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For the majority of David Moyes’ first season in charge at Manchester United, there has been a criticism of the Glaswegian’s inability to shake the mentality he held on to while at Everton: the mentality of the underdog.

Moyes quickly understood the vastness of his new club; he’s alluded on a number of occasions to just how overwhelming his new working environment is compared to the expectations he held prior to the move.

The constantly reloading rifle told of the dissatisfaction at seeing a Manchester United team play as if they were the weaker side in a tie, even if playing at Old Trafford. Moyes was conservative in his approach to tactics. Of course, he was handicapped by the severe lack of creative outlets in the centre of midfield, but he hardly ever gave the impression he was abandoning caution and sending his team out to pummel at the door of the opposition defence, as United have been known to do under Alex Ferguson.

The tie against Bayern Munich in the Champions League does give Moyes that opportunity to call on his ace card, the one that became such a valued ally while at Goodison Park.

Moyes hasn’t become a bad coach over night. The job at Old Trafford has exposed some of his shortcomings, but this is still a manager who was praised for the organisation of his Everton teams, building from the back and going out not to lose. It’s not the United way, but it can be over the course of two legs against Bayern.

United don’t have two of their three most important cogs to call on. Robin van Persie is out injured and Juan Mata is cup tied. It may force a recall of Adnan Januzaj to the starting XI, as well as a stay in the team for Shinji Kagawa, who has shown some promise in recent games.

But United, like most, have a steep climb. They’re unlikely to outscore Bayern if it turns into a back-and-forth, open game. Guardiola’s side can be irresistible going forward when they choose to turn on the style.

Instead, it should be about damage limitation. There is still a lot to salvage in the league, even if Champions League football is out of reach. A strong finish to the domestic season will be a boost to the rebuilding phase of this summer.

At Everton, Moyes knew how to prepare his sides defensively. Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin’s excellent partnership this season has the Moyes stamp all over it. It’s given Roberto Martinez a strong base with which to build his own team.

It’s not to say it will be easy against Bayern. Patrice Evra is out through suspension and Rafael has at least one mistake in him over the course of two legs. Adding to that, Nemanja Vidic is no longer the centre-back he once was, and, evidenced by the home derby defeat to Manchester City, United can suffer immensely from a lack of protection in midfield.

But that was when Moyes needed something. He threw caution to the wind with his team selection and went for a positive result. We’ve seen on a number of occasions this season that attacking, expansive football isn’t his strong suit.

Against Bayern, it will be time to call on his defensive preparation. His organisational skills as a manager have been plain for all to see over the years. He does have players currently at his disposal who are capable of working the flanks and tracking Bayern’s runners. Stacking the defences and forcing the game wide when in possession – which can bring a lot of promise if Rafinha is chosen at right-back and isolated – is part of what brought Moyes success at Everton.

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The clash with Bayern won’t be used as a means to measure Moyes as a United manager. It will be an opportunity for him to show his credentials as a good coach, a coach his builds defensive stability. His Everton sides may have had a poor record against the top teams in England, but you never expected them to get mauled to the tune of five or six-nil.

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Tuesday the 30th October 2012 is a very special night in the history of English football. In a season where football has been surrounded by negative publicity regarding diving, racism and players being injured by supporters, Arsenal’s 7-5 victory at Reading last night reminded us all why we love the beautiful game as much as we do.

On the eve of Halloween, the game produced one of the freakiest score lines in the history of football in this country. The 12 goal thriller broke the record for the most amount of goals scored in a League Cup tie since its inception.

The game was incidentally not the first encounter featuring 10 goals or over in a competitive match for referee Kevin Friend. He has officiated in another of the top 10 incredible score lines in English footballing history. I will have incredible respect for those who can guess which one before encountering the list.

So enjoy the top ten craziest score lines in the modern history of English football by clicking below

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According to the Daily Record, Sunderland are battling to sign Hibernian midfielder John McGinn this summer, but they will have to fight off top-flight teams for his signature.

Valued at £5million by Neil Lennon’s side, the 23-year-old is attracting a lot of interest and Sunderland will have to see off competition from West Ham, Aston Villa, Rangers and Celtic to secure the signing.

McGinn excelled for Hibernian last season, contributing five goals and two assists from central midfield as Hibs finished fourth in the Premiership, making the Europa Leauge qualifying round.

New manager Jack Ross is clearly not frightened to take on the big boys as Sunderland are hoping McGinn can help lift the club out of League One, and it’s clear to see why.

The hot-headed midfielder averaged a goal every 628 minutes last term, a solid return for a 23-year-old playing in the middle of the park.

McGinn finished the season with the joint-most yellow cards in the Premiership, with a total of 15, and although this ill-discipline could be improved, it shows he is prepared to scrap and fight for it, a key skill in the League One scrap.

He is a big game player, having scored two of his goals away at Celtic this season, and with a 42 per cent shot accuracy in the Premiership, he will definitely have some joy if he comes to League One.

The main problem is the transfer fee.

Will Sunderland realistically spend £5million on one very good player when that sort of money could overhaul a big chunk of the squad for many League One teams?

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Only time will tell, but if Sunderland do decide to bring McGinn to the Stadium of Light, they will have a serious prodigy on their hands that could help change their fortunes next season.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

According to reports by Russia media outlet soccernews.ru, Southampton have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes with the player not wanting to join ‘one of the worst clubs in the Premier League’.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Saints completed the club-record £19m signing of Monaco striker Guido Carrillo on Thursday night, and Sky Sports reported on the same day that they are keen to bring Quincy Promes to St Mary’s before the January transfer window slams shut as well.

However, soccernews.ru says that while the south coast outfit appear unwilling to pay the Dutchman’s €35 (£30.6m) price tag, the 26-year-old also isn’t keen on joining a team that currently lies in the relegation zone in the English top flight.

How has Promes done this season?

He has been in fine form, as he has been ever since he joined Spartak from FC Twente in 2015.

The Netherlands international has scored 15 goals – including two in the group stages of the Champions League – and provided a further eight assists in 25 appearances in all competitions this term, while he has 58 goals in 115 outings in total for the Russian Premier League side.

The 26-year-old is also direct and loves to run at opposition defenders, while the fact that he has played on both wings and as a centre-forward this season shows his versatility.

Could Saints still sign him?

Given the south coast outfit have never spent more than £20m on a player it was always difficult to see them spending more than £30m on one, but in the predicament they currently find themselves in they need as much attacking quality as possible in their team.

If that means smashing their transfer record for Promes then so be it, but it looks to be a difficult task to persuade the player that it would be a good move for him even if they are willing to do that.

Who could they target instead?

Links with Atletico Madrid’s Nicolas Gaitan have continued throughout the month, and it seems as though the Argentine winger is Southampton’s back-up if a deal for Promes doesn’t work out – as looks to be the case as things stand.

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In the wake of Manchester United’s dyer defeat away to Greek side Olympiakos, manager David Moyes has been quick to take the blame for his side’s performance.

The result, a comfortable 2-0 win for the home side, was if anything generous to the Premier League champions whose players looked withdrawn and disinterested throughout much of the encounter.

The dismal display then, served to further highlight the desperate need for new faces at Old Trafford, with the current squad looking beginning to look almost dilapidated in comparison to those of their domestic and continental rivals.

New signings Mata and Fellani, though logical buys, are in essence luxury players, though the performances of the latter perhaps merit that label in about the loosest way possible following his £27.5m move from Moyes’ former club Everton. Meanwhile, the form of longer serving players, something that could, when the club was under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson, be more or less relied upon has stuttered with players like Vidic and Van Persie failing to live up to expectations of late.

Thus at present, it would seem that the Red Devils require an evident leader, something that has been conspicuous by its absence in recent weeks.

One player in whom that quality is almost continually evident is Fulham’s Scott Parker. The midfielder, who has represented England at every level from under-16 onwards, has become renound for his high-effort performances which saw him become a regular for Roy Hodgson in the nation’s Euro 2012 campaign.

In the summer, with Spurs increasing ideas of grandeur that subsequently fell a little flat under then-manager Andre Villas Boas, it was evident that the midfielder would be available for the right price, which was almost certainly less than £5m.

Yet it was inexplicably relegated QPR who were the early front-runners for his signature, with none of the top-4 appearing the slightest bit interested, which considering the relatively nominal fee he would of commanded is little bizarre.

It’s not that he’s such a vocal leader on the pitch, or that he’s so phenomenally talented. What he is, however, is a bastion for an industrious, hard-working midfield game, something that fans’ have absolutely no trouble buying into and getting behind. Indeed, one would go as far as to say, if any player earns his money week in week out, it is without a doubt Scott Parker.

American Journalist William Saletan upon watching the 33-year old during his time at Tottenham commented “Parker doesn’t score or get credited with assists. He leaves that to the guys up front. What Parker does instead is win games. He does this not by punctuating the match but by controlling it. He smothers oncoming attacks. He forces opponents off the ball. He orchestrates distribution out of the back, setting in motion a Spurs onslaught that will culminate 60 yards downfield.

I’d seen Parker in TV highlights last year when he scored the odd goal for West Ham United. Otherwise, I’d hardly thought of him. But you can’t watch the game up close without noticing Parker.”

One would opine then, that it is exactly this kind of influence that United need right now, as opposed to the luxury (such as it is) of someone like Fellani, what the Old Trafford supporters crave at this time of discontent is players who will stand up and be counted.

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During their years of plenty, united became the epitomes of the squad depth principle. Among those various collections over the players, have been the workhorse type characters that every team needs to have in reserve like Nicky Butt, Park Ji-Sung both of whom would work very hard for the cause and justify the place on the pitch when it arose.

A example of a regular starter with such qualities, would have been the Roy Keane of old. That is not to say for a second that Parker is a good as Roy Keane, he isn’t, but what he is is a player who can consistently be relied upon and who’s effort levels are almost uncompromising.

And a purchase like that, for the princely sum of £5m, wouldn’t have been a bad bet by a manager who’s motivational skills are coming under close scrutiny.

Manchester United are looking to negotiate Nike’s biggest-ever sponsorship deal when renewal talks open in February.

The kit supplier’s 13-year partnership with the Red Devils expires in 2015, but talks about renewing the deal between the brand and the Premier League club are set to commence this winter, according to the Daily Mail.

Their current contract is estimated to be worth around £303m and United chief of staff Ed Woodward, who deals with commercial activities, is looking for a major increase.

The club will be sure to point out that football shirt sponsorship has increased massively since the initial agreement.

The Old Trafford club have negotiated a 2014-15 deal with American car manufacturer Chevrolet for an annual £52m, a six-fold increase on the Vodafone deal that coincided with the origins of Nike’s partnership.

Although the figure is unlikely to increase by the same amount, it is expected that the price-hike will be significant and Nike will be keen to remain aligned with one of the biggest sports teams in the world.

With the financial power held by Premier League rivals Manchester City, United will be keen to maximise their income to keep pace.

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The club also slipped behind great rivals Liverpool in the kit sponsorship war of late, as the Mersey men penned a bumper-deal with Warrior sports.

The looming threat of Financial Fair Play makes negotiations at board level almost as important as fortunes on the pitch for United and all of their rivals.

In the space of twelve months Sadio Mane has been gone from arguably the most important to arguably the most expendable member of Liverpool’s front three. The Anfield outfit didn’t actually win a Premier League fixture without the Senegalese attacker until April last term.

But this time around Mane couldn’t guarantee a starting berth when Philippe Coutinho was at the club, while Mohamed Salah has emerged as Liverpool’s most talismanic influence on the opposite flank and Roberto Firmino’s further established himself as the most integral component of the way Jurgen Klopp’s side function in attack.

After Salah limped off in the first half during Saturday’s Champions League final, it was Mane who managed to up his game. In fact, the African forward scored Liverpool’s only goal of the match, latching onto a Dejan Lovren knockdown to poke home from long range, and hit the woodwork in the 70th minute with an effort that could have changed the entire complexion of the match.

Perhaps that shouldn’t be so surprising, because Mane has all the requisites to make an impact against high quality opponents – something which was a defining feature of his previous spell at Southampton. He knows where the goal is, he’s frighteningly quick and perhaps more importantly, relentlessly energetic. That was highlighted best on Saturday by returns of four dribbles and six tackles.

And yet, that also highlights perhaps the biggest problem with Mane, in regards to Liverpool’s ambitions of becoming regular challengers for the Premier League and Champions League titles. While he remains a fantastic asset to have in big games, he’s still not a driving force in the same way as Salah. He could only do so much in the Egyptian’s absence but had Mane limped off instead on Saturday, Liverpool would have felt far more confident of still matching Real Madrid for attacking verve.

Of course, that’s not to discredit Mane’s performance, and that’s not to ignore the obvious elephant in the room – the two Loris Karius howlers that cost Liverpool the game. But it does highlight the subtle yet important difference between Salah and Mane – while the former is capable of doing it all on his own when needed, the latter just can’t quite do the same and doesn’t inspire the same level of confidence. He can score goals and he can make an impact, but he can’t decide matches single-handed.

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It’s simplistic to suggest Liverpool need two Mohamed Salahs – if it was that easy, every team in the Premier League would sign three or four this summer. But if the Reds wish to return to the Champions League final in the coming years, they need an upgrade on Mane to serve as another key driving force.

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As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers are set to step up their interest in Scotland international Russell Martin, if they can get rid of Bruno Alves during this month’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Light Blues have already been fairly busy in the transfer market this month, offloading the likes of Carlos Pena and signing left winger Jamie Murphy from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Now their defence is set to come under the spotlight and fans could be soon saying goodbye to another Pedro Caixinha signing.

The Daily Record reports that the club are looking to free up wages before firming up interest in Norwich City centre-back Russell Martin.

The paper say that Bruno Alves is attracting interest from Qatar and should a bid materialise, it would be welcomed by the Ibrox club, prompting Graeme Murty to pursue a loan move for the Scotland cap.

Martin may not have as illustrious a career behind him as Alves, but would he be a more functional choice for the Ibrox side?

Is Martin a better option than Alves?

When Bruno Alves signed for Rangers it was an exciting time for supporters to see such a decorated international defender make a move to Glasgow, however it’s fair to say the move hasn’t quite worked out.

Whether it’s been because of injury or poor form, Alves has disappointed fans who were hoping he could be the kind of leader their defence needs to compete for major honours in Scotland.

At his peak, Alves is a far more accomplished defender than Martin, but the prospect of him having a successful Rangers career now seems remote and the Light Blues could do worse than the Norwich City man.

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Rated at £2.25m by Transfermarkt, Martin has excellent experience of his own to draw upon having been a regular in the English Premier League and Championship for the last seven seasons before this one, alongside making almost 30 appearances for Scotland.

The Record say he is eager to sign on at Ibrox, which is the kind of attitude Rangers badly need if they’re to ever close the gap on Celtic. Martin could be to Rangers what Alves wasn’t, a reliable leader that can excel in their defensive line.

Tottenham continued their fine form under Tim Sherwood win an emphatic 3-1 Premier League win away at Swansea.Emmanuel Adebayor stole the show, notching a brace for the visitors to ensure their fifth away win on the trot – the club’s best run since 1960.Adebayor opened the scoring in the 34th minute, getting on the end of Christian Erikson’s delectable cross, before Chico Flores turned into his own net.The Togo international had all the time in the world to tuck home Spurs’ third, with Wilfried Bony’s late strike proving little consolation.Here’s what Twitter said about the the game’s key moments…

24 mins- Bony hits the bar!

34 mins- Adebayor scores against the run of play for Spurs

53 mins- Chico Flores weighs in with an oggy

71 mins- Adebayor has eternity to slot in his second

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WOW! Emmanuel Adebayor now has 88 Premier League goals, overturning Dennis Bergkamp’s 87. #THFC (@richardajkeys)— Addicted to Spurs (@AddictedtoSpurs)

It’s not a path that many footballers choose to travel but leaving the champions of England and returning home to the North East is something that suited Adam Johnson down to a tee. His bit part role at Manchester City certainly illustrated his immense talent but it also stunted his progression due to a lack of regular football.

Thankfully any fears over the winger becoming the latest home grown talent to fall fowl of a big money move have been put to bed thanks to Martin O’Neill’s inspired summer recruitment efforts and his £10m signing has become an instant fans favourite at the Stadium of Light despite hardly featuring for his new side this season.

As a local lad with red and white connections, his signature had been coveted by the Black Cats ever since his rise to prominence with rivals Middlesbrough and his protracted arrival via the Etihad Stadium has certainly excited supporters. Football FanCast’s Alex Churcher caught up with Adam, promoting the new Medal of Honor Warfighter, about settling in at Sunderland, playing for the national team and the upcoming North East derbies against Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Hi Adam, so tell us a bit about the event you’re currently attending. Are you any good at Medal of Honor?!

I am here promoting the new Medal of Honor game, I’ve been having a few goes but it’s hard to get me off it! I’ve been having a good day and having some banter with a couple of lads. This is the new one but I used to play the one before that, it gets quite addictive and my girlfriend kills me for being on the computer the whole time! I really enjoy the shooting games because I’m not that good at the football ones strangely enough!

From one battlefield to another, how are you settling in at Sunderland?

Yeah I’ve settled in pretty quick, obviously it’s like being back home for me. All the family are here so it’s been pretty easy for me. It wasn’t like changing clubs because it’s sort of like coming home.

Since you’re a local lad, you must be looking forward to your first Tyne-Wear derby in a few weeks?

It’s all that gets talked about up in the North East and obviously if I’m lucky enough to play in the one in a couple of weeks, it’s going to be a massive occasion. I’m really excited about it, I’ve heard the atmosphere is going to be unbelievable and for me these are the sort of games you want to play in as player.

Funnily enough because you grew up in the region fans have heard differing rumours about your boyhood allegiances. Is the Johnson family split or do you all support Sunderland?!

Well now that I’m a Sunderland player, they’re the only results that matter to me but I was sort of split as kid growing up. I came through the ranks at Middlesbrough and I played for Newcastle between the age of 9 and 11 years old during the Ginola and Asprilla era. Still my family are all Sunderland fans and the first game I went to was a Sunderland game so there’s enough support between everyone!

There’s a tough match against Manchester City first, are you looking forward to returning to the Etihad Stadium this weekend?

Yeah, I’m looking forward to going back, it’s going to be a tough game but I think its nice going back to an old club and seeing old faces and friends so I’m really looking forward to it. I keep in touch with most of the lads, a lot of my closest friends are still there and we went through a lot growing up, winning the league and playing for England together.

Any incentive to prove Roberto Mancini wrong for selling you?!

Well I don’t know about proving him wrong or anything but I want to do well and play well for Sunderland. I don’t think I need to prove anything, Mancini would honestly say I did well for him, we had a chat and he understood I wanted to play regularly which was great so there were no hard feelings.

Good to know you’re looking forward to the game, how’s the thigh injury coming along?

Yeah it’s almost there now, I was bit frustrated over recent weeks not being able to play and it wasn’t really improving but it seems to be getting better now.  I played on Saturday and I felt good, a bit unfit and lacking match sharpness, but it’s good to be back after a frustrating start.

Congrats on making it into the England squad. Are you looking forward to the qualifiers or are you cautious about suffering a recurrence of your injury given what happened last time?

Obviously I love playing for England. I had to drop out of the squad for the last International through my injury so I was gutted about that but it’s nice to be back in and get back involved straight away. I’m excited to meet up with the England lads and hopefully get another couple of caps.

Back to domestic action now and it’s been hard to assess Sunderland’s season so far. Some fans have been concerned by the lack of goals while others are happy the side is still unbeaten and looking solid defensively, how do you rate the team’s start?

Well it’s always good to be unbeaten no matter what level you’re playing at because it brings confidence to the team, I don’t mind if we’re not scoring goals as long as we’re winning. Winning 1-0 and being solid at the back is good but I think a few more goals will come as the team comes together and gels a bit more. If you look at our fixtures we’ve had a couple of tough games against Liverpool and Arsenal so I think it’s a good start for us.

Given the competition in the Premier League, what do you think are realistic ambitions for Sunderland this season?

I’m not too sure to be honest! I think it’s difficult to say and it’ll be few months down the line before you find out who’s going to be whereabouts. Then you can have a look and see where you can push to but I think a top 10 finish is something Sunderland should definitely be looking at. Hopefully then we can see where we can go from there.

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Perhaps a Cup run then?! Are you looking forward to facing another of your old teams Middlesbrough soon?

Yes it’s another great game I’ve got to look forward to, I’ve got some really good games coming up for me and it’s nice to play against the side where it all started as not many players get the sort of chance they gave me.

I suppose you and Lee Cattermole must be excited about it then?

Yes we are to be honest, we were having a bit of banter about it the other day and we’re looking forward to playing our old team as we still have old friends there and people who we grew up with so it’s going to be a good day for us.

Finally, since you’re promoting Medal of Honor, does the team play much and who would win out of you and the lads?!

Well I’m going to be getting a few copies for them so we’ll probably be playing online against each other. I’m not sure who’s actually any good but Fletcher thinks he’s good on the computer so he might be a dark horse!

Adam Johnson was having a first look at Medal of Honor Warfighter, in which gamers can go head-to-head with the world’s best special forces. Medal of Honor Warfighter is on sale from 26th October on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. For more information and to pre-order, visit uk.medalofhonor.com.