Everton fans hated yesterday’s links to Marco Silva, and they’ve come up with a much better candidate to replace Sam Allardyce.
As expected, Everton announced on Wednesday that Sam Allardyce would leave the club with immediate effect.
The relationship between Allardyce and the fans has become increasingly toxic in recent months, and it was only a matter of time before the former England man was forced out.
Reports this week suggested Marco Silva was the number one target to replace Big Sam, but fans hated the links, pointing to his records at Watford and Hull as reasons to avoid the charismatic Portuguese manager.
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Fans were concerned about the defensive frailties in Silva’s sides, so it’s somewhat surprising to see plenty of fans voicing their support for a move for Arsene Wenger.
Of course, the main issue fans had with Big Sam was his negative brand of football, so Wenger would certainly be an improvement in that regard.
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With no sign of a new manager in sight just yet, could Wenger be the man to help the Toffees mount a challenge against the top six?
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
When he first came into the Liverpool team, it seemed as though the intensity and the drive needed for a midfield player in Jurgen Klopp’s system was simply too much for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Over the last few weeks, getting used to the speed and athleticism needed was the main thing for the former Arsenal man. But physically, there’s no doubt he’s up to the task. It seems as though he’s beginning to get the hang of it by now, though.
Against Bournemouth this weekend, the plaudits will naturally gravitate towards Liverpool’s ‘Fab Four’, as normal – even if Sadio Mane didn’t start the game. But some special praise should go to Chamberlain, who is starting to put in some quietly impressive performances as a central midfielder with all the attributes Klopp needs in his demanding system.
Jordan Henderson managed the most touches of all Liverpool’s midfielders and attackers, but aside from him, Chamberlain was the next in line, with 75 touches of the ball and 53 attempted passes. His slightly more advanced role than Henderson and his other midfield partner, Georginio Wijnaldum, however, means that his pass accuracy is slightly lower than those two. On the other hand, only Philippe Coutinho could match the England man for key passes. He managed four, which is an impressive feat in itself, but matching the Brazilian in that particular area is arguably even more so.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s two dribbles was bettered only by Mohamed Salah, his three shots was bettered only by two players, and no-one on the pitch made more tackles. It was a complete performance, and although it’s easier to pull out a good display on a good day than on a difficult one, there are signs that the summer signing is starting to come into his own and become a key player for Klopp’s Liverpool. That will be especially important given the boss’ controversial rotation policy.
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Ivan Gazidis has been quick to talk up Arsenal’s position going into this summer’s market, all the while making everyone aware of the difficulties due to the managerial merry-go-round among some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
But in all honesty that isn’t enough of a barrier to prevent Arsenal getting what they want and need this summer.
The club are armed with at least £70million for Arsene Wenger to use as he pleases, while Gazidis has also been quietly pushing for the manager to use all of the resources available to him.
Despite the number of players Arsenal have been linked with and the depth the team needs, there is already a good foundation for a strong starting XI, with only a few additions required.
The emphasis, however, needs to be on building a squad who are capable of handling the pressures of four competitions over the course of the season. There really is no excuse for Wenger not to strengthen considerably ahead of next season.
Click on Gonazalo Higuain to see the Arsenal XI every Gunner will be praying for come the start of the season
15/10/2011 Gonzalo Higuaín Celebra El ‘Hat-Trick’ Ante El Betis.El Real Madrid se impuso al Betis (4-1) en un partido correspondiente a la octava jornada de la Liga BBVA, disputado este sábado en el Santiago Bernabéu, con goles de Higuaín en tres ocasiones y Kaká, consiguiendo un resultado que deja a los blancos líderes provisionales.DEPORTESREUTERS
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has jumped to the defence of Rangers midfielder Ian Black after he was jeered playing for Scotland at Easter Road on Wednesday.
The former Hearts man was back in Edinburgh for the first time since joining Rangers and was a late and controversial call up to the national side by Craig Levein.
Lennon said “It was uncalled for. The kid was making his debut. Part of it is probably banter with the Hibs fans but still, it was a very big day for him and a special moment for him.
“I don’t want to make too much of it, I was booed myself but for different reasons obviously, but it is not nice and hopefully that will be the first and last of it.
“I think he is a strong character and listening to his comments after the game he was still very positive.
“With the venue being where it was, there was maybe always a chance that he might take a bit of stick anyway.
“I think if the venue was either Hampden or (elsewhere in) Glasgow, I don’t think that scenario would have popped up.”
Lennon added: “I got booed everywhere – I got booed in the house. We all know the reasons behind that, because he (Black) was a Hearts player for so long and he was a bit of a rascal as it were – and there is nothing wrong with that – and he rubbed people up the wrong way.
“The majority of those fans at the game wouldn’t have been Glasgow Rangers fans, Celtic fans or Inverness fans, the majority of them were probably at Easter Road to give him a bit of stick.”
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Arsenal are about to embark on a new era; after 22 years under Arsene Wenger, someone new will take the reigns at the Emirates Stadium ahead of next season.
It remains to be seen exactly who that will be, but there has been a glimpse into how the Gunners will run out as an image of their new home kit has been leaked.
It is fair to say that, despite the excitement surrounding the post-Wenger era at Arsenal, there is not the same enthusiasm for the new kit and that has been reflected in the reaction of the fans.
The leaked Puma number has not impressed, with a number of fans calling for a new manufacturer to take over with the production of the kit in the coming years, such as Nike or Adidas.
We’ve taken a closer look at some of the angriest reaction from the Gunners fans on Twitter…
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has rejected a new three-year contract with the club after they couldn’t agree on all the appearance-based clauses.
The centre-back is the latest player at Anfield who hasn’t been able to agree terms. This season has been dotted with the Reds players who have been unable to sign their new deals. Steven Gerrard’s predecessor Jordan Henderson and young star Raheem Stirling have constantly been in the papers after talks grounded to a halt at different times over the season.
The 30-year-old has added yet more worry to the Reds’ fans and it looks like manager Brendan Rodgers has a lot to do. Napoli, Wolfsburg and Inter Milan have all expressed an interest and are watching the outcome with great interest.
There are not many who will doubt that Skrtel has been one of the best players for Liverpool this season. While some are not a fan of his playing style he has been consistent and his physical and defence style has been greatly needed throughout the campaign.
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In the club’s recent top of the table clash against Liverpool, the Slovakian defender was one of the stand out players due to his aerial presence and his ability to clear the ball.
Skrtel has grown and developed as a player since he joined over ten years ago, knowing his limitations and doing the “dirty work” while the other members of the back four deal with the marking.
Some believe the Reds have got the new contract offer right due to his limited style and his age. Many believe he is now on the wrong side of 30 and, although defender’s seem to keep their skill for long- you only have to look at the season John Terry has had at Chelsea this season to see there is an argument for it – Skrtel’s last-ditch defensive style needs him to be physically fit which is only likely to decrease as he gets older.
The bosses at Anfield have every right to offer Skrtel the contract they have as they have to protect their outlay, especially if the Slovak’s ability starts to wain. Rodgers loves to bring in young talent who can learn from the veterans he already has at the club – Henderson has come on leaps and bounds under the watchful eye of the Rodgers and Gerrard.
The manager is probably planning to bring in a new fresh pair of legs to replace the 30-year-old, hence why there are a number of bonuses per games played rather than a bigger basic contract, but there is no sign of any acquisitions just yet. While Rodgers is trying to do the best for the club he cannot afford to lose his strongest players due to disagreements with contracts.
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At the moment, Liverpool need Skrtel more than he needs them. They need to get him to sign on the dotted line before some other club draws his attention elsewhere.
What a difference 3 days make. After the dismal and frankly pathetic performance by Wolves on Saturday, confidence was at a low ebb with fans and with 4 awkward games to go, there was only 1 word on the supporters mind, I’ll let you make your own mind up to what that word is. We started the evening with 48 points and were 2nd from bottom, with Bristol City all but relegated below us on 40 points. There was an odd, dare I say, relaxed atmosphere, a sense of inevitability that Wolves were not going to get anything against the team placed 2nd in the Championship. Maybe that helped the team who knows. I did find it funny that almost exactly a year ago Wolves had to play another team in sky blue to stay up, Man City came to the Molineux on the 22nd April 2012 and duly sent us packing to the Championship, with goals from Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri putting the club out of its long suffering misery. The situation was exactly the same last night, Hull came out, clad in aqua blue, needing a win to all but guarantee automatic promotion, they faced a Wolves team that could not lose otherwise we may find our selves, like Bristol City, cut a drift from the rest of the pack.
After the late win away against the Messiah’s (Mick McCarthy) Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon, Steve Bruce made 2 changes, in came the former Albion man Robert Koren for Jonny Evans’ younger brother, Corry. Bruce’s second change was the rather amusingly named Ahmed Fathy for another former Albion man, Jay Simpson. With these changes in mind, Steve Bruce lined his team up in a cultural 3-5-1-1 formation, in goal was the Fulham loanee, David Stockdale. In front of him were a trio of centre backs, James Chester, Jack Hobbs and the man mountain Abdoulaye Faye. Bruce’s 5-man midfield consisted of 3 Irishmen, Robbie Brady on the wing, Stephen Quinn and David Meyler (no relation) were the operators in the centre of the park. The 2 Egyptians were Ahmed Elmohamady who operated as the other wingback and the aforementioned Ahmed Fathy partnered Quinn and Meyler. Robert Koren sat ‘in the hole’ behind the Peterborough loanee, and highly rated striker/attacking midfielder, George Boyd.
Wolves were largely unchanged, after O’Hara’s sending off on Saturday, Saunders was forced to bring in Tongo Doumbia for the aforementioned midfielder. With that, Wolves had the impressive Dorus De Vries between the posts. In front of him were Gorkss and Johnson with our young prodigies, Doherty and Robinson, occupying the full back positions. The midfield consisted of the revived Stephen Hunt on the right hand side, Doumbia and Henry were the two midfielders who were tasked with stopping Quinn and co, and Stephen Ward was given his second game at right midfield. Our front two was, the captain, Kevin Doyle and Bjorn Sigurdarson.
The game kicked off in beautiful sunshine, with a hint of breeze, Wolves had the better of the opening opportunities, a Stephen Hunt free kick was caught by Stockdale after Tongo Doumbia was brought down. It was clear to see Saunders set the team up in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Stephen Hunt in behind Kevin Doyle, to solidify the midfield and match the 5 men of Hull. In addition to Hunt’s free kick, Bjorn Sigurdarson picked the ball up and drove at the midfield, something that he is becoming extremely good at, and fed the ball out to Jack Robinson, Hull applied pressure but the Liverpool man held it well and gave it inside to Tongo Doumbia. The Malian midfield general looked up and switched the ball to the other side to the oncoming Matt Doherty who, again, like Robinson, was pressured off the ball and Hull passed their way out of danger. With 15 minutes of the 90 gone, it was clear that Wolves, even with 5 in the middle, had no midfield, the ball was being lumped up to the Doyle or Hunt in the hope that they could perform some sort of miracle with it. Wolves had a surprisingly good passing rhythm they knocked it around nicely, we just seemed to lack any sort of intensity. Wolves’ best chance of the first 45 came when Tongo Doumbia’s presence and strength stole the ball off Quinn and his pass found Jack Robinson, who’s precise cross found our Icelandic striker, who’s header bounced out, Ward found the ball to cries of “shoot!” he duly obliged. The ball, sadly, bobbled out after Kevin Doyle came close from Ward’s deflected shot.
Hull were under the cosh, but, once again, Wolves could not capitalise on the early pressure. Hull got forward on 20 minutes through the Egyptian, and Sunderland loanee, Ahmed Elmohamady. He got the ball deep and displayed a fantastic burst of pace to run roughly 60 yards and deliver a pin point, low cross into the Wolves box, hearts were in mouths for a few seconds, but thankfully, Elmohamady’s cross found no one. Hull had another good chance when the other Egyptian, Fathy, smashed the ball from 30 yards only to see it whistle past the right hand side of Dorus’ goal. The 4th officials board went up for the first time on the half hour mark, Steve Bruce had decided Robert Koren’s evening was up, he was hooked and Jay Simpson replaced. Initially, the thinking was that Bruce wanted to match Wolves’ 4-man midfield by putting Boyd and Simpson up front together. However, Simpson was put out on the wing, an odd move from Bruce I thought.
Halftime came and there was a sense of frustration amongst the fans that were sat in my earshot. I, like them, felt that Wolves lacked any sort of intensity to get a goal, we had some half decent chances and one very good chance we just lacked any sort of ability to take an opportunity if it came along, sound familiar? Hull on the other hand had a very odd first half, it looked as if Bruce had waited to catch Wolves on the break, seeing the way we started on Saturday, can you blame him for doing that? Saunders trumped him, he was happy to keep the ball and containing Hull’s rare bursts forwards, he deserves credit for that. That frustration and annoyance soon dissipated though when Wolverhampton Wanderers’ favourite rude boy, Adam Hammill, came on and gave the crowd, an American football style, half time show. His flicks and tricks dazzled the pie eating, tea-drinking supporters as the temperature took a sudden drop. It really was awesome to watch some with that much ability just ‘larking about’ with a football.
The teams arrived for the second half unchanged, to cheers and mutual applause from both sets of fans. After a rather dull first 10 minutes, fans cockles were warmed when Bjorn Sigurdarson ran down the right in typical, powerful, fashion cut inside with such confidence for a man of such a young age, he was unfairly pulled down and the attack was snuffed out by the diligent Hull defenders.
At around about the hour mark, came a moment, a moment that gave Wolves the slightest notion of a glimmer of safety. Doumbia, impressive all game, pounced on a dawdling Ahmed Fathy just inside Hull’s own half, the tackle wasn’t the best and the ball bounced forward to an eager Bjorn Sigurdarson, he, as he had done all evening, ran at Abdoulaye Faye and co. Sigurdarson spotted the run to his left, of the captain, and ever loyal, Kevin Doyle, who let the ball run across his body, into the 18 yard box, and first time, with his left foot, brushed the ball, Claude Monet-esque, past David Stockdale’s left hand side. Unlike the celebrations on Saturday, these cheers and smiles were not tinged with the nervousness like against Huddersfield, it was utter joy from every home fan there and it was spectacular.
Now the pressure was on, as every one took their seats, Wolves had half an hour to hang on or get another one and kill off The Tigers. The pressure started from the impressive Elmohamady who had another trademark burst down the wing and whipped a ball in, it was deflected out and the young Irishman, Robbie Brady, skied a long-range shot over Dorus’ goal. Another chance fell 8 minutes later when the goal scorer, Kevin Doyle, cleared the aforementioned Irish man’s cross. Hull’s pressure was there but Wolves, surprisingly, dealt with it diligently and professionally there was hardly any drama from Wolves’ defensive play, it was impressive. It was weird if I’m honest.
Wolves, with 30 minutes remaining, created a fantastic opportunity when Stephen Ward’s cross was headed out to Tongo Doumbia who took one touch on his chest and, to coin an Alan Partridge phrase “had a foot like a traction engine”, sadly the midfield general’s shot went inches wide, to many gasps from the Molineux faithful. It seemed that Hull’s main tactic was putting balls in the home team’s box, this was obsolete as Johnson and Gorkss were both rocks at the back and dealt with the deliveries of Elmohamady and Brady with consummate ease.
With 15 minutes left, Bruce brought on Matty Fryatt for Abdoulaye Faye and went for the equaliser. Hull nearly found it with about ten minutes to go, Brady ran at the Wolves backline, he dazzled Doumbia with a few step overs. Brady dropped a shoulder to the right and picked out Jay Simpson with a delightful, Xavi-esque, pass that split Wolves’ offside trap. Simpson, like Doyle, let the ball go in front of him, across his body, he placed it with his left passed De Vries. Time stood still for the South Bank and co as the ball glided past our Dutch goalkeeper. Thankfully the woodwork was on hand to save Wolves’, it was lucky that the ball did not go in, but it was luck we made ourselves.
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Now, one highlight this season has been the introduction of youth into the squad. This was emphasized in a moment by a young man, Matt Doherty produced a match winning tackle on Jay Simpson, it had the timing and awareness of a player 7 or 8 years his senior, it got a standing ovation from every one clad in gold. It was one of those season defining moments, a highlight certainly. As the great golf commentator Peter Allis famously says, “Well done young man”. This tackle created one of the most crazy moments at the Molineux this season, from the resulting tackle Wolves hit Hull on the break with Hunt who scrambled possession from the Hull defenders and hit a tame shot straight at Stockdale who parried the ball to his left onto Sigurdarson, who took a second or two to get the ball from under his feet, his resulting strike hit the underside of the Englishmen’s goal, every single person in the ground had their hands on their heads, in utter disbelief that it was not the goal that sent Hull packing.
Another chance came 7 or so minutes later when Roger Johnson, ran from his own 18-yard box and hit a surprisingly accurate pass to Kevin Doyle, who flicked it to Ward, he delivered a decent ball to the oncoming freight train that was our former captain, sadly, like most British centre backs he was flagged for an offside. The substitutions of Ward and Sigurdarson for Batth and Foley, gave Wolves’ the solidity and stability it needed to see the result out, with relative ease. Hull offered little in the last 10 minutes or rather they did, it was just that Wolves matched the away teams attacks with their solid defensive work.
Andy Woolmer blew his whistle after a questionable 5 added minutes. Relief, pride and joy exuded out from the Wolves fans as the players stood and applauded each side of the ground. “Hi Ho Silver Lining” rang around the ground as the fans made their exits, each one with high fives, smiles and hugs for their fellow supporters. It was nights like that which make me so proud of my beloved club, after such a disaster of a season, which has seen two managers and some truly shocking results, Wolves fans stayed behind and sung their hearts out, till they were puce in the face. It is this sort of positive attitude that has given Wolves a lifeline, one that they simply have to grasp, otherwise we shall be joining The Robins in League 1 next year.
have confirmed that Wally Downes has relinquished current duties as first team coach at Upton Park.
The decision comes as a surprise to both the club and manager Sam Allardyce as the Premier League outfit begin a busy Christmas period. Big Sam has nevertheless allowed Downes, 51, to leave the club almost midway through the season.
The former West Ham first team coach played as a midfielder for Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang, making over 200 appearances between 1979 and 1988. He has been recognised as one of the main characters at the club during the formation of the infamous Crazy Gang spirit.
When Downes’ playing career ended he took up the reins at Brentford for a short spell after Steve Coppell left. He then proceeded to rejoin Coppell at Reading before joining Southampton and then West Ham.
Downes was initially hired in November 2010 serving as the team’s defensive coach under the managerial direction of Avram Grant. Then, when Allardyce was charged with the responsibility of guiding the East London club back into the top flight, Downes was swiftly made first team coach.
His departure signals the end of a successful two-year spell at Upton Park.
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Manchester City star Leroy Sane took some time to find his feet at the club following his switch to the Etihad Stadium last summer.The 22-year-old made the move from Schalke and was eased into the team by manager Pep Guardiola.This season, the attack-minded player who tends to play on the left-hand side, has come into his own.In total, the Germany international has created 14 assists and scored 13 goals in all competitions for the North-West outfit.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/cfc-barca-moments.mp4Sane has been a key figure in City’s Premier League title-win, and that has certainly not gone amiss.On Sunday night, the winger was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in just his second season at the club.
It is difficult to argue with the vote given Sane’s dominance this season at such a young age.
The German beat off competition from his teammates Ederson and Raheem Sterling, who secured third place, while Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane snuck in at second.
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It is safe to say that City fans, who felt that Kevin De Bruyne deserved the main prize ahead of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, were happy for Sane.
Today’s early kick-off in the Premier League sees Manchester City entertain West Ham at the Etihad – a fixture that could have an enormous impact on the fate of under-fire manager Manuel Pellegrini.The Eastlands outfit’s form has tanked in recent weeks,Âtheir objective for the campaign resultantly shifting from retaining the English title to ensuring they make the Premier League’s top four.History is firmly on the City gaffer’s side today however; the Hammers have beaten the reigning Premier League champions just once from their last six attempts, with an aggregate scoreline of 17-4.That being said, the East Londoners claimed all three points in the reverse fixture at Upton Park back in October, and City are amid a run of just two wins in their last six across all competitions – including four consecutive away defeats.West Ham’s recent form isn’t much better, however, claiming just four points from a possible 16 in recent weeks. So who enters today’s match as the favourites? Perhaps the starting Xis, officially confirmed on Twitter just moments ago, can shed some light on the debate: