In the show this week. Reading Reporter Jonny Fordham joins West and Williams in the studio too talk about all things Reading FC.
We start with the pre-season tour of Slovenia, We ask Jonny what he made of the trip, Who stood out and what is his opinion of young players like Jake Taylor and Michail Antonio.
West askes is the squad strong enough to make it back to the Premiership? this time around and we also discuss the in’s, out’s and rumours that circle the club at the moment.
This weeks big question is. Would you swap Ingirmason and Gunnarson for Khizanishvili?
Plus we take a look at the contenders for the N-Power Championship title.
All this and more on this weeks Reading Football FanCast
Click here to listen to the Podcast
Thanks to- Jonny Fordham www.Get-Reading.co.uk
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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has criticised the FA for double standards in regards to their appeal on Wayne Rooney’s behalf.
The Manchester United striker saw his three-match suspension for getting sent off for England against Montenegro reduced by one game after an appeal to Uefa on Thursday, which means he can feature in the final Euro 2012 group stage fixture with Ukraine.
The Scottish coach feels that the governing body has used double standards, especially as they claim to be making example of offenders in the game in England.
‘I find it a bit strange the FA are supposed to be setting an example for things yet they appeal against Rooney’s three-match ban,” Dalglish is quoted as saying in The Telegraph.
”It’s not as if it was a 50-50 challenge. I don’t how they justify diluting it and don’t think it sets a very good precedent for everybody else,” he stated.
The FA have hit back with a statement of their own, defending their decision to work on Rooney’s behalf.
”To promote speed and consistency, stakeholders in England agreed a standard formula encompassing a fixed penalty sanction should be applied across the game by The FA,” the statement reads.
”The system has been in operation for many years and meets the demands of the domestic game.
”The FA’s system allows clubs to make a claim of wrongful dismissal – to reduce a sanction to zero – or appeal the severity of a sanction, both of these processes are dealt with prior to the player’s next fixture.
”Uefa chooses to operate a different process for European matches, based on a sliding scale, under which each sanction is determined individually by a disciplinary panel.
”In any event a minimum one game ban will always be applied by Uefa.
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”This process meets the demands of Uefa football where the period between fixtures is greater than that in the domestic game,” it concluded.
With only 3 points separating Wigan Athletic in 20th place in the Premier League table to Blackburn Rovers in 13th, the race for survival is still well and truly on and it has left us fans scratching our heads over which three teams will be the ones to suffer the dreaded R word – Relegation. In my article last week on Aston Villa’s relegation threat if they lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers (which they did), the attention has now focused on Newcastle United joining the scrap for survival.
The Magpies were hammered 4-0 at Stoke City last weekend and the manner in which the team conceded the goals with some woeful defending and mistakes by key players must’ve left Alan Pardew wanting to tear his hair out on the touchline. The defeat means that the Toon Army have only won one game in their last 10 and although they currently sit in 11th place, they are just 6 points ahead of Wigan and 4 points from Wolves in 18th place who fill the last relegation spot.
When the club sold striker Andy Carroll on transfer deadline day back in January there were predictions of the club getting relegated as the club had no time to sign a replacement striker or at least spend money on the squad. Newcastle have been hovering around mid-table for most of the season and Carroll still sits 4th in this season’s top goal scorers list with 11 (joint with Kevin Nolan).
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It’s obvious that Newcastle have missed Carroll up front having to rely on the likes of Peter Lovenkrands, Leon Best, Nile Ranger and Shola Ameobi. But the Magpies have been without Carroll for longer than when he was sold to Liverpool due to his thigh injury, however Newcastle proved they can win without him with a 1-0 win at Wigan and a 5-0 hammering of West Ham at the start of the year in which Best scored a hat-trick.
Despite the shock defeat away to Stevenage in the FA Cup that followed, the team bounced back once again at home to Arsenal after being 4-0 down at half-time, coming back to draw 4-4 and showing tremendous team spirit in the process. It showed in the next two games with two clean sheets after a 0-0 draw at Blackburn and a 2-0 victory away to Birmingham City.
It’s key to point out that despite their current record of one win in the 10 games, a fair few of them have been draws. However, manager Alan Pardew has admitted that his team are part of the large relegation fight with 8 games of the season remaining and has stressed that his team need to get over the finishing line as quickly as possible.
Their next game is at home to Wolves, a six pointer that Villa found themselves in last weekend but with the international break it will allow Pardew and his team to get rid of any mistakes on the training ground. Out of the 7 other remaining fixtures, Newcastle play four teams below them, which they hope to win if they don’t want to be dragged down the table, with the other three fixtures against Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
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Whilst we are focusing on Newcastle, let’s not forget that Fulham in 12th on 35 points can’t be overlooked as part of the relegation scrap. Mark Hughes’ men are higher up on the form guide than most teams below them but some back to back defeats over the remaining games could be devastating for whichever team are within reach of the dreaded drop zone.
With last season’s title race going right down to the wire with Chelsea edging it over Manchester United by a single point every game counted towards the title. This summer has seen a distinct lack of major transfer activity from either club with Chelsea having something if a mini-exodus and bringing in only Yossi Banayoun, while United have made two additions, in Chris Smalling and a certain diminutive Mexican who’s already grabbed a few headlines with the most bizarre Wembley goal since Emile Heskey’s last one. The question is are the new signings enough to bring the trophy back to Old Trafford, just what do United need to do to wrestle the title back from West London and is Dimitar Berbatov ever going to revert back to his headband? Here’s a list of ten things which need to happen for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to overtake Liverpool in the title winning stakes.
1. More goals from midfield. While many a United fan is quick to point out the deficiencies of Berbatov and even Ferguson has lamented the injury to Michael Owen that robbed United of his services for the business end of the season, the fact remains the midfield did not score nearly enough goals last season. Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Antonio Valencia, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nani managed 24 league goals between them, the same amount that Frank Lampard scored. While certain players –Fletcher for example- are not in the side to score goals, while Giggs and Scholes can hardly be expected to hit double figures at their age- it is still obvious United need more goals coming from the midfield department. If Rooney continues to operate as a lone striker –as he did for much of last season- then someone behind him needs to step up. Personally I’d like to see Nani and Valencia weighing in with a few more this time round.
2. A bit more stability in the starting XI. I fully understand that with United chasing honours on four fronts, the need for a large squad and a bit of rotation but surely it’s time for a little moderation. It seems every week there’s a new right back, its 4-5-1 then it’s 4-4-2, Berbatov starts, grabs a goal, then is dropped for the next game, Anderson’s in, then he’s out again, ditto Ji Sung Park. Admittedly injuries and the ages of certain players have to dictate Fergie’s thinking and the days of the man on the street naming the Saturday’s starting XI are long gone. However it could be time to give some players more than just one game in every three, and try and get a bit more cohesion going between certain ones. I’ve said it before and it may sound crazy but unless Rio Ferdinand can get back to proper full fitness, I’d make Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic my starting centre backs for every game. Stability has often been the key to United’s success and maybe a bit more is needed.
3. Give youth a chance. With Tom Cleverly not going out on loan, and the Da Silva twins and Macheda getting a chance both at the end of last season and in this pre-season then could we now see a few youngsters starting more than just the Carling Cup games? Hopefully yes. If United are not going to buy Mesut Ozil- to be honest I don’t think they will- then why not give either Darron Gibson or Cleverly the chance to have a run in the side. After all despite what a certain Scottish pundit may have claimed you can win things with kids. United have bags of experience in every department so throwing one or two youngsters into the mix shouldn’t lead to disaster and what better way for a developing player to learn than to play alongside the likes of Scholes, Giggs or Rooney.
Continued on PAGE 2
4. Darren Fletcher to raise his game. At first this may seem blasphemous, after all ‘super Daz’ was one of United’s best performers last season, putting in the sort of barnstorming displays you’d associate with Roy Keane. However the reason I think he should raise his game is simple- because he can. While there’s no denying against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, Fletcher bosses the midfield so much he even had Arsene Wenger complaining of his ‘anti-football’- so basically tackling people then- but against lesser opposition Fletcher can occasionally be a little less influential. I know it seems harsh to criticise such a dedicated player but let’s be brutally honest, there are times when his passing can go awry a little too often, and despite what I said earlier about him not being in the side to score goals that doesn’t mean he can’t. His brace against City and his superb volley – or should that be superlative strike- in the home game against Everton show that Fletcher knows where the goal is. I know he’s quality I just feel that if he were to perform against the likes of Sunderland as he does against the top teams, he could well be the difference between second and first.
5. Michael Carrick. This one doesn’t need a Fletcher-type apology or explanation, it’s shockingly simple. He’s got to start performing consistently. Carrick’s been at Old Trafford for four seasons now yet amazingly the jury still seems to be out on him. Three title winning campaigns would be enough to put most players in the pantheon of club legends but Carrick has a knack for going missing when he’s needed most and sometimes making costly errors. The games against Wolves away and Liverpool and Bayern Munich at home were cases in point. While Carrick’s mistakes in the first two may have been academic his failure to deal with the danger in the Champion’s League, then getting caught dilly-dallying on the ball, cost United two goals, and to some critics the tie. While I think there was more to it than just Carrick, the fact that he was dropped from the United side after his similar blunder gifted Liverpool an early Old Trafford lead, may mean that Fergie is running out of patience with a player who should now be hitting his peak not going backwards. If he doesn’t perform well at the beginning of the campaign, I feel it’s time to give someone else a chance.
6. Beat their title rivals. Ok this may sound like the sort of obvious statement you would associate with David Pleat but it’s true. The past two seasons have seen United lose home and away to their nearest rivals. In 2008-09 they got away with it mainly due the fact that by the time Liverpool came to Old Trafford and won 4-1, the title race was all but over. Last season however, even a draw in either game against Chelsea would have been enough to see United win the title for a record breaking nineteenth time but it wasn’t to be. United have usually performed well against their title rivals and there’s no doubt that a man has proud as Ferguson will be looking to regain that tradition this season. Winning against your rivals doesn’t just give you a points advantage it can often help psychologically convince you that you’re the better team and it’s time United took the edge on both counts.
7. Believe the hype and give Chicharito a proper run. I’ve tried not to get over excited about Javier Hernandez, but it’s been about as difficult as liking Ashley Cole as the ‘Little Pea’ shone in both the World Cup and United’s pre-season. Whether he’s banging in screamers against Argentina or using his teeth in the Community Shield, it’s obvious that he’s class and rather than wrapping him up in cotton wool or saving him for special occasions like the nice china, Fergie should unleash him and let him stake a claim for a regular starting place. He’s been compared to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which is a bit unfair, but if he is going to be another ‘baby-faced assassin’ then he should at the very least be an obligatory substitute coming on after 60 minutes in every game.
Continued on PAGE 3
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8. Improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford. Whether United have money or not chanting and singing is still free- mind you give it time and they’ll probably charge us- so there’s no excuses for having a lack of noise at Old Trafford. United still have the highest attendance in the League, yet at times away fans of a mere few thousand are out-singing 70-odd thousand Reds. ‘We want Glazers out’ is one chant that seems to be heard without any problems but it’s hardly likely to motivate the team. While I’m not saying that shouldn’t be sung, I’m merely stating that the fact remains personally I’ve been a bit embarrassed by the lack of atmosphere at OT at times and think a bit more noise wouldn’t go amiss. United may have only dropped eight home points last season, but if they can get the sort of atmosphere you hear against City going every week, then there’s every reason to feel they won’t drop any. This isn’t something the club should be culpable for, it’s up to the fans and don’t worry I’ve brought plenty of vuvuzelas back from South Africa so message me and I’ll send you one.
9. Take the burden off Wayne Rooney. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It’s a bit like saying score more goals than the opposition or win more games than your nearest rivals, but the fact is, United cannot win the title with Rooney alone. When Cristiano Ronaldo was scoring goals like they were going out of fashion, a large part of that was down to Rooney. Last season Didier Drogba had Lampard to help him out, Arsenal will no doubt have Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas this time round. Rooney needs someone to weigh in with not just their fair share of goals but also assists and being another option that players look for when United are attacking. Berbatov, Hernandez or one of the midfield, it doesn’t matter but when Rooney’s fit and playing it shouldn’t mean that if he has a quiet game so do United. When Rooney’s out, it’s time for someone else to perform; no doubt all eyes will be on Berbatov who came up short against Chelsea and Blackburn last season. Whether or not this will be the Bulgarian’s season remains to be seen, but someone needs to give ‘r Wazza a hand.
10. Play Edwin Van Der Sar in every league game. VDS performance in the Community Shield was yet another in a long list of exemplary shifts between the sticks at Old Trafford. The Dutchman was injured for the beginning of last season and Ben Foster was preferred to Tomas Kuszczak and all but ended both his United and England career with a series of inept displays. A loss away to Burnley and a disappointing home draw to Sunderland came on Foster’s watch, while Kuszczak oversaw the home loss to Aston Villa and the away loss to Fulham- although to be fair the entire defence was injured for that one. Van Der Sar may be 40 but if he can manage the league games and Fergie rests him for the cup ones, he may just be the difference between another near-miss or making United the most successful ever team-at least domestically- in England.
West Ham are one of a number of clubs interested in a summer swoop for the relegated pair of Alfie Mawson and Lukasz Fabianski.
What’s the story?
According to a report in the Guardian, Swansea City are resigned to losing Mawson and Fabianski this summer, and there are a whole host of Premier League clubs queuing up for their star duo.
A whopping 85 per cent of West Ham fans said this week they would back a move for Mawson, and a double deal could solve two of the Hammers’ problem positions at once.
The Hammers are joined by Tottenham and Southampton at the front of the chasing pack, while Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle are also showing interest.
The perfect double swoop?
If West Ham fans were to pick out three areas they most need to improve this summer, they would likely all be down the spine of the team – goalkeeper, centre back, centre midfield.
Signing Fabianski and Mawson would be a huge step in the right direction for the Hammers, and the Swans’ relegation means the pair could be available for as little as £25m.
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24 year-old Mawson, who led his side in passes, long passes, aerial duels and clearances this season, was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dark season for the south Wales club.
His quality on the ball, instincts, and downright fearlessness make him a fit for pretty much any Premier League team, and a partnership with the ever-improving Declan Rice could solve the Hammers’ defensive crisis for years to come.
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Plenty has of course been made of the goalkeeping situation at the London Stadium this season, and a bargain deal for the 33 year-old Fabianski is the perfect short-term fix.
The report from the Guardian claims multiple top six clubs are interested in making the former Arsenal man their number two, but guaranteed playing time could sway the odds in West Ham’s favour.
So, West Ham fans, would you back a summer swoop for the Swansea City pair? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Manchester United had to work hard for victory in the English Premier League on Saturday, narrowly defeating Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor.With Chelsea winning in the day’s kick-off, it was vital that United picked all three points and although not at their best, Jose Mourinho’s side delivered.United are now undefeated in their last six Premier League matches away from home, winning five of them. That’s a drastic improvement on their away form prior to the current run.Frenchman Anthony Martial was the Red Devils’ goal hero, netting just after half-time after fine work from Romelu Lukaku in the build up.With just two shots on target, it was a day of limited chances for United’s attacking players with the likes of £27m-rated Juan Mata failing to play at their creative best.Supporters were disappointed with the Spaniard’s performance and feel that with the imminent arrival of Alexis Sanchez, he could either be benched consistently or even leave the club.They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his place in Jose Mourinho’s starting eleven after the Burnley match…
The dust is beginning to settle after the controversial release of Sir Alex Ferguson’s My Autobiography, and recent results suggest that Manchester United has escaped the media storm brought on by the former manager with minor difficulties. Yet, just as we are forgetting about the uproar caused by Fergie, another autobiography containing revelations about the Red Devils and the knighted Scot himself hits the shelves. Albeit, one less likely to have a significant impact on Manchester United’s campaign.
Tuesday November 5th will see former England manager Sven Göran Eriksson release his latest book My Story. This may not seem to concern United at first, but an in an extract printed in the Mail on Sunday, Eriksson reveals that he was in line to take the helm at Old Trafford. In fact, the deal was as good as done.
“I knew it would be tricky. I had a contract with England until the 2006 World Cup and I would be severely criticised if I broke that contract. But this was an opportunity to manage Manchester United. A contract was signed – I was United’s new manager,” writes the Swede.
This begs for an interesting thought experiment – where would Manchester United be right now if Fergie had indeed stepped down and left the club in the hands of the worst hairline in world football?
United’s decision to hire Eriksson at the time is understandable. Fergie announced in the early stages of the 2001-02 season that he would end his managerial career after one last conquest, and the board was searching Europe for a worthy successor. ‘Svennis’ had just been appointed the England manager, and would lead the Three Lions in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea. His club record was among the European elite back then. Following successful spells at IFK Göteborg, Benfica, Roma, Fiorentina and Sampdoria, he went on to manage Lazio into the peak of their existence.
With the Swede in the hot-seat, I Biancocelesti became a leading force in Italian football. In 2000 they brought home only the second Scudetto in the club’s history, and Eriksson won two Coppa Italias and two Supercoppas. After winning the UEFA cup winner’s cup in 1999 they came up against Fergie’s treble winning Man United in the Super cup – and won. Needless to say, Svennis deserved the admiration from Old Trafford – at the time.
This is, however, where the successful story of Sven Göran Eriksson ends. He took Three Lions to a valiant 3-1 semi-final defeat to eventual world champions Brazil, but since then, England have failed to make a real impact on international football, despite the so-called golden generation all reaching the peaks of their careers. In hindsight, Man United fans can look back at the club’s Svennis dodge blissfully aware that this might be the single most important incident of the recent success.
So let’s pretend that Eriksson did step into the void left by Sir Alex in 2002, and attempted to recreate his title-winning traditions. He would doubtless had taken over a strong team. A team that where only narrowly beaten 6-5 over two legs by the Real Madrid Galacticos, in the quarter final of the Champions League. However, they where approaching the biggest transition in Manchester United’s modern era. The trophy less period between 2003 and 2007 saw Fergie patiently nurturing the emerging talents of players like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Had the same period been directed by Mr Eriksson, I doubt it would produce a pay-off of five Premier League titles, one FA cup title and a Champions League win.
Svennis did have a brief managerial spell in the premiership eventually, though, with the Red Devils’ neighboring rivals Manchester City. Despite spending big on summer transfers and having promising start to the 2008-09 season, the Blues failed to show any form of consistency, and finished ninth. This suggests that Svennis struggle with the unforgiving nature of the Premier League. No other top flight is as demanding in that respect. There are no easy games, and if your team is incapable of performing on a weekly basis, a host of points will be dropped. In spite of an impressive record prior to his England spell, Eriksson is not the top drawer appointment Manchester United were looking for at the time.
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Since 2008 he has drifted across continents, spending brief periods at Notts County and Leicester in the lower English leagues, and having short appointments with the Mexican and Ivory Coast international teams, never staying put for a full season. Is there one thing Manchester United emphasized in their search for a Fergie successor, it was the prospect of finding a subject capable of producing another 20-year reign of dominance.
Now Svennis has migrated to China in order to manage Super League side Guangzhou R&F. Only thinking about the potential damage his appointment could have had, and was close to having, for the club will send violent chills down many a Man United fan’s spine. As so many times through his 26-year reign at United, Fergie got it right in his decision to stay another decade.
Considering he’s only 25-years-old, it would seem bizarre that Hatem Ben Arfa’s age would be of any real prominence, when dissecting the Frenchman’s career. Indeed, Newcastle United’s prodigious winger has years left ahead of him, including his peak ones, surely destined to be spent in the top flight and perhaps challenging for top honours, too.
But Ben Arfa’s journey from a raw French wonderkid to an unstoppable Premier League menace, has been an arduous one and in some ways, well overdue. But where as many felt that taking a chance on the former Olympique de Marseille man was a gamble too far, Alan Pardew is now reaping the rewards of his considerable talent.
In this case, perhaps good things do come to those who wait after all. And for all at St. James Park, Hatem Ben Arfa has been most definitely worth that wait.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer was infamously ridiculed in 2010 after uttering the now immortal line, “No one really knows a great deal of him,” upon viewing Ben Arfa’s barnstorming highlight sequence from Newcastle United’s 1-0 win away to Everton. But despite showing remarkable ignorance for a man paid by the taxpayer to display an extensive footballing knowledge, it does in some ways represent quite how much the Hatem Ben Arfa story had stalled at that point.
Because Ben Arfa wasn’t some unknown, mysterious Gaelic talent when he signed for what was at the time, Chris Houghton’s Magpies – initially on loan- in 2010. His Champions League debut in the colours of Lyon serve as a relatively poignant reminder as to quite how long ago it was, when he first burst onto the scene. The scores were evenly matched at 2-2 during Lyon’s tightly contested Group D fixture with Manchester United. As a young, and rakish Ben Arfa came on to replace Sidney Govou, he found himself playing against a United side that started with both Eric Djemba-Djemba in midfield and one Tim Howard in goal. The date was 15th September 2004. Not far off eight years ago now.
And in some respects, it seems really quite remarkable that it has taken the Clamart-born winger so many years to really start fulfilling his true potential.
Because a look at his contemporaries suggests not all has gone quite as planned in the time that’s passed since that Champions League debut. Ben Arfa was widely recognised as one of the biggest hopes of French football if not the biggest, during the mid-noughties. He was the one touted to reinvigorate Les Bleus and gravitate them back towards international success, even more so than his youth team colleague Karim Benzema. Yet today Benzema, a year younger, currently plays for Real Madrid and beholds 52 caps for his country. Ben Arfa has only 13.
Abou Diaby is another of his countrymen who wasn’t of thought to be able to posses quite the levels of talent that Ben Arfa had, yet still has more caps for his country – even with his arguably dire injury record. Yet it is into an old French documentary that ironically featured both Diaby and Ben Arfa as teenagers, in which we get an insight as to quite why the Newcastle winger’s career seems to have taken so long to truly flourish.
In the documentary titled À La Clairefontaine, cameras were allowed into the now famous French footballing hub, where they followed the fortunes of several fleeting young players- including the pair of Diaby and Ben Arfa. And in an excerpt that you can view here, even at a young age, we’re exposed to the volatility that has plagued Ben Arfa’s career.
And unfortunately for both Lyon and French fans, it was seemingly a character trait that Ben Arfa was unable to shed. Clashes with both Benzema and now Arsenal defender Sebastien Squilacci, only weeks after singing a long-term deal at Lyon, put an end to his carer at the Stade de Gerland and signalled the start of a new one at Marseille. But yet again, his career continued to be scorched by an abrasive attitude that has continuously overshadowed his extraordinary talents with a football. Clashes with Modeste Mbami, Djibril Cisse and managers Eric Gerets and Didier Deschamps marred his time at the Stade Velodrome – the latter culminating in Ben Arfa going on strike, resulting in his move to Tyneside. At this point, none of Europe’s top clubs were even thinking about taking a persona like Ben Arfa’s onto the pay reel.
But what was their loss was undeniably Newcastle United’s gain. His first season was of course curtailed almost as soon as it began, after Nigel de Jong’s controversial tackle inflicted a compound fracture of the left leg. But even then, Newcastle had seen enough to turn his loan from Marseille into a permanent move. And since his return to full fitness, he’s not looked back.
Ben Arfa has began to show the sort of form and showcase of ability that made Europe stand up and take notice all those years ago. The Frenchman has a genuine gift and possesses a level of skill that perhaps ranks amongst the highest tier in the league. Alan Pardew has described the winger as having “magic in his feet,” and last season, we finally started to see it appear on a regular basis; he ranked up a highly reputable five goals and seven assists in 26 Premier League games. This season, he already has two goals from four.
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By his own admission, Ben Arfa has taken a long time to mature as much as a person as he has a footballer. Indeed, Armand Garrido, a former youth coach at Lyon, once said that he “always thought Hatem was a couple of years behind in some respects.”
But most importantly, Ben Arfa seems to feel in himself that he’s turned the page. Talking before the European Championships this summer, the Frenchman said:
“I’ve evolved, I grew up.
“I am calmer, quieter. In the field, I feel much better. I’m really much more committed to the collective. I think now more than ever, I’m a competitor.
“With experience, it made me better. I give everything now because I am responsible for my actions.”
And with that change in attitude, the only way is surely forward, for both Ben Arfa and Newcastle United. In a strange way, the pair seem to resemble something of a perfect match. Both club and player have had their fair share of issues in recent years. But at full capacity and with no further distractions, they can both help each other to attain the sort of success that their standings deserve.
How do you feel about Ben Arfa’s future on Tyneside? Still worried about his volatile persona or are you confident the problems of the past are behind him? Tell me what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me all your views.
Abdoulaye Doucoure is expected to be hot property in the transfer market this summer, and West Ham should be at the front of the queue for his signature.
What’s the word?
Everton fans have been debating a move for Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure this week, after Soccer Saturday pundit Charlie Nicholas said the Toffees “will surely be looking to snap him up”.
Arsenal and Spurs have also been linked with a move for the Frenchman, but he would be much better suited moving to West Ham, where he would be guaranteed the playing time he wouldn’t get at a top six club.
The Hammers desperately need a new spine to their team this summer, and with Manuel Pellegrini looking likely to take over, could Doucoure be the former Manchester City man’s first signing?
A much needed upgrade?
Every club and fan base has a scapegoat when things aren’t going their way, and for many Hammers’ fans this season that scapegoat was Cheikhou Kouyate.
The Hammers will probably need to sign an entire new spine to their team this summer if they want to move up the table, and upgrading Kouyate to the more technically gifted Doucoure would be an excellent start.
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Doucoure has been the standout performer for Watford this season, grabbing seven goals and three assists from midfield.
The 25 year-old has also impressed in a defensive sense, averaging 2.1 tackles per game and 1.5 interceptions per game. Kouyate actually betters the Frenchman’s tackling at 2.2 tackles per game, but has less interceptions.
Where the contrast between the two players is really stark is on the attacking end, where Kouyate has added just two goals and three assists in 32 league starts.
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The Senegalese international averages just 0.5 key passes a game, less than half of what Doucoure offers, averaging over one key pass every game. Doucoure also averages more successful dribbles and a better pass success rate.
The Hammers have more than one position they need to upgrade on this summer, but hijacking Everton’s interest in Doucoure would be an excellent starting point, and Pellegrini will no doubt prefer more technically gifted players given how his Manchester City side played.
So, West Ham fans, would you back a move for Doucoure? Would he be an upgrade on Kouyate? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Two points dropped at home against a Burnley side that spent roughly a fifth of what Manchester United did during the summer, especially after Jose Mourinho’s comments on Manchester City’s outlay under Pep Guardiola, was the inevitable headline from the Boxing Day action at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils could now fall an incredible 15 points behind the Premier League’s runaway pace-setters should they triumph as expected over Newcastle on Wednesday evening, while United have now lost to Championship outfit Bristol City, drawn to Leicester City and the Clarets in consecutive games. If English football’s hectic winter period separates the wheat from the chaff, Mourinho’s United seemingly belong in the latter category.
“We are in the second year of trying to rebuild a football team that is not one of the best teams in the world. Manchester City buy full-backs for the price of strikers. When you speak about big football clubs, you are speaking about the history of the club. [£300m] is not enough.”
Yet, in almost any other Premier League season and particularly those with Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, a Boxing Day comeback against the division’s pluckiest side would be viewed as something of a moral victory for the Red Devils – or at the very least, the kind of positive reaction to their own failings that’s been at the very core of the club’s DNA during the last three decades.
United once prided themselves on gung-ho second halves and late goals, especially when scored by the club’s academy products. So why has Jesse Lingard’s 45-minute brace, started with an ingenious flicked finish and completed in stoppage time, left such a foul taste of disappointment? Why has United’s Boxing Day thriller become two points dropped rather than one gained?
The obvious answer is that United should comfortably beat Burnley at Old Trafford – the Clarets’ last victory there was all the way back in 1962 – but that assumption underestimates Burnley in the way many of Manchester United’s divisional rivals have already this season; Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and now United have all either drawn or lost to Sean Dyche’s side at home, which is exactly why they’re seventh in the table.
The Clarets are in that position on merit and the only top six side who haven’t conceded points to Burnley at home this season are Manchester City – even United fans would admit Guardiola’s team are currently in a league of their own.
So perhaps a wider, more considered answer is whether United fans really know what they want from Mourinho. Since being appointed in 2016, the sections of support criticising Mourinho’s negative tactics have grown louder and louder. But the Boxing Day starting XI included two top-class centre-forwards, another striker out wide in Marcus Rashford, a luxury playmaker in Juan Mata and two incredibly offensive full-backs in Luke Shaw and Ashley Young.
It was an attacking line-up and became even more so after United went two goals down – by the end of the match, United’s back four included three players who have played or still do play in midfield – Young, Nemanja Matic and Phil Jones – while the midfield consisted of four attacking players – Mata, Rashford, Lingard and Henrik Mkhitaryan – being anchored by Paul Pogba, hardly the most disciplined of engine room options. The changes had the desired effect too; in the second half, United had 14 shots at goal, further increased their possession from 68% to 71%, and scored twice.
Apart from a third goal and a far superior performance from Romelu Lukaku, who was worryingly disappointing yet again, United supporters couldn’t really have asked for much more from the second half. Placed in the context of another season, under a different manager with different players, that last 45 minutes would have gone down as vintage United, showing the heart, passion and belief that the club built its modern success upon. If United supporters want the kind of gung-ho performances and last-minute action that echoes the thrills of the Ferguson era, they won’t come too much closer than this with Mourinho in charge.
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But in many ways, that epitomises how self-perpetuating Mourinho’s pragmatic approach becomes over a sustained period of time. After two games in which United produced a combined 42 shots at goal compared to their opponents’ 14, Mourinho can rightly argue the attacking quality and control his side showed for the vast majority of that 180 minutes hasn’t been adequately justified in terms of results.
But when your philosophy is so focused on results rather than performance, that mentality becomes infectious, to the point where results are the only thing Mourinho’s United are truly judged upon. And on paper at least, a home draw with Burnley is a disappointing one.
“We had some, we also lost some good passing opportunities and didn’t attack all the crosses we had, but the spirit was really, really good, and I have nothing negative to say about my boys. Amazing spirit, starting both matches behind, recovering and trying to win and being the best team on the pitch. But of course we wanted six points, and we have two.”
Mourinho, though, doesn’t help himself either. While he did argue the merits of United’s performance and the character required to pull off their late comeback following the final whistle, he then overshadowed it by bringing Manchester City’s spending into the discussion. ‘United draw at home as Mourinho moans about City spending’ was always going to be the prevailing narrative, and if there’s one team you shouldn’t bring up after failing to win, it’s probably the only side who are above you in the table and the only top six side who’ve beaten Burnley at home this season.
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If United had limited his post-match analysis to simply the endeavour of his own players, perhaps the Boxing Day comeback would be viewed as the closest Mourinho has come to bringing Fergie-esque, frenetic finishes back to Old Trafford.
Instead, the debate has moved onto the apparent motivation behind everything these days – money.