As it’s 50 years to the day when George Best scored six goals at Northampton, it only seems right to play you out with this. Best football song ever? Thanks for reading and all your contributions.
A few fixtures around Europe for your evening entertainment tonight:
Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt v Augsburg (19:30)
Serie A: Roma v Bologna (19:45)
La Liga: Alaves v Eibar (20:00)
Ligue 1: Angers v Lille (19:45)
Championship: Bristol City v Birmingham (19:45)
League One: Lincoln v Rotherham (19:45)
Roy Hodgson has dampened speculation about any immediate exit from Crystal Palace after a poor run of form and rumours of behind-the-scenes unrest following a rather underwhelming transfer window in which only Cenk Tosun was signed on loan from Everton.
Here he is talking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Goodison Park:
The fact is the chairman (Steve Parish) and I had very positive discussions during the week. I have no reason to doubt the intentions of the club are any different now to how they were: to ask me to stay. I’ll be having further discussions in the coming days and we’ll see where that leads. When it comes to transfers and transfer windows, the last one was a bit disappointing and not least because we thought we were on the way to acquiring a young right-back in [West Brom full-back Nathan] Ferguson, that fell through because of the fact he needs an operation. Had that happened, it would be a lot more positive anyway. Secondly, there’s no difference of opinion about what needs to be done.
The 72-year-old was appointed manager in September 2017 and his current contract expires at the end of the season.
Back to “it is what it is” and, as suspected, it came from U.S. Sports.
But @alexpbloom on Twitter suggests it’s been around for longer than we think, a couple of decades in fact.
A late entrant in the ‘make a word from two goalscorers’ game:
From BTL, here’s boomblastandruin: “There was a distinctly fishy occasion in December when Ismaila Sarr and Troy Deeney score for Watford against Man Utd.”
Hmmm. Shame Brian Deane wasn’t still playing.
A match preview for Saturday’s early kick-off:
A reminder of the truncated Premier League weekend fixtures. Bad news for fans of 3pm kick-offs.
Saturday:
Everton v Crystal Palace (12:30)
Brighton v Watford (17:30)
Sunday:
Sheffield United v Bournemouth (14:00)
Manchester City v West Ham (16:30)
All times GMT
More on Pep, Messi and Barcelona from Jamie Jackson:
While Harry Kane makes gains (every day), it’s time for a bit of a Spurs-flavoured Fiver.
Harry Kane has provided an update on his rehabilitation with this video on social media. Anyone else intrigued what’s going on out of shot?
The England captain has flown to the Bahamas this week for a stint of warm-weather training as he aims to get fit for Euro 2020.
Peter Oh is back with a twist on Frost’s theorem – crafting a goalkeeper from two attackers.
“Alli and Son have probably been on scoresheets together for Spurs. Allison. Would that count in Roger Frost’s book?”
Or how about footballers named after a personality test – Andy Myers and Gary Briggs.
Talking of which, a friend in Spain did a Myers-Briggs analysis on me in midweek and deduced that I was an INFP (one of the 16 personality types). Fellow INFPs include Shakespeare, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Phoebe from Friends.
He plans to work out all the managers in the Premier League and, apparently, has classed Jurgen Klopp as an ENFJ.
Examples of ENFJs: Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Jr, Sean Connery, Bono, Freddie Mercury, Cristiano Ronaldo and “all these spiritual evangelists you get in America!”
ENFJs are sometimes referred to as Teacher personalities because of their interest in helping others develop and grow. Sounds about right.
Here’s Roger Frost with another way of getting those mental synapses leaping about.
“This week Shane Long and Danny Ings were on the scoresheet for Southampton. Longings. I can’t think of two other goalscorers who’s surnames make up a word , but I am sure your readers can. Maybe one for The Knowledge, but hey, it’s a slow weekend of football!”
West Ham have slipped into the relegation zone and that old rascal, the fixture computer, has given them back-to-back games at Manchester City and Liverpool as their next two assignments.
Here is David Moyes putting on a brave face…
All I can say is, you play everybody twice in the league and we have got a lot of other teams to play. I don’t think in football there’s many tougher matches, only a few clubs in Europe you would call tougher games. But it’s also a challenge. Whoever the best teams are someone’s out there trying to plot to beat them. All the managers are thinking, ‘what system can I beat them with, what players can I get?’ You only need to look at City’s success, but Liverpool have gone out to find a way of getting better players and a better team to beat them. So people are now out to beat Liverpool. When I was at Manchester United everyone was out to beat them. Teams improved. That’s the way football goes. We’ll go into both games knowing it’s no easy task, but we’ll try everything we can to get a result.
After Manchester City on Sunday and Liverpool on Monday week, West Ham then face Southampton (h), Arsenal (a), Wolves (h), Tottenham (a) and Chelsea (h). Hmmm.
And Peter Oh is getting in on the act too with this Man City/Liverpool combo.
“Spare a thought for Jesus Jones, named after Man City’s Brazilian striker and Liverpool’s captain of the kids team that knocked out Shrewsbury this week.”
A lovely mid-afternoon read from Barry Glendenning, George’s hair in the main photo bridging Rubber Soul Beatles and Vegas Elvis.
An incredible response from Chris Hall on the subject of Green Day and West Ham.
“Green Day may well be the only U.S. punk bad to be named after two West Ham goalkeepers, but Slint are the only band to have an EP homophonically named after a West Ham player/manager – one side is Glenn, the other Rhoda.”
The Football Association has decided not to continue with an investigation into allegations that Liverpool employees hacked into Manchester City’s scouting system.
From PA Media:
The FA asked Liverpool and City for information concerning the matter, with Reds employees alleged to have hacked into a player database used by City. However, due to the age of the allegations – which date back to 2013 – and the FA saying the matter was the subject of a settlement between the clubs, the governing body says its investigation will go no further unless new information comes to light. A statement from the FA on Friday afternoon read: “The FA has carefully considered the evidence it received in this matter, including information provided by both clubs involved, and has decided not to progress the investigation. “This is due to a number of factors including the age of the alleged concerns and the settlement agreed by the two clubs involved. As per standard protocol, should the FA receive further information or evidence, the decision not to progress the investigation may be reviewed.”
A lame-ish claim to fame entry from Matt Dony.
“My father used to play guitar on the local light-entertainment circuit. A long time ago, he was playing at a local football club for a charity night that was attended by John Charles. The great man was convinced to sing a song, so asked them to play Sixteen Tons. My father asked what key he wanted. The reply was, ‘I haven’t got a clue. You play it and I’ll sing it.’ Apparently, he was brilliant. What a legend.”
And more from Pep with City winger Leroy Sane back in training after a lengthy injury.
He has started to train with us. He needs to recover tempo and confidence. It needs time. He needs weeks.
Here’s more from Pep on Manchester City’s injured list.
Random thought. When did “it is what it is” become so prevalent among sportspeople? I think Tiger Woods was one of the first users. Now, it’s everywhere.
Psychology Today say this: “The increased use of “it is what it is” is an indication that people are increasingly resisting the temptation to force things into categories, to be comfortable with the unknown.”
Anyway, here’s Pep On Raheem Sterling
It’s a hamstring injury. It takes weeks, but I don’t know (how long) right now. It is a problem being without him but we were without Gundo (Ilkay Gundogan) in the first season and (Aymeric) Laporte this season. It is what it is.”
Pep Guardiola is playing a straight bat amidst all the Lionel Messi transfer rumours.
Manchester City, obviously, have been linked but former Barca boss Pep won’t fuel the frenzy:
He is a player for Barcelona and he will stay there. That is my wish. I am not going to talk about players from other clubs. I think he is going to finish his career there.
A fan of football and film? Then have a read of this.
And if you nip to the Culture section, here’s a piece on Green Day – the only U.S. punk bad to be named after two West Ham goalkeepers.
It doesn’t take the sharpest sleuth to figure out that Manchester City’s problems during the current campaign have been at the back. But this is quite the stat:
- Manchester City have conceded 15.6% of the shots they’ve faced in the Premier League this season – the highest ratio registered by any team in a single campaign since we have this data available (2003-04).
Not Oktoberbest but Prost to Jurgen Klopp.
Combining sporting woe and Opta stats, here’s a line ahead of the Sheffield United v Bournemouth clash on Sunday:
- No Premier League side has benefitted from more Premier League own goals than Sheffield United this season (3, level with Brighton). Two of these three own goals have ended up being the winning goal in the game, including in their most recent match against Crystal Palace.
While the Copa del Rey draw evoked memories of 2008, back in the Premier League it’s the mid-80s all over again … sort of.
Liverpool are flying high in top spot and Everton are, erm, ninth.
However, take a more recent thermometer check and the two sides to have won most points over the last 10 Premier League games are … Liverpool (30) and Everton (19). Put on your Frankie Goes To Hollywood records and digest that.
Well, many claim it helps pain relief …
From PA Media
David McGoldrick could be back in the Sheffield United squad for their game against Bournemouth on Sunday. The former Southampton striker has missed the last four matches with a foot problem but Blades boss Chris Wilder said he had been “back on the grass” this week.
I’ll get the ball rolling into an unguarded net with this tweet from a mate after Liverpool’s kids went through to the fifth round of the FA Cup via an own goal winner against Shrewsbury. That was some night for Alfred in 1892. An own goal in a 9-0 defeat.
Hello everyone. While we await words of wisdom from the eight Premier League managers not on holiday, here’s a fun activity to get us through the afternoon. We’ll call it lame claims to footballing fame. This is not the place to tell us that your great uncle once scored a brace in an FA Cup final. Nope, that’s far too impressive. We’re looking for tales of woe, mishaps, something more Woody Allen than Tottenham double winner Les Allen. Let’s play…
While John goes for a power yomp around the block, Dave Tindall will guide you through the afternoon.
After the transfer deadline was rolled back to September 1 by the Premier League, the EFL looks set to do the same in the Championship, though that needs to be ratified at a meeting.
For the last two summers, the window has closed for clubs in the top two divisions on the Thursday before the start of the Premier League season. Clubs in League One and Two already have the longer window, but second-tier sides must decide at an EFL meeting at the end of the month whether to come into line with the Premier League, something they are expected to do.
A statement from the EFL read: “The EFL notes the decision taken by Premier League clubs to change the closure date for its summer transfer window. EFL clubs discuss the matter on an annual basis and will do so at a meeting later this month where a determination will be made as to whether there is to be any change moving forwards.”
The Copa del Rey semi-finals have been drawn and an all-Basque final is on.
Athletic Bilbao v Granada
Real Sociedad v Mirandés
- Over two legs
- First legs: February 11 or 12
- Second legs: March 3 or 4
The final will be played at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville, which will host the event up until 2023. And for the first time since 2010, neither Real nor Barcelona will be in the final.
As we await the Copa del Rey draw, a look back to that 2008 FA Cup semi-final quartet: West Brom v Cardiff, and Portsmouth v Barnsley.
Barnsley were in the Mirandés role, and had beaten Liverpool *and* Chelsea on their way there.
This was the Chelsea team from the quarter-final: Cudicini; Belletti (Pizarro 5), Carvalho, Terry, Bridge; Wright-Phillips, Essien , Ballack, Malouda (Kalou); J Cole, Anelka
That team, pretty much, reached the final of that year’s Champions League.
And Liverpool’s from the fifth round: Itandje, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Benayoun, Lucas (Gerrard 75), Alonso, Babel (Kewell 69), Kuyt, Crouch.
That team is not too far off a team that challenged for the title the following season.
Simon Burnton, expert on all things Watford, spoke to Adam Masina, someone who has been through more than most.
Here’s a quiz from earlier in the week. The score to beat is my 16, and I should have done better.
And we wondered why has Simeone remained at Atléti.
This half-measures winter break has not stopped clubs jetting across the world. Or not, as the case may be.
Key quote from Ralph Hasenhüttl. “Next year football must rethink this winter break. You ask me about a winter break? For us there is no winter break.”
Important development on safe standing from Paul MacInnes.
The previews are rolling in. All four of them.
25 years today. Parental guidance: explicit lyrics.
Further Tottenham news: happy 85th birthday to this true great and a 1961 Double winner.
Troy Parrott, a player my Irish pals says is their best forward talent since Robbie Keane has signed a contract with Tottenham. Now, will José Mourinho actually give him some minutes on the field. Parrott celebrated his 18th birthday this week.
Tottenham Hotspur corner: Jan Verthongen is happy at the club, says his agent, despite his body language during the FA Cup game with Southampton looking to the contrary.
In a chat with Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws, Tom De Mul, though, played down suggestions his client was unhappy.
Jan still wants to achieve great things with Spurs. He wants to qualify for the Europa or Champions League, to win the FA Cup. He is 32, but still very ambitious. He is focused. He still has so many targets. The Euros are a super important goal too. It’s what I admire in Jan. He wants to play at the top level as long as possible. We haven’t reached an agreement (on a contract extension) as yet, but we don’t rule out anything. There is interest in him as a free agent, but Spurs is a very interesting option for us. The door’s still open.
Real Madrid also exited the Copa on Thursday night, and also to a Basque club, meaning that the final four is Mirandés of the Segunda División, Athletic, La Real and Granada. Very much a 2008 FA Cup vibe to this year’s competition. The draw takes place at 12pm UK time.
Barcelona don’t play until Sunday night, when they travel to Real Betis but the vultures are circling, and with even more vigour after last night’s Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Bilbao.
North of the border, the hype machine is fully operational on Ianis Hagi after his goal against Hibs on Wednesday.
Per PA Media.
Steven Gerrard admits he is struggling to contain the hype around Ianis Hagi after seeing the new Rangers midfielder open his Ibrox account. The Light Blues boss has pleaded for the Rangers support to show Hagi – son of Romania great Gheorghe – patience. But the fans’ excitement has gone into overdrive after seeing the 21-year-old fire a late winner against Hibernian, and Gerrard said: “He hasn’t helped me there has he?“It was a fantastic finish. Looking back on the game you can see him coming to terms with the physicality up here in Scotland and getting used to the speed and the pace of the first half. But he grew and grew and grew as the game went on. I’m sure people are going to get carried away now because he’s scored the winner on his first start. But he will still take time to adapt to all the different venues and teams we come against. He’s certainly a talent.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to link up is the ultimate football rumour. It simply has to happen.
With Manchester City’s title chances ground to dust, the Champions League is the big target, but there has been bad news on that score ahead of the Real Madrid match.
Brighton v Watford on Saturday is the truncated weekend’s relegation six-pointer. Paul Doyle examines the differences between Brighton under Graham Potter and his predecessor Chris Hughton.
Suzanne Wrack profiles the Canada women’s international whose record will surely never be beaten.
A letter to the editor here.
So, here it is, after entire continents of column inches and enough hot air to send a Zeppelin to Jupiter over many, many years, the fabled winter break comes to the Premier League. What does that mean? It’s not like the winter breaks we looked at the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 and wondered how they did without football for an entire month.
Thus, a fudge was cooked up so not everybody gets a rest since the Premier League is a content provider like no other, and so there will be four matches this weekend to taper off the dependency.
Saturday: Everton v Crystal Palace
Brighton v Watford
Sunday: Sheffield United v Bournemouth
Manchester City v West Ham
Somewhat slim pickings but titter not, lest you be tittered, as there is a full run of EFL matches and plenty of storylines to pick up in Europe.