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Former Queens Park Rangers coach, Glenn Hoddle has revealed that he believes the key to his former employers avoiding relegation back to the Championship is going to be their home form.

Speaking to Matthew Dunn of the Express, on behalf of the City Index Celebrity Trader Challenge, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager said:

“Now the key to their season is winning games at home – building that belief and taking those chances when they come along. They have three more games at Loftus Road and nine more points would be enough this season to stay in the top flight.

“Trouble is, the first of those games is against Chelsea. But it is all about confidence and to be fair, Chelsea have not done that well at Loftus Road in recent seasons.

“And just look at what Burnley did with a bit of confidence, getting wins against Manchester City and then a good draw against Tottenham.

“Chelsea may not be focused 100 per cent because they effectively wrapped up the championship with the results last weekend. And Mourinho is all about just getting them over the line and that is an approach that has been found out as not good enough in the Champions League.”

QPR currently sit in the bottom three of the Premier League, however, before today’s games kicked off, they were just two points behind Hull City and trailing Sunderland and Aston Villa by three points.

Four points from their last two games, from clubs in and around them, is a step in the right direction for Chris Ramsey’s side, although, if Glenn Hoddle is right that the remaining three games at Loftus Road are key to any hopes of survival then QPR will have to do something they haven’t managed since the 20th December and win a Premier League game at home – 3-2 win against West Bromwich Albion on that day.

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Hoddle left QPR shortly after Harry Redknapp did, however, Redknapp has revealed in recent days that he felt he’d lost support of certain people at the club rather than the knee surgery requirements that he first gave as his reason for stepping down.

Boss Malky Mackay says he is already working out who to splash his £25m summer transfer kitty on after leading Cardiff to promotion.

The club’s Malaysian owners promised the City boss this allowance if they achieved promotion to the Premier League this season. Now that this objective has been reached following Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Charlton, he is busy drawing up his wish-list.

“We’re going to plan properly and that’s started already and we’ll now put that into action,” he told BBC sport.

“We’ll make sure the departments we’ve opened up at the football club and the structure we’ve implemented keeps striving forward.

“Change is constant and if you don’t go with it, you’re left behind.”

Cardiff will become the second Welsh side in the top flight next season as they join Swansea in the division and it will be the first time they are back up with the elite since 1961.

Mackay did admit his side would face a “huge challenge” of avoiding relegation next season. However, the manager has the proven ability to transform a club. Within the past two seasons, Cardiff added 20 players and the manager altered their training, scouting and sports science techniques.

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“We’ll continue that to make sure we give ourselves the best chance we can in the Premier League” he said.

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When Philippe Coutinho was at Liverpool, his fellow Brazilian Roberto Firmino went under the radar.The two played in completely different positions, but Coutinho’s creativity in midfield stole most of the headlines.Since the 25-year-old left the Merseyside outfit to join Barcelona in January, Mohamed Salah has taken the role of the Reds’ ‘best player’, but Firmino has also begun receiving plenty of plaudits.The 26-year-old has established himself as the ideal number 9 in Jurgen Klopp’s team having scored 24 goals in all competitions and creating 11 assists this season.[ad_pod ]Firmino possesses attacking flair, but he also drops back to nick the ball off his opponents, which adds another dimension to his game.The Brazilian has previously been overlooked, but his ability and work-rate has certainly not gone unnoticed this season.In fact,ÂSquawka has revealed on TwitterÂa statistic that shows just how much quality Firmino has in his position.

The fact that the former Hoffenheim attacker is the only player in the Premier League to rack up 62 tackles as well as 53 chances proves that he is invaluable to Klopp’s team.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool fans have been very impressed with this latest statistic.

Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..Comment from discussion Roberto Firmino is the only player in the Premier League this season to win 60+ tackles and create 50+ chances..

Manuel Pellegrini has been getting hot under the collar over the last few weeks. Manchester City have had their confidence knocked massively due to successive losses in both the Champions League – which they are now out of – and in the League. At Old Trafford last weekend, Pellegrini was greeted with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from the United faithful.

Is there some truth in this – is Manuel Pellegrini’s job safe?

In a nutshell, no. Truly, no manager’s job is safe in football. But at the minute, Pellegrini’s job is hanging in the balance. You only need to look at City’s last manager to see what lies ahead for Pellegrini.

Roberto Mancini’s time at the Etihad brought the Sky Blues Premier League glory, but his tenure ended all too abruptly. Mancini lead his side to the Premier League title in 2012, in one of the most dramatic final days of the season ever. Sergio Aguero’s winner in added time meant City won the title on goal difference over their local rivals Manchester United. It was the first time City had won the title in the Premier League era, but this huge achievement was not enough.

Mancini was sacked exactly one year after masterminding that historic title victory. This was largely down to the fact Manchester City could not perform in Europe (which is still the case now), lost the FA Cup to Wigan, and could not retain the title. But, how many teams could attain all three? Not many. But for City, their targets weren’t met so it was time to say goodbye to Roberto.

And now for Manuel Pellegrini, it looks like it is history repeating itself. Pellegrini bagged the Premier League last year in his first season in charge. But they are out of the Champions League, just like all other English sides. They aren’t in the FA Cup, and they will not be winning the Premier League again this year. They have dropped down to fourth, and it is not even certain that they will finish there.

Coincidentally – or not so – Jurgen Klopp has announced he will be relieving himself of his managerial duties at Borussia Dortmund at the end of this season. So come the 1st of July, Klopp will be free to manage another side. Could it be Manchester City? You would certainly bet on it.

Then again, this could be Klopp’s fate in two years’ time, should he take the position.

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Phil Jagielka has revealed he is yet to fully recover from a knee injury but will not let the pain stop him playing for Everton.

The centre-half had to take a painkilling injection ahead of the win over Stoke on Saturday and may have to do so again before the Goodison Park side travel to top-four rivals Spurs on Saturday.

Everton are still involved in the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League, as they trail fourth-placed Chelsea by four points, and Jagielka is desperate to do all he can to help his side secure a place in Europe’s top competition next season.

“It’s not quite healed up yet but it will get there and I can play without any problems,” Jagielka told the Liverpool Echo.

“I’ve got to have an injection to take a bit of the pain away because there’s still a bit of scar tissue but it’s part and parcel of being a footballer.

“I’ve been desperate to get back training and playing with the lads. It’s a boring time being on your own, especially being injured.

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“I’ve been there before and so it’s been nice to get back amongst it this week, even more so to play.”

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Manchester City’s media team, as well as the companies associated with the club, would have created plenty of content ready for the day when the team were crowned Premier League champions.

That day was Sunday, and Pep Guardiola’s side secured the title without even kicking a ball thanks to their neighbours Manchester United.

After overcoming Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Wembley at the start of the weekend, City knew that defeat for United against West Bromwich Albion would hand them the English crown.

Nobody would have expected bottom-of-the-table Baggies to get anything out of the contest, but they proved the doubters wrong by earning a 1-0 win over Jose Mourinho’s side.

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As a result, City took an unassailable 16-point lead with five games left to play, and celebrations ensued.

One particular tribute video to the club’s success has taken centre-stage, but for all the wrong reasons.

Club sponsor Etisalat UAE, which is a telecommunications operator based in the Middle East, posted a video on Twitter to congratulate the team.

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The likes of Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan drew on their acting chops for the clip, which featured a bizarre chant throughout.

A few days ago, City were being mocked for falling at the quarter-final hurdle in the Champions League, and now they are being ripped apart for another reason.

Last week, women around the country spoke up about their love of football and why despite the age we live in, sexism is still a heavy part of the sport.

From our fantastic England team who have reached the Cyprus Cup final, to the lineswomen and assistant referees, to the CEOs, directors and other members of staff, women are an integral part of football in the 21st century.

Last week, alongside International Women’s Day, the group “women in football,” which represents more than 1200 women in the sport, contacted all 92 Football League clubs about the issue of sexism after footage emerged of Chelsea’s medic Dr Eva Carneiro and assistant referee Helen Byrne suffering sexist chants and taunts at matches.

Do people really think this is still acceptable? Many fans see it as banter, but it’s demeaning and unfair.

It’s not just those on the pitch that have to deal with sexism on a regular basis, Karen Brady has well documented the sexist remarks that have been made against her – she famously sold a player after he said something sexist to her on a club coach.

People in all walks of life suffer with sexist remarks and as, a football writer and woman, I am one of them.

I have been a football fan and football player since I was a little girl and since then I have been used to people looking at me differently when I started joining in with football chat – that is until they realised I actually knew what I was talking about.

As a football journalist I come across sexist comments occasionally and most of the time they just go straight over my head and I laugh at them. But sometimes you cannot help but feel insulted.

I have only been a sports journalist for about two years and while most of the time I will encounter nothing when writing or investigating stories, but there has been the occasional time I have been shocked at comments made against me.

I was writing a story late one night whilst talking with my editor via email – it had been one of those stupidly busy nights where basically every team in England had played and we were in a rush to get everything out. Despite being the only one working that night, the editor was not happy with the speed at which I was working.

I listened to said editor bang on about why women should not be in football – “Women should not be on a sports desk, they belong in the kitchen.” I was gobsmacked. Why I didn’t report it?

I had just started my career and quite simply he could ruin it in one foul swoop. I was not prepared to risk that for one stupid comment.

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I think that’s one of the problems why sexism exists. There is a large part of us that know what we are getting ourselves into by getting into the football industry.

We know there will be days where things are said that hurt us, days where we can shrug them off but most of the time things are great because we are doing what we love best.

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Liverpool’s resounding 5-0 victory over a weakened Swansea side at the weekend at Anfield provided a small sign of hope that while a place in the top four by the end of the season looks a long shot, that with a reasonably straightforward fixture list between now and the end of the campaign, that the side still stands a chance.

With manager Michael Laudrup clearly trying to prepare his team for their big day out at Wembley next week as they head into the Capital One Cup final against League Two’s Bradford City as the overwhelming favourites, his decision to rest a number of key faces was at least understandable, even if the performance was unforgivable. Nevertheless, the manner of the hosts win saw them end a five-match winless streak and finally put to bed the statistical anomaly that has dogged their season so far – the fact that they had failed to win a game against a team ranked inside the top ten in the league all season and after Southampton’s surprise win over Manchester City the other week, they even became the last side in the top flight this term to do so.

Of course, that includes the recent 2-0 loss in front of their own fans to West Brom, which looked every inch the textbook away performance from a limited but resilient Baggies. While Brendan Rodgers’ side were far from their best, they should still have done enough to avoid yet another embarrassing defeat to a team they should be beating on home soil and it perfectly encapsulated their up and down campaign so far. In times of transition, an inconsistent nature will be rife and the side are already looking worryingly reliant on Daniel Sturridge to galvanise their fluid attack up front.

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Next up on the agenda are Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League and a testing but not insurmountable 2-0 deficit to overhaul, but should they fail to be inspired on Thursday and exit at the first knockout stage of the competition, it could have a positive effect in the long run on their top four hopes, with both Tottenham and Chelsea still likely to go further into the draw.

Liverpool sit nine points off Tottenham in fourth at the moment having played a game more than Andre Villas-Boas’ side and Rodgers sounded cautious on his team’s chances of clinching an unlikely turnaround in their league fortunes after the Swansea win, telling reporters: “I am an optimist, you have to be, but we’ll not get too carried away. I’ve likened us to a marathon runner just getting ready for the finish line, ready to make our move, and then we trip ourselves up.

“That is something we have to change going forward for the remainder of the season and finish as strong as we can.”

They are the words of a man refusing to throw in the towel in public but acutely aware that his side are in last-chance saloon territory. Of the club’s final 11 games, five of them are at Anfield and all against teams with plenty left to play for in Chelsea, Everton, Tottenham, QPR and West Ham. It could work both ways but with Rafa Benitez’s side still possessing the ability to implode at any given moment and Tottenham stretched by a relatively thin squad competing on two fronts, there could be just a glimmer of an opening.

When you throw into the mix that the club’s remaining away games are against Wigan, Southampton, Reading, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Fulham and it becomes increasingly clear that the vast majority of the team’s difficult away games this season are already out of the way and that a run, the sort required now to play themselves back into contention, is certainly possible.

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Under Rodgers’ guidance, the club do still look dangerously fragile at the back to the counter and any sort of physical battle, while the lack of leadership on show at times will have to be seriously addressed in the summer, but in a campaign where being the tallest dwarf might be just enough to tip them over the line, even with a sizeable point gap to overcome, they are worthy of consideration.

It’s difficult to ever truly tell when this Liverpool side has turned a corner and just when it looks as if they are starting to put a run together, they deliver a performance and result like the one against Aston Villa, or West Brom just last week, but with a kind fixture list between now and their last game at home to QPR on May the 19th, they at least stand a chance still of validating their undoubted progress in recent months.

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Newcastle fans are having the time of their lives this Easter, as Alan Pardew became the latest Premier League manager to lose his job.

Things probably didn’t feel like they could get any better for Newcastle fans last summer, as they got promoted as champions while arch-rivals Sunderland went down the other way.

After a difficult season, things are now looking even better for the Magpies though, as back to back wins against relegation rivals has moved Rafa Benitez’s side into 12th, seven points clear of the bottom three.

As if escaping relegation trouble and beating Manchester United in the space of a month wasn’t enough to lift spirits on Tyneside, West Brom have today announced that Alan Pardew is leaving the club by mutual consent.

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This may seem relatively insignificant to fans outside of Newcastle, but the Toon Army are celebrating the news like they’ve just beaten another relegation rival.

Pardew managed the Magpies from 2010 to 2014, and earned plenty of animosity from fans for his awful management and multiple conflicts and controversies.

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West Brom are currently bottom of the league, ten points adrift of safety, and Newcastle fans are absolutely loving Pardew’s downfall.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

With Winston Reid’s future still in the balance, West Ham may be looking to strengthen the centre their defence this month. Although the centre-back position is a priority, there is little money available for big transfers this month.

Instead Allardyce believes that loan signings are the only possibility for recruitment this January due to the financial fair play regulations: “There is limited finance for us, as I have said before, on the financial fair play side of it.

“So anybody coming in on a permanent basis wouldn’t be possible for us, I don’t think, based on the budgets that we have got available.

“Maybe a loan player or two, but not a permanent deal.”

West Ham will be looking to grab a bargain in the winter window in order to provide further depth to a squad that has just three senior centre-backs. The addition of Canadian defender Doniel Henry this month is a signing for the future but Allardyce knows that he needs to sign a player that can immediately settle into the first team in order to provide competition for Winston Reid, James Tomkins and James Collins.

Here are FIVE budget centre-backs West Ham should sign this January…

Azubuike Egwuekwe

Recent reports suggest that West Ham have taken the Nigerian international on trial with a view to signing the centre back permanently. The 25-year-old has 33 caps for his country but is yet to play club football outside of Nigeria.

The Warri Wolves defender has talent but the leap from Nigerian football to the Premier League could be a problem. A bid of around £1 million should be enough to sign the defender and the fee would not break the financial fair play constrictions that West Ham have to adhere to.

Efe Ambrose

Another Nigerian defender, Efe Ambrose has become a regular starter at Celtic alongside the impressive Virgil van Dijk. He has 46 senior caps for his country and can play in both the centre-back and right-back positions of defence, something that will appeal to Allardyce.

He could be available for around £3 million which means West Ham may have to sell to buy. The  defender has been strongly linked with a switch to the Premier League for a number of transfer windows and could be the cheap but effective option that West Ham need.

Nicolas N’Koulou

The Marseille defender has enjoyed an excellent season so far with Marseille as the French club currently sit 2nd in the league. The 24-year-old’s contract runs out at the end of the season and there is no sign of the Cameroonian committing himself to a new deal.

Therefore, Allardyce may choose to wait until the summer to snap up the talented centre-back. N’Koulou is understood to be good friends with Alex Song so a potential deal for the defender could persuade Song to join West Ham in the long run as well.

Lewis Dunk

Dunk has enjoyed a fine season with Brighton so far, often being the only shining light in a defence that has struggled this season. The 22-year-old has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs and West Ham feel that he could be the ideal Winston Reid replacement if the new Zealander decides to leave.

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A bid in the region of £5 million would be an attractive proposition for the Championship side but again, it’s a case of one out, one in at West Ham if they wanted to pay the fee and sign Dunk.

Dan Burn

Another young Championship defender that has impressed this term, Fulham centre-back Dan Burn has been attracting interest from the Premier League this window. Standing at 6’7, the defender would fit the bill for Allardyce, as Burn is a threat from set pieces as well as being a commanding figure in the heart of defence.

Similarly to Dunk, a bid of around £4 million could see the young Englishman leave Craven Cottage this month.