No write up last week but i got 6 results and no perfect scores, There are some tough games to predict this week but here goes anyway, Just predictions this week, more of a write up next week.

Saturday

Blackburn Rovers V Stoke City

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-1 draw

Fulham V Bolton Wanderers

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-0 win for Fulham

Manchester City V Hull City

Mystic Jarv predicts a 2-0 win for Man City

Portsmouth V Manchester United

Mystic Jarv predicts a 0-2 win for United

West Ham United V Burnley

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-0 win for West ham

Wigan Athletic V Sunderland

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-2 win for Sunderland

Aston Villa V Tottenham Hotspur

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-2 win for Villa

Sunday

Wolverhampton Wanderers V Birmingham City

Mystic Jarv predicts a 0-1 win for Brum

Everton V Liverpool

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-0 win for Everton

Arsenal V Chelsea

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-1 draw

Written by Jarv

As Always for all your premier league discussion and Match discussion please visit Away Goals Rule Football Forum

There are some good games on tap this weekend. The biggest one is probably the Arsenal/Chelsea match Sunday afternoon. Both squads have been playing well and winning. Arsenal is eight points back from first place Chelsea, but is definitely capable of knocking off the leaders. On Saturday, fourth place Tottenham plays away to fifth place Aston Villa in a game that could have major top four implications. And of course, there’s the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, which is always a hard fought match.

Saturday, November 28
Blackburn vs. Stoke – 8:30 p.m. ET/Setanta (Delayed)
Fulham vs. Bolton – 5 p.m. ET/Setanta (Delayed)
Manchester City vs. Hull – 9:55 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Portsmouth vs. Manchester United – 9:45 a.m. ET/ESPN2 (Live)
West Ham vs. Burnley – 10 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)
Wigan vs. Sunderland – 7 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
Aston Villa vs. Tottenham – 12:30 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

Sunday, November 29
Wolves vs. Birmingham – 7 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
Everton vs. Liverpool – 8:25 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Arsenal vs. Chelsea – 11 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

Not often that we put up our own work but thought this job for Chang Beer was worth a wee mention. We have just launched a penalty shoot out competition for Everton fans to win a mascot experience for their children. It’s a pretty amazing prize as waiting list for the being the mascot are up to 5 years!

Earlier this week, the government rejected Everton’s proposal to move to a new custom-built stadium in Kirby. This rejection was seen as a shattering blow by many as the club look to move out of the relatively dilapidated Goodison Park. However, just as many people are rejoicing at the decision which will surely ensure that the famous old club stays within the city boundaries.

Now, it would appear the Everton board are proposing a ground-share with their old rivals across the city. Despite how close the two current grounds are, a ground-share appears to be a controversial call, but in a time of financial crisis, is it not just good economics?

Ground-sharing is common on the continent, with Italy being the best example. If two clubs the size of the Milan duo can share the San Siro, surely anybody can share a stadium? Same goes for Roma and Lazio and the Stadia Olympico. Or maybe not.

Whilst economics would certainly play a part towards the building of the stadium, both Everton and Liverpool would be realistically hoping to spend the next 100 years in their new home. Of course, football grounds are more than just stadiums these days, with many being used to house concerts, meetings and banquets. In one stadium, both clubs would have to share these potentially huge profits, which is highly unattractive long-term.

However, surely the most important factor is the feeling between both sets of fans. On a recent survey, it is painfully evident that neither Everton fans or Liverpool supporters fancy sharing their home with the other, despite the relationship between both clubs being known as the ‘Friendly Rivalry’. Indeed, my own favourite thing about the game is seeing the two groups of supporters sat-side-by-side in the stands. That being said, the fans have made it clear they would neither welcome nor support having both clubs under one roof.

I think the issue here is the size of both clubs. In smaller cities, I think it is much more appropriate. Indeed, the city of Dundee has recently made a similar proposal. For anybody who is unsure on the distance between the two stadiums, they are both on the same street, literally a stone’s throw away. Neither club gets gates over 15,000, and so a shared stadium would be ideal. Indeed, United manager Craig Levein has suggested a brand new 20,000 capacity ground shared by both clubs would be brilliant, and he’s quite correct.

To expand on this, I believe it would be appropriate in many Scottish cities, and would perhaps provide much-needed revenue for clubs outside the Old Firm. A shared 30-40,000 ground for Hearts and Hibs would certainly help bridge the gap between the Old Firm. However, I do not believe that as a proposal many ‘big’ clubs would accept it. I’d be surprised if it was accepted in any English city, to tell you the truth.

Can you imagine the Manchester clubs, the North London clubs or the Old Firm in shared stadia? Neither can I. There is just too much to lose, and not least home advantage in local derbies. It is for this reason why i think the Everton board are barking up the wrong tree here.

Surely the Everton support will be even more against this than the move outside the city limits? I’d be interested to hear how you would react if your club issued the same proposal with your nearest-and-dearest.

As always, all comments are appreciated.

Gameweek 14 reaches us as we start the middle third of the season. Week 13 saw few surprises though we did get the highest ever individual score. I made the error of having Fabregas as captain which I didn’t especially feel comfortable with but didn’t have many other options with Lampard and Drogba out injured, and Rooney out of form.

I did have David Dunn but didn’t fancy him due to two away games. In the event he proved me wrong. I regret not bringing in Bullard or Dempsey as I was looking at both pre-deadline. Sometimes it’s better to take the four point hit for the rewards it can bring. Don’t even get me started on having Thomas Sorensen’s 14 points left on the bench…

Gameweek 13 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

When I was looking back over the top scores from last week, I had a moment of panic when I thought there was a three-way 18 point tie for 1^st and I’d have to find another Top Gun character to join Maverick and Goose.

Then I remembered that someone called Jermain Defoe scored five goals against Wigan. Yes, the pint-sized striker scored a full handful of goals and picked up three bonus points. It might just be me but it almost feels like 25 points isn’t enough reward for such a feat. I guess that’s what happens with just four points for a striker’s goal. I’m sure the people who had him as captain weren’t complaining – 50 points was only two off my whole total for the week. Anyway, it’s the highest score ever from one game, even Ronaldo never got that.

As mentioned previously, following Defoe you had Dempsey Hunt and Lennon all with 18 points. The former two took advantage of playing twice while Lennon was the provider of three Defoe goals as well as getting one for himself in that 9-1 victory. A mention too for Michael Essien who scored 16 via two goals and his third man of the match award of the season.

Maverick should really be using all five hand digits to approve of Defoe's performance.

Three Captain Choices:

1. Adebayor/Man City – Every run has to come to an end and I think Man City might finally stop their run of six consecutive draws and beat Hull at home. Hull have picked up since Bullard’s return with two wins and a draw but they’re still leaky at the back while Adebayor scored his first goal in two months against Liverpool. He tends to feast on weaker defences, get bonus points when City play well and thus is a good shout for captain this weekend.

2. Drogba/Chelsea – The best defence faces the best attack this weekend as Chelsea face Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday. Normally I wouldn’t suggest picking someone from this fixture but Drogba loves playing Arsenal and has terrorised them down the years. What scares me even more is that due to Gallas being doubtful, there’s a tiny, tiny chance we might see Big Phil Senderos make an appearance. I’m shuddering at the thought, Drogba owns him.

3. Rooney/Man Utd – Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Slightly trickier now that Pompey have Avram Grant newly installed but Rooney and Man Utd should still have more than enough to beat Portsmouth.

Gets a Captain's tick.

Three suggested transfers in:

1. Evra/Man Utd - The French left back has been putting together a good season and in his last few games has picked up and assist and three bonus points. Man Utd should be good for a clean sheet against Portsmouth and after that Man Utd face West Ham, Villa, Wolves and Fulham which should provide a few more opportunities.

2. Johnson or Dann/Birmingham - I’m sure many of you already Joe Hart in your team but why not add Roger Johnson or Scott Dann to your side too? The two centre backs were a newly formed partnership at the start of the season having both been signed from Championship clubs but have adapted to the Premier League well. Johnson is the pricier of the two and more likely to get bonus points but Dann is just £3.9m leaving you plenty of case for elsewhere.

3. Hunt/Hull - Some people’s form rating is skewed by one massive week whereas others are a bit more consistent. If Bullard is out of your price range then Stephen Hunt is a good option having scored five points or more in four of the last five gameweeks.

Might be worth a pick.

Three to avoid:

1. Everton players - They were woeful against Hull and have generally struggled this season. There have been bright spots like Baines and Saha but they have a tough three games (Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea) coming up and then no fixture in week 17. Avoid for now.

2. Gibbs/Arsenal – Just as soon as he was becoming a cheap option while Clichy was out, he breaks a metatarsal and is now out for three months.

3. Owen/Man Utd - Just 24 points so far. The goal against Man City is literally the single good thing he’s done this season. Diouf, N’Gog and Ghilas all have more points. Having said that, what better opponent than Portsmouth to prove me wrong.

Are you taking the mick?

T.

Today the government rejected Everton’s plans to move the club into a new 50,000-seat stadium in Kirkby.

Everton chief executive, Robert Elstone, today suggested that Everton would welcome a shared stadium with local rivals Liverpool.

Why not, It works for AC and Inter Milan….

From a financial standpoint, Liverpool and Everton would both benefit from a new shared stadium.

And the city of Liverpool would have a super 90.000 stadium on par with Wembley.

But what about the fans?

I started to think about this today, What if Spurs, who are looking to have a stadium revamp were to come to the Emirates and pay off some of our debt? How would i feel about sharing a ground with the people I hate?

Well, Football is no long about the fans, its about making money so I feel the members of the board would jump at the chance. But from a fans point of you I would just hate it. Its almost like asking me  if I would share my wife… I cant think of anything worst as a football fan then to have no home that you can call your own.

How would you feel?….. Join our forum ( HERE )

www.arsenalaction.com

Após sofrer fratura no pé esquerdo na partida contra o São Paulo (dia 10 de outubro), o meia, que vinha atuando improvisado como lateral-esquerdo, se recuperou e ficará à disposição do técnico Andrade para a partida contra o Grêmio, dia 6 de dezembro, no Maracanã, pela última rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.
Everton surpreendeu.  A previsão inicial era de que o jogador só retornaria aos gramados em 2010. Everton recebeu a notícia no fim de semana e, como não poderia ser diferente, demonstrou muita empolgação.
“Estava confiante para voltar ainda este ano e deu tudo certo. Levei a sério o tratamento com a ajuda da minha família e agora estou colhendo os frutos. A fratura já está calcificada e não sinto mais nenhuma dor no pé esquerdo”, disse Everton, acrescentando.
Everton vai precisar treinar muito e todos  os dias, para estar pronto pro jogo contra o Grêmio. E Everton diz que está preparado e que vai com tudo para poder ajudar o time na última rodada do Brasileiro.
Mas, a única preocupação de Everton não está apenas na partida contra o Grêmio. O jogador, que tem contrato até o fim do ano, ainda não foi procurado por ninguém da diretoria rubro-negra para tratar de uma possível renovação.
“Meu empresário ainda não me passou nada. Mas pelo que eu sei, os dirigentes estão esperando a definição do Brasileiro para falar sobre o assunto. Tem ainda o problema da eleição no clube”, encerrou.

THIS lunchtime I took part in the BBC Radio Merseyside programme Roger Phillips’ Phone In debate on the Skelmersdale Vision/Kirkby debate.

You can hear my ramblings by clicking here - scroll to around 0:52.16 and you’ll hear me being introduced.

Be warned though, at the end of the interview my dogs decided to put in an ‘appearance’ by barking loudly in the background as the postie had just arrived at that point. They now have the most famous barks in the region!

Premier lyga.

Trečiadienį Anglijos Premier lygoje buvo sužaisti 2 susitikimai. Pergales iškovojo abi namuose žaidusios komandos – “Hull” bei “Fulham”.

“Hull” (9 min. S.Hunt, 20 min. A.Dawson, 28 min. D.Marney) 3:2 “Everton” (49 min. K.Zayatte į savo vartus, 65 min. L.Saha iš 11 m. baudinio).

“Fulham” (43 min. E.Nevland, 67 ir 88 min. C.Dempsey) 3:0 “Blackburn”.

IT’S being reported tonight that the Government has rejected the Everton Kirkby plan, which effectively allows the delayed Skelmersdale Vision project to finally get the go ahead.

According to the Liverpool Daily Post, Communities secretary John Denham decided that the projects would breach shopping policy to discourage major supermarket chains sucking business away from town and city centres.

Crucially though, the LDP reports that he was only convinced of that today, two days before he was legally obliged to make up his mind.

This is good news for Skelmersdale as, on the face of it at least, it means that there is nothing stopping Skelmersdale now getting the town centre it deserves. We now need to move quickly to ensure that building work starts as soon as possible – afterall it has already been help up with the Kirkby issue.

I am pleased that the the right decision has been made not just for Skelmersdale and West Lancashire, but the region as a whole. The Kirkby scheme was far too big and would have been to the detriment of many neighbouring areas.

And as I pointed out in my letter to the Prime Minister and Mr Denham last week, parts of Skelmersdale suffer unbelievably high levels of unemployment. To have given the Kirkby scheme the go-ahead would have been devastating for Skelmersdale but now we can hopefully start looking forward to the type of regeneration that Skelmersdale has been crying out for since the New Town was started in the early 1960s.

UPDATE: The official Government notification of the inquiry decision can be found here.

Após sofrer fratura no pé esquerdo na partida contra o São Paulo (dia 10 de outubro), o meia, que vinha atuando improvisado como lateral-esquerdo, se recuperou e ficará à disposição do técnico Andrade para a partida contra o Grêmio, dia 6 de dezembro, no Maracanã, pela última rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.
Everton surpreendeu.  A previsão inicial era de que o jogador só retornaria aos gramados em 2010. Everton recebeu a notícia no fim de semana e, como não poderia ser diferente, demonstrou muita empolgação.
“Estava confiante para voltar ainda este ano e deu tudo certo. Levei a sério o tratamento com a ajuda da minha família e agora estou colhendo os frutos. A fratura já está calcificada e não sinto mais nenhuma dor no pé esquerdo”, disse Everton, acrescentando.
Everton vai precisar treinar muito e todos  os dias, para estar pronto pro jogo contra o Grêmio. E Everton diz que está preparado e que vai com tudo para poder ajudar o time na última rodada do Brasileiro.
Mas, a única preocupação de Everton não está apenas na partida contra o Grêmio. O jogador, que tem contrato até o fim do ano, ainda não foi procurado por ninguém da diretoria rubro-negra para tratar de uma possível renovação.
“Meu empresário ainda não me passou nada. Mas pelo que eu sei, os dirigentes estão esperando a definição do Brasileiro para falar sobre o assunto. Tem ainda o problema da eleição no clube”, encerrou.

Inilah Jadwal liga Inggris untuk laga kamis dini hari ini (26 november 2009).

jam 02:45 wib

HULL CITY vs EVERTON

jam 03:00 wib

FULHAM vs BLACKBURN R.

What you missed while the Boston Aquarium was teaching kids to operate on squid (it’s not quite jellyfish, but we’re gonna use that tag anyways)…

• Your Champions League results: Rubin Kazan 0 – 0 Dynamo Kiev, Debreceni 0 – 1 Liverpool, Fiorentina 1 – 0 Lyon, Barcelona 2 – 0 Inter Milan, Rangers 0 – 2 Stuttgart, AZ Alkmaar 0 – 0 Olympiakos, Arsenal 2 – 0 Standard Liege, Unirea Urziceni 1 – 0 Sevilla
• Paul Hart’s been sacked by Portsmouth for not being able to win very many games after the team sold all of his players to pay the electric bill; early candidates for replacement are Darren Ferguson and Avram Grant. Hart may still accept a job with Portsmouth as technical director.
• Kieran Gibbs suffered a “horror foul” against Standard Liege, fracturing his metatarsal and leaving him sidelined for up to three months.
• Everton manager David Moyes (along with, presumably, ever other Premier League manager) doesn’t think Phil Brown should be sacked.
• Congratulations to Gamba Osaka midfielder Endo on winning the Asian Player of the Year award.
• The Dutch national team would like Edwin van der Sar to consider playing for them in the 2010 World Cup.
• Ajax has signed on to help coach the Chinese Football Association’s youth program.
• After numerous ankle injuries, DC United midfielder Ben Olsen retired yesterday. His kid presumably did not wear a Beckham jersey to the press conference.
• Celtic winger Aiden McGeady says that he wouldn’t pay to watch Celtic play.
• Bayern Munich have suspended Luca Toni after making comments critical of Louis van Gaal. That’ll help ‘em win more games, right?
• The Chicago Fire have sacked manager Denis Hamlett for…getting them to the semifinals?

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

Since the arrival of Fernando Torres to Liverpool, Everton fans have dreaded to see the Liverpool topscorer banging in goal at Goodison Park.

All the important matches are coming thick and thin for Liverpool as fight another day in the Premiership against their bitter rivals, Everton. The Merseyside derby is usually a pretty much heat affair with the Red side of Liverpool claiming an advantage when it comes to the Premier League matches. Both teams will do their best in order to get one over the other in the league.

Everton will have to go all the way back to 2006 to find a victory over Liverpool in the Premiership. That day they record a 3-0 win over Liverpool where Tim Cahill and Andrew Johnson were on target. Although, David Moyes will want to remember their recent 1-0 after extra time in the FA Cup last season as the benchmark going into this game. The Toffee manager will be with Phil Neville, Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Victor Anichebe, James Vaughan and Leon Osman. Fellaini & Bilyaletdinov will return back to the squad after serving a one match suspension against Hull.

Liverpool are going through rough times and maybe the game against their neighbors might have come a bit early. Manager Rafa Benitez will find it hard to keep his job if he loses to Everton and fall even more behind from a Champions League spot next season. They were dumped out of the Champions League in the midweek even though they beat Debreceni 1-0 away. Benitez will be hoping that Fernando Torres will return to the starting lineup after 3 weeks off with an ankle injury. Ryan Babel and Albert Riera are ruled doubtful to face Everton.

Don’t expect pretty football when these two teams meet on Sunday. We will be lucky if we will see some good football played at Goodison Park, it is more likely that yellow and red cards will be flying around instead. It will be a physical affair as both teams are desperate for three points while not for filling their potential.

Read the report on Bettingexpert.com called  “A betting report for the 2008/2009 season“ and the tipsters might be able to help you decide where you want to bet.

Register yourself on the Bettingexpert.com twitter to keep up with sports, bonus codes and live sports.

El 9-1 del Tottenham al Wigan ya forma parte de las grandes goleadas de la historia de la Premier League. Hoy recordamos otras.

Manchester United 9 – Ipswich Town 0

Marzo 1995

Andy Cole se convirtió en el gran protagonista de la mayor goleada de la historia de la Premier League. El delantero anotó cinco goles en un encuentro en el que también vieron puerta Mark Hughes, en dos ocasiones, Paul Ince y Roy Keane. Los ‘Red Devils’ acabaron la temporada en segunda posición, por detrás del Blackburn Rovers, y el Ipswich cerró la tabla.

Newcastle 8 – Sheffield Wednesday 0

Septiembre 1999

Alan Shearer no quiso ser menos que Andy Cole y también marcó cinco goles (dos de penalty) en el roto de las ‘Hurracas’ al Sheffield Wednesday. Un avance de lo que sería la temporada para los ‘Blades’, que perdieron la categoría, mientras que los de Bobby Robson cerraron la campaña en la zona media. Aaron Hughes, Kieron Dyer y Gary Speed también participaron activamente de la goleada.

Nottingham Forest 1 – Manchester United 8

Febrero 1999

El United ha protagonizado el mayor triunfo de la historia de la Premier en casa y a domicilio. Los de Alex Ferguson pasaron por encima del Nottingham Forest en el mismísimo City Ground con un Ole Gunnar Solskjaer que marcó cuatro goles saliendo desde el banquillo en sustitución de Dwight Yorke en el minuto 72’. ‘El Asesino Con Cara de Niño’ anotó sus tantos en poco más de diez minutos. Para los ‘Red Devils’ también mojaron por partida doble el de Trinidad y Tobago y Andy Cole.

Arsenal 7 – Everton 0

Mayo 2005

En una memorable noche de Dennis Bergkamp, los ‘Gunners’ pasaron por encima del Everton en el viejo Highbury. El holandés marcó el sexto en una oda al fútbol colectivo en la que participaron Robin Van Persie (8’), Robert Pires (12’ y 50’), Patrick Vieira (37’), Edu (70’) y Mathieu Flamini (85’).

Blackburn Rovers 7 – Nottingham Forest 0

Noviembre 1995

El campeón de 1995 finalizó la temporada en la séptima plaza pero regaló a sus aficionados otra goleada histórica de la mano de Alan Shearer, que enchufó un hat-trick. Lars Bohinen (2), Mike Newell y Graeme Le Saux también superaron la meta del ‘Forest’.

Manchester United 7 – Barnsley 0

Octubre 1997

Otro recital de fútbol de los ‘Red Devils’ con hat-trick de Andy Cole y goles de Ryan Giggs (2), Paul Scholes y Karel Poborsky. El United cerró la temporada a un punto del Arsenal y los ‘Tykes’ en segunda.

Arsenal 7 – Middlesbrough 0

Enero 2006

Si un año antes fue Bergkamp, ante el ‘Boro’ el protagonista de la goleada del Arsenal fue Thierry Henry. El galo marcó tres tantos en una fiesta que también tuvo como invitados a Philippe Senderos, Robert Pires, Gilberto Silva y Aleksandr Hleb.

Tottenham’s staggering 9-1 win over Wigan at the weekend saw a number of records either broken or equalled. As well as being Spurs’ biggest top-flight win, Sunday’s one-sided clash at White Hart Lane also saw Harry Redknapp’s side become the second Barclays Premier League team to hit nine in one match. Jermain Defoe matched Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s record of five individual goals in one Premier League fixture, while Wigan’s Paul Scharner got in on the act by claiming the ‘Thierry Henry slam-dunk of the week award’ as he claimed the Latics’ solitary goal.

Unsurprisingly, Defoe’s five-star performance helped him to earn the highest Actim Index score of the season, a sensational 87 points. The England striker’s mammoth score eclipsed that of Tottenham team-mate Robbie Keane, who held the previous highest total of 80 after scoring four against Burnley. Another Spurs star, Aaron Lennon, picked up 60 points this week to move back into the Team of the Season.

Despite the efforts of Wigan, Spurs do not have the highest number of players in the Team of the Week. That honour goes to London rivals Chelsea, who strolled to a 4-0 victory over struggling Wolves at Stamford Bridge. French winger Florent Malouda grabbed the Blues’ opening goal and picked up a healthy 39 points, while fellow goalscorers Michael Essien and Joe Cole also eclipsed the 30-point mark to book their place among the week’s top scorers.

Stoke’s televised victory over bottom club Portsmouth could politely be described as one for the purists. However, although entertainment was in short supply in a dire clash at the Britannia Stadium, the Potters can claim two of the week’s 20 highest scorers. Jamaica forward Ricardo Fuller grabbed the only goal of the game with 16 minutes remaining and earned 32 points, while Dean Whitehead claimed 26 points for his efforts in midfield. Stoke’s highest-scoring player remains highly-rated defender Ryan Shawcross. The giant 22-year-old, who captained the club for the first time at the weekend in the absence of the suspended Abdoulaye Faye, is in 44th position overall with 159 points.

Didier Drogba may not have featured for Chelsea this weekend due to injury, but the Ivory Coast striker has still moved to the top of the overall Actim standings after Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas endured a torrid time in his side’s clash with Sunderland. Fabregas led Drogba by two points ahead of the Gunners’ trip to the Stadium of Light and was expected to extend his lead at the Actim summit. However, the Spaniard went on to record a miserable score of -4 as Arsene Wenger’s side slumped to a 1-0 defeat, putting Drogba back on top. Arsenal forward Robin van Persie was another to miss the latest round of Premier League fixtures through injury and he has slipped from third to fifth in the overall standings as a result.

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has come in for significant praise in recent months, with many observers highlighting his importance to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. And the 25-year-old Scot made another fine contribution as United eased to a 3-0 victory over Everton, opening the scoring with a sublime half-volley. Fletcher’s 29-point total sees him leap from 79th to 45th in the overall standings, making him United’s fourth highest-scoring player of the season.

Birmingham goalkeeper Joe Hart insists he still believes he can break into England’s squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And the 22-year-old stopper, on loan at St Andrews from Manchester City, did his chances no harm with a fine performance in Birmingham’s 1-0 win over Fulham at the weekend. Hart picked up 21 points for his efforts – the highest score by a goalkeeper this week – and will hope to maintain his good form as the season progresses.

View the latest Actim Index >

Este sin embargo, una vez mas, fué mucho mas trepidante. Una vez mas, futbol inglés en estado puro.

Y eso que este no es el mismo United de hace dos años, le falta algo mas de punch, de velocidad en los últimos metros, sigue tratando muy bien el balón, dominando los partidos, defendiendo bien pero…..no se, algo falta, está como algo mas lento y adelante se muestra fallón y con menos profundidad.

El Everton dió la cara y hasta que recibió el primer gol, con menos técnica, un futbol mas directo, mas arcaico pero agresivo y sin dar un balón por perdido, resistió bien, pero en cuanto cayó el primero el partido se convirtió en algo plácido para el United.

El resultado pudo incluso ser mas amplio, pero insisto, este United tiene una marcha menos que el de otras temporadas y, desde luego, no lo esperaba ya que jugadores tiene y además con lo que cobró por el…pero si, se nota la falta de Cristiano Ronaldo, este le daba otro aire, otra velocidad, mas profundidad.

Mención aparte merece Owen que desperdició claras ocasiones de gol lo que le pone muy dificil, ya que tuvo la titularidad ante la falta de Berbatov, el llegar al mundial, ha desperdiciado una gran oportunidad y a veces estorbó a su propio equipo.

Lo peor es que mucho me temo que el Chelsea camina muy firme este año.

LA JORNADA

CLASIFICACIÓN

By Ahmed Asif

It is not new to see this headline taking up the back pages of popular “newspapers” yet the difference between now and before is that the papers may actually be right.

A string of bad results would, in the eyes of sports journalists, be signs of a crisis and a downfall of the big two, the managers would quickly be scrutinised in press conferences on a dodgy result, his managerial skills questioned, his players abilities doubted. But now with the financial turmoil that has gripped Ibrox, the dream of playing in the English league left in tatters, lack of money being invested in Scottish football, ever decreasing attendances and the clear lack of anything that resembles football being played by the Old Firm, the question is being asked: Where now for Scottish football? Does it have a future?

The times when players of true class like Henrik Larsson and Lubo Moravcik gracing the East End of Glasgow and donning the famous green and white hoops and across the city quality players like Ally McCoist and Brian Laudrup wearing the light blue jersey are long gone. Players today on the Ibrox and Parkhead turf do not possess the same skills and unique football skills as previous players for the Old Firm.

Scottish football no longer has the attraction or the money for big name players, young talent from abroad are being snapped up by teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid some of whom have been the centre of controversy by attracting young “wonderkids” to their club with large sums of money, something which Scottish clubs are simply not capable of.

The hopes of playing in the EPL were dashed after a meeting in England involving club chairman’s almost unanimously decided that the new structure involving Rangers and Celtic was not practical or viable, the League’s chief executive, Richard Scudamore stated “We don’t envisage any circumstances in which Celtic and Rangers would be parachuted into the Premier League. There are no definitive football or commercial reasons as to why they should enter the system.”

However there were managers who would have preferred to see the Glaswegian sides play at the top level in England. Everton gaffer David Moyes said: “I’d like to see a two-tier Premier League because I am a Scotsman; it would be great for everybody to see Celtic and Rangers initially in a Premier League Two.”

“I’m sure they would very quickly move into Premier League One. I feel it would be of great benefit for everybody.

“TV would be interested, the media would be interested and, undoubtedly, the support and crowds would increase at every ground in the country.

“Both Celtic and Rangers have as big a support as any team in England. From that point of view, it would help the game in England if we needed a boost in revenue.”

Recent news that debt at Rangers was spiralling out of control and rumours that the banks were effectively running the club were sprawled all over the papers and on sports news. It is estimated that Rangers have amassed a debt of over £30m leaving them with no opportunity but to put the squad up for sale in the January transfer window. Players such as Algerian defender Majid Bougherra, midfielders Steven Davis, Pedro Mendes and striker Kris Boyd are all being speculated as being potential transfer targets from England and beyond. The loss of the these big players will see the chances of retaining the title fading away and the prospect of progressing in the lucrative Champions League are disappearing after a serious of shock results in Europe. Champions League involvement after Christmas is a must for the Ibrox club otherwise the club will be set to miss out on an estimated £10m plus ticket sales and television revenue which would help enormously to alleviate the financial turmoil that has gripped the Govan club.

Chances of playing in Scotland’s 3^rd division are more likely for Rangers than playing in England if the financial mess is not quickly resolved.

The Old Firm

In recent months attendances in matches have been ever decreasing. Reasons such as the winter weather, or the economic crisis are keeping them away from matches are all valid, however, the “football” visible on a weekly basis by the Glasgow giants is nothing short of dreadful and dreary. This point was backed up just at the weekend when Celtic succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Dundee United. A team who regularly challenge for the title, competing in Europe’s top competition, a trophy room bustling with the footballing world’s greatest trophies and players on a weekly wage of roughly £20k or so being simply outplayed by a team whose trophy room is anything but a trophy room, a team that have not played in Europe in light years and players on a respectable wage. Many fans of the Old Firm believe that unless these footballers play to a level that is worthy of gracing the Glasgow giants shirts only then will they start to pay over £30 a match on a rainy and chilly Saturday winter morning.

Are the Old Firm in a crisis? They are certainly on a path to doom and gloom unless serious talent is drafted in, money is properly invested and players perform to the levels of seasons not that long ago.

“It was easy, though, to see why United are being prominently linked with Jack Rodwell, who played with a maturity beyond his 18 years. The teenager is two-footed, tall, plays with his head up and always wants the ball. He looks like a United player in the making.”

Daniel Taylor, Guardian.

Why do I always type a little blurb here? It never really says anything; I just feel weird diving straight into the match results themselves without any preamble. It’s too… impersonal that way. So hello, hi, here we are, so let’s get down to it:

Calcio:

AS Roma Totti 3-1 Bari – Romanisti always repeat one thing when Er Pupone is sidelined: No Totti, no Party. But sometimes we get so caught up in our own negativity that we forget the flip-side of that equation: Totti = party. Er Capitano made his return today against Bari, back from over a month out after going into knee surgery earlier in the season. And just to remind us why we miss him when he’s gone, he scored a hattrick. In the first half hour. The first came on 7′ – a spot kick after Jean-François Gillet downed Mirko Vucinic in the area. Then, only 7 minutes later, Totti launched a searing free-kick into the back of the net to make it 2-0. On 28′, he scored a world-class – and seemingly impossible – goal, beating Bari’s defense, Gillet and firing an acute-angle shot into the far corner. Beauty. Roma did their usual thing in the second half, sitting comfortably back on their large lead and letting i Galletti tire themselves out. However, the visitors finally pulled one back when youngster Marco Andreolli nodded the ball into his own net on 73′. A bit of a blemish, but a pretty good party nonetheless. To Gillet’s credit, he was outstanding for most of the match (those stretches when Totti was not destroying his self esteem), as was Julio Sergio, who was very solid behind the Roman back four. Mirko Vucinic was phenomenal, back to his old self again, while the only real black spot for Roma was Nicolas Burdisso, who was an absolute horrorshow at right-back. Also, the own goal was unfortunate. But all in all, a very good party with Er Capitano back at the helm. I can’t wait until we get Danielino back – then we can really party.

Inter 3-1  Bologna – The Inter Offside webpage referred to this match as a ‘Mortadella Speedbump’ — that pretty much sums it up for me. The reigning champions probably felt as if they could simply stroll into the Stadio Dall’Ara and come back out with three easy points, and their hosts failed to prove them wrong. There was a bit of tension early in the match; Diego Milito put Inter ahead on 22′ off of a corner from Maicon, only for Marcelo Zalayeta to equalize within 60 seconds, smashing the ball past Julio Cesar and into the top corner. The next 20 minutes saw both teams get really into the game, but Mario Balotelli should have put his side ahead when he beat the Bologna backline and dummied ‘keeper Emiliano Viviano – only to waste enough time that Viviano was able to get up and rob him of his much belated shot. One could see Jose Mourinho rise from his bench, flailing in anger. However, Supermario was able to atone for his sins just before the half; another Maicon corner saw the young striker rise powerfully in the air and head home to make it 2-1 for the Nerazzurri. He picked up a knock in the process, however, and was subbed off for Samuel Eto’o, who made a rare start on the bench. The visitors would make their lead more comfortable midway through the second half, with Esteban Cambiasso, who was in excellent form, burying a left-foot strike on 72′. To be honest, the hosts never looked like they were going to get back into the game, and Inter cruised to a comfortable win over the Emiliani.

AC Milan 4-3 Cagliari – It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the San Siro this afternoon, but i Rossoneri came out on top. Clarence Seedorf gave the home side an early lead on 5′, but gli Isolani weren’t interested in falling behind and Alessandro Matri equalized just 3 minutes later. The visitors would take the lead on 30′ when Andrea Lazzari found himself completely unmarked at Milan’s back post and gave his side a 2-1 lead. This time though, it was Milan’s turn to come from behind, as Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato bagged a pair of goals in quick succession to put their side up 3-2 by the 39th minute. Pato’s goal was particularly nice, a rocket-powered blast into the top shelf which sent the San Siro crowd into an uproar. Milan would further consolidate their lead after the break, with Ronaldinho stepping up to the spot after Borriello had been felled in the area and burying it, sending Federico Marchetti the wrong way. He seems to score all of his goals that way, doesn’t he? More on him later. Cagliari was able to reduce Milan’s lead to a single goal when Nenê beat Dida on 68′, but Milan would hold onto their rather precarious lead and edge their visitors 4-3 in what turned out to be an exciting goalfest. Now, Ronaldinho. He was quite possibly – I’d almost say easily – the man of the match; back to his Barcelona form and full of tricks and flicks. That he only got onto the scoresheet via PK is misleading, as he was the creative force behind Milan’s devastating offense all night. That being said, their defending was quite shoddy, and against a better team (no offense, Cagliari, I like you guys) they might have come away with a rather different result. That being said, an excellent high-scoring match to put il Diavolo into 3rd place. Who says Serie A is boring?

Juventus 1-0 Udinese – Oh that’s right, Juventini say Serie A is boring. Because Juve is boring. I Bianconeri edged, well, i Bianconeri in Turin to keep their Scudetto hopes alive tonight. After the kickoff, it was all Juventus; Diego and Mauro Camoranesi both came close in the first quarter of an hour. After that though, the game went into a bit of a lull, and neither side looked dangerous (or did anything important) before the halftime break – unless you count a Udinese goal rightly disallowed for offside. After the restart, it was once again Juventus who set the pace, and this time it paid off. Summer signing Martin Cácares set up summer signing Fabio Grosso, who beat Samir Handanovic with ease to put the home side up 1-0 on 51′. Udinese fought hard throughout the remainder of the half, and both Handanovic and Gigi Buffon were called upon to make class saves, but ultimately the most exciting thing to happen before the fulltime whistle was Alessandro Del Piero’s appearance as a substitute. Juventino or not, you gotta love that guy.

Football:

A hattrick? No, that was just a warm-up.

Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic – Stop the press! What in God’s name do they put in the water in Tottenham? The Spurs recorded the second-biggest Premiership blowout in history at White Hart Lane over a hapless Wigan Athletic, with Jermain Defoe grabbing 5 himself in the second half. Peter Crouch opened the scoring for the home side on 9′, and believe it or not, that was it for the first half. Defoe got started right away after the break though, netting on 51′ and 54′, before Paul Scharner (who may have also pulled a Thierry Henry) pulled one back for the Latics to make it 3-1 on 57′. Defoe wasn’t done yet though, and to complete his hattrick restored the Spurs 3-goal margin just seconds later. Aaron Lennon got in on the action with a goal of his own on 64′, and then Jermain Defoe topped off his hattrick with a brace on 69′ and 87′. Chris Kirkland put the ball into his own net on 88′ to make it 8-1, and then Niko Kranjcar scored in the 4th minute of stoppage time to make the scoreline a whopping 9-1. To put this into perspective, didn’t table-toppers Chelsea lose to Wigan this season? Holy shit, dude.

Chelsea 4-0 Wolverhampton – Speaking of Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti’s men took part in a rout of their own this weekend, though it seems rather paltry in comparison with their London neighbours’ rather excessive beatdown. The Wolves simply had no chance at Stamford Bridge, and with Florent Malouda opening the scoring with a 25-yard strike on 5′, it seemed a cricket score was imminent. Michael Essien furthered that notion, bagging a brace within a 10 minute span by finding the back of the Wolves’ net on 12′ and 22′. The visitors simply had no response to the dominant Chelsea play, and their ill-advised 2-5-3 formation left plenty of gaps for the Blues to exploit. The teams went into the half with the score 3-0, but not before Sylvain Ebanks-Blake forced a class save from Petr Cech. As the game progressed, Wolverhampton reverted to a more solid 4-4-2, it was not enough to stop Joe Cole from scoring his first Premiership goal in over a year, making the score 4-0. Another quite impressive blowout/shutout from Ancelotti’s men, but until they score 9 goals I think they’ll feel that their crosstown rivals have the upper hand. Then again, they’re leading the league, so who cares about the Spurs?

Liverpool 2-2- Manchester City – Every time a Koppite cries, and angel get its wings. Or so I’ve been led to believe. Either way, both the Reds and the Blues (no, no, other Reds. Other Blues too.) dropped points and further away from the top 4 with a 4-goal draw at Anfield on Saturday. Martin Skrtel gave the home side the lead on 50′, only for Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland to respond on 69′ and 76′ respectively to give the Citizens a 2-1 lead. A loss at this stage in the competition would have meant disaster for the Scousers, but luckily Yossi Benayoun cut any Mancunian celebrations short by responding with a goal of his own on 77′ to equalize and make it 2-2. And 2-2 the score would remain. This result is neither a complete disaster for Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez, but you gotta think that the two of them, and their grossly underperforming squads, have gotta be feeling a little uncomfortable right now.

Manchester Utd 3-0 Everton – As for the other Reds and Blues of Manchester and Liverpool, a draw was not in the cards. The Red Devils trounced the Toffeemakers at Old Trafford to stay within five points of Chelsea in the table. Darren Fletcher opened the scoring for the homeside on 35′ with a beautiful goal that has been compared (somewhat hyperbolically) to the work of Zinedine Zidane. After the half Michael Carrick and Luis Antonio Valencia would add a goal each, while David Moyes’ men could do little but keep the scoreline respectable. I gotta say, the Merseyside derby is going to be downright depressing this year…

Pictured: Arsenal player not fit for today's match.

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal – Oh, Arsenal. The Gooners had gone over a dozen games without a loss, but as usual Arsene Wenger’s men got a little too close to the sun and their wings simply burned up. Also, they had a lot of injuries. The Londoners put in an unfocused and ramshackle performance against a determined Sunderland side who clearly wanted the result more. And they got it. Sunderland simply rode out wave after wave of potent Arsenal attacking play, though admittedly, it didn’t seem like the Gunners wanted to do much other than controlling the ball in midfield. On 71′, the home side finally got their chance and Darren Bent buried it to make the score 1-0 for the Black Cats. Wenger’s men had simply no will to get back into the game (perhaps their minds were occupied with thoughts of next week’s clash against Chelsea) and ultimately fell to a steely Sunderland side. This is the second time this year that the Black Cats have beaten a top 4 side – and this time it can’t even be blamed on a beach ball.

Futbol:

Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander – Well, Los Galacticos are still without their biggest star – Cristiano Ronaldo – and they’re still not playing as ‘Galacticos’ perhaps should, but they’re finally where Galacticos should be: on top. Gonzalo Higuaín provided the difference that Manuel Pellegrini’s men needed to take down mid-table residents Racing Santander, with a strike from close range on 22′. Both sides had second-half goals disallowed for offsides, with both Karim Benzema and Sergio Canales putting the ball into the back of the net only to be notified by the referee that they need not celebrate. As has been the norm this year, Madrid did not completely convince, but their narrow victory was nevertheless enough to see them go top of the table for the first time this season after Barcelona picked up a similarly unconvincing result in Bilbao.

Because Bear Country is more frightening than Basque Country.

Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao – Treble Champions they may be, but at times this season Barcelona have failed to look the part. They faltered again in their title race during this weekend’s trip to Basque Country. Though many of their starting 11, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were out with knocks, one could still expect Barcelona to produce a result against midtable opponents such as Bilbao. Early in the match, Los Leones put pressure on their visitors, peppering them with corners and free kicks, while Barca looked simply content to play on the counter. Soon however, Barca wrested control of possession from their hosts, and began to look like the side to score, though when it came to finishing they came up empty – at least in the first half. However, after the restart the Blaugrana got off on the right foot, with Daniel Alves running on to the end of a perfect throughball from Xavi and finding the back of Bilbao’s net. Athletic immediately responded by bringing Toquero into the game; a move that would prove very effective as the substitute would equalize for the home side within 10 minutes of coming onto the pitch, running onto a long ball and smashing it home. All that was left to do for Bilbao was to park the bus and ride out the waves of Barcelona attacks – which they did – in order to gain a point and drop the reigning champions down to second place. What has happened to Pep Guardiola’s men?

Fußball:

Bayern München 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – Well, Die Roten haven’t sunk any further into their slump, but they haven’t de-slumped either, achieving a draw against league-leading Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz-Arena this weekend. Mario Gomez and Stephan Kießling each netted for their respective sides early on in the match; both goals came within the first 15 minutes of play. Bayern started off energetically, with their aggressive attack leading to Mario Gomez’s opener on 8′, which he sidefooted in on an advantage play after Miroslav Klose was fouled. However, their visitors soon caught up to them in pace and were able to exploit the home side’s defensive weaknesses; Kießling easily beat the offside trap and slotted the ball coolly past Hans-Jörg Butt to make it all square on 14′. Each team had spells of pacy and bright looking attack, but neither could capitalize during those stretches; Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler saved his side time and time again with world class saves to prevent Bayern from getting out in front. Even Thomas Müller, who has so often been Bayern’s ace-in-the-hole this season proved ineffectual, and was subbed in the second half for Ivica Olic, returning from a lengthy injury layoff. The chances petered out towards the end of the game, and a 1-1 draw it would remain – a result that sees Bayer reclaim 1st and Bayern languish in 7th.

Werder Bremen 6-0 SC Freiburg – Poor Freiburg. On more than a few occasions this season they have found themselvesin situations where they are simply out of their depth. The home side suffered a humbling defeat to Die Grün-Weißen in their own Badenova-Stadion, falling 6-0 in an all-out slaughter. Hugo Almeida opened the scoring for the visitors on 33′, Marko Marin added a second on 55′, Almeida doubled his money on 57′, Mesut Özil netted on 67′, Naldo on 73′ and substitute Markus Rosenberg made it 6-0 with 8 minutes left to play. Freiburg once again made a case for having the worst defense in the Bundesliga (they have the highest number of goals against; 30) and sit 13th in the league table, while this victory propels Werder Bremen to second, just a point behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. I guess the English aren’t the only ones who know how to have a good blowout!