The highlight games for this weekend’s EPL action are CRYSTAL PALACE versus LIVERPOOL and CHELSEA versus NOTTINGHAM FOREST. Our feature columnist, John Newsome, previews these and all game week 7 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday.
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication.
Game Week-7
Saturday 05th
CRYSTAL PALACE v LIVERPOOL
12.30 in England
TNT Sports
What has happened to the Eagles?
From being one of the form teams at the end of last season, Crystal Palace have gone from Hero to Zero this campaign, the Zero equating to zero wins so far from the opening 6 games with just 3 draws on the board and 3 defeats.
The latest coming against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Despite Marc Guehi scoring first to give the away team a lead at the interval, Palace conceded twice just after the restart to ultimately lose the game by a 2-1 scoreline.
That leaves Oliver’s Army in 18th place with the same 3 points as Leicester.
The Eagles need to get back swooping or Mr Glasner might be paying a visit to the Croydon Job Centre.
This back-to-back matchup against the Merseyside’s will be another tough ask and as it’s then the International Break, Oliver may just want to turn his phone off.
Although Liverpool didn’t get into 5th Gear against Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, Arne’s Slot Machines never really had to as the game against Gary O’Neils Gold and Blacks was relatively easy.
Ibrahima Konate scored for Liverpool in 1st-half added injury time to give the away team a lead at the break.
Wolves then equalised through a bit of sloppy play, coincidentally from Ibrahima who must have felt guilty about scoring.
Liverpool were awarded a penalty which the Egyptian King Mo Salah despatched and with no further goals, Arne’s Reds got the victory by a 2-1 scoreline.
That’s 5 wins from 6 with just the blip against Nottingham Forest preventing a 100% record, leaving Liverpool at the summit of the Premier League with 15 points from the opening 6 games.
Liverpool host the Italian Club Bologna on Wednesday in Match Day-2 of the Champions League.
It used to be classed as the Champions League Group Stage but is now called the Champions League-League Phase.
Liverpool gained the away day victory over Crystal Palace in last season’s encounter at Selhurst Park.
Both were under the guidance of different Managers with, the ex-Liverpool Boss Roy Hodgson at the Palace helm and Jurgen Klopp in charge of Liverpool.
Goals from Mo Salah and Harvey Elliott after a converted Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty gave Jurgen’s Reds the win by a 2-1 scoreline.
Jordan Ayew was shown 2 Yellow Cards and the subsequent Red in the 75th minute, just before Mo’s equaliser.
Betfred offer Crystal Palace at 9/2, the Draw at 100/30 and Odds On 1/2 for Liverpool to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 21/20 that Liverpool Score in Both Halves and 5/4 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
Away Win 1-3- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
ARSENAL v SOUTHAMPTON
15.00 in England
Arsenal sit in 3rd spot with the same 14 points as Man City following Saturday’s victory against Leicester.
Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scored to give Mikel’s Young Guns a comfortable lead at the interval.
Surprisingly, the Foxes then scored twice to equal up the game, however, the referee wasn’t going to allow Arsenal to lose and added 7 minutes to the end of proceedings.
Leicester then conceded an own goal in the 94th minute added to Kai Havertz scoring Arsenal’s 4th in the 99th minute to give the Gunners the victory by a 4-2 score.
After watching Man City earlier, labour to a draw against Newcastle, it was imperative that Arsenal gained a victory over a team that was near the relegation zone.
Arsenal host Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates on Tuesday in their 2nd game of the Champions League.
Southampton are just rubbish, simple as.
Russell Martin was interviewed before the game against Bournemouth on Monday, trying to justify the Saints philosophy of how his team play.
Russell wants a possession based type of football, which is all well and good if one has the players to cope.
Southampton haven’t.
It was mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Vincent Kompany kept his philosophy with Burnley and was eventually interviewed by Bayern Munich and given their Managers position.
If Russell Martin continues this style of football, the only people interviewing him is the folk at the Southampton Job Centre.
Southampton conceded 3 goals in the 1st-half to ultimate suffer a devastating defeat against Bournemouth by a 3-1 score.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis with the Saints goal just after the restart.
That leaves Russell’s Saints 19th in the Premier League Table with the same 1 point as Wolves from the opening 6 games.
Now it’s a trip to the Emirates.
Good luck Saints.
Surprisingly, despite Southampton being eventually relegated in the 2022/23 campaign, Ruben Selles’ Saints gained a point from a draw by a 3-3 score against Mikel’s Young Guns at the Emirates.
Carlos Alcaraz and the ex-Gunner Theo Walcott scored the openers for the away team before Gabriel Martinelli pulled a goal back to leave the home team trailing at the break.
Duje Caleta-Car drove in a 3rd for Southampton midway through the 2nd-half before Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka scored for Arsenal in the 88th and 90th minute to snatch a point when a defeat looked on the cards.
Betfred offer Arsenal at Odds On 1/8, the Draw at 13/2 and 16/1 for Southampton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Bukayo Saka Scores First and slight Odds On 5/6 that Arsenal Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 4-0- Get 8/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
BRENTFORD v WOLVES
15.00 in England
Brentford gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against West Ham on Saturday, as predicted in this EveryTip column last week.
Bryan Mbeumo scored the opener in the 1st-half volleying the ball into the back of the net.
Bryan’s strike came around 37 seconds into the start of the game.
Brentford’s last 3 Premier League goals, which were against Man City, Tottenham and West Ham, have been scored in the 22nd, 23rd and 37th second of the opening minute, which is a record and suggests that it’s a special plan by Thomas Frank to get straight at the opposition.
The only negative to that is, Brentford suffered a defeat against Man City and Tottenham after scoring an early goal and then only managed a point from a draw against West Ham.
In the Bees’ 2 victories of the season so far,
Bryan Mbeumo scored the opener in the 29th minute against Crystal Palace and the 43rd minute against Southampton.
So maybe, the early goal is a detriment, not a benefit.
Or, Thomas has to get over to his boys, not to concede after scoring.
West Ham equalised just after the restart and with no further goals, both Londoners shared the points.
That was Bryan’s 5th goal of the campaign, matching Luis Diaz in the scoring charts behind Cole Palmer (6) and Erling Haaland (10).
Brentford sit in 12th place with the same 7 points as Manchester United from the opening 6 fixtures completed.
Wolves sit at the foot of the Premier League Table after another defeat on Saturday, this time against Liverpool at Molineux.
After conceding a Reds goal to trail at the break, Rayan Ait-Nouri scored an equaliser just after the restart.
Unfortunately, for the watching Gold and Blacks in attendance, Nelson Semedo was adjudged to have grabbed the ex-Wolves player Diogo Jota which resulted in a penalty.
Once converted, it was hard to get back into the game and eventually time ran out to leave Wolves at the bottom with the same 1 point as Southampton from their 5th defeat from the opening 6 games.
What might be ominous for Gary O’Neil is the International Break is coming up after this fixture against Brentford which is notorious for seeing the hierarchies at clubs weald the axe, which could mean that if Wolves don’t secure a victory today, then Gary is down the Molineux concrete.
Wolves gained an emphatic away day victory over Brentford at the GTech last season.
Mario Lamina and a double from Hwang-Hee Chang gave the Gold and Blacks a convincing lead at the break.
Yoane Wissa did score for the Bees before Hwang’s 2nd goal.
Jean-Ricner Bellagarde added a 4th for Wolves midway through the 2nd-half to give Gary O’Neils boys the points from a 4-1 away day score.
Betfred offer Brentford at slight Odds On 5/6, the Draw at 5/2 and 11/4 for Wolves to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/2 that Bryan Mbeumo Scores First and 7/4 that Brentford Score in Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-0- Get 9/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
LEICESTER v BOURNEMOUTH
15.00 in England
After conceding 2, 1st-half Arsenal goals at the Emirates on Saturday, Leicester staged a fight back with James Justin scoring twice after the interval, to level the score going into added time.
Unfortunately, for Steve Cooper and the travelling Foxes, Wilfred Ndidi was credited with an own goal in the 94th minute and then Leicester conceded another to ultimately suffer an away day defeat by a 4-2 scoreline.
It was backs-against-the-walls stuff in the final stages that eventually allowed Arsenal to get the winning goals.
Steve wasn’t happy with the referee (losing Managers never are!) and felt a couple of decisions went against Leicester.
For example, after Riccardo Calafiori had already been shown a Yellow Card and then fouled a Foxes player again, Mr Cooper stated that Riccardo should have been sent off.
That may be the case and maybe Leicester would not have conceded the 2 late goals, however, the players need to deal with what’s actually happening and not what should have happened.
The defeat leaves Leicester in 17th place with the same 3 points as Crystal Palace from the opening 6 games played.
Bournemouth smashed their South Coast rivals Southampton on Monday Night Football.
First-half goals from Evanilson, Dango Outtara and Antoine Semenyo gave the Cherries a (very) comfortable lead at the break.
Southampton did score a consolation goal just after the restart but ultimately, the Cherries were just too fruity for the Saints and held on for the win by a 3-1 scoreline.
The brilliant victory over Russell Martin’s Saints, leaves Andoni Iraola’s Cherries in 11th place with 8 points from 6 fixtures.
It was April 2023 when Bournemouth last visited the King Power Stadium.
Gary O’Neils Cherries gained the narrow victory over Adam Sadler’s Foxes by a 1-0 away day score.
Philip Billing with the solitary winning goal in the 1st-half.
Adam was in temporary charge due to Brendan Rodgers being sacked.
Dean Smith then took over for the final 8 fixtures and gained 9 points but ultimately the Foxes were unable to avoid relegation
Betfred offer Leicester at 2/1, the Draw at 5/2 and 6/5 for Bournemouth to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/2 that Jamie Vardy Scores First and 13/8 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 2-2- Get 11/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
MAN CITY v FULHAM
15.00 in England
In a pretty even affair, post-Roadie Rodri’s injury that will keep the influential Spaniard out for most of the season, Man City gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score, away at Newcastle in the early Saturday Afternoon Football.
Josko Gvardiol scored the City goal in the 1st-half, which was equalised after Ederson was adjudged to have fouled Anthony Gordon and conceded a penalty.
Anthony aka Tom Daley, got up, dried himself off and converted the spot-kick and with no further goals, both teams earned a point apiece.
In fairness, it was a tight game between the two with a draw probably the right result, that was cheered emphatically on Merseyside, the Midlands and North London.
Man City slipped a place to 2nd in the Premier League following the weekend’s football, now sitting below Liverpool on the same 14 points as Arsenal, who jump up to 3rd.
Both are a point adrift of Arne’s Slot Machines.
After 4 straight wins for Pep’s High Flying Blues, it’s now 2 drawn games in succession, which still leaves Man City unbeaten despite dropping down a few places.
Arsenal are now the only other club in the Premier League also unbeaten, following defeats for Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
Added to that, Blackburn and Sheffield United of the Championship are the only other clubs out of all 4 Divisions that are currently unbeaten so far.
Going back to the Rodri injury, this will have a big impact on the season for Man City and whilst Roadie Rodri is only one player, it’s one superb talent that a team cannot afford to lose, especially with all the competitions Man City will be going for.
John Newsome just wants to throw this one in and in no way wants to tell Pep Guardiola what to do but maybe use John Stones in Rodri’s Midfield role.
Just a thought.
Man City head to Slovakia on Tuesday to face Slovan Bratislava in Match Day-2 of the Champions League.
Fulham gained a smash-and-grab away day victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.
After a goalless 1st-half, Raul Jimenez scored the only goal of the game in the 51st minute to give Marco Silva’s Cottagers all 3-points from a 1-0 scoreline.
The win leaves Fulham in 6th place with the same 11 points as Newcastle from the opening set of 6 fixtures.
Man City smashed Fulham at the Etihad last season, with Pep’s High Flying Blues gaining the victory over Marco’s Cottagers by a 5-1 scoreline.
The goals going in as follows,
31′ Julian Alvarez- (Man City 1-0)
33′ Tim Ream- (Fulham 1-1)
45+5′ Nathan Ake- (Man City 2-1)
Half-Time Meat and Potato Pie.
58′ Erling Haaland- (Man City 3-1)
70′ Erling Haaland- (Man City 4-1)
90+5′ Erling Haaland- (Man City 5-1)
Full-Time Pint of Boddingtons and Packet of Pork Scratchings.
Betfred offer Man City at Odds On 1/5, the Draw at 5/1 and 11/1 for Fulham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 12/5 that Erling Haaland Scores First and 11/10 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 3-1- Get 9/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
***Premier League Team of the Week***
GOALKEEPER- Guglielmo Vicario- Tottenham
RIGHT-BACK- James Justin- Leicester
CENTRE-BACK- Micky Van De Ven- Tottenham
CENTRE-BACK- Marcos Senesi- Bournemouth
LEFT-BACK- Josko Gvardiol- Man City
MIDFIELDER- Antoine Semenyo- Bournemouth
MIDFIELDER- James Maddison- Tottenham
MIDFIELDER- Dwight McNeil- Everton
FORWARD- Liam Delap- Ipswich
FORWARD- Cole Palmer- Chelsea
FORWARD- Anthony Gordon- Newcastle
STAR MAN- Cole Palmer- Chelsea
***Last Week’s Winning Tips-
Arsenal To Win- 2/11
Brentford v West Ham- Draw- 5/2
Everton To Win- 7/4
Liverpool To Win- 4/11
Bournemouth To Win- 8/13
Correct Scores-
Brentford v West Ham 1-1- 6/1
Everton v Crystal Palace 2-1- 17/2
Correct Tips-
Bryan Mbeumo To Score Anytime- 15/8
Raul Jimenez To Score Anytime- 3/1
WEST HAM v IPSWICH
15.00 in England
West Ham gained a London point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Brentford at the GTech Stadium on Saturday.
After conceding a very early goal to trail at the break, Tomas Soucek scored to equalise for the Hammers in the 2nd-half and with no further goals both Londoners shared the points.
There has been a bit of disgruntlement from the Bubbles faithful (not like them to moan) about Julen Lopetegui and the start to the season.
The moaning has come from the majority of Bubbles who were disgruntled about David Moyes (again), Manuel Pellegrini, David Moyes, Slaven Bilic, Sam Allardyce, etc, the Hammers do have form for not being considered Happy Hammers.
Give the Spaniard some time.
West Ham sit in 14th place with 5 points from the opening 6 fixtures.
Ipswich gained a great point from a draw by a 2-2 score against Aston Villa at Portman Rd on Sunday.
Two goals from Liam Delap, either side of Villa’s goals, earned a point apiece against Aston Villa and left the Tractor Boys in 15th place with the same 4 points as Everton from the opening 6 games played.
The slight difference between the Toffees and the Tractor Boys is Everton have accrued their 4 points from a Win and a Draw plus 4 Losses, whereas Ipswich’s 4 have come from 4 Draws and 2 Losses, no Wins yet in the Premier League.
That will change pretty soon as Kieran McKenna has assembled a great little team who play some exciting football.
It was September 2011 when these two teams last met each other at the home of the Hammers, however, that was a Championship affair at the Boleyn Ground more commonly known as Upton Park.
A single Lee Bowyer goal for Ipswich gave the Tractor Boys the away day victory over West Ham by a 1-0 scoreline.
Lee also had a spell playing for West Ham, as well as Charlton and a notorious period playing for Leeds, getting involved in a late-night fight in the City Centre.
Added to that, the lad also had a fight on the pitch whilst at Newcastle, taking on Kieron Dyer.
Obviously, fights occur on the pitch, however, the surprise is that both were playing for Newcastle at the time.
Betfred offer West Ham at slight Odds On 4/5, the Draw at 13/5 and 16/5 for Ipswich to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 15/8 that Jarrod Bowen Scores Anytime and 11/10 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1- Get 13/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
EVERTON v NEWCASTLE
17.30 in England
Everton gained a first victory of the season on Saturday, inflicting a defeat on Crystal Palace at Goodison Park by a 2-1 scoreline.
As predicted in this EveryTip column last week.
After trailing by a goal to nil at the interval, Dwight McNeil scored twice within 10 minutes of the restart and with no further goals, the Toffees held on for a win.
In the first two games of the campaign, Everton lost to Nil against Brighton and Tottenham.
In the next two, the Toffees suffered defeats by the same 3-2 scoreline after taking a 2-goal lead.
The last two games have seen Everton concede first then come back and earn a draw against Leicester and then the victory over Crystal Palace.
So what’s the answer?
Score first then try and hold on, or concede first and come back into the game.
Well, the simple answer is, whatever happens, try and score then try not to concede, if one does that, a victory will occur.
Everton are sorting the off-field situation out with the Friedkin Group close to taking over, which should see the on-pitch performance improve.
The Toffees sit in 16th place with the same 4 points as Ipswich from the initial 6 games.
Newcastle gained a great point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Man City at St James Park on Saturday.
After conceding a 1st-half goal to trail at the break, Eddie’s Magpies were awarded a penalty after Anthony Gordon was adjudged to have been brought down by Ederson.
To be fair to AG, although the foul looked soft, Anthony took advantage and let’s just say ‘earned’ a spot-kick.
Tom Daley would have been proud.
After dusting himself down, Mr Gordon took the penalty and converted to gain a well-deserved point for the home team in front of the Toon Army.
Newcastle sit in 7th place with the same 11 points as Fulham from the opening 6 games played.
The Toffees gained a home victory over the Magpies in last season’s fixture at Goodison Park.
After a goalless 1st-half, goals from Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Beto gave Everton all 3 points from a 3-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer Everton at 21/10, the Draw at 5/2 and 11/10 for Newcastle to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Dwight McNeil Scores Anytime and 12/5 that Anthony Gordon Scores Anytime.
Draw 1-1- Get 13/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Sunday 06th
CHELSEA v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
14.00 in England
It’s probably a bit of a stretch to say that Chelsea got a victory over Brighton on Saturday when it should be construed as Cole Palmer gained a victory over Brighton.
Cole scored 4 goals in the 1st-half to give the Blues the victory over the Seagulls by a 4-2 scoreline.
Before Cole’s opener, the ex-Man City Striker had hit the post and had a goal ruled out for being a couple of millimetres offside, so could easily have scored 6.
What was strange about the result, taking account of Mr Cole’s 1st-half demolition was Brighton scored the opener to take the lead then CP scored 3 in a devastating 10-minute spell before Brighton scored a 2nd.
Cole got his 4th in the 41st minute to give Chelsea a lead at the break.
The surprise then was that no further goals came in the 2nd-half and Chelsea held on for the brilliant home win.
In last week’s EveryTip column, John Newsome put the following,
‘Chelsea are quietly going about their business and have sneaked into 5th place with the same 10 points as Newcastle from 3 Wins, a Draw and a Loss in the opening 5 games.’
That is now, Chelsea are quietly going about their business and now sit 4th in the Premier League Table with the same 13 points as Aston Villa from the opening 6 fixtures.
Four Wins, a Draw and a Loss.
Whilst a lot have stated that Chelsea are in turmoil, the Blues are just 2 points adrift of Liverpool at the summit.
Don’t be surprised if Chelsea are there or thereabouts come the end of the season.
Turmoil, what Turmoil?
Chelsea host the Belgium Club Gent at Stamford Bridge in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.
Nottingham Forest suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, succumbing to a home defeat against Fulham by a 1-0 score.
After a goalless 1st-half, the away team scored the solitary winning goal to leave the City Ground with all 3-points.
The defeat leaves Forest in 10th place with the same 9 points as Brighton from 6 games played.
A single Anthony Elanga goal early in the 2nd-half gave Steve Cooper’s Forest the victory over Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season from a 1-0 away day score.
Both teams are now under the guidance of different Managers, with Enzo Maresca wanting to get one over Nuno Espírito Santo.
Betfred offer Chelsea at Odds On 4/9, the Draw at 100/30 and 5/1 for Nottingham Forest to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Cole Palmer Scores First and 11/8 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 3-1- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
ASTON VILLA v MANCHESTER UNITED
14.00 in England
Sky Sports
Both play in their respective European Competitions this week before this fixture at Villa Park on Sunday.
Aston Villa have a mouthwatering game against Bayern Munich at home on Wednesday, with Manchester United heading to Portugal on Thursday to face FC Porto, so the travelling combined with playing a day later than Villa could give United a disadvantage going into this Premier League fixture.
The disadvantage might not be just down to the Europa League adventure, it might be to do with the fact that United are rubbish at the moment.
Over the past 7 years, this EveryTip column has provided John Newsome a platform to give over his football knowledge, experience and views.
If readers have been there from the beginning, then one will know the Manchester United journey over the past 7 years and John’s opinion on the terrible state of the Old Trafford club.
In November 2017, when this column was first published, Jose Mourinho was the Manager of Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson retired after winning the Premier League Title in 2013, now almost 12 years ago.
Between Sir Alex and Jose, 2013-2016, there were David Moyes, Ryan Giggs as Caretaker and Louis Van Gaal, before the (not so) Special One turned up in Manchester.
To be fair to Jose, the decline had already begun, however, United did finish 4th in the Premier League in 2015 and 5th in 2016, added to winning the FA Cup under Louis.
Manchester United finished 6th in 2017 under Jose and won the EFL Cup, under the banner of the Capital One Cup as well as winning the Europa League Final, which offered up a Champions League place for the 2017/18 season.
After winning their respective Group, United were eliminated in the last-16, losing a 2-legged affair against Sevilla.
In the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, Jose Mourinho guided United to a 2nd place finish, however, although in 2nd place, Jose’s Red Devils were a staggering 19 points adrift of Pep’s High Flying Man City who were crowned Champions.
That then gained entry into the 2018/19 Champions League campaign, however, Jose Mourinho didn’t last past 2018 and was replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who in truth, only had one memorable game, against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, the rest was really about the appeasement of some of the egos.
Well, maybe that is a bit harsh on Ole as the lad oversaw a victory against Southampton by a 9-0 scoreline and gained 3rd and 2nd place finishes respectively in the 2020 and 2021 Premier League campaigns.
Ole was sacked in November 2021.
Michael Carrick and Ralph Rangnick took charge until the end of the 2021/22 campaign before Erik Ten Hag came in and has overseen the last two seasons.
To be fair to Erik, the Dutchman has guided Manchester United to a 3rd place finish in the Premier League in 2023 and has won the EFL Cup (Carabao) in the same year and the FA Cup in 2024, plus losing in the Final against Man City in 2023.
That’s the history of the Managers of the Old Trafford club since Sir Alex Ferguson left and despite the odd Trophy here and there, there isn’t a Premier League Title and won’t be one anytime soon.
Without dragging every minor detail up as to why Manchester United have failed and there are plenty to drag, a few main points that have been detailed in this column previously.
David Moyes came into a Premier League League-winning club and instead of getting a deck chair out and a Cee-Gar and saying ‘Crack on Boys!’
The Scotsman got rid of Rene Meulensteen and Mick Phelan and brought in his own staff who had won ‘nothing’ at Everton.
Even bringing in Marouane Fellaini.
If one is thinking that United were on the wane after Fergie left then that may be the case but remember, this was a period long before Pep Guardiola arrived at Man City and Jurgen Klopp came in at Liverpool.
During the first 3 years of Manchester United’s post-Fergie era, Leicester (Leicester!) won the Premier League Title.
That could quite easily have been United’s title if David Moyes had done things differently.
Granted, a hypothetical notion but who’s to say it couldn’t have been?
Since Pep and Jurgen’s arrival, the goalpost has changed and every team has had to up their game.
Yet United haven’t.
Some will argue that there has been the odd Trophy achieved but as Gary Neville often says ‘this is Manchester United’ and the ‘odd Trophy’ isn’t good enough for the Red Devil faithful, who, 75,000 of them, turn up regularly at Old Trafford, added to the Millions that offer support from around the World.
The Sponsors clamber to be associated with Manchester United.
Adidas have an astronomical financial contract with United to provide the kit.
As well as other Global Partners such as DHL, Snapdragon, Tezos, DXC Technology, Apollo Tyres, Betfred and Casillero Del Diablo to name but a few, who all plough money into the club.
Yet United are continuing to underachieve in the Premier League.
A lot go straight to the ‘Glazer’s Out’ movement which is fair enough but John Newsome doesn’t want to go down that particular Cul-De-Sac as one thinks that is just a smokescreen for the failings.
Granted, the way the Glazer’s purchased the club, which was basically taking out a mortgage and repaying the loan with money that Manchester United get from the sponsors and don’t really dip into their own pockets, isn’t necessarily what the faithful agree with.
However, not one of the fans can say that the Glazer’s have not provided funds for the various Managers to purchase players that they want.
The Glazer’s have given every one of the above Gaffers money to purchase players such as and in no particular order-
Paul Pogba- £90 Million
Antony- £85 Million
Harry Maguire- £80 Million
Jadon Sancho- £73 Million
Romelu Lukaku- £72 Million
Angel Di Maria- £70 Million
Rasmus Hojlund- £65 Million
Bruno Fernandes £65 Million
Casemiro- £60 Million
Leny Yoro- £60 Million
Manuel Ugarte- £50 Million
Fred- £47 Million.
Joshua Zirkzee- £40 Million
Matthijs De Ligt- £40 Million
There are others but that’s the main crop of players and fees that have been paid, added to the high wages on top of that.
In total, there has been approximately £1.6 Billion given by the Glazer’s to the different Managers since Sir Alex Ferguson left.
Paul Pogba was already at Old Trafford and was sold to Juventus for £1 Million, bought back for £90 Million, then allowed to leave for nothing.
Antony was bought for £85 Million, £85 Million for a One Foot Show Pony.
John Newsome is better than Antony and that’s not comparing John to Ant as a 24-year-old, it’s a comparison based on now, at 55, slightly overweight and with a heart condition.
John is still better.
Regular readers will know what this EveryTip column thinks of Fred.
The Glazer’s, who are wanted ‘out’ gave Jose Mourinho £47 Million, back in 2018, to purchase the Brazilian.
Jose didn’t see the year out.
The next couple of Managers decided that Fred and Scott McTominay were the ‘go-to’ Midfielders.
United didn’t win anything with ‘McFred’ for 5 years until the two of them helped the Old Trafford club to gain the, wait for it, the Carabao Cup in 2023.
The only Trophy that United won in the time that the respective Managers, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Ralph Rangnick and Erik Ten Hag, chose ‘McFred’ as their ‘Midfielder’ combination.
In that time, due to having misplaced loyalty for the two players, United didn’t strengthen the Midfield Department and constantly lost out on signings.
The Defence was strengthened to a point and Strikers were purchased, yet the Midfield wasn’t, meaning their Defenders weren’t protected and the Forwards weren’t supplied effectively to score the goals that count.
Regardless of what the United faithful think about the Glazer’s and it’s not John Newsome’s job to make a case for them, the Owners have provided the funds, however, it’s the inept way that the money has been spent that is the real issue.
Manchester United’s display against Tottenham on Sunday was simply atrocious and wasn’t helped by the Red Card given to Bruno Fernandes.
Taking that Card out of the conversation, United were terrible leading up to the dismissal in the 42nd minute and trailed by 1 goal before Bruno’s indiscretion.
The first goal conceded in the 3rd minute, saw the United Players part like the Red Sea when Moses arrived.
What happened next, basically sums up Manchester United at the moment.
Due to Bruno being sent off, remember it being in the 42nd minute, Erik Ten Hag decided to replace Kobbie Mainoo with Mason Mount.
Fair enough, a Defensive Midfielder for a Creative Midfielder, however, Kobbie saw that he was about to be hooked and walked off down the touchline to the dressing room but Mason had not been able to get on the pitch yet, so United were now down to 9 men for a period until the substitution was sorted.
Added to that, why didn’t Erik Ten Bob wait the 3 minutes or so to half-time and make whatever changes were needed at the interval?
It didn’t make much difference as United were equally as rubbish in the 2nd-half and conceded a further 2 goals to ultimately suffer a devastating home defeat by a 3-0 scoreline.
The biggest worry for everyone concerned with Manchester United is that Erik Ten Hag doesn’t appear to have a game plan and is just accruing players that he knows and more importantly are Dutch.
Pep and Mikel don’t just purchase Spanish players, Jurgen didn’t just buy Germans yet Erik is just picking up players that he’s either worked with before or is Dutch.
The lads not even getting them cheap.
There are not many English players in there either, with Mason Mount being the only one.
Jonny Evans is from Northern Ireland and Jack Butland doesn’t count.
Erik probably didn’t even know Jack was at Old Trafford.
The players don’t seem to know what ETH wants from them and it’s basically as if Erik picks 11 and then just sends them out onto the pitch without any directive.
The loss leaves Manchester United in 13th place with the same 7 points as Brentford from the opening 6 games.
The United hierarchy that consists of the Glazer’s, as well as the Ineos Group and Sir Jim Ratcliffe won’t put up with displays like that for much longer and with the International Break coming up after this fixture, which notoriously sees a Manager or two get sacked, it’s John Newsome’s opinion that Sir Jim will wait until after this fixture today then book an appointment for Erik Ten Hag at the Manchester Job Centre.
John is also of the opinion that Gareth Southgate is currently being lined up to replace Erik Ten Bob and come Game Week-8 for the home fixture against Brentford, Gareth will be in charge of Manchester United.
Manchester United gained the away day victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park last season.
Rasmus Hojlund scored first for United to give the away team a lead at the interval.
Douglas Luiz equalised for Villa midway through the 2nd-half before Scott McTominay scored the winner with time running out, to give Erik’s Red Devils the points from a 2-1 score.
Betfred offer Aston Villa at 6/5, the Draw at 5/2 and 2/1 for Manchester United to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Ollie Watkins Scores First and 13/8 that Aston Villa Score in Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-0- Get 12/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
BRIGHTON v TOTTENHAM
16.30 in England
Sky Sports
The final game to round off another set of fixtures that then leads into another (another!) International Break.
Brighton suffered a defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, despite Georginio Rutter and Carlos Baleba scoring in the 1st-half.
The problem was, the Seagulls flew into a Palm Tree, or should one say, a Cole Palm-er Tree, who scored 4 times, to give the home team a lead at the interval.
The surprise then was that despite 6 goals in the 1st-half, there were none in the 2nd, leaving Brighton with an away day defeat by a 4-2 scoreline.
That was Brighton’s first loss of the campaign, leaving Fab’s Seagulls in 9th place with the same 9 points as Nottingham Forest, who themselves suffered their first defeat of the season.
Tottenham jumped above both Forest and Brighton after Sunday’s demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford, sitting in 8th place with 10 points.
Just after kick-off against United, Micky Van De Ven went on a marauding run past 5 of the opposition and squared the ball to Brennan Johnson, who tapped home to give Tottenham an early lead.
That was Brennan’s 2nd Premier League goal in succession and 4th goal in the past 4 games, including strikes in the Carabao Cup and Europa League.
After Bruno Fernandes was shown a straight Red Card for a foul on James Maddison, Tottenham had an extra man for the whole of the 2nd-half, which eventually bore fruit with Dejan Kuluseveski and Dominic Solanke scoring to give Ange’s Spurs the victory over Erik’s Ten Bobs by a 3-0 away day scoreline.
Tottenham head to Hungary to take on the legendary Hungarian team Ferencvaros in Match Day-2 of the Europa League.
This fixture last season, took place between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, with Brighton gaining the home victory over Tottenham by a 4-2 scoreline.
11′ Jack Hinshelwood- (Brighton 1-0)
23′ Joao Pedro- (Brighton 2-0)
Half-Time Hot Dog.
63′ Pervis Estupinan- (Brighton 3-0)
75′ Joao Pedro- (Brighton 4-0)
81′ Alejo Veliz- (Tottenham 4-1)
85′ Ben Davies- (Tottenham 4-2)
Full-Time Baileys and Cherryade.
Betfred offer Brighton at 7/4, the Draw at 11/4 and 5/4 for Tottenham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 13/8 that Dominic Solanke Scores Anytime and Evens 1/1 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
Draw 2-2- Get 9/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
The status quo at the top of the Scottish Premier League remains the same, with all of Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers gaining a victory over the weekend.
Celtic got their win against St Johnstone (who?) by a stunning 6-0 away day score, to remain at the summit with a 100% 18 points from 6 games.
Aberdeen also have a 100% 18 points after their victory over Dundee (who?) by a 2-1 scoreline.
Rangers are fighting it out with Motherwell (who?) for 3rd place after gaining a narrow victory over Hibernian (who?) by a 1-0 score.
The Teddy Bears sit in 3rd spot with 13 points from the opening 6 games.
Motherwell (who?) are 4th in the Pub League with 10 points.
The loveable OzScot over in Australia has already been onto the Open Top Bus Companies in Melbourne to book a ride at the end of May 2025, to celebrate the ‘Gers 3rd place finish
Celtic face Borussia Dortmund in Germany on Tuesday in Match Day-2 of the Champions League-League Phase.
Rangers are also in European action, hosting Lyon at Ibrox in the Europa League-League phase.
Hearts (who?) who are currently at the bottom of the Scottish Pub League compete in Europe too after finishing 3rd last season.
Despite failing to progress in the the Europa League Qualifying Stage, the ‘Jam Tarts’ were then put into the Third European Competition and face the following in the Europa Conference League-League Phase-
03/10/24-Dinamo Minsk-Away
24/10/24-Omonia-Home
07/11/24-Heidenheim-Home
28/11/24-Cercle Brugge-Away
12/12/24-FC Copenhagen-Away
19/12/24-Petrocub-Home
Just to add to the European Competitions, Larne of the Northern Ireland Premiership, Shamrock Rovers of the League of Ireland Premier Division and TNS of the Welsh Premier League all compete in the Europa Conference League-League Phase and face the following 6 teams-
Northern Ireland Premiership club Larne-
03/10/24-Molde-Away
24/10/24-Shamrock Rovers-Home
07/11/24-St Gallen-Home
28/11/24-Olympic Ljubljana-Away
12/12/24-Dinamo Minsk-Away
19/12/24-Gent-Home
The Welsh Premier League club TNS (The New Saints) face-
03/10/24-Fiorentina-Away
24/10/24-FC Astana-Home
07/11/24-Shamrock Rovers-Away
28/11/24-Djurgarden-Home
12/12/24-Panathinaikos-Home
19/12/24-Celje-Away
The League of Ireland Premier Division club Shamrock Rovers face-
02/10/24-APOEL-Home
24/10/24-Larne-Away
07/11/24-TNS-Home
28/11/24-SK Rapid-Away
12/12/24-Borac Banja Luka
19/12/24-Chelsea-Away
Back in Australia, Braveheart is still spinning around!
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