All posts by h716a5.icu

Lots of Newcastle United fans have been slamming the decision from Steve Bruce to not play Isaac Hayden versus Southampton in the Premier League.

Indeed, the former England U21 international was left on the bench for the game and was not brought on by Bruce during the match either.

The St. James’ Park faithful ended up losing the game 2-0 at St. Mary’s Stadium thanks to goals from Che Adams very early on in the first half and Stuart Armstrong late on in the second.

Saints ended up having 60% possession of the ball, with 15 shots and 561 passes recorded (Sofascore), and if Hayden would have played Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team may not have been as dominant in the middle third especially.

The defensive midfield player has won 5.2 of his duels per appearance in the top flight so far in the 2020/21 term, as well as averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.3 clearances and 1.3 interceptions a game (Sofascore).

Newcastle fan reaction to Bruce’s decision on Hayden

These members of the Toon Army blasted the decision by Bruce not to play Hayden on Twitter:

In other news, find out which Magpies star was slammed for his display here!

Liverpool travel to the Etihad on Sunday afternoon hoping to re-establish themselves at the top of the Premier League table with a win against Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp certainly has some big decisions to make with regards to his starting team.

Arguably the trickiest decision the German manager will have to make is whether or not to start Portuguese winger Diogo Jota after his electric start to life at Anfield, or whether Roberto Firmino will get the nod.

Jota continued his fine form since joining the Reds from Wolves this summer by scoring a superb hat-trick in the midweek thrashing of Atalanta, taking his Liverpool tally to seven in just 10 games (per WhoScored). 

Firmino meanwhile, has been a staple of Liverpool’s front three over the past few years and Klopp argued recently that the Brazilian has been a big part of the Merseyside club’s success in recent years, so his influence cannot be underestimated.

However, the former Hoffenheim man has just one goal in all competitions so far this season, so if Klopp were to base his starting XI on form alone, surely Jota should start ahead of him in the attack?

Here’s how Football FanCast thinks Klopp will line his side up at the Etihad…

The one other change we feel the former Borussia Dortmund boss should make is selecting Joel Matip to start alongside Joe Gomez at centre-back.

The Cameroon international is back in training after recovering from a recent injury problem and will add a lot of experience and height to Liverpool’s backline.

Although Nathaniel Phillips was an excellent deputy in Liverpool’s win against West Ham last week, with Jamie Carragher awarding the 23-year-old the man-of-the-match award, Manchester City are a very different proposition to West Ham, and we feel that the £28.8 million-rated defender is the more likely option in this game.

Other than bringing in Matip, there are unlikely to be too many changes from Klopp, with regulars Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gomez all starting in defence.

Gini Wijnaldum’s energy could be vital in midfield, so we feel that he will get the start but unfortunately, this game may come too soon for summer signing Thiago, as he only returned to training recently.

Captain Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita should start alongside the Dutch international in midfield, with the Guinea international replacing the inexperienced Curtis Jones, whilst unsurprisingly, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will most likely start alongside Jota in the Reds’ front three.

It will be interesting to see how Klopp sets his team up for an important game at the Etihad.

Rumours continue to circulate over the future of Slaven Bilic at West Brom, even during the international break when the Premier League has downed tools for the time being.

The Daily Mirror claim that the Baggies hierarchy is still mulling over the prospect of firing the Croatian with the Midlands side winless in their opening eight matches.

His contract is set to expire at the end of the season and the relationship between the board and Bilic has become strained throughout the summer.

The report also suggests that Charlton Athletic boss Lee Bowyer is among the front-runners to take over at the Hawthorns should they indeed relieve him of his duties.

But what changes would the former Leeds United midfielder make? How would Albion look under a fresh coach? Here’s one way the current West Brom side could line up if Bowyer swaps League One for the big time…

The 43-year-old Addicks boss isn’t afraid to change his system, using as many as five different formations this season alone but it is one utilising three-at-the-back which poses most interest.

You could soon see Sam Johnstone protected by five defenders during the defensive phase with veteran Premier League winner Branislav Ivanovic being deployed in the middle just like Jason Pearce for the Londoners.

Either side of him could be a pair of younger players who have a bit of pace about them in Semi Ajayi and Dara O’Shea whilst Darnell Furlong and Kieran Gibbs take up positions as attacking wing-backs.

In the middle, Baggies skipper Jake Livermore keeps his place but is joined by rarely-seen academy gem Rekeem Harper.

The 20-year-old is one of their most promising talents and Bowyer has shown he isn’t afraid to trust youngsters with Alfie Doughty and Akin Famewo establishing themselves as two regulars at The Valley.

It means that Bowyer’s former loan star Conor Gallagher, who provided six goals and two assists in half a season for Charlton, is pushed forward to partner Matheus Pereira behind another ex-star, Karlan Grant.

The 2019 promotion-winning manager believes Albion’s £15m summer signing is a man who can “cause problems” and there can’t be anyone better to get that out of him after Grant scored 14 goals in just 29 matches under his stewardship.

It still very much remains to be seen just how long Bilic has left to keep his job.

AND in other news, £9m-rated “dangerous” beast is bringing shades of Peter Odemwingie back to the Hawthorns…

Carlton Palmer has revealed his admiration of Crystal Palace playmaker Wilfried Zaha and is surprised he is still at Selhurst Park.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, the former England international can’t believe a top six club didn’t sign the winger in the summer.

Zaha’s Palace future has been shrouded by transfer speculation for quite some time whilst he submitted a transfer request in an attempt to engineer a move away from Selhurst Park before the start of the season.

However, a move failed to materialise, after Roy Hodgson’s side rejected approaches from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Everton.

But Palmer believes that something isn’t quite right behind the scenes.

“I’m a big fan of him, I’m a big fan of Zaha. I am surprised that none of the other top clubs have had a bat at him. £50 million is a lot of money, but as I say, I’m surprised that none of the other top clubs have had a bat at him.

“There must be something that they know or something that they’re aware of that they don’t want to go near.

“But he’s been Crystal Palace’s talisman for years and years and years and he’s a talented, talented player, that’s for sure.”

It goes without saying that the 28-year-old is the club’s best player as Palace have lost 15 out of the last 17 Premier League games he has missed for various reasons.

In eight appearances in the Premier League so far this season, Zaha has scored five goals and supplied two assists, whilst he is averaging 2.3 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

However, whilst there’s no questions about Zaha’s ability, his attitude has been been a bit of a problem in the past, which is perhaps where the problem lies.

Valued at £45m via Transfermarkt, the highly-rated Ivory Coast international started his career at his boyhood club, before he left for Premier League giants Manchester United in 2013, until he returned to Selhurst Park under acrimonious circumstances just two years later after a frustrating stint at Old Trafford.

But this has done little to dissuade potential suitors, with both Arsenal and Everton credited with an interest in the versatile forward in the summer, amid links abroad to European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco.

If and when that day does come, there’s no doubt his inevitable departure will be a huge loss for the Eagles.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish should reward Jairo Riedewald with a new contract…

Manchester City were unable to break down a stubborn Manchester United defence in a 0-0 draw on Saturday afternoon, with Riyad Mahrez in particular, producing a disappointing display against the Red Devils.

The Algerian winger wasted a huge opportunity to give the Citizens the lead in the first-half, in a game of few chances at Old Trafford.

The 28-year-old was disappointing throughout the game on Saturday and was substituted in the second-half by Pep Guardiola, as the away side chased a winner.

As per SofaScore, the former Leicester City man picked up a 6.8 rating for his display, with only Joao Cancelo, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus rated lower of the City players who started the game.

During the game, Mahrez had just 23 touches of the ball, which was less than goalkeeper Ederson, who had 36.

The winger could only complete 13/18 passes during his time on the pitch, as he struggled to have much impact against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, in a game that was low on quality.

Mahrez failed with his one dribble attempt during the game, which is an area he normally excels in, so it was clear that he wasn’t at his best during the game at Old Trafford.

Whilst he won two out of four of his duels during the game, and lost possession just eight times, he struggled to get involved, as City failed to ever really get in behind United’s defence.

Earlier this year, Guardiola was full of praise for the 28-year-old, saying:

“Riyad is an exceptional player. I know how important he is for us.”

“For the quality, the passes and especially his mentality and he is aggressive to score goals.”

However, it was clear that Mahrez couldn’t really have any impact on the game during the Manchester derby, so it was no surprise that Ferran Torres replaced the Algerian with just under half an hour remaining.

Mahrez will have to improve if he wants to keep his place in this City starting eleven, with Guardiola’s side set to face West Brom in their next Premier League fixture on Tuesday.

And, in other news… Manchester City made a huge transfer mistake with “inquisitive” ace who’s started the season on fire

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard must wield the axe on Ryan Kent for the game against St. Mirren on Wednesday afternoon after his rapid decline in form.

Kent started the Boxing Day clash with Hibernian at Ibrox but offered very little going forwards as he cut a frustrated figure on the left flank.

Whilst the 24-year-old’s form has started to spiral out of control, Ianis Hagi has outshone his teammate since the start of the month, providing three goals and an assist in his past six games across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

The Ibrox boss shouldn’t think twice about dropping Kent for Hagi as it’s surely a no-brainer at this stage, with the Romania international showing what he can do from that flank by cutting in from the left wing to score against Lech Poznan in the Europa League earlier this month.

Rangers have enjoyed an imperious campaign since the start of the season, with 18 wins, two draws and no defeats in the Scottish Premiership so far. However, there is still room for improvement, having conceded four goals in their past five games.

The Govan-based Glaswegian giants couldn’t keep a clean sheet against the Saints in the Scottish League Cup, with John Goodwin’s side enjoying success up and down the left flank, which saw Gerrard haul Calvin Bassey off shortly after half-time.

Against Hibs, Kent was equally found wanting once more, after the 24-year-old lost possession 15 times, won just three out of 13 duels overall, committed two fouls and was dribbled past once, via SofaScore.

Valued at £3m via Transfermarkt, the Oldham-born Englishman was invisible for most of the game with two attempts blocked proving to be his only shots of the match, as per SofaScore.

It looks like he’s run out of steam which is hardly a surprise as in this season, he has made 20 appearances in the Premiership, scoring five goals and supplying six assists, via Transfermarkt.

Whether his head has been turned by links to Leeds United in the summer, who knows, but he simply isn’t performing at a consistent level to warrant his place in the starting line-up, for the time being at least, as he has failed to find the back of the net in his previous five fixtures.

Once hailed as a “game-changer” by Gerrard after the Europa League victory over Willem II at the start of the season, Kent currently earns around £18,000-per-week at Ibrox, but it’s fair to say that the board aren’t getting their money’s worth at the moment. A short spell on the sidelines should do just the trick.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must hand Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin rare start vs St. Mirren…

Whilst Liverpool’s performance against West Brom, particularly in the second half, was far from their usual quality, the excellent display of Jordan Henderson should not go unnoticed.

The captain started alongside Curtis Jones and Georginio Wijnaldum in the Liverpool midfield and was regularly involved throughout the game, as the hosts dominated possession and looked to break down a stubborn Baggies defence.

As per SofaScore, the former Sunderland man picked up a strong 7.7 rating for his performance, which was the second-best of any Liverpool player on the day, with only Joel Matip rated higher.

During the 90 minutes, the England international enjoyed a massive 172 touches of the ball, completing an impressive 141/155 passes, resulting in an accuracy rate of 91%.

The midfielder was constantly the man to push Liverpool forward, completing six long balls from 11 attempted.

Although his crossing arguably could have been a lot better, with only one of five finding their mark, it was clearly part of Liverpool’s tactics to lay the ball off for the 30-year-old to swing a cross in, which is testament to his ability on the ball.

Virgil van Dijk was full of praise for Henderson back in 2019, saying:

“Jordan is such an important player for this team. The contribution he makes goes unnoticed sometimes. I don’t know if he’s under-appreciated outside the club, but inside the club I know how highly we all think of him. He’s our captain and he always leads by example.”

Unfortunately for Henderson, his performance was not matched by a lot of his Liverpool teammates, and Jurgen Klopp will surely be fuming that his side dropped two points at Anfield against Sam Allardyce’s side.

However, the German manager will surely be happy with the performance from his captain, as it exemplified just how important Henderson is in this Liverpool side.

And, in other news… Lost possession 18x, no accurate crosses: Klopp will be fuming with “complete” Liverpool star

Many West Ham United fans have been talking about the latest update about Sebastian Haller that emerged on social media.

French outlet L’Equipe have recently reported about Haller, saying that the striker is now set for a move to Dutch giants Ajax. The fee in question is said to be €25 million (around £22.6 million) and is quite a lot less than what the Hammers spent on the forward to sign him from Eintracht Frankfurt for £45 million.

Since arriving at the London Stadium, the 26-year-old has played a total of 53 games for the Hammers and has found the back of the net 14 times – he has also picked up three assists for the club (as per Transfermarkt).

In the current campaign, Haller has scored thrice in better ratings than Haller in the current league campaign, but the forward was their third-highest rated player in the 2019/20 season.

This suggests that while he hasn’t been prolific in front of goal, he has made important contributions for West Ham – David Moyes recently praised the striker’s “incredible” ability to score acrobatic goals.

The news surrounding Haller though, was relayed on Twitter by West Ham Transfers. This caught the attention of many West Ham fans and they made their opinion clear about the forward’s potential exit.

What did West Ham fans make of this news about Haller?

“If they pay over a million for him there needs to be an investigation.”

Credit: @stackzinho9

“Please be true.”Credit: @marksjones70″It’s not like he’s torn up the premier league, time to move on.”Credit: @fredfisher_”Please take him.”Credit: @RobertM57362312″Awful business imo, if Antonio inevitably pulls a hammy we have 0 strikers.”Credit: @Rxg_sms”Much better player than he’s shown, very skilled in many ways and a very smart and personable person from his videos with Issa and Arthur. I wish it worked out for him. He’s gonna fire Ajax back into CL for sure.”Credit:@JrTheSavior87″Fine with this. I want him to be better but he offers nothing to us.”Credit: @DuncanLucy”Oh my what’s going on? I think it’s not working out for him at West Ham so it’s probably best to sell him and 25m is a decent price but we’re then left with only Antonio. Need 2 Striker quick.”Credit: @WestHamInfo1In other news, many West Ham fans have been buzzing at links with a former forward – read more here.

David Moyes can save West Ham United millions in the January transfer window by unleashing 18-year-old prospect Mipo Odubeko as his Sebastien Haller replacement.

The Hammers are being linked with an array of attacking options following their decision to cash-in on club-record signing Haller for a £25m loss, with claims of a €10m (£9m) move for Stade de Reims’ Boulaye Dia being imminent.

It has also been suggested that the London Stadium outfit are ready to pay €15m (£13.5m) to sign Cadiz CF’s Anthony Lopez, but neither he nor Dia may be needed if Moyes unleashes Odubeko.

And according to 90min, Odubeko may be about to get his chance, with the publication claiming West Ham are ready to see what their academy talent has in store after he made his senior debut in their FA Cup win over Stockport County.

Moyes is understood to want to see more of what Odubeko has to offer before sanctioning any spending in the January market, having seemingly been impressed by the teen gem signed in October 2019 after spending his schoolboy days in the youth set-up at Manchester United.

Academy Manager Ricky Martin praised the capture of the prolific forward, who had scored 35 goals for the junior Red Devils side, believing the Hammers had done well to fight off fierce European competition for the powerful attacker.

“Mipo signing for West Ham is another really positive story for the academy,” he said. “It will naturally take Mipo some time to settle in, but we believe West Ham is the perfect environment for Mipo to flourish and fulfil his undoubted potential.”

Odubeko wasted no time in settling in to scoring in claret and blue following his move to West Ham in 2019, striking nine goals in seven Under 18 games to warrant promotion to the U23s, where he has found the back of the net three times in two appearances.

His record made sure that it was no wonder that Moyes opted to take a closer look during his side’s FA Cup encounter with non-league opposition, and claims that Odubeko will now be given further opportunities to establish himself will surely only be seen as good news at the London Stadium.

Co-owner and Chairman David Sullivan, in particular, will surely be keeping a close eye on developments in the next few days ahead of West Ham’s Premier League meetings with Burnley and West Bromwich Albion, plus the FA Cup fourth-round tie with Doncaster Rovers, as he weighs up the need to spend out on signing a Haller replacement if Moyes may already have his man.

AND in other news: Exclusive: West Ham’s Declan Rice tipped to join Chelsea on one condition.

If one of Neil Lennon’s New Year resolutions was to revive Celtic, then he is currently doing a bad job.

The Hoops are without a win in 2021, and are 23 points behind their fierce rivals.

It has been a season to forget and judging by their record of seven victories in the last 22 matches, it’s time for Lennon to go.

He’s claimed that he won’t leave of his own accord, and thus, the only way he’ll walk through the exit door is if Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell give the Northern Irishman his marching orders.

For the good of the club, it needs to happen as soon as possible. Eddie Howe has been linked with the hotseat but now another name has entered the conversation.

The Mirror reported this weekend that after leaving Chinese club Dalian Professional, Rafael Benitez is in the frame to succeed Lennon at Parkhead.

This would be an eye-catching appointment, one that could completely revitalise the Hoops in a whole host of ways.

Now 60 years of age, the Spaniard is well travelled and has a glistening CV – one that looks a lot more eye-catching than Lennon’s.

He has won the Champions League, UEFA Cup and the Europa League, while he’s also proven victorious in the Club World Cup. This is a coach with a stellar reputation, someone who has become recognised as a fabulous motivator.

Speaking about his spell under Benitez, Harry Kewell noted his ability to get players to agree with him no matter what: “He was the master of you walking into his office thinking…I know this is what I am going to say…and you’d walk out agreeing to everything he said,” the Australian began.

“Rafa Benitez was fantastic, but he’d say do this and I’d say but what about this way, and he’d respond – ‘fantastic but this is what I want you to do,” Kewell concluded.

For a Celtic side who look as though they’re being given an easy ride by Lennon right now, this would be game-changing. It feels like nothing the current Hoops boss says works and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest he’s lost parts of the dressing room.

Yet, Benitez is someone that looks for solutions and can adapt well to his surroundings. The very fact he went from Real Madrid to Newcastle shows he offers a vast array of different qualities.

Though, it’s his meticulous use of analytics that could be the most beneficial for Celtic. It was revealed last year by Simon Ferry that Lennon was remarkably still using Brendan Rodgers’ training sessions. That detrimental method, however, could all change if Benitez walks through the door.

At Newcastle, Benitez installed a very particular brand of training, a highly organised intense affair.

His sessions would usually last 60-90 minutes, with a firm emphasis on exercises related to game preparation and tactics. 80% of the session would be work with the ball, while the other 20% would purely be on fitness. This type of organisation would be perfect for the Bhoys. After all, Lennon is hardly a mastermind when it comes to the training pitch.

The former Liverpool boss has also used analytics to his advantage. At Anfield, he used a Spanish tool called Amisco. It has since merged with Prozone and Opta but Benitez would collect as much analysis and statistics as possible to then feed down to his players.

Newcastle players and staff were fed intricate levels of detail when he was in the northeast of England. Assessing how their opponents lined-up for corners in previous seasons is a prime example.

Although he’d be exceptional at Lennoxtown, it is surely his reputation that would command the most respect.

There is a certain aura about the 60-year-old, one that could add fresh energy to Celtic. If Desmond can lure him to Glasgow, it would be one of his finest hours yet.

AND in other news, Hammond could revive Celtic by swooping for terrifying gem with 15 goals in 9 games…