All posts by h716a5.icu

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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill decided to bring weekend goalscorers Joao Carvalho and Karim Ansarifard for their first starts since he took charge against Aston Villa on Wednesday night, but it ultimately backfired.

On the chalkboard

Carvalho and Ansarifard – who had only played 96 and 34 minutes respectively in the league since O’Neill replaced Aitor Karanka in January – were both named on the team-sheet for the visit of Dean Smith’s Villans.

Loads of Reds fans were certainly delighted with that decision and the line-up in general given their reactions to it being announced on Twitter, but the match didn’t play out as they would have hoped.

While Forest took the lead with just three minutes on the clock through Jack Colback, they were outclassed by their opponents over the course of the following 87 minutes, with neither Carvalho nor Ansarifard doing what they were named in the XI to do.

What did they fail to do?

The former Republic of Ireland boss would have been looking at Carvalho to provide some creativity and a goal threat – especially considering his fine strike against Hull City at the weekend – but he never really looked like doing either as he failed to grasp the rare opportunity he had been given.

Meanwhile, Ansarifard would have been expected to hold the ball up and bring the likes of the Portuguese youngster and Joe Lolley into play, but he didn’t do that and was also booked for diving early on in the match meaning he couldn’t be as aggressive as he could have been during the remainder of the fixture.

Why did they fail?

Perhaps it was down to confidence, lack of match fitness or still trying to adapt to the style of play their manager wants to see.

Whatever the reasons, it seems unlikely that the duo will be given another chance against Ipswich on Saturday.

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Versatile Forest man Ben Osborn is a player who’s sparked differing opinions from the City Ground faithful this season.

More debate has now arisen over the player with journalist Paul Taylor revealing a rather intriguing statistic about the 24-year-old.

Taylor worked out the stat following comments made by Reds manager Martin O’Neill about Osborn, with the Irishman labelling him top class and comparing him to club stalwart Ian Bowyer.

But fans didn’t take too kindly to the stat which was shared on Twitter, slamming the fact that he had turned out during one of the worst periods in their history.

The left-sided player took a fair amount of heat, with one supporter taking issue that no manager, despite how in favour he was with the large majority of them, had actually achieved any success from picking him.

Osborn has started 26 games in the Championship this season and has registered five assists.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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In a revealing interview with the Sheffield Star, Danny Webber has shared the key things he thinks Sheffield United need to do in order to repeat the promotion heroics the striker was a part of back in 2006.

What’s he said?

In a fascinating interview, Webber had plenty to say about the Blades’ campaign so far and what sort of situation the players are now finding themselves in. He first told the Sheffield Star:

“Everybody outside of the dressing room knows what the situation is. So the lads inside it definitely know.”

He picked up on what he thinks the major attribute is that has led to the Yorkshire club’s success this term, speaking about collectiveness as a team and how he experienced the same feeling during his playing days.

“We had a group of proper blokes who were all good players but down to earth and prepared to roll their sleeves up. That’s what I see at United now as well. That collective is important, together with the desire to do whatever it takes to get what you want.”

“That’s going to be the case at United now, especially with Chris and the skipper Billy (Sharp) being United fans. They’ll be setting the ground rules, making sure everyone knows what United’s identity is all about.

“I don’t think it’s any coincidence, with that mindset and identity, that United are doing so well. It breeds a connection within the group and also one with the terraces.”

The former striker also revealed what the team needed to do going into the final few months of the campaign, and what the current Blades side need to replicate.

“Lazer sharp focus is what’s needed now. That’s what got us up and that’s what can get the lads there now.”

Webber spot on

Webber is absolutely right when it comes to the togetherness of the team, with the likes of Chris Wilder and Billy Sharp helping install a group mentality within the club. It’s something that’s really visible.

Having such good spirit during a promotion campaign is absolutely pivotal and there is no better man to say so than someone who’s already gone and done it.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

With eight games left to play of the season, everything is in Sheffield United’s control, sitting a point above Leeds in the automatic promotion places. That’s why focus is needed now more than ever as the club reaches the business end of the season.

They’ve outweighed expectations completely this season but the togetherness and focus within the team has been exceptional. It’s bred a winning mentality and as a consequence rallied the fans.

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Everton fans on Twitter have been busy celebrating the news that Theo Walcott’s future at the club could be in doubt, after Marcel Brands outlined his vision for the club’s future business in the market.

The Toffees sporting director revealed that the club ‘don’t want to invest big money in players who are older’, and referenced the age bracket between 20-25/26 as the target range for future signings.

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…

Walcott was signed during Sam Allardyce’s time at the club for a fee in excess of £20m at a time where he was 28 years of age, and is reportedly the club’s highest earner on a salary of £110,000-a-week, representing the exact type of signing Brands wishes to avoid.

The former Arsenal man isn’t justifying his wages out on the pitch, recording just three goals and two assists in 31 Premier League outings this season – 23 of those being starts.

The 5 ft 9 ace’s performances have been underwhelming to say the least, and judging by the Everton fans’ reactions on Twitter, they’d be happy to see the back of him…

[ad_pod ]West Ham United slumped to a miserable 2-0 defeat against Everton at the London Stadium on Saturday, and attacker Marko Arnautovic was the target of many fans’ frustrations having been booed when he was substituted off in the second half.The Austria international was once a hero among the Irons faithful, but it simply doesn’t appear to be the case anymore – you only have to look at what they have been saying on Twitter after the latest defeat to see this is the case.

Ever since the stories linking him with a move to China during the January transfer window, the relationship between him and the supporters was always going to be a strained one – even if he was handed a new contract.

A man who has impressed and scored 19 goals in 60 appearances in all competitions for the east London outfit just hasn’t been the same player in recent weeks, and since the 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on January 2 he has gone eight Premier League outings without a goal or an assist.

Despite that and the fact he has suffered from a few injury niggles, he has still started the club’s previous two top flight fixtures, including against the Toffees, having been preferred ahead of Javier Hernandez.

To be fair it was an off day for a number of his teammates too, but Arnautovic hardly put in a showing that proved he really cares about West Ham football club like he has often said that he does previously.

Service may have been light, but the fact that he failed to win a single aerial duel or make a key pass given the magic we have seen from the 29-year-old at times during his Hammers career is a worry.

The fact he was jeered off by some tells you all you need to know, and Manuel Pellegrini needs to wake up and smell the coffee too – the sooner he realises the Austrian doesn’t deserve to be in the starting XI, the better.

When Paul Heckingbottom took over at Easter Road in February, he inherited a side that languished in eighth place in the table, some 12 points behind then third-placed Aberdeen.

If anyone had said at that time, that Hibs would go into the fixture split with an outside chance of claiming a Europa League spot, they would have been laughed at.

Such has been the effect the new boss has had, everyone associated with the club are riding the crest of a wave, and with a derby win over Hearts in their back pocket, Hibs fans are strarting to believe.

At the very least, they will now have a realistic expectation of finishing as Edinburgh’s top team, but with a good finish, anything could be possible.

29-year-old stalwart, Paul Hanlon, is Hibs through-and-through. A one club player — but for a brief month on loan at St Johnstone in 2008 — and he admitted that the club were drifting towards a lower half finish before Heckingbottom’s arrival, and he insisted people had “written us off” when talking of the top six.

But now, having achieved that goal as a minimum, his sights are set much higher.

He told the Edinburgh News: “If you go back to just before the manager came in, everybody had written us off as far as making the top six.

“It was always going to be a big ask, so to show the form we have done is great. We now have to try and keep it going and see where we finish.

“It has been a massive turnaround. It is exciting and it is what you want at this stage of the season.”

Certainly, with the remaining fixtures now announced, the rest of April will be hugely significant to their European ambitions.

With Hearts now in their rear-view mirror, focus shifts to the two sides above them — Kilmarnock and Aberdeen — who both also harbour aspirations of a third-placed finish.

With their two rivals playing each other when the SPFL resumes after this weekend’s break for the Scottish Cup Semi-Finals, Hibs have the unenviable task of trying to prolong the wait for Celtic’s title-winning party, and hope that they can get one over on Heckingbottom’s predecessor in the Hibs hot-seat, Neil Lennon.

Should they do so, it would see them close the gap on at least one of those above them, and with April’s last round of fixtures seeing the small matter of the final Edinburgh derby of the season — at Easter Road this time — with Kilmarnock and Aberdeen visiting the top two, Celtic and Rangers respectively, they could go into May, just three points behind third, at worst.

There are lots of ifs and buts in there, of course, but with the run Hibs have been on since Heckingbottom arrived, and confidence at a massive high, why shouldn’t the fans dream of what might be.

It would be the happily-ever-after ending, to what has already been, a fairy-tale couple of months for the green half of Edinburgh.

What do you think if your Europa League hopes, Hibs fans? Are they realistic, or would you settle for finishing above your Edinburgh neighbours? Let us know your opinion, and join in the debate below…

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Javier Manquillo has received some strong criticism in his time at Newcastle since joining in the summer of 2017 from Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard made 21 Premier League appearances last season and was shaky at best.

This season he has made just 9 starts for the Toon and his defensive stats are very similar to last season, averaging 1.5 tackles per game compared to 1.7 last term, the same amount of interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game compared to 2.3.

So, by looking at the stats he is still the same as last season, but on Friday he had a very solid game dealing with the threat of Harvey Barnes and then Marc Albrighton – although he could have give away a penalty when he tugged back Youri Tielemans late on.

The 24-year-old has managed to register two assists for the Magpies this season, however passing to Fabian Schar before he unleashes a 30-yard screamer is hardly splitting a defence open.

He represents the lack of investment in Newcastle’s squad as he should not be the back-up option for any Premier League club, never mind for a club as big as Newcastle.

Despite this though, he did play well against Leicester – although the performance hasn’t sat well with everybody. Here’s a look at what fans have been saying about Manquillo’s latest display on Twitter…

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Another Champions League night, another VAR controversy. And for a piece of kit heralded as the end of refereeing controversy it’s certainly not changed the game in the ways we imagined.

The dream of its advocates was 100% – or close to it – accuracy when it comes to the big calls and in my view it’s probably achieved that. I can’t think of any decisions in the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League that have been obviously wrong even after the intervention of VAR.

But it’s changed the game in two meaningful ways.

Knowable Faults

In each of the knockout rounds so far there has been a penalty outrage. Those given against Nicolas Otamendi v Schalke, Presnel Kimpembe v Manchester United and Danny Rose v Manchester City. As it turns out, these are now ‘letter of the law’ penalties. It’s clear that almost every journalist, ex-player and pundit feels as though these should not have been given, but we’re now into the territory of claiming that the law is unjust – not its application.

Something similar happened at the World Cup in 2018. Shirt pulling at corners was clamped down upon heavily in the most part despite the fact that defenders are very used to getting away with it. In the end, though we’d mostly all agree that stamping this out is a good thing for the game. It can work both ways.

Thing is, when you zoom in on anything close enough it no longer looks as clean and shiny as it used to. The vast colonies of bacteria nesting on a cheese rind are unseen until you look at it forensically – by which point it becomes infinitely less appetising.

But pre-VAR we created our own culture of dissecting a referee’s performance based on slo-mo replays and fractional offside calls. In that context – one which will never change – it’s probably right to err on the side of giving the decision-maker the chance to ensure he’s happy with direction in which he points. And when these are binary calls deciding who wins and who loses, the right call is always better than the wrong one.

What we have to accept now is that the rules of the game have changed; now banned are things you usually get away with thanks to the limits of human perception. Not as a direct result of VAR (because the laws haven’t really changed much), but as an indirect consequence of the fact that such fouls are now visible in real-ish time.

But it’s akin to police powers to tap phones: no one would say that the use of this technology should be disallowed in the race to catch criminals and terrorists.

Monetising Passion

But where VAR really does need a rethink – and I accept I’m saying nothing new here – is inside the stadium.

It’s been said before that match-going fans are the ones who pay the most money and are the ones who are the most in the dark about the decisions being made. There are no replays to watch like those at home are seeing, just a screen to coldly remind you your fate hangs in the balance.

In a way, that’s not the outrage. Or at least, that’s only part of it. What’s really outrageous is the fact that in almost every way, fans in the ground are further away from the action than those on their sofas. At home, you have access to replays, expert comment and analysis (whether you like it or not), social media reaction and match stats. Not only don’t you have that in-stadium, but don’t have it until you’re far enough away from the ground to get phone signal.

But forget that matches cost so much money and focus on the fact that football’s powers that be sell the game around the world based not on the skill of the players but, increasingly, the passion of the fans: a group of people whose data can be collected and whose love can be monetised. Best of all, they are loyal to their club in a way that no other brand can dream of.

But paradoxically, now more than ever fans are playing a pivotal role in the action. A VAR decision isn’t like a normal offside. You don’t begin to celebrate before catching sight of a linesman’s flag. You celebrate a goal, the stadium announcer calls the goalscorer’s name over the loudspeaker and the scoreboard chalks another one up. Then that very screen silently but surely calls a review. But that’s what’s exciting for those at home. Human joy followed by human despair played out on screen like Big Brother with 55,000 housemates.

And in an era when fan passion is being monetised like never before, in order to make money for men rich enough to buy football clubs in the first place, that’s a really sinister thought.

The baying hordes watching on TV screens around the world used to craw at the gladiators on the stage. Now the whole arena is part of the game, and the game is a drama made for TV.

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in furious fashion after it was reported that former midfielder Darren Fletcher is being considered for a role in the recruitment team at Old Trafford, as part of a revamped strategy.

The former Red Devils star is currently under contract at Championship side Stoke, although that deal is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Which iconic Premier League team from the past would be a match for the Man City of today? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

The Scotsman would potentially work alongside Mike Phelan in helping to bring some order to United’s recruitment policy, as part of a structural revamp that is giving special consideration to figures who understand the club’s ethos.

However, some United fans aren’t happy with the direction in which the club are heading. After the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager, and former Old Trafford hero Michael Carrick on the coaching staff, some supporters feel that the club aren’t employing people who are best qualified for the job at hand.

Let’s see what the outraged United fans on Twitter have been saying about the news…

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When the PFA announced its shortlist for the Young Player of the Year last weekend there were some startling absentees.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, arguably the best right back in the Premier League, was left off the list, whilst James Maddison, impressive in his debut top-flight campaign with Leicester, also missed out.

However, there’s a player at Arsenal who has continued to go under the radar for large parts of the campaign and, if we’re considering this to be a Young Player of the Year award, Matteo Guendouzi has to be in the picture.

There are a couple of players on the list, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, that are deserving of praise this term, but are we not completely missing the point of the award? Both players are 24, hardly young in today’s game.

In comparison, Guendouzi is just 20-years-of-age. It’s a stretch to say that he deserves the overall award but the midfielder certainly should have been in the conversation.

There is a feeling that outside of Arsenal the Frenchman isn’t particularly highly rated but the way he’s settled in the Premier League is undeniably impressive.

Arriving as a teenager from Lorient, Guendouzi has come from being a bit part of a Ligue 2 team to being a regular in Unai Emery’s side.

Whoever scouted him deserves a tremendous amount of praise because amongst the considerable spending we see in today’s market, the curly-haired defensive midfielder has been a remarkable pluck from essentially nowhere.

When he first signed for the club for an undisclosed fee in July of last year, no one really battered an eye-lid. Arsenal claimed he’d be a part of the first team squad but not many would not have imagined the impact he’d have at the highest level so soon.

For a man who doesn’t speak too much English, he’s settled at the elite level in some fashion and his ability to dictate the tempo of Premier League games, renowned for its fast pace, is equally spectacular.

He’s stood out against some of the top sides as well, no less so than against Chelsea a couple of months ago. The fact Emery trusts him in the big games just goes to show how much of an impact he’s made in north London.

It’s easy to go overboard on a young player but the 20-year-old possesses qualities the club hasn’t seen since the Invincibles era and the early days of Arsene Wenger.

In Wenger’s first decade or so at the club, he had players like Martin Keown and Patrick Vieira. They were no-nonsense individuals and stood up to the opposition if something wasn’t going their way.

Amongst the composure and technical ability, Guendouzi also has this. The way he got right in the face of Wilfried Zaha last weekend is all the evidence you need.

It’s probably no surprise, therefore, that he gets fouled as many times a game as he does. He’s a nuisance and that’s what makes him a joy to watch at times.

There aren’t too many comparisons to the 6 ft midfielder in the Premier League but Declan Rice, a nominee for the Young Player of the Year, seems a natural player to pit against him.

Rice has been outstanding this season and is arguably one of the front runners for the award. But in some senses, Guendouzi has been just as impressive.

His pass success is better than Rice’s, hardly surprising given Arsenal enjoy a lot of possession, whilst his wonderful vision is displayed by the 0.6 key passes per game he makes.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Bhav runs down his Arsenal transfer wish list in the video below…

But despite that, the West Ham man’s defensive stats are considerably higher. You can either look at this and say that the Hammers have more work to do in that third of the pitch or you can argue the fact that Rice is simply better in that area.

If you focus on the season as a whole, Rice has been the better player, only just. But, you have to take into account that Guendouzi has come straight into one of the top sides in the country.

The France U21 international still has a long way to get to the level of some of the players on the shortlist, but it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if individual accolades came in the future.