Six games have now come and gone in the Championship, and if the early season performances are anything to go by this will be another long season for Millwall.
After six games the Lions sit 21st, just above Charlton Athletic, on 6 points.
We have also suffered four defeats, and in most of them the Lions have played well and controlled some of the game, but it does show the fine lines between success and defeat in this tough division. But problems are starting to show within the Lions team, one is the formation.
The Lions have mostly played 4-3-3 with central midfielders Liam Trotter, Josh Wright and Jimmy Abdou filling the midfield three, with James Henry one of the strikers role. Despite the three in attack we do not have a lot going forward, the centre midfielders sit back, plus no left winger playing means a lack of width.
Playing three in the middle of the park is simply not working and surely has to be changed. Despite his pre-season fine form, Chris Taylor has not been started or played at all this season, surely he deserves a chance?
Liam Trotter won’t be dropped due to his “ability”, Josh Wright won’t due to his passing and movement and Abdou won’t due to his defensive play, it almost seems like Kenny Jackett is scared to drop Liam Trotter, the best form of last season after all, was when Wright and Abdou were the centre midfield pairing.
Another problem that is evident is the amount of goals conceded by a leaky defence. The Lions have averaged letting in more than two goals a game so far. Fans will be hoping this is just because of the injuries to Paul Robinson and Jack Smith but I’m not sure. Ex Brentford Karleigh Osborne was meant to be challenging for the centre back positions but after six games he simply doesn’t look good enough, yet. He doesn’t look the part at Championship level, I’d much rather be playing Danny Shittu for his experience.
Players such as Osborne haven’t adapted as yet, but Scott Malone has risen to the challenge, not the best defender but a strong attacking player, the type of player KJ wants for his “Passing football revolution”.
For the next game against Brighton, one of the best squads in the division, there has to be some changes. I would drop Osborne for Shittu. Osborne doesn’t look ready and Shittu is a experienced player at this level, I believe this will calm down the defence. Plus the 4-3-3 has to go, we seem exposed on the left wing, so go 4-4-2 with Taylor on the left and drop Liam Trotter, but in all honesty I can’t see that happening. Plus I would also like to see Chris Wood start with Andy Keogh.
My team for vs Brighton
Taylor
Dunne Shittu Lowry Malone
Henry Wright Abdou Taylor
Keogh Wood
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According to reports in Chile, West Ham United are ready to appoint Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager as early as the beginning of next week despite Rafa Benitez seemingly being their number one target, and Irons fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.
The Irons have been heavily linked with Newcastle United boss Benitez this week as they look to find a replacement for David Moyes, who it was announced would be leaving the club on Wednesday following the expiry of his contract.
However, it may well be 64-year-old Pellegrini that takes over the reins from the Scot, with the Chilean certainly able to bring plenty of pedigree and experience with him to the London Stadium having won the Premier League title with Manchester City previously, and having never finished outside of the top seven during his time managing in Europe.
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West Ham supporters, the slight majority of which would be happy to sell one of their attackers to Crystal Palace this summer, took to social media to give their thoughts on the possible appointment of the former Citizens boss, and while one said “this will end badly”, another described it as “unknown territory for West Ham”.
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Rangers confirmed on Tuesday that Kenny Miller is facing a ‘significant’ period out injured after rupturing his hamstring against Hibernian last week.
The attacker was forced off in the first half in the win at Easter Road and unfortunately for the club veteran, it’ll be a serious setback to his season.
It calls into question his entire Rangers career given his age and the fact he only signed a one-year contract extension last season.
He’s been a formidable force at the tip of the Light Blues’ attack for years and although his form has waned in 2017/18, losing his presence and experience in the first team squad will be a bitter blow to Graeme Murty.
Whether the 37-year-old comes back from this remains to be seen but the news has worried supporters, who believe the club now have a serious lack of depth in the final third.
Fans are calling on Rangers to make moves in the January transfer window and have suggested they should sign the likes of Jason Cummings or even former favourite Steven Naismith.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the news and what it means…
It appears almost certain at this point that Wayne Rooney will not be a Manchester United player by the end of the summer. The England international has burned too many bridges with the fans, Sir Alex Ferguson and apparently David Moyes, whilst the Premier League champions themselves have done worryingly little to appease Rooney, or quash his concerns of playing second fiddle to Robin Van Persie in the preluding campaign to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The only viable suitors on the horizon are Chelsea, capable of coughing up the cash in terms of transfer fees and wage demands, and also the only English club that can offer Rooney a similar level of success to what he’s become accustomed to at Old Trafford, barring a shock move to Manchester City. Jose Mourinho has made no qualms about his pursuit of the striker, admitting openly and honestly during a press conference on the Blues’ pre-season tour that Chelsea’s transfer policy this summer can be described in a nutshell as “Rooney or bust”.
So the Red Devils are in the market to sell as long as the price is right, despite David Moyes insisting otherwise at every opportunity, and Jose Mourinho is keen to buy, but could the potential Rooney deal leave the new United boss blue in the face?
The fall-out from Rooney’s transfer will affect David Moyes’ reputation for better or worse, yet there is little doubt that the current summer scenario is straight out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial hand-book. The Premier League champions have a knack of selling their best players in their prime, with a host of examples throughout Ferguson’s long reign at Old Trafford.
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Jaap Stam was sold to Lazio in 2001, despite being regarded as one of the best central defenders in Europe at the time, David Beckham was allowed to leave for Real Madrid in 2003, aged just 28 and with another ten years of his career yet to go, Carlos Tevez was surrendered to Manchester City in 2009, regardless of the fact he’d played in and won a Champions League final for the Red Devils a year previous, and went on to net 73 times in 138 appearances for the noisy neighbours, before moving to Juventus this summer. Cristiano Ronaldo was sold on for immense profit in 2009, whilst Ruud Van Nistelrooy was surprisingly usurped from the first team in 2006, despite netting 21 goals in 35 appearances during his final season in Manchester.
With the exception of Ronaldo, none were sold on the basis that offers received from potential suitors were too good to turn down. Rather, the practice of deconstructing the United first team and shifting the club’s best players is part of what Steve McLaren describes as Ferguson’s ‘helicopter view’ of the Red Devils, noticing Premier League trends before they happen, and making sure no individual becomes too well acquainted with their surroundings at Carrington. The old adage that no player becomes bigger than the club itself is constantly maintained, whilst room is made for the next generation of stars to burst through, and it’s hard to argue against a method of longevity that has brought United unprecedented success over the last twenty years.
The hole Rooney leaves behind will most likely be filled by Shinji Kagawa. The 24 year old is by no means a Rooney replica, and regular inclusion in the first team in a more central role than last season will require some tactical modification on David Moyes’ part, but with few viable alternatives on the horizon, and the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Mario Gotze and Christian Eriksen already passing United by this summer, it appears the mantle will be passed to Kagawa, with full confidence from the Red Devils management.
The Japan international struggled to adapt at times last term, but finished up with six goals and three assists from 20 domestic appearances, despite spending two months out with a knee injury picked up in a Champions League tie against Braga, and also confronting the language barrier. At former club Borussia Dortmund, Kagawa was utilised in a supporting role to Robert Lewandowski and recorded 21 goals in 48 domestic appearances in the space of two years, picking up two Bundesliga titles along the way. The Red Devils invested £17million in the attacking midfielder last summer, and to suggest Kagawa was touted as Rooney’s successor from the point of his signing would hardly be a wild theory.
The process has worked time and time again for the 13-time Premier League champions, but I have my doubts regarding the current situation with Wayne Rooney. The England man finished last campaign with 10 goals and 12 assists in 27 domestic appearances, fielded only twice in his preferred capacity as an out-and-out striker. At the same time, Rooney’s United record stands at 197 goals in 400 appearances, and the forward has claimed five Premier League titles, two League Cups and a Champions League title during his nine years at Old Trafford.
It seems the 27 year old’s main crime is a distain to playing second-fiddle to Robin Van Persie, whilst others have complained over Rooney’s apparent lack of fitness, despite playing in 37 fixtures last season, and averaging over forty appearances per term throughout his United career. On a business front, this summer represents the best opportunity to sell the striker, a campaign before his contract enters its final year and his value begins to plummet as a result.
But making selection and transfer policy based upon business decisions is dangerous territory, and it appears from the outside at least that the Red Devils are essentially surrendering one of the English top flight’s most proven goal-scorers and creators in the final third to a divisional rival who present the biggest threat to United’s title defence next season, simply for the sake of it. Instead, the club will be reliant upon Robin Van Persie for goals, a striker who was 30 less career goals than Rooney, 19 less Premier League goals than Rooney, and in two weeks time, will be three years older than Rooney.
At the same time, the Red Devils are losing the vital element to their strikeforce. Currently, they have the best attack in the Premier League, with Van Persie, Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck providing great contrast and diversity in style, physicality, strengths and weakness, whilst also representing variation in age and proven track record. But United will suddenly find themselves eclipsed in attack should Rooney jump ship to Stamford Bridge and join up with Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku, whilst recent acquisitions at City have added Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic alongside Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero.
Options up-front was undoubtedly United’s biggest strength amid their successful 2012/2013 campaign, but a large chunk of their unrivalled depth laid in Rooney’s versatility. Van Persie and Hernandez are both capable of twenty goals a-piece, and the Mexican international deserves a fairer share of game time, but Danny Welbeck’s inability to find the net is well-known, whilst none on the Red Devils roster, excluding Kagawa, appear capable of taking over the Rooney’s dual role at the tip of United’s midfield.
The fact is, all that Manchester United are gaining from the Rooney deal is a sum between £25million and £35million, money which the club simply doesn’t need, and considering the England international’s availability is well known, I’d predict that his price tag will be closer to the former figure rather than the latter.
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Without a viable replacement on the horizon, with every established European attacking midfielder and striker already accounted for this summer barring a few exceptions, Rooney’s departure looks set to leave integral holes in the United squad, whilst his unique characteristics, with creativity and composure in the final third, the ability to score from a variety of ranges and chances, a raw energy, robustness and hard-working attitude, and one of the most proven track-records in terms of end product in the top flight, will be willing handed to United’s biggest foes in Chelsea and Jose Mourinho.
The Red Devils have little to gain and a lot to lose from selling a player that is currently the heart-beat of the first team, and David Moyes is taking a huge risk in axeing one of his most established players simply for the sake of change. Should Rooney’s form pick up upon his arrival in West London, the critics will come calling, but even before the incoming Premier League season gets underway, United will have to source a new recruit of similar quality and reputation. At the moment that man appears to be Cesc Fabregas, but should the Spaniard wish to stay put, there aren’t too many transfer alternatives for David Moyes that can claim to be a similar caliber to the England international. Rooney’s transfer has huge scope to backfire, and leave the new Red Devils boss blue in the face amid his first season in charge at Old Trafford.
Do United stand little to gain from selling Wayne Rooney?
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he was impressed with goalkeeper Vito Mannone’s performances against Stoke City and Liverpool, according to the club’s official website.
The 24-year-old is normally third choice at the Emirates, but deputised for the Gunners after injuries were sustained to the Polish duo of Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski.
Despite this, Szczesny is expected to return to the starting line-up when Arsenal entertain Southampton tomorrow following a rib injury.
However, Wenger admits he has been impressed by Mannone’s application and attitude, “He has done really well. Vito was allowed to move at the start of the season to play somewhere.” Wenger added, “Now he has been No. 1 for two games and has at least moved into being a serious candidate to be fighting for the place. At the moment, Wojciech is there but there is a fight and it is interesting.”
The Arsenal boss says that he sees competition for places in the goalkeeping department as healthy for any side, “We have three goalkeepers who have the talent to play in the Premier League and to fight for the No. 1 place.”
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There’s no way to get around it, Rangers have had another abysmal season.
While challenging Celtic for the Scottish Premiership was always going to be a big ask, the manner in which they surrendered the fight both in direct competition with the Hoops and over the course of the season has not been good enough for Rangers supporters.
Added to that, they are again struggling to even finish second ahead of teams with resources far less than theirs. There is even a chance that they finish fourth if results go against them this week. That’s unthinkable.
The appointment of Steven Gerrard has added a bit of much needed optimism, but the realities of the job ahead of him will be difficult to navigate.
While bringing in fresh talent is obviously a priority, just as important is shedding players from a squad that simply hasn’t been good enough.
These are the three players that must be first out of the door this summer by any means necessary…
Bruno Alves has been a massive disappointment and flop since arriving as Pedro Caixinha’s first signing in last summer’s transfer window.
His signature was supposed to be a signal of intent, but his spell at the club has turned into more of a symbol of failure.
Reported to be one of the squad’s highest earners, he simply hasn’t delivered a return on that investment, starting less than half of Rangers games in all competitions this season.
When he has played he’s often failed to impress, looking a shadow of the towering defender who won so many trophies with Porto, FC Zenit and Fenerbahce.
Getting him off the wage bill must be a priority for Steven Gerrard, whose resources will be stretched to the limit as is. Sadly for the Liverpool legend, Alves has another year on his contract at Ibrox, so he’ll have to hope that a buying club comes in for him.
If Bruno Alves’ spell at the club has been a disappointment, Carlos Pena’s has been nothing but a disaster.
Heralded as one of the club’s marquee signings last June, he took over three months to make his first start for the club and ended up making only eight in total before being sent on loan to Cruz Azul in his Mexican homeland in January, unbelievably signed by Pedro Caixinha for the second time in a single season.
However, the shambles didn’t end there, with the midfielder reportedly sacked last month for urinating in a fountain in the team’s hotel while drunk.
With two years left on his current Rangers deal, his status at the club is in limbo but it’s fairly clear he has no future at Ibrox in the short-term and the Gers must look at every option to ensure he is moved on.
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Completing the trio of disastrous Pedro Caixinha signings is Eduardo Herrara, who was announced as a Rangers player on the same day as Carlos Pena.
A 9-cap Mexican international, there was a keen sense of intrigue about the target man striker when he arrived and after scoring four games into the league season, there was some hope he could do a job.
With just one solitary League Cup goal since then though, it’s fair to say he’s failed to make an impression and hasn’t even played in a league match since December despite being fit for the vast majority of the time since.
He needs to go to make way for other signings and strikers that Steven Gerrard wants to pursue.
Like your nan probably used to tell you when she gave you some money, ‘Don’t spend it all at once.’
The same holds true in football. Liverpool blew their Luis Suarez money on a collection of players that failed to gel together: split like a bad hollandaise sauce. Tottenham did even worse with their Gareth Bale money, the flops from that venture are being offloaded as we speak. Etienne Capoue is now a Watford player and Roberto Soldado might flee back to Spain with his tail between his legs.
So the windfall Aston Villa have come into after the sale of Christian Benteke to Liverpool should be regarded in the same caution. It’s not quite so spectacularly large, but Villa would do well to replace him and build the team as they would’ve done with the burly Belgian.
And so it makes complete sense to see Tim Sherwood raid his old club Tottenham for Emmanuel Adebayor.
Is it a risk? Yes, Benteke is a great striker with a real future ahead of him. His goals have kept Villa in the Premier League in at least two season. Adebayor, on the other hand, hasn’t shown his quality since Sherwood was in charge at the Lane. And before Sherwood was in charge it was much longer ago than that.
But Adebayor is definitely a quality footballer. He’s also big and strong, and like Benteke he knows where the goal is. And Sherwood is confident he can get the best out of the Togolese once again.
So it might be a risk, but it looks like a calculated one that learns from the mistakes of other clubs. We’ll have to wait and see if Villa spend their money on other players too, of course. But if Villa do get their man, they’ll be able to build just as they would’ve done had they kept hold of Benteke.
We would call him a traditional number 9. In Brazil, the lone striker is known as the point of the lance. Benteke has been Villa’s bayonet, and with the direct style employed by Sherwood since his arrival, favouring pace in and around the lone striker, Benteke has been effective. Adebayor would surely fit the bill as a striker who can play in that role.
But replacing Benteke at the point of the lance will only be effective for Villa next season if the point is sharp. Adebayor played only eight times last season, scoring two goals, so it’s not clear that he’ll still be a striker with the quality to do it in the Premier League.
And Villa perhaps rely on their lone striker too much as it is. Benteke’s goals have been crucial in Villa’s survival bids over the last few years, but clearly that shows that the blade at the end of the lance is sharp. There’s something to be said for a blunt instrument too, of course, but it doesn’t have the penetrating power that a sharp one does.
And that’s the gamble that Sherwood is taking if indeed he does plump for Adebayor. If he does, he’ll be getting a striker he knows and trusts, a striker with obvious class and pedigree and someone who is very comfortable and totally adept at playing in the role that Sherwood wants him to play. But is he still up to the task?
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Tim Sherwood needs a new bayonet, and there are lots of plusses to choosing Adebayor for the job. But the two questions are: is he sharp? And is he rusty? Because if Adebayor can still do it Sherwood won’t have to build his team in a different way and he won’t have to buy lots of new players to create new options for the team like Spurs and Liverpool did.
But if Adebayor isn’t up to the task it could be a long season ahead for Villa. Playing a direct and pacey style with no one up front to score the goals could turn out to be hugely frustrating and ultimately a knife through the heart of Villa’s Premier League survival hopes.
The controversies surrounding Carlos Tevez’s initial move to England with West Ham have been replaced by other equally infamous stories. The transfer from the red half of Manchester to the blue; the retreat to Argentina following the episode at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich; the persistent stories linking him with a move away.
Is it so bad that no other English club – a fourth English club – has found use for the 29-year-old? Almost as if to say, collectively, the Premier League is sorry to let go of such a headline-producing figure.
£10 million rising to £12 million may seem like peanuts in today’s market – because it is. Tevez may be at that stage of his career where it’s his ‘last big contract,’ but he’s still a 20 goal-a-season striker, more than capable of leading the charge for any of the top teams in Europe. Yet it isn’t such a bad thing that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham have failed to capitalise on his move out of the Etihad Stadium.
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The unwavering power in his game, the desire shown on the pitch and the capacity to match the very best he’s thrown in against would indicate that Juventus have indeed landed a star striker, the club now fully able to launch potentially devastating tandem with Fernando Llorente also in the fold as they seek their third Serie A title in as many years. But Italy is new to Tevez, it’s a different adventure and one where the poorly taken steps of his career in England won’t be so pronounced.
Juventus don’t need a star to legitimise their efforts for this season. The Italian champions have Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, a monster three-man backline headed by Giorgio Chiellini; Tevez is joining a proven group of winners and adding to their bid to transfer domestic success onto the European stage. It would be completely different at any of the three suggested teams in England.
It shouldn’t be misinterpreted: for his abilities and contributions on the pitch, Tottenham and Arsenal would both see value in Tevez, combined with the minimal fee Manchester City have reduced themselves to. It’s the off-pitch personality that neither team need.
Spurs are already dealing with the persistent nuisance from abroad with regards to Gareth Bale and Andre Villas-Boas is trying to reshape a squad in his own image – one that saw him to such success while managing in Portugal. Like their north London rivals, Tottenham also need a marquee name in attack, someone who can finally take them over the line and help to secure Champions League football on a regular basis. Tevez, however, isn’t the long-term fix they need. On the pitch he’ll do what they need and probably more. Off it, you never know what you’re going to get. Coupled with his wage demands that were unlikely to deviate too far from his previous contract at Manchester City, it just rounds out to a deal that Spurs could have afforded to miss.
The lack of interest from within the Premier League for Tevez – his most notable suitors ahead of Juventus were Monaco and PSG – should also say a lot about the value English clubs have found abroad. Tevez isn’t the only 20 goal-a-season striker who could be had for a financial package that amounts to a good investment. Can anyone really argue that Arsenal haven’t picked up a better deal in Gonzalo Higuain if the mooted £22 million deal goes ahead? What about Tottenham and the links they have with Leandro Damiao and Roberto Soldado? One is a proven goal scorer in Europe, while the former is a Brazilian international with the potential to further enhance his reputation in the Premier League.
For Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool, it makes absolutely no sense. The club are targeting bargain buys in the most literal sense of the phrase, all the while ensuring that they remain smart in their building and receive the best return for their meagre outlay. Should Luis Suarez depart Anfield this summer, a replacement like Tevez might not do a lot to totally appease supporters. The Argentine isn’t a player who you can invest a lengthy project in. Adding his age into the mix, it doesn’t fit the bill for what the club are looking for on the transfer front.
An interesting (or damning) stat is that Tevez hasn’t scored in the Champions League since his final season at Old Trafford. Of course, there was the fallout from the incident at the Allianz Arena, but then City could have done with someone of his experience in the competition last season when they failed to advance out of the group stage yet again. The player himself doesn’t need a project; he needs to go where the pressure is lessened significantly.
Manchester City may have an immediate feeling that they didn’t quite get value for money in the sale of Tevez – Robin van Persie and Andriy Shevchenko are comparable transfers. But Premier League clubs haven’t missed a beat by any means. There are far better options suited to the needs of Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal. At 29, the Argentine isn’t quite at the age anymore to be considered a signing of great intent.
Have Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool missed out on Carlos Tevez?
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Gossip plays a big part in the world of football today, indeed where would we be without the transfer rumours that fill up the empty space in the summer vacated by the actual games themselves? The papers comply fully with people’s desires to hear shocking stories about their clubs and which potential superstars they’ve been linked with this week.
Unfortunately, the Internet has ensured the business of transfer rumours has been taken to a whole new level, with numerous sites dedicated specifically to the subject. This means that all sorts of stories can be broken to the world, and many of them without a shred of truth behind them. Fans now have to decipher between the accurate rumours, the unlikely rumours and the ‘not a chance in hell that’s happening’ rumours. This summer has been no different and therefore we bring you ten of the worst transfer rumours to hit the press this transfer window.
Click on Hulk to see this summer’s dodgiest deals
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Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has looked at the positives from this afternoon’s Premier League stalemate against Stoke City.The fans were not entirely happy, particularly with Joe Gomez’s performance, due to the fact that Jurgen Klopp’s attacking stars misfired.In the end, the club recorded a goalless draw, although they should have been awarded a penalty when the ball struck Erik Pieters’s arm in the box.Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson were among the first XI, despite the fact that the Reds have a huge Champions League semi-final second leg against Roma next Wednesday night.Salah unusually missed an opportunity that he normally would have buried as his attempt missed the target despite being through on goal.Even though it was not the desired result against relegation battlers Stoke, the team still picked up a point and are three away from securing a place in the top four of the table.Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson suffered knocks, but the injuries are not thought to be serious enough to affect their chances of playing in Italy next week.After the final whistle, Aldridge took to Twitter to post the positives, and he could not help but throw a cheeky dig at Stoke.