stokefootball-blog

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Pardew: West Brom board 'might think a change is a better thing'

Pardew: West Brom board 'might think a change is a better thing'

Alan Pardew will hold talks with the West Bromwich Albion board after Saturday’s 4-1 home stuffing from Leicester City left the club eight points adrift of safety with eight matches of the league season to go. The Baggies have won only once in the 15 top-flight matches Pardew has overseen, and were particularly lacklustre in the final third of their meeting with Claude Puel’s Foxes. “Before you…

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Rashford proves again on big stage why he deserves to start matches

Rashford proves again on big stage why he deserves to start matches

The crowd at Old Trafford booed as Jose Mourinho replaced Marcus Rashford with Marouane Fellaini in the 68th minute of Saturday’s encounter with Liverpool, having witnessed the 20-year-old score twice in the eventual 2-1 victory. The feeling was that Rashford not only deserved a shot at a hat-trick, but contributed enough defensively to see out the remainder of what was a tight and tense match.…

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How Mourinho's tactical changes exposed Liverpool

How Mourinho's tactical changes exposed Liverpool

Jose Mourinho made it clear before and after Manchester United‘s win over arch-rival Liverpool that he doesn’t care about outside distractions. “I am a bit tired, we have a match on Tuesday. I don’t care what people say. The boys are happy, I’m happy,” Mourinho told Sky Sports after his side secured a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford to build a five-point lead on the Reds. Mourinho didn’t even care…

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West Ham vows 'decisive and appropriate action' following fan unrest

West Ham vows 'decisive and appropriate action' following fan unrest

West Ham United has immediately launched a “full and thorough investigation” into Saturday’s home defeat to Burnley after several fans encroached onto the pitch to express their anger. Several supporters ran on following Ashley Barnes‘ opener in the 3-0 loss, with one trespasser thrown to the turf by Hammers captain Mark Noble. There were numerous more scenes of unrest as hundreds gathered in…

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Look: Chaos reigns as angry West Ham fans confront players on pitch

Look: Chaos reigns as angry West Ham fans confront players on pitch

Frustration among West Ham supporters spilled onto the pitch as several pitch invaders interrupted Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Burnley in an apparent bid to protest the underperforming team and its owners. Tensions were high before kickoff as the Hammers entered the encounter with just one win over their last six league matches, reviving supporters’ calls for the removal of the team’s owners. The…

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Wilshere: I'm 'no closer' to new deal with Arsenal

Wilshere: I'm 'no closer' to new deal with Arsenal

Watch enough Arsenal this season, and it’s painfully evident just how important Jack Wilshere is to the north London lot’s hopes of a top-flight revival. With the England international’s current Gunners deal set to lapse in the summer, penning Wilshere to a new contract has been one of the club’s priorities, and now, developments are at an impasse with the midfielder admitting the two parties are…

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Report: Manchester City to launch summer bid for highly coveted Lemar

Report: Manchester City to launch summer bid for highly coveted Lemar

One of the Premier League’s most coveted young talents has their newest suitor. Manchester City is reportedly joining the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea in showing interest in Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, with the Telegraph’s Matt Law reporting that the runaway Premier League champions will launch a summer bid for the player. Lemar was close to a move to England’s top flight last summer…

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West Brom's Rodriguez to contest racial abuse charge

West Brom's Rodriguez to contest racial abuse charge

A month after the English Football Association charged West Bromwich Albion‘s Jay Rodriguez with racially abusing Brighton defender Gaetan Bong, the Baggies forward will officially contest the allegation. The 28-year-old had until Friday to respond to the FA’s charge. BBC Sport’s Simon Stone reports that Rodriguez’s challenge will be heard by a disciplinary panel on a yet-to-be-determined date.…

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How good are Championship teams chasing promotion to Premier League?

How good are Championship teams chasing promotion to Premier League?

With half of the Championship’s clubs entering the final 10 matches of the season this weekend, theScore looks into the teams battling for the three promotion spots and assesses whether they could compete in the Premier League. 1. Wolverhampton Wanderers After Wednesday’s 3-0 win at Leeds United, it’s abundantly clear the Championship title is Wolves‘ to lose – if it wasn’t already. Wolves are…

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The best British coach you've never heard of?

The best British coach you've never heard of?

The Indonesian top-flight season starts this weekend – and a Scottish coach you may not have heard of is about to begin the defence of his title. Simon McMenemy’s journey from English non-league football to championship-winning manager in Indonesia is certainly a road less travelled. Along the way, he has changed the football fortunes of the Philippines, dealt with false promises in Vietnam,…

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Analysis: What is the problem with Pogba?

Analysis: What is the problem with Pogba?

Paul Pogba has been getting a lot of criticism recently but, if I am ever negative about him, it is only because he is such a wonderfully gifted player that I want to see him do so much more. Although the £89m Manchester United midfielder has not been making or scoring the goals I would expect from him in the past few weeks, that is partly down to the role he has been asked to play and the…

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Neville to 'fight' for better preparation

Neville to 'fight' for better preparation

Media playback is not supported on this device England women’s coach Phil Neville said he would “fight” to get the “best” for his players, after their SheBelieves Cup defeat by the United States. Neville’s team travelled in economy class to the tournament, where they beat France and drew with Germany before losing to the hosts. He said he would speak to his Football Association bosses about the…

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Report: Manchester United will offload any player Mourinho falls out with

Report: Manchester United will offload any player Mourinho falls out with

Jose Mourinho has the complete support of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward at Manchester United, and would even be backed if he fell out with his most expensive purchase, according to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney. The manager’s handling of Paul Pogba was nudged under the spotlight when the French midfielder was benched for consecutive matches against Huddersfield Town and Sevilla in…

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Report: PSG prefers Pochettino or Conte to succeed embattled Emery

Report: PSG prefers Pochettino or Conte to succeed embattled Emery

Paris Saint-Germain is beginning to gather the names of potential replacements for manager Unai Emery, and Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte apparently top the French behemoth’s list. Another early elimination from the Champions League on Tuesday – this time at the hands of Real Madrid in the round-of-16 stage – ended Emery’s hopes of extending his contract beyond its expiration this summer,…

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Allardyce holding talks with Everton over long-term stay

Allardyce holding talks with Everton over long-term stay

Everton manager Sam Allardyce said he’s discussing plans to stay at the club for the foreseeable future with chairman Farhad Moshiri. Fans have grumbled about Everton’s conservative style of play under Allardyce, who signed an 18-month contract in November to replace Ronald Koeman. Allardyce enjoyed a brief honeymoon period, plugging gaps in defence to help Everton out of the relegation zone, but…

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PSG and Basel charged over fans' conduct

PSG and Basel charged over fans' conduct

Paris St-Germain and Basel have been charged by Uefa over their fans’ behaviour during their Champions League last-16 games this week. PSG have received four charges, including for the use of fireworks and a laser pointer during the second leg of their tie with Real Madrid. Tuesday’s game was briefly paused in the second half when home fans set off flares and smoke engulfed the pitch. Basel have…

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My team-mates stood by me - Mahrez

My team-mates stood by me – Mahrez

Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez says his team-mates have stood by him since his failed move to Manchester City. The 27-year-old missed training after the January transfer collapsed, but is back in the fold and his late equaliser rescued a point against Bournemouth in the Foxes’ last game. Mahrez admitted to “regrets” over the saga but said he now wants to put it behind him. “It was a difficult…