Allardyce facing scrutiny

Everton boss Sam Allardyce is in a situation that he cannot help. The former England boss is at a club that was struggling at the beginning of the season and were looking like they would be facing the relegation battle if they could not change their ways. Big Sam was hired to replace Koeman and he has been out of favor because of his style of play. His team is set up in a way that is more defensive and plays for the counter attacks which has produced results ever since taking over as they are in 8th position already. However, this does not sit down well with the fans who are looking for an attractive football that means being attacking and dominating other teams which is not really much of an ask from a squad that was invested in a lot more than ever seen before with the recruitment of players like Walcott, Tosun, Sigurdsson, Rooney, Pickford, Klassen, Michael Keane among others. The problem with that style is that it has not produced results when Koeman was in charge. Arsenal are more likely to face the same challenge when they replace Wenger in the summer. If they bring in a manager who produces results but has a style of play that does not satisfy the fans, it is likely that the stadium will not be filled on the matchday.

Sam Allardyce said, “I can't honestly produce any more than I'm doing. What can I say when you've got 14 points out of seven games when you were faced with the club being in a very difficult position when you arrived? I can only say it's just one of those things, and if we keep winning hopefully they (the fans) might change it to love.”

It is unfortunate that the fans are not appreciating his work even when he is producing good results. What happens when he gets fed up the negative energy and leaves? Will Everton find a person who can meet the expectations of the fans which mean both playing good football and getting results? Engage with us in the comment section.

Sunderland have been relegated to League One

You must be shocked to see this headline again for the second year running. Yes, they have been relegated again. The club had been in the Premier League for a couple of years and survived countless times from the relegation battle. The last time they survived was when they brought in the expertise of Big Sam Allardyce and they had the striker Jermain Defoe scoring goals for them. It did not even make sense why there were in that situation again with the players they had on paper but soon changed. The following year (2016/17) they could not escape the drop. This meant that they had been demoted to the Championship and most of their players decided to leave the club including Defoe. However, this did not stop us from thinking that they would soon return because of the way they had been fighting to survive in the league for a length of time. Today, we receive some shocking news that the club has failed to make the cut in the second division in England and have been relegated again but this time to League One. What an embarrassment to a club that looked to be on a good path when they started recruiting and developing talent from England. The likes of Duncan Watmore typified this talent and was even rumored to be on Manchester United’s radar to be their young prodigy because of his potential. Their local rivals Newcastle were promoted to the Premier League last season and have already secured their safety from the drop as they currently sit on 41 points. It must be a difficult pill to swallow but their 2-1 loss to fellow relegation threatened Barton all but confirmed their downgrade. Will they recover or they have become the new Portsmouth?

Allardyce to meet with a frustrated Rooney

Former England and Manchester United captain, Wayne Rooney was furious at his boss for taking him out of the match between Everton and Liverpool on the 57th minute. The striker-turned-midfielder is used to being the focal point of the team and did not expect Sam Allardyce to sub him off the pitch especially in the Merseyside derby which is every club fan’s joy to play in. Sam Allardyce made comments in the post-match commentary box and he said that no player is too big to be subbed off. The coach, however, defended his decision saying that it was for the best of the team and that Everton became more attacking and created more opportunities to score, but Rooney could have been that man to score those goals. The former England international has seen a reduced number of minutes ever since Allardyce took over from Koeman. This is even after their record signing picked up an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Allardyce is quoted to have said this to talkSPORT, “That was too much for him to take and he had to show his frustration. We'll sit down in the next week and we'll talk it through and we'll see how he feels. I'm sure he's calmed down a little bit now.”

The coach wants to sit down with the experienced player who left Manchester United for Everton this season. He wants to have a conversation about it in a calmer environment after what happened on Saturday. He believes the player has cooled down now and would probably discuss so as to manage expectations from both parties and prevent such disappointments that lead to outrageous decisions that can disrupt the dressing room. Whom do you think is to blame in this case? Did Allardyce owe more to Rooney that what he gave him? Should the player have kept his cool and express his frustrations behind closed doors? Drop your comments below.

Derby Weekend - Saturday: Merseyside Derby Preview Everton vs Liverpool

Liverpool face Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday. The English Premier League clash between the two could not come at a better time for the Reds who are fresh from defeating Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League. The Liverpool team played their hearts out in that match which makes one wonder if they will have enough energy and drive for the match against their local rivals. First of all, the fans have to behave in the match otherwise there could be serious repercussions on the day. Liverpool are expected to lineup without their star forward, Mo Salah who is the current top goal scorer in the EPL with 29. The Egyptian genius was forced off the field with a suspected groin injury in their last match and his manager, Jurgen Klopp, has said that he will not risk playing the player if he is not 100% fit. The player has been recovering in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Adam Lallana, Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez are the other absentees from Klopp’s side. Danny Ings is looking likely to start the match which affords a well-deserved rest to Firmino.

Everton manager Sam Allardyce believes that the derby came at the right time and could be their opportunity to claim some bragging rights over a club that is focused on the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. He plans on nullifying Liverpool attack. Everton are expected to have Idrissa Gana Gueye back to compete after missing the club’s last match against Manchester City last weekend. Ashley Williams also returns after completing a 3 match ban. The blues will be looking to get one over Liverpool after having only won 1 of their last 22 meetings with the club in the league. What’s your prediction of the early kickoff? Will Everton finally best Liverpool in the league after a long struggle?

Manchester City just one win away from winning the EPL

Manchester City won 3-1 away to Everton and are just 3 points away from winning the English Premier League. They are already being called the Champions Elect thanks to their amazing performances this season. On the day of the return of the EPL from the international break, Leroy Sane broke the deadlock early on in the match. Sane’s fine volley on the 4th minute brought a buzz at the away end in Goodison Park and brought confusion to Sam Allardyce’s team. Gabriel Jesus added salt to the wounded side when he followed that up with a fine headed goal on the 12th minute. 2-0 was the scoreline under 15 minutes and this was not great start for Everton. When Raheem Sterling scored the third on the 37th minute, it was already game over for the Merseyside club. City ran with the lead at the break and Everton never looked like they could do anything about that. Yannick Bolasie tried to initiate what would be a great comeback against the high fliers by scoring on the 68th minute but that was it. Everton were poor on the night in front of their fans and they have to go back to the drawing board and find solutions on how to beat the best teams in the league. Their ambitions of fighting for Europe with the clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal are very far from their capabilities hence the need to be patient. City however are just a win away from being crowned the champions and this can be made special if they win it against their rivals United.