Back from Scotland, weekend thoughts, tomorrow's podcast.

Hello everyone.

I'm back from bonnie Scotland - It was aiiiggght.

No it was really good. Go Edinburgh before you die, it is well worth a visit.

The football from this weekend kept up the good start to the Premier League season with some drama, talking points and entertaining games.

All the big points will be looked at during the Direct Football Podcast which should be up on itunes and on the net for download tomorrow night.

Looking at things game by game we will start with the big shock result on Saturday which was Wigan defeat of Spurs at White Hart Lane. I was over the moon as I hate Tottenham and relish in seeing them suffer. The match of the day highlights didn't show us much and I get the impression that Spurs just never really got going until the last ten minutes. On the other hand Wigan seemed dangerous - due mostly to Spurs' shambolic defence - and deservedly took the three points. For Spurs there was a lot of talk about 'reality checks' and 'first European hangovers'. Naivety is what I would call it. You spank somebody in the Champions League and assume your next opponents are there for the taking. Well Spurs have got to realise quickly that these 'hangovers' wont get any easier. They will get a lot, lot harder. Hosting Young Boys on a Wednesday, followed by a home tie with a confidence shot Wigan on a Saturday should not be difficult.

Try travelling out into Europe - Russia or the Ukraine on a Wednesday night then having to go away up-norff on a Saturday afternoon. Everton, Sunderland or Newcastle. That is hard. They need a slightly bigger squad, and I'm sure they will add in the last few days of the window.

Arsenal are still going for Mark Schwarze and they got a solid result against Blackburn on Saturday. First half was very entertaining - end to end, competitive and a couple of good goals. Myself and Buttsy discussed Theo Walcott on last week's pod. I'm not going to say his goal proves anything, but it was a fucking good finish.

United and Chelsea got expected and comfortable home wins. That leaves the top three looking pretty familiar....but it is very, very early.

Liverpool also picked up a win against West Brom which I have absolutely nothing to say about. Nothing. Actually....good goal by Torres. That is it. Oh, and it wasn't a red card....

City lost. Makes people who were saying they could win the league last week look a bit stupid eh?!?!?! Nah, like I say, nothing to read into that. Interesting that City drew a blank - with the attacking talent they have they should be getting goals. However, therein lies the issue - who is the best combination up top? It was a stupid pen to give away and it was poor defending by Toure...

Villa got a very valuable win against Everton after a terrible week. The toffees have had a terrible time at the start of the season (thanks mostly to me saying that they wouldn't do so). Meanwhile on Sunday morning, Bolton and Birmingham played out an entertaining game which ended in a fair point in my view.

Newcastle and Wolves gave us plenty of food for discussion in Salgado Watch for tomorrow's podcast. Was a 'bruising' game and a point both teams would be happy with. And Blackpool opened up their account at Bloomfield Road by grabbing a point from Fulham. Well done them, was a good game that.

That was about that - there were some big talking points, red cards, pens and discussions all to be addressed tomorrow evening in the podcast. On top of that we will have a run down of Capello's England squad for the Euro qualifiers and just generally rambling about football things.

So for now I shall leave you with another recommendation, to follow up from the Edinburgh one: listen to the podcast on itunes or podbean.com tomorrow night!

Cheers

Podcast, Predictions and Weekend away

Hello Everyone,

Yeah, so the direct football podcast is up now to download from itunes, so do have a listen. This episode we look at every game from last weekend, take a closer look at the new match of the day title sequence, wrap up all the movers from the past seven days, and reveal our premier league predictions for this week.

Other than itunes, you can listen to it here: http://directfootball.podbean.com

Now to the results from last weekends predictions....

Now that we are four strong, the rules are changing to 3 pts for 1st, 2pts for 2nd 1pt for third and fourth - but of course anybody who scores 6 pts or more less than the winner than week gets zero, even if they finished second overall that week.

I scored a magnificent 3, Buttsy got 2, Haddow picked up 2 as well while Lawro scored himself 6.

So that is 3 pts for Lawro this week, 2 for me and 1 a piece for the other three.

The standings are

1. Buttsy and Lawro - 4
3. Kingy - 3
4. Haddow - 1.

Check out the blog over this weekend for predictions and reactions, listen to the podcast and that and will try to keep it up the next few days but I'm up in scotland for the fringe so may be a little sketchy!

Cheers

Podcast Up tomorrow, L'pool v City, Quick round up.

Hey guys, Tuesday podcast will be up tomorrow night, reviewing all the big stories from the weekend andhaving a laugh as we go!

Of course the major story of the weekend was Newcastle's enormous victory over villa. Truely incredible. Arsenal and Chelsea also registered 6-0 wins and after tonight's game there is a new record ammount of goals over the first wo Premier League weekends. Big whoop eh? I also enjoyed Fulham v United on Sunday, great game and a nice result for an Arsenal fan early on in the season. Tune in to the podcast, which will be available via facebook, this blog, podbean.com and of course itunes!

Tonight's game was Liverpool v City. I didn't see the whole thing but it wasn't quite as comfortable as the scoreline might suggest. Joe Hart's save from Torres at 1-0 was fantastic. Was definitely a pen, definitely not a red card (whoever was asking for one) and that second goal was DEFINITELY not Tevez'!

Fair play to City, great result for them and the top four looks ominously familiar for the likes of Pool, Everton and Spurs. Saying that at this stage in the season is fucking stupid to be fair though, but its going to be like that in the morning.

Right - there isn't much to round up! England's 2018 big has been described as 'unbeatable' - will believe that when it happens - hope it is successful though. That would be fucking awesome. Arsenal look set to sign Squillaci from Roma (will go into that tomorrow) and Javier Mascherano was left out of the pool squad today. He's on the way it would seem!

Have a lovely Tuesday, and do download our podcast tomorrow night or Wednesday!

Cheers

Friday Fuzz, Football, predictions and news

Hello everyone,

Sorry there was no blog yesterday - after work I ended up in Camden and now my head is a little bit fuzzy. Lovely jubbly.

So firstly, lets have a look at the premier league predictions and previews for this weekend....

Arsenal v Blackpool: This should be a pretty simple win for Arsenal who have seemingly spent all week trying to not pay enough for players. Blackpool will probably still be on a bit of a high and I expect them to score. Hoping for a boring thrashing to be honest!

Kingy 3 v 1, Buttsy 5 v 0, Haddow 4 v 0, Lawro 3 v 0.

Birmingham v Blackburn: Can this be a good game? I'm not sure....Blackburn started well against Everton last week and the Brums clawed back against Sunderland.

Kingy 1 v 1, Buttsy o v 1, Haddow 0 v 0, Lawro 2 v 1

Everton v Wolves: I think this will be a really good game, maybe with Wolves grabbing a lead. Should be good Match of The Day viewing come Saturday night!

Kingy 2 v 1, Buttsy 2 v 0, Haddow 3 v 0, Lawro 2 v 0

Stoke v Tottenham: Should also be a good game. Stoke have got a chance to capitalise on a tough Euro trip in the week for Spurs - again could be a mid-Match of The Day classic!

Kingy 2 v 2, Buttsy 2 v 0, Haddow 1 v 1, Lawro 1 v 1

WBA V Sunderland: I don't really have much to say on this at this stage of the season. Don't really know why I've gone for that prediction. Sure to provide some talking point...surely!?

Kingy 0 v 3, Buttsy 1 v 1, Haddow o v 1, Lawro 1 v 1

West Ham v Bolton: I almost want to change my prediction to a draw, but I will stick by it cos I'm sick like that. Could be an awful game, could be a pleasant surprise...

Kingy 1 v 2, Buttsy 0 v 0, Haddow 1 v 0, Lawro 2 v 0

Wigan v Chelsea - Simply a thrashing.

Kingy 1 v 4, Buttsy 0 v 3, Haddow 0 v 2, Lawro 0 v 2

Newcastle v Villa: This should be an entertaining fixture. The atmosphere will be electric in St James Park and there are two teams with a lot to prove going head to head. Now I've said that I bet it is rubbish.

Kingy 1 v 2, Buttsy 1 v 2 , Haddow 1 v 2, Lawro 2 v 1

Fulham v Manchester United: United's bogey team Fulham will be looking to make it three in row against Fergie's team at the Cottage.

Kingy 0 v 2, Haddow 1 v 2, Buttsy 1 v 2, Lawro 0 v 2

Man City v Liverpool: Best game of the weekend surely? Cannot wait for some great MNF action

Kingy 1 v 2, Buttsy 1 v 1, Haddow 2 v 2, Lawro 1 v 1

There we go. Now that is out the way just a quick word on a few of the big stories from the last couple of days. William Gallas now seems destined for Spurs. Comparisons with the Sol Campbell move are laughable. I will probably rant about that on Tuesday's podcast!

Liverpool are still looking for an owner. They need this to be resolved soon because the longer it drags on the more uncertainty there is - an uncertainty is not good for Liverpool right now. Roy is doing a decent job for now, he needs a decent boss.

Nemanja Vidic has signed a new contract at United which is great for them. He is a very solid player and will be part of their first eleven for years. You do have to wonder who will be his long term partner though, Ferdinand is looking shaky when he actually gets on the pitch.

Quite humorously, Alberto Aquilani might be loaned out from Liverpool - that is madness, how unhappy must he be? Woy must see him as Rafa's signing so he might be a bit isolated. Shame for him really.

And finally.....Crystal Palace have signed Edgar Davids. This is amazing and I want to wait till the podcast to really get my head around this one. Crazy shit, but could be a stroke of genius by the eagles.

Crazy Times, Lets hope for a good weekend across all four divisions!

Off to a wedding now, have a nice day!

For the first time ever...Good evening!

Good evening.

"That's new!" I hear you cry.

Yes I am transferring my entries to the evenings because of new early morning commitments involving trains and shit, so my time is now in the dark hours.

It allows me to reflect on a day that has just past, rather than looking ahead much.

So looking back at today. Not a lot happened but there are some tasty transfer rumours flying around.

Yesterday James Milner completed his move to Manchester City so well done him. It is a good signing and 24 million plus Ireland whilst being a little too much is pretty close to a fair price. It may be that Milner has some sell-on value for City on top of the clear quality he will bring to the squad.

Other than that things still rumble onward with the Blackburn story with the typical stories about "transfer war chests" and shit like that. Good luck to them, but I cannot see whoever invests having as much at their disposal as most other teams in the Prem have now. Sunderland and Birmingham spring to mind - loads of cash, no appeal to top players. Except for Chucho...oh and Darren Bent....and Bramble? hmmmm.

Meanwhile, in tonight's football Villa got what should be a decent draw away to Rapid Vienna - they should really progress now with the home leg to come. Youngsters Albrighton and Bannan linked up to give Villa the lead, nice to see for the Villa faithful no doubt.

Liverpool have just beaten Trabzonspor 1-0, Celtic have beaten Utrecht 2-0 and City got a 1-0 win away at Tiramasu. Wel done all of them. L'pool could be in a spot of bother though...Turkey never easy! I mean, they should be ok...but you never know. L'pool have been growing in confidence recently and they would be wise not to get to complacent, there is still a lot of work for them to do!

Hope the transfers start flying around soon, its getting a bit turgid now. The last week of the window should be outrageous though!

Anyway, the direct football podcast is growing each day. It is now available to subscribe to for free on itunes! You can join the facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Directfootballpodcast/133647433345713?ref=ts

while the facebook group for this blog is available here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=140120802673618&v=info&ref=ts

So tomorrow I will be putting up our predictions for this weeks Premier League games! If Lawro gets his arse in gear that is! Stay tuned lovers.

Cant wait for the weekend. Cheers

Couple of things.....

Also,

Wanted to give this weeks scores for Kingy vs Lawro vs Buttsy!

In this Premier League prediction game each player gets 3 points for guessing a correct score, 1 point for guessing the correct result and 0 for anything else.

This weeks scores were Buttsy: 11 Kingy:10 and Lawro:9

Haddow is now involved - us three made our predictions for next weekend on yesterday's podcast - we await Lawro's Friday predictions.

So the winner each week gets 3 points, the runners up 1 each (unless either of them are more than 5 points away from the winners total - in wihch case they've had a shocker so deserve O.

The standings after week 1 are thus:

1. Buttsy 3 pts

2. Kingy 1 pt

3. Lawro 1 pt

4. Haddow 0 pts

Keep reading!

New podcast! Hello Young Boys! Round-up

First up,

We have a new podcast available! On this second episode we discuss all the big events since the weekend and look (looked) forward to the midweek games and next weekends Premier League fixtures.

Have a listen - it is available at http://directfootball.podbean.com/2010/08/17/podcast-2-august-17-2010/

So last night Young Boys stunned Spurs in the first 25 minutes but Tottenham should really be through with a home leg remaining, two away goals, and something to prove. As an Arsenal fan I found it all quite funny until the last ten minutes. Was a good game, but Spurs will surely turn it around at the Lane.

Looking at a round-up of the news coming out of yesterday, there are some initial rumblings about Blackburn getting taken over. Very strange one that but we shall see how it develops as these things always do.

In transfers we saw Craig Bellamy go to Cardiff. A great deal for all parties. Cardiff now surely have undisputed claim to the best player in the Championship. A homegrown lad to boot. City have got rid of a disruptive influence on team morale without having to give him to a Premier League rival. And as for Bellamy himself. I think he is fine with it. He wasn't going to win the league or champs league at Fulham or Spurs - so why not go down a division to be at home? As a former Cardiff resident, I know he popped up a few times in bars while I was down there. He loves it there and given his untenable position at City and their unwillingness to give him to a Premier League team, he's fine.

Elsewhere Brad Jones went to Liverpool and Ozil has gone to Madrid. Two big whoops.....Man City are also 'closing in' on Milner. Great journo rhetoric there

Listen to the podcast!

See you tomorrow.

United cruise, Spurs tonight and Round up

Morning People,

Firstly, we are recording our second podcast this evening and it should be available to listen to from this web page tonight so listen out for a full weekend review and a loo towards next week and the mid week games.

Manchester United got off to a pleasant start last night, cruising (as is the widely;y used term) to a three nil victory at home to Newcastle. Wasn't a classic game from a neutrals point of view. Scholes and Giggs (as I predicted during the podcast) once again showed their enduring qualities at this level. Whether that lasts all season remains to be seen. Berbatov played well and seems to be settling into a United shirt (at last). The Bulgarian opened the scoring before D Fletch stabbed home and Giggs scored with a sweet volley close to the end. Strong performance. Newcastle had their moments at the beginning of the game, could have gone ahead, and looked solid for a good half hour, but the nerves and pace of United's constant attacking got to them eventually.

Was great to see Monday Night Football back on Sky Sports. Loved it.

Tottenham are off in Switzerland and they face Young Boys in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier. I hope they lose. There, I said it. I don't really buy into supporting the British teams thing. Unless it is the England football team, I am an Arsenal fan and I see no reason why I should wish any other English club well in Europe when Arsenal perform much better against European opposition. Just my opinion. Plus, I hate Spurs. That said, I cant really see them struggling against Young Boys. They should cruise United-style across two legs.

In a quick little round-up before I have to shoot (weekday blogs are likely to be short-ish unless there is big news), Gary Speed looks likely to be named Sheffield United boss - he has done that very quickly from being a player. Craig Bellamy is training with City today but will surely be heading to Spurs (maybe waiting to see if they get Champs League?) and there are a number of transfer rumours still hovering, the biggest probably that Schwarzer should be on his way to Arsenal. I am not convinced he is actually better than what we have. But oh well.

Have a nice day.

Yesterday's games very quickly...

Morning,

Smashing out some very quick views this morning as I need to rush...

Leeds v Forrest yesterday was a really good game, the Championship continues to impress me in it's early stages - a winning goal for either team would''ve been huge.

Liverpool v Arsenal was an odd, but ultimately exciting game. Arsenal controlled the first half but seemed to run out of idea every time they got within 30 yards of the Pool goal. Then the red card changed everything. Should've been a yellow. People mentioning Arsenal's history with such tackles, saying the refs are swayed by past reactions to LEG BREAKING tackles are morons and should be shot - what is a club supposed to do? The ref got it wrong - end of.

Good goal by N'Gog I thought. Almunia maybe could've done better. Hopefully Arsenal will sign a goalie anyway. Liverpool did very well with ten men but the last fifteen minutes was just attack v defence and you felt a goal might come somehow...but not how it did. Don't know what Reina was doing, but as an Arsenal fan I don't care. Guess you could give Chamkh credit for getting something on it in the first place...but in truth it was just a horrific error. The Koscielny red card...well the ref evened it up a little. Wasn't deliberate handball, so I don't think that is a yellow. Oh well.

Liverpool will be dissapointed, but I think a draw was a pretty fair result in the end and one that both teams will see as acceptable. I expect both teams will strengthen in the coming weeks in any case. United get their first game tonight against Newcastle. Monday Night Football is back and I'm very pleased.

Till Tomorrow.

Gooood morning everyone,

Did you enjoy it? I did. The first day of the Premier League didn't exactly throw up any classics, but there were some very interesting results in there. Of course, Blackpool's win over Wigan sticks out - but I will come to that in a minute.

I'll start with the early kick off - Spurs v Man City as it is the only game I saw ninety minutes of. Before I start on the action, where the fuck was Richards Keys? Strange..... This was a game that I predicted would be littered with goals - not so. Was a very entertaining 0-0 though, with Joe Hart pretty much keeping City in it in the first half.

Was good to have a first look at two of the tops teams in the Premier League, the two many feel are most likely to pressurise the top three teams. The first half was played at an amazing pace, you could tell lots of the players were relishing the new season - mostly the Spurs contingent. The speed of the game suited Bale and Lennon who caused havoc on the wings. Hart pulled of excellent saves from Defoe, Huddlestone and a deflected shot as Spurs dominated. They looked very good. Hart's performance prompted a scramble at Sky's production unit for a song with the word "heart" in it to play over a montage of his first half reflexes.

However, despite Spurs' dominance in the first half they couldn't keep the pressure up for ninety minutes - something that will disappoint Harry Redknapp. City got a foot on the ball, slowed the game down - limiting the effect that the pace of the Spurs wingers could have. There were flashes, but City began to look stronger in the tackle and the game faded away towards 0-0 in the end. There were certainly chances - for Bale in particular who scuffed an open goal on his weak foot - but nothing compared to the excitement of the first 45.

So the day moved on to the three O'clocks. Well played Blackpool. I've tipped them to stay up, and although it is only the first day it is the kind of reference point that Holloway can use in the future to keep spirits high. That said, Wigan were fucking terrible. I've tipped them to go down - wish I had put money on it now. They need to improve or it will be a long season for them. There were good home wins for Blackburn and Wolves over tough opposition (Everton and Stoke respectively). Big up to David Jones for the free kick he scored - brilliant. Villa got off to a flyer despite the doom and gloom. The players stood up and proved they've got some balls with a good performance. Milner scored but his celebration suggested he knows he's on the way out - as did the way he left the pitch as a sub towards the end. West Ham were poor, they need more players.

On the draw front, there was a scramble back by Birmingham at Sunderland who will be gutted they lost a two goal lead, and pissed off at their captain Cattermole for getting sent off so stupidly. Bolton and Fulham was a poor game. Classic last feature on Match of The Day stuff. 0-0 no thrills.

The evening game was equally as un-thrilling unless you are a Chelsea fan. One of the most predictable thrashings of the season, you've got to wonder how many more teams will suffer a similar fate at Stamford Bridge. Could be a few, although West Brom were shocking in defence and Carson showed the great form that made him England number one once upon a time.

Moving down a div, Millwall and QPR now lead the race after flying starts. Couple of large wins each for them yesterday, and clean sheets to boot - over Hull City and Sheffield United. The blades have been left without a manager after Kevin Blackwell was sacked a few hours later, by all accounts the right decision by the board.. Coventry came back late on to snatch a second victory in as many games from Watford. Check out the over head kick from John Eustace if you can. Ipswich and Burnley shared the points in an entertaining game while Cardiff got their first win of the season over Derby. A nod to Swansea as well who dismantled Preston 4-0, adding to the poor start for the old club. Swansea look a good side, Scott Sinclair was an excellent signing from Chelsea and many of their strong performers from last season have stuck around - could be a play-off season for them.

In league one, the nods go to Bournemouth, who hammered Peterborough 5-1, and Oldham who now sit top of the league after a 3-0 victory over Notts County, who are finding the move up a division difficult to cope with in these early stages.

League two - well if I'm honest I had fallen asleep in front of the Football League show by then. There were lots of 0-0 draws though so not a classic day...Torquay and Shrewsbury maintained 100% records.

In general news, there is just a lot of reaction to Saturday's games. Ancelotti and Ian Hollway have played down their teams excellent first day results. The other main story is that Kenwyne Jones limped out of his Stoke debut with an ankle injury. Looked painful, hopefully for Stoke it wont be too bad.

Liverpool and Arsenal kick off today. Big one for me. Would take a point. I think it will be an entertaining game with lots of missed chances. World cup finalists Torres, V.Persie and Fabregas all face late races to be fit. I expect the Spaniards to definitely feature as most Arsenal fans are scratching their heads and wondering who is going to play in midfield today. We've seen no Song, no Diaby and no Denilson in pre season. Strange times! Should be a good game.

Till tomorrow then when the weekend analysis will continue, we will have a couple more games to digest (Notts Forrest v Leeds at lunch time too) and transer talk will start to rumble again on Sunday night!

Cheers

Kick off is upon us, Balotelli is here, Schwarzer, Ramires

Hello Everyone,

Firstly, doi listen to the direct footy podcast - just scroll down to a post from last night and you can play it straight from this web page! Just previews each club in the Premier League this season!

Now it is kick-off today in the Premier League and I've written and spoken so much in preparation already I wont go into it any more this morning, just going to sit back and enjoy!

There are a few bits of new though - transfer news! Who would've though it?!

Balotelli has finally signed for Manchester City. They are shaping up to be a force, but of course the only issue (as everybody has pointed out) is that they now have a lot of players with big egos and big expectations. Can they acheive a continuity and spirit required to triumph in the league? Only time will tell. I personally think that their defence could still do with a lot of work and will therefore cost them goals, games and ultimately points.

Mark Schwarzer has now openly admitted his desire to leave Fulham (and join Arsenal - hopefully). This is music to the ears of Arsenal fans but does worry me that whoever starts in goal for Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday will have the thought in the back of his mind that he isn't the desired number one. That could have a negative effect on their performance if it was, say, Fabianski or Almunia. For this reason, I hope Wenger slings in the young WOjicsenksy...whatever his name is....as he will probably play with no fear, aware he isn't number one, and unburdened by any public embarresment the talk of Schwarzer creates for a more experienced keeper.

Chelsea have signed Ramires. Sort of Brazilian Ballack I guess - looked dirty in the world cup but clearly has quality. 17million is outrageous, just Chelsea prices. But I think he can improve their squad. This signing by no means changes my mind that United will win the league.

That is about it, other than the impending goals, goals, goals coming our way!

Fallout from first round of Saturday games tomorrow!

Buttsy's predictions for first week of the season

Hello everyone - Adding Buttsy (my footcst partner) into the Kingy vs Lawro predictions contest. Rules will be the same except for the second place prophet each week will get one point guaranteed - no matter how many points they are away from first place.

Buttsy's predictions:

Spurs 1 v 2 Man City
Villa 1 v 1 West Ham
Blackburn 1 v 2 Everton
Bolton 0 v 0 Fulham
Sunderland 2 v 0 Birmingham
Wigan 1 v 1 Blackpool
Wolves 0 v 0 Stoke
Chelsea 4 v 0 West Brom
Liverpool 1 v 1 Arsenal
Man United 2 v 0 Newcastle

There we go, more in the morning.

What?! A footy podcast? A Footcast?

Hello.

Buttsy and I recorded a Premier League preview podcast this afternoon.

It assesses in detail the chances of each and every Premier League club for the forthcoming season and gives our predictions for this weekends forthcoming games.

Listen at:

Weekend preview, final prem predictions and Kingy vs Lawro round one...

Late morning today - lovely.

I'm going to hold back comment on the transfer talk surrounding Balotelli, Milner and Bellamy until anything officially happens and will also avoid the continuing fallout from Capello's comments on David Beckham. I want to focus on what is really important. Football. On a football pitch.

This weekend sees the return of the Premier League. Fucking amazing. The football league also begins to get into the swing after a first round with a few surprises and some entertaining League Cup fixtures.

It is very difficult to judge the 'big games' this early in the season as low as League Two given the fairly arbitrary nature of who becomes the run-away teams in England's fourth tier. Eyes might be on Port Vale, a club in the midst of a takeover bid. In League One there is a game this evening between Leyton Orient and Charlton before Saturdays games, two of which have been abandoned. MK Dons v Southampton due to the death of Saints owner Markus Liebherr and Daggers and Redbridge vs Exeter after striker Adam Stansfield died earlier this week. Fair play.

The Championship games come as the league remains reeling from Steve Coppell's decision to quit as Bristol City manager. Bet David James is gutted. Very strange one that. You can kind of tell he's not motivated and that is why he has retired. To be fair he never had much of a break between playing and managing and probably deserves a proper break. Good luck to him.

Some good looking games to look out for; Ipswich v Burnley, Leicester v Boro and a really tasty one between Notts Forrest and Leeds as well. 1970's all over that one.

So the Premier League is ready to go. I am just buzzing! Tomorrow night I'm sitting down with a box of tissues and Match of The Day. Beautiful. Spurs vs City is a big opener. Should be a tasty encounter and I'm going for goals in this one (see predictions later). Saturday's three o'clock line up doesn't seem too exciting though to be honest. All eyes will be on Blackpool's performance at Wigan and Champions Chelsea - who should really spank West Brom (whose league prediction is coming later). Will take a look at the Sunday/Monday games in more depth over the next two days.

So it is Kingy vs Lawro round one. The rules are thus: Lawro and I will receive 3 points for guessing the correct score in a game. We shall receive 1 points for guessing the correct outcome (i.e who wins/ a draw). 0 points go for the wrong outcome (which by definition will provide the wrong score).

Each week, the prophet with the highest accumulated score will receive 3 points. If the difference between accumulated weekly score is 6 points or less, the prophet with the lower accumulated weekly score (the loser that week) will get a point.

This, given mine and Lawro's likeness in footballing expertise, is quite a likely outcome on any given week. - meaning a week where the winner wins by a good distance (more than 6 points) will be invaluable in the tussle.

So here are the predictions for this week with mine on the left and Mark Lawrenson's on the right:

- Spurs 2 v 2 Man City - Spurs 2 v 1 Man City

- Villa 2 v 1 West Ham - Villa 2 v 0 West Ham

- Blackburn 1 v 1 Everton - Blackburn 1 v 1 Everton

- Bolton 1 v 2 Fulham - Bolton 2 v 1 Fulham

- Sunderland 2 v 1 Birmingham - Sunderland 1 v 0 Birmingham

- Wigan 2 v 1 Blackpool - Wigan 2 v 1 Blackpool

- Wolves 1 v 0 Stoke - Wolves 1 v 1 Stoke

- Chelsea 3 v 0 West Brom - Chelsea 3 v 0 West Brom

- Liverpool 1 v 1 Arsenal - Liverpool 1 v 1 Arsenal

- Man United 3 v 1 Newcastle - Man United 2 v 0 Newcastle

For the record, I had not looked at Lawro's predictions when I made mine. Makes for interesting reading...Should be good to see what happens over the season.

So now for some quick Premier League predictions and the final four teams, all of which I hope do well this season:

Arsenal: predicted finish 2nd-4th - I'm a fan so I obviously want them to do well. Worried about the goalkeeper situation. Add a goalie and it is 4th to 2nd. Add a goalie and a good centre half and anything could happen. I actually expect a stronger showing in the cups from Arsenal this year as well. Another trophy-less season could be the end of Wenger.

Fulham: predicted finish 7th-11th - Hard to predict after the change of manager but Hughes is an excellent replacement for Hodgson. Same kind of no nonsense style and i expect Fulham to be caught up alongside a number of teams battling for Europa League spot. With Villa, Everton and Stoke all in there it is going to be very competitive in the middle regions of the premier league this season. Fulham haven't added much but if they could get hold of Craig Bellamy to compliment Gera, Dempsey, Zamora and returning Andy Johnson they have a really dangerous attacking threat.

West Brom: predicted finish 18th-20th - I don't see the yo-yo effect stopping for the Baggies. I hope they prove me wrong but I just don't think Di Matteo has the self belief a manager needs to transfer belief to players and keep them going through a tough relegation campaign.

Wolves: predicted finish 11-14th - McCarthy has added some excellent players, including Stephens Hunt and Fletcher, so I think this team will be strong, organised and safe as they continue to grow into an impressive Premier League outfit, one that balances strength, fitness and attractive football. George Elokobi to win PFA player of the year.

Right, more tomorrow as the dust settles on a full Saturday of footy!

Fucking bliss!

Quiet days (except for that bloody England shit again!)

Hello, hello (said its good to be back)

Bit of early morning Glitter/Oasis there.

So England won a game last night. Wasn't a classic but they played well from all accounts. Bit of booing which is fine and couple of brilliant goals from Gerrard. Enjoyed Michael Dawson's error. Spurs fuck.

Anyway, now those stupid friendlies are out of the way it is just league football, the best football, the most exciting football.

Yet I have very little to say. There is not a lot of news about. David Beckham has been excused by Fabio Capello from playing for England every again. Shame because the man is a legend and I still think he offers more to a squad than the likes of Wright-phillips who will undoubtedly remain in contention.

Liverpool look to have signed Christian Poulsen for 4.5 million from Juve. Not sure about this. Surely Mascherano will leave? We will have to wait and see the team this weekend but I cannot see him staying. Seems like a step backwards for me but Hodgson has his head screwed on so I will probably be proved wrong.

United have signed Bebe. I have no opinion on this player so I cant really comment. Maybe blooding in a new Berbatov for the future? All I know is he is 6 foot 2 in. Chicharito scored again for Mexico last night - looks class.

Something which has gone under the radar a little is the Stoke signing of Kenwyne Jones. He is massive and suits their style of play. 8million is a good price for him and Pulis has done a good bit of business there.

Other than that, not a lot outside of England reaction which I cannot be bothered with as I don't really care about a friendly.

So to some more Premier League predictions and today I'm looking at the teams that I don't give a flying fuck about this season: Liverpool, Birmingham, Sunderland and Villa

Liverpool: predicted finish 5th-7th: Liverpool need to stabilise. They seem to have done so quickly, which is leading to some new optimism amongst fans. Well I am afraid that a ball has not been kicked yet and although Liverpool may well come out and beat Arsenal on Sunday, this should be a season in which Roy Hodgson just identifies weaknesses in his squad, gets them playing a bit of nice football, and begins his future plans. Joe Cole is an excellent signing and if Gerrard can re-capture form then a Champions League place is a definite possibility. However, I am not convinced that the squad around Stevie G and Fernando Torres have got the quality of consistency (one of Cole's main problems) to bounce back from such a poor last season. Other than Cole they've added fairly average players (Poulsen another example) and I just dont think that their defensive frailties are balanced by an attacking potency. Maybe Cole and a fit Torres (likely?) can change that, but I still see a team with very little squad depth to boast about who will fall a little short of the top four. Could be close though!

Birmingham: predicted finish 12-16th - I don't see a repeat of last year. They went on one of those insane runs and I don' t think they will repeat anything like that this year. They haven't kept Chucho (a tricky player) and have added Zigic from Valencia (overrated - but an aerial threat they've lacked). Also they've lost Joe Hart, who was worth about 12 points for them last season. Boring year, but safe nonetheless which is all they should be focusing on in reality.

Villa: predicted finish 7th-11th - Villa need to start badly so the board aren't tempted to give Kevin MacDonald the full time job. Once they get a new boss in they will be solid and give anybody a good game this season. However, O'Neill leaving is a big blow and although their is a possibility they will qualify for the Europa League I feel they may slump this season with Liverpool, Spurs and City progressing as they move backwards. Surely Milner will leave, possibly followed by Ashley Young. A club with a lot of promise and momentum over the last few years have had it all snatched from them, which will surely damage their performance. Shame - nice one Man City.

Sunderland: predicted finish 12th-16th - Absolutely don't give a fuck about Sunderland. Probably a boring bottom half finish. Darren Bent will score goals and that will be all people tend to talk about. Potentially get a few big wins over the top teams but a cup run is all the will hope for in terms of excitement. Safe but not progressing, just like Bruce at Wigan.

Till tomorrow then, when the predictions will round up, I will preview games from all tiers of the league and I will make my first Kingy vs Lawro result predictions!

Cheers

Quick One. Predcitions etc.

Morning,

Gonna be very quick today as I'm off into big town to do meeting and stuff.

Luckily there is very little around. Carvalho seems set to move to Real Madrid from Chelsea. Chelsea seem to be floundering a little in the transfer market, but I'm sure Ancelotti knows what he is doing.

Martin O'Neill is coming into criticism for his sudden Villa departure and Gareth Southgate is being touted as an option. That would be catastrophe for Villa.

Other than that, very few stories around - there was league cup footy last night, check highlights out at www.101greatgoals.com.

So onto today's Prem predictions and I will get them done super fast.

Bolton: predicted finish: 13-11th - Basically I don't believe they will go down, although Bolton are always around that area - but I hope they do. But they wont. They actually have a really good team this season and have made some excellent signings - hopefully Owen Coyle will get them playing some good football. Thing that annoys me is their shit attendances. Teams who cant fill their stadium should be fucking embarrassed.

Man United: predicted finish 1st - They will win the league because Chelsea have achieved domestically this year and Ancelotti will be out to win the Champions League. They have more experience than any other realistic contender so I expect them to win the league for a record 19th time.

Wigan: predicted finish 18th-20th - Shit attendances, shit team. Hope they go down and think they might. Manger has little experience and might get found out in a tougher league than last year.

Spurs: predicted finish 5th-6th - Believe they will have a good outing in the Champions League, probably a quarter final spot for them. However, their lack of consistently quality players will mean they cannot beat the wealthy and strengthening Man City to fourth spot.

Must go before Haddow and Buttleman force me to write quasi-reacist remarks about the likes of Glenn Helder and Des Walker.

Till tomorrow.

O'Neill, rumours and Prem Predictions.

Morning all,

So, straight in with the news that Martin O'Neill has quit Aston Villa with IMMEDIATE EFFECT. Love that term, it communicates a certain clinical coldness to way the way he left. The picture seems to be that it wasn't a happy ending at Villa for O'Neill. I mean, leaving 5 days before the league kicks off? This was surely a very quick, possibly knee-jerk decision. I wouldn't put that past O'Neill, he is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Very much a young disciple of his former manager Brian Clough in that way.

It seems quite embarrassingly obvious to me that O'Neill has fallen out with the board over the transfer of James Milner. Probably because O'Neill wanted more cash than the board are going to agree to sell him for. Thing is, it was never going be the thirty million that O'Neill was looking for, and I think O'Neill knew that, it seemed a classic ploy. No, Something tells me that it might not even be that O'Neill has been told he isn't getting all that money for Milner - the deal probably happened behind his back, undermining his position as manager and making his mind up to leave.

It has been sort of coming though...O'Neill leaving. There will be a group of people who point fingers at the Villa fans (sorry Dan) for their role in his departure. O'Neill has established Villa in an exclusive group of teams at the top of the Premier League. With expectations high, O'Neill was subject to booing last term and there must have been a part of him that wondered why after all the work he had done. He seemed to be over it (although he hadn't addressed any of Villa's frailties that had led to such booing) but now the Milner situation seems to have been the final straw.

Now I just hope Arsenal do the treble this season, Wenger leaves in a blaze of glory and we get O'Neill in at Arsenal. Would absolutely love that!

Who next for Villa? Who knows. American lad Bob Bradley seems a strong bet. Think he's got something to bring. Certainly a winning mentality being a yank.

Moving on there are some rather interesting stories moving around today in terms of players. Of course it is all going to go a bit mad now in terms of rumour and transfer. Ozil could be going to United, Chelsea or Barca (really hope it is the latter). From my point of view Shay Given's words about not wanting to be number two are interesting. Come to Arsenal Shay...please?

Milner seems imminent now, Poulsen to Liverpool as well and then you get stuff like Spurs to sign Adebayor for 22 million. Surely ludicrous. A completely non-Redknapp kind of player: expensive and lazy.

Other than that not a lot else to talk about. Liverpool will be taken over soon but we will cross that epic bridge when we come to it.

So onto the Prem League predictions for today......this time some teams I want to do well!

Blackpool: predicted finish 15th-17th - I am doing the unthinkable and backing them to stay up. They need to sign some players before the window starts, I am sure they will. Marlon Harewood and a few other free transfers have been knocked about. But as I said in my second blog, for a promoted team it is sometimes more about who you have at the helm. The players do not feel so much pressure as they are not expected to do well, but the manager is the man responsible for keeping a team alive. That will always be pressure. Holloway seems to be the kind of manager who can stir up such a fantastic spirit that anything is possible. I truly hope he keeps them in this league.

Everton: predicted finish 5th-7th - I like Everton. They have a good record against the bigger sides, so I always enjoy their games against Arsenal's direct rivals. They've not added a lot but they have lots of players coming back who have suffered with injuries. Arteta, Jagielka, Saha etc. I expect them to take last seasons strong finish into the beginning of this year so there will be no false start as there was in 09-10. Moyes is an excellent, loyal and passionate manager with an excellent squad. Holding on to Pienaar and Arteta was really important and a team that boasts a potential midfield five of Pienaar, Fellaini, Cahill, Neville and Arteta (with Rodwell and Osman and Bilyaletdinov as fantastic back up) can control games at this level. Wont quite have enough to beat City to fourth for me though. Good luck toffees.

Newcastle United: predicted finish 15th-17th - Another side I hope and believe can stay up. But this time it is more about the players they have. They do have a strong side but I don't think Chris Hughton will last. They need a manager capable of communicating to the Newcastle team that they are a promoted side, not a Premier League big boy. They just need to knuckle down and get the job done this year. Forget cups, forget finishing anywhere higher than 17th, just do it. So I can see a slow start, but a battling survival campaign which is eventually successful. Sol Campbell will be great for them, even as just a dressing room presence and Dan Gosling is also a good singing. If Andrew Carrol has a good season, it could be his last at St James' . Good luck to them.

West Ham United: predicted finish 12-10th - Traditionally my second club, I will always look out for the Hammers' scores and hope they are doing well. I think that Avram Grant is a fantastic signing as a manager. He will get a great spirit in the dressing room for the players (who have quality) to build on. It is very important that they keep Scott Parker because they have made good additions in Hitzlesperger, Piquionne and Barrera. There should be more to come and I think they will have an enjoyable mid-table finish this time round.

So there we go. More blog tomorrow on the big news, transfers and more predictions. Tomorrow I'm looking at Bolton, Man United, Wigan and Tottenham. The fuckers!

Till then.

Football League weekend review, charity shield, England mayhem and the Prem Pedictions.

Good day,

Loved the amount of football this weekend. Just loved it. Going back to Saturday we were treated to some brilliant games in the Championship. Leeds v Derby was a cracker and it was a fantastic start to the season for the rams. Leeds, like Norwich on Friday, were reminded that just because a very big club is back within one season of the Premier League it shouldn't be forgotten they are a promoted club with a lot to do to consolidate their position in an immensely competitive Championship.

That level of competition was proved by Ipswich's brilliant second half showing against unanimous title favourites Middlesbrough. Roy Keane's side have really got off to a flyer, picking up three points in one of the most difficult games they will play all season. Perhaps Boro suffered form some opening day complacency - Strachan will do well to ensure a swift bounce back from a disappointing result.

Elsewhere poor old Barnsley were given a hammering by QPR, a side many think could make an impact under that twat Neil Warnock while Millwall made a great start with a comfy 3-0 victory at Bristol City. It seemed there was interest everywhere with focus on relegated Portsmouth, Hull and Burnley obviously high - but un-fancied Scunthorpe pulled off a great win against Reading via a goal that was offside but wasn't but counted anyway. Strange.

A league lower there was much hitting the ground with a bump as Notts County (perhaps the Leeds of League One given their high expectations) were slapped 3-0 by a punishing Huddersfield tea. The three teams who slipped down from the Championship all started well, with the Posh and the Owls picking up three comfortable home points each, whilst Plymouth, under the trustworthy leadership of Peter Reid weathered Southampton possession to take home a 1-0 victory from St Mary's. Another huge Championship favourite beaten, which only goes to prove the level of competitiveness that the lower leagues provide in comparison to the Premier League. Long may it continue, it makes for a more exciting league in my opinion (in terms of competition, not standard obviously).

Torquay, Shrewsbury and Wycombe made good start in League Two, whilst Football League debutants Stevenge-not-Borough-FC picked up a point in an entertaining game at home to Macclesfield.

This weekend also saw United and Chelsea lock horns in the friendliest of friendlies at Wembley. Was a decent contest as the players got a run out and the fans got to look at some of the new talent their club have invested in over the summer. Given the generally quiet transfer period there wasn't an awful lot to go on in terms of players we didn't know. Chicharito scored with lesser spotted stab-ball-in-via-face-whilst careering-arse-over-tit technique perfected by athletes in the paralympic games based on a similar technique used by the great Ferenc Puskas. A goal, ladies and gentleman, truly is a goal. Goal = Goal. Goal +Goal - (Goal x 2) = 0. Its maths, OK? Think he's gonna be a great goalscorer - how he adapts will be seen over the next few months but he has undoubted talent and could be a Solskjaer type player. Need a goal and he gets you one kinda guy.

The other story of the weekend was England. What the fuck is going on? It is mental. I believe this is the mystifying journalistic term 'fallout' that we are seeing now. Robinson and Brown quit. Gutted about Brown cos I think he's great. Robinson is just a petulant little cunt who obviously believed his own hype when he was at Leeds and cant believe he hasn't been number one consistently since 2004. Well fuck him. Brown...hard. I like the reason he has given, he wants young players to come through and his knees are a bit shit so fair enough Wes, fair enough.

Moving on to young players and to me this whole England squad seems like a big fucking PR manoeuvre. Capello has cut the people who he could afford to and kept the characters he couldn't afford to cut out. The likes of Terry and Barry who were fucking shit at the world cup, absolutely fucking dog muck and have not shown club form over the end of last season to demand a place in the team (I know Chelsea won the double but Terry made shit load of errors in that time). Basically he's changed it a bit but the spine of the team will still be the same players who don't really give a fuck about internationals because of their club priorities.

Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs of Arsenal have been included. You would think a big Arsenal fan would be delighted but I am a bit worried these whipper snappers will begin to believe their own hype and become intolerable little fuckers who get an England chance but get found out because of their attitude. The classic example of this is David Bentley. Too impatient to realise he could learn from some of the great players at Arsenal when he was a kid, he moved on leaving the club with a temper tantrum, he had a good season at Blackburn, a brief flutter for England and since them has spent his career being a mixture between a laughing stock and a genuine threat at Spurs.

Now Gibbs and Wilshere don't have the same level of competition at Arsenal as Bentley had, but it is simple - competition makes you a better player because you have to be to get a game. I hope that these youngsters don't get too big for their boots and stop developing before they've even got anywhere.

Now...drum roll please. Today it is only six days until the Premier League begins and I am going to have to just handle the fact that the transfer market is going to go mental soon and put my neck on the line regarding who is going to perform and fail this season.

This week I will be reviewing four teams a day before the big kick off on Saturday. The traditional way to do this is Alphabetically. But I have nothing to do and I thought that was boring so I am going to tackle the teams in a different way. First, I'm not going to give an exact league position for every team, give me a chance - plus that takes figuring out.. This blog is about straight talking. I am not an impartial journalist so I have split the teams into three groups. 8 I hope underachieve this season, 8 I hope do well, and four who I absolutely couldn't give a rats cunt about. My wishes will have no bearing on my opinion of how well the teams will perform in reality. I will alternate the groups each day. So lets start with Four teams I hope underachieve this season:

Blackburn: predicted finish 16-13th - The reason I hope they do shit? Allardyce. Fella is the epitome of the old brand of football that distrusts the modern game and believes it to be evil. He is undoubtedly a good manger, capable of getting the best out of old, dying professionals - but that is all he is. He should never have moved on from Bolton (where he had great success) as he was found out at Newcastle and I can see this being another boring season for the one time Champions, possibly flirting with relegation. All-in-all their season highlights will be some gritty home draws against better opposition and maybe a cup run. The likes of Dunn and possibly new boy Diouf (from United) can provide quality whilst they have a settled core to the team with Robinson, Nelson and Dunn that should pull them through. Hope they fuck it though and get relegated.

Chelsea: predicted finish 2nd-4th - I actually like Ancelotti a lot. He has great ability as a manager and is a level headed man with great humility. Good luck to him. But fuck the likes of Cole, Terry and Drogba. Great players but cant stand them. That, and their regular proximity to Arsenal in the table means I naturally want Chelsea to shag it up. I actually think they will not retain the title, which I see going back to United this year. But there is no way they wont qualify for the champions league and with Ancelotti satisfied in terms of trophies domestically they will surely make a huge push for Chelsea's first ever European cup.

Stoke City: predicted finish 10-8th - People probably think I don't like Stoke because they have beaten Arsenal. Not the case. They actually play good football going forward with Etherington, Tuncay and Lawrence really good players. Pulis is undoubtedly trying to develop the teams attacking side of the game - which is commendable. However, I hate the cunt. He tried to turn the whole Ramsey-Shawcross incident around on Arsenal and Wenger by saying we shouldn't talk about players we don't know whilst spewing a load of puss about how Shawcross "Isn't that kind of player". What a fucking stupid thing to say, anybody who says that needs a slap. Of course he fucking isn't. You would have to be a psychopath to deliberately try and break another players leg - nobody is suggesting this. Arsenal's beef wasn't about Shawcross, intent, or physical play. It was about attitude, pre-game tactics and media stirring-up of a load of bullshit. Pulis tried to add to that, so even though he's got a good, progressive side I expect to do even better again this season - I hope they fuck it.

Manchester City: predicted finish -4th - Simple. They have a great squad, an excellent manager and all they have to do is put it together, keep everybody happy and they should make 4th this season. Don't think their defence is solid enough to be pushing for a title yet, but they should make the top four with the lack of progression this summer in the likes of Tottenham and Villa. But what they are doing is just.....mental. I don't like it and I hope they cant put it together.

So there we go. Tomorrow I will look at Blackpool, Everton, Newcastle and West Ham and any big new that crops up.

Ciao.

Horns deliver, transfer window and England squad... and Premier league pre-view week.

Morning,

The Football League kicked off last night, and what a night it was for the Glory 'Orns at Carrow road. It was a great 2-3 win for Watford, and to be honest it never looked in any great danger - even when Norwich pulled one back in stoppage time. Some decent quality highlights of the game can be seen here. One thing which really hit home, after the World Cup we endured this summer, is that the standard of football doesn't really matter - last nights game was played with commitment and it was more entertaining than 95% of all games in South Africa this summer.

Watford were absolutely brilliant. Game began a bit shakilly for them, could've been a pen for Norwich early on, but they eventually grew into it and John Eustace bagged them an early goal. Watford's second was an absolutely brilliant goal. Great ball forward, great chest down and move, lovely first time through ball and a sick finish - fucking brilliant.

Watford coasted to half time but Andrew Crofts grabbed one back for Norwich just after half time. It seemed that Norwich might storm back. In my living room the tension was growing: A huge Watford fan on one couch, on the other couch his mate who had a load of money on Watford throwing it away. However, it seemed to me that Watford, despite having to deal with a lot of opposition possesion looked fairly comfortable as Norwich tried to play complicated football to no avail. Adrian Mariappa should really have made it three but missed a sitter. Watford were just stronger, more committed and looked determined to not let the three points slip. Things were safe when Danny Graham scored his second goal via a "slight deflection" according to the jubilant Watford fan in my house. Norwich got a decent goal back in stoppage time and Watford had to handle a barrage of high balls but it was all pretty comfortable.

So Watford are top of the league for now and I'm really pleased for them. They've taken a bit of a hammering in pre-season, many are tipping them to be comfortably relegated. Of course, that is still a possibility. However, it looked to me that they were a group of players who wanted to prove people wrong and Malkay McKay has got a great start to build on in terms of building a team spirit based around showing people they are no mugs.

The majority of the football league teams get their chance to kick-off today. Some very tasty looking games in the Championship: Burnley v Notts Forrest, Hull v Swansea and Middlesborough v Ipswich jump out and I'm just glad that real footy is back.

So moving away from the football pitch and back to the transfer window. It seems to me, with a week left until the start of the season and three weeks of window left - we might see some last minute deals going on once the Premier League season has begun. Things seem to be hinging on the James Milner transfer, which now looks imminent. Once this goes through, Villa might have a bit of cash - they may go for Robbie Keane - giving Spurs the little push they need for two or three players. The arrival of Milner will put Stephen Ireland and Craig Bellamy's futures at City under pressure and there will be a few teams sniffing around. Looks like Chelsea's spending might be done after Ramires, while Man United and L'pool have been fairly open that they're done unless people move on (Mascherano? Anderson?). Arsenal still need a goalie of course. I could definately see a last minute move for Joe Hart on loan happening. Maybe just dreaming. It is all likely to kick off soon.

And that is because, as I said, it begins very soon and starting Monday I'm going to look at a selection of Premier League clubs every day, previewing whats new for them this year and trying to give a loose prediction on how they will perform this year. I'm not doing it alphabetically either cos that is fucking boring. Friday will also see the beginning of the big contest of this season ----- Kingy vs Lawro.

I'm going to be taking on Mark Lawrenson this season by predicting the scores of each round of Premier League games. A scoring system will be devised to see who over the season is the better pundit and person.

Quickly before I scram, the first England squad since the World Cup is announced later. Fucked off that there are International games this week. What a fucking joke. Young players like Jack Wilshere, Jack Rodwell, Keiran Gibbs, Micah Richards and Lee Cattermole are all tipped to be in the squad. I'd stick in Shawcross and Gary Cahill too. David James and Emile Heskey seem certain not to be there, while the likes of Ledley King, Jamie Carragher, Shaun Wright-Phillips and even big ones like Terry might be at risk. Will be big news tomorrow.

Tommorrow will look at the England squad, the first round of footy league games and anything else that comes up between now and then.

Till then.

Apologies! And so it begins....Fabregas and European draws

Hello people,

First off - although nobody really minds enough for it to be necessary - apologies for neglecting the blog for the last week. I'm apologising really cos if your gonna come on the internet/facebook and make a load of noise about writing some stuff you should stick to it. I spent the last week doing some job stuff pretty full time and now that is kind of sorted I'm back to doing this.

So whats going on....

Well first up - league football is actually back tonight - Norwich vs Watford in the Championship, and with complete sincerity I'm excited. I just want to watch a good live game of footy after a pretty dyer world cup and tepid pre-season offerings. I want to see challenges. So tonight its typical mates over stuff in my living room tonight. No tins provided though, I'm not that nice.

The Championship is always an incredibly open league, one which is difficult to predict one I'm not going to attempt predictions myself - I don't really know enough but am making it my mission to learn a little more this year.

I will offer my immediate reactions to the main contenders, the people the pros are backing to do well:

Middlesborough: Yeah - I can see why they are a popular choice. Kris Boyd was a bit of a coup, although nobody is ever going to convince me that scoring shit loads of goals in Scotland is that impressive. The likes of McCoist, Fortune and Samaras have all been genuinely frightening propositions for defences north of the border...But I digress... Gordon Strachan may be a ginger, warted, whiskey loving hobbit - but he's a decent manager. He has also bought in Scott Macdonald, Barry Robson, Stephen Mcmanus, Chris Killen, Willo Flood, Andy Halliday and Lee Miller from the SPL since moving to Boro last year and he certainly proved he could build a team with Championship credentials in Scotland. But THE Championship is a very tough league to win. Not a two horse race every season.

Reading: Finished last season very strongly and are a club who seemed to drop out of the Premier League with a bit of a whimper, could be back on the way up.

Cardiff City: Well, they're always in and around aren't they. Looks like they've held on to Michael Chopra, a fantastic goalscorer who plays well with Jay Bothroyd. They've lost Joe Ledley to Celtic but have plenty of quality. Poor defence will need sorting but Dave Jones has given a troubled club stability. I hope they're promoted.

Notts Forrest, Bristol City (Steve Coppel, David James et al) and relegated duo Hull and Burnley are also being tipped to perform well and I have no grounds to believe otherwise. Although I really hope that Hull and Burnley flop severely. Well, maybe just Hull but I fucking hate Brian Laws' shit face too. Outsiders such as QPR, Doncaster and Derby County are also being mentioned. Not much sign of the returning Leeds United (who I hope can make it back to the prem, people seem to hate but I have a soft spot). Or Roy Keane's Ipswich. I do rate Keane as a manager, I think he should have held on at Sunderland a little longer but ones got to question if he's got the temperament or humility to ever stay in a job long enough to really become a top manager. This season may tell us.

I'm going to be honest and say I know fuck all about leagues 1 and 2 and I'm not going to be silly enough to pretend I do - but will try and engage a little more as the season progresses.

We cant discuss the Championship without thinking about poor old Pompey. Glad they secured their future yesterday, nobody likes to see a club go bankrupt cos it is shit for their fans so I was pleased they managed to haul themselves out of the mire. They are going to be fascinating to watch this season. Firstly, they are signing Kanu on again. Magic. Other than that - they could be a very big success story or a continuation of last year's disastrous financial situation. What they really need is to sort themselves out and just have a slow mid-table season. Good luck to them

Moving on and Cesc Fabregas says he is staying at Arsenal. Fucking yippee from my point of view! I, and many Arsenal fans, will accept his apology and completely understand why he was attracted by the prospect of Barcelona - no matter how much I was fucked off with their disrespectful behaviour all summer. We also respect that he was loyal enough to discuss everything privately with Arsene Wenger rather than hand in the public transfer request that would have made the move almost impossible for Arsenal to stop. There is a danger that every time he has a set back at Arsenal this season he may start dreaming of Barca - but I'm not worried.

He is a champion, an amazing player and somebody who always wants to win. I hope Arsenal can just put it all behind them and get ready for the new season. Shitting myself still about no new goalie. Joe Hart deadline day loan? Would fucking love that.

The draws for the latest qualifying rounds in the Champions League and Europa League were made today. Liverpool have drawn Trabzonspor - Turkey is rarely an easy destination but the Pool should be fine. Aston Villa have got a tough task - Rapid Vienna. With growing uncertainty about James Milner's situation and a lack of investment in the squad so far Villa aren't looking too solid at the moment. Rapid knocked them out at the same stage last year and Villa should be out for revenge. Celtic have drawn FC Utrecht and if I were Neil Lennon I would be shitting myself about being knocked out. Celtic fans are not particularly forgivning - even if you are a legend. I know nothing about Utrecht, but this Celtic side just seem completely weak and there are no easy games at this stage of European competition.

That is, of course, unless you're Spurs or Man City.

City are playing Timisoara...no knowledge there but they play in Romania, a once strong national side which has dissapeared in recent times. Tottenham have drawn Swiss runners-up Young Boys in their Champions League qualifier. Amazing name. Spurs will be chuffed with the draw and twitchy-ballbag-face should be on the touchlines of some of Europe's greatest arenas come the return of the Champions League proper.

So there we are - the blog is back on and I shall endeavour to keep it on track now that my own situation is a little more stable. Watch out for potential audio that could be available next week. May attempt a Premier League season preview available to download. Work in progress.

More tomorrow - including a fucking match report of sorts. Brill. Cheers