Premier League Match Time: Aston Villa Vs Birmingham

Birmingham City will visit Villa Park for a lunch-time derby against Aston Villa, on Sunday, in match week 10 of the Premier League.

Aston Villa have dominated matches in the middle of these sides, recently, and have won six in a row. Birmingham will seek to end that streak in Sunday's derby against the Villans. And the Blues will look to Liam Ridgewell to contribute the spark against his previous club. Birmingham will also look to their big striker Hikola Zigic to stand up to be counted. Zigic, alongwith Ridewell, was one of the goal scorers in the 2-0 win over Blackpool last week.

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Villa are advent off a 1-0 loss suffered against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last week, and they will seek atonement against the Blues. Houllier will be keen to stamp his personality on the fortunes of the squad that is still emerging from Martin O'Neill's shadow.

Premier League Match Time: Aston Villa Vs Birmingham

Last season Birmngham concluded ninth on the league table, and they haven't yet lived up to that promise, this season. This could be because of tactiacl errors by team manger McLeish. Equally, the Blues haven't been helped by the fact that summer signings like Hleb and Zigic are yet to gel with the team.

Birmingham are pre-dominantly defensive and Villa will have their task cut out in trying to break down City's back-line, where Scott Dann and Roger Johnson have shone in tandem; goalkeeper look after has also played his part..

That said, full-backs Stephen Carr and Liam Ridgewell will need to stay busy to stave off flank attacks by Villa's Ashley Young and Stewart Downing.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the Blues' goal will come from old warhorse Heskey, who has already netted four times for Houllier's squad this season.

Ahead of Sunday's game, three Villa players are on the injury list. They are Agbonlahor, L Young and Delph. City have their own injury worries with McFadden and Beausejour sidelined. Those apart, Gardner is serving a one-match suspension after receiving a second yellow card in the last match.

Aston Villa fielded the following eleven players in their game against Sunderland in match week nine: Friedel, Beye, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Downing, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Young, Ireland, Heskey.

The substitutes were: Albrighton, Clark, Guzan, Bannan, Sidwell, Carew, Cuellar.

The following players were in the beginning eleven for Birmingham in their game with Blackpool: Foster, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Hleb, Fahey, O'Connor, Zigic.

The substitutes were: Derbyshire, Murphy, Michel, Taylor, Phillips, Bowyer, Jiranek.

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Premier League Match Time: Wigan Vs West Brom

It's Premier League match time with West Bromwich Albion due to visit the Dw Stadium Upton Park on Saturday afternoon to take on Wigan Athletic.

The Latics are stuck in relegation zone having won just one of their last nine matches in this Premiership campaign. But they are arrival off a morale-boosting 1-1 draw against Liverpool in game week twelve.

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Wigan have had problems up front with a dearth of goal scorers this season. In their twelve matches, thus far, the Latics have just nine goals to show. They last won against Wolves on October 2, and would be desperate to get the elusive win playing before their home fans on Saturday.

Premier League Match Time: Wigan Vs West Brom

Rodalegga with four goals and N'Zogbia with three have been the Latics' top goal scorers this season, while Odemwingie with four strikes heads the goal tally for the Baggies.

West Brom in eleventh place in the points table have also not done well in modern matches; their last win came six matches ago against Fulham. In a tight mid-table a particular loss can mean a plummet down the table.

The Baggies will welcome the return to the side by Odemwingie who played against West Ham after a hiatus of a month. The Nigerian forward lends psychological power to the squad apart from his undoubted playing skills.

Despite their poor run in away games, West Brom beat Arsenal at the Emirates, their only win in 22 matches on the road. That said, the Baggies have concerns about their back line, having conceded in each of their last ten games.

Wigan's Boyce with a hamstring problem, McCarthy with an ankle injury, and Politt with an injured elbow are sidelined ahead of the match.

West Brom have a larger number of indisposed players. Both Miller with an abdominal strain, and Olsson with an Achilles problem are sidelined. Jara is a serving a one-match suspension, while there's a cloud over the participation of Bednar who is ill, Shorey who has an ankle problem, and Dorrans who has a foot ailment. But Bednar, Shorey and Dorrans could still play after a late check on their match fitness. Mulumbu is also returning from suspension.

Wigan had the following players in their beginning eleven against Liverpool on Wednesday: Al Habsi, Stam, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Thomas, Diame, Cleverley, Gomez, N'Zogbia and Rodalegga; Moses and Di Santo came in as substitutes.

West Brom's beginning eleven in the game against West Ham comprised: Carson, Cech, Pablo, Tamas, Reid, Scharner, Brunt, Thomas, Dorrans, Morrison and Odemwingie;  Barnes, Cox and Fortune were used as substitutes.

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Chelsea Soccer

Chelsea soccer has been a great part of countless football fans in Europe. This is mainly because of the Chelsea Football Club which has been a key team in the European Tournaments. This football team is based on West London and was established more than a hundred years ago. It has had its years of success and remains a top contender in the Premier League. It has achieved four Fa Cups, Three league titles, two Uefa Cup Winner's Cups and four League Cups. At Chelsea, a lot of players have come and gone but the spirit of the respected team remains.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea football club in June 2003 from Ken Bates. The reported amount of the buy was 140 million pounds which was at the time the most high-priced sale in English soccer history. The club's coach at that time, Italian Claudion Raniers, who took Chelsea to the 2002 Fa Cup final and Champions League qualification was initially retained but was later sacked for being unable to get titles for the team. Successful coach Jose Mourinho from Portugal then took over as Chelsea's new guide.

Premier League

The home field of this preeminent soccer club is the Stamford Bridge Football stadium which is located in Fulham in West London. The players of Chelsea wear royal blues shirts with white socks. The club's primary sticker is a lion that holds a staff but was modified in 2005.

Chelsea Soccer

Loyal fans just can't get sufficient of Chelsea soccer. The club's game is characterized by endless and strong will to win. By the way they play, the team has a great opportunity to even enhance despite its already rich and colorful history.

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What Are the Qualities of a Football Team Winger?

A winger is a player that operates from the wings during a football match. There are two classes of wingers which include left winger and right winger.

A football team cannot do without wingers because if the defence is so tight for the strikers to penetrate the wingers can turn things around by either getting the goals or supplying the crosses from the flanks that could result in goals.

The only thing about the crosses from the wingers is that the crosses should be so accurate that the opponents will not make mess of them by being stronger in the air than the team. That is to say that crosses can only help a team to win a match if the team players are good in aerial battle and they can head the ball on target.

A team that has tall players is often at an advantage when it comes to crosses from the wingers. This is why it is good for a team to have tall strikers that can use their head very well. Also, it is good for an opposing team to have tall defenders that can use their head very well.

One unique quality of a good winger is speed. A winger that has speed can send an opposing team to the cleaners with his or her mesmerizing runs with the ball.

Christiano Ronaldo of Portuguese national team and Manchester United of England is one player that I cherish so much as a winger. He runs like a cheetah up and down the flanks.

A winger could be short or tall but he or she cannot afford to lack speed. So, the greatest quality, among other qualities, of a winger is speed. A winger should also be able to cross the ball very well.

The Unseen Threat From Europe - the Premier League's Dominance of European Football is in Danger

So, Manchester United look like they are going to win the Premier League title again. And with Chelsea dying a slow death in West London and Arsenal constantly shooting themselves in the foot, while Liverpool argue with their own manager, can anyone challenge them?

The Reds one-sided success (this year would make it 11 wins out of 17) in the English Premier League puts the league in danger of turning itself into an Eastern European backwater-type league where a single team is dominant for decades, as the rest of the country scratches around for scraps. The red herring this season is Aston Villa, who have broken into the top four, but is that because they have improved to meet the top four, or is it that the three below Man Utd are drifting down to meet them?

The fact that the top tier in the English league has an obvious second league of teams nowhere near good enough to challenge for anything other than mid-table obscurity, underline the crossroads English football appears to be at.

Of course, there's the money. Last week it was announced that Sky accidentally blew Setanta out of the water and took five out of six Premier League TV packages by upping their bid to £1.4bn over three years. All good for clubs who can continue to throw money at players in a bid for the Holy Grail of football, a place in the top four .
But that money is only the base on which the big clubs are building their brands - and Man Utd's success is such that they are in danger of getting too big for British football. A survey last year suggested that United had 333m fans worldwide compared with 75m in 2003. Clearly, success is paying off globally - one only has to look at the growing percentage of southeast Asian fans popping up at Old Trafford for visual evidence.
 
Man Utd's dominance would not threaten "Brand Premier League" on its own: what the English leagues should be really worried about is that the rest of Europe appears to be getting its act together. As TV pays the bills, and global branding pays for the pretty dresses, any danger to Brand Premier on the world stage will be disastrous, particularly as the world lurches into a financial crisis.

The four big leagues (France, Italy, Spain and Germany) are in the midst of becoming more exciting by the week, with competition at the top and engaging action at the bottom, with a little quality, too. There finances appear to be improving rapidly, too. France's Ligue 1 has seven teams vying for the title this year: perhaps because the team that has dominated for a decade, Lyon, has not had the global branding Man Utd has had. And the French leagues hit the jackpot in 2005 when a bidding war put the price of TV packages at £1.6bn - almost on a par with the Premier League.

Last year, the German Bundesliga took over the English Premiership's mantle as the league making the most money out of shirt sponsorship: a small part of a club's overall revenue but significant in that it suggests how bankable the league is in terms of marketability.
A year ago a rather doom-laden Spanish La Liga was looking at multiple bankruptcies as economists warned that clubs had radically overspent to keep up with Real Madrid and Barcelona. But the fact that Spain has two clubs bigger than Man Utd means that it will always be more competitive on a global market. It also has the advantage that there are more football-mad nations that speak Spanish than English-speaking nations.
 
The fate of Italian clubs, meanwhile, should serve as a warning for the money-bloated Premier League. For years they fed on bloated cheques from rich owners - often local companies done good or senior politicians or Italian oligarchs. Now it doesn't look so good. Juventus has been dropped a league and since returned, while many other clubs suffered from wage bills hitting 85% of income. Now, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Clubs like Napoli, which suffered from the previous wage profligacy (Maradona and Paul Gascoigne the highest profile luxuries), are back in the black and highflying in Serie A.  Oh, and Italy still has four of the top 20 richest clubs in Europe.

Perhaps more importantly is the strong support in Italy for a salary cap which, if implemented, will drive Italian clubs back up to the top in Europe.
 
If the Premier League continues on its current path, three things could happen:

1) Of course, everything could work out fine, with the money levelling off as Brand Premier begins to help every club in the league. Competition becomes more intense, the world is hooked,

2) Man Utd continue to dominate and the fans slowly but surely switch off. United decides it doesn't want to share the TV money so, as the only show in town, decides to break away from the TV package and sell itself. With little or no competition at home European action becomes more important. The spectre of a European super league raises its ugly head again.

3) Brand Premier goes the way of Italy: money breeds corruption, breeds alienation and eventually the English falls into a bitter sea of fear, court cases and recriminations. Millions worldwide switch back to a revitalized Serie A and La Liga and the old world order is duly re-established.
 
Sepp Blatter allows himself a quiet, triumphant smile.

Premier League 2010-2011 - Two Weeks Til Kick Off!

The new Premier League season kicks off in just two weeks time. Oh yesss! Doesn't it seem ridiculous that just a couple of weeks ago we were bathing in World Cup footie, and in two more weeks the English Premiership kicks off yet again?

Not that I'm complaining. It just seems to have been a very short summer, with copious amounts of football to keep us occupied and our minds off boring transfer sagas that usually end up meaning a leading Premiership player being courted by a leading European side (this summer it has of course been Cesc Fabregas being hunted by Barcelona). Transfer rumours that seem to have a lot of life left in them, despite what some might say.

So what will the upcoming Premiership season have in store for us? We'll be posting a preview in the next few days, but the main ingredient I see coming into play is the force of the teams just outside the standard Top Four of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Manchester City look set to be the team to upset the odds this season, as they've gone out and splashed some serious cash over the summer. Without a doubt, their squad on paper now looks like a very strong Premier League Top Four side. It just depends whether or not they have the ability to transfer that potential into reality. A strong start to the season and they could be in with a very serious shout.

Another side that looks like it has the power to compete is Spurs. Led by Harry "I shoulduv been Ingerlund boss" Rednapp, they had a great season last year and are now poised to strike it big in Europe (although have to get through a potentially tricky qualifying match to make it through to the group stages). They've always been the "nearly" side of London, so perhaps the tide is finally turning.

Elsewhere, Everton don't seem to have the financial clout to compete, though will always perform and fight as a team. I would love to see Newcastle do something big, but they really need a stable season to reinstate themselves back in the Premiership. And Aston Villa have perhaps one of the finest British managers around today in Martin O'Neill, but do they have enough to scare the big boys? I fear not.

Anyway, watch out for our review of the upcoming Premiership season, coming soon. We'll also be blogging our way through the season, with attention on each of the major leagues, plus of course the Champions League. We'll also be following the Hunchers Consensus, just to keep a track of how well the Hunchers community is performing. Don't forget to make your weekly football predictions!

Fernando Torres "El Nino" - The Perfect Striker?

Fernando Torres has become one of the most respected of the foreign players earning their living in the English Premier League. Ever since his transfer from Atletico de Madrid in the summer of 2007, El Nino, as he was dubbed early on his career, has impressed English football fans not only with his goalscoring abilities, but by his total attitude towards life in his adopted Liverpool.

It couldn't have been easy for Torres when he joined the Merseyside giants. He was, after all, the undoubted 'king' of Atlético; he'd been their youngest ever first team player, youngest ever captain and the talisman of both the team and its supporters almost since his debut in May, 2001. With a following of pop star like proportions, and playing for the team he loved, it was little surprise that he resisted a money-making move abroad for as long as he did.

The time was right, though, in July, 2007, for Fernando to move on. Atlético were in desperate need of money and Torres was beginning to look tired after carrying the burdens of responsibility for so long. July 4th, however, was a highly emotional day when he said his tearful goodbyes to the club he'd loved as a child and for whom he'd scored 91 goals.

It wasn't straightforward, either, joining a club like Liverpool. With a history of great strikers, and a desperation to re-establish themselves as credible championship contenders, Torres would have known that a 'settling in ' period would have been out of the question. He had to hit the ground running - and flat out, at that.

To his great credit, that was just what happened. Torres took to the pace of the Premier League game straight away - claiming that it suited his style of play much more than that of La Liga. After opening his league account against Chelsea in August, he went on to find the net 24 times in his first season and, despite some niggling injuries, has kept on scoring ever since. At the time of writing, Torres has found the net 60 times for Liverpool in only 96 games - an incredible goals per game ratio that equals anything his illustrious predecessors managed.

Liverpool supporters, of course, think the world of their 'kid' - and not just because of the way he brushed Rio Ferdinand aside to score Liverpool's first goal against Manchester United recently. He clearly loves playing at Anfield and has developed a remarkable rapport with the fans, akin to that he had at Atlético. Not that he's forgotten his former club, or its fans. After scoring the first Liverpool goal in a four nil Champions' League demolition of Real Madrid last season, Fernando expressed the hope that the Atléti fans had enjoyed watching that match as much as he had enjoyed playing in it!

Let me finish with a little illustration of one reason why, perhaps, Fernando Torres is such a popular figure. In the summer of 2009, he married his long-term girlfriend Olalla in El Escorial, Madrid. This was no elaborate 'Hello' celebrity wedding, though. Rather, it was a quiet, dignified, family affair, held without fuss and extravagance. There was only one press photographer there - a local, who was then told by the groom to sell on whatever photographs he wanted to magazines and newspapers.

Apart from being fast, strong, brave and unselfish on the football pitch, Fernando Torres is one of football's gentlemen off it! He also scored the winning goal for Spain in the final of the European Championships. What more could you want?

Barclays English Premier League - World's Most Popular and Prestigious League

The Barclays English premier league is arguably the most televised, most glamorous, most popular and the richest league in the world right now, with at least four of the teams - Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC ranked among the top 20 richest club sides in the world, and the league televised in several countries of the world. The television rights on the league is in millions of pound sterling and the prize money for the league winners is the best any country can offer anywhere in the world.

The English premier league has metamorphosed from a small league in the 19th century to the giant of the 21st century. With the league producing four quarter finalists each year in the past five years in the UEFA champions league, with Liverpool FC lifting the champions league trophy in 2005, Manchester United in 2008 (playing the final with fellow English club side Chelsea FC); Arsenal playing in the finals in 2006; Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United each having played at least at the semi-finals level in the past five years, the Barclays English premier league is obviously the best league in Europe currently.

Years ago, Brazilian and Argentine players shunned the English premier league like a leper, rather preferring to ply their trades in the Spanish La Liga, Italian serie A, German Bundesliga and the French league, etc. But today the story has changed as more of the Brazilian players are now gradually entering into English premier league - The likes of Robinho, Edwardo, Baptista, Carlos Tevez, etc. now showcase their talents in this wonderful league; it is certainly a place every footballer would love to be.

We are entering into the second round of the 2009/2010 league, we expect more Brazilians, Argentines, Nigerians, French, Portuguese, Ivorian players etc to troop into this prestigious, exciting, entertaining and attractive league to add more colours and glamour to the league as we also expect more transfer records to be broken. Manchester United currently holds the record of the most expensive player transfer in the European league with the sale of Christiano Ronaldo for 70 million Euro to Real Madrid FC of Spain. With the exit of Christiano Ronaldo would more quality players come in? We hope to see more of Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Gabriel Agbonlahor, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Stephen Gerrard, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Fabregas, Ireland, John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien, Berbatov, etc. The Barclays English premier league is certainly the place where the soccer action is at the moment.

Kaiser Chiefs Soccer Club

Kaiser Chiefs Soccer Club, a South African football team, traces its beginnings in Soweto, Johannesburg. The club was founded on January 7, 1970 by former soccer player Kaiser Motaung.

The team, also known as Amakhosi or Lords/Chiefs, plays its home games at Ellis Park Stadium or FNB Stadium. They have a tough rivalry with the Mamelodi Sundowns and the Orlando Pirates in the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) as well as the local league.

Kaiser "Chincha Guluva" Motaung, the club's founder, is a former player for the Orlando Pirates which is also a Soweto team. He also played in the United States as a striker for the Atlanta Chiefs of the North American Soccer Leagueor the NASL.

For pulling out suddenly from the 2005 CAF Confederation Cup, the Kaiser Chiefs have been banned from taking part in African club tournaments. The said punishment however will be lifted in 2009.

Some years earlier, the Chiefs were also penalized by the Confederation of African Football for violating tournament rules.

Adored by their followers, the Kaiser Chiefs Soccer team was one of the very first local teams to turn professional. The club has achieved a remarkable record of 80 titles in 36 years. It has also set unprecedented local sponsorship standards.

The Team's best feat was probably the 2001-2002 seasons. During that time, they won four major championships in four months. The said trophies were the Vodacom Challenge, BP Top Eight, Coca-Cola Cup, and the CAF Cup Winners Cup (Mandela Cup).

Kaiser Chiefs, a British Indies/pop band, got its name from the soccer club.
Tags: Kaiser Chief's soccer club, South African Football, Confederation of African Football

Premier League: Can Liverpool Avoid Relegation?

One of the best clubs in English football is in the doldrums thanks to issues not related to the field of play. Liverpool FC need to sort out their management issues so that the players can concentrate on doing what it is supposed to be doing - play football.

The club has debts, including fees, payable to Royal Bank of Scotland by October 15, failing which an additional penalty would be due.

RBS have taken the issue to High Court, in a bid to resolve a power struggle within the club, and prevent the club from removing the chairman and another board member who have approved an offer to buy the club by New England Sporting Ventures (NESV), owners of Boston Red Sox, an American baseball team.

To add to the off-field wrangles at Anfield, a Singapore billionaire, Peter Lim has bid to buy the club and made an offer that is said to compete with that of NESV's. Mr Lim is reported to have offered an additional amount to the beleaguered club to help it to buy players. The NESV offer, accepted last week by club chairman Martin Broughton, has been disputed by Liverpool's current American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

Gillett and Hicks have contended via their lawyer that they are not trying to prevent the club's sale but are interested in looking at better offers than NESV"s. According to a statement by the lawyer made on behalf of the owners, an American hedge fund had also made a competitive bid, offering an additional amount to build a stadium.

Incidentally, the hedge fund, refinanced the loan taken by Gillett in 2007 to buy the club, and controls 50% of Gillett's shareholding in Kop Holdings the company that owns Liverpool FC.

Mr Lim had also bid to buy the club in 2007, when Gillett and Hicks's bid was favoured over his. Mr Lim owns several bars, with a Manchester United theme, in Asia, a testament to the Premier League's popularity in Asia.

Mr Lim is reported to be planning to sell off the bars, if his bid to own Liverpool were successful., and use the proceeds to wipe off the club's debts to RBS, while providing additional money to invest in new players in the January transfer window.

After the completion of eight matches, Liverpool are languishing in 18th place on the Premier League points table, and their fans would welcome investment in new players who could revive the squad.

The High Court ruling on the matter is expected on Wednesday, October 13, at 10:30 BST. If the management dispute is not resolved, there is a danger of the club going into administration, in which case Liverpool FC would be docked 9 points, opening up the prospect of relegation.

Premier League Match Time: Sunderland Vs Aston Villa

Sunderland will host Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light in a game that's crucial to Aston Villa's top six ambitions. Last season, Villans won at Wearside, scoring two to Sunderland's none, while drawing their home match against the Black Cats, 1-1.

Sunderland have drawn five matches in a row, with the goalless match against Blackburn on Monday being the latest. On the positive side, the Black Cats have staved off defeat for six matches in a row, their best performance since doing it for 17 successive games in 2006-07.

But the draws against Manchester United and Blackburn must surely rankle as Sunderland should have won those games, and that could have taken the squad well up the table. That said, Sunderland have acquitted themselves well against strong opposition in the form of Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal. Their only loss came in an away match against West Brom. Converting draws into wins must be manager Steve Bruce's top priority.

Contrastingly, Villa have played in only two goalless draws in their last 20 matches, including the one against Chelsea in match-week eight, the Midlands outfit are formidable rivals having finished sixth in three consecutive seasons.

Particularly after the arrival of Gerard Houllier as manager, Villa have turned things around, as they began the season badly under MacDonald who took temporary charge after O'Neill's shock departure before the season started. Under Houllier, Villa have lost just the solitary match in four, winning two and drawing one.

Ahead of the Villa game, Sunderland have injury worries in the form of Kieran Richards, sidelined with a hamstring problem, David Meyler with a knee injury, and Fraizer Campbell who has sustained an injury to his cruciate ligaments.

Gabriel Agbonlahor with a groin problem, Emile Heskey with a back injury, Luke Young with a hamstring injury and Richard Dunne with an ankle problem are likely to miss the Saturday game for Villa.

If Sunderland hope to get a win against the Villans at Wearside, they must surely look to Frenchman Steed Malbranque to strike form against Houllier's men. Malbranque has consistently been making it to the first eleven, and his best is yet to come.

Sunderland's probable starting eleven on the day should have: Mignolet, Bardsley, Bramble, Turner, Onuoha, Henderson, Elmohamady, Henderson, Wellbeck, Malbranque, Cattermole

Aston Villa are likely to include the following players in their starting eleven: Friedel, Warnock, Clarke, Collins, Beye, A Young, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Downing, Ireland, Carew

Premier League Match Time: Wigan Vs Bolton

The DW Stadium will be the venue of a local derby between Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers due for a Saturday afternoon kick off in match-week nine of the Premiership.

The Latics will seek to extend their unbeaten match streak to four, while if Wanderers stay unbeaten in Saturday's game, it will be their fifth in a row. Bolton will be especially enthused coming as they are off a 2-1 win against Stoke City.

Contrastingly, Roberto Martinez's side played in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle in match week eight. Hugo Rodalegga, who missed the Newcastle game, could be in the starting eleven against Bolton, though Stven Gouhouri who also sat out last week's game is less certain to play against the Wanderers, though. The Ivorian defender tore his calf muscle ahead of ast week's game against Newcastle United.

Last season's match between the sides, ended in a draw at this venue, while Bolton won their home match 4-0.

Wigan must consider Wanderers' striker Kevin Davies as the greatest threat in the game. Davies is in great form this season, and that has resulted in an England call up as well. Davies will have effective support in the Bolton squad in the form of Elmander, Lee, Muamba and Cahill.

Chris Kirkland could return to action between the posts for Wigan in the Bolton game. Al Habsi is the number one goalie for Wigan but he is on loan from Bolton, and the rules forbid a player on loan from playing against his parent club. This renders Al Habsi ineligible, thereby paving the way for Kirkland to take charge in goal.

Elbow surgery has sidelined Wigan's other goalie Mike Pollitt and Lee Nicholls could be the back up for Kirkland. Di Santo and Caldwell are also due to miss the match owing to injury.

Bolton will be without Ivan Klasnik who is serving a suspension.with a second yellow card in the Stoke game. Klasnik shot home the match winner against Stoke in the last minute of regulation time. Manager Owen Coyle could take a late call on Andy O'Brien who is still working with the team physio to get fit ahead of the Wigan match. But Sean Davis, Jlloyd Samuel, Ricardo Gardner and Joey O'Brien appear certain to miss Saturday's game.

Wigan's probable eleven for this match could be: Kirkland, Figueroa, Alcaraz, Gohouri, Boyce, Gomez, McCarthy, Thomas, N'Zogbia, Di Santo, Rodalegga

Bolton's starting eleven could comprise: Jaaskelainen, Robinson, Knight, Cahill, Steinssen, Petrov, Muamba, Holden, Lee, K Davies, Elmander

The History Of Bangor City Football Club

Bangor City Football Club are one of the oldest football clubs in Wales, they were formed in 1876, a few months after a club was formed in nearby Caernarfon, a fierce rivalry has existed between the two teams ever since.

During the early years there wasn't a structured league for Bangor to compete and they would play friendly matches and also entered the Welsh cup when it began 1877, Bangor being the first team from North Wales to win the Welsh Cup in 1889.

A league was formed in 1893 consisting of teams from the North Wales Coast, Bangor's earlier attempts to join an all Wales league had been rejected as they would not have been able to meet the fixture commitments due to difficulty with travel arrangements and the costs involved. Bangor won the inaugural league in 1896, as well as winning the Welsh Cup, and the North West Wales Challenge Cup.

In 1898 Bangor were entered into the Combination League, where they would face a higher level of competition from teams from the North of England, which included Everton and Liverpool's reserve sides, they remained in this league until 1910 when the league disbanded.

Bangor joined the North Wales Alliance League for the following season, following a period of inactivity during the First World War, Bangor rejoined the North Wales Coast league in 1919 and for a short time were known as Bangor Comrades FC in memory of those who had fallen in the war. Bangor also moved from their original playing field at Maes-y-Dref to their The Farrar Road ground in 1919, which was originally shared with Bangor cricket club, they have remained at the Farrar Road ground ever since.

In 1932 Bangor joined the Birmingham & District League following much turbulence and constant re-organising of the Welsh leagues, where they usually finished in the top half of the table, they remained in this league until 1939 when they joined the Lancashire Combination League before joining the Cheshire League in 1950.

Bangor City won the Welsh Cup in 1962, which qualified them to enter the European Cup Winners Cup, which saw them face Italian Side Napoli. The game resulted in a 3-3 draw over to legs, which under today's rules would have seen Bangor win on the away goals, unfortunately they were forced to play a reply where they lost 2-1 at Arsenal's Highbury stadium.

At the end of 1977/78 Bangor were considered for promotion to the English Fourth Division, but as their stadium was in better order, Wigan Athletic (who now play in the Premier League) were chosen instead. Bangor instead joined the Alliance Premier League, which is the conference league of today.

In 1984-85, Bangor again qualified for the European Cup-Winners' Cup., after beating Norwegian side Fredrickstad in the First Round, Bangor lost 3-0 to Spanish side Athletico Madrid.

Following this, Bangor have qualified the UEFA Cup and Europa League qualifying rounds, but are placed at a major disadvantage having to play their European 'home' games at Wrexham's Racecourse ground which is sixty miles away, as Bangor's Farrar Road ground does not meet European specifications.

Bangor have remained a major force in Welsh football in recent years, winning the Welsh cup for the last three consecutive years and they are now one of twelve teams contesting the Welsh Premier League, at the beginning of the 2010-11 season Bangor have recorded 10 victories from 10 games.

English Premier League Season 2010-2011 Preview

The English Premier League season is going to begin next weekend, 14 August 2010. After a long break from the Premier League football. Twenty teams will be challenging for the elusive title. Following are the teams:

1) Arsenal
2) Aston Villa
3) Birmingham
4) Blackburn Rovers
5) Blackpool
6) Bolton Wonderers
7) Chelsea
8) Everton
9) Fulham
10) Liverpool
11) Manchester City
12) Manchester United
13) Newcastle United
14) Stoke City
15) Sunderland
16) Tottenham Hotspur
17) West Bromwich Albion
18) West Ham United
19) Wigan Atheletic
20) Wolverhampton Wanderers

As the defending champion, Chelsea starts as one of the favorite to winner the title again. However, there are several teams which also have the ability and among the favorites to wrestle the title from Chelsea. Manchester United and Arsenal are two of Chelsea closest contenders for the past several seasons. They are expected to be near anywhere at top of the table coming next May 2011, fighting for the championship. Apart from them, we should not neglect Liverpool and Manchester City as the other dark houses for the championship. Liverpool has the history and players behind them while Manchester City is spending millions of pounds on players to launch their assault on the championship. Manchester City is mimicking Chelsea success when they spend lots of money acquiring good players to their clubs since the arrival of the current owner in 2003. They money from Roman Abramovich has turn Chelsea into a football power house. It seem like Manchester City are heading the same direction as well with money from Abu Dhabi United Group.

Therefore, by end of the season we should see one of this team capturing the English Premier League Championship.

Premier League Match Time: West Ham Vs Newcastle

West Ham host Newcastle United this Saturday afternoon at Upton Park, in what manager Avram Grant is likely to see as an opportunity to get off the bottom off the table where his squad currently reside.

If you considered all competition, you would see that the Magpies have a great record on the road, in the ongoing season. Their only away losses have come against Manchester City and Manchester United.

The Hammers had a horrendous start to the premiership, with four losses on the trot. That said, West Ham's last loss came five matches ago, and they will look to extend that unbeaten streak against the Magpies, who have in contrast just garnered the solitary point from their last three games. Unlike west Ham, Newcastle began the league season well getting a brilliant win against Villa in only their second match. But thereafter their campaign has fallen apart.

But for Fabricio Colloccini's equaliser in injury time, Newcastle would not have salvaged the single point they did in their last game against Wigan. Newcastle returned to the Premiership this season, and the last game between the two sides was during the Magpies' relegation year in 2009. The Upton Park game that year went to the Hammers, 3-1, while the Magpies' home game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Head to head however, Newcastle have a 44-37 advantage over Avram Grant's men, though on current form, they would be hard pressed to preserve that record. In Andy Carroll, the Magpies have one of the top scorers of the season, and they will look him to provide the impetus.

The Hammers have few injury worries with the list being restricted to Hitzlsperger with a thigh injury and Collison and Hines with knee problems.

Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan, who was sidelined due to an ankle injury in his side's game against Wigan in match-week eight, is set to return for the Upton Park game. Chris Hughton also hopes to welcome Danny Simpson back after a long hiatus owing to an ankle injury.

Sol Campbell's thigh and Steven Taylor's shoulder will continue to keep the respective players out of the Saturday game, though Taylor could get back to training on Monday. Dan Gosling, Ben Arfa, Steve Harper and Leaon Best continue to figure on the injury list for the Magpies.

The probable eleven for West Ham should be: Green, Da Costa, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Parker, Dyer, Boa Morte, Noble, Piquionne, Obinna.

The following men are likely to comprise the starting eleven for Newcastle: Krul, Coloccini, Perch, Enrique, Williamson, Tiote, Nolan, Guttierez, Barton, Carroll, Lovenkrands.

Essential Football Equipment

When a player suits up for a new season they rarely think about all the equipment they will need to participate in there chosen sport. Supplying yourself with the correct equipment is essential as having this equipment can protect a player from injury, allow a player to play their best and it is required to play in most football leagues.

Having the correct equipment for football can help a player enjoy the game more and feel save while doing so. Here is a list of the essential equipment needed to play the wonderful game of football safely.

Shin-guards:

Shin-guards protect player's shins and ankles from the kicks that they may receive while playing football. Shin-guards should also come with an ankle guard to protect the ankle and should cover the entire shin to lower the risk of an injury.

Football Kit:

The football kit is provided to a player when they sign up to play for a team in a league and is only given to them once the manager wishes to sign that player. Once the player has the kit its there responsibility.

Football boots:

Football boots provide the strength needed to play football efficiently. Football boots come in many different materials and shapes giving them a unique style. The best type of material seems to be leather as it lasts a long time and can resist ware and tear. Football boots give players the ability to do more with a ball as the boot itself has special material for certain aspects of football such as shooting and passing.

Football Exercises - Warm Up Drills

Various football exercises are a great way to get your players ready for a training session or a match. The following warm-up drills can make some effective exercise for your players.

Passing Through A Circle

Passing through a circle is an effective warm up drill and gives your players good warm up before you start a training session or before they are getting ready for a match.

In this exercise, have five of your players stand in a circle with twenty-yard diameter. Now, have another five of your players stand behind each of these players. Now the front-standing players have to pass the ball to each other in a random way while standing at the same place. No doubt, this is an effective technique, but since this exercise requires lots of movement, your communication skill will be at test here.

You need to use your communication skill and vision in order to instruct the players for this exercise. You will have to use your imagination in order to make this exercise more innovative by adding variations to the same. For example, you may want to put a defender in the middle of the circle.

Acquire Explosive Acceleration And Fast Sprinting Speed

The following exercise can be highly effective for your players to help them acquire explosive acceleration and fast sprinting speed. You must have your players do these soccer exercises as fast as possible.

Leg Circuit Exercises

o Two-footed squat thrusts can be a good exercise for the youth soccer players. In this exercise, you should have your players aim for a twelve-inch jump.

o Have your players walk lunge forward and then rapidly repeat the process by changing the lead leg.

o Alternate leg squat thrusts is another great exercise for the young soccer players. In this exercise, the coach should have the players count reps on their one leg only.

Upper Body exercise

o Normal press-ups are also quite effective, but you must make sure that your players are aim to keep a straight line through their back.

o You can also have your players try the wide-arm press-ups. In this exercise, have your players take elbows out to their sides.

o Close-hand press-ups are also worth giving a try. Make sure that while doping this exercise, your players are aim to keep their thumbs touching each other.

Apart from the above football exercises, you should also include abdominal exercises. They are very important in keeping your players fit and strong.

Premier League Match Time: Stoke Vs Blackburn

Stoke City will host Blackburn Rovers in a Saturday afternoon Premier League game at the Britannia Stadium.

Stoke have made a come-back after a bad start that would have prompted their greatest fans to write them off. But not only do the squad look tough but have actually proved hard to beat, after three successive defeats in their first three matches. In their next three, Stoke banked seven points out of a possible nine.

Tony Pulis will happy at the tenacious quality of his squad and that should stand them in good stead in the Birmingham match. But the interesting thing will be to see if the mood lasts, as the longest streak of unbeaten matches Stoke have had, in two previous seasons of the Premiership, is seven matches.

Against a similar team, in Blackburn, the Potters will look to Kenwyne Jones to continue his goal scoring form; Jones has had a strike in every match he has played for Stoke this season. Ricardo Fuller and Jermaine Pennant are unlikely to play in the Birmingham game.

Blackburn have had three successive matches unbeaten, and after a 2-1 win against Blackpool, they will look for a back to back win against Stoke, something they last achieved in March 2009. The Rovers, like their rivals on the weekend, are a never-say-die outfit, and a keen tussle can be expected on the day.

But Blackburn haven't been great travellers, in recent years. But their away win against Blackpool at Bloomfield road last week was an exception and their uncharacteristic willingness to attack in that game saw the Rovers gain two lucky goals.

But an interesting stat is that although Blackburn have scored in all of their last 10 Premier league games, they have not scored a goal in their last three against the Potters.

Blackburn's record at the Britannia is not very encouraging, with just nine wins to show in 41 games at the venue. Also, other than the Bloomfield Road win against Blackpool, they have not had an away win since beating Aston Villa, in their last match of the 2009-10 Premiership season.

Blackburn lost their last match against Stoke at the Britannia, after they were reduced to 10-men following Samaba's send-off with a red card. The final score was 3-0 in the Potters' favour. I am inclined to believing that this year's match will have a similar result.

Stoke are likely to go with the following starting eleven: Sorensen, Collins, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson, Etherington, Diao, Whelan, Whitehead, Walters, Jones

Blackburn's possible starting eleven are: Robinson, Givet, Nelsen, Samba, Salgado, Jones, Nzonzi, Kalinic, E Diouf, Pedersen, M Diouf.