Is the Premier League really the best league in the world?

The Premier League is a carefully tuned beast. It is not only a fine example of football (and I do genuinely believe that), but it is also a mass-money producing behemoth that attracts billions of viewers around the four corners of the world. Especially since ‘the day when football began’ back ...

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Wolves v West Brom: Can the Baggies send Wolves into the bottom three?

West Brom missed out on a golden opportunity to relegate their fierce rivals Wolves when they clashed in May. With the Baggies five points clear of the drop zone and Wolves balancing just above the bottom three, can Roy Hodgson end their relegation fears and put Mick McCarthys future at Molineux ev...

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Aston Villa v Manchester City: Will McLeish aid Fergie's title hopes by beating City?

Manchester City start the day in second place but Roberto Mancinis men can reclaim top spot as long as they avoid defeat at Villa Park. That shouldnt prove to be too difficult. Alex McLeishs men havent won at home since Bonfire Night, but can the Villains create fireworks in the title race while ...

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Fulham v Stoke City: Can the Potters end their winless streak at the Cottage?

Both Fulham and Stoke City lost last weekend and Martin Jol and Tony Pulis will be keen to get back to winning ways. But who will leave the Cottage this afternoon with the three points tucked in their back pocket? Stoke were the happier of the two sides back in October when late strikes from John ...

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Spurs v Newcastle United: Can Redknapp forget England and beat the Toon?

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has endured a pretty hectic week. Hes been cleared of tax evasion and been installed as the overwhelming favourite to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager. But can the former West Ham and Portsmouth boss cap the week off with three points against Alan Pardews Cha...

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England: How long would it take for Redknapp to become a national villain?

The opprobrium levelled Fabio Capello’s way was simply embarrassing. It was an insult to any football fan worth his salt. It was insult to a man who is renowned globally for his managerial skills and it was an insult to a four-year term served and executed far from perfectly, but at least acceptabl...

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Swansea City v Norwich City: Can the Canaries rewrite history at the Liberty?

Did you know that Norwich have only beaten Swansea in Wales once since the end of the Second World War? Given Brendan Rodgers season so far in the Premier League I cant see that stat changing any time soon. Swansea City have adapted to life in the top flight with ease and their impressive home f...

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Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic: Can Bolton leave Wigan rooted at the bottom?

With three wins in their last 10 league outings Bolton Wanderers are the form side in the race to avoid the drop. Owen Coyles men have beaten Blackburn, Everton and Liverpool, but can they add Wigans name to the list this weekend at the Reebok? Boltons home form this season has been a major disap...

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Everton v Chelsea: Can Everton hit Chelsea's top four hopes?

Everton put the skids on Manchester Citys title dreams last month with a 1-0 win at Goodison. Could they do the same to Chelseas aspirations to finish in the top four this Saturday? Previous meetings between these two sides have been tense and close fought affairs. Chelsea go into the game with th...

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Manchester United v Liverpool: Can Fergie gain revenge for their FA Cup exit?

Liverpool knocked their old foes Manchester United out of the FA Cup a fortnight ago. This weekend Kenny Dalglish will be hoping to put a serious dent in Uniteds title dreams, but the Red Devils will be hoping for revenge in the weekends lunchtime kick off, but who will emerge victorious? After a...

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Blackburn Rovers v QPR: Can Hughes deliver a hammer blow to Rovers' survival hopes?

Mark Hughes returns to Ewood Park as QPR manager this weekend, desperate to record his first away win with the Hoops. Despite a decent start at Loftus Road, the former Blackburn chief knows defeat here would be a disaster as struggling Blackburn would go level on points with the Rs. But can they ...

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Sunderland v Arsenal: Can the Gunners tame the Black Cats?

Arsenal enjoyed a confidence boosting 7-1 win over Blackburn at home last weekend but this Saturday will be an altogether different test for Arsene Wengers Gunners as they take on the Premier Leagues in-form side Sunderland. The Black Cats have lost just twice since Martin ONeill arrived on Wearsi...

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Shearer, Henry, Fowler, Cantona, Phillips or Le Tissier: Who are the two greatest strikers in Premier League history?

The success of the Premier League has been built on goals, and boy have we seen some ace marksman over the past 20 years. From Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to Newcastles local boy done good Alan Shearer, the top flight in England has seen the back of the net bulge on a regular basis. But who are the...

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England: Who will replace Capello as England boss?

Fabio Capello rocked the football world by walking out on England last night. The fiery Italian was always on a crash course with the FA following their decision to axe John Terry without his permission, but nobody thought the former Milan and Real Madrid boss would quit his £6 million a year job, e...

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Predict the Premier League: Portsmouth bring the title race to life

Portsmouth may be in the middle of another financial crisis but that hasnt stopped our Pompey Expert from Australia, Peter Rendle, closing the gap on Blackpools Phil Trow at the top. Mr Rendles points haul over the past two weeks has seen him move up to second place, one point ahead of Birminghams ...

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Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle or Sunderland: Who will win the battle for fourth?

The Champions League is the competition that clubs want to take part in for many reasons. The drama, the prestige, the money one receives for being involved in it. It’s such a sought-after competition and this term the race for the Champions League is even more complex than previous ones, with cer...

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Predict the Premier League: Norwich are up to second but Stoke are still the team to beat

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis felt his side had been conned out of a result at the snowy Britannia on Saturday following Robert Huths controversial red card, but there were no such problems for Potters fan Phil Eccleston when it came to the Predict the Premier League. Our long-time leader extended his...

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Predict the Premier League: Norwich on top as Villa, Everton and Liverpool climb the table

Norwich City bounced back from their defeat at Sunderland with a 2-0 home win over struggling Bolton on Saturday and it was a double celebration in Sue Reads home as the Canaries fan was the top pundit in the Predict the Premier League table. Sue picked up 19 points from matchdays 22 and 23, sendin...

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Squarefootball's Team of the Week and Weekend Wonders - Week 24

Manchester City kept their title hopes on track with a cool win over Fulham, while Arsenal cruised to three points against a battered and bruised Blackburn, but it was Manchester United’s heroic comeback at Chelsea which was the stand out game of the weekend. Yes it was another action-packed weeken...

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Outside the Box – Football on TV: Serious lessons to learn from Fashanu’s footballing family

I’m fairly certain we can all agree that football has its fair share of problems. If it is not the shady transfer dealings of murky agent types skulking around the bins at Tottenham’s training ground, it is the ignorant grunts of ill-informed morons as they boo a man purely for being the brother of ...

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Sunderland: Could the Black Cats make a late bid for a Champions League place?

Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Stoke City in the snow on Saturday afternoon was the club’s seventh in their last 10 outings and Martin O’Neill’s sixth since he took charge of the Black Cats eight games ago. They have picked up more points than any side in the Premier League over the past eight games and...

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The England captaincy saga: Did the FA make the right decision? Who will take the armband?

The breaking news last Friday was that John Terry will not be England captain at Euro 2012. After allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, with the case earmarked for July, the FA made the contentious decision to strip the armband from the defender. Evidently, there are several important poin...

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Liverpool v Spurs: Can Spurs dent Liverpool's Champions League hopes?

Spurs tore Liverpool apart in September at White Hart Lane and Harry Redknapps men will fancy their chances of completing back-to-back doubles over the Merseyside giants tonight. Liverpools form at Anfield this season has been disappointing. Although they havent lost in front of the Kop, they ha...

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Chelsea v Manchester United: Will Torres avenge his open goal hell against United?

Chelsea and Manchester United played out one of the most entertaining games of the season at Old Trafford in September. The match will probably be most remembered for Fernando Torres amazing miss from six yards out, but lets not forget that we had four goals and a total of 30 attempts at goal. If...

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Newcastle United v Aston Villa: Can Villa avoid another Newcastle nightmare?

Aston Villa have not had a lot of success at Newcastle in recent seasons. Its been three years since they last scored a goal at St James Park and almost seven years since their last win there. Last time out they left the north east on the back of a 6-0 thrashing. With the Mags chasing down a Cham...

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Manchester City v Fulham: Will City recapture their title winning form against Fulham?

Manchester City allowed Manchester United to draw level with them at the top of the Premier League in midweek as they lost at Everton, but surely they will get back to winning ways this evening at home to Fulham, wont they? Roberto Mancini hasnt seen his side drop a single point at home this seaso...

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Manchester United: Isn't Patience Needed With Chicharito?

Last season the man from Mexico built a partnership with Rooney which displaced the on-fire and part-time vampire Berbatov from the side. His timed runs were as smooth as Jeff Buckley’s vocal range and his finishing was as deadly as a night out with Vinnie Jones. The worth of the ‘Little Pea’ b...

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A Scott to be England captain . . . Why Parker is the right man for Fabio

So its official, John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy AGAIN! After previously having the armband removed as a result of his alleged affair with Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend, his latest dethroning comes as a result of the on-going race scandal involving Anton Ferdinand. Stripping T...

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Wigan Athletic v Everton: Can Everton build on their City victory at the DW?

Everton stunned the leaders Manchester City on Tuesday night by beating Roberto Mancinis men at Goodison. The Italian even came out after the match and said he took the Toffees lightly. That my friend is never a good idea. They may not have a lot of money but what they do have is a lot of heart,...

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Norwich City v Bolton Wanderers: Can Coyle continue his climb away from danger?

Norwich were chewed up and spat out by Sunderland on Wednesday night and manager Paul Lambert will be looking for a positive response from his men this weekend. Bolton Wanderers, fresh from their point against Arsenal, visit Carrow Road desperate to continue their climb away from the bottom three...

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West Brom v Swansea City: Can the Albion get revenge on the Swans?

West Brom have been poor at The Hawthorns this season while Swansea have only recorded one win on their travels. On paper you could be mistaken for thinking that this game could be a turkey. In reality this could be one of the best football clashes this weekend. Both Roy Hodgson and Brendan Rodg...

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Manchester City's Core Stars Can Get Them Through Their Bad Patch

Winning Premier League titles is rarely a smooth progression. Arsenals ultra-dominant 2003/04 campaign and Manchester Uniteds stroll in 1999/2000 are the exceptions rather than the norm - a year before 2000, when United finished 18 points clear, they squeaked home by a point. All the talk is about ...

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Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers: Can the Gunners avenge their Ewood Park defeat?

Arsenal failed to beat Bolton in midweek and their Champions League hopes for next season are looking slimmer by the week. This weekend they host a Blackburn side that has slipped back into the bottom three and has only tasted success once on the road all season - however that was at Old Trafford. ...

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Stoke City v Sunderland: Will O'Neill's Black Cats cast their spell on the Potters?

Two months ago Sunderland faced a battle to stay in the Premier League. Today they are sitting in eighth place, ahead of Stoke on goal difference, and looking a good bet to clinch a place in Europe next season. No wonder they call Martin ONeill a miracle worker! But can the Black Cats continue th...

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QPR v Wolves: Can McCarthy boost his survival hopes with a win at Loftus Road?

The appointment of Mark Hughes as manager at QPR has had the desired effect on the team, performances and fans. The former Wales boss has given the club a lift, brought new faces in and ideas to Loftus Road and has eased their relegation fears. Wolves fans must be looking on and thinking if only....

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Gerrard, Scholes, Lampard or Cahill: Who has been the Premier League's greatest attacking midfielder?

The Premier League has been blessed with so many great attacking midfielders since its inception in 1992, but who has been the greatest? Steve Coulter has narrowed down his options to four; Liverpools Steven Gerrard, Manchester Uniteds Paul Scholes, Chelseas Frank Lampard and Evertons Tim Cahill, bu...

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Fulham v West Brom: Can the Baggies bash the Cottagers?

West Brom were knocked out of the FA Cup at the weekend by Norwich City at the Hawthorns, but having won five games on their travels in the Premier League this season Roy Hodgsons men will be glad to get back on the road. However, did you know that Albions last win at Craven Cottage came in October...

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Aston Villa v QPR: Can Villa erase their Emirates heartache?

At half-time at the Emirates on Sunday, Aston Villa fans were dreaming of FA Cup glory. Fourty-five minutes later though they were left thinking what might have been as they capitulated against the Arsenal. Tonight the Villians face QPR and Mark Hughes, who could have been Villa manager in the su...

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Sunderland v Norwich City: Will the Black Cats chew up the Canaries?

Sunderland have been transformed since the arrival of Martin ONeill. Only Chelsea and Spurs have got the better of the Black Cats in recent months. But will Paul Lamberts Norwich City join that illustrious list tonight? Norwich enter the game on a high after coming back from a goal down to knock...

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Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United: Can the Mags bounce back from their FA Cup exit?

Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United are probably sick of the sight of each other. The two sides have played each another three times already this season but the fans have lapped up the action with 14 goals in those three games alone. Seven of them came in an exhilarating game in the League Cup at...

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Bolton v Arsenal: Can Bolton end Arsenal's Champions League hopes?

Arsenal used their get out of jail card against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Sunday, but how will they get on tonight against a resurgent Bolton side? The Wanderers are on a high after disposing of Liverpool 3-1 in the league and Swansea in the FA Cup. They have moved outside of the bottom three a...

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Manchester City: Who cares about Carlos Tevez?

I know this is ironic as I’m giving attention to a man I deem irrelevant, yet after reading another report on the man, that apparently he was being involved in a swap deal with Andy Carroll … well, does anyone really care about Carlos Tevez anymore? I mean, isn’t it just so boring? The whole sor...

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Outside the Box – Football on TV: A prosperous week for Liverpool in the cups but off the field is a different story

The days leading up to the weekend’s FA Cup Fourth Round ties were not particularly pleasant for many football fans, a week in which the unseemly and murky face of football was glaringly apparent. Many column inches were devoted to the tax-evasion trial of Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, as well as th...

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Manchester United v Stoke City: Can the Potters conjure up an Old Trafford victory?

The last time Stoke City won at Old Trafford, Apple Computers had just been formed, Brotherhood of Man had just won Eurovision with Save All Your Kisses For Me and the legendary punk group the Ramones were about to release their self-titled debut album. For those of you too young to remember, these...

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Swansea City v Chelsea: Will the Blues be added to Swansea's list of scalps?

The Liberty Stadium has been a fortress for Swansea this season - only Manchester United have left Wales with maximum points - but can Chelsea follow in the champions footsteps or will the Blues suffer the same fate as Arsenal? Brendan Rodgers has won much acclaim for his sides football philosop...

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Wolves v Liverpool: Dalglish eyes league win at Molineux

Liverpool have disposed of both Manchester City and Manchester United in cup competitions over the past seven days, but can they get back to winning ways in the league tonight against Wolves at Molineux? Kenny Dalglish was livid with his sides display against Bolton recently and publicly lambast...

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Everton v Manchester City: Can Moyes's paupers overpower Mancini's millionaires?

In the past seven weeks Manchester City have lost their unbeaten league record, exited the Champions League and been knocked out of both cup competitions. Fortunately for Roberto Mancini, they remain at the top of the Premier League table, but tonight struggling Everton will be doing their best to ...

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Spurs v Wigan Athletic: Will Wigan shock Spurs?

Wigan suffered their heaviest defeat in the Premier League at White Hart Lane when they went down 9-1 in November 2009. However, Martinez’s men returned the following season to stun the hosts when Hugo Rodallega scored the only goal of the game. Tonight Spurs are looking to remain within touching d...

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Manchester United: Is An Ultimatum Needed For Ferguson's Goalkeeping Crossroads?

When Manchester United drew Liverpool in the FA Cup, a tense and belligerent atmosphere was expected. It was, after all, the first time the teams had met since the racist spat between Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez. It promised to be a game of intensity, of drama, of interesting and heavy consequ...

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Liverpool: Can the Reds complete a Manchester Double against United?

Kenny Dalglish’s men booked their place in the final of the Carling Cup in midweek with an aggregate win over Premier League leaders Manchester City, but on Saturday they host the Premier League champions and fierce rivals Manchester United in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Can Liverpool do the d...

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