#one less on the acl squad

[uniquestudentpersonaoaf]

Attention everyone! Leah Williamson is back in matchday squad!!!!! Even if she doesn't get to play today, this is huge! I'm so happy for her!

#leah williamson #arsenal wfc #arsenal #acl #one less on the acl squad #i'm so happy #this is huge #Can't wait to see them all playing together again #this just made my month #I'm feeling as emotional as I did with seeing Beth And Viv back in the squad #coyg #The Arsenal FC #red and white

[reminiscingtonight]

Joyride

Leah Williamson x Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: Only Fletcher can help get me out of a writing slump

[WOSO Masterlist]

You’re not sure how this happened.

You’re supposed to hate her, supposed to despise the very ground she walks.

But here she is, Leah Williamson, in your kitchen at hours so early they would be considered blasphemous to the normal everyday person. Dressed in nothing but one of your boxers and ratty college t-shirts, you can’t help but rake your eyes over her figure. 

Leah’s got half of her face buried in your fridge, looking for some food, but still, you’re not sure if you’ve ever seen anyone more beautiful.

Letting out a quiet sigh, you tear your eyes away and refocus onto the spoon in front of you. Given that you weren’t really expecting any company last night, Leah can’t really blame you for not having much in your fridge to offer as breakfast.

You were quite nearly asleep yourself when you heard the knock on your door. An extra long training session paired with the club you went to the night before left you with barely enough energy to shower and microwave some leftovers when you got home. Only about half of it was eaten before you decided to call it a night and trudge up your stairs, your bed already calling for you. It was there, halfway up the stairs when you heard the clear rap of knuckles upon the door.

Though you were bone dead tired, the second you opened the door to see Leah, suddenly all traces of sleep flew out of your mind. You fisted a hand in her shirt, dragged her in for a bruising kiss, and the rest was history.

You look back up when Leah lets out a cry of triumph. There’s an air of smugness around her as she takes a bite of the peach she found, somehow looking so goddamn attractive even as the nectar drips onto the table. If Leah was literally anyone else you would be up in arms about keeping your kitchen sanitary. But given the less than PG things she did to you here last night after showing up unannounced… well let’s just say it would probably be a bit hypocritical of you to tell her to be more mindful of your kitchen counter.

And there you have it. A very domestic scene with Leah, the two of you enjoying the minimalistic breakfast whipped up on the whim. 

God, how did you end up here?

Before a couple years ago, you only knew briefly of Leah. And then the Euros happened. The second England knocked you out was the second you decided to make an enemy of the English captain. It was bad enough your own captain tore her ACL moments before the entire tournament began. All hopes of making her proud ended with your own departure from the tournament.

In your dreams the quarter-final ended differently. You and the Spanish girls tore up the field and ended up bringing the trophy home. But then you woke and news of the pending transfers broke, and then you were sat with the idea of having to share your every breath with two Euros winners at training every day.

And thus came the beginning of the end.

In all honesty, you didn’t hate Leah long.

With the addition of her best mate to your squad, it was no surprise how often Leah came over to Barcelona. Keira’s appearance paired with Lia’s relationship with Mariona left Leah with a multitude of excuses to continue showing up to games and nights out with the team.

It sure didn’t help that after one particular night where the two of you drank a little too much, the two of you woke up tangled in your sheets wrapped up around each other. Despite your attempts at calling it a one night thing, one night turned into two and two into three and then suddenly every time Leah came to Barcelona the two of you ended up spending at least a couple hours together in bed.

Neither of you have really broached the topic much. Somewhere along the lines, everything changed. Though the sex was still very much there and still very very good, you guys began going on what could be considered dates. You showed Leah all the best places in Barcelona. She introduced you to her best friends at home in London. You surprised her by going to a couple of her games, she returned the favor just as quickly. In all pretenses the two of you were dating.

But you are a girl with standards, and those standards meant waiting until Leah came up with the nerve to actually ask you out before explicitly turning this into a real relationship.

And here you are, still waiting.

“I’m hungry.” 

You’re broken out of your thoughts by a sheepish looking Leah. Clearly the peach wasn’t filling enough by the guilty look still on her face.

It’s honestly more evidence of your failure as a host, but you can’t help but poke fun at her a bit.

“Well that seems like a you problem. I’m still eating.” As if to prove your point, you give your spoon another lick.

Leah raises an eyebrow at your clear challenge. “I want actual food.”

“What, peaches aren’t enough?”

“Peach. Singular. And I need more than one to be full. I’m an active girl after all.”

You snort. “Oh are you? I could’ve sworn I’ve seen you kicking balls around with the rec team down the street.”

Leah’s mouth drops open. You swear she actually looks offended at your jest. “Rec team? I’ll have you know Arsenal is the best football club anyone could play for.”

“Yet you’re here. In Barcelona. We actually have a big girl’s team here if you want to join.”

“As if I would ever,” she scoffs.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” It’s your turn to be on the defensive. Having come up through La Masia, you were Barcelona bred through and through.

“Oh hush you, I know Kei has been trying to convince you to manipulate me to join. You guys may be my favorite people but I’ll leave Arsenal when hell freezes over.”

Your heart makes a strange flutter at Leah’s admittance of fondness for you, but you do what you do best and deflect instead. “And here I was, thinking you came to see me.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t.”

“Oh, so now I’m supposed to believe you hopped on a flight to Barcelona in the middle of the season just because you wanted a quick fuck?”

“Well I…” Leah looks a bit awkward as she tries to explain her presence. “Lia didn’t want to fly over here alone. So like a good friend…” she trails off with a wince.

Having too much fun to leave this alone, you continue to prod at her. “You call hooking up with me being a good friend to Lia?”

“Psh, semantics. She’s here to see her girlfriend too. It wasn’t like we were going to see much of each other anyways.”

“Oh, so we’re girlfriends now? Don’t think I ever got that memo.”

Leah’s face flushes a bright pink. “That’s not-- I wasn’t saying-- Don’t get me wrong--”

She buries her face in her hands when you burst out laughing, clearly having caught on to what you’re doing now.

“Stop teasing me! I barely got any sleep last night!”

“And whose fault is that?”

Leah rolls her eyes before breathing out a long breath. 

When she sets her shoulders, you can almost see the return of cocky Leah. She rounds the counter, coming dangerously close to you.

“Put the spoon down.”

It’s your turn to raise an eyebrow. “Make me.”

Leah’s grinning when she gladly does as you say. One hand comes to grab at your wrist, the other finding purchase on the tabletop behind you. 

You watch with half lidded eyes as she guides the spoon to her mouth, hand never touching the silverware itself. Before you know it, she’s licked clean the peanut butter, leaving you with nothing but a new kind of hunger burning in your veins.

Leah hasn’t even let go of your wrist before you’re hooking a hand behind her neck and dragging her in for a kiss.

If Leah wanted to see just how good of a girlfriend you’d be, you would just have to show her.

And what better way than to introduce her to your bed again?

#leah williamson x reader #leah williamson imagine #woso x reader #woso imagine #Ace writes

[greynatomy]

the one that got away

alessia russo x reader

second part to regret. had a lot of fun writing this and might do more polls if i can’t choose for myself again. also, ignore how many times rory’s age is asked. didn’t realize how many times i wrote it in.

part 1

———

“Gather ‘round girls!” Jonas’ voice brings Leah back to the present.

Everyone comes together at the middle of the gym, waiting for what Jonas is gonna say.

“Just wanna welcome everyone who was in Australia back and also our ACL squad. We’re all glad to see you all up and running.” Everyone cheers and claps. “Now, I wanna welcome our new signing, Alessia Russo.” Alessia walks towards the group awkwardly, not wanting to trip.

“Hi.” She gives a small wave.

“Don’t be shy Lessi. We’re all friendly.”

“Yeah! We don’t bite!”

Over the course of the week, Alessia gets situated with the team and the dynamics, learning how to play with her new team.

“Mrs. Russo, someone’s been calling your phone. It’s says there’s ten missed calls.”

“From who?”

“Amore Mio.”

Everyone’s attention is now on Alessia, all curios about the girl’s significant other, judging from the name that the trainer said that was shown on her phone.

“Hi, love. What happened? So, she’s fine. Yeah. Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I love you. See you later.”

She gives her phone back to one of the trainers, telling them to inform her if you were to call again.

“What was that all about?” Katie asks in her usual loud voice.

“Oh, sorry. My daughter got hurt at preschool.”

“Wait. Hold up! Daughter? You have a daughter?” She didn’t know who asked, but saw the rest of the team walking closer to her.

“Uh, yeah.”

“How old is she?”

“She’s three now.”

“And I’m guessing you didn’t carry cause you’ve not really took a break from football.”

“Nope. Won’t be carrying any babies in me. Freaks me out a bit, but my wife happily did it.”

“So you have a kid and a wife and none of us knew about it?”

“No one really knows. We wanted to keep it to ourselves. I didn’t want the public knowing and plastering their face in the media yet, and we like our little bubble.”

“Not even Tooney knew?”

“Oh, Tooney knew. She had to give the best friend talk and all that. Wanted to know her opinion before anything turned serious and now we’re four years strong, three of them married.”

“So, when do you think we’ll meet ‘em?”

———

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Not really, but have to be. I’ll be seeing a lot of her more since you’ve transferred.”

“It’s been five years too, she’d probably moved on, yeah?”

“Don’t know Lessi. I hope so. Now let’s get little princess dressed.”

“I’ve already dressed her, babe. Just waiting on you.”

You looked at her skeptically.

“You? Dressed Rory?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alessia asked, offense written on her face.

“Nothing bad, Less. Just, you turn her into a mini me every time.”

“And she loves it every time. I love when the two of you match. My favorite girls.

“And when this baby pops out of me, no doubt he’ll be a mini you.”

“I won’t be outnumbered this time.”

———

“Sorry, I’m late. Kid ran away while I tried getting her in the car.” Alessia explained, walking to where everyone was gathered in the backyard.

“You’re fine. Now, who is this little one?”

“Wanna say your name bubs?”

“I Rory. I dis many.” She says holding up three fingers.

“Woah. That’s a lot of fingers.” Your daughter giggles.

“Did that wife of yours come?”

“Yeah, she probably went to the—”

“—Sorry. I had to go to the washroom. It’s nice to meet you all. Name’s—”

“—Y/n.” Leah finishes, shocked, voice shaking.

“…Hi, Leah.”

“You two know each other.” Katie asks, intrigued how the skipper knew you.

“Uh, yeah. We used to be close friends.”

“No. She was my wife.” You could’ve heard a pin drop from how silent everyone was.

“Okay. Woah. There is a lot to unpack here.”

“And they can do it privately.” Alessia intervened.

“You know about our history.” Leah turns to Alessia, hurt all over her face. She was close to the girl, being on the national team together and the whole time she was in a relationship with her ex-wife.

“Of course I do. She’s my wife.”

The dinner was pretty awkward for a bit after the interaction. Rory have been playing with some of the other girls, you staying by your wife’s side getting to know her teammates.

Eventually, Leah got the courage to go up to you.

“Hey, uh, do you think we could talk?”

You look up at her, seeing the nervous look on her face.

“Sure. Honey, help me up.” Alessia grabs ahold of your hand and the other on your arm to stabilize you. “Let’s go inside.”

You go to little sitting area in the corner of the living room, away from everyone, but not out of sight. There was a couple seconds of silence, very awkward silence.

“Are you just not gonna say anything?”

Leah apologizes. “Uh, how’ve you been?”

“Doing pretty good.”

Another awkward silence.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really know what to say. I’ve had five years to practice what I was gonna say to you if I ever would run into you, but it just slipped my mind. But I guess I wanted to apologize and say that I took you for granted. I don’t deserve your forgiveness at all for being distant, lying to you about where I’ve been doing or going… for, uh, cheating on you. I’ve hated myself the second it happened.”

“Why’d you do it?”

“What?”

“Why’d you do it? Was it something I did that made you go to another that you should’ve gone to me for or—”

“—No! God, no! You did nothing wrong, it was all on me. I don��t really have an explanation as shitty as it sounds.”

“It’s been five years and I do forgive you. I think I forgave you the moment I met my wife. I needed to close the door on our relationship to be able to truly love her how she should be loved, so I forgive you. Doesn’t mean that I’ll ever forget. But you are forgiven.”

“Thank you.”

Before anyone can say anything else, your daughter runs to you, climbing into your lap.

“Hi, Mommy.”

“Hi, baby. You having fun?”

“Yeah! Stephy and Kya (Kyra) pway with me.”

“That’s so sweet of them.”

Leah watches your interaction with your daughter, a sad smile on her face.

“How old is she?”

“Hey, Rory. This is Mama’s teammate Leah. Can you tell her how old you are?”

“I free!” She holds up three fingers towards Leah.

“Woah! You’re so big! And you have a little sibling on the way. Can I ask how far along you are?” The question directed towards you.

“I’m five months along. It’s a boy.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you! Well, it’s been great catching up with you Leah. I’m glad you’re doing well.”

Leah watches you walk away, your daughter on your hip, towards your wife who was chatting up with a few teammates. She watches Alessia grab Aurora from you, giving you a smile and a kiss, seeing the love you two have.

Maybe in another life, one she hadn’t screwed up on , that could’ve been you and her, but she was just glad that you have someone who lived you the way you deserve to be loved.

Now, that she got everything out of her chest, she would be able to move on, but you’ll always be the one that got away.

#woso x reader #greynatomy #woso #woso imagines #woso imagine #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo #leah williamson #leah williamson x reader

[mysticfalls01]

The Decision

(AWFC x reader)

Getting your first call up to the senior team was terrifying.

When Leah tore her ACL she was devastated and was worried for her team. She knew that there was a spot available in the first team for Arsenal and she knew exactly who the right person was to cover her position until she was ready to comeback.

She had been following your football journey with Arsenal’s academy, you joined the academy when you were only 12 years old and ever since you had been there.

Leah Williamson is your idol; she is the one who inspired you to become a defender. You wanted to do the same as her, go through the academy ranks until you could get your debut with the first team.

As soon as she realized that her spot was available, she told Jonas about you. Nothing else would fulfill her heart more than another talent from the academy playing in her place.

The moment Jonas accepted her recommendation you couldn’t believe it, with only 18 years you were going to have your debut.

When you learned that Leah was the one who recommended you the tears started coming out. You immediately sent her a message thanking her for the recommendation while also saying that you wouldn’t disappoint her.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Playing your debut was a dream came true. The team received you with open arms and quickly adopted you as the baby of their family. Katie became the cool aunt, Leah, and Lotte your big sisters, Beth and Viv became your team mums even if they still were in recovery and Steph became your mentor.

After having an incredible performance for the games that you played last season with the first team Arsenal offered you a formal contract so you could stay with them.

Not only Arsenal noticed your amazing performances but so did Serina Wiegman. You had played for England U’19 team however, you hadn’t had your debut for a senior team and with your father being Dutch either of both national teams could call you up.

Sarina called you after the World Cup, she told you about the possibility of playing for the senior team of the Lionesses. When you received the call, you were in shock, in less than a year your dreams of playing for a national team and for the first team of Arsenal could come true.

A few days later Andries Jonker called you to see if you were interested in playing for the Oranje Leeuwinnen.

In the Arsenal locker room, everyone knew that you could play for both national teams and with the Nations League starting soon you needed to take a decision. You were scared to see the reactions of your team when you had to take the decision.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Everyone in the locker room wanted to know your decision as it hadn’t been announced so, as everyone started changing clothes for the training session a discussion started.

“Oi! y/nn. Have you decided for which team to play?” Katie asked with a loud voice.

“Her favorite color is orange, so the answer is obvious” Vic said with a proud smile

“No! We all know that her future is to be a Lioness!” said Beth also with a proud smile

“Yeah! White really suits her so no doubt she’ll be a Lioness!” Alessia said

Leah could see in your face a worried expression. She sat next to your cubicle and whispered “y/nn it doesn’t matter for who are you going to play I’m proud of you. Everything that you have accomplished in such a short time has been incredible. You’ve earned it”

It was time for the training session and the discussion was still going on.

“Girls! We need to start! I’m sure that y/n will take a decision soon. Whichever team she decides to play for will be lucky to have her. So, let’s start training” you couldn’t help but to send Jonas a thankful smile as you hated to be the center of attention.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

It was the day when the squads for the firsts Nations League games were going to be announced.

Your decision had already been taken as you called. Some days ago, you talked with one of the managers to thank him/her for the opportunity but that you had decided to play for the other national team.

The whole team was in the cafeteria eating when a sound from the television called their attention.

“Breaking news!

The squads for the Nations League games have been announced. Arsenal’s talented young defender y/n l/n has taken her decision! Y/n has decided to reject the offer from the Dutch National Team and officially is a Lioness!”

As soon as those words left the Sky News presenter mouth you could see your team’s reaction.

Katie was receiving 20 pounds from Lia as they had a bet going on.

The Aussies were giving you proud smiles as they knew that your dream of representing a country was coming true.

Beth and Alessia started singing “It’s coming home” jokingly and Lotte couldn’t help but to laugh at them.

Viv and Vic were giving them fake sad faces.

And finally, Leah, she had an enormous smile on her face.

Viv and Vic stood up and hugged you.

“y/nn don’t worry I know that you started creating fake scenarios in your head about Vic and me being upset at you and those couldn’t be farther from the truth. We are proud of you” Viv whispered to your ear.

“Yeah y/nn! Remember that if it doesn’t works the Oranje Leeuwinnen will always be there for you” Vic said winking at you.

You gave them a shy smile and before you could talk Alessia took your hand a brought you next to Beth, Lotte and Leah.

“y/n! I can’t wait for you to formally meet Tooney!” said Alessia.

Beth and Leah couldn’t help but to jokingly groan as they knew that a chaotic trio was about to be formed.

“Also, y/nn you can learn a lot from Millie and from Lucy!” said Lotte.

You let them talk while you realized that there was nothing to be worried for. Arsenal was your second family, and nothing would have changed even after the decision.

#arsenal x reader #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso community #woso one shot #lionesses x reader #lionesses imagine #awfc x reader #awfc imagine

[wileys-russo]

face masks and horror films II l.williamson x reader

can’t decide if I love this or I hate this but we do love hopelessly soft girlfriend banter 🫶🏻

face masks and horror films II l.williamson x reader

"jesus babe what the hell is in this? it smells like literal petrol." leahs face twisted into a disgusted grimace as she sniffed the top of the bottle, yanking her head away immediately as you moved the flyaways off of her forehead, tucking them behind her ears and tying her hair back into a loose bun.

today was a day you knew would be nothing short of gut wrenching for your girlfriend, the lionesses world cup squad was to be announced, and leahs name wouldn't be on there.

though she was doing well at hiding how much it obviously hurt, unlike others you were not as easily fooled and knowing the older girl like the back of your hand you saw right through her act.

none the less you were still wanting to respect that the defender clearly didn't want to make much of a fuss over it or even talk about it.

though knowing how much it was actually affecting her you'd used the excuse of being stressed out from your own work load to talk her into an at home pamper day of sorts, with the real intent being to try and take her mind off the squad roster.

you'd been by her side and in her corner every single day since she'd gone down and done her acl, and it had hardly been easy given the your girlfriend was quite honestly one of the most stubborn, independent, strong willed, and sometimes pig headed women you'd ever met, but you loved her dearly for it. 

her burning passion and fierce loyalty made her the perfect leader and the most protective and loving of partners, but it was the moments where her walls were down and she was vulnerable and honest and open with you that really made you fall so deeply for the older girl.

your paths had first crossed at a local park, leah our for a walk with her mum enjoying the rare appearance of sunshine on her day off.

you babysitting your troublesome nephew had hoped some fresh air and a kick around of a ball would help to tire him out, and had promptly whisked him off to the park with you.

you were hopelessly naive though and instead had spent the afternoon tiring yourself out as he ran rings around you, energy supply seemingly endless as he zoomed around the park.

only six years old, tall for his age and far from the most self aware of children with his head in the clouds more often than not. it wasn’t long before he’d quite literally slammed into the back of an unsuspecting leahs legs, taking her down to the ground as he chased after the football you’d toe punted in the wrong direction.

“i’m so incredibly sorry oh my god are you alright??” you’d sprinted over as the girl got to her feet, tailbone throbbing and ready to give a very unimpressed mouthful to the parent of the pocket rocket which had taken her off her feet without so much as a hello.

only the moment her eyes fell to you her mouth dried up, words dying on her lips as any ounce of ill will or anger dissipated. “yeah I’m okay.” leah had managed to stutter out, her mum seeing the slight blush grow on her daughters cheeks and excusing herself with the lie she needed to make a phone call.

“archie oliver green you come here right now and apologise to this poor lady!” you shouted at your nephew as he collected the ball he was chasing in the first place. face paling he scurried over and rambled out an apology toward leah, looking up at you for approval as you nodded, running a hand fondly through his hair before excusing him to continue playing.

you continued to apologise yourself over and over to the unfamiliar blonde who waved you off each time, though after much pestering accepted your offer of buying her a coffee in return for the trouble.

and from the moment you’d teased her for ordering a hot chocolate instead, the rest was history.

"leah you're being ridiculous it literally has no smell." you rolled your eyes, snatching the bottle of face mask mixture back off of your girlfriend and squeezing a small amount of its contents onto your palm. 

"nope, there is no way that's going on my face." leahs hands grabbed at your wrists holding them firmly away from her. the blonde leant back with a determined shake of her head as you again tried to move forward to start applying the charcoal mask to her cheeks, your own already beginning to dry.

"you already agreed!" you protested with a huff trying to pull your hands from her iron clad grip. the two of you stood in the bathroom of your shared north london flat, you had already made quick work of hinting to your girlfriend that a day of self care would really help you get over the stress you were under at work which was a lie. 

and though the idea of caring for you was always a priority in the forefront of leahs mind, a day of skin care and pampering was more to the blondes displeasure.

"well that was before i realised you'd just be slapping mud on my face!" leah argued as you puffed air out of you nose in annoyance, firmly staring the older girl down. "for god sakes leah we just had this discussion, it's not mud!" you groaned loudly as she finally let you go, allowing you to move to wash your hands where the charcoal mixture had already dried on your palm.

"it's good for your skin and you'll feel good once it's done le, i promise." you tried again adding in a charming smile and a tilt of your head as leah simply narrowed her eyes, cute as she found you she wasn't giving in that easily to your demands.

admittedly it normally didn't take much for leah to give in and give you whatever you wanted, hell the blonde defender would spoil you rotten every day if she had the chance. she was always sneaking off to get the dinner bill or paying for activities ahead of time on date nights to stay one step ahead of you, shutting up your whinging about it with a kiss and a mumble of how you deserved it against your lips.

"alright i'll make you a deal." leah started with a deep sigh as you crossed your arms over your chest, begrudgingly nodding for her to continue.

“if I let you put this shit on my face, we're watching a movie of my choice later, no arguments from you at all about what i pick." leah negotiated as your eyes locked, neither of you backing down.

"leah if this is just an excuse for you to make me watch porn with you-" you began as leahs eyes widened at the accusation. "scuse you i'm a good girl i would never do that." the blonde grinned as her hands reached out to ball your top in her fists, tugging you to stand inbetween her legs where she was sat down on the edge of the bath tub.

"thought you wanted to watch game of thrones?" you challenged, your girlfriend having been sure she made it crystal clear that even with your often conflicting schedules neither of you were to watch a single minute of your current shared fixation without the other. 

"changed my mind. we have a deal?" leah raised an eyebrow as her hands wrapped around the back of your legs. her chin came to rest on your stomach, piercing blue eyes staring up toward you as she patiently awaited an answer.

you sighed deeply before nodding, knowing that with all she had going on it really wouldn't be fair of you to deny her just watching a movie of her choosing.

the main turn offs for you only being you knew she would either put on a documentary which was incredibly boring or a horror film, neither of which would be your go to choices.

"look who finally learned what a compromise is." you mumbled under your breath, nudging leah's knees further apart you moved in closer as the english captain pulled her head off your stomach and closed her eyes, hands running absentmindedly up and down your bare sides, you once again squeezing a small amount of the mask mixture onto your hands.

"i would personally say allowing you to hide your face in my chest when we watch a horror film is a very fair compromise my girl." leah stated calmly, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

you rolled your eyes in response her words all but confirming you would both be watching something scary later, starting to gently cover her face with the mask mixture, leah tensing a little and gripping to you tighter as the cold cream touched her skin.

"leah williamson, englands new face of chivalry." you sighed sarcastically, squirming as the blonde pinched at her your side for the comment, rather enjoying her easy access to your skin as you were only wearing a pair of her england joggers and a cropped black tank top.

"how long does this have to stay on for?" leah complained almost immediately as you finished, stepping away to wash your hands before stashing the bottle back on the top drawer of your mirrored cabinet.

drying your hands you slipped your phone out of your pocket, snapping a quick picture of leah when the girl wasn't looking and sending it to alex who'd gifted you the bottle of expense face mask cream she'd gotten in one of her many pr packages.

"twenty-ish minutes, come on i'll paint your nails next." you offered, holding your hand out towards the older girl and wiggling your fingers impatiently. "wasn't this pamper day for your benefit baby?" leah chuckled as she grabbed at your hand anyway. "it's for both of us, and looking after you makes me just as happy if not more." you answered sincerely, dipping down to steal a kiss from the blonde whose heart melted at your words.

leah stood from the baths edge and gratefully squeezed your hand, hating how much she truly was whipped over you, forever teased by her friends and team mates about it this was just further proof in the pudding.

"i'd say pick a colour, but..." you grabbed the small bottle of white nail polish knowing better than to offer something more bold, leahs lips curling into a smile as she sat down on your shared bed, tucking one leg underneath her and carefully moving her bandaged leg to lay down flat, still not having the largest range of movement in the new knee.

"oi i've been meaning to ask you, why the hell do we have so many cushions?" leah questioned abruptly with a frown as she moved several off the bed and wiggled herself into a comfortable position as you sat down beside her, urging her to stay still as you began painting the nails on her left hand. 

"decoration? comfort? cause i like them?" you shrugged without looking up, eyes focused sharply on your girlfriends hand determined not to mess anything up.

"you throw them all off when we sleep anyway, I just don't understand it." leah shook her head making you smile though your eyes stayed trained on the task at hand as you bent her head, gently blowing on the wet varnish and warning her not to move her hand until it dried.

"i don't always throw them off." you defended quietly, moving carefully onto leah's other hand and frowning a little when you noticed your girlfriend had once again been chewing on her nails, an anxious habit you thought she'd stopped, but you decided against mentioning it right now.

"we have never slept with them on the bed." leah quickly disagreed, bringing her left hand to her mouth and also gently blowing on the wet nails to help them dry faster

"well you're not always here are you." you mumbled, leah hiding a smile at the thought of her girlfriend using cushions as a replacement for her when away for the night, which though rare did still happen, especially during the WSL season.

"if I could move my face I'd kiss you." leah commented dryly making you laugh, the older girl trying to move her face which had hardened quite significantly from the mask. "that means it's working." you grinned happily, leah now blowing on the nails of her right hand.

"can i do yours now please?" leah asked softly not having much faith she would do a good job but always wanting to give back to you the love you poured endlessly into her.

with a happy nod you stood and picked out a pale purple for your own nails, sitting down cross legged and speaking the blonde through the task, rewarding her with a soft kiss as she finished each nail, the sweet action only spurring her on further.

as leah finished your first hand her phone began to ring, her best friends name flashing on the screen as leah clicked accept and put it on speaker so she could continue. "hi scotty." leah called out, eyes trained down to your hand as you smiled proudly at her obvious efforts.

"how's the face mask going then spock?" alex teased as leahs eyes flickered up to you with an unimpressed glare. "you sent a picture to her? babe!" the blonde groaned as alex laughed, the three of you falling into comfortable conversation.

"what are you both up to tonight then?" alex asked after she'd finished recounting her morning spent rubbing elbows with celebrities at a charity brunch. "self care and pamper night!" leah answered perkily, voice dripping with sarcasm as you shook her head and playfully kicked at her, careful not to touch her bandaged leg.

"we're gonna watch a movie later if you care to come join?" leah offered, finishing up your nails as you beamed proudly and gave her a proper kiss, alex making gagging noises over the call and complaining she didn't call just to hear the two of you make out.

"which movie then?" alex asked once the teasing had died down. "poltergeist." leah announced happily and your eyes almost bugged out of your head at his words, the older blonde looking to you as if challenging you to argue with her choice. "oh pass thanks, joey had nightmares for months when we watched that for the first time as a family."

"months leah!" you turned to your girlfriend with fear stricken eyes who simply shrugged, unbothered. "deals a deal." the blonde smiled smugly, shutting up your further protests with another kiss as alex gagged again and bid you both goodbye, needing to get back to her event.

"right that's twenty minutes, get this crap off my face now please." leahs phone chimed with an alarms, the blonde swinging herself carefully off the bed with a small squeak.

"You set a timer?" you asked in disbelief, following her back to the bathroom. "my face feels like a rock is this going to take my skin off?" leah asked worriedly, looking at herself in the mirror as you rolled your eyes and pushed her to sit back down on the edge of the bath.

"honestly leah and you tell everyone I'm the dramatic one in this relationship."

***

"feels nice doesn't it? told you the mask works." you smiled noticing leah constantly touch at her face fondly, the defender hastily pulling her hands away and flipping her girlfriend off as she clicked on the tv, scrolling through netflix to find what she wanted.

the two of you had ordered a chinese for dinner and with much begging leah had agreed the two of you could watch an episode of game of thrones as you ate, your plan that she would be too invested to want to watch a film after failing miserably as she turned the show off after two episodes and ordered you up to the bedroom.

"come." leah ordered, making grabby hands at you where she lay down already in bed, patting the empty space between her outstretched legs expectantly. "needy." you teased with a cheeky smile as leah pouted, whining that you were taking too long.

despite her sometimes tough exterior the older girl could be incredibly clingy when she was in the right mood, often tiredly demanding you run your hands through her hair and scratch at her back as she laid down on top of you after a hard training, falling asleep with her head tucked into your neck as you mumbled in her ear sweet affirmations of just how much you loved and adored her, and how proud you were of all her achievements.

since her surgery the two of you had been up and down to say the least. some days leah not wanting any sort of coddling or to hear your insistent positive comments that she was doing well, too engrossed in the reality of what her injury was holding her back from to focus on what she was working towards. 

but a few hours of stony silence would pass as you gave her the desired space she needed and afterward the blonde would always come crawling into bed with you, murmuring a sincere apology as she pressed her face into your neck, slowly trailing gentle kisses down the column of your throat, teeth tugging teasingly at your ear lobe before she'd go in for a proper kiss to show how sorry she really was.

"oh wait, lights." leah nodded to the switch near your head as you gave her a look. "you turn it off or I turn it off, it's not staying on. baby girl we never have lights on when we watch a movie, it ruins the atmosphere." leah teased with a grin and you flipped her off without looking and engulfed the room into a soft darkness, padding your way back to the bed purposefully dragging your feet as leah impatiently tutted, huffing dramatically at your antics.

"oh i'll protect you gorgeous." leah mocked as you carefully sat down on the bed and slid your back into her front, mindful of her knee, the defender squeezing your cheeks between her fingers with a coo.

"don't patronise me williamson." you warned seriously, wrenching her hands off and crossing your own over your chest as leah simply chuckled and grabbed the bowl of popcorn, resting it on one of the many cushions scattered around the bed, both of you laying together on top of the covers as it wasn't all that cold. "sorry, y/l/n." leah apologized with an amused smile.

you sighed deeply as the movie began to play and your girlfriends arms snaked around your waist, hands resting on the warm exposed skin of your stomach and rubbing comforting circles into your hips with her slender fingers.

***

normally when the two of you watch a film together one of you would wind up asleep before the end, and it was usually you.

however tonight was far from that. 

the movie had about half an hour left and you were rigidly awake, to the point where leah could feel the muscles in your abs tense every time you would squeeze your eyes closed at something you deemed scary.

much like right now, leah knew there was a jump scare coming and could feel your stomach tense under her fingers as you braced yourself for what was to come. the music shrill and daunting on the screen infront of you, hinting that there was something sinister to follow.

"ah!" leah suddenly yelled, digging her fingers into your sides right before the jump scare when the movie had fallen dead silent. "fucking hell!" you swore, tipping the near empty bowl of popcorn in your lap all over the bed from shock as you jumped half a foot from the false scare, leah's body vibrating behind you as the blonde threw her head back pissing herself at your expense.

"fuck you leah!" you swore again bringing her clenched fist down hard on the blondes bare thigh of her good leg, numbing it with the force of the hit as you yanked your girlfriends arms off of you, moving the now empty bowl out of your way and getting to your feet.

"i'm sorry!" leah managed to choke out between her laughter, now laying down in bed as she held her stomach trying to catch her breath among her howls. "no baby come back please!" leah called out with another laugh as you stepped into the bathroom, making a point to slam the door closed after you to show your displeasure with the blonde.

"no, get away from me." you ordered moodily, sticking your leg out as a barrier as leah joined you and attempted to give you a hug, the older girl smirking at you as she grabbed her own toothbrush, the two of you wordlessly completing your night time routines

"you know you can't stay mad my pretty girl you're far too in love with me." leahs breath was warm on your skin as she wrapped her arms around you from behind once you'd returned to your bedroom, pressing a few apologetic kisses to your neck as always.

"your ego fueled confidence is nauseating." you mumbled with a roll of your eyes but didn't make any move to pull away only making leah smile against your tanned skin. "don't be so stroppy." leah teased quietly, now perfectly painted fingernails tracing patterns on your stomach. 

"don't you want to finish your stupid movie?" you huffed, unwrapping the girls arms from you and moving toward the bed to pick up the few popcorn kernels which had spilled in the bed after your fright, placing the bowl on your dresser to take downstairs tomorrow, not bothered to take the stairs this time of night.

"no I think there's other things I'd much rather do." leah hummed with a suggestive smile. "oh you wish!" you let out a bark of laughter catching on with a shake of your head, getting into bed and indeed throwing the cushions onto the floor.

"not happening leah, go to sleep." you shot your leg up again, foot pressed against the defenders chest as the girl slipped under the covers with you, moving to kneel between your legs and staring down at you with a charmingly cheeky smile.

grabbing her girlfriends leg leah easily pushed it aside, cold hands resting on the younger girls hips as she laid down half on top of you, body slotted between your bare legs, you having changed out of her joggers into a pair of silk pyjama shorts.

"i'm sorry-" leah began to apologise, hands moving to rest either side of her girlfriends face as she laid down more, body pressing against yours beneath her. "-sorry that you are so easy to scare." leah finished after planting a sweet kiss on your lips, you now shoving her off of you with an unimpressed grunt.

"the offer of hiding your face in my chest is still on the table, even without the movie." leah grinned burying her face in your neck, teeth nipping suddenly at the skin as you squirmed. "oh really?" leah smiled in surprise as you quickly moved to sit on top of her, legs resting either side of the blondes hips, once again mindful of her knee.

humming without another word you dipped her head, trailing kisses from the older girls jaw down her neck before bringing your lips together in a proper kiss. and for once you weren't so quick to give over control to the captain laid down under you, your own tongue sliding into her mouth as cold hands trailed up the inside of the light t-shirt that covered her body, pushing it up slightly as her breath hitched.

leah moaned slightly as your knee made its way between her legs, pressing down gently making you smirk against her lips as her hips bucked, the blonde clearly riled up as you'd wanted. "i'm sorry-" you started, whispering in leahs ear softly as her eyes fluttered closed.

"-sorry that this is all you're getting." you finished with a grin, all traces of your touch disappearing from leahs body as you rolled off of her, laying back down in bed facing away from her as the older girl immediately begin to loudly announce her protests, sitting up in bed and glaring down at you as the sound of your laughter now echoed off your bedroom walls.

"you're lucky you're cute." leah grumbled as you smirked up at her, grabbing at the collar of her top and tugging the taller girl back down into your awaiting arms. adjusting her position leah shuffled down the bed slightly, head coming to settle on your chest, her eyes feeling heavy as your fingers weaved their way through her hair, nails scratching at her scalp as you melted into one another's tender touch.

unbeknownst to you leah had known from the moment you suggested the pamper day today what your true motives were, and even more to her surprise it had actually worked and she'd found her mind hadn't even drifted to thoughts of the world cup, spending the majority of her time focused on you and away from her phone.

and the sincerity of your attempted rouse only made the blonde fall even more head over heels in love with you.

#woso #woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso imagine #engwnt #woso blurbs #leah williamson #fic recs #leah williamson x reader

[hoe4sports]

Ruesha Littlejohn | Camp, confessions and Katie

A/N: Mentions of blood.

I was tackled by Katie fucking McCabe for the 3rd time in less than an hour. Did I mention that we are back in Ireland on the national squads practice? At this pace, I’m not even gonna make it till the fifa women’s in Australia next month.

I pushed myself of the ground again, both of my knees ripped up with my shorts. I brushed the dirt from my legs and looked up at Katie. “Katie, I swear to god, one more time and I’ll hurt you!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Me and Katie never got along very well. Especially now that there were rumors of her cheating on my bestfriend with Foord.

I stood there staring while trying to calm down. Ruesha then pointed to her nose signaling that my nose was bleeding. I wiped my nose. Low and behold, there was blood. That was the final straw for me. Even thought Katie was stronger than me, I was faster than Katie. I looked at the blood on my hands, and decided that I was done. I lunged after her as she started running at 90% capacity. I held on right behind her running comfortably. Katie was slacking and I was still feeling frisky. We ran around the field 3 times before I decided that I was done chasing, so on the last round I tackled her right in front of the team cooler. I tucked her arms under my legs and opened up the cooler, pouring pure ice at her. She screamed as she tried to get away, but I just sat there shaking my head. “You absolute ass” i muttered as i took some ice and shoved it into her shorts and her sports bra as I got up.

We had all played for the under 16’s and 18’s together but for some reason I couldn’t stand her. Her attitude was horrible, she was a terrible friend and she was even worse to Ruesha. The numbers of times that I had picked Ruesha up because Katie had caused a fight or gotten black out drunk was outrageous. I had told Ruesha multiple times to leave Katie, but she just couldn’t.

Later that day, we were split into teams. White and green. As soon as I saw Katie being put on the green team, I knew that meant trouble. I rolled my eyes as I turned to Ruesha. “She’s ruthless” I said as I rubbed my nose, still in agony. A few weeks prior, she took out my jaw and dislocated it in a match between Arsenal and Chelsea. And the little fucker didn’t even get a red card. “Any questions?” The coach said as she threw white vests on us. I raised my hand as I eyed Katie “What are the rules like?” I asked and the coaches shot me a dumb look. “The regular rules, Benedicte. Anywa-“ and I cut her off. “Okay, so the only way for Katie to get carded is if she physically kills someone on the field?” I asked sarcastically. The coach rolled her eyes and told us to get ready.

I got in my position with Ruesha behind me. By the look of Katie’s horns I knew I was in for a hell of a game. The game went on and after I had been tackled 3 times, pushed 5 times and kicked twice in my non existent acl; I decided that I had gotten enough. I pushed myself off the ground and looked at Ruesha. “Be nice, Benedicte” she said with a concern in her voice. “Mmm” I said back with the fakest smile I’ve flashed someone. Now, I wasn’t really planning on doing anything until Katie pushed Ruesha face down in an attack. As Katie rushed past me with the ball, I rushed after and shoved her straight into the ground, pretending to miss the ball as I kicked her arm and then caught up with the ball as I passed it on. Her team was screaming for a card while she was laying flat on the ground, but the coach looked at us and screamed “figure it out” know that it would cause more problems than do good.

Truth is, I loved Ruesha first. No really, I actually did. When we were teenagers, we had something going before McBastard came and swept her off her feet. It had been a turbulent relationship between them since day one, yet Ruesha pretended that everything was fine. I knew that Ruesha was suffering, and lately things had taken a turn for the worse with Caitlin Foord joining, McBastard’s team Arsenal.

We ended winning 7-4 over the green team and as I came home, I was immediately fast asleep. I woke up 4 hours later with everything aching, “fucking McCabe” I mumbled to myself as I tried to find my phone so I could orientate myself. “22.48” I mumbled and decided I was gonna go back to sleep. A second later I realised that I had 82 missed calls from Ruesha.

I was about to call back when I heard banging on my door. “Fuckn hell” I mumbled as it sounded like someone were about to rip my door of its hinges. “This better be important be cau-“ and then I was cut off by ruesha sobbing in the pouring rain with a soaked bag next to her. I used a few seconds to access just to make sure I wasn’t sleeping. “Rues, what on earth is going on” I said as I dragged her inside, but she just sobbed and clung to me like cligwrap. Here we go again I thought to myself.

She showed me her soaked phone as she sobbed, revealing pictures of Katie and Caitlin at a party with the arsenals a few weeks prior. I pulled her in for a hug, and for the first time; I actually felt bad for her. “Okay, I’m getting soaked as well. How about you put on something dry and I’ll find something hot to eat yeh?” I suggested as she sniffled and shuffled with her bag to the bathroom leaving a trail of water. “Jesus” I mumbled to myself as I realised that all her clothes was probably soaked, so I grabbed a sweatshirt, socks and shorts from my own closet. “Hey, is there a chance I cou-“ she yelled from the bathroom as I opened the door. “Could borrow some clothes? Yes” I said as I threw it towards her. She thanked me , and I went to the kitchen. I didn’t really have any proper comforting foods, so I chucked a frozen pizza in the oven.

Later that evening, we found ourselves sitting in my bed while eating and looking out at the busy life outside. It was Friday, so there were tons of people in the streets. Mostly drunks but also random people. “You see the man with the fedora? He thinks he is Mexican because his father is 1/8 Mexican.” I said and Ruesha laughed while I pointed him out. “And you see the muscle bro with the tiny dog? His girlfriend brought it but now he is stuck with it.” Ruesha laughed again as I smiled. “My turn! She pointed out a girl standing in the corner on her phone outside of the bar. “That girl is only at the bar for the pictures and then she’s going home” she joked, and I laughed. I always laughed at her jokes, both bad and good jokes. Anything to see her smile. I couldn’t resist myself as I pointed out a girl with the same blonde hair as mine with the same light blue eyes. “And she, she has liked her bestfriend since they were teens but her bestfriend dosent know and is dating a human version of an asshole” I finished, and Ruesha laughed so hard that she was crying. I mentally slapped myself as I had hoped that she would’ve gotten my hint. Oh well, patience is my key.

“So, I’m tired and you woke me up mid nap. I’m gonna sleep now, you can do whatever you want as long as you don’t rip a hole in my wall or rearrange my living room.” I joked as I yawned. I laid down and Ruesha followed after.

“Benedicte?”

“Mmm”

“Can I share something”

“Mmmm”

“I think it’s over for real this time.”

“You’ll get through it.”

“And what if I don’t”

“Then I’ll pull you out if it.”

I grabbed her hand, and I drifted off to sleep.

#woso imagine #katie mccabe imagine #ruesha littlejohn

[samkerrworshipper]

Jonas needs to be gone, this is a fucking horrendous outcome what the fuck.

Anyone who says we don’t need Viv, Arsenal finished third last season because of all the Viv did before her acl, we made it so far in the champions league because of her goals.

We had Viv back for what 1 or 2 games and we finish third.

Where will she go? She’s just got a puppy and is so clearly in love with Beth that I’d doubt she’d go abroad.

Part of me hopes she’ll try something new and sign for Celtic and completely dominate the SWPL but I doubt it.

i get it on the injury standpoint and i hardly think that this would have been solely arsenals doing

i’m getting the vibe of a one year contract to somewhere a little bit more relaxed with less expectations to give viv room to ease back in (something that is hard for her to do at arsenal considering how competitive the squad is) get her confidence back up and then maybe she’ll come back

i can’t see her and beth being away from each other as a long term plan i feel like this is purely for her career to get her back to having the same confidence she did

maybe wolfsburg? i know they’ve lost a lot of their team heading into next season so they could be an option or maybe one of the lower down wsl teams

[himbeaux-on-ice]

i am. feeling a little sad about max. this week.

idk, just. to be one of those players who plays for the sheer overwhelming joyful love of the game, but is also intensely, extremely competitive, and to have been sidelined by flukey injuries three times last season and still kept pushing and coming back, because you've never let bad injury luck stop you before. and in the games you do play you are producing at the absolute best rate of your career, but you can't be in enough games and the team founders in part as a result of your absence, and even though you come back for the stretch and you keep scoring and scoring despite everything, it's not enough. the team misses the playoffs. you avow that you believe the squad you have can run it back next season healthy and do the big things that were expected, can come back and win. you ask for this chance at redemption. you do nothing but say you believe.

and your team, the team that made you re-discover your love of hockey after a miserable couple years and which you do nothing but sing the praises of the entire franchise and city, the team that you scored more goals for than anyone else while you were there, the team you wrote an entire essay about being so excited to become a part of, the team you call family, unceremoniously trades you away for less than nothing, as a salary dump because they were stupid, paying a team to take you by adding in a young defenceman too.

you pack up and move your family, your young kids who are deeply embedded in the local youth hockey community and your wife, out of the city you said you fell in love with, that you said fit so well, that you made your year-round home, and across the entire country. you don't come back for your friend's wedding (the kid who was traded with you does). you don't say goodbye to the fans. your agent says you saw it coming for a while, because of your contract, because of the cap mess, because this is what this team does (because they did it to his last client too). you say you're just looking forward now, not back, you're excited to take part in things with your new team and getting to know your new city. you say you're 100% healthy for the first time in a while. you say you're better off without everything about your old team that you said you loved so much just a few months ago, you say that all that stuff that was so good and kind of them made you weak actually. you say you're looking forward to skating with your new teammates. you go skating in your new jersey and borrowed gloves.

you immediately tear your acl and have to get surgery that will sideline you into the new year, six months, no skating. your old team suffers an injury that means they could have afforded to keep you anyway. they use the cap space to replace you with a guy who hasn't missed a game to injury since 2009. you are injured and sitting with your family in a new city thousands of miles away with months without hockey on the horizon. fans of your old team say they dodged a bullet, getting rid of your fragile self when they did. your old friend turns down money from the team that just threw you away to come and join you. the kid who you were traded to your second team in exchange for, who ended your last playoff run with a thud, takes up the captaincy that you once had, what feels like a lifetime ago - when you wore that letter for the first time you cried with pride, and then stood tall through three years of people saying you should be stripped of it for being too sensitive, too weak. 'i stood up there with a gun to my head every day and i took it. i'm proud of myself for doing so'.

the people who were your best friends in the world and your second family six months ago talk around your name in interviews, talk as if nothing major has been lost, as if you just vanished into thin air. everyone in the news talks about you in "maybes" and "ifs" and past-tense, when they remember to talk about you at all. the season is on the horizon and you still won't skate for months now. the athletic top 100 players list comes out and this year you've fallen right off of it. the nhl network top 50 comes out and you're not anywhere on it at all. you are 33 years old, 34 soon, battered and bruised and covered in scars and you've been through nearly unimaginable things and been written off and come back before. when they speak of you they say that maybe you're getting too old to keep pulling off the magic healing trick anymore, they say you're in the latter years of your career. the teammates who you came into the league with as young men are retiring, stepping back, waiting for contracts that might not come - they are getting old. fourteen seasons is such a long, long time.

you built your career up from absolutely nothing on the back of just sheer deep abiding love of the game, you accomplished so many genuinely impressive things (captain, olympian, 800 games, 600 points, 300 goals, lead your team in goals for half a decade, 40th most points by an american-born player ever and 22nd most goals), you came back from the unimaginable, you held up unimaginable weight upon your shoulders, you took torrents of abuse, you stayed kind through all of it, despite.

you still don't have a cup. you always get shown the door from these cities you fall in love with, always because of someone else's mistakes, always 'it's not you, it's me'. you've never been given a truly long-term contract, at least not one that pays you fair; you're nearly 34 now and that means that you never will. you have a happy family whom you dote on, you have a career you can already be so proud of. you still don't have a cup. you still don't have a cup.

the first time you ever stepped on the ice with skates on, you instantly fell down and cut your chin open. your mother, a mexican immigrant who had never skated in her life, took you home crying and thought you wouldn't ever want to do it again. the next day you asked to go back. she bought you a helmet with a face cage, and back to the ice you went anyway, despite.

the first time you ever played hockey, after signing up on a whim, you took a penalty on your very first shift and the ref had to help you to the penalty box because you didn't know how to skate. you fell down all over the place. it was embarrassing. you kept going back anyway. you kept going, kept learning, kept playing, until you got drafted as a first-round pick, despite.

when you were twenty-two years old, the largest player in the entire league put your head into an aluminum turnbuckle that braced up a pane of unforgiving hard-plate glass, the old-fashioned stuff, going full speed. when you hit it, it sounded like a gunshot. when you hit the ice, some people thought you might be dead. when they stretchered you off with a broken neck and a concussion, almost nobody thought that you would play hockey again. you sat at home rehabbing and watched the guy who hit you hoist the stanley cup. you returned to the ice six months after the hit and broke out for the best damn season of your career to that point, leading your team in scoring and only going up and up and up from there, despite.

this is what you do. this is who you are. you will take it on the chin, get up, wipe the blood off, and keep going, despite all doubters. you always get up. you always keep going, despite, despite, despite. even as it gets harder and harder to prove that to everyone, harder and harder to make your patchwork body get back up. to prove that you're not done yet. not yet.

the season that should be your fifteenth is starting without you. the hockey world moves on and forgets you. your spot is filled by younger, healthier, faster, cheaper, by committee, by anyone else but you. four more months, four more months. you play the waiting game and hope that there will be no setbacks, that when you get back to play you won't have to start this cycle all over again. you still don't have a contract past this season. four more months, four more months, four more months. fifteen years.

you still don't have a cup.

#apologies i just. had to exorcise this somewhere. #was brewing for about a week but the athletic list hit some kind of nerve today #max pacioretty #god this isn't even comprehensive. like i actually left stuff out. jesus christ #i hope he's doing okay. i really do. i really really do

[alexbkrieger13]

https://www.tumblr.com/alexbkrieger13/719774742695067648/also-the-players-them-self-magda-among-others

As someone who've followed Sweden before 2016 I can safely say the super defensive low block tactic they made use of against both USA and Brazil in Rio 2016 wasn't how they later played in the final against Germany or how they'd played in previous championships. In Euro 2013 it was full speed ahead. When it was time for the semi final against Germany (who else...?), Schelin had scored more goals alone than the German team had scored together.

Idk what the fuck went down for the World Cup 2015 more than Schelin and Pia after the last prep game were seen discussing for a long time on the middle of the pitch, 17 players in the World Cup squad had niggles and Folkesson tore her Acl in one of the two last prep games. The physios and medical staff worked more or less around the clock to get the players ready for gameday. It was so extreme that staff from other national teams said to them "How do you do it, how do you cope?" Despite everything, Sweden did the best match with the 1-1 against USA. It was the only match where USA dropped points.

Peter has been credited by many players for evolving Sweden's game and give the team more tools in the toolbox. But it has come at the expense of the defense. He's said they never train defense, they focus on other things. I can't be the only one to have noticed Sweden's defense has declined since 2019-2020. It doesn't look as compact and solid as it used to be.

The 2015 wc was like the euros on steroids. Idk if the defence has been expensed for the most part. Their more open to attacking instead on just sitting back and going on the counter with this generation works better.

[sanjosenewshq]

2020 49ers Participant of the Yr named Kinlu on injured reserve with Mosley

ATLANTA – Defensive interference in Javon Kinlaw’s profession, 49 injured gamers, is on maintain indefinitely. Kinlaw, having missed the earlier two video games with a swollen left knee, was included within the injured 49-man squad on Sunday, together with nook again Emmanuel Mosley, who picked up a knee damage on the finish of the season final Sunday. Kinlaw underwent surgical procedure a 12 months in the past to restore the ACL and, after beginning his first three video games of the season, has been suspended for the previous two victories earlier than he’s now disqualified for no less than 4 extra on the IR record. Kinlaw was the top-picked 49ers in 2020 (14th total) and missed 17 of his 24 matches as a consequence of knee issues. On Friday, 49 Kinlaw gamers had been disqualified from Sunday’s recreation in opposition to the hosts Falcons. He may also miss fellow defensive deal with Eric Armstead for the third time in 4 matches, though he averted the injured reserve. Thus, there will probably be no less than 5 and presumably essentially the most defensive gamers among the many high 49 defensive gamers on Sunday. Linebacker Curtis Robinson activated from the injured reserve on Saturday, and the 49ers activated two gamers outdoors the teaching employees: nook again Dontae Johnson and extensive receiver Willie Snead IV. He additionally dominated in opposition to the Falcons’ left deal with Trent Williams (ankle) and security Jimmy Ward (hand). Defensive finish Nick Bosa (groin) stays in query after he missed the second half final Sunday and the 2 practices that adopted on Wednesday and Thursday, when 49 gamers merged at The Greebrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, WV Midfielder Aziz Al Shaer, one other potential defensive participant, is within the injured reserve with a knee sprain that sees him sidelined till subsequent month. Originally published at San Jose News HQ

#San Jose News HQ

[beautyinthemoonlight1124]

Do you think Ali and Ash will make the Olympic roster? ANd do you think the CONCACAF tournament is structured in a way that will make it hard for us to qualify? I’m a new USWNT fan, I became a fan before the WWC because I found woso fanfics (yours included) so I don’t know a lot about soccer but I’ve somehow become I diehard USWNT and NWSL follower

Hi there.  Welcome to woso!  That’s women’s soccer, just in case you don’t know that yet.  lol.  First of all, thank you for reading the story.  I appreciate it very much.  :)  

Now to your soccer questions… I’ll take the easier of the two first.  I think the CONCACAF tournament is as good as it’s gonna get anytime soon.  CONCACAF is probably just as corrupt as the rest of the FIFA, etc.  But, in general, I think it’s a fair tournament and the USWNT should have no problem qualifying for the Olympics.  But you never know.  I think it was before 2012 Olympics (or maybe 2011 World Cup??) when the USWNT lost to Mexico and almost didn’t qualify!  So you just never know.  But there’s absolutely no reason the team shouldn’t win the CONCACAF tournament.  They’ll certainly at least come in 2nd place and still qualify.

Whether or not Ali and Ashlyn make the Olympic roster is a much more difficult question.  I believe with all my heart that the team is better with them both on it.  They’re excellent players who could both still start (in my opinion anyway), and even more importantly, they’re experienced veterans who know what it’s like to play and win on the biggest stages.  They were also both part of the 2016 Olympic team (Ashlyn was one of the alternates and Ali made her first Olympic squad ever - she missed the 2012 squad because of her knee injury) and I think it’s important to bring many of those players back so they will give it everything they’ve got to erase the embarrassment of their worst finish ever in Rio.  I’m hoping Ashlyn will get an official spot this time around because I believe she deserves it.  I personally think she’s a better keeper than Alyssa but I know most people disagree.  I watched Alyssa when she was with the Boston Breakers and she’s a great keeper, but she’s not nearly vocal or bossy enough back there.  She never has been and I don’t think she ever will be.  It’s just not in her DNA.  Her timidity back there is why a lot of the miscommunications happen along the backline.  It’s Alyssa’s job to tell them all exactly what to do.  Anyway, I digress.  Ashlyn should make the team as the 2nd keeper because she’s the only one with any true leadership skills.  You’ll notice that most of the time Jill Ellis tried some crazy grouping of newbies on the backline over the past 2-3 years she had Ashlyn in goal.  Alyssa almost always gets the best and most experienced defenders on her backlines.  This is certainly not always the case, but it does happen more often than not.  So I think Ashlyn should make the Olympic roster.  It’ll be her first time and I’ll be super stoked for her.

I also think Ali should make the squad.  She’s certainly good enough to play on that backline.  She more than proved that at the World Cup.  All the horseshit US Soccer and Jill Ellis tried to feed everybody about how old and slow Kriegs was over the past 2-½ years was exposed as exactly that - horseshit.  I think Ali is a better outside back than Sonnett and Davidson (and Purce for that matter too).  I think Crystal Dunn did a fabulous job at LB at the WC and I think Casey Short would be a great backup for her.  I think Kelley O’Hara is the starter at RB and nobody is going to change that.  US Soccer markets her like crazy and I just don’t see anybody taking that spot from her.  I still think Ali is a better defender than KO, all day every day.  But I agree that KO is a better offensive player than Ali is.  It depends on what the coach is looking for.  It’s just that simple.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Ali was the first and only defender off the bench in the biggest games in the World Cup.  That says it all right there really.  Why would you not bring her to the Olympics with you too?  Also, on a side note, I think Kelley’s too aggressive and reckless to be a starting defender.  I feel the same way about Sonnett too.  You shouldn’t have to worry about your defenders getting yellow cards.  You want your defenders to be solid back there and tough, no doubt, but you have to be able to rely on them for the full 90.  And if a player has to change the way they’re playing the game to avoid getting a second yellow card and leaving the team down to 10 players, then that’s a problem.  That’s just my take on defense in general.  Ali plays tough, physical, aggressive defense - that’s what attracted me to her in the very first place back in 2011 at that World Cup.  But she rarely commits a foul and hardly ever gets a card.  That’s how I like my defenders.  But that’s just me.  Another good thing for Ali is that she can play Center Back too.  She’s played CB quite often for the Pride in the NWSL over the past couple of years and she does a really good job of it.  A lot of people assume it’s because she was too slow and old to play RB anymore.  But that’s simply not the case.  Tom Sermanni moved her to CB because she was easily the best defender on the team and he wanted her in a more centralized position so she could help more on defense and so she could lead and command more from that centralized position.  She’s also really fast and he wanted her to play there in CB because the other CBs on the team were kind of slow.  Zadorsky isn’t slow though, but she wasn’t there when Sermanni made the move.  We all know how dynamic Ali can be from that RB position and she still sends in some of the best crosses in the game, NWSL or USWNT.  If the Pride ever get a decent backline again, Ali might move back to RB where she truly excels.  

The point is, she can play multiple roles along the backline and that’s a big asset for her when it comes to making the Olympic roster.  Instead of taking 23 players (20 field players and 3 keepers) like we do for the World Cup, we only get to take 18 players to the Olympics.  16 field players and 2 keepers.  Nobody knows what Vlatko’s going to do because he’s too new to get a feel for yet, but making the Olympic roster is one of the hardest things to do for the USWNT players.  Theoretically, you could take the WC roster and eliminate 1 keeper and 4 field players and you’d be all set.  But that alone is a difficult task.  Add to that the players who just missed the cut for the WC, like Casey Short, and the decision gets even harder to make.  Players like Julie Ertz and Crystal Dunn and Ali Krieger who can play multiple positions become very valuable now.  

And for God’s sake, everybody has to be healthy!!  Ellis screwed up big time in 2016 by bringing Megan Rapinoe who wasn’t ready to come back after her torn ACL.  It was ridiculous.  I love Pinoe - I truly do.  But she wasn’t healthy and shouldn’t have taken up a roster spot.  I hope Vlatko doesn’t do the same thing with Alex Morgan after she has her baby.  I love Morgan too, more than most people do, and I think she makes the team better just by being on the field and keeping the defense honest so the other players have room to do their thing and score goals.  I think Morgan is one of the most selfless strikers I’ve ever seen and she gets crap for it all the time.  The stats don’t show it but she changes the game just by being out there and keeping defenders busy and opening up space and setting plays up.  She’ll never get the credit she deserves for that either.  Anyway, I love her ok?  But if she’s not 100% then I don’t want her on the team.  Period.  End of story.  I know Sydney Leroux just came back after giving birth and played in the NWSL 3 months afrer having her daughter, but ask Syd how she did after having her first baby?  Syd was able to do that because she knew what her body needed after pregnancy beause she’d done it already before.  Morgan is an amazing athlete and I’ll be thrilled for her if she can do it, but I also don’t want her to try so hard either.  You just had your first baby.  Relax and enjoy it.  You’ve already got an Olympic gold medal, you know?  Here’s another advantage for Ali Krieger - Kelley O’Hara is injury-prone and can’t stay healthy these days.  That’s a big risk to take with you into the Olympics.  We’re gonna need a really good backup for her.  Ali Krieger.

So this is a whole lot of words to say I don’t know if Ali or Ashlyn will make the Olympic roster.  They both deserve to be there.  I think the team will benefit greatly from having them both there.  But we’re just gonna have to wait and see what Vlatko does.

Here’s what I think I’d like to see for my Olympic roster:

Strikers/Wingers: Rapinoe, Heath, Press,  Lloyd, Pugh

MF: Lavelle, Ertz, Horan, Mewis, Brian

D: Dunn, Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper, O’Hara, Krieger, Short

GK: Naeher, Harris

cut from WC roster: Franch, Sonnett, Davidson, Long, MacDonald, Morgan (I know this is 6 players, but I put Casey Short into the roster instead of Sonnett)

Morgan Brian has been playing really well lately so I think I’d take her instead of Allie Long right now.  I personally don’t like Pugh very much - I don’t think she’s improved at all since she started playing with the team in 2105/2016.  I honestly would take MacDonald over Pugh but that’ll never happen in a million years.  And I really like Tierna Davidson a lot.  I like her much better at CB and I would seriously consider taking her over Dahlkemper because I’m not a huge Dahlkemper fan to begin wtih.  But, again, that’ll never happen.  Although who knows?  Jill Ellis got rid of Ali Krieger for less reason so who the hell knows?  I like bringing 6 defenders because Crystal Dunn could slide up into MF or Forward if necessary during the Olympics.  She’s the ultimate utility player who can kick ass on any line on the pitch.  Legitimately.  And I don’t like when they move JJ back to CB because she’s so good at that holding midfield spot.  The team plays totally differently when she’s not in midfield (they play worse).  So take 6 defenders.  Keep JJ at MF and move Crystal around if injuries happen and we need another body up top for some reason.

There.  I’m done.  I’ll stop now.  Aren’t you sorry you asked?  lol

#the sea captain's house

[italianfootballtheories]

Are We There Yet?

March 8, 2020

Two and a half years on from the Sweden debacle and Euro 2020 (we hope) on the horizon. By coach Mancini’s own admission, 2019 exceeded all expectations for Italy.

Credit: AP/PA Images  

The Azzurri are currently on an 11 game winning streak which includes 10 out of 10 in qualifying, eclipsing legendary Vittorio Pozzo’s longstanding record. Qualification was sealed with three games to spare and ended with the rare symphony of nine goals smashed past Armenia. Fans will be wondering if the boys in blue are back among the big, for real. Things seem rosy (and green) again at Coverciano, but is the renaissance only shirt deep?

Time, and possibly even the upcoming friendlies against Germany and England, will tell if Italy have re-established themselves among Europe’s elite or if the numbers from a (supposedly) modest group have flattered. Many have pointed to the lack of stern opposition faced in 2019 and some will be watching Bosnia’s performance in the play-offs from the corner of their eye for some clues on how accurate that claim has been. With Greece in transition and Bosnia inconsistent, humble Finland was Italy’s biggest threat in Group J and eventually went through in 2nd.

But even if the pessimism is true and Italy truly had a soft group, Roberto Mancini’s achievements are still impressive with all things are considered. When the former Zenith coach landed from Russia (with love), the entire set-up was in disarray; from federation to coaching staff, from the squad right through to fans and a disenchanted nation. Mancini himself was only selected by a commissioner awaiting a president elect for the FIGC - Italian football’s governing body. During 2 friendlies in footballing limbo, interim caretaker Luigi Di Biagio did little to help his future incumbent by naming a largely status quo squad while the country cried for revolution and rejuvenation. 

This left Mancini balancing experimentation with League A survival in the inaugural Nations League. Initially, Mancio was criticized for not using the competition to as an opportunity to restore pride and morale after the World Cup failure. Italy’s Nations League performances did shown progression, but a lack of goals (2 in total) had stifled optimism. Mancini’s vindication would eventually come in Euro qualifying. 

Depending on who you are in football, how you win is as important as winning itself. Mancini would have been forgiven for adopting pragmatism in order to churn out results in Italy’s precarious situation. Many were pleasantly surprised when Mancio gave them positive football; high pressing; playing out from the keeper; and controlled possession in the center with the deployment of both Verratti and Jorginho, defying those who said they couldn’t play together. Far removed from the archetypal Italy teams of the past; an attacking 4-3-3 dotted with exciting youngsters, always trying to score and never resting on the laurels of a 1-goal lead. Italy sides of recent history often scraped in 1-0 victories against the likes of Malta and the Faroe Islands. Each of the Azzurri’s 37 qualifying goals would have been liberating for fans across the peninsula (and beyond). Mancini deserves a lot of credit for flying in the face of tradition in a country that lives and dies by them. 

Of course Italy didn’t fly through the qualifying campaign without the odd bout of turbulence. Mancini’s men really struggled to deal with Dzeko, Pjanic and co in the home fixture against a Bosnia side that rightfully felt they deserved more. Had it not been for 2 moments of magic from Insigne and Verratti, the 100% record would have been nothing more than fan fiction. Away to Armenia, a controversial red card for the home side at 1-1 played a big part in Italy’s underwhelming victory. While away to lowly Liechtenstein, the minnows’ tempo caught Italy on the back foot for sections of the game, drawing fine saves from Sirigu before the flood gates opened late on. Optimists will remind us that great teams win even when they’re not playing well, but the coaching staff should nonetheless be re-watching those performances.  

A lot of time (in footballing terms) has now passed since the festival of goals against Armenia. At rest since November, the following few months will be delicate for the Azzurri, especially for Mancini who’ll want to make sure the momentum hasn’t frozen over during the winter. One of the Azzurri’s strengths in qualifying was their unity and desire to fight for each other under one flag, temporarily putting aside club interests for the greater good. The C.T. has intimated on several occasions that the bulk of his Euro 2020 squad has already been determined, with only 2 or 3 spots up for grabs, so the core looks set to remain intact.  

Mancio does have some other knots to untie though. Zaniolo’s injury almost counts as double, given his flexibility to play in midfield or as part of the front 3. Sensi too, after a superb start to the season, has struggled with injury and subsequently with form; a situation complicated further by the arrival of Eriksen at Inter. Chiellini returns, but this creates as many problems as it solves. Does Mancini reinstate his captain to the starting 11 or keep faith with his vice, Bonucci, and the in-form Acerbi? An ACL injury can be damning for players of an age; it effectively ended Marchisio and Montolivo’s careers, who were both younger than Chiello at the time of injury. The Juventus defender’s experience and dressing room presence alone merits inclusion, but his application on the pitch is still open to assessment. 

Other pillars of the successful qualification run are enduring their own share of troubles in some shape or form. Insigne was instrumental in Italy’s exceptional 2019, but back home in Naples he’s been at odds with club, coach, and fans. Bernardeschi’s form and game-time has been far from desired under Sarri, who’s appeared confused by the former Fiorentina forward’s instruction manual. Speaking of Fiorentina, Chiesa’s form has also been intermittent under the perpetual cloud hanging over his future in Florence. Belotti has stopped scoring of late, coinciding with Torino’s abject form, and even Lorenzo Pellegrini is going through a less than ideal moment in the capital.

The full-back positions are where most of the uncertainty regarding Mancini’s selections lie. Biraghi’s profile has risen since his surprise selection by Mancini and further solidified by his solid performances. Moving to Inter in the summer, the left-back has proved his on-pitch ethic and generosity, but he represents an option of quantity over quality. Spinazzola has played well when called on by club and country, despite the on-off saga of his failed move to Inter. Although the Roma man has struggled with fitness issues of his own and sometimes doesn’t offer enough defensively as he does going forward. Emerson Palmieri is a similar profile and he too is dealing with insufficient playing-time at Chelsea. 

Florenzi seems favorite to start at right-back in his adopted position. The versatile Roman now finds himself on loan at Valencia after being a marginalized captain in the capital. Napoli’s Di Lorenzo seems favorite to be the back-up, even if Spinazzola can also play on the right. Gianluca Mancini and Izzo have deputized on the right, albeit unconvincingly in a role unfamiliar to what they’re used to at club level. 

Upcoming friendlies later this month (if they go ahead) will give more clues on how Mancini plans to mitigate these issues and how the Azzurri fare against a more intimidating measuring stick in the shape of England and Germany.

In addition and on a final note, Serie A players will now have to contend with a fixture list bottle-neck due to coronavirus postponements. Of course, it goes without saying that football is not the top priority when an epidemic and human lives are concerned, but just as Jurgen Klopp suggested, we’ll leave that discussion to the virologists and scientists. My profession doesn’t come with an ist attached to it, so instead I’ll be following recommendations from experts qualified on matters such. As a human being, however, I’m qualified enough to see the all too evident panic driven discrimination and a distinct lack of compassion in a time that desperately needs it. Europe, in particular, seems more divided than ever in a year when the European Championships will be hosted across the continent. A decision intended not only to celebrate the tournament’s anniversary, but to also symbolize the region’s unity. In Italy, as in all of Europe, the irony of that message is spreading faster than the virus.  

#euro2020 #azzurri #mancini #robertomancini #italy national team #italianfootball

[thesportssoundoff]

EPL Transfer Deadline Day Spectacular (Refresh For Updates!)

-K.A. 

Woo! It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but since we last spoke and touched upon the wonderful world of transfers...

-takes a deep breath-

Arsenal:

Brought in Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid to shore up their midfield, in hopes of getting classification to the Champions League.

Flirted with Wilfred Zaha and then ultimately ended up signing Nicholas Pepe for the same money,  ~£80 million with incentives, essentially acting like the girl at the bar who dances with you all night then goes home with another guy.

-Signed  Kiernan Tierney from Celtic from £25 milliom to fill their gap at Centreback. Also, they’ve somehow convinced David Luiz to leave Chelsea for £8 million, which is a steal. They’ve also let go of Koscileny to Bordeaux in Ligue 1 in France and signed William Saliba, another Centreback from St. Etienne also in Ligue 1 and sent him back on loan to the French club for a year for more seasoning.

-Let Aaron Ramsey go on a free transfer to Juventus, who sign players on free transfers like its their birthright.

Flirted with Phillipe Coutinho and then saw that deal fall through, because of course.

Have sold Alex Iwobi for ~ £40 million to Everton in the most awesome and desperate panic buy of the season. Great move there by Arsenal.

Chelsea:

Finally signed Mateo Kovacic permanently from Real Madrid to shore up their midfield.

Have brought in our lord and savior, Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund to be the American Wunderkind we all know he is capable of being.

Found the reanimated corpse of Ross Barkley and have made him look like prime Frank Lampard.

Sold Eden Hazard in a move that made that portion of London cry.

Sold Alvaro Morata to Atletico Madrid for a bag of balls.

Loaned Danny Drinkwater to Burnley on a season-long loan only a coupe of years after paying £35 million for him. Regretting that now, aren’t we?

Crystal Palace:

Flirted with everyone regarding Wilifred Zaha, overpriced him as if he were Lionel Messi then watched all the big clubs shrug their shoulders and go elsewhere to buy someone just as good, if not slightly less talented. Arsenal and Everton both inquired about the Ivory Coast star and Crystal Palace got greedy. Now Zaha is refusing to train with Crystal Palace. Good way of fucking up morale, that.

Everton:

Signed Moise Kean from Juvenuts, bringing in a super-talented Striker to lessen the burn of not getting Zaha. Arguably better than Zaha and more fit for their squad. Will pair beautifully with Richarlison. Watch this team flourish this year. Calling it now.

Tried to work in and sneak in a deal for Franck Kessie from AC Milan in Serie A, but the deal fell through.

Panicked after not getting Zaha or Kessie and bought an overrated Alex Iwobi from Arsenal for a ridiculous  £40 million valuation. Are you kidding me?

Liverpool:

Have done absolutely nothing all transfer window to either the betterment or detriment of their team. 

Manchester City:

-Signed Rodri from Atletico Madrid for an absurd amount of money to be the eventual replacement for Fernandinho, a Defensive Midfield ace that everyone wanted, sure to shore up the link play leading up to the attack and clean up the messes before the likes of Zinchenko, Otamendi, Stones, Walker and others have to deal with it. Great signing.

Swapped Danilo for Joao Cancelo from Juventus because...well, they were bored and it seemed like good business? This was a cash dump.

Bid farewell to longtime captain Vincent Kompany as he left to Anderlecht in the Belgian League to be a player-coach.

Have flirted for the better parts of three months with Bayern Munich over the sale of Leroy Sane only to see Sane butcher his knee and tears his ACL in a glorified friendly, blowing up the potential move and putting Sane on the shelf for 6-12 months.

Manchester United:

Ho boy. Signed Harry Maguire and made him the most expensive defender ever for a sum of £80 million, much of which probably isn’t deserved. Signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace to shore up Right Back in a great bit of business. Signed Daniel James to play Right Wing, hoping that he’s more than just pace and a hopeful nostalgia-bit in which Manchester United is hoping to duplicate the magic of Ryan Giggs.

Have sold Romelo Lukaku to Inter Milan of Serie A after Lukaku refused to train with the first team in search of a big money move.

Flirted with and failed to bring in Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon.

Flirted with Paulo Dybala, made flirty faces at each other, slid into each others DMs, then Dybala told Manchester United he was a call girl and likes to get paid before they get in bed together. Manchester United balked and Dybala went back to Juventus where he will inevitable be stifled once again under Cristiano Ronaldo. Great life for Dybala, let me tell you.

Tottenham:

Sold Kiernan Trippier, got rid of Champions League legend Fernando Llorente, and said goodbye to worthless piece of crap, Vincent Janssen.

-Signed Tanguy Ndombele in the move of the transfer window, bringing him from Lyon in Ligue 1 to the London giants, placing Ndombele right in the middle of the park as a defensive midfielder, a position Spurs were sorely lacking in and needed to reinforce since the departure of Moussa Dembele.

Signed Jack Clarke, a young starlet in a good bit of business from Leeds before loaning him back out to Leeds in an act of good faith.

Signed Giovanni Lo Celso from Real Betis to boss the middle of the park next to Ndombele for a fee of £65 million.

Have seen Christian Eriksen flirt with everyone and their mother and then watch Eriksen get told in no uncertain terms that he simply isn’t good enough for the likes of the bigger teams in the continent. Great news for Tottenham, soul crushing for Eriksen.

Also flirted with Dyabla, also got the Girlfriend Experience from the Argentine before he demanded a Brinks truck full of money and Daniel Levy told him to kick rocks. Seemingly the deal was all but agreed and finalized before he decided to demand a sensational amount of money.

Signed Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham. A dominant and young British defender, he will definitely fill the wingback position and push Danny Rose to the bench. 

Tottenham is getting younger, adding skill and talent. I like it. Hell of a way to keep yourself at the top of the food chain. Ndombele, Lo Celso, Ndombele and Clarke is a hell of a transfer window.

Watford:

Signed Ismaila Sarr from Ligue 1 side, Stade Rennais for a club-record fee.

West Brom:

Hoping to get some goal-scoring punch, have secured the rights to Charlie Austin from Southampton on a 2-year deal with terms undisclosed.

Wolves:

Not done much, but were trying to work out a £26 million deal for the aforementioned Franck Kessie of Serie A giants, AC Milan, which fell through.

#EPL #premier league #deadline day #transfer window #transfer deadline #transfers #soccer #feel the excitement

[nflfanpointii]

Saints training camp: 5 questions we want answered

Training camp is right around the corner for the black and gold, and here’s a few questions to ponder.

We’re less than two weeks away from when the New Orleans Saints kick off training camp, which starts with the rookies reporting on July 18th and veterans joining them on July 25th. While this period of waiting figures to be painful (or a relief to some), we can’t help but wonder a few things when camp kicks off. Here’s a few questions you may or may not have for the black and gold.

Who will distance themselves in the backup quarterback race?

Drew Brees, who turned 39 in January, enters as the unquestioned leader and starter for the Saints offense in 2018. While that comes as no shock to anyone, the biggest question many are asking is who will be the backup to Brees? With the strong play of Brees, it has always made me a strong advocate of not having more than two quarterbacks on the roster. Last season was quite the anomaly due to the emergence of Taysom Hill, who became a key part of the special teams.

While Hill might be an early favorite to land the backup role, he’ll have to keep fending off free agent pickup Tom Savage. Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett has shown some promise, but he’s also shown that he’s a rookie and still has some learning to do. A good camp from Barrett could make things interesting, but this battle should come down to Savage vs. Hill.

Which running back will get dibs behind Alvin Kamara?

With Mark Ingram set to serve his four-game suspension to open the season, it should be the Alvin Kamara show. That in itself will be interesting to see, but the one-two punch Ingram and Kamara gave the Saints offense in 2017 was quite a spectacle. The thought of Kamara handling 20-25 carries per game doesn’t sound too appealing unless you’re a fantasy football player that owns him.

This opens the door for the likes of Jonathan Williams, Trey Edmunds, Boston Scott, and potentially the recently added Terrance West to claim some playing time in the backfield. Out of the bunch, West’s veteran experience could help him in this battle, but only time will tell. Edmunds and Williams were both on last year’s squad, and Scott has had some early flashes that give him buzz for making everyone’s way too early 53-man roster predictions.

The portions are there for the taking, and there’s a good chance that at least three of these backs make it to Week 1.

Who will be this year’s camp hero?

Corey Fuller, Darius Victor, and Adam Bighill were just some of the names to make noise in training camp sessions last season, but that is almost meaningless. It’s fun to see it happen, because a player goes from having little to no shot to make the roster to jumping on final roster predictions because of practice. There’s nothing wrong with calling out hard work, but pumping the brakes on a player from being a training camp sensation would be advised. See how they perform in real-time game situations before buying into the hype.

How much impact will Marcus Davenport have?

The buzz is real when it comes to the team’s first rounder. Davenport downplayed the minor procedure on his thumb he was set to have at the conclusion of mini camp, and was still out there making plays and participating if you needed any reassurance. Davenport has had some real tests facing left tackle Terron Armstead, which has only made him get better.

Unlike other seasons, the Saints are pretty stacked at defensive end. At least it sounds promising on the surface with Cameron Jordan set as one bookend and Alex Okafor, Trey Hendrickson, and Davenport opposite of him with Al-Quadin Muhammad and George Johnson in the conversation.

When will we see some key staples return to action?

New Orleans is facing a few concerns for their roster when it comes to training camp. Perhaps the most glaring would be left guard Andrus Peat, who is said to be on track for a camp return. In case you forgot, Peat exited the playoffs in a horrible fashion after breaking his fibula against the Panthers in the Wild Card Round, and in turn had to have surgery.

Peat is just one example the Saints have, as other players like Alex Okafor (Achilles), Cameron Meredith (ACL), Cam Jordan (foot), and Trey Hendrickson (undisclosed) are ones to watch out for. For anyone worried, Marcus Davenport (thumb) seems like he’ll be just fine.

#saints #new orleans saints #nfl #training camp #csc.com

[ifhestayshealthy]

NBA 2018-2019 All If-He-Stays-Healthy Team

Photo: NBA.com

With each summer comes the excitement, expectations, and optimism for teams that haven’t yet played single minute. An unfortunate reality is that many teams have their season on the (bad) backs of players based on ‘if-he-stays-healthy’ caveats by talking heads, blog boys, front offices, and NBA fans. This offers a unique look at a player’s impact that includes their reputation for being injury prone (usually tied to the aforementioned ‘if-he-stays-healthy’ caveats), the complete impact that they have on their club, the depth of the roster at their respective positions, and the contracts that they are currently under/may be up for at the end of the season. This is post three of three. To view the East breakdown, CLICK HERE. To view the the West breakdown, CLICK HERE.

First Team

Joel Embiid (C )

Last year was a positive sign for Embiid after patience seemed to pay off and he managed to have a season without missing major time due to injuries related to his knee. When on the court, Joel is a potential Defensive Play of the Year Candidate and is a lock for a 20/10 season. Team If-He-Stays-Healthy runner up and last year’s first overall pick, Markelle Fultz could be the missing piece to get the team to the NBA Finals, but he will still be a third priority behind Ben Simmons and Embiid.

Blake Griffin (PF)

A Clipper for life once removed, Blake’s five-year, $171 million contract was traded to a Van Gundy-led Detroit Team that is hoping his health will keep the former No. 1 pick from 2009 on the floor and productive as he approached a decade in the league. After the firing of Van Gundy and hiring of last year’s Coach of the Year, Dwane Casey, Griffin and the emergence of Andre Drummond will hope to take Detroit into the playoffs in the lowly East. 

Kawhi Leonard (SF)

A lock for the If-He-Stays-Healthy Summer MVP, Kawhi is recovering from a quad injury that kept him from playing in all but nine games last season and missing the playoffs. While a change of scenery for the former Defensive Player of the year could prove to be the change that gets the Raptors to the NBA Finals, the move to the now LeBron-less Eastern Conference gives him a less competitive field come mid-April.

Andre Roberson (SG/SF)

OKC is banking on Roberson’s defensive abilities coming back to full strength after he missed 43 games and the playoffs due to injury. After the failed Carmelo experiment, Roberson will be a key factor to show that last year’s first round exit is not the ceiling for the Westbrook/George led squad.

Chris Paul (PG)

The Rockets were one poorly-timed Chris Paul injury away from having a real shot at defeating the Warriors last post season. With Paul out last year, we know that the Rockets will need him to stay healthy to be a serious Championship contender. After the offseason signing of Paul to a 4-year/$160 million deal, the Rockets are aware that their championship future relies on the 33 year-old ability to co-lead with last year’s MVP, James Harden. 

Second Team

Anthony Davis (C/PF)

With Boogie heading to the Warriors, Davis is now the undisputed focal point for the Pelicans. Davis has been able to stay on the court for back to back seasons, and New Orleans is relying on him to continue to be one of the most exciting players entering their prime.  Losing several key pieces to free agency, the Pelicans can’t afford to lose Davis for multiple games to injury.

Kristaps Porzingis (PF)

After exciting summer league debuts from Knox and Robinson and Coach Fizdale patrolling the sideline, the big question is when KP will return and what condition he will be in when he returns from his ACL injury, currently expected for February.

Paul Millsap (PF) 

Millsap suffered a wrist injury that eventually led to season-ending surgery, and deprived us of seeing a Millsap/Jokic frontline in full force. This year, Millsap will be joining a roster with a depth in the backcourt, making his presence even more important. With Millsap back, the Nuggets have the potential to be a major contender in the loaded Western Conference.

D’Angelo Russell (PG)

The former No. 2 pick, Russell is looking to earn a big contract coming off a 2018 year that was derailed by injury and prevented Brooklyn from offering a lucrative extension this off-season. While healthy, D’Angelo Russell has been a solid young player that has the ability to grow with Jarrett Allen to be cornerstones of a potential future Brooklyn that isn’t sent to Boston each June.

Kyrie Irving (PG)

The Celtics are stacked this year, but their two stars, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, are coming off of injuries that led to their young core and veteran Al Hortford to forge ahead to the 2018 Conference Finals without them. While Gordon Hayward is set to return from last season’s gruesome injury that led to this halloween costume, the depth at the three spot and the limitless potential of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has led to the health of Kyrie being the major factor to how high the ceiling is for the Cs. 

#nba #kyrie #celtics #nets #Houston Rockets #76ers #embiid #Denver Nuggets #knicks #pelicans nba #cp3 #blake griffin

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Ancelotti comes to Everton aid as Leeds, Leicester also join hunt for winger

Everton, Leeds United and Leicester City are competing for the services of Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio, according to reports in Spain.Asensio has fallen out of favour in Madrid following the return of Carlo Ancelotti as coach. The former Toffees boss needs to get rid of some players from his newly inherited squad and Asensio is one of those most at risk. His new coach prefers other players, so he could be discarded. The 25-year-old has been with Madrid since 2014, when they signed him from Mallorca and loaned him straight back. Another loan, with Espanyol, followed, before he became a Real first-team player from 2016 onwards. He hit double figures of goals in each of his first two seasons in the Spanish capital. However, his third season was slightly less productive and his fourth was hampered by an ACL injury. His gametime increased last season, but he may not have shown enough to revive his Real career. Overlooked by Spain for Euro 2020, like all his eligible teammates, he only has one cap for his country since the start of 2020. To prevent his career dwindling further, a move away from Madrid may be required. In doing so, Asensio could end up in the Premier League. He has already been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham, but to be realistic, may have to look elsewhere. That said, he is still capable of performing for a decent club, which is why he is now being tipped to move to one of three sides, all of whom will be hoping to finish in the top half this season. According to Fichajes, Asensio is a target for Everton, Leeds and Leicester.

In the case of Everton, a move would see Ancelotti sell a player back to the club he walked away from earlier this summer. Returning to Real was an offer too good to turn down for him, which has in turn cast doubt on some of their players – none more so than James Rodriguez. Ancelotti was a major factor in convincing Rodriguez to reunite with him at a third club last summer. The Colombia playmaker now admits he does not know where he will be playing next season. Thus, if he leaves, Fichajes expect Everton to move for Asensio as his replacement.

Leeds, Leicester look at Asensio

Alternatively, Leeds could make a move for him if their pursuit of compatriot Adama Traore fails. They have reportedly made a bid for the Wolves winger, but are aware that Asensio would be cheaper. Although they have different styles of play, Leeds like both players, so will weigh up their options between the two. Finally, Leicester are in need of a winger after last season’s loanee Cengiz Under failed to impress and didn’t return. Asensio would give them more guarantees and would help their push for a top-four finish. They have occupied such a space for most of the last two seasons, before falling at the final hurdle each time. Bringing in a player of Champions League calibre may help them get over the line, making it third time lucky. Analysing how each Community Shield winner has gone on to perform in the Premier League… Fichajes believe this is the perfect time for Real to sell Asensio, whose contract expires in 2023. His form at the Olympics this summer has not been too encouraging, so his value is dropping. What may be a problem for Real, though, could be an opportunity for any of his three Premier League admirers. In the right environment, Asensio has plenty of time to get back on track, so could be a shrewd signing. READ MORE: Carlo Ancelotti pushes cut-price Real Madrid man to old club Everton as Arsenal back off Read the full article