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Too good to go down? We hear the same expression almost every season in the Premier League, with one ‘fallen giant’ nearly always seen slipping towards the brown stuff at this time of year.

Everton are the unfortunate team this season, which is a remarkable fall from grace given that 12 months ago Champions League qualification was a genuine and realistic aim at Goodison Park.

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Roberto Martinez’s men have stuttered this term, though. Perhaps the weight of expectation is too much now? The responsibilities of European football too demanding? Or maybe they just got lucky last season? Whatever the case, the drop to the Championship is just six points below the Merseysiders at time of writing, making second tier football an all too realistic prospect. However, ‘Bobby M’ has changes he could make, and here are FIVE…

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Get Barkley firing again

Everton were a bright, vibrant and exciting attacking force last season, and a major part of the feel-good factor was Ross Barkley. The youngster truly broke through under Martinez after years of hype and talk, with his youthful exuberance in the middle of the park and willingness to get forward and beat his man infectious. As with many emerging talents, the England international’s form has tailed off a little this term, though, with a lack of confidence in the team almost dragging him down and the criticism of his mistakes forcing Barkley into his shell.

A little patience and a free role as a ‘No. 10’ could be the remedy, with the 21-year-old a player with enough quality to turn games.

More flexibility from Martinez

A football purist, Martinez has always been reluctant to divert away from his neat passing, attacking style. At Wigan he eventually surpassed his nine lives, and dropped, but all looked fine last season as the system truly clicked for the Toffees. But now with confidence low, playing in such a manner is tricky, with players overthinking passes and taking too long on the ball.

With an outlet such as Romelu Lukaku, Everton have the ability to go more direct, which would relieve the pressure on the midfield and creaking backline and perhaps inject some belief into the team. There’s no shame in adapting to circumstance.

Turn Barry’s suspension into a positive

Garth Barry’s two-game ban for picking up yet another yellow card last night may actually be a positive. The former England international is a walking caution-magnate, and even though his experience and know-how are useful, his lack of mobility and drive in a flat midfield three are drawbacks.

With his hand forced, Martinez may opt to go a bit more attacking, perhaps pushing Barkley into an advanced role with James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic sitting behind.

Use European action as a springboard

While the Europa League is often harangued for its tiring effects and fixture congestion, the competition has been a welcome break for Everton this term. Arguably the Premier League team with the greatest chance of continental success, a feel good factor from getting deeper into the tournament may be enough to breed confidence at Goodison Park, which is vital in the way Martinez likes to play.

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With Young Boys convincingly dispatched, Dynamo Kiev await in the last-16, and, as Fulham proved a few years back, punching above your weight is a realistic aim in the competition.

Add some width

A flat three in the middle of midfield and Steven Naismith on one flank made Everton very narrow at Stoke. A complete disregard for the wing cut off the chance to whip balls into Romelu Lukaku, while the threat of overlapping full-backs – Baines and Coleman were so good last season – seems to have disappeared.

Aiden McGeady may return soon and Christian Atsu impressed for Ghana at the AFCON, so Martinez has options.

Sometimes here at the Football Transfer Tavern we think it can be a bit of a challenge to compile top ten lists – for example if we had to make a list of Fernando Torres misses, we would not know where to start there is simply so many of them.

Struggle and debate as we may there has not been a more difficult one than this – ugliest Liverpool players of all time. Quite frankly a top ten is not enough we think a top one hundred may just about cover it as all we need to do is go through their current starting eleven which has some absolute draw droppers in it. In fact some in the tavern even quip it may be a Howard Webb conspiracy that the side have such a disproportionate amount of ugly players in it.

As it is we have done our best to narrow the list down and get some crackers on here – there is still debate that we have not picked the right ones but when you know the rest of a side makes Jamie Carragher look like the next pin up for the club it is over before it has even begun. Here are our top ten ugliest Liverpool players of all time.

Click on Anfield to reveal the top ten ugliest Liverpol players of all-time.

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Manchester United fans may have celebrated a win in the English Premier League this weekend but it was a former hero of the Red Devils that stole headlines across the world with a stunning double for new club LA Galaxy.

The above volley was the first of two goals that ensured a 4-3 victory for Galaxy, with the second coming in stoppage time at the end of the game.

It’s the kind of magic we’ve come to expect over the years from the Swedish legend, but somehow he still manages to surprise and wow supporters even though he is now 36 years of age.

Man United fans couldn’t help but admire the incredible debut, with some left wondering why he wasn’t utilised more by Jose Mourinho before eventually leaving the club last week.

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MLS may be a lower standard than the English Premier League, but it’s clear the striker still has that magic touch that puts him on a level beyond most players in the top-flight.

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Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his impact at LA Galaxy…

While Sami Khedira remains close to returning to the Real Madrid first team after suffering a lengthy spell on the sidelines this season, his ultimate future at the Bernabeu remains in doubt beyond the end of the 2014/15 campaign. The 27-year-old German international, through a mixture of form-related and external circumstances, seemingly hasn’t been able to tie down a guaranteed place in Madrid’s starting XI since first signing for the La Liga giants back in 2010.

He may have made over 100 appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s current side – but as the combative midfielder has remained the subject of widespread transfer speculation with every passing window – the writing seems to already be on the wall for this former Stuttgart man. A potential move to England, where Khedira has supposedly long been admired since his successful stint at the 2010 World Cup, could therefore prove a promising opportunity for the half-Tunisian/half-German star.

With Schalke reported as the most recent front-runners to land the Real Madrid man however, are the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United ultimately going to miss out on the highly sought after World Cup winner this summer?

When pushed on the subject, current Schalke 04 manager and former Champions League winner with Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo, has been quick to sing the praises of Ancelotti’s in-demand midfielder;

“Khedira? We all know he’s a great player. If he wants to come, the door is open. He’s a world class player.”

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The former Bundesliga man seemingly could do the business for a number of Europe’s top sides next season then. He possesses an important ability to read the game effectively and make the most of his chances when they arrive. Just ask any Brazilian fan who had the displeasure of seeing the midfielder take apart their side in this summer’s dramatic 7-1 semi-final destruction of the host nation for evidence of the German’s talents.

Khedira displays a distinct intelligence on the ball, plays the box-to-box role better than most on his day, and alongside another midfield maestro in the centre of the park, the current Madrid man can simply boss proceedings with maximum ease. The player’s somewhat bulky stature makes his technical ability all the more impressive, and although he certainly doesn’t ply his trade with the same level of grace as someone of David Silva’s ilk, the determined no. 6 still benefits from putting his foot in and performing the ugly side of the game when the time comes.

At a side as illustrious and as high profile as Real Madrid however – where all the aforementioned abilities are considered no more than basic necessities to make it at the Bernabeu – a player like Sami Khedira was never going to fully take the world by storm. The 27-year-old simply fails to command the spotlight when playing alongside the likes of James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Ronaldo, which when all things are considered, shouldn’t take away from what the German international could potentially offer another of Europe’s top sides.

Although both Chelsea and Manchester United have reportedly been after the midfield enforcer in recent months, Arsenal simply remain the Premier League team most in need of Khedira’s services. He may not be the all-out holding midfielder that many among the Emirates faithful have been calling for of late – but as the Real Madrid man would certainly offer Arsene Wenger than bit more steel and power within the heart of Arsenal’s midfield – any move to bring the no. 6 to North London would likely receive a very warm welcome.

The Gunners really don’t need another name to add to their busy treatment room however, so with the German international seemingly failing to keep away from those frustrating niggles and long term injury concerns this season, perhaps Arsenal would be better served by looking elsewhere.

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With Schalke nonetheless in strong contention to land the World Cup winner though, it seems that the Premier League is ultimately going to miss out on the signing of Sami Khedira – no matter how important he could have potentially been throughout the course of next season. As nothing remains confirmed at this current stage however, the future remains open for Real Madrid’s talented midfielder enforcer.

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Tottenham have turned down an offer from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala for defender Younes Kaboul.

Anzhi restart their season next month and have been struggling to find a replacement for Chris Samba who left for QPR in January. They were hoping that they could strike a loan deal with Spurs for Kaboul but the offer was refused first in January and then when the transfer window in Russia closed on Wednesday night.

The North London club want to keep Kaboul and Villas-Boas personally indicated that he very much features in his future plans, according to The Guardian

Kaboul has been out since the first game of the season with a knee injury that required surgery but he has just returned to training. The defender was impressive last season for Spurs and there is a good chance he might return to fitness in time to play in the remainder of their chase for a Champions League place.

The Frenchman, who earns around £35,000 a week, has a contract with Spurs until 2014 and he will most likely be offered an extension to stay at the club if he can manage to stay fit until the end of the season.

Anzhi resume their domestic season next month after the winter break and are currently in second place behind CSKA Moscow. They are in pursuit of top place and have signed Brazilian winger Willian and  left-back Andrey Yeschenko to aid them in their chase.

Meanwhile Gylfi Sigurdsson has warned his Spurs team mates that even if they beat rivals Arsenal this weekend then they will still have to perform to qualify for the Champions League.

“It is going to be a massive game for us,” said the Iceland international.

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“However, anything is possible in football. The league was won in the last minute on the last day [last time], so even if we beat them it is not finished. We want to get in to the Champions League, that is our aim. If we achieve that, we want to finish as high as we can.”

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Full-back has become one of the most physically demanding positions on the pitch in recent years and no manager in the Premier League is more aware of that than Mauricio Pochettino, who moved to ensure he still had four at his disposal last summer after Kyle Walker’s big-money move to Manchester City.

On the most part, Kieran Trippier has done the better job of making Walker’s void in the starting XI his own, with summer right-back signing Serge Aurier making three less Premier League starts than the five-cap England international so far this season.

It was Trippier who started last time out too in the 3-1 win over Chelsea. But Pochettino purchased Aurier, who Transfermarkt value at £18million, so he could have the ability to rotate and keep his defensive ranks fresh.

So, Tottenham fans, with a tricky visit to the Bet365 Stadium on the horizon, followed by a huge clash with Manchester City, which player do you think should start at right-back against Stoke City? Let us know by voting below…

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After missing out on eight (yep, EIGHT) potential deadline day additions, West Ham’s winter window is one to forget. Even though chairman David Gold urged fans to keep their Ovaltine warm and see out the yellow bonanza that was Sky Sports’ coverage of the big day, the Hammers didn’t quite get deals for the likes of Younes Kaboul and Emmanuel Adebayor over the line, but even though the deadline was just hours ago, we can now focus on the looming summer window.

With a new era beckoning for the Hammers at the Olympic Stadium, the club are at a crossroads. Good business could ensure they maintain their role as top four candidates, but in order to have a chance failings cannot be repeated… here are FIVE deals they should get over the line next time around.

Alexandre Song

While other clubs were reluctant to offer Alex Song a route back to the Premier League after his Barcelona hell, West Ham took the gamble, and have been, thus far, rewarded for the roll of the dice. The Cameroonian midfielder has been a key cog in the Irons’ engine room through the opening half of the season, and although some may have exaggerated his performances, he’s certainly been a terrific signing.

Naturally, the ‘bigger boys’ are now circling the ex-Arsenal man – Liverpool are particularly keen – but West Ham are, according to ‘Big Sam’, eager to make the arrangement a permanent one, which is surely a priority for the summer.

Winston Reid

Not strictly a signing, Reid should be a priority for the coming months, and potentially the summer. The New Zealand ace is currently in the final six months of his Irons contract, and the prospect of the star centre-back walking out of Upton Park and, potentially, to Arsenal or Spurs is a realistic one.

A new contract can be tied up at any point, and to build on, or even maintain, the form from this season in 2015/16, the key men in Allardyce’s XI must be kept.

Yevhen Konoplyanka

Although the January 2015 deadline was not as dominated by the name Konoplyanka as the January 2014 edition, the Ukrainian has remained in the thoughts of many Premier League fans, particularly those of Spurs.

The Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk wide-man’s future looks to be, at long last, away from his homeland, with a free move in the summer when his contract expires appears increasingly likely to happen. West Ham were linked with ‘Kono’ last year, with the winger open to a deal, and the prospect of getting in a top class player on the flanks for no fee is one ‘Big Sam’ surely cannot pass on.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

Among the flurry of late transfer links yesterday, Frenchman Gignac made a somewhat surprise appearance. The Marseille striker, now 29, has been linked with Premier League moves more times than we’d care to mention over the course of the past few years, but it had looked, until this season, that his time had passed.

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Yet, with l’OM flying in Ligue 1, Gignac has notched 14 goals in 23 games, alerting the Hammers. Even with Sakho, Valencia and Carroll on form, another goal-getter is always a bonus, particularly if European action is secured…

Carl Jenkinson

While Song is the loanee getting the attention, Jenkinson has been quietly impressive in the claret and blue. The dependable full-back joined the club from Arsenal, and in spite of their defensive troubles, there is every chance his future at the Emirates Stadium could be a bleak one.

A mooted £12m fee may be a little on the steep side, but with the young England international possessing the potential to get even better, he may be worth the gamble.

The life of a goalkeeper can often be a lonely one. After all, If you make a mistake as an outfield player, although you will be criticised, you can hide among your fellow teammates to an extent. However when you’re between the sticks and you make a costly error, there is very little escape, in particular if it results in the side dropping points.

David de Gea was close to completing one of his best performances in a Manchester United shirt, until his timid punch in the dying minutes of their game at Tottenham which cost his side three points and blew the title race open again. This isn’t the first mistake the young Spaniard has made in what has been a relatively inconsistent start to life at Old Trafford since his arrival in 2011.

Many have called for the man who cost in the region of £17million to be replaced already, despite the belief that he was one of the best young keepers in Europe when he was signed. I however disagree that he should be axed so soon regardless of his latest error.

At 22-years-old, he is still extremely young for a goalkeeper considering the majority play into their late 30’s. He still has a lot of maturing to do and has shown enough quality to suggest that he deserves a longer crack at the whip. Even yesterday, his performance was actually very good up until the error at the end, and people are quick to dismiss the fact he made several impressive saves to keep United ahead in the first place.

It is a slightly fickle view by many that a new goalkeeper can be signed, and United’s problems in that position will be solved. Is there really anybody that can come in and guarantee they will be any better? Unless a Casillas or a Neuer are on the agenda, this would be a pointless move in this moment in time.

The kind of names being linked with a switch to the club are Pepe Reina and Asmir Begovic. Reina has struggled a bit himself at Liverpool of late and looks to be on a downward spiral in his career and while Begovic has done very well for Stoke, making the transition to play for one of Europe’s elite is a different kettle of fish.

It takes a certain mentality to play for a club like Manchester United, one that not everyone has. We saw how many keepers Sir Alex Ferguson went through before finding a suitable replacement for Peter Schmeichel, in the shape of Edwin Van Der Sar. Ben Foster and Tim Howard are examples of those who struggled with the pressure of being United’s number one, but have gone on to be very solid and consistent performers currently for West Brom and Everton respectively.

Don’t get me wrong, De Gea himself may not possess the mentality needed, only time will tell. However I feel it is beginning to be embedded in him and he is starting to look more confident. His main flaws remain his ability to command the area and his aerial strength when coming for crosses, but as a general shot stopper he is excellent.

Although the whole ‘time to adapt’ excuse can seem rather cliched, it can’t be forgotten that he came from Spain and it does take time to get used to a new league. He was brought up on a game that has more focus on passing through teams, isn’t as direct and he would have no doubt had less crosses to deal with.

So far this season he has definitely improved in his general play in comparison to his first season. The ever changing back line in front of him, also without the presence of influential captain Nemanja Vidic until recently, wouldn’t have helped him either. I think he has been rotated too often with Anders Lindegaard as well as Ferguson has struggled to make a decision on the two, both often being axed after making costly errors. Consistency is key and I think the United chief must stick with De Gea in the next game and in my opinion give him the vote of confidence he deserves.

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While I understand how important a consistent goalkeeper is and he can’t be allowed season after season without showing any improvement, I feel his second season is too early to decide that he isn’t good enough.

While his errors could cost the side this season, I believe that by sticking with him, United will reap the rewards in the future.

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As reported by Wales Online, Wales manager Ryan Giggs has revealed why he has brought Rangers defender Declan John back into the national team fold after a near four year absence.

What’s the story?

Before recent friendlies against China and Uruguay, John had not featured for Wales since 2014, but his move to Rangers appears to have been the driving force behind Giggs selecting the left-back for the friendly double-header, alongside the likes of Harry Wilson, who also came into Wales’ plans after an extended absence.

As quoted by Wales Online, the Manchester United legend said:

“They had power in their legs, the fitness, and that makes a big difference. When you’re in and out of the reserves or the first team or you’re training with the first team but not playing regular first team football, it has an effect. Harry and Declan are seeing the benefits of playing week in, week out because you can’t beat playing competitive first team games. You get in a rhythm and that’s part of the reason why I started a lot of the players because they were in that rhythm of playing regularly. A lot of our players aren’t playing regularly and it makes a difference.”

After making his loan move from Cardiff City to Rangers permanent in January, can John develop even further at Ibrox and become a mainstay for Giggs’ Wales side?

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How much potential does he have?

When he first arrived at Ibrox last summer, many thought John would simply be back-up for the likes of Lee Wallace in the Rangers set-up, but he’s quickly made the position his own and even the return of the club captain from a lengthy injury may not be enough to oust the Wales international.

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Showing he is as adept in attack as he is in defence, the 22-year-old has thrilled Rangers fans on a consistent basis this season, one of the few bright spots in another disappointing season.

If he can continue to play regularly then his game can improve even more and given he is clearly rated by both his club and international managers, he could go on to reach a higher level than the Scottish Premiership.

The 11th of May 2013 – the greatest day in the history of Wigan Athletic football club. They reached the FA Cup final for the first ever time, going up against a Manchester City side worth hundreds of millions. Ben Watson’s last minute goal gave Wigan a fully deserved victory and unexpected FA Cup glory.

This sort of success would have been unimaginable in the mid 1990’s with the club lingering in the bottom half of the fourth tier. Unfortunately however, this glorious victory was short lived as three days later they were relegated to the Championship following a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal. Fast forward a year and a half and Wigan are sat second from bottom of the second tier in all sorts of trouble, needing one hell of a turnaround to avoid relegation to League One.

The rise of Wigan Athletic started when Dave Whelan bought the club back in 1995. With his help they quickly went from a mid-table Division Three side to a team capable of reaching unthinkable heights. In the 2002/03 season, they stormed Division Two amassing 100 points and winning promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in the club’s history. But their stay in the league was short lived, as the Latics achieved the improbable when they were promoted to the Premier League in 2005.

The club enjoyed a memorable first season in the top flight, finishing 10th and reaching their first major final, losing 4-0 to Manchester United in the League Cup. This was as good as it got for Wigan in terms of their league position, as in the years that followed they were regularly in a relegation battle. But they survived against the odds for eight years before finally perishing in 2013.

Over the years the club has seen some fantastic players come and go. Players such as Wilson Palacios, Antonio Valencia, Leighton Baines, Emile Heskey and James McCarthy were the main reasons why Wigan stayed in the Premier League for so long. But, due to the size of the club, keeping hold of these types of players proved difficult and many went onto bigger and better things.

That lack of ambition to a certain extent is why they find themselves where they are today. The loss of Roberto Martinez in 2013 certainly didn’t help and they haven’t replaced his high quality management skills since.

Last season saw the club finish 5th before falling short in the play-offs, but this season has seen the club hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The controversial appointment of Malky Mackay, coupled with Dave Whelan being charged for some unsavoury comments, not to mention the bad run of form on the field, have all capped off a tough few months for the Greater Manchester outfit.

The 1-0 defeat at home to Norwich at the weekend means Mackay is still without a win since taking over last month. They haven’t won for six league matches, since a 2-1 away victory at Derby in late October. Their failure to replace key departures in the summer has led to the struggles on the pitch. Key players such as Jordi Gomez, James McArthur and Jean Beasuejour left in the summer with McArthur attracting the highest fee of £7million to Crystal Palace.

There is still talent in the squad but the change of personnel and management has certainly disrupted their chances of moving forward. The once highly rated Callum McManaman is still impressing and with international experience in the likes of Scott Carson and James McClean, there is still quality in the side to survive.

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It has been a roller-coaster last few of years for Wigan, reaching new heights and achieving many firsts, but they need to careful they don’t fall back to where they once were.

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