Claudio Ranieri will he create a new fairy story in Premier League football

Claudio Ranieri made his entrance to English football for a fourth time as he earlier this month took charge of Watford. He has a past at Chelsea, Leicester and Fulham. He had to step down at Chelsea after a first season under the ownership of Roman Abramovich and moved on to other options in 2004.

After being absent from English football for eleven years, he turned surprisingly up at Leicester and as we all know guided the club to a sensational Premier League win in 2015/16, but sadly after a run of bad results in PL action getting sacked just a few months after his magical miracle on grass.

Ranieri moved to France and was in charge at Nantes for a while before coming back to Premier League in 2018 and taken on board at struggling Fulham, but just lasted a few months and moved on to Roma for a short caretaker spell. Since then been at Sampdoria, but stepped down from this position in the summer before entering the doors at Vicarage Road and again returing to Premier League action.

His first game in charge was a difficult fixture, playing Liverpool. He had little or no time to prepare his team and they were heavily defeated and the worst possible start was a fact, watching on as his Watford team had to see 5 goals conceded and 0 goals scored.

No one really had any hope of a good result this Saturday with a new difficult game coming up, this time away to Everton. It all started terribly, getting one goal behind, after just 3 minutes play. But with a formation change and a better foundation Watford fought back and Joshua King found the net after 13 minutes and the teams were equal after the first half.

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From this point on Watford started lift themselves and Claudio Ranieri had made a number of shrewd changes from his terrible start as especially Joshua King made a special impact. The Norwegian international did not play against Liverpool now taking the top forward role, which he loves to play in, moving Ismaila Sarr out on the flank. Ranieri had also made his system change, playing four in the back, five in midfield with Joshua King operating in that single postion up front.

Looking at the Watford line-up you do start to think. This is a side of experienced players, a number of internationals and also having that age that you ofen see in teams doing well and not getting carried away. King was of course one change from the previous match v. Liverpool, but not the only one. Of course moving Sarr wide gives a different dimention as the Senegal international is a much better alternative in this position.

Femania, Dennis and Rose were the three changes from the Liverpool game, with Tufan and Ngakia being named in the starting set up as the first half probably became a bit of getting to understand each other with another magnificant twist done after Richarlison did give Everton a 2-1 lead after 63 minutes.

Straight after this goal from Everton, Claudio Ranieri made to vital substitutions bringing on Dennis and Pedro for Tufan and Sarr. Slovakian midfielder Juray Kucka scored the 2-2 equalizer from a great header after 78 minutes with a desperate Everton team not able to balance their efforts and a sharp Joshua King managed to score both the 3-2 and 4-2 goal, which made this evening a fantastic event for the newly promoted manager getting a full recovery from his first game accident a week ago.

So will Claudio Ranieri again be succesfull in English football, can he bring the results to the table that the owners at this club hugely would love to see happen, and does he have the players needed to bring those results forward.

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Looking at the Watford squad you do see a group of quality and with the inclusion of Joshua King being played in the role he loves and getting back to goalscoring ways after 15 months dry and really showing Goodison Park and Everton fans what he is all about, you start to wonder if Ranieri has brought life back to a very mature player who has proved himself at Premier League level for several seasons with Bournemouth.

This Watford team do have a blend and rythm that looks like thay have a winner formula and with players such as King, Cathcart, Kucka, Sissoko and Sarr in there, you will of course have qualities and experience that are so vital when getting results in this heavy and difficult league.

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October 24, 2021 0

What next for Jesse Lingard will Roma be the ideal move for the England international

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Jesse Lingard had a grand development for a number of seasons at Manchester United flourishing fantastically under the management of Jose Mourinho. Could it be that teaming up again with his former manager, now at Roma, would be a sensation of dimentions and also see him back in the top of European football.

If you look at the stats from Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United you will find key points about the players he used and how they also appeared during his tenure at Old Trafford. Jesse Lingard was one the players that had a grand development in those seasons. Looking at the stats from this season, Lingard has during the 2021/22 start up played 10 games. Three of those appearances in an England shirt. He has scored 4 goals, 2 for England and his only starts so far are two internationals v. Andorra, and the EFL Cup game v. West Ham.

The bench is a place Jesse Lingard knows a lot about. To again experience a life on the fringe after a great run on loan with West Ham last season, must be sad. Lingard is quality and the way he did get into the England setup a few years back, appearing regularly, and part of the starting eleven during the 2018 World Cup.

At the age of 28, turning 29 in December, you need to find out what your next step in football would become. To cement a place in the Man Utd starting eleven, with Lingard’s qualities best used in an offensive midfield position. Chances are limited and you are up against competition from Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, that is not an easy competition.

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OGS do not rate Jesse Lingard above Pogba and Fernandes. To play Lingard wide would be difficult, with other options in Rashford, Greenwood and Sancho, all probably better in a wide flank position. Difficult for OGS to decide as the future of Lingard might be seen elsewhere.

Over the years we have seen grand examples of players axed or overlooked at Man Utd, with a certain Paul Pogba as a reminder. Moving to Juventus with just 3 league appareances in the bag at Man Utd. He later returned. Gerard Pique moving back to Barcelona and becoming one of their best defenders in history. Nicky Butt and Phil Neville are two others that had do move on to play first team football with moves to Newcastle and Everton.

Jesse Lingard would be a sensational player if he did sign for Roma and would probably fit into their set up straight away, but rumours today say Everton are the most likely alternative. Newcastle of course linked with every quality player in football at the moment and of course West Ham will be keen to get him back.

The big issue for OGS at the moment at Man Utd is to find a perfect blend for his team. Be able to set his jigsaw correctly as he juggles his players in and out of the first team line-up. OGS has not yet managed to get this blend correctly as the squad looks out of balance and key players are not able to rest correctly with storm of talk and rants about the future of OGS being a problem. That makes it impossible for OGS to leave out key players who are used probably more than they should, scared of the pressure and showing everyone that he do not trust his second best players.

Sir Alex Ferguson had his fans and media credit in the bank and was never seen as a possible sacking object after his number of titles had found the cabinet at Old Trafford. He also had a calm and knowledge which made him invinsible. This was earned by Sir Alex earned over years at this football club and a reason why it’s so difficult to come in and be judged on the same scale.

Jesse Lingard has not yet convinced OGS that he will be able to deliver at the highest shelf under him and why OGS did take him back and did not sell the midfielder in the summer is a bit of riddle. The use of the England international looks a bit strange and not really a planned activity, giving him mostly minutes coming in from the bench.

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OGS shows with his selections to different games that he is not trusting his squad 100%. He is not capable of fielding teams that he knows will be competitive when resting key players, instead probably getting more injuries and not really getting the best out of his fringe alternatives. That is the key problem and will be so for the long term future withouth stretching the use of the squad and build more self belief into the squad.

Watching Jesse Lingard drying up on the bench and again finding himself in the shadows of the heat is tragic. Lingard looks to have no future at Man Utd and the best for him is to move on. Roma would suit him and at this time the best alternative.

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October 24, 2021 0

Who is Greame Jones the caretaker of Newcastle will he be just another temporary man

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Despite Steve Bruce talking to journalists last week as he was the man for the job as manager at Newcastle going forward, with rumours flying about him being shown the door as soon as the takeover was official. Bruce lasted a couple of weeks or so into it before it all became real that the former Man Utd player never was the long term or even a short term alternative to lead this club forward.

Instead owners have turned to Greame Jones to take temporary charge of the team, but who is Greame Jones, relatively unknown for most, but still a man with a long life in professional football as a player, coach and also beein directors of football at Aston Villa.

He is like Steve Bruce in many ways going back both being long term fans of this football club as they are both former fans from the terraces at St. James Park. Bruce born in Corbridge, Jones in Gateshead and their love for the club being Magpies through and through might be the course of Jones taking charge and not following Bruce out the door at Newcastle.

Greame Jones was brought into the club last season to get som fresh ideas around the place and by many seen as the one helping Steve Bruce to get to were he managed last season, but with the start to this season people might have seen a change, who knows, with Jones now in temporary charge to a new manager is found.

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Greame Jones is 10 years younger than Steve Bruce and at 51 years of age been around in the game covering a set of different positions, and forced to cut his playing career short starting out as a coach at his club Hamilton Academical. Then later moving to Swansea to take up a coaching position under the leadership of Roberto Martinez, also following him to Swansea and Everton, but when Martinez switched to take up the position as Belgium national coach not following on, but instead taking up the vacant position as manager of Luton Town.

Jones did struggle with Luton and left his position with the club being 2nd to bottom when that happened. A chance to move back up to Newcastle appeared and was seen as a good alternative after a short stint at Bournemouth in the same type of coaching position, and the rest is history. He had a positive impact when arriving at St. James Park and talked fondly off among those close to the set-up and to step into this position must be thrilling as the club starts their chase for a permanent man to take charge.

Not really famous from his playing days, missing the top flight action in England and just seen frequently in the top of the SPL, but of course a good professional as he played for different clubs in both England and Scotland. A proven goalscorer with a total of 113 goals in 315 league appearances for his clubs as we Jones spent time at Wigan, Bury, Southend, Boston, Hamilton and St. Johnstone among his many destinations.

Interesting to see what Greame Jones will bring to the table with a little or no really good experiences from being left in charge with Luton being his only real shot at this type of job, often seen as the ideal assistant for other man in charge.

Newcastle need points and with Steve Bruce out of the picture a search for a new manager will be probably start at this point, with Greame Jones also uncertain about his close future, but again to see The Magpies relegated this season would have been a massive blow to the start of a new era at this football club.

Newcastle fans are devoted and eager to see their team up there fighting for trophies, with Mike Ashley that ambition has been totally absent and a life between the two top tiers has been what this football club have achieved in the years with Ashley as owner.

A few years back under former managers Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Sir Bobby Robson things were a bit different but still not as fresh and lovely as fans would like to see themselves up there winning trophies, but a long time ago any team of such lifted a major trophy. Newcastle are former winners of both League and FA Cup, but few or no one have any experience of that happening as we do have to go back to 1927 to find the last proof of a league title and in 1955 lifting, for the last time, a FA Cup trophy.

Of course interesting to follow Newcastle going forward but we do believe that it will take time before the club will look at major trophies in their cabinet as the club first and for all need to find the tools to repair a team that at the moment looks a bit away from any trophy hunt and the only way to bring in major talent must be to outbid the bigger and better, but located in the north of England it might be a difficult act to play.

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October 23, 2021 0