what is required.
In years gone by Spurs have had their standout players, the like of Carrick, Berbatov, Modric and Bale were all rightly treated as the luxury assets they were; for me though in the current squad every player is readily dispensable.
So what next?
There are so many players in the Spurs squad that have underwhelmed, and more worryingly just don’t look like they care. Paulinho and Vertonghen have been playing with one eye on their flight to Rio; and many Spurs fans probably now hope that ticket is one way. Clearly there needs to be some drastic changes at the club, but is there anything that can be salvaged from the mess at White Hart Lane?
Spurs need a focal point, someone to build the side around; at the moment it is nothing more than a chaotic mess of individuals with no orchestrator. Spurs have missed Luka Modric for a number of years, in my opinion their biggest loss in the modern era, but in a certain diminutive Dane I believe they have the answer.
It would be difficult to suggest anyone had a good game last night; but Christian Eriksen offered more last night in brief spells than the rest of the Spurs side combined. At the moment he is just one ill-fitting cog in a crumbling machine, he needs to be made the main man.
The only man to drive forward, to actually try to create something meaningful rather than to sit back deliberatively, Eriksen was my standout man last night and he has been for the whole season. At just 22 people already expect a lot from the prodigious Dane, but if Spurs put their faith in him I think they will be rewarded.
The greatest Spurs sides down the years have been built around a playmaker, from the late great John White to Luka Modric, the idea of a tempo setter has been central to the clubs successes. In Christian Eriksen Spurs have the new breed, someone with the vision and passing range to unlock a defence in a split second and turn a game.
It seems bizarre that Sherwood is intent on playing the Dane out of position, last night he was forced out wide to make way for Harry Kane playing in what the manager described as a ‘Rooney role’. When you spend big money on the best players, at least play them in their natural positions.
Everyone else at Spurs is expendable as far I am concerned; the likes of Vertonghen and Paulinho are welcome to walk if their valuation is met.
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Spurs’ summer experiment just saw them buying top-level players that weren’t gauged towards any particular system. This summer it is time to rewind and build back from the foundations, with Eriksen at the heart, Spurs need to incorporate players that complement him and will flourish in a team built around him.
Expect this summer coming to be as turbulent as the last. Spurs need a makeover, and only a select few should be safe from the White Hart Lane axe.
Newly promoted Southampton have confirmed they are investigating an incident involving goalkeeper Artur Boruc during their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.
It is alleged that the goalkeeper threw a water bottle in to the St. Mary’s crowd and began swearing at supporters following Spurs’ second goal.
And it is believed that Saints had initially looked at the video footage and insisted the Polish stopper had done nothing wrong, but the club have since announced they will be looking further into the incident.
A club statement said: “Southampton Football Club can confirm that it is investigating allegations of an incident involving Artur Boruc that occured towards the end of the first half during Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur.
“The club takes such allegations extremely seriously and will deal with the matter in the appropriate manner.”
Boruc, who signed from Serie A side Fiorentina on a free in September made his Saints debut in their 4-1 defeat away to West Ham earlier this month.
Since their promotion back to the Premier League, Southampton have managed to win only one of their first nine matches and have conceded a league high of 26 goals.
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Their poor defensive record has not been helped by the fact Boruc is the third goalkeeper manager Nigel Adkins has used so far this season, but he is expected to start against Leeds United in Saints’ Capital One Cup fourth round tie at Elland Road tonight.
Celtic defender Dedryck Boyata won’t have much rest this summer but insists he is ready to shine for both club and country over the coming months, as reported by The Daily Record.
What’s the story?
The Belgian international is in on his way to the World Cup in Russia and is in line to feature prominently for Roberto Martinez’s squad given the injury doubts surrounding legend Vincent Kompany.
The defender has played in matches against Portugal, Egypt and Costa Rica recently and could end up being an unlikely starter in the country’s group matches.
The Hoops kick-off their summer qualifiers before the tournament in Russia is even over and as such could even be without the likes of Boyata or Mikael Lustig initially.
However, the 27-year-old insists he will be ready to go for Brendan Rodgers’ side when he returns to Glasgow.
As quoted by The Daily Record, Boyata said:
It will be a long season with the World Cup – and coming straight back for Champions League qualifiers with Celtic – but for me that is no problem. The World Cup and Champions League are the two biggest places you can be as a player – it is a challenge that excites me.
I worked hard to get here – and if I am needed to play then I will play. He (Kompany) has been working very hard to be ready – and he is an important leader for us. We hope he is available but if the coach needs me I am ready to do my job.
Should Celtic be worried that Boyata is involved too heavily for his country over the coming weeks?
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Fantastic learning experience
There have been doubts about Boyata’s ability to play at the highest level for Celtic, with the player making a number of high profile errors in his time in Scotland. Gaining experience in an elite squad like Belgium’s can only be a massive positive for the Hoops, especially if he goes on to feature in a tournament such as the World Cup.
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The Hoops should have plenty about them to make it through the early rounds of Champions League qualifying and by the time the step up in competition comes, Boyata should be available and ready to continue his decent progress under Brendan Rodgers, with the exposure to elite competition in Russia only preparing him better.