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Glasgow Rangers fans are disgusted at Ian Crocker after the Sky Sports commentator continually criticised Alfredo Morelos on Wednesday.

The Gers beat Hibernian 1-0 at Easter Road as they maintained their 23-point lead at the top of the Premiership (BBC). Morelos scored the only goal of the game in the second-half, but he was arguably lucky to still be on the pitch after an apparent stamp on an opponent in the first 45 minutes.

Crocker was commentating on the match for Sky Sports, and he was outraged by the incident, even demanding retrospective action to be aimed at the Colombia international. He then proceeded to spend the remainder of the match complaining about the 24-year-old.

It is fair to say the Gers supporters were absolutely livid at the pundit, and they took to the social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Crocker below

“@SkyFootball absolutely shocking, biased commentary from Crocker and Walker. For so called ‘neutral’ pundits, their constant reference to Morelos’ challenge and the need for the compliance officer to get involved was a disgrace! Why are they still commentating on Rangers games?”

Credit: @Al74lan

Ian Crocker’s anti-@RangersFC bias is embarrassing. Relentless criticism of Morelos.

Credit: @londonbluenose

“It’s not really commentary is it folks? More of an agenda led vendetta by messrs Crocker and Walker against Morelos. @ScotlandSky”

Credit: @uberhonda

“Ian Crocker has an unhealthy obsession with Morelos”

Credit: @Barisic_Baldy

“Sort it out @ScotlandSky. Crocker and Walker constantly bleating and basically begging for action against Morelos last night was pathetic. I pay for balanced opinion not downright hatred.”

Credit: @stevie_cat

“”Goal from Morelos, who should’ve been sent off.” Sky’s coverage summed up by Crocker’s misery when Morelos scored. Not how intelligent Morelos was; dragging Porteous out wide to collect the ball, then cutting in to receive the ball onside and scoring. No. It was a witch-hunt.”

Credit: @missteeray

In other news, Rangers fans slammed this SFA decision.

Manchester United will have Eric Bailly available for their clash with Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday.

The centre-back was absent for the shock defeat at the hands of Sheffield United that saw the Red Devils surrender their lead in the Premier League.

Young defender Axel Tuanzebe was forced to fill in but he endured a night to forget at Old Trafford.

He came into the team to take on Chris Wilder’s side but he was nothing short of a disaster at the back as the visitors hit back in style, capitalising on a dreadful defensive performance from the hosts to pick up only their second win of the season and cause a stunning upset in the process.

A lapse in concentration saw the Blades take a surprise lead after Kean Bryan’s well-timed header from John Fleck’s corner and then an unfortunate deflection for Oliver Burke’s goal summed up his frustrations.

It was a far cry from his heroics against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and there’s no doubt he will be bitterly disappointed with his individual performance.

Victor Lindelof has also been used across the backline but is suffering from a recurring back injury.

It leaves Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with his options somewhat limited but the United boss could have Bailly available.

Solskjaer confirmed he is fit for the Premier League fixture at Arsenal after missing the midweek defeat due to a knock.

“He’s travelling to Arsenal, yeah,” said Solskjaer. “Apart from that, we didn’t get any other losses from Sheffield United and the players are all fit and raring to go.”

The timing couldn’t be better for Solskjaer, as Bailly has been a colossal at the back since the start of this season, and put in a tremendous shift against Aston Villa a few weeks ago. Bailly blocked one shot, made one interception and completed six clearances – the most out of any player from either side, as per SofaScore.

On his day, it’s fair to say that the 26-year-old is currently one of the best defenders in the Premier League, providing that he is fully fit, with former United manager Jose Mourinho lavishing praise on his former charge after he played through the pain barrier against Liverpool in 2018.

Bailly is far more experienced than Tuanzebe and is a safe bet to start alongside Harry Maguire in the heart of the defence.

AND in other news, Manchester United must avoid signing Edin Dzeko in January…

BeIN Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray have tipped West Ham United to complete the permanent signing of Craig Dawson.

Hammers should sign Dawson permanently

Dawson made the move to the London Stadium on loan from Watford during the summer transfer window. So far this term, he has made eight appearances in the Premier League, scoring two goals (Transfermarkt).

Despite not being a regular starter, both Keys and Gray believe that David Moyes will want to keep him at the club. Keys said (via HITC):

“They bought Benrahma. They haven’t yet turned Dawson into a full-time signing but I’m sure they will.”

Gray added:

“He’s a centre-back. He looks a fit kid so would you give him another 12 months after this? You bet you would. He’s the right sort as well.”

Makes sense

While Dawson has not been one of the first names on the teamsheet throughout the campaign, he has grown into an important player in recent weeks. He has started each of the last eight matches in the top flight – during that run, West Ham have won five matches and lost just one.

Currently valued at £3.6m (Transfermarkt), it should not be too hard for the Hammers to prise him away permanently from Vicarage Road. Whether the board and the directors will be looking at more glamorous options come the end of the term remains to be seen.

In other news, West Ham fans are delighted by this Jesse Lingard update.

Liverpool travel to Bramall Lane to face bottom of the league Sheffield United on Sunday, in a game that the Reds arguably must win if they want to finish in the top four this season.

Four consecutive defeats in the top-flight have seen Jurgen Klopp’s side slip to sixth in the Premier League and if their current form does not drastically improve, the Merseyside club could easily find themselves without any sort of European football next season.

In those four defeats, the Reds have found the net just twice, with scoring goals having proved to be a real problem for Liverpool since the turn of the year, with only Mohamed Salah finding the net on a regular basis for Klopp’s side.

Therefore, the German manager should definitely consider making an attacking change to his side ahead of the game against Sheffield United, otherwise they could struggle to find a way past a Blades team that are perhaps likely to sit deep with a back-five on Sunday.

With the game likely to come too soon for Diogo Jota, who is now back in training after recovering from the knee injury that has kept him out for the last two months, Klopp should unleash Xherdan Shaqiri at Bramall Lane.

The Swiss international has found himself on the bench for recent fixtures despite an impressive performance in Liverpool’s last win – a 3-1 triumph against West Ham at the London Stadium.

The 29-year-old, who reportedly earns £80k per week at Liverpool, showed his creativity in that game with a superb early pass for Salah’s superb goal, and he earned a superb 7.47 rating for his display, so it is perhaps a surprise that he has featured so little since then.

With the 4-3-3 formation having not produced results in recent weeks, Klopp should surely consider switching back to a 4-2-3-1, with Shaqiri deployed in the attacking-midfield role until Jota is fit to return to action.

Klopp was full of praise for the former Bayern Munich man in 2018, saying:

“Shaq? It’s like he’s involved in pretty much everything. He’s so decisive.”

Therefore, the 29-year-old deserves another chance to impress on Sunday, as he could prove to be the difference for Liverpool as they seek to unlock what will undoubtedly be a well-organised Blades defence.

AND, in other news… LFC signing 6 ft 2 beast Klopp admires would surely be bad news for Joel Matip

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to launch a summer swoop to sign the perfect target for Aaron Cresswell in VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Kalajdzic has emerged as a potential centre-forward for the Irons to target in the off-season as Moyes continues his search for Sebastien Haller’s replacement.

The towering 6 ft 6 target man is considered to be a cheaper option than Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham or Slavia Prague’s Abdallah Sima, with Stuttgart expected to make Kalajdzic available for around £15m at the end of the season.

Moyes is weighing up a move for Kalajdzic as he strives to find a striker who can hold up the ball and be a threat from set-pieces, with the 23-year-old noted to be a very mobile and technically strong player despite his build.

Kalajdzic, who has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 23 Bundesliga outings this season – of which he’s only started 13, has been likened to former England international Peter Crouch for being ‘a big man with good feet’. He has also been dubbed as ‘the next Mario Gomez’ in Germany.

West Ham are not alone in monitoring Kalajdzic’s situation at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, with Bundesliga title-hopefuls RB Leipzig and Serie A side AS Roma also said to be keen on the Austria international of Serbian descent.

Other Premier League clubs are also claimed to be compiling scouting reports on the two-cap striker, who does not consider himself to be a classic number nine.

“I’m not a classic No.9, maybe something between a nine and a 10, something like that maybe. A nine and a half,” he told Bundesliga.com following a return of three goals in three games to start the league season after helping Stuttgart gain promotion last season.

Should West Ham sign Kalajdzic?

Depending on what Moyes has placed the greatest emphasis on in his search for Haller’s replacement, West Ham moving to land Kalajdzic in the summer could prove to be a well-thought-out transfer by signing a proper hold-up player for Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen and co. to operate off.

Kalajdzic is also scoring freely in the Bundesliga right now, with the £7,500-per-week striker hitting home seven goals in his last six outings having overcome a dip in form after his rapid break out of the blocks.

A decline in output was always expected after the 23-year-old missed much of Stuttgart’s promotion-clinching 2019/20 2. Bundesliga campaign due to a cruciate ligament rupture, which restricted the Wien-born forward to just six appearances across all competitions.

But Kalajdzic has responded magnificently and having a target man of his calibre could also prove to provide Cresswell with his best option, with the full-back a leading creator at the London Stadium through his set-piece deliveries and his eye for a cross.

Cresswell has averaged a team-high 1.7 accurate deliveries and 4.2 unsuccessful crosses per game in the Premier League this season, along with 1.6 accurate free-kicks from 2.1 – only goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (1.8/3.4) offers more, per WhoScored.

The 31-year-old defender also provides a team-high 0.9 accurate corners per game, which is the most by a Hammers player to date. He further ranks fifth across the division for accurate crosses per game, with more than the likes of Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (1.6), Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne (1.6) and Everton’s Lucas Digne (1.6).

With six of Kalajdzic’s 12 Bundesliga goals coming from headers, Cresswell could be in dreamland with a target man like him occupying a place in the box.

AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring a nine-goal 21-year-old but face a huge hurdle to strike a deal…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Tottenham captain Gary Mabbutt has backed his old side to overcome the challenge of Dinamo Zagreb before securing a positive result against Arsenal in the north London derby.

Jose Mourinho’s side take on the Croatian outfit in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League tie then follow that up with a trip to the Emirates to face their rivals in a big week for the club.

And Mabbutt, who rates the squad Mourinho has at disposal very highly, is confident they can pick up some good results.

Discussing the upcoming fixtures in an exclusive interview with FFC, Mabbutt said:

“Don’t even look at the form book at the moment.

“I would look at his players and the group of players and the way those players are playing as individuals and as a team, the confidence within the squad, the camaraderie within the squad, and I think we have all of those. So, you know, I’d be going into these games with confidence that we can get two positive results.”

Indeed, the north London club have certainly been performing of late after a difficult period, with Gareth Bale being one player who has really stepped up during this resurgence.

The Welshman was on fire in that recent 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace, managing to grab two goals for himself. And he was joined by a usual suspect in Harry Kane, who was also able to find the back of the net on two occasions.

If both players can carry this sort of form into the games against Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal, then there is a good chance that Mourinho will get the results he wants from these two important fixtures.

In the space of a month, Sunderland’s promotion hopes have been completely transformed.

The Mackems are unbeaten in their last seven outings, six of which have been wins. Victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Doncaster was the tip of the iceberg for Lee Johnson, but his side can’t afford to let up now.

He has engineered the Black Cats to fourth spot in the League One table but they face Portsmouth on Tuesday evening. This will be one of their toughest trips of the season, especially as they cast half an eye towards the Papa John’s Trophy final on Sunday.

With that fixture in mind, Johnson may choose to rest and rotate a little. Though, given the magnitude of this fixture too, he’d be foolish to go overboard.

As a result, we’re tipping the manager to make three changes to his side on Tuesday evening.

Johnson has had a habit of changing his formation during the course of matches in recent weeks so it’s a little unclear as to how he could line-up.

That being said, we’re entrusting him to go with a four-man backline. The first change of note is that Oliver Younger comes out of the side.

He didn’t really put a foot wrong against Rochdale last weekend but given how tough Pompey could be, we’re tipping Johnson to move Max Power to right-back instead.

What that leaves is a vacant hole in midfield to fill. With Grant Leadbitter out with a dislocated shoulder and Luke O’Nien playing at centre-back, it means Josh Scowen comes in to partner Carl Winchester.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

Another change is on the right-hand side. Jordan Jones was influential on Saturday, providing the assist for Charlie Wyke’s goal. However, with not much football under his belt, we think he could be rested for the final on Sunday. As a consequence, Chris Maguire comes into the XI.

He’s had some brilliant cameos in recent weeks, scoring versus Crewe and assisting against Fleetwood and Swindon. Thus, he deserves a chance from the off.

The final change is at left-back where Jake Vokins replaces Callum McFadzean. The latter has been somewhat of a liability this season but will probably make the starting XI in the final due to his recent minutes. With fitness in mind, we don’t think the £2.4k-per-week earner will play on Tuesday.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: SAFC must land 29-goal ace who Moyes once dubbed “priceless”…

Leeds United suffered another typical injury blow in light of their impressive 0-0 draw with Chelsea at the weekend as leading talisman Patrick Bamford went off ten minutes before half-time.

It remains to be seen whether or not the 27-year-old will be fit in time for their fixture with old Championship foes Fulham on Friday evening, but given his importance to Marcelo Bielsa, the 13-goal striker may well not be risked so soon anyway.

Therefore, it leaves the Whites boss with plenty to ponder in terms of team selection.

Rodrigo, the man who replaced Bamford at Stamford Bridge, is still not match-fit as he was withdrawn before the full-time whistle.

The United faithful could well also see Tyler Roberts lead the line after a string of impressive performances in a deeper role, though you can forget about him playing up top if he’s doing the business in another role.

Perhaps it means it is time for Bielsa to throw the reins to young striking sensation Joe Gelhardt – there can’t be a better encounter to see what he can do as Fulham are flirting with the prospects of relegation, even despite their improving form.

The 18-year-old, signed from Wigan for just £700k, has been talked up by Bamford himself in recent months, who said: “He reminds me – I don’t want to say the same level as (Wayne) Rooney – but he is the same kind of build as Rooney was. A stocky lad, great finisher.”

Football Insider claimed that words like “phenomenal” and “electrifying” have been used to describe him behind the scenes at Elland Road, and quite rightly too.

In Premier League 2 this term, the teenage prodigy has bagged eight goals and three assists in 14 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Unlike Rodrigo or Roberts, he’s a true centre-forward, so he’s surely the natural replacement for Bamford should he miss Friday’s match.

Gelhardt has made Bielsa’s bench five times but is yet to taste his senior debut, so clearly, he’s a player who is well thought of by the Leeds boss.

Indeed, the Argentine waxed lyrical about his young forward, telling reporters last month: “He’s a player that always creates danger in a game. He’s a player who’s more linked with the finalising of chances rather than the creation of them. He has resources to beat an opponent and he has a final shot, a finish that is very good.”

But what good are all these glowing endorsements if we’re not going to see just how good his potential can be for the first team? If Bamford is out this week, Bielsa absolutely has to unleash the 18-year-old gem.

AND in other news, Orta could seal Bielsa’s dream Dallas heir with Leeds swoop for “lightening-quick” gem…

Alan Hutton believes that Jordan Jones has played his last game for Glasgow Rangers despite his impressive form on loan at Sunderland in League One.

Hutton thinks Jones is finished at Ibrox

Jones moved to the Stadium of Light on loan in January and has done well so far for the Black Cats, scoring twice and providing three assists in nine league matches (Transfermarkt).

However, speaking to Football Insider, Hutton does still not believe the 26-year-old has a future at Ibrox. He said of Jones:

“It’s one of those ones where he had opportunities at Rangers. Gerrard put him in and sometimes we would see the best of him but not enough.

“Obviously the Covid issues, hampered by injuries, I’m not going to say I’m on the fence. I believe the time’s passed. He’s went down, he’s moved on, he’s playing well at a decent level and scoring goals.

“I just feel his time that Rangers, he’s had enough opportunities, it’s not quite worked out. The player has to think of himself as well, he obviously wasn’t happy when he was there.”

Difficult

On Wearside, Jones has shown he has plenty of talent, but it is hard to disagree with Hutton. Jones did break into the Gers’ starting line-up towards the start of this season, even scoring in a 5-1 win over Motherwell, but he betrayed the trust of both his teammates and Steven Gerrard when he broke virus regulations to attend a house gathering along with George Edmundson. That led to a seven-game ban (BBC), preventing him from playing on a regular basis for the 55-time Scottish champions.

In 19 matches for Rangers since making the move from Kilmarnock, that goal against Motherwell is the only time he has hit the back of the net. Quite frankly, that is not good enough, especially when he has Ryan Kent to contend with on the left wing. It seems only a matter of time before Jones leaves Ibrox on a permanent basis, as Hutton has predicted.

In other news, many Rangers fans hammered this man’s performance against Celtic.

A journalist at the Sheffield Star has dropped a claim on Chris Wilder and whether he thinks that he would be a good fit at Newcastle United.

As quoted by The Shields Gazette, Sheffield United journalist Danny Hall has claimed that Wilder would be ‘an inspired appointment’ amid recent links from the St. James’ Park faithful to the former Blades boss.

Newcastle should consider Wilder

Things are clearly not getting better in the North East under Steve Bruce, with the Tyneside club firmly locked in a relegation battle at the moment.

Thus, it may be an idea for the Magpies to go out and find a new manager whether it would be during or at the ned of the 2020/21 term, and Wilder could well be an ideal candidate.

Despite Sheffield United’s struggles at the bottom of the Premier League table this season, the heroics of the Yorkshireman in guiding them to a very impressive ninth-placed finish in the last campaign should not be overlooked.

Wilder also knows the top flight well and based off of his heroics last year, is more than capable of turning the Toon into a solid midtable side and thus not one battling for survival.

Nonetheless, the 53-year-old would not be a bad appointment by NUFC by any stretch of the imagination.

In other news, find out what worrying claim has been dropped involving an EPL plan here!