Week 17: part one

For a number of reasons this weeks football will be split into two parts, as far as my blog is concerned anyway.

Three of the 'big four' played today (Chelsea game is sunday) as did the young pretenders Hull and Villa. Arsenal traveled up to Middlesbrough and to what I thought would be to victory. Boro have been both good and unlucky this season. Today was no different. Arsenal took the lead but could not hold on to it for long. 1-1 by half time. The game stayed that way but Boro should of had a penalty after a foal from Clichy (who hasn't been half as good as he was last season). Three o'clock gave us the Liverpool Hull game. This week Benitez has written off liverpool's title chances and then clarified that they are infact 80%. If they're top at christmas. Ok. As with the arsenal game I went for the big boys to win. After 22 minutes and two hull goals I wasn't too hopeful. Remember when I said liverpool were going to struggle to score with out Torres? Ten minutes later Gerrard had leveled things up. Four goals in 32 minutes and then... nothing. Well there were a bunch of chances but 2-2 is how it ended. Here are the other 3pm kick offs and my predictions:

Villa 2-0 Bolton

City 1-2 Everton

Stoke 1-0 Fulham

Wigan 2-1 Blackburn

Villa are fast becoming the most exciting team in the league. 4-2 doesn't really do villa justice. They were by far the better team. I really, really hope they finish 4th. Arsenal just don't deserve it as much as Villa do. Two goals for everton when they have no fit strikers was a bit of an ask. Still city don't look like they are worth there money. And it took till injury time till everton proved me right. 1-0. Stoke 0-0 fulham. I've already said too much. Next we move to Paul Ince. Right now he just needs a win to quiet all the critics. What he got was a shitty performance and a three nil thrashing. I really don't want to respect steve bruce but he does have a good team at wigan.

The late kick was Spurs Man U and a chance for the champions to close the gap on liverpool. After last weeks last minute winner and a draw midweek I figured Spurs what get the crap kicked out of them as Man U bounce back into form. And the visitors did control most of the game. Lennon was a highlight for Spurs who had their chances. But neither team managed to break the deadlock. 0-0

Tomorrow Pompy play Newcastle and chelsea host west ham. I don't rate zola's chances. But west ham do have one hope. The game is at stamford bridge, if it was a upton park then they wouldn't stand a chance.

Week16 review

Short an sweet review this week. Not much to say so not much being said.

Everton's thriller with villa. Gutted I missed this one. Lescott gets two, but defensively he isn't the player he was. It's great that he gets forward and does a much needed job for Everton, but it leaves Phil Jagielka with a lot to do. And Everton were the better team too. It's all very well people praising Villas defense, I have a lot of time for Laursen, as long as they notice that there are problems up front. Or there will be. If Young or Agbonlahor get a knock then they will struggle to score. Indeed

Arsenal games had a certain level of mystery over the last month or so. However saturdays 1-0 win over wigan was boring as hell. Still not a team firing on all cylinders when it comes to easy games. Under performing also were man utd. Their last minute 1-0 over manager-less sunderland doesn't scream champions. And the fans are running to of patience with Berba. Chelsea cruised passed bolton. Nothing much to mention aside from that it's now 11 away games victorious on the run. Amazing. Liverpool make Ince's life a little harder with a 3-1 victory. The score doesn't really reflect the game. Blackburn didn't play like a side about to lose it's manager. They were more like the blackburn of last year. And the whole Ince getting the sack talk has annoyed me too. Firstly, losing away to the league leaders should never be the final straw for a manager. Secondly, blackburn massively over performed last season. They were never going to match last seasons performance. Especially with a new manager. Give Ince a chance.

City got an early goal which earns them a point. Surely hughes is in more trouble than Ince. Fulham look like they will be ok this season. No need for the great escape again. Hull show us again that they are natural born winners with two late goals against boro. Poor old southgate. Gets the first goal of the game in the 79th minute and some how concedes 2 and gets a man sent off in the remaining 11 minutes. Bad luck.

The newcastle stoke game really was a game of two halfs. The home team taking the first with 2 goals and ease. The second went stokes way but only just. Similar story in the pompy west brom game. Johnson could of won it for Portsmouth. They'll be lucky to keep him.

Spurs put two passed west ham and surely finish zola. Although the radio was more than impressed with west ham's fight in the second half. Spurs still not looking half as good as they should.

Week 16

It is friday again and that means it is time for my predictions.

Fulham 1-0 City - Fulham have a cracking defense and city have dried up goal wise. Benjani hasn't hit form and I'm not betting my house on Jo getting a goal. Vassell doesn't really need to be mentioned.

Arsnal 2-0 Wigan - But 0-0 is just as likely. Last week people said if arsenal lose then they can't win the title. I think if they don't win tomorrow then they are done.

Blackburn 1-2 Liverpool. Poor old Blackburn, poor old Ince. Please prove me wrong and make me happy.

Bolton 0-1 Chelsea. But the 1 for chelsea could easily be a 2,3 or 4.

Hull 1-1 M'brough. The Hull bubble has burst.

Newcastle 1-0 Stoke. This is the least inspiring fixture of the week.

Man Utd 4-0 Sunderland. Roy Keane is still a man u player at heart. They were a mess with him and they are lost without him.

West Brom 0-1 Pompy. Not because I think Tony Adams is a good manager but because West Brom are pants.

Everton 1-0 Villa. Everton aren't looking great and they do have striker troubles but Villa haven't scored in the last two league games. Maybe Carew should be forgiven.

West Ham 0-1 Spurs. Sorry to say this but Zola is rubbish. Bent to start a scoring spree.

Hopefully I'll be watching the man u game and the Everton Villa game.

Week 15: review

A big weekend of sport where everything changed and went back to normal. I get the rugby out of the way. England were torn to pieces by the All Blacks and Wales hung on to beat the Aussies. Then came the world cup draw (for 2011, why so early). England apparently landed an easy group. With Argentina and Scotland. Not easy to make excuses if things go badly. Which is more than likely with England's current form.

Back in the real world and the rock solid chelsea slipped up again against a big four team. The linesman for the arsenal game will be added to many a christmas card list in north london after handing north london reds an equaliser. Scolari's cool cracks as he demands an apology. But the really story of chelsea's defeat on sunday is that they failed to hit the target in the second half and that their goal was an o.g. For a while now people had been saying Anelka was going to revert to his usual sulky self and stop scoring. And just as people were coming round to the idea he might keep his form for a whole season he proves them right. Maybe that's a bit unfair, the current chelsea team have focused their goal scoring efforts in to one place. Not the strongest rock to build your castle on. Also I seemed all arsenal needed to get their season back on track was for everyone to write them off

The other big game on sunday was the manchester derby. Ronaldo loses the plot, handles the ball and gets sent off. If he heard a whistle or not isn't what bothers me. It's the way he took the first yellow. A sarcastic clap to the ref could easily have got him his second yellow right there and then. 1-0 was a fair result, carrick is keeping his form and could easily be united's most important player.

Finally on monday we saw Liverpool play west ham with the chance to go 3 points clear at the top. And they bottled it, another team with goal issues. Keane hasn't settled in yet, he had one good game and that's it. Torres isn't the man he was last second, that is when he is fit. That leave Gerrard and Kuyt. Hasn't Stevie G already got enough on his shoulders at liverpool? A good point for west ham but I can't see it saving them.

With draws for Villa, Hull and Boro the challenge to break into the top four has a week off. Defeats for Spurs, Sunderland, Blackburn and west brom should be a reality check if any of them needed another one. Wins for Wigan, Pompy and everton will make a big difference to the table but I think only Wigan can truly hold their heads high.

And so I comes down to this weeks bets. Thinking Tony Adams would have Pompy nice a tight at the back after their mid week disappointment. Prediction 1-0. Result 3-2. These things happen, hats of to anyone who got this one. With Everton and Spurs not able to make their mind up one if they are any good I went for the home team to edge it 2-1. How can a team that put 4 passed arsenal fail to score at all when facing the creaking defense of everton? Phil Jagielka is the only one actually defending in that back four. Then comes the 0-0 for Villa and Boro at home against Fulham and Newcastle respectively. I had 2-1 in both of them, if you are going to have a week off lads then please let me know. Sour grapes? You're god damn right.

Week 15

Having had a good (read lucky) weekend with my fantasy football team last weekend I'm not so confident this time around. Without boring you with all of my selections I'll just let up in on this weeks updates. Joe Hart back in goal after missing no weeks with his ankle injury, is he the bionic man or something? Oh no there was an England friendly. Cahill out, Delap in. Gutted that Tim Cahill hasn't hit form this season, although the radio did say he could of had a hat-trick against Wigan last weekend. The long throw and crushing tackles of Rory Delap will hopefully fair a bit better. Berbatov is doubtful with a thigh injury, but I'd still put him in ahead of Tevez considering has current form. He doesn't do much running anyway.

The Lucky 15 bets haven't been all that lucky over the last few weeks. Here are this weeks selections.

Villa 2 - 1 Fulham

Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Newcastle

Portsmouth 1 - 0 Blackburn

Spurs 2 - 1 Everton

Normally I would review last weeks bets but they were so far away I just don't want to.

If you want a really good tip then listen to the guardians football weekly podcast. Brilliant