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Sir Alex Ferguson sits in the dugout at Old Trafford as an immovable protector of one of the great empires in world football. It’s hard to shake the fact that someday he will step back for good, leaving a huge number of question marks over his successor’s head. The legacy that Alex Ferguson will leave with Manchester United is one that has launched the club into almost unparalleled territory. And despite pretenders to the throne, United have established themselves as the face of the Premier League and modern English football.

Ferguson’s actions and calculated risks have allowed himself to separate from those who were once equal. The challenges laid before him were swept aside almost effortlessly, and yet there has never been a time when the manager seemed to rest on previous successes.

The introduction of Eric Cantona helped establish the club as the dominant force in English football, while the successes of the youth graduates headed by David Beckham took the club one step further and into glory in Europe. Despite the exciting arrivals and heartbreaking departures of some of the world’s finest talents, there is a comfort in knowing that Sir Alex is more than capable of overseeing a new era of success at United.

Arguably that creates problems for whomever is chosen to replace Ferguson. The pressure will be unthinkable and the weight of expectation will equal that of Old Trafford. But success and the arrivals of great players has become a tradition thanks to Ferguson. There will be pressure for the new manager, but the legacy left behind will ensure that United remain among the elites of European football, never faltering and becoming a second-rate parody of themselves.

Like with Real Madrid and Barcelona, and among a select few of Europe’s greatest clubs, United are able to stand proudly as a club who are a draw for any of the world’s best players. Modern footballers aspire to play for the club, but not because of the manager, rather the name that has been built up over the past number of decades.

It should be safe to say that Sir Alex has and will continue to operate in a manner that is suited to the best interests of Manchester United. As with Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, there is a faith that the manager will continue to safeguard the future of his club—a club that has unofficially been handed over to the man in the dugout.

However, problems have arisen and are still currently present. The issue with the Glazers is one that won’t go away, with Ferguson taking on a supporting role to those in unnaturally higher seats of power. While Manchester United is viewed as Sir Alex’s club, it’s necessary to understand that there is a greater hand that rules above his.

The supporters are naturally unhappy with the state of the club, and the debt seems like an unshakeable burden placed upon them by these outsiders. The astronomical fee raised through the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo has not been properly used to re-strengthen the squad and, perhaps for the first time, there are questions as to how much the club is offering the manager to create another powerful, title-winning squad.

But the problems remaining are not of the making of the manager; the owners are rightly seen as the uninvited outsiders who are damaging the club.

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Yet, at this stage in his career, Alex Ferguson has ensured that the playing squad is youthful and with plenty of potential to do more. The income the club receives is also an indicator that Manchester United are a global brand and not just a leading light in a sports arena—a position that Ferguson’s success has helped cement.

Football, both in England and Europe, will change once Alex Ferguson decides to step down. But there should be little doubt that a new arrival can continue the tradition and success of the club.

Everton fans were not impressed by Tuesday’s links to Marco Silva, and they’re convinced there are better candidates out there.

Everton fans shared a collective sigh of relief when Sam Allardyce was sacked on Wednesday, but reports earlier in the week suggested Marco Silva would be his replacement, and fans were not happy about it.

Silva impressed when he first moved to England with Hull, but his new manager bounce quickly wore off and the Tigers were relegated.

The charismatic manager’s impressive start with the club yielded a new job offer though, and he started last season in charge of Watford.

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Some impressive early results helped by the incredible breakout of Richarlison quickly faded away, and the Portuguese boss was sacked after a run of terrible form.

Fans are concerned over the defensive frailties in both English teams Silva has managed, and they’re desperate for a more proven winner.

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Arsene Wenger is a possible short-term fix, while plenty of fans are convinced Paulo Fonseca and former PSG man Unai Emery should be the front-runners. Finally, there are more than a few shouts for a shock swoop for former Liverpool man Rafael Benitez.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Liverpool began the transfer window with a bang by signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, but they are yet to soften the blow of losing Philippe Coutinho by bringing in a new signing.

Schalke midfielder Leon Groteska was one of many names being linked with a move to Anfield.

The Independent claims that the Merseyside outfit were in contact with the midfielder’s representatives.

However, it has been confirmed today that the 22-year-old has agreed to join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians confirmed on Twitter that Goretzka has signed a contract that will come into effect on July 1.

The news could affect Emre Can’s future at Liverpool given that Goretzka was tipped to replace his fellow German, who is out of contract this summer.

As expected, fans have taken to social media to express their thoughts in the Reds failing to convince the young player to move to Merseyside.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will try to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 15 matches when they take on Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Monday.

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The relationship between Mike Ashley and Newcastle supporters has always been cordial at best, and insufferable at worst, but following yet another summer of false promises, the St. James’s faithful are set to launch a new wave of protests against the rule of the Magpies owner with a march before their Premier League clash with Liverpool  tomorrow afternoon, headed by a group named ‘Time for Change’.

We’ve been here before with Mike Ashley; iconic images of the ‘Cockney Mafia out’ banner draped across the stands at St. James’s Park live long in the memory, and the club and the fans almost reached the point of civil war when former manager Kevin Keegan resigned 2008.

Now however, the fans seem more serious than ever in trying to force the Sports Direct mogul out of the club, playing on the fact their home fixture with Liverpool will be aired live and therefore their mass protest will receive nationwide coverage, whilst a more militant sub group of disgruntled fans have even suggested a boycott of Newcastle’s Capital One Cup tie with Leeds.

Few supporters would actively turn their backs on their club at the worst of times, so for the idea to circulate enough to be mentioned in the Newcastle Chronicle, there must be a strong section of the Newcastle fanbase that are reaching the point of no return.

And with that in mind, we ask, is it finally time for Mike Ashley to sell Newcastle United, as it appears pre-existing wounds cannot be re-healed.

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Newcastle have always held a naturally comedic place in the structure of English football; Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and Kevin Keegan are but a few of the inadvertent humorous personalities that have plied their trade on Tyneside.

But there’s now a feeling that Ashley has turned the club into a ‘laughing stock’, to paraphrase Shearer himself, and the joke has gone too far following the re-appointment of Joe Kinnear as Director of Football at the start of the summer.

Admittedly, interactions with the press aren’t everybody’s strong point, and even during his days at Wimbledon the former Ireland international wasn’t one for pleasantries. But there isn’t much of a greater public relations faux pas than Kinnear’s ad hoc interview with TalkSport earlier in the summer that pre-dated his official appointment, in which he referred to Newcastle’s French midfielder as ‘Yohan Kebab’ and the Magpies’ former  Managing Director Derek Llambias, the man Kinnear was essential replacing, as ‘Derek Lambeze’.

That was embarrassing enough for Magpies fans, considering Kinnear already had an incredibly negative track-record  with the supporters from his controversial tenure as Newcastle boss back in 2008, but he then continued by making audacious claims about his ability to attract any player he wanted to Newcastle via his illustrious list of contacts, that included Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson.

The proof would be in the pudding this summer, and Kinnear has failed to deliver by epic proportions. Alan Pardew, who remains an almost as unpopular figure as Kinner and Ashley amongst certain sections of Magpies fans, promised new signings in the transfer window working alongside his new Director of Football, but three months’ worth of graft in the transfer market over the summer only saw two signings on Tyneside – 16-year-old Olivier Kemen and Loic Remy on a season-long loan from QPR.

In total, that’s no permanent senior additions to a Newcastle squad that showed it’s intrinsic flaws on more than one occasion last term as they recorded 19 Premier League defeats and finished just five points clear of relegation in 16th place. Rather than admitting defeat however, Kinnear argued in an interview with The Mirror; ” Alan Pardew has signed 16 players costing £60m in the last two years, Newcastle United’s wage bill is now comfortably in the top 10 in the country”, which a Newcastle fan later informed me was untrue.

But to suggest Kinnear’s appointment and actions since are the be-all-and-end-all of the anger Newcastle fans have shown towards Ashley would be incorrect. Their disdain for the running of the club is centred around a combination of issues, including the fact the Magpies owner has continually sold Newcastle’s best players for profit without putting a paralelled level of finance back into the club for new signings. Steve Harper commented after his testimonial that Newcastle require heavy investment if they are to ever get back into the Premier League’s top half, and the fear on Tyneside is that Ashley is now pushing the club to the edge of an incredibly slippery slope that could lead to another shock relegation.

At the same time, Alan Pardew has been a source of intense frustration for the fans. What he actually contributes positively to the first team remains unclear; his tactics are outdated and ineffective, the right to buy and sell players has been taken away from him by Kinnear’s appointment as Director of Football, and his post-match analyses often verge on deluded. It seems the vast majority of what Pardew offers is his ability to produce Tony-Blair-esque sound bites during press conferences. Under Ashley, the Newcastle boss has always appeared little more than a comedic stooge.

Overall, there isn’t much positive to say about Ashley’s leadership in recent years. A team that finished in 5th place two seasons ago is now a shadow of its former self, and for the sake of profit there seems to be little the Magpies owner is willing to do about it. At the same time, the sponsorship deal with Wonga, leading to a fall-out with striker Papiss Cisse, illustrated how little Ashley has considered Newcastle’s reputation and their uniquely vital standing in the local community.

But the problem emerges in imagining life without Ashley. In 2008, the Sports Direct founder put Newcastle up for sale after widespread criticism from the Newcastle faithful following Keegan’s resignation, but a year later he took the Tyneside club off the market after failing to find any potential suitors. A Kuwaiti consortium was linked last summer, but no official contact was ever made.

And history could well repeat itself if Ashley is once again forced to try and sell, with little offers for Newcastle football club on the horizon, despite the outfit’s obvious potential; few Premier League sides can claim a regular maxed out attendance of 52,000, or carry the prestigious history of the Magpies in the English game.

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I share the opinion of the vast majority of Newcastle supporters that it’s time for Ashley to move on. The problems between the owner and the fans seem intrinsic and irreparable, and apart from the occasional strong performance from the first team, there’s been little for the St. James’s faithful to be proud about over the last few years. It’s created a toxic environment on Tyneside, that can only be detrimental to the players’ efforts on the pitch, and thus Newcastle’s future.

But before Ashley can sell, he needs a buyer; one of the main aims of the march ahead of tomorrow’s game is to attract a potential suitor, and if the Newcastle fans can find one, I believe their despised owner would be convinced to part company. At this point, too many bridges have been burned to produce a positive outcome whilst Ashley is still around.

Should Mike Ashley sell Newcastle United?

Join the debate below!

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Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has stated that his side can cope without injured striker Sergio Aguero.

The Argentina international picked up a knee injury in the Premier League champions’ 3-2 win over Southampton at the weekend, but the Belgian defender has stated that Roberto Mancini’s men will be fine without the attacker.

“We lost Sergio, which was sort of a blow, but I just go back to when we lost Carlos (Tevez) for most of the season and coped well with that,” Kompany is quoted as saying in The Guardian.

“I hope Sergio won’t be out for that long [eight months] but I would point to last season where we had to cope with these kind of issues and we did it very well. If we have to, I’m sure we will again.

“I don’t want to speculate too much about Sergio because I don’t know if he is going to be out for any length of time, but having Carlos at his best level is obviously a big bonus for us. He is one of the best strikers in the world.

“People talk about new signings, but to have Carlos back to his best means we are better than we were last season, so we have strengthened,” he concluded.

The extent of Aguero’s injury is set to be revealed on Tuesday after further medical attention.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Abdoulaye Doucoure has become the latest Tottenham transfer target to be branded with the Moussa Sissoko comparison, as fans are adamant they don’t want the Watford man.

According to reports, the North Londoners are “monitoring” Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure ahead of the summer window.

The towering French midfielder was the standout performer for Watford this season, and Mauricio Pochettino is on the hunt for some fresh midfield talent, with Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama both likely to leave the club this summer.

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Doucoure will likely be the subject of interest from several clubs after his incredible season, but Tottenham fans don’t seem too happy about the links.

Fans are desperate for the club to show some ambition and replace the likes of Dembele with equal or better talents, and Doucoure just isn’t that.

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The 25 year-old has had a fabulous season, grabbing seven goals and three assists from midfield, while also averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.5 clearances per game.

That isn’t stopping the comparisons to regular scapegoat Moussa Sissoko though, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Celtic have a massive week of football ahead of them. It’s a week that in many ways will define what direction their season will take. Win all three matches against Aberdeen, Dundee and Rangers and they’ll be expected to coast to another Scottish Premiership title without much trouble in the new year. Defeats in one or two of the matches and they’ll have to contemplate the prospect of a real title race.

It all starts on Saturday with the visit of the Dons and although they have a massive derby against Rangers too look forward to on the 30th, this weekend’s match is arguably more important.

The Hoops are probably more vulnerable now than they ever have been under Brendan Rodgers and although they have a great record against Aberdeen in the manager’s time in Glasgow, Saturday is set to be a tough test.

Here are THREE reasons why this is Celtic’s biggest match of the domestic season so far…

They’ve just destroyed a difficult to beat Hibs team

Celtic have a struggled in the odd match against numerous teams over the last 12 months, but against Hibernian it’s becoming a bit of a habit with Neil Lennon’s side showing on two occasions they can be a match for Brendan Rodgers’ team. It’s perhaps rather disconcerting then that Aberdeen are coming into Saturday’s match with Celtic having just destroyed the Edinburgh side 4-1.

The Dons looked at their lethal best against Hibs last week, with former Hoops star Gary Mackay-Steven netting a hat-trick and generally terrifying what has been a fairly impressive defence this season.

Ever since Derek McInnes turned down Rangers they’ve been on a tear, winning three matches from three and capitalising on Celtic’s defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle.

Catching Aberdeen on an off day often results in a routine win for Celtic, but catching them in this form, after a long month, will this one an especially difficult 90 minutes.

They’ll likely be Celtic’s closest challengers again

Despite Rangers getting their act together a bit this season results wise, and defeating the Dons twice in a week recently, Aberdeen are still showing that over long stretches they are still the second most consistent team in Scotland and Celtic’s closest challengers.

A win against the Hoops on Saturday would put them to within just two points of the league leaders and with two home matches to follow while Celtic have to travel to Dens Park and face Rangers in a big derby, that gives them a decent chance of ending the year on level points or even ahead of the Scottish champions. A win of course puts them eight points clear, breathing room in the midst of a difficult set of fixtures.

If ever there was a time to show their dominance over Aberdeen, Saturday is it and the Hoops can’t slip up or risk heading into the winter break with their tail between their legs.

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Derek McInnes has a point to prove

Derek McInnes recently committed his future to the club after making the massive decision to turn down Rangers and in doing so he is re-iterating his desire that Aberdeen can win trophies under his watch. He’s done an impressive job at the Dons but only has one solitary league cup to show for it and since Brendan Rodgers arrived in Scotland, they’ve looked even more unlikely to add to that.

McInnes’ record against Rodgers is poor, in the seven matches between the two, Rodgers’ side have come out on top in all seven, scoring 17 goals in the process and conceding just three. It’s been so difficult for the Dons to even get close to Celtic.

The difference in resources is of course huge but if McInnes is truly going to deliver success at Pittodrie, he needs to find a way to win against Celtic, and after showing loyalty to Aberdeen, this would be the time to do it, making his side even more dangerous this weekend.

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal have now put Robin van Persie’s departure behind them as they chase third place in the Premier League.

The Frenchman accepts that it took his side a while to adjust to life without him after their former captain and star striker moved to Manchester United last summer.

Wenger’s own position at the Emirates Stadium has even been called into question by critics at times this season, with the Gunners at one point dropping as low as 10th in the Premier League.

However, Wenger’s men have regrouped well since seemingly dropping out of contention for a top-four finish, with the Frenchman pin-pointing the Champions League win over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena as the catalyst for their upturn in form.

As a result of their improvement, third place isn’t now beyond them either heading into tomorrow’s final game at Newcastle, although they do need Chelsea to slip up to Everton.

Wenger feels it is testament to the strength of character of a squad which was rebuilt around Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud following the acrimonious departure of captain Van Persie to Manchester United for £24million.

The Gunners boss said: “This team suffered for a very long time from a lack of confidence because you take the talisman away – Robin van Persie – and get the new players in, then you lose the first big games and suddenly we are faced with scepticism around the team. You could see that.

“That was the problem and balancing the team took a while, to find a formula to have a good balance in the team. Since this has been back, we have been very efficient.

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“The Bayern Munich away game was very important, you could feel after that we could do it, that helped.

“I never felt this team lacked focus or desire to do well but we lacked confidence for a while.”

Birmingham-born forward Rushian Hepburn-Murphy made three appearances for Aston Villa during the 2017-18 Championship campaign.

He also appeared in two cup fixtures for Steve Bruce’s side, and there is no question that the 19-year-old is highly regarded at the club.

It is his performances in Premier League 2 that have made the biggest impression, however, and he landed the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for April following some extremely impressive form, which is detailed in the tweet below.

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Hepburn-Murphy is unlikely to be involved in Villa’s Championship playoff semi-final, but the teenager is surely in the plans of head coach Bruce moving forward.

The club’s supporters, who have also recently commented on centre-back James Chester, have been reacting to Hepburn-Murphy’s recent form, and it would be fair to say that a number are very excited about his future at Villa Park.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

In September 2013 in his first speech new FA Chairman Greg Dyke set two rather ambitious targets: reaching the semi-finals at Euro 2020 and then winning the World Cup in 2022.

In the same speech back in 2013 he listed the various problems in English football, pointing out that twenty years ago 69% of all the players starting matches in the Premier League were qualified to play for England but in the 2011/12 season the figure was 32%. Two years ago in the 2010/11 just 37% of all new signings by Premier League clubs were qualified to play for England.

Whilst this figure did climb towards 40% last season, largely down to Burnley’s mainly British squad, it was nevertheless an early improvement. However, much more improvement needs to be made and the figure needs to get over the 50% mark at least if England are going to see any benefits in the long term.

Dyke’s aims could be easily derided. You could say his targets are a bit far fetched, but it is better setting a target like Dyke has done rather than sit back an accept England’s fate. He is actively trying to change things.

And obviously the target to win the 2022 World Cup is quite contentious in itself as it is quite unclear where it will be played yet due to the whole FIFA scandal.

But wherever it is, the target is so far away it does at least give England a seven year period in which players can develop and be moulded into a squad that is potentially capable of winning the World Cup.

Joe Hart will be 35 when the World Cup starts in 2022, so he may well be the ‘keeper between the sticks, or it could be Stoke City’s Jack Butland – both, by the time of the tournament, will be experienced, quality stoppers.

The England manager of the time will be able to call on Luke Shaw at left back and Nathaniel Clyne at right back, John Stones at centre back who could be partnered by Phil Jones.

Current England regulars Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and Jack Wilshere are all still young and by the time of that tournament will be experienced internationals and will provide the creative spark in the side.

Up front Daniel Sturridge would be 32 and a seasoned international by that point, Spurs forward Harry Kane would only be 28 and in his prime as well.

Of course this is all theoretical, as we don’t know how players will develop and who will break through, but there is at least a good nucleus for a solid England side that may be capable of winning the World Cup.

Some players that have not even been mentioned yet like Will Hughes, Jordon Ibe, Alex Pritchard, Nathaniel Chalobah or Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all promising young players who have plenty to prove and plenty of time to prove it. They could be shaping the basis of England’s side for the tournament in 2022, however we don’t know if these players will be given the time and football needed to develop and that is the problem Dyke is trying to deal with.

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But if the likes of these youngsters can get football, they could be part of the conversation to  make Dyke’s dream a reality.

The cynics will say Dyke’s dream is madness and England are miles away, and they may be right. But with the tournament so far away and with so much young talent that needs to develop over the years building up to the tournament it may well prove to be good judgement.

However now it is too hard to say, but if Dyke can get more English players playing in the Premier League the England national team will be much better for it.

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