Norwich’s 11 unbeaten league run came to a shuddering halt after Romelu Lukaku’s late goal snatched victory for West Brom at the Hawthorns.
Chris Hughton’s men hadn’t tasted defeat in the Premier League since losing to Chelsea at the start of October and, despite taking the lead, were undone by a late fightback from the home side.
The Baggies, who’ve stuttered of late losing three of their last four games, secured a vital three points that keeps them in contention for a surprise top-four finish heading into Christmas.
Despite having to defend resolutely as the Canaries opted to patiently keep possession Steve Clarke’s side soon got into their groove went close through a Lukaku header in the second minute.
The on-loan Belgium striker was the last player to score for West Brom over five hours ago and wasted another decent chance when shooting straight at goalkeeper Mark Bunn.
And those missed chances came back to haunt the hosts in the 23rd minute when Robert Snodgrass curled a free kick from the right into the top corner despite Ben Foster’s best efforts to keep it out.
Going behind energised the home side somewhat and Gareth McAuley was denied by Bunn from a corner, while Goran Popov lashed wide before they finally forced an equaliser to end their goal drought.
Chris Brunt’s corner was met by Jonas Olsson and when his header came back off the bar Zoltan Gera was on hand to volley the rebound into the net to level the game two minutes before the break.
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Norwich came back out fighting in the second half and Michael Turner went close with a header after meeting Snodgrass’ cross, while Peter Odemwingie drilled a low free kick wide at the other end.
With the contest finely poised Lukaku stepped up to win it for Albion, beating Javier Garrido to Popov’s cross and head past Bunn from eight yards.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has opted against pledging his future to the club, according to The Shield’s Gazette.
What’s the latest?
The Spaniard penned a three-year contract when he took over from Steve McClaren in March 2016.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss was unable to keep the North-East outfit in the top flight.
However, he guided them straight back to the promised land by winning the Championship in the following season.
The club find themselves in another difficult position as they try to avoid relegation, but their campaign will be helped by Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 victory over Southampton.
According to The Shield’s Gazette, prior to the match, the manager spoke about his future and seemed rather coy with regards to the possibility of staying.
“Let me finish, let me do well, let us stay in the Premier League and then we can talk about the future.”
Should Benitez commit to Newcastle?
Not until the ownership situation is resolved.
In October, current club owner Mike Ashley put the club up for sale, much to the delight of the fans, who have had a tense relationship with the businessman.
However, the Sports Direct tycoon is yet to strike a deal with any interested parties, which leaves the club in limbo.
Benitez has been public about his frustrations during the transfer windows, and that could continue if Ashley remains at the helm.
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While fans will be disappointed by the Spaniard’s comments, they should understand that it would make no sense for him to pledge his future when so many things are uncertain.
The Magpies are five points above the relegation zone with eight games left to play.
This time last season, under the much-maligned David Moyes, Manchester United were four points and two places better off in the Premier League – so why isn’t current manager Louis van Gaal surrounded by the same kind of pressure that eventually forced out the Scot after just ten months at Old Trafford?
THE STATS
They say the stats don’t lie, and those published by the Daily Express yesterday afternoon are incredibly revealing. Courtesy of Opta, Moyes was beating the United incumbent on virtually all fronts after his first ten league games at Old Trafford.
Indeed, he recorded five wins compared to van Gaal’s three, despite facing Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea in the early part of the season. Moyes’ boys had netted 17 goals at the ten-game mark, one more than van Gaal’s Red Devils, and conceded one less goal than United’s 14 this season.
Their tackle success rate was almost ten per-cent higher at 82%, their shots on target ratio – 48% compared 44% – was also marginally greater and United were yet to see red this time last year. Under van Gaal however, both Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett have already been sent for early baths.
Perhaps most telling of all, Moyes had spent just £27.5million on a single player as Carrington gaffer, Marouane Fellaini. In a single window, his successor’s splashed out over five times that much – including a record-breaking £59million deal for Real Madrid’s Angel Di Maria.
This is actually United’s worst start to a domestic campaign since Ron Atkinson’s regime in 1986, with Sir Alex Ferguson arriving as his replacement in early November, so in theory, van Gaal should be under even greater scrutiny than Moyes received last season.
But with the exception of some traditional tabloid scare-mongering, public criticism of the Dutchman is relatively subdued. Some, such as The Independent and The Telegraph, dare to claim van Gaal’s on the periphery of a crisis, but planes with banners over the skies of Old Trafford, or for that matter, the #LVGOUT hash-tag, are yet to appear on the horizon.
CHANGED EXPECTATIONS
Of course, the obvious difference between Moyes and van Gaal’s regimes is the level of expectancy surrounding them. Moyes took over a United outfit that had strolled their way to the Premier League title the year previous; van Gaal, on the other hand, is rescuing a sinking ship that didn’t even qualify for the Europa League last season.
Whereas the Scot was expected to oversee a resolute, earnest title defence – or failing that, retain United’s Champions League status – van Gaal hasn’t even discussed a target league position with chief executive Ed Woodward, according to The Independent.
Likewise, Moyes’ hellish ten months proved that the problems at Old Trafford stem far deeper than simply the man in the dugout. Ferguson’s monolithic stature, knowledge of the club, the Premier League and his world-class expertise were paving over the cracks for years. Fans know that quick fixes won’t return the Red Devils to their former glories, and that’s given van Gaal a lot of room for error.
PHILOSOPHY
There’s a real awareness that United and van Gaal, as a partnership, are still a work in progress. They’ve tested three different formations under the Dutchman, issued Premier League debuts to no less than ten players – including the summer signings – and despite spending £150million during the summer, will clearly be recruiting further in the next two transfer windows.
Shrewdly, van Gaal has communicated this clearly to the fan base. He warned it would take at least three months for his methods to prove fruitful, and the conscious, explicit soundbite of his opening press conference as United boss was simply ‘my philosophy’.
Moyes, on the other hand, was always an appointment of continuity. The superficial similarities between Moyes and Ferguson, in addition to him inheriting a title-winning side, limited the Scot’s scope to instigate wholesale changes in his ten months at Old Trafford.
That in turn created a perception of the 51 year-old as a manager lacking in vision, seemingly too overawed to take the club in his own direction, and eventually made poor results the only difference between his regime and the former.
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND LIFE AT A BIG CLUB
From the off, Moyes never looked comfortable at United, especially when it came to handling the media. United fans were used to Ferguson berating and banning journalists at will, blaming referees for defeats and producing the odd, sophisticated, sarcastic remark.
Moyes however, always appeared to be coming to terms with the added attention placed on him compared to the humbler, smaller surroundings at Goodison Park. From struggling to quash rumours of Wayne Rooney’s departure to Chelsea in summer 2013 to putting a 3-2 defeat to Stoke City in February down to bad luck, Moyes never replicated the confidence or fearful demeanour of his predecessor. With every wayward result, the Scot appeared more dishevelled, as if he hadn’t slept in months, and increasingly desperate – almost aware of the negative vibes he was giving off.
Compare that to van Gaal whom, even before arriving at Old Trafford, had a reputation as one of the most egotistical and eccentric managers in the business. He’s walked off the Dutch equivalent of Match of the Day, live on air, after discovering his customary punditry slot had been given to someone else, dropped his trousers and undergarments to the entire Bayern Munich dressing room and even benched Brazilian legend Rivaldo just weeks after winning the World Player of the Year award. He’s also referred to several journalists over the years, in addition to Chris Smalling on Sunday afternoon, as ‘stupid’.
They say sport is 90% psychological; whereas van Gaal’s personality and voice tends to fill the room, even in broken English, Moyes often resembled a school teacher conscripted into hosting a PTA meeting. Even in the early stages of his United tenure, it was clear Moyes’ public performances would never fully convince the media or the fan base.
LACK OF ALTERNATIVES
Even if van Gaal is on the verge of a full-blown crisis, he’s insulated by the fact there’s no longer a plan B for United. Rumours of the Dutchman overtaking from Moyes circulated as early as last Christmas, whilst Borussia Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte of Juventus were linked strongly too.
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Right now however, candidates to potentially succeed van Gaal remain few and far between – Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Conte and Klopp are all settled in their respective jobs – and following £150million of investment during the summer, pulling the plug now could well result in unprecedented catastrophe.
The squad has been forged in the 63 year-old’s image with his philosophy in mind; although another manager coming in is hardly unimaginable amid a Premier League climate where the average tenure is just over one year, it would clearly only set United back even further.
Joey O’Brien has declared his West Ham team-mates are aiming get back on track in the Premier League when they visit West Brom this Sunday.
The defender played in the Hammers side that surrendered a half-time lead in their defeat to Liverpool, for whom West Ham old boys, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole scored before James Collins put through his own net.
The east London outfit now visit the Hawthorns, hoping to pile more misery on West Brom, who are on a run of three straight defeats.
“Our aim now is to get back on track against West Bromwich Albion”, O’Brien told Sky Sports News.
“We want to take the points but it is a hard place to go and they have a good home record.
“Hopefully we can get a result but, as you saw against Liverpool, the top teams can produce little bits of magic and you are suddenly behind.
“I thought we played some decent stuff and created some good chances particularly in the first half down the right with Matt Jarvis. We looked good and that is what is disappointing because Liverpool did not play us off the park.”
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West Ham will be without influential midfielder Mohamed Diame, who suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s defeat. The Senegalese joined Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te and Yossi Benayoun in the treatment room.
Midfield duo Jack Collison and Alou Diarra are on course to return from a long-term knee problem and thigh strain respectively, but are unlikely to recover in time for the West Brom fixture.
Another day and more activity in the Transfer Tavern for Newcastle fans. Rafael Benitez will be itching to bring in new some reinforcements this summer as he looks to push up the table next year.
It remains to be seen how much money Mike Ashley will give Rafel Benitez this summer. Rumours have linked the club with moves for Joshua King and Daniel Ings to bolster Newcastle’s frontline, while fan favourite, Matt Ritchie has been rumoured to be included in a possible swap deal for King. One player, however, who Rafael Benitez may want to consider signing, is Jack Wilshere.
The Breakdown
As reported earlier this month by the Daily Star (h/t Chronicle), Newcastle are interested in signing the midfielder who will be leaving Arsenal when his contract expires. According to the same report, West Ham, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Everton are also keen on signing the England international, therefore the Magpies may face some stiff competition for his signature.
Yes, the one huge drawback to Wilshere is his terrible injury record. After suffering from continual injury problems, a loan spell at Bournemouth saw the England international manage 27 games while last season he played 20 times in the Premier League and also featured heavily in Arsenal’s unsuccessful Europa League campaign. With his contract expiring, however, taking a risk on Wilshere might just provide a great reward.
The Magpies need some creative talent going forward. While Wilshere might be the 30-goal striker the club need, he still possesses incredible talent Newcastle could do with. The 26-year-old would be great in a number 10 role for Newcastle and if Benitez can surround him with some extra talent, a free transfer might just turn out to be a bargain for Newcastle.
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Leeds United will look to further boost their Championship promotion hopes when they face Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Friday night.
The Yorkshire outfit were still just within touching distance of the play-off positions prior to their clash against Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday, despite no victories since Boxing Day seemingly leaving their hopes in tatters.
However, Paul Heckingbottom picked up his first three points since he succeeded Thomas Christiansen against the Bees, with Liam Cooper’s first-half goal moving them to within five points of sixth-place Bristol City, and just three points adrift of their opponents on Teesside on Friday.
The former Barnsley boss will be well aware that his side need to keep picking up points to keep the pressure on the sides above them, and he will know that the clash against Tony Pulis’ side is the ideal opportunity to move level on points with Boro and throw themselves right into the promotion mix.
Heckingbottom made five changes – with some of them enforced – to his team against Brentford, and he will perhaps be thinking about making some more in the north-east to give his side the best possible chance of taking all three points back to Elland Road.
Here is how Leeds must line up against Middlesbrough on Friday, ahead of Felix Wiedwald in goal…
Defence
Heckingbottom omitted left-back Laurens De Bock from the squad against Brentford on Saturday following his horror show against Derby last week, although he said afterwards it was due to the home-grown rule with Adam Forshaw missing because his wife was in labour.
It meant that Vurnon Anita came into team on the left-hand side of the back four, and he will hope to keep his place in the side ahead of De Bock after helping the team keep a clean sheet against the Bees.
However, Heckingbottom should choose to have the more naturally left-footed De Bock back in the side, especially with Adama Traore available after his dismissal against Sunderland at the weekend was overturned.
The rest of the back four picks itself right now with Gaetano Berardi at right-back and Pontus Jansson and captain Liam Cooper, who scored the winner on Saturday, likely to start in defence.
Midfield
Heckingbottom selected a midfield duo of Adam Forshaw and Ronaldo Vieira in the 2-2 draw against Derby last week, but it was all change against Brentford with Eunan O’Kane and Kalvin Phillips starting in the middle.
With Forshaw likely to return against his former club he should come back into the starting XI, and Phillips certainly did more than O’Kane did against Brentford and it is the latter that should drop to the substitutes’ bench against Tony Pulis’ men.
Attack
Lasogga must be the first pick in the centre-forward spot right now because of his impressive goal record for Leeds this season, but Heckingbottom has some big decisions to make in the three attacking spots behind the big German.
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Stuart Dallas, Samu Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski started in the win against Brentford with neither Pablo Hernandez nor Kemar Roofe in the 18 due to injury concerns, but the duo will be hoping to be involved at the Riverside Stadium.
Alioski produced the assist for Cooper’s goal against Brentford and Saiz impressed against the Bees, but Heckingbottom should consider bringing in Hernandez for Dallas against Boro to ensure his team have the attacking threat to get a much-needed three points.
Juan Mata is still a very important player for Manchester United and any talk of him being sold is completely un-called for.
There are rumours flying around already that in January Mata will be sold or used in a potential swap deal to attract better players to the club. Since the summer splurge that saw Louis Van Gaal put together his very own dream team at Old Trafford, Mata seems to be the forgotten one.
When he signed for the Red Devils last winter from Chelsea, he was touted as the signing of the season because of his pure quality and ability. Jose Mourinho was branded an idiot for selling one of his best assets and was accused of letting his famously big ego get in the way of rational thinking when deciding to sell the Spaniard. He is one of the best players in the Premiership, he was at Chelsea and still is at Manchester United and for anyone to suggest that his days in Manchester are numbered because of the players they have brought in is too much.
Those who watched the 4-0 drubbing of QPR over the weekend will have noticed that Mata was involved heavily in the majority of the phases of attack and was linking up play between the other midfield players and the strikers superbly. His movement on and off the ball is always exceptional and it goes hand in hand with his goal scoring ability. The player brings so much to the table and is a vital ingredient for the rebuilding of the Man United squad and any future success they might have will also have a lot to do with keeping hold of him.
As a club who has perhaps struggled, when you start rebuilding a squad and buying in a lot of star players, you want to ensure that you are also keeping hold of the existing talent already at your disposal. Look at his performance over the weekend. Did he look out of place alongside the likes of Angel Di Maria and Andes Herrera? No, in fact he looked their best player and capped off his brilliant performance with a goal, and for me was the rightful man of the match winner despite the award going to Di Maria (who I do not want to take anything away from as he also had a sublime game).
Despite the fact that Mata is a star player, he seems to have been cast into the shadow of United’s latest arrivals, not on the pitch but in the media. It’s not really a surprise these days to see newspaper journalists and “ITK” twitter accounts trying to boost numbers by churning out these types of stories, you will always find a player being linked elsewhere at some stage, especially when his club have just finished splurging the cash on a load of new faces, it becomes inevitable. The story currently doing the rounds is that Mata will be used as bait in a swap deal with Roma to lure Kevin Strootman to Old Trafford in January.
How can anyone take this seriously when the Spaniard has netted an impressive eight goals in the last ten games for United. This alone proves he has to stay a vital part of Louis Van Gaal’s plans for the first team. United will be reluctant to part ways with the player in January despite the rumours currently doing the rounds. Juventus would also have had him as a top transfer target because of the need to strengthen that area of the squad and Mata would be ideal as he isn’t cup tied for the Champions League as United are not in the competition this season, but other than that a move will probably be unlikely.
Van Gaal knows his players well and he knows how valuable a player he has in Juan Mata. The Dutch manager will have him pinned as a vital part of his plans to start propelling Man United back up the table again, and alongside the new signings at the club, he has a very strong squad. The evidence speaks for itself, and the Spaniard might have been overlooked by people in the media when it came to heaping praise on the team for a brilliant performance over the weekend, but that means nothing. He is staying and that is the end of the Mata!
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West Ham are ready to make a move for out of favour Ajax winger Miralem Sulejmani who they missed out on in the summer.
The Serbia winger, 23, joined Ajax for £13.8million from Dutch club Heerenveen in 2008. Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen are also said to be interested in signing him.
After reaching a dead end at his current club, he now seems focussed on ensuring he gets a move away from the Amsterdam Arena in the next transfer window.
“I must now focus on games in the reserves. I have to get game time in order to be fully fit during the winter, when I will get a chance to leave.” The Daily Mail quoted Sulejmani.
If the Hammers were able to get their man, it would add quality depth to their squad which is currently going through a slight slump in form after an excellent start to the season.
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West Ham sit 10th in the league table but have won only one of their last 6 games, albeit in a tough run of fixtures. Boss Sam Allardyce will be keen to strengthen his squad in January with new players, one of which he hopes is Sulejmani.
Scottish football fans are not amused with the Scottish Football Association’s decision to give Neil Lennon a touchline ban for a celebration against Rangers at the end of last season.
The Hibernian manager will be in the stands for the first three domestic matches of the 2018/19 season, having been found guilty of misconduct by the governing body for his ‘aeroplane’ celebration after Hibs equalised late on against the Light Blues at Easter Road in May.
He received a one match ban for that incident, which also triggered a suspended two-match ban handed out in March.
It’s fair to say though that supporters are not happy, feeling that the celebration was just a natural reaction to the events in the match and a jovial response to the abuse he gets from football fans across the country.
Are the SFA right to clamp down on this behaviour or out of order?
Fans of Scottish football took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
As reported by The Daily Mail, Brendan Rodgers has warned Celtic fans that in the current football climate they can’t expect the club to relive glory days of the past.
What’s the story?
The Hoops face tough UEFA Europa League opposition this evening at Celtic Park, hosting Russian Premier League side FC Zenit in the Round of 32.
Despite the long trip for the Russians and the fact they haven’t played a competitive match for months due to their winter break, Roberto Mancini’s side are seen as favourites.
It’s a far cry from the days when the Hoops could string together extended runs in the competition, most famously all the way to the final back in 2003.
However, Rodgers has warned the current situation facing the Bhoys is different and is taking a realistic view of tonight’s match.
As quoted by The Daily Mail, the Celtic boss said:
The financial climate is totally different now to what it was back then for Celtic. There will be always be expectation here. We always want to fight and, like our predecessors, try to do the very best that we can. But when you compare it to that, football and Celtic have changed a lot.
I always think that we are Celtic…. but I have always been realistic. I think that I have always been a realist and when you look at their (Zenit’s) investment and the level of players they have they will expect to go through. We have to find a way and we will see if we can get a result.
Can Celtic tap into an underdog spirit and shock the Russians ahead of the return leg in St Petersburg next week?
Great expectations
Whenever a European night arrives at Celtic Park, there is always expectation from the home support that they are about to witness something special.
The Hoops have seen more illustrious outfits than FC Zenit come and go without a result in the East end of Glasgow, even when Celtic aren’t spending big money on transfers.
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Brendan Rodgers’ side must show they can raise their game to match the threat of their visitors and the manager himself must show he has the tactical nous to change the way Celtic play to fit the occasion.
Last time out against Anderlect, the Bhoys were far too passive and were punished with a 1-0 scoreline as a result.
A repeat of that performance will end in disaster tonight and they really need to bring a win to Russia if they’re to have any hope of making it to the last 16.