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West Ham supporters have been making a lot of noise in recent times after seeing their side brilliantly pick up their second Premier League victory of the season at the weekend.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men went into their clash with Manchester United on Saturday off the back of thumping Macclesfield Town 8-0 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, and thus full of confidence ahead of the visit of Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils. And the Hammers deservedly clinched all three points on Saturday as goals from Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic, alongside a Victor Lindelof own goal, inspired the hosts to a 3-1 win at the London Stadium, with Marcus Rashford’s effort proving to be nothing more than a consolation for United.

As such, there have been many delighted West Ham fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have been heaping praise on 25-year-old Anderson for his efforts in the victory.

The Brazil international had made a relatively quiet start to life in East London following his move from Lazio during the summer, although he has certainly improved in recent weeks and finally got his first goal for the club on Saturday, in what a bright and very encouraging display from the winger.

And while the attacker will earn much plaudits for his exploits on Saturday, there is one man in particular who deserves a huge amount of credit for his efforts, namely midfielder and captain Mark Noble.

Much has been made about the Hammers’ midfield department following the departure of Cheikhou Kouyate to Crystal Palace during the summer, with some feeling that there simply isn’t the strength and industry in that area of the pitch to take Pellegrini’s men forward.

Yet a 3-1 win at Everton, in which they dominated the middle of the park, and then a 0-0 draw with in-form Chelsea, again in which they proved their worth in the centre of midfield, has somewhat batted away those doubts, doubts which were further put to rest by the brilliance of 31-year-old Noble on Saturday.

The Englishman touched the ball more times than any other West Ham player on Saturday (81) to underline his involvement in that area of the pitch, while he also attempted (67) and indeed completed (58) more passes than any of his teammates against the Red Devils – he helped make things tick in the middle of the park.

One of those completed passes released Pablo Zabaleta down the right-hand-side to cross for Anderson to brilliantly score the Hammers’ opener, before the 31-year-old split open the United defence to find Marko Arnautovic to net for 3-1 later on in proceedings.

Thus, Noble made a telling difference on the ball but, as is often the case, he did his bit off it as well in winning three of the four tackles he attempted over the course of the 90 minutes, at the same time making a clearance to keep the Hammers in the ascendency.

On the whole, the 31-year-old played as big a part as anyone in dominating the midfield area to thus lay the foundations for a thumping West Ham win, so while Anderson will receive much of the plaudits, it was £50,000-a-week Noble (as per Spotrac) who was the Hammers’ unsung hero on Saturday.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Liverpool have turned into a European powerhouse again thanks to the magic of Jurgen Klopp, who has continually been able to get the best out of the players at his disposal. Inspiring and passionate, it’s hard to not watch the German on the sidelines and feel inspired.

Klopp has made a career at Anfield out of transforming the team and improving the state of the club, and he’s had yet another major success story this season – Daniel Sturridge.

Sturridge’s Liverpool career looked as good as over last season after a loan to West Brom, and he may have even left over the summer. He wouldn’t have been a huge loss based on his then-recent form, that’s for sure.

However, that’s all changed this season. The Englishman has been lethal this term, and he’s quickly emerging as an important rotational option on Merseyside. He’s a game changer for the club, and he proved that against Chelsea last week.

Sturridge’s contract, though, expires next summer – meaning that Liverpool could lose him on a free at the end of the season. On current form, it’s fair to say that would be a very bad thing for the Reds.

Instead, then, it may be time for Liverpool to renew his contract – and here are TWO reasons why…

Explosive Start

Make no mistake, Daniel Sturridge is one of the most in-form forwards in the Premier League at present. Including their pre-season games, Sturridge has got a whopping 9 goals in just 12 games, and he’s done particularly well over the last week or so – with two goals in two games against Chelsea.

He’s always been a lethal finisher, and he proved that during his early days, but as of late he’s struggled in that regard. Indeed, he was pretty ineffective at West Brom last season.

However, he’s found his scoring boots this year, and Liverpool will now be hoping that keeps them on. On current form, hanging on to him is a no-brainer.

Liverpool would be hard pressed to find someone better.

Alternative To Firmino

Liverpool are blessed to not just have one great forward in Daniel Sturridge. They’ve also got Roberto Firmino, who has turned into one of their most important players over the last year or two.

He’s a regular starter under Jurgen Klopp, and there’s no doubting that he’ll continue to be so over the next few years. However, that doesn’t mean that he can do it all alone.

The Brazilian’s injury record is pretty good, but problems can occur at any time, and that was proven when he suffered an eye injury earlier this season.

With Liverpool playing so many games, it’s vital that Klopp has a worthy alternative to Firmino, and he’s clearly found that in Sturridge. In truth, he’s even showing signs that he could go one better and replace Firmino altogether.

Whilst that’s unlikely, a role alongside the Brazilian may make sense at some point, and so hanging on to him would be a wise move.

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FootballFanCast.com’s Fixture In Focus coverage is brought to you by 5p0rtz. Try 5p0rtz’s Free Croatia vs England Predictor for your chance to win in the £250 guaranteed giveaway! Click here to play.

A chance of redemption and avoiding relegation has been offered up to England over the course of ninety minutes behind closed doors in Croatia. The Three Lions face their World Cup semi-final foes in the Nations League this Friday in a game that represents not only potential revenge but also a must-win for Gareth Southgate’s side should they have any serious hopes of not dropping into League B.

So, are England in store for more heartbreak at the hands of Croatia or will the coming clash pan out much better for Southgate’s boys? We can’t predict the result, but here’s everything you need to know before kickoff…

What History Tells Us

Croatia have always been something of a thorn in England’s side. The Three Lions went unbeaten during their first three meetings with the Balkan nation, but have since then lost three of five and two of those defeats were particularly significant.

It was Croatia who ended England’s hopes of qualifying for the 2008 European Championship with a 3-2 win the year prior, resulting in Steve McClaren’s abrupt dismissal as Three Lions boss, and of course Croatia also eliminated England from the World Cup semi-finals in Russia during the summer.

Consequentially, Croatia enter Friday’s game two places higher than England in the FIFA rankings. But whereas Spain could only beat Southgate’s side 2-1 at Wembley last month during the opening weekend of the Nations League, they absolutely hammered Croatia 6-0.

Key Battle – Midfield Playmakers

Croatia’s ability to control the midfield was at the heart of their semi-final win over the Three Lions in Russia and we saw a recurrence of the issue when Spain won 2-1 at Wembley last month, the visitors dictating the engine room for the majority of the match.

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Much of that has to do with England’s 3-1-4-2 setup being pushed back into a far more conservative 5-3-2 that limits opportunities to really break out of the defensive third. But the personnel has changed this time around with Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard injured, and James Maddison could prove to be a key differential.

He offers something England lacked in Russia – a midfielder capable of opening up the defence with a killer ball. The Leicester signing has already grabbed two assists this season, while averaging around two key passes per match.

On paper, Luka Modric’s stats aren’t quite so impressive but England will need to find a way of limiting the Real Madrid playmaker’s influence as much as possible. He was key for Croatia at the World Cup and particularly against England, providing the quality in possession to control the game.

Team News

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic, clearly feeling very confident, has taken the audacious step of announcing his starting XI for Friday night’s clash. The key news comes at opposite ends of the pitch following the retirements of goalkeeper Danijel Subasic and star striker Mario Mandzukic, with former Leicester City man Andrej Kramaric replacing Croatia’s second all-time leading goalscorer.

They seriously need a new figurehead to lead the line, after Ivan Santini drew two blanks during the last international break, and Kramaric has been given a key chance to prove himself.

In goal meanwhile, an injury to Lovre Kalinic has forced Dalic to call up three goalkeepers with an average age of just 23 and only one cap between them. That belongs to Dominik Livakovic who will start between the sticks against the Three Lions.

The other notable changes from Croatia’s World Cup team are at full-back with Ivan Strinic and Sime Vrsaljko both injured, as well as Mateo Kovacic replacing Marcelo Brozovic in central midfield after the Serie A star withdrew from the squad.

Injures will affect Southgate’s team selection too, with four withdraws already from the squad he selected alongside some key players being unavailable initially – chiefly Alli and Lingard. Accordingly, there’s a chance for plenty of new players to stake a claim for themselves across the midfield berth, including at left wing-back where Ben Chilwell is now nailed on to start after Danny Rose and Luke Shaw both dropped out of the squad.

Alonside the young defender, Leicester City team-mate Maddison could get his chance to impress against Croatia after a fantastic start to his Premier League career, already bagging three goals and two assists, while Ross Barkley has been brought in from the cold. We’re expecting the Chelsea man to partner Maddison in midfield with both so well-suited to the roaming No.8 roles in front of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.

The defence, meanwhile, should remain in tact from England’s last Nations League outing against Spain – although the Three Lions conceded twice and Joe Gomez looked a little nervy, they largely coped with pressure well against a talented team – and we’ll likely see a revival of England’s World Cup front-line with Raheem Sterling playing off Tottenham’s Harry Kane, meaning Marcus Rashford will be demoted to the bench despite scoring twice during the last international break.

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A toxic relationship between West Ham fans and the club’s owners tarnished the development of the east London giants last season, but a summer spending spree has helped to rebuild bridges between fans and supporters. 

Manuel Pellegrini’s arrival was a statement appointment which suggested that West Ham are no long prepared to settle for mediocrity.

With a loyal and extensive fan base in place, a richly talented squad and a 60,000 capacity stadium, it’s clear that the Hammers possess the tools to compete with the top-six clubs in the Premier League.

There is a huge gulf in class between the established top-six clubs and the rest of the division, with the likes of West Ham and Everton seemingly stuck in a twilight zone between European qualification and mid-table obscurity.

The current task facing West Ham’s owners is finding a way to topple the established order and become a genuine contender for a place in the Champions League, and a recent report from Sky Sports suggests that they have a plan lined up to achieve that ambition.

The report is based on quotes from Karen Brady in which she claims that West Ham’s owners are interested in buying the London Stadium.

“It really should have the commercial expertise it deserves, it should have the financial controls it so readily needs, it does need investment.

“I don’t think it’s anywhere near to realising its full potential and that, for me, is incredibly frustrating.

“(Buying the stadium is) certainly something we would look at. I think if it was to become a dedicated football stadium, with pop concerts and maybe the occasional rugby match that could be a really seriously good proposition.”

The Hammers faithful have struggled to warm to the new stadium since they left Upton Park in 2016, but now that they have made the decision it’s important that they make the best of an undesirable situation.

And Brady’s suggestion that the club could take full control of the stadium is a positive indication into the boardroom’s plans for the future.

By taking full control of the London Stadium and sponsorship deals into the naming of it, West Ham could expand their profile overseas and would expect to command greater revenues following the cash injection provided by new sponsors.

The consequence: more money for the acquisition of new talent and, in theory at least, a stronger challenge for European football.

So far the move into the new stadium has not produced the level of progression which the fans expected it to but, if Brady eventually follows through on her recent comments and West Ham’s bigwigs decide to purchase the stadium in the future, there is no doubt it could enable the club to progress to the next level.

West Ham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Newcastle United have been handed a boost ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash against Southampton, with Salomon Rondon returning to fitness.

Rondon, who joined Newcastle on loan from West Bromwich Albion during the summer, has not turned out for the Magpies since their goalless draw with Crystal Palace on September 22.

Indeed, the 6ft 1in centre-forward has missed the defeats to Leicester City, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion, which have left the club bottom of the Premier League table following a very poor start.

Rondon has not scored a league goal for Newcastle since arriving, but there is no question that he boosts their options in the final third of the field.

The Magpies are a club in crisis at the moment, but they do have a run of winnable games ahead, with Watford, Bournemouth and Burnley following their clash with Southampton.

The Newcastle fans want Rondon to save their season, and a selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Following his departure from Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers made the move to Celtic and was an instant hit at the club as he continued their dominance north of the border. 

In his first two seasons as the club, Rodgers won a historic ‘Double Treble’ but this season, things have been slightly different.

Following a summer where Celtic lost Moussa Dembele, while also having to deal with the speculation surrounding Olivier Ntcham and Dedryck Boyata, Celtic have had a tough start to the season.

Moreover, with an improved Rangers side under Steven Gerrard chasing them combined with Hearts and the surprise package of the season Kilmarnock, and you have a league that is going to prove to be much more competitive than in recent years.

In the transfer market, Rodgers has bemoaned the club’s lack of activity which although wasn’t as extravagant as it had been in recent years, Celtic’s squad is still good enough to win the league.

The Breakdown

To add another layer to Rodgers’ current situation at the club, The Hoops lost 2-0 to RB Leipzig on Thursday night and look like they’re set to drop out of the Europa League after only accruing three points from three games.

Rodgers has never faired particularly well in Europe and combined with his criticism of the board’s lack of transfer activity, his time at the club might well be over.

The former Liverpool boss was given a great opportunity following his time at Liverpool, and although’s he’s continued Celtic’s success, he needs to remember what a great job he was given.

Celtic fans, what do you think? 

According to Sky Sports News, Aaron Ramsey’s 10-year spell at Arsenal, where he made 341 appearances and scored 59 goals, is due to come to an end after being told the club are not going to offer him a new contract this term.

Naturally, with a player of Ramsey’s quality, there will be a whole host of teams waiting to snap up on the opportunity to sign the him come the end of the season.

Supposedly Liverpool were one of the clubs originally linked to Ramsey, but with two new midfield signings arriving in the Summer, Sky Sports News understand that their interest has now cooled.

Although Klopp’s decision makes some sense in that he probably doesn’t want to disturb the transition of new players Keita and Fabinho, passing up on the chance to sign a player of Aaron Ramsey’s quality for free is probably going to be one of Liverpool’s biggest mistakes in the transfer market in recent times.

Indeed, here are two reasons why Klopp’s decision not to consider Ramsey is one he’ll regret…

Perfect replacement for Milner or Lallana

There’s no doubt that the current midfielders in the Liverpool team are doing an excellent job, but they’re lacking a certain technical quality that Aaron Ramsey has in abundance.

What we’re trying to say is that, yes, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, and Lallana are all well invested in Klopp’s style of industrious football and perform their individual roles perfectly. Each player covers every blade of grass, and more, week in and week out, with a simplicity that discourages error.

However, with Milner, 32, surely coming to the end of his Liverpool career, and Adam Lallana’s return to his previous standard doubtful, it makes perfect sense to sign a player like Ramsey to guarantee time and quality.

He wouldn’t cost a single penny

Money isn’t so much of an object in the modern game, and it’s become common practise for Premier League clubs, at each end of the table, to splash out £25million+ on players.

Liverpool themselves paid close to £70million for ‘keeper Allison this summer, which would have been an absolutely absurd amount of money not too long ago.

However, this new found love for chucking money around for anything and everything is no reason not to conduct a frugal bit of business every now and then. Securing Ramsey’s signature for nothing would easily be one of the best transfers for some time, there’s no doubt about that.

Liverpool fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Liverpool already have a number of players from Brazil in their squad, however, it appears they are taking a keen and direct interest in the South American market.

The Reds had to spend big on the likes of Alisson, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho to bring them to Anfield from European outfits.

However, it appears that the Premier League side are determined to avoid paying those sort of fees and have made an addition to their backroom staff in order to find players starring for their clubs in South America.

Dassler Marques, the former UOL journalist, has decided to leave his job at the media outlet and has become a scout for Liverpool.

Marques said: “After learning, dreams and especially made friends, I left UOL today.

“Time to fly out of journalism, learn new things, make other dreams and make new friends on a new team. I now work as a scout (observer) for Liverpool in Brazil and South America.”

The Reds will look to take advantage of his expertise in the country and of the continent, as they will look to unearth some gems before anybody else has the chance to do so.

The Verdict:

It does come as a strange move, however, it could be an excellent decision that Liverpool have made to bring him in.

Scouts usually have a professional background in data or have learnt their craft, which makes this appointment very interesting.

Marques was a very reputable journalist whilst at UOL and built a very good reputation within his homeland.

Liverpool are certainly keen on not having to pay out big money for some of the newest talent, and this partnership could save them millions in the future.

Liverpool fans – thoughts?

The left-back department is not one that needs urgent attention at Liverpool given that Andy Robertson has secured the role.

It took time for the Scotland international to find his feet at Anfield following his switch from Hull City last year.

Now, though, he is arguably one of the first names on the teamsheet when Jurgen Klopp fields a full-strength side.

This is why it may have come as a surprise when former Liverpool striker John Aldridge suggested in his column for the Liverpool Echo that the club should consider a move for Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon.

The 18-year-old has been long linked to Tottenham Hotspur, but so far he has decided to stay loyal to the Cottagers.

Robertson may have the left-back position cemented, but if Sessegnon did arrive at Anfield, he could compete for a place on the wing or Sadio Mane’s role.

The teenager can also play on the right side of the forward line if necessary, but he is much more effective on the left.

With all that in mind, should Sessegnon be on Klopp’s wishlist?

Let us know by voting below.

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Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell was a part of the England team that recorded a 2-1 win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday afternoon.

Chilwell was actually linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur during the summer, but ultimately stayed at the King Power Stadium, and signed a new long-term contract with the Foxes just last month.

The Tottenham fans have been on social media discussing a possible deal for the left-back due to the inconsistency of Ben Davies, and injury problems of Danny Rose.

However, it seems that the majority of the Spurs supporters are not interested in Chilwell despite his impressive form for Leicester this season.

Indeed, the 21-year-old has two assists in 12 Premier League appearances for Leicester, and has had a strong start to the campaign.

Playmaker FC’s Theo Ogden was at Wembley to witness Spurs’ dramatic second half comeback against PSV. Watch the drama unfold in the video below…

Chilwell’s impressive showing against Croatia further enhanced his reputation, but the Tottenham fans do not want to see him arrive in London.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: