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jrpneblog · 2 years

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Only time will tell how good a Transfer Window this was

One thing we have all done in life is that we have made predictions which have not come to fruition. As the transfer window closes fans all over the country spectulate on the Autumn and Winter ahead and articulate just how bad, or good, their club has done in the mad scramble. Here at Deepdale we have seen six new faces through the door and nearly three times as many go the other way, the latest being Josh Harrop who has left the club today by mutual consent. The manager has said he is happy with the squad he has got but would have liked another striker and a right wing back to complete our dealings. It wasnt to be most likely because of the fees or the wages any club looking to sell or loan would want. Not to mention the players demands on a permanent transfer. It`s only my opinion but I think it has been a good window for North End but one that still leaves us shy in at least two positions. In the goalkeeping department Freddie Woodman looks solid and seven clean sheets out of seven in the league would seem to back that up. We have seen very little of David Cornell but the ninety minutes we got at Wolves was enough to suggest he will do nicely thank you as our number two. At the back we have brought in Robbie Brady, who had an injury question mark hanging over him, on the left and to date he has been one of our top performers. The most exciting signing for me is the loan signing of Alvaro Fernandez from Manchester United. The lad plays the game at a very high pace, his first touch is good and he drifts past players with ease. Perhaps he occasionally gets caught out of position when defending but that is something he will learn with experience in the first eleven. Next we have Ben Woodburn who links the play up well in my opinion and had a good game at Coventry until injury forced him off. I like the lad and I think he might become a big player for us as the season wears on. Finally we have Troy Parrott leading the line on a twelve month loan from Spurs and if Antonio Conte gives the lad a five year deal then that is good enough for me. Troy just needs a league goal to set him off and you wonder what sort of partnership he could have struck up with a player like Cameron Archer for example, anyway I digress. So the South Ribble correspondent is happy with the six that have come in and we will probably have to wait until the game at Stoke on New Years Day to confirm, or not, that it really should have been eight. Ryan has been very keen to promote harmony amongst the fans with regards to the lack of activity towards the end of the window and he has indicated he is fine with the squad and that we will not buy for buyings sake on the final couple of days. My default position as the window closes is to take the manager at his word and let the boys in the squad do their talking on the pitch and then to give some latitude to all at Deepdale when a spell of poor form comes, as the days get shorter, as it surely will. Let us reconvene this discussion in January.

On the pitch it was a decent four days on the road for North End in terms of points collected with a 0-0 draw at Cradiff on Saturday followed by a 1-0 win at Coventry on Wednesday evening. In the Principality North End probably rode their luck a little bit against a muscular Cardiff side and it was probably our poorest performance of the season. We had a bit of luck when we needed it but just didn`t put away the couple of chances that we got and at the end of the day I have to say I thought it was a point won for North End in South Wales as opposed to two points lost.

Wednesday evening saw us make the trip to the CBS Arena and a game against Mark Robins, Coventry City. It was the Sky Blues first home game of the season after having their pitch relaid and the certainly came at us strongly at the start. Having said not North End were the better team in the first half and really should have been playing ten men from the thirty sixth minute when Wilson in the home goal flattened Parrott only to receive a yellow card. After the break we saw off an early onslaught and when Emil Riis fired home with seventeen minutes to go it was all hands to the pump to ensure that the three points were secured and that this fantastic run of seven clean sheets was continued.

Looking ahead and a clear week, next week, for North End after Birmingham City visit Deepdale on Saturday afternoon. The Blues have not made the best of starts sitting third from bottom having only won one and drawn two of their seven league games. However, as we all know these are the type of fixtures where it is very easy to come unstuck through over confidence or the opponents just being fired up to get a win. Ryan Lowe changed three on Wednesday evening and with Woodburn likely to be out I can see the manager making two or three changes for Saturday with the old guard of Browne and Johnson possibly returning. Perhaps he will stick with the boys who did the business in the Midlands on Wednesday evening but dont we love to speculate on the team for Saturday and if ten of us sat in a room we would probably pick ten different teams. If North End can collect the booty on Saturday then that would be fourteen points from eight games in the Championship which would represent a very good start to the season with about a sixth of the fixtures gone.

And finally this week:- I dont want to labour the point too much but the buzz running through the club hasnt been extinguished because we havent signed anybody today. Things, generally, have improved and you cant do everything the fans want all of the time. Im not defending North End for not going the extra mile in the transfer window I am merely saying lets see how it pans out before the Sack the Board banners appear. Its our club after all and nobody else`s. So deep breath, chest out and lets give it some real bollocks against Birmingham on Saturday because nothing quells the frustration of the fans like taking three points home at five o`clock on a Saturday.

JR`s HIGH FIVES

Luton to beat Wigan 11/10

A £5 Stake returns £10.50 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £57.13 Stake £25.00

Percentage profit+/-loss + 128.52%

Predictions 5 won 5 lost 0.

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mitchbeck · 4 years

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CANTLON'S CORNER: VINNI LETTIERI PLAYS BIG PIECE OF WOLF PACK PLAYOFF RUN

Vinni Lettieri BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings CROMWELL, CT - Prior to his departure for the AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, California Vinni Lettieri was in a good spot as the final 22 games of the regular season. The last stretch commences in a home and home divisional pair of games with Springfield starting Friday at 7:15 pm at the XL Center. Lettieri returns along with teammate Joey Keane and head coach Kris Knoblauch as part of Atlantic Division winners of the 2020 AHL All-Star Classics. Lettieri popped in two goals the first came on a breakaway 2:13 into the first period for the Atlantic Division squad. The second was vintage Vinni off wing slapshot on a cross-ice feed from Providence’s Jack Studnicka 26 seconds into the action against the North Division. Then Joey Keane scored the next goal a little over two minutes later en route to a 5-2 win. He would also add an assist on the night. Now that all festivities are over Lettieri gets back to the task at hand. Practice is the key to his growth and progress. A few weeks ago in Cromwell, he and Keane spent a half hour or so taking extra shots and in one sequence hit the post three times in a row and he tossed his stick up in the air in baton tossing fashion. “That was one day because it's every day. To get better you have to do it every day. Joey and I do it a half-hour or so and it's important because it helps me to know where I am now and where I wanna go, work every day. It's always good to work with someone on those one-timers and Joey has been really good at it. Our powerplay has to improve, so we put in the extra time.” He has admitted his season was a slower start than he would have liked, but on and off-ice work has helped his game improve. “I have watched videos that have given me of Artemi Panarin (Rangers), ex-CT Whale Jonathan Marchessault (Las Vegas) and David Pasternak, (Boston the NHL’s leading goals scorer). It's learning how to hold onto the puck to make a better shot just not shooting randomly. So it's just one thing that changes everything it’s a combination of things. It's not a pattern that I see its learning each game is different. Using the coaches and all the other resources plus my teammates have helped make me a better all-around player,” remarked Lettieri. Panarin, the Rangers leading scorer and who has a high-end skill set is not a bad guy to pattern some of your game after. “Watching how he holds the puck in preparing for a shot is something, it's one of the little things of the game you learn. Pasternak’s shoots so well from any area he’s at its amazing. Marchessault, he seems to be everywhere and he is really dynamic and has great acceleration,” said Lettieri showing his keen scouting skills. Over the roller coaster past few weeks haven’t left Lettieri having seen the valley of the last two seasons. “For the better part of the year we have played the same way and stuck to our game plan and it’s a long season nothing is perfect. Yes, we could have played better in some ways, but overall I like this group and think more often than not will come out on top,” As they prepare for a weekend with Springfield a year ago same building he was adamant about making the playoffs three days the captain was traded and the team never recovered. This is obviously a very different group. “We certainly want it, but that is always important that we have to focus and continue to grow and get better and those things will take care of themselves.” AHL NEWS -Two pieces of new AHL arena news coming out of the AHL All-Star Classic. The San Jose City Council Tuesday night approved the expansion of the Solar4 American Ice Center that will become the new home of the AHL San Jose Barracuda. The arena located in central San Jose 3.6 miles about from the SAP Center aka Shark Tank where the Sharks and their AHL affiliate have shared the building for the past five years since the creation of the AHL Pacific Division. The upgrade slated to start this April that will see the complex go from four to six sheets of ice including a 4,200 seat competition arena that is to be completed by April 2022. The arena sits on a 21.2-acre site that also includes Excite Ballpark, home to the high, Class A eight-team California League San Jose Giants. The building has been the only secondary off-site training facility for the Sharks and Barracuda. The facility is also home to the collegiate varsity club hockey squad, the San Jose State Spartans (ACHA Division-2) and local high school hockey. This new facility combined with the AHL coming 32nd team, the expansion Palm Springs, CA team the affiliate for the expansion NHL Seattle team further solidifies the western growth of hockey both NHL, AHL and soon collegiately. -The West will also be solidified by the announcement from outgoing AHL President and CEO Dave Andrews that the Vegas Golden Knights are actively seeking to buy a current AHL team and move them to the Las Vegas area. The arena would be in nearby Paradise called, the Orleans Arena that was home to the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers from 2003-20014. The building is 7,773 seats- a perfect AHL size building but would have to undergo a serious overhaul of its operating systems to be ready by the fall of 2020. Now, which team would they purchase? The most likely candidate could be Rockford whose arrangement with the Chicago Black Hawks ends after this season. In that scenario, the Golden Knights would purchase Rockford and then move the team to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have the Chicago Wolves as their farm team would vacate that arrangement. That could allow the Black Hawks to skate into an arrangement as the Wolves' new parent team. The Wolves are one of the few independently owned teams left in the league in which 19 of the 32 teams are NHL O & O (owned and operated) and is one of the best attended and promoted teams in the league. When Wolves were firstborn in the old IHL under its present owner Don Levin the two were arch enemies. 20 plus years have passed. Rocky Wirtz, not his father Bill is running the team I can see a marriage being formed with the Black Hawks. There are some other possibilities, but Andrews's comments at the State of the AHL press conference made it clear it was more of a matter of when--not if--the AHL would be in the Las Vegas area. “I think that at some point there will be an (AHL) team in Vegas, or (the Golden Knights) will own a team, but would have to happen pretty soon.” Andrews remarked who is as cautious as NHL President Gary Bettman is regarding announcements or speculations about team transfers, relocations or disbanding. NOTES: -Wolf Pack GM and Trumbull native, Chris Drury added another piece to his executive resume as he was named to the GM post of Team USA that will play in early May at the World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. -Now that the NHL and AHL All-Star breaks have concluded temporary roster moves for that time period have ended and movement has begun once again. Goalie Adam Huska who went 1-1 with a 1.53 GAA win and Lewis Zerter-Gossage who scored his first ECHL in his two games were returned from Portland officially Monday. Maine’s goalie Francois Brassard in a paper transaction was released from his PTO with the Wolf Pack. Conversely, officially recalled on Wednesday by the Rangers was goalie Igor Shesterkin, but I don’t think this is the last time we will see him. If Alexander Georgiev is not traded by the NHL Trade deadline (February 24th) he would likely be returned by then. The Rangers could keep him in New York till their officially eliminated from playoff contention presently the Rangers are in the seventh spot for the wild card 10 points back. Expect Shesterkin to be here when the Wolf Pack start the Calder Cup playoffs and with Igor, the Wolf Pack’s chances for a long run are significantly improved. -Other notables from the AHL All-Star Classic were two former Quinnipiac Bobcats Sam Anas (Iowa) with two goals and Brogan Rafferty (Utica) with a goal and an assist. Ex-Pack and Sound Tiger Matt Ford (Grand Rapids) scored twice. -Lias Andersson’s suspension was officially lifted and was formally reassigned to HV 71 (Sweden-SHL) for the rest of the season. -Ex-Wolf Pack Dale Weise was recalled back to Montreal from Laval, Jarred Tinordi son ex-New Haven Nighthawk Mark Tinordi was recalled by Nashville from Milwaukee, Jansen Harkins, son of former Whaler Todd Harkins was recalled to Winnipeg from Manitoba and Max Jones, son of former New Haven Nighthawk/Senators Brad Jones goes from San Diego to Anaheim. -Goalie Callum Booth (Salisbury Prep) was assigned to Atlanta (ECHL) by Charlotte. -Former UCONN Husky, Karl El-Mir was sent from Indy (ECHL) as the future consideration of a trade made last week with Greenville (ECHL). -Ex-Sound Tiger John Persson signs a deal with Brynas IF (Sweden-SHL) for the rest of the season and for 2020-21 leaving SaiPa (Finland-FEL) who were having a poor season. -Ex-Sound Tiger assistant coach Matt Bertani is an assistant coach with Team South Korea at the IIHF U-20 Division II Group B tournament being held in Gangnueng South Korea till February 3rd. -We'll be seeing a goalie named Stauber a few times over the next few years. Jaxon Stauber, son of the former Wolf Pack and Nighthawk netminder, Robb Stauber has made a commitment to Providence College (HE) next year 2020-21. The 6’3 undrafted netminder played one game with Minnesota- State Mankato Mavericks (WCHA) before suddenly returning to Sioux Falls (USHL) for this season who are the defending USHL Clark Cup champions, where he was the playoff MVP last season. Father Robb just completed his AHL honorary captain duties at the AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, California at the Toyota Center, Sunday and Monday. -Easton Armstrong, son ex-Pack great Derek Armstrong played his first two WHL with Regina picking up a one shot on goal. Read the full article

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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As the Premier League takes a break, Sportsmail’s Wise Men tackle 10 big questions

With the international break on us, three Sportsmail Wise Men answer 10 big questions about the Premier League, the English side, women's football .. And VAR!

1. Do two teams get 90 points again?

Martin Keown : When you are in a winning team, it becomes a way of life. Nothing but a victory will satisfy you. That is what we see with Liverpool and Manchester City .

It is like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi . Their competitiveness has kept them at the top of the game. Now we have two great teams.

Looking at Liverpool, there is so much intensity in the way they play. Jurgen Klopp makes his players so excited. When I look at Pep Guardiola & # 39; s City, I see more of an artistic side.

They achieved both styles to 90 plus points last season. I also expect nothing less. The first matches back after the international break are important (city in Norwich, Liverpool's home base of Newcastle). You have to win again.

Sadio Mane Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah celebrate in Liverpool & # 39 ; s victory over Burnley

Chris S utton : It is a race with two horses and both have to pass 90 points again. I cannot see Tottenham and any of the pursuers who are bothering them.

Chelsea and Manchester United should be more concerned that Brendan Rodgers & Leicester is pushing one of them out of the top six.

2. Who wins and who makes top 4?

Keown : I supported Liverpool in my predictions for the season and had City, Tottenham and Arsenal complete the top four. I stand by that, but the fourth is wide open. Everyone could take it. United seems to be dropping points for fun – a draw at Wolves if they should have won, a home loss against Crystal Palace and then 1-1 at Southampton.

Sutton : I'm still behind City for the title, followed by Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal. United does not have the players to get there. I can't believe they let Alexis Sanchez go. They had already sold Romelu Lukaku and signed for replacement, so they were already light in front.

I fear that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cut off his nose despite his face. He now relies on Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, maybe even 17-year-old Mason Greenwood to do a job in advance. As for Chelsea, with their lack of signatures and in Eden Hazard, the top four are out there.

Mancester United has just won one of their first four games of the new season

3. What did Arsenal v Spurs teach us?

Keown : There are defensive question marks for Arsenal. We know everything about their attack power and the arrival of Nicolas Pepe makes their forward line even better, but uncertainty remains behind.

There were times when David Luiz was left alone against Spurs, and you can't have to. Sokratis left a big gap for Christian Eriksen's opener after he left his position trying to win a header. The most defensive player on the pitch was Alexandre Lacazette!

As far as Spurs is concerned, I just wonder if they have a last hangover after the Champions League.

Sutton : Arsenal is progressing well, but vulnerable at the rear. The same weaknesses are still there. David Luiz doesn't solve that. Mauricio Pochettino has brought his team a lot of unnecessary focus on Tottenham.

He had a backup on the transfer market, spent more than £ 100 million, but he can't help but cryptic press conferences. There is troubled air on Spurs.

Defensive question marks for Arsenal despite the signing of David Luiz

Tottenham this year seems to be suffering from a post-Champions League last hangover

4. Will Frank and Ole last season?

Keown : With what Chelsea is going through, Frank Lampard needs to be supported. OK, Chelsea can never be 2-0 against a promoted club in Stamford Bridge and draw 2-2.

But Lampard has shown that he can get good performances from young players. It shouldn't be that he keeps the seat warm until they can find another head coach as soon as they can sign players again.

Solskjaer must achieve results quickly. It feels like it's hard. A win over 10 is not good enough. Solskjaer – and Lampard, given the Chelsea transfer ban – are two young bosses who work with their hands tied behind their backs.

Sutton : There is a willingness to be patient with Lampard. He works in the post-Hazard and endured a transfer embargo.

Lampard should last the season, but I am not sure if Solskjaer will do that. He took over in Old Trafford last season and finished with one win in their last seven Premier League games. Now their problems continue.

Frank Lampard has shown that he can get good performances of young players

Manchester United continues to struggle this season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

5. Which Which three clubs are relegated?

Keown : It's so hard to say. I predicted Newcastle, Norwich and Sheffield United in the season, but Chris Wilder has the same number of points as Tottenham! Watford, tipped to push to Europe in the preseason, is at the bottom. Perhaps Bournemouth and Southampton will begin to feel the pressure.

Sutton : I stand at my first guesses at Sheffield United, Brighton and Aston Villa. But I'm worried about my old Norwich team. They have a young back line, a talented team, but these are players who are not used to the Premier League. You have to hope that they don't start to doubt themselves.

6. Which player impressed you the most?

Keown : Dani Ceballos. His home debut against Burnley was one of the best I've seen in an Arsenal shirt. I love his willingness to hit the ball and couldn't train because he was up against Spurs. He looks like a special player.

Sutton : It must be Teemu Pukki. Not many players left the championship and run as emphatically as this guy. After goals against Liverpool and Chelsea and a hat trick against Newcastle he must feel that he belongs on this level.

If Norwich does not fall back, they need Pukki to keep scoring. He will believe he can too.

Dani Ceballos and Teemu Pukki are two of the best artists so far this season

7. Who wins the Golden Shoe?

Keown : If Liverpool is going to be champion, it must be Mohamed Salah. He'll be piping Sadio Mane this season, and I'm sure Klopp won't have to leave those two Turf Moor on Saturday without tackling their fight. Salah went through a spell where he had trouble scoring last season, but I see more in his game this year than I did before.

Sutton : Harry Kane. If the condition permits, he will always continue to lead that line for Spurs. Sergio Aguero has come flying out of the blocks, but he may be equipped for the strange game. Kane takes penalties as we saw against Arsenal. He thought he should have had a second one, but he turned to Harry … that wasn't worth a mockery.

8. Can we say that VAR works?

Mark Clattenburg : VAR works for factual decisions such as offside or the ball that is out of play. Some of the marginal calls have led to criticism of VAR, and I understand that, but if the technology tells us it is an inch offside, we have to accept that.

The main reason why VAR did not work in the first few weeks is because the Premier League and PGMOL have set the bar too high to allow the official to intervene when it comes to subjective decisions. This causes enormous inconsistency.

You must be told that you should refer to the pitchside monitor more often, rather than the official VAR adhering to the call in the field. It doesn't matter if this takes time. The most important thing is to make the right decision.

After a while there are two things that I would like to try. The first is to let fans in the stadium and on TV watch the chat between the officials, so that everyone understands what is happening. The second is to allow two challenges per game per team via their suppliers. This works well in cricket.

VAR has a current topic of discussion during the opening weeks of the new competition week

Jack Grealish remembers referee Kevin Friend after Aston Villa had rejected a goal

Keown : I found it intriguing that Michael Oliver, one of the Premier League's best references, did not oversee a weekend match. Instead he did a double duty in Stockley Park – Southampton against Manchester United and Burnley against Liverpool.

Why was Oliver there and not in a competition? Because the Premier League needs the right messages that come from their VAR center. Changes are needed. Mic up the officials so we can hear what's happening. Show what is happening in stadiums, because it is chaos in its current form.

Sutton : Why don't the referees use their pitch-side monitors? That is the biggest head scratcher for me. If I was a Premier League referee now, I am not sure I would trust the officials in Stockley Park. They make too many mistakes.

The Youri Tielemans challenge at Callum Wilson of Bournemouth was a good example. If I were a referee, I would like to see such incidents with my own eyes from now on.

9. How can we make the ladies game grow?

Keown : The BBC does an excellent job of bringing women's football to us. The 3-3 draw of England with Belgium was available last Thursday. De Beeb shows the domestic game online and also via the red button. To make the game grow, it might help to show it live on TV every week. The audience is for it.

Sutton : I don't think we should do anything drastic. We must continue as we are. The ladies game is now there. We see it on TV, it is well reported in the media. Everyone is aware of this. There was a lot of love for the English women during the World Cup. The profile of the game is rising and let's hope it continues.

James Maddison looks forward to making his senior England debut against Bulgaria

10. What is your England team to play Bulgaria with?

Keown : Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Maguire, Chilwell; Maddison, Henderson, Mount; Sancho, Kane, Sterling. This is a good opportunity for Gareth Southgate to debut some of his promising youngsters.

England is in fourth place in the world and Bulgaria is in 60th place, so the win cannot be questioned. Southgate wants to learn more about these players. The best way is to play them.

Sutton : Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Maguire, Chilwell; Maddison, Winks, Mount; Sterling, Kane, Sancho. That is the team that I would like to see, not the team that I think we will see!

Southgate has summoned several young people and I want to see them used. Mason Mount is in shape in the Premier League, so throw it in. James Maddison is another who thrives for his club Leicester, only his hand in his international debut.

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#As the Premier League takes a break #Sportsmail’s Wise Men tackle 10 big questions"

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bushleaguefpl-blog · 6 years

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ROLLING THUNDER: BUSH LEAGUE HEATS UP THROUGH ROUNDS TWO AND THREE.

If anything, the last two rounds of The Bush have showed managers that no two weeks can be the same. Harrison “Is Don is Good” Kennedy and Ben “sit on my face” Petersen are the two managers alone at the top much to the dislike of the inconsistent fellow managers. MASSIVE scores in round 2 all around the table were snuffed out by a terrible average in week 3. From a BIG statement in Logan’s 105 point scoring thrashing over Brody, to the high score of 64 of Chris and his BBB’s this week, let alone 4 Wildcards dropped - the last two rounds have set the stage for a sensational, theatrical year of The Bush.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room, Logan “Where’s the weekly” McIndoe’s massive, and quite clearly gratifying domination over GW2 and Brody “must.beat.logan.” Felgate. 105 to 64. A waste of a triple captain some may say this early, or the fact that he would have won regardless without it. Nonetheless, a victory where you take the other players chip and shove it up his clack is about as good as it gets. Well played Logan, we’re talking to ourselves as you don’t read these but troll when they’re not done (logic), regardless, well played.

That happiness will last all season with bragging rights no doubt, though Logan’s top dog status didn’t last long. Opting for an Aguero captain let him and many FPL managers down in a controversial draw over the Wolves, ultimately giving Chris “Hayne is our best player kill me” Kennedy and Salah a bit of revenge from last weeks captain battle.

Quiet underachiever since his debut in the Bush, Chris “former Vinny D” Keen has picked up we believe his second TOTW in his teams short history. The Big Booty Bitches, Big, Big Booty Bitches, we want Big Booty Bitches (had to) - scored the highest points in GW3 sitting at 64 to get his season off the mark. Some outstanding selections made hopefully a rise from the dark for Chris.

Historically the Bush is a place for excitement and a lot of the time, excessive excitement (*cough* Brody *cough*). This becomes ever so clear in the case of wildcards. In the past few seasons, many managers have decided to fall on the sword of the early wildcard in fits of frustration and sadness following early week results. This trend hath continued this week; Rowan, Tim, Morgan and Danny all felt the pressure enough to completely change their team ahead of GW3 after tumultuous starts to their campaigns. It only paid off for two teams, leaving Tim and Rowan without a win, without a wildcard and sadly, without hope. The Bush community is here for anyone suffering selection depression, your fellow managers are here for you lads, onwards and upwards.

Rowan “domesticated” Flanagan, a former Bush champ, thought he’d do a cheeky one for the CSKA derby, great tactic, then comes the team selection... absolute trash. Flanagan and his Doumbia’s went from a 67 scoring team to a 31 scoring team with some questionable transfers. For example getting rid of Tripper (22 points last two) for the likes of a three man defence that scored 9. Loyalty to United obviously masked the stupidity of such decisions and fair enough the post wildcard team is good on paper. It just doesn’t justify such drastic decisions this early when the GW2 team wasn’t bad at all. The Dons came through on the back of Liverpool and Captain “safe” Salah, a decision Harry has finally learnt is a smart one after avoiding Salah for 25 Game weeks last year. Don’s are 3/3 so far and may just get his first ever MOTM nomination since the introduction in BUSH 3.

Sitting on top with The Dons is everyone’s fan favourite Ben Petersen. Ben gave it to the critics after ‘easy’ wins against Blake and Chris to go on to beat struggling former champ Brock Lamont. The Mooys struggled up front unlike Harry “tap, tap, tap it in” Kane did not. To make it 4/4, the Bigotes are taking on Kirby’s Loftus-Cheeks which will be no easy task after a strong week from them. Kirby did everyone a favour and silenced James “Posting gifs of city is banter right?” McIndoe this week with a solid win, thank-you kind sir.

“I’ll crack the tonne this week” - Tim Sheehan, before realising he will indeed, not even crack half a tonne.

Tim isn’t mad he’s just disappointed in himself and his team after their performance against The Coach, Danny Cotton. Both managers opted for their wildcard with Danny prevailing sending Tim to the shadow realm (the realm of no wins - ask Riley Guest, he lives there). The real shocker here is that... 3 weeks in, Danny has used his FREE HIT and his WILDCARD. After losing by 2 points in the first round Danny must have been LIVID at his team and went nah fuck this, all chips a go let’s get it. Strange tactics, how many chips left? 32 rounds left? Do the math boys, it doesn’t add up but we’re rooting for you Coach.

Phenomenons happen every now and then in sport, much to the favour of punters (you know who you are), sometimes they pay off, sometimes you’re sitting there wondering why you’ve spent your last dollar on a Japanese badminton heat. Nobody could have predicted Mitch “no.1 ticket holder to Rowan’s live show ‘If there’s grass on the pitch play cricket’” Keen, who this week pulled off a SECOND draw in a row. Frustrating, though competitive, if he gets a third he should 100% buy a lottery ticket.

It’s not very often in the Bush that a risk pays off dividends. It’s what keeps us at the times in business...reporting on the failure in a terrific fashion. This week however the exception has been filed. Take a bow Mr. Blake “I Shit You Not” Hands for what is the managerial manoeuvre of the decade. A -16 POINT HIT LEADING TO A “GOOD OLD FASHIONED GEORGE W”. Mr Hands said it best in the post match presser saying “it’s like playing with 10 men against Wolves and still winning the game”. We bow to you sir for your brilliant win and for defying the system during a week where early wildcards are the object of criticism. Congratulations...we’re getting used to this winner in our midst (Even if he’s a fucking choker). Kudos.

A congratulations is in order to Morgan Witts and the Hurrikanes - a very first Bush win. A momentous occasion for any manager and one that will live with him forever. A win over the GC tigers thanks to solid selections in defence and dark horse Pereyra has him on the board and now optimistic with what’s to come. He joins 11 other teams on 3 points in what we like to call the ‘Danger Zone’. A win here would catapult any team into mid table success, a loss would hurt them tremendously.

Speaking of the Daaaanger Zooooone (Sung like Archer, if you don’t get it i hate you), let’s take a look at the members and their situations.

Brody - GW1, got TOTW. Since then used Triple Captain and lost twice.

Madde - Won his first with big score, lost two in a row

Reid - Finally sorted his bench and has won first game of season.

Brock - Has 1 win 2 losses, only win against wooden spooner Guy.

David - First win of the season this week.

Max - 1 from 3, questionable captaincy to only united players so far...

Blake - Very lucky to get a win this week, 1/3 and one of lowest scoring starts in Bush history.

Bush GW4 is underway this weekend lads - go make bad decisions and most of all, stay classy.

#BushLeague18/19 #BushTimesArticles

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ultrasfcb-blog · 6 years

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Sunderland relegated: What awaits Chris Coleman

Next season, Sunderland fans will be watching their side in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1988

Two seasons, two relegations, too many low points to chart for Sunderland Association Football Club.

The Wearsiders’ fate was finally confirmed on Saturday when they were beaten at home by fellow strugglers Burton Albion, a defeat which completed a slow and painful slide into the third tier for the first time in 30 years.

It has been a miserable journey, as fans swap the already fading memories of entertaining Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur for the reality of visits to Accrington Stanley, Bristol Rovers and Southend United.

BBC Sport assesses the scenarios that lie ahead in League One.

What’s the manager’s future?

The turnover of managers at Sunderland and lack of consistency has been cited as one of the factors in the decline at the Stadium of Light, with seven bosses in five years unable to change the club’s on-field fortunes.

Chris Coleman was appointed in November after Simon Grayson’s departure, inheriting a side at the bottom of the Championship with just one win.

He has since picked up a further five victories, while their end-of-season form has suggested there is potential within the current crop of players after a win and three draws in their past six games.

Chris Coleman’s win percentage is 18.5% from 27 games

Although Coleman’s popularity with the Sunderland support is mixed, the fact he is keen to stay beyond this season is largely seen as a positive.

Most have sympathy with the 47-year-old who, after leading Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, had just one transfer window in which to reshape a squad which was already in the Championship relegation zone.

Detractors will argue he took over in November, thus giving him the games to make changes, and that his January recruitment was not good enough.

“He admits to mistakes but the majority of fans believe he hasn’t been dealt a fair hand and want him to stay,” BBC Newcastle’s Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes said.

“He’s pledged to stay and barring an extreme scenario where he’s given no help at all in the summer regarding a transfer budget, then he should be at the helm in August.”

With a full pre-season and the opportunity to potentially recruit, there is the opportunity for the Welshman to give a truer measure of his progress.

“Whatever was needed I never brought it,” Coleman reiterated to BBC Newcastle in the aftermath of relegation. “Over 46 games we’ve not been good enough. We had a lot of games to get it right.

“I think I’m the right man for the job, but to get it where it needs to be there are certain things I need to do and the club needs to do.”

Finances and ownership

Owner Ellis Short has offered the club for free in exchange for taking on debts

The issue of Sunderland’s finances is inextricably linked with the ownership of Ellis Short.

Not even relegation to League One with the ‘luxury’ of a £35m parachute payment from the Premier League will put them in a favourable position.

The debt remains huge, even if player sales and the reduction in wage bill to £35m have trimmed down the last reported figures of £137.3m from April 2017.

To put it into perspective, Uefa’s annual report lists Sunderland as having the 13th highest net debt in Europe, more than that of Paris St-Germain, Porto and rivals Newcastle.

Former Manchester City and Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell remains under contract and, although his salary also recedes, it still totals upwards of £40,000 per week. By contrast, the average salary of a League One player is between £1,700 and £2,500.

Any transfer fees or other sources of income such as parachute payments, central funding or television revenues – the majority of which are reduced in the third tier – will go straight towards servicing debt.

What position Sunderland find themselves in for the 2018-19 season could rest on the future of owner Short.

The Texan businessman, who took over in May 2009, placed Sunderland up for sale and then in February further revised the offer to allow someone to take over the club in exchange for taking on the debt.

“We don’t know what’s happening above us, I can’t say ‘we’ve been relegated and this is my plan’, because we don’t know what the chairman is doing,” Coleman said.

“Am I in the plans or not? I came to manage Sunderland, it’s a great club and we’re in tough times and what’s happening round the corner I don’t know.”

Barnes added: “The chief executive Martin Bain has been tasked with savagely trimming overheads and reducing the club’s overall debt which is believed to be in the region of £70m plus a similar figure owed to Short.

“While Short has made an offer to sell the club for a pittance to any interested parties, that offer appears to be mired in caveats and deadlines. There has been interest expressed in taking over the club but the general consensus is that the stumbling block is the debt.

“Interest payments alone are £8m per year and even the remaining two parachute payments will not cover the outstanding money owed to the bank, which has a two-year repayment schedule in place.”

If someone does come in to take over the club during the summer, it would likely depend on whether the debts could be wiped out.

Otherwise, transfer funds will again be limited for Coleman and a continued reliance on the loan market required.

The squad

With Premier League squads come Premier League wages, but once a team drops out of the top flight the strain on the budget suddenly becomes far more difficult to manage.

Rodwell, Lee Cattermole and Lamine Kone have remained at Sunderland on top-tier money, while part of the salaries for Didier Ndong, Jeremain Lens, Papy Djilobodji and Wahbi Khazri remain on the payroll.

Besiktas have exercised their option to sign Lens permanently following a spell on loan, but whether those other players remain at the Stadium of Light depends on whether the clubs wanting to sign them are prepared to pay similar salaries.

Experienced centre-back John O’Shea is out of contract, as is last summer’s signing Marc Wilson and fellow defender Billy Jones. January acquisition Kazenga LuaLua could also leave at the end of the season after his deal comes to an end.

Young academy talent, coincidentally blooded in the Checkatrade Trophy as part of the under-21s side playing against League One and League Two clubs, could now be the cornerstone of their team.

“Much has conspired against Coleman, such as the blow of losing Duncan Watmore to a second cruciate ligament injury, but on the bright side the emergence of George Honeyman as a potentially long-term midfielder for the club and the promise of forwards Joel Asoro and, to a degree, Josh Maja are a few of the positives from what has been a difficult and wretched season,” said Barnes.

“For 23-year-old Honeyman and his counterpart Lynden Gooch to prosper in a team that has been mentally and physically leeched of positivity over the last nine months is a credit to the pair.

“The likes of those two and Ethan Robson, who has been on the fringes of the first team this season, are potentially the fulcrum of the side over the next few years.”

The problem Coleman could feasibly face is players he wants to keep being desirable to other clubs, while those he would like to offload fail to attract interest.

Support and stadium

During the Premier League years, Sunderland would pack out the 49,000 seats at the Stadium of Light in derbies against Newcastle United or in hosting Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester United.

Those crowds have tumbled in the Championship, although they remain the fourth best-supported side in the second tier with an average of 27,597.

Only champions Wolves, Leeds United and Aston Villa have better averages, while Sunderland’s cumulative Championship crowd of 607,153 with one home game to play is more than three times that of League One leaders Wigan Athletic.

Not that having such a large support has helped Sunderland, evidenced by just two home wins and seven draws from their 22 games this season. No side has won fewer games on home turf.

Even with their home attendances nudging towards 30,000, skewed to an extent by season ticket sales, there have been large spaces at the Stadium of Light.

“The published attendances in the mid-20,000s have been patently massaged to add gloss to a desperate situation,” said Barnes. “In reality the true numbers turning up have been closer to 15-18,000, which in the circumstances is commendable.

“Those that have stayed away can hardly be blamed. Their patience has been sorely tested. Consequently the atmosphere inside the Stadium of Light has been funereal and counter-productive, working to the benefit of the opposition.

“Sunderland are nervy and tentative and on a number of occasions, despite starting brightly, have conceded the opening goal and their brittleness has led to capitulation.”

This has prompted the decision to close the upper concourse of the stadium from next season to all but press, directors and hospitality, a move which has also brought criticism from supporters who have to move seats to other areas of the ground.

It is a cost-cutting measure with a view to reducing stewarding and kiosk staff, as well as trying to improve the atmosphere by bringing more fans into the lower bowl.

While a trip to the ground might be a novelty factor for fans of their new peers in League One, it is an increasingly tougher sell for Black Cats supporters.

An all-too-familiar sight: Sunderland concede a goal before a dwindling crowd and empty seats

Reasons for optimism?

Sunderland are not the first, and certainly will not be the last big club to slide down the leagues.

There are a catalogue of illustrious names, from Sheffield Wednesday to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United to Manchester City who have suffered the same fate but bounced back to the Championship at least.

Almost 20 years after Manchester City went on their tour of the third tier they are now the modern-day mega club, while Leicester – a League One side as recently as 2009 – went on to win a miraculous Premier League title in 2015-16.

If Sunderland wanted to look at one other club to give them hope for the future, then Wolves could be it.

Wolves have gone from the despair of the third tier to promotion within four years

The Molineux side were the last to drop from the Premier League to League One in successive seasons but will now return to the top flight four years after their one successful campaign in the third tier.

And, should the Black Cats need further grounds for optimism, then they could look at the fact that with Wigan earning an immediate return to the Championship, it means that in eight of the past 10 seasons at least one club relegated to League One has bounced back at the first attempt.

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medproish · 6 years

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The Sixers had won 17 straight games going into Monday’s Game 2 against the Heat, and had a blow-out victory in the series premiere. The Sixers were officially back and ready to make a deep run in the East. The champagne was already flowing in Philadelphia.

In Game 2, Dwyane Wade stuck a cork back in the bottle. He put a cork in the Philly crowd’s collective mouth, too.

Wade dropped 28 points in the Heat win to even the series, including a dagger to put the Heat up eight with 47 seconds to go. The Sixers crowd was boisterous and empassioned all night … until Wade invariably silenced them. He took particular glee in shutting up Philadelphian and prominent Sixers fan Kevin Hart, who was courtside with Allen Iverson. We’ll leave you with Wade’s podium comments about his throwback performance.

”It’s a great feeling when you get into that bag, especially when you’re on the road, when you have, like, Kevin Hart talking on the sideline, when you have the crowd going through, saying all the things they’re saying. I heard a lot of things tonight and it’s all just used as motivation. And to be able to hush a whole crowd … that’s a great feeling.”

The good news is that we’ll definitely get to experience the Philly crowd at least one more time in Game 5. No brooms here.

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Monday’s Scores

Heat 113, Sixers 103 Series tied 1-1 Recaps: Hot Hot Hoops | Liberty Ballers

Warriors 116, Spurs 101 Warriors lead series 2-0 Recaps: Golden State Of Mind | Pounding The Rock

Tuesday’s Schedule

Wizards at Raptors, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV Toronto leads 1-0

Bucks at Celtics, 8 p.m. ET, TNT Boston leads 1-0

Pelicans at Blazers, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT New Orleans leads 1-0

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The Spurs actually hung with the Warriors for three quarters, and LaMarcus Aldridge was fantastic, but San Antonio just does not have a chance in this series without Kawhi Leonard. Just no chance. One sign of the times: only six minutes for Tony Parker. Unlike his fellow legends of the Aughts, I don’t think he’s going to finish his career in San Antonio. He’s a free agent this summer.

Speaking of the Spurs, I wrote about Kawhi Leonard and the player-team relationship’s mutually assured destruction. There was a bit more fuel for this after San Antonio’s loss. In praising Aldridge, Gregg Popovich said: “He’s led our team on both ends of the floor. He doesn’t complain about a darn thing out on the court. He just plays through everything. I can’t imagine being more proud of a player as far as playing through adversity and being there for his teammates night after night after night. He’s been fantastic.” Shots fired?

Cool videos watching WNBA draftees view congratulatory messages from people close to them and admirers from afar … like uh Kevin Durant. (Azurá Stevens’ reaction: “Holy crap. That was Kevin Durant.”) The Victoria Vivians one from her high school coach is probably my favorite, but they’re all good.

Joel Embiid was furious on social media after the Sixers’ loss. Why? He thinks he should be back on the court. He exited the concussion protocol on Sunday but the Sixers front office held him back one more day.

A bit of a red alert: after that legendary performance, Dwyane Wade was talking about retirement with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. He does confirm that he won’t leave the Heat for another team again.

In appreciation of Josh Richardson. This is an offensive league now, but there are so many fun defense-first guys like Richardson, Robert Covington, and others.

Mike Prada breaks down Victor Oladipo’s incredible closing speed. Caitlin Cooper analyzes all the various ways Oladipo cooked up the Cavaliers in Game 1. I can’t believe we have to wait another night for the rematch!

Why Tyler Johnson hasn’t gotten his teeth fixed.

Chris Paul was bad in Game 1 for the Rockets. What does that mean?

It’s a huge problem that Karl-Anthony Towns only had eight points in his playoff debut on Sunday. The question is what the Wolves are going to do about it.

An argument that the benches will decide Raptors vs. Wizards. I think that is an optimistic perspective for D.C. fans, to be honest. The Toronto starting unit is much more consistent than Washington’s, too.

Luka Doncic is preparing to lead Real Madrid into the Euroleague playoffs. Emmet Ryan describes what we could learn about Wonder Boy as he faces this new test.

Jerry Stackhouse is the hottest coaching prospect of the offseason.

The Sixers are so next level they have a 4-point line.

Alright, let’s talk about this Rick Maese piece in the Washington Post about a select few Spurs fans who have abandoned the team in some measure this season, citing Popovich’s open and highly quotable distaste for President Trump. I’m absolutely flummoxed that no mention whatsoever was made of the fact that the Spurs franchise owner, Julianna Holt, is a major Trump donor. How about asking if any Spurs fans have invested less energy and money in the team because of her support for the administration? How about asking Bexar County residents if they are comfortable with public money helping fund the private business enterprise (through arena bonds) of someone who helped finance Trump’s rise to power? If you’re going to spill ink on a collection of anecdotes suggesting Popovich is hurting the Spurs’ bottom line — which is patently absurd when you consider how freaking good Pop is at his job, the best NBA coach ever — you should at least look at the full scope of the situation.

Be excellent to each other.

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stillunusual · 6 years

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LEEDS UNITED 1 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 2 Leeds United: Peacock-Farrell, Berardi, Pennington, Jansson, Pearce (Grot 77), O'Kane (Phillips 78), Forshaw, Alioski, Hernandez, Dallas, Ekuban (Lasogga 69). Subs not used: Wiedwald, Anita, Vieira, Sacko. There were still some glimmers of hope after my last visit to Elland Road, but since then Leeds have lost 3-0 to both Middlesbrough and Wolves, and barely managed a 2-2 draw against Reading. So far, changing the head coach hasn’t had a positive effect.... Paul Heckingbottom has been giving youth and fringe players more of a chance but that's mainly out of desperation. The hapless Felix Wiedwald was finally dropped in favour of our third choice keeper, 21 year old Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Andy Lonergan is injured). BPF doesn't exactly look like the answer to our goalkeeping woes but deserves to keep his place (he made a couple of decent saves today and had no chance with either of the goals). Heckingbottom has also turned Stuart Dallas and Caleb Ekuban into first team regulars, but they've both failed to make an impact. Today he gave 19 year old Tom Pearce a debut at left back - Laurens De Bock (the defender we bought in the January transfer window) and Vurnon Anita (our right footed utility player) have both been pretty hopeless in that position recently, so it looked like another desperate move. Pearce certainly wasn't our worst player on the day, but looked a little bit too green for comfort.... It's amazing that Leeds are still getting crowds of over 30K at Elland Road after amassing a mere 8 points from our last 14 games - in fact I can't believe I actually paid £39 and travelled over the Pennines on a freezing cold day to watch this appalling non-event. The main entertainment value came from the downpour of snow that began at half time and continued for the rest of the match - to say that both teams were utterly shite would be flattering them considerably. Sheffield Wednesday are having an even worse season than us, despite being big spenders by Championship standards. This win leaves them in 17th place - 9 points and 3 places below us. Leeds were marginally the better side in an uninspiring first half. It was an open game - mainly because everybody kept giving the ball away. Up front Caleb Ekuban looked lively, but as usual he never looked like scoring. The second half was equally turgid until Sheffield Wednesday took the lead in the 72nd minute, when a cross from Jack Hunt was headed against the far post by Adam Reach and the ball rebounded directly to Atdhe Nuhiu, who tapped it home from a couple of yards out. Heckingbottom responded by bringing on Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Jay Roy Grot. The latter has been playing for the under-23s recently and has scored a few goals for them, which may have built his confidence up a bit. He made an almost immediate impact by heading in a cross from Pablo Hernandez - his first goal for the senior team. For the last few minutes of the game we really went for the winner but were undone in injury time when a long ball over the top found Nuhiu, who brushed Matthew Pennington aside and beat BPF with a cool finish. Poor defending yet again....

At this rate Paul Heckingbottom's career at Leeds could turn out to be very short.

#leeds united #soccer #football #championship #paul heckingbottom #elland road #leeds #united #ticket #2018

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viralhottopics · 7 years

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FA Cup fourth round: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Will Daniel Sturridge get a chance to regain his verve? Will Ranieri fine-tune for a relegation battle? Will Ravel Morrison return to Old Trafford?

1) Revitalised Lincoln face biggest challenge yet

A clutch of (fool)hardy Lincoln City fans queued through Wednesday night in sub-zero temperatures in order to get their gloved hands on the last tickets for their clubs biggest and indeed only fourth-round FA Cup tie since 1976. Those fans were evidently not discouraged by the fact that the National League leaders had suffered their heaviest defeat of the season the previous night, when they were beaten 3-0 by Barrow, whose rugged approach on a treacherous pitch fairly knocked Danny Cowleys men out of their impish stride. The Championship leaders, Brighton, will probably not resort to such robust tactics but are still likely to provide the toughest test yet for a Lincoln side who have already beaten two opponents from leagues above them. The Cup run has generated around 500,000 for the club and given special memories for a generation of supporters who are dreaming of even better days ahead, starting, just maybe, on Saturday. PD

Lincolns Cowley proud of FA Cup win for the people

Hemed sends Brighton back to the top of Championship

2) Will Sturridge get the chance to regain his verve?

Jrgen Klopp was frustrated by Liverpools poor finishing against Southampton on Wednesday. This weekend his team could have an ideal chance to finetune it, as suspension has deprived the lower league visitors, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of their first-choice goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme. But with Chelsea to come three days later Klopp seems likely to field a side featuring many reserves, as against Plymouth in the last round. It will be interesting to see whether Daniel Sturridge starts and, if he does, whether his performance perks up. It will also be interesting to see how the Anfield crowd reacts if Wolves begin well and threaten to add to Liverpools woeful start to 2017. The last time Wolves won at Anfield, in 2010-11, the home fans gave a memorable example of terrace wit when they began advocating a hilarious stunt. Hodgson for England! they bawled, possibly not expecting the FA to take the suggestion seriously and employ their then manager. Roy Hodgson complained afterwards that ever since Ive been here the famous Anfield support hasnt been there. Klopp, by contrast, has been hailed as a potential saviour ever since his arrival. Belief in him remains strong among Liverpool fans but some of his recent decisions are testing their faith. PD

Andy Hunter: Klopp needs urgent response after Liverpool slump

Wolves shock Stoke inspired by Hlder Costa

Daniel Sturridge squirts water over his face ahead of the EFL Cup semi final second leg match between Liverpool and Southampton. Photograph: Greenwood/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

3) Ranieri has a chance to fine-tune for relegation battle

Wilfred Ndidi made a brilliant first impression on his Leicester City debut, against Everton in the previous round, but Claudio Ranieri is still searching for his ideal midfield make-up and shape. He may, then, welcome this match as an opportunity to develop a solution before resuming the fight against relegation from the Premier League. On the other hand, another match could be construed as too much of a burden for Robert Huth and Wes Morgan, the main victims of the clubs uneven recruitment last summer. Maybe, then, Claudio Ranieri will use this match to release Yohan Benalouane from suspended animation? The centre-back has been curiously absent from the managers plans for most of the season but was a surprising inclusion on the bench for the last match, a 3-0 defeat at Southampton. A return to action would be intriguing and perhaps even solve a major Leicester problem, especially if they do not sign another centre-back before the and of this month. On a similar note, and returning to the midfield shuffle, Bartosz Kapustka got six whole minutes against Everton it would be good to get another glimpse of the gifted young Pole some time soon. PD

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Ranieri shoulders blame as Southampton add to Leicester misery

4) Rochdale have another Yorkshire scalp in sight

With Huddersfield having sold all 3,500 tickets allocated to them, Spotland is likely to have its biggest crowd of the season for this Lancashire-Yorkshire clash, with home supporters hopeful of witnessing something similar to their impressive toppling of Leeds United in 2014. That could create exactly the right mood to uplift Keith Hills side, whose promotion challenge in League One has been dented recently by injuries and loss of form. David Wagner, meanwhile, is likely to make several changes to his usual Huddersfield lineup and that could mean a return to action for Harry Bunn, who has not played since excelling in the win over Port Vale in the last round. PD

Wagner pledges future to Huddersfield amid Bundesliga interest

FA Cup fourth-round draw

5) Joyce may bring Morrison along to Old Trafford reunion

For about 20 minutes, it looked like the run might finally be over. With Bolton leading at Crystal Palace, their fourth round tie with Manchester City was set to bump neighbours Manchester United off the TV schedule, ending Uniteds run of 55 consecutive televised Cup ties. Instead, Christian Benteke steered Palace through, and United will make it 56 against Wigan Athletic. A home tie against a team 21st in the Championship would appear to serve little purpose beyond bolstering the ratings, but Sundays opposition do offer an intriguing subplot. Wigan manager Warren Joyce took over in November after eight years at Old Trafford in charge of the reserve side, where he was responsible for the development of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, among many others who didnt make the grade. Perhaps the most notorious name on that list is Ravel Morrison, currently training with Wigan after being frozen out at Lazio. Its still a long shot, with no loan move confirmed at time of writing and Morrison obviously lacking match fitness, but the prospect of Morrison returning to Old Trafford may be worth tuning in for. NMc

Could Ravel Morrison return to Old Trafford? Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Niasse earns Hull second-leg win but Manchester United reach EFL Cup final

Morrison in training with Wigan after leaving Lazio

6) City to experiment with Palace focusing on the league?

Selhurst Park will inevitably be noisy, but the visit of Manchester City may suffer from a lack of on-field intensity. Crystal Palaces run to the final last season placated fans as league form stagnated, but the situation is very different this time around, with Palace in the bottom three. Sam Allardyce has traditionally made his excuses early in the FA Cup the win over Bolton was just his third in the competition since 2009. Not for the first time, Pep Guardiola may view things differently to Allardyce; the City manager sent out a strong team against West Ham, and was so impressed he stuck with all ten outfield players against Everton, with widely publicised results. Another trip to the London Stadium awaits in the league on Wednesday, so Guardiola may employ a couple of returning players here. Vincent Kompany has completed just one match all season (the EFL Cup win over Swansea) while Fabian Delph has also suffered with persistent injury problems. Kompany, last seen at Selhurst Park in November, would be a very welcome addition to central defence, while Delph has previously hinted at a change to his previous midfield position, potentially trying out a full-back. This may be the right fixture to experiment, but Guardiola should not assume the same tricks will work on Wednesday. NMc

United may be top dogs in north-west but title looks London-bound

Palace take Samba on trial with view to free transfer

7) Millwall can celebrate against off-colour Watford

No-one likes them, they dont care; but enough about offshore property developers. Millwalls home tie with Watford will be a celebratory day in the sun for the hosts, broadcast live on the BBC and coming just four days after the threat of eviction was finally removed. As the club have stated, Lewisham council are yet to formally abandon a compulsory purchase order on land around the Den, but the news that mayor Sir Steve Bullock believes the CPO should not proceed has been greeted with widespread relief from supporters, and residents close to the clubs South London home. The murky regeneration plan for New Bermondsey has been on the table since 2014, when Millwall were in the same division as Sundays opponents. Watfords third-round win over Burton was their only success since mid-November, and it would almost be a surprise if the League One side, who dominated a depleted Bournemouth in the last round, did not celebrate their off-field victory with a place in the fifth round draw. NMc

Fans protesting the compulsory purchase order during the The FA Cup 3rd round match between Millwall and Bournemouth. Photograph: ProSports/REX/Shutterstock

Watford sign Milans Niang on loan with 13.5m option to buy

Millwalls fight for The Den: Its been a victory for the small man

8) Free-scoring Oxford and Newcastle face off

Expect goals at the Kassam Stadium as Oxford United, with 11 in their three FA Cup victories so far, take on Newcastle United, comfortably the Championships top scorers. Both sides won their last league fixture 4-0, while the visitors have the top four tiers leading scorer in Dwight Gayle. Whether Gayle will be called upon is another matter. Newcastles only concern this season is securing a Premier League return, and Rafa Benitez rotated his team accordingly to get past Birmingham with the help of a replay. Michael Appleton is also facing a selection dilemma, with a rearranged EFL Trophy quarter-final against Bradford on Tuesday offering a much more realistic route to Wembley. Having outclassed Rotherham in the third round and upset Swansea in last seasons competition, the Oxford manager might still find reason to believe that victory, and a first fifth-round appearance since 1994, is a more realistic prospect than it looks on paper. NMc

Shelvey inspires Newcastle to FA Cup replay victory over Birmingham

The forgotten story of Oxford United winning the 1986 League Cup

9) Will Leeds be flummoxed by Suttons pitch?

Artificial pitches are something of a rarity in top-level football, not seen in England since QPR and Lutons ill-starred experiments with astroturf, the last seen when Preston reverted to good old-fashioned grass in 1994. Leeds United will have to deal with one this weekend though, when they visit Sutton United. And Sutton manager Paul Doswell seems fairly confident that it will flummox the Championship promotion contenders. Without being over-emotional about it, we have got a good chance against Leeds on our pitch, said Doswell. No one likes playing on it apart from us it seems. We are very good on it. Indeed they are, having won nine of their 15 National League games on the 3G surface, and also holding League One Wimbledon to a draw there before knocking them out in the previous round. Still, even though Garry Monk will probably rest some first-teamers, as he did in the third round against Cambridge, Leeds may well reason that if Solihull Moors, Braintree Town and Dover Athletic can win at Gander Green Lane, they should stand a chance too. NM

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Football Weekly Extra: all the fourth round ties previewed

10) Wycombe and Kashket deserve big moment

Given Tottenhams generally sparkling recent form they might be expected to brush aside League Two Wycombe with little fuss and plenty of team changes. Yet their opponents are on a roll too. Gareth Ainsworths team are unbeaten in all competitions over 16 matches and havent failed to score in a game since 22 October. Expect considerable focus on Wycombes little and large striking talents. Adebayo the beast Akinfenwa is well enough known for his formidable strength, durability and opportunistic WhatsApp-based contract appeals, but the diminutive Scott Kashket could be the player to keep more of an eye on at White Hart Lane. Demoralised and discarded at Leyton Orient last season, the 20-year-old forward has been an inspired addition to Ainsworths side and has rewarded the clubs faith in him with 14 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in the second-round win at League One Chesterfield. They gave me the chance to prove myself when nobody else would, and I want to pay them back by carrying on scoring goals for Wycombe, said Kashket, who signed a new deal with the club last month. When I came here I only signed a short term deal and needed to prove myself to get it extended. I did my bit and hoped they did theirs, which they did, so Im glad they had faith in me. Though Spurs are likely prevail on Saturday, Kashket and Wycombe deserve their day on the big stage. TD

Wycombes Luke ONien takes on our keepie-uppie challenge

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Akinfenwa: People said Im too big to play football, but I keep playing

Pochettino makes hospital visit to see stricken Mason