AG's Football Reports

David Moyes' West Ham future is again up in the air following Arsenal's 6-0 demolition of the Hammers on Sunday afternoon. Mikel Arteta's side inflicted West Ham's biggest-ever home defeat in the Premier League as former captain Declan Rice scored one and made two of the six goals against his boyhood club.  The 2-0 win at Arsenal in December prompted the Hammers' board to open talks with the Scot about a new two-year deal.  However, following their poor start to 2024, David Sullivan has now put the breaks on those talks, according to MailSport. The Hammers are winless in 2024 in all competitions following their disappointing exit from the FA Cup at the hands of the Championship opposition in Bristol City. Sullivan wants to see a reaction to the club's poor run of form before he finalises Moyes' new contract. Two weeks ago, the West Ham manager admitted that the deal that would see him stay until June of 2026 was nearly finalised.  West Ham have not won a Pre...

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has issued an apology to his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola.  It was revealed after yesterday's Anfield battle that the Manchester City manager was targeted with coins and other objects thrown by the Liverpool crowd. The home side won the game 1-0 thanks to a Mo Salah goal.  "Oh, horrible. I am sorry. I apologise for that. I had no idea about it. It never should happen, never," said the Liverpool boss.  Liverpool issued a statement in response to those allegations saying. "We are aware of an incident involving objects being thrown into the technical area at today's game. This is totally unacceptable behaviour and not the standards of behaviour we expect at Anfield. "This incident will be fully investigated using CCTV and those found guilty will be punished, including a lifetime ban from Anfield Stadium and a possible football banning order." The club also realised another statement condemning the singing of chan...

David Moyes was once again left ruing refereeing decisions and the use of VAR as West Ham were held to a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday. There were several controversial moments in the contest, from Southampton's opening goal to some interesting defending from a set piece. The former Everton boss was left unimpressed with some decisions.   "How have we not got three points?" Moyes said. "The real reason is the referee, the referee gets in the way of the ability for us to defend. "The ball comes out and Jarrod Bowen goes to get the ball and the referee blocks Jarrod Bowen from getting to it and the boy scores from it "Ridiculous, it really is. Wait until you see the angles and the pictures and you will soon see how terrible it is that he allows it to go on. You can't get in the way of somebody getting it and allowing it to go and it ends up as a goal. "I asked him (Bankes) about it, but I spoke to him more about the penalty kick. The penalty kick...

Lee Bowyer was delighted after watching Charlton beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground.  Lyle Taylor’s first-half strike secured three crucial points in their battle against relegation with their first win on the road in 13 attempts.  “From start to finish we were better than them. They created the odd chance here and there – but they are a good side – not many sides have taken four points from Forest this season, especially to come here and get three. The Charlton boss was disappointed that his side did not win the game by a much more comfortable margin. “For me, it should’ve been more. The only criticism I have is that we should’ve won by more.” Naby Sarr has been on the end of criticism from his manager this season but the Charlton chief was full of praise for his defender after this showing, as it was his wonderful ball that led to Taylor’s strike midway through the first half. “We had to be brave on the press – if Naby wasn’t brave on the press then ...

Aiden McGeady didn't travel to the BET365 Stadium on Saturday due to illness, Lee Bowyer has confirmed.  The midfielder who joined the Addicks on loan from Sunderland on Transfer Deadline Day has yet to play for the club, he was in the bench for victory over Barnsley but was not brought on.  Speaking to London News Online Bowyer said “He was ill on Wednesday, Thursday.  He trained yesterday but he wasn’t right. He was desperate to travel, that’s why he trained, but he just wasn’t right. It would be the wrong thing to do, to bring him up here as he was ill.” David Davis joined the club on loan from Birmingham during the window and he made his first start in the defeat at Stoke and Bowyer was pleased with what he saw from the midfielder. “I thought he did OK, I thought he won the ball when he got booked and they scored from the set-piece. His momentum took him into the player but that’s part of the game. So, I thought the foul was harsh on him and the ye...

Mason Bennett and Ryan Leonard are both set to feature for Millwall's under 23's today as both step up their recovery from injury.  Both players are set for 45 minutes each with the U23's today so that they have a chance of playing in the first teams' fixture against Fulham on Wednesday.  Millwall manager Gary Rowett took the decision not to put either player on the bench for yesterday's 2-0 defeat against West Brom at The Den. Rowett told London News Online "The plan is for them to play 45 minutes. I just felt they haven't had quite enough training exposure for them not to be a risk in the game [against West Brom], and I didn't want to do that.  "We could've put both into the squad so that we had maybe a stronger chance of a result, but both would have been at risk. Even though it looks a little bit like holding people back I have got to make sensible decisions.  “If I feel like they are up ...

Another season has come to an end. This is the period where you will see managers come and go and players come in and depart clubs. The 2018/19 has now come to and end and Brighton finished in 17th place. I believe that if you had offered that to them most Brighton fans would have accepted a third successive season of Premier League football. Add onto that, The Seagulls also made the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Chris Hughton has paid the price for Brighton's poor form in 2019. This decision however, seems extremely harsh. Here is his overall record in charge of the club. Games: 215 Wins: 88 Draws: 57 Defeats: 70 That works out to a win percentage of around 40% that is not bad for a team that's budget is pennies compared to some in the Premier League. Brighton staying in the top flight is an achievement in its self and something that should not be looked over.  Hughton took over at Brighton back in 2014 when the club was struggling at the bottom of t...

Is tonight the night we get a clearer picture as to where the Premier League trophy is going?  Manchester City will return to the top of the Premier League table this evening with victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Only a win will take the Champions back to the summit, anything else puts the title in Liverpool's hands. United themselves have a battle on their hands. After Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Everton the Red Devils are 6th in the table and trail Chelsea by there points in the battle to qualify for the Champions League.  After the embarrassment of Sunday's defeat at Goodison Park, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes the Derby is the best fixture for a reaction. "It was the best game we could ask for now. The players are hurting. We had a meeting after the game and you could see all the players were really hurt by that performance and the City game is perfect." Said the United boss in his pre-match press conference.  Pep Guardiola ha...

Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League after beating Spurs 1-0 at the Etihad on Saturday lunchtime.  Here are some talking points from the game.  City strike early Just like in mid-week City got off to a flyer. The intensity that they start games with especially at home is a very positive thing. That is something that could be very key in their remaining league games. Going into Wednesday's nights Manchester Derby should they score early you feel it could be a long night for the red side of the City.  Phil Foden scores his first Premier League Goal It was a lovely moment for the young man to score on just his second Premier League start. He came into the side to replace David Silva and showed exactly why there is so much hype around him. The way he passed the ball around and created chances for his teammates shows he can have a very positive future whether he stays in Manchester or moves abroad.  Phil Foden celebrates scoring h...

MANCHESTER CITY put Wednesday's Champions League disappointment behind them after beating Spurs 1-0 to put the pressure back onto Liverpool in the title race.  (C) Manchester City  City came flying out of the blocks right away. It didn't take long to get in front. Bernando Silva's cross found Sergio Aguero, who had too much space in the box and headed across goal for Phil Foden who headed in from close range after just five minutes.  That was Foden's first Premier League goal on his second ever Premier League start. City continued to create chances but failed to take them. Aguero thought he was in after being played through by Bernando Silva but he was flagged offside.  Paulo Ganzaniga came into the starting lineup as one of five Tottenham changes. He however, was looking fragile. He made a number of errors that only gave City confidence. Trying to chip the ball over a player five yards out was one of a number of things the keeper attempted that c...

Follow all the action as Manchester City look to bounce back from Wednesday's Champions League exit at the hands on the same opponents.  City know a win takes them back to the top of the table while anything less will hand the advantage back to Liverpool who face Cardiff on Sunday afternoon.

Tottenham will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final after beating Manchester City 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Heung-Min Son scored his second goal at Spurs's new home to give them the advantage heading into next weeks second leg.  Manchester City were awarded a controversial penalty 11 minutes in after VAR ruled Danny Rose handled the ball inside the penalty area. Sergio Aguero stepped up but saw his spot kick saved by Hugo Lloris.  Spurs however, have been dealt a massive blow. Harry Kane was forced off and left the ground on crutches with what like a reoccurrence of an ankle injury that has twice caused him problems this season.  Despite this the home side ploughed on and found their goal through Son. His unwillingness to give up after a bad first touch ended with him striking the ball low under Ederson's body and into the net.  What it all means is that Tottenham will take a narrow first leg lead...

ASTON VILLA former European Champions now facing the possibility of administration and starting next season on -12 points. What has happened to this once huge powerhouse in English football. Two weeks ago Aston Villa lost the Championship play-off final  1-0 to Fulham Wembley consigning them to a third season in England's second tier. However, the defeat at Wembley has done a lot more damage than just that, the club is now in big financial difficulty as it now needs to sell its big names players to comply with the FFP rules and regs. There is a real possibility that the club could end up in the hands of administrators. Just yesterday the club suspended its CEO after it failed to pay a tax bill. According to Sky Sports News they have been told officially the the club is not for sale but sources have told them that the owner Dr Tony Xia is looking for new investors to share the burden with and if the right offer comes in to cut his losses and sell the club,...

SWANSEA have announced that Carlos Carvalhal has left the club.  The club have opted against extending Carvalhal's contract which expires at the end of the season. He was a surprise appointment in December. However, he oversaw an upturn in results but he couldn't save the club from the drop after a damaging defeat against Southampton in their penultimate match of the season. Relegation was confirmed last Sunday when the Swans lost 2-1 at home to already relegated Stoke. A statement from the clubs chairman Huw Jenkins read: "We'd like to put on record our thanks to Carlos for his enthusiasm, hard work and commitment since arriving at the club in December. "Naturally, we are all disappointed with the clubs relegation from the Premier League, and following discussions with Carlos, we felt it was the best interests of both parties that we move in a new direction. "Everyone at Swansea would like to thank Carlos and his staff for all their efforts...

DAVID MOYES has left West Ham after his contract came to an end.  Moyes leaves West Ham after his contract ended. The announcement comes no less than 12 hours after Co-Owner David Gold had said that he hoped Moyes would stay and continue in his role as manager for next season. Moyes's backroom staff including his assistant Stuart Pearce will leave the club with Moyes. A statement on the clubs website read: "West Ham can confirm that David Moyes has left the club following the end of his short term contract. Co-Owner David Sullivan said the following: "I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to David Moyes and his staff for achieving the target of keeping West Ham United in the Premier League. "Throughout his time here David has himself with dignity and honesty and we have all found him to be a pleasure to work with. He, Alan, Stuart and Billy accepted the challenge and attacked it head on, turning around a very difficult situation. They des...

EVERTON have sacked Sam Allardyce, with Marco Silva set to replace him at Goodison Park.  Allardyce leaves Goodison after just 7 months in charge. Everton finished the season in 8th position in the Premier League table with 49 points, 12 fewer than they achieved last season. Allardyce met with the club's majority shareholder Farhead Moshiri this morning (Wednesday) where he was told that his services were no longer required. This is believed to be have been a decision that come from an Everton board meeting on Tuesday afternoon. It is believed that Allardyce will receive the vast majority of of the final 12 months of his contract which Sky Sports estimate is around £6m. A statement on the clubs website read: "On behalf of the chairman, board of directors and Mr Moshiri, I'd like to thank Sam for the job he has done at Everton over the last seven months. Sam was brought in at a challenging time last season to provide us with stability and we are grateful to h...

ASTON VILLA have the advantage heading back to Villa Park on Tuesday after a 1-0 win at the Riverside against a flat Boro at the Riverside on Saturday evening.  (C)BBC Sport Former Crystal Palace captain Mile Jedinak headed the winner from a corner in the first half and it seemed to stun Boro who just couldn't find a way back into the game. It has been almost three months since Boro failed to score in a game but they just didn't do enough to trouble Sam Johnstone in the Villa goal ensuring the visitors have the edge going to Tuesday's second leg at Villa Park where Villa have lost just six times since the start of last season. Tony Pulls named an unchanged lineup from the one that started last Sunday at Ipswich, while Steve Bruce made six changes to the side that lost 1-0 at Millwall on the last day of the regular season as all the big hitters came back in. Sam Johnstone, Ahmed Elmohamady, John Terry, Robert Snodgrass, Jack Grealish and Lewis Grabben all starte...

CHARLTON have it all to do in their bid to reach the second tier after they lost the first leg of their Sky Bet League One play-off semi final at home Shrewsbury.  (C) Daily Mail  The game was settled by a stunning strike from Jon Nolan his tenth of the season and 20th goal that Charlton have conceded in the final 20 minutes of a game this season. In a game that lacked clear cut chances the hosts started the better of the two sides and went close early on through both Ajose and Josh Magennis. Jake Forster-Caskey produced a good save from Shrewsbury keeper Dean Henderson who had to parry his effort from outside the box wide for a corner. Both sides caused problems with set-pieces especially Shrewsbury every time the ball went into the Charlton box it was won by Shrewsbury head. Carlton Morris was causing a lot of problems from those set pieces. However, failure to convert half chances into anything dangerous cost Charlton dear as a moment of magic from Jon Nolan st...

IAN HOLLOWAY HAS BEEN SACKED BY QPR.  Ian Holloway was appointed in November 2016 QPR finished the season in 16th place in the Championship table. It was Holloway's second spell in charge of the West London side and he managed to win just 26 of his 80 games in charge of the club. There has been speculation around his future with widespread reports that former England and Derby manager Steve McClaren would replace him once the season had ended. A statement on the clubs official website read: "On behalf of the Board we are hugely grateful to Ian for his incredible efforts during his time with us. "He joined us at a critical time when we were looking to cut the wage bill, bring in younger talent and remain competitive on the pitch at the same time. "That is no easy feat and it was down to his desire, love for the club and hard work that he achieved those goals. "However, we are now looking to take the next step as we continue to work through what is...

It has been a superb season for Pep and Manchester City this season as they have taken the Premier League by storm and brushed every team other than Liverpool aside throughout what has been a dominant campaign.  Pep Guardiola has led City to their 3rd Premier League title.  P: 33 W: 28 D: 3 L: 2 That is Manchester City's stunning record so far this season. 2017/18 is a season that has seen them break the English top division record for consecutive wins. Raheem Sterling scored a late winner against Bournemouth on August 26th, they won every game including that one until their 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on New Years Eve which was a total of 18 consecutive wins, smashing the previous record set by Chelsea last season which was 13 wins in a row. Last 12 Seasons Champions. Passing is a crucial part of football and City do a lot of it. City broke this record twice. Chelsea visited the Etihad in March and were beaten 1-0. City set a new re...