Reasons to be Cheerful?

The signs were considerably ominous for Blackburn Rovers after the initial stages of the season. Deadline day was approaching and it appeared that this term had already become one of damage limitation.

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Premiership Daily Round Up

Andre Villas-Boas admits he has spoken to chief referee Mike Riley regarding the officials performance on Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.

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Trying to avoid the madness of Diouf

As the bustle of transfer deadline day passed in a wave of sporadic, underwhelming business, one piece of news seemed to go unnoticed, sneaking through the backdoor whilst everybody’s interest was hooked to the main transfer attractions. That news was not a signing, but the information that Blackburn had come to an agreement on the mutual termination of El Hadji Diouf’s contract, Steve Kean had lost patience and the striker was free to find another club.

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Transfer window winners and losers

Slam; that’s the sound of the transfer window shutting for another six months leaving Jim White, Dharmesh Sheth, Andy Burton, David Craig and all the rest in need of a good lie down. Perhaps later they’re decide to drop their “sources” who gave out as much misleading information as a broken compass.

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Messi to sign for Dagenham and Redbridge?!

I wonder if journalists make up transfer rumours or whether they do have any basis in reality. There does always seem to be stories in papers that make you think “surely not”. There are also ones that make you think, “Yeah that sounds possible”.

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Rovers to chicken out of the Premier League

What do you get when you take deluded owners and add an inexperienced manager, throw in absurd expectations, then mix in an aging squad with a despairing lack of summer signings, and what do you get? A recipe for relegation.

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Thin squad could draw Everton into relegation battle

After the extremely fortuitous win at Blackburn on Saturday, goalkeeper Tim Howard could not contain his relief in his side picking up their first win of the season after surviving two missed penalties and numerous chances created by the home side which included two denials by the woodwork. The win which the American described as “that bit of luck” was secured by a late Mikel Arteta penalty, awarded harshly by referee Mike Dean, and he went on to say something rather foreboding for what Everton fans can expect this season. "I remember two years ago we were winning games late all the time. It's important for us to keep that going. That's what the Premier League is about, keeping yourself in the game”.

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Whatever happened to…centre forwards playing at centre half

Tactical innovation happens all the time without one even noticing it as it is all about organic growth; refinement and tinkering to come up with the optimum set-up for a team.

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Daily Round Up @ Torres is back? Wenger turns to Asian wonderkid, Kean warns Rovers, plus Given, Hodgson and Dos Santos

The Premiership is back and already hitting the headlines…

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Liverpool must improve

The beginning of a new season of expectation. Champions League qualification? Easy, they said. King Kenny is the man. Top four? Champions, they enthused. And so it came to pass. The reds of Liverpool came out, all guns blazing, quick passing, plenty of movement and attacking intent. Certainly in the first half, Liverpool raised the bar. Unfortunately not the cross bar. If they had the score would have been 3-0 at half time. If's and but’s. Small words with big meanings.

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Premiership Review A - C

Another season came and went and the Arsenal trophy cabinet remained unopened. It has been six years now since they last won a major cup and they can’t afford not to win something of note this year.

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Jelleyman has thrown a wobbly

“Jelleyman has thrown a wobbly” is just one of things I am looking forward to hearing over the next football season. If you do not know what I am going on about then I am not sure that I consider you a true football fan, either that or you don’t have Sky.

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Thursday round up: Valencia confirm no Mata bid, big man heading back to the Premiership, City sign new Maradona, Brazilian start rejected United and Sneijder, Cahill, Samba, Ajax ace.

Arsenal have been caught up in another on-going transfer saga, this time its Juan Mata who could be on his way to North London or not. Giant Brum forward is heading back to the Premiership. Cahill, Samba, Brazilian wonderkid and Dutch ace are all staying put and Aguero has a bigger ego than his father-in-law.

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Ambition Needed as Arsenal Face Losing Stars

The winds of change are certainly blowing through the Emirates Stadium this summer as Arsenal face perhaps the most pivotal off-season since Arsene Wenger took over in 1996.

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Tough To Progress For Plucky Toffees

So a 7^th –place-finish and finishing on the cusp of European qualification was how Everton reflected on last season.

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