Have Torres and Ba done enough to lead Chelsea’s brave new world?

The transfer fees of Chelsea’s two leading strikers have had endless column inches written about them. The £50m paid for Fernando Torres has long been seen as one of the great swindles in living memory, while the reported £7m for Demba Ba is a deal relatively in-keeping with the austerity of the real world. Will either be at Stamford Bridge a year from now?

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Stephen Carr - The Forgotten Man

It has been a season which ended with several high profile retirements. Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, United player Paul Scholes, Liverpool stalwart Jamie

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The best of Hatem Ben Arfa (video)

Hatem Ben Arfa is one of many Newcastle United players who endured a season wrecked by issues with fitness and form. The mercurial Frenchman wowed Toon fans after an injury-affected start, but was unable to keep his momentum going into the 2012/13 season. As Newcastle try to redeem themselves from a shocker of a season, they will look to Ben Arfa for much of their creative spark – assuming of course they can hold on to him. Let’s have a look at why he is held in such high regard.

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A detailed look at what would have happened to Spurs if Gareth Bale had left last summer

One debate that has reached almost clichéd proportions in recent months is the characterisation of Tottenham as a one-man team – that one man, of course, being Gareth Bale. Spurs tasted the ultimate disappointment on the last day of the season, being beaten to fourth place by Arsenal, but it was only Bale’s last minute winner against Sunderland that left Arsenal needing those three points at Newcastle. So how much lower than fifth would they have finished without Gareth Bale’s 26 goals?

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Can number twos become successful number ones?

As we prepare to enter the whirlwind of speculation that is a tournament-less odd-number summer, the rumour mill is turning fast. No area is more saturated at present than the subject of managerial changes. One move that is often the subject of debate is promotion from within. Nigel Adkins’ journey from physio to boss at Scunthorpe is the most referred to example of recent times, but are there any other success stories, or is Terry Connor’s nightmare stint at Wolves the norm?

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Borussia Dortmund could make surprise move for Premier League striker

If you believe reports from the Mirror, and not many of you do, Newcastle forward Papiss Cisse is on the radar of Borussia Dortmund as a potential replacement of Robert Lewandowski who looks set to leave the club in the summer.

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Where would the Premier League have been without Fergie's Manchester United?

It’s fair to say that life after Sir Alex Ferguson will be the main storyline of next season’s Premier League soap opera. Many look to him as the glue that has held Man United’s two-decade dominance together. In that spirit, in true MOTD2-style, let’s take a look at what the Premier League’s top positions would have looked like without the Hair Dryer.

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Wigan win leaves the Premier League strugglers sweating

It could have been as good as done and dusted in regards to Premier League relegation, yet Wigan's win at West Brom on Saturday has left several clubs more than a little bit concerned about their Premiership status a status that for many had seemed all but assured only a few weeks ago.

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A look at the men behind the masks at Chelsea (video)

Protective masks and other gear are in fashion on the football pitch. Particularly among those playing for Chelsea it seems. Here’s a look at some famous masked men at Stamford Bridge.

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Really hairy strikers - A look through those goal-getters with long locks (video)

 Often when faced with the sight of a ponytailed striker, or luscious flowing locks, I wonder, how on earth do they head the ball so precisely, and surely the manager would prefer a slightly more streamlined style? Here's a selection of surfer cuts from over the years.

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Fictional wonderkids or the real deal - strikers

It’s goal time. The long and winding (hopefully interesting) series of Football Manager 2013 wonderkids is lining itself up from six yards with only the keeper to beat. Here’s some strikers ready to milk the celebrations.

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Newcastle manager will be sacked if club get relegated to the Championship

In a remarkable turnaround at St James' Park, Alan Pardew is on the verge of being booted from the club as they continue their struggle to retain their Premier League status.

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Ben Arfa in Tottenham talks after he angers local Newcastle fans (video)

It is being reported today that Andre Villas-Boas is already in talks to secure a deal for Newcastle United star Hatem Ben Arfa.

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How to ward off Count Suarez

^{Luis Suarez, having revealed himself to be the most famous vampire since Dracula himself, will next be striking at Newcastle's home, St James' Park. This being an occasion with many thousands of people attending, will be the perfect chance for this particular day-vampire to continue his old-fashioned brand of retribution on society.}

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Taylor Latest of the Luckless.

Ryan Taylor’s hopes of a return this season, and probably the next one, took a killer blow this week when he suffered a recurrence of his cruciate knee ligament injury. The Newcastle full-back joins the unfortunate list of injury-prone Premier League stars, of which there have been many.

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