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Referees aren’t just the guys in the middle of the pitch making sure the rules are being followed anymore, now they’re almost just as talked about as the players themselves.

Nine times out of ten they’re making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Whether it’s a dodgy penalty, missed handball, a goal kick given instead of a corner, and more recently, VAR and goalline technology mishaps, referees all around the world are now well-known names amongst the fans.

As a result, many are accused of favouring certain clubs over others and some have built reputations for being either no-nonsense or just a soft touch. Whether it’s Mike Dean or Michael Oliver, fans will have their opinions on them, mostly without much substantiation other than the fact they made one or two mad decisions that went against their team once upon a time.

Judging referees is a football fans’ favourite pastime in modern football, but do the stats back up the opinions? Well, TOFFS have recently completed a very interesting referee report that will completely change some fans’ opinions on the most recognised referees in the Premier League.

Click through the gallery to see what clubs are favoured more by certain referees, and those who should always dread having a specific man in the middle the next time they play…

Arsenal

Over the last decade, Mike Jones is the referee who has overseen the highest Arsenal win percentage (80%) when refereeing games involving the Gunners, while Michael Oliver has the lowest win percentage (22.22%).

As for cards, Stuart Attwell has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Arsenal matches in the Premier League with 2.67, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Arsenal players than anyone else.

Aston Villa

Lee Probert is Aston Villa’s luckiest referee over the last 10 years with a win percentage 42.86%, while Phil Dowd only ever refereed one Aston Villa victory during his career in the middle!

Mark Clattenburg has shown more cards to Villa players in the Premier League than any other referee, while Neil Swarbrick’s average of 2.13 cards-per-game is the highest ratio where Villa matches are concerned.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth fans will be hoping to see more of Kevin Friend in the near future, with the referee officially being the Cherries’ luckiest referee.

That said, Friend also loves to show Bournemouth players cards!

Bournemouth’s unluckiest referee is Lee Mason, who has only overseen one Bournemouth victory from the 12 games involving the club in which he has refereed.

Brighton

John Moss is the referee Brighton fans will not want to see in the middle of their matches in future as the referee has never been involved in a Seagulls victory from six Premier League matches.

But Craig Pawson is Brighton’s luckiest, ref, with a 50% win percentage!

John Moss also holds the record for the highest cards-per-game average for Brighton with 2.67 while Chris Kavanagh is the referee who has shown Brighton the most cards in the Premier League – 20!

Burnley

Martin Atkinson dominates the rankings here for Burnley.

He’s not only Burnley’s luckiest ref with a win percentage of 55% from 20 matches involving the Clarets, but he’s also the man who has shown more cards to their players than any other referee over the last 10 years in the top-flight – 45 yellows and 1 red, averaging 2.3 cards-per-game.

Burnley will dread seeing Michael Oliver appear in the middle of the park for their matches in future, as the ref has only see Burnley win once from 12 games he’s been involved in.

Chelsea

Over the last decade in the Premier League, Neil Swarbrick has been Chelsea’s luckiest referee with a win percentage of 83.33% from 12 games.

While Kevin Friend is the ref who has the lowest win percentage for Chelsea – 45%.

Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Chelsea players over the last 10 years (88), while Anthony Taylor has the highest cards-per-game average with 2.23.

Crystal Palace

Lee Mason is Crystal Palace’s luckiest referee with a 50% win percentage from the 12 Eagles matches he’s refereed. Kevin Friend is their unluckiest, having been in charge of one Crystal Palace victory in 13.

John Moss is the man who seems to love showing Palace players cards, having dished out 52 to Eagles stars with an average of 2.26 per-match.

Everton

Everton’s favourite referee over the last 10 years is Paul Tierney, who has a win percentage of 60%. Then man in the middle they’ll dread seeing in future is Craig Pawson, who has reffed three Toffees victories out of a possible 15!

Michael Oliver has dished out the most cards to Everton players over the last decade with 53, but Bobby Madley has the highest cards-per-game average with 2.2.

Leicester City

Anthony Taylor has overseen the highest win percentage for Leicester City over the last decade, with 53.33%. Martin Atkinson is the Foxes’ unluckiest ref with a win percentage of just under 19%.

Mike Dean is the man who loves showing Leicester players a card the most, with 37 cards shown in 21 games, but Chris Kavanagh is the most card happy where Foxes players are concerned – he averages 2.27 cards-per-game.

Liverpool

Liverpool’s luckiest referee over the last 10 years is Lee Probert, who has reffed a Reds victory in almost 77% of the 13 games he’s been involved in.

Howard Webb is Liverpool’s unluckiest referee, so Reds fans will be delighted that he’s no retired.

Martin Atkinson is the man in the middle who loves giving Liverpool players cards the most – he’s handed Reds players a whopping 71 cards in the 44 games he’s been involved in.

Manchester City

Over the last decade, Neil Swarbrick is the referee who has overseen the highest Man City win percentage (90%) when refereeing games involving City, while Mark Clattenburg has the lowest win percentage (39.29%).

As for cards, Chris Foy has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Man City matches in the Premier League with 2.12, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Man City players than anyone else.

Manchester United

Over the last decade, Lee Probert is the referee who has overseen the highest Manchester United win percentage (75%) when refereeing games involving the Red Devils, while Michael Oliver has the lowest win percentage (39.29%).

As for cards, Mike Dean leads way for cards in Man United matches. He’s dished out 96 cards at an average of 2.34 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

Newcastle United

Over the last decade, Chris Foy is the referee who has overseen the highest Newcastle win percentage (47.37%) when refereeing games involving the Magpies, while Mike Jones has the lowest win percentage (16.67%).

As for cards, Howard Webb has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Newcastle matches in the Premier League with 2.34, although Andre Marriner has dished out more cards to Newcastle players than anyone else.

Norwich City

Over the last decade, Howard Webb is the referee who has overseen the highest Norwich win percentage (55.56%) when refereeing games involving the Canaries, while Mike Jones has the lowest win percentage (0%).

As for cards, Kevin Friend leads way for cards in Norwich matches. He’s dished out 29 cards at an average of 2.23 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

Sheffield United

Andrew Madley, Jon Moss, Peter Bankes and Robert Jones have all refereed a Sheffield United win in the one and only game they’ve overseen involving Chris Wilder’s side.

Lee Mason, Mike Dean and Simon Hooper are all among the most card-happy referees in games involving the Blades.

Southampton

Over the last decade, Martin Atkinson is the referee who has overseen the highest Southampton win percentage (57.14%) when refereeing games involving the Saints, while Lee Probert has the lowest win percentage (0%).

As for cards, Bobby Madley has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Southampton matches in the Premier League with 2.3, although John Moss has dished out more cards to Saints players than anyone else.

Tottenham

Over the last decade, Neil Swarbrick is the referee who has overseen the highest Tottenham win percentage (81.82%) when refereeing games involving Spurs, while Lee Probert has the lowest win percentage (25%).

As for cards, Craig Pawson has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Tottenham matches in the Premier League with 2.4, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Spurs players than anyone else.

Watford

Over the last decade, Roger East is the referee who has overseen the highest Watford win percentage (50%) when refereeing games involving the Hornets, while Martin Atkinson has the lowest win percentage (16.67%).

As for cards, Mike Dean has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Watford matches in the Premier League with 2.64, although Anthony Taylor has dished out more cards to Watford players than anyone else.

West Ham United

Over the last decade, Martin Atkinson is the referee who has overseen the highest West Ham win percentage (41.94%) when refereeing games involving the Hammers, while Phil Dowd has the lowest win percentage (7.14%).

As for cards, Neil Swarbrick has the highest cards-per-game ratio for West Ham matches in the Premier League with 2.21, although Martin Atkinson has dished out more cards to Hammers players than anyone else – 65!

Wolves

Over the last decade, Phil Dowd is the referee who has overseen the highest Wolves win percentage (50%) when refereeing games involving the Molineux club, while Peter Walton has the lowest win percentage (11.11%).

As for cards, Stuart Attwell leads way for cards in Wolves matches. He’s dished out 38 cards at an average of 2.92 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

We all love a quiz and the punters at the Transfer Tavern are no different, particularly those Wednesday supporters that prop up the bar.

I have compiled a collection of questions that I believe will test even the most knowledgeable of Owls supporters and how well they actually know their club.

So do you remember how much the club paid to sign Chris Waddle, or who was the club’s opposition in their first ever european tie?

Lets see if you can get 12 out of 12 – you will be one of the few that will.

كشف ممدوح الششتاوي المدير التنفيذي للجنة الأولمبية المصرية، حقيقة تأجيل انتخابات الأندية والاتحادات، خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وقال الششتاوي في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “أون تايم سبورتس 2”: “الكثير من الكلام قيل في هذا الأمر، كل شىء في موعده، كما أكد كلًا من وزارة الشباب واللجنة الأولمبية، وذلك حسب الإجراءات واللوائح والمواعيد المتفق عليها”.

طالع | أحمد مجاهد: لقاح كورونا شرط عودة الجماهير.. ومحمد صلاح يريد المشاركة في أولمبياد طوكيو

وأضاف: “انتخابات كل الاتحادات بعد دورة الألعاب الأولمبية في طوكيو ، إلا حال وجود أمر استثنائي وأن يكون هناك قرار من الدولة، أو إذا كانت هناك إجراءات احترازية معينة خاصة بفيروس كورونا وتأثير الانتخابات على سلامة الناس، ولكن حتى الآن كل شيء في موعده بدون تغيير”.

وأردف: “الوزير أشرف صبحي واللجنة الأولمبية قالوا إن انتخابات الزمالك ستقام في موعدها”.

وعن إمكانية استثناء اتحاد الكرة من الانتخابات، اختتم: “قيل هذا الأمر ولكن لا يوجد أي استثناء، كل الاتحادات تحترم القانون واللوائح المتواجدة في الدولة”.

فاز فريق أتالانتا بنتيجة 4-3 على مضيفه جنوى، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، اليوم السبت، على ملعب “لويجي فيراريس”، بالجولة السابعة والثلاثين وقبل الأخيرة من الدوري الإيطالي.

انتهى الشوط الأول من اللقاء، بتقدم أتالانتا بثلاثية نظيفة، الهدف الأول سجّله دوفان زاباتا في الدقيقة التاسعة، وبالدقيقة 26، أحرز روسلان مالينوفسكي الهدف الثاني للضيوف، وقبل نهاية الشوط، سجّل روبن جوسينس الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 44.

وفي الشوط الثاني من اللقاء، قلص إلدور شومورودوف، النتيجة لـ جنوى بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة 48، ثم في الدقيقة 51، أحرز ماريو باشاليتش الهدف الرابع لـ أتالانتا.

جنوى قلص الفارق مرة أخرى في الدقيقة 67، من علامة الجزاء، بأقدام جوران بانديف، وفي الدقيقة 84، عاد شومورودوف لهز الشباك مرة أخرى بالهدف الثالث لـ جنوى والثاني له في المباراة.

الدقائق المٌتبقية في المباراة، لم تكن كافية أمام جنوى لتجنب الخسارة، ليتوقف رصيد أصحاب الأرض عند 39 نقطة في المركز الرابع عشر، فيما أصبح رصيد أتالانتا 78، ليضمن التأهل إلى مسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا بالموسم القادم للعام الثالث تواليًا. شاهد اهداف مباراة اتالانتا وجنوي

Manchester United fans on Twitter have been full of praise for the strike partnership of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.The pair scored one each as the Red Devils beat Norwich 3-1 at Carrow Road.Unfortunately, we haven’t seen this partnership all that much this term due to Martial’s injury woes.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, the fact that 56 per cent of United’s goals this term have been scored while both men are on the pitch shows just how influential the pair are when they play together.

It certainly seems as if United’s success relies heavily on both men being fit and ready to play.

One fan even went as far as to compare them to the incredible partnership of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole.

Whether or not Martial and Rashford can reach the heights of the two aforementioned strikers remains to be seen, but United fans were certainly impressed by what they saw on Sunday.

Here’s what the Old Trafford faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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

West Brom will have to wait until Monday to see if they still hold sole possession of the Championship lead, but given that the five teams below them all play before the Baggies, they could go into the Stoke City game needing a result.

Slaven Bilic will undoubtedly be looking for improvements after his side failed to pick up a victory last week – they needed a comeback to salvage a point against basement boys Barnsley before Charlton Athletic snatched a draw of their own late at the death.

The Croatian can aid his team’s chances by making a simple switch, one that, in reality, has been a long time coming.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the Chalkboard

Charlie Austin’s woes in front of goal continued, which won’t have helped their cause in either stalemate one bit. It’s now just the one goal in ten league appearances, which for a £4m summer signing is abysmal.

Meanwhile, Hal Robson-Kanu has doubled the former Southampton striker’s tally in just three matches – 70 minutes to be precise.

It’s time to hand the Welshman a start over his fellow 30-year-old, not just because he’s showing better form, but he’s also a better fit for the way Bilic wants his team to play.

The majority of Austin’s goals have been from inside the area throughout his career, per Understat’s xG model, yet much of the football under the 51-year-old is with the ball on the ground.

Albion rank third in the league for possession percentage per game at 54.5%, so the summer signing is having to drop deeper to claim the ball as seen in his WhoScored heatmap below from the Charlton game. He’s all over the place.

He doesn’t even look like scoring either. Robson-Kanu is currently building up some excellent form, so it is time to allow an opportunity to start.

The 30-year-old also records less unsuccessful touches (1.3) than Austin (1.9), which will only benefit Bilic’s system as they will retain possession of the ball rather than lose it.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

And as the Express & Star explain in their post-match ratings from the QPR victory, Robson-Kanu’s movement is all that more impressive.

Austin is quickly becoming a flop at the Hawthorns, and this style of football just isn’t helping him at all.

Everton announced on Tuesday afternoon that teenage attacker Rafael Garcia had signed his first professional contract with the Premier League club.Garcia, who only turned 17 earlier this month, has put pen to paper on a deal that will run until the end of the 2021/22 campaign.The Under-18s forward has been with the Toffees since 2017 – making the move to Goodison Park from London club Fulham, who are now in the Championship.Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The attacker will actually miss the remainder of the campaign with a serious knee injury having damaged his ACL during pre-season.

However, the fact that Everton have been prepared to hand Garcia his first professional contract shows that they have high hopes for the former England Under-16 international.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

A number of the Merseyside club’s fans have been on social media offering their views on the contract update and many are delighted with the news.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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From signing Romelu Lukaku to selling Lukaku, from signing Angel Di Maria to selling Di Maria, Manchester United have quite literally gone full circle on certain occasions when it comes to their transfer policy in recent years.

Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils have had a ridiculously confusing way of going about things.

Several managers have come and gone at Old Trafford, each of them leaving behind some more mess to clean up for their successor. It’s perhaps one of the key reasons behind why the club have failed to win the Premier League since 2013.

There needs to be a level of consistency both in terms of the managers being appointed and the players being signed. Instead, United have had a mish-mash of styles and personalities, and the breakdown of the club’s transfer history really puts things into perspective about the lack of planning at the club.

David Moyes – Tried and trusted

The first man to follow in the footsteps of Ferguson, David Moyes undoubtedly had the toughest job of the lot.

He was stuck in between a rock and a hard place on whether to completely rip up the template, or affect slow change. In the end, his lack of decisive action on leaving his own imprint on the club cost him dear.

The former Everton boss must have been wary of walking into a dressing room dominated by players who had only ever known one man. Just how would they respond to a new voice?

It was, therefore, no surprise to see the Scot turn towards Marouane Fellaini who had been a key figure for him on Merseyside and had registered 177 appearances for the club.

Then, Moyes went for another Premier League-proven player in Juan Mata who had been at Chelsea previously. His two major signings were designed not to upset the apple cart. Perhaps that’s exactly what he needed.

Louis van Gaal – High-profile stars

Having sacked David Moyes less than a full season into his time in charge, United thought they would fix their mistake with the former and appoint someone who had managed some of the biggest and best clubs in Europe.

Louis van Gaal strode in with an international reputation and his love of the word philosophy, something he turned to in many press conferences. In the market, the Dutchman spent big on transfer fees on international quality stars who had proven their worth at other clubs.

His first summer saw marquee deals for Angel Di Maria and Falcao be completed and per Transfermarkt, the Red Devils spent in the region of £175m on new talent.

The following year saw Anthony Martial arrive for £36m, including add-ons – the most expensive transfer for a teenager at the time.

Another deal that perhaps went under the radar was the £31m capture of winger Memphis Depay. Both Martial and Depay had carved out promising careers at both AS Monaco and PSV respectively but enjoyed different fates.

The former made an incredible 56 appearances in his debut campaign, while the latter never truly nailed down a place in the starting eleven – from January 2016 to the end of the season, the Dutchman started just four Premier League games in total.

Jose Mourinho – Physical beasts

Then came Jose Mourinho. “The Special One” had a seemingly clear vision in his mind and the club’s hierarchy tried to match his early demands. His first transfer window saw notable arrivals in the shape of 6 foot 5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the 6 foot 2 Eric Bailly and the 6 foot 3 Paul Pogba, among others.

The 56-year-old seemed intent on building a team that could physically dominate the opposition. The captures of Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof further reinforced his squad with tall and strong players. It was, therefore, no surprise that eventually critics slammed the Red Devils’ slow and lethargic style of play.

One quote from Paul Ince particularly springs to mind: “Don’t be a dinosaur and start attacking teams like we have done over the years.” It was a damning statement and summed up what United had become since Ferguson.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Whilst Solskjaer may not have had too long in the job to really stamp his mark on the side, the Norwegian’s plan is already becoming crystal-clear.

The United boss is intent on re-energising the team with more youth and pace, and some of the side’s best performances under him have been games where counter-attacking has been key – most notably this season against Chelsea.

The work the club did in the summer transfer window symbolised the kind of cleansing approach Solskjaer is taking.

Gone are the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez – players who were on big-money, £530,000 between them, and not exactly justifying their mammoth wages.

The latter in particular spectacularly failed to deliver on expectations, scoring just five times for the club.

Instead, Solskjaer has invested in younger, British players who could potentially be a part of the United set-up for the next decade or so.

Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire arrived and now reports suggest the club will be looking to sign Jadon Sancho and James Maddison next summer.

Verdict

Taking things at face value, United have made some stellar signings in recent history. The biggest issue though? Each manager has had a transfer window that could essentially have been designed for separate clubs. No cohesion, no consistency and no plan.

The biggest difference in approach comes with how Solskjaer is attempting to rip up everything Mourinho had imprinted.

It could well turn out to be the right idea, but it needs a sense of clarity from those at the top. Even if things don’t end up working out with the current United boss, the Red Devils can ill-afford to start from scratch again.

What they need is a sense of direction and purpose about the kind of profile of player they are looking for, regardless of who happens to be at the helm at that time.

United’s transfer history since Ferguson’s retirement has been a mess. It’s about time they clean it up.

Rafinha Alcantara completed his loan transfer from Barcelona to Celta Vigo just this summer and he hasn’t yet been able to make his official debut for the new club.

And by the looks of it, it seems that the 26-year-old Brazilian will have to wait a bit longer before he’ll don his new colours in the 2019/20 La Liga season.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Celta Vigo have officially confirmed that Rafinha suffered an injury during Monday’s training and will be out for approximately two weeks due to a “grade I fibrillary rupture in the soleus of his left leg”.

And as soon as this news came to light, Barcelona fans expressed very mixed reactions. This, of course, is a very familiar situation.

Rafinha has suffered numerous injury setbacks in his career and one extremely serious case arrived last season, so this is nothing really new or surprising to them.

Some were really supportive of the Brazilian, wishing him a speedy recovery, others couldn’t believe this was happening all over again and some were not surprised by it at all.

You can see some of their reactions in the collection of tweets below:

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[ad_pod ]Manchester United newbie Daniel James is leading the way as one of the club’s most exciting players.There have been very few positives to take from the start of United’s Premier League season, which has seen them win just one in four games, including a loss to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford and draws against Wolves and Southampton on their travels.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, Wales international James is doing his personal best to keep spirits high with three goals in his opening four appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. We daren’t imagine the shame the club would be facing without them.

Indeed, should the 21-year-old continue on a similar trajectory, he would make the very exclusive list of talisman to emerge from that part of the world, including Mark Hughes and wing wizard Ryan Giggs, and we all know that’s something that would be welcomed at Old Trafford, especially given the current climate.

In a recent interview, current Wales boss Giggs was full of praise for his United apprentice…

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