CPFC: Fans react to Woosnam post on Hodgson

Many fans of Crystal Palace have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which Matt Woosnam shared an article of his regarding the future of the Eagles manager Roy Hodgson.

In Woosnam’s article for The Athletic, the journalist claims that the south London side’s recent 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion has “done little to assuage the concerns of critics” of Hodgson, who has a matter of months remaining on his contract as the Palace boss.

Woosnam also claims that there “appears to be no sign of certainty” as to whether or not the Eagles will look to offer the 73-year-old a contract extension and also questioned, after sharing his article on Twitter, whether the former England manager would accept a new deal “knowing he was never first choice,” as well as whether Hodgson’s much-maligned style of football will be “tolerated” when fans return to Selhurst Park.

In reaction to the journalist’s tweet, many fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with plenty appearing to be firmly of the belief that Hodgson should not remain in charge of Palace beyond the end of the current season.

So, what exactly did these Crystal Palace fans have to say in reaction to Matt Woosnam’s tweet regarding Roy Hodgson’s future?

“Any extension of Hodgson contract will require an extension on many players contracts I think. It would be madness to allow a man in the last year of his contract to form a new squad knowing he won’t be there.”

@UpperTierSteve

“No thank you. He doesn’t develop youngsters, he only wants 28/29-year-olds and upwards at the club – he didn’t even want Eze, we could have signed Watkins and Justin but Roy didn’t want them. Will not be getting a season ticket if he stays.”

@Hape9999

“If this man gets a new contract, for the first time in my adult life I’ll not renew my season ticket. It won’t mean much to the club but will definitely be a big thing for me. I’m someone who’d probably still have a season ticket if I lived halfway across the world.”

@pdot_j

“If we lose Wilf, will these tactics keep us up even with Roy? You play like this all the time and you get lucky (Brighton, Fulham) now and then but, eventually, it stops working.”

@rickerz61

“Let’s not even entertain this idea.”

@WarrenAJB

“No no and no.”

@Kevbartleyy

“I reckon he knows that this is his last season.”

@cpfcjude

In other news: One Palace star has been linked with a move elsewhere in the Premier League, find out more here!

Man United Predicted XI vs AC Milan

Following their heroics in the Manchester derby at the weekend, Manchester United have a crunch European tie to look forward to against AC Milan.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men welcome the Italian giants to Old Trafford for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 meeting on Thursday.

Will the Norwegian be tempted to stick or twist for the match especially with the Red Devils still challenging on three fronts?

We are not predicting sweeping changes from Solskjaer for the game considering the tough level of opposition, with potentially just two changes in store.

Dean Henderson will continue in goal in the extended absence of David de Gea. The usual No.1 is still back in his home country following the birth of his child.

In defence, English trio Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka should all remain after their impressive showings at the weekend. However, one alteration could occur at centre-back with Eric Bailly replacing Victor Lindelof. The Swede has only just made his return to the starting line-up from a back injury so might not yet be ready to start two matches in just a couple of days.

Elsewhere, midfield duo Fred and Scott McTominay are likely to start once again, with the irrepressible Bruno Fernandes deployed just ahead.

However, there will certainly be another change to the forward line as both Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford are on the sidelines. The former was ruled out at the Etihad Stadium so Daniel James should continue in his place.

Meanwhile, £72m-rated forward Rashford should be replaced by fellow academy graduate Mason Greenwood after sustaining a knock on his ankle against City.

AND in more news, take a look at how Diogo Dalot could send a stark reminder to Manchester United and Solskjaer as he returns to Old Trafford on Thursday…

Rangers suffer Ryan Jack injury blow

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a fresh blow with Ryan Jack after he suffered a calf injury during the 4-1 win over Dundee United.

What’s the word?

Jack picked up a minor knock, which Gerrard said will keep him out potentially for up to two weeks, thus ruling him out of the return fixture against Royal Antwerp at Ibrox in the Europa League on Thursday night.

“Nothing has changed on Kemar Roofe and James Tavernier, we will work closely with our medical team to get them back as soon as possible,” said Gerrard in quotes reported by Glasgow Live.

“Ryan Jack is more positive, not any muscle damage but he is likely to be a couple of weeks but nothing long-term.”

Devastating blow for Steven Gerrard

After signing from Aberdeen in 2017, Rangers fans have become well accustomed to seeing Jack ruled out for a considerable amount of time in recent years.

Of course, Gerrard has since confirmed there isn’t any muscular damage, but it’s easy to see why the Ibrox boss is understandably being so cautious, especially considering his recent track record.

With plenty of time left between now and the end of the season, rushing Jack back from injury too quickly could have a detrimental effect on their hopes of both domestic and European success.

But there’s no doubting it will be a bitter pill to swallow for Gerrard, who will once again be without one of his key men when Antwerp make the trip to Ibrox tonight.

Despite their fine run of form, Rangers have still lost one game and drawn three that Jack has missed, while ex-Ibrox striker Jonatan Johansson has recently heaped praise on his former charge.

He said: “Ryan’s always available to receive the ball. He takes on that responsibility.

“He understands the game really well. Remember, he’s also played at right-back before for Scotland so he understands different positions and his positional sense on the pitch is excellent.

“He’s obviously very good on the ball and I think something Steven has brought out in him is getting forward.

“He gets in the box now, he shoots and scores goals. So his all-round game is getting better and better.

“I can’t stress the importance of him being in the team. He got a new contract recently and with stats like this, that’s no surprise.”

Jack, who is currently valued at £2.7m via Transfermarkt, has established himself as an ever-present under Gerrard, having made 109 appearances for the manager, and earning 10 caps for his country in the process.

His absence, therefore, will be a bitter blow for Gerrard, as he will no doubt be concerned about their chances without one of his star midfielders having conceded three against Antwerp last time out.

AND in other news, Rangers given double injury boost but Steven Gerrard will have to wait…

Wednesday: Fans react to Urhoghide update

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans are reacting to the latest news provided by Dom Howson on Osaze Urhoghide, whose future has looked uncertain.

The 20-year-old defender started to emerge from the academy at the end of last season and has featured 12 times for the club since making his debut in January 2020 (Transfermarkt). Ten of these appearances have been in the Championship.

According to Howson, Wednesday have offered a new contract to Urhoghide, tweeting that he understands ‘talks are ongoing’. Meanwhile, the arrival of Darren Moore as manager is expected to accelerate things over the coming weeks.

This is very exciting news for fans of the club, especially since they are losing fellow academy star Liam Shaw, with the young striker heading to Scottish giants Celtic at the end of the campaign. One Owls fan even called it a “cracking” update about Urhoghide.

With the arrival of a new manager and a young player looking likely to commit his future to the club, it looks like things are starting to turn around at Hillsborough.

Here is how fans reacted to the news:

“I hope so he deserves a deal. Long way from the finished article but definitely showing big potential”

Credit: @Wednesdayite4

“Alexa play Saturday Night”

Credit: @willfowler1867

“The messiah”

Credit: @LewisNixon06

“Cracking news”

Credit: @75HagueSWFC

“Well he’s a better talent then Liam shaw”

Credit: @CameronWraith

“I’m sure it’s up to DM to access his squad first before offering contracts , Chansiri seems to over ride his own managers”

Credit: @OwlSheffield

In other news, these Sheffield Wednesday fans have reacted to Chansiri’s latest comments!

Vinicius’ Spurs future looks under threat

It could be looking more and more unlikely that Carlos Vinicius’ stay with Tottenham Hotspur will become a permanent one in the summer after he failed to get on the pitch against West Brom last weekend.

After making his first start of the Premier League season in the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea recently, the Brazilian was relegated to the bench for the visit of the Baggies, with Harry Kane selected ahead of him, despite having only just recovered from injury.

Whilst the decision paid off, with Kane scoring Spurs’ opening goal in the 2-0 win, it is slightly worrying that the on-loan Benfica man didn’t feature at all in the 90 minutes, even though Mourinho’s side were comfortable in the second half.

In fact, 16-year-old Dane Scarlett was brought on ahead of Vinicius with Kane staying on for the whole game, which suggests that the 25-year-old might not be in Mourinho’s good books at this moment in time.

Whilst the Brazilian has impressed with his Europa League and FA Cup appearances this season, he has been limited to just one start and five substitute appearances in the Premier League, with no goals or assists to his name.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-and-rumours” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, injury latest and more!”]

Although it was always unlikely that he would be able to usurp Kane from Mourinho’s starting eleven, you would have perhaps expected him to have more opportunities in the top-flight, especially with Kane having spent the last couple of weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

The £18 million-rated striker was prolific last season with Benfica, contributing 18 goals and five assists in Liga NOS, but he has been unable to replicate that form in England’s top-flight, and he may well be fighting to save his future with the North London club after being snubbed against West Brom.

Mourinho did suggest in a recent press conference that Vinicius and Kane could play together up top but certainly so far, he has arguably not shown enough to convince the Portuguese manager, and Daniel Levy, that he is worth paying the £40 million required to make his move permanent in the summer.

And, in other news… £80k-p/w Spurs gem showed he can still be key under Mourinho with superb WBA display

Aston Villa predicted XI vs Arsenal

Aston Villa will be hoping that they can correct their most recent outing in the Premier League and return to winning ways as they get this weekend kicked off with a lunchtime clash against Arsenal.

Dean Smith’s side will welcome the inconsistent Arsenal to Villa Park this afternoon as both sides look to bank a crucial three points in their respective season. The Lions are coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat to West Ham on home soil whilst Mikel Arteta’s men were recently beaten by Wolves.

Smith isn’t usually known for straying away from his usual lineup and team selections. However, times are becoming urgent as nine outfield players have played more than 1,000 minutes this season, with Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez playing all 20 Premier League so far, according to Birmingham Live.

With several players in need of a rest and plenty vying for their chance off the bench, here’s how Football FanCast has predicted Villa to lineup this afternoon…

Although rotation can be key in the Premier League, there’s very little chance that Smith will change up any of his defensive personnel. The Villa backline is unchanged in their last six Premier League games. Even with an injury scare on Matt Targett against Manchester City, the left-back was back in action the following match against Newcastle in their 2-0 victory.

However, the manager’s more creative options will be up for debate. Players like Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet are looking to get their chance to cement themselves in the Villa squad as one of Smith’s regular choices. Last time out, Anwar El Ghazi was disappointing on the right wing and was hauled off the pitch after half-time.

According to Sofascore, the Dutchman managed to complete just seven accurate passes in the first half and lost possession 11 times. This is far from the creative masterclass the boss will have wanted from his winger and could be tempted to bring Trezeguet back into the squad.

The Egyptian hasn’t started for Villa since the reverse West Ham fixture back in November. He then spent eight games on the sidelines due to a head injury and has been limited to cameo appearances since his return, according to Transfermarkt.

Another player who could be put back into the spotlight is £78,000 per week Traore. The wide-man has five goalscoring contributions in his last ten appearances for the Lions and will be paramount for breaking sown Arsenal’s backline this afternoon as Villa kick off this weekend’s action.

That could see Jack Grealish move into the number ten role, with Ross Barkley dropped to the bench. Ollie Watkins will of course lead the line as he has always done, despite not missing a single minute of Premier League football this season.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn: Traore, Grealish, Trezeguet; Watkins.

In other news, Aston Villa may rue not signing Josh King on transfer deadline day…

Leeds: How may their XI look after deadline day?

This January has already proven to be a testing time for Leeds United.

They are yet to win, yet to score and have conceded seven goals in three outings. On top of that, they were dumped out of the FA Cup at the hands of League Two Crawley Town.

Evidently, this has not been a good start to the year, but fortunately, Victor Orta could turn the tide with a few additions late in the window.

Given there are just a matter of days before the market closes, it feels unlikely that Leeds will be too active.

After all, Marcelo Bielsa likes working with a small squad and after the ordeals with Dan James and Jean-Kevin Augustin, United prefer incomings in the summer.

Though, what if Leeds did sign a few of their reported targets? Well, there are three players on their radar that could join and if they arrive at Elland Road, here’s how the Whites’ starting XI may look.

The first thing you’ll notice is that Patrick Bamford is still leading the line. Leeds have been linked with Montpellier’s Andy Delort but the Englishman is the club’s undisputed number 9.

Behind him though is one change. Despite being a favourite of Bielsa and missing just one league game under the Argentine, Mateusz Klich drops out. That’s because Erick Pulgar could walk through the door before the deadline closes.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

FFC have already spoken about how he could be a perfect Klich successor and the latest on the Fiorentina midfielder’s situation is that Leeds could sign him on loan.

We’re tipping two changes to be made defensively. French left-back Jordan Amavi – once of Aston Villa – was touted with a switch over the weekend.

If he does sign, it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see him usurp Gjanni Alioski pretty quickly. That’s because he’s far better statistically and also has Premier League experience to boot.

The final change is at centre-back, a problem position for Leeds this season. Over the festive period they had Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente all out. Therefore, we reckon defensive target Loic Bade could come straight in at the heart of the defence.

The youngster is currently at Lens but is an eye-catching centre-back, one capable of replacing the qualities Pontus Jansson left behind.

AND in other news, Orta masterclass: Leeds could end a 4-year problem with swoop for £25k-p/w beast…

How West Brom’s starting XI may look under Sam Allardyce

West Brom are about to embark on a new era as Sam Allardyce has replaced Slaven Bilic at the Hawthorns.

The Croatian was sacked less than 24 hours after guiding the Baggies to an impressive 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Tuesday evening.

And now the 66-year-old has returned to management after two-and-a-half years out of the game.

The Midlands outfit officially announced his appointment on Wednesday afternoon with the former England manager signing an 18-month contract.

Allardyce has also managed the likes of Bolton, Blackburn West Ham and most recently, Everton.

But how might West Brom’s starting XI look once he has implemented his own ideas?

Here’s what we are predicting…

Allardyce is typically known as a direct and counter-attacking manager, but one who can get the most out of players by playing exactly where they should be played.

We could well see a similar 4-4-2 to what we saw during his time at Bolton – incorporating a target man as well as a creative attacking midfielder (Jay-Jay Okocha) that’s given the freedom to operate out wide.

The other two in the middle were often industrious box-to-box types (Kevin Nolan and Gary Speed) whilst only one of the two full-backs (Ricardo Gardner) were allowed to bomb on up the pitch.

West Brom appear to have the players to fit this style.

Sam Johnstone will stay between the sticks whilst a no-nonsense duo of Kyle Bartley, when fit, and Branislav Ivanovic will partner up in the middle of defence. They will keep it simple with passes out wide or into midfield.

Darnell Furlong may act as the Baggies’ version of Gardner with Kieran Gibbs the defensively-minded option on the other flank.

Jake Livermore and Conor Gallagher could form a hard-working partnership in the engine room whilst Matheus Pereira is an easy comparison to Okocha, he’ll be given the keys to drift out wide with Furlong overlapping throughout.

Grady Diangana may be utilised on the other side with Albion outcast Charlie Austin returning as the ‘target man.’

He’ll partner Karlan Grant in attack as Allardyce looks to find his new Nicolas Anelka and Kevin Davies.

It does mean that there is no place for Slaven Bilic favourite Semi Ajayi or Romaine Sawyers, whilst academy stars Kyle Edwards and Rekeem Harper continue to be frozen out.

AND in other news, Forget Johnstone, West Brom dynamo who won 10 duels stole the show against Man City…

Greenwood and Tuanzebe start, Paul Pogba misses out: Manchester United Predicted XI vs Southampton

Manchester United will be all too aware that they can move above Manchester City in the Premier League as they prepare for today’s clash at Southampton.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side currently sit behind City in the table but can move above their fierce rivals if they beat the Saints on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils return to Premier League action for the first time since beating West Bromwich Albion in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford as they travel to St Mary’s to take on Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side, who are unbeaten in their past seven games in all competitions so far this season.

United battered Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday evening and may look to keep most of the same team in place for what could be another big game for Solskjaer.

You’d expected United to get at least something against the Saints; after all, they haven’t lost in the last nine times the two sides have met.

Here is our predicted line-up for Manchester United this afternoon.

Solskjaer could hand second-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson his first start for his boyhood club in the Premier League amid reports that he is expected to replace David de Gea between the sticks.

It’s hard to imagine many changes to the back four, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alex Telles and Harry Maguire likely to start. Maybe Victor Lindelof could keep his place, although there are concerns over his match fitness, so we’re backing Axel Tuanzebe to earn a recall as he has impressed in the Champions League so far this season.

Both Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba reportedly face a race against time to be declared fit to face Southampton at St Mary’s, whilst Jesse Lingard has returned to first-team training after completing a period of self-isolation.

Whilst Sunday’s game may come too soon for Pogba, it’s unlikely the Frenchman will start, which provides Solskjaer with the perfect opportunity to test Donny van de Beek.

Edinson Cavani offered very little going forwards against Istanbul in the Champions League, so switching Marcus Rashford back to the left and bringing Mason Greenwood back into the starting line-up on the right could be a shrewd move, whilst Anthony Martial is likely to lead the line.

AND in other news, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must unleash Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek vs Southampton…

Sunderland finally see signs of promise from Callum McFadzean in FA Cup loss

Sunderland’s capture of former Plymouth Argyle defender Callum McFadzean finally came good when handed his Black Cats debut in defeat to Mansfield Town during Saturday’s FA Cup First Round tie.

McFadzean moved to the Stadium of Light at the end of the transfer market to answer manager Phil Parkinson’s search for depth, having been released by the Pilgrims earlier this summer after 30 appearances during a one-year spell at Home Park.

Parkinson had opted against awarding the 26-year-old his chance to impress in the North East during his first weeks as a Sunderland player, despite hinting the wide defender who can also play at centre-half could feature in October’s defeat to rivals Portsmouth.

McFadzean finally saw game time in red and white this Saturday when the Black Cats visited Mansfield hoping to kick off their FA Cup campaign with a win. But while Sunderland lost, he was the clear silver lining.

Sunderland bowed out of the FA Cup after a poor second-half display from too many of Parkinson’s men, with chances to score few and far between from a side featuring the likes of Will Grigg and Danny Graham – two players with a combined 192 career goals.

Mansfield defended well to thwart the Black Cats in most, and eventually broke the deadlock through George Lapslie in the 49th-minute to begin Nigel Clough’s reign with the League Two Stags’ first win in any competition this term.

McFadzean presented a consistent threat during an impressive debut as he strived to help find a way back into the tie, with his series of excellent deliveries worthy of more than seeing Graham smash the crossbar from a few yards out.

The former Bury wing-back also forced Stags shot-stopper Marek Stech into action late in the first half, and impressed Parkinson during his time on the field.

“He’s only been with us a couple of weeks but with Denver [Hume] and Goochy [Lynden Gooch] being out, we decided to play him,” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo.

“I had to protect him by bringing him off towards the end, because we don’t want him getting injured going forward. But he showed what he’s all about, and put in three or four top-class deliveries.

“He’s different to Denver in the way he gets into those areas, but he can be equally effective. I think he’ll be a good signing for us.”

Parkinson will no doubt be hopeful of seeing similar performances from McFadzean down the stretch, and may consider fielding the 26-year-old enforcer again when Sunderland visit Fleetwood Town in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday night.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson has confirmed a major blow for a Sunderland gem he begged to “let his football do the talking”.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus