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Sunderland will enter the play-off gauntlet after losing at Fleetwood Town last week, but is Jack Ross’ future resting on their success in the coming weeks?

The Black Cats looked nailed on to earn automatic promotion not too long ago. Between September and November, they went 16 games unbeaten in all competitions and won eight games in a row during that run.

The £4m signing of Will Grigg in January was a necessary expense after losing Josh Maja, and fans expected the Northern Irishman to fire them back into the second tier.

That simply hasn’t happened though, and a play-off battle with Checkatrade Trophy champions Portsmouth now looms.

Ross has made countless mistakes during his maiden campaign on Wearside, leading to a frankly ridiculous 19 league draws, so should he be sacked if he cannot achieve promotion? Here’s what the writers at Football FanCast had to say…

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Billy Meyers

“I think he should definitely be sacked if Sunderland don’t win the play-offs. Ross was backed with £4m to spend on Grigg, which is a huge transfer at League One level, and he has simply failed given the resources he has at his disposal. His side’s inability to kill games off will be his downfall, whilst his game management has been severely lacking.”

Luke Glanville

“There’s no doubt that not getting Sunderland back into the Sky Bet Championship would be a major failure by Ross. No team should draw 19 games over a league season with those resources. However, sacking Ross would be yet poor judgement from the hierarchy of the Black Cats. The toxic habit of sacking managers at the Stadium of Light has to come to an end if they are to have any hope of returning to where they once were. What the club needs is consistency and by sticking with Ross regardless of how this season ends, they would at least be making a first step towards that.”

James Beavis

“Yes, he should go. Ross may have done well to get Sunderland’s confidence back after a torrid few seasons, but this team should have been finishing top of League One. They have come up short in that respect and if they fail to win the play-offs, then minds will be made up both in the stands and in the boardroom and Stewart Donald’s decision will be easy – he’ll have to wield the axe.”

The summer window is fast approaching, and for West Ham, they know there’s no room for average signings.

From improving the defence to sorting out the attacking situation, Manuel Pellegrini has a lot to do over the summer to improve a squad West Ham fans will be expecting to challenge for a top-half finish, but their latest rumoured target is someone who won’t exactly take the Hammers to that goal.

According to the Telegraph, West Ham, as well as Watford, are interested in Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen, a player David Sullivan admitted to the Daily Mail unsuccessfully bid £25 million for in the 2018 January transfer window.

In the Championship this season, Allen has had an impressive season, with the 29-year-old bagging six goals and assisting another three in the English second-tier as Stoke look set to finish the season in the bottom half of the table.

There’s no question that the Welsh international is a player who deserves to be playing in the Premier League. The central midfielder was one of the better players for Stoke in the season they went down and has carried that form well into the Championship, but for West Ham, Allen is someone they should be steering way away of.

At 29, Allen is heading into the winding down years of his career, and with Mark Noble still performing well and the emergence of Declan Rice cementing his place as a West Ham starter for years to come, the Welsh international would be too expensive an option to bring in as an option on the bench.

As well as being a pointless area to the pitch West Ham really doesn’t need tweaking with, funds into signing Allen could be used on players that can actually improve the team in the starting XI, such as a new fullback or striker.

Allen might seem like a sensible transfer on paper, but the reality is that Pellegrini is a lot better investing in other areas of the pitch rather than bloating out one of his more stronger positions.

West Ham fans, would Allen be a bad signing? Let us know!

أكد شريف العريان أمين عام اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية أنه لم يعد هناك دور لـ مرتضى منصور في نادي الزمالك بعد قرار إيقافه.

وكانت اللجنة الأولمبية قد أصدرت قرارا بإيقاف مرتضى منصور لمدة 4 سنوات عن ممارسة أي نشاط رياضي وعزله من منصب رئيس نادي الزمالك على خلفية الشكاوى المقدمة ضده.

وقال العريان خلال مداخلة ببرنامج “ملعب الصقر” عبر أثير “راديو مصر”: “لم يعد هناك وجود لرئيس الزمالك وإيقافه جاء بناءا على تحقيقات، وأبلغنا الاتحادات الرياضية ووزارة الشباب والرياضة بقرار إيقافه”.

ورد العريان على تساؤلات جماهير نادي الزمالك عن توقيت إصدار القرارات، قائلا: “هل كنا نعلم بقرار الاتحاد الإفريقي بتأجيل مباراة الرجاء أكثر من مرة بل وتأجيل المباراة النهائية؟! لو أحد تقدم برفع دعوى قضائية هل سيؤجل القاضي الحكم بناءا على أمور أخرى؟!، الأمور اتخذت طريقها القانوني وصدر الحكم من جانب لجنة التسوية”.

وأضاف: “من حق الزمالك أن يستأنف على قرار بطلان اللائحة، أما بالنسبة لنا فلا وجود لرئيس الزمالك ولا يحق له ممارسة أي دور رياضي ولا يحق له الاستئناف على القرار الصادر ضده، ولن يتم اعتماد أي ورقة عليها توقيعه والفريق ليس طرفا في الأزمة مطلقا”.

واختتم: “ستقام انتخابات نادي الزمالك بعد دورة الألعاب الأولمبية 2021 وسواء أقيمت الدورة أم لا ستقام الانتخابات بموعدها”.

It’s safe to say that not all of West Brom’s ambitious January signings worked out well.

Indeed, Jacob Murphy and Jefferson Montero have had mixed results, but Stefan Johansen’s loan move isn’t going according to plan.

The centre-midfielder was surely signed to bring sparks to the Baggies’ pretty drab midfield but he’s been unable to do much on the creative front. Despite having assisted two goals and scored one in nine appearances, he’s mostly been quite lacklustre and looks a shell of the player who helped take Fulham to the Premier League. Johansen’s been unable to be the influential figure West Brom were hoping for, as someone more effective is needed to spark up their game next season.

The Baggies must be looking at options and Isaac Hayden’s comments to the Newcastle United official website suggesting he’d be keen on a move down south, they must act after previously being reported to hold an interest by John Percy of the Telegraph in January.

Despite his unhappiness off the field, the former Arsenal midfielder’s been a breakout star for the Magpies, putting in some bright performances against superior opposition. Clearly a technically gifted midfielder and one mobile enough to get all around the pitch, he’d be a breath of fresh air at the Hawthorns.

Not only has Hayden, who is valued at £6.3 million (by Transfermarkt), assisted three goals and scored one, but he’s also been pivotal in finding space for his attackers to diligently creating chances. He’s created four big goal-scoring chances while maintaining a 50% crossing accuracy and giving 16 accurate long-balls. Despite having to operate more defensively, Hayden’s recorded a 57% tackling success and made 32 interceptions (stats via Premier League) to win possession, urging his side forward.

Alongside Jake Livermore, the 24-year-old can revitalise a midfield that often looks so painfully stodgy.

He can be the complete package for West Brom’s midfield. In need of an energetic, box-to-box midfielder who can drive them forward and also win possession, the Baggies need to make a statement by outbidding Hayden’s suitors and securing his signature next season.

West Brom fans, do you think Hayden’s the right man to lead the Baggies midfield next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Dwight Gayle has hinted his future could be away from Newcastle United by revealing he’s enjoying life in the Midlands with West Brom, according to The Express and Star.

The 29-year-old striker is on a season-long-loan from the Magpies, in a deal which saw Salomon Rondon go the other way – both men have excelled for their respective clubs.

What did he say?

Asked if he saw his future at the Hawthorns, Gayle replied: “Yes of course. I’ve really enjoyed the season and the fans have taken to me and showed great support. I’m going to see what happens in the summer, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here.”

These quotes could give Newcastle a big boost in their pursuit of Rondon. With Gayle hinting he sees his future at the Hawthorns, maybe a swap deal can be done rather than the Toon paying the reported £16.5million release clause for Rondon, which would rise to £20million if the Baggies are promoted.

Championship is Gayle’s level

Gayle has played 99 Premier League games scoring 21 goals over a period of four seasons with both Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

His Championship record meanwhile is 95 appearances and 54 goals while he also has assisted 15 – this comes from three seasons in the Championship with Newcastle, Peterborough and West Brom.

The stats clearly show that Gayle is more suited to the Championship than the Premier League in every way, he simply scores twice as many.

Gayle played a key part in the Newcastle side that was promoted as champions from the Championship, scoring 23 goals in 32 appearances. However, once they were promoted Gayle only missed three games all season and managed to only score six goals. He also had less shots per game, going down from 2.8 to 1.6.

This could be down to the fact defending is better in the Premier League, but it also seems likely that Gayle has less confidence than he does in the Championship.

The ex-Peterborough man will be remembered fondly by Newcastle fans for helping secure promotion but he is better in the Championship and the Toon have upgraded with Rondon, who has scored nine goals and registered five assists in the Premier League.

Gayle’s quotes are likely to help Newcastle in their pursuit of the Venezuelan, or at the very least push himself a little closer to the exit door. Clearly not at the required standard, his comments have done the Magpies a welcome favour.

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As Leeds United’s struggles in front of goal continue, manager Marcelo Bielsa was asked why in-form 17-year-old Ryan Edmondson hasn’t been given an opportunity on Monday, and Whites fans have been quick to react to his response on Twitter.

The teenager netted his 17th of the campaign in all competitions for the Yorkshire outfit’s U23 side on Monday, and while the Argentine boss has noticed his improvement he says he hasn’t picked him since his last first-team outing in September because of the wealth of options he has available to him in attack.

That is certainly a little surprising given how they appeared to struggle when Kemar Roofe was absent through injury, although to be fair to Bielsa he did still have Patrick Bamford, Tyler Roberts and Pablo Hernandez – who has proven he can play there – available to him.

Bielsa told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “He’s a very young player.

“In this moment in his position players like (Kemar) Roofe, (Patrick) Bamford, Tyler Roberts have played.

“There’s a very important difference, I’m talking about experience, between these three players and Ryan but he has made a very good improvement from the beginning of the season.”

Leeds fans have been quick to debate their boss’ comments and have their say on the in-form youngster, with one dismissive of the fact that Bielsa could pick a striker who is scoring goals.

Others suggested that a loan move could be best for Edmondson, which makes sense when you see how well someone like Mallik Wilks has done for Doncaster Rovers this term.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Everton 0-0 Liverpool. Everton 2-0 Chelsea. Everton 1-0 Arsenal. Everton 4-0 Manchester United.

These are just some of the results that Marco Silva has overseen with the Toffees in recent weeks, where it is finally starting to look as if the Portuguese boss has got his team playing the way he envisaged back in the summer.

The Merseysiders are solid at the back, have arguably one of the best midfielders in the league in Idrissa Gueye setting the tempo, and an attack filled with flair and creativity – it is all starting to click for the Blues, and it is very easy on the eye for those of us watching on.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

However, the change from where Everton were at during this stage of the season last year is almost seismic. Back then, the Toffees had Sam Allardyce in charge, where the football played under the former England boss was the polar opposite to what it is now.

However, whilst the performances back then were tough to watch, Rio Ferdinand’s comments on the Everton fans’ expectations have aged terribly.

What did he say?

The former Manchester United defender said: “I don’t know what these fans here are expecting. What do you want?

“You had Ronald Koeman who came up the Ajax way, played great football with his teams. You had (Roberto) Martinez who played good football but disgruntled fans, not happy, they wanted them out.

“So where do you sit? What do you want? This guy’s getting you results, you’re in the top half of the league.

“What more do you want? I’m baffled, they baffle me if I’m honest.”

They wanted to win in the right way

You can see where Ferdinand is coming from if you add a bit of context to his comments from 13 months ago. Everton were seriously struggling last season, and even spent time in the relegation zone, a position that was way off where the fans wanted to be.

Allardyce was getting results as he is an excellent firefighter for teams associated with relegation battles. But Everton are a top seven side, and one who wants to be in and around the Europa League spots consistently.

That, and the fact that the wins were coming as a result of scrappy defending, fortuitous goals from set-pieces and on the counter-attack after being dominated in possession made Allardyce’s tenure tough for the Goodison Park faithful.

The win over United, in which the Toffees completely run riot over the Red Devils, scoring four goals and limiting their opponents to just one shot on target, is what the fans wanted to see.

What more do they want? That kind of performance is what they wanted, Rio. A philosophy. An easy on the eye style. And success to boot.

Thanks to a late flurry of form, Southampton can now be confident of remaining a top-flight side next season.

Indeed, all the thanks should really be going to Ralph Hasenhuttl because without his arrival, who knows what kind of mess Southampton would find themselves in right now?

The truth is, it’s been another poor season and so for Saints, the upcoming summer window holds the utmost importance if they want to get back to being at least, a top-ten side.

Hasenhuttl will be praying that he is given the funds to make significant changes during this period, with his team in major need of big changes. Obviously, the board seriously needs to be pro-active to get the fans back on side, as well as keep their manager happy. So, their first action in the market needs to be eyeing a defender to help stabilise things at the back and who better than Premier League experienced Marcos Rojo.

Rojo, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) was reportedly (as per Goal) a target for Southampton before moving to Old Trafford instead in 2014 and should remain of interest, considering the lack of defensive solidity since the departure of Virgil van Dijk.

It’s a move that has enjoyed periods of success because Rojo has been far from an ever-present defender at the back.

Though for Southampton, a no-nonsense centre-back should be exactly what they’re after, and that’s exactly what Marcos Rojo is considered to be.

Despite now being 29-years-old, Rojo still has plenty of time left to make a significant impact at St Mary’s and help them improve defensively. Whilst Hasenhuttl has made improvements in defence, the addition of a player that can be used at centre-back as well as left-back is something that should be under consideration, at the very least.

The Argentina international has made just six appearances this season, which shows a move away to a club like Southampton would be best for all involved.

Southampton fans, would you back a move for Rojo? Join the discussion by commenting below…

يرى برونو فرنانديز لاعب مانشستر يونايتد إنهم مازالوا في وضع جيد رغم هزيمتهم في دوري أبطال أوروبا مساء أمس أمام باشاك شهير التركي.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات، حيث خسر الشياطين الحمر بهدفين مقابل هدف.

وقال برونو فرنانديز، في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي لليويفا: “قبل أسبوع قال الجميع إننا لعبنا بشكل جيد ضد نيوكاسل، باريس سان جيرمان ولايبزيج، علينا الفوز الليلة، لكننا ما زلنا في وضع جيد”.

وأضاف البرتغالي: “يمكننا أن نفعل ما هو أفضل بكثير، الجميع يشعر بهذا، لا يمكننا استقبال أهداف مثلما فعلنا”.

وواصل: “حان الوقت الآن للنظر في الأخطاء التي ارتكبناها، والقيام بعمل أفضل في المباراة التالية”.

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West Ham face one of their toughest challenges of the season against Manchester United on Saturday but they have a great chance of picking up points at Old Trafford if they can take advantage of United’s suspension crisis.

United’s hand forced

Manchester United have seen their two starting full-backs pick up suspensions in recent weeks meaning that neither Ashley Young nor Luke Shaw can line up against the Hammers on Saturday. Young was sent off against Wolves whilst Shaw picked up his 10th yellow card of the season at Molineux.

Shaw and Young are likely to be replaced by Matteo Darmian and Diogo Dalot and West Ham must ensure they make the most of this opportunity by choosing which wingers they will match up against the second string full-backs.

Swap Anderson’s side

Felipe Anderson was the star of the show when these two sides met earlier in the season, the Brazilian scored the opening goal against the Red Devils at the London Stadium.

It remains to be seen who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will start at left-back, but either way, it should be Anderson who faces them – allowing him to ear down the touchline on his stronger foot to expose his opposite number’s weaker one.

Playing Anderson on the right for the first time this season would be a wise move for this game, the 25-year-old would consistently have the beating of a wrong-footed full-back and be able to deliver crosses from his favoured foot into the aerial threat of Marko Arnautovic.

Of course, playing Anderson out on the right eliminates his ability to cut inside and shoot but the winger hasn’t actually scored since December, so his goalscoring capabilities may not be missed at all in this fixture.