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Nir Bitton’s performance in Celtic’s 1-0 win over St Johnstone on Sunday was enough to earn him a spot in the SPFL Team of the Week.

Bitton played the full 90 minutes at the back as the Hoops recorded a one-goal victory courtesy of a late effort from Ryan Christie.

The 28-year-old has only featured on two occasions in the Scottish Premiership since the end of 2019.

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His contribution against St Johnstone has been recognised, though, and a number of Celtic fans took to social media to praise the 27-time Israel international.

One supporter even claimed that Bitton should be the “first name on the team sheet”, although it is unclear whether the individual means Celtic’s XI or the SPFL Team of the Week.

Another fan was keen to pay tribute to Bitton for bouncing back from his long-term knee injury, which sidelined him between February 2018 and January 2019.

The defensive midfielder will now be hoping to keep his spot in the team for tonight’s clash with Livingston in the Scottish Premiership.

Neil Lennon’s side will then face St Mirren and Rangers in back-to-back league fixtures before finishing March with a home game against St Johnstone.

A number of Celtic fans were particularly delighted with Bitton’s performance at the weekend, as shown by these tweets.

West Brom are in an ideal position to return to the Premier League thanks to Slaven Bilic and former professional Lee Hendrie has lauded the manager.

What did he say?

The Baggies came close to promotion last term by finishing in the play-offs but losing 45 league goals through the departures of Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle could have severely hindered them.

Instead, Bilic has recruited well and given his players trust, leading to an attacking and expansive style of play that has allowed West Brom to score 64 goals in 37 league games, the joint-highest of any team in the division.

He has got several players playing well who came to the club as relative unknowns, such as fan favourite Filip Krovinovic as well as Matheus Pereria, who has scored six goals and made 12 assists.

Speaking about Bilic, Hendrie told Football League World:

“Bilic has been brilliant, he really has.

“I’m good pals with Gareth Barry and we have this conversation quite a bit about what he [Bilic] is all about and he says he’s old school and he’s great around the lads.

“He’s been absolutely immense. He’s brought certain players who fit the bill for him and the style of play that he uses.

“To step-back into a Championship club and take on a West Brom side whose expectations to go up this season were high, Bilic has done an absolutely magnificent job.”

Attributes for long-term success

Bilic has arrived in the Midlands and looks set to meet the number one target of the club at the first time of asking – promotion.

He has built a squad that is capable of winning the Championship and given the success of clubs like Sheffield United and Wolves after winning promotion in recent years, there is every chance the Baggies will be competitive in the top-flight.

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The Croatian has Premier League experience himself as well as in the squad, with Matt Phillips, Jake Livermore and Hal Robson-Kanu all part of the team that was relegated in 2017/18, while Charlie Austin has also joined since.

Given what Bilic has shown so far and the characteristics of his squad, he seems like the manager to oversee a long-term project to turn the Baggies into a stable Premier League outfit.

Obscure Footballers – Old School edition: Nobody can score more than 70% on this quiz…

West Brom have also conceded the third-lowest amount of goals in the league, which demonstrates the balance in the team, and according to Gareth Barry’s comments above it seems like the boss connects with each of his players to build a strong team spirit capable of achieving success.

Meanwhile, West Brom fans have been reacting to some extremely positive news that has recently come out of the club…

Ryan Fredericks is due to return from injury on 20th April, having been missing since 19th February, as reported by football.london.

With the Premier League being suspended, with the aim of returning on 4th April, as confirmed by their official website, this doesn’t give Jeremy Ngakia many more chances to show David Moyes that he deserves to stay in the side when his more experienced teammate returns.

The teenager has impressed fans during his time in the team, which poses the question as to whether he deserves to keep his place in the side over the former Fulham man.

FFC writers have given their verdicts on what could turn out to be a big selection dilemma for the Hammers manager.

Viji Jeevathayalan

“It would be criminal from Moyes were Jeremy Ngakia to lose his place to a returning Ryan Fredericks. The full-back has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks, and proven himself to be one of the Hammers’ more reliable performers of what has been a turbulent campaign.

“As per Sofascore, in the games that he has played in the top-flight, Ngakia has averaged an impressive three tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game – not to mention the fact he also wins around six duels per match too. What kind of statement would Moyes be sending if he decided to drop Ngakia? This is a player who is taking his opportunity with both hands, and rather than just throw him back on the side-lines, he should keep his place whilst Fredericks fights to earn his spot again.”

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Jonathan Radcliffe

“The recent Premier League suspension makes this a far more interesting proposition, as when the league does return at the start of April, Ngakia will have just a few matches to prove himself to David Moyes. In the long run, the 19-year-old is the future of the right-back position for West Ham, but with the Hammers in a relegation battle at the bottom of the division, it may be worth bringing Fredericks back into the side – after all, he does have an edge in terms of his experience.

“Next year, it will be worth considering Ngakia for the first-team role, but first, Premier League survival is more important. Giving Fredericks his place back in the side makes perfect sense.”

Did he really play for us?! No West Ham fan has managed to name all of these obscure Irons signings….

Charles Jones

“In light of recent events, I’d have to say that Ngakia’s chances of keeping his place are very slim.

“Ryan Fredericks was already edging closer to full fitness before all football was suspended, and now with no games to be played before at least April 3rd, his replacement has no chance to further stake his claim to be a starter, while the former Fulham man will be something close to 100% when he returns.

“Would this be the right call? Time will tell, but I think that experience often trumps youth when you’re in a relegation battle, so getting Fredericks back into the team at the earliest possible opportunity would be the best course of action for David Moyes.”

Danny Lewis

“Moyes simply must keep Ngakia in the team for now, regardless of whether Fredericks is available or not, due to the way he has performed after being given his chance in the side.

“His display against Sadio Mane should act as good enough evidence that he deserves to keep playing games. The academy graduate produced five tackles, four clearances, three interceptions, two dribbles and won three aerial duels.

“Experience can be useful in a relegation battle, but so can the fearlessness of youth, and the quality that Ngakia has shown under Moyes so far definitely warrants him keeping his place.”

Meanwhile, Carlton Cole has been left impressed by another West Ham youngster.

ExWHUemployee has claimed that he would love to have Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish at West Ham United, when speaking on The West Ham Way Podcast (19th March, 1:24:25).

What did he say?

The Hammers currently find themselves in a relegation scrap, as they are sitting above the bottom three on goal difference.

However, there is definitely still hope that David Moyes’ side will be able to stay in the Premier League, with the level of quality that the squad possesses.

There have also been positive additions in 2020 with Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek coming in from Hull City and Slavia Prague respectively, while Jeremy Ngakia has stepped up from the youth ranks.

ExWHUemployee was asked who he would realistically add to these from the Hammers’ relegation rivals, to which he replied: “Tyrone Mings I think is a good centre-back, got into the England squad. Yeah, Grealish. It’s probably between those two isn’t it. I think it would be between Grealish and Mings.”

He then went on to add: “While Mings is a good centre-back, Grealish is borderline top, top quality.”

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Massive coup

In truth, it is pretty hard to see Grealish making the move to London Stadium, as The Evening Standard have named him as one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s most wanted men to join him at Manchester United.

However, if they did manage to bring the Villa talisman into the side then it would be a massive coup for the club and a real signal of intent – considering the level of competition.

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The 24-year-old has made 28 starts and two substitute appearances across the Premier League and Carabao Cup this term, scoring nine goals and assisting six more.

His impact can also be seen in general play, as the Villa captain averages 2.7 key passes and 2.2 dribbles while being fouled 4.9 times per game – he also makes 1 tackle each match.

With the above considered, it would be a superb move if West Ham were able to sign Grealish.

Meanwhile, FFC writers gave their verdicts on West Ham’s pursuit of a midfielder with 12 assists this term.

Leeds United may be about to end a 16-year spell outside of the top-flight.

The Whites may not have played Premier League football since 2004, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t had some top-class players pass through Elland Road during that time.

The likes of Chris Wood, Robert Snodgrass, Fabian Delph and Lewis Cook have gone on to establish themselves as Premier League players, but one of the most talented players Leeds fans have had the privilege of watching over the past decade never managed to get a shot at the top-flight.

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Indeed, Ross McCormack lit up Elland Road during his four years as a Leeds player, and not only was he one of United’s best players of the 2010s, he’s also one of their best signings ever.

Looking back, signing a man who’d scored 21 Championship goals two seasons before for just £350k looked like an absolute bargain, but nobody could have predicted just how well this signing would turn out.

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McCormack didn’t taste any success at Elland Road after arriving in 2010, they failed to finish in the top six during any of his seasons at the club, and a cup run was just a pipe dream during that period, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t see a lot of individual brilliance from the Scot.

Not only did he win the Championship Golden Boot award during the 2013/14 season, he was actually the only player to ever receive a 10/10 rating in the Yorkshire Evening Post during Phil Hay’s tenure as the chief football writer.

58 goals in 157 games is a fantastic return for a striker who cost just £350k, working out at just £6k a goal, and if that didn’t represent great value for money, Leeds also made a very healthy profit on the Scot.

Indeed, Fulham paid £11m for him in 2014, and while he had a couple of good seasons at Craven Cottage, it seems as though Leeds cashed in at the right time. He was essentially finished at this level by 2016 as he played just 24 times and scored three goals for Aston Villa after moving to the Midlands club for £12m.

All in all, McCormack has to be considered one of Leeds’ best ever purchases, he was a shining light during quite a drab period for the Whites, and he provided incredible value for money.

In other news, Leeds’ striker woes won’t be fixed by this man.

Since their promotion in 2018, Wolves have been flying through the Premier League, particularly this season as they sit in sixth place, five points behind a Champions League spot.

Nuno Espírito Santo can be thankful for the likes of goal-machine Raul Jiménez, but what about the other top performers who may have slipped under the radar?

Pedro Neto

The 20-year-old forward has really forced his way ahead of other youngsters looking for valuable first team time. Neto has bagged himself four goals and four assists this season, including a crucial away goal against Olympiakos in March.

In comparison to some of his fellow attacking teammates, Neto averages a higher passing accuracy (82.6%), than Diogo Jota (78.6%) and Adama Traore (73.6%) who have started 14 and 15 more league games than the 20-year-old respectively. The Portuguese youngster also delivered a scare to Liverpool earlier in the season, only to see what would’ve been his first Premier League goal chalked off by VAR.

Since joining Wolves, Neto’s market value has shot up by 360%, taking him from £2.25m to £10.35m in just nine months, which is apt given the impact he’s had on the team. Without his contributions, Nuno’s side would have drawn against Southampton back in January after Neto’s strike set the tone for the comeback.

With increased talks of other clubs looking to sign Traore, the 2020/21 season could – and should be – Neto’s time in the spotlight.

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Rui Patrício

A goalkeeper rarely gets the plaudits he deserves but in this case, it’s almost criminal. Patrício has been a vital asset to Wolves’ campaign as they look to push for Champions League football when the season resumes.

At 32 years of age, Patrício has kept more clean sheets (8), than Bernd Leno (7) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (6) and has conceded less goals (34) than Chelsea (39) and Spurs (40).

The Portuguese shot-stopper has saved two penalties this term, joint-highest out of the entire league alongside Norwich’s Tim Krul. Without Patrício’s heroics in goal to deny Raheem Sterling and Paul Pogba, Wolves would have dropped four points across the two matches, potentially putting them in 10th place in the table.

A composed and consistent goalkeeper is difficult to find, but Wolves have managed to uncover a superb talent and credit is owed to the Portuguese powerhouse.

The current pandemic and the subsequent suspension of professional football across the country means that fans and the players themselves have plenty of time on their hands, and those associated with Leeds are no different.

Fortunately, there has been some good content for the Whites’ supporters to get their teeth into, which includes Sky Sports’ recent interview with three of the Elland Road outfit’s players during the lockdown in the United Kingdom.

Luke Ayling was one of the trio along with Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips to talk to the news outlet and he was asked about his incredible goals so far this term, and it seems he particularly enjoyed the one against Huddersfield.

He said: “I’ve watched it every day since. In the first week I watched it 30 times every day on repeat. It would be half 10 at night and I’d be in bed with the lights off. I’d put it on one last time and get a bit of an elbow from the missus telling me to go to sleep! But I’ll probably never score a goal like that again.”

As you can imagine, this has gone down fantastically well with the club’s supporters, clearly enjoying the thoughts of their players during these difficult times. They took to Twitter to respond, with one suggesting that Ayling deserves to be playing in the Premier League.

You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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It’s fair to say Tanguy Ndombele has been one of the big talking points at Tottenham this season.

After getting his Spurs career off to a cracking start with a superb goal on his debut against Aston Villa, the Frenchman has struggled for fitness and form, making just 27 appearances across all competitions.

Reports in recent weeks have claimed Spanish giants Barcelona are interested in making a move for the midfielder, with suggestions that they had offered Spurs the chance to sign Samuel Umtiti and Nelson Semedo in exchange.

Now, Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed that Jose Mourinho is not ready to give up on Ndombele just yet, and that he and the coaching staff still believe they have someone who can go on to become a key part of the first-team – however, it’s suggested that there is a belief that those around the midfielder are trying to push him to leave the club.

After hearing about the latest report on the Frenchman, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

One Spurs fan simply insisted it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Ndombele wanted out, and labelled the whole thing a “disaster”.

It would certainly be a crying shame if Spurs cashed in on Ndombele just a season after his arrival at the club.

Players from abroad need their time to adjust to the pace and intensity of English football, and after spending big-money on him to bring him from Lyon, a bit of patience is surely needed.

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It’s why it’s refreshing to hear that Mourinho still has hope Ndombele can deliver for the north London side.

تعافى النجم الدولي الفرنسي، كيليان مبابي، جناح باريس سان جيرمان، من إصابته بفيروس كورونا المُستجد “كوفيد – 19″؛ ويبدو أنه لائق للعودة للمباريات من جديد، حيث يتواجد في قائمة النادي الباريسي، لمباراة نيس.

بي إس جي يحل ضيفًا على نيس، عصر الأحد، على ملعب “أليانز ريفييرا”، بالجولة الرابعة من الدوري الفرنسي.

ولم يتواجد نيمار دا سيلفا، جناح النادي الباريسي، في قائمة بطل الدوري الفرنسي، بعد إيقافه من قبل لجنة المسابقات، على خلفية أحداث مباراة كلاسيكو فرنسا ضد أولمبيك مارسيليا. قائمة باريس سان جيرمان ضد نيس

حراسة المرمى: نافاس، ريكو، بولكا.

خط الدفاع: باركر، فلورينزي، داجابا، ماركينيوس، كيمبيمبي.

خط الوسط: كابو، فيراتي، هيريرا، دراكسلر، رويز، فاديجا، إدريسا جاي.

خط الهجوم: إيكاردي، كاليمويندو، دي ماريا، كيليان مبابي.

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The sight of Manuel Lanzini in training with West Ham United on Wednesday was enough to send the club’s supporters into meltdown.

Lanzini has not played for West Ham this season, having picked up a serious knee injury ahead of the 2018 World Cup, which cost him the chance to represent his country, Argentina, at the biggest international tournament in the world.

The 26-year-old has been back in training for some time, however, and he is in contention to face Fulham in the Premier League on Friday night.

There is no question that the Hammers have missed the South American, who is capable of changing a match in a split second due to his immense quality.

On Wednesday, West Ham’s official Twitter account posted a picture of Lanzini in training ahead of the clash with the struggling Cottagers.

And the club’s supporters absolutely loved seeing the attacking midfielder looking ready for action.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: