All posts by h716a5.icu

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest are interested in making an £8m move for West Ham starlet Reece Oxford, as reported by the The Mirror.

What’s the word, then?

The Championship play-off hopefuls have been tracking the 20-year-old’s progress with the Hammers, and Oxford could be allowed to leave the club this month.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Oxford is keen to get first-team football under his belt having been denied such a privilege at the London Stadium by boss Manuel Pellegrini, especially after the summer arrivals of central defenders Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena.

Could they get Oxford?

There is definitely a good chance of Forest securing the promising young Englishman. Oxford has enjoyed two loan spells with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, but is yet to truly make his mark at first-team level for the Hammers.

According to the aforementioned report from The Mirror, Manchester United, Everton and Arsenal have all held an interest in Oxford at some point. However, his first team opportunities there would probably be as limited as they are in east London.

The final decision in Forest making a late move now rests with former Republic of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill, but it would be short-sighted of him to pass up the opportunity to sign a young player who has featured prominently for England across the youth levels.

[ad_pod ]According to the chief football writer for The Guardian/Observer, Daniel Taylor, on his official Twitter account, Nottingham Forest are on the verge of signing Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Leo Bonatini on loan until the end of the season.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Daniel Taylor says that the Championship play-off hopefuls have beaten off competition from a number of other clubs to bring the 24-year-old to The City Ground on a temporary basis for the remainder of the campaign.

Despite playing a key role in Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League last season, the Brazilian has found first-team opportunities hard to come by this term following the arrival of Raul Jimenez at Molineux during the summer transfer window.

As per Transfermarkt, the attacker has only played 128 minutes of Premier League football across seven appearances, with the majority of his game time coming in the Carabao Cup.

Would he be a good signing for Forest?

He certainly could be, yes.

The Reds’ only real striker options right now are Lewis Grabban and Daryl Murphy, and it is no surprise if Martin O’Neill wants some more competition for places in that area if the east Midlands outfit are to secure the top-six finish they undoubtedly want come what May.

The centre-forward netted 12 times in 43 Championship appearances for Nuno Santo’s men during their promotion-winning campaign, as per Transfermarkt, although the last of those actually came in December 2017.

That could be a slight concern, but there is no doubt that he can rebuild his confidence at The City Ground if given regular minutes, and it is yet more proof that owner Evangelos Marinakis isn’t messing about in his bid to take Forest to the Premier League.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool’s 1-1 draw at West Ham on Monday means they have now dropped seven points from their last five and allowed Manchester City to catch right up with them, despite the champions faltering themselves against Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

Their lacklustre showing at the London Stadium this week followed an equally uninspiring performance against Leicester – who, like West Ham, held them to a 1-1 draw – and a nail-biting 4-3 win against Crystal Palace. Being knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves may prove to be a blessing in disguise in the Reds’ bid for the title but it still remains a poor result in a poor run.

What can Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool do, then, to ensure they nip this bad run in the bud and find a quick route back to top form? Read on to find out what we, here at Football Fancast, would do if we were in the charismatic German’s shoes…

Drop Naby Keita

None of the Reds’ midfield three were on form against the Hammers but Naby Keita must take much of the flack for his lack of imagination in the final third. This wasn’t the first time that the 31-cap Guinean international has failed to justify his price tag.

Using WhoScored’s statistics, the midfielder has averaged a match rating of 6.45 in the last four games, while his assist against Crystal Palace was his first in 18 Premier League appearances, in which time he has completed 676 passes – a poor return for a number 8 billed as one of the most well-rounded in Europe.

Keita hasn’t cut the mustard recently and Gini Wijnaldum hardly has to try to get the nod ahead of him.

Deploy Shaqiri as a CM in a 4-3-3

Klopp has experimented with different formations this year as he flirts with a 4-2-3-1 and sometimes a 4-4-2, whereas last season he swore by the 4-3-3 which allowed his team to press effectively.

The 4-2-3-1 accommodates summer signing Shaqiri, who is vying for the title of their best acquisition this season, and enables Mohamed Salah to play centre-stage.

Although he is naturally a winger, Shaqiri’s flair could make him the central midfielder to replace Keita and finally fill the creative void left by Philippe Coutinho’s departure just over a year ago.

The little Swiss has a hammer of a left foot and could surely learn the role. Shifting the 27-year-old inside would mean Klopp can continue with his tried and tested 4-3-3 and Liverpool’s front three would go back to their old ways – Sadio Mane has chalked up just one assist this season while Roberto Firmino is far more effective playing as a striker that can drop deep, rather than starting in that deeper role.

Fabinho in defence

The former Monaco midfielder was at the heart of defence alongside the ever-present Virgil van Dijk in a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brighton in January and impressed, recording 5 clearances and 2 blocks.

Who will be the next ‘Big 6’ manager to be sacked? The Pl>ymaker FC squad all seem to agree on one name. Find out who in the video below…

Height is a commodity in the Reds midfield and by taking the 6 foot 2 Brazilian out in favour of deploying him in defence may see Liverpool lose some physicality in the middle of the park – nothing that the industrious James Milner cannot make up for, though.

Klopp may have been forced into deploying Fabinho as a centre-back due to the absences of Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren, but perhaps this should become more than a one-off. He’s certainly seemed more reliable this season than Joel Matip – who he kept out of the lineup against the Seagulls. Perhaps this is the way forward while the previously impressive Gomez is out of action.

[ad_pod ]

Michael Obafemi is the latest talent to roll off the Southampton production line.

The 18-year-old has already made his breakthrough into the first-team, playing five times in the Premier League this season.

His top-flight bow came in the harshest of circumstances – he was introduced in the second half of a 6-1 battering by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium – but he went on to play one minute against Watford, nine against Fulham and, perhaps most impressively, 64 against Manchester United.

He laid on an assist in that game, as Saints earned a 2-2 draw, and scored against Huddersfield Town next time out.

Those games, however, were just a thrilling introduction to Obafemi’s talents for the Saints fans, as he has been injured since the game against the Terriers, after sustaining a hamstring problem.

He has already been talked of in the highest terms by former striker Rickie Lambert, who spent five years at St Mary’s.

“It’s good to see they’re getting back to bringing in youngsters as that’s what Southampton’s renowned for,” said Lamber, per the Daily Echo.

“I know they’ve got a young lad, Obafemi, who can terrify a few defenders from the little glimpses I’ve seen.”

Terrifying defenders is Obafemi’s stock and trade, but he is more than just an identikit pacey winger. Obafemi has a technical precision to his dribbling and is an excellent crosser of the ball. He can, as he has shown, also hit the back of the net.

Indeed, he has scored 12 goals in 32 games for the Under-18s, also laying on two assists, and has netted eight times for the Under-23s, with four assists.

He has been fast-tracked to the first-team and it is of little surprise, such is his exhilarating potential.

After all, not many 18-year-olds in the Premier League can claim to have made their international bow, but Obafemi has a full Republic of Ireland cap to his name after playing 10 minutes in a UEFA Nations League draw with Denmark.

Obafemi could have played for England and Nigeria too, but chose to play for the country of his birth – he was born in Dublin.

Once he is back to full fitness at Saints, more international caps will surely follow, as will the goals in the Premier League.

Both Southampton and Ireland fans have every right to be excited.

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Sunderland fans have been running the rule over their recent form, and they’re really not happy with young centre back Jimmy Dunne.

Sunderland got back to winning ways in a rather frantic affair on Tuesday night, gaining three points on the automatic promotion candidates with a 4-2 win over Gillingham.

Lee Cattermole opened the scoring after just four minutes when he slammed home from close range, but Tom Eaves equalised almost immediately.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Tom Flanagan then nodded the Black Cats back in front, only for the Gills to respond again through Brandon Hanlan.

While two second-half penalties gave Jack Ross’ side all three points, fans are more than a little concerned by the defensive performance, particularly by Dunne.

The 21 year-old loked shaky in possession and just simply had no idea how to deal with Eaves.

Since joining on loan from Burnley in January, the youngster has started six League One games and kept just one clean sheet.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

If the loss to Paris-Saint Germain proved anything, it’s that Manchester United need more firepower to break down top teams.

Without Anthony Martial’s skills and Jesse Lingard’s energy, they seemed toothless in attack. The Red Devils were especially poor down the right-hand side, indicating a need for a better right-winger.

United are looking towards boosting their attack in the summer and are aiming to sign wonderkid Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, according to The Sun. They’ve apparently been quoted a £70million fee to land the winger, with 15 per cent of that going to rivals Manchester City.

However, that shouldn’t bother United one bit. Not only are they getting a potential world-class winger, Sancho would also fulfil the home-grown quota. He’s taken the Bundesliga by storm this season, having scored 7 goals and assisting 9 in 21 appearances this season(stats via WhoScored).

The youngster’s predominantly played through the right-wing, scoring the chunk of his goals through the side. Not only does the England youngster have a brilliant eye for goal, but he’s also a very intelligent player capable of finding his team-mates in a promising position. Sancho’s involvement can mean United not having to rely on the overlapping right-back anymore.

He’s also a superb crosser of the ball and can benefit to United’s system, while his stunning dribbling ability allows him to cut into the box with ease.

All in all, the English superstar possesses many skills in his arsenal and can elevate the Red Devils’ attack into one of the best in Europe.

[ad_pod ]

Everton will travel to Cardiff City on Tuesday night looking for their first Premier League win since beating Huddersfield Town at the end last month.

And the Toffees need a big performance from Andre Gomes if they are to collect a hugely important three points from their trip to Wales.

The Chalkboard

Everton won the race to sign Gomes on loan from Barcelona last summer.

The midfielder missed the start of the season through injury, but has been an ever-present since the latter stages of October.

The 29-time Portugal international was very impressive when he first stepped into the team, but his performances have dropped over the last few weeks.

And Everton need much more from the 25-year-old over the next few months if they are to enjoy a successful end to the campaign.

Starting with the trip to Cardiff, the Toffees need Gomes to be brave and really take control of the battle in the middle of the park.

How has Gomes performed this season?

Nineteen Premier League appearances have brought one goal and one assist.

Those numbers are not exactly terrific, but his use of the ball was excellent between his debut against Crystal Palace and the early stages of December.

Gomes was on the scoresheet in the 3-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month, but struggled against Watford last time out.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Indeed, according to WhoScored, Gomes only made one tackle and did not win a single header before being replaced by Theo Walcott in the second period.

The fact that Cardiff were thumped by Watford on Friday night makes it an even tougher task for an Everton team seriously out of form.

Gomes is a wonderful talent, but the Toffees need so much more from the Portuguese, starting with Tuesday’s clash in Wales.

Everton will be hoping for a strong end to the season after picking up an impressive win in midweek.

Their campaign on the whole has come under some scrutiny thanks to some below par performances and some big money spent in the last few windows, but Marco Silva does have the ability to get the best from his squad and finish with a flurry.

The Toffees, who have plenty of talent already, will no doubt be keen on moving once more during the summer to ensure they bring in even more players of quality, and one man we here in the Tavern feel would be a superb signing is Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik.

The 15-goal striker has once again been showing his worth this term with some impressive displays in Italy, and with the failures of the likes of Cenk Tosun at Goodison Park, Milik could well prove to be the answer.

The Polish striker has all the tools needed to be a success in the Premier League and he’d be ideal at Everton as a focal point ahead of their talented attacking midfield players.

It’s the missing piece to the Everton jigsaw really, finding a man who can hit the back of the net regularly, but Milik is equipped to be that player.

If Everton can get in their early and stump up the cash to capture Milik, then there is no reason why the Premier League can’t be graced with what will be yet another superb striking talent.

Toffees fans, what do you think? Would Milik be a good signing? Let us know in the comments!

[ad_pod ]

West Bromwich Albion surprised many on Saturday with their decision to sack manager Darren Moore.

The Baggies let the boss go following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town – a result which dented the club’s automatic promotion hopes.

Moore leaves the Hawthorns with the club in fourth place in the Championship, nine points off of the automatic promotion places. 

Attention will now turn to who could replace the 44-year-old in the West Brom hot seat. Former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner and ex-Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic have both already been linked with the vacancy, with the latter seemingly the far more likely to take up the position.

However, before the Baggies rush to make an appointment, there are other candidates to be considered.

Danny Cowley – Lincoln City

Danny Cowley, and his brother and assistant manager Nicky, have taken the lower rungs of the English game by storm since taking over at Lincoln City. The pair arrived at Sincil Bank in 2016, having previously impressed with Concord Rangers and Braintree Town.

With the Imps they’ve been busy making history. In his first campaign, Cowley guided Lincoln to the quarter finals of the FA Cup – making Lincoln the first non-league outfit to reach that stage in the competition in more than a century. At the end of that season, he secured a landmark return to the football league by winning the Vanarama National League title. 

The club made the play-offs in Cowley’s first season in the Football League. He also took Lincoln to Wembley Stadium for the first time in their history in April 2018, where they won the Checkatrade Trophy against Shrewsbury Town.

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

Lincoln are currently flying high at the top of the table – automatic promotion from League Two looks to be on the cards at just the second time of asking.

His side may play functional football, but Cowley looks to be a manager who has everything it takes to make it to the top.

Ryan Lowe – Bury

40-year-old former striker Ryan Lowe took charge of Bury in 2017 when his playing days with the club came to an end. He has since overseen a footballing revolution at Gigg Lane.

Following relegation from League One last season, Lowe has committed to cultivating a side who play attractive, attacking, passing football. In the confines of League Two he has achieved that. This approach has brought success on the pitch as well, as the Shakers are currently in the thick of the automatic promotion race, narrowly behind the leaders Lincoln.

Lowe’s style would see him arrive at the Hawthorns already well-suited to implementing the style of play preferred by the Baggies. Whilst he’s untested at such a high level, there’s plenty to suggest that Lowe would have what it takes to coax the best out of West Brom’s talented squad.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst – Feyenoord

Of the three prospective candidates on this list, Feyenoord boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst would surely be the hardest to tempt to take up the position. However, it would be quite the coup if West Brom could attract the former Netherlands international to the Midlands.

The 44-year-old is a respected figure in world football. In his playing days he hoarded silverware, winning Scottish Premier League titles with Rangers, enjoying Premier League and FA Cup triumphs with Arsenal, and garnering La Liga and Champions League crowns with Barcelona.

He’s continued that success into management. Since taking charge of his hometown club Feyenoord in 2015, he has brought the glory days back.

At the end of his first full season in charge he won the KNVB Cup. His second season ended with the Rotterdam outfit being crowned Eredivisie champions for the first time in 18 years. 

In January, he announced that he’d be leaving Feyenoord at the end of the current season.

The Baggies may have to wait until the summer to land their man, but securing the services of van Bronckhorst would certainly be a real statement of intent. Though, there’ll likely be plenty of competition for the Dutchman’s services.

[ad_pod ]

Middlesbrough are facing the very real threat of dropping out of the playoff positions in the Championship table.

Indeed, Boro have not actually won a league game since beating Queens Park Rangers 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium on February 23.

They drew with Wigan Athletic at the start of this month, but have lost their last three to Brentford, Preston North End and Aston Villa.

Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Villa was particularly hard for the Boro fans to take and many have been on social media calling for head coach Tony Pulis to be sacked.

As it stands, the team are still in the playoff positions – fifth – but they are only one point clear of seventh-placed Preston North End.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

At the moment, it seems unlikely that Pulis will be sacked, but there is certainly a chance that the club could panic if results continue as they are.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Boro supporters can be seen below: