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Arsenal v Tottenham v Newcastle: The Race for Third Place

By Chris Linnell on May 9th, 2012. 7 Comments

It seems the competition for third place in the Premier League is now going to be decided on the final day of the season. Here I take a look at each team’s final fixture and their chances of finishing ahead of their rivals. Arsenal Arsene Wenger takes his Arsenal side to West Brom knowing that…

Tottenham’s Summer 2012 Transfer Targets

By Chris Linnell on May 7th, 2012. 21 Comments

There’s no hiding the fact that the wheels have come off Tottenham Hotspur’s season, but what did fans expect at the start of the campaign? Whilst I believe that Champions League qualification was always the minimum standard required, many fans are already looking ahead to the summer transfer window and who they want to see at White…

Chelsea’s Summer 2012 Transfer Targets

By Chris Linnell on May 6th, 2012. 42 Comments

Chelsea resurgence under Roberto Di-Matteo has been truly impressive this season. However, he has inherited a squad whose quality and age has been questioned. Providing the Italian manager keeps the Chelsea job on a permanent basis, I’m sure he’ll make quite a few changes in summer to re-invent the team as ‘his’ side. As always…

Arsenal’s Summer 2012 Transfer Targets

By Chris Linnell on May 5th, 2012. 26 Comments

Arsenal have had a strong end to the season, but have heavily relied on Van Persie’s goals. In summer I fully expect Arsene Wenger to make some key signings to replace the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri who they’ve dearly missed. Lukas Podolski Wenger has already secured the signing of Lukas Podolski from…

Jose Mourinho: One Manager To Rule Them All

By garethmcknight on May 4th, 2012. 18 Comments

Real Madrid wrapped up the La Liga title last weekend, with Jose Mourinho leading the Santiago Bernabeu outfit to their first Spanish top-flight success in four years. A convincing 3-0 away win over Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao sealed the triumph, and broke Barcelona’s stranglehold over the game in Spain. The achievement has not gone…

Madrid Win La Liga as Messi Breaks Another Record

By Chris Linnell on May 4th, 2012.

Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title for the first time since 2008 after their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night. A little over one week later after their Champions league misery, Jose Mourinho’s side have recovered to take the title from holders Barcelona. Gonzalo Higuain smashed home a superb 16th-minute opener after Cristiano…

Footballers, injuries and the strangest rehabilitation methods

By garethmcknight on May 4th, 2012.

For a professional footballer there is nothing worse than being injured, but with the physical nature of the sport, injuries are always going to happen. Despite the modern day footballer honing his body to become a complete athlete, knocks, niggles and ailments can take their toll. With important fixtures piling up thick and fast at…

Joint-ownership of football players; the future or a financial cloak?

By garethmcknight on May 3rd, 2012.

Long gone are the days of simply buying and selling players; due to the extortionate amounts of money that football players are worth modern day contracts are intricate, with many different beneficiaries in every deal. However the latest craze to find its way into European football is joint or part ownership of players. Outlawed in…

Ferguson’s Replacement at United: Current Betting Odds

By Chris Linnell on May 3rd, 2012. 1 Comment

When Sir Alex Ferguson finally decides to close the curtains on his long and glorious career there will certainly be more than a few managers in line to replace him. Below are the Sky Bet current favourites: 1. Jose Mourinho 2/1 Will the special one end up at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson decides…

Player Rivalries: Best of Enemies

By garethmcknight on May 3rd, 2012.

Club rivalries are passed down through the generations; every Spurs fans knows that Arsenal are the enemy, Barcelona look at Real Madrid with contempt, whilst River Plate and Boca Juniors fans were born to fight each other. However player rivalries also exist in the game, as team-mates fallout, international selection decisions breed derision and players…