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Sports Minister Hugh Robertson has revealed that he is concerned with the issue of racism in football, but believes it has improved over the last 20 years.

The MP’s comments come after a range of incidents within the Premier League over the last year which have raised concerns over whether anti-racism campaigns are working and whether enough is being done to remove it from the field and terraces.

Robertson told Sky Sports: “Am I concerned? Yes. But do I recognise a huge progress has been made over the last 20 years? Very much so.

“That said, this is a problem that is never going to go away. I feel it will always be with us, it will reoccur from time to time, despite the huge progress that has been made.

“That is why it is really important that we back the bodies that are fighting it, like Kick It Out. Give them our full support and we all do everything we can to make sure that this problem does not occur again in the future.”

Robertson also revealed that he sent a letter to UEFA expressing his concern over the events in Serbia after England u21 defender Danny Rose was allegedly racially abused by fans and his fellow team mates were attacked by the Serbian players and coaches.

“When I watch the events that took place in the u21 international in Serbia one of the first things I did the next morning was for me to write personally to the president of UEFA expressing my concern with it, and that letter is a matter of record,” he said.

“To be fair, he had written back to me that very evening saying that they took these allegations extremely seriously, they would be investigating and that he would let me know when the investigation had been completed.

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“So there was no indication there that they were going to do anything other than treat this with the upmost severity.”

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West Ham are nearing deals for two central defenders, but could their decisiveness in the transfer market be bad news for Declan Rice?

Last season was a long and miserable year for West Ham fans, but one of the silver linings of the cloudy season was the emergence of Declan Rice.

Fans have had high hopes for the youngster for quite some time, and when he finally broke through into the first team he did not disappoint.

The 19 year-old, who can play as a central defender of defensive midfielder, made 26 Premier League appearances, averaging 1.4 tackles and one interception per game while boasting a 79 per cent pass success rate.

According to recent reports though, the Hammers are going to add not one but two centre backs this summer.

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Sky Sports claim Issa Diop is all set for a medical, and the young French defender will likely cost around £22m, so he will almost certainly get a starting spot.

Swansea City’s towering defender Alfie Mawson has also been heavily linked, and the big Englishman would be a vast improvement on the current defensive crop in East London.

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Rice could of course move in to midfield, but Manuel Pellegrini is expected to make additions in that department as well, so the Hammers’ summer plans could potentially hamper Rice’s progress.

So, if Diop and Mawson both join, does Rice have an immediate future with the Hammers? Should he start? West Ham fans, let us know by voting in the poll below…

The January transfer window was one of positives and negatives for Liverpool. On the one hand, they were essentially forced to surrender Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, but on the other they gave their defensive ranks a much-needed upgrade with a swoop for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk.

Excluding future add-ons and bonuses involved in those deals, that saw Liverpool take in a net profit of £37.08million last month according to Transfermarkt. But considering the Reds lost a key player and aren’t exactly guaranteed a place in this season’s top four, some would argue that surplus of funds represent an opportunity missed for the Merseysiders.

Accordingly, we asked Liverpool fans last week whether they were happy with their club’s efforts in the transfer market and the response was a surprisingly stern no, with 79% of those who took part in our poll left feeling displeased.

Which targets would you have liked to see the club bring in last month, Liverpool fans? Let us know by voting below…

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After ending their Everton hoodoo, Manchester City now look on course to claim the Premier League title after moving ahead of Liverpool on goal difference. Although they have two games to play, the Sky Blues look unlikely to slip up at home to Aston Villa and West Ham, meaning they have eight fingers on the trophy. Although some will point to the massive money pumped into City’s squad, there is little room for arguing against their credentials. Here are three reasons City deserve to be crowned Premier League champions.

Goals

Even when City lost Aguero to injury they still had Dzeko to call on. The Bosnian has to be best the best backup striker in the league, and showed just why today with two goals.

https://vine.co/v/MrQiz1gLwtM/embed/simple

Big players

City have assembled a squad of top names with experience at the very highest level.

Experience

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Having won the title two years ago, Vity have the experience and know-how as they showed at Everton.

The Premier League is the perfect platform for player’s to perform and make themselves legends, it’s the most watched football league in the world and possesses some of the best players on the planet.

But this is a chart drawing attention to those who show promise or have tasted success in the Premier League only to fall desperately short of the expectations laid out for them. A mixture of failed young prospects who failed to capitalise after signs of excellence on the biggest stage. Also players who went of the boil in the division, when from the outside looking in, they should have been reaching their prime.

This blog concerns players still contracted to Premier League clubs so unfortunately players who briefly shone, in the division before being found out and shipped away from the league aren’t eligible, so I’ll just have to find another way to include Collins John into my writing.

Click on Kenwyne Jones to unveil the 10

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West Ham fans are absolutely gutted about the latest injury news, as Manuel Lanzini has damaged his knee on international duty with Argentina.

West Ham’s Lanzini will miss the World Cup this summer, after the little playmaker ruptured his anterior knee ligament in Argentina training.

The crafty playmaker had been brilliant in Argentina’s World Cup warm-ups, and the injury is an absolutely devastating blow.

ACL injuries can take anywhere from six to nine months to full recover, so the news will have a huge effect on West Ham’s transfer business.

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Lanzini missing time last season was a huge factor in the Hammers’ struggles, and they now desperately need to add some playmaking ability this summer.

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The 25 year-old, who still managed five goals and six assists despite only starting 23 league games last season, is a fan favourite in East London, as he is one of the few players that can make something out of nothing.

Fans have been showing their disappointment on Twitter, and you can find some of the best reactions down below…

The last 10 months have been agonising for Everton star Seamus Coleman as he has had to recover from a serious injury.

The 29-year-old broke his right leg in two places while playing for the Republic of Ireland in March 2017.

Since then, the Everton star has been working his way back to fitness, and it seems as though he is edging closer to a return to competitive action.

The Irishman made an appearance for the Under-23s on Tuesday night, but it is unclear when he will be welcomed into Sam Allardyce’s squad.

As expected, plenty of fans were delighted by the news that Coleman is building up his fitness.

Others suggested that Coleman should be used to fill the left-back void, which so many supporters are keen for a new player to take on.

Leighton Baines is currently on the treatment table, but at the age of 33, it is time for Everton to start looking for a replacement.

Cuco Martina has been positioned at left-back during his teammates’s absence, but the 28-year-old has failed to impress.

The role is not entirely suited to the Dutchman given that he is predominantly right-footed.

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Coleman has played as a right-back throughout his career, but despite this, some fans want him to switch positions if a new player is not bought by the end of the month.

Manchester United lack fighting spirit under David Moyes, according to former Red Devils goalkeeper Roy Carroll, reports Sky Sports.

Carroll watched his current Olympiakos teammates inflict a damaging 2-0 defeat on his former club in the Champions League last week, and believes the current crop of United stars have been shirking responsibility since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

“(The first-leg win) was a shock for a lot of press people but the players knew themselves they had a chance,” the 36-year-old said.

“We watched a lot of Premier League games this season and knew United had not been performing. On the night when I was watching it live from the stands, I’ve never seen a Manchester United team like it.

“They’ve got good players but they had no hunger, no fight in the team so it was a shock in that way but not a shock the way we played. The goals we got were well deserved.

“At the end of the day you can be a good player but you have to give 100 per cent and give everything.

“For me Manchester United didn’t give that and looked like they had no hunger and fight for the game.

“I don’t know if they thought they would get an easy game but no professional should go into a football match and think that.”

United have struggled all season under Moyes, and Carroll – who spent four years at Old Trafford between 2001 and 2005 – reckons the players have slacked off following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

“They might have slacked off since Sir Alex left, it’s football,” he added.

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“People have their routines. You can’t do that in the Premier League. It’s a big league with top and bottom teams fighting for points and you have to be prepared every game.”

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Stoke winger Matthew Etherington has stated that team-mates Peter Crouch and Ryan Shawcross should be in the England squad.

The pair have impressed for the Potters this season but the midfielder feels that Roy Hodgson will not pick the pair as they play at the Britannia Stadium and not one of the bigger clubs.

“There is no doubt Crouchie should be in the squad. His England record is second none, and he has been scoring regularly for us,” The Daily Mail quote Etherington as saying.

“His goals have been amazing, and he brings others into the game. He’s priceless for us, end of story.

“With John Terry finishing, Ryan should be in the frame as well. But it does seem that if you play for Stoke, there is a certain stigma attached to it.

“Crouchie should be in, and Ryan should definitely be looked at, after performing consistently and helping us keep clean sheets. But it isn’t happening, and it is frustrating. It’s a puzzle, without a doubt.

“It says it all, really, that no-one was here today. The England manager says he is going to pick players on merit.

“He should follow his word. I don’t want to come across as “we are Stoke and everyone hates us” but Crouchie is a given and Ryan should be getting a mention.

“We are light on centre-forwards, and it’s difficult to know what more Crouchie can do than score 15 goals last season and another five so far this time. It’s the same with Ryan.

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“He and Robert Huth have to be one of the best partnerships in the country, and if he keeps performing to such a high level, he must be in with a shout,” he concluded.

England play San Marino and Poland in World Cup qualifiers in October.

By Gareth McKnight

Jack Grealish was perhaps the best player on the pitch at Wembley last Saturday as Aston Villa were seen off 1-0 by Fulham in the Championship play-off final.

He was targeted by the Whites and ultimately found himself outnumbered in terms of the number of artists on both sides; he was Villa’s talisman while Fulham could boast the class of Tom Cairney, Ryan Sessegnon and Alexandr Mitrovic among others on their side.

Grealish is the darling of the Holte End and surely his boyhood club’s biggest hope of promotion next season but has reportedly attracted Premier League interest from Leicester City among others.

So we asked Villa fans whether they should cash in on the playmaker or keep him at the club ahead of a renewed effort at getting promoted next season and the two schools of thought were surprisingly close.

42 per cent of the Midlands club’s fans were pragmatic and want their club to cash in on Grealish as you can see from the full poll results below…

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