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For now, the managerial saga at West Brom has been put on hold. Ever since Darren Moore was sacked there’s been an alarming lack of response from the Baggies board.

Surely, with the season reaching its climax, you would have had a plan B in mind. Apparently not. Because if you’re on the board at the Hawthorns, things are never simple.

But simple is what they now must do. The appointment this week of James Shan until the end of the season is essentially a knee jerk reaction to Alex Neil signing a new deal with Preston but they must stick with him long term.

For all the world, it looked like the Scot was going to take the reins at West Brom last week. However, after his side suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Albion at the weekend, perhaps his mind was changed.

Neil has experience of taking Norwich from the Championship to the Premier League before and it’s likely he would have been perfectly placed to possibly do the same with West Brom.

But with Shan, a sense of stability can be found. Their decision to hire Moore in the final weeks of the 2017/18 Premier League season eventually ended in disarray but they’ve already proven that inexperience doesn’t count for much.

Long term future needs to be considered

For once, West Brom need to look at the future. The club are obviously targeting a return to the Premier League as soon as possible and that’s completely fair enough. But let’s forget about that and the money that comes with it for a second.

It’s hard to tell what’ll happen down the line, that’s the nature of football. Things could end disastrously with Shan but there is at least a sense that there could be some stability.

A change of thinking is necessary. After all, West Brom have been a yoyo club for a considerable period of time.

They’ve also gone through their fair share of managers and the fact only three bosses have led the club in over 100 matches since 1997 tells you all you need to know in that regard. In total, West Brom’s managers average 107 games per spell.

Investing time in Shan can help right those issues. Pepe Mel is a fine example of where things went drastically wrong.

And although targeted managers Slavisa Jokanovic and David Wagner have fared well in the Championship, their records in the Premier League speak for themselves.

Shan is inexperienced and will need the help of additional coaches, which he’s now got in Steven Reid, but there’s no better time to learn than in the heat of a promotion battle.

Youth will stick around

Another wrong West Brom must make right is a failure to stick by their flourishing youth academy. Players such as Kemar Roofe, Tyler Roberts and Izzy Brown are ones that got away but by keeping Shan in charge, there could be an easier pathway into the first team for their upcoming stars.

Having managed the Baggies’ U23s he knows the players at that level all too well and that’s symbolic of the game time he’s given to Kyle Edwards and Rekeem Harper since he took caretaker charge.

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

Harper is out of contract at the end of the season but might he sign a new deal if there are assurances that Shan sticks around? Quite possibly.

The topic of young West Brom players leaving the club has been a concern for some time too, with a thread from Twitter in January detailing some of their frustrations.

Shan’s record of developing young players at the club is notorious and with him at the helm, Premier League or not, they’d be assured of longer-term stability.

Football is a cut throat business, managers seem to come and go on a regular basis but West Brom simply have to ignore that and trust in one of their own.

يرى النجم البرازيلي ريفالدو، أن إيسكو لاعب ريال مدريد، قد يتجه لمغادرة النادي الملكي، مثلما فعل خاميس رودريجيز، الذي انضم إلى إيفرتون في السوق الصيفي.

نجم برشلونة السابق، أبدى رأيه والذي نشرته صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، وقال: “لقد أمضى إيسكو أيامًا رائعة في النادي وكان عضوًا مهمًا في الفريق لفترة طويلة”.

وأضاف: “لكن هذا لم يعد وضعه في البرنابيو بعد الآن، لذلك قد ينظر إلى وضع خاميس رودريجيز كمثال جيد لكيفية المضي قدمًا بنجاح”.

وأردف ريفالدو: “المهاجم الكولومبي يخطف الأضواء في إنجلترا مع إيفرتون ولن أتفاجأ إذا قرر إيسكو اتخاذ خطوة مماثلة في المستقبل القريب”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. استياء شديد في ريال مدريد من زيدان بسبب خاميس رودريجيز

وواصل: “إيسكو يراقب خاميس ويعرف أنه سعيد للغاية بقراره الرحيل عن ريال مدريد إلى ناد حيث أتيحت له الفرصة ليكون لاعبًا أساسيًا والعودة أخيرًا إلى أفضل مستوياته”.

وأتم ريفالدو: “إيسكو قد يفكر في شيء مشابه إذا استمر التجاهل من قبل مدربه زيدان”.

إيسكو انضم إلى ريال مدريد من مالقة في عام 2013 ولعب 311 مباراة إجمالاً مع فريق العاصمة وسجل 51 هدفًا وقدم 54 تمريرة حاسمة.

ويأمل إيسكو في الحصول على مكان بتشكيل ريال مدريد، تمهيدًا لضمان تواجده مع المنتخب الإسباني في منافسات اليورو المرتقبة.

Portsmouth are still doing everything they can to ensure they have the best chance at achieving promotion back into the Championship next season.

Although earning a move up the football league system now seems difficult to do via the automatic spots, the play-offs still offer a chance for Portsmouth to make it back.

It’s been an extremely tough start to 2019 for Pompey and they quickly want to get back to winning ways.

Goals have dried up and for a team that couldn’t stop scoring before the New Year, that will be a concern.

Whether they stay in League One or go up into the Championship, a striker who could offer a tremendous service is Gillingham’s Tom Eaves, a player out of contract this summer.

Eaves, (who is valued at £90k on Transfermarkt) has enjoyed, on a personal note, a brilliant campaign with the Gills this season, notching up goal after goal.

Despite his side being 17th in the table, Tom Eaves has somewhat kept them afloat with 17 goals himself, plus an extra four assists as well.

Portsmouth have clinical strikers of their own but since the turn of the year, that statement may no longer be true. Jamal Lowe has 11 for the season, Ronan Curtis ten, but if Tom Eaves could replicate that form with a move to Portsmouth, that’s an offer they can’t look past.

Especially with Omar Bogle and James Vaughan only at the club until the summer, Tom Eaves gives them the security of not having to worry as much when next season comes around.

With his contract up, Eaves would be free to take his goals elsewhere and whether Portsmouth find themselves in the Championship or League One, they can be confident in the 27-year-old firing on all cylinders.

Do you agree… Let us know!

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Leicester fans have been going through a period of change lately with Brendan Rodgers replacing Claude Puel at the helm. One of Rodgers’ pivotal tasks after joining, according to supporters, should be trying to keep one of Puel’s parting gifts in Youri Tielemans at the club.

The exciting Belgian prospect arrived on loan from Monaco in January with the Daily Mail reporting this week that the Foxes may have to pay around £40m to secure his services permanently in the summer.

Avid Foxes fans have since taken to Twitter to reveal just how keen they are to see the move go through, despite the huge fee. Fans are appealing for their transfer record to be broken and doing so on a player of Tielemans’ calibre and promise would represent outstanding business.

It would certainly be a statement buy and if Leicester were to add him to the squad permanently then it would eclipse the fee they paid for Islam Slimani.

The King Power faithful also suggest that after signing the Algerian forward for £29million, there should be no issue in bringing in an expensive star like Tielemans. However, they are aware that there could be interest elsewhere and as a result, are hoping to force the club to act quick.

The 21-year-old already has a goal and two assists to his name in five Premier League matches since moving to England.

Here’s the reaction to when fans were asked if they should break the bank to sign him.

Rangers will be desperate to chase down bitter rivals Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership title, with the opportunity to secure silverware in Steven Gerrard’s first season in charge. 

The Bluenoses have certainly improved since Gerrard took charge back in the summer months, but they just haven’t been able to handle the pressure at crucial times, which has allowed Brendan Rodgers’ side mount a lead.

Indeed, it’s safe to say that Gerrard wasn’t exactly blessed with a large amount of quality to pick from prior to securing a number of fresh faces in January, so things haven’t always been easy at Ibrox.

One player who just doesn’t deserve a future at the club at this moment in time is summer signing Kyle Lafferty.

The Northern Ireland international just hasn’t been able to ensure a consistent flow of goals after enjoying a bright start to life at Ibrox. Indeed, he has just five goals and one assist to his name in 23 appearances in all competitions for the Bluenoses, with his last Scottish Premiership goal coming back in September of last year. Gerrard managed to secure the services of Jermain Defoe on an 18-month loan deal last month, so Lafferty is very much a last resort.

Another player who desperately needs to improve at Ibrox is Eros Grezda.

Sadly, the Albanian international has been plagued with injuries this season, which has made it difficult for him to enjoy long spells in the side. But, it’s safe to say that he never really lived up to expectations during his 14 appearances in the side as he only managed to produce two goals and one assist, which came in the same game. The likes of Ryan Kent, Daniel Candeias and Alfredo Morelos have all operated out wide recently, so it would be almost impossible for Grezda to work his way into the side, even if he was fit.

Rangers fans – thoughts on the two players involved? 

Manchester United have been in the process of appointing their next manager to take charge at Old Trafford this summer, and with Erik ten Hag the favoured manager to take the role new information has emerged about his potential coaching team that will work with him at the club.

What’s the word?

According to Chief Football Writer for The Mail on Sunday, Rob Draper, ten Hag is lining up Robin van Persie to join his management team at Man United this summer.

Draper tweeted late on Saturday night:

“Van Persie being lined up as Man Utd asst – but ten Hag still in talks, no deal yet.

“Ten Hag still wants assurances over how club will be run…”

Supporters will adore him

Van Persie provided a fairy-tale during his first season at Old Trafford, with the Dutch striker scoring “goal of the century” as claimed by Sir Alex Ferguson, to guide Manchester United to their 20th Premier League title victory in 2013.

The star forward scored 58 goals and provided 21 assists during his three-year tenure with the Red Devils, so the idea that he could come back and become part of the management team to guide United back to the glory days that once were will surely delight supporters who adore him.

The two time Premier League golden boot winner has the invaluable experience earned with Arsenal and Man United that could give ten Hag a real insight into the challenges of the league and can certainly help the current squad understand what it means to win trophies at the club.

Van Persie retired from playing football in 2019 hanging up his boots at 35 years old, and has since been making an impact in his assistant manager role at Feyenoord Rotterdam after being promoted from his technical coach role last summer. Coming back to the Premier League to work alongside ten Hag would be a huge next step in his career on the sideline.

With that being said, Manchester United have not even officially reached an agreement with the Ajax boss, and until ten Hag is confirmed we don’t expect other members of the coaching team to be decided until the deal is done, but the idea of Van Persie returning to the club will surely have supporters very excited.

In other news: MUFC make “shock approach” for “cold” £50m “warrior”, it’s bye-bye Rashford

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to turn their fortunes around. starting with a victory tonight as the Owls head to north London to face basement boys Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.

The Owls have won just one of their last eight league outings, a shock result against Leeds United, who have since continued their rut.

Garry Monk’s side now sit six points off of the playoffs, and now have plenty of work to be done following the 40-year-old’s comments in midweek, which appeared to play down their chances of short-term success.

Last time out, they drew 1-1 in the south Yorkshire derby to Barnsley, so what sort of team will be selected this evening?

We expect there to be three changes as Monk rejigs his pack for this midweek test, they’ll have to go again on Saturday against Reading.

The Owls’ only senior left-back comes back into the starting lineup following injury, at the expense of skipper Tom Lees, who drops to the bench. It means Liam Palmer can revert back to his natural right side with Dominic Iorfa central.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

They’ll be in front of goalkeeper Cameron Dawson once again despite his howler at Oakwell on Saturday.

There’s another return from injury in midfield as Massimo Luongo replaces Joey Pelupessy to partner Barry Bannan whilst the weekend’s debutant Josh Windass keeps his spot in the number ten role.

Even Fernando Forestieri remains in the XI, starting back-to-back games for the first time this campaign, but there’s a final change on the other wing with Jacob Murphy coming in for Alessio Da Cruz.

From Jay-Z to Tom Hanks: Do you know which clubs these famous celebrities support?

Connor Wickham gets to lead the line in the absence of Steven Fletcher.

And in other news, Owls new boy reveals the BIG reason why he joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan…

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Ahead of this Sunday’s highly-anticipated game against Tottenham at Wembley, much has been made of who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will choose to lead the line in what will be the biggest game of his interim stint so far.

The stand-in Norwegian boss has started Marcus Rashford in all four of his Premier League games in charge of Manchester United, against Cardiff, Huddersfield, Bournemouth and Newcastle, with the 21-year-old scoring three goals and recording one assist in that time.

Rashford looks much improved in a central role, and given Solskjaer’s preference to play a 4-3-3 system with one striker, Romelu Lukaku is yet to start a league game under him. The Belgian did, however, start in the recent FA Cup win over Reading and managed to grab himself a goal, so Solskjaer has a bit of a selection headache.

In that respect, we recently asked fans of the Red Devils who they think should start against Mauricio Pochettino’s side this Sunday.

As a result, a whopping 76% of those who voted said that they would like to see Rashford start over Lukaku, as shown by the results below…

Marcelo Bielsa addressed his side’s controversial equalising goal against Nottingham Forest in his press conference after the game, but what did his comments really mean?

What did he say?

“From where I was I didn’t see a handball, I imagine that the referee didn’t see it either. If it was an illegitimate goal then I wouldn’t be satisfied that they accepted the goal…”

“… If we talk about what is legal and what is illegal we also have to talk about the intentions of the acts. To say that a player cheated we need to be more certain about things. I never think that a violation of the rules is something that we should praise, but I never judge in such manner the behaviour of a player. I haven’t seen the images.

“If a player goes towards the ball to score a goal and it doesn’t arrive and he sees that he’s going to miss the goal. If he puts the hand out instinctively then it’s cheating.”

What did he really mean?

Whilst he didn’t offer any opinion over whether he thought Kemar Roofe’s goal to make the score 1-1 was a handball or not, Bielsa made it clear that if it was then he would not have wanted to secure a point in that manner.

The Argentine boss didn’t criticise his team in the press conference, but he did make known his frustrations with the chances that they missed in either half against Forest. It’s clear that Leeds have got themselves an old-school manager though who would not accept any attempt to con the referee into making a decision, and if Kemar Roofe’s goal was intentional then he can expect a serious talking to from his boss.

I haven’t seen it

Despite this, it would seem that Bielsa has been taking tips from Arsene Wenger for his responses to controversy surrounding his side. Whilst he made his position clear on any cheating, the Leeds boss also distanced himself from talking about the goal specifically.

Clearly, the eccentric Argentine has learnt quickly about what to comment on and what not to in order to stay out of trouble with the EFL, and Leeds fans should be thankful that he took a backseat on this issue.

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West Ham United have been very busy in the transfer window, with Manuel Pellegrini recruiting seven new players.

Almost every area of the pitch has been strengthened by the former Manchester City boss.

The back line has certainly been boosted with the arrivals of Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena, but according to a report in The Sun last week, the East London outfit are still on the lookout for another defender.

Cameron Carter-Vickers is a suggested target that may seem like a bizarre one given his lack of first-team action at Tottenham Hotspur.

However, it is important for the Hammers to invest in younger talent with one eye on the future.

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The USA international is only 20 years of age and has spent the last nine years developing in Tottenham’s academy.

We asked you if the East London outfit should take a chance on Carter-Vickers, despite the defender’s link to Tottenham, and the majority of fans are against the idea.