EVERTON – BURNLEY

Everton in discreto periodo di forma proverà sicuramente a ritrovare la vittoria casalinga con un Burnley non sempre brillantissimo fuori casa.

Pronostico: 1

Quota: 1,60

Risultato:

—

BLACKBURN – SUNDERLAND

Due attacchi poco prolifici. Ci starebbe bene l’UNDER 3,5 ma propendiamo per una doppia che tende a privilegiare i padroni di casa.

Pronostico: DOPPIA CHANCE 1X

Quota: 1,30

Risultato:

—

TOTTENHAM – WEST HAM

Il Tottenham visto nelle ultime settimane piace e diverte. Il West Ham è reduce da una vittoria casalinga con il Portsmouth. Dentro una multipla scegliamo il goal della squadra di casa.

Pronostico: GOAL TOTTENHAM

Quota: 1,10

Risultato:

—

CHELSEA – FULHAM

Le due squadre arrivano con spirito diverso al match di Londra. Il Chelsea ha steccato le ultime partite mentre il Fulham è in ottima serie positiva. Crediamo comunque che la squadra di Ancelotti dovrebbe riuscire a tornare alla vittoria.

Pronostico: 1

Quota: 1,35

Risultato: 2-0

—

STOKE CITY – BIRMINGHAM

Stoke City in crisi di risultati. Viceversa il Birmingham viene da una proficua striscia di risultati. Scegliamo una doppia chance a favore degli ospiti pagata discretamente, pronostico comunque rischioso in partite atipiche come questa.

Pronostico:  DOPPIA CHANCE X2

Quota: 1,51

Risultato:

Manchester United and Arsenal got what they wanted. A big time “W” baby. The Gunners and Man U have narrowed the gap between them and league leader Chelsea.

The mighty boys from Old Trafford finally got on the scoreboard by beating lowly Hull City 3-1.

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Man U pressed the attack from the opening bell. The Red Devils received their just rewards in injury time of the first half. Berbatov send the ball into the goal crease. Fletcher gathers the ball and fires another pass into the goalmouth. Giggs whiffs and Rooney nails the winner for a 1-0 Man U lead at the break.

The Tigers scored the equalizer in the 59^th minute.

Wayne Rooney made a horrible backward pass in the box. Hull City’s Jozy Altidore gobbled up the ball. This forced Rafael to tackle him. Craig Fagan nailed the PK to level the match at one all.

Rooney redeemed himself in the 73^rd minute. The Wayne man fired a great ball at the goal. Hull City defender Andy Dawson had only one option. Bamo!  Into the back the net. Man U gets the break they needed. 2-1 The Red Devils are up.

Dimitar Berbatov finally tickled the twines in the 82^nd minute for a 3-1 United lead.

Game, set, and match to the Red Devils.

A much need win. A good win? Yes.

This was a huge road win.

Road wins translate into championships.

Arsenal destroyed Aston Villa 3-0.

Villa was coming off a huge win. Aston Villa destroyed Man U the previous week.

Cesc Fabregas scored two second half goals to lead the Gunners to the utter destruction of Villa.

Abou Diaby scored in the 81^st minute to seal the deal.

This win was huge for Arsene Wenger’s gang. This was a must win. The Gunners couldn’t afford to fall more points behind league leaders Chelsea.

The Blues have had their chances to really put this title race out of reach.

Chelsea has had one win in their last five matches.

This is a total of twelve points lost.

Not good garoto.

Chelsea is in the pole position with 42 points. Man U is second with 40 points. Arsenal is third with 38 points. Villa is in fourth place with 35 points. Spurs are fifth with 34 points.

Eight points separate the top five clubs.

With matches on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week the race for the title will get tighter.

Oh, I just love his stuff.

www.palau.org

http://hillsong.com/

http://www.bolaradio.com.br/

By Michael MacLeod

SUSAN Boyle is still living off a £200 per-week allowance and “hasn’t seen a penny of her fortune” according to her brother.

The singing sensation is thought to be worth millions after her debut album shifted four million copies world-wide in just a month.

But her brother Gerry is urging her to leave her humble council house, fearing thieves are planning a raid when in fact she has “nothing worth stealing.”

His comments came as weekend reports claimed SuBo, 48, had a panic alarm fitted in her home after she found intruders lurking in her garden in the middle of the night.

The humble spinster was curled up in front of the television in her Blackburn, West Lothian, house when she spotted two strangers peering through a back window at 11pm.

They fled into the dark when Susan pulled back the curtains to confront them.

But shy Susan didn’t report the invaders to police, and relatives are worried her global stardom is becoming too big for her to remain in the semi-detached £80,000 home.

Sibling Gerry, 55, who Susan regularly visits by public bus, insisted that robbers will find nothing if they do manage to break in.

“The only thing she would be heartbroken to lose is her cat”

He said: “At present she has not seen a penny of her fortune but knows it will soon be coming her way.

“She is still living off a £200 a week allowance which she uses for food and bills.

“But as for luxuries such as jewellery and flat-screen TVs, there are none.

“The problem is she can’t get her head round the extreme wealth that is coming and the implications for her future.

“People will think because she is about to become very rich she’ll have all kinds of valuables scattered around the house.

“But the truth is there is nothing in there worth stealing. Not a jot.

“The only thing she would be heartbroken to lose is her cat.”

“This can’t go on any longer”

Gerry, an entrepreneur who runs a consultancy business, said his sister casually dropped into conversation that she stopped two raiders getting into the home, which belonged to their late parents.

He said: “I hate to think what might have happened if they had broken into the house when she was on her own.

“They could have had knives on them or anything.

“Susan rang me to tell me she’d had intruders like it was an everyday occurrence.

“She hadn’t mentioned the incident to anyone or even reported it to the police.

“When she casually dropped it into the conversation I was really shocked.

“This can’t go on any longer.

“She now has to realise that living in this small house is no longer suitable and more importantly not safe for her.”

Despite stepped-up security at Susan’s house, worried Gerry says she must move “whether she likes it or not”.

Budget

He added: “She is slowly coming around to the fact that her future is elsewhere, whether she likes it or not.

“I think the latest incident may have helped make her mind up.

“She’s told me she will have a budget between £750,000 and £1million but still wants to stay in the area to be near her family.

“I think she has a couple of places in mind but I can’t reveal them.

“She wants a lot of bedrooms so she can invite all her relatives and her new famous friends like Simon Cowell to stay.”

Meanwhile Susan took time out of her hectic schedule to spend Christmas with her other brothers John, 60, James, 58, and their sister Bridie, 67, in her Motherwell home.

James told weekend reports that the Britain’s Got Talent runner-up received slippers and a dressing gown for Christmas.

And after a traditional festival meal, the family sat down and listened to her hit CD, I Dreamed A Dream.

James said: “Listening to it with Susan was just magical.

“We are all so proud of what she has achieved this year.

“But she is very modest and was too embarrassed to sing along with it.

“Susan might be an international superstar but she will always be my little sister.”

Next on SuBo’s whirlwind schedule is a Hogmanay trip to Japan where she will perform on Kohaku Uta Gassen, said to be one of the country’s biggest New Year’s Eve television shows.

See more of our videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

'Now where did I put my scalpel?'

Now that this round of fixtures are over, the time has come for the resident In Off The Ghost pathologist to snap on a pair of rubber gloves, grab the scalpel and dissect the bloated corpse that is this week’s Premier League action.

Birmingham 0 – 0 Chelsea

Birmingham City held the league leaders to a scoreless draw at St. Andrews after an unfairly disallowed goal for Birmingham’s absurdly monikered Christian ‘Choo Choo’ Benitez and some wayward finishing from Ancelotti’s outfit.

Deceased: Chelsea’s record of scoring in every game this season.

Cause of Death: The centre back pairing of Roger Johnson and Scott Dann accompanied by keeper Joe Hart did enough to starve the Londoners of a much-needed goal. Malouda missing a sitter late on added insult to injury.

Burnley 1 – 1 Bolton

David Nugent - Rubbish.

Burnley clawed their way back from the brink of defeat thanks to a David Nugent header cancelling out a lethal Matthew ‘Matty’ Taylor free kick.

Deceased: Those jokes about David Nugent being rubbish (well for a day or two at least).

Cause of Death: Nugent propelling his squama frontalis into a Wade Elliot cross. A stunning display of defensive rigor mortis from Bolton’s Gretar Steinsson was also a contributing factor.

Fulham 0 – 0 Tottenham

Stalemate at Craven Cottage as any decent opportunities were duly snuffed out by in form keepers.

Deceased: Tottenham’s swashbuckling, free scoring football.

Cause of Death: A well organised and hard-working Fulham rear guard action and some top-notch goal-keeping prevented anyone striking first blood.

Liverpool 2 – 0 Wolves

How to get ahead.

Liverpool return to winnings ways after the horror show at Fratton Park, killing off a Wolves side weakened by the loss of Stephen Ward to a red card.

Deceased: Steven Gerrard’s recent poor form and Andre Marriner’s vision.

Cause of Death: Steven Gerrard turned in a glorious performance and got higher than heavenly Hendrix to head home Liverpool’s opening goal. Andre Marriner however must have been hoping for Anfield to swallow him up after booking Christophe Berra instead of Stephen Ward.

Man City 2 – 0 Stoke

Roberto Mancini’s Man City reign begins with a victory as Martin Petrov (remember him?) and Carlos Tevez strike to seal Stoke’s fate.

Deceased: The Mark Hughes era at City was laid to rest at Eastlands.

Cause of Death: The spectre of ghoulish defending that has haunted Man City’s season so far was banished by a solid display from Vincent Kompany and Kolo Toure. Also the absence of Micah Richards for the first 66 minutes may have helped.

Sunderland 1 – 1 Everton

Marouane Felliani’s thumping 86th minute equaliser salvaged a point for Everton after cancelling out Darren Bent’s 17th minute opener.

Deceased: Steve Bruce’s composure appears to be on its last legs after seeing his Sunderland side booed off for drawing at home to Everton.

Cause of Death: In a game with more twists than Steve Bruce’s nose, Felliani and Stephen Pienaar were the stand out performers as Everton outplayed the Black Cats. Unrealistic expectations from some sections of the Sunderland faithful are only adding to the gloom at the Stadium of Light.

West Ham 2 – 0 Portsmouth

Just shave it off.

An Alessandro Diamante penalty and a bullet header from Radoslav Kovac fire West Ham to victory and blow a hole in Portsmouth’s survival hopes.

Deceased: The brittle confidence that Pompey had mustered after their win over Liverpool was smashed by defeat in this relegation six pointer.

Cause of Death: The midfield dynamism of Scott Parker coupled with the creativity of Diamante enabled West Ham to claim the points. The return of the influential Jack Collision will be welcome to a West Ham squad thinner than Gianfranco Zola’s hairline.

Wigan 1 – 1 Blackburn

Hugo Rodellega buried Maynor Figueroa’s cross to cancel out an early Benni McCarthy strike as the points were shared at the DW Stadium.

Deceased: Benni McCarthy’s barren run in front of goal bit the dust as he scored his first goal of the season.

Cause of Death: Transparent marking allowed McCarthy to ghost in behind the Wigan defence and score. A fine save from Chris Kirkland was needed to deny McCarthy an acrobatic winner.

Arsenal 3 -0 Aston Villa

Let's talk about Cesc baby.

A 27 minute cameo appearance from Cesc Fabregas stopped Aston Villa dead in their tracks as the Arsenal captain bags a brace but limps off with a hamstring injury.

Deceased: Aston Villa’s run of 8 games without defeat and 5 games without conceding a goal comes to an abrupt end at the Emirates.

Cause of Death: The introduction of Fabregas served to unravel a resolute Villa defence and provided the best 30 minute Spanish show since the demise of Eldorado. Abou Diaby fired home a third as Aston Villa gave up the ghost, however Villa are still firmly in the hunt for the hallowed ground of fourth place.

Hull 1 – 3 Man Utd

Wayne Rooney had a hand in all four goals as the Champions overcame a spirited Hull City at the KC Stadium.

Deceased: Manchester United’s defensive worries appear to be coming to an end as Wes Brown both Nemanja Vidic impress.

Cause of Death: Rooney scored United’s first before playing a catastrophic back pass which led to a penalty for Hull. However, Rooney made amends for his error by creating both of United’s subsequent goals. This mercurial performance was apparently spurred on by the fear of the famous hairdryer treatment from Ferguson. This comes as some surprise as he has told us before that he finds the sound of a hairdryer quite soothing.

Boxing Day in England provided little separation for the clubs at the top of the table. Chelsea’s road woes continued. The Blues and Blues tied at nil-nil.

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The Blues had a tremendous opportunity to separate them from Man U, Arsenal, and Aston Villa but no Chelsea wasted a golden opportunity.

The Blues out shot Blues 30 to 14. Chelsea had only seven shots on goal compared to Birmingham’s two shots on goal.

Chelsea’s mason tendencies are alive and well.

The Blues had 63% possession while Blues had only 37%.

With stats like these, this match should have been a slaughter but it wasn’t.

Birmingham had their chances as well but Blues are happy with the one point.

This is a very disturbing trend for the Stamford Bridge guys.

Chelsea can’t score.

This is bad.

This leaves the door ajar for Man U, Aston Villa, and Arsenal to inch closer to league leaders Chelsea.

You can’t do this. You have to get wins baby.

Road wins are a key. If not you can kiss the title bye-bye.

Tottenham and Fulham tied at zero-zero.

Gomes saved the Spurs bacon in this puppy.

The Cottagers Clint Dempsey, Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff, and Zoltan Gera each had wonderful opportunities to strike for gold but the Brasileiro eraser Heurelho Gomes stopped them cold big time.

The game ball should be awarded to Spurs keeper Gomes for his heroic work in net.

Gomes must have felt like he was a sitting duck on firing range.

Spurs had a great chance to get the full three points by playing Jermain Defoe but no Redknapp decided to bench his top scorer and start Robbie Kean.

On top of that, you wait until the 70^th minute to bring in your money player. Give me a break. Harry me boy you have dung for brains.

This was dumb.

Why did you bench your top scorer?

Are you nuts Redknapp?

He must be.

Fulham killed Man U last weekend. This side is good. Play your big guns. Balls to the wall my main man. Win baby not ties you fool.

This tie may have cost you the title.

We will see.

Chelsea can’t win to save their life. The Blues have one win in their last five matches.

Manchester United has two wins and two losses in their last four encounters.

Yo, Harry, the door is opened.  Bust through it and take control. 

The chances are there. You just have to take them and not sit back and play not to lose. For if, you do this you will surely lose.

The big question I had was this? Will City play for Mancini? The answer is a huge and resounding yes. City shut out Hull City 2-0.

This is a huge win for City and new coach. Mancini.

Martin Petrov and Carlos Tevez ripped the twines for Manchester City.

The table looks like this after the Boxing Day matches. Chelsea is top dog with 42 points. Man U is second with 37 big ones. Arsenal and Aston Villa are third and fourth respectively with 35 points each. This could change when they battle each other on Sunday. Spurs are fifth with 34 points. City is in sixth place with 32 points.

This is it from the far side.

www.palau.org

http://hillsong.com/

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FILOTTO NATALIZIO !

MANCHESTER CITY – STOKE CITY

Il Manchester è già una squadra piuttosto forte (soprattutto in attacco) e l’innesto del nuovo allenatore potrebbe dare ulteriore linfa per puntare alla zona Champions.

Pronostico: 1

Quota: 1,43

Risultato: 2-0

—

WIGAN – BLACKBURN

Sfida fra due squadre che non vincono molto. Propendiamo per un pronostico leggermente a favore della squadra di casa,  pagato con una quota discreta.

Pronostico: DOPPIA CHANCE 1X

Quota: 1,36

Risultato: 1-1

—

LIVERPOOL – WOLVES

I Reds sono reduci da molteplici delusioni; la partita con i Wolves potrebbe essere l’occasione giusta per ripartire.

Pronostico: 1

Quota: 1,27

Risultato: 2-0

—

WEST HAM – PORTSMOUTH

La partita è da tripla. Pronostichiamo un goal del West Ham.

Pronostico: GOAL WEST HAM

Quota: 1,22

Risultato: 2-0

—

BURNLEY – BOLTON

Viaggio nei bassifondi delle Premiere League. Il Burnley lo vediamo favorito ma ci copriamo con una doppia.

Pronostico: DOPPIA CHANCE 1X

Quota: 1,36

Risultato: 1-1

The best game of the weekend is Aston Villa at Arsenal on Sunday. Each team has 35 points and a victory could vault the winner into second place, depending on the result of the Manchester United game. Liverpool desperately need a win to get their season back on track (I feel like I’ve written that sentence a lot this year.)

Saturday, December 26
Birmingham vs. Chelsea – 7:30 a.m. ET/ESPN2 (Live)
Fulham vs. Tottenham – 8 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)
West Ham vs. Portsmouth – 7:55 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Burnley vs. Bolton – 2:30 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
Manchester City vs. Stoke – 9:55 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Sunderland vs. Everton – 10 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)
Wigan vs. Blackburn – 3 p.m. ET/Setanta (Delayed)
Liverpool vs. Wolves – 12:30 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

Sunday, December 27
Arsenal vs. Aston Villa – 8:25 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Hull vs. Manchester United – 11 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

It is Christmas Eve. Jesus is the reason for the season. I know this bugs many folks but it is the truth. Jesus wasn’t really born on December 25^th but this day was selected by the church in 675 A.D. to celebrate our Lord’s birthday.

Jesus was born somewhere between The Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah, and our day atonement for our sins Yom Kippur. These are our two most sacred and high holy days for us Jews. The holy days usually fall between mid September to early October. Jesus birth falls between these two sacred days.

I am a born again Jew or a messianic Jew.

So have Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The boys from Old Trafford, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, and the rest get a much-needed full week break before getting back into action on December 26^th.

This is Boxing Day in England.

I asked an English friend of mine what is Boxing Day. He explained it this way to me. This was the day after Christmas when folks shared the contents of the Christmas Box with the servants. For the servants had to work Christmas day so they were given the day off to visit their families.

There are some huge matches taking place on Boxing Day. Chelsea takes on Birmingham. Spurs battles Fulham.

On Sunday Man U has a hot date with Hull City. Arsenal and Aston Villa have one of those epic conflicts.

These matches many well decide who has the upper hand when we head into the new year.

Chelsea is the top dog with 41 points. Man U is second place with 37 points. Arsenal is in third place with 35 points. Aston Villa is in fourth place with 35 points. The Gunners have a plus 13 compared to Villas plus 8 goal difference.

Spurs are a fifth place with 33 points.

Arsenal will play their make up game with Bolton on January 6^th.

When January 7^th rolls around, we will have a clear understanding how the top of the table will shake down.

My best guess is that we will have a long jam at the top of the table between Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Spurs.

You might even throw into the mix Man City. But lets see how the guys at City respond to their new coach Mancini.

I don’t care what folks say about the players being mercenaries they still will not play for someone they despise or disrespect.

This happens all the time in pro sports.

Just ask the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay, Buffalo Bills, Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Sao Paulo.

It is more than the paychecks to most of these players. It is a matter of pride.

Mancini dropped the hammer when he said “Guys play for me or else. I will bring in some one who will do it my way.” Mancini is not screwing around.

His butt is on the line too.

You have to trust me on this stuff.

www.palau.org

http://www2.hillsong.com/tv/home.asp

http://www.bolaradio.com.br/

Do want to talk about racehorse style futebol then this is the friendly match for you. Argentina and Catalunyan started out slow as both sides raced up and down the pitch throwing their best Sunday punches at each other. Catalunyan prevailed over Argentina 4-2.

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I just love this style of futebol.

It is in your face run and gun futebol

Diego Maradona was banned from the sidelines due to his crazy profanity laced tirade press conference after Argentina’s 1-0 win over Uruguay to earn one of the automatic berths in 2010 World Cup.

Maradona was feeling the heat for his sides crappy play. Argentinos were clearly stinking the joint out until Maradona and his men received a gift from God.

Ecuador and Uruguay stubbed their toes in the last two matches thus allowed Argentina passage into the World Cup.

From this friendly we have learned this. Catalunyan torched the Argentines “D”. I mean this was horrible.

In defense of Argentina, Argentinos did not use their first team back line. 

Sergio Garcia ripped a header to give the Spanish side a 1-0. His shot flat-out neat the keeper.

The second goal was a masterpiece by Krkic Bojan. He flat-out beat three defenders and fired a low shot bottom left shelf that made the keeper and the entire Argentine back line look silly.

Argentina drew close when Javier Pastore struck for gold to cut the lead to 2-1.

A foul in the box and Sergio Gonzales nailed the PK to make 3-1.

Argentina raced down the pitch to answer with a wicked strike by Angel De Maria to cut the lead to 3-2.

Catalunyan sealed the deal when Moises Hurtado ripped the twines to make 4-2.

All and all this was a fun match to watch.

Are these matches any indication of how will Argentina perform in the World Cup?

No not really for the big guys won’t be playing in them much. The last thing that Argentina or Brasil needs is to have a Messi or Kaka go down with an injury.

The question that remains is this. Will Maradona remain as the Argentinos head man?

For the sake of Argentina futebol, I hope not. I hope the AFA get struck smart and fire Maradona and Grondona.

On a side note, I am glad Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger did not permit Fabregas to play in this puppy.

The Gunners have a huge match with Aston Villa.

www.palau.org

http://www2.hillsong.com/tv/home.asp

http://www.bolaradio.com.br/

While Chelsea sit four points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League, striker Didier Drogba was left feeling blue after being knocked off the top of the Actim Premier League standings. Drogba missed his side’s 2-1 home victory over Portsmouth through injury and then posted -7 in the 1-1 draw at West Ham. Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas replaced him at the summit – despite only playing once. He netted in the 1-1 draw at Burnley but was absent for the 3-0 home win over Hull due to a hamstring strain. However, the Spaniard (377) holds a seven-point lead over the Ivorian.

After just missing out of Champions League football last season, Aston Villa are mounting a stronger push time time around. Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and James Milner - all hoping to be on the plane to South Africa next summer – are joined in the top 10 by Carlos Cuellar, who is enjoying a more productive second season at Villa Park. Richard Dunne is not far behind in 11th. Milner moved ninth thanks to a 36-point haul – and a contender for goal of the season – at Sunderland while Cuellar is 10th after posting 36 points from his last two outings.

Lanky striker Peter Crouch left Tottenham standing tall in fifth place in the Barclays Premier League as they continue their quest to bring European football back to White Hart Lane. While some of the squad would have had been suffering a headache following their secret Christmas party in Ireland – and an earache from boss Harry Redknapp as a result – Crouch used his head to put Spurs in front at Blackburn before a cool finish for his second. His 50-point haul – and best score of the season – lifted him into the top 100 and in 85th place with 178 points.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa – and Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz certainly got into the festive spirit. He netted his first Barclays Premier League goals for the club in the 4-3 home win over Sunderland which proved to be manager Mark Hughes’ last in charge. The Paraguayan posted his best tally of the campaign as his 49-point haul saw him jump into 288th place with 53 points. Former Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy sits 20th (248 points) after registering one of his highest scores this term with 38 points against the Black Cats.

The Pompey chimes were ringing loud and proud after the Barclays Premier League’s basement side gave their survival battle a massive shot in the arm with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Liverpool at Anfield. Goals from Nadir Belhadj and Frederic Piquionne helped Avram Grant’s side move to within three points of safety. Algerian defender Belhadj bagged his first goal of the season and 36 points – his highest of the campaign – while Piquionne netted for the second successive game. Tal Ben-Haim is the highest-placed Pompey player in 147th place with 132 points.

Bobby Zamora has often being ridiculed during his time as a Premier League player but after netting for the third successive top-flight match, some are pushing forward his claims for a place in England’s World Cup squad. The 3-0 win over Manchester United at Craven Cottage extended Fulham’s unbeaten league run to five games. Zamora bagged 34 points against the champions and now sits 44th in the Index with 216 points and is six places behind team-mate Damien Duff (226 points).

View the latest Actim Index >

Let the fun and games begin in the EPL. Mark Hughes was shown the door by City.  Manchester City’s record was adequate. City won seven games. They lost two but get this City had eight ties. This is more ties than wins.

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Was the sacking justified?

It depends on what side of the fence you sit.

For me, no.

For all this high-priced talent City was very inconsistent. This is an understatement.

The truth is City couldn’t put a team away when they needed to.

All you have to do is look at the eight ties.

City had some huge wins. They flat-out took it to Chelsea. They destroyed Arsenal. City and almost beat Man U. 

But City had trouble finishing off the lower teams.

City tied Burnley, Birmingham, Hull City, Bolton, and Wigan. These are all bottom feeder teams.

Spurs cleaned their clocks 3-0 this past Wednesday and maybe management had seen enough.

Millions of bucks were spent on Tevez, Rohinho, Adebayor, and Barry to bring in a title. Management expected at least more wins than ties and losses.

In defense of Hughes, it takes time for a team to get used to playing with each other. The players must learning how to work within the system.

Sometimes the learning curve is steep.

I know this is coach speak but what it means is this. Let me explain this way. In football the quarterback and the receivers spend hours running pass patterns. They do this so they can develop timing between each other. The QB learns when to throw the ball to the receiver. The receiver knows that when he comes out his break the ball will be there.

Futebol players have this same timing as well.

When new players are added it takes time for them to understand each other futebol wise. Sometimes this is an instant thing while at times this can be a very slow process.

A real futebol man running the operations understands this.

I think this was a quick trigger pulled by upper management. They saw their investment of millions of dollars going south real quick.

Will the hiring of Roberto Mancini propel City into the top four?

You must wait and see.

Will the players play for him?

Will Tevez and the rest of the guys quit playing?

We will find out.

It all comes down to this will the players will play with heart. Will they quit when it gets tough or will they suck it up and find a way to win or to pull out a draw in dire circumstances?

When Mark Hughes played at Man U under Sir Alex Hughes was one tough SOB. Hughes played with heart.

He coached the same way.

Just look at his record.

This cat can flat-out coach a team.

The American idea of the carousel of coaching has arrived in the EPL. Instant success or it’s the highway Bozo.

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By Cara Sulieman

WAR HAS broken out in Susan Boyle’s hometown of Blackburn as one resident prepares to sell a unique piece of SuBo memorabilia.

The Britain’s Got Talent star won the local karaoke competition three times before her meteoric rise to fame and there are now plans to sell the trophy for charity.

But organisers’ of the town’s gala day claim they own the statue and say they’ll call in the police if Peter Mulholland goes through with the sale.

Susan’s brother, John, gave the MacRae Memorial Trophy to Peter at the Blackburn Bowling Club after she won the contest at the club in 2008.

“Digging my heels in”

Peter is refusing to budge saying: “There is a huge uproar about me trying to sell this but I have had it for a while and no-one batted an eyelid.

“If people came to me and asked for some cash to go towards the gala day or whatever, then I would have been glad to give them some of the money from the sale of the trophy.

“But these folk have got my back up now and they can forget it. I am digging my heels in.

“That trophy was given to me to sell and that’s what I’ll do. All the cash will go to charity.

“I have a certificate of authenticity for the trophy signed by Susan and her brother John Boyle. John gave me the trophy to sell for charity.

“If this is going to cause a lot of hassle to Susan, I would give the trophy back to her. But there is no way I am now going to hand it over to this other lot who are just being selfish.

“John gave it to me and me alone – it’s up to me what I do with it. If I get £10,000 for it, I would give half to children’s charity CHAS this year and half to charity next year.

“No-one was interested in it before but they’re coming out the woodwork now. I am well-known around here for raising money for charity, so this is nothing out of the ordinary.

“If it comes to it, I won’t give in and will just have to get lawyers involved.”

“Stolen”

The trophy is named after a local man who used to run the gala day committee.

The karaoke competition is held every year at the bowling club as part of the gala day celebrations.

Susan won it in August 2008 and the event raised £145.20 for the Children’s Gala Day Fund.

The organisers bought a new one in June but say they want Susan’s back because it should be returned after a year.

Current gala day organisers Joe Stronach, 65, said: “The trophy has been stolen basically. It is not his to sell and never has been.

“The trophy was only given out to previous winners for a year at a time. When Susan handed the trophy back, it has not been handed back to the right person.

“Any money raised rightly belongs to the Blackburn Gala Day. We have been trying to get it back for a while and it’s getting to the stage where we will have to get the police involved.

“If it’s going to be sold, it should be at a specialist auction.”

A family member said: “Susan’s done a lot for charity and she has endorsed the eBay sale of the trophy she won last year at Blackburn Bowling Club.

“The money is going to raise cash for the CHAS appeal which is close to Susan’s heart.”

See more of our videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

By Andrea McCallum

SHE may be a little shaken if not a tad stirred but Susan Boyle has been tipped to lend her lungs to the next James Bond theme tune.

The global songstress is rumoured to join the small group of stars who have been chosen to sing on 007 soundtracks.

And composers who have had hits with 007 songs in the past have even voiced their support.

Grammy-award-winning composer David Arnold – who was nominated for a Bafta for the song You Know My Name which was featured in Casino Royale – confessed his admiration for the Blackburn-born singer through Twitter.

He said: “Simon Cowell is like Father Christmas, this year he gave us the gift of Susan Boyle…and we didn’t even have to ask.”

The 48-year-old will follow legends including Sir Paul McCartney, Tom Jones and Dame Shirley Bassey who have previously been selected for the coveted-honour.

Their well-known numbers – Live and Let Die, Thunderball and Goldfinger – were hits for the singers across the world.

Monty Norman – who composed both the classic Bond theme music and the Dr No soundtrack – said he thought Susan was “great”.

He said: “They’ll think seriously about it because she’s got the right kind of sweeping voice.

“I think Susan Boyle is great and has done marvellously well.”

The 23^rd 007 movie – starring the dashing Daniel Craig in the lead role – is due out in 2011.

Boyle has celebrated world-wide success since her appearance on Britian’s Got Talent – her album is the best-selling debut in UK chart history and has sold more than 5 million copies.

Lee Pfeiffer, co-author of the best selling book The Essential James Bond, said Boyle is perfect for Bond 23, the movie’s working title.

He said: “From the standpoint of pure talent, Susan Boyle is a throwback to those great days when the likes of Shirley Bassey would be asked to sing the title song of a James Bond film.

“I think bringing in Susan Boyle would be a great idea, not only commercially but artistically, as it would ensure the series reverts to the kind of songs we regard as Bond classics.”

See more of our videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Even when I make jokes, I get it right. Who would have thunk it.  I said what is the worse thing that could happen to Manchester United was a loss to Fulham. Well guess what? The mighty boys from Old Trafford got their butts whipped by Fulham 3-0.

This was a classic massacre or if you would like to say a take me to the woodshed butt whopping.

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This was one of those oh, excuse me, we have a ton of injuries what do you expect me to do?  Win. At least put up a fight and show some heart.

This was bad folks.

The Cottagers just flat at took to the mighty Red Devils and kicked some major butt. This is about all you can say about the match.

Danny Murphy led off the slaughter with a wicked shot that beat the keeper Kuszczak in the 22^nd minute to give Fulham the 1-0 lead.

The rout was on baby.

Bobby Zamora found the back of the net in the 46^th minute to give the Cottagers a 2-0 lead.

In the 75^th minute, Damien Duff ripped the winner to put the finishing touches on a huge masterful killing of the boys from Old Trafford.

Manchester United played like crap.

I haven’t seen this bad of a performance from a Man U squad in years.

There is heap big trouble in Manchester United land.

Way to go garoto to the guys at Fulham.

I just love this stuff.

Dogs ruled on this day.

Before you cats go nuts on me, let me explain. Yes, I am a fan of Manchester United. A fan is correct but not a fanatic.  I root for the Red Devils. I am partial to them but I don’t live and die with their fortunes on the pitch.

My heart is in Brasil. I am a die hard Flamenguista. I am also a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan. The NFL baby.

I also have a very found spot in my heart for Arsenal.

My wife thinks I am a nut, which I am. I do have the papers to prove it.

I became a Gunners fan when I saw the movie Fever Pitch starring Colin Firth.

I have seen Fever Pitch ten times.

Oh, guess what I saw at Emirates. The Philly fanatic dressed in a Gunners uniform was whipping up the crowd into a fever pitch.

The Philly fanatic is the Philadelphia Phillies team mascot.

I am a huge futebol fan but what floats my boat is Jesus. Without Him, I am a dead man.  I am a messianic Jew.  

Tottenham didn’t suffer a let up against Blackburn. Spurs beat em 2-0.

Peter Crouch hit the daily double to lead the Spurs to an impressive win.

The Rovers had a golden chance at the outset of the match to grab the early lead but the shot clanged off the cross bar.

Whew was that close.

Two back-to-back good performances by Spurs have put them back into the title hunt.

Aston Villa held serve in their 1-0 win over Stoke City.

John Crew scored the match winner in the 61^st minute. This goal saved Villa’s hide. This was a total lackluster performance by Aston Villa.

Maybe Bobby Darin’s Dream Lover might best describe the way Villa played on this day.

Still a win is a win and this is all that counts.

Liverpool lost to lowly Portsmouth 2-0. The Reds are dead.

Rafa will get sacked.

Liverpool has quit playing.

I have seen this before.

The players will not play for Rafa anymore.

Rafa needs to go.

After a close, first half the Gunners turned on the Afro burners and kicked some booty killing Hull City 3-0.

The first match changer was this. There was a near bitch-slapping brawl between several Arsenal and Hull City players near the end of the first half.

There was a lot of huffing and puffing signifying nothing. I wish futebol players would learn how to fight.

A few moments later Brasilian Denilson rifled home a great free kick in the 45^th minute to make 1-0 Arsenal at the break.

His shot flat out made the keeper Boaz Myhill look really silly. Denilson’s shot was a ball buster.

This was turning point number two in the match. Hull City had a chance for the equalizer when Gunner defender Silvestre knocked down Craig Fagan in the 56^th minute. Up steps Geovanni for Hull City. The run up. The shot. The diving save by Almunia. The header by Hunt off the rebound. Almunia gobbles the ball. Whew was that sucker close.

The Gunners kicked it into high gear.

Eduardo finally got in the scorebook in the 59^th minute. This gave the Gunners a 2-0 lead.

This was a great example of how short passes in the box ate up the Hull City “D”. 

The ball was on the wing. A great entry pass into Diaby. Diaby passed up the shot and hit Eduardo. Eduardo was standing at the goals doorstep. A simple poke into the net finished up the play.

A great give and go from Arshavin and Diaby cooked Hull City’s goose in the 80^th minute. All Diaby had to do was deposit the gift into the back of the net.

This was all she wrote.

This win by Arsenal squarely puts a ton of pressure on Chelsea to beat lowly West Ham. Will the dogs rule on Sunday? 

We will find out.

The table shapes up this way. Chelsea is the top dog with 40 points. Manchester United hangs on to second place with 37 points. Arsenal is third with 35 points. Aston Villa is fourth with 35 points. Arsenal has a better goal difference than Villa. The Gunners are plus 13 while Villa is only a plus 8. Spurs are in fifth place with 33.

Let fun and games begin.

I love it.

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Now it’s back to the fun in sun for the EPL resumes play on Saturday and Sunday. There is a ton of pressure on the big boys to come up with the “W” not a tie or a loss. The matches that I am focusing on are Manchester United-Fulham, Arsenal-Hull City, Spurs-Rovers, and West Ham- Chelsea. Sure, City has big one against Sunderland but for you City guys you will have to wait.

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The Red Devils have a leaky “D” as well as missing the back of net. If mighty boys from Old Trafford want a historic four peat, Rooney, Berbatov, Anderson, and the rest need to find the back of the net more often than not. Maybe Rooney and his mates might try their hand at being masons. They are good at firing bricks.

MIA is Ferdinand, O’Shea, Neville, and Brown. That’s the entire back line of defense. No wonder the Red Devil’s “D” is like a sieve.  Even the super defender Russian Vidic is hurt. Can it get any worse? Yes, A loss will kill the boys from Old Trafford.

Arsenal needs to shake off the miserable one all tie with Burnley and take it to Hull City. This is a must for win Arshavin, and rest of the Gunners.

My advice is to take it to em. Pedal to the medal. Attack, attack, and whatever you do, don’t, and I mean don’t give up a cheap goal.

Short balls. Work the ball into the offensive zone and punish the net. Please no long balls this time guys.  

Fabregas is out with a hammy injury. This will hurt. Still I expect Arsenal to win.

Drogba, Cole, and Carvalho are to play for Chelsea. This should kick it up a notch for the Blues.

If the Blues play like they did mid-week and last Saturday, it could be a long day.

West Ham stinks but this is the year of the dogs. Anything can happen just ask City, Arsenal, and Man U.

Spurs- Rovers will be a good one. Tottenham needs to get the “W”. This is not the time to let down after kicking City’s butt up and down the pitch mid-week. Come out breathing fire and score baby score. It is that simple.

All and all this season in the EPL is really wild. Who would have thought that Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United would struggle on the road?  Road warriors they are not. All of em has three losses. This is not good. Championships are won on the road. 

The team with the best road record will win the title.

Last year EPL champ Manchester United had three road losses all season. That’s it baby. The Red Devils had a total four loses for the entire campaign. Guess what? The mighty boys from Old Trafford already have four of those bad boys.

 Last year Arsenal and Chelsea had a total of three road losses each. Now hear this both Chelsea and the Gunners have already equaled last season’s total road losses. Both Chelsea and Arsenal have three of those big boys and we are not even at midterm break.

This is not good.

Need I go on?

In the NFL, we have a saying. “ On any given Sunday any team can win.” This saying is now true in the EPL. Former Commish, Pete Rozelle was seeking parity. In the NFL, parity is now a way of life.

I am not saying parity is on the fast track in the EPL but the dogs are making life hard for the big boys.

You gotta love it.

Oh, yeah, one last parting shot.

Barcelona and Estudiantes battle for the 2009 World Club Title. Will Estudiantes be Barca’s Waterloo?

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Manchester United looks to go joint top with a win over Fulham on Saturday, while Chelsea looks to keep a three-point gap from their closest challenger against West Ham Sunday.  Meanwhile, Liverpool needs a win over bottom-dwelling Portsmouth if they want to keep any hope of a top four finish alive.

I will add the US broadcasts for Fox Soccer games later tonight as the new Foxsoccer.com website doesn’t seem to want to give me that information at the moment.

Saturday, December 19
Portsmouth vs. Liverpool – 7:45 a.m. ET/ESPN2 (Live)
Aston Villa vs. Stoke
Blackburn vs. Tottenham
Fulham vs. Manchester United – 9:30 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Manchester City vs. Sunderland
Arsenal vs. Hull

Sunday, December 20
Wolves vs. Burnley – 8:25 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Everton vs. Birmingham
West Ham vs. Chelsea

Monday, December 21
Wigan vs. Bolton

Aahhhh!! Take a breath at this festive time and a sip of the local ale, sit back and rejoice in a sport that has nothing whatsoever to do with a Mr. Woods and his wood. Not to say that footballers are saints; lager, girls, WAGS, hags, fights and speeding tickets are all but the staple diet of many a Premiership, and aspiring Premiership, player these days. But for now, let’s focus of the sport of kings itself, rather than off pitch exploits.

So the ink is all but dry on the contract that brings dainty little Landon Donovan over to Everton. He will become an
honorary Scouser from January until mid March. Going to be a shock to his system playing at Goodison, certainly not the
sun kissed hills of LA; he’ll get the lumps kicked out of him in the freezing rain. A bit of hard graft never hurt
anyone, might even make a man of him??

The wonderful country of Honduras brought us a peach of a goal last weekend in the Premiership courtesy of Mayor
Figueroa. The mighty Wigan were bumbling along against Stoke when an innocuous free kick occurred. As the players
picked themselves up and the ball lay dead, still five yards inside the Wigan half, Figueroa spied goalkeeper Sorensen
off his line. He nonchalantly hit the ball and it carried 60 yards over the outstretched keeper. Bingo, route one!

It’s tighter than you think at the top of the Premiership with five teams within ten points of each other and Arsenal
with a game in hand. Especially over the hectic Christmas period, it will be interesting to see how the flurry of games
will affect the standings. With games on December 19/ 20th, Boxing Day (a Victorian invention you Yanks may not be
familiar with), plus the 28/ 29 and 30th; there a numerous opportunities for points to be picked up or dropped. Then
the January transfer window opens, with many clubs looking to bolster there injury stricken clubs: fun times ahead kids!

Finally, raise a glass to the fine Mr. Ryan Giggs!! Although I am not a fan of United, Giggs has been, and still is a
truly gifted, special player. At 36, Giggs just signed a year extension to his contract that will keep him at Old
Trafford until June 2011. Having started his career back in ’91, he has played over 800 games for the club, and with 11
Premiership titles and 2 European Cups under his belt, he proves that there is life in the old dog yet; an inspiration
to all us old blokes! He recently won the BBC’s prestigious Sport Personality of the Year Award, not bad for a bloke
from Wales!

Ryan Giggs, the Tim Wakefield of English Sport...

[[Editors Note: to learn more about Ryan Giggs, hear the man himself talk about his own legacy of longevity, and if nothing else, to remind yourself of just how beautiful the British General Public is (see also: sarcasm), check out this BBC awards show clip here!]]

This weeks predictions:

Portsmouth V Liverpool

Liverpool romped back to winning ways last Saturday and again midweek against Wigan, with Torres back in the side and on the score sheet. Portsmouth had a good close game at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and are a better side than they admit, even to themselves and despite the financial chaos that currently surrounds them. However, I think Liverpool are going to win at Portsmouth, they have a renewed sense of confidence.
Prediction: Portsmouth 1 – 2 Liverpool

Aston Villa V Stoke City
Villa are playing some great football at present, the like of which helped them overcome Man Utd last week. Stoke
aren’t a walk-over by any means, but Martyn O’Neill’s formula has given Villa an unbeaten run of six games. It will
continue.
Prediction: Aston Villa 3 – 1 Stoke City

Blackburn V Tottenham

Blackburn are tough, especially at home, and will give Tottenham a work out at Ewood Park. Tottenham are on song and passing the ball with ease, Lennon gives them such pace on the wing. Spurs will edge it.
Prediction: Blackburn 1 – 2 Tottenham

Fulham V Man Utd

Craven Cottage is difficult for visitors. Fulham have been scoring frequently of late, Bobby Zamora has stepped up and
although they are playing Utd, I think they will cause them problems. Both teams can score, but I think a draw is on
the cards.
Prediction: Fulham 2 – 2 Man Utd

Arsenal V Hull City

Arsenal at the Emirates, job done. They are just too strong for Hull. This could be a walk-over.
Prediction: Arsenal 4 – 1 Hull City

Everton V Birmingham City

Birmingham are seventh in the Premiership, a position that would surprise most. McLeish has done well, but I don’t
think they have the talent or depth to continue this kind of form throughout the season. Everton have been looking
strong and although they have drawn the last two league matches, they will edge this one.
Prediction: Everton 2 – 1 Birmingham

Premier League Stats and Bets – FULHAM v MAN UTD : Where do sports betting expert James Eastham and former pro footballer Steve Claridge think the betting value is this weekend?

Find out in this week’s Premier League Preview Show, now streaming on BetRepublic

Here are a few of their tips for this weekend:

ARSENAL v HULL

Arsenal’s only defeat in seven home games was v Chelsea (0-3). They have scored more than three-and-a-half goals a game in their other six home matches

Hull have yet to win away. They’ve drawn two and lost six of their eight away games

Hull have conceded more than two-and-a-half goals a game in their eight away games

Hull have scored in five out of eight away games

Recommended Bets:

Over 3 goals (19/20)

Both teams to score (11/8)

ASTON VILLA v STOKE

Aston Villa have won five of eight home games this season

Aston Villa in outstanding form: they have won five and drawn two of their last seven matches in all competitions

Villa have lost just one of their last 13 games in all competitions

Stoke have drawn four of their eight away games

Recommended Bets:

Aston Villa -1.25 Asian handicap (21/20)

Over 2.5 goals (21/20)

BLACKBURN v TOTTENHAM

Blackburn’s only home defeat was v Man City (0-2) on the opening day of the season

Tottenham have won only one of their last six away games

Three of the last four head-to-heads have ended in draws

Recommended Bets:

Draw (7/3)

Both teams to score (4/6)

FULHAM v MAN UTD

Fulham have won four of their last five home games

Five of Fulham’s last six games have had under 2.5 goals

Man Utd have won five and lost three away games this season

Fulham have won just one of eight Premier League head-to-heads

Recommended Bets:

Fulham +1 Asian handicap (11/10)

Under 2.5 goals (17/20)

Check out bets for all the Premier League matches by Steve Claridge and James Eastham

By Andrea McCallum

SUSAN Boyle proved to be a class act when she returned to her old school in Blackburn – much to the delight of stunned pupils and staff.

The album-chart topper appeared unannounced at the official opening of her former secondary school’s £19 million refurbishment.

CLASS ACT: Susan Boyle returns to her old school in Blackburn

And the global superstar was given a grand tour of the new facilities before wishing the school well and speaking to the kids.

Smartly dressed in a double breasted black Mac – complete with gold buttons – the 43-year-old was led through Saint Kentigern’s Acadmey’s renovated library, dance studio and remodeled technology department.

The extension was opened by the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, with the unveiling of a plaque on Wednesday.

Cardinal O’Brien said: “Having visited St Kentigerns’ regularly during my 24 years as Archbishop, I was amazed at the change which has taken place with the refurbishment and extension.

“It does provide additional wonderful opportunities for the young people who will benefit at St Kentigern’s Academy in the years which lie ahead.

More than 1,400 pupils will now be on the attendance role making it the largest school in SuBo’s home county, West Lothian.

Susan laughed and joked with local councilors, staff and pupils whilst maintaining that famous grin throughout the visit.

The Britain’s Got Talent phenomenon even took time to drop in on a music class – hopefully to give some of the pupils a few tips and hints to get them on their way to stardom.

Head teacher Stephen Campbell said: “We are all delighted with our new environment.

“There really isn’t an area of the school that hasn’t been upgraded the changes and improvements are fantastic and everything was completed within 18 months – a remarkable achievement.”

We'll Be Back

It’s a real scrap as 5 relegation candidates play today in the midweek games. 4 of them playing each other. Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, West Ham, and Wolves.

Scores currently:

• Birmingham v Blackburn: 1-0
• Bolton v West Ham: 0-0
• Man Utd v Wolves: 1-0

Coming soon we will take a look at what effect relegation has on clubs.

Since Ruud van Nistelrooy’s retirement from the Dutch international team at the end of Euro 2008, the former Manchester United striker has played a grand total of sixteen games (and twenty three minutes total this season) for his club, Real Madrid. Under normal circumstances, we would be writing a eulogy for the 33-year old striker’s career; between a series of injuries and his inevitable replacement by newer and younger players (Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema) usually signalls the death knoll for an aging striker’s career.

This year, however, is anything but a normal circumstance. It’s a World Cup year, and the Dutch team – who may end up being without Robin van Persie – might be in need of a proven striker with international experience. Funny enough, van Nistelrooy happens to be a Dutch striker with international experience and interest; all he needs now is a place to play.

Fortunately for him, it appears that pretty much everyone who has a fleeting need at the striker position is interested. It’s easy to see why; while his fragility has been fairly noticeable lately, it’s his goal scoring record that’s made him known. Case in point: in those sixteen games, van Nistelrooy scored eleven goals. Any team with a goal scoring problem (or a striker fetish) would love to have the former PFA Player of the Year on their team.

After the jump, let’s take a look at the possible ending points for the storied career of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Chelsea
Let’s start big, then, shall we? Following Pepe’s ACL tear over the weekend, Real Madrid are suddenly in the market for a centerback. Chelsea, in turn, are looking ahead to the African Cup of Nations, where they’ll lose Didier Drogba and Solomon Kalou.

The Independent is reporting that Real Madrid’s plan to replace Pepe is to buy up Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea, with Ruud van Nistelrooy being thrown in as a possible makeweight. The deal makes tons of sense for Real Madrid (they’d unload a high earner they don’t need in favor of a proven player they really need), but it makes a lot less sense for Chelsea (Carvalho and Terry have been pretty good this season, and this deal would leave them pretty light on centerbacks.

Plus, this ignores the other big Chelsea story: Sergio Aguero’s supposed to be all-but-signed at Stamford Bridge. You can only bring in so many players to replace Drogba and Kalou; van Nistelrooy and Aguero might be one too many.

Personally, I don’t see it happening, but it’s possible.

Liverpool
Setting aside the completely surreal idea of seeing van Nistelrooy playing for Liverpool while Michael Owen plays for Manchester United, this move makes a little more sense. Real Madrid are only asking for £3 million for van Nistelrooy, and since they likely owe Liverpool that much from the Xabi Alonso deal Liverpool could “buy” the Dutchman without spending any actual cash out of pocket. Rafa Benitez has indicated that he’d like to see van Nistelrooy at Anfield, and van Nistelrooy seems interested in coming; so what’s the problem, right?

The problem (according to The Daily Mirror) is that van Nistelrooy wants to play for the World Cup…but he also wants to keep his £100,000/week paycheck. That’s a LOT of money for a 33 year old striker coming back from injury who’s only played one game all season. Liverpool would like to see him come in on a “pay as you play” basis, with a low weekly salary and a high appearance fee; van Nistelrooy probably isn’t interested in that arrangement.

Blackburn
Blackburn has a problem. Benni McCarthy is a winter transfer target of West Ham’s; Franco di Santo, currently their best player, is a loanee from Chelsea who returns in January. If they were to lost both players, they’d be a little screwed.

Enter van Nistelrooy and his £3 million price tag; that’s insanely affordable for a team like Blackburn, and they could probably make the high wages work. For his part, van Nistelrooy will get to play for a club that needs him, which means a lot of playing time and a lot of chances to score goals.

It also means a lot of wear and tear, however, which is why Sam Allardyce told Sky Sports that it’s not going to happen. It’s not a question of money as much a question of durability; Blackburn doesn’t care about the World Cup, they care about not getting relegated…which makes signing injured srikers a bad idea.

That being said, it’s still an interesting possibility and just because Big Sam says he isn’t doing it doesn’t mean he isn’t doing it.

Tottenham
In spite of Harry Redknapp saying that he could see van Nistelrooy “going to someplace like Arsenal”, Spurs are really the front runners to sign him. According to Goal.com, Redknapp has even put Roman Pavlyuchenko, Alan Hutton, David Bentley, and captain Robbie Keane up for sale to fund the wage bill for van Nistelrooy. The move sort of makes sense, I guess, although I’m not sure how much van Nistelrooy would really play there (behind Defoe and Crouch). It fits Redknapp’s general transfer policy, though, which seems to be “sign, sign, and sign some more.”

Also, this completely ignores the fact that Harry’s said just yesterday that he’s not planning on signing van Nistelrooy. Given Harry’s past track record, I actually think that the denial just gives more weight to the rumor.

The Also-Rans
There are a couple other teams that have been involved at one point in time. Arsenal was part of the bidding early on, but dropped out when van Nistelrooy seemed to prefer Liverpool. Roma was interested couldn’t meet the wage demands; ditto for Fenerbahce (I really can’t see van Nistelrooy at Fenerbahce, but whatever). By and large, though, the four teams above are the biggest players in the Ruud van Nistelrooy sweepstakes.

Oh, outside one other contender: Real Madrid. While van Nistelrooy’s on a huge wage there, that doesn’t actually mean that Real Madrid need to move him. They’ll probably consider it, but it’s not really imperative to their bottom line that they dump the massive wages, and helping anyone out – whether it’s van Nistelrooy or another club – isn’t really a good business move for them.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Today is Boxing Day in merry old England. We have some huge matches on tap for today and Sunday. These puppies will have a lot say on who will win the EPL title. 

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Spurs have a hot date with Fulham. City takes on Stoke City. Chelsea takes a little trip to St. Andrews to battle Birmingham.

Eight points separate the top five cubs. This is not a huge spread but it does give Chelsea a little room to breath or as I like to call it wiggle room.

This is the advantage of being in the catbird seat.

Spurs need to handle Fulham. Tottenham needs to get a full three points. Jermain Defoe and his buds need to find the back of the net. Spurs need to strike early and often if they want to keep pace with the leaders.

Chelsea and Birmingham should be a classic battle. Blues are currently in seventh spot with 28 points. If the Blues don’t watch out Blues could perform a little bit of the Blues Brothers on em and wind up with three points.

For as good as Chelsea is they are very inconsistent. One match the Blues kick butt and the next they eek out a tie or lose.

Maybe this match could be Blue on Blue.

Drogba and the guys need to perform at a top level.

The dog has the edge.

Birmingham is at home and Chelsea’s road record is just a hair over 500.

For one I am very curious to see how City performs after their manager Mark Hughes was 86^th outta the joint. Mancini is the new dude in City. Lets see how Mancini can motivate the players to perform at high level.

Sure, City had some huge holes but Hughes did a good job at getting the players to play for him.

Will Tevez, Bellamy, and Robinho phone in the match or will they play balls to the wall.

Boxing Day will give us all the answers we need on this subject.

The boys from Old Trafford need to put their past crappy performances behind them and win on the road on Sunday.  Hull City will be a very dangerous opponent. The Tigers are a bottom feeder. Man U are not road warriors this year. Manchester United has four road losses already this year. Another one might stick a fork in the dream of a historic four peat.

Rooney, Berbatov, and the rest of the boys need to come out breathing fire. Goals are a must. Hopefully the leaky “D” will stand up and not let Man U down again.

The Gunners and Aston Villa have a huge battle at Emirates on Sunday. This baby is for all the marbles. Both clubs are tied for third. Arsenal and Villa each have 35 points.

Be prepared for both the Gunners and Villa to throw their best Sunday punches. This baby should be a wild one.

I can’t wait.

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