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Glasgow Rangers fans are disgusted at Ian Crocker after the Sky Sports commentator continually criticised Alfredo Morelos on Wednesday.

The Gers beat Hibernian 1-0 at Easter Road as they maintained their 23-point lead at the top of the Premiership (BBC). Morelos scored the only goal of the game in the second-half, but he was arguably lucky to still be on the pitch after an apparent stamp on an opponent in the first 45 minutes.

Crocker was commentating on the match for Sky Sports, and he was outraged by the incident, even demanding retrospective action to be aimed at the Colombia international. He then proceeded to spend the remainder of the match complaining about the 24-year-old.

It is fair to say the Gers supporters were absolutely livid at the pundit, and they took to the social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Crocker below

“@SkyFootball absolutely shocking, biased commentary from Crocker and Walker. For so called ‘neutral’ pundits, their constant reference to Morelos’ challenge and the need for the compliance officer to get involved was a disgrace! Why are they still commentating on Rangers games?”

Credit: @Al74lan

Ian Crocker’s anti-@RangersFC bias is embarrassing. Relentless criticism of Morelos.

Credit: @londonbluenose

“It’s not really commentary is it folks? More of an agenda led vendetta by messrs Crocker and Walker against Morelos. @ScotlandSky”

Credit: @uberhonda

“Ian Crocker has an unhealthy obsession with Morelos”

Credit: @Barisic_Baldy

“Sort it out @ScotlandSky. Crocker and Walker constantly bleating and basically begging for action against Morelos last night was pathetic. I pay for balanced opinion not downright hatred.”

Credit: @stevie_cat

“”Goal from Morelos, who should’ve been sent off.” Sky’s coverage summed up by Crocker’s misery when Morelos scored. Not how intelligent Morelos was; dragging Porteous out wide to collect the ball, then cutting in to receive the ball onside and scoring. No. It was a witch-hunt.”

Credit: @missteeray

In other news, Rangers fans slammed this SFA decision.

Having suffered heartache against Sheffield United, Manchester United stumbled again against a well-drilled Arsenal in a 0-0 draw at the Emirates.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have now dropped three points in their past four Premier League fixtures and now find themselves three points adrift of their arch-rivals Manchester City after Edinson Cavani squandered a couple of chances in the closing stages of the game.

The Gunners came closest to breaking the deadlock after Alexandre Lacazette hit the bar from a direct free-kick before Emile Smith Rowe and Nicolas Pepe forced fine saves from David de Gea.

Whilst the Red Devils enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, they lacked the quality in the final third to win the game, with centre-forward Cavani the main culprit.

The summer recruit from Paris Saint-Germain endured a night to forget at the Emirates as he was kept at bay by the combined efforts of David Luiz and Rob Holding, with the pair teaming up to prevent him from finding the back of the net.

Cavani, who has scored four goals in 14 top-flight appearances, bizarrely missed two big chances over the course of the game, which was the most of any player from either side on the pitch, including Paul Pogba.

The £10m-rated 33-year-old lost four of his six duels overall (66%) as he was outmuscled by the likes of Luiz and Holding, and failed to complete a successful dribble from his solitary attempt.

He was also largely anonymous as he struggled to earn a foothold in the game, taking just 30 touches of the ball, the fewest out of any United player barring his teammates Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Scott McTominay.

However, his lack of control will be the least of Solskjaer’s concern, as he seems to have lost his finishing touch, earning himself a low rating of 6.0 in the process, per SofaScore, which was the lowest out of every United player on the pitch, and everyone in total.

It was a rare blemish on what has otherwise been an impressive first season in English football – his average SofaScore match rating in the Premier League is 6.86 – but he badly let Solskjaer down as they have now lost ground to Pep Guardiola’s side in the title race at the top of the table.

AND in other news, Manchester United must avoid signing Edin Dzeko in January…

According to Football Insider, Turkish Super Lig side Istanbul Basaksehir have opened talks with Aston Villa over signing Frederic Guilbert on loan this month.

What’s the story?

The Frenchman has made just two first-team appearances this season for Dean Smith’s side, and both of those came in the Carabao Cup.

Now, it seems his time at the club – at least for this season – could come to an end, with Football Insider claiming that Istanbul are working on a deal to take the right-back on loan in this January transfer window.

The report adds that Smith has given the green light for the 26-year-old to make the move.

Sawiris must intervene

With just two appearances to his name this campaign, it’s fair to say Guilbert has been on the fringes of things at Villa Park.

In fact, The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans, even said: “I expect the thinking behind trying to move on Guilbert is that, (Ahmed) Elmohamady can cover any injuries at full-back, and also can’t really be moved on for any money, so Villa could get something back on Guilbert at least. I agree, there’s potential, but it seems like Smith has seen enough and favours others.”

No categories

If the Villa boss has indeed “seen enough” of Guilbert, then it begs the question of why the club aren’t just looking to offload him on a permanent basis.

Sending him out on loan just kicks the problem further down the line, and a poor spell at Istanbul would see his stock fall even further and make getting his wages off the books even harder.

It’s exactly why Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens should seriously consider intervening themselves and ensure that Villa recoup an actual transfer fee this month with a more permanent exit, then giving Guilbert a temporary home.

Many Liverpool fans mocked former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood after his reaction to Roberto Firmino’s winner on Wednesday.

The Reds earned themselves a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Jose Mourinho’s side, which resulted in the Reds returning to the top of the Premier League.

Mohamed Salah gave the hosts the lead thanks to a slice of good fortune from Eric Dier but were quickly pegged back by Son Heung Min before Firmino’s 90th-minute winner.

Working as a pundit for Amazon (via The Anfield Wrap), Sherwood stated mere seconds before the final act that he was not worried about Liverpool from corners and believed that his former side’s aerial dominance would be able to cope with the dangers.

These comments were being made as Andy Robertson lined up to take the corner – and he was left red-faced when Liverpool clinched the winner from the resulting set-piece.

Unsurprisingly, supporters howled at Sherwood for his television slip up, branding it his very own ‘Steve McClaren moment’.

Fans howl at Sherwood

In other news, Liverpool fans gush over the possibility of signing player who ‘would be a beast for Klopp.’

There will come a time and a place when Celtic really need to consider the future of the football club.

If you asked how happy Peter Lawwell was this time last year, he’d have raised a wry smile and uttered complete delight.

After all, his team were busy winning a ninth successive league crown.

However, a year on and the club are in serious bother.

On the chalkboard

Celtic have been nothing short of shambolic this season. Their defence is being breached on a regular basis and they are 11 points behind Rangers as they chase a tenth SPFL title in a row.

On top of that, they are out of Europe and the pressure is mounting on Neil Lennon, a manager who is suffering from a string of poor results.

However, his decision making is set to get even worse. That’s because it’s incredibly unlikely Karamoko Dembele will play for Celtic again.

That’s the word of VideoCelts who revealed a few days ago that the 17-year-old hadn’t been seen at training for two weeks.

With just under a year left on his deal and the club in disarray, his days at Parkhead look to be numbered.

Shocking decision

With Celtic in their current state, it could be harming to throw such a young player into the team.

That being said, it speaks volumes after Lennon’s attitude to the teenager that he can’t even breakthrough in these tough times.

Dembele has never started a senior match for the Hoops and has only played four minutes this term, but such is his immense potential that he simply has to be given new terms and a chance to play.

He has always played above his age and made his debut for the U20 side when he was merely 13. If that doesn’t tell you Dembele has class, nothing will.

The diminutive forward has plenty of tricks in his locker and it would be an almighty shame if he left before he’d accomplished anything.

You only need to look at the success Aaron Hickey has had since walking out of Glasgow to understand why Celtic need to do everything they can to hold onto Dembele.

Hickey left for Hearts in 2018 and now at the age of just 18, is playing for Bologna in Serie A. It wouldn’t be a great surprise if we saw their current academy darling playing top-level football in a few years time too.

Earlier this year, journalist Alison McConnell spoke about Dembele, saying: “I know there were a number of Premier League clubs sniffing about. I hear what you’re saying about Scotland and England, but I think his priority at the minute is to just to make a pathway into the first team.”

That pathway, however, is clearly not there right now.

It is borderline inexcusable that they could be about to let Dembele go so easily.

Meanwhile, Celtic missed out on the next Daniel Arzani this year…

Charlie Austin was once a quality striker in the Premier League, with the forward enjoying impressive spells at QPR and Southampton in particular but based on his lack of appearances in the top-flight so far this season with West Brom, it seems as if his time at the top-level may well be over.

Therefore, it could be argued that the Saints did well to cash in on the 31-year-old when they did in the summer of 2019, with Austin joining the Baggies in a deal worth £3.87 million (per Transfermarkt).

The striker, who contributed 20 goals and four assists in 81 appearances for the South Coast club, enjoyed a fairly fruitful campaign with the Baggies last season, as he scored 11 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.

However, his contributions, which helped Slaven Bilic’s side earn promotion to the top-flight, were seemingly not enough to convince the Croatian manager that he is worthy of a starting spot in the top-flight.

The 31-year-old was on the bench for West Brom’s opening game against Leicester City but hasn’t been in the Premier League squad for any other fixture so far this term, whilst he has made two appearances in the EFL Cup (per Transfermarkt).

Austin’s time at Southampton was not short of controversy, as he was told to train with the U’23s in the summer of 2019 before his departure. However, he did impress in spells for the Saints, with Matt Le Tissier and Jamie Redknapp both full of praise for the Englishman back in 2016.

The forward also made his feelings about Southampton and their fans clear in a foul-mouthed Twitter rant earlier this year, suggesting that the club did very well to be rid of him.

Considering that he seems to be something of a trouble-maker and clearly isn’t having an impact in the Premier League this season, you can definitely argue that Semmens did well to receive a fee for him in 2019, as well as getting his reported £70k per week wages off Southampton’s books.

Southampton’s strike force has certainly blossomed since his departure too, with Danny Ings and Che Adams having both impressed over the past year, so they are definitely not missing having Austin around the club.

Michael Keane will be key to Carlo Ancelotti’s plans of beating Southampton this Sunday, with the Everton colossus vital to preventing Danny Ings from maintaining his stellar form.

Everton travel to St. Mary’s this weekend looking to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, after VAR drama helped the Goodison Park outfit avoid defeat at home to Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby last time out.

The result kept the Toffees atop the league standings by a point to Aston Villa heading into the weekend, while a 3-3 draw at Chelsea saw Southampton slip to 12th place with two wins in five following victories over Burnley and West Bromwich Albion.

Ings struck the first of the Saints’ goals at Stamford Bridge to keep Ralph Hasenhuttl’s hopes of a result alive, while Jannik Vestergaard’s stoppage-time equaliser will ensure the south coast side are brimming with confidence when they host Everton on Sunday.

Ings’ 43rd-minute goal against Chelsea marked the 28-year-old’s fourth of the season, as he continues to impress for the Saints since his initial arrival on loan from Liverpool now with 37 strikes in 73 games across all competitions to his name.

The forward – who Southampton signed permanently for £20million in 2019 – accounts for 50% of the Saints’ total eight goals in the Premier League this season, a contribution rate only bettered by Wilfried Zaha (67% of Crystal Palace’s six goals) and Callum Wilson (57% of Newcastle’s seven goals).

Ancelotti will be aware that neutralising the threat Ings presents will be crucial to taking a result on the south coast this weekend, and will be buoyed by Keane’s dominant record against the three-time England international.

Keane has faced Ings in five Premier League fixtures throughout their respective careers, with Everton’s £30m centre-half coming out on top in two of those meetings and holding his compatriot to two draws.

Ings has provided three goals across those five meetings but has never beaten Everton when he has scored, with the Winchester-born ace unable to break the goal line in Southampton’s 2-1 win in January 2019.

The Saints won on that occasion through a second-half strike from James Ward-Prowse and an own goal from Lucas Digne, which Gylfi Sigurdsson’s 91st-minute hit could not prevent from proving crucial.

Keane, alongside Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma, restricted Ings to just two shots although both were on target and saved by Jordan Pickford, while forcing the 28-year-old into failing two of his four dribbles and misplacing eight of his 25 passes, per WhoScored.

Ings was even less influential to proceedings when Everton held Liverpool to a goalless draw in April 2018, when the forward – fielded at right-wing by Jurgen Klopp – failed to register any shots, misplaced 11 of his 46 passes, made no successful dribbles and was disposed twice before being hauled off in the 89th-minute. Keane, meanwhile, recorded two tackles, won six aerial duels and registered nine clearances.

Ancelotti will be hopeful that Keane can replicate his performance against Liverpool in 2018 and force a timid display from Ings when Everton travel to Southampton this Sunday.

AND in other news, Everton are yet to open talks with a key club figure who’s set to be out of contract next summer.

Neil Lennon has breathed a sigh of relief after Celtic banked a 4-1 win over Motherwell in the Premiership this afternoon. The Hoops kept the pressure on league leaders Rangers and still have another all-important game in-hand to play.

Celtic’s star of the show was undeniably Mohamed Elyounoussi, who has apologised for his recent Europa League stunt with true class. The Southampton loanee bagged himself a hat-trick in a huge gesture which has not only restored his status, but gotten the Bhoys back on track.

However, not all of Lennon’s players put in an impressive performance. Despite the comfortable 4-1 scoreline, Diego Laxalt dropped a rather out-of-character poor display.

Diego Laxalt vs Motherwell

The left-back has put in some solid performances since he joined the Bhoys on loan, attracting praise from the likes of Chris Sutton who says the club has been “crying out for” a player like him for weeks.

However, today was not a good day at the office for Laxalt. According to Sofascore, the Uruguay international lost 66% of his attempted duels and was dribbled past on two occasions. He also lost the ball four times and committed two fouls. As a player who is usually eagle-eyed in attack, Laxalt additionally failed to make any successful crosses or long balls, despite attempting seven in total.

The 27-year-old’s performance will be far from a worry for Lennon, who will be pleased to be back on the bike and pedalling away. There’s a long road still to come as Celtic keep pushing to catch Rangers. One thing the manager must do however, is to ensure his squad are performing at the best of their abilities. The Hoops have lost too many matches so far to trust that performances like this won’t happen again.

Lennon must keep cracking the whip and not let individual displays slip.

In other news, Ralph Hasenhuttl will be furious with Mohamed Elyounoussi’s recent Celtic stunt…

Blackburn Rovers have leapfrogged Watford in the race to sign Leeds United defender Barry Douglas and are confident of a deal before Friday’s deadline.

With the domestic transfer window set to close at 5pm on Friday (16/10), we can expect plenty of movement in the Championship.

Leeds have been extremely active in terms of bringing players in over the summer but one player who now looks set to depart in Douglas, with plenty of interest from the second tier.

A whole host of clubs have eyes on the Scottish left-back, though Blackburn and Watford appear the most keen.

Blackburn take over Watford for Douglas move

With speculation mounting ahead of Friday’s deadline, it had been reported that Watford were front runners in the race to sign the defender.

However, that claim seems to have now been countered with Football Insider claiming officials from Ewood Park have held fresh talks with Leeds on Thursday morning over a deal.

This advance from the former Premier League winners could tempt Watford to make a final push for the defender, who has made 44 appearances for the Whites thus far.

From ‘integral’ to out the door

Douglas is unlikely to gain sufficient playing time at Elland Road this season with Stuart Dallas producing consistently good form over the last 12 months at left-back.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has often praised Douglas, calling the defender an ‘integral’ part of his squad just under one month ago, but that now seems to have changed with an exit on the cards.

Who Douglas would be better suited to join is up for debate but you have to feel Watford would be better equipped to mount a promotion challenge if the Scot wants to embark on a similar campaign to that which he experienced with Leeds last season.

Do you think Douglas should join Blackburn or Watford? Let us know in the comments section below…

If at first you fail, try and try again. This is probably the motto Dean Smith is currently preaching at Aston Villa as they struggle to finally seal the deal for Emiliano Martinez.

Arsenal have already rejected two offers from the Villains, the last one said to be within the £15m mark, and are adamant on holding out for their initial £20m evaluation of the goalie.

Of course, the Argentine shot-stopper is looking for regular minutes ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League season so he is keen to move on from the Emirates. However, Mikel Arteta won’t just part ways with him for any price whatsoever.

According to the latest report from the Daily Mail, Aston Villa are preparing their third attempt to finally snatch the goalkeeper up and bring him to the club. But one thing is for sure, that bid will simply have to be at least much closer to Arsenal’s asking price if they are to be more successful this time around.

Martinez has already rejected a contract renewal with the London side so there is certainly hope for Villa that he will indeed leave for greener pastures in the immediate future.

Smith wants to add more depth to his defence and the 28-year-old could indeed be the answer to his prayers. The only thing in the way is money and it remains to be seen whether the Villains have the financial power to get the deal over the line.

Only time will tell.

Verdict

Since Martinez is looking for steady football and Villa need a new goalie, this does seem like the perfect match on paper. Of course, the Villains’ goalkeepers have been a sore spot for the team for a while now and the Argentine could help fix that for the upcoming campaign.

Nothing is set in stone just yet, however, and there’s still a lot of work left before they can celebrate a new signing.