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Looking at Saturday to begin with, there are no less than seven 3pm kick-offs. There is normally a lunch-time and evening game on Saturday, but this is not the case this weekend and it should make for a frantic afternoon.

There are perhaps no massively eye-catching fixtures on Saturday, but this doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of entertaining matches.

In fact, there are lots of Saturday’s games that have clear favourites to take the three points. Therefore, could we be in for a shock or two in the Premier League this weekend?

For example, Arsenal will be expected to take the points at home to Everton, while Liverpool should do the business when they host Queens Park Rangers and nothing but a Manchester United win against Wolves is expected at Old Trafford. This is the Premier League though and this season in particular has been extremely unpredictable.

Elsewhere on Saturday afternoon, there are games that are expected to be much closer. Bolton at home to Aston Villa is a tough one to call for example, as is Swansea v Fulham and West Brom v Wigan.

Norwich at home to Newcastle then completes Saturday’s line-up, with the Canaries hoping to make the most of the visitor’s lack of options in defence. This contest at Carrow Road should be end to end and extremely good to watch, with the 6/4 on the Norwich home win looking a decent bet.

Moving onto Sunday’s fixtures, the lunch-time game sees Martin O’Neill take charge of Sunderland for the first time at home to Blackburn Rovers. Rovers are  a big looking 7/2, which is sure to appeal after Yakubu hit four last week against Swansea. The Black Cats only lie one point above Steve Kean’s side and I think they are a better side. Blackburn have put some good perfomances in over the last few months without getting the return – we can’t say the same about Sunderland so go with the way side.

Then, Stoke City – who have won their last two games – take on a Tottenham side looking for their seventh Premier League victory in succession, so the odds of 11/10 immediately leap off the coupon. Everything is going right for Spurs at the moment, and although The Brittania is a tough place to go we certainly cannot desert Harry Redknapp’s side at the moment. Go with Tottenham to continue their momentum at a useful price.

As mentioned, the weekend’s action then comes to an end with Chelsea at home to Manchester City. What a Monday Night Football fixture this is. It really doesn’t get much better as a rejuvenated Chelsea side look to produce their best form against the Premier League leaders. Daniel Sturridge is the man on form with three in three and he could reap rewards at 6/1 to bag the first goal.

With David Luis and John Terry at the back I can’t back Chelsea with so much confidence, but with all the stick their defence has had in recent weeks I’m sure they will be putting their bodies on the line in this one. I can’t believe we will see another shambolic performance from the Chelsea back four and Man City will definitely not want to be beaten against one of their main title rivals.

Take the draw at Stamford Bridge at 11/5.

Good luck with your bets this weekend and don’t forget to take advantage of Bet365′s free bet offer!

25. Shay Given (Man City)

Not played a single minute of Premier League football this season, certain to leave to whichever club Man City is willing to sell to.

Would suit: Arsenal

The King is back…Long live the King! Liverpool fans everywhere finally got the news they’d been craving since Rafa Benitez’s departure when Kop legend Kenny Dalglish was finally appointed as manager on a three-year deal.

In what have been turbulent times for Liverpool – a club that once prided itself on stability and grace – owners, managers and players have come and gone.

The world-class duo of Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano have left, the disastrous 44 month tenure of American cowboys Tom Hicks and George Gillett has come to an end, and Roy Hodgson received his P45 before the ink had dried on his own three-year contract.

In fact, the only real consistency around Anfield during this period has been the clamour for the appointment of Dalglish as manager. Despite being dismissed as yesterday’s man and a school of thought that football had moved on too much since the Scot last succeeded as a manager, ‘King Kenny’ has, thus far, proved a major success.

It’d be a significant injustice to the job Dalglish has done to disregard his permanent appointment as a favoured, romantic notion. The Scot has been the central catalyst in uniting a club that was previously owned by two Machiavellian figures and had, in Benitez, a political animal as manager.

But while his status as a Liverpool legend has unquestionably helped, it is Dalglish’s modus operandi that has been the real reason for his success. The identity of Liverpool football club has been rediscovered; local youngsters Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing, Jack Robinson and John Flanagan all feature regularly. They blossom. Older players – like Maxi Rodriguez – rediscover past glories, and the team performs with real hunger.

Ten wins, three draws and only three defeats since taking charge indicate this as surely as the previous 18 months underlined a club in a dystopian state.

Based on that evidence, it’s almost inevitable that Liverpool fans will begin to dream of that all-elusive Premier League title and a return to the glory days. That title may well be somewhere in the not-too-distant future, but it’s unlikely to come as soon as next year.

Liverpool may again be a club in the ascendancy, but they’ve been there before under the astute management of Benitez and discovered that that final step – to league champions – is the hardest one to take.

In reality, their current form and rise to fifth in the league serve to paper over the cracks that are still in existence.

Despite deserving recognition for his 666^th club appearance, Jamie Carragher is not nearly on a par with the player that so uncompromisingly marshalled Liverpool’s defence during the Benitez era. Steven Gerrard is already over a year into a steady decline, Pepe Reina’s future is still shrouded in speculation and Joe Cole looks like a man who has had any invention and artistry ruthlessly removed from his once-talented feet. His confidence and profile resemble that of a man walking the green mile and who knows, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that his best days are firmly behind him.

There are, of course, positives. Luis Suarez has been one of the best signings anywhere in world football and may have even more in his locker. Their youngsters will only get better, the commitment of the squad – Reina aside – is not in doubt, and even though the jury is still out on Andy Carroll, he can hardly have made a better start.

But to assume their revival is enough would, to put it simply, be idiotic and nonsensical. It would mean completely overlooking the merits of their rivals. As Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger recently said: “Everyone thinks they’ve got the prettiest wife at home”; Liverpool’s improvement may have been encouraging and infectious amongst the club’s fans, but there’s no question that the Premier League’s top four will all improve next season.

That’s not to say the Reds shouldn’t target a return to Champions League football. A club can realistically target finishing in the top four; they’re just highly unlikely to make the top two.

Of their rivals, Arsenal still have a young side who look set for investment in the summer and need tweaking as opposed to the overhauling Liverpool require.

Manchester United are also on the cusp of investment and – major or not – the form of Hernandez, Smalling, Nani and the re-emergence of Anderson means further improvement can be expected.

Chelsea are also set for their biggest foray into the transfer market since 2006 when Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack signed up. Ramires and David Luiz will benefit from their experiences this season and return stronger, while Torres is likely to prove why he is still one of the world’s best finishers and be amongst the league’s top-scorers. They’ve run Man United closer than anyone in the league and will be stronger next year.

To top that, Manchester City’s inclusion in the Champions League may finally see them attract the elite talent that has, until now, evaded them. Not only is their squad already stronger than Liverpool’s, but being able to realistically compete for the likes of Kaka, Schweinstiger and Ibrahimovic – for argument’s sake – will see them hope to further improve and put in a sustained title challenge.

While it’s possible to argue that the instability seen at Man City and Chelsea could be their undoing – the wealth they both possess is one of English football’s greatest paradoxes – the case remains that being in the top four is one thing and winning the league another.

A season of competing and rebuilding the core of their side would be a successful one. The biggest trophies are out of their reach for now, but the signs are certainly positive. With Gerrard having his best rest in years, and a structure for success being re-established, Liverpool can look forward to gradually moving in the right direction again.

Premier League champions in 2012? Anfield wasn’t built in a day.

Follow Declan Warrington on Twitter @decwarrington.

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So the players have made their selections and now it’s your chance to make yours. On the right hand side of the screen you will see the poll waiting for your selection. The players in the running for the award are.

Scott Parker (West Ham)

Carlos Tevez (Man City)

Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

Samir Nasri (Arsenal)

Charlie Adam (Blackpool)

Nemanja Vidic (Man United)

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A former United star is planning a city centre bash – to celebrate the anniversary of City’s 35th year without a trophy.

David May, who won a European Cup with the Reds, has organised a party marking the Blues’ recent lack of success on the night before the next Manchester derby.

Fans will be charged £20 for the United Nights event on February 11, which is being billed on a fans forum as City 35th Anniversary Party.

Fellow ex-Reds Frank Stapleton, Arthur Albiston and Clayton Blackmore, are also expected to attend the bash at the Walkabout Bar on Quay Street.

The M.E.N. understands the Stretford End ‘ticker’ banner, which celebrates City’s barren spell, will be ‘turned’ from 34 to 35 during the party.

Advertising the event on his blog, May, 40, wrote: “The next United Night has landed perfectly, it is before the biggest game of the season, A TITLE DECIDER WITH CITY AT OLD TRAFFORD IN FEB. Hundreds of Reds getting together for a night they will never forget.

“WE ARE ALSO CELEBRATING CITY NOT WINNING A TROPHY IN 35 YEARS!!! HA HA. SEE YOU THERE!!!!”

After the M.E.N. contacted May, the final sentence and a picture of the ‘ticker’ banner were taken down. He said the event was part of the traditional ‘banter’ between fans and was not meant to offend.

SOURCE: Manchester Evening News

“European Cup winner” David May didn’t actually play a single minute in the run to the 1998-99 UEFA Champions League title, but as can be seen in the picture above, celebrated as if he had scored both the injury time goals in the final.

That earned him somewhat of a cult following amongst Red Devils fans, though since retirement he has moved away from football.

In fact, he runs a business importing wine.

Even so, that hasn’t stopped him supporting Manchester United, and winding up their rivals Manchester City – though he reportedly grew up as a City supporter!

So, Manchester United and City fans: is this 35th anniversary hilarious football banter – or just a bit childish?

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As from 2012 all clubs competing in European competition will be required to meet with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. The core principle of the new financial fair play concept is the “break-even” requirement, under which all clubs cannot repeatedly spend more than its income. The aim of this initiative is to promote greater financial responsibility among all European clubs.

But for clubs such as Chelsea who have just splashed out over £70m this transfer window and Man City, who’s most recent annual losses were £121.3m; this new legislation could be a cause of great concern.

Under the new Financial Fair Play rules clubs will be permitted up to £38.5m in losses in the first monitoring period of 2011-12 and 2012-13. However if clubs miss these targets they will escape sanctions as long as the losses are being reduced or if overspending was caused by transfer fees and wages before 2010.

However, Chelsea and Man City are confident that they will not be excluded from European competition in 2014-15, which will be the first season when disciplinary sanctions could be implemented.

These rules have been brought in to sort out the sorry state of footballs finances. UEFA said the aggregate loss of Europe’s top clubs was €578m. Some 65% of income was spent on average on salaries, and 47% of clubs reported losses.

The 80% of the total spending of £225m in the January transfer window in England was on only six players by 4 clubs. The Premier League spent more than the combined outlay in the top flights of Spain, Italy, Germany and France. However, without the deadline day activity the net spend in the Premier League would have been about £20m.

Financial fair play has the potential to be a good influence on football as a whole. The rules would encourage more investment in youth infrastructure and have a downward pressure on salaries and transfer fees.

Ultimately these new rules aim to safeguard the future prosperity and viability of European Club Football for years to come.

Do you think this rule is fair? What do you think about the running of our clubs? Voice your opinion here!

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Hi everyone, it has been a few weeks since I did my last column and the reason for this is that I’ve been doing my most intense rehab and training integration for the past month or so. I’m delighted to be back involved and the first time I was involved in a crossing and finishing session in nine months brought some serious excitement to my stomach.

After so much hard work, there’s now the next hurdle of getting a good level of fitness which may take approximately six weeks after having had so much time out. I’m a stickler for doing things the right way but with that I have to battle my impatience because ultimately I just love playing football and I’m within touching distance now of pulling on the number nine Pompey shirt for the first time.

It was interesting to see the general reaction the first woman referee in the premiership… In a male dominant sport it was always going to get increased scrutiny and in my opinion she did a good job despite some people’s response. Breaking down barriers in all walks of life always meets with resistance but it’s good to see people being leaders and not playing the role of a sheep.

Chelsea seem to have found their mojo again after a few good results. It was only a matter of time with all the quality and experience they have. Dimitar Berbatov has been a joy to watch so far this season, I don’t think that there is another player in the premiership with a first touch as good as his and the goals he is adding to the Manchester United front line are definitely helping to keep their momentum in the league.

The games between United and Chelsea this season will be massive games and exciting considering they still have to play each other twice. Another player who deserves a special mention is Ryan Giggs! He took his appearances to over 600 and also scored against Birmingham cementing his place in history as the only player to have scored in every Premier League season since it started… He is by far in the top three players I’ve ever trained or played with. His attitude to football, his loyalty and his undoubted ability are unquestionable.

I was asked whether I think Avram Grant has been given a fair crack of the whip at West Ham!?… I think that as soon as you sign a contract as a player or manager in this day and age with such intense scrutiny, you know you are expected to deliver almost instantly. Avram know’s this so it will be no surprise to him that he is under pressure due to their position in the table. However, that is not necessarily saying he deserves it and shouldn’t be given time.

A few other questions I was asked were whether I think Man City could realistically win the league this year and who do I tip to go up from the Championship!?… I’d say yes of course Man City could realistically win the league. As we stand they are third in the table just three points behind Utd and there is a lot of football still to be played. With regards to who I think will get promoted from the championship, I’d say automatically it will be QPR and one of either Cardiff, Swansea, Norwich or Leicester surprisingly enough. Sven has got Leicester playing well with a lot of fire power now since the arrivals of Vassell and Yakubu. The play offs is always a lottery with so many teams including ourselves still able to mount a serious challenge on the play off places with a good run in.

I don’t know whether you could call it a new years resolution or not but I’ve decided to learn another language with Spanish being the front runner at the moment… It is in direction competition with Italian and surprisingly to some people Arabic. I think this will benefit me in my future as society is becoming more and more multi cultural especially with media and technology advancing so quickly.

So it’s ‘Adios’ for now, Stay Positive! One Love!

You can also keep up to date with what’s happening through Twitter, either @DanielWebber81 or @Concave_Soccer

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Wolves 0-3 Liverpool – Goals CLICK HERE
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The man Brazil hope will be their next great playmaker has put Manchester United and City on alert with a furious outburst against his club.

Paulo Henrique Ganso was promised a new contract by Santos when they pulled out the stops to draw up a deal to keep his team-mate Neymar out of Chelsea’s clutches in August.

However, talks were put on hold when he picked up a knee injury and he feels let down by club bosses.

‘Nothing has been resolved, there is no signature on the contract,’ said the frustrated 21-year-old.

‘It has been five months and nothing. ‘To not be valued by your club is complicated. Talks were closed because Santos stopped coming to me.’

Neymar, 18, grabbed many of the headlines last year for the sublime eye-catching skills that led to a £25million bid from Chelsea.

But many in Brazil consider Ganso to be even more valuable because of the way he can orchestrate games by sitting in the hole behind the forward line.

He has been compared to Zinedine Zidane and is seen as the natural successor to Real Madrid playmaker Kaka in the Brazil team.

Neymar’s salary was effectively trebled to £40,000 a week with the help of sponsors in August, but Ganso remains tied into a deal till 2015 worth £11,000 a week and with a prohibitively high release clause of almost £42m.

United’s Brazilian scout John Calvert-Toulmin knows all about his talents, while City insisted on first refusal for Ganso as part of the deal which saw Robinho loaned to Santos.

However, City’s option has now expired. Santos have indicated they plan to resume contract talks in the next few weeks, but Ganso bristled when asked about reports from Italy that Inter Milan were interested in him.

‘I am injured and a big European team wants me – the world champion wants to count on me,’ he said.

‘Meanwhile, Santos practically doesn’t value me. It’s almost funny.’ (Daily Mail)

Paulo Henrique Ganso is one of the finest young prospects in the world game at present, but his volatile personality makes his signing a risk for any prospective employer.

Earlier this year in the final match of the Campeonato Paulista, the substitution board was held up with Ganso’s number.

He flat out refused to leave the field to coach Dorival Junior, and this kind of behaviour would certainly not be tolerated under Sir Alex Ferguson in particular.

Still, if he can be tamed

Elegant in possession, the Brazilian is an excellent dribbler with a fine eye for a pass – something that both Manchester clubs could certainly use.

For Manchester City, Yaya Toure is frequently the most advanced central midfielder, and though he is capable of surprisingly good skill with the ball – as a run against Arsenal at the Emirates illustrated – he does not have the vision to be considered a true creative influence.

Manchester United seem only to be missing a playmaker, and Ganso could well be that man.

The trouble is though, any bidding war featuring Manchester City is likely to only have one winner.

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Fabio Capello has named Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch in his England squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers.

The Tottenham duo had been doubtful due to injury but have been included in a 24-man party ahead of England’s first competitive games since a dismal World Cup campaign.

They are joined by fellow strikers Darren Bent, Carlton Cole and Wayne Rooney, with no place for Andy Carroll despite his strong start to the season with Newcastle.

There are few surprises in the squad, although Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs keeps his place and Scott Carson of West Brom has been included as the third goalkeeper alongside Ben Foster and Joe Hart.

West Ham defender Matthew Upson has also been given the chance to put his World Cup pain behind him.

Chelsea pair Frank Lampard and John Terry had already been ruled out after suffering injuries in Premier League action on Saturday, while Rio Ferdinand is still not fit and the likes of Joe Cole and Aaron Lennon have been overlooked.

The Three Lions face Bulgaria in their opening Group G clash at Wembley on Friday before taking on Switzerland the following Tuesday.

Goalkeepers: Scott Carson (West Brom), Ben Foster (Birmingham), Joe Hart (Man City)

Defenders: Gary Cahill (Bolton), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Matthew Upson (West Ham)

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Man City), Michael Carrick (Man Utd), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Man City), James Milner (Man City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Carlton Cole (West Ham), Peter Crouch(Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) (Sky Sports)

Once again Fabio Capello has to deal with a number of withdrawals and the loss of Chelsea pair John Terry and Frank Lampard will be keenly felt for these two potentially tricky fixtures. Andy Carroll must have felt he had a chance of a call up and Aaron Lennon’s omission is a little surprising.

Joeleon Lescott’s selection is a little surprising also but the Man City man has started the last three matches and performed solidly and his ability to double up at centre back and full back may be what appealed to the England coach. In fact City have six representatives in the squad, which is quite a contingent in the national team set up.

What do you think of the squad? Anyone missing? How do you feel about the ‘injuries’ suffered by the Chelsea duo?

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