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Glasgow Rangers will want to avenge their loss to St. Mirren in the Betfred Cup when they travel to Paisley to take on the Saints in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday afternoon.

Steven Gerrard will be well aware that it won’t be a walk in the park for the 54-time Scottish champions, having borne witness to a humiliating last-gasp defeat at the hands of Jim Goodwin’s side earlier this month.

Besides that humbling defeat, Rangers have been in scintillating form since the start of the season, with 18 wins, two draws and no defeats in the top flight. But with games coming thick and fast this month and next – they play Celtic three days after facing the Saints – Gerrard will want to rotate his squad in the midst of a busy schedule.

With that in mind, Gerrard may decide to bring Calvin Bassey back into the fold to face the Saints at St. Mirren Park.

The 20-year-old has featured seven times in the Premiership this season, but has only started on three occasions so far, with his last appearance coming by way of the fateful quarter-final against St. Mirren in the Scottish League Cup.

He has been left as an unused substitute on the bench for the past three games in the top flight, with 28-year-old defender Borna Barisic preferred in his place instead.

Gerrard’s undisputed first-choice left-back put in an immense shift against Hibernian, but if the Ibrox boss does decide to give Barisic a break, then Bassey surely must be his first port of call to replace the Croatian on the left side.

Equally capable of playing at centre-back or full-back, the Englishman, who turns 21 in a matter of days, could cause Goodwin’s side all sorts of problems bombing up and down the flanks with his bursts of pace and pinging crosses into the box.

Gerrard has been effusive in his praise for the Leicester City academy product, telling reporters after the Europa League game against Standard Liege:

“I thought Calvin was outstanding. For someone who has very little experience, to come into a game as big as that and at that level and perform the way he did made us very proud.

“He’s a fantastic kid, a kid who wants to learn, who wants grow and evolve and with team we’re really confident we can help polish him up and get him to become even better than he is.

“He’s got real interesting attributes right now and he showed them on Thursday night, which was fantastic to see.”

In seven appearances in the Premiership this season, Bassey is averaging 1.7 tackles and one interception per game, via WhoScored.

It’s fair to say that the youngster has turned out to be an absolute gem ever since he arrived at Ibrox in the summer. He bagged his first goal for the club against Falkirk in the Betfred Cup and his endurance and durability could be key for the Gers keeping another clean sheet if he is selected.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard dealt huge blow as Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack remains sidelined due to injury…

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey discussed the penalty incident involving Reece James and Kieran Tierney in Arsenal’s win over Chelsea on Saturday.

In the fixture, Arsenal secured their first Premier League win since November 1st, as goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka were enough to see off Frank Lampard’s side, despite Tammy Abraham pulling a late goal back for the visitors and Jorginho’s even later penalty miss.

However, there was significant controversy surrounding Arsenal’s first goal in the match, when Michael Oliver pointed to the spot after Tierney found himself goalside of James in the Chelsea penalty area, before hitting the deck under very little contact.

“Had the referee not given it, I think it would have stayed not given,” Halsey told Transfer Tavern. “Now, James is the wrong side of him, so whenever when a forward player gets in front of a defender like that, going into the box, as a defender, you can’t get close to him, you’ve got to keep your distance.”

He continued: “So, any sort of contact then he’s going to go down, and you can’t blame him for going down because if he doesn’t go down then there’s no decision to make for the referee and we’ve seen players being fouled, staying on their feet and nothing [being] given.”

Whilst VAR did check the incident to determine whether or not the contact made by James on the Arsenal left-back was indeed enough for him to go down, it was eventually decided that the referee had not made a clear and obvious error in awarding the spot-kick.

And, Sky Sports duo Gary Neville and Alex Scott both appeared to feel that the Chelsea defender was in the wrong, despite agreeing that there was minimal contact, with Neville claiming that James should “should never have made the challenge,” while Scott stated that “once you get skipped by as a full-back like that, you almost have to let your ego go.”

So, all in all, it would appear that the general consensus is that James did indeed foul Tierney, however, this is not something that Mikel Arteta will likely be spending his time worrying about, as he can now concentrate on putting together a decent run of results at the Emirates Stadium, and moving Arsenal away from the bottom half of the Premier League table.

When Aston Villa signed Scott Hogan for a then Championship record of £15m in January 2017, the club would no doubt have expected the striker to deliver on his money’s worth.

Speaking after his signing, then Villa boss Steve Bruce declared: “He has got that hunger in his belly. He’ll give us something that’s been lacking.”

Sadly for Hogan and the club, he was nothing short of a disaster in his time at Villa Park. In total, he managed just ten goals in 61 games, whilst he spent the previous couple of campaigns on loan at Sheffield United, Stoke and then rivals Birmingham.

After getting into a bit of form for the Blues – he bagged seven goals in 17 games last season – the club decided to make his loan move from Villa into something more permanent.

And if Villa have been watching Hogan’s season thus far, then they will be absolutely laughing all the way to the bank.

The 28-year-old has struggled immensely to rediscover the kind of form that convinced Birmingham to

bring him in last summer, managing a measly two goals in 16 games in all competitions.

That hasn’t been down to him making substitute appearances either, with 14 of those matches actually seeing him start from the off. He’s averaged less than a shot per game this campaign in the Championship, evidence of a striker who is woefully out of form and can’t find himself in the positions to test the goalkeeper.

As per Whoscored, his average match rating this season of 6.31 actually ranks him 20th among all Birmingham City players, with only four players below him. Hogan has been shocking virtually all season, and the man with eight caps for the Republic of Ireland looks nothing like the player that convinced Villa to part big money with to sign.

Johan Lange played an absolute blinder by getting rid of him last summer.

Meanwhile, Villa must unleash this academy starlet in the Premier League…

Liverpool are already making moves to try and solve their current defensive disaster. With Virgil van Dijk likely to be out for the rest of the season and both Fabinho and Joel Matip also sidelined, it’s crunch time for Jurgen Klopp.

The manager needs to make quick decisions if he wants to save Liverpool’s chances of silverware this season. As it stands, Joe Gomez is the club’s only fit senior centre-back, which is not a situation anyone expected to see them in.

The Reds have been admirers of Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly for months now and look to have reignited their interest in his services. However, splashing the cash on the Senegal international could end up doing more harm than good to this Liverpool side.

Should Liverpool sign Koulibaly?

At face value, Liverpool would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to bring the 6ft1 powerhouse to Anfield. The Mirror has reported that Napoli would be willing to let the centre-back leave if an asking price of £65million is met. Whilst this is a pretty hefty amount given the current financial climate, it’s doable for the reigning Premier League champions who just splashed £41million on Diogo Jota.

Koulibaly is already tried and tested and would slot into the Liverpool side nicely. He would also make for a superb partner for van Dijk once he returns from injury. When Napoli faced the Reds back in November 2019, the 29-year-old won 100% of his aerial duels and contributed eight clearances, two blocks and 100% of his dribbles, showing a likeness to Liverpool’s No.4 (via Sofascore).

Roberto Firmino was unable to make any sort of impact on that game, with Koulibaly going as far as clearing his huge chance off the line to keep Napoli in the game.

However, whilst he would be a hugely beneficial addition to this Liverpool side, signing the Senegalese defender could also be very costly.

Divock Origi looks set to be leaving the club in January in search of a loan move. International football is currently his priority and he is looking to give himself the best possible chance to feature for Belgium in the EUROs. This will leave Klopp with only Firmino to deploy as his striker, which is a worrying thought for the holding champions.

Fabinho is set to return after a few weeks and could make a huge impact once he returns, this means the Reds can arguably survive until the summer with him, Gomez and Matip. But should Origi leave, Liverpool cannot move forward without a back-up senior striker.

Michael Edwards has a huge predicament on his hands as he decides where to spend the club’s money in January. One player gained could be detrimental in another area of the team.

In other news, Antonio Rudiger should be serious transfer option for Liverpool in January…

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has hardly put a foot wrong since he first arrived at the Ibrox outfit from Premier League side Southampton. Now he has a chance to give a lifelong fan a dream chance to play for Steven Gerrard’s side if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Rangers are considering a shock move for Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean in January.

It’s claimed that Gerrard is closely monitoring the situation as he is well aware that McLean has been in and out of the Canaries first team since they were relegated from the Premier League.

The Ibrox boss is believed to be eyeing a swoop for the Scotland hero in the winter transfer window after he helped Steve Clarke’s side secure their spot for the Euro 2020 Championships next summer by scoring his penalties in the play-off shootout victories over both Israel and Serbia.

Rangers are reportedly lining up either a deal to be paid in instalments or an initial loan deal with the option to buy in the summer. However, McLean signed a new contract with the Canaries only a couple of months ago, which ties him down at Carrow Road until 2023.

Wilson’s time to shine

This is Wilson’s time to shine as he notoriously drives a hard bargain, having developed a reputation for being the key figure in the club’s recruitment during his time at St Mary’s. He oversaw the arrival of former Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk before selling him to Liverpool for a huge profit.

McLean has scored one goal in eight games in the Championship so far this season, despite the fact he has only started four of those games. The Scottish international may decide a change of scenery is in his best interests with the Euros just around the corner.

With the 28-year-old potentially looking to leave Carrow Road and with Norwich feeling the impact as a result of these unprecedented circumstances, the Canaries may have to cash in on the Scotsman sooner rather than later.

McLean, whose market value is estimated at £2.88m via Transfermarkt, has made 72 appearances for Norwich, scoring five goals and supplying eight assists in all competitions so far.

Once hailed as an “irreplaceable” dynamo by Norwich boss Daniel Farke, the former Aberdeen and St Mirren man should be able to hit the ground running. He also has experience of playing in the Europa League qualifying rounds, which is surely an added bonus.

The centre-midfielder, who can also be deployed as an attacking midfielder or out wide, could be the perfect deputy for Rangers star Joe Aribo, who himself has become a versatile option under Gerrard, having replaced Ianis Hagi on the right-wing in recent weeks before the international break.

However, the Gers are hardly short of options in the midfield, as Gerrard can call upon the likes of Steven Davis, Bongani Zungu, Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield as well. However, Arfield isn’t getting any younger, whilst it remains to be seen if Davis will be offered a new deal or not, as his current contract will run out in 2021.

Wilson may feel that he will be able to negotiate a cut-price deal with the Canaries for McLean in the coming months as the Euros loom ever nearer, with the Scotsman keen to add to his 16 caps for his country so far.

AND in other news, Watch out Arfield: Bongani Zungu sends a timely reminder to Steven Gerrard with South Africa display…

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes that losing James Forrest is a “massive” blow for Celtic and manager Neil Lennon.

Forrest out

The 29-year-old is unlikely to return to first-team duties until February, with the Irish tactician confirming that he has undergone surgery on his ankle injury at the start of last month (cited by Glasgow Times).

During the 2020/21 campaign, Forrest has scored twice and provided one assist from five starts and two outings from the bench, averaging a match rating of 7.14, having 2.4 shots per game and accumulating a pass success rate of 89.3% (Whoscored). Lennon is a huge fan of Forrest and described him as “priceless” last season (cited by The Times).

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish compared Celtic’s pain of losing Forrest to Tottenham’s anguish with their star man Gareth Bale.

“Massive loss, a massive loss,” he said.

“We’ve said before about Gareth Bale leaving Tottenham and Tottenham are like: ‘We’ve got £80million to spend, we’ll splurge on six, seven players,’ and you think six or seven can outdo what one player does and that didn’t happen with Spurs.

“It took a long time for a lot of those players to develop and some of them never worked. That’s kind of an example of what I’m saying about special players and, you know, James Forrest has been a special player for Celtic and, not only that, he was a special player for me and for Scotland.

“To lose a key player in your team can cause a disruption to the whole team. I’m not saying that’s the reason for Celtic’s difficult start but Forrest is a player who makes that team tick, even if he’s not in form, it’s just that he puts the fear of death into a defender.

“Even if he’s not at his best and a defender maybe marks him out the game, other players flourish and that’s the things that you don’t really see when you’re involved in the professional side of the game.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

While it could have played a role in Celtic’s demise in the league this season, there are bigger issues in the squad rather than just one player’s absence, most notably in defence.

That being said, Forrest’s statistics alone show that his attacking prowess has been greatly missed.

Time will tell whether Lennon plans to bring in any backup players once the transfer window opens. But whatever happens, the boss will need to bridge the gap to ease the pressure on his shoulders.

In other news: Journalist provides exciting update on ‘priceless’ Celtic star that will delight fans.

According to a report from Calciomercato, Tottenham could re-sign Christian Eriksen in January as Inter Milan entertain the possibility of a swap deal involving either Danny Rose or Dele Alli. This report comes just a week after prominent Italian journalist Mario Sconcerti claimed that the Dane’s situation is now a ‘serious case’. 

Eriksen, who left north London for the San Siro back in January, has found game time difficult to come by under Antonio Conte – particularly this season.

Eriksen return on the cards

On the fringes of Conte’s plans, the £45 million-valued ace could well leave Inter just one year after putting pen to paper on a deal – with journalist Fabrizio Romano recently ruling out the possibility of a loan move.

Indeed, as the transfer guru puts it, Eriksen’s departure from the Serie A giants will have to come in the form of a permanent move – and Jose Mourinho’s side are now being touted with a return for their former star.

As explained by Calciomercato, a swap deal including either Rose, who would strengthen Inter’s left side, or Alli is being entertained as a real possibility – especially considering both men find themselves in a difficult situation under Mourinho.

Transfer Tavern take

Gareth Bale’s return to Hotspur Way was deemed a fairy tale, and with this report now claiming another hero could feasibly return, the story of happy reunions may not have ended yet.

Described as a player ‘Jose really likes’ by Lilywhites legend Graham Roberts and as a ‘genius’ by Glenn Hoddle, Eriksen’s return to Spurs could definitely get fans talking.

Whether or not the move eventually happens is a different story, but judging by these recent claims, you cannot rule it out.

In other news: Spurs have received an ‘amazing’ ENIC update,  find out more here.

Even despite going 1-0 up thanks to a Luke Shaw own goal, it never really looked like Newcastle were going to come away with all three points against Manchester United on Saturday night.

Steve Bruce’s side got off to the perfect possible start as Shaw turned the ball inside his own net within two minutes, but even with that early shot in the arm, the Magpies didn’t seem interested in getting out of second gear.

Bearing in mind that this was the same United team that got demolished 6-1 at home to Tottenham, and it was incredibly disappointing to see Newcastle not being willing to throw any significant punches on a surely wounded Red Devils.

Instead, they were incredibly passive throughout, and the fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took an incredible four times as many shots as them – 28 to 7 – just underlined how frustrating the Magpies were.

But whilst they surrendered a point thanks to a late flurry of goals from United in the final few minutes of the game, Bruce effectively lost complete control of the match with his reluctance to make game-changing substitutions earlier than he should have.

It took until the 73rd minute for Ryan Fraser to be introduced into the attack for a hapless Joelinton, even despite the Scotland international being his country’s match-winning hero in midweek against Czech Republic.

The club’s summer signing would have been on cloud nine following his goal-scoring display, and Bruce could really have tapped into the momentum that he would have built.

And if that wasn’t bad enough in itself, Bruce waited another 15 minutes to bring on Miguel Almiron, having seen Bruno Fernandes give United the lead.

The Paraguayan’s goal-scoring record for Newcastle leaves a lot to be desired – he’s managed just nine goals in 59 games – but his pace and energy would have offered the Magpies a much-needed counter attacking threat.

Instead, Bruce’s in-game management reflected the Tyneside club’s performance: passive, weak and ultimately far too little, and far too late.

Sunderland and Ipswich Town are battling it out to sign former Norwich City goalkeeper Remi Matthews, according to East Anglian Daily Times.

Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson continues to scour the transfer market in an attempt to build a squad capable of winning promotion to the Championship after two successive failures to get out of League One.

One area in particular that needs sorting ahead of the new season is the goalkeeping position, with last season’s number one Jon McLaughlin leaving for Scottish Premiership side Rangers in June.

Matthews has now emerged as a potential target for the Wearside club, having played under Parkinson at Bolton Wanderers. Ipswich are also said to be interested in making a summer move for the 26-year-old as Paul Lambert, like Parkinson, looks to improve his squad ahead of next term.

The stopper made 33 appearances for the Trotters last season in League One, conceding a total of 66 goals and keeping eight clean sheets, before being released during the summer.

The Norfolk-born ‘keeper began his playing career with Norwich City before having loan spells with the likes of Burton Albion, Doncaster Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, as per Transfermarkt.

Sunderland need a new goalkeeper but it remains to be seen if Matthews has what it takes to go from relegation with Bolton to a promotion push with the Black Cats.

Signing him on a free transfer, however, looks like a low-risk move given that he is a free agent, while his previous working relationship with Parkinson could also be advantageous.

Do you think Matthews would be a good signing for Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

Key information about Globe Arena

Globe Arena was opened in 2010 and is now the home of League Two side Morecambe FC. The ground is located on Christie Way in Morecambe and is one of the most modern stadiums in the league.

Its current maximum capacity stands at 6,476 – but with 2,173 seated places – and it has a pitch that measures 105m by 68m. The surface is covered with grass and there is no running track surrounding it.

The record attendance of 5,375 fans at Globe Arena was set on 28 August 2013 when Morecambe faced Newcastle United in the second round of the Capital One Cup.

A history of Globe Arena

Seeing how the Globe Arena was opened in 2010, it’s safe to say it’s still a very young stadium that hasn’t got a lot of history behind it just yet. But even with that being said, Morecambe’s home is certainly a refreshing sight to see down in League Two as the ground is among the most modern and impressive stadiums in the league as a whole.

And before they moved into Globe Arena, Morecambe were playing their football over at Christie Park, which was, impressively, their safe haven since 1921, meaning that they were there for almost 90 years in a row. But by 2010, it was starting to become painfully obvious the ground had started to become obsolete. It may sound harsh but the time was right for the club to leave.

The work officially started 9 May 2009 and the original plan was to have it done just in time for the start of 2009/10 season. But, as fate would have it, some complications along the way meant that it would have to wait until the 2010/11 campaign instead. The first game ever to be played there was supposed to be a friendly clash against Bolton Wanderers, however, all three planned home pre-season friendlies were subsequently canceled because of the issues in finishing the ground.

Instead, Globe Arena was opened with a 2-0 victory against Coventry City in Morecambe’s League Cup first-round tie on 10 August that same year. Still, the first league game ever ended in a 0-0 draw against Rotherham United and they would have to wait until Shrewsbury Town came to visit to tally their first league triumph at their new home, as the game ended in a 1-0 victory for the hosts.

The Globe Arena got its name after the construction company that built it, Globe Construction. The reported cost of the whole process was around £12m and the building can hold up to 6,476 fans, with 2,173 seats available over in the Main Stand, which is the only seating area at the ground.

The stadium also has a gym and a ticket office for the away fans and despite not being an all-seater, Globe Arena is surely a state-of-the-art ground and Morecambe FC should be proud of their new home.

Tickets to watch Morecambe FC at Globe Arena

All tickets to watch Morecambe FC play at Globe Arena can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary depending on the stand chosen, the age group of the buyer and the time of purchase. You can buy an adult ticket for a cost between £16 and £26 but it will go up by £2 if you decide to purchase it on the day of the game.

The club also offers a season ticket scheme for their fans and the price for adults is between £219 and £799, depending on which category you choose.

Related links

https://www.morecambefc.com/ – Official website of Morecambe FC