Premier League Picks Of The Week 1

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 1

The first week of Premier League action saw:

255 Shots - most by Saints = 24

28 Goals - most by Liverpool = 4

256 Fouls - most by Boro = 18

41 Bookings - most by Stoke = 5

1 Red Card - Watson for Watford

4 Penalties - 3 scored, 1 missed

Jürgen Klopp going mental and dropping his glasses (again)!

Gary Lineker in his underpants/shorts on MOTD!

Gary Neville back on Sky Sports with Jamie Carragher on his case, any chance, every chance, lol!
(And I saw this on Twitter the other day, omg!!! => What a prank!!! <= Unbelievable!!!)

What a game! Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool! Disappointing first half, surprising second half. Here is my full report... A lot of eyes and boos are on Arsène Wenger, again, in his 21st season at Arsenal, last year of his contract, more and more fans cannot wait to see the back of him. But there are still plenty who back him, too. It will be interesting to see how his final season (of his current contract) at the London club unfolds and turns out.

What a team! No one really jumped out and shone, all teams lacked and leaked somehow, somewhat, apart from Hull City, beating the champions, what a start for them in the top flight! Leicester just confirmed the doubts surrounding them repeating anything anywhere near last season's unique historical glory, but I would not read too much into it. It's only the first of many games (38 to be exact). Wait and see...

What a goal! Adama Diomande's spectacular overhead kick for Hull City! And Philippe Coutinho's free kick equaliser, sweet and crucial when his side looked like non-existent just before the break at Arsenal.

What a man! I love Jürgen Klopp and his antiques on the touchline! It's not just me as a Liverpool fan, right?! He's just hilarious! Although Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is competing very well for the Crazy Man On The Touchline title as well! Makes a certain Portuguese manager seem less special me thinks...

What the hell?! Diego Costa was a very lucky man to remain on the pitch for the full time and be able to grab a late winner for the Blues. The 27-year-old had already been booked for remonstrating with the referee when he caught West Ham keeper Adrián very late. And the diving antiques in general annoyed me again, especially by Chelsea! They're on camera for goodness sake! And I like the new rule to get booked for contesting against the ref, but then please enforce it, too! The players still got away with too much, I feel!

My predictions - Actual results

Hull City 0:1 Leicester City - 2:1

Burnley 0:1 Swansea - 0:1

Crystal Palace 1:2 West Brom - 0:1

Everton 1:2 Tottenham - 1:1

Middlesbrough 1:1 Stoke City - 1:1

Southampton 2:0 Watford - 1:1

Man City 3:1 Sunderland - 2:1

Bournemouth 2:2 Man United - 1:3

Arsenal 2:2 Liverpool - 3:4 - click here for my match report 

Chelsea 1:1 West Ham - 2:1

Click here for my season preview

Pictures taken from the BBC match reports

Week 38: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

This weekend was the grand finale weekend of the season and it was the first time ever the title was decided on the last day, in the last match/half/minute/second of the season! After 1,066 goals were scored in total in the Premier League this season, Manchester City ended up top scorer and title winner. But it was not just Manchester that was sweating, screaming, crying, laughing, dancing. The relegation battle, Champions League spot(s) and a hell lot of honour were still left to play for:

Top game: The title deciders at the Stadium of Light and Etihad stadium had EVERYTHING! All the thrills, spills, cheers, tears and drama the game and sport can bring! Manchester United and Wayne Rooney could have bagged 4/5/6/7 goals against Sunderland but in the end it didn't matter. City had fought back late and won the game against relegation-battlers QPR and the title with two goals in the last three minutes of time added on.
United did not know where they were at after their full-time whistle had gone. The suspense was like there to grasp, close to edible in the air. Sergio Aguero will never forbet the moment he scored and won the title for City, their first after 44 years, 22 managers, five relegations, five promotions and right out of their local rivals' laps! Un-be-lievable climax to and unforgettable season! Martin Tyler's and Guy Mowbray's loss of voice control as well as the fans' and team's reactions, faces and body language, covered and summarised that moment and the whole occasion brilliantly!!!

Top team: City ended up on top in the end and were rewarded and celebrated for not giving up the game, match and title. It is not over until the final whistle! United know that the best! Now City know it better! But the juicier next season will be, United's fight-back! As Sir Alex Ferguson said with a smile on his face, he is not going anywhere. And hats off to him, respect to Fergie for congratulating City and saying they deserve the title as the league is the long haul and not just won by accident or some good fortune (after having a dig at the fact that five minutes were added on for City to come back. Sir Alex obviously did not see or watch all highlights and action of the match at the Etihad, with the whole Joey Barton malarkey... More an that below...).

Top player: Rooney could have scored a hat-trick with all the chances he missed and saw saved. Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was on top of his game and did brilliantly to bounce back onto his feet after stopping Paul Scholes' shot to also deny none other than Ryan Giggs parrying the latter's shot over the crossbar. Brad Friedel also showed he still has what it takes for Tottenham against Fulham, his terrific stop against Moussa Dembele in the first half proving his awareness and actions/reactions are still up to speed.

Top goal: AGUERRROOOOOOOOOOO!!! Need I say more? More? More? Wigan's third and Emmerson Boyce's second of the match against Wolves at the DW Stadium was outstanding! With a wonderful right-foot swerving volley from the edge of the box, the Carribean defender smashed in Hugo Rodallega's header into the back of the net to make it three goals and three points for the Latics, ending their season on a high at home.

Top news: New England manager Roy Hodgson has announced the full 23-man England squad for Euro 2012, leaving out Rio Ferdinand and naming Steven Gerrard as the England captain. Full England Squad for Euro 2012

Flop game and team: Swansea's home win summed up Liverpool's season. With chances galore, in an otherwise mediocre game, the Reds ended up pointless, miserable and frustrated. This season in 11th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone, it has been Swansea's best and highest finish in 30 years. In 8th place, 37 points behind the champions, this has been Liverpool's worst finish in nearly 50 years! Carling Cup win aside, King Kenny had a lot of soal- and fault-searching, explaining and changing to do in order to keep his crown and throne at Anfield. And as we all know since yesterday, he has failed in doing so and succumbed to the Amercian owners and their demands. This may be an understandable decision and action after this season, but that does not mean it is the right thing to do to make things better in the long run. I just wonder how John Henry and Co will come up with anything and anyone more successful and profiting LONG TERM if they make cuts and changes every year! It took even Sir Alex four years to win his first trophy with United (the FA Cup 1989-90) and seven years for the first league title (1992-93)! It shows, time and patience is of virtue and essence for success and with that comes all the money and profit the owners are looking for and not vice versa. But as long as there are teams like Chelsea and City, I guess owners like Henry will always plead their cases on those examples (and not the others, i.e. Leeds, Newcastle, Blackburn, ...). Only time will tell what all this will mean for Liverpool... I am not too optimistic though! :-(

Flop player: Barton, what were you thinking?! First you elbow Carlos Tevez. Then, whilst arguing your case with the referee and after handing over your CAPTAIN'S ARMBAND, you follow on to your idiotic act with an even more moronic act by kicking into the back of Aguero. I don't know how you can explain your way out of this one!!! = LOOOOOOOONG ban will hopefully follow! Shame on you! DISGRACE!

Flop goal: Marton Fulop had an absolute nightmare against Arsenal! In his league debut for West Brom, the Hungarian goalkeeper first produced a terrible error, letting Yossi Benayoun pass him and score with ease after failing to claim the ball in his own box. Then he punched the ball back to Laurent Koscielny and into the back of his own net. After a fine fight-back by West Brom, giving their England-bound manager Hodgson a good send-off, Fulop flopped and held his head in shame after throwing these three points out the window and into the back of the net with the ball(s) and goal(s) he gave away.
And I don't know how both goals for Stoke against Bolton were given. The first was a fowl on goalkeeper Adam Bogdan with Jon Walters tumbling all over him and the ball over the line with him. The second was a very soft penalty with Peter Crouch going down with hardly any contact made with Bogdan. The game ended up 2-2 and the Wanderers religated. Heart-break after everything that has happened to Bolton this season and especially unfair after their brilliant comebacks and fightbacks of late and it looked like they had this match in the bag too. QPR are very lucky!

Flop news: The first boss on the end-of-the-season hanger was Aston Villa's Alex McLeish after only 11 months in the job. Kenny Dalglish followed soon after with only four months longer under his belt this time round. The big question is, who is next? Betting odds

My predictions - Actual results

Chelsea 2:1 Blackburn - 2:1
Everton 2:0 Newcastle - 3:1
Man City 4:0  QPR - 3:2
Man City are champions
Norwich City 2:2 Aston Villa - 2:0
Stoke City 1:2 Bolton - 2:2
Bolton are relegated
Sunderland 1:2 Man United - 0:1
Swansea City 0:2 Liverpool - 1:0
Tottenham 3:0 Fulham - 2:0
West Brom 1:2 Arsenal - 2:3
Wigan 1:1 Wolves - 3:2

Week 37: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend
Top game: The early kick-off on Saturday was a juicy delight! The six-goal thriller at the Emirates opened up the race for the guaranteed Champions League spot in third place for Tottenham and Newcastle who were both playing on Sunday. Norwich were top-quality and fought hard and could have had a dozen of goals. Great entertainment, great watch.
Liverpool's thrashing of Chelsea gained the Reds a hint of revenge for their FA Cup final defeat against the Blues. The first half was cracking, action-packed end-to-end stuff that had everything in it! Goals, penalty, misses, shouts, bouts, slips, tricks, kicks...

Top team: City continued their unbeaten run against Newcastle who have now failed to gain a single point against the Premier League leaders in their last eleven meetings. The Sky Blues will remember St James' Park (now called Sports Direct Arena) fondly, not just for this crucial win, but this is the same ground they were crowned champions in the last time round - 44 years ago! We will see next weekend whether their long wait for another title will have finally come to an end or they will be kept waiting, longing, wishing, dreaming...

Top player: Yaya Toure's double won it for City after being pushed forward by Roberto Mancini after bringing Nigel de Yong on. It turned out to be a super-sub for the league leaders, which gave the Ivory Coast midfielder the freedom he needed to score two sublime and crucial goals.
Cisse has fallen heals-over-head into his fifth goal in seven games for QPR. If Rangers stay up, they have him to thank and hope his heals will stay put.

Top goal: With 19 minutes to go in one of the most crucial games in the title race, Toure was the one to thank and celebrate for a sweet goal to give City the lead against Newcastle. It was one of those unstoppable curls. After a nice one-two, exchanging passes with Sergio Aguero, Yaya produced a precise bend which led the ball right into the corner beyond Tim Krul, impossible for the keeper to reach and stop.
Sunderland's equaliser against Fulham was a smacker by Phillip Bardsley from outside the box past Mark Schwarzer. But only 15 seconds later, straight from kick-off, Mousa Dembele was able to run free and create a fine shot but this time with a wicked deflection off Michael Turner to turn it past Simon Mignolet. Gob-smacking couple of minutes at Craven Cottage which ended up rewarding Fulham with the three points and leave the visitors empty handed.

Top news: This is the first time I remember the title race going to the last weekend - the goals being the only gap between the two Manchester sides. It is going to be an unforgettable crunch-and-a-half next weekend, that's for sure! Can't wait! Oh, and one more relegation place and the last automatic Champions League qualification spot are all still to be decided too, so it's crunch-crunch-crunch-crunch time!

Flop game: Everton's goalless draw at the Molineux stadium was a scrappy draw with relegation-bound Wolves avoiding equalling a Premier League record of 10 straight home defeats. It was their first home point since 4th December and they earned it the hard way, holding through and keeping out a stubborn Everton side who controlled most of the match but ended up the more frustrated going home with two points dropped rather than a point gained, with their Merseyside neighbours creeping up on them in eighth place, only one point between the two going into the final weekend of the season.

Flop team: Bolton dropped points again against West Brom after giving away a precious two-goal lead. James Morrison came off the bench to score a last-minute equaliser, earning his side a point and putting a severe dent in Bolton's chances of surviving the relegation battle. The Wanderers now need to win their last match of the season away to Stoke and rely on Manchester City not to slip up against QPR, who are two points ahead of Owen Coyle's side in 17th and nine goals better off in goal difference.

Flop player: John Terry had a night to forget at Anfield. Suspended for the Champions League final, the skipper did not give Roberto Di Matteo much reason to miss him giving away three goals, one nuts through the legs, one slip and one set-piece giveaway. The defender can call himself luck if he will find his name on the England Euro 2012 team sheet!
It is a rare occurence to find Robin van Persie under this category, but the way the Dutch striker went down in the box instead of converting the chance there and then, fool him! No penalty for his antiques and two points dropped for Arsenal in the race for thirs and automatic Champions League qualification!

Flop goal: Bolton's second goal had a stroke of luck in it, the ball smashing from one defender to another, ending up in the back of the net as an own goal thanks to Billy Jones' deflection. Coyle will be wondering where the luck went to for the rest of the game and whether it will finally be on their side when it comes to the relegation crunch at the final weekend of the season or they are destined for the drop and going to join Blackburn and Wolves in the Championship next season.

Flop news: I cannot believe I have to work next weekend, i.e. I am going to miss the whole epic episode with all the crunches, deciders and drama! Argh! Thank god for Sky+! I will be ignoring any social media and news input or output on my way home, to make sure I can catch the highlights and still be part of all the blood, sweat and tears!

My predictions - Actual results

Arsenal 1:2 Norwich City - 3:3
Newcastle 1:1 Man City - 0:2
Aston Villa 1:3 Tottenham - 1:1
Bolton 3:2 West Brom - 2:2
Fulham 0:0 Sunderland - 2:1
QPR  2:0 Stoke City - 1:0
Wolves  0:3 Everton - 0:0
Man United 3:0 Swansea City - 2:0
Blackburn 1:2 Wigan - 0:1
Blackburn are relegated
Liverpool 0:2 Chelsea - 4:1

Week 31: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Week

Top games: Villa Park saw a game full of emotions, drama and controversy. It was a great comeback by Aston Villa with two goals in three minutes! But visitors Chelsea never gave up. (Top player) Fernando Torres put the icing on the cake to make it 4:2 and, after his cup scoring spree, finally get his first Premier League goal since 24th September 2011, 18/now 19 games ago. Interim boss Robert Di Matteo seems to be making the difference.
Tottenham recorded a fine win too at White Hart Lane, good entertainment, top quality, by both sides! The scoreline (3:1) is a bit harsh on the Swans, Spurs and Harry Redknapp will be happy though!

Top teams: Sunderland were on top for most of the game against Manchester City, but did not quite get the result they deserved at the Etihad Stadium.
Wigan got a crucial home win against Stoke. The Latics missed so many chances you may have thought it was just not meant to be. But they just never gave up. Brilliant mentality, top football by both sides.
Same goes for Blackburn, just with the wrong result. Brilliant saves by David De Gea were crucial. Then two goals in last ten minutes won it for United and saw Blackburn's hard work undone. Typical late winners for United, now five points clear at the top.

Top players: Papiss Cisse is on the scoreboard again, no one can stop him this season and he got a double against Liverpool. Team mates Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa starred with the striker and are pushing Newcastle closer and closer to the European spot(s).
Tottenham's Gareth Bale danced through the Swans this weekend! Bale covers so much ground, with so much power! the Welsh midfielder has more than helped Emmanuel Adebayor to his double and his side to their first league win in six consolidating their hold on the fourth Champions League spot and going level on points with their city-rivals Arsenal in third.

Top goals: So many beauties to write about this week: Mario Balotelli completed City's comeback with a fine run and smashing one home from far after scoring from the spot. James Collins' header in off long throw for Aston Villa was sweet.
Wolves opener by Michael Kightly was calm, cool, composed and quality as you like. Matthew Jarvis then produced a strong shot to make it 2-1, and top a strong, encouraging performance by his side. Adel Taarabt created a beautiful curl to make it 1-0 to QPR against the Gunners.
Damien Duff's finish to make it 2-0 to Fulham was cool as you like!
And the cross cross by Tottenham's Luka Modric was a killer ball, ment for Adebayor who had gone clear, but was deflected to Rafael van der Vaart who made no mistake and smashed it in, smashing, top quality 1:0.
Manchester United's Antonio Valencia served an even more mouthwatering smasher, brilliant when crosses don't work just score yourself! Then super sub Ashley Young right footed one in on turn, two fine goals.

Top news: Chelsea are the last British side remaining in the Champions League which sees the quarter-final second legs played out this week with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich being the favourites to battle it out and progress to the semis.

Flop teams/defences: Manchester City looked woeful for most of the match! Wolves' dire run continues. So too West Brom. Although they showed fighting attitude... Amongst each other as well!  After dire and absent performances, the last thing these sides needed is to start a brawl amongst themselves!
Arsenal's and Liverpool's defences were absent, then confused, in bits. The Reds are not the Liverpool I used to know, diving, whining, shouting, headbutting!!! Form table 2012: Top 4: United, City, Newcastle, Sunderland! Bottom 4: QPR, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Wolves!!! Liverpool with just 8 points out of 12 games!!!

Flop players: Balotelli's name is rhetorical under this category with his attitude and tantrums. The Italian temper bomb has to learn the game is about his team, not just him!
Andy Carroll had to score! But chose to go down instead, no contact, nowhere near goalkeeper Tim Krul, shame on him! The former Newcastle striker was booked, and rightly so, ashamed he should be!
So should the referee at Blackburn! Howard Webb overlooked a Steven Nzonzi shirt-pull fowl, Blackburn handball in the box and disallowed a goal wrongly too! Absolute shambles!
And last but definitely not least, Pepe Reina's head butt was very uncharacteristically, just stupid! The reaction of James Perch was OTT though, not good allround, but no excuse for Reina, a man of his experience should know so much better, it was so unlike him! After 183 consecutive games for his club, the Spaniard will miss his side's FA Cup semi final clash against local rivals Everton!

Flop goals: Wolves were denied by Adam Bogdan's top goalkeeping , top defending, the crossbar., crap refereeing.. The Bolton penalty was harsh, there was minimal contact only, drama queen Mark Davies made the most of Roger Johnson's challenge! As mentioned above, the disallowed Blackburn goal was nowhere near offside! It was a cruel, cruel result for Blackburn, who drop back into the relegation zone.

Flop news: Aston Villa's captain Stelian Petrov has been diagnosed with acute leukaemia. This year has just been shocking so far! :-( Like Bolton's Martin Petrov revealed under his shirt when he scored: Stay strong Stan! YNWA!

My predictions - Actual results

Aston Villa 2:0 Chelsea - 2:4

Everton 1:0 West Brom - 2:0

Fulham 0:0 Norwich - 2:1

Man City 4:0 Sunderland - 3:3

QPR 1:2 Arsenal - 2:1

Wigan 1:1 Stoke - 2:0

Wolves 1:2 Bolton - 2:3

Newcastle 3:1 Liverpool - 2:0

Tottenham 2:1 Swansea - 3:1

Blackburn 1:1 Man United - 0:2

Week 26-30: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Month

It has been a while since my last Picks blog and a lot has happened since! So, here are the summary, picks of the best and worst, stats and facts of the last month/5 match weeks of Premier League action:

Top facts:

- 120 goals scored = average of 2.45 goals per game.

- 18 different score lines on the board, top 5 of those were 1:0 (9 times), 1:1 (7 times), 2:1 (5 times), 2:0 (5 times) and 3:0 (4 times).

- There have only been three games without any bookings, QPR 3:2 Liverpool, Fulham 0:3 Swansea and Manchester City 2:0 Bolton.

Top games: These games showed why you should NEVER leave the ground or switch over onto another channel before the final whistle:

- Newcastle 2:2 Wolves: Succeeding Mick McCarthy was not an easy job anyway. Being down 2-0 at half-time heaped the more pressure on Terry Connor which he mastered brilliantly. His first half-time team talk as Wolves manager worked wonders and saw his side come back on the pitch rejuvinated, dominating possession and eventually pulling two goals and a point back from Newcastle. It was a crucial point gained for the visitors in battle to get out of the relegation, but two points dropped for the home side with their eyes on the top four.

- Arsenal 5:2 Tottenham: With just over ten minutes to go in the first half, Tottenham were on top. 2-0 up, dominating possession, they looked to be on course for the first back-to-back league wins at the home of their arch-rivals for 86 years. Everyone, including Arsenal fans and tweeters, were lambasting Arsene Wenger, his tactics, his lack in big signings, senior players, etc. However, it was Harry Redknapp who ended up being the humiliated manager after seeing the Gunners showing great resilience and character with some breathtaking football, thrashing his side 5-2.

- Liverpool 1:2 Arsenal: As so many times this season, Liverpool looked the team on top enjoying most of the possession and chances. It looked just a matter of time, when not if, Liverpool would certainly score and take the lead. In the end, they had missed 16 chances, including a penalty, only getting one on the scoreboard thanks to an own goal by Laurent Koscielny. Robin van Persie was the man for Arsenal, with the equaliser and injruy-time killer-blow to make it 2-1 and three points to the Gunners. This was a prime example, it is goals that count, nothing else.

- Newcastle 1:1 Sunderland: This was a brutal one! It was a bad-tempered derby which saw eight bookings (5:3) and one sending off (Sunderland's Stephane Sessegnon for elbowing Cheick Tiote), two penalties (one for Sunderland, scored by Nicklas Bendtner on 24, and one for Newcastle, missed by Demba Ba on 82, a brilliant save by Simon Mignolet) and late drama (Shola Ameobi's injury time equaliser and Black Cats skipper Lee Cattermole seeing a straight red after the final whistle). Newcastle will be biting the more sour grape dropping a point after missing 36 chances against Sunderland's 13.

- Tottenham 1:3 Manchester United: If there has ever been a scoreline that reflected the game the least, this is one of them! Tottenham were in command for most of the match, eventhough they were missing key players such as Scott Parker (suspended), Rafael van der Vaart (injured) and Gareth Bale (ill). But thanks to a Wayne Rooney header out of nowhere and two outstanding strikes by Ashley Young against the run of play, substitute's Jermaine Defoe's late goal ended up being just a mere consolation. It was a sobering day for Spurs manager Redknapp after emerging as favourite to replace Fabio Capello as England manager.

Top teams:

- Top form: Manchester United (WWWWW =15/15) have overtaken their City rivals and remain at the top of the table, three points ahead of Roberto Mancini's men. Arsenal (WWWWW = 15/15) have also enjoyed a 100% record and have climbed up to third, three points ahead of their arch-rivals Tottenham, shutting up Wenger's critics with this remarkable run and form. Manchester City (WWLWD = 10/15)  are the next best, but after dropping points against Stoke and Swansea, the blue side of Manchester will be disappointed to see their team let the top spot slip, especially ahead of the big Manchester derby end of April.

- Top scorers: Manchester United and Arsenal also share this record (with 13 goals scored each), followed by Manchester City and Newcastle (8 each).

- Top defence: Manchester United and David De Gea have seen the least goals leak through (2 goals conceded), followed by Manchester City/Chelsea/Stoke (3 each) and Arsenal/Swansea/Aston Villa (4 each.)

Top players: Top scorers are van Persie (26 goals scored), Rooney (21), Sergio Aguero (17); there have been hat-tricks for Fulham's Pavel Pogrebnyak against Wolves and Steven Gerrard in the Merseyside derby and not to forget, the old boys Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes impressed too of course whose experience and quality have shown to have lasted past their general sell-by date!

Top goal: Peter Crouch's stunner for Stoke against Manchester City earned his side a point and himself an unforgettable strike and goal.

Top news: Fabrice Muamba is making a great recovery after collapsing in the FA Cup Quarter Final clash against Tottenham at White Hart Lane which was consequently abandoned on the night. It was great to see how the football world got together for Muamba. The horrifying scenes just put everything into perspective and threw the usual rants and tiffs out the window!

It seemed all too familiar after similar happened to my dear friend Jenny Kerwood a month earlier. She wasn't as lucky as Muamba though and died 22 years young. To find out more and contribute, I attach the following link to the Just Giving page set up in memory of Jenny raising money for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) because they raise awareness of cardiac death in the young. Touch wood, fingers crossed and prayers Muamba is better!

Flop facts:

- 130 bookings made = avergage of 2.65 yellow cards per game.

- 10 red cards shown = average of 0.2 sendings off per game or one player sent off every 5 games or two every week.

- 8 yellow cards = the most shown in one game, which has happened twice, both games ending 1:1 between Norwich and Wigan; Newcastle and Sunderland, the latter also seeing one sending off, as mentioned above.

Flop games:

- Wigan 0:0 Aston Villa: This goalless draw was everything else but boring. Both sides enjoyed their fair share of chances (20:13 shots, 6:3 on target), especially the home side. But it just showed why both sides are struggling in the bottom half of the table, Wigan in the relegation zone, second from bottom, and Aston Villa in 15th. Both sides created, but struggled to challenge the goalkeepers. On a good note, this was Wigan's first clean sheet for eight matches - and Villa's for seven games. On a realistic note, they will need to add names onto their scoresheet if they want to survive! Only goals can win you games.

- Sunderland 1:0 Liverpool: This was one of those matches where there was not much happening, not much of note anyways. Both goalkeepers had a day off in this cagey affair, Liverpool creating nothing and Sunderland holding back, not to concede. Sunderland took the lead when Bendtner side-footed in Fraizer Campbell's shot after it rebounded off the post and keeper Pepe Reina's head, nearly as bizarre as the beach ball incident two season ago. With that, the game shut down completely, seeing Liverpool fall to their third consecutive defeat. They have not done this since October 2003 under Gerard Houllier

- West Brom 1:0 Chelsea: This game was dominated by misses. On 82 Gareth McAuley diverted in Liam Ridgewell's miscued shot to secure the points from an open match which ended up costing Andre Villas-Boas his job. 30-19 was the scoreline, in chances, 19-13 on target, the result was 1-0 to West Brom, Chelsea dropping more points making it only three points out of 12 league games for the Blues. Chelsea were outplayed. Daniel Sturridge missed two fine chances but all in all the Baggies dominated and deserved the win. Roman Abramovich could only take so and so much.

- Chelsea 0:0 Tottenham: It has been over 22 years since Spurs last won at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had made great progress since interim boss Robert Di Matteo had taken over from Villas-Boas, reaching the last eight in the Champions League and the semi-finals in the FA Cup. But the high hopes soon deminished in a very disappointing match which lacked effort, chances, competitiveness and any kind of ambition, from either side. Both sides continually gave away the ball and seemed like they just could not get their act together.

- Liverpool 1:2 Wigan: Liverpool's desperate run of league form continued last weekend with Wigan recording their first ever win at Anfield. Shaun Maloney's spot kick gave the visitors the lead before Luis Suarez equalised for the Reds and saw a goal disallowed for hand ball. Gary Caldwell then stunned the Kop with a fine finish to give Wigan the lead back and the win. This defeat made it five losses out of Liverpool's last six Premier League games seeing them fall eight points behind Newcastle in sixth, the Carling Cup win a long distant memory. Wigan meanwhile remain in the relegation zone, level on points with QPR in 18th, one behind Bolton in 17th.

Flop teams:

- Flop form: Since McCarthy's departure, Wolves (DLLLL = 1/15) are still looking for their first win under temporary caretaker Connor, sticking at the bottom of the table, three points behind Wigan. Tottenham (LLLDD = 3/15) have also fallen into a bad, winless patch since their 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle after manager Redknapp's connection with the England job to take over from Capello. Liverpool (LLWLL = 3/15) will feel the Carling Cup victory is long gone with only one win in the last five league games which saw them drop eight points behind Newcastle in sixth. Their only win was a comfortable, encouraging 3-0 Merseyside win, with star skipper Gerrard scoring a hat-trick, so you would have thought that would have given the Reds the kick they need, on top of the cup victory. But Kenny Dalglish's men are still looking for answers to avoid yet another hat-trick of defeats!

- Flop scorers: As mentioned above under flop games, when Aston Villa (2 goals scored) and Wolves (3) met, it was no surprise it ended goalless. They both kept clean sheets which was a first in a while for both of them, but as stats show, both teams have scored the least in the last five games, hence the problem. You cannot win unless you score. And especially Wolves will feel it the hardest, at the stone-cold bottom of the table. Wigan/Bolton/Norwich/Everton/Tottenham (4) are next on the list of lowest goal scorers, the blue side of Merseyside getting the most out of the goal drought with 7/15 points.

- Flop defence: Wolves (16 goals conceded) and Tottenham (10) unsurprisingly top this list having recorded the least points of the lot as noted above. QPR (9) are next on the list and since taking over from Neil Warnock in January, Mark Hughes has only recorded two wins, only making four points in the last five games, which keeps his side in the relegation zone one point behind Bolton in 17th. Hard times for the Welshman which will definitely not get any easier, quite the opposite with eight games remaining.

Flop players: When players see red after scoring, it turns them from hero to zero in anyone's eye, but especially the fans. Norwich's Grant Holt became the third player this season having done exactly that, scoring and then being sent off for a stupid offence, joining Fernando Torres (Chelsea) and Joey Barton (QPR). Djibril Cisse is another QPR culprit, having been sent off for the second time this season after fowling Sunderland's Campbell and seeing his side fall to a 3:1 defeat and into the relegation zone.

Flop goal: QPR's Clint Hill saw his goal disallowed against Bolton eventhough goalkeeper Adam Bogdan's body was clearly inside the goal, seeing the ball over line before making contact with it. This is just another example, one of many, of where technology would and could be crucial and solve the problem, if only it could be used and thereby finally come to effect! This has been going on for so long, I am sick and tired of talking about it and by the time FIFA/UEFA/FA finally introduce it, we will most probably be able to beam the ball over the line anyway, more likely! Pathetic!

Flop news: A student who admitted posting racially offensive comments on Twitter about footballer Fabrice Muamba has been jailed for 56 days. I couldn't believe what I read! Not such a hard guy now, are you? How moronic can you get? He obviously doesn't have a clue and has not learnt what life means - yet. Hope this has opened his eyes!

My predictions - Useless! - Actual results:

Week 26:

Chelsea 1:1 Bolton - 3:0

Newcastle 3:1 Wolves - 2:2

QPR 1:1 Fulham - 0:1

West Brom 1:0 Sunderland - 4:0

Wigan 1:4 Aston Villa - 0:0

Man City 3:0 Blackburn - 3:0

Arsenal 3:3 Tottenham - 5:2

Norwich 0:2 Man United - 1:2

Stoke 2:1 Swansea - 2:0

Liverpool 1:1 Everton - 3:0

Week 27:

Liverpool 1:1 Arsenal - 1:2

Blackburn 0:2 Aston Villa - 1:1

Man City 3:0 Bolton - 2:0

QPR 1:1 Everton - 1:1

Stoke 2:2 Norwich - 1:0

West Brom 1:2 Chelsea - 1:0

Wigan 1:1 Swansea - 0:2

Newcastle 4:1 Sunderland - 1:1

Fulham 2:1 Wolves - 5:0

Tottenham 1:1 Man United - 1:3

Week 28:

Bolton 1:1 QPR - 2:1

Aston Villa 2:2 Fulham - 1:0

Chelsea 3:0 Stoke - 1:0

Sunderland 1:1 Liverpool - 1:0

Wolves 1:1 Blackburn - 0:2

Everton 1:1 Tottenham - 1:0

Man United 2:3 West Brom - 2:0

Swansea 1:1 Man City - 1:0

Nowich 2:0 Wigan - 1:1

Arsenal 3:0 Newcastle - 2:1

Week 29:

Fulham 1:1 Swansea - 0:3

Wigan 1:2 West Brom - 1:1

Wolves 1:2 Man United - 0:5

Newcastle 3:0 Norwich - 1:0

Aston Villa 2:1 Bolton - P:P

Blackburn 2:2 Sunderland - 2:0

Man City 3:0 Chelsea - 2:1

Tottenham 2:0 Stoke - 1:1

Everton 1:2 Arsenal - 0:1

QPR 0:3 Liverpool - 3:2

Week 30:

Chelsea 2:1 Tottenham - 0:0

Arsenal 2:1 Aston Villa - 3:0

Bolton 2:1 Blackburn - 2:1

Liverpool 2:1 Wigan - 1:2

Norwich 2:1 Wolves - 2:1

Sunderland 2:1 QPR - 3:1

Swansea 2:1 Everton - 0:1

Stoke 2:1 Man City - 1:1

West Brom 2:1 Newcastle - 1:3

Man United 2:1 Fulham - 1:0

In case you are wondering about the 2:1 predictions I made in all games last week, that was because I forgot to predict and the auto-predictor put all predictions 2:1. Told ye USELESS! ;-P

Week 25: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League- Picks of the Weekend

Top game and team: If you wondered for one second whether Tottenham could cope with all the stress and attention around their manager, with the court case and England speculation, please join the laughing stock! The team got together and smashed their opponents to pieces 5-0! I feel sorry for Newcastle who could never have predicted what was ahead of them, after most probably favouring their chance, thinking they could catch out Spurs, that they were at a weak or crises point. The London side quickly put that to bed with three goals inside 19 minutes. Unbelievable!

Top player: Wayne Rooney made the difference at Old Trafford and got the ground rocking with two goals inside three minutes at the start of the second half. It was a scruffy, intense encounter with Liverpool matching their rivals and staying in the competition with a shout eventhough the home side dominated most of the game. But the former Evertonian stole the show, the first goal summarising his top class, an unstoppable volley off a Ryan Giggs corner.

Top goal: Thierry Henry's last minute winner for Arsenal was another one of those too-good-to-be-true goals! The Frenchman ended his return just as he started it, like a scripted dream. Jamie Mackie's late two goals, especially the second for QPR, was an unstoppable smacker and unbelievable show by the sub striker. Too little, too late though in their 3-2 defeat at Blackburn.

Top news: Harry Redknapp said a part-time role as England manager would be possible... Really?! That would be too good to be true for England. I don't think the Spurs Director quite agrees with his manager, no surprise there... :-P

Flop game: Manchester City's 1-0 win at Villa Park was not much to write home about. City dominated the game from the first second to the last minute, Joleon Lescott grabbing the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute from close range against his boyhood club. It saw Aston Villa drop down to 15th and the fans showing their frustration towards manager Alex McLeish.

Flop team: Wolves' 5-1 thrash defeat against West Brom was sad, no, annoying to watch. As soon as the first goal fell, the home side crumbled to bits. It looked like no one wanted to shoulder the blame, eventhough they were all contributors to their downfall, no one took the responsibility to grab the side and get a grip. In the end, it saw the side drop into the relegation zone and cost Mick McCarthy his job and after six successful years at the club, it is sad to see him leave. Chelsea's Andre Villas-Boas is the most likely candidate next on the sacked list after his side's dire 2-0 defeat at Everton. Pressure is moutning on the Portuguese - his side dropping out of the top four into fifth, level points with Arsenal in fourth, tehn points behind Tottenham in third.

Flop player: Luis Suarez, what were you thinking?! It was your chance to wipe the slate clean with Patrice Evra, but instead you spat on it and poked it into his face! It caused unnecessary trouble adding to the already intense rivalry and atmosphere in the game and ground. It cast an unnecessary and unwanted shadow over the game, teams and the whole competition and sport. I know apologies have now been officially given by both player and manager Kenny Dalglish and accepted by Manchester United, but there is still something crucial missing: Suarez and Evra shaking hands and drawing a line under it! Sir Alex Ferguson's post-match interview was a bit harsh (the striker should never play for the honorable Merseyside club again) but understandable. I hope the Uruguayan has slowly but surely come to his sences now!


Flop goal: The top sides' defenders seemed to be asleep this weekend. The Chelsea back line let Everton's Steven Pienaar and Denis Stracqualursi to the ball too easily, giving away open chances they both netted with thanks. David Luiz and Jose Bosingwa were especially poor, seeming completely unaware of play and where the ball is on more than one occasion. 
Liverpool's Jay Spearing and United's Rio Ferdinand both saw giveaways they will want to forget, the former losing the ball to Antonio Valencia who eventually found Rooney to net it and the latter pushing the ball ón to Saurez right in front of the goal.
Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen's own goal against Fulham was cruel, he didn't see any of it, Clint Dempsey's shot from 25 yards hitting the cross bar and bouncing off the goalkeepers back and over the line.

Flop news: Aaaaaand Carlos Tevez is back, whining on, blaiming manager Roberto Mancini and painting him as the booman... Zzzzzz...

My predictions-Actual results:

Man United 2:1 Liverpool - 2:1

Blackburn 1:1 QPR - 3:2

Bolton 4:1 Wigan - 1:2

Everton 1:0 Chelsea - 2:0

Fulham 2:0 Stoke - 2:1

Sunderland 1:1 Arsenal - 1:2

Swansea 2:0 Norwich - 2:3

Tottenham 3:1 Newcastle - 5:0

Wolves 1:2 West Brom - 1:5

Aston Villa 0:1 Man City - 0:1