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Runaway League 1 leaders Charlton Athletic travel to Dean Court on Saturday, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in 2012, the only side within the football league with this status intact. Following crushing wins over Stevenage and Chesterfield in the past 3 days respectively, they currently lie 13 points ahead of 2nd placed Sheffield United and 15 points clear of 3rd placed Sheffield Wednesday.

Few would have predicted that with 21 new summer recruits Charlton would have found this league so easy, and with 13 games still to go some may now say that 100 points is up for grabs. Brighton fell just short last season after they lost their final two games to finish the season on a very respectable 95 points. With the Addicks 16 points clear of what Brighton were on at this very stage last season, you feel it would be inevitable to achieve the feat. However during the week it was thought Chris Powell had told his players to still keep their feet firmly on the ground. I’m sure he will not want to be reminded of the nightmare he had the backend of last season, winning just two of their final 19 games. One thing is for sure his Charlton lads will have to be at their best this weekend, when they come against a decent Bournemouth side, still not out of the playoff mix.  It also means a return to their former clubs for both left-back Rhoys Wiggins and midfielder Danny Holland’s.

Coinciding with this fine run of form for the Addicks is the recent revisit to goal scoring form for Bradley Wright-Phillips. Before Saturday’s game against Stevenage he had not scored in 14 games since netting the only goal in a 1-0 win over Brentford back in November. However he followed that effort against Stevenage with his first ever senior hatrick against Chesterfield to take his tally to 18 goals for the season. Despite his lack of goals Charlton have still not fallen apart and this surely demonstrates how strong the squad Powell has put together is. It appears that his rough patch is now over and Charlton fans can hope he can add to his 18 goals over the final few months of the season as the countdown to promotion gets closer and closer.

Saturdays opponents are 10th placed Bournemouth who are just five points off a playoff spot, although they have played two games more than 6th placed Stevenage. Among their ranks include former Addick Harry Arter who despite showing promise never made it at the Valley. It appears that he has found his feet at Bournemouth and the central midfielder is Bournemouth’s 3rd top goal scorer with 6 goals. The Cherries also recruited Matt Tubbs from Crawley Town. Tubbs, who has a massive 141 career goals from 262 appearances, will be a real threat but surprisingly after scoring on his debut he has not found the net since.  Let’s hope this continues on Saturday as we look to extend our lead at the top. 100 points doesn’t feel too far off now.

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With the bad boy theme running on Football FanCast this week I thought it would be apt to supply you with a video list of some shocking incidents seen over the last few years on the football pitch. From player bust-ups, to dodgy tackles and even the bizarre actions involving referees and fans, there were many to choose from. Players are expected to be professional on the pitch, respecting the referee, respecting the opposition and being able to control their anger but football is a passionate game, which the following top 10 shows.

10: Mascots Fighting – This is one of the most bizarre incidents and although it does not feature football players, when do you see opposing mascots having a real punch up on the pitch? Well it happened between Wolves’ mascot Wolfie and Bristol Rovers’ three little piggies. Unfortunately this is the most light hearted of the entries in the list.

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9: Ruud Van Nistlerooy receives Arsenal attack – After winning a last minute penalty against Arsenal, Ruud Van Nistlerooy steps up to smash home a winner from the spot for Manchester United but it hits the crossbar and comes back out into play. The match is shortly over and Martin Keown along with his team mates decide to let the Dutchman know what they think of him.

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8: Di Canio pushes Ref – Although this incident is bad it is rather humorous at the same time, Sheffield Wednesday’s Paulo Di Canio was sent off in a game against Arsenal at Hillsborough and the passionate Italian shoves referee Paul Alcock. But the way the ref falls to the ground makes it look more comical than a serious matter.

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7: Gattuso loses it – Recent incident involving the AC Milan captain gradually losing the plot in the Champions League game against Tottenham Hotspur. He takes exception to Spurs coach Joe Jordan on the touchline first grabbing him by the throat and later trying to head butt him. Although his actions were disgraceful, I’m sure many of us would’ve liked to have seen Joe Jordan retaliate and stop the Italian in his tracks.

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6: Team-Mates Fight – There’s been a few of these incidents over the years but this one is probably one of the best (or worst) depending on how you look at it. Newcastle United’s Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer exchanged some heated words on the pitch which quickly turned to blows. It reminds me of a similar incident in the 1990s between Blackburn Rovers pair David Batty and Graeme Le Saux. There’s also been quite a few from the training ground, Sweden’s Mellberg vs Ljungberg and West Ham’s John Hartson vs Eyal Berkovic are two examples.

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5: Another Muscat tackle – One thing I have never understood in football is how Kevin Muscat made a career in the sport from assaulting players? This was just one of the latest from playing in his homeland of Australia getting sent off for a horrendous over the ball tackle. He had just come back from suspension after landing a kidney punch on a player during a game. In England, he made some horrible tackles, most notably on Mattie Holmes which ended his career short.

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4: Zidane – You know what, during the 2006 World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane bows out to the football world with a shocking headbutt on Italy’s Materazzi. Cursing between players happens in every game but Zidane took exception to whatever Materazzi said to him and knocked him completely off his feet to the millions of live viewers watching.

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3: Roy Keane’s retribution – This incident made me lose any respect I had for Roy Keane as a player. He even admitted in his autobiography that he deliberately set out to injure Haaland and should’ve received a lengthy ban. Keane saw it as revenge for an incident a few years earlier, Keane had tried to deliberately kick Haaland in front of him but ended up injuring his own leg. Haaland accused Keane of faking it, which is why Keane set out for revenge. Haaland never played a full game of football after this incident and Roy Keane was left to continue playing football for many years to come.

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2: Thatcher elbow – The defender has had previous for his over aggressive challenges on the pitch but this incident on Tottenham’s Pedro Mendes topped it all. Thatcher’s over enthusiastic tackle led with his elbow caused Mendes to be knocked out and hospitalised. The alarming thing is, Thatcher acts like it was a fair challenge. Maybe Wayne Rooney should watch this to see how dangerous flying elbows could be?

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1: Kung-Fu Cantona – An incident that shocked the football world. When Eric Cantona was sent off for Manchester United against Crystal Palace a Palace fan gave him abuse that sent the Frenchman over the edge and resulted in the flying kung-fu kick attack on the fan. He was banned for several months and it somewhat overshadowed the talented footballer’s career.

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List compiled by Matt Freebody

The debate about the implementation of technology in football reached a zenith during the World Cup and its qualifying environs, with notable exhibits for the prosecution of traditional officiating including; Thierry Henry’s handball and Frank Lampard’s ‘goal’. Yet FIFA had already taken several retrograde steps away from the use of technology a year prior to the World Cup, with its decision to use extra officials during the 2009/10 Europa League. The acknowledgment, after these now notorious World Cup moments, that something had to be done, was met with the action that there would be ‘discussions’ about technology at the next FIFA conference, and that the extra officials would now be used in the Champions League, for the 2010/11 campaign, surely an enormous acknowledgment of the successful debut of such officials.

But hold on a second, because this does not correlate. First, the saturating of the pitch with officials is unquestionably a move against technology, and second, define ‘successful’. I’ll start with the first point. It is true that both the use of technology and the implementation of extra officials are working toward the same goal; the desire to eliminate incorrect decisions. However, this is where the similarities cease. The whole reason for the call for technology is to eradicate, or at least minimise, human error, but through placing more officials on the pitch you are attempting to do this through more human error. Yes, the more ‘official’ eyes on the game, the higher the probability the correct decision will be made, but this can, as may well be deduced by the Spurs vs. Twente match, lead to a case of ‘too many cooks’. The extra officials merely seem to be giving lip-service to those who are campaigning for technology. When propositioned about the use of technology in football, those at FIFA earnestly point toward the extra officials, as if this is a step in the technological direction. It is not. It is a reinforcement of the notion that traditional officials are the best way to officiate the modern game.

Now I am not in the school of thought that modern referees are incompetent idiots and need more training. The reason there are more noticeable mistakes made by officials in the modern game is that they are precisely that, more noticeable. As an audience we are able to scrutinise every decision the referee makes through any number of angles and at speeds far slower than the referees are themselves, so, if we can scrutinise and criticise through technology, why can’t the referees use the same devices to maximise their performance? Humans make mistakes, and always have, and the most conspicuous change in the game of football is the way the viewer interacts with the game, therefore, referees haven’t changed, the audience has. This places the officials in the unfair and untenable position of having far less of a chance to get a decision right than a member of the audience thousands of miles away, and this cannot be the case.

Placing more officials on the pitch merely means there is a larger surface area of officialdom to apportion blame to. Take Spurs vs. Twente; the third penalty was awarded by the extra official behind the goal who had just about the worst view of the incident in the entire ground, yet awarded the penalty. The referee, unwilling to disagree with his colleague, agrees with him, turning what would have been a minor debate about the nuances of ‘ball-to-hand’ into a huge debate about ‘changing the match’. But a bigger question must be, ‘why was the official there in the first place?!’ These extra officials received a muted response, to be kind, during their inaugural 2009/10 Europa League campaign and were inconspicuous in their absence for much of the tournament, which, given the old adage of referees being better when you don’t realise they’re there, is a good thing, except, these officials are in a position where they are meant to be seen, dealing with the most contentious elements of a football game; goals, penalties and, on occasion, red cards.

So, if you’re looking for technology to improve the game you love so much… don’t hold your breath!

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Written By James Atkinson

West Ham target Javier Pastore is reportedly nearing a switch to Roma instead, but West Ham fans think they may just have dodged a bullet.

According to Calciomercato, Pastore is set for a medical with Champions League semi-finalists Roma.

The PSG man has been heavily linked with a move to East London, but it appears his wage demands have halted any chance of a move to the London Stadium.

The Argentine playmaker, who has 2 goals in 29 caps for his country, is incredibly talented, but injuries have plagued his career since moving to PSG, and fans are thinking it might be a blessing in disguise to lose him to Roma.

Joao Mario is another player fans are discussing, and it seems plenty of them agree he would be a better signing than Pastore.

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The Portuguese international, who spent the second half of last season on loan with the Hammers, is younger, more versatile and far less injury prone than the PSG superstar.

Mario has been linked with re-joining the Hammers on a permanent basis, as Manuel Pellegrini seeks more attacking impetus to replace the injured Manuel Lanzini.

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You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

According Brazilian media outlet UOL Esporte, Tottenham Hotspur have been given the green light to sign reported target Malcom, rated at £45m according to the Daily Mail last month, after he confirmed that Bordeaux have promised him that he will be able to leave this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Spurs were heavily linked with a move for the exciting winger during the January transfer window, but a deal never materialised as the Ligue 1 outfit were keen to hang on to the highly-rated 20-year-old.

However, the Brazilian’s latest comments via UOL Esporte suggest that the French club are ready to let him move on at the end of the season.

What did Malcom say?

The attacker said, as repoted by UOL Esporte: “Yes, there was a promise that I will be negotiating in June. I will choose the team, and Bordeaux will let me go.”

How has he done this season?

He has been excellent.

The 20-year-old has scored eight goals and provided a further six assists in 24 Ligue 1 outings, with his goals including a number of stunning long-range strikes.

The Brazilian likes to play on the right-hand side and cut in on to his left foot, and according to WhoScored.com he has made 56 key passes in the French top flight this term and successfully completed 63 of the 91 dribbles he has attempted.

Would he be a good signing for Tottenham?

He certainly would be.

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The winger is one of the most exciting young players in European football right now, and the potential he has means he would be a brilliant addition for the north London outfit.

Mauricio Pochettino has proven time and time again that he can develop and improve young talents, and Malcom is certainly one of those.

Will they get him?

They stand a good chance given they pushed hard for him in January, but with reports suggesting that Arsenal and Manchester United are all also interested, it could prove to be a big battle and perhaps even involve a bidding war.

While Manchester United are spending heavily to help repair the damage caused by David Moyes’ spell in charge at the club, Manchester City have kept themselves relatively quiet in the transfer market thus far.

In Willy Caballero and Bacary Sagna, they’ve signed two low-key veterans to help fill out the squad, while Porto’s Fernando will likely be a rotation option with Fernandinho.

City’s title win last season wasn’t a given, nor were they standout favourites at any stage of the season. The Jose Mourinho factor at Chelsea had many tipping them for the title at the start of the campaign, while Liverpool’s heroics during the second half of the season had them as frontrunners to land the league title. On top of that, doubts remained about Manuel Pellegrini’s credentials, or lack thereof, in taking City to the title, having never guided a team to major honours during his time in European football.

On the pitch the team didn’t always play up to the imperious feats displayed at the Etihad. Games such as the away loss to Cardiff City highlighted the defensive frailties in the side, both in goalkeeper Joe Hart and his back four.

The team’s lack of depth at centre-back also became an issue; while Martin Demichelis had to fight off his undeserved early detractors, Vincent Kompany was far more at fault for poor defensive displays throughout the season.

The problem City had in the summer following their 2012 title win was that they didn’t build on what they had. Players like Robin van Persie were chased and the team very much needed a strong midfield presence to play alongside or in place of Yaya Toure. Instead of moves that would have taken the club forward, the signings of Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair were even less than sidesteps, with the club failing to mount anything resembling a serious title challenge, something made even more clear following Alex Ferguson’s departure from United after landing the 2012-13 title.

WANT MORE? >> Man City transfer news | Latest transfer news

Despite their form at home for much of last season, few can say for sure City will defend their title amid the kind of strengthening taking place at Chelsea and Manchester United – the latter of which is surely not over.

Sergio Aguero had a torrid World Cup with Argentina, one which came off the back of another frustrating domestic campaign due to injury. Stevan Jovetic, similarly, struggled to get going, while there was plenty of concern that Alvaro Negredo hit only one league goal in the entire second half of the season.

If the league season isn’t a sure bet, the club are also in need of strengthening to further themselves on the European stage. The Champions League is a competition where Pellegrini has a good track record, but the loss at home to Bayern Munich displayed the gulf in class between City and the team widely considered the best in Europe.

Yaya Toure’s agent has become a nuisance more than anything of late, a fire which the club will want extinguished as quickly as possible. But it is a problem. Toure was the team’s most valuable cog in winning the league title last season in the prolonged absence of Aguero. Losing him, either altogether physically or just mentally, will have a resounding effect on the club’s efforts to retain their title.

As good as they can be, there are still holes in this side. City have a squad full of fantastic players, but it’s difficult to think of any beyond Toure and Aguero who can drag the side over the line to major silverware.

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The makeup of the behind-the-scenes staff differs from what it was two years ago, and there’s something about City’s quiet behaviour that plays to Pellegrini’s natural demeanour. But the Premier League can be unforgiving. City didn’t win the league last season because they had the best or strongest squad. Instead, they were gifted that opportunity through the self-inflicted mistakes of others. Chelsea, in particular, have moved quickly to address those shortcomings.

There is nothing certain about the state of City’s three most important players, Kompany, Toure and Aguero. But based on recent events, it could prove costly if the club set out to rely too heavily on those three individuals to see them to the top of the mountain once again.

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Luis Suarez earned Liverpool a deserved point at home to Newcastle, who had Fabricio Coloccini sent off with seven minutes remaining.

The Uruguayans second half equaliser, which canceled out a spectacular Yohan Cabaye opening goal, ensured it was another winless trip to the red half of Merseyside for the Magpies.

Alan Pardew’s men last won at Anfield in April 1994 under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan and looked certain to continue that the trend as the home side broke out of the traps with venom.

But for all their pressure Brendan Rodger’s side couldn’t fashion out a clear goalscoring opportunity, with Suarez going closest with a free kick that skimmed the top of Tim Krul’s net.

As the first half wore on the visitors gradually grew into the game and took the lead in spectacular style through Cabaye’s sublime volley just three minutes before half time.

Hatem Ben Arfa was instrumental in the build up, beating former Toon defender Jose Enrique down the right before picking out his French compatriot at the back post, who controlled and smashed the ball past Brad Jones in one fluid movement.

That seemed to fire Liverpool up and they fully warranted their equaliser in the 67th minute and it was Suarez who did the damage, controlling Enrique’s long punt on his chest before rounding Krul and slotting the ball home.

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Both teams pressed hard to find a winner with Ben Arfa having a shot saved by Jones and Papiss Cisse volleying wide, while Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling both wasted chances for the hosts.

However , the game was to end on a decidedly low note as the usually placid Coloccini was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor following an ugly late challenge on Suarez.

Villarreal attacker Denis Cheryshev came on as a substitute in Russia’s emphatic 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the 2018 World Cup and scored two brilliant goals, and Everton fans want their club to sign the left winger.

The 27-year-old has played for Sevilla, Valencia and Real Madrid in the past, but his career has dwindled in recent years having left the Champions League holders to join Villarreal in 2016.

The Russian wideman, who would likely compete with Yannick Bolasie and Ademola Lookman for a spot on the left flank at Goodison Park, only played 920 minutes of La Liga football across 24 appearances last term, but he showed the quality that he has with a goal with a neat touch and finish for his first against the Saudis, before a peach with the outside of his left foot into the top corner for his second.

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Everton supporters, who may feel that Marco Silva’s pursuit of an £8m left-back deal would prove he can’t match Farhad Moshiri’s ambitions, were quick to have their say on Cheryshev’s display via social media, and while one said “sign up Denis Cheryshev”, another said “announce Cheryshev”.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

The Manchester United fans here in the Transfer Tavern don’t really know how to take the latest rumour flying around about Marcus Rashford.

Much has been made of the conversation between the United manager, Jose Mourinho and Ajax young gun Justin Kluivert at the end of the Europa League final last season. With that in mind, there’s no surprise that the latest reports are breaking over a move for the talented winger this summer.

However, if that was to happen, our regulars are wondering what would happen to United prodigy Rashford. The England international has seen himself drop down the pecking order slightly in recent months due to the form of Anthony Martial and the arrival of Alexis Sanchez.

Mourinho could opt to move Rashford into the position he originally made his name in as a striker, but he would play second fiddle to Romelu Lukaku. It may be Rashford, not United that could push a move away from Old Trafford in search of regular football, although United may consider selling the youngster this season after the World Cup when his stock would surely be at his highest…

Post World Cup Prices

After any World Cup, especially a successful one, many of the player’s prices are driven up. United after a fair few windows of spending should be looking at balancing the books a little.

If England use Rashford and he lights up the tournament like many of the punters in the bar believe he can, United could capitalise on the situation. Considering the ridiculous premium put on English players most of the time, imagine how much money they could get after a promising World Cup.

Balancing the books

The Red Devils know that if they were to put Rashford up for sale, there would be a line of suitors ready to take the talented youngster on board. A bidding war could commence and with today’s prices alongside Rashfords potential, United could recoup some of the money they have laced out over the seasons following Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

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Many clubs are more interested in balancing the books within their business nowadays than team success, and United are no different.

Arsenal can’t win the Champions League. The be all and end all of qualifying for European football means nothing to those who value sporting achievement over financial gain. Arsenal are very much in Uefa’s top competition to feel the windfall of its revenue, not to challenge the best on the continent.

It’s a harsh reality that doesn’t require much digging to support its claim. Arsenal do have the resources to match the best in Europe. That’s why the club fought initially to move into the Emirates Stadium and then feed of its success, first through gate receipts and then to maximise on commercial sponsors, which we’re finally starting to see.

Arsenal far outstrip Atletico Madrid’s capabilities in building a squad. Borussia Dortmund’s wage bill of last season was smaller than QPR’s, and yet they finished as the runner-up to Bayern Munich, annihilating Real Madrid in the semi-final in Germany.

It’s the mentality that Atletico and Dortmund have that Arsenal can’t come close to. Atletico wiped the floor with AC Milan, beat Zenit and Porto in the group stages, and have now beaten Barcelona to advance to the semi-final. Arsenal don’t have that kind of mental capacity. They don’t have the organisation to hold a lead and withstand an attack that features Lionel Messi and Neymar. There is no motivation to turn over one of the biggest clubs in Europe at home.

For sporting reasons, Arsenal’s participation in the Champions League is built on the modern thinking that the competition adds prestige to a club’s name, as well as the fear that missing out for one season will result in years without top European football.

Like the struggles faced by David Moyes at Manchester United as an excuse not to change the manager at Arsenal, Liverpool’s fall out of Europe and Tottenham’s inability to build on that solitary season in the Champions League are the only two references used to tell of the importance of qualifying each and every year.

Arsenal don’t have the capacity to challenge on four fronts. They barely have the strength to do so on two. Injuries play a part, but the destruction of the squad on a year-on-year basis is the club’s own doing. Freak injury plagues occur, seen this season at Borussia Dortmund, who went the majority of the season without three of their first-choice back four. But what is happening at Arsenal can’t be dismissed or explained away as misfortune.

A year out of the Champions League for Arsenal will provide perspective. It will provide perspective to supporters who fear the unknown, just like with a change of manager. It will also provide perspective to the board and management, who seem to think that making do every season with a half complete squad will be enough; that a manager who has done it before, seemingly against the impossible, will continue to do it no matter what is going on around him at other clubs.

Investment is needed, and not just in new players. Atletico Madrid of this season and Dortmund of the past two or three years should be the models Arsenal follow. Neither of those two teams have invested or are capable of investing in the way their domestic title rivals are. For Arsenal, it’s now a matter of choice not to invest in the way Manchester City or Chelsea do.

Instead, those teams are buying into a strong idea, a footballing identity that is far more solid than what their cash reserves should allow. Diego Simeone’s players will break down walls for him; the same is true of Jurgen Klopp’s team, at least those who are have become accustomed to his coaching style.

They’re drilled to play in a way that speaks of their manager’s mindset and ideals. Atletico Madrid don’t play the prettiest football; Dortmund do and have done so. But vitally neither team can be accused of fragility. Their strengths come from in house, in terms of fitness – of which there are mountains of evidence – and the excellent and effective development of youth. At Arsenal, problems with the former has had a knock-on effect with the latter.

Like Atletico and Dortmund, the way Arsenal play and the attitudes of the players speaks of the mentality of the manager and club overall: a perceived lack of interest in bettering what’s currently available. Stagnation is rife at Arsenal, and only something as big as a drop out of Europe can change the attitude of the club.

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Arsenal may yet fall out of the top four this season, meaning a season in the Europa League is on the cards. But even that might be a distraction – and not because it should be seen as a pointless trophy.

This is not a club capable of handling four competitions with the way it is currently run. There may be comparisons to Liverpool’s season and that they’ve had the fortune of not being distracted by midweek travels around Europe, but they also have a manager who is able to adjust to what he has and bring the best out of his squad.

Arsenal may have to be forced into taking action through failure to qualify for Europe. It shouldn’t be the only option for a club of its resources, but dropping out of the Champions League can do a lot more good than bad.

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