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Leeds United fans on Twitter have been feeling incredibly smug after the EFL released a statement revealing that Derby County have been charged for breaching the league’s Profit and Sustainability rules.Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

So why are Leeds fans so happy? Well, the Whites and the Rams have had an ongoing rivalry ever since last season’s spygate incident that saw the Yorkshire club fined by the EFL, despite not breaking any actual rules.

Of course, that rivalry was further fuelled by their meeting in the playoff semi-final last term, and even recently the Whites have had complaints about the treatment the Midlands outfit have received from 32Red in the deal to sign Wayne Rooney.

Ironically, the EFL’s statement came one year to the day since Marcelo Bielsa’s infamous PowerPoint presentation in the wake of Spygate, and that irony wasn’t lost on the Elland Road faithful as they relished in the fact.

Others used Frank Lampard’s words after the Spygate incident against them as they parodied the manager’s ‘we do analysis too’ statement as well as his rant about the etiquette in this country.

Others offered the EFL a solution by saying that they should be handed a 32 point deduction, in keeping with the sponsorship they received from 32Red and the fact that Wayne Rooney wears that number for the Rams after the gambling company helped finance that deal.

Others were just happy to see the Rams receive their just deserts as they believe it was karma for getting Leeds into hot water last term.

In other news, Leeds may be well-prepared for one departure if they can land this signing.

As reported by The Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder, Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has hinted that going on an unlikely cup run is one of his main priorities before he leaves the Magpies in the future – with some supporters mocking the verdict that they have any hope in doing so. 

Bruce, who guided Hull City to an unlikely FA Cup final against Arsenal back in 2014, eventually losing 3-2 despite the Tigers grabbing an early two-goal advantage, is apparently looking to replicate that underdog story with Newcastle United – should they get past Rochdale in their third-round replay.

The Magpies haven’t made it as far as the fifth round since Mike Ashley’s takeover back in 2007, with on-lookers hopeful they can end that voodoo this season given they will face Oxford should they manage to beat the Dale at home. However, judging by the response of these Newcastle supporters, it doesn’t seem like they hold out much hope for the magic of the cup considering what’s gone on in general under the Ashley regime.

Here’s how they damned Bruce’s optimism on Twitter, with one supporter simply stating that the boss is being ‘naive’ while another predicted an upset against Rochdale.

Newcastle fans, is an heroic cup run likely this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

In enjoying an impressive season in the Premier League this year, Jack Grealish has well and truly entered the conversation for one of the most in-form midfielders in the top-flight so far. The Aston Villa star has been one of the highlights of the Midlands club’s fight to stave off relegation, scoring six goals and providing a further five assists in the division.

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Understandably, it appears other sides around the country have taken notice, and according to The Evening Standard, Manchester United are monitoring Grealish ahead of potentially signing him within the next two transfer windows.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

After hearing about their links to the 24-year-old, fans of the Manchester side flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the Villa man.

A few fans made connections between their interest in Grealish and how former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was previously keen on taking him to north London – the Argentine of course a man who has been linked with replacing Solskjaer.

A couple of supporters of the Manchester side suggested that they would rather they signed Bayer Leverkusen starlet Kai Havertz instead.

Captain of a Premier League side at such an early age, Grealish would bring both youth and leadership to Old Trafford were he to arrive at the club. The play-maker’s performances this season in the Premier League have been nothing short of inspirational for Smith’s side, and that mentality of rising to the occasion and embracing the responsibility of leading their fight against relegation proves he could handle the pressure of playing for United. It’s a move that certainly makes a lot of sense.

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Meanwhile, Manchester United fans are stunned over transfer reports involving Jesse Lingard and this Premier League star.

Newcastle United fans were left in disagreement after their 2-1 defeat to Everton on Saturday.

A brace from Dominic Calvert-Lewin handed Carlo Ancelotti’s side three points at St James’ Park, despite Fabian Schar’s goal.

And supporters were torn over the reasons behind their loss.

Some, indeed, felt that the referee, Lee Mason, was to blame, with Andy Carroll’s first-half goal ruled out for offside, while he also had a penalty shout turned down.

However, others were less keen to pin their troubles on the man in black, insisting that they did not deserve to turn over the Toffees and take all three points.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

Per WhoScored, Everton had 57.7% possession and also had 22 shots on goal to Newcastle’s 20. Nine were on target, to the home side’s five.

Everton also had more corners and won more tackles.

And a selection of fans believe that the result came down to a lack of depth in the squad, with few creative players in reserve.

Indeed, Newcastle have a number of tough games coming up as 2020 approaches; they face Leicester City on New Year’s Day before league clashes with Wolves, Chelsea and their return clash with Everton.

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They need to get back to winning ways soon.

Meanwhile, one Newcastle target has had some glowing reviews. 

Jack Grealish impressed as he returned to playing in a central role for Aston Villa during their 1-0 win against Norwich City.

On the chalkboard

The 24-year-old is a talismanic figure at Villa Park, having helped to get his boyhood club promoted to the Premier League through the play-offs, then following that up with impressive performances in the top flight.

He even excelled after being moved out onto the left-wing by Dean Smith, despite the manager’s decision being an unpopular one.

However, following John McGinn’s ankle fracture, he was moved back into a central role against the Canaries, with Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba starting behind him.

While the circumstances that led to the move will still be disappointing for those at Villa, solace can be taken from Grealish’s performance in the midfield.

Back in the centre

He was an integral part of the game’s biggest moment, taking the ball past Alexander Tettey with a nice piece of skill, before playing a perfectly-weighted ball for Conor Hourihane to hit first-time, sending it past Tim Krul.

There was also a lot of creativity shown on the ball outside of that moment, as he made two key passes, completed all four of his attempted dribbles and got two shots off.

Can you score at least 80% on this Ultimate Premier League Quiz? Test your knowledge now…

The 24-year-old showed an efficiency that is quite impressive considering how progressive he is in his play, completing 83% of the passes that he attempted.

His statistics also show that the Villa man was dominant in his battles, as he was successful in his solitary tackle attempt and won three of his four aerial duels throughout the match.

He was even awarded Man of the Match by WhoScored, with a rating of 8.3, which was 0.2 ahead of his closest competitor Kortney Hause.

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Overall, it was a big performance from a player Villa have come to rely upon in what was a massive game for the club, taking them within a point of getting out of the relegation zone.

With McGinn out, Villa will need more of the same from Grealish in the coming months.

In other news, a Villa midfielder was hailed for their match-winning contribution against Norwich.

Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton has commended the club’s decision to award a new contract to teenage prodigy Nathan Patterson, who he described as “definitely one for the future”.

The Light Blues’ official website rangers.co.uk confirmed last week that the 18-year-old right-back signed a new deal at the club that will keep him at Ibrox until 2022.

Hutton feels that the teenager has massive potential and he has even backed him to rival senior right-back James Tavernier for a place in Steven Gerrard’s first team next season.

Speaking about Patterson to Football Insider, Hutton said: “They speak very highly of him, all through the coaching staff at Ibrox. He’s definitely one for the future.

“It’s great to tie him down, young prospect, very highly rated, a lot of teams were interested in him so for Rangers to tie him down on a longer contract is brilliant for the club and for him.

“It’s definitely a place he can thrive, come through to push Tavernier next season because he’ll be young and hungry.”

Hutton’s delight at Patterson committing his future to Rangers is understandable given the promise that the 18-year-old has shown at youth team level in recent months.

He has shone in the Light Blues’ UEFA Youth League run, starting all four games in the competition so far. He scored what proved to be an ultimately crucial away goal in the 3-3 draw away to Young Boys in the first round and set up a goal in the 2-1 win away to Slovan Bratislava in their most recent game in the tournament. [via TransferMarkt]

He has also started three matches in Rangers’ Scottish Challenge Cup run this term, with Graeme Murty’s team keeping a clean sheet in the competition on every occasion that Patterson has been in the side. [via TransferMarkt]

It hasn’t just been Hutton who has lauded the youngster, either. Murty said that he “has all the characteristics you would ascribe to an elite-level full-back” (as per Football Insider), while ex-Gers player Peter Lovenkrands said that the teenager reminds him of none other than Hutton (Football Insider).

Hutton also correctly alludes to interest in Patterson from other clubs, with Football Insider reporting last month that recently-crowned Club World Cup winners Liverpool were keeping tabs on the teenage prospect.

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For Rangers to be able to convince the youngster to commit his future to the club is a significant feather in their cap in the context of Liverpool’s interest and the loss of another promising youngster in Billy Gilmour to Chelsea two years ago (as per The Scotsman).

Whether Patterson will manage to fulfil Hutton’s prediction of challenging Tavernier for a first-team berth next season remains to be seen, but it’s not too hard to see why the former Rangers right-back has such high hopes for the newly-committed and precocious Rangers right-back.

Rangers fans, do you agree with Hutton’s take on Patterson? Can you see him pushing Tavernier for a place in the team next season? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Ralph Hasenhuttl has said that Sofiane Boufal cannot train without an injection.

What’s the story?

The 26-year-old has been a regular in all competitions this term, but Hasenhuttl has some worrying news on the midfielder’s condition.

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Speaking before the Saints’ clash against West Ham at St. Mary’s Stadium, he said: “Boufal is getting better and better.

“The problem is it’s not just the toe it’s the tendon underneath that’s hurting, where there is always a lot of pressure on.

“Pain is not helpful, we must pay attention that it’s not getting worse.

“We must be patient with him and bring the issue away completely so there is nothing and he can train without an injection.”

Not a loss

It is certainly not good news to have one of your players in such pain that he can’t even train without help. You can only wish the former Lille player well as he looks to regain full fitness.

Best of the decade: Quickfire Quiz on the last 10 years of Premier League football

However, from Hasenhuttl’s point of view, this is not a loss that will damage his efforts to guide the south-coast outfit to survival in the Premier League.

For all his skill and technical ability, he does not contribute enough in terms of goals and assists. In 73 appearances for Southampton, he has just four of the former and five of the latter, which is nowhere near what is expected of him considering he had a combined total of 14 goals and 10 assists in the last two Ligue 1 campaigns before his move to England.

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If he were a vocal part of the team’s offence, not much importance would be given to his defensive ability. However, that is not the case, which means more weight is given to it. This year, he has just 0.8 tackles per match and just 0.1 interceptions. That is also way off what would be needed to make up for his lack of goal contribution.

As Southampton stare relegation in the face, the German needs players he can rely on, whether that be because of their ability to perform or their fitness levels, and £9m-valued Boufal – as per Transfermarkt – provides neither. These latest comments are just further proof that Hasenhuttl will need to look elsewhere for his inspiration this term.

In other news, Southampton fans should not expect a lot of money to be spent in January.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

West Bromwich Albion literally show no signs of letting up.

Time and time again, they are made to wait. The teams below them all play; they lose their place on the Championship throne, the pressure ramps up.

Time and time again, they brush it off like it’s nothing. One defeat all season, six wins in a row. Whatever Leeds United throw at them, the Baggies respond.

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Slaven Bilic’s men have amassed 45 points from 20 matches under his stewardship this campaign, which if they continue to keep up, they’ll hurtle straight towards automatic promotion come May.

But if that isn’t enough to convince you, maybe their demolition of Swansea City – spearheaded by one player in particular – is.

The Welsh side were the only team to have not tasted defeat away from home before Albion swept five past them.

Matheus Pereira was the key protagonist to it all.

The Sporting Lisbon loanee is expected to clinch a permanent move to the Hawthorns in January for a total, loan fee included, of £9m – what a bargain that is turning out to be.

Per SofaScore, Pereira absolutely ran the show against the Swans. Aside from his one goal and three assists, the 23-year-old recorded 86% passing accuracy, eight key passes and had 75 touches of the ball.

It’s quite astonishing that a team in the second tier of English football has such a talented Brazilian in their ranks.

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His total goal contribution for the season now rises to 19 (five scored by himself, 14 assisted) so it isn’t unreasonable to suggest that they already have a Premier League player on their hands.

And that is exactly why they appear destined to return there as the quality of football and players that Bilic has brought to the club makes it seem like this process is a mere formality until the end of the season.

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In other news, one WBA favourite is flourishing under the guidance of Slaven Bilic…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sunderland need to improve in several areas but their recent defensive sloppiness has been key to them dropping points and therefore Phil Parkinson must address the issue right away.

On the chalkboard

Jack Ross grew more and more unpopular towards the end of his reign but one characteristic of his Sunderland side was that they were difficult to beat, and indeed he lost just 11 of the 76 matches he was in charge of.

That is what the Black Cats need to go back to. They now lack discipline all over the pitch and a weak mentality has led to them crumbling to defeat too easily, often failing to produce anything of note after falling behind.

However, Parkinson has attempted personnel changes and slight alterations in style and yet things seem to be getting worse rather than better, and that means a more significant change needs to be made.

As well as trying to encourage and motivate his players on and off the training pitch, Parkinson has to consider a new approach to get the best out of the players at his disposal, with familiar figures like Will Grigg and Max Power continuing to underperform.

Change in formation

So far under Parkinson Sunderland have usually set out in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and though that has been mixed up slightly he is still yet to venture away from a four-at-the-back system.

That could be why performances and results have dropped, but a 5-2-3 could be the best solution for the players currently in the squad.

Sunderland have struggled to find the net with 13 scored in 11 matches under Parkinson but it doesn’t necessarily mean a more negative outlook, though having three centre-backs on the pitch will be key to keeping goals out, and if they get the basics right that would be a start.

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Right now the team just needs to grind out wins and go on an unbeaten run to build confidence, but that is unlikely to happen in the current formation as the defence often gets exposed as a result of the full-backs bombing forward.

Luke O’Nien and Denver Hume acting as wing-backs could benefit both players as well as the team. O’Nien has three goals this season and the fact he has operated at right-midfield and right-back shows his understanding of how to balance defence with attack.

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Hume too has achieved an average of 1.9 successful dribbles per game this term which highlights his effectiveness in attack, while extra cover at the back means it is less worrying if he is caught out of position.

Greater freedom for Aiden McGeady and Chris Maguire up-front should also enable them to show their best qualities, while also allowing the midfield duo to provide protection and get forward when needed.

In other Sunderland news, bringing in a Director of Football is another step the club need to make, as it could reap multiple benefits.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

West Bromwich Albion are gliding in the Championship under Slaven Bilic and their midweek result only goes to show that one thing is on their mind. Promotion.

The Baggies devoured Bristol City 4-1 at the Hawthorns to leapfrog Leeds United back into first place while also opening up a huge seven-point gap to the playoff zone.

A sublime quartet of goals flew in as even left-back Kieran Gibbs got in on the action with Matheus Pereira, Hal Robson-Kanu and Charlie Austin also getting on the scoresheet.

Bilic was able to welcome back a trio of suspended players and they all were granted starts – Nathan Ferguson replaced Darnell Furlong back in his natural right-back spot while Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore continued as if they were never gone in the heart of midfield.

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However, the Croatian’s bench was so strong that there couldn’t be a place for the long-serving Chris Brunt, who came off the bench against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

The recently re-signed Gareth Barry was preferred instead.

Perhaps a surprise move given the 38-year-old’s lack of game time since battling a career-threatening injury. Therefore, it speaks volumes on Brunt’s potential future in the west Midlands.

According to Transfermarkt, the stalwart’s contract is set to expire in the summer so the possibility that this is his last season in the blue and white stripes is becoming an increasing possibility.

The 34-year-old has made 415 appearances for the Baggies after joining the club in the summer of 2007 from the Owls.

Brunt has struggled for game time this season, playing just 22 minutes in the league, over the perennial figures of Livermore and Sawyers – when they were both suspended, Filip Krovinovic and Semi Ajayi were handed starts in the engine room instead of him.

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These decisions only show Bilic’s attitude towards him, he was an inherited player rather than someone that he wanted to sign after all.

Time is surely running out for the Albion legend, who has always been adored by the fans.

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In other news, another Bilic tactical decision has hopefully been chalked off his playbook after last weekend’s performance…