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DAVID MOYES won’t win the title with West Ham — but when it comes to the signing of the season he’s in a league of his own.
Actually, he’d have a decent shout of making it a clean sweep with numbers two and three as well, because Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal have both been sensational.

Craig Dawson has made his mark at West Ham this season and is easily one of the signings of the seasonCredit: AFP and Licensors

Tomas Soucek tallies 11 goals since joining the Hammers – and has been another inspired bit of businessCredit: EPA

But in my opinion, not even those two — outstanding as they have been — can top the impact Craig Dawson has already had in his short time with the club.
Not bad for a bloke who couldn’t even get a game in the Championship before West Ham came in for him in October.
Well, he may have not got further than the bench at Watford — apart from losing a League Cup game at Newport — but he’s one of the first names Moyesie puts on his teamsheet now.
To be honest, there were probably three centre-backs ahead of him when they signed him.

And I know a lot of people were thinking, ‘What’s he doing with signing a bloke who can’t get a game?’.
But I speak to West Ham fans a lot — and they’re not doubting him any more. They’re amazed at how amazing he has been.
Whoever came up with the idea — and I assume it’s David — played a blinder, and Dawson will be one of the main men they’re relying on against Tottenham on Sunday as well.
He’ll never get the same headlines as some of this season’s signings. I mean the likes of Timo Werner, Edinson Cavani, Thiago, James Rodriguez or even Ruben Dias.

But none of them — not even Dias, who’s been brilliant for Manchester City — have been so vital to their team.
In 11 games since Dawson made his debut, West Ham have only conceded eight goals. And at the other end he’s scored three of his own.
In fact he’s their biggest danger at set-pieces and wins everything in the air in his own box. He’s what I’d call a proper lad, a great competitor, just a top centre-back.
As a manager, you always have those players you know you can rely on.
The ones who always give everything and will score an eight out of ten every week.
They’re never the headline act but they are absolute gold dust — and I had a few of them in my time.
At Bournemouth I signed a bloke called John Williams from Port Vale and he won us promotion.
Iain Dowie got some real stick off the fans in three years with me at West Ham, but I knew what he’d give me every week.

I can see exactly why Moyesie loves Dawson so much, because he’s showed such great character to come in and prove people wrong.

Harry Redknapp writes on the top transfer business West Ham have pulled offCredit: Louis Wood – The Sun
He was great in the dressing room and a real character.
At Portsmouth I had plenty of them, but Linvoy Primus, Arjan de Zeeuw and Dejan Stefanovic stood out.
At Tottenham I knew that when Ledley King was fit we had a great chance of winning, but he suffered with injuries.
Two more who really stood out for me were Scotty Parker and Wilson Palacios — and that’s including the likes of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart too.
None of those mentioned are flash, they’re hardly ever in the spotlight, but every one of them is priceless.
I can see exactly why Moyesie loves Dawson so much, because he’s showed such great character to come in and prove people wrong. Like the manager has, in many ways, too.
He has brought some top players into that squad. Not many people have kept Jack Grealish as quiet as Coufal did when West Ham won at Aston Villa.
Soucek is a real threat arriving in the box, Jesse Lingard’s been on fire since he arrived and Declan Rice has been superb again.
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Who’d have thought that after 24 games they’d be level with Chelsea, outside the Champions League places only on goal difference and won more games than Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal?
I think the top four is asking a bit much, but if Hammers finish sixth it would still be amazing — there’s no reason at all why they shouldn’t get a European place.
Look at the squad Moyesie’s got compared to Jose Mourinho — who has 22 internationals at Spurs — and it shows what a job he’s done.
I’ve got a lot of time for him and it’s good to see a Brit doing so well.
It proves we can do the job just as well as the foreign managers given the opportunity.
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LES FERDINAND believes football is now going through the motions when it comes to players take the knee.
QPR’s director of football reckons the game is paying “lip service” to the issue of racist abuse, which continues to blight it.

Les Ferdinand believes the message behind taking the knee has been ‘lost’Credit: Rex Features

Derby striker Colin Kazim-Richards is one of the players who feel a different approach is needed to tackle racismCredit: Rex Features

Ferdinand’s views were echoed by Ivan Toney yesterday, the Brentford striker claiming players are being “used as puppets” so people at the top of the sport can do nothing on the matter.
Ferdinand’s QPR players were the first team this season to opt against taking the knee ahead of a Championship clash at Coventry in September.
The former England striker, one of football’s most respected figures, said at the time his club did not carry out the gesture in support of Black Lives Matter because the “message had been lost”.
Five months on, there are still torrents of racist hatred being directed at stars on social media.

Ferdinand, 54, told SunSport: “When people take the knee, they feel like they are giving us an opportunity to make a gesture.
“Yes it is a powerful gesture, but now look at everybody who is  taking the knee and the way they are taking it.
“They’re doing it just for the sake of doing it. There is no change. We need action.
“In 1995 Eric Cantona went into the stands and kicked somebody. That was 20 odd years ago! But were are STILL talking about the same problem today.

Brentford frontman Ivan Toney has also insisted not enough is being doneCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“Do people want to eradicate it or do they just want to pay lip service? Because that’s what it seems to me, lip service.”
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha said on Thursday that he would no longer take the knee because he found it “demeaning”, adding: “I’m not here to tick boxes.”
And QPR’s West London rivals Brentford announced last Saturday that their players would no longer be taking the knee too.
Bees ace Toney, the Championship’s 24-goal top scorer, said  yesterday: “We have had a long  discussion and everyone agrees that  nothing has changed.
“We are kind of being used as puppets, in my eyes — take the knee and the people at the top can rest for a while, which is pretty silly and pointless. Nothing is changing.”
Premier League chiefs have assembled a taskforce to catch online abusers after Arsenal duo Eddie Nketiah and Willian became the latest players to fall victim to   racists on social media.
Ferdinand added: “If you want to eradicate racism on social media, you can. You just have to come up with harsh penalties and whatever the harsh penalty is, go with it.

I feel like the punishment has to be harder… We are actually looking through our mentions for racist abuse. That should never be the case.
Ivan Toney

“Years ago, when they fought England hooligans in Europe, they banned English clubs in Europe for five years.
“It wasn’t all the supporters that were causing problems but all the supporters had to suffer because of a few minorities’ actions.
“It stopped the problem. You have to be harsh with the penalty to solve a problem and unfortunately what it shows me is that the authorities  are not really bothered about solving the problem.”
Toney, 24, was subjected to online abuse last month and reported it to police.
He said: “There was an incident recently, I put it out there. I  don’t really think it’s going to go any further.
“They might get a slap on the wrist but, come next week, they can just do it again.
“So I feel like the punishment has to be harder.

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“We are actually looking through our mentions for racist abuse. That should never be the case.
“People might say you’re rubbish but colour shouldn’t come into  the situation.
“The way things are going at the moment, I think instead of taking the knee they will probably think of something else to do and just cover it all up for another year  or so.”

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TOMMY CLOTH has wiped the slate well and truly clean at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s new boss Thomas Tuchel — whose surname translates as ‘cloth’ — has handed fresh starts to some of Frank Lampard’s outcasts and rattled up five straight wins.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has overcome his confidence crisis with back-to-back clean sheetsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Kepa Arrizabalaga has overcome his confidence crisis with back-to-back clean sheets, Marcos Alonso has been restored to his title-winning best, Callum Hudson-Odoi is rediscovering his early promise and Timo Werner has ended a three-month Premier League goal drought.
As Chelsea venture to an off-colour Southampton today, Tuchel has already lifted them from ninth to fourth in less than a month with the runners-up spot firmly in their sights.
Next week it gets serious for Tuchel — a Champions League clash with LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, followed by a visit from second-place Manchester United.
But for now, the Blues are relishing life under their new boss.

Kepa, 26, is likely to return to the bench today and Tuchel is adamant it is only a happy coincidence that Werner, 24, is thriving under his fellow German.
The 47-year-old former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain chief does admit his ability to appraise Chelsea’s vast squad with a fresh pair of eyes has helped.
But he claims that Lampard was a significant influence in Werner leaving RB Leipzig for Chelsea last summer — and claims that his goal in Monday’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle had been on the cards.

Maybe it’s just luck that we both come from Germany and Timo feels a few percentage points more confident
Thomas Tuchel

Tuchel said: “Maybe it’s just luck that we both come from Germany and Timo feels a few percentage points more confident.

“For me without a doubt I saw him a week before I came here and there was no doubt he would come back because he has the quality — and the quality to play in different positions.
“I think Timo had a very clinical and efficient start at Chelsea under Frank. It was a big reason for Timo to join the club — his connection to Frank.
“Like every player, a change of clubs, of environment, of culture, and a new league, it takes time. I can only speak how I feel about Timo and, day-by-day, he is gaining confidence. I saw the goal coming because he earned it.”
As for Kepa, who shut out Barnsley and Newcastle in Chelsea’s last two fixtures, Tuchel insists Edouard Mendy, 28, remains first-choice.
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Alonso, 30, has replaced 24-year-old Ben Chilwell, leaving England’s first-choice left-back out in the cold.
But Hudson-Odoi, 20, who had dipped significantly after teenage promise which had sparked major interest from Bayern Munich, is a Tuchel favourite, who has featured in all six matches under his new manager, starting five.
Today’s visit to St Mary’s represents a meeting of minds between Tuchel and Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl — like Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, both are disciples of 62-year-old German tactical guru Ralf Rangnick.
Hasenhuttl worked with Rangnick at Leipzig, while Tuchel played under the forward-thinking boss with German club Ulm, winning a promotion in the 1990s. There, Tuchel learned a ‘game-changing’ lesson as a defender which sticks with him to this day.
He said: “I was a player with Ralf Rangnick in the second and third division and learned it’s not necessary to follow the striker to the toilet.
“He was the first coach to tell us that. He made a third division team stronger than we actually were with his brand new tactics.
“A back four not man-marking but defending space, that was a game-changer for me. To watch football games after working with Ralf was totally different.

“Ralph Hasenhuttl worked with Rangnick at Leipzig — he is the father of everything that happens at Leipzig.
“There are many coaches influenced by this philosophy but everyone needs to find their own style, everyone needs to be authentic, to copy nobody.
“Hasenhuttl had this aggressive style of playing at Leipzig and now at Southampton, which is the challenge we have to face.”

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I WAS really disappointed when Frank Lampard lost his job at Chelsea.
He swam the Channel to get them into the top four after losing Eden Hazard and having a transfer ban.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard was sacked on January 25 after his big summer signings failed to gel following his successful first season in chargeCredit: PA:Press Association

Thomas Tuchel has greatly strengthened Chelsea’s defence since succeeding Frank LampardCredit: AP:Associated Press

What he achieved under the circumstances was incredible and personally I do not think he was given enough time to blend the young talent he brought through with the new signings.
But having said that, Thomas Tuchel has hit the ground running with an undefeated start, winning four matches and drawing one.
From his perspective it was about making Chelsea defensively more stable.

Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have started all five of his Premier League games and Thiago Silva would have done so if it was not for his injury.

In those players, he has found a real defensive core which has helped transform them.
Chelsea had the 11th-best defence before Tuchel came in  but have risen  to second.
Previously, they were vulnerable to the counter-attack but by having three defenders and two sitting midfielders, they are a more solid outfit.
They are now able to create overloads on the pitch down the right-hand side as Azpilicueta converts to a full-back when on the attack.

That has also allowed Callum Hudson-Odoi or Reece James to have a license to attack in the wing-back role — much like Marcos Alonso or  Ben  Chillwell on the opposite side.
Tuchel has also opted for either Olivier Giroud or Tammy Abraham as the striker.
That allows  Timo Werner to drift out to the left in a similar role he was in at RB Leipzig with Yussuf Poulsen up top.
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With a goal and an assist at Newcastle, the German already looks more comfortable.
At Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund,  Tuchel showed he is comfortable in adapting formations to opposition and the players he had available.
And by imposing this system immediately at Chelsea, he has found the best way to give them stability without hindering their attacking prowess.

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JURGEN KLOPP feared Liverpool were ready for all-out war with Everton over Virgil van Dijk’s knee injury.
But the Reds boss reckons enough time has passed since the October incident and there will be no repercussions in tomorrow’s Merseyside derby.

Virgil van Dijk has been missing since Liverpool’s last clash against EvertonCredit: PA:Press Association

Van Dijk is still recovering after injuring his right anterior cruciate ligament following a challenge by keeper Jordan Pickford in the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.
Klopp said: “Nothing will be carried over into this game.
“When we got the diagnosis, it was good we did not play Everon immediately again.
“We are all human beings and, of course, it was not nice.

“Now, that is long gone and we just don’t think about it any more.
“But it is still a derby and that is enough for being motivated at the highest level and we will try to play the best football we can.”
Asked whether Van Dijk’s injury and the draw at Goodison was a key moment of the season, Klopp said: “It was an important day, yes. For sure.”

When we got the diagnosis, it was good we did not play Everon immediately again
Jurgen Klopp on Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool will be looking to avoid a fourth successive home Prem defeat after crashing against Burnley, Brighton and Manchester City.

Klopp admitted his team will face a tough task against Everton.
Incredibly, Carlo Ancelotti is the fifth manager he has faced in the Merseyside derby. German coach Klopp, 53, said: “They had good teams over the years but a manager like Carlo can help any team.
“He had a good squad and, maybe, they are closer than ever to us. But that is good.”
Naby Keita is available again after an illness but Fabinho is still missing with a muscle problem.
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Klopp added: “Naby trained with the team, so we have to see.
“Fab was not in training. Nothing new.
“They all get closer — Fab gets closer, Millie (James Milner) gets closer and Diogo (Jota) gets closer but not close enough for the weekend.”

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