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According to results from our recent poll, the majority of Crystal Palace fans would be in favour of sacking Roy Hodgson and appointing the newly-unemployed David Wagner – the former Huddersfield boss was given the boot on Monday, with the Terriers rock bottom of the Premier League.

To an outsider who doesn’t have much knowledge of Wagner or the English top flight, anyone pining for a manager whose team has taken just 11 points from 22 games would seem crazy. However, it is fair to say that the German has been working with an uneven playing field and a shoestring budget since – in comparison to other teams – since being promoted to the Prem in 2016/17.

Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant performed a miracle by keeping the Yorkshire outfit out of the drop zone last season but, unfortunately, hasn’t fared so well this time around.

Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson pulled off the unthinkable last year in guiding an Eagles team rooted to the foot of the table with zero points and zero goals after four games but, like Wagner, has found little success this season – with the quality Palace have got, they should be nowhere near the relegation zone.

In the aftermath of Wagner’s sacking, we asked the Selhurst Park faithful if they would like the 47-year-old in the dugout instead of Hodgson and 62% said ‘yes’ – you can check out the full results of our poll below…

Steven Gerrard is looking to improve his Rangers squad with the loan signing of another Liverpool wonderkid, with the Scottish Sun claiming Ben Woodburn is a January target.

What’s the word?

The Scottish Sun reported on Sunday that Woodburn had emerged as a Gers target again, having missed out on the teenager’s signature in the summer when he joined Sheffield United on loan.

He has since returned to Anfield, however, when the Reds cut short his season-long loan deal over a lack of minutes, and could move to Ibrox in the January window with Jurgen Klopp keen for the 19-year-old to gain vital minutes on the pitch.

During his time at Bramall Lane, the left-winger featured in eight senior fixtures but only started a single game in the Championship, which lasted 46 minutes.

An ankle injury, though, will impact any transfer plans in January, with the blow ruling Woodburn out for a month, and Gerrard would face competition from numerous English sides with Blackburn, Brentford, Hull, West Brom and Wigan all said to be interested.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Careful not to repeat Ejaria failings

While Gerrard has a connection with Liverpool and it can come in handy when bringing talented youngsters to Scotland on loan, he will have to be careful not to repeat the failings of Ovie Ejaria’s time at the club.

The Reds midfielder was supposed to spend the 2018/19 season at Ibrox, but his season-long deal was cut short before Christmas after the 21-year-old failed to settle north of the border.

Gerrard even claimed the unsettled midfielder “didn’t seem in the right frame of mind” when he omitted Ejaria from his squad to face Rapid Vienna in the Europa League, and the Southwark-born ace was also late to training when the Gers prepared to take on Villarreal at the end of November.

That said,the Glasgow giants also brought Ryan Kent north of the border from Merseyside on loan in the summer, and there is a no reason at all why Woodburn wouldn’t follow in the 22-year-old’s footsteps at Ibrox given the clear quality and potential that he has in his locker.

What do you think? Let us know in the poll below if Rangers should loan Woodburn…

Liverpool know that their own fate remains in the balance as they still sit top of the Premier League. 

With a healthy gap between them and 2nd placed Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp and his team will be hoping to get the job done for the rest of the season and deliver some silverware to show for their brilliance.

Liverpool haven’t won the Premier League before and they may need reinforcements to do so this season as well.

Considering that there are still a number of games to be played in the league and Champions League this season, the Reds would do well to bolster their squad for when rotation is necessary.

Although they have a few options up-front behind Roberto Firmino, none are as good as Frankfurt’s loan star Luka Jovic.

Jovic, (who is valued at £36 million on Transfermarkt) has taken the Bundesliga by storm since his loan move from Benfica.

His incredible performances have helped him record 17 goals in 23 games this season, as well as being level with Borussia Dortmund’s Paco Alcacer as the Bundesliga’s top goalscorer.

At the young age of 21, Luka Jovic is still getting used to the vast amount of attention he is getting from teams all over Europe.

To have a player like the Serbian international would be game-changing for Liverpool, certainly if he could carry on his inspired form from this season.

He maybe back-up to Firmino to start with but his wonderful talent in-front of goal may soon lead to him becoming the main man at Anfield.

Liverpool have their biggest chance yet at winning the title, there is no reason why they shouldn’t try and help themselves even more during this transfer window.

Do you agree… Let us know!

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Aston Villa got back to winning ways with a battling 2-1 victory over Ipswich on Saturday to bring them within four points of the play-off spots and, while Tammy Abraham will have undoubtedly won the plaudits for his game-winning brace, there was an unsung hero in the ranks who some Villa fans would surely hesitate to praise.

On the chalkboard

Dean Smith set his side in a 4-1-4-1 formation with an enforcer between to provide cover – that defensive midfielder was Glenn Whelan, a man who has been annihilated in the past by supporters, even when they have won. This season too, the Irishman has suffered his fair share of stick on social media…

At 35 years of age, Whelan is still going strong despite being well into his twilight years, however his inclusion in the starting XI against the Tractor Boys raised a few eyebrows.

But Whelan was impressive in the middle of the park and his tidy work on the ball combined with his dirty work off it was hugely important as the Midlands outfit gritted their teeth to a first league win of 2019 – finally.

Well played, Whelan

The 5-foot-11 tough-tackler completed 84% of his passes, using the ball sensibly in midfield, while also playing dangerous forward balls – he achieved one key pass in his 78 minute spell on the pitch (stats per WhoScored).

Not afraid to stick his foot in, either, the number 6 completed 2 interceptions and a tackle, cutting an assured figure in front of a defence that had looked uncertain and leaked goals for fun previously. The likes of Tommy Elphick and James Chester will have been thankful for the veteran’s presence.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video above…

Whelan might not have the legs to do anything particularly special on the ball, and this may be why he is crucified for making mistakes, but he hardly put a foot wrong on Saturday at a time when Villa needed calmness and effectiveness most.

Maybe those fans that have had a go at him in the past have been a little harsh – Whelan may not be glamorous or fashionable, but he’s an important player in this Villa team.

Isaac Hayden’s performance at Wembley over the weekend was a prime example of the growth and development young players can achieve under Rafa Benitez’s watch.

The former Arsenal man has been delivering solid showings in recent matches but his defensive display in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was a real positive, despite the result.

The Magpies went into the encounter full of confidence following their impressive win over Manchester City last week and were slightly unfortunate not to leave North London with a point.

Hayden was at the heart of a resilient defensive display by Benitez’s men and was on hand to make a number of key interceptions, while his positioning in defence was also spot on to head away and clear many crosses by Spurs.

Having started most of the season on the bench or not even in the matchday squads, Benitez turned to Hayden to bring some much-needed stability and energy to the Newcastle team in a position that has been a problem time and again for the North East club this season.

The 23-year-old Hayden has started and completed seven of Newcastle’s previous eight matches in all competitions and has formed quite a formidable partnership with Sean Longstaff.

The pair have finally offered Newcastle a balanced midfield combination that lets the team revert from defence into attack quite effectively. Considering the fact Hayden reportedly (as per the Northern Echo) handed a transfer request in over the course of the summer, as well as reiterating his desire to leave in January (via the Chronicle), it’s amazing to think how important he’s become.

Hayden’s movement against Spurs on Saturday was also highly impressive and it was clever in the way he marked players in space when Mauricio Pochettino’s men were on the attack.

Newcastle are currently two points above the relegation zone and still have a lot of hard work to do in order to secure their safety in the Premier League for next season but if Benitez continues his faith and confidence in Hayden to play as a box-to-box midfielder, the club should definitely have enough power to see the season through without any trouble.

Hayden’s commitment has also been beneficial to the players around him and has allowed better security to the likes of Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu, who are more inclined to press high up the pitch. He may not want to play for the club long-term – and was linked with a Deadline Day move to Aston Villa – but Isaac Hayden is beyond crucial to Newcastle right now.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Sheffield Wednesday recorded successive victories to move back into the playoff picture this weekend after the Owls defeated Brentford 2-1 at Hillsborough.

Snapshot

Garry Monk’s men had to come from behind to win after Bryan Mbeumo headed the Bees in front just before the half-hour mark.

But the 40-year-old’s change at half-time inspired Wednesday to a comeback with Steven Fletcher bagging a four-minute brace which was kickstarted from the penalty spot.

The veteran striker then curled one past the visiting goalkeeper to notch his tenth of the season, giving the Owls all three points for the second time this week.

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Off the Bench

Monk stuck with a 4-4-2 formation with Atdhe Nuhiu once again partnering the 32-year-old, but the Kosovan could do very little to impact the match.

The 6 foot 5 colossus managed just 23 touches of the ball, 11 of which saw him lose possession while he could only muster up a passing accuracy of 53%, so clearly, his influence on the match was detrimental more than positive.

It meant that the Owls chief made a brave yet bold decision to give Jordan Rhodes a rare opportunity – the 29-year-old had played just 29 minutes all season since Monk took charge in September.

But his introduction spurred them onto victory as the club-record signing gave Fletcher a more mobile partner, which didn’t go unnoticed by supporters after the match with many praising his movement.

Per SofaScore, Rhodes saw one shot blocked and won 75% of his duels. Though, the most important thing was the reaction from the Hillsborough faithful as he had been pretty much written off up until this point.

The former Blackburn striker’s value has substantially decreased during his time in south Yorkshire with Transfermarkt rating him at just £2.7m, so it only goes to show how much his worth has sunk in the space of a few years.

However, he could still play a part in Wednesday’s promotion charge, especially if 4-4-2 is to remain.

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In other news, another Owls man has been receiving his fair share of praise despite being a marmite figure at Hillsborough…

Javier Manquillo has returned to the first-team in recent weeks and there is a growing interest in him from a number of Premier League clubs, according to the Telegraph.

What’s the word?

Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham are all interested in the right-back following a string of impressive performances since he replaced DeAndre Yedlin in the Magpies’ team for the clash against Manchester City.

Newcastle signed the Spaniard for £4.5m in 2017 and the worry for them is that he is still valued at that amount according to Transfermarkt, and therefore he may not cost too much for other clubs to try and sign.

His current contract expires at the end of the season, too, and therefore the ball is in his court with regard to his future. Considering he has often been a back-up in his time at St. James’ Park he could decide to push for a move.

Watch Man Utd vs Newcastle Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Dependable option

It is clear that Steve Bruce prefers a defensive method in the way he organises his team and so far that has paid off with his five-at-the-back system, and that explains why Manquillo has been his preferred option in recent weeks.

The former Atletico Madrid player offers more than Yedlin in a defensive capacity and it was little surprise that his return to the team coincided with a draw against Manchester City followed up by two wins.

Manquillo is dribbled fast fewer times than Yedlin, while he has a better reading of the game, making 0.9 interceptions per outing this term, compared to the American’s 0.7.

As mentioned, he has previously found game time difficult to come by with the USA international often preferred ahead of him during Rafael Benitez’s tenure.

Despite that, he has proved his quality in recent games, assisting with a brilliant cross against Sheffield United. Other than that he has played an effective role in defence, with 1.5 tackles per game this campaign.

Having Manquillo in the squad gives Bruce two useful options to play at right-back, and the competition they provide each other should spur them on to perform better, and that will ultimately benefit Newcastle.

They could end up regret selling him, particularly to a team similarly placed to them in the table, and therefore the club should be considering a new contract for the 25-year-old, rather than letting him go.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

However, with Newcastle targeting the signing of another defender they could be preparing for the Spaniard’s departure, though there is only early interest in the player at this stage.

With the scoreline finely balanced at 1-1 heading into the latter stages of the match against Norwich, Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo had a decision to make – eventually, he made the right one as it won the game for his side.

Snapshot

His team had gone 1-0 down after Todd Cantwell opened the scoring in the 17th minute with an emphatic effort, and were left trailing until the 60th minute when Roman Saiss thumped in a well-placed header.

Having been given such a tough game by Norwich up until that point, perhaps a share of the spoils would’ve been a fair outcome from the game in which both sides enjoyed good periods of play.

However, Nuno was not content to see his side settle for a point, and 17 minutes after his side found an equaliser, he made a decisive switch which paid off almost immediately.

Pedro Neto’s superb impact

Nuno decided to throw Pedro Neto into the fold in the 77th minute with just 13 minutes of normal time remaining, and the young Portuguese forward truly repaid his manager’s faith in him.

In such a brief cameo, the 19-year-old attacker had a huge say in proceedings.

Neto delivered the dangerous cross that eventually saw the ball bounce kindly for Raul Jimenez to fire high into Norwich’s net, just four minutes after he replaced Diogo Jota at Carrow Road.

Watch Wolves vs Man City Live and Free with Amazon Prime on December 27th

Aside from that significant impact, the teenager also recorded two dribbles – two more than Jota managed in 77 minutes on the field – while also registering one shot, the same amount as Jota mustered up.

Neto also completed 100% of his passes against the Canaries, helping to keep possession tidily as he and his teammates wrapped up an impressive comeback win in Norfolk, largely thanks to his instant impact from the bench.

At such a young age, and having made just one Premier League start this season, Neto showed great maturity to grab a game that was in the balance by the scruff of the neck – Nuno should be patting himself on the back for making the change.

In other news, this prodigy would be an ideal successor for Adama Traore at Wolves…

Liverpool fans have slammed midfielder Naby Keita after he suffered yet another injury during the warm-up before his side’s 2-0 victory against Sheffield United on Thursday.

The Guinea international picked up a problem during the preparations for the Premier League encounter in which he was selected to start by manager Jurgen Klopp.

However, the disruption did not affect the team as they strolled to an easy win at Anfield.

After the game, the German tactician confirmed that he had injured his groin and will not be available to face Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday.

He added that he now only has 12 senior players fit along with academy players, describing it as “not cool”.

This is the fifth separate injury that the Guinean has suffered since his £48m move from RB Leipzig in 2018, which has seen him miss a total of 19 games so far.

Supporters were not impressed with Keita’s latest setback and made their feelings clear on social media. One fan said that he is worse than Daniel Sturridge after his former teammate also suffered a catalogue of injuries during his time at Anfield, while another thinks the club should sell him as soon as possible.

Here you will find some of the many angry comments from these disgruntled Reds fans:

What does the future hold for Keita? Join the discussion by commenting below…

According to Goal.com, Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey is a potential transfer target for Liverpool, although the Reds are not expected to be active in January.

Takumi Minamino has already made the move to Anfield this month, but Goal.com have reported that the European Cup holders are unlikely to make any further first-team signings before the end of the month.

Moving forward, though, the website has named Bailey as a potential target.

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And it would be fair to say that a number of the Merseyside club’s supporters are interested in a swoop for the 22-year-old.

Not all of the supporters agree, though, with some questioning whether the 22-year-old is good enough to join the runaway Premier League leaders.

No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?

Bailey joined Leverkusen from Genk in 2017 and has scored 21 times and registered 13 assists in 95 appearances for his German club in all competitions.

This season, meanwhile, the Jamaica international has contributed four goals and one assist in 12 appearances, having missed a chunk of matches through injury and suspension.

Goal.com claim that Bailey would be an alternative to Jadon Sancho, who will reportedly be staying with Borussia Dortmund until at least the summer.

Meanwhile, a number of  Liverpool supporters have been offering their views on the latest speculation surrounding Loris Karius.