OptiNews - Friday 16 to Thursday 22 March 2018

All news is good news

Sourced from talkSPORT article

Premier League Preview Show - Thursday, March 15

Show/hide articleā€¦

talkSPORTā€™s Tom Rennie and David Walker look ahead to a packed weekend of Premier League and FA Cup action.

Former Chelsea defender Michael Duberry looks at which of the Champions League failures are best placed for FA Cup glory, and former Southampton skipper Francis Benali joins us with his take on his old teammate Mark Hughes being parachuted in to St Maryā€™s on a relegation survival mission.

All this and more discussed on the Premier League Preview Show

Go to the original articleā€¦

...spiritlessly devised by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Daily Mail article

West Hamā€™s next home game will see stricter security measures in place

Show/hide articleā€¦

West Hamā€™s next home fixture will see strict security measures in place and a police presence following an emergency meeting held at the London Stadium on Thursday night.

In a statement, the London Stadium Safety Advisory Group (SAG) explained they have decided not to restrict capacity or close the ground to fans completely.

However, the SAG have warned that any further disorder will make them reconsider their decision and the possibility of playing behind closed doors this season remains a real threat.

West Ham chiefs met with stadium stakeholders in Stratford to discuss the shambolic scenes that overshadowed their 3-0 defeat by Burnley.

That saw four pitch invasions while co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold were forced to leave the directorsā€™ box for their own safety. A coin struck 69-year-old Sullivan on the head.

As well as additional police officers inside and outside, the SAG have instructed the stadiumā€™s operators LS185 to carry out several other requests.

There will be restricted access to the area in front of where the directors sit, their ā€˜response teamsā€™ will be bolstered and fan movement around the stadium will be reviewed.

West Ham, the SAG, stadium owners E20 and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), Newham Council, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade were all present at the meeting.

The SAG have the power to restrict the capacity of the London Stadium, something West Ham desperately wanted to avoid.

In a statement, the SAG confirmed: 'The SAG acts as the advisory body to Newham Council in its safety certifying role. Following reassurances that have been given, it is the SAGā€™s view that the council does not need to use the ultimate sanction, which would see capacity reduced at the venue and spectators excluded. The remaining homes games will be closely monitored.

ā€˜The SAG must make clear that in the event of future disorder, it would seriously consider advising the certifying authority to take forward this sanction. Playing behind closed doors would be a great shame for the majority of fans who wish to watch and support their team in safety.ā€™

Go to the original articleā€¦

...sedulously prepared by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Sky Sports article

Who will be relegated from the Premier League and promoted from the Championship? The Soccer Saturday pundits give their verdicts

Show/hide articleā€¦

Who will be relegated from the Premier League and promoted from the Championship? The Soccer Saturday pundits give their verdicts

There may be a depleted Premier League programme this weekend, but it still looks a crucial one in deciding who will be in the top flight next season.

Five of the bottom eight sides are in action on Saturday, while thereā€™s a full fixture list in the Sky Bet Championship, including Sundayā€™s crucial clash between Derby County and Cardiff City, live on Sky Sports Football.

So with the battle to be in the Premier League hotting up, we challenged the Soccer Saturday pundits to predict who be on their way up and who will be on their way down come the end of the seasonā€¦

Three up: Wolves, Cardiff, Fulham (6/4 with Sky Bet)

Wolves are going to do it, theyā€™re coming up. Their victory over Reading, coupled with Aston Villaā€™s shock defeat, means they are all but certain of going up.

Cardiff are not going away. People underestimate how good they are, they donā€™t get the credit they deserve. Their result at Brentford in midweek was massive and moved them seven clear of Villa in third.

After those two, itā€™s an absolute lottery between Villa, Fulham and Middlesbrough. Villa probably have to concentrate on the play-offs, so knowing that could give them time to rest a few players, while it would take a brave man to back against Boro and Tony Pulis, especially as they seem to be finding their form.

Derby have had a nightmare, but if they get into the play-offs itā€™s a free swing because they havenā€™t looked like going up for five weeks or so. But if I had to commit to one club, it would be Fulham. They have all of the momentum and I donā€™t see them losing their home game in the play-offs, given their current form.

Three down: West Brom, Huddersfield, Southampton (16/1 with Sky Bet)

West Brom are down. I still think Huddersfield will go down, their league position - just four points above the drop zone - is deceiving. I watched them play against 10 men last week and they couldnā€™t break them down, so that doesnā€™t bode well.

Itā€™s impossible to say who will go for sure, because a lot depends on the timing of the fixtures and whether the big clubs play them ahead of Champions League or FA Cup ties. Itā€™s all about timing.

For Southampton to lose 3-0 at Newcastle was worrying. Five of their last eight games are away from home against teams around them, so I think they will go too.

Three up: Wolves, Cardiff, Middlesbrough (9/2 with Sky Bet)

I canā€™t see Wolves throwing it away. I know Cardiff have got Wolves to come and Derby away on Sunday, which is a toughie and they could drop points there, but I do think theyā€™ll go up though after seeing Villa still have issues with their QPR defeat.

Iā€™m not sure thereā€™s an outsider to sneak into the play-offs so, while I know Fulham are the form team, youā€™ve got to time your run well. Iā€™m going for Middlesbrough to do that with Tony Pulis starting to get the best out of Adama Traore and showing the required trust to get the best out of Patrick Bamford, while heā€™s sorted out the defence as youā€™d expect.

Three down: West Brom, Huddersfield, West Ham (16/1 with Sky Bet)

I agree that West Brom have gone, not many would argue with that right now. Then, given Iā€™m going for Crystal Palace to beat them this weekend, my next team is Huddersfield.

Finally, after the embarrassing scenes last weekend, West Ham are my third side to face the drop. The atmosphere at that club is toxic right now and it is going to be very difficult to turn that around before the end of the season.

Three up: Wolves, Cardiff and Aston Villa (11/5 with Sky Bet)

Itā€™s a huge game on Sunday, but I do think that Cardiff will hold on to their place in the automatic promotion places alongside Wolves.

Then anything can happen in the play-offs and I know it was a bad result against QPR, but I think Aston Villa have too much quality for the others when it comes to delivering when it really matters.

Three down: West Brom, Southampton, Huddersfield (16/1 with Sky Bet)

It will probably be different next week, but these three are based on the form weā€™ve seen over the last weeks.

I covered Southampton last week and they were absolutely dreadful. They didnā€™t look threatening, they didnā€™t look like they could defend, they were all over the place and I think they are six games too late in appointing Mark Hughes to have a real chance of turning this around.

Three up: Wolves, Cardiff, Fulham (6/4 with Sky Bet)

Canā€™t see Warnock blowing that advantage, heā€™s such a wily character. Fulham by the play-offs. Theyā€™re a really decent run, Target has done well, Sessengon is a great talent, Cairney has the quality in the middle and Mitrovic is on fire.

Iā€™ll complete the full house with West Brom, then Iā€™m going for Stoke and Huddersfield. Iā€™m expecting a bit of a new manager bounce from Mark Hughes and the next league game is absolutely massive for us against West Ham, which will hopefully drop them further in it. Stoke are difficult to beat, but theyā€™re simply struggling to win games and you wonder where the goals are going to come from. Whereas weā€™ve got Charlie Austin to come back and save us!

Go to the original articleā€¦

...biasedly moulded by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 16/03/2018 08:41:40

| | Struggling Southampton appoint Hughes as new managerTHENEWSCOMPK |
| | Southampton Appoints Hughes until End of SeasonTHISDAY |
| | Weā€™ll have a right go at Saints - Wigan Athletic starWIGANTODAY |
|

| 3 Teams who would get relegated from the Premier League this season including Southampton ā€“ SoccerSoulsSOCCERSOULS |
| | Stoke City boss not surprised to see predecessor back so soon at SouthamptonSTOKESENTINEL |
| | Southamptonā€™s forgotten man Stuart Taylor is working under Mark Hughes for a second timeHEREISTHECITY |

...unwantedly costructed by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Optimus trousersā€™ RSS Feed rss feed

Read Southampton

New content from (- Read Southampton)

| England call up, Hughes reaction and more: Southampton news round-up | The news cycle surrounding Southampton never stops and as such, it can be difficult to keep up to date with ā€¦ 16-03-2018 |

Older contentā€¦

| Quiz - How well do you know new Southampton boss Mark Hughes?a day ago |
| Chris Sutton highlights what Southamptonā€™s board have done wrong this seasona day ago |
| Mark Hughes makes promise to Southampton fansa day ago |
| Four reasons why Mark Hughes will lead Saints to survivala day ago |
| Saints defender named in England squada day ago |
| Southampton defender expecting to leave and Stoke interest in Saints shot-stopper, and more: Southampton news round-upa day ago |
| Hughesā€™ potential payday for keeping Saints up revealed2 days ago |
| Hughes reveals his plan for Southampton2 days ago |
| Southampton appoint Mark Hughes as new manager2 days ago |

...disproportionally cobbled together by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Optimus trousersā€™ RSS Feed rss feed

The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

New content from (- The Ugly Inside News for Southampton)

| Saints Fans Rally Round Mark Hughes | Although the initial fans thoughts on a new manager were not positive towards Mark Hughes, since his appointment the ā€¦ 16-03-2018 |

Older contentā€¦

| A Rough Guide To Wigana day ago |
| Mark Hughes Appointed Saints Manager Official !2 days ago |
| Hughes On Ā£2 Million Bonus To Keep Saints Up2 days ago |
| Mauricio Pellegrino - An Overview2 days ago |
| Coach Travel Available To Wigan2 days ago |
| Wigan Almost Sold Out !2 days ago |
| Saints In Talks With Mark Hughes3 days ago |
| Pellegrino Issues Message To Saints Fans3 days ago |
| Brendan Rodgers To Saints ! Rumours In Scotland3 days ago |
| Media See Mark Hughes As Favourite3 days ago |

...obtusely originated by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

:movie_camera:

#SaintsFCU23s coach @RadhijaidiOff and 'keeper @KingsFinn preview tonightā€™s #PLCup knockout tie against #LCFC:

Retweets: 0

Favourites: 0

...heftily erected by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

:movie_camera:

Weā€™ll be live from Staplewood today, as #SaintsFC boss Mark Hughes speaks to the media ahead of theā€¦ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/974586572313153537

Retweets: 0

Favourites: 12

...comparingly made by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 16/03/2018 10:44:52

| | Forget Gudmundsson: Southampton should sign Bolognaā€™s unique Ā£12.6m-rated winger | | Where football transfer rumours ā€¦THETRANSFERTAVERN |
| | Supporters tell owners to stay away from Saints game | ClaretandhughCLARETHUGH |
| | Donā€™t Blame Us If It Goes Wrong - Wigan v SouthamptonVITALFOOTBALL |
| | I Tried To Sign Half Of Them, Now Iā€™ve Got ThemVITALFOOTBALL |
| | Hughesā€™ first job as Southampton boss must be to axe this Ā£13.5m-rated star against Wigan | | Where football ā€¦THETRANSFERTAVERN |

...suggestively brought into being by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

:speaking_head: @mattletiss7: "We needed someone with #PL experience and after 400 games, Mark certainly has that.ā€

Matt Le Tisā€¦ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/974601169682223105

Retweets: 0

Favourites: 11

...relaxedly assembled by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 16/03/2018 11:45:00

| | Southampton loanee Cook playing for his future at Barrow AFCNORTHWESTEVENINGMAIL |
| | Saints Fans Rally Round Mark Hughes - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |
| | England call up, Hughes reaction and more: Southampton news round-upREADSOUTHAMPTON |
|

| All the latest Stoke City news and transfer rumoursSTOKESENTINEL |
| | Southampton fans have plenty to say about the clubā€™s recent tweetFOOTBALLFANCAST |

...unsparingly originated by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

:newspaper: #SaintsFC boss Mark Hughes discusses his return to the club he joined as a player :one::eight: years ago and a city heā€¦ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/974616519694045185

Retweets: 1

Favourites: 9

...imperfectly brought into being by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Le Tissier: Hughesā€™s experience key

Show/hide articleā€¦

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, the Saints icon commented, ā€œItā€™s a pretty good appointment, I think. We needed an experienced guy and having managed over 400 games in the Premier League with four years at Blackburn and four and a half at Stoke, Mark certainly has plenty of that. Hopefully he can fire up the players.

ā€œItā€™s going to be tough with five away games out of eight and the majority of that eight against teams in the top half but there are matches there that we are capable of picking up points in.

ā€œWe need to lift the mood around St Maryā€™s, get behind this manager and bring back the spirit of the 90s when it comes to getting out of trouble.ā€

Go to the original articleā€¦

...lustfully contrived by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

JaĆÆdi: Challenging and exciting

Show/hide articleā€¦

Saints will take confidence from their recent form, and the home advantage, but their Leicester counterparts are enjoying a successful PL2 campaign, and have talent aplenty across an experienced squad.

The tie will be a one off 90 minutes, where the victors progress to the last eight of this yearā€™s Premier League Cup. And Saints do have history with this competition, as JaĆÆdi hopes his latest Under-23s cohort can repeat the feat of their predecessors, who won the cup back in 2015.

ā€œTheyā€™re top of the table in Division One,ā€ JaĆÆdi commented. "They have some experienced and older boys. I reckon Leicester will be a strong team.

"Definitely itā€™s challenging and exciting. Weā€™ve been on a good run, the confidence is high and hopefully itā€™ll be another good test.

"We have our reference at home, we will be comfortable playing on our own pitches. It is going to be a technical game, and hopefully weā€™ll have our own way to impose our style of play to get the win.

ā€œWins keep us going, it was nice to have another three points in our pocket [on Monday against Norwich]. Hopefully we carry on that feeling.ā€

Go to the original articleā€¦

...pestiferously assembled by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

U23 Preview: Saints vs Leicester

Show/hide articleā€¦

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are consenting to their use. View cookie policy.

Go to the original articleā€¦

...dreamlessly fathered by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Latham on PL Cup hopes

Show/hide articleā€¦

Radhi JaĆÆdiā€™s youngsters have been in enterprising form of late, clinching a late victory over Norwich on Monday, and Latham is confident his teammates will standup to the challenge posed by Premier League 2ā€™s table topping team.

ā€œA tough game, Leicester are obviously doing well in Division One,ā€ the 19-year-old commented. "It is a good challenge for us to play against the best teams and it gives us a chance to show what we can do.

"A good opportunity personally, if I get the call on Friday to play. Jack [Rose] is obviously a great goalkeeper and itā€™s good to work and train with him every day. We push each other to work hard, keep one another going and playing well.

"Itā€™s good to play at home, we know the conditions and are familiar with the pitch. It is a one off occasion for us so weā€™ve got to put it all on the line and hopefully get the result.

ā€œTraining stays the same, we keep it consistent. Weā€™re on a good run at the moment, and we want to keep that going. All the lads are confident so thereā€™s no reason why we canā€™t get a positive result.ā€

Go to the original articleā€¦

...vigilantly instantiated by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 16/03/2018 12:45:08

| | LCFC |
| | Hughes can resurrect Southamptonā€™s season by restoring Ā£13.5m-rated star to the starting XI | | Where football ā€¦THETRANSFERTAVERN |

...unappetizingly spawned by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Daily Mail article

Premier League and FA Cup team news, odds and stats

Show/hide articleā€¦

As a double header weekend of Premier League and FA Cup action approaches, Sportsmail brings you the latest squad news, odds and stats on every top flight fixture as it breaks.

Manchester United will bid to dispel recent bad form by booking their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at the expense of Brighton, while rivals Liverpool will hope to make up more domestic ground when they host Watford at Anfield.

Simply click on your team in the fixture list below to find out who is ruled out and who is making a return as well as all the key statistics surrounding your clubā€™s game.

Go to the original articleā€¦

...edaciously given birth to by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!

Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Hughes relishing Saints reunion

Show/hide articleā€¦

The robust centre-forward enjoyed a glittering career, winning two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two UEFA Cup Winnersā€™ Cups.

By his own admission, at 34 he joined Saints with his powers on the wane, but still made 60 appearances over two seasons at The Dell, helping preserve the clubā€™s Premier League status.

Now Hughes inherits the same mission from the dugout, with just eight league games to save Saintsā€™ season, and canā€™t wait to familiarise himself with the south coast again.

ā€œIā€™m really excited by it,ā€ said the boss. ā€œI havenā€™t been back to the city for a long time, so itā€™s going to be great to reacquaint myself.

ā€œI love the area; when I was down here it was a great time.

ā€œSometimes the football was a little bit of a challenge and I probably came here at the wrong time of my career, towards the back end of it.

ā€œI didnā€™t do as well as Iā€™d hoped, but maybe my strengths were failing at that point.

ā€œWe had some good times here and some good players. I enjoyed my moments here and thereā€™s more to come, I feel.ā€

Go to the original articleā€¦

...blessedly churned out by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!