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Birmingham City fans on Twitter have been reacting after their team was dealt a huge boost in their bid for Sky Bet Championship survival.

The Blues hosted a Sheffield United team that started the day in the automatic promotion spots on Wednesday evening at St. Andrew’s, getting a 1-1 draw out of the game.

The result was made all the more impressive by the fact that Garry Monk’s men came from a goal down, captain Michael Morrison cancelling out Enda Stevens’ 38th-minute opener just four minutes later.

Birmingham now find themselves six points above the drop zone in 17th and virtually safe despite being deducted nine points for breaching profitability and sustainability rules.

And supporters, for the most part, were delighted with the outcome of the tricky test when replying to a full-time tweet from the club’s official account, in spite of one blaming goalkeeper Lee Camp for costing them the three points.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Have a look at our selection of their best reactive Tweets, below…

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It looks as though Aston Villa could be set for another transfer saga regarding their star man Jack Grealish this summer after The Daily Mail revealed that Crystal Palace were lining him up as a possible Wilfried Zaha replacement.

Last year, Grealish was the subject of interest from Tottenham who bid £25m for the player. However, the Villans responded by standing firm and refusing to budge on the fact he was not for sale at any price.

Spurs still maintain a watchful eye over the midfielder, though, who was once again at the centre of interest from the Lilywhites last month when The Mirror said they were looking to revive their interest.

Grealish has played a huge part in Villa’s success this season and has helped guide Dean Smith’s side into the play-offs.

With all of this in mind, is the 23-year-old someone they can afford to lose? Football FanCast’s writers have their say.

Jack Saville:

“It all comes down to Villa’s promotion bid. The financial bonus of winning promotion to the Premier League and a hefty fee for Grealish should give Dean Smith a decent kitty to build a squad capable of holding its own in the top-flight. But if Villa fail to clinch promotion and also lose Grealish they will be in huge trouble, and it’s difficult to see him staying under those circumstances. Either way, it would be a massive, massive blow for Villa to lose their talisman.”

Luke Glanville:

“In my opinion, Aston Villa are doomed either way if they can’t keep hold of Jack Grealish. If they are promoted and are unable to hold onto a homegrown player who’s now captaining the side, a star they’ve kept their faith in allowing him to mature and become the man he is today – there are serious problems at that football club. Not getting promoted would undoubtedly mean his exit, I’m still not sure how it didn’t last summer to be honest. That would be two monumental blows in quick succession that may take the club a very long time to recover from.”

Harry Sherlock:

“Grealish is a Premier League player in waiting. It remains to be seen, of course, if he will be doing that with Villa or not. As it stands, he is the man driving their promotion charge and we all saw how terrible the club’s form was with him on the treatment table. If he leaves after promotion, fans would be right to be disappointed – he has often professed his love for the club – and they would surely struggle to stay up. If they’re in the Championship next season, mid-table beckons.”

Matt Dawson:

“Losing Jack Grealish would be absolutely huge for Villa. They’ve invested so much time in him and he’s now really starting to come into his own. If the club go up surely they’ll have enough to hold onto him. However, the cash brought in from any potential sale could also go a long way. If they did decide to sell then it might pave the way for permanent deals for Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings should the club decide they want to try and keep them.”

اجتمع أشرف صبحي وزير الشباب والرياضة صباح اليوم الأحد 1 نوفمبر مع اللجنة المنظمة لبطولة العالم لكرة اليد.

ومن المقرر أن تستضيف مصر البطولة مطلع العام القادم وبحضور هشام نصر رئيس الاتحاد المصري لكرة اليد وكابتن حسين لبيب مدير البطولة وقيادات وزارة الشباب والرياضة.

تناول الاجتماع استعراض آخر ما تم التوصل إليه من كافة التجهيزات للصالات المغطاة والفنادق وكل ما يتعلق باستضافة الحدث.

طالع | وزير الرياضة يستعرض آخر الاستعدادات الاحترازية لكأس العالم لليد مع اللجنة المنظمة

وأشاد وزير الشباب والرياضة بمعدلات إنجاز كافة الأعمال التي تمت حتى الآن مؤكداً أن البنية التحتية التي جهزتها مصر لاستضافة المونديال معدة وفقاً للمعايير والمواصفات العالمية والتي إعتادت عليه الدولة المصرية في تجهيز منشآتها الرياضية والشبابية خلال الـ6 سنوات الماضية وهو ما يؤكد على حرص القيادة السياسية بقيادة الرئيس عبد الفتاح السيسي على وضع الدولة المصرية في مصاف الدول المتقدمة رياضيا.

جاء ذلك خلال الاجتماع الأسبوعي الذي يجريه وزير الشباب والرياضة مع اللجنة المنظمة للبطولة للوقوف على آخر الاستعدادات والتجهيزات الخاصة بالبطولة.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have performed something of a 180-degree turn and lavished praise on goalkeeper Hugo Lloris after a game-changing performance against Manchester City in the Champions League.

The France international – who Transfermarkt value at £27milion – made a vital penalty save in the opening 15 minutes of the encounter, denying Sergio Aguero from 12 yards.

The save came about after a highly controversial refereeing decision; Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the spot after the ball hit Danny Rose’s arm as he attempted to make a sliding block.

Spurs, of course, will take an advantage into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium after Son Heung-Min scored in the second-half.

And fans have been quick to talk up Lloris’ contribution after his third penalty save in a row, after also denying Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette.

Lloris, of course, has made a number of mistakes this season, most recently in the 2-1 loss to Liverpool, as he palmed a simple Mohamed Salah header against Toby Alderweireld to concede an own goal, and made two errors in the Champions League group stages as well.

He was sent off against PSV Eindhoven after a terrible challenge on Hirving Lozano and also rushed out of his goal to allow Philippe Coutinho to score for Barcelona at Wembley.

But fans appear to have changed their minds with the team seemingly in pole position to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League. Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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According to O Jogo, Liverpool would be interested in signing Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, who has shone in patches during the Molineux outfit’s return season in the Premier League.

But the Portugal international could set them back a staggering £110million according to reports from September and Liverpool already have a wealth of options in central midfield, few of whom – much like Neves – offer a consistent supply of creativity and goals.

So, should Liverpool swoop for Neves at the campaign’s end? Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below…

Billy Meyers

“I think Neves is just what Liverpool are missing in the midfield. Admittedly, they have a lot of options already, but the Portuguese midfielder is a general in the middle of the park and a man capable of dictating things from deep. He is also used to hitting long-range passes to speedy attackers at Wolves, so he wouldn’t need much time to adapt at Anfield as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane would make life easy for him.”

James Beavis

“Liverpool already have a plethora of midfielders who are decent defensively – Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Naby Keita – but don’t offer enough going forward, and Neves hardly breaks that mould. Yes, he is capable of getting up and down the pitch, dictating the play from deep and scoring the odd brilliant goal, but he hasn’t shown that he has that creative brain in the centre that the Reds are crying out for next season. In truth, he’s no better than Wijnaldum. Maybe in another year’s time a move could happen, but he isn’t ready yet.”

Ben Goodwin

“With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming back, Jurgen Klopp now has two options in each of this 3 midfield positions. The “6” can be occupied by Henderson or Fabinho, both of whom can also fill the box-to-box role usually occupied by Wijnaldum or Milner, while Oxwlade-Chamberlain will return to compete with Keita for the most advanced midfield spot. There is simply no room for a big money signing who will expect to play week in week out.”

Jack Saville

“I can’t see why Klopp would be interested in a move for Neves. Liverpool’s squad is stacked with quality options in central midfield and Neves’ influence has diminished as the season has developed. The early season hype was thoroughly justified but he has been overshadowed by the brilliance of Joao Moutinho. That in itself is enough to suggest Neves could damage his career by trying to play his way into an incredibly competitive midfield unit – just look at Keita.”

Aston Villa are on the up, and they’ll need experience to continue their return to where they believe they belong. Indeed, John Terry had a massive impact when he signed and now Ashley Williams can do the same.

The Sun on Sunday (28/04; page 62), via HITC, reported the Villans want to bring the Everton centre-back to Villa Park in the summer. The 34-year-old is on loan at Stoke City this season and has played 33 times in the Championship.

Yes, we know what you’re thinking, but hear us out.

Right now, he’s surely got no chance of a new deal under Marco Silva at Goodison Park, so he’ll probably now have to look for a move in summer. The report states Huddersfield, New York City and DC United are also keen, but if he signs for Villa it’d be a masterstroke.

His experience at the back would give the Villa forwards more confidence to express themselves no matter what division they’re in. They’ve been exciting over the last few months, so imagine what they’d be like with Williams behind them.

Obviously, the years haven’t been overly kind to him or his reputation but few would have questioned his ability around 18 months ago. Behind a solid side and if used correctly, there’s no reason the Welshman can’t enjoy a swansong.

John Terry was a huge success when he came from Chelsea. Many thought it was a pointless signing, but his old-style leadership gave structure to an otherwise shoddy back line. Williams will be leaving on a free in summer so it’s fairly risk-free.

Villa could do with more experience at the back. Getting that for free would be a major coup for the Villans who will need a balance of veterans and youngsters to re-establish themselves in the top flight.

Villa fans, who do you think your club should sign at the back this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

The good, the bad and the Roque Junior.

Players often earn themselves big moves after performances in a major tournament, it has become the easiest way and most convenient method of scouting players every two years without needed to send staff off to the far corners of the world.

Roque Junior was one such character.

The Brazilian defender was a member of the World Cup winning Brazil squad in 2002, which is always a good sign, we suppose, and a Champions League winner with AC Milan. Also a good sign.

Understandably former Leeds boss Peter Reid wanted him some of that. How could he fail, after all? This lad was clearly a born winner. It was in his blood. He had to succeed. He had done it before; he was going to be the making of this side and drive them forwards to eternal glory.

We imagine these were the thoughts probably streaming through Reid’s head when he made the call to secure the Brazil international on a season-long spell in 2003. Or, alternatively, maybe those that circled his thoughts as he tried to sleep at night by the time it became increasingly obvious that he may as well have burned the money used in some sort of voodoo ritual.

When we talk about terrible records, they do not get much worse than Roque Junior’s. In his opening seven first-team appearances, he yielded a remarkable four cautions and one dismissal, conceded 24 goals and was on the end of six defeats. Impressive stuff, hey. Junior did manage to bag two goals against Manchester United, though – which is more than enough to book a player in the history books under normal circumstances.

But he was extraordinarily bad, so, unfortunately, this rule did not apply.

Roque Junior left Elland Road as one of the worst signings of the century.

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Crystal Palace host Manchester City this weekend in a clash that doesn’t look too promising for Roy Hodgson’s side – their visitors are strolling through games at the moment without getting out of second gear, while the Eagles’ woeful home record this campaign speaks for itself.

Despite the shocking result at the Etihad Stadium in December, this game looks more or less like a write-off for Palace, but it could give Hodgson the epiphany he needs to turn Palace’s Selhurst Park fortunes around.

On the chalkboard

Pep Guardiola’s side are masters of ball retention and pinning their opponents’ backs to the wall for the full 90 minutes and are confident enough to do it wherever they go, SE25 included.

Palace will likely be forced to sit back and soak up pressure, denying all the intricate runs and passes made by their opposition for much of the game, despite it being on their own ground.

It will most likely be damage limitation for the Eagles, who will look to keep the score down and get some joy on the counter – sound familiar? It’s what they’ve been doing on the road all season and it has yielded results.

Hodgson’s epiphany

No matter how much Hodgson tries to turn Palace into an attractive footballing side, the Eagles are a counter-attacking outfit – they were much better under Sam Allardyce and even Alan Pardew at times when they played direct.

There’s some exciting changes happening at Crystal Palace next summer. Find out what in the video below…

At home, Palace tend to be the aggressors and they always get caught out on the counter – the roles will be reversed on Sunday though, and the Eagles can turn it into an away game.

They have the pace – and Wilfried Zaha – to cause the Premier League champions all sorts of problems on the counter and, should they get anything close to their Boxing Day result, then Hodgson might finally realise where his side’s true quality lies.

The Croydon outfit desperately need to improve their home form if they are to avoid another relegation battle next year, and this could be the game after which the turnaround begins.

أجرى لاعب وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، ميراليم بيانيتش، حوارًا مع المركز الإعلامي في العملاق الكتالوني وتحدث من خلاله عن مركزه المفضل وطموحاته مع البلاوجرانا ومنتخب بلده البوسنة والهرسك.

وانتقل بيانيتش في الميركاتو الصيفي الماضي قادمًا من يوفنتوس بمبلغ مالي قيمته 61 مليون يورو، في صفقة تبادلية رحل فيها آرثر ميلو إلى بطل الدوري الإيطالي مقابل 71 مليون يورو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سبورت: مطالب ألابا المادية تصعب انضمامه إلى برشلونة

بسؤال بيانيتش عن إذا ما كان يفضل تسجيل هدف مذهل أو صناعة 3 أهداف؟

أجاب: “ثلاث تمريرات حاسمة للأهداف”.

هل تفضل اللعب على اليسار كلاعب وسط أم في اليمين كلاعب جناح؟

أجاب: “مع اليسار في خط الوسط”.

ما هي طموحاتك، هل تفضل الفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا مع برشلونة أم كأس العالم مع البوسنة؟

أجاب: “كلاهما، لا يمكنني الاختيار بينهما”.

There’s nothing better than beating one of your rivals to a signing. With that in mind, if Arsenal can bat off the competition to capture Hakim Ziyech it’d send a huge statement to the rest of the top six.

The 26-year-old right winger is another rising star Ajax have thrown into the limelight this season and the Mirror claimed in late April that the Gunners, Man City, Man United and Liverpool are all interested in signing him up. Indeed, Arsenal should put all their weight behind this guy and forget Dennis Praet.

Unai Emery’s side are also believed to be after Praet according to the Daily Star, but he’s miles behind Ziyech considering he’s still playing for Sampdoria rather than one of Europe’s top clubs. He may be younger, but Arsenal need success now.

Ziyech has shone in the Eredivisie this season, scoring 16 goals and making 15 assists. He’s even scored two and assisted three this Champions League campaign, so he can certainly perform in more competitive matches too. What’s there not to like about that?

He’d be a huge upgrade on their attacking players already, and that includes outgoing Aaron Ramsey. If they sign him he’ll make Arsenal’s attack unbearable to defend against because they’ve got such depth up there. It’ll have a phycological impact on their rivals too.

If Arsenal can beat their main rivals to his signature, it shows they’re ready to battle for the title with the likes of Liverpool and City. They have some way to go, but if they can pull this off, they can make it all the way.

Arsenal fans, what do you think it will take for Arsenal to challenge for the title next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…