West Ham United supporters are fearing the worst after witnessing their side be defeated 3-1 away to Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Premier League on Saturday.The Hammers collapsed in the second half despite heading into the break on equal footing after a Javier Hernandez equaliser cancelled out Glenn Murray’s opener.The result leaves them just three points above the relegation zone with some hugely difficult fixtures to come in the final 12 games of the season.They have trips to Anfield, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates to come before the end of the season and still have to play both Manchester sides at the London Stadium.Supporters are openly discussing the prospect of relegation and have blasted their board after an underwhelming January transfer window.Is the lack of investment the cause of their poor season or should managers and players face more scrutiny?Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
It may well have occurred to him before, in fact it almost certainly had, but this Christmas is when it will have really hit home. That was when it became real.
Perhaps he looked in the mirror as people often do, in films. Those big, bulging eyes, like two Cyclopes’ joined at the nose, or the good side of Marty Feldman in a symmetry mirror, staring back at him, terror etched across his eroding Scottishy face. “Am I cut out for this?” He may have asked himself. “Is this too much? The global appeal, the obsessive fans, the omnipresent weight of impossible continuity?” Everyone loves you when you’re the big fish in the medium sized pond, but this is the f***ing sea!
Still, I think Peter Capaldi will make an excellent Doctor Who. Precisely for the reason that wobbly little niche show has endured as a national institution for half a century; Change. A reason another famous sweary Scottish lord of time would’ve been wise to heed before he regenerated into a lither, less successful version of himself.
The post-Ferguson propaganda out of Old Trafford made a great deal of his successor being “cut from the same cloth.” After everyone had gotten over the joke about this cloth being tartan, the general assumption was that David Moyes was chosen for his other similar Fergusonian traits; Old school integrity, repeated team building and club management, youth advancement, scary face etc. He also happened to play a similar style to recent Ferguson sides, with an emphasis on wing play and overlapping fullbacks. All these compatibility issues were trumpeted as a positive. The king is dead, long live the clone.
Only this seemed to rely on two fairly large assumptions. The first was that United the team didn’t need any real change. They’d won the league after all, a manager cut from the same cloth need only keep the quilt clean, while taking his time to replace the dirty bits (I’m aware this cloth metaphor is getting away from me a bit.)
This was problem one.
If one criticism could be leveled at Ferguson’s final United teams, it was that they seemed oddly incongruous among the modern elites. While the rest of the world moved feverishly towards the in vogue possession based human Subbuteo format, United stuck rigidly to their fast breaking wing centric one, augmented, but not disconnected from the basic 4-4-2. As all their rivals clamored to collect diminutive Spanish players like creative midfield Pokemons, United kept buying wingers and strikers. The Robin van Persie 2012/13 cheat code only served to disguise the fact United were a bit behind the times.
They were still far from poor, and certainly far from mid-table, but what kept them right at the top was Ferguson. A truly remarkable manager. Possibly the greatest ever. Yet perhaps his one fault was not accurately identifying why. For all of his wizened, wizardly knowledge, the Govan Gandalf himself seemed to place less emphasis for his success on his fantastical footballing know-how and more on his romanticised old school personality traits.
This was problem two.
In much the same way English pundits and commentators describe Andy Carroll entirely in descriptive nouns that have nothing to do with sport (nuisance, presence, handful) the section of Fergie’s autobiography dedicated to David Moyes and his succession is tellingly lacking in any kind of football-themed reasoning or praise. The Mourinho chapter (for yes, he gets a whole chapter) is gushing with this sort of stuff, yet the largest section on Moyes affords him merely damning faint praise for the overwhelming Scotishness of his Scottishness.
“A lot of Scots have a dourness about them: a strong will. When they leave Scotland it tends to be for one reason only. To be successful. Scots don’t leave to escape the past. They move away to better themselves. You see it all over the world, in America and Canada especially. Leaving the homeland creates a certain resolution. It’s not a mask; it’s a determination to get things done. The Scottish dourness others talk about sometimes applied to me as well.
The Scotsman abroad doesn’t lack humour. David Moyes is not short of wit. In their jobs, though, the Scots are serious about their labours, an invaluable quality. People often said to me, ‘I never see you smile during a game.’ I would reply, ‘I’m not there to smile, I’m there to win the match.’
David had some of these traits. I knew his family background. His father was a coach at Drumchapel, where I played as a lad. David Moyes senior. They have a good family feel about them. I’m not saying that’s a reason to hire someone but you like to see good foundations in someone appointed to such high office. I left Drumchapel in 1957 when David senior would have been a young boy, so there was no direct crossover, but I knew their story.” – Sir Alex Ferguson
Perhaps the reason Moyes is skulking around Old Trafford like a chemically castrated Malcolm Tucker is because he’s failing to get the same performances out of the same players in the same system with his good family values and supremely Scottishy Scottishness alone. And why would he? Fergie was a one-off. Trying to replicate him in Moyes is as futile as trying to grow Mike Phelan from an egg. Only much less amusing to try.
With every defeat the shadow of Ferguson looms larger over the dugout, the ghost of Christmas past, present and future all rolled into one. No one could eclipse that shadow. No one could weave a tapestry as rich and evocative as his, let alone out of the same cloth (back of the net!) and attempting to do so will only illuminate the discrepancies.
“I’ve said it many times: The bus is leaving. If you’re not on the bus you’re left behind, and that applies to the manager as well. You must have the humility to do that and not think the world should never change because you’re stuck with your ideas and philosophies.” – Sir Alex Ferguson
Perhaps the wise old master should’ve taken his own advice when regenerating, and borrowed a phrase from another long running British institution;
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Birmingham City are reported to be desperate to send on-loan midfielder Ravel Morrison back to West Ham after just three months at the midlands club, according to The Mirror.
The 19-year-old midfielder was once rated as the best player to emerge from Manchester United’s academy since Paul Scholes by former boss Sir Alex Ferguson. But off-field troubles forced Sir Alex to boot him out of the club, with West Ham willing to take on the troubled player last January.
Hammers manager Sam Allardyce sent Morrison on loan to Lee Clark’s Birmingham in the summer with the hope that he would gain valuable first team experience in the Championship before being given a chance in the Premier League.
But Blues manager Lee Clark is unhappy with Morrison’s attitude and has not started him since the opening game of the season. West Ham are, however, reluctant to terminate the 12-month loan deal.
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Morrison has denied any problems at St Andrews though, and this morning tweeted: “Good morning everyone hope use all have a good day today and ignore the stuff in the paper about me its NOT one bit true.”
According to Sky Sports, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola sees classy Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina as a potential alternative signing to Napoli’s Jorginho, and we at Football FanCast suggested that Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho should hijack any move for the Gabon international.
Guardiola is clearly looking to strengthen his midfield options ahead of the new season, and he has obviously been impressed by what he saw from Lemina in what was a tough debut campaign in the Premier League for the Gabon international and his new club, as they only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship.
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old impressed and showed more than a glimpse of the talent he has in his locker, and according to WhoScored.com he successfully completed 55 of the 62 dribbles he attempted in 25 top flight outings for Saints.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has already brought Fred to Old Trafford from Shakhtar Dontesk this summer, but he may not be finished there when it comes to midfield additions following the retirement of Michael Carrick, and with Marouane Fellaini also looking likely to go when his contract expires at the end of the month.
We asked Man United fans to vote on our poll to see whether they would like their club to hijack Man City’s potential Lemina move, but a majority 56% said they wouldn’t.
Given the Red Devils, whose supporters would love to sign a £54m attacking midfielder after shock transfer u-turn, already have Fred, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba that is understandable, but the African star does look to have that x-factor and could really bring something to the United midfield.
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West Ham United forward Andy Carroll will reportedly spend the next three months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to repair a hairline fracture to his foot.
It is understood that Carroll suffered the injury during West Ham’s Premier League clash against West Bromwich Albion on January 2.
The powerful forward netted twice against the Baggies at the London Stadium, and was also a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur on January 4.
However, Carroll has missed West Ham’s last two Premier League matches against Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth through injury.
According to The Telegraph, West Ham were hopeful that surgery would not be required to fix the issue, but Carroll was forced to undergo an operation on Monday morning in a bid to avoid a long-term problem.
The 29-year-old, who is valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, was believed to be the subject of interest from Premier League champions Chelsea earlier this month.
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Carroll is now expected to spend the next three months on the sidelines, which effectively ends his chances of making the England squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Marouane Fellaini isn’t the most elegant; he’s far from the creative outlet that Manchester United heavily pursued during the summer, first with Cesc Fabregas and then eventually Ander Herrera.
The criticism, or at least questioning, of David Moyes has been that if he really wanted Fellaini, if the Belgian truly was an important addition perhaps alongside a midfielder in the mould of the aforementioned Spaniards, why not buy him when he was available for a few million pounds less? After all, as the former Everton manager, shouldn’t he have been aware of the intricacies of Fellaini’s contract?
One of the problems is the Fellaini hasn’t really done anything since arriving at Old Trafford. Is it a problem borne out of another one? Moyes spent the majority of the last five years training and utilising Fellaini – a self-professed defensive midfielder – as either a striker or No.10, and now he’s forcing him further back in midfield into an area that, despite what the player may say himself, looks to be unfamiliar territory.
So what is the point of Fellaini?
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It’s easy to ask these questions when the results aren’t coming in for United and Moyes, but these questions would warrant equal merit even if United were top of the Premier League.
Under Alex Ferguson, the midfield ‘problem’ was heavily masked due to the strengths in other areas. Under Ferguson, United won league titles without a clear defensive midfielder. Often, Michael Carrick held the deepest position of the midfield two or three. Carrick, the oft-overlooked player who doesn’t have to be flash, quick or even mobile, will nevertheless keep the ball moving and ensure that United retain possession. Alongside him, it would be easy to see why someone like Fabregas would be preferred, someone who takes the ball forward and carves out chances for others further up the pitch.
Fellaini doesn’t do that, nor is he showing any ability of note in defending. He can be criticised for allowing opposition attackers to race past him while he jogs or even walks back, while at times the whole occasion of playing for Manchester United can seem overwhelming, allowing not only the opposition players but the game altogether to pass him by.
If Moyes decides to use Fellaini behind the striker as he regularly did at Everton, what would that say of the manager’s mentality? I’ve spoken in the past about ditching the underdog mentality and going all out for a win instead of, for example, taking Wayne Rooney off in the dying moments of a game at home to Southampton. The intention was clear, and it backfired. But equally, what would Fellaini in the No.10 role at United say about Shinji Kagawa, or indeed the clash of style with Robin van Persie?
There is such a thing as buying a player to either appease the fans or to ensure scathing criticism for a total lack of transfer action is avoided. Fellaini isn’t really doing anything, but what would be said if no one was bought during the summer window?
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Adam Johnson made a successful return to Sunderland first team being brought on late in the day for Stephane Sessegnon, during Sunderland’s 2-0 league cup triumph over the MK Dons.
The England winger was brought on to make only his third appearance for the club, and first since his thigh injury picked up on international duty.
In a tiny five minute cameo the £10 million man barely had a baring on the match, but his involvement is a boost to everyone at the club.
Martin O’Neill told the club’s official website, “I brought Adam on to give him a few minutes on the pitch. The second goal helped make my mind on that.
“I wanted to bring him on to make him feel involved again. We’ll see how he is after that cameo and try and get him fit and ready for Saturday.”
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Securing the signature of the former Middlesbrough man was a real coup for Sunderland, with English club’s playing in Europe reportedly after the 25 year old.
Tottenham fans are bashing the latest reports on Mauricio Pochettino, after bookmakers made the Spurs boss favourite to take over at Real Madrid.
Earlier this week, Tottenham fans were furious about a report suggesting Mauricio Pochettino had a “Real Madrid clause” in his new contract, meaning the Argentine could ditch North London if Madrid came calling.
The rumours of a shock exit are only intensifying this week, after Zinedine Zidane stunned everyone by announcing his exit from Real Madrid on Thursday.
The French manager has won three Champions League titles in a row, but the Spanish giants will now have to hunt for a new manager this summer.
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Most bookmakers have got Pochettino as the slight favourite for the job, just ahead of ex-Arsenal man Arsene Wenger.
Mundo Deportivo have now backed the claims about the Tottenham man’s release clause, claiming he could replace Zidane this summer despite signing a deal in North London until 2023.
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Of course, reports from Spain regarding the clause should be taken with a rather large bowl of salt, and Tottenham fans are having their say as well.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Everton won for the first time in eight matches on Wednesday night, defeating Leicester 2-1 at home in the English Premier League.
The evening belonged to Theo Walcott, who scored his first and second goals for the club on his just his second appearance since joining from Arsenal for a reported £20m.
Combining well with returning hero Seamus Coleman on the right flank, the England international was in superb form and showed exactly why Sam Allardyce was eager to bring him to the club in January.
With their sights set on Leicester City and Burnley above them, supporters will be hoping that Walcott can produce the kind of form that will push them up the table.
Fans have been delighted with his impact so far and paid tribute to the star in the wake of the win, with some even suggesting he is the signing of the season so far.
Andre Villas-Boas decided to stick around for another season after PSG made an approach for the Tottenham manager. The Portuguese’s loyalty at the time was said to be rewarded with a significant budget to reshape the team and make another charge on the top four. So far, Paulinho has joined from Corinthians and Nacer Chadli from FC Twente. Smart buys, the second in particular, who really seemed to fly under the radar of most clubs.
But any club with major ambitions for the future is likely to come across problems without the added revenue of a world-class stadium. Arsenal are said to be reaping the rewards now following seven years of abject failure. Tottenham may have done a lot to bridge the gap between the two clubs over the past few seasons, but Arsenal’s new financial strength is likely to plant the seeds for a huge chasm between the clubs again, unless of course Spurs can find a means to stay in the race.
The thing about Tottenham’s finances is that we’re continually fed conflicting stories. The club aren’t struggling financially by any means, even without the benefit of Champions League football. Spurs are pushing hard for a new stadium which will take them into that bracket of clubs with a wider market in the transfer window, but it’s not to say there hasn’t been a glut of reputable names linked with a move to White Hart Lane.
So what exactly is it? Valencia are standing firm with their valuation of Roberto Soldado at €30 million. Tottenham, reportedly, will pay something close but the clubs definitely can’t agree on the structure of the deal. Valencia are well within their right to demand as much as they want for Soldado, and it’s no less than Spurs will do for Gareth Bale when they approach that bridge somewhere down the line.
But is it Daniel Levy’s frugality taking over again, despite Franco Baldini handling the negotiations? Or is it simply that Tottenham can’t afford to buy Soldado for the price Valencia want? Villas-Boas was said to be armed with £50 million this summer, of which a chunk has already been spent. Yet it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint exactly how much spending power the club have, or whether it is simply a matter of trying to stretch the budget as far as it will go.
The problem with moving into a new stadium is that Tottenham may be faced with exactly the same issues that Arsenal went through. Many, many fans are and were completely behind Arsene Wenger and believe the club wouldn’t have been able to stay in the top four without him. And even though there were legitimate criticisms of his managerial style or handling of transfers, much of that is true. Do Tottenham have someone in Villas-Boas who can juggle a Premier League/Champions League schedule while working to a tight budget? The point is, even with a new stadium, Spurs may not see the benefits of it immediately.
Taking advantage of what the club has now is absolutely key. Take pages out of the book of clubs like Napoli or Fiorentina, maybe even Atletico Madrid to an extent. Yes, the San Paolo and Vicente Calderon are clearly bigger stadiums than White Hart Lane, but the Premier League has its own financial benefits too. Maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world to sell Gareth Bale. Napoli finally cashed in on Edinson Cavani and are hardly looking weaker. They’ve spent extremely well, they’re back in the Champions League, finished ahead of Inter, AC Milan and Roma, and are unlikely to fall out of the top three next season.
A bigger stadium is undoubtedly a huge benefit, but when the prospect of its revenue streams is way off in the distance, focus needs to be elsewhere. It’s not beyond Tottenham’s ability to break into the top four, even if last season’s top four clubs continue to strengthen above Spurs’ means. Add to the scouting network, do more with the available resources. Franco Baldini is a strong card to play. There is certain to be another Christian Benteke somewhere in Europe waiting to be picked up.
And if all of that sounds condescending, it isn’t. It’s the realities of football and the fact that not every club has an oil-rich owner or the revenue streams to be a major player in the market.
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Will Tottenham’s lack of a new stadium see the gap widen between them and the top four?