THE "3-1" DIG: DISCOVER WHY LUKE LITTLER TAUNTED NEWCASTLE FANS AFTER HIS DEFEAT
Luke Littler mocked Newcastle United's Carabao Cup exit with a "3-1" post after being booed during his darts loss to Gian van Veen.
Luke Littler looked like he was poking a bit of fun at Newcastle United fans after they lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-finals. This happened right after Littler got knocked out on the opening night of Premier League Darts in Newcastle.
Gian van Veen sent Littler packing in the quarter-finals, beating him 6-4. The crowd at the Utilita Arena gave Littler a mixed welcome—some boos when he walked out, but plenty of cheers and even a few songs once he started playing.
Afterwards, Littler posted on Instagram, “Newcastle, you were brilliant,” along with a photo of him watching the tournament on a projector. Then he threw in, “On to next week. PS 3-1.” That little “PS” was a nod to Newcastle’s 3-1 defeat to Man City the night before—the same match Littler said he wasn’t planning to watch. “If it was 2-1 on aggregate, maybe I’d tune in,” he said before the darts match. “But 2-0 down heading to the Etihad... yeah, it’s not looking good.”
Littler figured he’d get some boos from the crowd—no surprise there, even though he’d cheered for Newcastle in last year’s Carabao Cup final when they beat Liverpool. But this time, he couldn’t shut down the noise. He remembered his first game in Newcastle last year: “My first game was against Stephen Bunting. I beat him 6-0 in about nine minutes, so I was on and off before anyone could react.” He shrugged it off, saying, “It’s all just banter in the end.”
Last year, Littler actually won the night in Newcastle. This year, not so much—he crashed out early. Still, the atmosphere wasn’t as rough as his first Premier League appearance in 2024.
A few Newcastle players—Dan Burn, Harvey Barnes, and Sean Longstaff—showed up at the arena that night, too. Their manager, Eddie Howe, seemed a little surprised when he found out. The next day, he joked, “You’ll have to give me a list of names. I hope it wasn’t a late one! Maybe they should’ve worn fancy dress!”
GILBERT ARENAS RIPS LAKERS AFTER "DISAPPOINTING" LUKE KENNARD TRADE DEADLINE MOVE
Gilbert Arenas slams the Lakers' trade for Luke Kennard as JJ Redick prepares to unleash the 50% shooter in a new 2026 rotation.
On Thursday, February 5, the Lakers made a move and brought in Luke Kennard. He’s known for his shooting, and honestly, they need the extra floor spacing in JJ Redick’s rotation.
Right after the news broke, Gilbert Arenas didn’t hold back on social media. He sounded off about the trade, almost like he’d had enough.
“At this point, I’m just going to take matters into my own hands. Every hooper that can still hoop, we’re going to go down to Crypto Centre and just try out because at this point they’re allowing anybody on the team,” Arenas said. “What happened to the names? The names made the Lakers… He was a Clipper before! “Fuck him!”
Arenas probably wanted a bigger, flashier move at the deadline—he’s not alone. A lot of Lakers fans felt the same. Even so, Kennard does make the team better. The Lakers have been struggling from deep all year, and Kennard’s shooting should help.
After 50 games, the Lakers rank 21st in three-point percentage, hitting 34.9% on nearly 34 attempts a night. Kennard isn’t just a shooter, either. He can handle the ball a bit, maybe open up the offence with some playmaking, which the Lakers could use when the first option breaks down.
Redick seemed genuinely excited after the Lakers’ 119-115 win over the Sixers. At the postgame press conference, he talked about what Kennard brings.
“I’m excited about Luke,” Redick said. “I’ve known him for about 12 years now, and I think he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. I’m going to highly encourage him to shoot more and not turn down shots.”
He went on: “One of the underrated parts of his game is his ability to move and create second actions—move the basketball. You’ve seen that at different spots he’s been. You can start the offence with off-ball movement, and he’ll make the right play. He gets the offence moving.”
Kennard played 46 games with the Hawks this season, averaging 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. He’s been lights out from three—almost 50% on 3.2 attempts per game. With Redick pushing him to shoot even more, expect that number to go up.
Now that the trade deadline has passed, the Lakers are looking at the buyout market. Haywood Highsmith’s name has come up as a possible target.
Edwin Garcia from Silver Screen and Roll sees Highsmith as a perfect fit. Highsmith had knee surgery after getting traded to the Nets last offseason, had a setback, and hasn’t played this year. The Nets just waived him Thursday morning, but he’s reportedly playing 5-on-5 again and drawing interest. Last season, he averaged 6.5 points and shot 38% from three with the Heat. Shooting like that doesn’t come around often in the buyout market, so if Highsmith’s healthy, he’s interesting.
Rob Pelinka will check out all the options, of course. But on paper, Highsmith could fill a lot of the three-and-d gaps the Lakers have right now.
AARON JONES PUBLICLY RECRUITS AARON RODGERS TO MINNESOTA VIKINGS FOR 2026
Aaron Jones is recruiting Aaron Rodgers to the Vikings, but with Minnesota’s cap issues, will the veteran RB even be there in 2026?
Aaron Jones isn’t hiding it—he’d love to play with Aaron Rodgers again. When someone asked him about Rodgers’ future, Jones just said, “I like him in Minnesota.” That’s straight from VikingzFanPage.
Let’s be real, Jones doesn’t sound too sold on J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ current quarterback. Last year, McCarthy threw more picks than touchdowns—12 interceptions to just 11 TDs. Not exactly inspiring confidence.
If you’re a Packers fan, you’ve seen a version of this before. Brett Favre left Green Bay and landed in Minnesota, and back then, that was a big deal. But with Rodgers, it just doesn’t feel the same. The idea of him in purple isn’t really scary.
Here’s the thing: Jones is probably trying to recruit Rodgers to a team he won’t even play for. The Vikings could save $8 million in cap space by cutting Jones, who’s 31 now. Minnesota’s strapped for cash—only one team has less cap space—so nobody should be shocked if they move on from him this offseason.
Even if by some twist Jones stays and Rodgers joins, don’t expect a magical Packers reunion in Minnesota. Rodgers just wrapped up a pretty average season with the Steelers—3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, seven picks, and a 94.8 passer rating. That’s a far cry from the MVP Rodgers we remember in Green Bay. Honestly, the Packers made the right call when they moved on.
With or without Rodgers, the Vikings are still the least threatening team in the NFC North for Green Bay. The Bears just won the division. The Lions are stacked. Even if Minnesota keeps Jones and somehow brings in Rodgers, it doesn’t change much for the Packers. At this stage in their careers, nobody’s losing sleep over it.
If Rodgers ever comes back to the NFC North, it should only be for a one-day deal so he can retire as a Packer. He brought so much to Green Bay, including that Super Bowl win in 2010. Seeing him in another NFC North jersey? Just wrong.
But if Jones gets his wish and Rodgers ends up in Minnesota, the Packers shouldn’t even flinch. Rodgers and Jones aren’t what they used to be. Their joining forces in Minnesota would just feel desperate, nothing more.