LATEST:

Friday, August 31, 2007

UEFA Cup 2007-08 – English Teams (First Round)

[Click Here to view the Groups of UEFA Champions League]

Everton vs Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine):
Everton have been paired with Ukrainian outfit Metalist Kharkiv in the draw for the first round of the UEFA Cup.

The first-leg will be played at Goodison Park before David Moyes’ men tackle the Ukrainians who finished third in their league, in the return leg.

Bolton vs FK Rabotnicki (Macedonia):
Bolton were drawn against Macedonian outfit FK Rabotnicki. Sammy Lee's men face an away trip first before returning to the Reebok Stadium. Bolton would be boosted after Anelka penned a contract extension and Diouf committed himself to the club too.

Blackburn vs Larissa (Greece):
Blackburn were drawn against Greek outfit Larissa with the first leg in Greece for Mark Hughes' men.

Tottenham vs Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus):
Tottenham will face Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta with the first leg-tie at White Hart Lane. Heavy expectations shouldn’t really weigh the Spurs down. I expect them to go quite far in the UEFA Cup this season.

The first legs will be played on September 20 with the return fixtures on October 4. All the 4 Premiership teams should advance to the next round easily.

Complete UEFA Cup Draw can be found Here

Champions League Draw – All Groups (32 Teams)

Group A:

LIVERPOOL
FC Porto
Marseille
Besiktas

Group B:

CHELSEA
Valencia
Schalke
Rosenborg

Group C:

Real Madrid
Werder Bremen
Lazio
Olympiakos

Group D:

AC Milan (Holders)
Benfica
Celtic
Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E:

Barcelona
Lyon
VfB Stuttgart
Rangers

Group F:

MANCHESTER UNITED
Roma
Sporting Lisbon
Dynamo Kiev

Group G:

Inter Milan
PSV Eindhoven
CSKA Moscow
Fenerbahce

Group H:

ARSENAL
Sevilla or AEK Athens
Steaua Bucharest
Slavia Prague

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Chelsea want Ronaldinho while Liverpool look to capture Baptista

[You might be viewing old Transfer News on this page. To know the latest on EPL Transfers - CLICK HERE]


Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain remains "totally convinced" Ronaldinho will not leave for Chelsea and shrugged off rumours that Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich held two meetings with Ronaldinho's brother and adviser in a bid to persuade the Barcelona star to join the Blues.

Begiristain insisted Ronaldinho, who has three years left on his current contract, is staying at the Nou Camp.

Chelsea were linked with a £40million move for the Brazilian super-star.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fresh from their 4-0 thrashing of Toulouse in the Champions League on Tuesday night have tabled a bid of 20million euros (£13.5million) for Real Madrid striker Julio Baptista.

The Brazilian - nicknamed 'The Beast' - spent last season on loan at Arsenal but failed to shine consistently, although he did net four goals as the Gunners beat Liverpool 6-3 in a Carling Cup tie at Anfield in January.
After helping Brazil win the Copa America over the summer he was linked with a move for AC Milan, but it is now claimed Rafael Benitez has entered the bidding with an offer that may be enough to tempt Real to sell.

Via: Sporting Life

Transfer News: Man City wants Players to leave while West Ham are desperate to sign some.

[You might be viewing old Transfer News on this page. To know the latest on EPL Transfers - CLICK HERE]

Manchester City ready for transfer-window closing sale:

Sven-Goran Eriksson has warned his fringe players to leave the club now or face being left out in the cold for the rest of the season.

Darius Vassell, Georgios Samaras and Bernardo Corradi are the three most likely to leave. Eriksson also wants to find new clubs for Danny Mills and Paul Dickov.

The former England manager added: "I have spoken to some of the players here who still have contracts but are not in the team." You have to be fair and tell them that they will not play much football if they stay here. It is professional and correct to tell them now rather than at Christmas time."

Eriksson, who has already spent around £40million, has been linked with Brazilian Inter Milan striker Adriano and Portugal international Nuno Gomes.

Curbishley read to spend as Dyer joins the injured list:

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley admits he might have to make some emergency purchases before the transfer window closes on Friday following Kieron Dyer's broken leg at Bristol Rovers.

Curbishley has already seen Freddie Ljungberg, Scott Parker and Julien Faubert sidelined - and lost Dyer against Bristol Rovers in a Carling Cup game.

He said: "At the moment I feel the luck is against us. I am sitting there with £20million worth of players out injured. It's disappointing but we have just got to get on with it and that's what the squad is for.”

It seems unlikely that West Ham will be able to land Adriano from Inter Milan. The club confirmed talks with Inter Milan about a loan deal but Adriano is reported only to be interested in a permanent move.

Super Sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer retires

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has brought the curtains down on his playing career with Manchester United - but his Old Trafford days are not over yet.

After 11 years and 366 appearances for the club he has had to finally call it a day due to an ongoing knee injury.

Solskjaer joined united for £1.5million from Norwegian side Molde and literally immortalized himself after he famously scored the winner in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich to help the club win the treble in 1999.

The 34-year-old even scored 11 goals last season as United again won the Barclays Premier League crown, but he has never fully overcome his knee problem.

However, the man famously nicknamed 'the baby-faced assassin', will remain at United in a coaching capacity and will continue to represent the club as an official ambassador.

Here’s a tribute to the jersey No. 20 Legend, The Super Sub, The Baby-Faced Assassin – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:


Tuesday, August 28, 2007

LIVE EPL Scores and Results

Just wanted to highlight a feature of our blog – LIVE EPL Scores.

On the Left Hand Side of this site you’ll notice 2 widgets. One is the Live EPL Table which is automatically updated and one for the Latest Results.



The Latest Results widget also couples as a Live Scores channel. You can follow each and every game which is being played at the moment.

Click on a particular game being played and you’ll be taken to a page where you can view FREE Live Updates (Commentary) along with various game statistics.



The LIVE EPL Scores on our site is brought to you by SportingLife.

EPL Predictions – Do you know the score?

Joining code: 19c8-GGGM

Last weekend I managed 7 correct result predictions! Think you can do better?
Why don’t you join the EPL08.com Prediction league at IKnowTheScore right away!

Step-by-step instructions on how to join in:

1.
Go to http://iknowthescore.premierleague.com/.
2. Register.
3. Once done and logged in, on the right hand side amidst the various links you’ll notice Mini-Leagues. Click on it.
4. You’ll see an option of joining a Private League.
Enter this code there: 19c8-GGGM

If you also play Fantasy Premier League – then the code for joining our league there is:
225874-47670


EPL Weekend 4 – Results and Review: Man United notch first win, Arsenal stop Man City and Chelsea go top.

[CLICK HERE to view the latest EPL Results]

Results - EPL Weekend # 4:

Sunderland 0 – Liverpool 2:
(Prediction was: Liverpool to win 1-0)

Sunderland's misfortunes continued as they fell to their second defeat of the campaign. New keeper Craig Gordon lived up to his £9 million tag and produced a series of superb saves but could not keep Liverpool at bay for the entire match.Goals from Mohamed Sissoko and Andriy Voronin gave the visitors a 2-0 victory.

Arsenal 1 - Manchester City 0:
(Prediction was: 1-1)

Manchester City's 100% start to the season came to a halt at Emirates stadium as they conceded their first goal of the campaign and saw Chelsea overtake them at the top of the table. Kasper Schmeichel's continued his brilliance between the posts as he saved a penalty from Robin van Persie. But he couldn't keep out Cesc Fabregas' fierce shot ten minutes from time which gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory.

Aston Villa 2 – Fulham 1:
(Prediction was: Aston Villa to win 1-0)

An early goal by Clint Dempsey gave Fulham the lead against Aston Villa. Villa claimed a deserved equaliser when Ashley Young's cross was deflected into his own goal by Zat Knight on 50 minutes. Chris Baird was then sent off for a second yellow card before Shaun Maloney scored in injury-time to hand Villa a thrilling 2-1 victory.

Bolton 3 – Reading 0:
(Prediction was: 1-0)

Bolton Wanderers finally recorded a win and with it their first points of the season. Goals from Gary Speed, Nicolas Anelka and substitute Daniel Braaten secured a 3-0 home victory over Reading. Other good news for them is that Diouf is happy to stay back at Bolton for the remainder of the season. Reading must be hoping the same from their defender Shorey.

Chelsea 1 – Portsmouth 0:
(Prediction was: Chelsea to win 2-1)

Chelsea took top spot in the Barclays Premier League thanks to a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge. After scoring for England midweek, Lampard did the same for his club and a fierce shot on the half-hour mark beat David James and secured all three points for the Blues.

Derby 1 – Birmingham 2:
(Prediction was: Derby to win 1-0)

Birmingham City won the clash of the promoted sides at Pride Park with a 2-1 triumph over Derby County. Jerome put the visitors ahead after only 32 seconds. Matt Oakley leveled on 51 minutes but Jerome's second goal twelve minutes later sealed three could-be-crucial points for Birmingham.

West Ham 1 – Wigan 1:
(Prediction was: 2-0 for West Ham)

Two late goals left honours even between West Ham United and Wigan Athletic at Upton Park. Wigan scored when Paul Scharner's overhead kick found the corner of the net in the 79th minute before Lee Bowyer finished from a tight angle two minutes later to leave it 1-1.

Everton 1 – Blackburn 1:
(Prediction was: 1-1)

Goodison lived up to my prediction and saw Everton and Blackburn fight out a 1-1 draw. James McFadden equalized for Everton with his first goal of the season after Roque Santa Cruz's third goal of the season (2nd in the EPL) had given Blackburn Rovers a first-half lead.

Middlesbrough 2 – Newcastle 2:
(Prediction was: 1-1)

Mark Viduka was on target on his return to the Riverside Stadium as Middlesbrough and Newcastle United played out an eventful 2-2 draw. Charles N'Zogbia opened the scoring for Newcastle in the 22nd minute but Mido's second goal in as many games saw Boro back on level terms six minutes later. Viduka netted his first goal for the Magpies and thought he’d secured a win against his former team but Julio Arca’s late strike salvaged a draw for Middlesbrough.

Manchester United 1 - Tottenham 0:
(Prediction was: Man U to win 2-0)

Manchester United chalked up their first win of the season thanks to sensational goal by Nani. The Portuguese youngster drove a spectacular long-range effort past Paul Robinson and into the top corner of the Tottenham Hotspur net. This was only the second goal of United's second till now but it was to give the Champions a 1-0 victory over Spurs.

Have a look at the goal:


Nani First Goal In Man Utd - Subscribe to the EPL08.com RSS feed

PremierLeague.com

Friday, August 24, 2007

EPL Weekend 4 – Fixtures and Predictions

[You might be viewing old Fixtures and Predictions on this page. To view the latest English Premier League fixtures and predictions - CLICK HERE]

EPL Weekend # 4:

Saturday:

Sunderland vs Liverpool:
Things are not going to get any easier for Roy Keane’s men, after getting humbled at Wigan last weekend they now play host to probable title contenders Liverpool.

Prediction: Expect Sunderland to put up a brave fight but they would go down to Liverpool by a goal to nil.

Arsenal vs Manchester City:
Would Arsenal be able to end Manchester City’s 100% winning start? City have lost their striker Valeri Bojinov for nearly 5 months after he was stretchered off against Man United last weekend. Meanwhile Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann wouldn’t be starting and is on the injured list – but this might actually be a blessing in disguise since he’s made a couple of blaring errors already this season.

Prediction: Manchester City to continue their unbeaten streak. 1-1 draw.

Aston Villa vs Fulham:
Talking about goalkeeping howlers, Fulham keeper would be keen to avoid any more. After a brilliant outing against Arsenal on the opening day – Warner made a blaring mistake against Bolton and followed it up with an equal shocker against Middlesbrough. Aston Villa would be looking at notching up their first win of the season and they should be able to do so.

Prediction: Aston Villa to win 1-0.

Bolton vs Reading:
Bolton manager Sammy Lee would be desperate to record his first win. You’ve got to appreciate Reading’s start to the season. To secure 4 points against champions Manchester United and then-table topping Everton and only a narrow defeat against Chelsea shows us that Reading are out to prove that they are not a one-season-wonder team.

Prediction: Bolton to scrape out a 1-0 victory at the Reebok.

Chelsea vs Portsmouth:
Chelsea would want to get back to winning ways after managing a lucky draw at Anfield last weekend. Their mighty home record of 64 matches unbeaten should roll on to 65.

Prediction: Chelsea to win 2-1.

Derby vs Birmingham:
Both Derby and Birmingham would be looking for their first win of the season. 3 points on grabs which could be crucial for both of them down the season.

Prediction: Derby to notch up their first win of the season. 1-0.

West Ham vs Wigan:
Wigan have surprised quite a few with their strong start to the season – which even saw them top the table for a day. Alan Curbishley would be looking at securing 3 points at home for West Ham at home.

Prediction: West Ham to win 2-0

Everton vs Blackburn:
Everton were knocked off the top of the table by Reading last week and David Moyes will try to ensure that they don’t end up dropping points at home against Mark Hughes’ Rovers.
Record signing Yakubu could be making his debut for Everton.

Prediction: 1-1 with a fair share of high flying tackles.

Sunday:

Middlesbrough vs Newcastle:
A Boro side sans Yakubu is going to find it real tough scoring goals. New signing Mido has to continue his scoring form if Middlesbrough are to harbour thoughts of upsetting Newcastle.

Prediction: A dull 1-1 draw with Smith scoring his first goal for Newcastle.

Manchester United vs Tottenham:
Early nerves for Alex Ferguson and Martin Jol as the Red Devils take on Spurs in a match which both managers would love to win. Lack of any pre-season football shows on Tevez and the Man U attack looks pretty bleak without Ronaldo and Rooney. This has been Man Utd's worst League start for fifteen years.

Spurs on the other hand haven’t got much to boast about except for a victory over newly promoted Derby County.

Prediction: Tempers are sure to fly. I expect Manchester United to notch up their first win of the season. 2-0.

Latest EPL Transfer News – Yakubu joins Everton, Belletti joins Chelsea…

[You might be viewing old Transfer News on this page. To know the latest on EPL Transfers - CLICK HERE]

Yakubu all set to join Everton:

Everton have agreed a club record transfer fee of 11.25 million pounds ($27.6 million) with Middlesbrough for Aiyegbeni Yakubu.

Yakubu, who trained with Middlesbrough on Wednesday, is now due on Merseyside to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical and if all goes according to plan he should be available to make his Toffees debut against Blackburn on Saturday.

Over the past four seasons, only former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has scored more English Premier League goals than Yakubu.

Belletti joins Chelsea:

Chelsea Football Club and FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for the transfer of Juliano Belletti.

The transfer fee is around the 5.5 million Euro mark. Belletti will pen a three year deal after completing a medical and agreeing terms.

Well this has ended Chelsea's search for a right-back. While most of the fans were expecting Chelsea to sign Daniel Alves from Sevilla – but after Sevilla refused to budge from their 36 million euro valuation of the right-back, and in fact even raised it to 40 million - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho moved quickly for the experienced Belletti, underlining chairman Bruce Buck's insistence that they would not be held to ransom in any transfer deal.

Kasey Keller joins Fulham:

Veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller has joined Fulham.

The Cottagers have been short of options in goal this season, following an injury to first-choice Niemi and with a lack of cover for Tony Warner in the Finn's absence.

Most of you might remember Keller from his days at Spurs.

Heinze and Robben join Real Madrid

[You might be viewing old Transfer News on this page. To know the latest on EPL Transfers - CLICK HERE]

Real Madrid have completed the signings of Dutch winger Arjen Robben from Chelsea and Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United.

Heinze, 29, has signed a four-year deal with Real after a long drawn transfer dispute between Manchester United and Liverpool over the player.

While the 23-year-old Robben also had a long drawn transfer saga and will now be tied to the Spanish giants for the next five seasons.

Neither fee has been confirmed, but reports in the Spanish media suggest the double swoop could cost Real almost 50million euros (£34million) in total.

Robben said: "For me it was really a big relief when yesterday the final word came that I could join Madrid. I think its a great honour if you're one of the promises of a president. Now I am here I think everybody is happy - the club is happy, I'm very happy."

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck considers the sale of Robben as a "very good business result".

Robben's move to Spain is worth around double the £12million the Blues paid PSV Eindhoven in 2004 for the Holland winger - a healthy return for a player who did not want to stay at Stamford Bridge. Even though Robben is going to be missed at Chelsea, the arrival of Malouda has softened the impact of his departure.

Meanwhile Heinze who wanted to join Liverpool but wasn’t allowed to do so has admitted replacing the Brazilian Roberto Carlos will be a tough task.

"I think that it is impossible to forget Roberto Carlos. I have come here to give everything. What Roberto Carlos has done is impressive," said Heinze.

Lyon were also in the running to land Heinze but the South American insists Real were the club for him.

Via – Sporting Life

EPL Weekend 3 – Results and Review. Big 4 Slip as Man City top table

[CLICK HERE to view the latest EPL Results]

Sorry for the delay guys. Was out exploring the wild and didn’t have access to the net for the whole week.

Results - EPL Weekend #3

Portsmouth 3 – Bolton 1:
(Prediction was: Portsmouth to win 1-0)

Portsmouth ran out 3-1 winners against Bolton. Kanu and John Utaka put Pompey ahead after Nicolas Anelka had given Wanderers a surprise lead. A Matt Taylor penalty sealed the points for Pommies. Defeat leaves Bolton languishing at the bottom of the table and qualifying for Europe would be a distant dream currently.

Birmingham 0 - West Ham 1:
(Prediction was: West Ham to nick it by a single goal.)

My prediction was spot on and so was Mark Noble – who drilled home a penalty to secure a 1-0 win for West Ham.

Fulham 1 - Middlesbrough 2:
(Prediction was: A nil-nil draw is on the cards.)

At Craven Cottage, Fulham were denied what looked to be a legitimate injury-time equalizer. This was after a second howler in a week by Fulham goalkeeper Tony Warner helped Middlesbrough snatch a 2-1 victory.

Earlier Brian McBride was stretchered off after injuring his knee while scoring the first goal. Mido equalized for Boro on his debut and Lee Cattermole won it them four minutes from time.

Reading 1 - Everton 0:
(Prediction was: An entertaining 1-1 draw.)

Everton started the day at the top of the Premier League table but lacked their usual spark as they went down 1-0 to Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Tottenham 4 - Derby County 1:
(Prediction was: Finally some points for Spurs. 3-1 in their favour.)

Martin Jol’s Tottenham finally managed to record their first win of the season with a comprehensive 4-0 win at home against Derby County.

Steed Malbranque netted the first with less than 2 minutes on the clock and just 3 minutes later he added another. Jermaine Jenas made it 3-0 with a superb solo run down the middle. Darren Bent added a fourth in the second half.

Victory wasn’t enough to secure Martin Jol’s job and there are talks of Sevilla coach Juande Ramos replacing him soon.

Wigan 3 – Sunderland 0:
(Prediction was: Tight match to end in a 1-1 draw.)

Meanwhile Chris Hutchings' Wigan continued to defy expectations with a 3-0 win over Sunderland that put them temporarily top of the table. Emile Heskey continued his fine form and netted the opener. Two second-half penalties gave the final score an impressive look. Denny Landzaat scored from the spot before the in-form Sibierski netted for the third straight game.

Newcastle 0 - Aston Villa 0:
(Prediction was: 2-0 to Newcastle.)

Michael Owen made yet another comeback but it wasn’t enough to inspire Newcastle to a victory and they played out a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at home.

Manchester City 1 - Manchester United 0:
(Prediction was: United to continue with their drawing spree. 1-1.)

Manchester City went top of the EPL after recording a shock 1-0 victory against high profile city neighbours Manchester United.

Man United dominated the game but wayward finishing and some desperate City defending kept them at bay. Geovanni fired home from outside the box with the aid of a slight deflection off Nemanja Vidic to get the victory for City.

Blackburn 1 – Arsenal 1:
1 Red Card and 10 Yellow Cards
(Prediction was: A 2-2 draw will continue a weekend full of draws. 1 Red Card and 5 Yellow Cards)

A mistake by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann cost Arsenal two points against Blackburn as the sides drew 1-1 after a very physical match at Ewood Park.

The Gunners were in the driving seat thanks to Robin van Persie's second goal of the season and on course for victory.But with 18 minutes remaining Lehmann allowed a shot from David Dunn to slip through his hands for his second high-profile blunder in as many weeks.

Liverpool 1 – Chelsea 1:
(Prediction was: A 2-1 away victory for Chelsea)

A controversial penalty from Frank Lampard earned Chelsea a point at Anfield as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool as referee Rob Styles appeared to have Robbed Liverpool off 2 points. He adjudged Steve Finnan to have fouled Florent Malouda in the 62nd minute, but the Chelsea player appeared to jump into the Liverpool full-back.

Earlier Fernando Torres struck his first goal for the Reds after he beat Tal Ben-Haim for pace and slotted a neat finish past Petr Cech into the corner.

Chelsea's failure to maintain their 100 per cent record leaves Manchester City at the top of the table after 3 rounds of matches.

(Via)

Friday, August 17, 2007

EPL Weekend 3 – Fixtures and Predictions

[You might be viewing old Fixtures and Prediction on this page. To view the latest fixtures and predictions - CLICK HERE]

EPL Weekend # 3:

Saturday:

Portsmouth vs Bolton:
Portsmouth would be looking for their first win of the season after consecutive draws against Derby County and Manchester United, while Bolton would be searching for their first points of the season.

Prediction: Portsmouth to win 1-0

Birmingham vs West Ham:
West Ham would want some points on the board and new signing Kieron Dyer could be making his debut in the game. New majority shareholder Carson Yeung says Steve Bruce will stay in charge at Birmingham and Bruce would be looking at living up to expectations.

Prediction: West Ham to nick it by a single goal.

Fulham vs Middlesbrough:
Middlesbrough threw away the game against Wigan mid-week while Fulham managed a win over Bolton. Fulham manager Sanchez would want his boys to continue the winning ways while Boro manager Southgate would be desperate to record the first points of the season. Mido has been a good signing for them.

Prediction: A nil-nil draw is on the cards.

Reading vs Everton:
After a battling draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Reading put up another brave performance against Chelsea and lost narrowly at home. They will be looking for another strong performance against David Moyes’ team which currently lies joint first at the top of the table.

Prediction: An entertaining 1-1 draw.

Tottenham vs Derby County:
Few would have expected big-spenders Tottenham to have such a bad start to the season. After losing to a last minute winner against Sunderland they were humbled at home by Everton. Nothing short of victory will do this weekend.

Prediction: Finally some points for Spurs. 3-1 in their favour.

Wigan vs Sunderland:
2 teams which are surely going to be in the relegation battle in the latter stages of the season. 3 points here wouldn’t do any harm for either of the teams.

Prediction: Tight match to end in a 1-1 draw.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa:
Big Sam would want the Magpies to continue their form from the opening day of the season. Dyer’s departure shouldn’t haven any adverse effect and they should be able to secure victory. On the other hand Martin O’Neill would want his squad to take back at least a point from this game.

Prediction: 2-0 to Newcastle.

Sunday:

Manchester City vs Manchester United:
Expect a fiery Manchester derby. Ronaldo will begin his 3 match ban and would definitely be missed. With Rooney out injured for nearly 2 months – Tevez would be expected to step-up and deliver as soon as possible. The new look table topping Manchester City are not going to be any pushovers.

Prediction: United to continue with their drawing spree. 1-1.

Blackburn vs Arsenal:
This match is going to be anything but dull. Tackles are going to fly from everywhere. At least 5 yellow cards and a red card would be my prediction for the game.Both teams won in Europe in mid-week clashes.

Prediction: A 2-2 draw will continue a weekend full of draws.

Liverpool vs Chelsea:
Last year Liverpool defeated Chelsea 2-0 at home and pretty much dented and ended Chelsea’s title aspirations. They went on the oust them from the Champions League semi-finals and Mourinho’s men would be out to seek revenge.

A highly tactical bout between Benitez and Mourinho is on the cards.

Prediction: A 2-1 away victory for Chelsea

For the complete list of EPL fixtures for the month of August – Click Here

Latest EPL Transfer News – Mido joins Middlesbrough and Dyer completes West Ham switch

[You might be viewing old Transfer News on this page. To know the latest on EPL Transfers - CLICK HERE]

Mido joins Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have completed the £6million signing of Tottenham's Egyptian international striker Mido on a four-year contract.

Boro beat off competition from newly-promoted duo Birmingham and Sunderland to land the 24-year-old, who has been granted a work permit.

Middlesbrough would now like to hold on to Yakubu and the prospects of these two teaming up in the front should assure Boro of a few goals.

Kieron Dyer finally completes West Ham move
Kieron Dyer's on-off move from Newcastle to West Ham has finally been concluded after the two sides agreed terms. The deal should be somewhere between the £6million to £8million mark.

Dyer could even make his debut for West Ham this weekend against Birmingham. He would be joining his ex-Newcastle team-mates Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and Lee Bowyer at Upton Park. Their team surely looks strong on paper.

Other Transfer News:

Chelsea want Daniel Alves
Chelsea are set to increase their offer for Sevilla wing-back Daniel Alves after the Spanish club rejected an initial bid of £21.5million.

The player's agent remains confident the two clubs will soon reach an agreement - paving the way for Alves to move to Stamford Bridge.

Benfica midfielder Manuel Fernandes is set to join Everton within the next 24 hours. The deal is said to around the £6million mark.

Leeds have agreed to sell verteran winger Eddie Lewis to Derby County for an undisclosed fee.

Via – SportingLife

Season Preview - Derby County

Last season: Championship third, 84 points, play-off winners; FA Cup fifth round; Carling Cup second round

Transfers:

In: Robert Earnshaw (Norwich, £3.5m), Claude Davis (Sheff Utd, £3m), Tyrone Mears (West Ham, £1m), Andy Todd (Blackburn, free); Ben Hinchcliffe (Preston, undisc)

Out: Paul Peschisolido (Luton, free), Lee Grant (Sheff Wed, free), Ryan Smith (Millwall, £150,000), Paul Boertien, Steven Cann, Morten Bisgaard, Lionel Ainsworth, Seth Johnson (all released)

Official Website: http://www.dcfc.co.uk/

Official Kit: To be Updated Soon

Favourites to be relegated this season – Derby surprised quite a few by gaining promotion to the Premiership. Since relegation in 2002, their finishes in the Championship have been 18th, 20th, fourth, 20th - then 3rd and promotion! A 20th in the Premiership definitely beckons this season.

Derby youngster Giles Barnes would be the one to watch out far and I’m sure he’ll make a move to a bigger club next season. Robert Earnshaw has been a decent buy and the Rams can look to him to score a few this season.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

Derby grabbed a draw against Portsmouth on the opening day of the season and went down to Manchester City in their second game. Things getting tougher in September with trips to Liverpool and Arsenal, which definitely won't help the Rams get off to a much-needed good start, and they also play Tottenham on the road this coming weekend as well as Reading the first week of October. Everton, Newcastle, Bolton, and Portsmouth (Drew 2-2) make up 4 of the first 5 home games.

The run-in towards the end isn't much easier, as Derby plays Manchester United and Chelsea on consecutive weekends in March and finish up with Blackburn and Reading (Blackburn away, Reading home). It looks fairly certain that Derby won't get off to a good start, and with a pretty tough schedule towards the end of the season, they'll have to make hay during the winter months to have any chance of staying in the Premiership.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 20
In 12 months, Derby County went from third last in the Championship to promotion to the Premiership. The roller-coaster ride should be complete in another 12 months when the Rams find themselves back in the Championship.

Season Preview - Wigan Athletic

Last season: 17th, 38 points; FA Cup third round; Carling Cup second round.

Transfers:

In: Chris Hutchings; Jason Koumas (West Brom, £5.3m); Titus Bramble (Newcastle, free); Antoione Sibierski (Newcastle, free); Mario Melchiot (Rangers, free); Andreas Granqvist (Helsinborgs, undisc, from loan); Carlo Nash (Preston, £300,000)

Out: Paul Jewell; Lee McCulloch (Rangers, £2.25m); Matt Jackon (Watford, free); Arjan de Zeeuw (Coventry, free); David Unsworth (released); John Filan (retired)

Official Website: http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/

Official Kit: To be updated soon

Wigan managed to avoid relegation on the final day as they beat relegation rivals Sheffield United 2-1. Manager Paul Jewell chose to step down after survival had been guaranteed and was replaced by his assistant Chris Hutchings.

This year Wigan are almost everyone’s favourites to go down and Hutchings is the bookies favourite to be the first manager to lose his job this season.

Wigan managed 2 good signings this summer, Welsh international midfielder Jason Koumas and veteran attacking mid-fielder Sibierski (Ex-Newcastle and Man City). Sibierski already proven his point by scoring in both of Wigan’s opening matches this season.

A horrific signing has been that of Titus Bramble. He’s arguable the most hated defender in the Premiership and it would be remarkable to see him prove some critics wrong.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:
After losing on the opening day of the season to Everton, Wigan were lucky to win against Middlesbrough. Their schedule is fairly navigable up through November, and Wigan will need to take as many points as they can from the 9 remaining games they'll play to that point.

November brings Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal (the latter two on the road), and it's likely they'll take no points from those three games. A trip to Bolton in early December doesn't make things much easier.

Their three matches in February could turn out to be the pivotal point for Wigan this season. They're home to West Ham and Derby County, with an away match at Sunderland sandwiched in between. Wigan will probably need to take maximum points out of those games if they're in trouble heading into February, because their last five matches are as difficult as they come (Chelsea and a much improved Aston Villa side away, Tottenham, Reading, and Manchester United at home).

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 19
Without Paul Jewell in charge, Wigan don't look to have much chance of staying up. Season before last, Wigan surprised a lot of teams by finishing in the top half. Last year they barely managed to avoid relegation by beating Sheffield United on the last day of the season. Things are not going to be rosy for new manager Chris Hutchings.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

EPL Results – Chelsea beat Reading, Man Utd held by Portsmouth. Review of all Mid-Week Matches

[CLICK HERE to view the latest EPL Results]

Portsmouth 1 - Manchester United 1
Cristiano Ronaldo and new Portsmouth signing Sulley Muntari saw red as Manchester United were held to another battling draw by Portsmouth.

The champions took the lead via a Payl Scholes goal assisted by United debutant Carlos Tevez. Portsmouth leveled in the 53rd minute through Mwaruwari Benjani.

The Manchester derby is up next for United while Portsmouth face Bolton at home.

Reading 1 - Chelsea 2
Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba ensured Chelsea didn’t drop any points at Reading. Both scored shortly after half-time to complete a fine comeback win. Earlier in the match, Andre Bikey capitalized on a mistake by Petr Cech to give Reading the lead.

Chelsea travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday while Reading play host to Everton.

Man City 1 - Derby County 0
Manchester City continued their perfect start to the season with a 1-0 victory over newly promoted Derby County at the City of Manchester Stadium.

19-year-old Michael Johnson scored a classy goal which was also his first professional goal.

Derby travel to Tottenham this weekend while City play hosts to Manchester United.

Birmingham 2 - Sunderland 2
The Premiership new-boys renewed their Championship rivalry after playing out an entertaining draw. Sunderland continued their late scoring antics as Stern John came off the bench to net the equalizer in the 90th minute.

Birmingham host West Ham United coming weekend while Sunderland travel to Wigan.

Fulham 2 - Bolton 1
Fulham dealt Bolton a second straight defeat after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Craven Cottage.

Ex-Fulham striker Heidar Helguson put Bolton in the front after a mistake by Fulham goalie Tony Warner. David Healy equalized for Fulham and Ex-Chelsea midfielder Alexi Smertin netted the winner.

Fulham play hosts to Middlesbrough this weekend while Bolton travel to Portsmouth.

Wigan 1 - Middlesbrough 0
On a night studded with goalkeeping errors, the costliest one came JJB Stadium when Mark Schwarzer's spill gifted Wigan a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.

Schwarzer could not hold Antonio Valencia's 55th-minute shot and Antoine Sibierski pounced to bundle the ball home for his second goal in as many matches.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

EPL Results – Everton beat Tottenham

[CLICK HERE to view the latest EPL Results]

Everton continued their perfect start to the season with a convincing 3-1 win at White Hart Lane which condemned the Spurs to the bottom of the table.

Toffees took the lead in the third minute after Mikel Arteta’s superb free-kick found the head of Lescott who made no mistake is putting it past Paul Robinson.

Spurs then drew level in the 27th minute when Anthony Gardner scored via a Jermaine Jenas corner. Everton restored their lead eight minutes before half-time when Osman smashed home his second goal of the season. Things got worse for Tottenham when Everton grabbed their third just before the break when a free-kick by Stubbs took a wicked deflection and landed in the back of the net.

Tottenham were very unlucky in the second half with Howard making some great saves and even the woodwork came to Everton’s rescue.

Nothing short of a win over Derby County will do for Spurs on Saturday, while Everton face a tough trip to Reading this weekend.

If you are from India, be sure to Sign Up for our Free SMS EPL Score Updates.

Season Preview - Fulham

Last season: 16th, 39 points; FA Cup fifth round; Carling Cup second round

Transfers:

In: Diomansy Kamara (West Brom, £6m); Chris Baird (Southampton, £3.02m); Paul Konchesky (West Ham, £2m); David Healy (Leeds, £1.5m); Aaron Hughes (Aston Villa, £1m); Steve Davis (Aston Villa, £4m); Lee Cook(QPR, £2.5m)

Out: Heidar Helguson (undisc); Tomasz Radzinski, Mark Pembridge, Claus Jensen (all released)
Fulham gave a pretty decent account of themselves on the opening day of the season at the Emirates Stadium and were rather unlucky to go down to 2 late strikes.

Official Website: http://www.fulhamfc.com

Official Kit:

Last season Fulham just managed a paltry 39 points and just managed to stay up because of a vital winning strike from Clint Dempsey against a depleted Liverpool squad. Else it could have been Fulham chasing West Ham round the courts and not Sheffield.

Manager Lawrie Sanchez will begin his first full year in charge of the Cottagers with a revamped roster studded with more than half a dozen Northern Ireland players.

Summer recruits include Aaron Hughes, Chris Baird, Steven Davis, and David Healy - all played under him for Northern Ireland, and striker Diomansy Kamara and versatile defender Paul Konchesky came to Craven Cottage this summer as well.

Attacking options are limited but Sanchez would be looking at improving their defense – they were tied for the most goals allowed in the Premiership last year (60).

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

Fulham's schedule appears to be quite easy. There's a five-game tough stretch that covers all of November and into December that brings road games at Manchester United, Liverpool, and Everton, as well as home games with Reading and Blackburn. January will be tricky as well, but Chelsea and Arsenal both come to Craven Cottage and Fulham have winnable road matches at Bolton and West Ham.

There are no runs of games of any real length other than those two so Fulham will have every chance to at least challenge for a top half position, though that seems unlikely.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 16
Fulham were lucky to survive last season, mainly courtesy of a win against a pretty depleted Liverpool side. New manager Lawrie Sanchez has brought in a host of Northern Ireland players.

I expect the Cottagers to struggle this season too - though Sanchez might just be able to survive the drop.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Fantasy Premier League TIPS

Firstly – apologies for not putting this post up before the season began. But we have a long season ahead of us…

Firstly, What is Fantasy Premier League?
Fantasy Premier League is a game by PremierLeague.com which lets you prove your managerial acumen and compete with more than a million people across the globe.

How to join Fantasy Premier League?
Click Here for details on that.

Do not forget to join the EPL08.com League:
League Code: 225874-47670

Now that the season has started here are some basic tips to help you through the season:

1) Do not lose interest or enthusiasm:
This is ‘the’ most important tip. Even I suffer from this almost each season. After a decent start – the points suddenly dry up and all your friends overtake you, you end up losing interest.

Avoid this. It takes just 1 good Gameweek to bounce right back.

2) Captaincy:
Do not just choose a static captain like say a Ronaldo or a Lampard. Go through your players, see the opposition and ask yourself – who is assured to score points this season?

If your star defender is playing at home and is up against a lower ranked team – then make him the captain. Defenders get a truck load of points for clean-sheets and his score would automatically double.

If you are keen on a Mid-fielder as a captain – go for someone who not only scores the occasional goal, but also serves up quite a few assists.

3) Defenders:
Do not stick with the same defenders right through the year. You are allowed one free substitution each week – make it count.

Look out for teams whom you think will definitely be able to secure a clean sheet in the weekend and draft in a player accordingly. Do not always go for big names…

Some players I’d recommend you keep an eye on:

Attacking defenders: Queudrue (Birmingham), Riise (Liverpool), Toure (Arsenal), Neville (Everton), Evra and Vidic (Manchester United), Chimbonda (Tottenham)

Solid Players: Richards (Manchester City), Terry (Chelsea), Mellberg (Aston Villa), Lescott (Everton), Carragher (Liverpool), Ferdinand (Manchester United)

4) Mid-Fielders:
The most important players in the Fantasy Premier League competition. A look at the last seasons top point scorers would show you that it’s the mid-fielders who steal the lime light.

It’s very essential to have at least 1 star mid-fielder and 2-3 solid mid-fielders in your squad. Look out for mid-fielders who have a lot of assists, take free-kicks, penalties etc.

Another thing you have to keep in mind is that you need players who play almost 90 minutes of each game. You don’t want bench-warmers in your mid-field.

Stars: Lampard (Chelsea), Ronaldo (Manchester United), Gerrard (Liverpool), Fabregas (Arsenal)

Solid Mid-fielders: Barry (Aston Villa), Nolan (Bolton), Pedersen (Blackburn), Essien (Chelsea), Cahill and Arteta (Everton), Carrick and Scholes (Man United), Parker (West Ham), Barton (Newcastle)

5) Strikers:
Rooney’s injured and I assume most of you would have had him in your squad. Well whom should you substitute him with?
My Picks: Berbatov, Drogba, Martins or Tevez

You need to be really lucky with your strikers. No one knows whose going to score and when. Having a dynamic striker like Rooney who makes his presence felt in each game is a must.

But never spend too much on strikers – as the Return on Investment they offer is not always much. Players can go into long ruts where they won’t score a single goal.

Keep shuffling strikers around. Go with your gutt-feeling.
I usually play with 5 solid mid-fielders and 1 striker - which usually ensures more points than 2 non-scoring strikers up ahead.

Players I’d suggest:

Costing above 8: Berbatov (9.5 – Tottenham), Van Persie (9 – Arsenal), Anelka (8.5 – Bolton), Pizarro (8 – Chelsea), Tevez (8.6 – Man United), Martins (9 – Newcastle)

Costing below 8: Young (7 – Aston Villa), Chopra (5.5 - Sunderland), Forssell (5 – Birmingham), Derbyshire (6 – Blackburn), Earnshaw (5.5 – Derby), Bianchi (7.5 – Man City), Ashton (7 – West Ham)

EPL08.com League Code: 225874-47670

Be sure to Subscribe to our RSS Feed for regular EPL News.

And do watch out for the next post on Fantasy Premier League Tips..

Season Preview - Everton

Last season: 6th, 58 points; FA Cup third round; Carling Cup fourth round

Transfers:

In: Phil Jagielka (Sheff Utd, £4m); Steven Pienaar (Borussia Dortmund, loan); Leighton Baines (Wigan, £5m); Lucas Jutkiewicz (Swindon, undisc);

Out: James Beattie (Sheff Utd; £4m); Richard Wright (West Ham, free ); Gary Naysmith (Sheff Utd, £1m); Scott Phelan (Bradford, free); Alessandro Pistone, Alan Kearney (released)

Official Website: http://www.evertonfc.com/

Official Kit:

Last five seasons Everton have finished: 7th-17th-4th-11th-6th and that indicates another disappointing season on the cards for Everton…
But perhaps, no real trough will follow the latest peak and Everton should once again be there or thereabouts in the battle for Europe.

On the pitch, Everton are the only team outside the big four to reach the Champions League qualifiers since Newcastle in 2003 – but they didn’t last long enough to make any impression. They need to make sure that they put up a good show in the UEFA Cup this season.

The problem for Everton is that they have not been able to do as much as they would have liked to do in the transfer market. Their biggest success so far has arguably been getting rid of the non-scoring James Beattie.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

After what was a relatively easy home game against Wigan to start the season, Everton now embark on a prolonged rough patch of fixtures. Trips to Tottenham, Reading, Bolton, and Aston Villa all come during the first two months of the season, as do home games against Blackburn and Manchester United. The first fierce Merseyside derby takes place at Goodison Park on October 20th, with the return match at Anfield on March 29.

December will prove to be the toughest month of the season as not only do they have to play 6 games (the last 3 of which in a span of 7 days), their opponents include two of the best teams in the Premiership. Portsmouth, West Ham, and Manchester United will play the role of not-so-merry hosts and Everton also plays Fulham, Bolton, and Arsenal at home.

The schedule is considerably more forgiving (at least on paper) from the start of the new year until the end of the season, so look for Everton to make a big second half push.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 7
Andrew Johnson needs to start slotting in a lot more goals if Everton are to finish anything higher than 7th position. They might a fancy a decent run in the UEFA cup this time around and also expect them to reach the latter stages of one of the domestic cups.

Arteta and Cahill should shine this season.

Season Preview - Tottenham Hotspur

Last season: 5th, 60 points; UEFA Cup quarter-finals; FA Cup quarter-finals; Carling Cup semi-finals

Transfers:

In: Darren Bent (Charlton, £16.5m); Gareth Bale (Southampton, £5m); Younes Kaboul (Auxerre, £8m); Kevin-Prince Boateng (Hertha Berlin, £5m); Adel Taarabt (Lens, £2.5m); Yuri Berchiche (Athletic Bilbao, nominal); Danny Rose (Leeds, nominal)

Out: Hossam Ghaly (?); Charlie Lee (Peterborough, free); Mark Yeates (Colchester, nominal); Robert Burch (Sheffield Wednesday, free); Emil Hallfredsson (Lyn Oslo, undisclosed)

Official Website: http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/

Official Kit:

A debate which has taken a lot of space this summer has been: Will Spurs to break into the top four?

Spurs had a long season last year, with appearances in the Semi-Finals of the Carling Cup and Quarter Finals of both the FA Cup and UEFA Cup – and at no time in the season did they look like finishing in the top 4.

This summer Totteham have spent as big as anyone in terms of cash laid out, even if others have exceeded their heftiest fee paid. Gareth Bale, Darren Bent, Younes Kaboul, Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Spurs shouldn’t really have a problem with slotting in goals. If Darren Bent can live up to his £16.5m price tag and if Berbatov continues his great form from last season and if Robbie Keane and Defoe can keep aside their egos – Tottenham should definitely be able to command the respect of any defense in the county. But that’s not how it went against Sunderland.

The mid-field could have been a little bit stronger. Didier Zokora, Steed Malbranque, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas, Boateng…doesn’t look bad on paper though.

Martin Jol is going to be under a tremendous amount of pressure to show some results this season.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

"Tottenham haven’t kicked off to the perfect start, after losing to Sunderland on the opening day of the season. The match against Everton tonight is definitely not going to be easy either. A trip to Old Trafford on August 26 will be a statement game. Beating Manchester United away will prove they're for real, and a draw wouldn't be a bad result either.

Tottenham hosts Arsenal just 3 weeks (2 games) later in a North London derby, another big game for them, and then will go to Anfield to play Liverpool on the first weekend of October. The schedule isn't very difficult at all from there until the middle of December when two consecutive road games bring Portsmouth and the second North London derby with Arsenal just 3 days before Christmas.

Tottenham will then play Chelsea twice in a span of 6 games, games that also include a home date with Manchester United an away game at Everton. 10 straight winnable games follow that second match with Chelsea, and a home game against Liverpool finishes out the season."

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 5
The Spurs have an attacking line-up which could match that of Manchester United. Berbatov, Defoe and Keane - each had in excess of 10 goals last season and the addition of ₤ 16.5 million Darren Bent just adds to their attacking riches. But again, there's going to be lot of expectations at White Hart Lane - especially because of the amount of money spent in the summer.

They didn’t get off to the best of starts against Sunderland and they really need to perform consistently to challenge the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool this season.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Season Preview - Reading

Last season: 8th, 55 points; FA Cup fifth round; Carling Cup third round

Transfers:

In: Emerson Fae (Nantes, £2.5m); Kalifa Cisse (Boavista, £1m)

Out: Greg Halford (Sunderland, £3m); Steve Sidwell (Chelsea, free)

Official Website: http://www.readingfc.co.uk/

Official Kit:

Steve Coppell's Reading had a fantastic 2006/07 campaign - their first in the top flight. But let's be honest, they overachieved last season. But not targeting Europe was a big mistake by Coppell.

Reading hardly seen any activity in the transfer market this season – except for losing their best player to Steve Sidwell to Chelsea. It is important that their players stay largely injury free due to a lack of strength in depth.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

We'll be able to see what kind of team Reading is by looking at their results in their first four games this season. In a 13-day stretch, which included Reading’s remarkable 0-0 draw at Manchester United, also sees them host Chelsea and Everton, and make a trip to Bolton. They won't be able to hide in these games, and getting off to a good start in the Premiership is essential for any team with European ambitions (Coppell might be harbouring some this season).

Every game from September into December is very winnable, with the toughest of those being a road game at Portsmouth and a home date with Arsenal. I can't see Reading getting many points out of their 7 combined games in January and February as they'll play at Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Everton, and host Portsmouth, Manchester United, Bolton, and Aston Villa.

The run-in to the end of the season isn't exceptionally difficult, but 3 of the last 4 games are away, including a trip to the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 14
Their fairytale premiership debut - in which they finished 8th - is definitely not going to witness a repeat. Reading over achieved last season and they have also lost arguably their best player in Steve Sidwell, who left for the greener pastures of Stamford Bridge.

But they showed their grit and determination in their opening game of the season at Old Trafford and managed to take a point off the Champions. They could again prove a lot of people wrong this season.

Season Preview - Blackburn Rovers

Last season: 10th, 52 points; UEFA Cup last 32; FA Cup semi-finals; Carling Cup third round

Transfers:

In: Roque Santa Cruz (Bayern Munich, £3.8m); Gunnar Nielsen (BK Copenhagen, undisc); Maceo Rigters (NAC Breda, £350,000)

Out: Andy Todd (Derby, free); Michael Gray (released)

Official Website: http://www.rovers.co.uk/

Official Kit:

A statistic which might surprise you is that Blackburn have qualified for Europe four times in the last six years and are set to appear in this seasons UEFA Cup after securing a spot via their success in the Intertoto Cup.

Blackburn have also achieved something which Liverpool haven’t in the past decade and a half and that is winning the Premier League (1994-95). But glory days have long left Ewood Park and they even managed to get relegated in 1999.

The current squad might not have the firepower to challenge for the title, but they can certainly push for a top 6 finish this season. In Benni McCarthy they have a striker worth paying to see and his head injury in the first game in the season might be of great concern. Roque Santa Cruz will need to adapt real quick to the English flow of play and Matt Derbyshire is a real promising young striker. Rovers also have a couple of excellent attacking players in the midfield in David Bentley and Morten Gamst Pedersen. Tenth was definitely not flattering to Blackburn last season.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

Blackburn kicked off in the style with a 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough. November and April are the only two months that bring multiple games against the "Big Four" as Blackburn will play Liverpool and Manchester United in each of those months.

April is by far the most difficult month with a road game at Portsmouth and a home match against Tottenham as well as the games with Liverpool and Manchester United, but the last two games of the season in May (at home against Derby County, away to Birmingham) should mean 6 points to end the year and push for a top 10 finish.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 11
Blackburn has hardly seen any transfer activity this season with the only major signing being that of Roque Santa Cruz from Bayern Munich. But Blackburn have a pretty strong squad - able mid-fielders and plenty of striking options. They’ve started the season off in style and are going to be playing in the UEFA cup this season too…

A lot of attacking and hard tackling season is going to be showcased this season by Blackburn but it might not be enough to be enough to make a significant rise in the table.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Latest Results – Sunday Review: Chelsea & Arsenal Win. Man Utd held

[For results and reviews of all the games played on Saturday – Click Here]

Arsenal 2 – Fulham 1

The day’s first game saw Arsenal get off to a rather shaky start and Fulham took a shock lead after just 52 seconds through David Healy following a blunder by Gunners keeper Jens Lehmann.

However just as it looked that Wegner’s men were headed for defeat – Arsenal came from behind to snatch a dramatic victory. The first goal came via a penalty from Van Persie after a spirited run by Toure was ended abruptly Carlos Bocanegra. Hleb added the second in the 90th minute as all the Arsenal fans heaved a sigh of relief.

Chelsea 3 – Birmingham City 2

Ex-Chelsea player Mikael Forssell opened the scoring for Birmingham before Claudio Pizarro and Florent Malouda scored on their Premiership debuts for Chelsea. Olivier Kapo levelled matters leveled matters with a sizzling strike before Essien struck the decider five minutes into the second half with a sweet curling shot.

By not losing this game – Chelsea also set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home. Chelsea are now 64 league matches unbeaten at Stamford Bridge, one better than Liverpool's efforts between 1978 and 1981.

Manchester United 0 – Reading 0

Meanwhile Champions Manchester United endured a frustrating start against Reading at home. Marcus Hahnemann was the hero as he saved everything that came his way. The Red Devils had nearly 2 dozen unsuccessful attempts at goal.

Steve Coppell’s side were reduced to 10 men with nearly 20 minutes to go as Dave Kitson was sent-off for a late challenge on Evra. But they held on for a highly commendable draw.

[For results and reviews of all the games played on Saturday – Click Here]

Season Preview - Aston Villa

Last season: 11th, 50 points; FA Cup third round; Carling Cup fourth round

Transfers:

In: Nigel Reo-Coker (West Ham, £8.5m); Marlon Harewood (West Ham, undisc); Eric Lichaj (Chicago Fire, undisc)

Out: Aaron Hughes (Fulham, £1m); Jlloyd Samuel (Bolton, free); Gavin McCann (Bolton, £1m); Lee Hendrie (released); Steven Davis (Fulham, £4m); Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls, free); Chris Sutton (retired)

Official Website: http://www.avfc.co.uk/

Official Kit:

Martin O'Neill has been a winner for too long to accept another season treading water at Villa Park. Only two players of any note have arrived at Villa this season. Both from West Ham – Ex-West Ham Captain Nigel Reo-Coker and out of favour Hammers striker Marton Harewood.

The number-one problem for Villa? They are not the only mid-table team in the Premiership that have had an infow of money of late. The people investing in Newcastle, West Ham, Portsmouth and Manchester City all believe that they should at least be playing in Europe via the UEFA Cup, given the investment or record, while Everton, Spurs and Bolton are already there and Blackburn have got their through the Intertoto, but would feel they deserve to reach their via their position in the league.

If all these teams start performing to their potential then at long last we may have an extremely competitive division. On their day, more teams should be able to challenge the big four, even if they lack the squads to maintain a season-long challenge.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

Villa’s campaign didn’t get off to the perfect start with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool on the opening day of the Premiership.

No month in their schedule stands out as being exceptionally difficult, but there's only one month that shouldn't give Aston Villa much trouble (November; home against Derby County, away to Birmingham and Middlesbrough). That game at Birmingham is the first Birmingham Derby of the season, and Villa will host Birmingham at Villa Park on April 20, the fourth-to-last game of the year.

In the first three months of the season, Aston Villa will play three of the "Big Four", one in each month, but they all come to Villa Park (Liverpool, then Chelsea, then Manchester United). The last 6 games of the season are all winnable, with an away game at Everton the toughest of the bunch.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 8
Martin O'Neill has been a winner for too long to accept another season treading water at Villa Park. A lot of names have left Villa this season but they've got in a couple of good players too. I definitely expect them to push for a UEFA cup slot. Watch out for Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young to shine this season.

Latest Results – Saturday Review: Sunderland shock Spurs and all other Scores

Aston Villa 1 - Liverpool 2

A stunning free-kick just three minutes from time by Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 2-1 win at Aston Villa in their Premier League opener on Saturday night. It had looked that Villa had done enough to claim a draw when Barry fired home a penalty in the 85th minute, but Liverpool captain Gerard ensured that they got their title aspirations to a decent start and slotted home a brilliant 25-yarder shot.

Sunderland 1 - Tottenham 0

Earlier in the day, Roy Keane’s Sunderland shocked Spurs with a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light. Michael Chopra delighted the Desi followers of the game along with the thousands of Sunderland fans as he side-footed a goal in injury time.

West Ham 0 - Manchester City 2

Sven-Goran Eriksson claimed victory in his first competitive match as a club manager in England as Manchester City beat West Ham 2-0 at Upton Park.

Eriksson’s new signings shone through as Rolando Bianchi tapped home the opener following an amazing run by Elano. Geovanni slammed in late to ensure the victory.

Everton 2 – Wigan Athletic 1

Everton claimed a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic at Goodison Park thanks to a 26th-minute header by Leon Osman and a 75th-minute goal by Victor Anichebe.

Antoine Sibierski pulled one back for the Latics from close range in the 80th minute but Everton held on for the victory.

Bolton 1 - Newcastle 3

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce made a stunning winning return to his old club Bolton as his team secured a comprehensive 3-1 win at the Reebok Stadium.

The game was pretty much over by half-time as Magpies were up by 3-0 at the break. The first goal came via a free-kick from Charles N’Zogbia. Martins smashed in an acrobatic second. He scored his second in the 27th minute.

Anelka slotted in a goal in the 51st minute after some clever work by Kevin Nolan – but it proved to be nothing but a consolatory goal.

Middlesbrough 1 - Blackburn 2

Middlesbrough started their campaign badly after throwing away a one goal lead. A curling Stewart Downing free-kick gave them the lead and Blackburn were dealt a massive blow when McCarthy had to be carried off on a stretcher after suffering a head injury early in the second half. However, his replacement Roque Santa Cruz scored the equaliser when he headed in David Bentley's cross from the right (63).

The winner came from young striker Matt Derbyshire in the 79th minute.

Derby 2 - Portsmouth 2

Newly-promoted Derby made a lively start to their campaign with a 2-2 draw at Pride Park against much fancied Portsmouth.

Matt Oakley netted the first for Derby with just 4 minutes having passed. Benjani Mwaruwari equalized for Pommies before new-signing John Utaka gave them the lead. The lead was very short-lived as defender Andy Todd equalized for Derby via a spectacular diving header.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Season Preview - Middlesbrough

Last season: 12th, 46 points; FA Cup sixth round; Carling Cup first round

Transfers:

In: Luke Young (Charlton, £2.5m); Jeremie Aliadiere (Arsenal, £2m); Tuncay Sanli (Fenerbahce, free)

Out: Mark Viduka (Newcastle, free); Abel Xavier (LA Galaxy, free); Stuart Parnaby (Birmingham, free); Danny Graham (Carlisle, free).

Official Website: http://www.mfc.co.uk/

Official Kit: To be updated soon.

A pretty tough season lies ahead of Gareth Southgate and his boys. Many are considering this Middlesbrough squad as relegation candidates.

Middlesbrough haven’t been able to attract talent to the Teeside and lost out on the race to sign Alan Smith – a player who could have really driven the squad. They let Mark Viduka leave and got in Tuncay Sanli from Fenerbache and Jeremie Aliadiere from Arsenal to boost their dwindling attacking options. Luke Young has been a good buy and would definitely strengthen the defense.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

Middlesbrough's schedule can essentially be divided into three parts: Two long, extremely difficult stretches of games against teams expected to finish in, or at the very least challenge for, European places this season, and the rest of the games against mid-lower table sides that Middlesbrough will have to take as many points as they can from.

From September 30-December 8, Middlesbrough will play 9 league games. Out of those 9, they'll be favored in just one of them, and even it's no guarantee (an away game at Manchester City). Also in that long stretch are home games with Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Arsenal, as well as road matches at Everton, Manchester United, Bolton, and Reading.

As if that run of games wasn't difficult enough, there's also a killer finish to the season. February 23-April 26, a span of 10 league games, sees just one "gimme" (a home game with Derby County). Trips to Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Sunderland are also included, as are home dates with Reading, Manchester United, and Bolton.

Those two stretches make up 19 games in total, half the total schedule. 57 points are possible from those games but one can't see Middlesbrough getting more than 20, certainly no more than 25. That means Middlesbrough will have to take care of business in their other games to assure themselves of another season in the Premiership.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 15
Last seasons 12th to 16th places were separated by only 7 points and it's pretty much going to be the same this year. Not much separating teams at these spots. Gareth Southgate isn't going to find it easy this season either and might be the first manager to lose his job this season. I cannot see a repeat of a UEFA Cup final appearance in the near future. Yakubu definitely really needs to put on his striking boots this season.

Season Preview - Newcastle United

Last season: 13th, 43 points; UEFA Cup last 16; FA Cup third round; Carling Cup fifth round

Transfers:

In: Mark Viduka (Middlesbrough, free); Joey Barton (Man City, £5.8m); David Rozenhal (Paris Saint-Germain, £2.9m); Geremi (Chelsea, free); Jose Enrique(Villarreal, €9.3m); Claudio Cacapa (Lyon, free); Alan Smith (Manchester United, €9m)

Out: Scott Parker (West Ham, £7m); Titus Bramble, Antoine Sibierski (both Wigan, free); Lee Clark, Pavel Srnicek, Craig Moore, Olivier Bernard (all released)

Official Website: http://www.nufc.co.uk/

Official Kit:

Newcastle have definitely been one of the biggest under achievers in the Premiership. Though they have featured twice in this decade in the top 4 (4th in 2001-02 and 3rd in 2002-03), it’s been all downhill ever since capping off with a relatively miserable 13th position (2006-07) for a team of their caliber.

The coming of Sam Allardyce will mark a new phase for the Magpies. If he can achieve what he did at Bolton with a pretty ordinary team, at St James’ Park – then Newcastle would definitely be a force to reckon with.

Big Sam has made a couple of pretty good purchases in the summer, with Alan Smith and Joey Barton coming in. Being able to convince Martins and Owen to stick on ensures that they don’t lack fire-power up front. Letting Scott Parker go might still prove to be a big mistake and there are chances Kieron Dyer might be off soon too. Geremi and Rozehnal are trademark Allardyce purchases and both would blossom this season.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

Newcastle kick-off the season against Sam’s old boys Bolton. Things are fine up until the winter holidays – which might not be the happiest for Newcastle this season. October-November brings four home games, but difficult ones in Everton, Tottenham, Portsmouth, and Liverpool. Trips to Reading and Sunderland won't be easy, nor will a game at Blackburn on December 1.

With the New Year comes an even more difficult stretch of games, one that lasts into the beginning of March and will be the phase Sam Allardyce really needs to get things right. Road games at (in order) Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool, mixed in with home games against Bolton, Middlesbrough, Manchester United, and Blackburn. If Newcastle can survive that and come out of it with good results, they should easily be assured of a UEFA cup berth. It’s not going to be easy though.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 6
Under-achievers for ages - this is finally going to be a season in which the Magpies will redeem themselves to a certain extent. Mainly because of the genius of Sam Allardyce. They'll need the majority of their players to injury-free though!

Season Preview - Manchester City

Last season: 14th, 42 points; FA Cup sixth round; Carling Cup second round

Transfers:

In: Sven-Goran Eriksson; Roland Bianchi (Reggina, £8.8m); Geovanni (Cruzeiro, free); Martin Petrov (Atletico Madrid, £4.7m); Gelson Fernandes (Sion, £4.2m); Elano (Shakhtar Donetsk, £8m); Javier Garrido (Real Sociedad, £1.5m); Vedran Corluka (Dinamo Zagreb, undisc.); Valeri Bojinov (Fiorentina, €8.5m)

Out: Stuart Pearce; Joey Barton (Newcastle, £5.8m); Sylvain Distin (Portsmouth, free); Stephen Jordan (Burnley, free); Nicky Weaver (Charlton, free); Trevor Sinclair, Hatem Trabelsi (both released)

Official Website: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/

Official Kit:

Manchester City managed a rather extraordinary record last season – They failed to score a goal at home after New Year’s day till the end of the season and still managed to stay up and avoid relegation! The record was of scoring the fewest goals at home – 10 all season!

Well now they have a highly controversial wealthy owner in former Thai Prime-Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and a high-profile manager in Sven-Goran Eriksson. Eriksson has spent millions and brought in players none of us have ever heard of! He’s brought in Stars from smaller teams.

Man City supporters need to have a printed copy of the team roster in their hands to be rooting for a specific player! New players include – Brazilians Blumer and Geovanni, Bulgarians Bojinov and Petrov, Spanish Garrido, Swiss Fernandes and Italian Bianchi.

Two players they are sorely going to miss are Barton and Distin. Joey Barton sans his wild behaviour is one of the most promising talents in the Premiership.

Another thing which might be a real problem at the City of Manchester Stadium – and that is language and communication, caused primarily due to the cultural amalgamation which is being seen there.

City should interest quite a few neutral footballing enthusiasts this year – and managing to gel such a team together would be managerial lessons for a lot of international club level managers.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

"The schedule doesn't look to be too difficult for Manchester City. They've got only one real long, tough stretch of games, but unfortunately it comes towards the end of the season when it could be make-or-break time for the Blues.

February 2-April 8 brings 9 league games, including trips to Manchester United, Bolton, Reading, and Birmingham (who by that time may be desperate) and home games against Arsenal, Everton, Wigan, Tottenham, and Chelsea. Manchester City shouldn't be anywhere near the relegation zone, but they don't want to leave anything to chance. That run of games will be very difficult, particularly for a team that doesn't score many goals and will probably give up their fair share of goals this season with a young defense.

City is away to Liverpool and Middlesbrough to finish the year, but they should be in decent shape by then."

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position – 9
A top 10 finish might be on the cards. Sven-Goran Erikkson has pretty much bought a truck load of players and that too not for cheap. I bet he's not even see half of them play! Language is going to be a serious problem at City this season, but I still have a feeling that Erikkson might be able to prove his managerial acumen and pull off a top 10 finish.

Season Preview - West Ham United

Last season: 15th, 41 points; UEFA Cup first round; FA Cup fourth round; Carling Cup second round

Transfers:

In: Craig Bellamy (Liverpool, £7.5m); Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal, £3m); Richard Wright (Everton, free); Scott Parker (Newcastle, £7m); Julien Faubert (Bordeaux, £6.07m)

Out: Carlos Tevez (Manchester United, loan). Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, £5m); Paul Konchesky (Fulham, £2m); Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa, undisc); Tyrone Mears (Derby, £1m); Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa, £7.5m); Shaun Newton (Leicester, free); Roy Carroll (Rangers, free); Sir Edward Sheringham (Colchester, free)

Official Website: http://www.whufc.com/

Official Kit:

West Ham were almost completely written off and were almost doomed to life in the Championship – but then came Alan Curbishley and the magic of Carlos Tevez and together they pulled off a miracle almost on the lines of the Houdini Act Harry Redknap’s Portsmouth pulled off a couple of seasons back.

Though Tevez has left for the Theater of Dreams – West Ham have made a flurry of changes and Curbishley has got in some great players. Bellamy, Parker and Ljungberg have all been great signings. The mid-field looks pretty decent on paper – Parker, Ljungberg, Faubert, Boa Morte, Bowyer, Etherington, Mullins etc. Dean Ashton coming back from injury would also ensure West Ham added fire power in the front. They also have a great goal-keeper in Green.

There is absolutely no chance of this team going down the relegation tunnel at the end of this season. Backed by an extremely wealthy owner - Eggert Magnusson,West Ham after a decent amount of spending in the transfer season should definitely be challenging for a European spot.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

"West Ham's schedule brings 3 winnable games out of 4 in August and the same in September. The first spot of prolonged difficulty doesn't come until the end of November-mid December when road games at Chelsea (East-West London derby) and Blackburn are in the middle of home dates with Tottenham (London derby) and Everton.

West Ham play Reading, Manchester United (both at home), and Arsenal in succession to bring in the new year, and close out their season with a trip to Old Trafford followed by a home game against Aston Villa. All-in-all, it's a schedule that should allow West Ham to think about a top half finish."

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position - 10
There's absolutely no chance that the Hammers are going to get caught in a relegation battle again. They've acquired some real good players - Ljungberg, Bellamy and Parker and coupled with Alan Curbishley's massive experience, I expect the Hammers to squeeze into the top half.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Season Preview - Bolton Wanderers

Last season: 7th, 56 points; FA Cup fourth round; Carling Cup fourth round

Transfers:

In: Gavin McCann (Aston Villa, £1m); Jlloyd Samuel (Aston Villa, free); Blerim Dzemaili (FC Zurich, free); Zoltan Harsanyi (FC Senec, undisc); Gerald Cid (Bordeaux, free); Heidar Helguson (Fulham, undisc); Adam Bogdan (Vasas, free); Danny Guthrie (Liverpool, loan); Christian Wilhelmsson (Nantes, loan); Daniel Braaten (Rosenborg, £500,000); Mikel Alonso (Real Sociedad, loan)

Out: Tal Ben Haim (Chelsea, free); Quinton Fortune, Henrik Pedersen, David Thompson (all released); Chris Howarth (Carlisle, free)

Official Website: http://www.bwfc.co.uk/

Official Kit:

How important is a manager to a team? When you think in the context of Bolton – EXTREMELY important – might be the answer. Sam Allardyce guided Bolton to four consecutive top 8 finishes and twice into Europe (UEFA Cup). He left near the end of last season to be replaced by his assistant Sammy Lee. Lee definitely has his hands full and faces a very tough act to follow.

Bolton have been renowned for their cheap bargain-basement purchases each season – except for the occasional star in Anelka. Allardyce also had a lot of old players building up the backbone of his squad (Ivan Campo, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Gary Speed). This year has seen the arrival of many young players. Their biggest loss when it comes to players is Israeli, Tal Ben Haim. The fact that he has gone to Chelsea and that Jose Mourinho showed a great amount of persistence to take him to Stamford Bridge shows just what a good piece of scouting he was.

Schedule via English Soccer Talk:

The Trotters kick off, courtesy of Fate, with a match against Newcastle and the first return of Sam Allardyce and this followed by another 7 winnable games in a row, with the toughest test being a trip to Fratton Park to play Portsmouth.

October is considerably tougher with Chelsea and Aston Villa coming to the Reebok sandwiched around an away game at Arsenal.All three of their games in February are against UEFA Cup spot contenders in Reading (away), Portsmouth (home), and Blackburn (away). A home game with Liverpool comes the week after the match at Ewood Park, followed by a trip to Manchester to take on the defending champions.

3 of the last 4 games of the season are away, including games at Tottenham and Chelsea. Definitely not the end of the season games you want to face when you’re in contention for a European slot.

EPL08.com prediction:
League Position - 13
After four consecutive top 8 finishes under manager Sam Allardyce - the Trotters are going to find the going pretty tough this time around. A lot will depend upon Anelka - who might still leave before the transfer window shuts and even El-Hadji Diouf is keen on a move to Lyon. Kevin Nolan needs to stand up and deliver though I feel a player like him deserves to play in a top 4 squad.