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Most football clubs’ social media teams like to make the most of an event, and many came up with Halloween-themed tweets on October 31.

West Ham United decided to come up with new ‘spooky’ names for a best XI, with ‘Witcharito’ and ‘Marlon Scarewood’ leading the line up front.

The club hoped that the fans would interact by coming up with their own versions, but rather than play along, the supporters took a different approach…

The negative mood among the fans comes from an inconsistent spell on the pitch from the players.

The East London outfit have won just two of their 10 Premier League games, drawing three and losing the other five.

At the weekend, Slaven Bilic’s side squandered a two-goal lead to eventually settle for a 2-2 draw with bottom-placed Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Pressure is growing on the manager and players, particularly as the club reside just one point above the relegation zone.

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are confident that a bid of £55m would be enough to convince Torino to part with their in-demand striker Andrea Belotti at the end of the season.

What’s the story?

Belotti, 23, joined Torino from Palermo in 2015, and the striker has scored 38 times in 67 appearances since making the move to Turin.

It has been widely reported that the Italian international has an £85m release clause in his current contract, which has placed Torino in a strong position when it comes to the future of their prized asset.

Torino were believed to be adamant that Belotti will not be allowed to leave for anything less than £85m, but according to the Daily Mail, Chelsea feel that an initial bid of £55m, with the promise of add-ons, would be enough to convince the Serie A club to sell at the end of 2016-17 campaign.

Belotti’s strike rate of 29 goals in 35 appearances for club and country this season has made him one of the hottest forwards on the planet, although Chelsea are understood to face interest from European rivals if it becomes clear that the striker will be available at the end of the season.

Do Chelsea need him?

Very few things are certain in football, although it appears increasingly likely that Diego Costa will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

The Spain international actively sought a return to Atletico Madrid last summer, while he had his head turned by the riches of the Chinese Super League during the January transfer window, leading to a falling-out with Blues boss Antonio Conte.

Costa has netted 17 goals in 29 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, but his form has taken a downward turn in recent weeks.

Chelsea’s back-up centre-forward Michy Batshuayi, meanwhile, has only scored one Premier League goal this season following a summer move from Marseille.

It does appear that it will take serious money to bring Belotti to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, but Conte is said to be receiving a war-chest of £150m this summer as he bids to take the club back to the top of European football.

The Champions League draw was made last week and the fact that Tottenham would be playing in the competition this season confirmed itself as more than just a dream for some Spurs fans.

The White Hart Lane faithful have been waiting for this moment since the days of Gareth Bale and are rightly excited to see how their new generation do against some of the continent’s finest.

They’ve got a good group too, and it’s one they’ll no doubt feel they can get out of. The London club will face CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco in the group stages with the added bonus of playing their home games at Wembley this season.

There should be no reason why the club can’t get into the knockout stages then but Mauricio Pochettino might feel before the window shuts on this summer’s transfer market that some more signings would go a long way to help them through the group.

There are plenty of options out there and here at FootballFanCast we think these FIVE Ligue 1 stars would be ideal…

Bernardo Silva

Silva has impressed down the right and centrally in midfield for Monaco and should be on Tottenham’s radar. The young Portuguese ace scored seven goals in 31 Ligue 1 games last season and also has six caps for Portugal after making his debut last year.

Clearly, his career is on an upward trajectory and with Monaco starting the season so well his stock should only get higher meaning Spurs might want to act now.

Maxime Gonalons

The Lyon captain is the ideal holding player – something Mauricio Pochettino is rather fond of. The Argentine manager likes Spurs to play with two deeper midfielders, but this can sometimes lead to the team looking rather negative.

If Pochettino wants to flip the midfield three and have one holding player he’d likely go for Eric Dier over the more mobile Mousa Dembele who’d play further forward, but Gonalons should come into the equation as he knows what it takes to be that pivot.

Yann Bodiger

The 21-year-old midfielder has worked his way through the system at Toulouse and became a regular feature in their midfield last season making 22 league appearances. He only scored one goal last year, but it was a vital one as it helped his club avoid relegation against Angers in May.

With this in mind it’ll be hard for the French club to keep hold of him and Spurs should try and test the water.

Lucas Moura

Spurs really need some extra width in their team. They rely on Danny Rose and Kyle Walker on the flanks to overlap, but if they get hemmed in by the opposition Tottenham become very narrow indeed.

Lucas Moura would be an ideal outlet for the club with his pace and trickery, whilst his Champions League experience would be beneficial as the club return to the top table of European football this season.

Rachid Ghezzal

Why stop with one wide-man though? Algerian Ghezzal is part of the exciting Lyon front line that includes Alexandre Lacazette and would certainly fit the profile of Pochettino’s young team, too.

He scored ten goals last season in all competitions, but it’s his link up play that should interest the London club especially given Harry Kane and Vincent Janssen are still working on their partnership.

New Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to reduce the club's wage bill by introducing a bonus-led payment structure, per a new report.

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• Ratcliffe's takeover has been ratified
• United owner plans to bring ballooning costs down
• Club continuing to underperform on the pitch

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per the Daily Mirror, Ratcliffe has set new CEO Omar Berrada the challenge of bringing United's wage bill under control. Their most recent annual accounts show that the club are paying £330m ($418m) to their playing squad, but Ratcliffe is keen to impose a limit of £300,000-per-week for any new signings. They broke through that barrier for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba in recent years.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Manchester City pay significantly more to their squad – their wage bill is in excess of £400m ($507m) – but their treble success last season also triggered immense bonuses for several key stars. United plan to implement a similar strategy, although it may take years for the changes to take full effect, as the club are obliged to keep paying their current stars.

• Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  United are attempting to restructure their backroom team and have been heavily linked with a move to appoint Dan Ashworth, who has been placed on gardening leave by Newcastle. They are also interested in hiring former Liverpool director of football Julian Ward, as well as Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  United are next in action against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup this week, before a huge Premier League clash with bitter rivals City next weekend. Having lost 2-1 at home to Fulham on Saturday, they will be desperate to bounce back.

Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday has condemned the Red Devils to their worst start in 34 years as Roy Hodgson made history.

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Palace beat United at Old TraffordUnited's fourth defeat of the seasonHodgson unbeaten in five at UnitedWHAT HAPPENED?

Ten Hag oversaw United's dismal defeat to Palace, their fourth loss of the campaign, meaning that they have now endured their worst start to a league season in 34 years. Hodgson also made history with Palace's win, as he became the first manager to go unbeaten in five consecutive away games at Old Trafford.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

United now sit 10th in the Premier League table, and are already six points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. They are also nine points behind Manchester City, despite their 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Saturday.

DID YOU KNOW?

In the 1989-90 season, under Sir Alex Ferguson's management, United had lost four games by the end of September, and they went on to finish 13th in the First Division. They did manage to win the FA Cup, however, beating Crystal Palace in the final.

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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

United are next in action in midweek against Galatasaray in the Champions League, before returning to domestic action against Brentford next weekend.

Marcus Rashford scored his 28th goal of the season to give Man Utd a nervy 1-0 win over Brentford on another worrying night for David de Gea.

Marcus Rashford fired Manchester United to a 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday and sent Erik ten Hag's side back into the Premier League top four. The forward is now approaching the 30-goal milestone in all competitions – a tremendous potential accomplishment for a man who has completely changed the narrative of his career in a matter of months.

But this was not exactly an emphatic response to Sunday's 2-0 surrender to Newcastle and United still have plenty of problems to surmount to ensure they are in the Champions League places by the end of May.

Number one is David de Gea's kicking, after the Spaniard had another torrid time with the ball at his feet.

GOAL rates the United players from a rain-soaked and uncomfortable evening at Old Trafford.

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

David de Gea (4/10):

His kicking was very sloppy again while he was inches away from gifting a goal to Ivan Toney. Made amends by blocking a close-range shot from Kevin Schade, though it may have been more a product of poor finishing than standout goalkeeping.

Diogo Dalot (6/10):

An improvement on his shoddy display at St James' Park.

Raphael Varane (6/10):

Won every header he went for and barely allowed Toney a sniff although was beaten for pace by Schade.

Lisandro Martinez (8/10):

Another flawless performance, keeping things ticking over from the back with his precision passing.

Luke Shaw (6/10):

Heavily involved in attacking moves but was bizarrely taken off in the 37th minute, perhaps as he was on a booking or experiencing a minor injury.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Scott McTominay (7/10):

Put his body on the line with several crucial blocks and tackles and came close to scoring in the first half. Would have been United's new No.9 if his fizzing shot had stayed on target!

Marcel Sabitzer (7/10):

Set up Rashford's goal with a lovely cushioned header and was very active in attacking play.

Bruno Fernandes (5/10):

Offered little in attack and picked up a booking.

Getty ImagesAttack

Antony (8/10):

Was one of United's more dangerous players, helping set up the goal and coming close a couple of times to scoring himself.

Marcus Rashford (7/10):

It was not his most fluid display but once more he made the difference with a composed finish. Where would United be without his goals?

Jadon Sancho (5/10):

Another opportunity missed. He was slow and indecisive on the ball in the first half although improved a bit in the second before going off.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Tyrell Malacia (7/10):

Really confident on the ball and quick to snuff out any danger on his side, keeping Bryan Mbeumo quiet.

Fred (6/10):

Came close to doubling the lead but was not as good as Sabitzer.

Anthony Martial (5/10):

Could not create many openings despite the game being stretched. Doesn't look back to full sharpness.

Victor Lindelof (N/A)

Only introduced for the final few minutes.

Erik ten Hag (7/10):

Finally benched Wout Weghorst and was very active with his substitutions to ensure the lead did not slip.

With the Blancos poised to get rid of €31.5 million flop Danilo, Goal looks back at other players who failed dismally at the Santiago Bernabeu

Real Madrid have never been afraid to splash the cash. This, after all, is a club responsible for half of the eight most expensive transfers of all time.

However, the capital club haven't always spent their money wisely. Indeed, for every Cristiano Ronaldo or Sergio Ramos, there's a Kaka or Jonathan Woodgate.

Below, Goal runs through the worst transfers that Real have ever made…

Getty ImagesNICOLAS ANELKA | From Arsenal | €34.5m | 2009

Real took a massive gamble when they signed a talented but temperamental French striker who had already earned himself the nickname ' Le Sulk ' in the English press. It did not pay off. Nicolas Anelka lasted just one season in Spain – but it was an eventful campaign.

His first goal came in the Clasico, while he netted twice in the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich. However, there were just seven goals altogether, not least due to the fact that the forward was suspended for 45 days at one point for refusing to train, with Anelka accusing his Spanish employers of treating him "like a dog".

"Something does not turn around properly in his head," Real president Lorenzo Sanz countered, shortly before selling his  to PSG.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesELVIR BALJIC | From Fenerbahce | €26m | 1999

Real have John Toshack to blame for the waste of money that was Elvir Baljic, as it was the Welshman had been impressed by the Bosnian during his time working in Turkey and, consequently, persuaded Real president to pay a shockingly large fee for the forward.

Baljic's hopes of making an impact in Spain were hardly helped by a knee injury shortly after his arrival but even when fit, he did not look like he belonged at the highest level and he was loaned back to Fenerbahce after just one season, and one goal, in La Liga. He later mused: "It doesn't hurt me to see media listing me among Real's biggest flops; I don't see myself that way." Unfortunately, Real's fans do.

Getty ImagesANTONIO CASSANO | From Roma | €5m | 2006

The fee may have been small but Antonio Cassano was a colossal waste of money. His goal return was dismal (just one in seven appearances), his attitude dreadful and his diet even worse.

"In Madrid, I had a friend who was a hotel waiter," the enigmatic Italian later revealed. "His job was to bring me three or four pastries after I had sex. He would bring the pastries up the stairs, I would escort the woman to him and we would make an exchange: he would take the girl and I would take the pastries. Sex and then food, a perfect night."

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Getty ImagesDANILO | From Porto | €31.5m | 2015

Danilo has openly admitted that it is difficult to deal with the amount of scrutiny players are subjected to by the media in Madrid. "An error, no matter how small, goes viral," he lamented. "A mistake becomes very great even if it is small. But, of course, when you do something good, it is also very great."

Unfortunately, the Brazilian has rarely done anything good since joining from Porto two years ago – he played every minute of every defeat Real suffered during the 2015-16 campaign – and is now set to be sold, with both Chelsea and Juventus inexplicably interested in signing Dani Carvajal's understudy.

Sunil Narine has written to the National League Representatives (NLR) after allegedly being mocked by Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Feb-2016

West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine has written to the National League Representatives (NLR) asking for an independent probe into whether an email that mocked him for “pelting” was sent by Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath.Narine, who was banned from bowling in international cricket on November 29, had undergone biometric testing at Loughborough University after being reported for a suspect action during the third ODI of West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka earlier that month.In his letter to the six-member NLR, a copy of which has been seen by ESPNcricinfo, Narine claimed that Bassarath’s email had been sent on the very same day as his ban to various TTCB officials, including executive member Baldath Mahabir.”If indeed the letter came from Mr Bassarath and I have to stress the ‘if’ right now, it seems that he must have long believed that my bowling action was illegal,” Narine wrote.”There was such venom and almost joy in my being suspended that was evident in the email which said, “Let him start to Bowl !!!!!! He was not turning much in d first place!!!!! Straight ball and faster one all the time. !!!! PELTING !!!!!!!”But in a TTCB media release sent this week Bassarath strongly denied he had sent the alleged email. Bassarath also stressed that he would take legal recourse if the email was attributed to his name in the local media.In the immediate aftermath of his suspension, Narine claimed to have received a sympathetic email from TTCB chief executive Sooraj Ragoonath, a copy of which was sent to Bassarath, extending the board’s support to the offspinner and, soon afterwards, inviting Narine to play in the Nagico Super 50, the regional ODI tournament in which he had been the leading wicket-taker last year.However on December 18, Ragoonath wrote back, saying the WICB would not allow “any person who is debarred by the ICC” to participate in regional tournaments until cleared and that the TTCB had withdrawn Narine from the one-day squad. Narine was subsequently barred from entering the T&T players’ enclosure by the ground security at Queen’s Park Oval.”It was a time of extreme stress for me and I was grateful when I received an email from Suruj Ragoonath, the CEO of the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board, which contained the promise to provide me ‘with all the necessary support’ and invited me to a meeting to discuss how the TTCB could assist me and to get an idea of the support I would require,” Narine wrote.Instead, Narine said that he was taken totally aback on learning that the TTCB was contemplating banning him from bowling in club cricket in T&T. At a TTCB meeting chaired by Bassarath, Narine said, “An attempt was made to change the rules of the national tournament to prevent players suspended by the ICC from participating at the national level.”Responding to Narine’s allegation, Bassarath, through a TTCB release titled ‘Email link denied’, issued by the board’s media manager, stated, “Mr Bassarath wishes to totally disassociate himself from the alleged email currently making the rounds and which is being pronounced upon to suggest that it is authentic.”The president of the TTCB reserves the right to seek legal recourse to clear his name should the alleged email be attributed to him in reports carried in the local media,” the release read.Narine concluded, “Even though I seem to have been denied natural justice by the writer of the email which accused me of “pelting”, I believe that an independent investigation should be undertaken to determine, if it was not Mr Bassarath himself, who indeed was the person who sent the Emails using Mr Bassarath’s known and familiar email address as well as Mr Baldath Mahabir.”The NLR comprises six members elected by the local T&T clubs, and they sit on the TTCB. The members of the NLR are: Dinanath Ramnarine, Daren Ganga, Giles Antoine, Andre Lawrence, Anil Kamal and Clint Pamphille.

Chennai Super Kings entered their sixth IPL final in eight attempts, withstanding and overcoming Royal Challengers’ fightback on a slow pitch

The Report by Abhishek Purohit22-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:36

‘Starc’s presence turning point for RCB’

Chennai Super Kings entered their sixth IPL final in eight attempts, withstanding and overcoming Royal Challengers’ fightback on a slow pitch. Super Kings seemed to have the game in control from the moment Ashish Nehra took out Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the fifth over. But Royal Challengers scrapped their way through to set a fighting target of 140. Their bowlers kept the Super Kings top order quiet in the first half of the chase, and the wickets came in the second. MS Dhoni hung in but fell after levelling the scores. R Ashwin nudged a single off the penultimate ball to seal the win.Both captains had their wish fulfilled at the toss. Dew in mind, Dhoni wanted to chase. Knockout pressure and a dry pitch in mind, Kohli wanted runs on the board.With R Ashwin turning and bouncing the ball right away, the Royal Challengers openers targeted Nehra. Kohli pulled and lofted him for a four and a six after which Nehra asked Dhoni to stand up to the stumps. First ball of Nehra’s next over, Kohli stayed on the crease and tucked one straight to backward square leg.Two balls later, Chris Gayle survived a close leg-before shout. Three balls later, de Villiers was not so lucky, given leg-before with replays showing the ball to have pitched just outside leg stump.Ashwin removed Mandeep Singh soon, and Royal Challengers were limping at 36 for 3 in the eighth over.Gayle bided his time, waiting for Dhoni to bring on his two left-arm spinners so he could attack them. Dhoni brought them on only after Gayle fell in the 14th over for 41 off 43. He instead used the part-time offspin of Suresh Raina after Ashwin had bowled out.Dinesh Karthik and Gayle took Raina for a few runs, Gayle swinging a couple of big sixes over long-on, before Dhoni had his bowler change his line to get the left-hander. Raina went over the stumps, Gayle attempted the third six of the over and the bowler settled under the top-edge.Nehra made his third important intervention of the night when he had Karthik caught at long-on in the 17th over for 28. Sarfaraz Khan made an intelligent 31 off 21 to drag the total to 139 for 8, but as Kohli said later, Royal Challengers were 15-20 runs short.Dwayne Smith holed out early in the chase but Michael Hussey and Faf du Plessis had pushed the score to 61 by the tenth over. They had several close calls while running, and were put down once each, Hussey by Karthik and du Plessis by Gayle.Yuzvendra Chahal broke the stand in the tenth over, bowling du Plessis for 21. Raina’s poorest IPL season with the bat became worse when he charged out second ball and mishit Chahal to long-off.Playing only his third match of the season, Hussey steered the score past 100, relying on the pull and the drive. Two sixes off Chahal in the 16th over reined in the asking-rate, which had almost touched ten.Even after Hussey fell mishitting a pull off David Wiese in the 17th over, Super Kings found the big shot just when they needed it. Pawan Negi swung Harshal Patel over deep midwicket for six in the 18th, Dhoni stepped out to lift Mitchell Starc over mid-off for four in the 19th.Negi was run out in the same over, and Starc broke Dwayne Bravo’s off stump with his last ball, but only five were needed by then, and Royal Challengers were left to rue the rare collective failure of their big three batsmen.

سقط آينتراخت فرانكفورت في فخ التعادل الإيجابي مع خصمه فريق فيردر بريمن، في مباراتهما اليوم ببطولة الدوري الألماني.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من الدوري الألماني، 2023/24، حيث تعادلا بهدفين لمثليهما.

كان فيردر بريمن قد حصل على ضربة جزاء، قبل نهاية الشوط الأول، وتحديدًا في الدقيقة الثانية من الوقت المحتسب بدلَا من الضائع.

ونفذ مارفين دوكش ضربة جزاء فيردر بريمن بنجاح، وحولها إلى هدف أول لصالح أصحاب الأرض.

وفي الدقيقة 50، تمكن رافاييل سانتوس من تسجيل الهدف الثاني لصالح فيردر بريمن.

وقلّص فرانكفورت الفارق بتسجيله هدف عن طريق إلياس سخيري، في الدقيقة 65، بعد تمريرة من المحترف المصري عمر مرموش. أسيست مرموش في مباراة فرانكفورت وفيردر بريمن

ونجح هرفوي سمولتشيتش في تسجيل هدف التعادل لصالح آينتراخت فرانكفورت، في الدقيقة 75.

وشارك المحترف المصري عمر مرموش في تلك المباراة كأساسي، رفقة فرانكفورت، وخاض اللقاء بأكمله.

بتلك النتيجة، حصل كل فريق على نقطة واحدة، حيث أصبح رصيد فرانكفورت 18 نقطة في المركز السابع، بينما أصبح رصيد فيردر بريمن 11 نقطة في المركز الثاني عشر.