Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor achieved his 40th cap for Scotland on Thursday night, but the moment was not praised by everyone.

At the moment, plenty of Rangers supporters have an issue with the Scottish Football Association regarding a new story involving Paul Gascoigne.

According to the Daily Mail on Wednesday, members of the SFA board planned to boycott a dinner inducting Gascoigne into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame for his three-year spell at Rangers.

The publication claims that due to the England legend’s troubles off the pitch, which have included incidents of domestic violence, some SFA members turned down their invitations.

However, it has since been claimed by the Daily Mail that the nomination has been withdrawn.

On Twitter, Rangers praised McGregor for earning his 40th cap for Scotland in a United Nations clash against Israel, but the response was mixed.

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Some supporters praised the shot-stopper, others spoke of their frustration at the 2-1 defeat, while a handful expressed their distaste for the SFA.

After a lacklustre start to the season, Southampton currently find themselves 16th in the Premier League table and just two points above the relegation zone.

Prior to their recent 3-0 defeat at home to Chelsea, Southampton had dropped points against the likes of Wolves, Leicester City and Brighton.

And manager Mark Hughes has since sent his side a clear message: we need to be more clinical.

The Breakdown

“Clearly the end game is getting the ball in the back of the net and that’s what wins you games, it goes without saying,” Hughes told Sky Sports.

“It’s not as though we not getting shots off. I think if you look at the amount of shots we’ve had in the season to date it’s up there with everybody.

“It’s just our conversion rate we need to increase. If we do that and we convert more of the chances we create and the shots we take we will score more goals and win more games.”

Looking back at Southampton’s latest loss at the hands of Chelsea, Hughes certainly has a point.

Danny Ings, who in all fairness has looked promising since arriving at St. Mary’s during the summer, missed a very big chance versus Maurizio Sarri’s men and could have changed the whole complexion of the game had it found the back of the net.

But as well as up front, defensively, Southampton have not looked entirely convincing either.

The Saints blew a 2-0 lead against Brighton last month and, in general, never look confident after going in front.

For Southampton, there is much work to be done in both halves of the pitch.

CSKA Moscow’s Nikola Vlasic, on loan from Everton, has made his predictions for the Champions League and his feelings about his parent club clear.

Speaking to Gazetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Croatian said that he believes the Toffees’ Merseyside rivals Liverpool will be crowned the winners of the Champions League this season, but he wasn’t done there.

The 21-year-old, who scored the winner in Moscow’s Champions League group stage victory over holders Real Madrid, then went on to profess his admiration for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, possibly sneaking in a sly dig at Everton as he did so.

“Only the top five or six teams, managed by foreigners like Klopp and Guardiola, play great football. The others only think about defending, […] that’s not how I want to play.”

The former Hajduk Split man was a bit part player at Goodison Park as the club chopped and changed managers and, following Marco Silva’s summer spending spree, has fallen down the pecking order.

However, by the sounds of it he doesn’t seem too bothered and it looks unlikely that there will be a warm welcome when his loan spell in Russia ends.

Here’s how Everton fans reacted to his comments on Twitter…

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According to The Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are looking to sign 16-year-old Southend striker Charlie Kelman. 

This would be a brilliant move by The Villans, for a player that has already been called up to the United States under-18 squad, as well as bagging 61 goals for Southend last season.

This will mean that the future is very bright for The Lions, particularly with regards to their attack. They already have promising youngsters such as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Tammy Abraham at the club, but with the latter likely to return to parent club Chelsea at the end of the season, Kelman would ensure that Villa keep a lot of young quality in their squad.

Furthermore, with Scott Hogan and Jonathan Kodjia, who are slightly more experienced, it means that the club will not be heavily reliant on their younger players next season.

Of course, for now, Aston Villa cannot overlook the importance of signing defenders in the next transfer window, as that is the department where they are the most alarmingly threadbare in, but this will still be a great signing to help elsewhere on the pitch. But the importance of this signing would be that it would not interfere with Financial Fair Play rulings because that does not apply to academy signings. This would give the club the chance to focus any allotted or permitted spending on defenders.

All in all, signing Kelman may well be the best option that Aston Villa have at this current climate, and should be one that they should keenly look to secure.

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Everton fans have been discussing potential transfer targets for 2019, and over three quarters of fans want to move for Red Star Salzburg star Amadou Haidara.

The Toffees have looked extremely dangerous in attack thanks to the influence of Marco Silva, but they are just missing something in the middle of the park.

Andre Gomes looks to be a smart signing, but the Portuguese international is only at the club on a temporary basis.

Haidara could be the perfect signing, as his all-actions displays in the Europa League have been nothing short of exceptional.

Across three European games this season, he has scored once, won two aerial duels per game, and completed 88 per cent of his passes.

His wiry strength, technique and vision make him a threat going forward, averaging over two shots and over one key pass per game.

He is a monster on the defensive end as well, averaging two tackles and nearly three interceptions per game.

The Toffees have been crying out for an elite box-to-box midfielder for a long time, and the 20 year-old Salzburg star could be the perfect man to play alongside Idrissa Gueye.

Haidara has been tipped to replace Liverpool’s Naby Keita at Leipzig, and he may even have a higher ceiling than the Reds’ big summer capture.

76 per cent of fans want to sign the Malian wonderkid in 2019, and you can view the full poll results down below…

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Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to a huge club update, as the Whites have unveiled the return of an old favourite for their brand new third kit.

Leeds travel to West Brom on Saturday for what is sure to be one of the matches of the season and is too close to call according to the odds at www.bettingsites.ltd.

The Baggies have fallen away from the top of the table slightly, but a win would put them just two points behind Leeds.

Darren Moore’s side have scored 33 goals and conceded 24 already this season, and the match has all the makings of an absolute thriller.

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Leeds fans are now more confident than ever about the big clash, after the club revealed its all yellow strip.

There were concerns about a colour clash for Saturday’s showdown, and those fears have now been allayed in the best way possible.

The Whites will wear the strip for the first time this weekend, and fans are now confident of a big win.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Juan Mata is in talks with Manchester United over a new deal at Old Trafford. The Spain international made the move to the Premier League giants back in 2014 after a mightily impressive time at Chelsea, with the 30-year-old having since gone on to score 42 goals in 199 appearances for the Red Devils.

Yet his contract is up at the end of the season but no new deal has yet been agreed, although discussions are reportedly taking place – discussions which should be being monitored by fellow top-flight side Everton as they seek to bring the star quality to progress with Marco Silva’s Goodison Park revolution.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the Toffees appear to be heading in the right direction following the appointment of Silva during the summer, what with his side sat ninth in the Premier League table and having won four and lost just one of their last six league games.

Thus, Everton supporters will surely be looking up and hoping that their side can challenge the top six as the season progresses, but one look at the current squad at Goodison Park and it’s clear that further star quality is needed to compete with the division’s best sides.

And someone like Mata, who has played for two of the biggest teams in the country in Chelsea and United, could be exactly what Silva is after in a bid to continue his revolution on the blue side of Merseyside.

The 30-year-old Spaniard first made the move to English football with Chelsea back in 2011 and immediately started delivering on a consistent basis for the Blues, eventually ending up with 32 goals and 58 assists in just 135 appearances for the club – there’s a reason he twice won the club’s Player of the Season award.

And while he wasn’t able to help Chelsea win the league title during his three-year stint at Stamford Bridge, he did get his hands on the FA Cup, Champions League, and Europa League trophies – thus, he possesses the sort of trophy-winning experience seriously lacking at Everton.

Add in further success at United in adding another FA Cup and Europa League crown, alongside the Carabao Cup last year, as well as World Cup and European Championship glory with Spain, and Mata’s glittering CV would certainly help an Everton team that are seeking to take the next step under new boss Silva.

Yes, the 30-year-old continues to perform when called upon for United, recent free kicks in wins over Newcastle United and Juventus underline that he still possesses incredible quality, to suggest that a new deal may seem likely, but with little over six months until his contract runs out, and no agreement yet reached, he could well leave Old Trafford.

And there’s little doubting that Silva’s revolution would benefit massively from the Spaniard’s arrival – they must be ready to pounce if contract talks break down.

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

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Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has become a key player for his club and England this season, and it begs the question of how much the 21-year-old is worth now.

The Reds signed the player from Charlton Athletic in a £3.5m deal in the summer of 2015, but injury and his lack of experienced limited him to just 10 appearances in all competitions in his first two campaigns with the Merseyside outfit.

However, he became more of a key player under Jurgen Klopp last term with 31 outings in total, and he has become even more important this season with 14 of his 15 appearances coming after he was named in the starting XI.

The youngster has formed a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence and when he has played in the Premier League his side have only conceded on four occasions, while he has also shown his versatility by featuring at right-back when needed as well.

Watch Playmaker FC’s Thogden react to England’s dramatic second-half comeback against Croatia in the video below…

His form for the Reds as led to him becoming a favourite under England boss Gareth Southgate in 2018 – he started Saturday’s Nations League win against Croatia – and he likely would have gone to the World Cup in Russia had he not been ruled out because of injury.

We at Football FanCast believe that in the current transfer climate that Gomez is worth at least 12 times (£42m) what Liverpool paid for him, and we want fans to vote on our poll below to tell us how much they feel the talented defender should be valued at right now.

It’s been a pretty poor season for Southampton this year as they’ve struggled and currently sit 17th in the table. 

Despite rescuing the club from relegation last season, Mark Hughes has been unable to stop the club’s slide down the table and unless they make some serious moves in January, they will be relegated.

According to Football Insider, Stoke City are planning a move for Saints ‘keeper, Fraser Forster if they lose Jack Butland in January. If Stoke do lose Butland, Southampton must cash in on the goalkeeper who has completely lost form and with the arrival of Angus Gunn, is probably third-choice.

The Breakdown

When Forster made the move to Southampton he started off his career on the south coast well. In the last few seasons, however, the former Celtic man’s form has dropped severely and for the second-half of last season, he was replaced by Alex McCarthy who has kept his place in the first-team this season.

Moreover, with the arrival of Angus Gunn over the summer, Fraser Forster has found himself further down the pecking order. While the former Man City man may not be the first-choice goalkeeper at the moment, he will certainly take over from McCarthy in the near future.

Forster has not featured in a matchday squad for Southampton this season and if a suitable bid comes in, they must take it. He has no future at the club, and Southampton need to get him off their books while a team is interested.

Thoughts Southampton fans? 

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Middlesbrough sit second in the Championship table on 34 points, despite scoring the fewest goals of any of the teams in the top eight.

It remains to be seen whether the lack of a regular goalscorer harms the team this season, particularly during the busy festive period.

The Chalkboard

Boro’s 2-1 win over Brentford at the weekend moved them onto 34 points, and they are two points off Championship leaders Norwich City after 18 matches.

Boro are four points clear of seventh-placed Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, and will fancy their chances of staying in and around the top six come the end of the season.

Tony Pulis’ side have comfortably the best defensive record in the Championship this season with just nine goals conceded, but the fact that they have only managed 21 down the other end of the field is a concern.

To put those numbers into context, Norwich have 32 goals this season, while the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United have 39 and 31 respectively.

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Boro will be tough to score against this season, but there is a problem in the final third as they lack a player capable of hitting the goal trail.

Who is struggling this season?

Jordan Hugill led Boro’s line against Brentford at the weekend, and the on-loan West Ham United forward scored to make it three goals in his last two matches.

It is difficult to rely on the 26-year-old for the remainder of the season, however, and the supporting cast of Britt Assombalonga and Rudy Gestede have both struggled.

Assombalonga does have five Championship goals to his name this term and is the team’s leading scorer, but his overall game has been criticised, whilst Gestede – only just back from injury – is yet to register.

Boro’s success this term has been built on a strong defence, and they also have a number of talented midfielders who have contributed this season.

Bringing a new striker to the club in January will surely be high on Pulis’ list of priorities, however, as there will be a big problem if gaps start to open down the other end of the field.