Exclusive: 76% of West Ham fans think Bilic deserves new deal

It’s been a curious season at West Ham.

The Hammers started the season poorly, counter-intuitively picked up their form after talismanic midfielder Dimitri Payet was exiled from the first-team squad and are now amid a run of four games without a win in the Premier League.

It’s left the Irons lingering just below the Premier League’s halfway line in eleventh place and considering the investment last summer, not to mention their illustrious new stadium, anything other than getting to the other side of it before the end of the campaign will be deemed a disappointment.

Accordingly, question marks have lingered over Slaven Bilic in recent weeks, with West Ham yet to offer him the chance to extend his contract beyond the end of next season – which will undoubtedly lead to complications over the next twelve months.

With that in mind, we discussed the pros and cons of giving Bilic a new deal earlier this week, before giving Hammers fans the chance to have their say by voting in our exclusive poll.

Well, the results are now in and a staggering 76% of those took part believe the Croatian gaffer deserves a new deal at the London Stadium. Whether David Gold and Sullivan agree, however, remains to be seen.

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Revealed: 80% think Wenger should backtrack on this Sanchez decision tonight

Arsenal return to Champions League action tonight for what could be the last time for a long time by their standards, trailing Bayern Munich by five goals to one, as well as the top four in the Premier League by two points.

Despite starting the campaign with so much optimism, the Gunners’ annual capitulation appears to have come around earlier than expected this year and the situation in north London has been made even worse of late following worrying reports surrounding forward Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean was dropped for the weekend loss away at Liverpool, reportedly as a result of a training ground bust-up, and has since been linked with moves away from the Emirates Stadium. Exactly where the 28-year-old’s future lies remains to be seen of course, though there is the small matter of the home tie against Bayern tonight.

Wenger, diplomatic as ever, has claimed Sanchez was dropped as his side looked to go more direct. Still, whatever the reason behind his benching, we recently asked Arsenal fans if they wanted him back in starting XI.

As you can imagine, the answer was a resounding yes. An emphatic 80% want him back, leaving 20% in camp Wenger it seems.

Over to you, Arsene.

Exclusive: West Ham fans reveal the three Championship stars Bilic should sign

Earlier this week, the Championship announced the Team of the Season for 2016/17, with stars from the division’s top four clubs – Newcastle, Brighton, Huddersfield and Leeds – inevitably dominating proceedings.

But not all four can gain promotion to the top flight this season and after showing such impressive form, it seems inevitable the stars who miss out – and some of the ones who don’t – will catch flirtatious glances from Premier League clubs this summer.

West Ham have a pretty strong record when it comes to recruiting from the Championship, left-back Aaron Cresswell and this season’s current top scorer Michail Antonio being the obvious examples.

So earlier this week we asked Hammers fans to vote for which Team of the Season members they want Slaven Bilic to target during the next transfer window. Here’s a rundown of the top three…

3. Jonjo Shelvey

Unquestionably the most technically able central midfielder in the Championship this season, Jonjo Shelvey is probably a little too good for the second tier. He’s been a near permanence in the Newcastle lineup when not suspended this season, notching up four goals and seven assists in 34 league outings. Those rasping cross-field passes remain a defining feature of the former Liverpool and Swansea man’s game, but it’s never been a question of ability with the 25-year-old – the real problem has always been his attitude.

2. Chris Wood

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Perhaps a consequence of how a reliable centre-forward has continually evaded the Hammers this season, Leeds target man Chris Wood ranked second in our poll. Indeed, whilst Andy Carroll, Andre Ayew, Simone Zaza, Diafra Sakho and Jonathan Calleri have netted just twelve Premier League goals combined this term, Wood’s amassed 24 in the Championship single-handed, rising to the top of the division’s scoring charts. Tall, powerful and aggressive, he’d be the perfect stand-in for the ever-injured Carroll.

1. Anthony Knockaert

An incredibly strong candidate for the Championship’s Player of the Season award, Anthony Knockaert – who once helped Leicester City reach the top flight – unsurprisingly claimed top spot in our poll. The tricky winger has been nothing short of phenomenal for second-place Brighton this season, notching up 13 goals and seven assists in 37 appearances whilst averaging the fourth-most successful dribbles per match of any player in the division. The Foxes hardly gave him a chance upon their promotion to the top flight but it seems more than likely the Frenchman will be there again next season, whether its with the Seagulls or another club.

Results

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Everton fans react to their starting line-up vs. Leicester City

Everton manager Ronald Koeman made two changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Manchester United during the week for the visit of Premier League champions Leicester City to Goodison Park on Sunday.

Matthew Pennington was named alongside the heart of the defence with Ashley Williams suspended following his red card at Old Trafford, while Morgan Schneiderlin came back from injury to take his place in the centre of midfield in place of Gareth Barry.

With the fifth-placed Red Devils beating Sunderland earlier on Sunday, the Toffees know that they need to match them by taking all three points against the Foxes to maintain keep their chances of finishing in a European spot alive.

Everton supporters were quick to have their say on the starting line-up and while they were delighted to see Schneiderlin back in the team, others were disappointed that there wasn’t a start for Ademola Lookman and some worried about the strength of the defence.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the team news…

Pundit backs West Ham United to end Everton’s winning streak

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes that West Ham United will restrict Everton to a point in this Saturday’s Premier League clash at the London Stadium.

The Hammers have had a tough season, winning just 10 of their 33 games and losing 16, which has left them in the bottom half of the table.

At one stage, the club were getting dragged into a relegation battle, but sealing four points from their last two games seems has put them nine clear of the drop.

As for Everton, they are pushing for a top-six finish given that they currently reside seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand.

Ronald Koeman’s men will be hunting for their third straight victory, but Merson believes that the Hammers will snatch a 1-1 draw.

The ex-Arsenal player told Sky Sports:

“It will be a difficult game for Ronald Koeman’s side but Everton’s fine form should continue in east London. West Ham need to get a couple more points to confirm their top-flight status and I think they battle to a draw this weekend. They are not as bad as everybody seems to be saying.”

Earlier this season in October, Everton snatched all three points in a 2-0 triumph over the Hammers at Goodison Park.

Tottenham Hotspur should go all out for Real Madrid star Morata

Tottenham Hotspur have made an offer for Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata ahead of the summer transfer window, reports Spanish newspaper AS.

What’s the story?

The North London outfit are among a number of top-level clubs who are believed to be interested in the Spain international.

The publication claims that Manchester United are also keeping an eye on Morata, while Chelsea are too trying to land his signature.

It has also been reported that AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund have registered an interest, while Juventus are keen to bring back the forward just one year after selling him to Madrid.

AS claims that Morata is keen on moving to the Premier League and as it stands, Chelsea is the most likely destination.

Should Spurs continue to pursue?

Absolutely. Chelsea may be the rumoured favourites right now, but Tottenham have plenty to offer a player of Morata’s calibre.

They are becoming a force in English football as they are the only club to keep pace with the Blues in the title race.

At the moment, just four points separate themselves from Chelsea with four games left to play, and while they may not have won a trophy since 2008, Mauricio Pochettino is shaping an impressive team.

Morata is likely to be looking for a club that can offer him regular game time as he has started just 12 La Liga games and one Champions League fixture under Zinedine Zidane in Madrid this season.

Despite his lack of starts, the forward has still managed to score 18 goals in all competitions, 13 of which have come in the league.

Harry Kane is Tottenham’s main attacker, but Morata has the ability to play across front three, so there is no reason why the pair could not play alongside one another.

The 24-year-old forward has power, pace and he proved while at Juventus that he can cope under pressure by scoring in both the semi-finals and final of the Champions League in the 2014-15 campaign.

Morata could be what Tottenham need to push even further forward in their development.

Rangers fans furious after they suffer Old Firm derby humiliation

Rangers suffered their biggest ever defeat to Celtic at Ibrox as they were beaten 5-1 by the Bhoys in the final Old Firm derby on Saturday.

Having already won four and drawn one of the clashes between the two sides this term the hosts would have been looking for a win but they got off to the worst possible start as goals from Scott Sinclair and Leigh Griffiths saw them trailing 2-0 after just 18 minutes.

Further goals from Callum McGregor and Dedryck Boyata followed before Kenny Miller pulled one back for the Gers, but Mikael Lustig’s late goal ensured the thrashing and the second 5-1 win of the season for the visitors against their arch-rivals.

Rangers supporters were quick to give their reaction to the humiliating performance via social media, and they were furious with the effort from some of the players and want big changes to be made next term.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the result…

Miller: We can follow in footsteps of Celtic next season

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rangers striker Kenny Miller believes that his side can emulate the progress of Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic this season.

What’s the story?

When the Light Blues defeated Celtic on penalties at Hampden in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup last season, we’re not sure many would have predicted such wildly different situations at both clubs just over 12 months later.

Since then the Hoops have come on leaps and bounds, in no small part thanks to Brendan Rodgers, on their way to one of the best seasons in the entire history of the club.

Rangers meanwhile have gone backwards and face a significant rebuilding process over the next few months. Now striker Kenny Miller believes the Gers should look at what Celtic have done and try to do similar.

As quoted by The Sun, the 37 year old reminisced about last season’s win over the Hoops and said:

I know we only won on penalties but I felt we were closer to them on the day. We were the better football team — we looked like we had a better game plan. Look what a manager and a few big name signings can do. Better quality, higher quality signings and then reinvigorating the good players that were there. We can look at that.

Rangers fans of course never like being compared to their city rivals, and vice versa, but will at least be heartened that Miller wants the same ambitious outlook on next season as they do.

Whether the money is there to do that remains to be seen, it’s likely that Pedro Caixinha will be working on a budget far below that of the Hoops.

Miller is right in one respect though, everything resets when the season ends and just because the Gers have had a frustrating campaign, it doesn’t mean that needs to be the case next term.

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Twitter Reacts: Paul Pogba drops Griezmann transfer hint

It has been a pretty incredible 24 hours for Manchester United fans. Not only did their team sweep Ajax aside and claim their very first Europa League trophy, but they may have also received the biggest clue yet as to whether Antoine Griezmann will join the club this summer.

While the speculation regarding Griezmann moving to United has been simmering for some time, it seems that Paul Pogba may have given the biggest indication yet to his compatriot’s impending arrival.

After a hard night of partying in Stockholm, Pogba took to his Instagram to live stream his own personal celebrations. Part of the live stream included the 23-year-old performing Griezmann’s trademark ‘Hotline Bling’ dance, which he titled “next season”. This video was then “liked” by Griezmann himself, prompting United fans to erupt with joy at what many deemed confirmation to the Frenchman’s arrival.

After Pogba published the video, United fans took to social media to express their delight…

Mourinho hoping these two factors will sway Tottenham deal

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is confident of landing a deal for Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier, despite the fact the north Londoners will refuse to put a price tag on their man, according to reports from The Metro.

The Spurs midfielder could well be on the move this summer having lost his preferred first team role under Mauricio Pochettino last season, given the form of both Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama, and Mourinho is hoping to capitalise on his situation.

The former Chelsea manager is looking for a long-term successor to Michael Carrick, and is hoping that two factors will be able to force Dier’s hand.

First of all, the Portuguese is willing to offer the £18.7m-rated midfielder wages that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy simply wouldn’t comprehend offering a player.

Furthermore, as opposed to using him as a central defender as Pochettino has more often than not over the last campaign, Mourinho will offer Dier the chance to play consistently as a central midfielder.

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