Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Slaven Bilic have faith



Slaven Bilic have faith in Phil Jones' tackle on Sofiane Feghouli was more dangerous than the challenge which saw the West Ham midfielder sent off.


Feghouli saw red after 15 minutes at the London Stadium when he conflicted in a sliding challenge with Jones.

And while Sky Sports pundits slammed the sending off, Manchester United went on to win 2-0 and earn their sixth league win in a row.

Sofiane Feghouli styles a challenge on Phil Jones resulting in his sending off
Sofiane Feghouli makes a challenge on Phil Jones resulting in his sending off
West Ham boss Bilic believes Jones "made a meal" of the test, with his reaction helping Mike Dean make his decision.

"It was never a red card to be fair. It was a challenge from both of them," Bilic said Sky Sports.

"It was the other method round in terms of who did the more dangerous tackle. It was Jones. Okay he's carrying the ball but he went in with the scissors.

"Phil made a meal of it, but you can't responsibility him doing that. Maybe he made a meal of it because he went with the dangerous one to save himself.

West Ham 0-2 Man Utd
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"You have to realize who is doing our test. It's Feghouli, who very rarely makes a foul in the game. His foot wasn't high in the air and it wasn't thoughtful.

"For me, that was the crucial decision in the game. That early - it killed us. It put the game in a totally different perspective.

 "That decision and the other one [offside goal] were totally unfair to us and totally incorrect."

Jose Mourinho says West Ham made it tough and was relieved his Manchester United side left the London Stadium with a victory

Monday, January 2, 2017

Burnley announcement

Burnley have announced they have signed midfielder Joey Barton on a deal before the end of the season.

The veteran midfielder returns to Turf Moor, just six months after signing for Glasgow giants Rangers.

However, the 34-year-old's ill-fated stay at Ibrox  just five Scottish Premiership games before being released.

Barton was released by Rangers in November
Barton was released by Rangers in November
Barton's last match north of the border came in September and he now heads back to Lancashire in a bid to help the Clarets retain their Premiership status.

The decision to re-sign Barton had been complicated by a Football Association probe into alleged betting, with the player facing a possible fine and suspension after being charged for allegedly placing 1,260 bets over a 10-year period.

A statement from the Premier League club reads: "Burnley Football Club can confirm that following detailed discussions regarding the recent FA charge brought against Joey Barton, the club have  reached an agreement with the player and his representatives over a contract with the club until the end of the season.

"Barton becomes available for selection from January 3 after that completing his registration in time to serve a one match suspension against Manchester City, as a result of a carry-over suspension passed down from Scottish FA related to a previous offence."

Burnley's next match on Saturday FA Cup third round tie at Sunderland.