All posts by h79snht.top

Jon Flanagan says that he and his Liverpool team-mates are determined to win the Premier League for Steven Gerrard.

The Reds captain is one of English football’s finest ever midfielders, and has enjoyed a glittering career which has included numerous domestic cup wins and the famous Champions League victory in 2005.

But despite his success and ability, the league title has always been out of reach for the Merseyside-born man, who has elected to stay with his boyhood club despite receiving numerous offers to leave in the past.

However this season presents Gerrard with his finest ever shot at the one that has evaded him, with Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool sitting atop the table with just four games to go.

Following Sunday’s win against Manchester City, the Anfielders know that if they maintain a 100% record the top prize will indeed be theirs, and Gerrard’s emotion and desire was there for all to see after the final whistle.

Flanagan – another home grown player who has been starring of late – says that winning the league for is the goal for all of his team-mates and that they all want to help their skipper to get his hands on the trophy:

“It is phenomenal. He has carried this club for years and he deserves this,” he is quoted by the Daily Star.

“I think all the lads are doing it for themselves but for also for Stevie as well.

“We can believe now. All the fans are believing we can do it now and we said in the huddle we’ll go again next week as we’ve done nothing yet and that result has gone now.

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“We have to stay focused and go again at Norwich away, we have to keep going right until the end.”

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HTB, the agency behind Bet366’s ultra-successful in-game gambling ad campaign, have publicly apologised to Ray Winston’s family for losing his body. WOB understands that Victor Mellish, the agency account manager in charge of Ray Winston, lost the millionaire actor’s body during the first game of the World Cup. Ray Winston’s trademark head, which he refers to as “my mug, you mug”, had been surgically removed from his body for the World Cup for commercial purposes in a unique operation which Winstone described as “bleedin’ tremendous, like a luvverly gobful of Cliquot”.

“I’d turned away for a second,” said a desperate Mellish,  “I was helping my girlfriend, Harumi, off her penny farthing, and Ray was gone. His head. And his body. I haven’t been in to work since.”

Ray Winston’s head has been located, but is trapped in the annoying bit between televised football.  Doctors are unsure how long he can survive, but HTB has opted to send in a second head to keep the jellied eel fan company.  “We were concerned that he would die of loneliness, and wouldn’t be able to terrify toddlers as he has done since the start of the World Cup,” said senior account director Tam Piscay, “But we’ve found a suitable companion head to keep Ray strong.”

WOB spoke to a hopeful Jamie Winstone, as the also-Cockney actress trawled her father’s old East End haunts, searching for the rest of him. “We’re keeping our chins up,” said Jamie. “The East End has changed so much in the last thirty years. We only hope he hasn’t fallen down a manhole or got stuck in the plastic bits they use to keep a lager six-packs together, like that penguin in Happy Feet.”

Poor ol’ Glen Johnson. He was once a great player who was winning trophies with Chelsea and a regular for England.

Now it appears that he’s either forgetting what he’s on the pitch for or has just simply become rubbish in the space of a couple of seasons.

Either way, Liverpools fans have had enough of him. And, sadly, you can’t blame them. Against Man City this evening he was awful, with a constant lack of concentrate and pace leaving the Reds awful exposed in defence.

Here’s how angry Liverpools fans were on Twitter during the game…

Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has blasted the referees in their 3-1 Premier League loss to Sunderland on Monday, Sky Sports reports.

Warnock pointed to two incidents during the fixture that he believed should have been called by referee Phil Dowd, which were Patrick van Aanholt’s tackle on Wilfried Zaha in the first half and earlier, Frazier Campbell being caught by Santiago Vergini after only 30 seconds of the match played – both inside the penalty box.

WANT MORE? >> Crystal Palace Transfer News | Sunderland Transfer News

The former Leeds United boss claims these calls have gone against his side too often, and that Palace deserved at least a draw from their performance.

Warnock said: “I think everybody knows it’s a penalty. The referee didn’t see it, but he’s in a great position.

“We need a bit of luck at the minute. The only chance we’ve got of a penalty is somebody picking the ball up and throwing it at the referee – that’s about the only chance we’ve got.

“It’s so disappointing when you play so well. How we’ve lost that game, I’ll never, ever know.

“Even the second one with Wilfried, it might be on the edge of the box but they give a goal kick. It bewilders me.

“But I thought we were superb tonight. They couldn’t have given any more, the lads. They were brilliant tonight.

“We need to try and make our own luck. We go to Old Trafford on Saturday, we won’t get many decisions there either. It’s difficult. It’s a hard place to go and we need to stand up and be counted.

“Tonight, you can’t get a clearer penalty, he’s just taken his legs, the defender. You can see it clearly and the referee is in a great position to give it.

“They are decisions which should be simple at the top class, we’re talking about the Premier League. I don’t understand.

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Crystal Palace travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in their next league fixture on Saturday.

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In the recent history of the Premier League there was an ‘original top 4’ which was made up of Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. These teams were the only teams deemed capable of finishing in the top 4 Champions League spots, and certainly the only four title contenders, although only Chelsea or Man United were only considered as genuine title challengers.

That remained the case until Man City were bought out by their oil-rich owners and gradually forced themselves into the Champions League spots. Tottenham also took their chance to replace a weakened Chelsea in the 2011/12 season and finished in 4th but were not awarded with Champions League football after Chelsea won the European competition. Also with Man United recently dropping off with Sir Alex at the helm, Everton and Tottenham are the ‘outsiders’ who have joined the battle for the top spots.

However, is the gap between the top and bottom teams of the Premier League growing or shrinking? Have the sides without the money and history stood more of a chance of finishing higher in recent years?

Well, let’s first look at the point difference between 4th place and 18th place (the first relegation spot) over the past 10 Premier League seasons.

2013/14 – 46 2012/13 – 37 2011/12 – 33 2010/11 – 29 2009/10 – 40 2008/09 – 38 2007/08 – 40 2006/07 – 30 2005/06 – 33 2004/05 – 28 2003/04 – 27

The gap is not showing consistent growth over the ten year period chosen however, since the 2009/10 season the gap has grown significantly and consistently perhaps confirming the thought that the gap between the top and the bottom of the Premier League is stretching out.

It’s widely considered that there is currently a ‘top 7’ which are most likely to finish inside the Champions League spots. Therefore the chances of different teams finishing inside the Champions League positions is far greater than it once was. However, is there any proof to that? How has the point gap between 4th and 5th changed over the past 10 years?

2013/14 – 7 2012/13 – 1 2011/12 – 4 2010/11 – 6 2009/10 – 3 2008/09 – 9 2007/08 – 11 2006/07 – 8 2005/06 – 2 2004/05 – 3 2003/04 – 4

There is no real trend pattern to be seen although the gap grew from the 2005/06 season up until Man City arrived on the scene a few years after being taken over in 2008. There was a time when it was getting harder to finish in the top 4 but City played a big part in ending that trend and now the quality of the teams in general has risen and that’s why there is more of a top 7.

So what about relegation? If the quality has risen at the bottom of the table we would expect that picking up less points may be enough to survive relegation as the general quality of the league means that everyone can take points from each other. The figures below show the tally of points which the side who finished 17th, and therefore survived relegation, collected.

2013/14 – 36 2012/13 – 39 2011/12 – 37 2010/11 – 40 2009/10 – 35 2008/09 – 35 2007/08 – 36 2006/07 – 38 2005/06 – 38 2004/05 – 34 2003/04 – 35

Again there is no certain trend to be found, however interestingly the magic ’40’ points safety mark has only been necessary once in the last 10 years. The sides at the lower end of the table generally pick up the same amount of points each season regardless of the quality of themselves and the opposition, suggesting that there is no obvious increase in the quality of the sides who are getting relegated each season.

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In summary it’s difficult to say if the gap between the top and bottom sides of the Premier League is growing or shrinking but one thing is for sure, there are more sides pushing for the top spots than ever before – even if there’s only one genuine title contender this season.

The sides who get relegated will be as bad relative to their fellow competitors as the sides who have been previously been relegated were in their year – proof that the Premier League’s relegation system is pretty clinical at relegating the deadwood sides each year, and helping to increase the general quality level of the division.

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Probable Lineups…

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Lloris, Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies, Eriksen, Dembele, Mason, Lamela, Kane, Soldado

Mauricio Pochettino will have a fairly rested squad for the trip to Everton after benching some of his usual faces during the midweek Europa League match. Both Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane were rested meaning they will surely start this weekend’s Premier League clash. There are still some injury concerns for Pochettino as Emmanuel Adebayor, Etienne Capoue, Younes Kaboul, Andros Townsend, and Nacer Chadli are all still a doubts for the game. With first-choice right-back Kyle Walker once again unavailable, Eric Dier is tipped to fill the defensive flanks while Roberto Soldado will play alongside Kane with Adebayor still not fully fit.

Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard, Coleman, Diston, Jagielka, Baines, Besic, Osman, Mirallas, Eto’o, Barkley, Lukaku

Roberto Martinez’s side face Tottenham Hotspur with the pair both coming back from a Europa League win, but still face a selection headache after seeing James McCarthy pick up a hamstring injury in midweek. He is still a doubt and is joined by Leighton Baines, Gareth Barry, Steven Naismith, and Steven Pienaar, all of whom are still battling to be match fit. In addition to that, both Antolin Alcaraz and John Stones will be unavailable but should be adequately covered. Should Baines not make it into the starting line-up, Martinez still has Tony Hibbert and Luke Garbutt to step in. Romelu Lukaku looks to continue his scoring run as he is supported right behind by Samuel Eto’o.

What the fans are saying…

Remember this?

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When the two sides met at White Hart Lane towards the end of the previous season, Everton piled pressure on Tottenham Hotspur but were unable to score a goal. Spurs then capitalized with a quick free-kick which Emmanuel Adebayor slotted home, collecting all three points with a 1-0 victory.

Manchester United should stop wasting their time in the unrealistic pursuit of Gareth Bale.

The Real Madrid winger is a signing that is simply out of United’s reach, a phrase rarely heard in the Sir Alex Ferguson era. However, United fans must accept the changes since Fergie’s departure, and the reality that now faces. Though, more importantly, United’s staff must do the same.

Ed Woodward is most guilty of this, continuing to stoke the rumour mill concerning Bale being part of his plan for United to spend their way out of trouble.  This season, which sees United level on points compared to last term after 22 League games, despite spending £145million, suggests even the biggest spending cannot guarantee results.

United’s chief executive is also chasing Bale on a commercial basis, seeking to recruit a global icon in a statement of intent that the red Devils are still the world biggest club. Woodward has a strong record in managing United’s finances, securing record training kit and shirt sponsorship deals whilst amassing an array of profitable partnerships.

Bale arriving at United is thought by Woodward to be no different to these commercial deals in terms of history, stature and tradition making the club an easy sale. But the reality is somewhat different.

Woodward is a good salesman, but ultimately player targets like Bale will look for on-field matters too. Madrid have 10 European cups to United’s two, including Bale scoring as they completed La Decima last season, already establishing himself as a true Galactico.

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Whilst United still appear a significant transfer away from winning yet another domestic title, Madrid appear quite the opposite. United might have the most fans, but purely on a football basis they are certainly no longer the world’s biggest club. Woodward thinks United are the world’s biggest sports team, but the Gareth Bale saga proves United are not as they think they are.

This will be the second time United has tried and failed to get Bale, after their pursuit in the summer of 2013, when a late bid turned Levy’s head. However, Woodward saw it as a pure business deal, and forgot that Bale as a human being was already set on his foreign adventure.

Bale turned down United then, and the gulf between themselves and Madrid has widened greatly since. Despite their promising start it is still not even a guarantee that United will re-gain their Champions League spot this season. Why on earth would Bale take that risk?

Understandably, and quite rightly, Bale himself is loving life at Madrid: “I am very happy in Madrid, a city, a climate and a club that I love.

“My contract ends in 2019, and I could sign a renewal. I wanted to come to Real Madrid to win titles and work alongside the best players and that is exactly what I have done in a single year.”

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Even if this transfer was at all a realistic possibility from Bale’s viewpoint, the presence of Florentino Perez would extinguish this. Madrid’s president dictates transfer policy and has stated his intent clearly.

“We have not received an offer from Manchester or any other club for Gareth Bale. We would never listen to any offer for Bale, no matter what the fee.” he admitted.

United and Woodward need to start being realistic and accept that Gareth Bale will not be at Old Trafford anytime soon, unless helping Madrid knock the Red Devils out of the Champions League.

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The 5-0 demolition of Newcastle last Saturday finally showed the world what Man City are able to produce after well over a month of poor form.

The return of Yaya Toure was well publicised but highlighted how much they rely on him in the side. This was reinforced from the lesson taught by Barcelona on Tuesday night where a 2-1 defeat seemed like a good result. Barcelona dominated possession and chances throughout the match where City were out run in midfield and once again missed the world-class ability of the Ivorian Toure. Aside from poor team selection and formation implemented in their Champions League game, City have proven on the weekend how good they can be when at full strength.

The truth is they haven’t been able to put out their strongest starting XI for much of the season. Samir Nasri and David Silva have had their injury problems, along with Captain Vincent Kompany who hasn’t looked the same since his return to the side. Edin Dzeko has missed key moments of the season, which has limited the amount of goals he has scored so far. Sergio Aguero missed a large chunk of the season in which City struggled for goals and obviously Yaya Toure was absent on international duty, where the club could only manage one win in six.

No team in the Premier League have been without key players for as long as City have. The fact squad members haven’t been able to step up to the mark further questions Manuel Pellegrini’s transfer activity, but that is a debate for another day.

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The Newcastle victory was one of the rare moments of the season where Pellegrini had a full complement of midfield and forward players at his disposal. It was only the third time this season that the first choice midfield four were all fit and ready for selection, once again highlighting the lack of consistency in the starting XI this campaign.

Samir Nasri, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure and David Silva are arguably one of the better midfields in the league and it showed with slick, fast movement and stunning interplay which led to the majority of the goals. Three of the four have been together for a number of years and it was evident from the way they all were able to understand each other’s game.

Along with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko upfront, City were unstoppable and dominated the game from the first whistle right until the last. It was the first time for a couple of months where City have been this dominant, especially at home replicating the many excellent home performances of their title winning campaign last season.

With the gap down to five points and Manchester City finally back to full strength, the team have the personnel and knowhow to go on a similar run to season’s past and defend their title for the first time. The only thing that stands in their way is a strong Chelsea side that are starting to show signs of vulnerability that has once again blown wide open this never ending Premier League title race.

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Traditionally, Liverpool vs Newcastle has always been one of the more exciting fixtures in Premier League history and tonight’s episode wasn’t a classic, it certainly had it’s moments. The Magpies were woeful for large patches but the match included a bit of everything; two goals – one from the unlikely source of Joe Allen – a penalty that never was, and a sending off. But it would’t mean anything if we didn’t learn from it – so here’s the three things we took from Liverpool’s 2-0 win.

Raheem Sterling’s not ready for the next level just yet.

Raheem Sterling can’t escape the media limelight at the minute, after infamously turning down a £100k per-week deal to extend his Anfield contract past 2017 – followed by that absolute PR disaster of an extended interview with the BBC.

So opening the scoring for Liverpool tonight will have certainly eased the pressure on the 20 year-old and indeed, he had an instrumental effect on the Reds’ attacking play, finishing the match with four attempts at goal, four successful dribbles and one created chance.

But it was by no means a perfect performance from the England international. In truth, he should have gone home with the match ball, missing two relatively simple chances from close range. The latter in particular seemed destined for the net; a hashed clearance from Ryan Taylor fell to Sterling just eight yards from goal in oceans of space, but he somehow dragged the effort wide.

So although there’s plenty of positives Sterling can take from tonight’s display, it also came with the warning that he’s not yet consistent enough in front of goal. For now, his development is better served at Anfield.

JORDAN HENDERSON TAKING STEVEN GERRARD’S MANTLE

We all know Jordan Henderson shares many traits with Steven Gerrard – particularly the swash-bucking Steven Gerrard of the mid-2000s – which is why he’s almost certain to take the captain’s armband permanently when the veteran midfielder departs for the MLS this summer.

But tonight, we saw a somewhat more cultured side to the England international’s game – emulating the playmaking, more reserved Steven Gerrard of the last few seasons. As detailed below, he misplaced just one pass in the entire first half:

He also set up Raheem Sterling’s goal, with a pin-point crossfield ball to the Liverpool forward from left to right, encouraging him to cut inside and shoot. The 24 year-old went to finish the match with four created chances – detailed below as key passes – all of which were from deep positions, and the second-best pass completion rate of any Liverpool player after Alberto Moreno:

NEWCASTLE NEED AN OVERHAUL THIS SUMMER

Newcastle fans will be immensely disappointed with their team tonight and as a consequence, the finger will be pointed at manager John Carver.

He didn’t set the Magpies up particularly positively but in all honesty, he could only work with the tools that he’d been given. And as you can see from the line-up below, those tools were rather dreadful:

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That’s right – a back four consisting of the ever-crocked Ryan Taylor, right-back Daryl Janmaat in the middle, the woeful Mike Williamson and jack-of-no-trades-master-of-nothing Vernun Anita.

Injury problems have been an issue of late, but from this line-up alone it’s patently obvious Mike Ashley must invest in Newcastle’s squad this summer. Newcastle fans on Twitter appeared to agree:

After a brilliant start to the season many West Ham fans dared to dream that reaching Europe was possible.

Bit since January, results have seen the Hammers slip in the Premier League out of European contention to 9th in the table. It seemed like a chance at a European place was going to be just out of their reach but now it seems there could be a lifeline – the Fair Play League. West Ham are currently at the top of the league table which awards points for positive play, respect in the game, behaviour of officials and fans and discipline on the pitch. Three places are given to the countries with the best record and England, Ireland and Holland are currently at the top. So, could Big Sam still be in with a chance of a miracle?

Liverpool currently sit in second only one point behind West Ham, with Burnley in third only two points behind so the race for the top is still very tight but it means that where before West Ham thought they had lost out on a shot in Europe it can relight the fire for the remaining games of the season.

West Ham getting into Europe this way would be the first time an English team had got into the Europe League in this was since 2012 when Fulham were awarded a place. There is a downside to getting into the Europe League this way- the qualifying would start on the 2nd July meaning players would only have one month off before training would re-start.

With this knowledge, Big Sam’s men need to use their win against Sunderland to put an end to the dismal form they were on after Christmas. Hopefully this is the news they need to push on and start winning again. The club’s owners have made it very clear, that despite having only re-joined the Premier League in 2012, they want to make an impact this season and that getting into Europe was not a foolish dream but a realistic chance.

West Ham already set for their best finish in years in the Premier League and now that Europe has become a realistic dream again maybe fans will calm down about sacking Sam Allardyce (although I am not completely sure whether fans will ever truly accept Big Sam- there is just something they don’t like about him!).

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Getting a shot at Europe through the Fair League table may seem like a great thing but it will mean a lot of hard work for all those involved. While at first fans may be excited about the opportunity it might have a negative impact on next season. Playing in Europe- especially in the qualifying stages of the Europa League- brings a lot more games and a lot more pressure. Still if you want to grow as a club, you have to start somewhere and it looks like the pressure is already building for Big Sam and the Hammers.

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