Newcastle have cancelled their Christmas party after a terrible string of results has left them languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League table.
The Magpies’ 3-1 home defeat by reigning champions Manchester City at the weekend was their sixth in seven league outings, leaving them in 15th place, just two points above the relegation zone.
The Toon have travelled to Dublin and Glasgow in recent years to enjoy the festive season, but their recent form has left the club undeserving of celebrations this year, according to manager Alan Pardew, who now needs to steer them away from their perilous league position.
“It’s out of respect to our fans and what we have served them this year,” Pardew told the Evening Chronicle.
“There’s no party for us, and the same for the staff. That’s how it should be.
“Trust me, there have been horrible things said about our group and our staff, but we are together, and we are fighting and trying to put it right.
“The fans have to realise this isn’t just a game to us, it’s our livelihoods and our profession. It pays our bills.
“Not only that, we have to have a certain pressure of entertaining our fans, who pay good money to come and watch.
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“Looking at all those factors, we have not done enough this year. That’s why I think it’s right we called it off.”
Newcastle face Queens Park Rangers at St James’ Park on Saturday, knowing they will need a victory to help restore some confidence in a stuttering season.
As we near the half-way point of the season, the Premier League table is starting to take shape and pressure will start to grow on the managers who are under-performing. However, those who have done well are earning their rightful praise, but who do you think has been the manager of the season so far?
As seems to be the case every year, David Moyes is once again working wonders at Everton. While the Toffees have stuttered a bit recently, having won just once in the last six, they are unbeaten in the last five and find themselves sixth in the table, just two points off Tottenham and a place in the top four.
One of the surprise packages of the season have been West Bromwich Albion, with Steve Clarke doing well in his first season at the helm at the Hawthorns. West Brom are equal with Everton in seventh place in the Premier League table and while they haven’t won in the last four in the league, the Baggies should be really proud of their achievements so far.
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A manager of the season shortlist wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of Sir Alex Ferguson. The experienced Scot has again taken Manchester United to the top of the Premier League table, six points ahead of rivals City and looking good for another domestic crown. The Red Devils’ squad may not be as strong as some previous title-winning sides, but Fergie still manages to get the best out of them.
Who do you think the Manager of the Season has been? Have your say by Tweeting @RNRFootball with your choice of manager and the hashtag #TellWrighty
Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to scrap his transfer philosophy of signing young players for Arsenal by making a shock move for Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.
The Blue’s midfield legend is in the last year of his contract at the club and new manager Rafa Benitez has revealed the player will be free to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
Signing Lampard, 34, would be going against Wenger’s usual preference of looking to sign and develop stars for the future rather than those who have already reached their peak.
Lampard has been subject of rumours linking him with a move to LA Galaxy but the England international is reported to be keen on staying in Europe.
With the midfielder able to move on for free in the summer, Wenger will be weighing up the decision of whether to make a cash offer to Chelsea for him in January in a bid to prize him away early.
Arsenals miserable start to their Premier League campaign sees them in 10th position in the table and Wenger has fallen under increased pressure to turn the clubs fortunes around.
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The Frenchman has also been heavily linked with moves for strikers Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Schalke, and Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez, as well as Everton midfield Marouanne Fellaini amongst others.
Liverpool back-up goalkeeper Brad Jones has admitted that team-mate Pepe Reina is the club’s first-choice stopper despite erratic form at the start of the season.
The Spaniard has been at fault for a number of goals that the Merseysiders have conceded and as such there have been rumblings in the press stating that Brendan Rodgers was getting fed up of the goalkeeper’s mistakes.
However, despite being expected to start for Liverpool against West Brom on Wednesday night, Jones has backed Reina as the Reds’ No.1.
“Pepe’s consistency is massive and a lot about being a goalkeeper at Liverpool is concentration because you aren’t getting peppered every week,” The Guardian have Jones as saying.
“You have got to look at it in context. Goalkeeping can turn on one decision at any given time. Sometimes you make the wrong decision but get away with it. Other times someone moves. It doesn’t matter who you are, you are going to be criticised over the odd mistake over the course of a season.
“You look at the top teams and every goalkeeper has made a mistake. For people to jump on the bandwagon and start criticising someone who has been at the top of his game, been in the top tier of football, for so long, is wrong.
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“Pepe’s still only 30. You can’t start dismissing people and say: ‘That’s it.’ He’s a brilliant keeper and I don’t think there is any reason to start questioning him now,” he concluded.
With all the talk and controversy that’s surrounded Andy Carroll in the past couple of years, it is sometimes easy to forget just how young and inexperienced he actually is.
At 23 years of age, Carroll is the most expensive British player of all time. He has worn the famous number 9 shirt for his hometown club, been the subject of a £35million transfer to Liverpool, played for his country at a major tournament, and been a part of one of the most controversial and seemingly senseless transfer fiasco’s of all time, which saw him eventually join West Ham on loan.
It seems an awful lot for a player who’s in fact only made 68 Premier League appearances, with a large chunk of those coming as a substitute, particularly for Liverpool. In that time Carroll has managed just 17 Premier League goals, with 11 coming during his spell at Newcastle between August and December 2010, which prompted Liverpool to make their outrageous bid in January 2011.
Carroll has managed just six Premier League goals since then, and is currently on a run of just one in his last 22 appearances, and is yet to get off the mark for his new club West Ham. The statistics do not make good reading, but as always only tell part of the story.
There have been a few murmurs of discontent surrounding Carroll and his failure to get off the mark from press and pundits, as will always be the case. The problem lies in the fact he will always be known as the ‘£35million striker’, which for a fee like that demands 20-plus goals a season.
Those expecting that from Carroll will be waiting for a long time, as he is simply not the sort of goal scoring centre forward everyone expects him to be. He’s still a young player, with time on his side to evolve and improve, but a return of 10-15 a goals a season is the maximum you can expect from him. The pressure of the ridiculous price tag Liverpool paid for him alongside injuries has hindered his progress, but his overall form has steadily improved.
The criticism aimed at Carroll when he first signed for Liverpool, was his lack of mobility. He looked sluggish, his touch was heavy, and his usual strength and power was often missing. It later became apparent that Carroll was still feeling the effects of the injury that he sustained while at Newcastle, and it wasn’t until Carroll was given playing time due to the eight game suspension handed to Luis Suarez that Liverpool fans started to understand why he was rated so highly.
From January onwards Carroll looked an entirely different player. Having been given a run of games to restore his fitness, he set about causing havoc among defenders, chasing lost causes, and creating chances for his teammates, which sadly for Liverpool were often spurned. His back to back performances against Chelsea in the FA Cup final, and the 4-1 Premier League victory were outstanding, and he looked every inch a top class centre forward.
The thing missing for Carroll was goals, and has sadly been the case since. He has managed six domestic goals since January, coming against the likes of Oldham and Brighton from the lower divisions, and Premier League strikes against relegated Wolves and Blackburn. His performance in the FA Cup final and for England during the Euros showed he has the ability to produce on the big stage, which is why Liverpool fans were so disappointed about the decision to send him on loan, just at the time he was starting to regain some confidence.
Since his arrival at West Ham, Carroll has looked hungry and eager to impress. His debut performance against Fulham was outstanding until he picked up a hamstring injury, which has only served to delay his progress further.
Since his return to action he has shown the desire to put himself about and impress, and the West Ham fans seem to have immediately taken to him. However you feel he needs a goal as quickly as possible to keep the critics off his back. Carroll looks very much a confidence player, and his desire to impress and win people over often leads to him rushing and over complicating things for himself.
It seems Sam Allardyce has set about getting back to basics and playing to his strengths. The pressure has eased considerably since his time at Liverpool, but he will undoubtably be desperate to end his goal drought. With his overall play being so much improved, you feel once the first goes in the floodgates could open. There are not many with the attributes Carroll possesses, the incredible strength, heading ability and hammer of a left foot. At 23-years-old he is still learning, and needs to be given time to bring all those attributes together. The signs have been there.
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The crucial thing for Carroll now is that he continues doing the right things, and ignores those seemingly out to get him and who will constantly ridicule his price tag and goal scoring record. The sooner people understand what he is about and stop demanding him to be something than the player he actually is, everyone will see the best for him. And for West Ham and England, this is a very exciting thought.
What have you made of Andy Carroll’s form this season? Follow me on Twitter @LukeGreenwood89 and let me know your thoughts.
recent away loss to Norwich would naturally have sent a number of supporters into an angry frenzy. Arsene Wenger’s team had no right to play as poorly as they did, and one step further would suggest that Norwich had no right to win that game. But the major talking point—as it always is when Arsenal lose in embarrassing fashion—is what the club should be doing with all that cash that’s currently stuffed away.
There wasn’t too much said following the arrival of Santi Cazorla, although many were still upset at a lack of obvious replacement for Alex Song. But Arsenal had seemingly identified and addressed the problem areas in attack. All that was missing was transmitting the good-on-paper to good-on-the-pitch and getting results.
But Arsenal are still short—they always will be because Arsene Wenger appears powerless to stop big players leaving at the end of every season. He’ll replace, hopefully, but it is often never enough. Meanwhile, the cash reserves—a figure that would turn many other clubs around Europe green with envy—sits in a pot and gives Arsenal supporters plenty of ammunition to fire back at the club.
But regardless of how well Wenger did to land his three summer signings, there are still a number of holes in the team which need addressing.
Yaroslav Rakitskiy
Yaroslav Rakitskiy has three league titles to his name as well as three domestic cups. He’s a regular in the Shakhtar defence and has also gathered together a solid number of international caps. But the recently turned 23-year-old would bring plenty to an Arsenal defence that has improved but may still be lacking in quality in numbers. Per Mertesacker has been excellent for the best part of the season so far for Arsenal, and Laurent Koscielny proved to be the Gunners’ best defender last term. But Arsene Wenger’s side are not shy of dancing with a disastrous injury plague. Rakitskiy really impressed two seasons ago when his side played Barcelona in the Champions League. The Ukrainian champions were on the end of a heavy loss but the young centre-back managed to get himself a goal. He also picked up a number of links to major clubs in western Europe, signifying that he was perhaps one of the best young defenders in Europe. He’s versatile and would be able to plug a gap in midfield if needed, but he reads the game well and is positionally very good. As mentioned, Arsenal’s defence are improving, but how many are totally satisfied with what they’re seeing and the options available?
Yevhen Konoplyanka
Yevhen Konoplyanka might sometimes find himself in the shadow of Andriy Yarmolenko whenever the two share a pitch for their national side. After all, the latter has been described as one to lead this generation of Ukrainian football. But Konoplyanka seems to have much more natural ability and is a player rightly picking up plenty of praise in eastern Europe. He’s a player who would greatly improve Arsenal’s wide position, where Lukas Podolski is the sure-starter on the left while Gervinho, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are the other options for the right. Arguably, neither of the two England internationals are natural wide players, while Gervinho’s inconsistency should prove to be a real problem going forward. Konoplyanka has the trickery of a successful and natural wide player. He also has excellent delivery on his crosses into the box while in open play and from corners—something which Arsenal have lacked in quality for many years. But he’s a player who can really bring an attack to life. He’s not afraid to shoot from distance and is a very good striker of the ball. The Dnipro midfielder is already a regular in the national team and undoubtedly fits the bill of a typical Arsene Wenger signing.
Klass Jan-Huntelaar
There has been plenty of talk about Adrian Lopez or Fernando Llorente arriving at Arsenal in the near future to reinforce the attack. However, there’s been surprisingly less said about the availability of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The Dutch striker is currently in the last year of his contract at Schalke and has expressed a desire to leave Veltins Arena once the season is over. He was the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season, a natural predator around the box and is the favourite among Dutch supporters to start for the national team ahead of Robin van Persie. Huntelaar is sure to see interest in him rise as the season continues, but Arsenal would do very well to add a proven and natural scorer such as him to their squad. He’s managed to settle in Germany and could once again be ready for another big move. He’s comfortably one of the finest finishers in Europe at the moment.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
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Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is part of the current rising group of impressive goalkeepers in Germany. The Gladbach keeper’s age should not deter potential suitors as, even at the age of 20, he has already picked up his first international cap and is the regular starter for Lucian Favre’s side. Arsenal don’t have any real competition for goalkeepers and Wojciech Szczesny is hardly the most comfortable in goal. The Polish international has seen a string of errors over the past season result from laziness and lack of focus. Szczesny is simply too comfortable in the knowledge that the other options at Arsenal won’t displace him, but the introduction of ter Stegen, regardless of his age, would be a big boost to the goalkeeping position at the club. Szczesny is a good keeper but needs real competition.
Lars Bender
There were a few really hollow links with Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender towards the end of the last transfer window, but the German international’s versatility would be extremely welcome in Arsene Wenger’s side. Bender is naturally a central holding midfielder, one with excellent defensive abilities. But he’s also capable of slotting in at right-back and performing well. The lack of real quality in that position for the German national team may see Joachim Low opt to deploy the 23-year-old into the right side of defence. But Arsenal are notably short of reliable quality at right-back. There’s no telling what Bacary Sagna’s future holds following his two serious injuries, and Carl Jenkinson, despite some very good performances, is still young and learning his trade. Lars Bender would act as another much-needed body for the midfield and could work extremely well in a two-man pivot with Mikel Arteta. Much of this praise, however, could be equally sent over to Dortmund and his brother Sven, who would also be a great addition to the Arsenal team.
River Plate’s defensive midfielder Leonardo Ponzio is a transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur, according to Sky Sports News.
Ponzio has spent the most-part of his career bouncing between River Plate and Zaragoza, being part of the latter club’s 2009 promotion back into the Spanish top flight. The midfielder only recently rejoined River Plate in January 2012 but could be on his way to the Premier League in the coming transfer window.
The Argentine international, capped seven times for his country, has been in good form for La Banda this season, and recently scored the equaliser during a derby clash with Boca Juniors which ended 2-2. It is believed Spurs scouts were at the match to watch the midfielder’s progress on the request of Andre Villas-Boas.
“I knew that some people came to watch me in the match against Boca and I think in another game too,” 30-year-old Ponzio told reporters.
“Nobody spoke with me about a possible transfer or real interest. Anyway, regarding my future, I am very comfortable where I am and I feel respect. I would like to take advantage of this moment.”
When quizzed on a move to White Hart Lane, the Argentinean replied: “What comes for my career from now on will be analysed. At my age I have to analyse everything with my family.
“It’s not a year yet since I came back from Spain. Therefore, if an offer arrives, River and me will have to analyse it,” he added.
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“I am at a good personal moment and I have to keep on going on in that way. I would like to have the chance to play for the national team again, so I have to keep on doing well at River.”
West Ham United appointed Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager on Tuesday, and he is already making plans in terms of recruitment this summer as he looks to take the club back into the top half of the Premier League table next season.
The 64-year-old has wasted no time in outlining how many players he is looking to add to his squad before the transfer window slams shut on August 9 – two days before the new campaign starts – with co-owner David Sullivan having the opportunity to go from zero to hero if he delivers these three new additions.
Speaking to whufc.com, the former Manchester City boss said: “I am sure that, with the players we have in this moment in the squad, and bringing maybe another four or five players in, we are going to have a strong team.”
It was clear to see that the east London outfit underperformed last term as they flirted with relegation despite bringing the likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez to the London Stadium, and the Chilean seems determined to ensure they don’t find themselves in a similar situation again.
The Mirror suggests that he could be given £75m to spend, and he will already have identified the positions and players that he wants to strengthen, as well as perhaps the individuals that are surplus to requirements.
Here are the acquisitions that would perfectly meet Pellegrini’s request for four or five new signings…
West Ham switched between loanee Joe Hart and Adrian this season with both making mistakes during the campaign, and the former unlikely to return to the London Stadium, Pellegrini will surely be looking to bring a new goalkeeper to the club.
The 64-year-old may well want a stopper that is going to be an undoubted number one rather than competing with Adrian, and Jack Butland could be the perfect answer.
The England international enjoyed another impressive Premier League campaign despite Stoke City’s relegation to the Championship, and he could be available for a slightly reduced fee as a result – something that will please the east London club.
With Jose Fonte leaving for China in February, James Collins set to go when his contract expires next month and doubts over the future of Winston Reid after he has been hampered by injury in recent seasons, one of Pellegrini’s priorities will surely be to bring a new centre-back to the London Stadium.
The ideal candidate may well be Tarkowski, who was brilliant for Burnley this term as they finished seventh to qualify for the Europa League, while his impressive defensive displays and his aerial ability also saw him receive his first England cap back in March.
While Pablo Zabaleta was one of West Ham’s more impressive and consistent performers this season, it is clear to see that the east London outfit need to start looking to the future with the Argentine turning 34 at the start of 2019.
The ideal long-term successor for him at right-back may well be Fredericks, who will be playing in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday.
Even if the Cottagers do go up the 25-year-old, who is good defensively but also loves to get up and down the pitch, may move on as his contract is due to expire next month, meaning the Irons could get him on a free.
While West Ham have been linked with tall and strong defensive midfielders like William Carvalho and Leander Dendoncker in the past, Pellegrini may have a slightly different plan this summer.
The 64-year-old may choose to put faith in the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang from a physical point of view in the middle of the park, and bring in a more mobile central midfielder who is able to bring the ball forward and take on opponents instead.
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Reliable club insider @ExWHUemployee revealed on Twitter that the Chilean manager wants younger players with pace, and Red Bull Salzburg’s Haidara would certainly fit the bill after the 20-year-old impressed and helped his side reach the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Following on from that news about young players with pace, Pellegrini may well look to be reunited with a player he handed a Manchester City debut to.
The 64-year-old was manager when the club signed Fulham starlet Roberts, who has spent the previous two-and-a-half seasons on loan with Celtic.
The diminutive winger may well be on the move again this summer, and the 21-year-old would certainly add some pace and excitement to a West Ham frontline already containing Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini and Javier Hernandez.
Manchester United have been offered Marco Verratti plus cash for Paul Pogba this summer, according to The Sun.
What’s the story, then?
The Sun report that have taken a chance and enquired about the availability of United’s club-record signing, who is currently at the World Cup with his native France.
They also claim that Verratti was on the verge of signing a new contract worth £9m per year but the French champions are now willing to listen to offers – including cash only ones – for the Italian international.
They add that there is no indication as yet of whether United are willing to let Pogba leave this summer.
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This is the perfect solution for Mourinho
It is becoming increasingly clear that Mourinho thought he was getting a Michael Essien-style midfielder in Pogba, who lacks the positional discipline to play in a midfield duo, preferring to play further forward instead.
The issue is recouping the bumper transfer fee United paid for the French international and using it efficiently to sign a replacement, but that would be eradicated by a swap deal for Verratti.
If PSG are willing to give United some cash as well, then the deal would be even sweeter; allowing Pogba to return to France, ending his awkward marriage of convenience with Mourinho and procuring an elite replacement in one swoop.
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Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is already under a degree of pressure, just three games into the new Premier League season, but the club’s chairman Daniel Levy needs the former Chelsea manager’s long-term vision, as they continue to recover from the short-term approach of predecessor Harry Redknapp.
The media, by and large, do not like Villas-Boas very much, which increases this sort of fictional pressure from outside; he doesn’t win friends easily, he has a cold demeanour and he doesn’t indulge journalists with quote after usable quote like Redknapp used to.
The fact that during transfer deadline day, I heard the Sky Sports News journalist by the name of Gary actually mutter the words “we’ve had none of when Harry was manager, driving in, winding down his window and telling us who would be leaving and who might be coming in. We miss him” says it all really. This self-serving attitude pollutes the media when objectively judging managers.
There’s also the club’s new style of play which the Portuguese manager is trying to implement which will take time to gel. Villas-Boas wants his side to press much higher up the pitch and win the ball back early, while under Redknapp, it was simply a team-sheet with the players names on it and they were told to go out and play.
A poor start to the season has already seen many ex-pros trying to play amateur psychologists, claiming that the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon are already ‘not playing for their new manager’ and that they ‘don’t like all the tactical work’. Former players now who say things like this are often the sort of players themselves that didn’t like tactical work, you see, they don’t understand it all that well, so they believe that they are speaking on behalf of every professional footballer, which whenever this happens, they end up only speaking for themselves.
The deadline day scramble and the way that the club missed out on Joao Moutinho as Luka Modric’s replacement will have also hurt Villas-Boas’ plans and the fault lays squarely at the door of Daniel Levy, and the club appear to have strangely prioritised securing the signature of Hugo Lloris instead.
Out went Rafael van der Vaart on deadline day too, as he returned to Hamburg, confirming his status as a luxury player, and he simply didn’t fit the side’s new style, seemingly either far too unfit, lazy or both to fit into it, even if he still has a wand of a left foot.
Emmanuel Adebayor, the focal point of their attack last term to the tune of 17 goals and 12 assists, is still in the process of getting match fit after dragging his heels during negotiations and the team have been forced to field their only senior striker, Jermaine Defoe – a player that doesn’t suit playing as a long front-man and is far too easily pushed off the ball.
At the back, Ledley King has retired, Younes Kaboul has been ruled out for three months with injury and Jan Vertonghen is new to the league, while just in front of them, Scott Parker has been ruled out through injury so far and he was a mainstay in the side Right through the spine of the side there has been change, some forced upon Villas-Boas, others he’s made as he looks to tinker with the side and stamp his own authority on their style, making them more disciplined in the process.
As manager of Chelsea, Villas-Boas was accused of trying to change too much, too fast, but that was the remit which he was brought in under, so it’s hardly his fault that the goalposts were moved midway through the campaign. During his short tenure at White Hart Lane so far, the pace of change has been equally as dramatic, but it was certainly needed as they fell away terribly last season, finishing fourth in a three-horse race, but the same criticism has lazily been levelled at him.
Every manager always pleads time upon taking over a new club, but Redknapp only ran it last season knowing that he wanted the England job in the future; he was biding his time, waiting for an approach from the FA over the England job and their January business shows both him and Levy knew that.
Now the team has a young, forward-thinking manager willing to implement a vision for the future and stick around for quite a few years. His doubters has an agenda and those fans which booed them off the pitch against Norwich should be embarrassed of themselves.
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Rome wasn’t built in a day and the fans need to be patient, despite the cringe-worthy overkill of the word ‘project’ by many. Levy came up short on deadline day, not Villas-Boas and he needs to back his manager both on and off the pitch now and make sure that they present a united front despite the obvious early teething problems.