Don Robbie

What players should the big six look to offload this January? By Jonny Bray There are a lot of players who are currently struggling for game time at one of the traditional 'big six' sides. From exciting academy prospects to £30 million signings, there are a wide variety of reasons why those players are struggling to break into the first team at their current clubs. But this January is an opportunity to break free and finally show what they can do when given a chance. Jesse Lingard After his performances for West Ham last season, a lot of fans and pundits were expecting big things from Jesse Lingard this season. Sadly, the attacking midfielder decided to stay at Old Trafford, limiting his first-team opportunities. Crucially, he's also wasted another year of his professional career on the bench at a club with no plan for him in the long term. He may not even be welcome back at West Ham now after their outstanding season, so where Lingard would end up is a mystery. But anythin...

By Oli Dickson Jefford Manchester City look to extend their lead in the title race when they take on early front-runners Chelsea tomorrow afternoon. Chelsea may have slipped in recent weeks but this is still an intriguing contest, with some of the best players in the league across both teams. Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel would both back their starting XI no matter what, but there is little doubt that there are some areas where one side has better depth, and even better players, than the other. Ahead of the crunch clash tomorrow, here is our combined XI for Man City and Chelsea- based on current form and availability.  Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy would be a huge contender to start in this combined XI, but as he is currently on Africa Cup of Nations duty the choice is more straightforward. Though Kepa has looked more solid when playing in the past couple of matches, he is nowhere near   Ederson’s   level. The Brazilian has 11 clean sheets in the league this season, more tha...

Best FA Cup games of all time By Charlie Bennett Each year, the FA Cup provides epic moments that go down in football folklore and, as it celebrates its 150 th   birthday, now is a good time to reflect on some of the best.  From Steven Gerrard’s rocket to Ryan Giggs’ chest hair, here are five matches we can never forget.  Liverpool 3-3 West Ham, 2006  You need to do something pretty special to have a final named after you and this six-goal thriller will forever be known as the Stevie G final.  West Ham were 3-2 up as the game headed into injury time and left-back Paul Konchesky looked set to be the hero, with his fluke appearing decisive.  That’s until Steven Gerrard, who had already bagged one goal, scored one of the greatest FA Cup goals of all time with a rasping shot from 30 yards that flew into the bottom corner.  Liverpool took it extra time and then inevitably won the penalty shoot-out, with Pepe Reina saving three spot-kicks.  Gerrard hois...

Which Premier League club should Haaland join? By Oli Dickson Jefford Erling Haaland is one of the most talked about people in world football. At the age of 21, the Norwegian is already one of the best strikers on the planet and a legendary career beckons. Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of 2020 and has thrived in Germany but a long-term stay looks unlikely with some of Europe’s biggest clubs targeting him. Real Madrid are in the hunt for his services but the Premier League does look like a potential destination with a handful of clubs interested. We take a look at some of the English sides potentially targeting Haaland and see which club he should join. Manchester City Man City looks like a likely destination for Haaland. To start there is a familial connection, with his dad Alf-Inge spending three years at the club in the early 2000s. City are perhaps the only club that would not have to sell anyone to be able to finance a move, which is likely to cost well over £10...

Premier League Preview By Jonny Bray Covid-19 is back with a bang, and it’s wreaking havoc on the Premier League fixture calendar. At the time of writing this, just five of the weekend’s ten Premier League fixtures are taking place as the country looks set to start 2022 the way it started 2021. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of action across the division, with Sunday afternoon looking particularly mouth-watering on paper. So here’s the Premier League preview for this weekend, Covid-19 permitting. Aston Villa v Burnley Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa side have been in outstanding form since he arrived from Rangers. The former England international has four wins from his six games as boss, with the two defeats coming up against Manchester City and Liverpool. They’ll now take on Burnley, who have been having a difficult season so far. Their last game was postponed, with Watford’s squad depleted after several positive Covid-19 cases. To make matters worse for Sean Dyche’s side, t...

Premier League gameweek 16 review/17 preview - drama at both ends of the table By Tom Masters As another weekend of   Premier   League   action came to a thrilling conclusion at Selhurst Park on Sunday, we have a look at all the games and look ahead at the midweek action as the busy   Premier   League   schedule continues.    There were nine   Premier   League   fixtures last weekend, as Tottenham Hotspur’s game against Brighton and Hove Albion was postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 cases at Tottenham.    Brentford steal Friday night battle     Brentford once again took the three points in a nervy Friday night battle with Watford, as the Bees stuttered to a 2-1 win over the Hornets.    Watford took the lead in the first half through Emmanuel Dennis, whose seventh goal of the season proved to be in vain as Brentford came back late.    First through a scrappy Pontus Jansson goal from a corner...