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Key information about Gateshead International Stadium

Gateshead International Stadium was built in 1955 and now houses National League North’s Gateshead FC. The ground is located in Gateshead in Tyne and Wear and is the third-largest sporting venue there.

Its current maximum capacity stands at 11,800 along with a pitch that measures 100m by 64m. The surface of the field is covered with grass and it has a running track surrounding it.

The record attendance for a competitive game at Gateshead International Stadium sits at 8,144 and was set on 4 May 2014 when Gateshead clashed against Grimsby Town in the second leg of the Conference Premier play-off semi-final.

A history of Gateshead International Stadium

The Gateshead International Stadium – or The Gateshead Youth Stadium as it was called back then – was built in 1955 on a site that formerly housed two large chemical works that were demolished in 1932. The ground was opened by Jim Peters and the construction reportedly cost around £30,000.

Still, initially, there wasn’t much to speak of there as the stadium only had a cinder running track and an asphalt cycling track along with floodlights and a stand which were added relatively quickly afterwards. Of course, back then, the main events hosted there were indeed for athletics purposes and races and it wasn’t until 1973 that Gateshead AFC first moved in from their former ground, Redheugh Park.

Unfortunately, the club went bust the very next year and Gateshead International Stadium would soon get a new tenant. Once South Shields football club relocated to Gateshead, they were renamed Gateshead United. That club remained at the stadium from 1974 until 1977 when they too eventually folded, making way for the newly formed Gateshead FC who have been calling the ground their home ever since.

The town actually invested quite a lot into the stadium over the years. Initially, however, it was done in order to boost the image of the city that was quickly fading back in the 1970s. And it was actually Brendan Foster who was the driving force behind the redevelopment after he was appointed the Council’s sport and recreation manager. In 1981, the main stand along with three accompanying stands were erected and the venue was renamed the Gateshead International Stadium.

Over the next years, the infrastructure was improved and the ground received boosts almost on a yearly basis, including the building of an indoor sports hall, outdoor football pitches and a gymnasium. Of course, athletics remained a pivotal feature of the stadium and would play host to many events in the future and to this day.

In Gateshead International Stadium’s more modern history, there were two major projects of redevelopment done. The first one was completed in 2006 when two artificial outdoor football pitches, indoor athletic training facilities, sports science provisions and conferencing rooms were all added. The second project included a general refurbishment and improvement of the existing facilities and was completed in two stages by 2011.

The third and final project was initially mooted in 2008 and was supposed to include further redevelopment and the erection of additional facilities but after delays and rejection by the Council, it seems that Gateshead International Stadium will have to wait for a bit longer to get another improvement.

Tickets to watch Gateshead FC at Gateshead International Stadium

All tickets to watch Gateshead FC play at Gateshead International Stadium can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary but an average adult ticket costs around £15.

The club also offers a season ticket scheme for their fans and more information can be found on the aforementioned website.

Related links

https://www.gateshead-fc.com/ – Official website of Gateshead FC

According to Turkish publication Karar (via Sport Witness), Galatasaray are interested in signing West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere in this summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

The 34-cap England international has had a disastrous spell at the London Stadium since joining on a free transfer back in the summer of 2018.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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Picking up a reported £100k-a-week wage packet, Wilshere has played just 18 times for the club, scoring only once and providing one assist.

Now, Karar claim that Turkish Super Lig giants Galatasaray are interested in ending his misery in the capital, but that they are set to request a detailed medical report before making any move, with the midfielder’s fitness set to be a key issue.

GSB disaster

So West Ham’s Wilshere nightmare may finally be over.

When they signed the former Arsenal man a couple of years ago, the Hammers’ then director of football, Mario Husillos, declared: “Manuel (Pellegrini) and I identified him as a target as soon as we joined the club and we are delighted to have succeeded in securing Jack’s signature above a number of other teams.”

Sadly for everyone involved, it has been nothing short of a disaster. In the 114 weeks and 4 days he has been at the club, he’s cost West Ham an eye-watering £11.4m.

When GSB gave their approval for the move, the capture of an England international who had played for a big six side like Arsenal and played Champions League football, would surely have been seen as a major coup.

Instead, Wilshere has been the ultimate symbol of the rank decision-making at board level, with style over substance being the key theme. Alarm bells should already have been ringing when West Ham proposed a move for the midfielder, with his injury history a huge stumbling block.

Instead, GSB chose to look past that and ignore the many number of legitimate footballing reasons as to why Wilshere was someone they needed to avoid. To then give him a mammoth wage to boot as well really showcased how badly the owners have got it wrong. If Galatasaray are genuinely keen on luring him to Turkey, then West Ham should bite their hands off.

Football pundit Matt Murray has been sharing his thoughts on Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson and his future at the club.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Murray was asked if he thinks Henderson made the right decision to stay at the Manchester club this season after spending the previous season on loan at Sheffield United.

He said: “Yeah, I think all in all, as long as he gets enough game time to keep [him] in the England squad and it’s a fair fight with [David] De Gea, then I think he has made the right decision.”

During his career working his way through the youth ranks at United, Henderson has had numerous loan deals at different clubs.

In the 2019/20 season, Henderson earned himself a respectable season rating of 6.72/10 for his performances in the 36 league appearances he made for Chris Wilder’s side (per WhoScored).

Back in August, when the shot-stopper returned to Manchester, he signed a new six-year contract at the club keeping him at Old Trafford that will reportedly see him earn £120k a week until 2026.

Henderson recently played in United’s 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup in which he earned himself a solid match rating of 7.02/10 (per WhoScored).

This latest performance from Henderson proved that he has what it takes to provide good competition to David de Gea as United’s main goalkeeper.

Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see just how many appearances the Englishman, who is currently valued at £18 million, will make for United throughout the remainder of the season.

Leeds United didn’t have much to shout about during the 2010s.

The Whites had a torrid decade for the most part, lulling around League One and the bottom half of the Championship before the light at the end of the tunnel came in the shape of Marcelo Bielsa.

However, it wasn’t all bad for Leeds, they had some exciting academy products come through during this time, and none were tipped for bigger things than Sam Byram.

Byram was spoken that highly of during his early days at Leeds you would’ve thought he was the second-coming of John Charles or Billy Bremner.

He won Leeds’ Player of the Year award at the age of 20, and he was tipped as a future England international after he moved to West Ham for £3.7m.

“He has been bought for the future and long term he could well be an English international,” David Sullivan said after bringing him in.

However, since then his career has stalled.

A string of injuries and underperformances have seen Byram actually regress in the years since he left Leeds, he came through at Elland Road as one of the club’s best right-backs in the Championship, and now he’s not even first-choice right-back at Norwich City, deputising behind Max Aarons.

Meanwhile, Leeds are flying high in the Premier League, and it seems as though their former academy star would probably have been better biding his time and sticking it out at Elland Road instead of jumping ship back in 2016.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but there is something of a cruel irony attached to the fact that Leeds are a Premier League club while Byram is a second-string Championship player, and while £3.7m for him back in 2016 was described as a cut-price fee, the now-27-year-old is valued at just £2.52m by transfermarkt.

United have now outgrown their former academy star.

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa midfielder Henri Lansbury is in line to leave the club before the end of next week.

What’s the word?

The former England U21 international has only featured in the Carabao Cup this season, and made just ten appearances in the top-flight in the previous campaign.

Now, Football Insider claim that Villa are keen to get rid of the £40k-per-week ace off the wage bill as he is now dropped out of first-team reckoning.

The report adds that the Midlands club are currently listening to offers for the 29-year-old, with his contract at Villa Park coming to an end next summer. It’s further suggested that Lansbury’s wages are a stumbling block for moving him on, and that whilst a permanent exit is possible, a loan to a Championship club seems more likely.

Villa need to cut their losses

Even despite the spending spree that Villa went on in the summer transfer window, there’s absolutely no way they can afford to be paying a player £40k-a-week to be playing in the odd Carabao Cup game.

It’s clear to see that Smith simply doesn’t fancy him, with it being particularly telling that Lansbury hasn’t crossed the ten appearances mark in the league for the past three seasons.

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2021, Villa won’t have to put up with the midfielder’s wages for too much longer, but if they can strike a deal where another club takes on his contract either via a loan or a permanent deal, then they have to take it.

Johan Lange and co have to be ruthless, and Lansbury’s departure would be a step in the right direction.

And in other news, this Aston Villa ace outshone Jack Grealish on international duty.

Tottenham Hotspur could make a surprise move to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma on a free transfer ahead of the next summer window, if the Italian can not agree a new deal with Milan.

Donnarumma has previously been linked to Tottenham, with reports having emerged that Spurs were keen on making a move for the Italian number one over the summer. However, that interest was cooled when it was reported he could sign a new deal with AC Milan, per The Sun.

Tottenham may have chance to swoop

Despite the reports over the summer, Donnarumma is still yet to commit his future to the Serie A club. That means that at the moment his current deal expires in the summer, so he could sign a pre-contract agreement with a Premier League side in the January transfer window, per Football London.

Mourinho will be alerted to any potential availability of the keeper and it is thought that he is one of many potential free agents that Spurs could line up, per Football London. Tottenham did sign Joe Hart in the summer on a free transfer, but he is firmly behind Hugo Lloris in the pecking order.

However, it is thought that AC Milan are still aiming to tie Donnarumma down to a new deal with the club hopeful a resolution can be found soon, per Football Italia, via Football London. Were the keeper to sign a new contract it would likely end any chances of a move for Tottenham.

 Donnarumma would be excellent long-term signing for Spurs

Tottenham do have one of the best keepers in the world still on their books in Lloris, but the France international is entering the latter stages of his career now. Donnarumma is still only 21-years-old and yet has firmly established himself as both AC Milan’s and Italy’s number one. That type of ability has seen him described by fellow shot-stopper Asmir Begovic as a player who will ‘shatter all sorts of records’.

Last season the Italian recorded 12 clean sheets, averaged 2.8 saves per game and saved four out of eight penalties that he faced in Serie A (Sofascore). That form though was only good enough to help Milan finish in 6th place. If he wants to secure regular Champions League football he may need to move away. Spurs will feel that is something they could offer under Mourinho.

In other news, find out which player Spurs are targeting is aiming to find a new club in January here… and don’t forget to leave a comment below!

Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani has claimed that Celtic submitted a second bid before he decided to stay in Italy.

Rrahmani snubs Paradise

The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Parkhead for the past 18 months, dating back to the summer of 2019 before he moved to the Serie A side for £12.6m from Hellas Verona, but was loaned back to Gli Scaligeri for the 2019/20 campaign (via TransferMarkt).

Rrahmani made 35 appearances in his debut season in Italy and is yet to make a first-team outing for his new club. But the Hoops ultimately missed out, not just on one occasion.

Cited by the Daily Record, Rrahmani revealed that Lennon was interested in his services, but explained why he decided to stay in Naples as opposed to joining up with Celtic and the Irish tactician.

“Napoli have invested a lot in me,” he said. “I had offers from Celtic and Standard Liege but in the end, I chose to sign for Napoli. This is the most important step of my career.

“They had a strategy to sell (Kalidou) Koulibaly but the coronavirus changed the scenario. I’ve been told that I’m still an important member of the squad and that my time will come soon.”

Transfer Tavern take

Rrahmani would have definitely bolstered Lennon’s defensive assets, and certainly looks the part. Winning two league titles in Croatia and gaining experience in the Europa League shows why Celtic were interested in him.

In the end, Shane Duffy made the move on loan from Brighton and had started well before some recent bad form, scoring twice from his first seven league games (Whoscored).

If the Irishman can perform at a consistent level for the Bhoys, Rrahmani will not be missed by the Parkhead faithful.

In other news, pundit warns ‘disinterested’ Celtic star who could be doing a Ntcham.

Marcel Brands can solve a “concerning” Everton issue with a decisive January call on the immediate future of rarely-seen midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Sunderland and Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has claimed that Everton must seek to secure a mid-season loan move for Gbamin in order for the Ivory Coast international to get his career back in gear.

Gbamin has been plagued with injuries since moving to Goodison Park in 2019 for £25million, with the former 1.FSV Mainz 05 ace boasting a mere 135 minutes of action to his name after only two appearances across all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti is yet to have the £54,441-per-week Marco Silva signing available since succeeding the Portuguese coach with Gbamin having developed a quadriceps injury in training just days after his full Everton debut in August last year and he was forced to have surgery this May after suffering a serious Achilles injury.

Sources close to the player told The Athletic that Silva’s mismanagement of Gbamin’s introduction was the reason behind his injuries, after he ushered the 25-year-old onto the pitch at Crystal Palace following just five training sessions, having given the midfield enforcer additional time off on the back of that year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Gbamin is finally set to make his return to training at Finch Farm following the November international break, but Bent feels a loan move has to be in the 12-cap star’s immediate future with Everton chiefs said to be plotting such a transfer, per Football Insider.

“They need to somehow get him up to speed,” Bent said. “He was brought in to replace Idrissa Gueye and it just hasn’t worked for him because of injuries. Maybe sending him out on loan, getting him up to the level that they need might be the way forward.

“The problem with Everton this season is that their starting XI, when they’re all fit, is very, very good. The fact is when they haven’t all been there, they’ve really struggled and that’s why, when they started getting injuries, they couldn’t maintain their fantastic start.

“It’s something Carlo Ancelotti needs to address because at the minute, it’s a little bit concerning the way they’re losing games.”

Brands can solve “concerning” situation

With Everton chiefs alleged to be considering loaning Gbamin out in January so that the Ivorian can get back to playing regular football for the first time in 18-months, their Director of Football Brands has the ideal chance to solve Ancelotti’s “concerning” situation by finding a side willing to give the 25-year-old the chance to play week in, week out.

Only once Gbamin has a good run of minutes under his belt will he ever have the chance to push his way into Ancelotti’s plans, and offer the support in numbers that Bent is adamant the Italian is currently without.

It will be unlikely that, barring an injury for Allan, that Gbamin is able to establish himself at Goodison Park before the winter market opens, with Everton only hopeful that the former Bundesliga sensation will be in a position to play before the year is over.

Allan has been a thriving success since joining Everton in a £21m deal from SSC Napoli this summer, ranking first for ground duels won (51), successful tackles (32), second for blocked shots (4), third for successful dribbles (9) and is the fourth-most fouled player (10) among all at Goodison Park, per SofaScore.

Gbamin, meanwhile, impressed Everton with his efforts for Mainz in the 2018/19 season, when he averaged 57.9 touches, 34.6 accurate passes, 0.7 key balls, 0.9 shots, 1.6 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 1.1 successful dribbles and 5.3 duels won (3.6 ground, 1.7 aerial) per German top-flight game.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is urging Everton to sign a “magnificent player” this winter.

When it comes to the Wolves academy, it has been all about two men in the last few years – Morgan Gibbs-White and Max Kilman.

The latter has made tremendous strides this season, embarking on his first real run in the Premier League side.

However, Gibbs-White, in rather typical fashion has endured a difficult campaign.

Over the last few seasons, his first-team football has been restricted to just six starts in the top-flight and his chance of rejuvenating his fledgeling career with Swansea during a loan spell this term hasn’t gone according to plan.

After featuring on six occasions for the Swans, the attacking midfielder fractured his foot. When it comes to Gibbs-White, he really doesn’t get much luck.

However, with Wolves switching their formation to now involve a number 10, he may have been handed a lifeline. That being said, he’ll have to keep his place in the pecking order ahead of one of the academy’s brightest talents if he’s to succeed at Molineux.

The player who could rival Gibbs-White for a starting berth in the not too distant future is Taylor Perry.

The 19-year-old has been a phenomenal asset to the U23 side this term and has scored a total of six goals in only eight Premier League 2 outings.

He is a natural goalscorer and loves to get forward, scoring plenty from set-pieces too.

Speaking about the midfielder this season after Wolves’ U23 side lost to Crystal Palace, James Collins said: “TP was unlucky not to start but has come on and scored. He’s probably our best goal threat at the moment.”

It’s clear to see why he stands out from the rest. The youngster is streets ahead of anyone else in the academy in terms of goals and he’s already made his first-team debut.

Perry played twice in the Carabao Cup last term, registering an assist and he was also given the opportunity to play in the Europa League.

Clearly, he has a bright future and considering his position, Gibbs-White has every reason to worry.

After all, Perry is the one still at the club and he’s also fitter. It surely can’t be too long before Nuno Santo unleashes him more regularly at senior level.

Meanwhile, check out how Wolves could find their perfect Raul Jimenez heir…

Player injuries are always a worry for any team in football, it’s a fact. However as of late, it has been a frequent occurrence that has only got managers and fans worrying. We are seeing players pretty much every week, limping off the pitch, including top players being injured in training too! It has been said that this matter will only get worse as the next few months will see teams cramming all their energy in 3/4 games a week! You can watch these Premier League matches here by streaming them.

Top players like Virgil van Djjk have been off the pitch, due to his pitch collision with Jordan Pickford which needed surgery and urgent attention and medical care. Severity such as this, will of course mean immediate removal from training is a necessity, as some issues will only be irritated further without the proper care and rest. This will also only cause further issues to the standard of play that Virgil can provide in the future. It is always better to be safe than sorry in the football business after all.

Why so many injuries then?

However, there is a bigger reason as to why players are becoming injured much more frequently recently and that is due to the pandemic. It has caused players’ schedules to work in overdrive; as we all know that, too much physical activity and training, makes injuries that much more susceptible.

The fixture schedules have been crammed together due to delays to the usual traditional calendars. This means that players will be making up for lost time and doing three months’ worth of physical activity and training in a short span of time. This overexertion has made cramps and strains a huge problem; usually this is an indicator to stop of course. Yet with so many players on a team, at once suffering the same problem you cannot put a majority of top performing players on the bench, can you?

The Champions League and Europa League ahead, alongside their own domestic cup games mean everything really is occurring at once, which not only is pushing the human body to a physical extreme, mental health will most likely be in effect too. Especially if we consider how fans are no longer in the stadiums, giving players the boost of morale they actually need. It is all quite a bit of a mess, really.

The worst thing about this all is, managers just receive these updates of change to schedules in little time, with not much notice. Meaning they are just as overworked as players and have no choice but to press forward as aggressive as needed, to attain the results needed. It has become like a horror movie to managers, to see their best performers be taken out by injuries that could have been prevented, with the right rests and gaps between seasons, as they would usually get in the football calendar.

Liverpool is a team that has been really affected by the changes, with Gomez being hit with an injury from his training bursts with England, meaning he will be out of play and training for a total of up to seven months. Also, Alexander-Arnold being put on the side-lines too, due to his calf injury attained in a match against Manchester City, will not fare well as a team dynamic. However, what is there to do, other than hope for the best and hope that next year, may bring a more relaxed and less stressed football schedule? Here is us praying and hoping.