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Glasgow Rangers have been given a major boost ahead of the Old Firm derby, if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, Steven Gerrard has been cleared for the clash with Celtic. The Rangers boss will not be penalised by the Scottish FA after he received a notice of complaint for comments he made about a challenge on Alfredo Morelos during his side’s 4-0 win over Dundee United in September.

The SFA’s disciplinary panel delivered the verdict after hearing his case last night. He had been accused of breaching rule 72 regarding remarks which “indicate bias or incompetence” on the behalf of referees and match officials. However, this news comes as huge encouragement as the Gers gear up to face their arch-rivals at Celtic Park at the weekend.

Major boost?

Gerrard was forced to sit and wait for a nervous few days before finding out if he would be banned for the comments he made last month when technical problems brought a stop to proceedings on Friday. It’s claimed that this was because of issues with the Zoom connection before the meeting was completed on Monday.

And the timing couldn’t be any better for the Light Blues boss as his team currently sit at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, a point clear of their bitter rivals. Whilst the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho have managed to get away with turning a punishment into a good performance, other managers like Alan Pardew have not been quite so lucky in the past.

In fairness, the effects of a touchline ban almost entirely depends on how much work has been done in the training ground beforehand. Indeed, it is worth remembering that Gerrard missed the match against Motherwell in April 2019, a game that Rangers went on to win 3-0 at Fir Park. But it is safe to say that such a ban would have been a serious blow to their chances of winning the highly-anticipated clash at the top of the table, although he will be able to take his place in the dugout at Parkhead on Saturday.

The club issued the following statement on social media which stated that they were “unsurprised at the outcome of today’s hearing but remain bemused that the charge was brought against our manager Steven Gerrard in the first place.

“We now look forward to focusing on more important matters on the field of play.”

Gerrard’s side beat their bitter rivals 2-1 away last term, although they had alternated wins and losses beforehand. It’s safe to say Rangers are doing rather well at the moment, as they have remained unbeaten in all competitions this season so far. If there is ever a game to lose, it cannot be this one.

Ianis Hagi heaped praise on his “amazing” tactics after he masterminded Rangers’ route to the Europa League last 16 last season.

But Gerrard will need his side to be at their very best when they make the trip to Celtic Park.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers winger Jordan Jones has given Steven Gerrard a selection headache before Old Firm derby…

Former Everton defender Luke Garbutt has officially signed for Blackpool on a one-year deal.

The 27-year-old joins the Seasiders after being released from his boyhood club in the summer. He will be managed by former Liverpool under-23 coach Neil Critchley in their bid to improve on last season’s 13th-placed finish in League One.

Blackpool announced their new signing by using an inside joke that a lot of Everton fans have appreciated. Their screenshot of Carlo Ancelotti during a recent press conference comes from his reaction when asked about Garbutt.

The left-back departed the Merseyside outfit earlier this year after 11 years and the Blues boss was asked about his decision to release him. However, Ancelotti was none the wiser of the situation and simply replied by saying: “Who?”

Many Toffees fans are loving Blackpool’s tongue-in-cheek tweet and have flocked to the comments to applaud the joke. One fan has said the announcement is ‘brilliant’, whilst another thinks that the Seasiders’ media team is ‘class’.

Read more replies from the Goodison faithful below:

Everton fans, what do you think of Blackpool’s announcement? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Liverpool missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League as they were held to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It could have been worse for Jurgen Klopp’s side, however, had Kevin De Bruyne not put his first-half penalty wide of Alisson’s post, following a handball from Joe Gomez.

Diogo Jota was handed a start by the German boss for the game against Pep Guardiola’s side, although he seemed to be playing slightly deeper than he has in recent games, perhaps to accommodate for the inclusion of Roberto Firmino.

Unfortunately for the Reds, the Portuguese international was unable to have the same impact as he did against Atalanta in midweek, when his superb hat-trick earned him a lot of plaudits, with Michael Owen suggesting following the win that it was “a stunning hat-trick” (per Daily Mail).

As per SofaScore, the former Wolves man picked up a 6.2 rating for his display, which was the joint-worst of any Liverpool player during the game.

Whilst Jota was very accurate with his passing, with 23/25 of his efforts finding their mark, he managed just 41 touches during the game and made zero key passes, suggesting that he wasn’t able to have any real impact on the game in an attacking sense.

It can also be argued that Manchester City’s defence and midfield got the better of the 23-year-old, as he was able to win just three out of 11 of his ground duels during Sunday’s game.

However, it has still been an excellent start to life at Liverpool for Jota, with him having scored seven goals in 11 appearances for the Merseyside club since joining from Wolves in the summer, and at just 23-years-old, it can be argued that he still has a lot of time to improve in this Liverpool side.

The forward will be hoping to get back to his best in the Reds’ next fixture, which sees them take on top-of-the-table Leicester City in a crunch clash at Anfield following the international break.

Talk about rounding off the campaign in style. After clinching automatic promotion last week, Leeds romped to a 4-0 victory over Charlton in their final Championship game of the season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were in celebratory mood at Elland Road, and delivered the kind of vintage attacking performance that has been the hallmark of their impressive campaign.

Goals from Ben White, Stuart Dallas, Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton sealed a comprehensive victory for the Whites, but one man in particular proved once again why he is one of Bielsa’s personal favourites.

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Dallas has been the ever-reliable figure in this Leeds starting eleven, playing numerous different positions, and never really letting the side down. He missed just the one Championship game all season, and played in five different roles, including both full-back positions and central midfield too.

It was no surprise that earlier this campaign, Bielsa waxed lyrical about the 29-year-old, saying: “It’s not usual to find a player like that. He can play on both sides, even if he’s right-footed. He has the agility of a winger and is powerful as a defender. Technically, he’s a complete player. He has enough aerial play to play on every level of the pitch. Even if he’s a player of the sides, when he has to play in the centre he doesn’t have problems.”

And against Charlton on Wednesday night, Dallas was every bit of the all-action star that Leeds have come to know and love.

As per Sofascore, aside from scoring his goal, the versatile ace had four attempts on goal, a 100% dribble success rate, 85 touches and provided four key passes. Not to mention the fact he also contributed defensively too, making one tackle and one interception a piece, and making three clearances.

Dallas is Leeds’ Swiss army knife, capable of doing multiple things very well. The kind of under-rated player that you can reliably build a side with, knowing you’ll get a consistent standard of performance from them week-in and week-out.

Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is running out of time at Goodison Park, according to new reports, much to the delight of many Toffees supporters.

According to Football Insider, Carlo Ancelotti is ready to offload the 30-year-old for as little as £5m when the transfer window reopens as the Frenchman enters the final year of his contract.

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Schneiderlin has been at the Merseyside outfit since 2017 after joining the club from Manchester United in a £24m deal and has racked up 88 appearances, but has featured just 18 times this season for a total of 1,184 minutes.

Ancelotti has only selected the veteran defensive midfielder four times in the Premier League since taking charge back in December.

Many fans are eager to see Schneiderlin depart the club following the news.

Here’s how they have been reacting on Twitter…

AND in other news, Everton fans react to Yannick Bolasie exit report…

Sunderland Ladies could face competition from rivals Newcastle United as they hope to sign Middlesbrough duo Olivia Watt and Emily Scarr.

With the coronavirus pandemic bringing a premature end to the 2019/20 Women’s National League North season, Sunderland will now look to next term to see if they secure the league title.

Having been 11 points clear at the top of the table when the league was abandoned, the Black Cats’ ladies’ side were unfortunate not to secure the title and it looks as though plans are now being put in to place to ensure that they seal it in the 2020/21 season.

Sunderland Echo have reported that 23-year-old right-back Watt, who began her career at the club, is ‘almost certain’ to seal a return, having played for ‘Boro over the last few seasons.

Meanwhile, Emily Scarr is also said to be on the radar of Sunderland, having impressed for Middlesbrough on 16 occasions this term in which she scored six times. A potential move for the 20-year-old, however, could be halted as rivals Newcastle have now been linked with interest.

It looks likely that former Wearsiders player Watt will return to the club this summer, but Scarr’s potential arrival could be a slightly more complicated deal,which may involve a heated transfer battle between Sunderland and Newcastle.

The unfortunate turn of events this season saw Sunderland miss out on the title and the potential additions of Watt and Scarr would seemingly make them favourites to ensure that the league is unequivocally won next term.

Do you think Sunderland can sign the ‘Boro duo? Let us know in the comments section below…

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has delivered a new update on Leeds United and the potential investment from QSI.

What did he say?

One of the main talking points surrounding the Whites over these past few months in particular, has been the link between the club and Qatar Sports Investment – the group behind French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

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Now, Hay has sought to clarify those rumours, and insisted that despite all the talk, it’s something that’s unlikely to come to fruition. He said: “The QSI link has been odd. It’s clear that there’s a relationship between Andrea Radrizzani and Nasser Al-Khelaifi but for all the talk, it doesn’t go anywhere. QSI has never done due diligence or made a concerted effort to buy in — and whenever you talk to Leeds about it, they always say that further investment from the San Francisco 49ers is far more realistic.

“That was borne out a couple of weeks ago by Paraag Marathe (one of the 49ers’ executives) admitting that the NFL franchise would like to increase its minority stake. What I can’t envisage is a three-way split of shares between Radrizzani, the 49ers and QSI. I don’t see how that works.”

All talk from QSI

With Leeds securing their return to the riches of the Premier League, Andrea Radrizzani will surely want to see the club become a force in the top-flight once again.

As Hay even suggests, it seems rather illogical for both QSI and the 49ers to enter into a “three-way split” with Radrizzani, and dilute the kind of money that the latter could make just by himself or with one other investment partner.

The club’s Premier League status no doubt has made it much more of a lucrative and attraction proposition for those looking to buy in, but it is difficult to see how Radrizzani may benefit from someone else coming in just when the good times look set to get started.

Liverpool will face Crystal Palace on Saturday as they look to consolidate their place at the top of the Premier League.

So far, they are eight points clear of Leicester City and Chelsea, whilst Manchester City are a further point back in fourth-place. After the international break, Jurgen Klopp and Co will want to pick up where they left off against the Citizens in the last match before the two-week pause.

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With some injuries to contend with, it will be interesting to see what team the former Borussia Dortmund manager puts out. Here, we try to predict his starting XI.

In goal, Alisson should get the nod. The Brazil international was in action for his country on Tuesday, but as a goalkeeper, that should not have too much of an effect on his ability to perform.

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Andrew Robertson pulled out of the Scotland squad with an ankle injury, and previously admitted that he had not trained for two-and-a-half weeks due to the issue. Although Klopp has remained coy on whether he would appear against the Eagles, earlier reports have all but confirmed he will miss the match at Selhurst Park. With a lack of alternatives, James Milner should fill in at left-back.

Virgil van Dijk is 100% fit, the 52-year-old boss confirmed, so he will keep his place in the side, whilst Dejan Lovren should appear next to him with Joel Matip still out injured. At right-back, expect to see Trent Alexander-Arnold once again.

Jordan Henderson was able to have a two-week break, with a suspension and illness preventing him from taking the field for England. As captain, it would be surprising to see him not included in the first XI. Behind him in defensive midfield, Fabinho is proving himself to be somewhat indispensable, so he should start again, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum should feature next to Henderson fresh from his hat-trick for the Netherlands.

Klopp said that there is still a problem with Mohamed Salah’s ankle. He didn’t confirm whether he would play or not this weekend, but it seems unlikely. The comments from the former Mainz boss on Xherdan Shaqiri would indicate it is too soon for the Switzerland international to feature, so we could see Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain play on the right. He has plenty of experience in that position. Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino both got themselves through the break without injuries, so expect them to start.

In other news, Liverpool fans are in uproar at the club’s hierarchy because of one system…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Can you believe it’s been just over six months since the first story about QSI investing in Leeds United was published?

Over half a year of rumours have swirled, the deal has been on and off more times than a light switch, but the whispers still haven’t died down.

Surprisingly, we’ve not heard much on that front for a couple of weeks, but Phil Hay has given us some insight into the current ownership and how willing they’d be to allow the Qataris to invest in the Yorkshire club.

What’s been said then?

The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent was hosting a Q&A on the website, and one fan asked if there was any update on QSI and if it was likely.

“I’m not aware of any more progress but there’s a chance that it will. I think it depends on various factors. If, for example, Leeds don’t make it out of the Championship this season, does Radrizzani have another year of ownership in him? I’m not sure that he does. The door is certainly open for investment.” Hay replied.

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Exciting

While Hay saying that he’s not aware of any more progress may seem rather disheartening, the conclusion of his response should excite a number of Leeds supporters.

The fact that the door is open for investment combined with the interest that QSI have in the club may point towards one inevitable eventuality.

Of course, there are a lot of factors at play such as QSI’s valuation at the club, which currently stands way below what they’re actually worth, but if the door is open there’s no reason why the Qatari firm can’t get involved with the Whites.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects is whether Radrizzani will stay. The current owner has stated in the past that he’s not looking to sell but another failed promotion attempt may well see him pack his bags.

In other news, Leeds fans have been praising one man who they believe has turned a corner

Liverpool fans have been reacting to a massive bombshell on Twitter this week after fresh reports emerged from France over the possibility of replacing one star with another.

According to Le 10 Sport, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp contacted the father of PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe in a bid to convince the forward to move to Anfield, but only if Sadio Mane departs the club for Real Madrid.

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The Frenchman is still yet to extend his contract in Paris beyond the 2022 campaign with his camp postponing talks for at least a year, although it’s also claimed that only a select few would be able to compete with the fee the Ligue 1 outfit would command – expected to be in excess of €200m (£175m).

Mane has been linked with a summer switch to La Liga for most of the season with The Sun recently suggesting the above situation could indeed follow suit.

There have been many mixed feelings amongst the Anfield fanbase, here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Liverpool’s 20 biggest flops of the Premier League era