All posts by h716a5.icu

West Brom forward Callum Robinson endured another anonymous showing and this time, it may have been one too many as Man City thrashed Albion at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night.

It was always going to be a difficult night for Sam Allardyce and his side but their chances of surviving in the Premier League look very slim based on that showing alone.

The Baggies have now leaked 12 more goals than any other top-flight side and this was once again another home game where they failed to score themselves.

This was largely in part to Robinson playing upfront despite the return of Karlan Grant from injury.

Indeed, the 25-year-old Irishman’s performance would have surely had Big Sam absolutely seething.

The Albion boss locked his players in the changing room for nearly an hour post-game, delivering some home truths and the fact that Robinson was hooked at half-time is unlikely to have done him any favours.

In 45 minutes of action, the £7.2m-rated attacker touched the ball only 12 times, of which five were passes at an accuracy of 63% – only three other starters had a worse success rate, per SofaScore.

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Not that it would’ve made too much difference given how the game panned, but Robinson wasted a golden opportunity to break that duck early in the first half when he fired wide in an attempt that really should have, at least, been on target.

The anonymous Robinson struggled against City’s imperious backline as Pep Guardiola’s side were romping their way to an 11th straight victory, the former Sheffield United ace failed to win a single duel against Ruben Dias and John Stones.

That only goes to show how lightweight and ineffective he was with the little possession he had. It was vital for him to make the most of his chance to shine, and put simply, Robinson was far from good enough.

He did not feature in the previous encounter between these two sides, back with Slaven Bilic at the helm when Albion managed to pick up a draw at the Etihad and in hindsight, maybe he shouldn’t have been picked in the reverse tie.

Performances like that from Robinson will likely only push Allardyce closer to boiling point as he needs to see much better from his attackers. Perhaps he ought to reconsider the £42.5k-per-week disaster’s place in the starting XI going into the crunch match with Fulham on Saturday.

The 15-cap failure hasn’t scored or assisted since bagging a brace in September. That is simply not good enough to warrant a regular place.

AND in other news, Forget Gayle: Big Sam could revive West Brom’s survival bid by signing £10m “handful”…

Leicester City could leapfrog Manchester United and slide into second place in the Premier League table this afternoon with a win over Leeds. They are coming off the back of a draw against Everton and will be hoping that this time around they can secure all three points to keep their promising 2020/21 season running smoothly.

Jamie Vardy is currently out of action as he recovers from surgery on a hernia. Ayoze Perez filled the No.9 role in his absence against Everton, but he was unable to make the desired impact that Brendan Rodgers would have hoped for.

With all that in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how the Northern Irishman will line up his side to take on Leeds United this afternoon…

After Jonny Evans was substituted off the pitch due to a head injury, the long-awaited return of Caglar Soyuncu could be upon us. The Turkey international has missed a total of 17 matches this season due to a tear in the abductor muscle, but he has since made three cameo appearances and could be finally set for his first start since October, via Transfermarkt.

Similarly, Wilfred Ndidi was taken off through injury during the Everton clash. Rodgers said that the midfielder’s hamstring had “just tightened up”, but they didn’t want to risk it becoming worse than feared. This could warrant a precautionary benching for Ndidi, with Hamza Choudhury coming in to replace him.

Although Perez didn’t cut the mustard as a striker, it’s likely we will see him revert back to his natural right-wing role. Instead, Kelechi Inheanacho will likely come in during Vardy’s absence. He will have the support of James Maddison just behind him and Harvey Barnes on the left-wing.

Marc Albrighton had a disappointing game against Everton and could be demoted to the bench to sit this one out. According to Sofascore, he failed to put in a single accurate cross and lost all five of his attempted duels. He also gave up possession 17 times before he was hauled off the pitch in place of Cengiz Under.

This was out of character for the £45,000 per week midfielder, who often relishes in the challenge of switching up his positions on the pitch.

The Foxes will prepare to kick off at 2pm as they welcome Leeds United to the King Power Stadium.

In other news, Exclusive: Rob Lee tips this Leicester man for big international call up…

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to swoop for Ivan Toney despite Danny Murphy suggesting the Brentford striker would be a risky summer signing.

What’s the word?

While speaking on talkSPORT (16/2, 16:00), Murphy claimed the 24-year-old is too unproven for the Irons to be confident in his potential as for every Ollie Watkins there is a Jordan Hugill type.

The Hammers have recently been linked with interest in Bees star Toney, and it is thought that the east London outfit are monitoring the free-scoring talisman ahead of a potential move in the off-season to finally replace Sebastien Haller.

Toney has proven an instant hit at Brentford since replacing Watkins last summer, netting 23 goals in 29 Championship appearances following a £5m move from Peterborough to now being valued by the second-tier side at £30m.

Watkins scored 25 times over 46 regular-season outings in what proved to be his final campaign under Thomas Frank. He has gone on to strike home 10 goals in 22 Premier League appearances since joining Aston Villa for £28m in September.

Yet Murphy would not go all-in on Toney being Watkins 2.0 in the top-flight next term.

“Toney is unproven. It would be a lot to shell out on a man who hasn’t scored in any top-flight,” the former England midfielder said. “I wouldn’t be taking that gamble.

“Watkins is a good example, but there are probably lots of examples of players who’ve come from the Championship who haven’t done what Watkins has done.”

Should West Ham sign Toney?

West Ham fans know all too well about second-tier players failing to make the grade in the Premier League, with Hugill just a recent example of forwards to have moved to east London and flopped.

The Irons paid £10m to sign Hugill from Preston North End in 2018 under Moyes during the Scotsman’s first tenure at the helm, but he would only make three appearances in claret and blue without scoring before he was shifted onto Norwich City last summer in a deal that could reach £5m.

Yet Toney would be expected to be a Watkins more so than a Hugill, having already established a record in his short time with Brentford that the Middlesbrough-born marksman never had at Deepdale.

Hugill stuck just 23 goals in 100 Championship appearances during his two-and-a-half seasons with Preston, including a single-term best of 12 in 44 games in 2016/17.

Watkins has almost bettered that in half as many Premier League outings and Toney would arrive at the London Stadium fresh from the same schooling that Dean Smith and Aston Villa have vastly benefited from.

Toney is also rounding off the rough edges to his game that former Scunthorpe United coach Graham Alexander spotted in the striker when he sought his signing on loan from Newcastle United, to be confident that the forward is ready to play at a higher level.

“In the air, Ivan was one of the best I’ve worked with,” Alexander told The Athletic. “He was quick, aggressive, willing to battle, and had a great finish. As a goalscorer, he didn’t need much improvement.

“Physically, he also wasn’t ready to play for Newcastle. He was a good frame, but he wasn’t filled out. He still needed a lot of growing into. He had all the attributes to play higher, but he just wasn’t physically ready then, as he is now.”

If Toney keeps scoring as freely as he is yet Brentford fail to secure promotion into the Premier League, Moyes would regret not urging West Ham to snap up the breakout attacking star.

AND in other news, David Moyes has been sent an instant reminder by a £9m West Ham target…

West Brom will be looking to build on their recent form this weekend when they host relegation rivals Brighton at the Hawthorns.

Sam Allardyce’s men are finally starting to put up a fight, and the 66-year-old has somewhat alleviated their defensive issues in recent games too.

The Baggies have recorded back-to-back draws, against Man Utd and Burnley, conceding just once across both outings – even with ten men in the latter encounter.

Big Sam must now find a way to start putting the ball in the back of the net, something he won’t be able to do with Matty Phillips starting…

On the Chalkboard

The 29-year-0ld Scotsman has been trusted by the Albion boss numerous times this season and his relentless faith in the veteran was most displayed when he took the armband in the absence of Jake Livermore.

However, Phillips offers very little threat in the Premier League. He has provided only one goal and one assist all campaign and sits amongst the five worst players for average WhoScored rating (6.24) this campaign.

Valued at £5m by Transfermarkt, the right-winger has seen his output regress substantially with the step-up in quality. In the Championship, Phillips had averaged 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes, while delivering seven goals and six assists on their way to promotion.

These figures have tailed off, as he’s now managing just 0.5 shots and 0.7 key passes per outing in the big time, via WhoScored.

Eight other players are managing to fire off more attempts at goal, including right-back Darnell Furlong (0.7), whilst there are also three other players who are more creative, including outcast winger Kamil Grosicki (one).

Once lauded as a “game-changer,” Phillips ought to be usurped by the returning Grady Diangana this weekend, as outlined in this article.

The £18m summer arrival could complete a dream-looking attack alongside Matheus Pereira and Mbaye Diagne, having Phillips in there instead just doesn’t carry the same threat, as evident by his returns this term.

It would be another ruthless decision after Allardyce hooked him just half an hour at the weekend in response to Semi Ajayi’s sending off, but now that Diangana is back, he has no place in the starting lineup anymore.

AND in other news, Allardyce must offload £20k-p/w West Brom gem, Sawyers once dubbed him “unbelievable”…

Many Aston Villa fans are reacting to the latest comments from Dean Smith on injured star and attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

Grealish’s return date is unconfirmed at the moment, but the Villa manager tried to shed as much light as possible as he said: “I saw him before the game and he said to me if he gets on the grass he’s playing (vs Newcastle). But I said to him, ‘I’ve got to pick you first!’ which he laughed at…”

The Villans are definitely missing an attacking threat without the talisman as they drew 0-0 against rivals Wolves on Saturday night. With the English international picking up six goals and ten assists this season (WhoScored), he could have been the difference between a draw and a win.

The only worrying thing about this latest update on the player is that he is still not back on the grass, and this may be a cause of concern for many fans of the club.

Hopefully the fact that they are mentioning the Newcastle game as a possibility means that he will be back, but for now it seems “touch-and-go”, in the words of Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece.

Here is how Villa fans reacted to the comments from Smith:

“I don’t get it. Surely if he’s pain free and the players wants to play, no-one knows better than the player? Our medical staff are OTT.”

Credit: @AvfcSims

“That sounds hopeful that he will be back for Newcastle. Thought that midfield in first half was excellent, jack in the team and Traore other side or another winger and that is a real strong team”

Credit: @NashNash194

“We need Jack even if he is limping!”

Credit: @techvesting1

“Shouldn’t be needing to rush Jack against the likes of Newcastle, on the bench would still be a boost.”

Credit: @CS_UTV

“Don’t rush him back half fit we’re not in a relegation battle now.”

Credit: @jamsey55

“Judging by the second half display today, he will need to pick Jack even if he is half of his usual self”

Credit: @Berdan08914685

In other Villa news, some fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

Raul Jimenez’s absence from the Wolves team while he recovers from a fractured skull has been all too clear.

Since he’s been out injured, Fabio Silva has scored just twice while Adama Traore and Willian Jose are yet to find the net all term in Wolves colours. Thus, new recruits are needed in the summer.

What’s the word?

Wolves tried their best to replace the goals of Jimenez in January but Jose clearly hasn’t done that very well.

Whether they enter the market for another striker remains to be seen but they are targeting a wide player if you believe reports.

Football Insider claimed over the weekend that the Midlands outfit have set their sights on signing Goncalo Guedes from Valencia.

It’s understood that the Spanish side are likely to sell him in the summer after they had funding withdrawn by owner Peter Lim.

West Ham are also reportedly interested in the player who is currently rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt. The Portugal international may have to significantly reduce his salary in order to complete a move though. The Jorge Mendes client currently earns £101k-per-week in La Liga.

Pedro Neto 2.0

A young Portuguese player on the books of Mendes appears to tick all the boxes when playing Wolves transfer bingo.

Some players are often wide of the mark but Guedes has the potential to be a real star at Molineux. His style of play suits the Old Gold and he’d fit into a side who like to operate with crafty playmakers and dazzling dribbles.

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Guedes certainly fits that mantra and if you combine his qualities and the positions he plays in, he has Pedro Neto written all over him.

The Valencia attacker has the ability to play on both flanks while he’s also incredibly capable of starring in a number 10 role.

He has predominantly played off the left flank in 2020/21 but only has four goals to his name in all competitions. That being said, his contributions have arguably merited more.

Guedes has managed 1.5 shots per game this term, a tally only bettered by Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and indeed Neto at Wolves. Meanwhile, his 1.9 dribbles per match is just 0.3 fewer than Neto’s tally.

Wolves’ Portuguese sensation has had a stellar campaign but they need more numbers in attack if Nuno is to ever take this team to the next level. He has tried and failed to do that by switching the club’s normal formation so perhaps new recruits could change their fortunes instead.

Speaking about the winger, Luis Figo once said: “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well.”

Possessing eye-catching levels of pace, he has the abilities to stretch defences just as Neto does. This would be a smart move from Wolves providing they can afford the finances.

A glowing review from Figo tells you all you need to know.

AND in other news, Wolves must wield the axe on £22k-p/w flop who “defied the laws of physics” yesterday…

Several Aston Villa fans praised midfielder Morgan Sanson for his cameo display against Newcastle United on Friday evening.

Sanson, who arrived in January on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Marseille, was left out of the starting line-up for Jacob Ramsey at St James’ Park, in what was Dean Smith’s only change from the side which drew with Wolves last week.

Sanson far from perfect

The 26-year-old came on to replace Ramsey shortly before the hour mark, though, and Villa looked to have sealed all three points late on following Ciaran Clark’s own goal. However, with seconds remaining, Jamaal Lascelles rescued a point for the hosts with a thumping header.

Sanson was actually Villa’s worst-rated player against Steve Bruce’s side, as per WhoScored.

The Frenchman recorded a 5.97/10 match rating – the only away player to score under 6. He touched the ball just 17 times in his 36-minute display and received a yellow card for his only foul of the game.

However, despite this, these Villa supporters all liked what they saw from Sanson.

Villa fans full of praise

“Sanson was brilliant when he came on. Needs to be starting.”

Credit: @EddAVFC

“Sanson was a standout player for me”

Credit: @EwanMackey

“Thought Sanson looked promising tonight: tidy on the ball, can run with it and pretty accurate passer. Looking quicker with each game too. I expect to see him in the first xi after a full preseason.”

Credit: @VillaViews_

“I wanna see him in the team now full stop,him playing with Jack might be something special”

Credit: @moavfc

“Sanson needs to start for the rest of the season. JJ isn’t ready to start games and Barkley is done. With a midfield that’s already struggling we can’t carry passengers and it’s where we need to improve in the summer.”

Credit: @Gazoaks

“Sanson is becoming a favourite of mine tbh”

Credit: @lise_brown

“Sanson has been brilliant”

Credit: @tom_avfc1

In other news: Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been giving their thoughts over a potential permanent deal for Ross Barkley, find out more here. 

A number of Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to an announcement from the club confirming they have met with fans and key influencers ahead of the Old Firm clash this weekend.

The Gers face their local rivals this coming weekend in the Old Firm derby. The match itself does not have much riding on it – the Ibrox outfit have already been confirmed as champions while Celtic are set to finish in a very distant second place. However, after thousands of Gers fans took to the streets to celebrate the title triumph, breaking lockdown regulations in the process and attracting the ire of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, there are worries that such scenes could be repeated.

The Gers appear to be doing all they can to avoid such a situation. On Tuesday, they confirmed that they had met with key supporters groups and influencers to urge them to stay at home around the clash at Parkhead.

The statement was shared on the club’s official Twitter account, and these fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say about the statement below

“Getting sick of hearing this, we weren’t going down regardless”

Credit: @KyleMc_

“I don’t genuinely think there was a real desire for our support to attend on Sunday but we are right to do everything we can to show we are united on this front.”

Credit: @TheLoudenTavern

“Fortunately it looks like most fans are in agreement: no-one was planning on heading there anyway. That said, I’ll be so very annoyed and frustrated if we see any #RangersFC fans at Parkhead this Sunday.”

Credit: @AliHunter1

“Pretty sad that the club need to tweet such things to prove to the SNP they are doing their bit publicly.”

Credit: @rangersbadge

“Sturgeon is milking this eh, almost as if it’s a nice distraction from her party’s lies and deception that happen on a daily basis…”

Credit: @King1Scott

“I would like to say to our fans and supporters worldwide that We Are The people and it I key that we celebrate the team and it’s accomplishments from the safety of our own homes. The players, management and staff all know the fans are with them in spirit, and rightly so.”

Credit: @MacGerrard_

In other news, many Rangers fans slam this Union Bears statement.

It has now been more than three weeks since Neil Lennon decided to stand down as manager of Celtic.

The Hoops are still on the hunt for a new manager but it wouldn’t be a great surprise if they waited until the summer to bring in a fresh face.

What’s the word?

Jesse Marsch revealed this week that it was an honour to be linked with the Celtic job.

However, in a fresh twist to their search, there has also been an update in the Hoops’ pursuit of former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.

That came courtesy of Alex McLeish, who was speaking to Football Insider this week. He said: “I’m hearing whispers that Frank Lampard was seen with the Celtic directors. No matter what, the rumour mill will continue to thrive until an appointment is finally made.

“I think the fans would love a big name. There’s no doubt about it, they’ll be looking for that kind of personality.”

Desmond buzzing

It’s evident that the Bhoys are stepping up their hunt for a new manager, and if they have really met with Lampard, majority shareholder Dermot Desmond should be foaming at the mouth.

Celtic have been linked with a variety of managers from Steve Clarke to Mick McCarthy. However, as McLeish says, a big name would really get the fans off their seats.

Lampard may be relatively inexperienced but he could bring a host of qualities to Parkhead which would suit the Bhoys.

For starters, he gives young players an opportunity, something Lennon seldom offered during his time in Glasgow. Cameron Harper has already left because of a lack of first team opportunities while Karamoko Dembele could leave on a free transfer in the summer for the same reason.

Although Lampard received the sack in west London, he helped to bring players like Reece James, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham into the limelight.

Therefore, it’s not just Desmond who should be excited at this news; the club’s reserve players should also be thrilled. This could finally be their chance to really make an impact at Parkhead.

In the past, opportunities to impress the first team manager have been limited. That could change if Lampard is chosen as Lennon’s long-term successor.

AND in other news, 0 starts under Kennedy: Celtic must unleash £11k-p/w beast with “explosive power”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Newcastle United Hall of Famer Rob Lee believes there is only one thing stopping Newcastle from being taken over, and that’s Mike Ashley.

In the last few years, Newcastle have been involved in a number of failed takeover bids which included earlier bids by Amanda Staveley, Peter Kenyon and one from the Bin Zayed Group, who have also just failed to purchase Derby County.

Mike Ashley has been desperate to get out of Newcastle for a number of years now as he wishes to put more focus on his retail portfolio, but as of yet only one party has made a suitable offer in PIF but they were then denied access into the Premier League via the Directors and Owners tests.

Speaking on Ashley’s true willingness to sell and what he hopes for Newcastle going forward, Lee told FFC:

“Something I see is people wanting Newcastle to go down because they think Ashley will then sell the club. I wouldn’t want that at all, I want the club to stay in the Premier League. If they do, then I just hope that somebody who wants to take the club forward buys Newcastle.

“There always seems to be one thing that goes wrong with these takeovers, always. The one constant factor in all of this is Mike Ashley, he’s involved in every failed takeover. So it makes me wonder how much he wants to sell the club.”

Newcastle United are currently in a legal battle with the Premier League over a dispute regarding who would actually own the club if PIF bought the club.

While all this is going on off the pitch, the Magpies find themselves one place above the bottom three and relegation could scupper any potential takeover.