Alex Neil – CaughtOffside

44-year-old favourite to land Stoke job after Alex Neil sacking

Mehdi Gokal — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 16:26:11 +0000

Former Stoke City captain John Eustace is one of the front-runners to become the club’s next manager.

This comes after the Championship side sacked Alex Neil yesterday following their 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Paul Gallagher has taken over as the interim manager for their next match against Swansea, with Alex Morris and former Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross alongside him.

Several managers are being linked with the job now including former Birmingham City manager Eustace.

The 44-year-old was sacked by Birmingham last October while they were 5th in the table and was replaced by Wayne Rooney under whome they have only gotten worse.

The report from Stoke on Trent Live claims that Eustace is likely to be one of the leading names for the jobs with the bookies and someone who the Stoke City hierarchy will be keeping an eye on.

Alex Neil was sacked by Stoke City on Sunday

Championship side sack their manager after latest defeat

Mehdi Gokal — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 19:31:25 +0000

Championship side Stoke City have sacked their manager Alex Neil following 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

Despite a substantial 18-player overhaul during the summer, the Potters have managed only six wins in 20 league fixtures, as they sit in 20th place, a mere two points clear of the bottom.

And the defeat to Sheffield Wednesday proved to be the final straw for Alex Neil, who was let go earlier today. Paul Gallagher stepped in as interim manager for the upcoming clash against Swansea, assisted by Alex Morris and former Stoke player Ryan Shawcross.

Chairman John Coates expressed gratitude for Neil’s work at the club while emphasising the club’s quest for a fresh direction.

He highlighted the need for immediate improvement and the appointment of Neil’s successor to steer the team towards success.

He told the club website:

“Alex is a man of absolute integrity who has given his all for Stoke City and we would like to thank him for his hard work during his time with the club.

“We are grateful for the building blocks he has helped put in place in bringing together a group of players in whom we have a huge amount of faith regarding their ability to turn things around this season, and who can help us achieve longer-term success.

“However, with the way the results have been so far, we have made the difficult decision to seek a new direction for the team at this time.

“Nothing matters to me more than the success of our club and we are now working towards the appointment of Alex’s successor.”

Bournemouth team news vs Stoke City

Connor Holden — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 07:58:38 +0000

Bournemouth take on Stoke City in the Carabao cup on Wednesday 27th of September, at Vitality Stadium, at 19:45 PM (BST).

The last time these two sides faced, Bournemouth beat Stoke 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium in the Championship. Goals from Dominic Solanke and Jamal Lowe for Bournemouth, and a goal from Tommy Smith for Stoke.

Bournemouth lost in their last outing, losing 3-1 to Brighton in the Premier League. Goals from Kaoru Mitoma (x2) and a Milos Kerkez own goal for Brighton, and a goal from Dominic Solanke for Bournemouth.

Stoke also lost in their last outing, losing 3-1 to Hull City in the Championship. Goals from Aaron Connolly, Adama Traore and Regan Slater for Hull, and a goal from Andre Vidigal for Stoke.

How to watch Bournemouth vs Stoke City

Date: Wednesday, September 27th, 2023
Kickoff: 19:45 PM (BST)
TV Network: Not broadcast in UK
Venue: Vitality Stadium

Team News:

Bournemouth will be without Lloyd Kelly, Tyler Adams, Alex Scott, Ryan Fredricks and Emiliano Marcondes through injury. The rest of the squad looks to be available for Wednesday.

Stoke are set to be without duo Wouter Burger and Tyrese Campbell who both came off injured against Hull at the weekend. Enda Stevens, Lewis Baker, Emre Tezgel and Ryan Mmaee also remain out through injury.

Predicted XI:

Bournemouth: Radu, Kerkez, Senesi, Mepham, Aarons, Rothwell, Billing, Kluivert, Traore, Brooks, Moore.

Stoke City: Bonham, Johnston, Wilmot, Rose, McNally, Gooch, Sidibe, Laurent, Thompson, Haksabanovic, Gayle.

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Diego Costa goal video v Norwich: Chelsea’s masked bandit steals clearly offside strike

Joe Fish — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 21:06:41 +0000

Diego Costa – the masked bandit who steals goals from Premier League defences.

The Chelsea striker, resembling a bank robber in the headgear protecting his broken nose, was clearly offside when he scored their second against Norwich City at Carrow Road this evening.

Watch more brilliant snippets like this with fanatix’s FREE sports video news app.

The Spain international takes advantage of the flag staying down to lift the ball very smartly over Canaries goalkeeper John Ruddy, for his 10th goal in 15 games since Guus Hiddink’s arrival.

But manager Alex Neil will be cursing his luck. When you are struggling at the bottom, and Norwich are – 17th in the table, these are the type of decisions that always seem to go against you.

Kenedy had earlier taken only 40 seconds to breach the Premier League’s worst defence – Norwich have conceded 53 goals this season – to send the hosts towards a seventh loss in eight games.

SEE MORE:
Kenedy goal video v Norwich: Guus Hiddink’s inspired left-back selection works within 40 seconds
Chelsea sign homegrown powerhouse to lengthy new contract
Real Madrid in hot pursuit of controversial Chelsea star

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Talented teenager stolen from Liverpool & Tottenham as Norwich pull off late deadline-day coup

Joe Fish — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:14:33 +0000

Norwich City pulled off a coup in the final minutes of deadline day January 2016 by signing highly-rated teenager James Maddison from Coventry City.

The 19-year-old has agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal at Carrow Road and joins for an undisclosed fee, pending approval from the relevant footballing bodies.

Maddison will return to Coventry, for whom he has already made 31 appearances, on loan for the rest of the season and aim to help them into the Championship.

TRANSFER NEWS | #ncfc sign @Coventry_City midfielder James Maddison, subject to approval: https://t.co/DvlnCzx0fs pic.twitter.com/HyAD2U8Tpt

— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) February 1, 2016

Canaries manager Alex Neil told the club’s official website: “We’re delighted to sign James as he is a fantastic prospect who has already made a mark at Coventry at such a young age.

“He has real potential to develop, making this deal one we’re really pleased to get over the line.

“James will return to on loan Coventry for the rest of the season to continue his development before joining up with us on a full-time basis in the summer.”

Maddison was Norwich’s seventh and final signing of the January transfer window after Timm Klose, Steven Naismith, Ivan Pinto, Ebou Adams, Matt Jarvis and Patrick Bamford.

The attacking midfielder had previously been scouted by Premier League giants Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but neither were willing to pay his reported £7m asking price.

Liverpool and Spurs were expected to do battle for Maddison in the summer, but Norwich have gambled on his talents now, and will hope to get their rewards in the long term.

SEE MORE:
Rhodes & Niasse? Dismal Deadline Day proves Sky Sports transfer party is well and truly over
Striker-shy Tottenham make deadline day signing in line with Pochettino’s youth policy
Liverpool injury news: Reds get MAJOR injury boost – four stars plus Skrtel & Coutinho back

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Six Premier League managers who would be decent craic down the boozer… And the 14 we’d send to voicemail!

Robert Summerscales — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 20:30:07 +0000

Follow @robsummerscales on Twitter

There are some real characters among the 20 blokes working as Premier League managers (as of January 2015 – RIP McClaren and Garde), but how many of them would you really fancy going down the pub with?

We have thought about this long and hard and decided that just six of them would be decent craic.

First, let’s round up the 14 bosses who’d get pied off…

14. Tony Pulis
In all seriousness, we would love to have a night out with TP, but the bloke is married to his tracksuit, so there is no chance he’d even get passed the doormen on a Friday or Saturday!

13. Arsene Wenger
Really? Invite the bloke who banned his Arsenal players from drinking together back in 2004? Not welcome!

12. Steve McClaren
He took a brolly to Wembley! He’d probably wear a bumbag to the pub!

11. Mauricio Pochettino
Poch’s banter is on up, improving steadily along with his English. He’s not quite ready, though.

10. Ronald Koeman
The Southampton boss would probably be alright value for most of the night, but he’d inevitably ruin it with a dirty food order right at the end!

9. Mark Hughes
No way in hell is Sparky getting the call-up, unless he brings Crouchy along, of course!

8. Manuel Pellegrini
Sorry, but the bloke scares us!

7. Quique Sanchez Flores
Mr Watford is too good-looking. He’d make us all look awful and he’d probably annoy the barman my asking too many questions about wine as well.

6. Francesco Guidolin
Anyone who moves from Italy to Swansea during their twilight years isn’t all there. Guidolin’s way too funky for us!

5. Alex Neil
There are plenty of stereotypes flying around this article, granted. But we can’t change the way we feel, and having a solitary Scot at the table would be bad vibes. We’re looking for a decent night. We want to stop when we’re merrily buzzed. We don’t want to switch to the top shelf when we’re half-cut. And the last thing we want is a lecture about Bannockburn!

4. Remi Garde
Managing Aston Villa makes you miserable. Remember how Paul Lambert looked when he finally escaped!? Garde hasn’t quite had his breakdown yet, but it’s inevitable. He’s a ticking timebomb and we just can’t risk his emotional meltdown happening on our lads’ night out.

3. Eddie Howe
Ultimately, Howe’s probably too nice for us lot. He seems like such a lovely fella, but we fear he may get offended if our shanter – or (spoiler alert!) perhaps Big Sam’s – crossed the line of political correctness.

2. Roberto Martinez
Similar to Howe, Martinez is perhaps too placid. If it was quiz night, we’d take him, mind!

1. Alan Pardew
There’s always that one bloke who tries to turn a casual lads’ session into a no-holds-barred pulling exhibition. We fear Pards may be unable to stop himself.

Right then! Let’s meet our brotherhood of bosses who we’d love to get on it with…

6. Jurgen Klopp
Kloppy is a legend. We are not worthy of his presence, but we’d love to hang out so much that we’d even travel to Liverpool!

5. Guus Hiddink
The Chelsea BOSS is something else. Anyone who can make a group of nuns this happy is a serious asset to the squad. Simple as that.

Contract talks between Hiddink & #CFC are stalling as the Dutchman is dead set on bringing in his own backroom team! pic.twitter.com/PyiYmXbbLo

— Robert Summerscales (@robsummerscales) December 18, 2015

4. Sam Allardyce
Yeah, Big Sam and Kloppy had a row not so long ago, but they’d be sound after a couple of beers. We reckon the Sunderland chief might dominate the table a bit, but it would be worth it to hear him tell us all about how he deserves a chance to manage Inter Milan or Real Madrid!

3. Louis van Gaal
He seems like one of the most miserable men alive at most of his press conferences, but LVG proved at United’s end-of-season awards last year that he’s got great craic. With a bit of Dutch courage, he’d soon have us all singing “Louis van Gaal’s army!”

2. Claudio Ranieri
You’ve gotta have something about to you to turn Jamie Vardy into a pale and pasty Cristiano Ronaldo. Ranieri is a truly charming man. And you just know the Leicester boss would sort the boys out with some top-notch pizza at kicking-out time.

1. Slaven Bilic
We are not looking for trouble. Honest! But, just in case it kicks off, we’re gonna need a hard nut to keep us safe. Eastender Bilic is just the man…

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Norwich City 1-0 Southampton: Player ratings, goal video and report as Tettey claims win for Canaries

Ron Carne — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 17:08:47 +0000

Norwich City secured a 1-0 win over Southampton on Saturday afternoon with Alexander Tettey’s second-half goal all that separated the two sides.

Watch more brilliant snippets like this with fanatix’s FREE sports video news app.

The Canaries took another step towards safety with the win as it moves them six points clear of Newcastle United in 18th place, with the Magpies falling to a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

As a result, manager Alex Neil will be delighted with the victory and will undoubtedly hope that it will give his players the confidence boost that they need to string some positive results together.

Norwich goalkeeper Declan Rudd and his backline were crucial in securing the result, with the visitors threatening to ruin their afternoon before Victor Wanyama was sent off with just under 20 minutes remaining.

Neil will now prepare his side for the visit of Manchester City in the FA Cup next weekend, before they return to league matters with a trip to Stoke City on January 13.

Meanwhile, the Saints face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup before looking to bounce back at home against Watford in a fortnight’s time as they look to avoid a third consecutive league defeat with the poor run of form following on from their 4-0 win over Arsenal last month.

Norwich player ratings: Rudd 7; Brady 7, Bassong 7, Bennett 8, Martin 6; Hoolahan 6, O’Neil 6, Tettey 7, Redmond 6, Howson 7; Mbokani 6.

Substitutes

Jerome 6, Olsson 6, Odjidja-Ofoe 6.

Southampton player ratings: Stekelenburg 6; Bertrand 6, Dijk 6, Fonte 6, Martina 6; Clasie 7, Wanyama 6, Tadic 6, Davis 5, Ward-Prowse 6, Long 6.

Substitutes

Reed 5, Ramirez 6, Mane 6.

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Tottenham v Norwich preview: Pochettino could risk rotating against dangerous Canaries

Joe Fish — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 17:00:25 +0000

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to start a winning run when they host Norwich City on Boxing Day.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are fourth in the table and have only lost twice in the Premier League this season, but eight draws mean that they have lost pace with frontrunners Arsenal and Leicester City.

Last weekend’s 2-0 win at Southampton was an excellent response to the home defeat to Newcastle United, but Spurs will want to string victories together. Their best winning run this season is three.

Although Norwich toppled Manchester United at Old Trafford in their previous outing, Pochettino might see their visit to White Hart Lane as an easier game than the trip to high-flying Watford 48 hours later.

Any rotation of his squad therefore might come against the Canaries. Kyle Walker, Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen may all be held back, but Harry Kane is likely to start a 46th straight league game.

Kieran Trippier may be called upon for a full league debut for Spurs. Son Heung-Min, Nacer Chadli, Tom Carroll and Nabil Bentaleb are also in contention if Pochettino chooses to shuffle his pack.

Summer buy Clinton N’Jie has been ruled out for up to three months after knee surgery. Ryan Mason and Alex Pritchard are also sidelined. Danny Rose has recovered from illness, The Guardian reports.

Alex Neil may also consider resting some players. Monday’s home game against rock-bottom Aston Villa is much more winnable despite the confidence victory at United would have brought his Norwich side.

The Canaries should also be boosted by their recent record versus Spurs. They have lost only once on their last four trips to the white half of North London, and beat them in their most recent top-flight meeting in 2014.

Declan Rudd will continue to keep ex-England goalkeeper John Ruddy out of the side. Youssouf Mulumbu could be recalled at the expense of Wes Hoolahan should Neil wish to stiffen up his midfield.

Steven Whittaker, Jonny Howson and Graham Dorrans are among those who may benefit from some festive rotation. Loanees Andre Wisdom and Matt Jarvis missed the United win and remain out.

SEE MORE:
Liverpool & Tottenham transfer target issues ‘come and get me’ plea to Euro giants
Chelsea transfer news: Blues ready to swap Diego Costa for unhappy La Liga striker
Clinton N’Jie injury latest: Tottenham striker undergoes knee surgery

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Premier League sack race: Jose Mourinho ODDS-ON to be axed, followed by Louis van Gaal

Joe Fish — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 12:07:44 +0000

Jose Mourinho is odds-on to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post after overseeing Chelsea’s ninth loss in 16 games this season at the hands of Leicester City last night.

A goal apiece from prolific Foxes pair Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez consigned the faltering champions, whose consolation came through Loic Remy, to a 2-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium.

SEE MORE: Leicester 2-1 Chelsea video: Vardy & Mahrez sink Blues as Foxes return to top spot

The Blues are now 20 points adrift of Claudio Ranieri’s table toppers, and only one point above the relegation zone in 16th with Mourinho have given up on their hopes of finishing in the top four.

SEE MORE: Chelsea can forget about Champions League qualification, warns Jose Mourinho

Understandably then, SkyBet make the Special One, who was lifting his third Premier League title at Stamford Bridge only six months ago, 8/11 favourite to be sacked before any of his counterparts.

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is also coming under increasing pressure at Old Trafford after their Champions League exit and three league games without a win. He is 9/4 to be the next man fired.

Things are looking rosier for Steve McClaren at Newcastle United after successive wins over Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but the ever-unpredictable Magpies are still 8/1 to wield the axe next.

One win in 11 games has seen Norwich City manager Alex Neil come into 10/1, while Remi Garde is priced at 12/1 despite having only arrived at bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa last month.

Four managers have already left their Premier League posts this term – Dick Advocaat, Tim Sherwood, Brendan Rodgers and, most recently, Garry Monk. Will Mourinho be the next casualty?

SEE ALSO:
Diego Costa sleeping gesture video: Chelsea striker accuses teammates of sleeping in Leicester loss
Premier League top four odds: Chelsea drift, Liverpool well fancied, Leicester serious contenders
Mourinho: I have been betrayed by my players at Chelsea

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Norwich 1-1 Everton match report & video: Prolific Lukaku scores again but Toffees throw away points

Joe Fish — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 14:48:31 +0000

Everton spurned an opportunity to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four as they were pegged back by Norwich City to draw 1-1 at Carrow Road.

The Toffees were all over Norwich in the first half and should have led by a bigger margin than the one handed to them by Romelu Lukaku’s 15th-minute opener.

But they conceded 62 seconds after the restart to Wes Hoolahan and failed to turn up for the rest of the second half as the Canaries earned themselves a point.

Lukaku gave Norwich a warning when he dragged wide after good work from Leighton Baines and Arouna Kone, but he was more clinical minutes later.

Gerard Deulofeu whipped a delightful cross to the back post for the Belgian to head home and score for a sixth successive league games. Watch out Jamie Vardy!

SEE MORE: Romelu Lukaku goal video: Belgian coming for Vardy’s record with sixth in six

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Lukaku now has 10 in his last 10 outings in all competitions and 15 for the season, although his radar went strangely awry for the rest of the game in East Anglia.

He could have had a hat-trick by the break but scuffed from Tom Cleverley’s cross with the goal gaping, and twice fired wide when he should have at least tested Declan Rudd.

The Canaries goalkeeper appeared beaten when Baines, making his first league start of the season, fired a right-footed volley which crashed back off the post on 39 minutes.

Norwich had only found the net three times in their previous six games and Ryan Bennett was the unlikely option called for from the bench by Alex Neil at half time.

But the defender immediately came up trumps as his towering back-post header from a corner was scrambled over the line by Hoolahan 62 seconds after the restart.

SEE MORE: Wes Hoolahan goal video: Inspired substitution pays dividends for Norwich v Everton

The hosts had turned the tables and were now on the front foot. They had a trio of chances around the hour mark, but their lack of cutting edge hurt them again.

Robbie Brady had a shot deflected over the crossbar, before Hoolahan took the ball off the toes of Cameron Jerome with the striker perfectly placed at the back post.

Norwich’s goalscorer then tried to make amends by attempting to square for Jerome when he would have been better off shooting himself, and the chance went begging.

Though, judging by Jerome’s finish on 70 minutes, he probably would have missed anyway! His blaze over the crossbar from six yards out will be one of the misses of the season.

Everton never really mustered a response although they did have one chance to salvage maximum points, only for Rudd to rush out and make a brave block from Gareth Barry.

Victory for the Toffees would have taken them to within four points of the Champions League places. A third draw in a row leaves them sixth, top of a pack of teams on 23 points.

Norwich stay 16th, but could be in the relegation zone by the end of the day if Sunderland and Bournemouth win their games against Watford and Manchester United respectively.

SEE ALSO:
Liverpool FC wages: Reds waste £130k per week on crock, departed duo still collect £200k
Arsenal transfer news: Pep Guardiola ORDERS Man City to raid Gunners for Alexis Sanchez
FM 2016: Football Manager 16 bargains, Liverpool & Barcelona veterans ripe for cheap transfers

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