CARROLL HAS GOT MOYESIE SINGING
RICKIE LAMBERT will be given the prestigious Sir Tom Finney award, in recognition of his career, at the EFL awards tomorrow night.
The organisers say Lambert demonstrated loyalty to his clubs, played a fundamental role in their success and was a model professional.
“It was definitely not something I was expecting, but I’m incredibly proud,” said Lambert (above), who counts Stockport, Rochdale, Bristol Rovers, Southampton and Liverpool among his many club.
“When I look back, it’s something I’m very proud of, not just where I ended up, but also where I started from, and how many games I played in the Football League. Most people only know me from the Premier League, but I played the majority of my career in the Football League.” Bournemouth Watford Brighton West Ham Swansea Huddersfield C Palace Southampton Stoke West Brom P W D L F A Pts 33 9 11 13 41 53 38 33 10 7 16 42 59 37 32 8 11 13 29 43 35 32 8 10 14 40 58 34 32 8 8 16 26 45 32 33 8 8 17 26 54 32 33 7 10 16 33 52 31 32 5 13 14 31 50 28 33 6 9 18 30 63 27 33 3 12 18 26 52 21 ANTONIO CONTE insists he is not solely to blame for Chelsea’s dismal title defence.
And he told any player thinking of jumping ship if they miss out on the top four that they have a responsibility to stick around and get the club back into the Champions League.
Blues’ top-four hopes are all but over after falling 10 points behind fourth-placed Spurs.
Chelsea have just the FA Cup – where they face today’s league opponents Southampton in the semis next Sunday – left to salvage something from their season.
Finishing outside the top four could have implications for the Blues’ chances of securing the long-term futures of the likes of Eden Hazard (right) and Thibaut Courtois.
But Conte said: “If we don’t qualify for the Champions League it means that we have to divide the fault with the players.
“This is not the first time. Two years ago the same happened at Chelsea. I didn’t see many players leaving then. We made a lot of mistakes this season – me, my staff, the players and the club.
“Whether we win or lose, we must be ready to share the responsibility.”
Chelsea started 2018 in second place but have won just three league games since. But Conte insists his players will not take their foot off the gas.
He said: “There are six games to go and we have an FA Cup semi-final. We must finish the season as strongly as possible.”
Chelsea have made an official complaint to UEFA after claims their fans were struck by batonwielding stewards and police at their Champions League tie in Barcelona.
Having received an “unprecedented response” from supporters, the club have chosen to take their case to UEFA. ANDY CARROLL is set for a return to action against Stoke as David Moyes targets an unbeaten end to the season for West Ham.
The injury-prone England striker (above) has been out since the start of January with a hairline fracture of his ankle.
But the 29-year-old is training again and could be back on the bench at the London Stadium on Monday night.
Boss Moyes said: “We got Andy back at the start of the week and we will keep monitoring him.
“He has trained for a few days so we will see how he is.
“Obviously he has not trained for 11 weeks and I have got that in my mind as well.
“If we get Andy back, it is a big plus to us. We know that – how good he can be and what he can give us.
“The quicker we get him back the better. Will he be ready? I am not sure yet.”
Victory over relegation rivals Stoke could see the Hammers climb to 37 points with Arsenal, Manchester City, Leicester, Manchester United and Everton still to come.
Moyes added: “If we can keep the form going, my ideal situation would be to go unbeaten between now and the end of the season.”
Stoke boss Paul Lambert says goalkeeper Jack Butland is ready to be England’s World Cup No.1.
Butland goes head to head with West Ham’s Joe Hart, one of his main rivals.
And Lambert said: “I don’t have a problem with Jack’s temperament. He’s a really focused guy.
“He tries to do everything perfectly and I don’t think there’s any such thing as the perfect player.
“But he’s been excellent in the games for me and made some massive saves.”