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A lot of West Ham fans are discussing the latest news surrounding Sean Dyche and his links to the club.

The news suggests that co-owner Karren Brady knows Dyche quite well and that he has expressed interest in managing the Irons. This news was broken by ExWHUemployee speaking on his West Ham Way podcast, via West Ham News, as he said: “Before we got Moyes he [Dyche] was heavily linked by myself and a number of people. He’s a good friend of Karren Brady for some random reason.

“I don’t know why, but he is. And he has also expressed an interest in managing us. I believe if we wanted to get Sean Dyche next year we could. (But) I don’t think if we stay up they’ll get rid of Moyes, I think Moyes will be the manager next year and I think if we did go down Dyche would obviously not leave Burnley for us.

“But if Moyes was to suddenly go or he was to get the sack then I think Dyche would be interested and I think we would approach him.”

In the Premier League, Dyche has a pretty respectable record with Burnley, as he has managed 186 games and he has been in charge of 57 wins, 45 draws and 87 losses, this gives him a win percentage of around 30.6%, per Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile, Moyes at West Ham this season has won four, drawn three and lost 10 of his fixtures, which gives him a 23% win record at the club, per Transfermarkt.

With Burnley notoriously not spending a lot and Dyche having a better win percentage than Moyes, it is understandable that some believe the Clarets boss is a better manager, and many fans of the East London side seem to agree, with one labelling him a ‘proper manager’.

Here is what fans have said following the news:

Hammers fans, what are your thoughts on this? Comment below!

Key Information about Carrow Road

Carrow Road is the home of Premier League side Norwich City, and it has been since 1935.

The all-seater stadium holds a capacity of just over 27,000 and comprises four famous stands; the Regency Security Stand, The Barclay, the Geoffrey Watling City Stand, and The South Stand.

It is located in the East Anglian county of Norfolk, and it was opened following insufficient capacity due to constant growing crowds.

A history of Carrow Road

The Canaries lifted the Division Three title in 1933-34, and a year later they moved into their current home of Carrow Road. On 31 August 1935, Norwich moved from their previous home of The Nest as it was no longer deemed suitable for the number of fans wanting to attend matches.. The first match played in the new stadium was a seven-goal thriller between West Ham United, and the Canaries came out triumphant with a 4-3 victory – a game that will always go down in club history.

It is named after the road which it is located and was incredibly built by the football club in just 82 days. The name “Carrow” originates from Carrow Abbey which once stood on the riverside, and there are possibilities the name has Norse origins.

The club notably described the opening of their new stadium as “the largest construction job in the city since the building of Norwich Castle” and “the eighth wonder of the world”.

Over the years, the stadium has been altered and upgraded several times, and at the time of its opening the ground’s capacity was a massive 38,000 with an amazing 44,000 record overall crowd before the introduction of seating only.

This record-high attendance was set by fans who watched Norwich take on Leicester City in the FA Cup Sixth Round in 1963. Famously, King George VI watched twenty minutes of the Canaries home game against Millwall at Carrow Road which was the first time a ruling monarch had watched a second division football match.

Floodlights were introduced to the stadium just over 20 years after its construction, and the £9,000 cost in 1956 almost sent the club into bankruptcy, only to be saved by an FA Cup semi-final appearance two seasons later. In the wake of the Ibrox Stadium tragedy in 1971, Carrow Road’s capacity was lowered to just 20,000 with many dangers associated with standing, and nine years later, seats replaced the terraces around the ground.

The Barclay stand is famously named after former Captain Evelyn Barclay who was also a former vice-president of the club, and The South Stand is named in honour of former chairman Sir Arthur South.

Tickets to Watch Norwich City at Carrow Road

Norwich have capped their season ticket allocation for Carrow Road as 22,000, and there is currently a waiting list.

The canaries typically sell out of their home allocation of tickets making it very hard for supporters to watch their team live. Despite this, it is advised for fans to visit the clubs site (canaries.co.uk) to purchase tickets online or by phone when advertised by the club prior to a fixture.

For a regular Premier League game, the Canaries price their adult tickets at around £26, 65+ and under-18s at £11.25, and under-16s at £10. Coach travel is priced at £25 with a £1 discount for away members and season ticket holders. The cost of a regular adult season ticket is around £500 if paid before 21 February, and for under-12s they are as low as £70.

Related Links

https://www.canaries.co.uk/ – Official website of Norwich City

https://www.canaries.co.uk/tickets/home-away-tickets/ – Norwich City Ticket Office

Name: Jack Scott

Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Date of Birth: 22 September 2002

Position: Right-back, Right midfielder

Jack Scott – his career so far

Jack Scott is still a fairly fresh signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, having only joined the team at Molineux in the summer of 2019. But regardless of that, the now 17-year-old lad has already established himself as one of the best young talents Wolves currently have in their roster, and since we’re yet to see him feature regularly and prominently, that’s already saying a lot about his potential.

But before joining up with Wolves last summer, Scott was playing his football at Linfield Rangers and before that, as a very young lad, at Tandragee Rovers. He joined the Premier League outfit as a first-year scholar and then quickly signed his first professional contract upon turning 17 years of age in October last year.

Scott has been spending his time playing for the U18 squad, already tallying a total of 13 games and bagging one assist on the side as well. He was called up to the U23s once so far, starting and finishing the game that ended up a 1-0 defeat to Southampton. Of course, all of that was happening in the current campaign, making it quite an eventful and hectic start of his Wolves career.

But the youngster is also enjoying his national team exploits as he became the second-youngest player to ever feature for Northern Ireland U21 squad behind Liam Donnelly when he featured against Finland in September 2019 aged only 16 years and 353 days.

He can also boast with a total of 15 appearances for his nation’s U17 squad, even registering one goal in the process as well. Needless to say, Scott’s career is already well underway despite the fact that we’re still talking about a 17-year-old lad.

Of course, he is still waiting for his senior call up under Nuno Espirito Santo but given his talent, that one should definitely only be a matter of time. Once he is given the right environment and the necessary time to grow, the young defender should be able to demonstrate his full potential sooner rather than later.

Transfer latest

At the moment, Scott seems to be enjoying his stay at the club and no transfer rumours or transfer news are suggesting otherwise. But it will be interesting to follow his progress. He’s had half a season to adjust to his new life at the Molineux and while the season was then abruptly put on hold by the outside circumstances, it should’ve provided the club with at least some initial impressions of the kid.

But as of right now, no Wolves news can tell us more about his immediate future or the chances of a fast-tracked progression up the ranks. Still, he is only 17 years of age and despite his talent, expecting him to already break into the older squads or even the senior team would probably be pushing it a bit.

Player profile

Scott is a right wing-back who has the power and the pace to dominate his flank and run up and down the pitch for the full 90 minutes. His natural speed and great acceleration mean he can beat his marker and exploit the space behind the opposition’s defensive line with ease.

And apart from his great technical abilities that include a good first touch and decent passing skills, a lot of his success seems to stem from the mental edge he has over his peers. Determined, composed and with a good dose of work rate, Scott has what it takes to keep improving and getting better with time.

Even though he is not much of a finisher and excels more at linking up and combining with his teammates, he does have a decent shot from distance and can be an asset from set-pieces, either by crossing the ball himself or heading it inside the box.

Leeds United’s chances of ending a 16-year wait for Premier League football has taken a huge dent over the weekend after fresh reports emerged about how they may conclude the top-flight season.The BBC claim that ‘a growing number’ of teams are open to the idea of playing the remaining fixtures at neutral venues, but only if the threat of relegation was removed.Brighton and Hove Albion are one club who have gone against the idea, stating they are “not in favour” of playing at neutral stadiums as it affects the “integrity” of the competition – they currently sit 15th, two points from the drop zone.The Athletic’s Phil Hay was asked about this situation and how it might affect the Whites, he replied:

Hay suggests that such a decision would cause “big problems” for Leeds, but the west Yorkshire side would argue for an “expanded EPL” even if the top six teams would argue against that.

Calling all EFL experts: Can you get full marks on this stadiums quiz?

It would be a devastating end to a season where Leeds have been in one of the two automatic promotion spots for the majority of the campaign.

AND in other news, Can you get 100% in this ultimate Leeds quiz?

Newcastle United’s prospective takeover could soon be complete, that’s according to The Sun’s Neil Custis, and fans have been reacting via NUFC360.

He claims that it could go through this week, which will come as a major relief to many at St James’ Park. Some supporters were beginning to get nervous after Jason Burt claimed that BeIN Sport were the cause for the delay last week.

Has life under Ashley really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, Newcastle fans…

It’s now been about a month since the first reports emerged about Mike Ashley selling the club to Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium in a deal thought to be around £300m.

You’d struggle to find someone in Newcastle that doesn’t want the Sports Direct mogul’s 13-year stewardship over as soon as possible, and for once, this appears to be a very serious offer.

Fans have been reacting to this latest update on Twitter – some find the news boring whilst others are now gaining further excitement.

Therefore, this is the first major update ahead of a potentially historic moment for the club.

Here’s what has bee said…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react to update on Steve Bruce’s future

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

Manchester United drew with Sheffield United on Sunday and it could have been a lot worse but for the contribution of their young players.

On the chalkboard

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sought to deal with the Blades’ threat by matching their 3-5-2 formation, but his side were outfought and dominated for far too long, a point Marcus Rashford admitted post-match.

In many ways it was a typical away performance from the Red Devils this season. They have won one match from seven on the road in the Premier League, and though they dominated possession and were leading up until the last minute, victory would not have been deserved.

Though the team were without some first-team players, the fact they went 2-0 down wasn’t just a result of a lack of quality, but because the intensity, desire and attitude of their opponents bettered United in each department.

That is a poor reflection on the manager, but also the senior players in the team, particuarly as it was youngsters Brandon Williams and Mason Greenwood whose goals got them out of trouble.

Watch Newcastle United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Hope in youth

Since coming to the club in December 2018 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has looked to give young players a chance at every opportunity.

It seems that Williams and Greenwood are the latest breakthroughs, joining the likes of Scott McTominay, Alex Tuanzebe, Andreas Pereira and Dan James as young players to be given game time.

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Part of the Norweigan’s approach has been to get rid of underperforming players. Senior players whose performances have declined have seen their game time diminish – like Nemanja Matic – or ended up leaving, such as Marouane Fellaini, and the match on Sunday proved it was the right step to make.

However, the team’s overall performance should trouble their manager, with just two shots on target other than the goals suggesting there was a lack of leadership and spark aside from the young players – Dan James being relied on as the main source of creativity once again as he assisted the first and third goals.

Solskjaer can at least take comfort in the fact that Williams justified his decision to start him once again, and with Greenwood making the desired contribution from the bench in a matter of minutes there are positives to be taken.

The pair showed they can deal with the pressure of playing for the club and with more minutes under their belt they could become more important in the manager’s plans, and United’s chances of success.

Their strong showing is further evidence that Solskjaer was right to place faith in young players, as it is not only helping him now but should serve the club long-term, particuarly as they can also use negative experiences to their benefit.

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…

In this modern world of inflated transfer fees and astronomical wages, finding real value for money is becoming increasingly difficult. Premier League clubs can now spend upwards of £50m on multiple players, and it shows no signs of slowing down as the stakes continue to get higher.

But every so often, you get teams who show a bit of nous and intelligence in their planning, and pull off such bargain deals it leaves you scratching your heads as to how they managed to pull that off. After all, with scouts essentially littered everywhere across the world scouring for the next big thing, it is difficult to sing players under the radar.

But in Leicester’s case, they have done exactly that. In Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans, the Foxes have a thriving centre-back partnership who have been the cornerstone of their success this season. Brendan Rodgers’ side find themselves in second-place in the Premier League, and have conceded just eight goals in total – the best defensive record in the top-flight.

It’s therefore no surprise that reigning title holders Manchester City are said to be considering both Evans and Soyuncu as potential centre-back options. The Citizens’ interest in the duo shows the sterling work Leicester have done behind the scenes in finding out such great deals.

Evans was signed from West Brom for a measly £3.5m, whilst Soyuncu arrived from Freiburg for £19m – their combined totals cost just over a quarter of the £80m Manchester United spent in taking Harry Maguire away from the King Power. Claude Puel may have been sacked by Leicester in February this year after just 16 months in charge, but there’s no doubt he has left his former side the most incredible gift in their two central defenders.

As per Whoscored, Soyuncu and Evans have an average match rating of 7.25 and 7.00 respectively, and their partnership at the back has been crucial to their success this year. Puel’s name may be forgotten by most Foxes fans considering what Rodgers has transformed them into, but the Frenchman should be handed a lot of credit for bringing in two players who are now of firm interest to the best side in the country.

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

Wolverhampton Wanderers return to Premier League action tomorrow when they host Aston Villa at Molineux, just a couple of weeks after their local rivals knocked them out of the Carabao Cup.

Nuno Santo’s side will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the top-flight to a seventh straight game.

Meanwhile, off the pitch, the club continues to be linked to a whole host of names as we rapidly approach the January transfer window.

It is no secret that Wolves are desperate for a centre-back after seeing Willy Boly break his fibula during training, and that was after BirminghamLive’s reports on their transfer aims.

But it is the link to Burnley’s Dwight McNeil which is most intriguing – does he even fit the system? Is he good enough?

All of these questions marks surrounding him barely outweigh the potential impact it may have on Pedro Neto.

On the Chalkboard

The 19-year-old only joined Molineux in the summer, yet he has found game time hard, even in Diogo Jota’s absence.

To some extent, an injury of his own has played some part in that, but even when fit, he’s just not been given enough experience to prove his worth.

Neto has made 13 appearances this campaign, just one of those being a start in the Premier League.

His manager wasn’t best pleased by his comments after being substituted against Newcastle United either.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He is the only left-sided forward, aside from Jota at the club, and this is a role that McNeil plays for Sean Dyche up in Lancashire.

Last season he made his breakthrough, scoring three goals and assisting five more from just 19 starts while this season he looks to have continued that on with one goal and three assists, per WhoScored.

Against Chelsea not too long ago, he played like a man possessed – not only picking up his first strike of the season but also a 95.7% passing success rate, six successful dribbles, and two key passes.

Maybe it was this performance that has tempted Wolves to potentially match Burnley’s £30m valuation of the winger.

Nuno could unleash a frightening frontline with Adama Traore on the other wing and Raul Jimenez centrally, it would just mean that Neto’s chances of becoming a first-team regular would take an even bigger dent.

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

Bukayo Saka endured a difficult night as Arsenal lost 1-0 to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday.

On the chalkboard

The young winger played from the start as Unai Emery’s men blew the chance to move into third in the Premier League.

His most noticeable contribution perhaps came in the first half, as he burst into the box and appeared to be fouled by centre-back John Egan. Referee Mike Dean, however, saw differently and booked the 18-year-old for simulation.

Replays showed that there was no contact and Ian Wright claimed after the game that he was “waiting” to be touched by Egan so he could hit the deck.

Per WhoScored, the teenager had 42 touches of the ball and completed five dribbles but his final product was lacking.

Saka did not have a shot on goal, while his pass completion rate was just 70%.

He was also dispossessed once and failed to make a single tackle or win an aerial duel.

Needs help

Saka was ploughing something of a lone furrow on the left flank.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the only man ahead of him and even he had just one shot on goal throughout the 90 minutes.

What Saka needs is a playmaker through which everything can be built; the winger could then get in behind, or choose to come short and collect the ball at the beginning of an attack.

As it is, he struggled against the Blades because he simply didn’t have the support he needed.

It is all very well completing dribbles but if you haven’t got anyone to pass to at the end, there is precious little point in even making the run.

Perhaps Alexandre Lacazette’s return to fitness will help; he could always be restored to the starting XI alongside Aubameyang, and having both on the field would give Saka two targets to hit instead of one.

One thing is for sure, though; he can ill-afford another performance like the one he put in on Monday.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Phil Parkinson suffered his second loss as Sunderland boss against Shrewsbury on Saturday but he is confident that his style can produce a winning formula.

What did he say?

A big issue for Sunderland under Jack Ross was their inability to score goals. Last season, that resulted in too many draws which meant they had to settle for a play-off place, but it appears that it is an issue that has stuck with the squad since his departure.

The Black Cats drew a blank in Parkinson’s two defeats, which meant that Tuesday’s thumping of Tranmere likely came as a welcome relief for fans, many of whom enjoyed the attacking display of Duncan Watmore in particular.

That is the style Parkinson is looking to implement at the Stadium of Light, and suggested that dominant performances like the one on Saturday would lead to points for his side more often than not.

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Speaking in his post-match press conference, as reported by SAFC.com, he said: “We have totally dominated the game and the one attempt from them has resulted in a goal.

“In terms of the way we wanted to set out I couldn’t have asked for anymore but as everyone knows it’s all about sticking the ball in the back of the net.

“We have completely dominated the game – if we keep playing like that then we are going to win a hell of a lot of games at this level.”

Change in approach?

Parkinson’s success in taking Bolton up shows he knows how to manage a big club playing at a lower level than they are typically accustomed to, but his comments indicate he will alter his methods.

That could be a worry, as it creates a risk that his new strategy may be less effective. However, it may be a necessary one.

His promotion-winning Wanderers team scored only 68 goals in 2016/17, 12 less than the Black Cats managed last year, and therefore his achievements there were built on a solid defensive foundation, as his side conceded only 36.

As a result, his desire to move towards a style with more attacking intent and dominance of the match is of a significant contrast to his tried-and-tested method, though he may feel he has quality attacking players at his disposal.

One of those could be Will Grigg, who has 101 League One goals in his career, and if Parkinson can instil that clinical edge into his players, and Grigg in particular, then Sunderland should be able to gather some consistency.

It will be interesting to see if the manager continues to set his team out in a similar fashion, as if the Black Cats’ midfield imposes itself onto the opposition they should be a handful, as the display against Tranmere suggested.