In the last couple of seasons, Southampton strikers have had their troubles at St. Mary’s — and that includes Charlie Austin.

The 29-year-old has picked up injuries left, right and centre in that time, and now finds himself firmly on the periphery.

Austin, who has clearly failed to win over Ralph Hasenhuttl, has been told to find a new club by the Southampton boss (Daily Mirror).

And as harsh as Hasenhuttl may have put it, the Austrian is certainly making a good call.

For both parties, Austin moving away from St. Mary’s is probably now in everyone’s best interest.

The former Queens Park Rangers striker needs minute, something he just is not getting right now.

And for a player of his quality, a No.9 who can be efficient and ruthless on his day when fit, he is too good to be wasting away on the St. Mary’s bench.

Meanwhile, from Hasenhuttl’s perspective, getting Austin’s wages off of Southampton’s books could go a long way in helping facilitate the arrival of a more reliable centre-forward, one better equipped to pressing high and relentlessly.

To avoid yet another relegation battle in the next campaign, the Saints need to address the lack of goals coming from their No.9s.

And by ditching Austin and bringing in a new name, Hasenhuttl could end up doing just that.

Southampton fans, how do you feel about Austin’s possible exit this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have brutally mocked a West Ham United supporter for suggesting that the club should appoint Diego Simeone as manager.

The Argentine, of course, is currently at Atletico Madrid, where he has won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League, twice, and the UEFA Super Cup, twice.

The Hammers have endured an inconsistent season under Manuel Pellegrini this term and currently sit 11th in the Premier League, having won 12 and lost 15 of their 33 games since the start of the campaign.

One supporter, subsequently, has called on the club to consider the appointment of Simeone, a manager who has often been linked with a move away from the Spanish giants.

But Spurs fans have been quick to rip the opinion apart, insisting that a manager of the Argentine’s calibre would never so much as consider a move to the London Stadium.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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Henrikh Mkhitaryan signed for Arsenal in January 2018 hoping to revive a career that went stale at Old Trafford, but he’s only ever suffered serious criticism in his time in the Premier League despite arriving on the back of an incredibly promising spell at Borussia Dortmund.

The Chalkboard

Mkhitaryan was involved in a swap deal that saw Alexis Sanchez leave the Gunners and head for the Red Devils, who exchanged the Armenian after poor performances under Jose Mourinho.

Under a manager with more attacking instinct in Arsene Wenger, Mkhitaryan was expected to show his class and he responded with a very promising start to life at the Emirates, starring in his home debut against Everton by registering a hat-trick of assists, though he’s failed to find consistency in his role since his stellar start.

Unai Emery has often deployed the playmaker as a right winger with the number 10 role being regularly fulfilled by Mesut Ozil or Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey, leaving Mkhitaryan only to fill the gaps in the starting XI.

The reality is that despite the midfielder’s evident shortcomings and lack of end product, it would be unfair to judge him on his performances since he arrived in England, considering he’s been grossly mismanaged.

Are Man City better than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’? Fans discuss in the video below…

Out of Position

Mkhitaryan was signed by Manchester United as one of the players of the season in the Bundesliga, registering 23 goals and 32 assists in his final season with Borussia Dortmund.

His statistics mirrored those of Kevin De Bruyne, who achieved 16 goals and 28 assists in his first full season at Wolfsburg before becoming a roaring success at Manchester City.

Like Mkhitaryan, De Bruyne was predominantly used as a right winger upon his arrival with Manuel Pellegrini squeezing him into a line-up that boasted a central midfield of Fernandinho, Yaya Toure and David Silva. With Pep Guardiola taking the helm in the blue side of Manchester, he’s found a way to include his most creative midfielders in the middle of the pitch and sacrifice steel for class instead.

There’s no doubt that De Bruyne’s switching of position has elevated his game to a new level – this combined with the influence and mentoring of Guardiola.

Emery has tried to solve Arsenal’s problems out wide with a number of formations, but the ex-Dortmund man has not been the answer to the right flank. Mourinho used Mkhitaryan in the same way, and his regular deployment in this position has skewed what fans immediately assume as his comfort zone. He’s no longer judged as a number 10 struggling out of position – he’s now criticised as a poor right midfielder.

Some will say that a player of his talent should be able to adapt more effortlessly to a tweaking of position, though this is far too naive. The beauty of a world class number 10 comes in their ability to excel when the shackles are off, and watching them use their sheer instinct and talent to dictate a football match. Playing on the right means Mkhitaryan has so much defensive responsibility that it saps away his freedom, especially when he’s having to protect a right-back who’s also playing out of position in Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

During the occasional game in which he’s started in the middle for Arsenal, he’s excelled. For at least another year or two, with the departure of Ramsey and Ozil’s consistent inconsistencies denying him a regular position in Emery’s XI, perhaps there is a gap to be filled by Mkhitaryan if he were afforded the opportunity to show his quality in central areas, but it’s down to the manager to realise the position in which he truly belongs.

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Liverpool made incredibly light work of their Champions League quarter-final tie with FC Porto, winning Wednesday night’s away leg by a 4-1 scoreline, but that hasn’t stopped Reds supporters from ripping into Divock Origi on social media.

It clearly wasn’t a great evening for the 6 foot 1 attacker, who was tasked with filling the almighty void of Roberto Firmino – one of the most important players in Jurgen Klopp’s system.

In fact, his attempt to do so only lasted until half-time, when the Brazilian was introduced from the bench at Origi’s expense following a somewhat underwhelming first 45 minutes from the Premier League title hopefuls despite being three goals ahead on aggregate.

As one Liverpool supporter on Twitter pointed out, there was a seismic difference between Liverpool’s performance when Origi was and wasn’t on the pitch, which perhaps explains why there has been such a backlash on social media against the 23-year-old.

Take a look below at what Liverpool fans are saying about Origi’s latest display…

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Rangers fans will take a long time to forgive Alfredo Morelos for his actions on Sunday, but for ex-Ger Andy Gray, the Colombian has already gone one step too far.

The Gers suffered a second Old Firm defeat of the season on Sunday, thanks to goals from Odsonne Edouard and James Forrest either side of a wonderfully taken Ryan Kent effort.

Of course, the major talking points of the match aren’t the goals, but the incidents involving Celtic skipper Scott Brown and several Rangers stars.

Morelos and Andy Halliday both saw red while Kent could face retrospective action, and Gray thinks the former has used up all his chances.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

What did he say?

“I’d sell him. I know it’s an easy thing to say but I’d seriously have to think about selling him,” the 63 year-old said.

“He cost Rangers again. He’s scored 29 goals this season – against who? Not Celtic.

“Not in the games that matter because he’s been sitting in the dressing room by himself and with his thoughts.

“Listen, I think Morelos is semi-talented. But where has he been in the games we have lost?

“Look at the League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen. He wasn’t there. Why?

“Because he was suspended for something stupid against Ayr United in an easy game at Ibrox.

“We need a man to do the business but he’s not shown up.”

Untrue and unfair

The once-formidable target man explained even further that he simply does not think Morelos is good enough for the club, mainly due to his lack of goals in big games.

The feisty youngster has yet to score against Celtic, while Hoops wonderkid Edouard can’t stop scoring against the Gers.

However, he has scored against three times against Aberdeen since moving to Ibrox and bagged four goals and four assists in Europe this season, proving he can do perform when it matters most.

The 22 year-old has a problem with his temperament, but to say he is not good enough for the club, despite being their best player all season, all because of a few moments of madness is perhaps the only thing madder than Morelos himself.

How many games has he gobbled up the one chance created in an otherwise unconvincing performance? How many times has he saved the Gers points while Steven Gerrard continues to learn the managerial ropes? Gray is being extremely naive.

وجه البرتغالي جوزيه مورينيو المدير الفني لفريق توتنهام الإنجليزي، رسالة للاعبي السبيرز على متن حافلة الفريق عقب الهزيمة أمام رويال أنتويرب البلجيكي في الدوري الأوروبي، بهدف دون رد.

أجرى مورينيو 9 تغييرات على التشكيلة الأساسية لـ توتنهام التي تغلب بها على بيرنلي في البريميرليج، لكنه سرعان ما قدم أربعة تغييرات في الشوط الأول، ولم يؤثر ذلك كثيرًا على النتيجة.

وفي حديثه مباشرة بعد المباراة، اعترف مورينيو الغاضب بأنه يريد إجراء 11 تغييرًا في الشوط الأول (طالع تصريحاته)، وانتقل غضبه إلى موقف السيارات بينما كان توتنهام ينتظر مغادرة الملعب.

وكتب مورينيو عبر حسابه على موقع “إنستجرام”: “الأداء السيئ يستحق نتائج سيئة، أتمنى أن يكون كل شخص في هذه الحافلة مستاءً مثلي، غدًا التدريب في الحادية عشر صباحًا”.

View this post on Instagram

Bad perfomances deserve bad results. Hope everyone in this bus is as upset as I am. Tomorow 11 AM training.

A post shared by Jose Mourinho (@josemourinho) on Oct 29, 2020 at 1:29pm PDT

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have urged Toby Alderweireld to stay at the club after their 1-0 win over Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

The Belgium international played the entire 90 minutes as Spurs secured a deserved lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The two clubs will play again at the Etihad Stadium next week before a clash in the Premier League.

City will need to score at least twice in the second leg in Manchester and that task will be all the harder with Alderweireld in such fine form in defence.

Doubts persist over his future, however, with his contract containing a £25 million release clause that can be activated by any interested party this summer.

And, following his solid display against the current Premier League champions, Alderweireld took to Twitter to express his delight at the result.

In response to the tweet, Spurs fans have urged the defender to commit to fresh terms as Spurs look to make a success of their first full season at their new stadium.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Middlesbrough fans must wonder what is going on at their club after what looked to be a decent season has been ripped away over the past couple of months.

For a team that started the season winning five and drawing two, of their first seven games, it is hard to fathom where, and how, it has gone so horribly wrong for the Teessiders.

Losing their last six games has ruined months of good work, and regardless of the role the players have played, the brunt of the blame must be shouldered by Tony Pulis.

Many managers would have done the decent thing: admitted they have done as much as they can and walked away — but not Pulis.

His belligerent approach to his future has seen him bunker down and soldier on, passing the buck of responsibility onto “the man that counts” and “good fella” Steve Gibson.

Speaking about his future, he told The Northern Echo: “Like I say, I came up to Middlesbrough for Steve [Gibson]. He’s the man that counts.

“Whichever way you cook it, we’ve got a good relationship and he’s a good fella.”

His comments seem like a ploy to deliberately make it difficult for Gibson to drop the axe, but any pleas, suggestions or games should be met with a deaf ear.

It would be an easy decision for Gibson to let things plod along until the summer, knowing he can let Pulis’ contract run out, without having to do anything.

It would be easy — but it would be wrong!

It would be a better financial option to let his deal expire — but it will cost the club a fortune in missed opportunities!

It would be the friendly thing to do for someone you have a”good relationship with” — but it will make more enemies!

He simply must make Pulis leave now.

It may well already be too late for this season, but surely let a new man come in and have a few weeks with the players in the hope of salvaging something — even if it is only pride!

What is the worst that could happen?

A new manager can have a few weeks to see who he thinks has a future, and who he wants to get rid of. He could, at least, lay some foundations for the next campaign, while then having the whole summer to reshape the squad.

Failure to act now, will make Gibson — the once saviour of the club — as culpable for his inaction, as Pulis is for his inability.

On behalf of all loyal, passionate Boro’ fans, we say:

Stop pussy-footing around the issue. Do the best thing for Middlesbrough FC, and sack Tony Pulis now!

What do you think of what’s gone wrong at your club, Middlesbrough fans? Should they have changed manager before now? Is it too late? Let us know your thoughts…

علّق دين سميث مدرب فريق أستون فيلا على الإصابة التي تعرض لها اللاعب برتراند تراوري في مباراة اليوم، أمام فريق ساوثهامبتون في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتواجه الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة السابعة من البريميرليج، حيث خسر أستون فيلا بأربعة أهداف مقابل ثلاثة.

وقرر سميث مشاركة برتراند تراوري في التشكيل الأساسي، بدلًا من المصري محمود حسن تريزيجيه.

ولم يتمكن تراوري من استكمال اللقاء، حيث خرج في الدقيقة 29 بعد تعرضه لإصابة، وشارك تريزيجيه بدلًا منه. مشاركة تريزيجيه بعد إصابة تراوري

وقال دين سميث، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “برمنجهام ميل” الإنجليزية: “لقد حدثت الإصابة عند تنفيذه إحدى الركلات الحرة”.

وأضاف: “لقد شعر تراوري بشيء ما في فخذه، سيفحصه الطاقم الطبي وسنرى مدى سوء الأمر”.

وواصل: “لا أعتقد أن الإصابة خطيرة حقًا وإلا لما استمر لعدة دقائق بعد الإصابة”.

وتابع: “ولكن كان الأمر قويًا بدرجة تكفي لإخراجه، هذا أمر مؤكد”.

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Sheffield United fans on Twitter are bewildered after the announcement of the PFA’s Championship Team of the Year.

Blades fans felt aggrieved because none of their defenders were involved in the team despite their club keeping the most clean sheets in the division, as well as conceding the least number of goals.

Fans of the Yorkshire club felt that at least one of John Egan, Dean Henderson, Jack O’Connell or Enda Stevens deserved a spot in the Team of the Year.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

It’s hard to argue against the points made by the United fans, Chris Wilder’s side have conceded just 39 goals all season whilst their star goalkeeper Henderson has kept a staggering 20 clean sheets.

In place of Henderson was Darren Randolph whilst Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper, Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis got into the back four.

Wilder’s side did have two representatives in the team with Billy Sharp and Oliver Norwood earning spots in midfield and attack, but it is the lack of defenders in the team which has Blades talking on Twitter.

Here’s what Sheffield United fans have been saying on Twitter…