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Celebrity Celtic fan Rod Stewart believes that his club have their “work cut out” if they want to win ten-in-a-row this season.

Stewart worried

The Hoops find themselves second in the Scottish Premiership table during the international break, nine points behind Rangers who are still unbeaten this season (via BBC Sport).

Neil Lennon’s side have also been struggling in Europe and are yet to register a win the continent on the back of their 4-1 defeat to Sparta Prague at Parkhead.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Stewart gave credit to his side’s arch-rivals and believes that it will be difficult for Celtic to do the unthinkable this season.

“I must give full credit – although it breaks my heart – to Rangers,” he said. “They are playing so well.

“We’ve got our work cut out to stop us doing ten-in-a-row. It’s going to be a real finale. I do hope the fans are back, I think the Celtic boys miss them.”

Transfer Tavern take

Celtic have an uphill battle to conquer if they are to secure the elusive ten league titles back-to-back, and it must have hurt Stewart to have to give credit to the other half of Glasgow.

That being said, the season is still young and it’s better to be in this scenario in November as opposed to March or April.

There are lots of games still to play and plenty of points still to accumulate. Lennon must make sure their trip to Ibrox in the New Year is one that ends in victory for the Bhoys.

In other news, pundit believes Celtic could find it easier signing speedster after £400k bid rejected.

After taking the lead through a wonder strike from Grady Diangana, West Brom came away from their clash against Everton on Saturday afternoon with nothing to show at the end of it.Slaven Bilic’s side hit the self-destruct button right on the stroke of half-time when former Arsenal man Kieran Gibbs retaliated and stuck out a hand in James Rodriguez’s face, earning himself a straight red card from referee Mike Dean.

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The Baggies battled back to make it 2-2 thanks to a free-kick from Matheus Pereira, but the Toffees eased to a victory in the end against ten men.

And after watching him lose his cool and get himself sent off, West Brom fans took to Twitter to voice their frustrations with Gibbs.

A couple of fans suggested that the Baggies desperately need a new left-back before the end of the transfer window, with one supporter even insisting that Gibbs should never play for the club again.

Make no mistake about it, up until that sending off, West Brom looked in control of the game, registering the same number of shots on target in the first-half (3) and being unfortunate with the nature of Everton’s equaliser through Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

But Gibbs’ sending off completely changed the complexion of the game, and it was no surprise to see the Toffees run away with it after the break.

When Bilic heads back on to the training field, he’ll have to have a serious think about Gibbs going forward.

MatériaMais Notícias

Autor do gol que garantiu a permanência do Figueirense na Série A, Marcão foi um dos destaques do confronto entre a equipe catarinense e o Fluminense. Confira a avaliação de cada jogador.

FLUMINENSE

6,5
Júlio César
Realizou saídas com segurança, quando precisou, e fez uma defesa importante no fim do primeiro tempo.

6,5
Wellington Silva
No ataque, esteve bem nos cruzamentos. Fez cortes eficientes no campo de defesa do Tricolor.

6,5
Ygor Nogueira
Bem na cobertura, mostrou mais segurança que seu companheiro, nos momentos de pressão do time da casa.

4,5
Artur
Mostrou insegurança, apresentando dificuldades. Evitou um gol, mas desistiu do lance que culminou no tento do rival.

5,0
Léo Pelé
Deixou o jogo ainda no primeiro tempo, após receber forte entrada. Teve participação irregular em campo.

6,5
Pierre
Cortou jogadas importantes de ataque dos catarinenses e apresentou boa recuperação e tempo de bola.

6,0
Edson
Afastou bolas perigosas. Cabeceou mal, numa oportunidade de balançar as redes na capital catarinense.

6,0
Gustavo Scarpa
Levantou boas bolas na área, que não resultaram em gol por detalhes. Poderia fazer mais na segunda etapa.

6,5
Cícero
Foi importante nas idas do Fluminense ao ataque. Porém, apagou, como todo o time, na metade final da partida.

5,5
Marcos Júnior
Irritado, abusou das trombadas. Mesmo assim, levou risco para a defesa do time de Santa Catarina.

6,5
Magno Alves
Criou e teve algumas boas chances. Quase marcou o seu. Foi um dos mais participativos pelo lado do Tricolor

5,5
Jonathan
Substituiu Léo na etapa inicial. Realizou roubadas de bola, errou passes curtos e apoiou bem no campo de ataque.

5,0
Robert
Pouco apareceu, ao entrar no segundo tempo. Ainda se esforçou para mudar o panorama da partida.

5,5
Lucas Gomes
Tentou chutes no ataque e optou por parar jogadas com falta na defesa.

5,0
Eduardo Baptista
Com um time alternativo, o Flu segurou o Figueira até quando pôde e mostrou ineficiência no sistema ofensivo.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalFigueirense derrota o Fluminense em Floripa e se livra do rebaixamentoFutebol Nacional06/12/2015

FIGUEIRENSE

6,5
Alex Muralha
Precisou fazer ótima defesa no primeiro tempo

5,0
Leandro Silva
Perdeu lances fáceis e desperdiçou oportunidade.

6,5
Bruno Alves
Errou na defesa no início, mas cabeceou boas bolas na frente.

5,5
Thiago Heleno
Foi ao ataque para tentar resolver. Sem êxito nas investidas.

6,5
Marquinhos Pedroso
Muito bem nos cruzamentos para a área.

6,0
Fabinho
Realizou cortes eficientes no meio de campo.

5,0
João Vitor
Deixou o campo, depois de uma atuação discreta.

5,0
Yago
Atuação normal, sem comprometer sua equipe no jogo.

6,5
Carlos Alberto
Participou, levou perigo, mas perdeu chances claras.

6,5
Dudu
Importante nas investidas do Figueirense pelas laterais.

6,5
Clayton
Protagonizou lances bonitos, dando certo trabalho aos tricolores.

6,5
Marcão
Entrou para fazer o gol.

5,0
Paulo Roberto
Bem discreto. Entrou durante a partida.

–
Dener
Só teve dez minutos em campo.

6,5
Hudson Coutinho
Mais na vontade do que na qualidade, o Figueira fez o que precisava e evitou mais uma queda para a Série B do futebol brasileiro.

Sheffield United are reportedly very close to the signing of Wigan Athletic’s Antonee Robinson, and the defender has spoken about his future following these reports.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo about leaving the Latics, Robinson said: “The main thing for me next season is I want to keep playing and keep doing well and performing. If it looks like I’m not going to start, it (Milan) might not be an option unless I’m not getting the offer to start elsewhere.

“My goal next season, no matter where I am and what I’m doing, I just want to play. We’ll just see what happens.”

It is understandable that he wants to play, he is 23 years-old and his performances have attracted interest from big teams like AC Milan. However at Sheffield United, there is a feeling that you have to earn your place in the squad, this is highlighted by the fact that Chris Wilder trusted many of the side that got the Blades promoted to play in the Premier League.

Even when players like Sander Berge signed in January, he wasn’t always guaranteed a place, and sometimes had to settle with the idea of coming on as a substitute, per Transfermarkt.

The positive for Blades supporters who are excited for the signing is the fact that with current left-back Enda Stevens 30, it will not be very long until Robinson would replace him, and if he did sign this summer and get a chance to impress sooner rather than later, then he would be rewarded with game time if he performed to the high standards of Wilder.

The fact is that when a Premier League side comes calling, especially with Robinson currently a League One player, he cannot afford to say no due to being worried about his lack of game time.

Blades fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below! 

So the Tanguy Ndombele saga at Tottenham continues to rumble on.

The Frenchman has of course had a difficult debut season in north London, with Jose Mourinho not shying away from criticising him in his pre and post match press conferences – his comments after the clash against Burnley earlier this year still lives fresh in the memory.

There have been suggestions that his time with Spurs could be cut short, but according to The Telegraph, the Lilywhites have turned down one proposal from Serie A giants Juventus for Ndombele.

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The report claims the Italian side offered Spurs the chance to swap Ndombele for Aaron Ramsey, but that Mourinho’s side rejected the offer and it was made clear the former Lyon man remains a key part of the manager’s plans.

And after hearing about the latest report involving Ndombele, Spurs fans flocked to Twitter to share their reactions.

One Spurs fan even remarked that the offer was similar to the ones Daniel Levy puts in, and called it “embarrassing”.

Another Spurs supporter meanwhile did admit that they may consider swapping Ndombele if Juventus offered Paulo Dybala instead – the Argentine of course was linked with a move to north London last summer.

Whilst Spurs supporters may understandably be up in arms over the prospect of seeing a former Arsenal man put on their colours, Ramsey does represent the kind of proven, Premier League-ready, goal-scoring midfielder that the side could do with.

But clearly, Mourinho still thinks he can get the best out of Ndombele, and that’s the kind of stance that should be respected and admired from a manager who may been seen as ruthless and unforgiving.

Key information about Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium was built in 1921 and now houses League One’s Bristol Rovers. The ground is located in an area in Bristol that was known as Buffalo Bill’s Field and is actually more commonly referred to as Memorial Ground.

Its maximum capacity stands at 12,300 along with a pitch that measures 101m by 68m. The surface of the field is covered with grass and it has no running track surrounding it.

The record attendance of 12,011 supporters at Memorial Stadium was set for Bristol Rovers’ clash against West Bromwich Albion on 9 March 2008.

A history of Memorial Stadium

The site on which the ground now lies was actually created way back in 1891 on an area of land more commonly known as Buffalo Bill’s Field, after Colonel William “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Wild West Show that took place there. That was also when some of the first games were played on the site.

But it actually wouldn’t be until 1921 and after World War I that Buffalo Bill’s Field was bought by Sir Francis Nicholas Cowlin, who was the sheriff of Bristol, and given to Bristol Rugby Club. The name Memorial Stadium – or rather, Memorial Ground as it was known back then – was chosen as tribute to local rugby union players who lost their lives in the war.

Sports fixtures were held at the ground since the early days and it managed to attract the crowds regularly despite having only one wooden stand and terraces installed. Of course, it would also improve significantly over the years as they demolished the old features and added the new and more modern ones by 1995. But football wasn’t really a regular occurrence at Memorial Stadium until 1996 when Bristol Rovers finally moved in.

The club entered into joint ownership through the Memorial Stadium Company, even taking the majority of shareholding due to the rugby team’s difficult financial situation. In fact, following Bristol Bears’ relegation two years later, Bristol Rovers were able to buy their share of the ground for a nominal fee, making the previous owners tenants in their own home.

After the new millennium, Memorial Stadium was further redeveloped with the addition of a roof to the Clubhouse Terrace and temporary stands at the south and south-west, which also boosted their maximum capacity as well. In 2014, the rugby club would finally move out of the ground and leave Bristol Rovers as sole residents.

Recent years have been extremely turbulent when it comes to redevelopment plans of the ground. Initially, they wanted to expand Memorial Stadium but after years of delays and issues, they decided to move to the newly proposed UWE Stadium instead of that. But, ultimately that failed as well and after the arrival of their new owners, the focus has shifted towards improving their current home once again.

Tickets to watch Bristol Rovers at Memorial Stadium

All tickets to watch Bristol Rovers play at Memorial Stadium can be found and purchased on the club’s official website. The price, of course, will vary depending on the stand chosen and the age group of the buyer but an adult ticket can be bought for a cost between £12 and £19.

The club also offers a season ticket scheme for their most loyal fans and more information can be found on the aforementioned website.

Related links

https://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/ – Official website of Bristol Rovers

For months and months, all signs pointed to Timo Werner heading to Liverpool this summer in a big-money deal.

But in the end, the Germany international penned a deal with the Reds’ Premier League rivals, Chelsea, and Jurgen Klopp’s side have missed out on a target they have been linked with for a very long time.

If the Merseyside club are still intent on bringing in a new centre-forward to Anfield, then reports touting them with a move for Lille star Victor Osimhen is a step in the right direction.

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According to Rai Sport journalist Ciro Venerato (via Sport Witness), there have been “live meetings with the Liverpool chief scout”, and that the striker’s “agent is very close to the Liverpool CEO, who is pushing a lot for Osimhen”.

Whilst he may not be the same kind of high-profile player like Werner is, Osimhen’s achievements in Ligue 1 have shown that this is a talent who can also get to the very top of the game.

Even back when he had just signed for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, he had made an immediate impression on his coaches, with then manager Andries Jonker saying: “He has great potential in him. He is ambitious, quick and highly unpredictable, he will be a star in the future if he maintains his focus.”

And at Lille, he has absolutely backed up those claims. Before the Ligue 1 season was cancelled, he had racked up an impressive 18 goals in 38 games across all competitions, whilst also providing six assists.

Just like Werner, he can operate off the left-flank too, and that kind of attacking flexibility will surely be something Klopp will relish having at Anfield what with his exciting and fluid front three.

Averaging 3.2 shots and 0.8 key passes per game, Osimhen has led the line superbly for Lille, with his 7.14 average match rating in the league ranking him joint-14th amongst all players in the division.

So whilst Liverpool may feel a tinge of regret at missing out on Werner, they can sign a truly exciting alternative to the German in Osimhen.

Sacking season is well underway in the Premier League after a fatal fortnight saw no less than four managers receive their marching orders.

Quique Sanchez Flores had only returned to Watford – after already being controversially sacked by them once – for a matter of weeks before being sacked in favour of Nigel Pearson, as the Hornets’ bid to avoid relegation hit a few more bumps.

Unai Emery’s time as Arsenal manager was perhaps inevitably brought to an end after a pretty underwhelming start to the new season, finding himself temporarily replaced by club legend Freddie Ljungberg.

Marco Silva has been dismissed by Everton for pretty much the same reasons, although guiding the Toffees to the relegation zone was admittedly a far bigger crime than leaving Arsenal lingering outside the top six, especially after parting with around £200m on new talent in three transfer windows.

And even Mauricio Pochettino, perhaps Tottenham’s greatest manager of the modern era, couldn’t survive fatal fortnight as Spurs cruelly dispensed of his services despite taking them to last season’s Champions League final, controversially bringing in Jose Mourinho the following morning.

So what better way to celebrate sacking season than looking back on some of the most famous, infamous, controversial and justified sackings in Premier League history?

You can test your own knowledge on what is admittedly an incredibly niche subject above by answering our quickfire questions on all matters sacking in the Premier League.

And you can then share your score on social media – whether that’s Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, WhatsApp or another platform – to see if you know more than your mates.

From Roman Abramovich’s trigger-happy sacking finger to the club who sacked Claudio Ranieri after masterminding the unthinkable, this sackings quiz really does have a bit of everything.

Enjoy and do not forget to share your scores!

Leeds continued their unbeaten run against Luton and Patrick Bamford returning to the scoresheet was a real bonus after he struck home a well-taken opener.

It is back-to-back goals for the striker who also scored at home against Blackburn before the international break, and if he could go on a little run it would do him and his team the world of good.

With Eddie Nketiah still out injured Bamford is the main source of goals for the Whites to rely on, so it is vital he rediscovers some confidence and that finishing touch which has often deserted him in this campaign.

It was an impressive all-round performance from the former Middlesbrough man, who played a crucial role in the winner, too, though it was eventually deemed to be an own goal by Luton’s Matty Pearson.

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Nevertheless, supporters are still shocked by Bamford’s omission in the EFL Team of the Week, as they believe his display warranted inclusion, as seen from the reactions below.

Elsewhere, Leeds have been chasing a new addition to provide competition for Bamford, a player who Bielsa has taken a likening to in the past.

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…

Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has backed the job Steve Bruce is overseeing at Newcastle and has revealed his thoughts on the team, while predicting that he expects them to lose 2-1 at Aston Villa on Monday.

What did he say?

Bruce continues to split opinion in the north-east and although he has back-to-back victories to boast of, there is still a section of fans who have yet to buy into his management style.

Nicholas, however, seems to be on his side. Ahead of the previous round of Premier League fixtures he praised Bruce for his attacking ambition as a manager, stating that the lack of quality of Newcastle’s players was what was limiting him so far this season.

He has reiterated the dearth of quality in playing personnel while praising Bruce’s ambition, and the suggestion that Newcastle fans should get on side may irk a few, as it is they who have to put up with a return of just 11 goals in 12 league games.

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In making his prediction for Aston Villa vs Newcastle, Nicholas told Sky Sports:

“I have been impressed with both of these sides. Steve Bruce wants to play better football but he has a lack of choices. Newcastle fans have to admit that this is a tough job and he is having to battle through, which I think he has done superbly thus far.”

Despite the plaudits, he views Villa as a strong attacking side who are able to create ample opportunities, and his view on who will win could be another cause of annoyance for the Magpies supporters.

He added: “Villa is also Bruce’s old club and will sit in once again, but Villa will sneak it. There is enough about them to create enough chances.”

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Close encounter

Newcastle have four more points than Aston Villa so far but there are signs that both teams are becoming more adjusted to their different surroundings.

Dean Smith’s side have improved of late but there are still signs that their defence can be put under pressure, and with Newcastle finding some goalscoring form, with the front three particuarly excelling, it is possible they may get more than the one goal Nicholas predicts.

The pundit is concerned with the quality in the Magpies squad, but Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin have posed a danger recently without scoring, and considering how close they have come – with the latter hitting the bar last time out – it is surely only a matter of time until they break their goal ducks.

Joelinton too could begin to show his worth should the team play to his strengths, and considering the Toon have the defensive organisation to contain Villa they should be confident of getting a result.