I was driving home from work on Friday evening listening to a certain radio station, the presenter of which has somehow managed to be afforded the opportunity as a columnist in one of our nation’s leading newspapers. In the wake of Jonny Evans recent contract renewal, the question of whether Evans would get in any
Right, we all have shopping to do, the weather’s atrocious, and you’re probably still recovering from that excuse of a ‘work Christmas party’, so let’s make this short, snappy and concise. Kind of. Congratulations to QPR for deciding last weekend to win a game the one week where I dont back them to win a
It’s been very stop-start for Sylvain Marveaux in his Newcastle United career. Injuries have hampered the Frenchman’s first team chances, but recently he has begun to pick up some impressive form. Having made a total of 14 appearances so far this season, four more than last season, thatin itself shows the progress he is making.
This wasn’t the most memorable Premier League weekend to date, although there were three matches that really caught my eye. Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 3 Brendan Rogers’ reign as Liverpool boss took another step backwards as Paul Lambert’s Villa took to Anfield. Lamert’s men didn’t enjoy the best opening to the 2012/13 season, although
Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini has been given a three match ban by the FA on the charge of violent conduct. The Belgian international repeatedly attacked Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the potters and faced the possibility of missing nine Premier League games. Fellaini was involved in three separate clashes with Shawcross
I have always maintained belief in my pre-season prediction of Manchester United to win the Premier League, and the Red Devils took a sizable step towards regaining the top-flight crown from their despised neighbours with a dramatic last-minute victory at the Etihad last weekend, courtesy of a sublime deflected Robin van Persie free-kick. It was the third
Michael Laudrup has enjoyed a fantastic start as Swansea City manager this season, with the Swans currently lying in eighth in the league. One player in particular has played his part for his team, a man who’s name on the back of his shirt sounds more like a Pokemon than one of this season’s most
It was goals galore in the Premier League this week, with some top-class football played over the weekend. Top three games of the weekend- Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3 Sunday saw the arrival of the much anticipated Manchester derby. Of course titles cannot be won in December, but it enables the winner
The January transfer window is seen by many managers as a bad time to do business, prices are often over-inflated, top players are usually ineligible for European competitions and there’s the potential difficulty of integrating them into a new team without the benefit of a pre-season. However, this season, possibly more than any other previous,
This week our resident Football Betting Tipster reviews the Everton v Tottenham Hotspur match. The battle for 4th place in the Premier League continues this weekend with a crucial clash on Merseyside between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. The race for Champions League qualification is as wide open as it’s ever been with just five points
On Saturday at the Emirates, Michu scored a late double to give Swansea all three points. It was also his tenth goal, an impressive tally considering his natural position is in midfield. At £2 million, he has to be up there with one of the best Premier League signings ever. On the same day, at
According to reports, Arsenal are plotting a January swoop for Newcastle striker Demba Ba. The Senegalese International has been an instant success since his arrival from West Ham and has a buy-out clause of just £7.5 million as Wenger is desperate to fill the void left by Robin Van Persie. Despite being strongly linked the
For years, West Brom were known as the Premier League’s “boing boing club” with reference to the fact they always seemed to get relegated and then swiftly get promoted. They only managed to end this unwanted track record with a respectable 11th place finish in the 2010-11 season, in a season which started with Roberto
It’s been a brilliant weekend of football yet again, with plenty of goals and drama for us all to get excited about. QPR are slowly improving with the appointment of Harry Redknapp, who took charge after Mark Hughes was inadvertently shown the door. Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembélé enjoyed a successful return to Craven Cottage,
Two sides heading seemingly in completely opposite directions as of late come face-to-face in the solitary (not-so) Super Sunday encounter at Carrow Road. Norwich have built up a seven-match unbeaten run in a highly assured manner and made their home ground somewhat of a fortress, losing just once all season and conceding the joint-second fewest
Darren Bent could certainly find himself leaving Villa Park in January with a number of clubs happy to have a player with his goal scoring record on their books, but is Paul Lambert right to be leaving him out of an Aston Villa side currently in a relegation battle? Lambert once a winner of the
Right so here we are with a third matchday in a week, and let’s face it - we’re all feeling the effects of a couple of intense matchdays in close succession, perhaps experiencing niggles and moaning to the gaffer whilst pleading for a few days off. Just me? Never mind then. On we go with
It is difficult to imagine what Ryan Giggs must have felt when he became 39 on Thursday. Currently out with a hamstring injury, he couldn’t do what he has done on a regular basis for the past 21 years, train for Manchester United, nor could he properly celebrate their 1-0 win over West Ham the
Tough luck, Ukraine. Harry Redknapp, in the end, turned down the big hryvnias in order to make a much-welcomed return to his natural habitat of the English top flight. It turns out that our beloved ‘Arry (or real Christian name Henry, as only his mother would call him) was hankering for a meatier challenge than
As matches all over Europe come to a close, we round-up the most astonishing, eye-dropping, shocking and odds-shattering of results from Serie A to the Premier League, who continue to surprise many of its followers with its competitiveness and unpredictability; a factor that continues to baffle betting enthusiasts all over wondering where to find the best
You wait for one, and then two come at the same time. That was the case with this weeks sacking of the first two Premier League managers of the season. Having accumulated just four points in twelve games, and after spending £18m in the summer transfer market, QPR’s Mark Hughes was always going to be
With eight goals each, Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez headed the Premier League goal scoring charts. Now, after last weekends fixtures, Suarez has 10 goals. Even though only less than one third of the season has gone, odds point heavily in favour of one of these two players finishing as Premier League top
It almost sounds like a broken record, Arsene Wenger facing questions over a transfer policy that has failed to add a single trophy in the past seven years and one that sees a high profile player exit the door every summer shouting “lack of ambition” at the top of his voice. However through overseeing the
Another great spectacle for us all to watch, savour and enjoy. I hope you enjoy this week’s premier league column, as it’s in a different style to the previous ones. I’d like to know your feedback, so feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page! Top three results of the
West Ham United fans will certainly echo Mark Noble’s suggestion of wanting to play for England after the midfielder revealed he hopes to be called up to the first-team squad very soon. Noble, 25, told BBC Sport that he was happy with how this season has gone at Upton Park and that he may soon