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According to an inside update by ExWHUemployee, Hammers boss David Moyes wanted to give Craig Dawson the experience of being in and around the match day squad over Issa Diop despite the latter man travelling to the game against Leeds United – with many Irons questioning the ‘stupid’ team selection.

Diop, who has found game time difficult to come by since his return from injury, with the back three of Fabian Balbuena, Aaron Cresswell and Angelo Ogbonna looking formidable, was excluded from a place on the bench in favour of Dawson last weekend.

Despite showing promise as a rising star for the Irons in the last two seasons, Moyes opted to give Dawson a place in the matchday squad for numerous reasons according to ExWHUemployee – with one of them being the fact he is more vocal than Diop.

Reacting to this development, many Irons had their say – find all of their verdicts from social media down below.

West Ham fans batter Moyes call over Diop

In other news: West Ham fans destroyed this GSB update, find out more here.

Alex Iwobi is edging ever close to being shown the door at Goodison Park after Carlo Ancelotti overlooked the Nigerian forward against Newcastle United on Sunday, where Everton were without their star summer signing James Rodriguez.

Ancelotti favoured a change in shape to welcome additional central midfielders into the starting line-up in defeat to Steve Bruce’s Magpies, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Gomes offering the support to Dominic Calvert-Lewin with Richarlison still suspended.

Rodriguez was forced to sit out the Tyneside affair having failed to shrug a testicular injury sustained in the Merseyside Derby, but Everton chiefs remain confident the Colombian will win his race to be fit to face Manchester United this weekend, per the Liverpool Echo.

The former Real Madrid star is believed to be recovering well in the ramp-up to the Red Devils’ trip to Goodison on Saturday, allowing Ancelotti to be hopeful of recalling the 29-year-old after he missed his first Premier League fixture since joining the Blues.

Rodriguez has proven increasingly pivotal to Everton’s form this season, offering three goals and three assists in six top-flight matches, much to the delight of Ancelotti who has set out exacting demands for Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to meet.

“I think James Rodriguez is going to help the strikers because he is a fantastic assist man,” said Ancelotti, via quotes by BT. “The target for Dominic is I hope he can reach 20 goals because he has the quality and ability, like Richarlison.

“With James at the time in Madrid, [Cristiano] Ronaldo scored 56 goals: I am not honestly going to ask Dominic to score 56 goals, but he has to try to do his best.

“We have two fantastic strikers and behind them, we have James and Sigurdsson. I think if they do not score at least 20 goals each they can have a problem with me. If I play as a striker and I have behind me James, Sigurdsson [and] Gomes, I can score goals and so they have to.”

Ancelotti’s support of Rodriguez’s talent comes in vast contrast to his apparent lack of belief in Iwobi, after snubbing the Nigerian who Marco Silva signed for up to £34million and moving away from having natural wingers on the field at Newcastle.

Going into Everton’s first defeat of the season at Southampton, Ancelotti stated that Iwobi would be offered the opportunity to play if Rodriguez was forced to sit out. But while the £50,000-per-week forward did start, he left an appalling impression and was hooked at the break.

“Alex is a player who works hard,” Ancelotti told the official Everton website. “He is fast and with his quality, he can help the team be better in certain situations.”

Those certain situations are appearing ever thinner, as Iwobi could only provide one shot, three unsuccessful crosses, complete one dribble, win four of seven ground duels and lose possession 13 times in the first half at Southampton. He then offered no shots, no dribbles, no accurate crosses, lost possession four times but offered a key ball against Newcastle, per SofaScore, having come on as a 76th-minute substitute.

Given Iwobi’s recent form when needed the most and now with just one start in six Premier League appearances, the outcast forward could soon be facing the axe permanently having already been touted for a potential departure this summer by the Mirror.

It was suggested that Iwobi was one of several fringe players that Everton were looking to offload after struggling to hit the ground running upon his arrival from Arsenal, with Director of Football Marcel Brands keen to trim the squad to a more manageable level.

Iwobi’s efforts in Everton’s recent fixtures will have done little to convince Brands and Ancelotti that he deserved to be retained, and another poor showing or again being overlooked against Manchester United if Rodriguez cannot be passed fit will surely be the final nail in his Toffees coffin.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can build Everton’s dream unit with a gem who Carlo Ancelotti calls “one of the best”.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon is after a left-back this summer and this week, the Scottish champions have been tipped to sign one name…

What’s the word?

According to Parkhead legend Frank McAvennie, the Hoops have an interest in bringing Leeds United defender Barry Douglas to Celtic Park.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“I’ve been told by sources about the boy at Leeds, Barry Douglas. Maybe something is happening with that in the background, I do not know. I do not know what the situation is but I have heard that he is a really good player. 

“There are players out there for Celtic to go and get that won’t cost millions and millions. Celtic can pick up players from the Championship. This boy Douglas is supposed to be good, so why not? I do not know what the transfer fee would be but with one year left on his contract, I am sure they could negotiate something. He is not playing so Leeds might want somebody paying his wages.

“If Peter (Lawwell) wants him he will go and negotiate and maybe that is why he is umming and ahhing about the boy at Charlton.”

A good move?

Since the acrimonious departure of Boli Bolingoli this summer, Lennon has only had one option in the left-back role and as a move for young Charlton starlet Alfie Doughty continues to falter, it could make more sense to move for the experienced Scotsman.

The 31-year-old has twice won promotion from the Championship yet finds himself well down the pecking order in Yorkshire.

Over the course of his career, per WhoScored, Douglas has averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.4 key passes and 1.4 crosses per game, and he’s widely known as a set-piece specialist, which is a bonus.

Alan Hutton believes that, on his day, the veteran is “up there among the best full-backs in the league,” adding: “His crossing ability, his engine, he really does well.”

Whilst Sky Sports pundit Matt Murray has also lauded the £3m man, saying: “He was very unlucky not to get to play in the Premier League but his set-pieces, crosses, deliveries, wonder goals earn him a spot. He’s a top lad, too – and if you’re trying to cultivate a winning culture in the dressing room, he has to be in there.”

With Douglas earning as little as £10k-per-week, it could be quite the bargain from Lawwell.

If I were Greg Taylor, I’d be looking over my back during these final ten days of the transfer window.

AND in other news, Leeds have interest in £20m Serie A star who’s like Samuel Saiz…

The door appears to have been opened for Aston Villa to sign one of their reported summer targets this week, and he could well be lined up as Jack Grealish’s potential successor…

What’s the word?

According to Fehmarn24, the Midlands outfit are ‘ready to pay’ €25m (£22.5m) to secure Milot Rashica from Werder Bremen and it comes just days after Tahith Chong secured a loan move to the German club from Man Utd.

It is also claimed that Villa will have to convince the 24-year-0ld that they will not be in another relegation battle this season.

Although there is an expectation that the winger will depart Werder this summer.

Grealish successor

Whilst staving off relegation bolsters Villa’s chances of keeping Grealish a little long, it would be foolish to think he’ll be around forever given his Three Lions aspirations.

Not only will Dean Smith be losing his skipper, but also a player who has provided the second-highest number of chances in the Premier League this season – only second to City superstar Kevin de Bruyne, so it’s certainly going to be big boots to fill at some stage.

Rashica seems the most suitable heir to the throne given his performances in the Bundesliga this campaign. Per WhoScored, the Kosovo international has provided eight goals and five assists whilst averaging 2.6 shots, 2 dribbles and 1.4 key passes per game.

He’s even been likened to Alexis Sanchez as he’s got pace to burn, can play anywhere along the front-line and is “ice-cold.”

The glowing endorsements don’t stop there either – his manager Florian Kohfeldt believes Rashica “makes scoring look easy” whilst his teammate Theo Gebre Selassie called him “one of the best players in the Bundesliga.”

Kohfeldt has also dubbed him “incredible” and has tipped him to fit in well to the style of play in the Premier League.

Overall, £22.5m looks a no-brainer considering the fees paid this time last year and given the interest in Grealish, the club should start looking for a replacement before it’s too late.

AND in other news, Villa fans slam links to reported transfer target…

Key information about Roots Hall

The current, new Roots Hall was built in 1952 and opened in 1955 and is now the home of Southend United. The ground is located in Southend-on-Sea and is the largest stadium in Essex.

Its current capacity stands at 12,392 and has a pitch size of 100m x 68m with no running track nor undersoil heating installed.

The record attendance was set in 1979 when 31,033 supporters gathered to watch the visiting Liverpool in action in the FA Cup.

A history of Roots Hall

Southend United have been truly nomadic since their inception and have called multiple grounds their home over the years. They were settled in the original Roots Hall from 1906 until 1919 and would then move to the Kursaal, the Southend Stadium, New Writtle Street, Chelmsford and then finally, to Roots Hall again from 1955 to the present day.

When the club was founded, they played at the site of Roots Hall but had to move away in 1919, as we mentioned, because of World War I. The area was used for storage so they were forced to vacant the ground and move to the Kursaal.

As we now know, they would spend around three decades moving around until they finally returned home in 1955, three years after the development of Roots Hall was started and once again opened for business. Interestingly enough, it would be the last new stadium in England to open until as late as 1988.

The first game to be played there was between the hosts and their visitors, Norwich, on 20 August 1955 and in the first season after the ground’s grand opening, the stadium was still incomplete with the drainage on the pitch a big problem during the 1955/1956 campaign. So much so that it had to be completely replaced in the off-season.

Some of the first changes were done in the 1960s with the added roof, the extension of the stands and the club installing floodlighting. Soon afterwards, in 1979, they recorded their highest attendance to date when Liverpool came to visit in the FA Cup in front of 31,033 supporters.

New upgrades were recorded in the 1980s and 1990s, even though the club was somewhat struggling financially at that time. In 1994, Roots Hall was converted into an all-seater and part of the south stand got sold off to real estate developers to give Southend United a financial boost.

Some of the final improvements were made in 1995 when the west stand roof was extended with seating also being installed in the north-west corner of the ground. Lately, the club has been looking into the possibility of moving to a brand new stadium, Fossetts Farm, and they received planning permission in January 2007.

Even though it was initially planned to be opened in December 2018, we are still waiting on the final verdict as to when the club can move to their new home.

Tickets to watch Southend United at Roots Hall

All tickets to watch Southend United at Roots Hall can be found on the club’s official website. The price varies depending on multiple factors such as category and age but the adult ticket bought in advance costs £22.

Southend United also offer season and half-season tickets as well as group and student discounts. More information can be found on their official website.

Related links

https://www.southendunited.co.uk/ – Official website of Southend United

Newcastle United fans have been left angered by the latest news surrounding out-of-contract youngster Matty Longstaff.

According to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, the 20-year-old has been offered a deal by Serie A outfit Udinese which eclipses what has been offered to him by Mike Ashley.

It’s claimed that Longstaff has been offered a five-year deal at around £30k-per-week to join the Italian outfit, double what the Magpies have proposed.

And the news hasn’t gone down well in the northeast with many venting their frustrations on social media.

It’s also given some members of the Magpies faithful further ammunition to blast Ashley as ultimately, this situation boils down to him. He’s the man that has allowed a highly-rated talent to run down his contract to the final few weeks.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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Longstaff started his United career with a bang earlier this season, scoring the winner against Man Utd on debut before going on to feature in another 11 matches in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

The one glimmer of hope appears to be regarding their prospective £300m takeover. Plenty of supporters believe that if the Premier League can give the green light to the deal anytime soon, then there’s a chance that the club will be able to keep the midfielder.

That’s if, of course, the new ownership wants to keep Longstaff on, too.

Newcastle will be in a race against time to keep hold of the 20-year-old as right now, Udinese’s offer is clearly the more lucrative one.

WHILE in other news, Newcastle set to receive just £450k compensation for Matty Longstaff…

West Ham United manager David Moyes could be tempted to sell Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko in the summer transfer window, that is according to a report from Claret & Hugh.

It is suggested that Anderson could depart as he is a ‘luxury player’ that doesn’t really fit into how the Scot wants to set up, whilst it points to the January arrival of Jarrod Bowen as the reason why the Ukrainian may be allowed to leave as he is now second choice right-winger.

Both players are amongst the highest earners at the London Stadium, with Spotrac claiming that Yarmolenko is on £115,000-per-week whilst the Brazilian isn’t far behind on £85,000-per-week.

If Moyes doesn’t really fancy either player, then it would make sense to try and move them on as their wages are too high to have them sat on the bench.

After @WHUFCFZ posted on Twitter that Moyes was considering binning the duo, many Hammers fans have been quick to give their opinions. It seems that it has actually split them, with some thinking that either or both are dispensable, whilst others believe otherwise.

Here is what some had to say…

What do you think West Ham fans, should you sell either or both of Anderson and Yarmolenko? Let us know below…

Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach Jose Mourinho said midfielder Moussa Sissoko “was different than my needs” when explaining his decision to start Harry Winks and Eric Dier in central midfield against West Ham United, and Spurs fans have been quick to react.

Speaking post-match as reported by BBC’s Football Daily (3:40), the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager said that he wanted one positional player and one who could pass the ball in the middle of the park against the Irons, and Sissoko was the one to miss out.

It was one of the Portuguese’s first major changes since replacing Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, given he had started all 12 of their Premier League matches this season previously, only failing to complete the full 90 minutes once.

While he was clearly a favourite of the Argentine in that regard, it appears as though it could be a completely different story under Mourinho – something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Tottenham supporters reacting to his comments.

One individual stated that “Jose doesn’t rate him”, while another believe the remarks mean that “he’s gone”.

It will be interesting to see how regularly the France international features in the next few matches.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

In other news, Tottenham fans were quick to react to a notable absentee on the training pitch on Monday…

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur chiefs could decide to sack Mauricio Pochettino as head coach should the team lose to West Ham United after the international break.

Spurs have only collected 14 points from their 12 Premier League matches this season to sit 14th in the table – some 11 points off the top four as things stand.

According to The Telegraph, there is a chance that Spurs could relieve Pochettino of his duties if they lose the capital derby, but a number of West Ham fans feel that the Argentine does not have much to worry about heading into the contest.

Indeed, the Hammers are currently on a run of seven games without a win in all competitions, while they have not collected all three points in the Premier League since September 22.

It is not exactly the type of form that Manuel Pellegrini’s side want to be taking into the match, even against a Tottenham side struggling for confidence themselves.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham fans can be seen below:

Everton fans on Twitter were left surprised by Marco Silva after he opted to mix up his formation for the clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

The former Hull City boss opted to change from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3, and while fans were likely to be happy with the change of tactic they didn’t seem too willing to praise Silva for making the alteration.

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Indeed, some fans asked if he was feeling ok, while others simply couldn’t believe it.

This just shows how low his stock is amongst supporters at the moment, with plenty of the Toffees faithful left stunned by the fact he was willing to mix up his tactical approach.

It remains to be seen whether or not this formation is here to stay or if it works in the long term, but there were signs against Spurs that it’s one worth pursuing.

The hosts didn’t manage to claim all three points despite fleeting signs of improvement throughout proceedings, and the pressure continues to mount on Silva as a result.

Here’s what the Goodison Park faithful have been saying on Twitter…