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The 1985/1986 season is celebrated at West Ham as being one of the best campaigns of the club’s existence.

Having finished 16th in the First Division the season before, John Lyall’s Hammers were not expected to compete in the way that they did, as they mounted a serious title challenge alongside Liverpool and Everton, which went down to the penultimate weekend of the season.

It was a title bad akin to Leicester City’s in 2015/2016, although West Ham were unable to do what the Foxes did and end the season as Champions. However, it remains a fond memory for the fans who experienced that season and the players who made it happen.

That squad, which included the likes of Tony Cottee, Frank McAvennie, Tony Gale, Alvin Martin and Alan Devonshire, are often invited back to the club as guests of honour and will forever be known as ‘The Boys of ’86.’

But how much do you remember of that season? Or, if you’re too young to remember it, how much do you know about one of the best seasons in West Ham’s great history?

Test your knowledge in the quiz below and don’t forget to share it with our mates…

أكدت عضو مجلس “فيفا” إيفيلينا كريستلين، أن محاولة الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم لاستبعاد يوفنتوس وبرشلونة وريال مدريد بسبب مشروع الدوري الأوروبي الممتاز “السوبر ليج”، ممكنة تمامًا.

وأعلن الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا” أنه سيتخذ إجراءات تأديبية ضد الأندية الثلاثة المتبقية فقط الملتزمة بالدوري الانفصالي (طالع البيان).

وقالت كريستيلين أثناء ظهورها في حديث لـ “Foglio Sportivo”: “أنا الآن عضو مجلس في الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، ولم يكن الأمر سهلًا خلال أيام الدوري الممتاز”.

وأضافت: “في ذلك اليوم، رئيس الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم ألكسندر تشيفرين ربما كان أكثر غضبًا مما ظهر في وسائل الإعلام”.

وتابعت كريستيلين: “في هذه اللحظة، الوضع هو أن مادتين في قانون الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، 49 و51، تم كسرهما بالكامل من قبل هذه الأندية”.

وأكملت: “أجرت لجنة الأخلاقيات تحقيقاتها وقال الاتحاد الأوروبي إنه سيواصل العمل، لذا الآن إما أن يتوصلوا إلى اتفاق مع الأندية أو يستمر هذا الأمر”.

وأردفت كريستيلين: “لا توجد عقوبة محددة لخرق المادة 51، لذلك من حق الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم (يويفا) اتخاذ القرار، ويمكن أن يذهبوا إلى أقصى الحدود”.

وأتمت: “وبعد ذلك سيكون هناك بلا شك استئناف أمام المحكمة الرياضية (TAS)، وربما حتى إلى نظام العدالة المدنية، وأصدرت الأندية الثلاثة بالفعل بيانًا يؤكد أن المحكمة في مدريد منحت دعمها، وبالتالي فإن الوضع بأكمله غير مستقر”.

Tottenham Hotspur are embarking on a brand new era with Jose Mourinho at their helm.

Needless to say, this is a huge change for them following Mauricio Pochettino’s lengthy stint at the club.

But it’s been almost two weeks since the Argentine was sacked and the Special One was appointed, but if the reaction of many Spurs fans is any indication at all, it’s fair to say they still miss him and hold him in high regard.

Just recently, there was a picture posted on Twitter that was basically Pochettino’s first real sighting since he got the axe.

Needless to say, that made many Spurs fans rather emotional as they swarmed social media with all sorts of praise for their former gaffer, calling him “legend” and hoping for his return in the future.

Of course, it is still too early to tell how successful Mourinho will be but it seems that many of the fans are still hoping Pochettino will return one day in the future.

For all of Mourinho’s pedigree, this is still warranted just by the simple fact the Argentine took their team to new heights, reaching the Champions League final last year and making them fiercely competitive in England as well.

But apart from just gushing over his image on social media, many fans were also quick to tease their rivals, Arsenal, who were recently linked with Pochettino following the sacking of Unai Emery.

They reminded all the Gunners fans of Pochettino’s statement that he would rather work on a farm in Argentina than manage Arsenal or Barcelona.

Since this image was taken at Newell’s Old Boys’ in Argentina, many fans have promptly taken that as a sign that their former gaffer stayed true to his words…

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

Christian Atsu has played well since Steve Bruce came into the club, and if Miguel Almiron doesn’t step up soon it is a change the manager should consider.

On the chalkboard

Almiron has enjoyed his spell on international duty as he scored the winner for Paraguay against Hungary last week, a goal that should give him a great deal of confidence, however he still has no goals or assists in 12 top flight outings this term.

With his impressive outing for his country in mind, he deserves a few more games to prove he can be productive in the final third, but if he fails to show anything once more then Bruce will perhaps be left with little option but to remove him from the team.

In such a situation, Atsu should be the man he calls upon, as in the current set-up he’d be a better alternative than Matt Ritchie, and has shown glimpses of his quality already this season with two assists in 10 Premier League games, despite only featuring for 452 minutes.

Like Allan Saint-Maximin, who is flourishing under Bruce with 3.6 successful dribbles per game, the Ghana international possesses pace and a directness which suits Newcastle, particuarly on the counter-attack, which will be vital against Manchester City in a couple of weeks.

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Productive in the final third

Atsu’s time in the north-east has been characterised by inconsistency since he arrived for £6m, so his place on the bench is based on merit, with Almiron offering a lot to the team outside of the attacking final third.

However, there has been recent improvement from the 27-year-old. His dribbling has increased to a rate of 1.3 successful dribbles per game, as has his final ball – with one key pass per game on average.

Such is his progression, he ranks behind only Saint-Maximin in terms of chances created per minute, and other than the players in the top-six clubs he has been one of the top performers in the Premier League, according to @TheOther14.

That shows how he has outperformed the other wingers in the squad, and explains what he would be able to add to the Magpies attack in Almiron’s absence.

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With two players capable of beating defenders on both flanks Newcastle would possess an exciting and unpredictable threat, and each would be able to play off Joelinton.

However, Atsu does need to improve his final ball to convince Bruce, and though his crossing has improved slightly with 0.7 made per game, that needs to get better if he is going to provide adequate service to the Brazilian in the middle.

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…

It didn’t take long, did it?

West Bromwich Albion returned to their top spot in the Championship table with an untroubling 2-0 victory over Stoke City on Monday night.

The west Midlanders were only knocked off their perch because the teams below them had played on Saturday afternoon, but now they have regained a two-point cushion over second-placed Preston North End.

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Either a sign of how competitive the league is or just how good West Brom are this season – or both.

After 15 matches in the second-tier of English football, the Baggies have earned 30 points, meaning they are averaging two points per game, which is almost like the proverbial barometer for promotion.

Though, that sort of chatter may have some substance after all.

If Albion can keep this up under manager Slaven Bilic, at the exact same rate for the rest of the season, then they will pick up a total of 92 points.

Last season, that figure would have beaten Sheffield United to the runner-up spot behind Norwich City so therefore they would have gained automatic promotion.

How does that compare to other seasons in recent history? Well, it’s majorly positive, so look away now if you can’t handle it West Brom fans.

In both the 2017/18 and 2015/16 campaign, the same number was enough to secure a return to the promised land of the Premier League by virtue of finishing as the second-best team in the division.

A total of 92 points was even enough to clinch the title in 2015 as Bournemouth won it with two fewer points – that year, the Championship was quite fiercely competitive too as Watford, Norwich, and Middlesbrough were separated by just five points.

Just once in the last five seasons has that figure not been enough to secure top-flight status as both Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion managed more points in 2017.

In short, West Brom just need to keep doing what they are doing, and come May, they’ll be popping the champagne open at the Hawthorns following the full-time whistle against Queens Park Rangers.

It also just goes to show how good they’ve got it under Bilic – a phenomenal turn around in such a short period of time.

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

Yan Valery is certainly not one of the first names on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s teamsheet right now.

That much was evidenced when Cedric Soares was forced to pull out of the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham during the warm up, and instead of calling on a natural right-sided defender in Valery to replace him, Hasenhuttl instead turned to James Ward-Prowse, a centre-midfielder by trade.

Southampton fans called for the young Frenchman’s inclusion for the next game against Chelsea, and the former RB Leipzig boss duly obliged by handing the 20-year-old a fourth Premier League start of the season.

Valery’s position in the team is far from a concrete one, as he made 22 appearances at right-back last term but also made 15 as a right wing-back.

And while he didn’t set the world alight in the 4-1 loss, there were two moments that suggested Valery may be better suited to a wing-back role, rather than a right-back in a flat back four…

Brilliant surge to set up Danny Ings

We saw the France Under-18 international at his attacking best in the build-up to Southampton’s one and only goal against the Blues.

Valery embarked on a brave but mesmeric dribble to beat six Chelsea players in total down the right flank – one of three completed dribbles from the youngster – before crossing with accuracy towards the feet of Ings, who gratefully prodded home.

Rush of blood at the back

After his moment of brilliance, we saw a moment of stark contrast in which Valery showed why he can be a defensive liability.

In the build-up to N’Golo Kante’s goal, Jorginho clipped a ball out to Marcos Alonso, who was in an unbelievable amount of space on the left wing.

Why? Because Valery had surged out of his position to get tight to Callum Hudson-Odoi – we can only presume that the Southampton man thought Jorginho was going to play it into the England international’s feet.

The rush of blood allowed Alonso to stroll forward and play the ball to Kante, who found the net via a deflection.

All in all, these two moments sum up why Valery would be much better suited to a wing-back role rather than on the right of a flat back four – his attacking qualities would shine and his defensive negligence would be better hidden if he was consistently played as a wing-back with three central defenders covering.

QPR travel to South Wales this Wednesday to take on Cardiff, following a mixed start to the campaign for Neil Warnock’s side.

The Bluebirds have won three, drawn four and lost two of their nine league games so far, whereas Mark Warburton’s men have only just seen a fantastic four-game winning run come to an end with a 2-0 defeat to West Brom.

There were a few questionable performances last time out, with some fans unhappy about Joe Lumley’s contribution after a poor mistake.

In addition to that, Todd Kane delivered a poor performance at right wing-back, so the R’s will be keen to bounce back at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Let’s take a look at the XI Warburton should put out to give his side the best chance of doing just that…

As you can see, there aren’t too many drastic changes from the XI that lost to Slaven Bilic’s side.

We have decided to drop Lumley from the starting lineup, not solely due to the fact he attracted criticism from some fans as aforesaid, but because he has been in underwhelming form for a while now – Liam Kelly takes his spot in our XI.

Indeed, Lumley allowed Nathan Ferguson’s shot to swerve under him against the Baggies, while his woeful error against Luton in which he literally gifted Harry Cornick an open goal almost saw the Londoners throw away a three-goal lead.

Grant Hall also looks to have recovered from an injury problem, so we think he should come in to replace 34-year-old Geoff Cameron.

Elsewhere, the only other suggested change is one that sees 21-year-old Conor Masterson come in for what would be his debut – he is yet to play a minute since arriving from Liverpool – as a replacement for the suspended Yoann Barbet, who was sent off against West Brom.

With these changes, Warburton would be handing his side a good chance of getting a result against Warnock’s men.

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…

Eden Hazard’s start to his Real Madrid career hasn’t been as shiny as he probably would’ve liked.

So far, the great Belgian bomber has played a total of six games across all competitions for Los Blancos and has only managed to score and assist once in the process.

And while every player needs a certain adaptation period when coming to a new club, especially when that side is in a different league and a different country altogether, the 28-year-old’s price tag will soon demand more.

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After all, the Galacticos forked out a reported sum of £89m to get their man from Chelsea, and they will undoubtedly want him to perform accordingly.

We don’t have to look much further than his latest outing with his national team to realise what he can do, even if it was against some international minnows.

Belgium faced San Marino in the seventh round of their European Championship qualifications and they completely dismantled their opposition, winning 9-0 in the end.

Hazard was very much a big part of that huge victory, contributing with two assists to his name in the process but doing so much more as well. The 28-year-old managed to tally four successful dribbles, a total of six key passes and maintained 92% passing accuracy as well.

These numbers don’t really lie and Hazard dropped a masterclass in the 63 minutes he spent on the pitch before he was taken off by the coach.

This performance should definitely catch the eye of Zinedine Zidane, his gaffer over at Real Madrid, as the Frenchman will want his big start to replicate that back in Spain as well.

Hazard is well capable of dropping these performances and while we are still waiting for his full emergence while donning the white kit of the Galacticos, it could very much just be a matter of time.

At Real Madrid they wait for no one, and the sooner Hazard can unleash his full potential, the better.

For him, the club and not so much for their opponents.

Arsenal fans are desperate to see Kai Havertz sign for the club after he spoke to Sky in Germany, refusing to rule out a move away from Bayer Leverkusen (Sky Germany via The Metro).

The north London giants are one of a host of clubs interested in signing the star, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona also said to be interested.

Indeed, the Germany international enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Leverkusen last season, scoring 20 goals in all competitions. The 20-year-old has started this season in a similar vein, scoring in the opening league game against SC Paderborn and in the German cup.

It is thought the German club are confident of fetching a similar fee to the £113m Benfica collected for young star Joao Felix.

Fans seemed to be giddy with excitement at the thought of signing the playmaker, as they took to Twitter to react.

Here is a selection of tweets from the north London faithful:

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

Leeds have had a flying start to the season and currently sit top of the Championship after the opening four games.

The Whites have begun with three wins and a draw, snatching a win against Brentford on Wednesday evening courtesy of a debut home goal for Eddie Nketiah.

His fellow striker Patrick Bamford only mustered two attempts but it was a recurring trait that came back to haunt him against the Bees.

On the chalkboard

Just how Marcelo Bielsa chooses to play Bamford and Nketiah this term will be interesting.

The former struggled to get involved, having just 28 touches of the ball, the fewest number of any Leeds man in midweek.

The striker has got off to a flyer in terms of goals, netting three in four games, even if he did miss six shots against Nottingham Forest on the second weekend.

Bamford has a tendency to miss chances on the evidence seen against Forest but it’s another trait that’s causing him difficulties and served as a particular cause for concern against Brentford.

Considering he had so few touches, the fact he was dispossessed five times on Wednesday is incredibly alarming.

To add to that, the 25-year-old was unsuccessful with three touches in total as he endured a completely ineffective evening at Elland Road.

But this isn’t the first time he’s had a torrid time in this department.

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He was dispossessed three times during Leeds’ opening match with Bristol City which carried across from the previous campaign.

Throughout 2018/19, Bamford was unsuccessful with 4.3 of his touches every 90 minutes whilst he lost the ball to a member of the opposition 1.7 times on average across the same metric, per WhoScored.

Bringing someone closer to him like Nketiah could prove fruitful, therefore, as he may find himself holding onto the ball less. However, if he doesn’t improve this aspect he could still be found wanting at times this season.

As seen, that was the case earlier this week.

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