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Southampton’s excellent performances of late haven’t gone unnoticed by the Premier League high-ups who decided that Ralph Hasenhuttl should be nominated for March’s Manager of the Month award.

The Austrian has done a fantastic job at St Mary’s Stadium since being appointed in December and, regardless of what the table indicates, it now looks near impossible that the Saints will join Fulham and Huddersfield in relegation to the second tier.

The days of boring, unattractive football under Mark Hughes are long gone, replaced by high-tempo, high quality performances that have been getting the results they deserve, and the fans surely couldn’t be happier with how their 2019 has gone.

A Southampton fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Saints in the video below…

Wins over Spurs and Brighton in recent weeks, as well as a near miss at Old Trafford, have launched the Saints away from the drop zone and nobody can argue that Hasenhuttl doesn’t deserve the nomination. You can find the best of the reaction from the Southampton faithful below…

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Rangers will look to make it two Scottish Premiership wins on the bounce and stop Celtic winning the league for at least another week when they travel to Motherwell on Sunday.

The Glasgow giants lie 13 points behind their arch-rivals in the standings with just six fixtures of the campaign remaining, and a defeat for them couple with victory for Neil Lennon’s side would see them crowned champions this weekend.

Gers manager Steven Gerrard spoke to the press ahead of the trip to Fir Park, and these were the two most important things he said.

Frustrated Jermain Defoe

When the veteran striker moved north of the border during the January transfer window he probably would have been expected to be a regular starter, but instead he has often been in and out of the starting XI because of the form of Alfredo Morelos and Gerrard’s preferred formation which only incorporates one centre-forward.

However, the Colombia international’s fifth red card of the campaign has given Defoe a starting opportunity, and his manager said he knows the 36-year-old will have been champing at the bit to play more.

He said: “We’ve got every confidence that Jermain is capable of that [stepping up to the plate in Morelos’ absence]. Knowing him better than most, he’s probably been a bit frustrated with me in terms of game time and minutes.

“He’s come in and done really well, and I’ve every confidence that he’ll build upon last night’s performance.”

His goal against Hearts in midweek certainly showed what he is capable of, and he will want more goals – starting against Motherwell.

Summer changes

The former Liverpool midfielder was also asked about his players, complacency and the work he could look to do the squad during the summer transfer window, and he replied:

“You find out a lot about players when things are going well, when setbacks happen. When individuals maybe drop form or aren’t at their best you learn an awful lot about every single individual.

“Some have thrived on it and been with me all the way, through the good and the bad, and I’ve always had a good feeling that they want to be part of this moving forward.

“Some have fallen short. At the right time, when it’s possible, they’ll be moved on.

“The only thing I can say is we will try and add more quality to make our XI stronger. There won’t be wholesale changes like there was last season.”

While there isn’t as much work needed on the squad as was the case last summer, it is clear to see that Gerrard has already made his decisions on who isn’t good enough and needs to leave.

It will certainly be interesting to see the departures from Ibrox in the coming months, to see who didn’t live up to the 38-year-old’s standards.

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Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.

Spurs turned in a spirited display against the Premier League champions, with Mauricio Pochettino having made a number of changes to his starting XI, and defender Juan Foyth was particularly impressive.

On the chalkboard

It is little surprise that Pochettino decided to roll the dice and rotate his squad.

Spurs, of course, beat City on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals earlier this week, with their exertions leading to a number of changes.

Foyth was a beneficiary, playing at right-back, his ninth Premier League appearance of the season and his first in the position.

Per WhoScored, he collected a higher rating than any of his team-mates and turned in a generally assiduous performance.

He made seven tackles throughout the 90 minutes, more than any other player on the pitch, and also made one clearance, while winning four aerial duels, the most of any Spurs player.

Impressively, Foyth – who Transfermarkt value at £10.8m – also completed three dribbles and made one key pass.

In the pressure cooker of the Etihad, nerves clearly gripped the City players as time ticked away, Foyth turned in an accomplished performance.

Coming of age

Foyth is clearly a gifted defender but, before Saturday, he had yet to have anything approaching a defining performance.

That, clearly, is no longer the case.

Tasked with facing up to Raheem Sterling, one of the best wingers in Europe, the Argentina international did not back down, reducing the England international to just one shot at goal without creating a single chance.

He was, in fact, unlucky to be on the losing side and can surely hope to see more action in the coming season.

Of course, Spurs are battling to qualify for the Champions League; either through the top four or, incredibly, by winning the competition.

Rotation is unlikely to be the order of the day, but Pochettino now knows that he can rely on the 21-year-old whenever he needs to.

The Premier League sharks are starting to circle around Bournemouth and Ryan Fraser — and it is not difficult to understand why.

Following a season where only Chelsea’s Eden Hazard has created more goals, it is only natural that teams higher up the table are looking at the 25-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window.

And Chelsea themselves, according to the Daily Mail, are said to be one of the teams interested in Fraser’s services.

As well as Maurizio Sarri’s side, Newcastle United are also believed to be keen on the Scotland international, though it is hard to imagine why he would ditch the Vitality Stadium for St. James’ Park.

There is no denying Newcastle’s status as a big club. And under a coach like Rafael Benitez, under the right circumstances, the Tyneside club could easily be challenging for Europe.

But those circumstances are not there, leaving Newcastle at around the same level as Bournemouth, making a move there a career side step for Fraser.

At Newcastle, Fraser is likely to get more minutes than what he would get at an outfit like Chelsea or Arsenal.

But if simply playing is enough, then the former Aberdeen man might as well put pen to paper on a new deal and stay at Bournemouth.

No, instead, if Fraser really is looking to leave the Cherries, then he should be aiming to test himself at a higher level.

Bournemouth fans, can you see Fraser leaving for Newcastle in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

It is not very often that a swap deal works out for both parties, but that is exactly what has happened with the deal that saw Dwight Gayle head to the Hawthorns and Salomón Rondón head to St James’ Park.

Gayle has scored 17 goals in 34 appearances for West Brom this season, while Rondón has bagged 10 in 28 for Newcastle.

Both Rafa Benitez and the fans, have urged The Magpies to make the Venezuelan’s stay on Tyneside a permanent one, while Albion fans are making similar noises about Gayle.

But Benitez has insisted there could still be a St James’ Park future for the former Palace striker.

Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle about Gayle’s future, Rafa said: “Dwight is doing really well.

“It’s good when players are doing well for their teams and you have to consider them for the future.

“OK, you never know what can happen but it’s good when they are doing well and enjoying themselves.”

It is certainly not the biggest endorsement of the player’s likely return to Newcastle next season, but it has left the door ajar.

The problem is, the preferred scenario would surely be for Gayle to be used as a make-weight in a deal to secure Rondón’s future on Tyneside, while getting a high earner off the wage bill at the same time.

Whether that comes to fruition relies on several permutations: whether West Brom get promoted — at which point the asking price rises; whether there is rival interest for the player — something that has looked increasingly likely in recent weeks; or whether Gayle fancies a permanent switch to The Baggies — which would likely see him take a wage cut.

But of course, one of the major unknowns, is whether Benitez will remain manager next season. If not, then it remains to be seen what personnel a new man in charge would want to keep, or let go.

In truth, despite Rafa’s public comments, it is hard to see a future for Gayle at Newcastle, regardless of who is in charge next year.

He is, in some ways, a victim of his own success in the Championship, with him scoring goals in the division for fun, at both Newcastle and West Brom, but never looking so prolific in the Premier League.

Time will tell who stays and who does not, but whichever way you look at it, it is going to be a very interesting summer in the North East.

What do you think, Newcastle fans? Would you welcome Gayle back to St James’ Park? Or would you like to see him go, regardless of what happens with Rondón? Let us know your thoughts…

Leeds United managed to squeeze past Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road earlier on today, which has taken them one step closer towards securing promotion to the Premier League. 

The Whites simply have to make the most of their promising position in the race for automatic promotion as dropping into the play-offs could end in heartbreak with league form going out of the window.

Although, Marcelo Bielsa should start weighing up his options ahead of next season, rather than solely focusing on promotion to the Premier League, as the summer transfer window will be crucial, regardless of the league.

Sadly, Leeds aren’t exactly blessed with loads of options at the pinnacle of the attack as Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe are currently the Whites’ only strikers, with Tyler Roberts dropping deeper.

But, things could change next season as one of the Yorkshire club’s loan players is enjoying plenty of success at this moment in time. Mallik Wilks has really come into his own since moving to Doncaster Rovers on loan back in the summer transfer window as he’s produced an impressive 16 goals and eight assists this season.

The Whites have struggled for creativity at times in Samu Saiz’s absence, so Wilks could be the man to fill the creativity void in the final third having produced eight assists at the Keepmoat Stadium.

He could save the club millions and ticks so many boxes, so Bielsa would be crazy not to give him a chance next season.

Not many teams in the Championship or in the Premier League will know about the 20-year-old, so he could be a deadly secret weapon off the substitutes’ bench for the Whites.

Of course, after witnessing Jack Clarke’s rise to stardom in the current campaign, it would make sense to give another thriving youngster a chance at Elland Road.

Leeds United fans, would you like to see Wilks in the first team ranks at Elland Road next season? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

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James Shan’s tenure at West Brom so far has been mixed to say the least. There have been some fantastic performances, no less than against Preston. But displays against Bristol City and most recently against Reading have shown there are still lingering problems from Darren Moore’s time at the Hawthorns.

Shan chose to rotate against Reading so it’s hardly a surprise that they drew 0-0, but some individual performances will have given him a lot to think about.

One of the major dilemmas the 40-year-old will now have to think about is his midfield. He’s been able to settle upon a three-man defensive system but you sense he still doesn’t know his best team. So in the time he’s got left at the club, which is until the end of the season as things stand, what can he do about it?

On the chalkboard

A stand out performer, of which there weren’t too many against Reading, was 20-year-old Sam Field. Given he’s a product of the flourishing Baggies academy it will have pleased the supporters no end.

His display was mature and he offered plenty of protection to Albion’s back three. He played in a midfield two with Rekeem Harper and it was an intriguing experiment from Shan to see him go with two less experienced players.

It was a game that ultimately didn’t mean too much, but for the futures of both players, it said a lot. Field was considerably better, whereas Harper showed why the club may be better off not renewing his contract.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

However, despite the performance of the former, Shan can’t throw him into the deep end just yet. With the play-offs lingering and so much riding on an instant return to the Premier League, it’s time for Albion’s more experienced heads to stand up instead.

They may have just lost Gareth Barry to injury and Jake Livermore’s form may have been questionable, but a midfield pairing of Chris Brunt and Stefan Johansen would be the best way to go. Both men have been mightily impressive under Shan and they have to be preferred to Field at this stage in the season.

أثنى يورجن كلوب مدرب فريق ليفربول على أداء المدافع الشاب ريس ويليامز في مباراة الأمس أمام فريق أتالانتا، في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات، حيث فاز ليفربول بخمسة أهداف دون رد. أهداف ليفربول وأتالانتا

ولعب ريس ويليامز، صاحب الـ 19 عامًا، دورًا في الحفاظ على نظافة الشباك وذلك في ظل الثنائي فيرجيل فان دايك وفابينيو للإصابة.

وقال كلوب، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “thisisanfield” الإنجليزية: “لا أستطيع أن أتخيل أن يكون عندي 19 عامًا فقط وأخوض مباراتي الاحترافية الثاني في دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام لاعب مثل زاباتا، أو أن ألعب معظم أوقات المباراة ضد زاباتا!”.

وأضاف: “إنه أمر لا يُصدق، كنت سأكون متوترًا مثل الجحيم، ولكن الأولاد ليسوا كذلك، هذا يساعدنا بشكل كبير”.

وواصل: “كان ويليامز مثاليًا في المباراة، لايمكنني أن أكون أكثر سعادة لأجله، يجب عليك أن تراه في غرفة الملابس, كان يجب أن تقدم شيئًا مميزًا لتجد السعادة على وجهه”.

وتابع: “فان دايك ليس معنا الآن، ومن ثم علينا التأقلم على الأمر واقتسام المسؤولية، إذا وضعت المسؤولية على عاتق 10 أشخاص بدلًا من واحد، فيمكن أن تنجح”.

واستكمل: “هذا ما حدث الليلة أمام أتالانتا، كان الأداء الدفاعي رائعًا، خاصة ريس ويليامز، بدعم من الآخرين”.

A horrible case of déjà vu might be occurring behind the scenes at Manchester United once again.

After having made Ole Gunnar Solskjaer permanent manager, Ed Woodward is seemingly now looking to grant new contracts to players he deems essential towards maintaining a bright future at the club.

However, at United, some are more important than others. The aspect of PR image and popularity kicks in and, right now, nobody represents United’s image better than Marcus Rashford. The man’s a ‘Manc Born and Bred’ as the famous song goes, which is especially why Woodward wants to guarantee his services for the long-term.

There have been talks of Rashford negotiating a new deal with United to fend off transfer rumours, but it’s had a stunning twist. According to reports from The Mirror, the Red Devils are now willing to bump Rashford’s contract to £300,000 per week. He’s currently earning at roundabout £80,000 and in desperation to hold onto his prized asset, Woodward’s making a huge mistake of granting him such an inflated salary.

Good news, right? Well, yes, but there are certain risks involved.

While there’s no doubt the United’s #10 deserves a pay-raise after his stunning form under Solskjaer to one of the best forwards in Europe, giving him triple the salary is unnecessary. Even the 21-year-old, who loves the club in and out, probably wouldn’t have been expecting such a massive raise.

Nothing about Rashford’s attitude and application suggests he’d take his foot off the gas if such a big deal were to be signed but why rush? He’s got so much of his career left to play and so many trophies to win, so giving him too much too soon is surely a risk.

Woodward could be making another Alexis Sanchez error which could be fatal in distorting the harmony inside the squad. At 21, giving him that sort of wage will surely irk the likes of Paul Pogba (who has been flirting with Real Madrid), Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial.

If this alleged £78 million deal actually goes through, it could cause chaos in United’s wage structure and cause mutiny among other stars demanding higher salaries to remain loyal to the club.

United fans, do you think Rashford deserves such a massive wage? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

When Liverpool signed Alisson for a then world-record fee for a goalkeeper, not many would have expected the Brazilian to be this good.

The 26-year-old summer signing has been one of the best shot-stoppers in the league this season a defied the odds by living up to the reported £66 million price tag Liverpool shelled out to Roma for his services, and on Sunday Alisson again proved his worth with a clean sheet against Chelsea as the Reds sealed their first win against the Blues in over five years.

The Brazilian number one is now two clean sheets away from breaking Liverpool’s record number of shutouts in a Premier League season, which is held by former keeper Pepe Reina with 20 in the 2005/06 campaign, and if the Reds are to go on to win the league title for the first time in nearly 30 years, Alisson will have a good case for signing of the season.

Alisson has single handily turned one of Liverpool’s weakest positions on the pitch for the past few seasons into one of their strongest and has had as big as an effect on Liverpool’s defensive as Virgil van Dijk, and whilst the Dutch defender wins all the plaudits from critics and neutral fans, it’s the former Roma goalkeeper that the fans are praising for their lack of conceding goals.

Sure, he has had a few mistakes at the start of his time on Merseyside, but very few goalkeepers can make a move to a new league with a new language with new teammates and not expect them to make one or two errors, and yet Alisson has overcome these problems.

Alisson was seen as an overpriced purchase when he was signed in the summer, but now with the end of the season fast approaching, it’s easy to see that the Brazilian keeper has been worth every penny for the Reds.

Liverpool fans, how important has Alisson been this season? Let us know!