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After a weekend that saw unsavoury incidents of ‘fans’ approaching and attacking players on the field of play, Newcastle supporters showed others how to behave in the face of provocation.

After Tweeting his pleasure at the Geordies’ demise in previous seasons, Jordan Pickford has always since become public enemy number one. He knows as much, and spent much of the first three-quarters of the game at St James’ Park on Saturday taking pleasure in winding the home fans up with his team two goals to the good.

But for Toon fans, there were no thoughts of running onto the pitch. They just gave it to the England keeper continuously and vociferously throughout the game.

His every touch was jeered, and his wayward kicks up-field mocked persistently.

The situation was made worse when he blatantly took out Rondon to concede a penalty, but remarkably was not even booked, let alone sent off. And fans were apoplectic when he then saved the penalty that most thought he should never have been on the pitch to do.

But still fans remained in the stand and continued to goad the ex-Sunderland man. The fact that he was reacting and retaliating merely meant that he was aware of the fans’ chants and thus the status quo between crowd and player remained.

The fact that Pickford seemed to become more embroiled in the crowd than the game led to his downfall and becoming Everton’s pantomime villain.

Despite a brilliant move for Newcastle’s opening goal, he could well have done better with the resulting volley. As for his parry for the second, well it was not the goalkeeping of a Premier League stopper.

By now, he must have wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole, but when the inevitable happened, and the winning goal screamed past him, the decibel levels were off the chart, and it was no surprise whose name was being serenaded by the Gallowgate End.

This is how to get under the skin of an opposition player, not running onto a pitch and physically assaulting them.

The incident in Birmingham only seemed to galvanise the Villa players, and make them more determined. The Newcastle fans showed their true value and how to act as the twelfth man on Saturday — and it was all done from the comfort of their seats behind the goal.

Were you at the game on Saturday to witness the comeback? Were you one of the fans getting under the skin of Jordan Pickford? Let us know what you thought of the incredible atmosphere and on the comeback below…

What on earth happened last weekend, Evertonians? Indeed, Marco Silva certainly has a lot of thinking to do after last weekend’s dreadful lapse of concentration. Goes to show what happens when you have nothing to play for… 

With a poor position in the league, and a huge lack of ambition currently flowing through the club, a game against Chelsea later today is the last thing the Toffees need. Well, on paper anyway.

Claiming a scalp at home – in front of the trusty Goodison faithful – could be exactly the kind of boost everyone involved at the club need right now.

So, with Kurt Zouma already ruled out due to loan rulings, Marco Silva has some other decisions to make around his squad. With that in mind, here we take a look at a couple of changes the Portuguese could make.

Drop Bernard 

Only bagging 4 assists all season, Bernard really hasn’t hit the heights that were expected of him at the start of the season. Then again, have Everton as a whole? Perhaps you could say his performances have been well on par with Everton’s, which is the main reason for the fans’ discontent this season.

With the season finished for Everton this year, despite there still being eight games remaining, Silva may feel this is the perfect time to introduce some new faces into the starting line-up.

With this in mind, it could be time we see Bernard sitting on the bench a little more during the last few games.

Start Ademola Lookman 

Surely something has to give for this man to get another start?

Only managing 3 starts this season under the Portuguese, Lookman has been yet another player who has been a victim in not getting enough game time. Which seems strange because when picked to play, the young Englishman has looked sharp and always up to fight from the front, even bagging himself two assists with the small amount of playing time given.

Everton and England fans alike have been praying for the winger to get more game time, as underneath all the other players there may be yet another truly special young homegrown talent waiting for a run of games to prove himself.

Not just become a cameo player no one remembers.

It’s been a strange old week for Tottenham fans, hasn’t it? Brushing aside the Bundesliga leaders in the Champions League then losing at Southampton on Saturday shows just how mentally weak this squad is.

You’d think such a mid-week thrill would lift the squad and pull them out from the Premier League hole they dug themselves after defeats to Burnley and Chelsea. Their title chances were killed by those losses and the continuation of poor league form suggests a complete lack of spine from Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

It seems the squad can’t link their momentum in one competition to the other, and that’s worrying because Spurs clearly have the quality to beat anyone on their day, as they’ve proved at times this season. They’re high on confidence in the Champions League, so they play well, but they’re low on confidence in the league, and that means they play poorly.

Whether it’s Pochettino’s fault for not being able to motivate the team to finish the season strongly or if it’s the players’ fault for lacking interest, there’s clearly an issue here. Spurs’ squad falls short of being capable of taking City and Liverpool right to the last couple of games, but even if they did have the depth and quality, would the club’s mentality ruin their chances even then?

As Manchester City have found in the Champions League and Liverpool in the league, if there’s no precedent of recent success in a particular field, the mental side of challenging for honours often trips players up. Spurs are, and will be, a victim of this until they do finally win their first Premier League. The hardest trophy to win is the first, and Spurs have to toughen up to rise to that challenge.

Aside from the clear spending requirements in summer, their best existing players, if they stay, have to realise the quality they possess and add some arrogance to their game. Being mentally fragile kills title chances, and Spurs shouldn’t let that affect the quality they have in their ranks.

Spurs fans, who do you think your club needs to sign in the summer to mount a title challenge? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Veerasammy Permaul, the Guyana left-arm spinner, is the only new face in the 15-man West Indies squad for the two Tests in Bangladesh next month. He has led and performed for the A team throughout 2012, on top of an impressive first-class record.Permaul, 23, recently troubled the Bangladesh batsmen during the West Indies High Performance Centre’s tour, taking 12 wickets in the two four-day games. He has played 45 first-class matches since his debut as a 17-year-old and taken 152 wickets at 24.59. He will play the role of secondary spinner to Sunil Narine, who made a huge impact against New Zealand – his first home Test series.The selectors dropped Adrian Barath and Fidel Edwards from the squad that was picked for the second Test against New Zealand in August.*Those recalled include Darren Bravo, who missed the New Zealand series due to injury, and Kirk Edwards, who gets a recall after he lost his place in the third and final Test against England. The squad includes ten players who toured Bangladesh last year, when West Indies had won the Test and ODI series, but lost the tour-opening Twenty20 international.West Indies have won two out of eight Test matches this year, which includes the series win over New Zealand at home. It will be Bangladesh’s first Test series this year. The two Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty20 International on the tour are scheduled between November 3 and December 12.Squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Denesh Ramdin (vice-capt), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Kirk Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieran Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels* 14 October, 10.20am GMT This article had incorrectly stated that there were only two out-and-out fast bowlers in the squad

Leeds remain top of the Championship table heading into Friday’s crucial fixture against Frank Lampard’s Derby County.

Marcelo Bielsa has hit the ground running after taking charge of the Whites in the summer. The Leeds squad adapted immediately to the Argentine’s methods and their early form has seen them installed as favourites to finally secure a return to the Premier League. Leeds are top of the table, two points ahead of Norwich, heading into a difficult game against Derby County on Friday at Elland Road.

The January transfer window is now open and Bielsa isn’t expected to strengthen his squad significantly. A new goalkeeper is wanted by the former Chile manager to add competition to young Bailey Peacock-Farrell but Bielsa remains confident in his current crop of players. Should they secure a return to the Premier League, the Yorkshire club will be able to attract a higher calibre of player.

One man they must consider signing is Liverpool powerhouse – James Milner. Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the former England international has been a crucial player for the Reds since joining from Manchester City on a free transfer. However, the 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer and a return to the club where he started his professional career could be on the cards.

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Milner remains as fit as ever and his experience at the highest level could be crucial to Leeds staying in the division. The midfielder can cover various positions and is a model professional – his knowledge could be of great value to youngsters looking to break into the first-team. Always willing to work hard and perform at his best, Milner is a manager’s dream.

If Leeds manage to complete their Premier League comeback, Milner should be the man to lead them out.

Leeds United fans, thoughts?

Despite their 1-0 loss to Brighton at the Amex last Friday, things have picked up significantly for West Ham since the beginning of the season.

Prior to their defeat away at Brighton, the Hammers picked up brilliant results against Chelsea and Manchester United with the latter falling to a 3-1 defeat when they made the trip to east London.

And at the heart of West Ham’s improvement has arguably been young midfielder Declan Rice, who the club are now struggling to tie down to a new contract.

The Breakdown

According to insider @ExWHUemployee, who was speaking on the West Ham Way show, Rice is likely to reject the club’s latest contract offer of £21,000-a-week (rising up to £40,000 including bonuses) in what could prove to be a massive blow to the Premier League outfit.

During the summer, the east London side brought in Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez to improve their midfield, but neither player has looked particularly impressive when playing.

Rather, it has been Rice who manager Pellegrini has turned to, and the Chilean has not been let down by the 19-year-old.

The West Ham youth product has put in confident and reassuring performances versus the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United and looks well on course to becoming a top defensive midfielder in the Premier League.

With the additions of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, the Hammers’ overall work during the summer transfer window was good and an indication of the club starting to move in a more positive direction under its current management following a couple of very disappointing seasons both on and off the pitch.

Failing to get Rice to extend his current deal which expires in 2019, though, will send a worrying message and be a step backwards for the club after making good process over the last few months.

Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to a major transfer blow, as the heavily linked Charlie Wyke is set to miss up to six weeks through injury.

According to Roker Report, Bradford striker Wyke is the Black Cats’ “top target” this summer.

The 25 year-old front man has scored over 50 League Two goals in his career so far, and has all the tools to be Jack Ross’ new number nine.

Ross and new owner Stewart Donald have done plenty of impressive business already this summer, but they are in desperate need of a proper goalscorer.

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It seems the Wyke deal has is now in trouble though, as the Bradford ace injured his knee just minutes into their friendly against Sheffield United last week.

He is now facing between four and six weeks on the sidelines, meaning the Black Cats could face several games without their star striker if they did indeed make him their marquee signing.

Fans are split on this transfer snag, with some suggesting they should press ahead with a move anyway, and others starting to look elsewhere.

Either way, you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

This transfer window is fast turning into one Liverpool fans are beginning to dread.

At the start of last month, the forums were rife with the Anfield faithful excitedly checking the news and scouring transfer rumours for the latest big names set to join the club on their return to the Champions League.

Names like Virgil van Dijk, Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah were being bandied around as though they were already done deals as Jurgen Klopp looked to get his new players on board as quick as possible.

Fast forward a few weeks and the latter is the only one to have signed, with the Reds withdrawing their interest in Van Dijk after accusations of tapping up while Red Bull Leipzig continue to play hardball over their dynamic midfielder.

Even obtaining those targets will be of little consolation to Liverpool fans should reports come to fruition that Philippe Coutinho will join Barcelona.

The Brazilian has been rumoured to have been of interest to the Catalan giants and sure enough they have confirmed that interest with bid of £72m, as per Sky Sports.

Klopp has insisted the midfield wizard is not up for sale, but unfortunately for the Reds it is beginning to echo a similar situation a few years ago when Luis Suarez made the same move from Merseyside to Spain.

While Coutinho hasn’t quite hit the incredible standards the Uruguayan hit in his final season at Anfield (something very few players would claim they have), he has undoubtedly been key over the last few seasons, with many claiming he is the best player in Klopp’s side.

That’s the reason that Barcelona are so keen to bring him in and revitalise their midfield after finishing second to Real Madrid in La Liga last season.

Since signing for the bargain fee of £8.5m, Coutinho has managed to improve every season, culminating in his best campaign last year with 13 goals and seven assists.

It’s not just his attacking output that shows his importance to the side, though; the Brazilian’s dribbling ability and vision is just as important (he managed 58 key passes and averaged 2.3 dribbles per game), while the fact he has adapted so well to Klopp’s system is testament to his work-rate and understanding of a pressing system.

While there is quality in Liverpool’s ranks; Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Salah should form a deadly attack while Adam Lallana adds some creativity and guile, there arguably isn’t a player that brings what Coutinho does to the Liverpool side.

And while Van Dijk and Keita would help make a stubborn defence and energetic midfield, they aren’t one of a kind players in the same way. At the very least, the business Liverpool should be most concerned with is persuading their midfield maestro to stay for at least another year in a similar way to Suarez did amidst Arsenal’s interest.

If Coutinho moved on, even bringing those two in would represent a huge step backwards for a club just getting back to the top.

Juan Mata has at times been criticised as a Manchester United player, especially over the last 18 months. With some supporters feeling he is too passive in a United shirt, the argument goes that he was much more effective for Chelsea than the Red Devils.As this stat from Squawka shows though, he’s as good as he’s ever been.

More goals for United then and given he has been in Manchester for a season longer than Stamford Bridge, you’d think it took him more games to reach that total. In fact though, he’s eclipsed his Chelsea goalscoring record having played on game less.

His 34th goal for United came as part of a comfortable 3-0 win for Mourinho’s men against Leicester City, a win that moves them within touching distance of the top four positions in the English Premier League.

If United can keep the likes of Juan Mata happy, focused and enjoying his football then their chances of reaching the UEFA Champions League once again are high.

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England manager Roy Hodgson has stated that he is looking forward to facing Wales at Euro 2016 after the British pair were drawn in the same group.

The Three Lions will face their cores-border rivals, Slovakia and Russia in Group B, with the pools confirmed at the draw in Paris last night.

England will have high hopes of doing well at the tournament after a comprehensive qualifying campaign and have a dreadful World Cup to overcome after disappointment in Brazil last summer.

Hodgson is not taking Wales lightly however, stressing his admiration for Chris Coleman and picking three stars that could be of real danger to England’s hopes.

“As far as I’m concerned it has been a very satisfactory day,” Hodgson told the FA website.

“We are very pleased Chris Coleman and Wales have done so well, it has been exciting following their progress.

“There were a few teams in that pot that we could have got that would have been a tough one, so why not have a tough one close to home?

“All of their players play in England, but what we know most of all is their team is very well organised, they play very well together, have a fantastic team spirit and a very strong spine.

“In Ashley Williams, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale, you’re talking about three top-class European players right through the spine of the team and Chris has done a good job moulding the rest of the players around that strong spine.

“We have a lot of respect for Wales and the others as well.”

England will be rubbing their hands that they avoided a host of other top teams in the group stages and will be confident of progressing through to the knockout rounds.

The tournament kicks off in France next June, with Europe’s best teams set to do battle to wrestle the crown from defending champions Spain.