West Ham United fans got their first glimpse of new signing Joao Mario this afternoon.
The Portuguese midfielder joined the Hammers earlier this week on a loan deal from Inter Milan until the end of the season.
Some supporters may have felt that the 25-year-old would be eased into today’s FA Cup fourth-round match against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.
However, it was not a debut to remember for Mario as the team suffered a surprise 2-0 loss to the League One leaders.
Not only did David Moyes’s side lose the game, they are facing a spell without Pedro Obiang after he was stretchered off with an injury, while Arthur Masuaku is facing a ban after getting sent off for spitting at an opponent.
Mario was introduced at the start of the second half, replacing Pablo Zabaleta, but the midfielder was unable to help the team get back into the game.
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The overwhelming reaction to Mario’s debut from West Ham fans was one of sympathy for the new player.
Sunderland have defied the odds so far this season by reaching the Semi-Finals of the Capital One Cup.
And Gus Poyet’s side will be looking to cause another upset in their Semi-Final two-legged tie against Manchester United in the New Year as they look to gather momentum in the league and improve on their current form.
Having won just five games all season out of a possible 21, Gus Poyet’s side are facing a relegation battle but their performance in the Capital One Cup, has seen them knock out both high-flying Chelsea and Southampton.
Showing resilience in the Capital One Cup has driven the Black Cats to the Semi-Finals and they now face the stern task of knocking out David Moyes’ United as they look to win their first piece of silverware of the season.
A triumph in the Capital One Cup would ease the pressure on the Uruguayan and Sunderland and could potentially give them the morale boost they desperately need to turn around their league campaign.
Fans at the Stadium of Light haven’t had much to cheer about recently; however, Poyet will be fancying his chances against the Red Devils when they travel to the North-East cauldron, having seen his side beat the likes of Southampton, Chelsea and Man City at their home ground which speaks volumes of their determination and the 12th man their fans can be.
Jozy Altidore has been a big contributor to Sunderland’s strong, battling performances this season, with the American forward being the prime target man for Sunderland. Linking both Fabio Borini and Jozy Altidore could be a lethal force up front, with the on-loan Liverpool striker showing his potential as he scored a late equaliser against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the previous round of the competition.
If Gus Poyet’s team can grind out a narrow win in the first leg of the tie at the Stadium of Light, then their determination and spirit in the away fixture could see them battle to get a draw and send United crashing out.
Reaching the Final would be a huge lift around the Stadium of Light and could well give the squad, and Poyet, the boost they need to climb up and out of the relegation zone.
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He is arguably Britain’s greatest manager of all time but, should rumours be taken as gospel, Sir Alex Ferguson owes a lot to Mark Robins. The new Coventry manager is said to have saved Ferguson’s job as manager of Manchester United with a goal against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. Next week Robins will take charge of his second match in charge of Coventry stood a few feet away from another Scot in desperate need of his own saviour.
Paul Dickov treads on dangerously thin ice. Despite assembling what he describes as “my best squad since I arrived at this club”, the Oldham manager continues to search for that elusive winning formula. Just one win in nine competitive fixtures this year has further disillusioned Oldham supporters and, following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Brentford, they are convinced Dickov limps towards the exit door.
After a performance against Notts County a couple of weeks ago that illuminated some optimism, it appears Oldham flattered to deceive. That 2-2 draw was followed up with a 1-1 home draw against Scunthorpe. However, if the Iron had hit the target and had Athletic keeper Dean Bouzanis not made two excellent saves they would have taken a huge lead into half time. Thankfully for Athletic a slice of luck allowed Matt Derbyshire to score his second goal in Oldham colours, before a better second half which saw several clear-cut chances crafted to leave Oldham unfortunate not to secure their first home win of the season.
But Dickov would be a fool to believe he will retain backing if results at Boundary Park fail to drastically improve. The whispers in the stands are becoming more audible. The pressure is now firmly on Dickov. The statistics make for depressing reading. What is unnerving is that Dickov ranks as the fourth worst manager in the history of Oldham Athletic.
It is surprising, then, that he is still in charge of the first team. More short term is the basic truth that he has not won enough games (two victories from 18 games). Home form during Dickov’s tenure has been insipid (16 victories in 50). Fans’ frustration is certainly not unfounded. He has failed to move the club forward.
Perhaps Dickov can hide behind the new season factor. Ok, but one win from nine games this season is hardly inspiring and is not going to dispel doubts about his ability. Goals are scarce, but then he can now shield himself with the excuse that the team is still “gelling” following the arrival of Matt Derbyshire, Jose Baxter (a player that excites supporters) and Reece Wabara. How many excuses, Paul? The team is at perfect health, experienced players now inhabit positions that were last term filled by young heads, and still the performances results are lacking.
Is he the man to lead this club up the league? On the damning evidence that has been published on the internet forums the unfortunate answer is ‘no’. Now is the time when Dickov must prove to the fans that he can inspire and motivate, that he can coach the attacking football he once promised and affect games from the touchline. Afterall, the current group of players is talented and some harbor realistic ambitions of playing at a higher level.
On the surface this squad does not reflect what the budget is said to be. But at League One is it accurate to say that success is very much a limited commodity when the resources are fairly minimal? Probably not, especially when one looks at the start Tranmere Rovers have made under the crafty stewardship of Ronnie Moore.
Many Football League experts predicted Stevenage would struggle after selling players in the summer. They, like Tranmere, remain unbeaten this season. Dean Smith’s Walsall, hardly a big-spending force in England’s third tier, lurk outside the top six.. Greg Abbot’s Carlisle United will continue to be competitive and linger in the upper reaches of the league.
Ronnie Moore had a season as Oldham manager some years ago and how those who disliked his style of football would take him back at Boundary Park. True, Moore is very much from the direct approach school, but he is a man who knows how to manage a squad of players and essentially win football matches.
They have begun the season in a blistering fashion, not only picking up victories but subduing their opposition with their ruthless attacking play. Since Moore’s return to Prenton Park towards the latter stages of last season, his record could not be in further contrast to Dickov’s. Moore’s 21 league games contains fewer losses than what Dickov has won (three and four respectively). Brutal statistics lie behind that ominous writing on the wall.
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Mark Robins will look for one win that will bring life to Coventry’s faltering season. Paul Dickov will look for one goal, one special goal that will spark a recovery in his – and the club’s – fortunes.
Newcastle fans can’t get enough of Martin Dubravka, after the goalkeeper made his loan stay on Tyneside permanent on Wednesday night.
When Newcastle ended the January transfer window with nothing but three loan signings, fans were fearful that Mike Ashley’s frugalness in the market could once again cost them dearly.
Islam Slimani joined from Leicester, Kenedy moved up north from Chelsea, and the relatively unknown Martin Dubravka joined on a short-term deal from Sparta Prague.
The Slovakian keeper, who started ten Premier League games for the Magpies, has now joined the club permanently, signing a four-year deal for a fee of around £4m.
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Dubravka’s debut was probably the most memorable moment of the season for the Toon Army, as the 29 year-old made multiple fantastic saves in a 1-0 win over Manchester United.
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The win against the Red Devils kicked off the fantastic run of form that moved to the Magpies up into tenth, as they grabbed 16 points from seven games, conceding just six goals along the way.
Fans have been praising their Slovakian stopper on Twitter, and you can find some of the best reactions down below…
As reported by The Mirror, Liverpool are ready to enter the race to sign Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez during this month’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Sanchez has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Manchester City in recent weeks, with his contract at the Gunners due to expire at the end of the season.
The Chilean seems destined to finally leave the Emirates and the queue to sign him appears to be building.
The Mirror report that Liverpool would have no qualms with meeting Arsenal’s £35m valuation of the attacker after the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
The paper say the biggest barrier would be matching the £300,000-a-week wages Man United are willing to pay the Arsenal man, although the Reds are prepared to spend big to ensure they challenge for silverware.
Is this move likely?
While the report from The Mirror has only emerged this weekend, it’s looking increasingly likely that Sanchez will end up at Manchester United in the coming week, with reports mounting that they are close to making a vital breakthrough.
However, if Liverpool can possibly gatecrash negotiations between United and Arsenal then securing the former Barcelona man would obviously be a huge signing.
Jurgen Klopp already has a host of attacking talents at his disposal but Sanchez could provide a contribution that takes them to the next level and allow them to challenge for the title next season.
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With midfielder Naby Keita joining in the summer and Virgil van Dijk signing this January, it’s clear that Liverpool are showing ambition to get to that level and signing the Arsenal man would be a huge step forward.
Manuel Pellegrini is proud of his Manchester City side after they thrashed West Ham United 9-0 on aggregate in their Capital One Cup Semi-Final.
City won the first leg 6-0 at the Etihad two weeks ago to all but book their place in March’s final at Wembley, and then completed the rout with a 3-0 victory at Upton Park last night.
And the Chilean boss believes his players did well to finish the job in such style and is now turning his attentions to the other three competitions City have a chance of winning this season.
“I’m very proud of my team. We arrived in the Final winning five games with 19 goals scored, with just one goal conceded,” Pellegrini said.
“It is not easy when you’ve won the first Semi-Final 6-0. It was important for them to play not with the other score in mind, to play the game we did today.
“Now we’ve finished the Capital One Cup until March. It’s very important to continue in the FA Cup, so we must win against Watford on Saturday.”
But Pellegrini has played down claims that City have a real chance of winning the quadruple this season, and insists nothing is guaranteed for them.
“We have a lot of work to do,” he added.
“In the FA Cup we are just in the fourth round. In the Champions League we have a tough game against Barcelona. The Premier League is very close and it will still be close until the end between four or five teams.
“At the moment we are happy the way we are doing things. We must continue in the future the same way.”
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23 years after 96 football fans lost their life, the city of Liverpool hopes the truth will finally come out this week reports The Guardian.
A panel of experts, chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, have spent the last 20 months examining 450,000 internal documents relating to that tragic day on April 15 1989.
On Wednesday, the panel will aim to deliver a definitive narrative of the events that took place at the Sheffield stadium during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives.
Sources say it will be ‘in favour’ of the families and finally illustrate in detail the ‘cover up’ orchestrated by South Yorkshire police as they attempted to blame the fans for their own failings.
The city is praying this week will finally expose the lies that saw Liverpool fans blamed for the incident, and portrayed as drunk, unruly and ticketless by the police and then newspaper The Sun who ran an article claiming Liverpool fan’s stole from and urinated on the dead under the headline ‘The Truth’.
For the first time, details of what happened after 3.15pm on the day of the tragedy will be revealed. It is understood these details will expose the chaotic response from the emergency services, and a clearer picture of how many more lives could of been saved will emerge.
Margaret Aspinall, who lost her son James in the tragedy says the campaign by those culpable to hide the truth has deepened the grief and made it impossible for those affected to move on.
She said: “It’s not just the survivors, we have to clear their names [the dead] … I get angry when I think they have allowed the families to suffer for 23 years, to allow the survivors to go through torture knowing it was a cover-up.”
There has still been no apology from the government or the police, despite Lord Justice Taylor’s official enquiry in 1989, which revealed police failings caused the tragedy.
“Liverpool has always been a militant town, but the attitude to Hillsborough destroyed any trust in the government. It can never be repaired,” says Kenny Derbyshire, a survivor of the tragedy.
Derbyshire explained how the sense of injustice has left so many unable to draw any sort of closure. The Hillsborough Justice Campaign knows of at least six survivors who have taken their own lives, unable to come to terms with the incident and the official response it drew. Only two weeks ago one survivor threw himself under a train.
“There a lot of walking wounded out there, broken marriages, people turning to drink,” says Derbyshire, 46. “Thousands remain traumatised. To many it feels like it happened yesterday.”
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If – as expected – the verdict reveals errors made by the police and other public bodies there will be an overwhelming demand for a fresh inquest, with the coroners verdict of accidental death being void.
The government could lodge an application to the high court for a fresh round of inquests, with attorney general Dominic Grieve promising to consider this weeks evidence and make a decision “as quickly as I can.”
Michael Mansfield, QC, will be offering free legal advice to the families this Wednesday following the release of the documents. The lawyer who specialises in miscarraiges of justice has said: “It was a false story, it’s time to put it to bed.”
Tottenham have joined West Ham and Everton in the race for West Bromwich Albion defender, according to ESPN.
However, with Toby Alderweireld heavily linked with a move away from North London, Mauricio Pochettino must target a higher standard of player if he is serious about winning either the Premier League or Champions League.
What’s the story, then?
The report claims that Hegazi, who has 43 caps for Egypt and will feature for them in this summer’s World Cup, has emerged on Spurs’ list of players to replace Alderweireld in the likely event that he does depart Tottenham in the transfer window.
It goes on to say that Spurs are not the only team looking at the defender and also that rumours of a £2.5m release clause for him are wide of the mark.
Spurs need to aim higher
As Hegazi no longer looks like a cut-price option – and Mauricio Pochettino has had success with cheaper purchases in the past – it is difficult to see the appeal.
He enjoyed a reasonably impressive debut season in England with West Brom, but there wasn’t a lot about his performances to suggest that he is a Champions League defender and if Tottenham are serious about making a charge for major honours next season, they need to set their sights a little higher.
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Selling Alderweireld would reportedly bring in a fair wedge of cash and despite Pochettino’s penchant for frugality, that should be invested in signing someone of better pedigree than Hegazi.
As reported by The Telegraph, Manchester United are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund talent Christian Pulisic this summer.
What’s the story?
While most of the transfer headlines this January are being generated by deals set to be concluded this month, the biggest clubs in the world always plan ahead and Manchester United are no different.
The Telegraph say that the Red Devils are ready to compete with Liverpool for USA international Christian Pulisic this summer.
The paper reckon that the teenager’s talent and commercial value make him an attractive proposition to United and they don’t want him in the hands of their arch Premier League rivals.
Is he the right kind of player Jose Mourinho should be moving for at the end of the season?
Potential superstar
Rated at £40.5m by Transfermarkt and with his contract at the Bundesliga side not running out until 2020, any move for Pulisic would not be cheap, but the rewards could be great given his age, nationality and potential.
With growing interest in football in the USA, he could become one of the first true superstars to emerge from the country, making him a hugely attractive proposition for commercial savvy clubs.
On the pitch he’s showing plenty of progress too, becoming a regular for Borussia Dortmund over the last couple of the seasons, scoring 11 and assisting 14 in 78 appearances.
While not the most impressive return in comparison to the elite around Europe, he still just 19, learning the game and can find consistency in time.
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Investing in his future early is a valid strategy and it’ll be interesting to see whether Manchester United follow up their reported interest this summer.
PSV Eindhoven striker Ola Toivonen has put Newcastle, Fulham and Norwich on red alert by claiming that he is unsure of his future.
The Swedish international has been heavily linked with the Premier League trio for some time, but opted to stay in the Eredivisie this term.
However, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season rumours of a cut-price January switch to England have begun to circulate.
PSV are thought to be keen to recoup a respectable fee rather than let the 27-year-old leave for free in just over six months’ time.
When asked about a potential move away from Holland this winter, Toivonen said:
“I haven’t heard anything, it is my agent who takes care of that,” he is quoted by the Daily Star.
“Nothing new has happened.”
Toivonen has only found the back of the net on one occasion this season, but is still thought of as one of Dutch football’s top talents.
Although a centre-forward, the Scandinavian is equally adept in a more reserved attacking midfield role.
It is believed that PSV are willing to sell for just £2.5m, which has alerted Newcastle, Norwich and Fulham.
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