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Scottish Police Federation chairman David Hamilton has suggested Glasgow Rangers are to blame for the scenes that unfolded in George Square and at Ibrox after their status as Premiership champions was confirmed.

Hamilton blames Rangers

The Gers were finally crowned champions after Celtic could only draw 0-0 with Dundee United. That therefore led to thousands of supporters taking to the streets to celebrate – breaking coronavirus regulations in the process.

Hamilton has since commented on the scenes and has laid the blame at the club’s feet. He said (via The Daily Record):

“Rangers was pretty disgraceful at the weekend when we had the celebrations in George Square.

“Not just in terms of their silence in advance but also in allowing their players to go to the corner of the stadium to cheer along, also in the dressing room, cheering people along and taking footage.

“Those behaviours contributed to the problems. We should not forget that. What we really need to see is the clubs making it clear. The First Minister is right, it’s not one statement or one day’s worth of social media, it is about being persistent and consistent.

“People are putting the match at risk and things like the Euros at risk with their behaviours. They need to be treated by the clubs with bans and so on.”

Too harsh

Of course, the Gers were not blameless in regards to the scenes which Hamilton is talking about. Steven Gerrard and his players celebrated with the fans outside Ibrox from windows in the stadium, for example. However, a message was played over the tannoy system urging fans to go home (The Glasgow Times).

While Rangers supporters are linked to club and always will be, the establishment itself cannot be blamed for the actions of people whom they cannot control. It seems the Gers, here, are an easy target for Hamilton to go after. Perhaps the Police themselves should look at how they handled the situation and allowed things to descend into chaos.

In other news, Rangers fans slam this Union Bears statement.

Noel Whelan believes Glasgow Rangers could save millions by tying down goalkeeper Allan McGregor to a new contract.

Whelan urges McGregor deal

McGregor’s contract is set to run out at the end of the campaign (Transfermarkt), although reports have suggested that he is set to sign a new deal at Ibrox.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan believes the Gers could save a fortune if McGregor extends his deal with the 55-time Scottish champions. He said:

“He’s a player that knows the club inside out.

“To me, it’s a no brainer when you’ve got quality like that who’s still producing displays at the highest level. If you went out to get another goalkeeper now, probably not as good as him, what would you be paying?

“You’d be paying over the odds for what you’re going to get, unfortunately. You’ve got a player there who wants to be at the club. He’s still putting in performances, he has been a massive, integral part of the Premiership win this year.

“Goalkeepers can go on forever as long as they keep themselves at a certain fitness.

“They’ve got no need to spend millions in that department. They’ve already got a top-quality goalkeeper.”

Short-term

In the short-term, Whelan is correct. As he showed with a wonderful save against Slavia Prague in the Europa League on Thursday, McGregor is still capable of top-quality displays despite being 39 years of age. However, even if he does extend his deal, it is only delaying the inevitable.

Quite frankly, he doesn’t have too long left, certainly not as number one. At some point, the Gers will need to dip into the transfer market to replace him. A new contract this summer enables Ross Wilson and co to strengthen in other areas without worrying about spending on a shot-stopper, but that may change in 12 months’ time.

In other news, some Rangers fans are livid at this Old Firm confirmation.

David Moyes is facing a difficult decision over how he deals with Manuel Lanzini in the coming months, with West Ham United reportedly open to selling the midfielder this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Claret & Hugh, Lanzini may be sacrificed at the end of the season to help raise funds for Moyes to reshape his unit at the London Stadium.

It is expected that the Hammers will make the 28-year-old available for a permanent move if they receive offers worth £15m, having only started three of his 12 Premier League appearances this term.

Lanzini represents the latest player touted to be on the move in the next summer market, as Moyes seemingly looks to clear West Ham from the deadwood including selling attacking flops Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson at significant losses.

West Ham are thought to have fielded interest for Lanzini from clubs in Turkey and the Middle East, while Andre Villas-Boas had reportedly pushed Olympique de Marseille to sign the Argentine in January before leaving the Ligue 1 outfit over a difference of opinion.

Villas-Boas was allegedly keen to sign the five-cap international in the winter transfer market and had discussed including Lanzini in a swap deal for Morgan Sanson, though OM preferred to strike a loan deal with Celtic for Olivier Ntcham that includes a £5.5m option to buy.

The Irons will now look to move Lanzini on at the end of the season, with sales and the £20m made from Sebastien Haller’s winter exit expected to contribute to a £59m budget.

A difficult few months for Moyes

With West Ham now looking toward the summer market to offload Lanzini after failing to find a buyer last month, the Argentine’s continued presence at the London Stadium will leave Moyes in a difficult position knowing it is time for the club get rid of the midfielder.

The Hammers boss has proven throughout the 2020/21 campaign that he does not rate Lanzini above the likes of Pablo Fornals or Said Benrahma, January loan signing Jesse Lingard or even Mark Noble, with the Argentine rarely getting a sniff of the action despite Moyes suggesting Lanzini had been “unlucky” to be overlooked.

Though in a recent ‘U Irons’ podcast appearance on The Athletic, co-host Sam Delaney dubbed the attacker an “ineffective player” who fails to shift the ball round, to do anything decisive, doesn’t score and does not play that final killer ball.

Lingard has opened all three available Premier League matches to him since moving to east London on a temporary deal, while Benrahma has started nine of his 16 outings, Fornals 19 of 21 and Noble earning each of his three starts in Lanzini’s preferred position.

Moyes had brought Lanzini back into his plans over the festive period with a first league start of the season at Southampton on December 29, but the move seemingly came too late to attract a suitor for the 28-year-old during the winter transfer market.

The ex-Manchester United head coach will surely now have to give Lanzini a greater run in the side than he has of late if West Ham are to drum up enough interest to make £15m from the £70k-per-week maestro, who has featured just once in the Irons last five top-flight games.

But whether playing Lanzini will be for the good of the side right now remains to be seen, or if looking ahead to the summer market will actually hold back West Ham’s push for European qualification.

AND in other news, David Moyes has been sent an instant reminder by a £9m West Ham target…

Many Manchester United fans heavily scrutinised forward Anthony Martial after his side’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal on Saturday evening.

The 25-year-old emerged as a second-half substitute in what was a quiet afternoon for both teams on the attacking front, as both defensive lines came out on top during a chilly affair in North London.

Despite being one of the club’s top earners on £250k-per-week (Spotrac), Martial was not deemed worthy enough to start this game and failed to make an impact on the tie as a whole, proving his manager right.

Sofascore recorded that the France international failed to win any duels, did not get any shots on target and made no successful dribbles.

With this in mind, supporters were incensed by another showing where Martial didn’t turn up, with some saying that he should be performing better, considering his weekly salary.

Martial slated by MUFC fans

“Anthony Martial is stealing a living. #MUFC”

Credit: @Rob_loder

“Martial doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing”

Credit: @peterEmcewan

“Martial body language is absolutely shocking. Notice it every game huffing and puffing”

Credit: @AJLawlesss

“Rashford really suffers being on the right. And- frankly- Martial isn’t worth accommodating for that.”

Credit: @andyyax

“I’d rather Telles play LW than Martial, he offers nothing.”

Credit: @Opryce92

“Rashford & Bruno look absolutely knackered. Martial is off the mark, Cavani getting no service at all.”

Credit: @TheOpinion_MUFC

In other news, Manchester United fans singled out one player after the Red Devils’ 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United.

West Ham United have been urged to not continue their chase of Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong.

Former Premier Leauge striker Kevin Phillips has recently talked about West Ham’s links with a move to sign Armstrong and he believes that the Hammers shouldn’t sign the Blackburn forward.

Armstrong may not fit West Ham

Phillips was recently talking to Football Insider and he talked about the club’s links with a move for the forward. He believes that Armstrong is not the sort of forward that David Moyes’ would be looking for. He feels that Moyes is looking for a forward who is taller than Armstrong, as they are looking to replace Sebastian Haller.

He said: “I do not think Adam Armstrong fits the mould at West Ham. Would Moyes even consider it? If I am being totally honest, I do not think he would.

“I think Moyes would be going down the route of a 6 foot plus striker. Of course, Haller was that type of player and it did not work, but Armstrong? I do not think he would suit the way Moyesy wants to play.”

Armstrong, currently 23, has made 27 appearances in all competitions this season. He has scored 17 times, getting seven assists. In the Championship, he has scored 16 goals while picking up three assists. This is a reflection of how he is a prolific contributor to goals.

Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton has praised Armstrong quite a bit. He said:

“He’s a top quality player. I’m sure Tony was desperate for him to get on the teamsheet, as much as we were desperate for him to not be on the teamsheet.

“But that’s what he can do to teams. I thought we done well to stop him in the opening half but you can’t afford to give someone of that calibre any decent opportunities. That’s the quality of the Championship.”

West Ham can make do with Armstrong

Armstrong boasts of a very good record for Rovers. In 144 games for the Lancashire-based side, he has scored 52 goals while also picking up 17 assists on the way. This is a reflection of the qualities of the player and he is only valued at £9 million.

This shows that if West Ham did make a move for him, he might not be a costly investment and he is still only 23 right now. He has a very good goalscoring record but Phillips thinks that he is not the type of player that Moyes would want, but time will tell if he’s correct.

In other news, West Ham are eyeing a move for a Danish international – read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur clearly haven’t learned their lesson.

Once again, they sat back in the second half and invited pressure to the point of the opposition scoring.

It wasn’t too long ago that Spurs sat top of the table with both Heung-min Son and Harry Kane scoring goals for fun, now they have slipped to sixth place having also dropped points to Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the very same manner.

Indeed, Fulham had more shots (eight) than the home side (five) in the second half and also dominated possession, notching a total of 55% – a total contrast to the opening period as Jose Mourinho’s side were in complete control with 58% possession, via SofaScore.

After Harry Kane opened the scoring by ending a fine move which saw Sergio Reguilon whip a delightful ball in for him to nod home, Spurs were pegged back in the 74th minute when Eric Dier was caught napping from a cross himself. The diminutive 5 foot 9 Ivan Cavaleiro beat him to a header.

Though, the Englishman’s game overall, aside from that one momentary lapse in concentration, was actually pretty decent – he managed three clearances, two tackles and enjoyed more touches than any other Spurs player (94), per SofaScore.

This shows that he had a major influence in starting Spurs’ counter-attacks as not even the playmaking Tanguy Ndombele could get near such numbers (69) having only played nine fewer minutes.

He also proved to be a strong presence at the back, thwarting Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who endured the match’s second-lowest rating of 6.2 after completing just one of five dribbles as well as losing the ball 15 times, per SofaScore.

Other culprits let Mourinho down far worse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night, perhaps surprisingly, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was one huge disappointment.

The great Dane, often a powerhouse in the middle of the pitch, averaging 2.8 tackles, 2.2 fouls and 1.2 interceptions per game on the season via WhoScored, was instead wasteful and lightweight against the Cottagers.

Only one other Spurs player graded worse than his 6.3 rating as he won only 35% of his 14 duels, he won 12 out of 17 in the 3-0 victory against Leeds United last time out as a comparison, and committed four fouls, which is nearly double his usual mean as above. He was even dribbled past four times, which was more than anyone else on the pitch, per SofaScore.

The £27m-rated summer arrival was completely dominated by his opposite numbers Harrison Reed, who made six tackles, and Andre Zambo Anguissa, who successfully pulled off six dribbles, thus the pair ran rings around Hojbjerg all night.

To top things off, the 25-year-old picked up his fourth booking of the season having committed four fouls, meaning he’ll be on thin ice in the coming games now.

“He’s a captain without needing to wear the armband,” Mourinho said in October (via The Athletic) – well if that’s the case, then the ‘Special One’ has every right to feel aggrieved and let down by Hojbjerg’s outing on Wednesday night.

Someone with that acclaim, on over £100k-per-week too, should be doing so, so much better.

AND in other news, Spurs can find next Jan Vertonghen in “phenomenal talent” lauded by Messi…

Manchester City are back in action in the Premier League on Monday night, as they face a tricky trip to Goodison Park to face Everton.

The Citizens picked up a comfortable 2-0 win against Newcastle United last time out but they could and should have scored more, whilst Everton picked up another three points against strugglers Sheffield United.

Considering City’s last game was just two days ago, it seems likely that Pep Guardiola will make use of the squad depth available to him, although, considering the gravity of this game against the Toffees, who currently sit second in the Premier League, you also expect that the Spanish manager will go full strength.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up against Everton, with two changes from the starting team that beat Newcastle…

Unsurprisingly, Ederson keeps his place in goal, whilst City’s defence also remains the same after picking up another clean sheet in the win against the Toon on Boxing Day.

Rodri was substituted shortly before the hour-mark against Newcastle, perhaps to give him some rest ahead of the game against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, so he should keep his place alongside Ilkay Gundogan in midfield.

There’s one change on the wing, as Riyad Mahrez replaces Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese winger, who reportedly earns £150,000-a-week, is still yet to find the back of the net so far this season, and City will need to be more clinical than they have been in recent matches if they want to pick up three points at Goodison Park.

Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne keep their place, whilst Sergio Aguero replaces Ferran Torres up front, as despite the Spaniard’s goal against Newcastle, City may be better served by going with the legendary Argentinian for this important fixture, where three points could put City within touching distance of leaders Liverpool.

And, in other news… £80k-p/w gem with “incredible quality” has become Pep’s most important player at MCFC

Alfredo Morelos scored his first goal in the Scottish Premiership since September to ensure Glasgow Rangers retained their 16-point lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 win away at St. Mirren going into Saturday’s Old Firm game.

Steven Gerrard’s side got off to a sluggish start before Kemar Roofe received a stroke of luck as his deflected effort sailed past helpless Mirren goalkeeper Jak Alnwick.

And Morelos capitalised on a mistake from Joe Shaughnessy to score his third league goal of the season in the first half to cap off what was a comfortable win in the end.

However, it wasn’t all rosy for Rangers, as Jim Goodwin’s side came close to scoring on several occasions, with Jonathan Obika having the better of the chances.

But the Gers’ defence prevailed, due in part to a defensive shift from Connor Goldson, who looked every inch the seasoned veteran as he kept Obika in his back pocket for most of the game.

While Morelos may have ended his goal drought stretching back to the 3-3 draw with Benfica in the Europa League, it was the performance of Goldson at the back that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

The 28-year-old has been in imperious form since the start of the season, as he scored a double against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season, and had an absolutely monstrous game defensively against the Saints. The same can’t be said for Filip Helander but more on him later.

As per SofaScore, he was given a high grade of 7.6 out of ten for his efforts – he won six out of his seven duels overall (85%), made two tackles, blocked two shots, made a staggering seven clearances – more than any other player on the pitch including Morelos – and wasn’t dribbled past at all.

Comfortable at the back and confident in possession, Goldson looked great with the ball at his feet, provided 19 out of 24 passes (79%), only lost possession five times and produced three accurate long balls from nine attempts.

GlasgowLive awarded him with a similar rating of 8/10 and claimed he ‘kept Jon Obika under wraps on a comfortable afternoon’ while Rangers News seemed to agree, insisting ‘St. Mirren looked to pressure the Rangers star and stop him spraying passes forward but Goldson never let it affect his game as he enjoyed a successful night.’

With a clash with Celtic on the horizon, the timing couldn’t be better for Gerrard, who will be well aware his side will have to be at their very best if they are to beat the Bhoys for the second time this season.

Morelos got himself on the scoresheet with the weekend’s Old Firm fixture no doubt playing on his mind but the centre-back deserves immense credit for his defensive shift to ensure the Gers kept a fourth consecutive clean sheet in a row.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must drop Glasgow Rangers winger Ryan Kent after rapid decline in form…

Tottenham Hotspur secured their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League by drawing a six-goal thriller in Austria.

Jose Mourinho’s men twice took the lead and substitute Dele Alli’s 86th-minute penalty looked to be enough to seal it until Mamoudou Karamoko fired home in injury time to make it 3-3.

Both Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son got themselves on the scoresheet before being withdrawn with this weekend’s north London derby on the Special One’s mind.

Despite scoring three times, not all of Spurs’ attacking players were at the races against LASK Linz, particularly Lucas Moura, who was abysmal during his 65 minutes.

He was likely taken off because of his display rather than that being a sign of his potential selection on Sunday afternoon.

The £22.5m-rated Brazilian was lightweight in his battles, winning just two on the ground and two aerial, meaning he won only 36% of all duels attempted against the Bundesliga outfit, as per SofaScore.

He also was all over the place in terms of passing, making just nine of 14 touches (64%). An embarrassing number considering goalkeeper Joe Hart managed three more.

This was backed up by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who claimed the wide man “frequently gave the ball away in the first half.”

Moura, who earns around £80k-per-week in N17, failed to record a single shot or cross from the left flank and even lost possession eight times.

The 28-year-old has not started in any of Spurs’ last four Premier League fixtures, being restricted to a total of 30 minutes from substitute appearances, and now he’s going to find it even tougher to break into the XI having let his manager down immensely with his display tonight.

Even in leaking three goals, £42m liability Davinson Sanchez was better, earning a rating of 6.9 compared to Moura’s 6.4. The Colombian colossus also enjoyed a better pass success rate (75%), won 87.5% of his duels and recorded eight clearances, via SofaScore.

In fact, only two players scored a worse rating than the struggling Ajax hero. It would be a surprise to see him involved from the off in a few days time.

AND in other news, 16 y/o record-breaker could become Levy’s biggest success since Harry Kane…

Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet by not signing FC Nordsjaelland forward Isaac Atanga, after it emerged that Ross Wilson had expressed an interest in signing the former uncapped Ghana U20 international in the summer.

What was the story?

According to Ghanaian outlet Kickgh.com, Steven Gerrard’s side were interested in signing the right winger, who can also be deployed as a forward or on the left wing.

It’s claimed that the Gers had even held talks with the Tigers, although Atanga had also attracted attention from several top European clubs including Alaves, Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Feyenoord, meaning they would have had to battle it out to land the 20-year-old’s services.

Nordsjaelland had reportedly slapped a €9m (£8m) asking price on his head, which would have been a rather expensive pill for Rangers to swallow, as you are about to find out.

Worse than Brandon Barker!

The Ibrox outfit were ready to raid the Danish top flight for Atanga after he struck seven goals and supplied five assists in 35 games in all competitions last season.

Belgian side Brugge were also monitoring the one-time Gers target at one stage, but it appears they cooled their interest whilst Nordsjaelland rebuffed interest from elsewhere as they held firm on their initial asking price and a move failed to materialise in the summer.

However, Gerrard appears to have dodged a bullet, given Atanga’s struggles in the 2020/21 season so far. It’s fair to say that the goals have started to dry up for the young Ghanaian, as he has failed to find the back of the net in the Superligaen since the 1-1 draw with Odense BK back in September.

Meanwhile, Brandon Barker, who’s playing time has been limited in the Scottish Premiership (30% minutes) this season so far, and has mostly appeared as a substitute for that matter, has scored one goal in seven games in the top flight, via Transfermarkt.

By comparison, Atanga, who has featured regularly for the Tigers (72% minutes), has also only scored once in seven league appearances, although this shows that he has a far worse minutes-to-goals ratio than the 24-year-old at the time of writing.

Once praised for his “great start” by Flemming Pedersen last term, the attacking midfielder has struggled for consistency this season, as he started the first three fixtures in a row, before he was benched for the 4-1 win over FC Midtjylland, making a brief cameo as a substitute, which will give the Gers plenty of reasons why they must avoid him at all costs. After all, the last thing they need is another misfiring forward.

When you consider the fact that the £1.8m-rated ace is still largely unproven at the top levels of the game, you do have to wonder why Wilson was ever even interested in him in the first place.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must reward Glasgow Rangers ace Glen Kamara with new contract…