This has been a sluggish start to life at Celtic for the Hoops’ new manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian knew things weren’t going to be easy at Parkhead. After all, the size of the rebuild required in Glasgow is colossal.

On the chalkboard

Despite the pure amount of work that needs to be done in order for Celtic to regain their status quo of being Scottish champions, this has been a very poor start to the campaign.

In fact, it’s the worst start to a season that the Bhoys have had in the last 23 years.

Performances are only getting worse and the swashbuckling, exciting attacking football that Postecoglou engrained in the early weeks of the campaign has disappeared.

He is struggling with an injury to Kyogo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor’s absence in the middle of the park has also been huge.

One of the biggest reasons for the club’s downfall in recent weeks has been the balance of the midfield.

David Turnbull’s performances have been questionable with just one goal in his last nine outings since a hat-trick against St Mirren.

Ismaila Soro and James McCarthy have also been poor this term but Tom Rogic isn’t delivering either.

The Australian looked like a player reborn after Postecoglou’s arrival on the scene, being described as “majestic” by the cast of ACSOM. Sadly, his displays have been abject in the last few weeks.

He’s contributed just a solitary goal in his last 11 matches and is struggling next to Turnbull in the middle of the park.

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Their pairing simply hasn’t worked but after the Hoops sold Ryan Christie and got rid of Olivier Ntcham this summer, they are lacking options in a central area.

Rogic seems to be getting worse and that was typified by a laboured showing against Dundee United last weekend.

Celtic drew 1-1 and the Aussie midfielder failed to provide them with much penetration or impetus.

He did produce four key passes for his teammates but ultimately, it was a troubled day at the office where he was too slow in possession and surrendered the ball on a regular basis.

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During the course of the stalemate, the £16k-per-week earner lost the ball on 21 occasions. That happened to be the second-worst tally of any Celtic player on the pitch.

When the Hoops take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League on Thursday, Postecoglou will need a far more reliable midfield pairing.

He cannot afford to play Turnbull and Rogic in the same team against the Bundesliga side; it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

The former is still capable of producing magical moments so it’s the latter that should be axed instead.

AND in other news, Forget Rogic: Postecoglou must unleash Celtic’s “first-class” rarely-seen 19 y/o…

Reliable Aston Villa reporter Ashley Preece shared some news from inside Bodymoor Heath regarding Dean Smith’s training sessions on Monday.

And his post led to a number of Villa fans reacting to the update on social media.

Villa have an exciting crop of young talent emerging, with the Under-23’s currently top of the Premier League 2 second division after thumping Stoke City 8-0 earlier in the week.

A number of teenagers are still part of Smith’s first-team training, such as academy summer signings Finley Thorndike, Tim Iroegbunam and Caleb Chukwuemeka.

Lamare Bogarde, Hayden Lindley and Aaron Ramsey have also been involved with the group, with Preece claiming the players are loving the ‘fun-filled’ sessions put on by Smith and his team, describing Bodymoor Heath as a ‘great place this season’.

Villa fans react

Preece posted the positive update regarding the Villa youngsters on Twitter on Monday evening.

This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many upbeat and one labelling it as ‘lovely news’.

“Brilliant news, always been a highly rated coach even before he come to us.”

Credit: @AVFCTheReligion

“Such lovely news to know we have a squad that all love the club and training etc at the moment and we all have Dean and our new coaching staff to thank for that”

Credit: @KONSAISTHEGOAT

“Shows the importance of rotating coaches every couple of seasons. Fresh blood, new ideas keeps players interested and engaged.”

Credit: @marcusguest

“genuinely never thought I’d be this excited for villa playing football”

Credit: @JoeAVFC_

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“This man may not be changing the landscape of football like pep or Klopp but he’s certainly instilling a culture and ethos at the club from top to bottom. What a man!”

Credit: @AWishfulDJ

“Dean haters are delusional. The man knows what he’s doing, the players love him and are progressing to a man, and the results are starting to show. He’s going to get us to Europe, if not this season, then next.”

Credit: @VillaVirginian

In other news: ‘Good god’  – Many Villa fans go wild at Sky Sports footage. 

An update has emerged on Rangers centre-back Leon Balogun, regarding Steven Gerrard’s thoughts on the defender.

What’s the talk?

According to The Scottish Sun, the Gers boss is be keen to keep Leon Balogun at the club beyond the end of the season.

The report states that Balogun is out of contract at the end of the campaign, but he has won over Gerrard’s trust and could be handed an extension.

Gerrard loves him

Ibrox chief Ross Wilson must make a key decision by offering Balogun a contract to remain at Ibrox beyond the end of the 2021/22 campaign. He must now allow the central defender to depart on a free transfer as he still has plenty to offer and could be a valuable player for Gerrard moving forward.

Whilst there is speculation circling around Gerrard’s own future at Rangers, he is still contracted to the club and we can only assume that he will be the head coach heading into next season as it stands. This is why signing Balogun to a new deal could be a shrewd move, as he is a player the ex-Liverpool man loves.

Earlier this year, Gerrard lauded the defender as he admitted that he wanted Balogun to sign a contract extension, which he later did. The manager said:

“Leon is someone we want to keep hold of. He knows that and he is performing so well.

“He signed a contract with an option of an extension and we want him to be here beyond this season.

“Leon knows he is wanted here. I think he’s enjoying it, he’s playing with a smile on his face.

This, along with the aforementioned report stating Gerrard’s trust in the £14k-per-week defender, shows that Balogun is loved by the manager and that is why he must be handed another extension by Wilson.

He has shown on the pitch this season that he still has quality to offer.

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Balogun has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.20 in the Premiership and 7.25 in the Europa League, with Rangers keeping three clean sheets in his six league appearances.

This shows that he can still perform to a high standard for the Gers and Wilson must please Gerrard by getting the Nigerian international to put pen to paper.

AND in other news, Rangers may be set for big boost after Gers news, Gerrard will be elated…

PIF’s start to life at Newcastle got off to a less than ideal start as the Magpies lost 3-2 to Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.

First and foremost, we must send out best wishes to the Newcastle fan who was taken to hospital during the first half after emergency assistance was required in the stands. Credit must go to Sergio Reguilon and Eric Dier, in particular, as they acted quickly to ensure the fan was helped as quickly as possible.

It was the dream start for the Magpies, though, as Callum Wilson powered home an excellent header in the opening minutes to hand Steve Bruce’s side the lead.

However, goals from Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son put Tottenham 3-1 up heading into the half-time break.

Misery was then compiled by Jonjo Shelvey coming off the bench and being sent off for two bookable offences in the second half just before Eric Dier’s own goal. However, another player who let Bruce down badly was Joelinton, who struggled out wide on the left throughout the game.

The Brazilian forward may have helped to seal Bruce’s fate at St. James’ Park, playing a part in the defeat which could see him axed as manager of the club. PIF are reportedly planning to let him go as they look at replacements and this defeat could speed up the process, whilst ending any chance he had to keep his role.

Defensively, he was a lightweight. Per SofaScore, he lost a whopping 19 duels in the match. He lost 15 of his 19 ground battles and four of his nine in the air, whilst also committing five fouls. This shows that he was not up to the physical task of playing against Tottenham’s Emerson Royal, with his fellow countryman able to lock him up for the entire 90 minutes.

On the ball, the Englishman offered nothing. Per SofaScore, he lost possession of the ball 24 times as he failed with all of his attempted crosses and dribbles. In 65 touches, he registered one key pass and zero efforts on goal, completing 74% of his passes. This shows that he was unable to make an impact in the final third, to go along with his lack of strength on the other side of the game.

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Therefore, the flop’s performance played a large role in the 3-2 defeat as he could have been the difference on the if he popped up with a crucial goal or assist to level the match or even help to win it. Instead, his dismal showing may have sealed Bruce’s fate, with the 60-year-old potentially hanging on by a thread as PIF weigh up their options for the upcoming week.

AND in other news, Luke Edwards drops Newcastle transfer claim that will surely delight fans…

Aston Villa have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring Emile Smith Rowe to Villa Park.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who relayed recent comments made by the Arsenal midfielder in an interview with the Evening Standard, where the 21-year-old revealed that he would love to remain at the Emirates Stadium for the remainder of his career.

The England U21 international had been heavily linked with a move to Aston Villa in the summer transfer window, with Dean Smith’s side reportedly lodging multiple offers worth up to £30m for Smith Rowe.

However, despite the midfielder putting pen to paper on a new five-year deal at Arsenal this summer, according to Birmingham Live, the midfielder’s latest comments have put the final nail in the coffin regarding Villa’s move for the youngster.

Fans will be gutted

While, in truth, it appeared that the chances of Smith Rowe making a move to Villa were all but over upon his signing of a new contract in north London, the fact that the 21-year-old has practically confirmed he is not open to leaving Arsenal will nevertheless leave Aston Villa fans gutted.

Indeed, the £25.2m-rated man has been in rather exceptional form over his nine Premier League appearances this season, scoring two goals and providing his teammates with two assists, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Jamie Carragher dubbed a “special talent” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Mikel Arteta’s third-best performer in the top-flight of English football.

Furthermore, and rather ironically, the midfielder turned in arguably his most impressive display of the season against Villa on Friday evening, scoring one goal, registering one assist, making four key passes and receiving a match-high SofaScore rating of 8.6 in the Gunners’ 3-1 win.

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As such, it is clear for all to see – especially the Villa fans who made the trip to North London on Friday – that the midfielder who reportedly earns £40k-per-week at Arsenal would have been an exceptionally impressive signing for Dean Smith to bring into Villa Park, however, a move for Smith Rowe now looks to be a ship that has well and truly sailed.

In other news: Imagine him & Ings: Lange must seal AVFC deal for 4 G/A beast with “mindset of a lion”

Marcelo Biela’s Leeds United go in search of their second Premier League win of the season as they face Norwich at Carrow Road today.

The Whites are up against a Norwich side who sit bottom of the table and lost 7-0 to Chelsea in their last league match. Meanwhile, Leeds lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup in their last game, exiting in the last 16 of the competition.

How many changes will Bielsa make to his side for today? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make five alterations to the team from midweek, with Junior Firpo, Liam Cooper, Mateusz Klich, Raphinha and Joe Gelhardt all coming in.

Starting at centre-back, Cooper could return in place of Pascal Struijk. The Leeds captain has started every league match this season and his place on the bench against the Gunners yielded a much-needed rest for the Scotland international.

Bielsa has ruled Luke Ayling, Robin Koch and Patrick Bamford out of contention, whilst admitting that Firpo, Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips are set to be available for selection. He told The Athletic: “There is no precise return date for the injuries of Ayling, Bamford and Koch.

“(Junior) Firpo and Raphinha are likely to be available. (Jamie) Shackleton is likely to be available. (Kalvin Phillips) is fine to return.”

We published an article explaining why Firpo should start at left-back, with Stuart Dallas having struggled against Arsenal. The 30-year-old lost 70% of his duels in the match and had a 0% success rate from his attempted dribbles and crosses throughout the game.

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Out wide, Raphinha could replace summer signing Dan James. We have outlined why the 23-year-old flop should be axed from the team, and Bielsa could now start the Brazilian ahead of him against Norwich, with Jack Harrison switching over to the left. Raphinha has three goals in eight Premier League matches this season and could add to his tally today against a struggling Canaries side.

Finally, we are predicting that Klich and Gelhardt will play ahead of Tyler Roberts and Adam Forshaw in midfield. The latter duo failed to impress in midweek and were replaced by the former pair before the 60th minute, perhaps indicating that Bielsa is looking at them to start against Norwich. It could be a huge chance for young Gelhardt to prove his worth if he is handed a place in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Sold for £10m, now a Championship outcast: Leeds had a blinder with “special” 24 y/o…

With his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2023 and after scoring 15 goals in 12 appearances across all competitions so far this season, it’s been no secret that Liverpool have been trying to tie down Mohamed Salah to a new deal in recent weeks and months.

With this in mind and the matter still unresolved, football journalist Fabrizio Romano had something to share on the current situation, which we think should excite Liverpool fans a lot.

What’s the latest?

Appearing on a recent edition of Rio Ferdinand’s FIVE Podcast (via Empire of the Kop), Romano revealed that Liverpool are “optimistic” about the chances of Salah putting pen to paper on a new deal at the Merseyside club.

He said: “They are negotiating, they are in talks. Liverpool want to do it as soon as possible, not in April or May, they want to do it in the next weeks or months.”

Since joining the Reds back in the 2017 summer transfer window from AS Roma for a fee of £34m, the 29-year-old – who is currently valued at £90m by Transfermarkt – has made 215 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side across all competitions. In that time, he has comfortably cemented himself as a crucial figure for Liverpool, with 140 goals and 52 assists to his name.

Considering what Romano had to say and what Salah has delivered for Liverpool on the pitch since his arrival at Anfield, it would be safe to assume that Kopites would be delighted to see the winger sign a new deal at the club in the near future.

In our view, given how important Salah has proven over the years and how much of a consistent goalscorer he has been for the Reds, we feel that Liverpool and their owners should be doing all they can to make sure that Salah signs a new deal to keep him at the club and continue doing what he has been ever since he arrived.

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If that means offering him more money in terms of his weekly wages, duly making him the highest earner at the club, we feel this is an expense worth taking if it keeps Salah at Anfield beyond 2023.

In other news: Klopp must unleash “important” Liverpool beast on Saturday, he’d terrify Brighton

Celtic have started negotiations regarding a deal to bring Reo Hatate to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claimed that the Bhoys’ acting chief executive Michael Nicholson has initiated talks regarding a move for the Kawasaki Frontale left-back, who will become a free agent upon the expiry of his current contract with the J-League side on January 31.

A further report by the Daily Record suggested that the 23-year-old’s move to Celtic could all but be confirmed, as the defender appeared to be bidding fans an emotional goodbye during his team’s recent title celebrations in Japan.

He’s what Celtic are missing

While the emergence of 19-year-old Adam Montgomery and the impressive form of right-back Josip Juranovic playing out of position on the left have somewhat covered for Greg Taylor’s long-term injury at left-back, the fact remains that the position is something of a problem area for Ange Postecoglou.

Considering just how impressive Hatate has been for Kawasaki Frontale this season, the 23-year-old would appear to be exactly the type of player Celtic are missing on the left-hand side of their backline.

Indeed, over his 26 J-League appearances this term, the £720k-rated left-back scored four goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.9 shots and making one key pass per game.

The player who Opta analyst Sacha Pisani claimed “has a rocket of a left foot” also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, averaging 1.4 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 52.3 passes and winning 5.5 duels per match.

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As such, with Hatate seemingly a defender equally as adept going forwards as he is solid at the back, he would indeed appear to make a fantastic prospective addition to the Celtic squad this January, particularly on a free transfer.

In other news: Forget Jota & Kyogo: “Quality” Celtic gem who made five key passes ran the show on Thursday

An update has emerged on Gio van Bronckhorst, regarding Rangers’ plans for his potential backroom staff in Glasgow.

What’s the talk?

According to The Times, Rangers are insisting the Dutchman brings in a player experienced in Scottish football to be a part of his coaching staff behind-the-scenes, with Billy Dodds, Barry Ferguson and Neil McCann named as candidates.

The report claims Jan Wouters, his assistant at Feyenoord, is unlikely to follow him to Ibrox, with the aforementioned trio potentially in line to take his place.

Buzzing

Rangers fans will surely be buzzing with this inside insight into Ross Wilson’s plans for the make-up of van Bronckhorst’s backroom team. The Gers chief is seemingly keen to get as much experience in to help the Dutchman as possible, which could allow him to hit the ground running.

Instead of needing an adaptation period, the experience from the likes of Ferguson, McCann and Dodds could mean that he is able to meet the requirements of Scottish football straight away. They will have the games under their belts as coaches and players to know what it is all about, which could be valuable for the 46-year-old.

Ferguson is currently the manager of Alloa Athletic and has taken charge of 20 games to date, with over 100 games in Scottish football as a head coach overall in his career. This is after he played over 200 games for Rangers during his playing career, winning five league titles.

Dodds, however, is managing at a higher level with Inverness in the second tier. He has won 1.70 points per game across 20 matches in charge, having also played for Rangers before becoming a manager.

Interestingly, he took the Inverness job after Neil McCann’s spell as caretaker – where he won 1.50 points per game across 16 matches. McCann, a further ex-Gers player, managed 60 games at Dundee but was only able to pick up an unimpressive 1.12 points per game.

This shows that all three of them have experience as players and coaches in Scottish football and could provide van Bronckhorst with valuable information behind the scenes to help him perform to the best of his abilities at Ibrox, should he take the job.

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Therefore, this is a shrewd decision from Wilson and shows that he is working hard to piece together the best set of staff possible to replace Steven Gerrard’s influence following his move to Aston Villa, which is why fans will be delighted by this news.

AND in other news, “Spoke to club”: Rangers insider provides manager twist that’ll leave fans delighted…

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into the busy Christmas period in a fine run of form, currently being on a run of eight fixtures without defeat in all competitions, there is a great deal to be excited about at Parkhead at present.

However, with the fixtures now coming thick and fast for the Bhoys, with 11 games to play between now and the end of the year, should the 56-year-old manager wish to keep his side fighting on all fronts, he will need to manage his squad impeccably.

As such, considering the fact that Celtic have already endured something of an injury crisis this season, Postecoglou must begin rotating his side on a much more regular basis, in order to get a number of the club’s returning players back up to speed as quickly as possible – starting with the Scottish League Cup semi-final against St. Johnstone this Saturday.

Postecoglou must axe Abada

Despite having highly impressed since his £3.6m move to Parkhead this summer, scoring seven goals and providing five assists over his 22 appearances in all competitions, right-winger Liel Abada would appear to be a prime candidate for Postecoglou to drop this weekend.

This is nothing to do with the 20-year-old’s level of performance, but everything to do with James Forrest’s return from injury.

Indeed, having missed the vast majority of the current campaign due to injury, the £5.4m-rated man has finally made a return to the pitch in recent weeks, playing eight minutes of Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Livingston, 20 minutes of the 3-2 win over Ferencvaros and 28 minutes of the 4-2 win over Dundee.

And, in order to get the winger fully firing once more, it would seem crucial for the 56-year-old Bhoys boss to field the 30-year-old from the off on Saturday, as, once he is back at full capacity, Forrest could be a revelation in the Celtic attack.

Indeed, Alex McLeish is well aware of how important a part of the Hoops side the Scotland international is, stating upon his injury: “Sometimes get people watching games and say, ‘What does he really do?’ James does a lot.

“When they’re out of the game, that’s when you see how big a loss they are to a team. He’s produced so many goals over the seasons and so many assists. Not only that, his work rate for the team, his tracking back, he does all that as well.”

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As such, while the Israel international who Postecoglou himself dubbed a “positive” player has been in fine form for the Bhoys, the Celtic boss must axe the 20-year-old this weekend, as affording Forrest his first start since August will benefit the team much more in the long run.

In other news: Ange drops exciting behind the scenes update which is sure to have Celtic fans buzzing