All posts by z3u9t.icu

The West Brom manager search seems no closer to being resolved than it did last week, and is becoming a fiasco that smacks of poor foresight and hasty decisions by chief executive Mark Jenkins.

We have said on more than one occasion, that sacking a manager at this late stage of a season — in which your club is still in touching distance of the Premier League — with no plan B is baffling.

Slavisa Jokanovic and Alex Neil are the two names that have been bandied around in most circles, with caretaker boss James Shan being considered as an interim appointment until the summer.

But a new name was mentioned by a handful of fans yesterday, and if they could lure him to the club, he could be the right person to take the Baggies forward.

Graham Potter was appointed as manager at Swansea City last summer, having been in charge at Swedish side Östersunds FK for seven years prior to that, and has done a steady job at the Welsh club.

When Swansea were relegated from the Premier League, most of their first team squad left, or were released, in a bid to manage the budget for a spell in the Championship, and the job Potter has done, under difficult circumstances, is better than it would appear on paper.

With a raft of incoming signings being from the bargain basement, he has built a squad aimed at consolidating their position, and he has succeeded in that, with relegation not looking likely.

His side pushed star-studded Manchester City to the limits in their recent FA Cup quarter-final, losing only to a dubious penalty and a missed offside decision.

With a growing reputation in England, it would be an intriguing appointment by West Brom, and it would be interesting to see how he would do with a bigger budget to work with.

As a player, Potter had something of a journeyman’s career, which included a spell at the Hawthorns, and being just 43-years-old he has the potential to become a long-term appointment — something that Albion fans are desperate to see, with the chopping and changing in recent seasons not helping anyone.

We think that Potter would be an inspired choice for West Brom, and although his name has not been mentioned in the local media outlets, clearly Baggies fans have their heads screwed on, and know what they want.

What do you think about the West Brom manager situation? Do you think someone like Graham Potter has all the attributes to take your club forward in years to come? Let us know below…

It will surely hurt Everton fans to learn how close they were to signing South American class-act Ever Banega in 2009.

The Toffees were experiencing some of their most positive years to date towards the end of the previous decade under David Moyes, who seemed to truly understand what it was to follow the blue end of Merseyside; the plucky underdog side who fought until the end; who really took the battle to their opponents and won neutrals hearts.

If ever there was a time to state the club’s positive future intentions it was then, and what a way to do it.

Ever Banega – 2009

Banega had actually already spent a year with Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan when the Merseysiders stepped up the pursuit to sign him on a permanent basis.

Likened to Mikel Arteta, who was quickly developing into a club legend at this point, the Argentine was quality with the ball at his feet, awe-inspiring when playmaking, and a real talent from set pieces.

For all Everton’s tenacity, of which there was plenty, they were seriously lacking in the technical department, which is why the Argentine was such a huge loss when (as per the Daily Mail) the deal fell through at the 11th hour after securing a work permit for the then 21-year-old.

Tim Cahill was a goal scorer yes, and a very good one at that. Marouane Fellaini had his perks as well, though he has always been shot of technical ability in truth. This left the Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar – two quality players in their own right but missing that spark Banega had in abundance.

This is what made the botched transfer so disappointing.

Banega would eventually find his feet at Valencia and made 185 appearances in all competitions before moving to La Liga rivals Sevilla.

Here he would enjoy his best football. The gifted midfielder spent two years at the club, helping the side toward consecutive Europa League titles, surprisingly leaving on a free just two years after joining to join Inter Milan.

A year later he was back in Spain, where he remains a Sevilla player with 189 games to his name.

[ad_pod ]

A lot of the praise this season for Wolves has gone in the direction of some of their attacking players in Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez. But at the opposite end of the pitch defender Conor Coady has been a rock for Nuno Santo’s men.

The central defender has been imperative to the club sitting seventh in the league and his performances have led to suggestions that he should have been in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad. It’s justifiable, especially given the statistic Wolves supporters have been reacting to on Twitter.

The Molineux faithful threw superlatives in the direction of the Wolves skipper, with one supporter going as far as labelling him their player of the season. Another commented on the remarkable form and fitness of the man.

Coady has been at the heart of a three-man defence for Wolves this season with the club conceding 36 goals, a tally less than Arsenal and Manchester United.

The 26-year-old bolsters a pass success rate of 84.4% and wins 1.1 aerial duels per game.

Here’s what supporters have been saying…

[ad_pod ]

How do you solve a problem like Marko Arnautovic? Well, when he gets particularly greedy and dazzled by the bright lights of China, you offer him an enigmatic new contract worth £110,000 per week, according to Football FanCast sources, and hope that his transfer fiasco will be brushed under the carpet.

But the three-pronged relationship between Arnautovic, the fans and the manager has almost been tarnished beyond repair. The powerful attacker notched seven goals and provided two assists prior to West Ham’s home fixture against Arsenal in January, in which he waved goodbye to the fans when he was withdrawn by Manuel Pellegrini, but he has only added a solitary goal contribution since the fiasco was temporarily laid to rest.

Arnautovic signed the new deal on January 26th 2019, exactly ten weeks ago to the day. In that time he has been booed by supporters, cut a detached figure on the field, thrown tantrums on the substitutes bench and provided a single assist. Sorry, we almost forgot to mention, he’s also banked £1.1million in the same space of time.

It’s easy to sympathise with those supporters who feel compelled to articulate their disdain for a player who was unanimously adored just a few months ago.

There is a lingering feeling that Arnautovic, to a degree, betrayed the club by expressing a desire to leave midway through the season. And while his decision to pen a new deal should, in theory, have been regarded as a positive development, his presence is beginning to feel more detrimental than progressive.

When you break down the financial implications of Arnautovic’s new deal, it’s difficult to justify the decision from David Gold and David Sullivan to offer an extension; perhaps they should have cashed in while they had the chance.

When Arnautovic is at his scintillating best it’s clear to see the desire and hunger running through his veins. He relishes individual battles both physically and tactically and uses his ultra-competitive streak to outwit his opponent. Take that away and what we have is a distinctly average player.

Recent weeks have underlined how the mental aspect of his game is his most performance-defining. With the ghost of January’s fiasco still looming at the London Stadium feast, Arnautovic has left his head in China, inadvertently conspiring against his chances of securing a high-profile summer move in the process.

Following the award of his new deal, Pellegrini has handed him just 356 minutes of senior football with which to salvage his stuttering reputation in east London, at a startling cost of £3090 per minute.

Back in January, the mercurial centre-forward may well have been considered a perfect successor to Diego Costa at Chelsea, but the substance behind that notion is crumbling as West Ham prepare to travel to Chelsea on Monday evening.

Perhaps what Arnautovic really needs is a confidence-boosting goal to resurrect the imperious form which made him subject of a £35 million January bid in the first place.

There are easier grounds than Stamford Bridge on which to break a goal-drought, but Maurizio Sarri’s side are riddled with frailties and it would be fitting for Arnautovic to fire his way back into club stardom with a match-winning showing against a fierce London rival.

Right now Gold and Sullivan’s decision to snub advances from China and extend Arnautovic’s deal looks like a colossal blunder, but is an unforeseen twist lying just around the corner?

It was meant to be the signing that took Leyton Orient into a new bracket of National League teams, but it has simply not been that way.

Jay Simpson’s return to the O’s was met with much fanfare from fans, and other supporters were convinced that the return of a player who is more than capable of playing in the Football League would all but confirm Orient’s promotion to League Two, but the striker’s impact in east London since re-joining has been lacklustre.

One goal in six starts is not what many would have expected from a striker who once hit 25 goals for the O’s in a season a few years prior, and Justin Edinburgh’s persistence to keep the 30-year-old striker in the starting XI heading into the final games could prove costly for the east London side.

With Macauley Boone finding his scoring form heading into the final four matches, Edinburgh might be tempted to keep Simpson on the bench as an option to bring on for the final 30 minutes, and with each passing game becoming more and more important this could be the ideal tactic for the O’s.

Simpson is a clearly talented player and someone who can easily do a job in League Two or even League One, but joining his former club out of shape after playing barely any football for the past year has damaged Orient’s chances of promotion.

The 30-year-old’s return has not gone to plan, and Edinburgh needs to realise that keeping him out of the starting XI for the remainder of the season is the right move to make if the O’s are to clinch the National League title.

Manchester City fans will be praying that their side can get the job done in the Champions League at the Etihad, after a rather disappointing performance at Spurs’ new stadium.

Raheem Sterling failed to have much of an impact on the game which made it difficult for Manchester City to get things going in the final third, but that won’t bother supporters as he’s been sensational this season.

Interestingly, all of his hard work and world-class performances appear to have made his value skyrocket, as according to CIES (via Daily Mail), Raheem Sterling is valued at an incredible £161 million.

The Englishman has established himself as one of the best attackers in world football in the current campaign, so it makes perfect sense to see him valued at a whopping £161 million.

He’s managed to produce 19 goals and 16 assists in the current campaign and he’s already helped City secure the Carabao Cup, with silverware still up for grabs in the Champions League, Premier League and the FA Cup.

Sterling is well on his way to becoming a Manchester City legend and he’s already making great strides on the international stage with England, so Pep Guardiola really does have a special player on his hands.

Of course, keeping him in the summer transfer window must be the priority for the Manchester club if he attracts attention as he’s been nothing short of incredible, and they would find it impossible to replace him.

His value is a testament to how well he’s playing at this moment in time, and it will only rise from here on in.

Manchester City fans, do you think Raheem Sterling is worth £161 million? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

How good has John Marquis been this season, Doncaster fans?

The 26-year-old forward has been a revelation since moving to the Keepmoat Stadium in 2016 and has gone from strength to strength in the 2018/19 campaign, scoring 22 goals in League One which has helped fire Rovers in contention for a play-off position.

Five points clear of their nearest challengers Peterborough United, manager Grant McCann would have been extremely confident that his side could overcome the Cambridgeshire club in May with the likes of Marquis and Malik Wilks forming a deadly partnership up-front. However, the 38-year-old will undoubtedly be concerned about losing one of the third tier’s most impressive forwards for the Easter weekend fixtures.

Marquis was ruled out of last week’s game against Plymouth Argyle after suffering a concussion in a 1-0 win at Bradford City on April 6th (via the Evening Express) and is facing a race to be fit for Rovers’ clashes with Sunderland and Accrington Stanley.

If he cannot be risked, Donny will have to play arguably their two biggest matches of the season so far without their talisman, placing an incredible amount of pressure on the likes of Wilks and James Coppinger to step up in his absence.

Whereas by picking maximum points against the Black Cats and Stanley will almost guarantee that Rovers will extend their season past the regular 46 game mark. However, if they cannot adapt to playing a string of games without Marquis, the impact could be disastrous.

Just one slip-up between now and May could open the door for a Peterborough to usurp them which would, in turn, bring a premature end to what has been an impressive debut season under the guidance of McCann for Donny.

What do you think Rovers fans? How crucial is it that Marquis returns as soon as possible? Can you reach the play-offs without him? Get in touch below.

[ad_pod ]

West Brom’s academy is never short of attention. At the moment the club have numerous players currently trying to make the leap into senior football and with James Shan now in charge of the first team, there’s arguably never been a better chance to get your break as a young Baggie.

Shan was previously in charge of the club’s U23 side and as a result will know a lot of the young players coming through very well.

This season has seen the likes of Kyle Edwards, Rekeem Harper and Sam Field receive more minutes in the first team and the latter was particularly impressive last Monday during his first appearance under the new manager.

However, there’s a young player coming through who with the right guidance has the possibility to surpass Field.

Zak Brown has been impressive for the U23s and U18s this season and it might not be long before we see him get a first-team chance.

The 18-year-old is a box to box midfielder by trade and was one of the star players from West Brom’s promising FA Youth Cup campaign this term, featuring in all five matches.

Albion managed to get to the semi-finals before eventually succumbing to Manchester City, but they did knock out Arsenal on their way.

And in that game against the Gunners, Brown was hugely influential. He didn’t score, but against a highly technical Arsenal side, he dictated the game intelligently and looked after the ball tremendously well.

He’s a highly skilled player at both ends of the pitch and that stood out on that occasion, as a lively West Brom performance saw them hassle their opposition constantly.

His vision also catches the eye and in 14 U18 Premier League matches this term, he’s claimed three assists. He’s also been among the goals and netted against Wolves only last week.

Shan will know all too well about Brown already. The midfielder played under him in the development team last season and it would be a fine story if they were to link up again at senior level.

Having been with the club since the age of seven, it would mean the world to him if he was to get his first-team opportunity.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur may well be relieved to only be a goal behind following the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie against Ajax, having been dominated by the Dutch club for large periods of the game.

Hopes would have been high that Spurs could have taken an advantage to Amsterdam for the second leg pre-match, but without Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane it was always going to be a difficult task in the final third.

The north London outfit’s faithful would have been looking towards Dele Alli to step forward and take the game by the scruff of the neck to try and provide that goal threat, but he failed to do as his disappointing personal 2018/19 season continued.

The 23-year-old visibly doesn’t have the confidence and swagger that he has shown in the past, and he clearly needs it to return if he wants to be one of the best and most influential players on the pitch again.

The former MK Dons man was photographed after the final whistle with a face of thunder – a picture that certainly paints a thousand words.

The England international would have been frustrated with the result clearly, but the image also indicates that he was unhappy with his own display as well.

Successive defeats on their own patch against West Ham United and Ajax have left Tottenham and their players in a low place, but they still have a chance to turn things around and make this one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history.

[ad_pod ]

Speaking to the Wolves club website, commentator Guy Mowbray has singled out Joao Moutinho, claiming that he’s not been surprised with the Portuguese international since he arrived in England.

What’s the word?

Moutinho has been exceptional since being picked up for a bargain price of £5m last summer from Monaco and has quickly become a fan favourite at Molineux.

Wolves have had a tremendous first season back in the Premier League and the midfielder has been one of the driving forces behind their quest for European football ahead of next term.

The 32-year-old has only scored once but has claimed an impressive eight assists, playing from deep in midfield. He’s been Nuno Santo’s go-to man in terms of creativity and he hasn’t disappointed.

With that in mind, Mowbray singled him out for praise when asked by the Wolves website what he thought of him and Ruben Neves. He commented:

“I’ve never been surprised by Joao Moutinho because he was tipped to come to the Premier League years ago and it never quite happened. He’s a Rolls-Royce of a player.”

Moutinho a star

Moutinho’s European pedigree this season has been clear to see and in many ways, he’s outshone Neves who has been one of their best players since Nuno took over.

He’s a luxury player and a lot of his play seems to go unnoticed outside of Wolves. He appears to coast through games, playing a silent but deadly role as he picks the lock of opposition defences.

The Portugal star is indicative of the phenomenal transfer business the club has done in recent years too. They’ve been extremely shrewd with some of the deals they’ve completed and Moutinho is very much at the forefront of that.

For his price tag, he was an absolute bargain and he remains one of the signings of the season. Alongside Raul Jimenez, Wolves have two players capable of taking them deep in the Europa League next term should they make it.