Tag Futebol

One of the things that sends me most irate in life – refereeing decisions in el clasico aside – is that of stereotypes. In any capacity I genuinely feel they are grossly unfair and would be the first person to say something if I felt pre judging was occurring.

Being female, blonde and a sports journalist you can imagine I get my fair share of idiots making a variety of remarks I can only assume they feel are terribly original, witty and are worthy of an article in themselves. It drives me mad, and I have always been careful not to fall into the trap of tarring everyone with the same brush, yet last week I wrote a top ten tell tale signs of a Premier League footballer, including trips to Nandos, ill-timed comments on twitter and amnesia when it comes to wedding vows. As it was pointed out to me over the weekend, that was a prime example of stereotyping all footballers and yet again only focusing on ones who show the excess and negative side to the game.

Not all footballers are like that – in fact the majority are not. Think about players such as the Nevilles, Scholes, Carragher and especially ones from elsewhere in Europe, who for them the culture of excess and Wags is literally foreign to them – in his wildest dreams I doubt Kompany could even behave half as crassly as people like John Terry.

It is just a very few who are so public about what they do and how they live their lives that it becomes hard to break away from such an image, and the sport as a rule gets far more coverage on the front pages than any other. Look at cricket, rugby and even the Olympics – over the past few years there have been stories in the tabloids about misdemeanours from the sportsmen involved, yet that dies down after a couple of days and is conveniently forgotten about whereas a footballer does something wrong once and it is red top fodder for weeks on end.

Perhaps there is more discretion in said sports and certainly less money involved, yet to assume all footballers are in the Cashley Cole mould or the John Terry one is vastly wrong and quite insulting. For anyone who has not, I would urge you to read the secret footballer’s column in The Guardian newspaper, which is a fantastic insight into the world, and whilst there are disclosures that make you raise your eyebrows there are equally things that make you feel some footballers are harshly done by. The same can be said about Louis Saha’s book, Thinking Inside the Box – a very frank look at the harsh world of football, behind the glamour and tabloid fodder and a definite read for people who are interested in that side of the game.

People can be too quick to forget that footballers are human and susceptible to the temptations that all of us face – as a 22 year old I am sure most of you did some less than stellar things, yet a journalist is not there to plaster it on the pages of a paper. Footballers like all of us will make mistakes and need time to grow up, and some will turn out to be shall we say naughty, some will get sick, some will suffer from a mental illness or addiction and need help and some will be stand up members of society. You get all types of people in life, so of course you do in the beautiful game – perhaps it is time we started to realise it.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Jay Rodriguez has been given a thankless task this season, asked to score goals for the least potent side in the Premier League that will finish the term in rock-bottom place.

The assumption then, is that it’s been a poor campaign for the 28-year-old, but that’s the curious thing about West Brom’s relegation plight – it’s some of their summer signings, chiefly Rodriguez and Ahmed Hegazi, that have had the most positive impact. Those who were part of the squad that finished tenth last season, on the other hand, have struggled to replicate anything near the same standards.

And in some ways, this season wasn’t really about results or success for Rodriguez anyway. Since suffering an incredibly serious injury just a matter of games after forcing his way into the England squad ahead of the 2014 World Cup, it’s been a cruelly difficult road back for the Burnley-born forward.

He just couldn’t revive his role in the first team at Southampton, a club he scored 15 goals in 33 Premier League appearances for under Mauricio Pochettino’s guidance four seasons ago , making last summer’s departure to the Midlands somewhat inevitable.

In that sense, this season has primarily been Rodriguez’s chance to prove that injury hasn’t diminished his game so incredibly that he’d have to step down a level into the Championship.

Although that’s exactly where West Brom are now heading, the one-cap forward’s form has exceeded that initial target; amid all the agricultural performances resulting in the Baggies’ miserly points total, Rodriguez has been a real rose amongst the Hawthorns – West Brom’s top scorer in the Premier League and at the epicentre of perhaps the strangest quirk of their campaign, impressive performances against England’s top clubs.

Indeed, West Brom have beaten Manchester United and Liverpool this season, the Premier League’s second and third-best clubs, while taking points off Tottenham and Arsenal and even duking it out with Manchester City in a 3-2 home defeat.

Across all competitions, Rodriguez has made ten starts against English football’s Big Six in 2017/18 and produced a return of five goals, including a brace in the shock 3-2 FA Cup victory over the Reds and the header at Old Trafford last weekend that inadvertently sealed Manchester City this season’s title.

His averages from those games highlight a player desperate to make an impact with what little of the ball he’s afforded. 2.2 shots and 2.9 successful aerial duels per match demonstrate Rodriguez’s scoring threat and physicality. A 79% pass accuracy, especially for a player in such an advanced position, shows shrewd and precise use of the ball, while his 3.7 possession gains epitomises perhaps the forward’s most appealing trait – an inherent desire to work for the cause and to create his own chances by winning the ball back.

In the modern game, industriousness from the frontline is becoming more crucial than ever before, and when coupled with his firepower against the Premier League’s top sides, it could be what ensures Rodriguez not only stays in the top flight this summer but actually moves a few rungs up the ladder. Everton, particularly, would make a good home for the 6 foot 1 attacker, for a few crucial reasons.

First and foremost, Rodriguez fits Sam Allardyce’s ethos, however unpopular it may be, and the fact he lacks the dynamic speed of more conventional wingers makes him an interesting counter-weight to Theo Walcott on the opposite flank. Secondly, Rodriguez can double up as a centre-forward if required, and that’s probably where Everton have most desperately lacked this season – Ronald Koeman still believes his dismissal owed much to the club’s failure to sign Olivier Giroud last summer.

But thirdly and most importantly, Everton need players who they know can have an impact against high quality opposition, to breach the gap between themselves and the Big Six. That was the club’s fundamental ambition when they brought in Koeman and remains it under Allardyce, even if the style of football doesn’t quite stack up.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

For all the concerns over the philosophical direction Allardyce has taken the team though, they’ll quickly die out if the effectiveness of it starts to improve – especially away from home and against top teams.

Rodriguez, who has shown this season he deserves to play in the Premier League but is still valued by Transfermarkt at just £9million, could prove to be the difference. Would you back a summer swoop, Everton fans? Let us know by voting below…

[ad_pod ]

Look in the dictionary for the definition of ‘smash and grab’, and the first entry must surely be this match, where a Swansea side – under the cosh for vast swathes of their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Monday night – somehow managed to come away with a victory which sees them move to within one point of seventh-placed Soouthampton. Is the Gunners’ campaign in danger of falling off the rails at the wrong time? Do we have a contender for Manager of the Year? Here are three things we learned from the match…

1. Gunners in glass houses…

A fortnight ago, Chelsea were lambasted by the less-than-impressed home Arsenal support as the two London rivals played out a goalless draw which all but sealed the championship for the Blues. After Monday’s below-par performance from the Gunners – which saw them struggle in front of goal in a largely uninspiring performance – will the Emirates faithful be quick to denounce their own side as ‘boring’? Unlikely. But it shows that while Chelsea can afford to be boring in certain games – and that is why they are deserved champions – for the Gunners, they remain a long way off that mark. It is games like these that the North London side will need to win – and convincingly – if they are to have a credible chance of challenging for the title next season.

2. Shadow of final showdown looms large

While Arsenal have guaranteed a place in the top four for yet another season and are likely to finish in the automatic qualification places for next year’s Champions League, this was not a game that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger would have liked to have seen his side lose, especially with the small matter of the FA Cup final coming up at the end of the month. Aston Villa are no mugs under Tim Sherwood, and Arsenal will need to up their game considerably against lesser opposition – something they failed to do on Monday against Swansea – otherwise a second successive cup triumph at Wembley may be in jeopardy.

3. Garry Monk: Manager of the Year?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The win may have been fortuitous, but the Swans are now just one point behind Southampton in seventh and two below Spurs in sixth. Having already comfortably surpassed their previous record points tally, the South Wales side can now push on to secure a highest-ever finish under the stewardship of the hugely impressive Garry Monk, who has secured a league double over Arsenal in only his first full season in football management. A genuine contender for Manager of the Year, surely?

If I was to ask you who Nathaniel Chalobah was, you’d probably point your finger to a stunning goal scored away at Leicester a few weeks back.

And of course you’d be right on both points. One, yes it was an absolutely stunning goal. And two, yes it was scored by loanee Nathaniel Chalobah.

For many years he Captained and shone both in the Chelsea reserves and Youth sides, and even lead them to the FA Youth Cup in 2012, going onto win the competition as well as that years Championships..

The current Watford loanee, who is being borrowed from parent-club Chelsea, is believed by many reputable people to be the successor for John Terry in years to come.

However the Sierra Leone born player has dominated midfields in the Championship this season, so much so that the player is now being urged to fight for a future place in the Chelsea midfield, rather than the defence.

The first time we were really highlighted to the youngsters midfield capabilities was against Brighton and Hove Albion back in December.

It was a game in which Chalobah proved his versatility, work-rate and fitness levels, and proved to be a real catalyst in midfield as the Hornets took all three points on their quest for promotion.

It earned the youngster an extended contract, and Zola has been rewarded for his faith by Chalobah, who has had a key influence in helping them reach this season’s play-offs.

It’s no secret that Zola has taken full advantage of his contacts in Italy this season to get himself some valuable loan signings, but arguably his best contacts were the ones at Chelsea who let him take Chalobah on a loan.

Former Chelsea legend Zola has even been quoted as saying that Chalobah has what it takes to be as good as Lampard, although the Italian feels that he’d have even more of an effect as a holding midfielder.

It’s of no surprise to many to see Chalobah earning rave-reviews, considering that Chalobah signed his first professional contract at Chelsea in 2012, and even travelled with the squad to Munich as the Blues’ won the Champions League final.

That was the second time that Chalobah was named in a Blues’ squad, having made the bench during a Premier League fixture against Newcastle when he was aged just 15-years old.

His performances in the reserve and Youth sides have also helped him catch the eyes of International coaches as he earned his place in the England U19’s, he has since been named Captain of the Three Lions U19’s squad.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Chalobah also earned his first call-up for the U21’s late last year as he came on in the second half for Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson in a friendly against Northern Ireland.

Despite having already represented England at International level, he is still eligible to play for Sierra Leone.

Although I’m sure coaches and supporters throughout the country will be hoping that Chalobah can become a Premier League regular, and an influential midfielder for England in the future.

Over the last few seasons, Arsene Wenger’s future as Arsenal manager has been up for debate.

The Frenchman has been in charge of the North London outfit for the past two decades, and in that time has guided the team to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.

During the 2016-17 campaign, due to another season of failing to sustain a challenge for the English crown, plenty of supporters began getting restless.

Numerous protests were staged to force Wenger out, but the experienced coach was resilient and instead signed a new two-year deal.

[ad_pod ]

The 68-year-old is almost midway through his deal, and a large number of supporters remain keen on him walking out the door.

Now, The Telegraph journalist Sam Wallace has claimed while speaking on the newspaper’s Total Football Podcast that Wenger is likely to step down from his role at the end of the season.

Twitter account LTArsenal posted the news, which sparked a reaction from fans.

Arsenal are expected to miss out on a top-four place as they are 13 points off the pace with six games left to play.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

However, they can still qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League, of which they are in the quarter-finals of.

After the whole world turned against him following Liverpool’s shock defeat to Aston Villa in last Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final, manager Brendan Rodgers has finally hit out at his critics.

Speaking ahead of the Reds’ visit to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, the Anfield gaffer told reporters; “Three months ago, I was a tactical genius. Now I have lost a couple of games and it is not so good. That is something you have to deal with. When I sit down and look at it, I will hold myself up against anyone to manage this club and to fit the model of what they (FSG) want. I am super ambitious in terms of wanting to win and there will be no greater place to do that than here.

“Of course in modern football there are lots of processes that go on behind the scenes that people will never be aware of. In terms of what we are trying to do, I do not see anyone better in terms of the hand we were given. There is no-one more ambitious. If there comes a time when that is not the case and we move on, there will be no-one who respects the owners more than me. But Christ, no, I will fight for my life. If I can get the tools here to help us, we can be really successful.”

To some, it will seem the bravado of man fearing for his job, desperate not to look weak in the public eye. The recent departure of Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp provides an intriguing undertone, as do rumours that Rafa Benitez’ tepid tenure at Napoli could be coming to an abrupt failing-to-qualify-for-the-Champions-League end.

And in theory, it’s a load of baloney. After all, Brendan Rodgers is a talented manager, a fantastic coach on the training ground and an underrated tactician – who else would’ve thought up a 3-4-2-1 formation practically overnight to completely turn Liverpool’s season around? – but a managerial heavyweight, at the capacity of a Jose Mourinho, a Pep Guardiola or a Carlo Ancelotti? Unfortunately, no.

Yet, the real question shouldn’t be about Rodgers’ abilities in comparison to football’s gaffer elite. It should be whether anybody could do a significantly better job under the Fenway Sports Group model.

This is, after all, the same Moneyball-inspired model that paid £20million for Stewart Downing and £35million for Andy Carroll because they’d registered the most accurate crosses and most headed goals in the Premier League respectively. This is the same transfer policy that insists upon a ‘transfer committee’ to run the rule over every potential Liverpool signing. This is the same ‘model’ that could have resulted in three England internationals walking out of Anfield this summer, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling, because contract negotiations were delayed to save on wages. This is the same theory that’s seen Liverpool spend just £12.7million net in the last nine transfer windows.

Indeed, it seems the FSG model, although very astute and financially efficient, doesn’t actually put that much impetus on football itself. After all, pretty much any other club in the world would’ve handed Sterling extended terms last summer, following his intrinsic role in Liverpool’s surprise title bid, and pretty much any other club would’ve wrapped up Jordan Henderson’s situation a long time ago.

And although Rodgers has taken the vast majority of the flack for the manner in which £211million has been spent since he took the Anfield helm three years ago, there’s a clear gearing towards young, unproven players that is probably beyond his control. Of the 24 players signed in that time period, only Kolo Toure, Aly Cissokho, Rickie Lambert, Simon Mignolet, Adam Lallana and Iago Aspas were over the age of 25 upon their Anfield arrivals – and the first three names were all stop-gap signings.

Perhaps this is an inevitable consequence of not being a Champions League club. Liverpool don’t have the financial firepower to compete with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City or Manchester United, so the difference has to be made somewhere along the line. Ideally, every prospective signing will flourish into a Luis Suarez, before being sold to one of Europe’s top clubs for an equally ridiculous transfer fee.

It’s no different to what Tottenham have been doing for the last few years – but they’re hardly the greatest testament. That model has seen them change managers three times in the last two seasons, and not qualify for the Champions League since 2010. Tottenham’s bank balance, on the other hand, remains as healthy as ever.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

So under those circumstances, perhaps Rodgers has a point. Would Guardiola’s tiki-taka style work without the best technicians in European football? Would Mourinho’s methods significantly aid the development of young players enough to increase their value? Would Ancelotti’s understated demeanor have the same effect on less self-motivated players? Because with FSG, you have to find success from the hand you’re given – and finance always rules over football.

So with that in mind, and considering the resulting absence of top-class talent currently in Liverpool’s squad, is reaching the semi-final of both the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup whilst finishing fifth in the Premier League actually that bad a season? Could a managerial heavyweight have done significantly better? By my estimations, probably not.

Dinosaurs may now be extinct but when they did roam the planet they were said to be fearsome creatures. Now, by definition of the fact Hamburg have been in the Bundesliga for all 50 seasons, they are renowned for being the division’s dinosaur. Sadly for Thorsten Fink, they were more like Barney the Dinosaur at a time when they could least afford it; because any team who puts in a weak performance against this Bayern Munich side risks a thrashing.

The Bundesliga record champions displayed on Saturday why they’re on course to become the greatest team in the competition’s 50 year history. After a series of poor performances by the high standards they’ve set themselves this season, Bayern responded by annihilating Hamburg. The away side have had eyes on a Champions League place of late but their 9-2 thrashing at the league leaders should end those dreams.

Four of those goals came from third choice front man Claudio Pizarro. He has been something of a “Cash and Carry” striker this season as when he’s scored, he’s done so in bulk. The Peruvian played a part in six goals on Saturday, a Bundesliga record for a single game and he also moved into the list of the top ten Bundesliga scorers of all time. His performance alone showed how this season even players who warm the bench at Bayern do not disappoint when they’re let loose in the red shirt.

Pizarro’s return to Bavaria in the summer seemed strange though. He was never going to be the first choice striker, yet he had been one of the top scorers in the division last season, netting 18 for Werder Bremen. His quadruple on Saturday makes it harder to pick holes in his logic of moving back to Bayern. Whilst he could have played regularly for another club in the Bundesliga, it takes a very strong character to turn down Bayern Munich. When you’re averaging a goal every 72 minutes or so, as Pizarro has done this season, it’s unlikely he’ll have any regrets, especially after Saturday evening.

Both the Peruvian and die Roten were majestic, in contrast to visitors Hamburg who equalled their worst ever defeat in the Bundesliga, 49 years after they were beaten by the same scoreline at Bayern’s neighbours, 1860 Munich. Saturday’s apocalyptic performance also came 49 days after Hamburg thrashed Borussia Dortmund 4-1 at Signal Iduna Park. After Bayern’s nine though, you have to question whether a 4-1 score line even qualifies as a thrashing.

If it had a been a bout, the blue corner would have thrown in the towel at half time, though Thorsten Fink’s side effectively did, conceding another four after the league leaders had planted five past them in the first half. Still, there were a few positives for HSV. At least they scored (not many have done so against this Bayern side), at least their opponents didn’t get into double figures and at least Hamburg won’t have to travel to the Allianz Arena until August at the very earliest – in their last three visits, they’ve conceded 20.

As for Bayern, they will bounce into their Champions League quarter final with Juventus on Tuesday. The team that started on Saturday was lacking a few first choice members such as Alaba, Ribery and Mandzukic but they comprehensively outplayed a team challenging for a European place in the Bundesliga. A win next week at Eintracht Frankfurt will seal their 23rd Bundesliga title and never has it been more deserved for Bayern Munich.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga:

Despite being constantly linked to Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski ensured his potential employers would have to wait until next week to seal the title. He scored the winner as Borussia Dortmund overcame Stuttgart. The side behind BVB, Bayer Leverkusen, were much more comfortable in Düsseldorf, as they swept past Fortuna thanks to two from Stefan Kiessling and two from André Schürrle. Speaking of doubles, Max Kruse also netted a pair against Borussia Mönchengladbach ensuring Freiburg kept in the hunt for a Champions League place. And wouldn’t you just know it, he’s been linked with a move recently to… Borussia Mönchengladbach! Another fine pair could be found in Augsburg as Konstantin Rausch got both goals in a rare away triumph for Hannover. However, it is Schalke who now lead the race for that final Champions League place after a 12 minute treble salvo saw them past lowly Hoffenheim. Level on points with the Royal Blues though are Eintracht Frankfurt. The Eagles won their first game in six and more poignantly, since Armin Veh signed a new contract during the week. They snuck past Greuther Fürth in an entertaining encounter on Sunday afternoon. Mainz scored the quickest goal in their history when Adam Szalai scored after 12 seconds. Coincidentally, it was the fastest goal Werder Bremen have ever conceded too but Thomas Schaaf’s side recovered to grab a share of the points. As fate would have it, Sokratis and Marko Arnautovic, fresh from scuffling on the training ground, combined well to set up Aaron Hunt for the equaliser. And finally, in what should have been labelled as the Dieter Hecking derby, Wolfsburg and Nürnberg played out a draw on Sunday. Hecking’s current side took a two goal lead before generously letting it slip as his former charges fought back to secure a draw. It included what can only be described as a “Thundercracker” from Belgian defender Timmy Simons.

Matchday 27 Results:

Augsburg 0-2 Hannover

Fortuna Düsseldorf 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen

Freiburg 2-0 Gladbach

Mainz 1-1 Werder Bremen

Schalke 3-0 Hoffenheim

Stuttgart 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Bayern Munich 9-2 Hamburg

Wolfsburg 2-2 Nürnberg

Greuther Fürth 2-3 Eintracht Frankfurt

Table

Rank

Club

Matches

W*

D*

L*

G*

GD*

Pts.*

1

FC Bayern Munich

27

23

3

1

78:13

+65

72

CL*

2

Borussia Dortmund

27

15

7

5

62:32

+30

52

CL*

3

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

27

14

6

7

50:35

+15

48

CL*

4

FC Schalke 04

27

12

6

9

46:43

+3

42

CL* Qual.

5

Eintracht Frankfurt

27

12

6

9

42:39

+3

42

EL* Qual.

6

1. FSV Mainz 05

27

10

9

8

34:30

+4

39

EL* Qual.

7

SC Freiburg

27

10

9

8

35:33

+2

39

8

Borussia Mönchengladbach

27

9

11

7

35:37

-2

38

9

Hamburger SV

27

11

5

11

32:43

-11

38

10

Hannover 96

27

11

4

12

49:46

+3

37

11

1. FC Nuremberg

27

8

11

8

31:34

-3

35

12

VfL Wolfsburg

27

8

8

11

32:42

-10

32

13

VfB Stuttgart

27

9

5

13

29:46

-17

32

14

SV Werder Bremen

27

8

7

12

43:52

-9

31

15

Fortuna Düsseldorf

27

7

8

12

33:40

-7

29

16

FC Augsburg

27

5

9

13

23:40

-17

24

Play-offs

17

1899 Hoffenheim

27

5

5

17

30:52

-22

20

Relegation

18

Greuther Fürth

27

2

9

16

18:45

-27

15

Relegation

Table thanks to official Bundesliga website

As reported by The Sun, West Ham are ready to move Jordan Hugill to a new club this summer just months after signing him in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Hugill signed on a last day of the January window but has gone to make just three substitute appearances for the Hammers, failing to even make a single start under David Moyes.

It’s a bizarre situation and it seems that the club are ready to call time on his spell at the London Stadium already.

The Sun reckon the striker, who is rated at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, could be sold or loaned out in the summer as the club look to bring in more talented striking talent to push on from an immensely disappointing season.

[ad_pod ]

Why did they sign him?

With just eight goals in 28 Championship appearances this term, Hugill wasn’t exactly the most inspiring of signings for Hammers supporters to begin with and his lack of action so far demonstrates that Moyes may not rate him highly enough to compete in Premier League action.

The move appeared to be an attempt from decision makers at the club that they were taking recruitment seriously and in every sense it’s a bit of business that has all the hallmarks of a panic buy.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Cutting their losses with the player this summer may demonstrate that Moyes is slowly growing in influence at the club and is set to take over control of transfers, which given the Hammers’ track record in recent windows could only be an improvement.

Irons fans will certainly be hoping the next striker signing can do more than make the odd substitute appearance.

When 2-0 down at the Lane last weekend, Leicester fought back bravely to make it 2-2. At 4-2 they did the same thing, but this time they fell short.

Losing the game 4-3 isn’t the end of the world, and maybe after the International break, Leicester will come back full of hope after their exploits. Maybe it was a moral victory to some extent.

But that game almost sums up their season.

The Foxes did wonderfully well to gain promotion, and on the back of a wonderful season, Nigel Pearson gained an awful lot of respect and well-wishers. But he also gained the full backing of the Leicester board, who allowed him to spend big money on club record signing Leonardo Ulloa, and break it again to sign Andrej Kramaric.

Even with the club deep in a relegation battle, the Leicester top brass dug into the club’s coffers to give Pearson the money he needed to bring in one of Europe’s stellar youngsters, Kramaric. The Evening Standard had linked him to Chelsea and Juventus, but it was the Foxes who took a gamble the player in the hope he could score the goals to keep Leicester up.

But with nine games to go, the situation is now looking desperate.

[ad_pod id=’football-friends’ align=’center’]

Pearson presumably still has the backing of the board. If they were considering giving him the chop they’d have done it when he argued with a fan in the stands, got in a ruckus with Palace’s James McArthur, or lambasted the ‘arrogance’ of a referee.

No, the board seem happy to stick with their man, and may even now stick with him through relegation.

After 10 straight defeats before Christmas, Leicester looked dead and buried, but they managed to stop the rot with a win away to Hull. Since then they’ve been close to those above them, but never actually managed to pull themselves to safety.

Now they are firmly at the bottom again, and although they do have a game in hand over the teams above them, that game is against Chelsea. It doesn’t look good for the Foxes.

But if the rest of the season is anything to go by, they’ll fight manfully to stay up. It’s not just the players who have given it their all this season in an attempt to survive.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The fans have stuck by their team, the board have done all they can by giving Pearson money to spend, and the manager himself has protected his players admirably.

The Spurs game at the weekend typified Leicester’s attitude. The team looked dead and buried only to give themselves hope. Then they looked dead again, but they still kept fighting until the end. It was a case of too little too late, though. And their season is dangerously close to mirroring this one game.

If they do go down you can bet they’ll go down fighting, and although they look dead and buried right now, they might be closer to safety than you think come the end.

[ad_pod id=’ffc-video’ align=’center’]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has once again broached the somewhat thorny issue of when he plans to finally step down from his position in charge of the club by revealing that he plans to become a director at Old Trafford, but would this simply create a power vaccum and leave his successor little chance of success with such a commanding figure of authority just down the hall?

Having been manager of the club for 27 years and led United to 12 league titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 Champions League triumphs, what is clear is that whoever replaces Ferguson at the helm of this European juggernaut is tantamount on a hiding to nothing. It’s not only his success, though, that makes this pretty much an impossible act to follow, but his presence and both are intertwined so closely that unless Ferguson is gone for good, he will continue to loom large over the next man in the dugout.

In an interview with twentyfour7magazine, Ferguson said: “There’s no getting rid of me. I will probably become a director. Nobody knows. Neither do I. It won’t be a doctor that tells me to quit. That’s a long time away (being a director at the club), I hope.

“The role Bobby Charlton has played at the club has been fantastic. He has been a tremendous support to the manager and a lot of the players. I think Bayern Munich is the perfect model. It’s no problem having a replica of that for this club who have had so many great players over the years and who are now ambassadors now like Andy Cole, Bryan Robson, Peter Schmeichel. There are quite a few of them here now and that’s a role we should be using as well.”

By referring to Bayern Munich, Ferguson is obviously pointing to the fact that club legends Uli Hoeneß is chairman and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is the chairman of the executive board in what represents a complex and bureaucratic system which has helped ensure the club has become one of the best run and financially sound in the entire world. As models go, Bayern isn’t a bad one to reach for, but when it comes to Ferguson taking up a similar position at United, it just looks not only impractical but overbearing.

[opinion-widget op]

The aforementioned figures at Bayern were certainly legends at the club as players which has facilitated, like Franz Beckenbauer before them, a voice in the running of the club, but that is not to say that it is an environment without conflict, and various managers over the years have found the inner wranglings and behind closed doors power struggles impossible to work with. Could Ferguson really promise to stay out of all team affairs if he saw something that he didn’t like? A club with two masters would only serve to create and cause confusion when they should be speaking, listening and leading with one voice.

Ferguson is not just any other figure to Manchester United, he is the man who has transformed them from a sleeping giant into a world powerhouse and the richest club in the world just ahead of Real Madrid. The reason Charlton, like Hoeneß and Rummenigge found it easier was that they were never closely linked to team affairs after they retired and it’s a completely different kettle of fish because their opinions on certain matters concerning the team wouldn’t be sought with quite the same vigour or have been lent quite the same measure of weight.

It’s extremely likely that Ferguson will be heavily involved in picking his successor, with David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola the favourites for various reasons, but every principle they come to encompass between them the 71-year-old Scot possesses. He’s able to hold the club together and its various strands, from youth-team development (an area of weakness for Mourinho), to European experience (an area of weakness for Moyes) to battling in an environment unfamiliar to your methods and having to change styles to suit the players at your disposal (a Guardiola weakness soon to be tested at Bayern).

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Much like Liverpool had to eventually ban Bill Shankly from the training ground for frequently turning up and talking to the players after he stood down as the club’s manager only to discover he missed the job too much and took the leap too early, Ferguson’s presence could destabilise the new era that comes in after he’s finished. Dario Gradi tried and failed numerous times to step up to board level at Crewe only to be roped back into management when a new boss failed and you can see something very similar happening at United.

Nobody is telling Ferguson to retire right now, or even next season, because as he steers his side to yet another record-breaking league title, he clearly has something to offer and will continue to do so for a few more years yet, but when it comes to him taking a senior role within the administration of the club after he retires, unless it is merely a hand-holding exercise and a ceremonial post, unlike the ones at Bayern he mentions, then it could have a toxic effect on his legacy with visions of a man who simply didn’t know when to move on, let go and call it a day.