Pre-season friendlies offer up all kinds of intriguing propositions not least the chance, if you’re lucky, to see a new signing or two make their semi-competitive bow. Should your club have changed manager there is also the fascination of what tactics are employed and gauging which players feature in his immediate plans. Then there’s the kit; there is always a sleek new kit these days, one that divides opinion on its unveiling but now looks so fricking boss in motion.

Second to last but by no means least there is also the sheer, unbridled joy of seeing the boys back in action again. God you’ve missed them, to such an extent that in hindsight the World Cup was little more than a distraction. Compared to Arsenal v Boreham Wood or Newcastle v Augsburg the World Cup was just a conversation about the weather forecast that airs before Match of the Day.

All of this though pales in pure excitement and indeed symbolism to watching youth prospects stake a claim for a place in the first team squad, or more obliquely, to force their way ‘into the manager’s thinking’.

Of course we’re perfectly aware that the majority of these fresh-faced stars of tomorrow will be relegated once more to relative obscurity once the season starts proper. Barring an injury crisis they are unlikely even to appear on the sub’s bench in 2018/19. But what they represent at a time of the year when optimism is sky high due to the slate being wiped clean is hope. Hope for the future. Hope to help us through the grim reality of being battered away to Spurs in deepest, darkest November. There is always that kid; the one who dazzled in brilliant sunshine way back in July. One day soon he’ll see us right.

Crystal Palace fans will experience this encouragement more than most in the weeks ahead. This summer the south London club offered professional contracts to a number of promising talents who will all be desperate to catch the eye of Roy Hodgson against random fare such as Oxford and Toulouse. It is likely that Joe Tupper, Oliver O’Dwyer, Nikola Tavares, Tyler Brown and Giovanni McGregor will impress given their early reputations.

But it is in Aaron Wan-Bissaka where optimism most resides. The 20-year-old right-back has already made seven appearances in the Premier League and won the club’s Player of the Month award in that brief period so much is expected of the England Under 20 international as he attempts to force a way into Hodgson’s permanent reckoning. Three scheduled friendlies on the horizon will go a long way to determining how that goes.

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Up at Everton, highly-rated Kieran Dowell will be keen to take the next significant step following a successful loan stint at Nottingham Forest last term. With the Toffees yet to make any move in the transfer market the feeling is that should the young midfielder suitably impress, then new boss Marco Silva might prioritise his strengthening elsewhere and perhaps even mould a dynamic central partnership between Dowell and fellow 20-year-old Tom Davies. A big couple of weeks await for last summer’s Under-20 World Cup winner.

Further north in Middlesbrough a buzz is getting notably louder concerning the prospects of centre-back Nathan Wood who accompanied the first team squad to Germany this week. Having only just turned 16, Wood is most definitely one for the future rather than anything short-term yet even so, the experience he accumulates on the trip only bodes well for the career that is to come. It seems that Boro have produced yet another top defender just like they do every few seasons.

At present Manchester United are in the US and true to type Jose Mourinho is unhappy. Of course he is. When is he not?

On this occasion the cause of his crumbled frown is the large group of star names who are unavailable to him but if that brings consternation to United’s management the opposite applies to the fans. Dutch winger Tahith Chong has already excited on his debut this week and prompted calls for a promotion to the first team squad sooner rather than later while Axel Tuanzebe, Angel Gomes, and Andreas Pereira will each be looking to establish themselves further in Mourinho’s estimation. England Under 17 captain James Garner meanwhile will benefit hugely from being around the likes of Antonio Valencia and Juan Mata.

As for their bitter rivals City, their own US tour offers left-sided defender Eric Garcia a golden opportunity to take Oleksandr Zinchenko’s locker while a couple of goals by Lukas Nmecha will go a long way in cementing his position as third choice striker.

Perhaps though there is no other Premier League club with more importance and intrigue surrounding their pre-season friendlies than West Ham this month. In Reece Oxford, Marcus Browne, Nathan Holland and Martin Samuelsen the Hammers possess a quartet primed and ready to make their mark. Yet with an incoming new coach not fully versed in their abilities, the club’s short trips to Germany and France will determine a great deal. For them their time to dazzle is now. For others it is mainly about dropping hints on the promise to come.

The Premier League is just a few weeks away, with many teams on worldwide pre-season tours or at least back in training and we can’t wait for domestic football to return.

One thing almost every football fan is longing for is to hear the dulcet tones of Martin Tyler on Super Sundays once again.

Tyler and Sky Sports have been broadcasting Premier League coverage since it’s launch in 1992 and have brought us some incredible moments.

From Wayne Rooney’s volley against Man City to Stan Collymore’s effort against Leeds in 2000, we take you threw the greatest Premier League commentaries of all time.

Steve Bruce v Sheffield Wednesday, April 1993

Martin Tyler’s commentary as Man Utd won the first Premier League title in 1993 is stuff of legend.

“Yes for Manchester United, Alex Ferguson can’t contain himself and that’s totally understandable, it’s been a phenomenal finish”

Nwankwo Kanu v Chelsea, October 1999

Not only was this a stunning effort by the Nigerian but it was his hat-trick goal away at Stamford Bridge. Martin Tyler perfectly describes the emotion of the moment for both Kanu and his opponents:

“It’s Kanu – what’s he going to do? Oh, can you believe it? He’s flattened Chelsea! He’s hit a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge!”

Stan Collymore v Newcastle, April 1996

Martin Tyler has an unbelievable ability to sense when a big moment is on the horizon. Not only was Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Newcastle one of the greatest matches in Premier League history, but it produced one of the greatest commentaries too.

“Collymore closing in… Liverpool lead in stoppage time! Kevin Keegan hangs his head… he’s devastated!”

Tony Adams v Everton, May 1998

Arsenal wrapped up their first Premier League title with a comfortable win over Everton. Captain Tony Adams scored the fourth in a 4-0 win. Adams was just as rare as Man United not winning the title, Tyler described it brilliantly.

“And it’s Tony Adams, put through by Steve Bould… would you believe it! That sums it all up…”

Paulo Di Canio v Wimbledon, March 2000

Sometimes not many words are needed to describe incredible moments, take Paulo Di Canio’s volley for an example. Martin Tyler is almost speechless when it goes in:

“Oh I do not believe that,  that is sensational even by his standards”

Stan Collymore v Leeds, October 2000

Four years after that goal against Newcastle, Stan Collymore was at Bradford and back doing what he does best, scoring incredible goals. This time Martin Tyler described his over head kick against Leeds.

“COLLYMORE! Glorious goal, Stan is back and HOW!”

Leeds United’s summer transfer business is finally picking up after a quiet summer so far.

Just over a month ago, Leeds announced that former Argentina manager, Marcelo Bielsa, would replace Paul Heckingbottom in the dugout at Elland Road. Leeds fans got a first taste of what next season could entail during a 2-1 win over Forest Green Rovers in pre-season. Since then, the Whites are yet to taste victory after draws against York and Southend followed by defeats against Oxford and Guiseley.

It’s clear that Leeds need to strengthen during the summer window. With just two weeks remaining until the window slams shut, time is running out to complete their business. Only two signings have joined thus far with Lewis Baker and Jamal Blackman arriving on loan from Chelsea.

Bielsa should return to Stamford Bridge and attempt to lure Charly Musonda to Elland Road. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the Belgian forward endured a dismal 2017/18 campaign. His loan spell at Celtic was cut short, and he played just 35 minutes of Premier League football after returning to his parent club.

Chelsea are eager to avoid the same mistake and want to ensure Musonda receives first-team football if he leaves on loan. Leeds could offer the 21-year-old the perfect platform to express himself. With bags of pace and trickery, the ex-Anderlecht youngster could be a huge hit in the Championship.

With a point to prove, Leeds could pick up one of the signings of the summer.

Leeds United fans, thoughts?

Leeds United’s transfer activity has stepped up in the past 10 days and eased the fears of plenty of supporters in the process, but if the club are serious about challenging for promotion they should still be in the hunt for a handful of players.

The Marcelo Bielsa reign is beginning to take promising shape ahead of the new season now that the likes of Barry Douglas and Patrick Bamford have arrived at Elland Road. Both of Leeds’ latest recruits will add a significant layer of quality to their attack, but a recent report from the respected Times journalist Paul Joyce suggests that they could make a shock raid for a Premier League talent before the window slams shut.

According to Joyce’s recent tweet, 4 Everton players have been banished from training with the first-team squad by Marco Silva, including Kevin Mirallas.

The news hardly arrives as any sort of surprise considering Mirallas was effectively frozen out of the Everton team last season, although the Belgium international may have harboured a glimmer of hope that Silva’s arrival could enable him to resurrect his career at Goodison Park.

However, any dreams of first-team football at Everton now appear to be left in tatters for Mirallas, so Leeds should capitalise on the situation as soon as possible.

At 30-years-old Mirallas is far from past it, and the quality of his performances in the Premier League throughout his 6-year stint are more than enough to suggest he would become an instant hit at Elland Road.

Although he typically operates on the left-wing in an inside-forward role, Mirallas is capable of playing as a number ten or on the right-wing, and his natural fluidity of movement in the final-third is certainly a quality which Bielsa will be looking for in potential transfer targets.

From 151 Premier League appearances, Mirallas has notched 29 goals and provided 24 assists, which averages out as a more than 1 goal for every 3 appearances made.

Not only would Mirallas provide a killer instinct in the final-third, he would inject a level of creativity and guile into Leeds’ attack which would bring out the best in the players around him.

Wage demands could well prove to be an issue during negotiations, but after falling off the face of the earth at Everton he may be forced to take a pay-cut to kick-start his career and, if he is willing to lower his financial expectations, Bielsa should do everything in his power to lure a dream acquisition to the club.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to Le Parisien, Jerome Boateng looks set for a switch to PSG this summer, having turned down Manchester United on transfer deadline day.

What’s the story?

Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to bring a centre-back to Old Trafford this summer. Yesterday, as the deadline loomed for English clubs to see their incoming business done, the Red Devils were linked with a host of defenders.

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Amongst the rumoured United targets – including Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweireld and Diego Godin – at one point, a deal that would seal Boateng’s return to the Premier League, and Manchester, looked as though it could be done. 

Reportedly, Boateng, despite being clearly unsettled at Bayern Munich, rejected the move.

United were not the only Premier League outfit who would’ve been wise to secure the signature of Boateng during this transfer window.

Following the loan deal taking Calum Chambers to Fulham for the upcoming season, the Gunners look light at the heart of their defence, despite the recruitment of Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund. 

Unai Emery could well come to rue not having made his own move to land Boateng this summer.

Missed the Boat-eng

On the whole, Arsenal’s incoming summer business looks good. Areas of long-standing weakness, such as the defensive midfield berth, and the lack of depth at right-back, have been addressed with the arrivals of Lucas Torreira and Stephan Lichtsteiner respectively. 

Chambers’ departure though, and Laurent Koscielny’s long-term injury, leaves only Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos as available senior centre-backs on the books at the Emirates.

Both Holding and Mavropanos are very inexperienced at the top level, whilst Mustafi’s flaws were often cruelly exposed last season. Sokratis plays a very similar style of game to Mustafi, so it isn’t immediately clear how he and the German could operate effectively as a partnership. 

None of the aforementioned centre-backs are leaders or organisers either. Arsenal have lost that figure with the retirement of Per Mertesacker.

The acquisition of Boateng, who would’ve brought plenty of experience and authority to the Gunners’ defensive contingent, could’ve helped to balance Emery’s rearguard.

After a poor World Cup showing this summer, and having failed in the Premier League before with Manchester City, Boateng would’ve arrived in England eager to prove his quality. Arsenal would have been wise to offer him that opportunity, but now the chance has gone.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mail, Tom Heaton’s future at Burnley appears uncertain following the arrival of Joe Hart. Ex-Manchester City shot-stopper Hart made the move to Turf Moor earlier this week to leave Sean Dyche with the aforementioned duo and Nick Pope as his three goalkeeping choices, all three of which have turned out for their country in recent times.

And reports suggest that £3.6 million-rated Heaton (as per Transfermarkt) could be the man to suffer, which should be of keen interest to Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson as he goes in search of an upgrade to current Eagles number one Wayne Hennessey.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the goalkeeping ranks at Selhurst Park are somewhat unconvincing heading into the new Premier League season given that Wales international Hennessey wasn’t always faultless for the London club last time round, while long-serving Palace ace Julian Speroni turned 39 back in May to suggest that his best days may well be behind him.

Yet both men turned out for Hodgson’s side last term to suggest that the former England chief isn’t overly satisfied with either, which has been further emphasised by the arrival of Vicente Guaita over the summer, although it remains to be seen how he gets on in his first taste of English football.

Whereas there are no such doubts about Heaton’s capabilities at the top level, as the 32-year-old has more than proven his worth to Burnley in years gone by to underline his status as one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League.

The three-times England international made the move to Turf Moor back in 2013 and has since helped the Clarets to two promotions to the Premier League, before producing the goods in the 2016/17 campaign to help Dyche’s men stave off relegation against all the odds.

Heaton kept an impressive ten clean sheets and shipped just 48 goals as Burnley avoided the drop from the top-flight for the first time in the Premier League era, with the 32-year-old playing as big a part as anyone in keeping them in the top tier.

And while there are likely to be some concerns given he spent the best part of last season out with injury, there is little doubting that Heaton is a better goalkeeper than messrs Hennessey and Speroni, and while the jury is still out on Guaita, he’d have to go some to outdo Heaton’s recent efforts.

Thus, with the future of the Burnley goalkeeper reportedly uncertain following the arrival of Hart, Hodgson’s Palace should be prompted into a move for the 32-year-old shot-stopper.

Palace fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Queens Park Rangers announced on Thursday that midfielder Ryan Manning had joined Rotherham United on loan for the 2018-19 campaign.

Manning signed a new three-year contract with QPR last summer, and made 21 appearances in all competitions for the club during the 2017-18 campaign.

The 22-year-old has also already featured twice for the R’s this season, but director of football Les Ferdinand has been part of the decision to send him on loan to Championship rivals Rotherham.

The QPR fans have been reacting to the news on social media, and it would be fair to say that they are not best pleased with the situation.

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Indeed, many feel that the squad simply does not have the strength in depth to be allowing a player of Manning’s ability to leave at this stage of the campaign.

It remains to be seen whether the decision comes back to haunt QPR this term, but the club’s supporters are not very pleased with what has occurred.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Episode Three focuses on this weekend’s Monday Night fixture – Man United v Tottenham.

James, Christy and Chris are joined by Shoot The Defence presenter and big Manchester United fans, Stel Stylianou, and Sean Cook of @TalkingTHFC as they build up to what proves to be an interesting Premier League clash at Old Trafford.

Man United appear to be in turmoil after their 3-2 defeat at Brighton last weekend while Spurs have started the season relatively strongly despite not doing any transfer business in the summer.

The lads go in to detail about the Mourinho v Pogba saga, Tottenham’s potential lack of ambition and much, much more.

You can listen to Episode Three below or you can also find us on iTunes, Spotify, aCast, Google Podcasts and several other podcast platforms. Just click here to subscribe. 

Enjoy!

Danny Rose is set to snub advances from Paris Saint-Germain in order to remain at Tottenham Hotspur, The Telegraph reports.

What’s the word?

A player who has been surrounded by speculation this summer, it appears the lengthy saga concerning Danny Rose is set to finally come to a close – and it will not see the England international leave Tottenham Hotspur.

The Telegraph states Rose is set to stay at Spurs after impressing Mauricio Pochettino, impressing in training during the past week and making his first appearance of the season in Monday’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United.

That has seen the 28-year-old handed the opportunity to rejuvenate his career with the Lilywhites and he is now set to fight Kyle Walker-Peters and Ben Davies for regular opportunities in the first-team, although the situation could be revisited in January.

Good for Spurs?

Eyebrows will have certainly been raised by suggestions that Rose was surplus to requirements in the eyes of Pochettino, as the experienced defender entered the new campaign in fine form after playing a pivotal role in England’s charge to the World Cup semi-finals.

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While Walker-Peters and Davies are both capable options, Rose’s experience could prove to be vital for the Lilywhites this season – especially when the Champions League returns next month and Spurs are forced to fight on all fronts.

A decision to allow Rose to leave could have certainly come back to haunt Spurs and, although the Doncaster-born defender now faces a fight to secure regular opportunities at White Hart Lane, the right decision has been made.

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Nottingham Forest were the most active Championship club in this summer’s transfer window- comfortably. But with so much money splashed, the pressure on the manager increases. 

Joao Carvalho, Diogo Goncalves, Lewis Grabban, Michael Dawson and Sam Byram are just some of names that Nottingham Forest brought in on either a loan or permanent deal. Owner Evangelos Marinakis made his intentions clear: that he wants his side in the Premier League very soon.

In came proven Championship manager Aitor Karanka at the helm, ready to guide The Reds to the top flight in English football.

But Forest’s shakey start to the Championship this season will be a cause for concern for Marinakis. And the more an owner invests in a club, the more ruthless they tend to be with their managers. Karanka would have known this going into the job, but has only been able to produce one win from the opening six games of the season, drawing four times. Yes, they have made a good run in the League Cup so far, toppling Premier League outfit Newcastle, but that would not have been on the top of the owner’s priority list.

The question now lingers as to how long Karanka is given to get the season going. They sit in fourteenth, and are in no way out of contention of finishing at the top end of the table, but it is a case of whether Marinakis believes Karanka is the main to do it. It is a very good Championship squad, and if Karanka is not getting the best out of it, his time at The City Ground will not be long.

The Reds are certainly not playing badly, and it just takes a few tweaks by the manager, and a few players to find form, before the club plays to their potential. However, it is whether that happens before Marinakis’ patience runs out.