All posts by h79snht.top

West Ham have struck gold again.

Their famed Academy appeared to dry up for a few seasons after the likes of Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and RioFerdinand emerged. Before that, decades ago, a steady stream of young talent found their way to the Upton Park first team ranks under the expert and forward thinking tutelage of Ron Greenwood and John Lyall.

Over the past four years of the Allardyce reign, the youngsters were only given their chance in desperate situations, or even forgotten completely. Usually the latter.

However, knocking on the door of opportunity came two or three young players who have enjoyed the spotlight in this season’s first team – none more so than Reece Oxford.

The 17-year-old, an England youth international whose contract expires in 2018, can play centre half or central midfield and his composure on the ball, his maturity and almost innocent debut at Arsenal on the opening day of this season, took everyone by surprise.

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Now the youngster has a queue of clubs all eagerly attempting to sign him this summer. He became the London club’s youngest-ever debutant – at 16 years and 198 days – when he appeared in the Europa League qualifier against FC Lusitanos.

Oxford has a year left on his contract with the Hammers but is likely to be offered improved terms before their move to the Olympic Stadium this summer.

Speaking following that Arsenal victory back in August, manager Slaven Bilic said: “The boy has got everything. Everything. He’s 16 and that is his only disadvantage.

“We are a little short in that position and I wanted someone to sit in front of the centre half. He has a presence, he’s mobile and quick and he can turn and pass the ball, not just square balls.

“We have others around making it a lot easier for him. He’s also a very cool guy. Not fazed or impressed.”

The West Ham boss is convinced that the youngster will have a big future ahead of him, while the West Ham faithful hope that it will be in the colours of the claret and blue rather than any other team.

Whilst first team opportunities have been rare this term, it is thought that Bilic has Oxford in his plans for next year and, alongside Oxford, another defender Reece Burke also figures in the plans of the Hammers boss.

Youth will certainly get their chance at Upton Park and with Martin Samuelsen returning before the summer, the prospects for West Ham’s up and coming stars of tomorrow look very positive. It would be difficult to name another Premier League team where youth are considered as highly prized assets rather than as an income later down the line.

Injuries to first-team players is expected to see Oxford given an extended run in the senior side over the coming weeks after a low-key last few months, but Bilic backs him to perform, stating that he is made of the same stuff that helped Dele Alli come to prominence at Tottenham this season.

“He is young, a kid, we shouldn’t forget that,” Bilic said. “He needs a tap on the shoulder sometimes, but he is very calm, part of that generation that is young and brave and confident. He doesn’t think about mistakes.

“Like Dele Alli, it is very common with young players. You watch Alli on the pitch, every time he gets the ball he wants to pass forward.

“We know he [Oxford] is good, he knows he is good.”

Other teams know that too, but Bilic has issued a hands off warning to potential admirers: “I think he is almost guaranteed to make it,” said Bilic. “He is a great talent and it would take a major negative happening to stop him being an England international.”

“Of course he is a big part of our future, of course he is not for sale.”

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Manchester United have won a competition!The much maligned Louis van Gaal has actually done something that is not totally bloody awful and the club looks like they might be able to build into a stunning dynasty once again. The most successful club in the history of English football take another step towards knocking Barcelona off their perch as the best in Europe and Marcus Rashford has shown that Lionel Messi may not always be deemed the greatest in living history. Wayne Rooney has reinvented himself to become a 2016 Zinedine Zidane and there is a real hope that Louis van Gaal can compete for a treble next season, just as Alex Ferguson won in 1999.Twitter really does believe for the Red Devils, now.

2016-17, whoever the manager is, will be the year Manchester United dominate Europe.

Harsh, that.

So good to see everyone finally realising just how crucial Van Gaal is to the future of the club. With Van Gaal they can dominate next season, as everyone is finally realising.

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The summer transfer window is hugely anticipated among Liverpool fans. It’s the first real opportunity for Jurgen Klopp to begin to reshape the side and build them towards the style of football he wants to play.

Although already at the club during the January transfer window the German opted just to recall a couple of young players on loan and bring in Steven Caulker, also on loan, as cover for the centre half positions. The only permanent deal Klopp concluded was to bring in Marko Grujic from Red Star Belgrade, but the young midfielder then returned on loan to the club to see out the remainder of the Serbian season.

Since January an agreement for Joel Matip has been confirmed to see the Schalke defender sign on a free this summer, but it’s widely expected that this is only the beginning of the former Dortmund manager’s transfer dealings this coming window.

There’s plenty of rumours already beginning to circulate and so here at FootballFanCast, we bring you FIVE positions that Liverpool should strengthen this summer.

Goalkeeper

If Liverpool don’t sign a new goalkeeper it’ll be one of the shocks of the transfer window.

Simon Mignolet, albeit a good shot stopper, is not good enough for Liverpool. Unfortunately the Belgian always seems to have a mistake in him – he flaps at crosses and struggles when the ball is played to his feet. Time and again this season we’ve seen the lack of authority from Mignolet spread into the defence to the despair of the watching Reds faithful and sustained success is not going to be based on a back four that evidently can’t trust its ‘keeper.

Left Back

Liverpool’s squad look short of good left backs. Jon Flanagan has played there but is limited by wanting to use his right foot. Alberto Moreno is left footed but has shown on more than one occasion he lacks the defensive discipline and timing of a challenge to be a top class full back. Meanwhile Joe Gomez, who started there at the start of the year is primarily a central defender and as for Jose Enrique, who’s somehow earned a substantial living for playing video games and going on holiday, has been released.

Centre Half

The only nailed on first choice centre half currently at the club is Dejan Lovren, and who’d have thought that twelve months ago?

Of course Matip is coming in and is expected to play, but if he has trouble settling in like the aforementioned Croatian did, Liverpool could be in trouble. Mamadou Sakho is set to be banned for a lengthy period, Martin Skrtel seems to be out of favour with Klopp and Kolo Toure’s future remains undecided. Joe Gomez will be back from his lengthy injury lay off, but is very young to be a first choice Premier League player in this position and Liverpool would be foolish to not add to this area.

Winger

The Reds lack width. The only out and out wide player with decent Premier League experience in the squad is Jordon Ibe who has yet to hold down a starting berth. It remains to be seen if Sheyi Ojo becomes the player Liverpool are expecting him to be, but it would be unfair to expect so much from a player who won’t turn 19 until next month. It’s another position Liverpool look short of top class experience in, and Klopp might not just stop at getting one wide-man in.

Striker

On his day Daniel Sturridge is a world class striker. When he’s fit he terrorises defences with his pace, trickery and lethal finishing and although he’s beginning to shake off the injury record that has plagued him this term, there’s inevitably going to be question marks for some time to come. In terms of back-up Christian Benteke is more than likely going to be leaving after a difficult year, Divock Origi looks promising but still has much to learn and Danny Ings looked like he was going to be a good signing for Liverpool before his injury, so only time will tell if he can carry that form on.

The Anfield side need another world-class forward to help share the burden placed on Sturridge and would become a much more potent threat if they could get one in.

So it’s inevitably happened, and Ronald Koeman has finally been confirmed as the new manager of Everton. Whilst you’ve got to feel a tad sorry for the Saints, it’s a cracking appointment for the Toffees, and their supporters will be hoping the Dutchman can turn their fortunes around as quickly as possible.

And a good way to start would be to bring some big names to Goodison Park in time for the new season. Backed by the new-found financial power provided by Farhad Moshiri, Koeman will be expected to improve on the 11th place finish from last season. Failure to do so will result in the season being branded a failure, but there’s a gentle hum of optimism at Everton following the appointment.

So with that in mind, here’s FIVE signings that could really kick-start Everton’s season…

Marko Arnautovic

This former Inter Milan winger has been in fine form for Stoke City since his arrival at the Britannia Stadium, however it was last season where he’s really kicked on. 12 goals and a handful of assists helped his side into a ninth place finish and he’s since been linked with a move away due to his good form.

And what a good signing it would be for Everton – he’s been one of the Premier League’s best attackers for some time now and his signing would be a coup.

Khouma Babacar

Khouma Babacar is a man that’s been on the Premier League radar for a couple of years now and he’d make an excellent signing for the Toffees. Whilst he struggled with injury last season, his potential is undoubted and at 23, he’s got his best years ahead of him.

Everton may need to swoop quickly though, as he’s a wanted man and may want to leave Fiorentina for first-team football.

Saido Berahino

Berahino’s time at the Baggies has been unstable to say the very least, and Koeman may want to bring Berahino to Goodison to lead them up the Premier League table.

With Romelu Lukaku making it extremely clear he wants out, they will need another striker to lead the line and this England U-21 ace could fit the bill.

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Thomas Meunier

This Club Brugge man has been a stalwart of the Belgian giants for over five years now and he provides a fantastic attacking option from right-back. At 24, he was one of Brugge’s top performing players last season and has featured over 150 times for his club.

He’d be a fantastic option both defensively and offensively and would come cheaper than some of Europe’s other seasoned defenders.

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Luciano Narsingh

Arguably one of PSV Eindhoven’s star players, Luciano Narsingh has been ever-present in the side for a while. The winger, who is known for his lightening-quick pace, scored nine goals for his side last season and some have asked whether one of Europe’s giants are going to take a risk on him next season.

A move to Everton could be perfect, with Koeman expected to make a barrage of signings to better on last season’s performances.

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As quoted by The Express, manager Jurgen Klopp has warned that summer suitors of Christian Benteke will have to make ‘real offers’ to sign the Liverpool striker.

The Reds snapped up the Belgium international last summer after he’d scored 49 goals across three campaigns with Aston Villa, but it’s not worked out on Merseyside.

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Indeed, Benteke finished last season with just ten goals in 42 appearances across all competitions and out of favour with Anfield gaffer Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds boss has confirmed that the 25-year-old would like to move on, telling reporters; “Christian already said it maybe makes sense for him to go to another club. That’s the situation at this moment.”

And there is certainly plenty of Premier League interest in the 6 foot 3 striker, with Everton and Sunderland the latest clubs to be linked with a summer transfer swoop by the British press.

But several sources, including The Liverpool Echo, claim Liverpool will only let Benteke leave if they receive a £30million bid.

And although he fell short of mentioning an actual figure, Klopp has reiterated Liverpool’s stance by insisting they’ll only listen to ‘real offers’ for the former Villa talisman.

As quoted by The Express, he said; “If there are clubs that want a striker from us they have to make a real offer. Otherwise we will find solutions.

“We are serious persons, and if there is an offer we will think about it. If someone wants a player from us then they will have to pay because we only have good players. If there is a need on the other side, then go for it but not as a present.”

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According to The Daily Mail, Everton are set to offer attacking midfielder Ross Barkley a new ‘long-term’ contract at Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

Per the source, Ronald Koeman is ready to start the ‘second phase’ of his redevelopment of the Merseyside club, the first being the Toffees’ recruitment during the summer window – bringing in the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Enner Valencia and Ashley Williams.

The second phase is to tie the key players he inherited from Roberto Martinez down to new long-term contracts, starting with Ross Barkley. It’s added the club also want to agree terms with Romelu Lukaku, who suggested earlier this week that he turned down a move to Juventus during the summer to stay at Goodison Park.

Why Now?

Having managed to fend off potential suitors during the summer, Everton may feel they’re now in a stronger position to offer Barkley a new deal without having negotiations disrupted by tabloid rumours and even official transfer bids. It’s much easier to convince a player to stay once the temptation of signing for another club is removed from the equation.

Likewise, the attacking midfielder’s contract expires in two years’ time, meaning the Toffees could be caught between a rock and a hard place if they don’t agree extended terms by next summer. With one year remaining, players can hold clubs to ransom and essentially force a move away, whilst valuations tend to drop dramatically. On both fronts, Robin van Persie’s controversial switch to Manchester United in summer 2012 is the most obvious example.

How important is Ross Barkley to Everton?

He may have missed out on a place in Sam Allardyce’s first England squad but Barkley is a phenomenal talent, and featured in all 38 of Everton’s Premier League fixtures last season. The attacking midfielder has consistently improved since making his debut in 2011 and still aged just 22, there’s massive scope for further improvement. Here’s a quick look at his progress in the Premier League, courtesy of Squawka:

How far can Barkley go?

It’s perhaps lesser-known that Ross Barkley could be much further along his development right now, had it not been for his horrific leg break whilst on international duty with England’s U19s back in October 2010 – when he was on the verge of breaking into Everton’s first-team as a teenager.

Nonetheless, glowing endorsements of the 22-cap international aren’t hard to find. Former Three Lions gaffer Roy Hodgson and former Toffees boss Roberto Martinez have both compared him to Paul Gascoigne, with Barkley sharing the England icon’s ability to surge through the middle of the park with direct dribbling and find the net from long range. You can certainly see what they’re getting at:

Currently, however, Barkley has a bit of catching up to do – at least, in terms of goalscoring. His career record stands at 21 goals in 134 league appearances. Gazza scored that many in just 92 league outings for Newcastle, before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 1988.

So, much like ‘Gazza’, should Barkley leave his current club to advance his career? Or should he continue his development at Goodison Park? You decide!

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The first game of the Premier League weekend is done and dusted as Bournemouth and Tottenham played out a 0-0 draw at the Vitality Stadium.

Both teams went into the game in good form with the Cherries coming off the back of a 6-1 win over Hull City whilst Spurs were the only unbeaten side left in the league, and so that record remains.

It could have been different, though. The first half suggested that Spurs were feeling a little leggy after their Champions League excursion in the week as Bournemouth forced a decent early save from Hugo Lloris.

Eventually, the Lilywhites grew into the game but neither side could find the breakthrough. After half-time Spurs had woken up and looked a bit more like their usual selves, but still couldn’t make many clear cut chances with the south coast club remaining a threat on the break.

A draw was probably a fair result, then, and here are FIVE pictures to help sum it up…

 A real fight

Neither side were willing to budge during this game and this picture shows just one of the many challenges that went on throughout the 90 minutes. As far as 0-0s go it was a pretty entertaining one with both sides having chances to take the three points. There were a fair few yellow cards dished out by Craig Pawson, too, in what was a proper Premier League battle.

 Lucky Lamela

Speaking of yellow cards here is a man that could, arguably, count himself lucky to have not received two in this game. Already on a booking Erik Lamela soon committed another foul after, and it would not have surprised many at all had another booking followed. The home fans were in doubt as to what they wanted to see happen to the Argentine but Pawson decided to let him off.

 Bournemouth and Howe impress

The Cherries are on a bit of an upward trajectory at the moment and credit has to go to Eddie Howe for the way he’s helped conduct it. The players are clearly listening to his every word with the way they went about taking Spurs on and they certainly looked like a well-established Premier League side today. Second season syndrome, so far, is not something they need to worry about.

 Frustration for Pochettino

Spurs just didn’t look themselves, particularly in the first half. Whether there was a bit of tiredness from the game in the Champions League earlier this week or not they couldn’t implement their pressing game as much as they would have liked. In the second half they did grow into the game but they never really had Bournemouth on the rack at any point in the match.

 Opportunity missed for both sides

Bournemouth will probably be the happier of the two sides with a point though they may feel they could have won the game. Spurs, meanwhile will feel that their slow start to the first half cost them and may look back on it in months to come and rue not grabbing the three points here. The game was there to be won by both sides in the end but neither side could take it.

The honeymoon period for Paul Pogba at Manchester United is well and truly over, but whilst he struggles to perform on the field, it seems like he’s performing above and beyond in the sack.

A report from The Sun reveals that guests at a lavish hotel have been kept awake by the midfielder’s late night antics with new partner, Dencia, with the highlight from the report stating Pogba’s ‘adult cuddles’ are rather noisy.

“It sounded like a porn movie. A few times we heard moans of ‘Paul, babe’ it was very uncomfortable.”

Pogba is currently living at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester as he settles back into the city after spending years in Turin with Juventus and it seems he hasn’t found it difficult in finding some company to help him through the lonely nights.

With the report stating the noises can be heard between 3-4am, it may be that Pogba is just too tired when it comes to paying off his £89m price-tag in the Premier League – as he performances so far for the Red Devils have left a lot to be desired.

Pictures of Pogba’s new adult friend can be seen below.

A video posted by Queen Of Matamba (@iamdencia) on Sep 25, 2016 at 4:09am PDT

A video posted by Queen Of Matamba

This weekend sees Tottenham host West Ham in one of the most hotly contested London derbies of the season.

There’s no denying it – Spurs and the Hammers do not like one another.

However, Spurs have more reason to smile right now as they sit 5th in the table and remain unbeaten after eleven Premier League games.

They’re struggling a bit more in the Champions League but still harbour realistic hopes of getting through to the next round.

West Ham, on the other hand, are not enjoying the same luxuries.

Rather, the Hammers are embroiled in a horrible relegation scrap at the moment as they sit one point and one place ahead of the bottom three.

Their defence has struggled this season as they conceded four goals to both Watford and West Brom earlier in the campaign.

However, form is thrown out of the window when it’s a derby game and the Hammers will be hoping to cause a shock this weekend.

In view of that, here’s a look at FIVE of the best Hammers goals ever scored against Spurs!

They’ll be desperate to recreate some of this magic on Saturday.

Ravel Morrison 2013

Ravel Morrison has long been spoken about as one of the greatest talents whose potential remains unfulfilled.

As a football fan, it’s frustrating to see someone waste their ability but at least the Hammers were able to enjoy flashes of Morrison’s brilliance.

2-0 up at White Hart Lane and already having a great day, the travelling support were treated to something extra special.

As the 21-year-old year old received the ball on the half way line, he accelerated away from the chasing Spurs players, beating a couple and turning Vertonghen, before dinking it over Lloris/

3-0 at the Lane. What a day.

Carlos Tevez 2007

Tevez only played for the Hammers for one season but he is still seen as a club favourite because of what he achieved there.

In 2006/07, he helped keep the Hammers afloat despite the dodgy dealings surrounding his transfer.

He scored on the last day of the season to defeat the champions, Manchester United, at Old Trafford and West Ham stayed up as a result.

His first goal for the Hammers was a cracking free-kick against Spurs and he celebrated by running to the Irons faithful.

Whilst West Ham went on to lose the game 4-3 excruciatingly, at the time, the goal was something to be loved.

Anton Ferdinand 2005

This is not a game that will have lived long in the memory of most of those present (apart from the West Ham fans of course).

Spurs were 1-0 up in stoppage time and appeared to have all three points pretty much wrapped up.

However, the Hammers won a corner and sent everyone forward including the goalkeeper – Shaka Hislop.

As a wonderfully floated ball was sent in, Anton Ferdinand drifted away from his marker and watched the ball like a hawk.

He simply guided the header towards the net and with the goalie no mans land, West Ham had equalised – sending the Hammers end into raptures.

There’s nothing like scoring in the last minute against your rivals!

Yossi Benayoun 2006

This will no doubt bring back good memories for Hammers fans.

They were able to stop Spurs from reaching the top four courtesy of the Israeli international’s goal.

Spurs travelled to Upton Park on the last day of the season knowing if they beat or matched Arsenal’s result, they’d finish in the top four .

But they were defeated 2-1 by the Hammers in a game most remembered for half the Spurs squad falling ill with food poisoning the night before.

With half the squad ill on the day, there were talks of postponing the game. It went ahead and Spurs fought hard but were unable to stop West Ham from winning with Benayoun netting the decider.

Matty Jarvis 2013

In 2013, West Ham had a great run in the League Cup as they reached the semi-finals before being defeated by Manchester City (in quite humiliating fashion).

But nevertheless, they still had a deeply enjoyable quarter-final.

Once again, the Hammers found themselves 1-0 down with just over 15 minutes to play.

A wonderful pass on the edge of the Spurs box completely bamboozled the defenders and left Matt Jarvis stretching down the left hand side of the area.

He reached the ball with perfect timing and using his left foot guided it into the near post, beating Hugo Lloris. Modibo Maiga won the game for them with a header a couple of minutes later.

Talk of philosophy has dominated English football this season. Some managers remain so stubborn to their footballing ideals that it can cost them, some have so few footballing ideals you really do not know what their teams will represent.One manager appointed the leader of the philosophy world is Pep Guardiola. Guardiola looks to play a certain style of football for the most part, yes, but his career as a tactician has become increasingly about adapting towards the opposition. His Bayern side would change formation on an almost weekly basis and we are seeing a similar pattern at Manchester City. That was abundantly clear against Chelsea, as Guardiola looked to match up to Antonio Conte’s recently successful 3-4-3.[ffc_insert title=”The ten best signings of the season” name=”Money well spent” image=”https://www.footballfancast.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/4848590.jpg?admin” link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/football-fancasts-ten-signings-of-the-season” link_text=”Ten of the best” ]Although Manchester City dominated the chance creation and territory – as we expect them to do against any side – they succumbed to a limp, frustrating 3-1 defeat. Sucker-punched on three separate second-half raids, Guardiola saw his side picked-off, as his own tactical decision making comes into question. Opting for a back three against Chelsea’s red-hot front three was asking for trouble, it gave no numerical advantage. Out of possession it didn’t work, with City continuing to look vulnerable.In possession, however, City’s evident tactic to force the ball down the right flank brought rewards. It was, of course, where the game’s opening goal came from. The pass map below demonstrates this quite perfectly, in fact. De Bruyne played almost as a second right winger, with Guardiola clearly targeting Chelsea’s weaker left side – it saw Marcos Alonso and Gary Cahill exposed on numerous occasions. So there was success for Guardiola, in a way.

Offensively, Manchester City were actually rather good. They created chances against Chelsea like no other side has since their switch to a back three, but they – yet again – paid the price for missing all too often. Kevin de Bruyne’s howler from four yards out remains the worst of the lot, but it was not an exception. It has not been an exception, that has been the rule for City of late. While their defence continues to struggle, they can’t afford to miss so many very good chances.

Sides should not be worried about missing chances, they should be worried if they are not creating them. That, usually, is a pretty good way to look at football. The trouble in this instance is that Manchester City have seen this trend continue for months on end, its hard to see it as a finishing blip. A regression to the mean is inevitable for City, but the risk is that it could all be too late by then.

With the issues so evident for a prolonged period of time, Guardiola must come under question. His decision to play with a back three would have been vindicated if chances were taken, of course. However, it was a decision that would evidently leave the defence so very exposed. Leroy Sane and Jesus Navas struggled to pin back Chelsea’s wing-backs and it left John Stones, Aleksandar Kolarov and Nicolas Otamendi all alone to deal with Chelsea’s potent front three. Although much of the blame must go on the players for missing chances, Guardiola’s adaptation left his side unnecessarily vulnerable to Chelsea.

The reverberations of the result at the Etihad Stadium will continue for weeks to come. Suspensions to Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero could be of far greater detriment to Manchester City’s campaign than one defeat, while Chelsea’s momentum has been boosted yet further ahead of an easier run of fixtures. Guardiola will not change who he is – that’s what makes him the immense success he is – and that could cost City in the short-term. The fear for everyone else is that City are the team best-equipped to expose the weaknesses in Chelsea’s team (of which there are several), but even they could not turn that into points.

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