Premier League Preview

Premier League Preview for 13/09, 14/09 & 15/09

Thank goodness it's back, the Premier League returns into our lives this weekend in all it's sparkling glory. Scraping through an usually easy watch in the international break, we saw our nation final begin to pose a bit of class and finesse meaning that wise old Roy finally got a little bit of much needed praise. This being said, it's great to see club football gracing our screens once more and the fact that we get the chance to spectate on all the transfer window, cliffhanger signings makes it that much more interesting. I'll never understand why FIFA work the way they do, I mean, why leave every single Premier League fan on edge with the deadline day being just before an international week off and whats more important, the players have a risk of snagging up with an injury for example, Ramsey for Wales and Sturridge in England's training session. Fresh, ready and raring to go, the teams from all over England will be wanting to get September off to a flying start and get the season underway once and for all. August was full of thrills and the outcome saw many teams shine through; Swansea under Gary Monk picked up three unassailable wins and top the the table, not forgetting to mention his manager of the month nod and also a few of the team getting player of the month nominee's. No doubt about it, the biggest talking points this fixture week will be Manchester United and there cash splash squad but take nothing away from the rest, this weekend should be another corker.

I couldn't think of a more monstrous yet amazing thing that could prize you from your bed on a Saturday brunch time, a game of football may just get you up and rock your socks but this week its something spectacular. Arsenal versus Manchester City at the Emirates, 12:45, its happening. Poor Wenger never gets the rub of the green and has worse luck than Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad, as his players just fall injured left, right and centre. Losing all forms of a front line attack, Arsenal had to resort to enticing in Manchester United's Danny Welbeck on a deadline day loan deal; maybe the young, English striker can make his break here and put his name on the score tally once and for all. If his performance is anything to go by after Monday night, Danny could be a super steal which would leave a sour taste in United's swollen pallet. Man City definitely will have something to say about Arsenal getting back on track and will guarantee to continue their title surge. After slipping on a banana skin at home against Stoke in their previous game, Pellingrini's boys probably won't hold back on demolishing the Gunners and three points at the Emirates is certainly going to be vital for the blue side of Manchester.

My 15:00 highlight for Saturday is undoubtably the square up between Swansea and Chelsea. The two unbeaten teams in the division go at it logger heads and one team, or maybe even both's, winning streak is going to end. Personal opinions say that Chelsea are going to walk all over the title race this year and I can shout with great confidence that they haven't disappointed. Signing's of the summer have to go to Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas so far and with Mourihno grabbing the reigns with both hands, you can't really deny them praise. Last game, the Blue's were part of the match of the season as they blasted six past Tim Howard in the nets of Everton and it goes without saying, they can tot up the goal tally a notch or two but can they do it again against the lads from Wales?. Heading to the Bridge in superlative form we have Gary Monk's Swansea. One of my badly predicted teams to struggle this year, Swansea have stunned everyone around the nation and carry on to perform to a top standard week in, week out. Easily a mid table team, they have a bright future ahead of themselves and with players like Nathan Dyer, Ashley Williams and Sigurdsson you can see why. They've left highly graded squads licking their wounds already and I honestly think the mastermind tactics may leave Chelsea shaken up as well. All in all, this game just has goals written over it, not just in the Swansea net but the Blues goal too. Put your bibs on and plate up for this goal buffet.

If you aren't already too overloaded from all of the Saturday afternoon football madness, we've got another toe tingling fixture for the evening. At Anfield, Liverpool welcome in Aston Villa ready for some more big balling action. Super Mario Balotelli can make his home ground debut here and after what we saw of him in the fixture previous against Tottenham, the showman hasn't changed. What better way to begin to write your story as a Liverpool legend than to score a screamer in front of the Kop on your first home game. Surely it has to be written in the star's, after all it is always him but more importantly Brendan Rogers wants to create a rendition of last season meaning that three points is top of the priorities list. Sterling is evermore posing as the light at the end of England's tunnel and for Liverpool, hopefully the lad can switch on his jet like heels and nail a few goals. Aston Villa on the other hand, haven't come off too shady either. Paul Lambert snuck into a surprising manager of the month nomination position for August and reflecting back, it's a fair call. Seven points out of a possible nine, Villa give off decent displays of footballing ability and shouldn't be written off in the slightest. Austrian forward, Andreas Weinmann stealthily snatches goals in the six yard box and if the wobbly Liverpool back line don't pick him up early, they could be in serious trouble.

Well this Sunday is going to be an emotional one to say the least, first of all I'm moving into uni which isn't all that tear jerking but most importantly there is only one super Sunday fixture, absolutely heartbreaking. After stuffing up on your Sunday lunch you can settle in to the most greatly anticipated games of the calendar to date with a fixture between Manchester United and QPR. These ninety minutes could well be when we see United finally turn on the black hole that Mr.Moyes dug them into and begin to give off the aroma of the Red Devils of old. Two points out of three games was enough to understand why Van Gaal needed to bring in the world class caliber of players he did and to say other teams shouldn't be scared is a massive lie. Falcao, Di Maria, Blind, Rojo to name just a couple of Old Trafford's new arrivals, will be linking up in a freshly uniformed United squad on a mission. Everyone around the globe will have their beady eyes peeled on this fixture and I'm expecting some stellar soccer from Van Gaal's revolution. You've got to feel a sorry for Harry Redknapp in a way but in all honesty, he has the chance to throw a giant spanner into the works in front of the world, causing floods of tears to show Manchester United are really dead and buried.

Weekend over with, its down to the final game of the English League showdown's where West Ham travel to the midlands to face Steve Bruce's Hull in a Monday night match. Underrated, Hull City go about their weekly business just cruising for season long survival but no one saw them being one of the teams to make some of the best transfers of the term. The KC Stadium is now the brand new nest for some of the worlds finest players and on Monday night they'll be out there working the fans. Uruguay's World Cup starlet Abel Hernandez snubbed a move to Benifica in the chance to play for the Tigers in the Premier League and let us not forget the superb signature of Southampton's Gaston Ramirez, both of which would slot neatly into any top four team. Once Bruce gets the squad glued together, these boys will easily pass Premier League survival and may even push the top half. Onto the Hammers and big Sam still has some work to do. Ever since last year, the east Londoners have lost faith in their manager and relentlessly pelt him with pessimism. With time not ticking on his side, Allardyce has to make magic fast and a win at Hull would certainly help him in his craft. Three points on the tally is average but you can't get any insight from it, hopefully for the bubble blowing Hammers Alex Song can sing when he is winning.

WEEKEND PREDICTIONS:

Saturday 13th September...
Arsenal 1-2 Man City
Chelsea 2-0 Swansea
Crystal Palace 3-1 Burnley
Southampton 2-2 Newcastle
Stoke City 1-2 Leicester City
Sunderland 1-1 Tottenham
West Brom 0-2 Everton
Liverpool 3-1 Aston Villa

Sunday 14th September...
Man United 3-0 QPR

Monday 15th September...
Hull City 2-1 West Ham

WORTH A PUNT:

All Twenty Premier League Teams to Score this Weekend, 500/1...

Okay, I know what everyone may be thinking, this isn't going to happen and you've probably got more chance of being eaten by a shark in an aqua park but don't be too pessimistic. five hundred to one makes you a grand up off of two golden nuggets but it'll even pocket you a smile cracking, two hundred and fifty pounds off of that loose fifty pence. The last time the division witnessed every team score was back on the weekend of 27th and 28th of November 2011 and it could occur again, maybe even this weekend, so go for it, have a little flutter. Just think of the experimentation that squads will be stating this week and the goals that'll be leaking in, you'd be the king of the Weekend celebrations and next weekend, you'd have a hell of a party. Paddy Power can be your forever friend and its undeniable that this bet is worth a hefty toe punt.

Premier League Preview

Premier League Preview for 30/08 & 31/08

The weeks are absolutely steaming by, its as though you blink for a minute in the football world and you miss everything; we are already heading into the third game stage at the top flight. Transfers, England and Europe have all been the key subjects of discussion but for now it's premier league o'clock and we certainly have some blockbuster ball games lined up. Last Saturday's showcase made spectacle for some blinding results that made waves in and around the league. Highlighting but a few of the unpredictable accumulations we had Manchester United fail to get their opening win when they drew even in a goal piece game against Sunderland, Liverpool were also stumped, given a slap back to reality as Man City turned on the charm walking over the Scouser's 3-1. Shaky starts have also proven to be a trend for premier league new comers as between Leicester, Burnley and QPR they only have a single point not forgetting about fellow strugglers Crystal Palace who, like two of the newbies, are yet to post a point on the board. The dark cloud continues to lurk over Selhurst Park from Pulis' recent departure, then after appointing Neil Warnock as his successor it would seem to me that they have just opened the flood gates; no top flight experience, an extremely poor record and a outspoken personality can only spell disaster for Palace, Warnock is not the one. So what can we expect this week? a few more revelling results? or an average week in the English league life?.

Whip up your bacon butty, place your feet up and enjoy Saturday's lunchtime kick off between Burnley and Manchester United. There is nothing more welcoming to a freshly sprung Championship side than playing two of England's finest squads in your opening three fixtures, both of which at home in front of your own fans; poor lads couldn't have written a worse opening script. The newbies could rewrite the history books though as last time the Red Devils headed to Turf Moore they lost by a measly late goal, if this happened again I think Louis Van Gaal might just flip his calm and collective lid. Still in search of their first three points of the year, the newly strengthened United team have a point to prove yet again. I'm expecting experimenting, creative play and a lot of eyes to be fixated on the next number seven, Angel Di Maria. Argentinian's will be vital to the clean slate United as fellow countryman Marcus Rojo is strengthening up the leaking Red defence. Manchester are out to cause chaos but I don't think the claret and blue of Burnley are just going to roll over and take it. My 15:00 highlight has got to be at St.James Park in the game between Newcastle and Crystal Palace purely on the fact that Palace have so much at stake, so early on. A new manager behind the reigns with an abysmal reputation, this could cause serious disaster and equal the end of a fruitful Premier League spell, I just genuinely hope for their sakes it goes better than predicted. The Toon army have been thoroughly impressive up until this point and you wouldn't have thought it with just a point on the table. Against Man City they were valiant putting up a solid performance and last weekend at Villa Park they were bigger majority, its just up front they lacked a goal scoring predator. Ginger Pirlo, Jack Colback is a key signing and his recent call up to the England squad has surely boosted his confidence; it would be heartbreaking if the lad went and done a young star stereotype where he flopped harder than a soggy kebab on Friday night. In the Saturday evening showdown Everton are hosting a superb Chelsea and this game has all the right signs for feisty fixture. Goal hungry Costa is looking likely to miss out on this important game after recently taking a knock, the big spaniard seems to have already adapted to English life nailing a sterling two in two games. Everton on the other hand, ploughed into Arsenal last weekend taking a two goal but then threw it all away in a final fluster where the Londoner's came back to snatch a point.

Once again the football heavens have listened to us because for the second week on the bounce we have not one, not two but three super Sunday fixtures. Hull City, still creaking from the Thursday night Europa League game, are going to have to oil up and get back on the saddle as they to travel to Aston Villa. Tired legs and sore heads are going to take a serious toll on the Tiger's but to make it as a consistent top team, they are going to have to deal with it. Last Sunday Villa played in a not so memorable match against Newcastle, I'm seriously dreading this game is going to be another bore draw from two mid table teams. Let us not forget the other 13:30 kick off between Spurs and Liverpool, the Red men of the Mersey put up a severely lack luster display on Monday night against the champions and they lost a lot more than they wanted to from the game. In the final third of the game Liverpool postured a lifeless display and a few of the first team players fell like flies to injury; this week Rodgers is mustering up a plan that is going to be somewhat different from previous scenarios as the enigma, Balotelli is now up on the team sheet. Quietly but competently little old Spurs, who haven't delegated in much business this summer, have snuck in two wins out of two and are top of the league, Pochettino looks as though he's got the sparks finally flying at White Hart Lane. All in all this game is certainly going to be a cracker with no clear victor coming out on top for my predictions, can Balotelli burn holes back in the premier league or will a high flying Tottenham rub salt into an already injured Liverpool team. Finishing off the weekend of football, all ready for the international break, we have Leicester facing off against the Wenger boys, Arsenal. Not a single striker in sight for Arsenal, the gunners are literally scraping the barrel for a goalscorer after losing Olivier Giroud to a brutal injury. The big Frenchman is down and out until January 2015, so any tactics made around him are going to drastically change. My favourite of the promoted squads, Leicester have started brightly and give off an extremely comfortable ora in top flight life. As I mentioned in the introduction paragraph, the Midlands men are the only one of the Championship crew to posses a point and against Arsenal they'll be looking to break some hearts. Wenger shouldn't underestimate the power of his opponents and should dig in for a hard fought win, this year their are no easy games in the premier league.

WEEKEND PREDICTIONS:

Saturday 30th August...
Burnley 1-2 Man United
Man City 4-0 Stoke City
Newcastle 2-0 Crystal Palace
QPR 1-1 Sunderland
Swansea 2-0 West Brom
West Ham 0-1 Southampton
Everton 1-2 Chelsea

Sunday 31st August...
Aston Villa 1-1 Hull City
Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool
Leicester 1-3 Arsenal

WORTH A PUNT:

Angel Di Maria to Score First Against Burnley, 7/1...

What a headline that'd be, the fresh, superstar signing, donning the famous number seven shirt on his Manchester debut, nailing the first goal on United's revival journey. Van Gaal will be playing about with the formation and its undeniable that a lot of the play is going to mould around the Argentine. Some might say that he's just going to be another transfer regret where as others think that this late business could hint at the signing of the summer. One things for sure I'll be backing Angel and its certainly worth a gamble on him scoring first. At 7/1 he's a real steal for a nifty profit, three golden nuggets can snatch a smooth £21 from your chosen bookie, so don't back down on this deal.

The Old Farm Derby

Ipswich vs Norwich Preview and Predictions.

The moment has finally arrived, a long and eventful three and a half years of waiting suddenly stops, farmers from all over the east have switched off their combine harvesters and closed the farm shops for the weekend because it’s time for the penultimate East Anglian Derby. A day where bragging rights for the best footballing area in the east is won and lost, a day where champions are born and reputations are damaged; The Old Farm derby proves the true legends in the east of England.

Both Ipswich and Norwich have had their fair share of wins in this contest in the past, some of which have proven more humiliating than others but wins non the less. Since the dawn of the match up back in November 1902, the two East Anglian elites have squared up a whopping one hundred and thirty-nine times with this Saturday’s fixture being the big one, four, zero and it pains me to say it but the Tractor Boys have the upper hand.  Fifty-nine games have seen the boys in blue have come out victorious where as the Canaries only have a slightly less, fifty-three; only twenty seven of which have been draws. However after Saturday can Norwich get that one up or will Ipswich put their feet in the ground and snatch the home win.

Being a lad from Norwich and having grasped onto a season ticket for a few years at Carrow Road I am obviously going to mention the most recent of match up’s which came between these two, which was in the 2010/2011 season, and my goodness does it boil a Tractor Boys blood. Back in the day, what seems like an eternity ago, Norwich graced the grass in the Championship under a man named Paul Lambert; the passion used to flow from the Barclay stand to the Norwich and Peterborough, we were unstoppable. Big Grant Holt up front used to score for fun and the surge for top flight was unassailable, so when the moment came to play Ipswich, they seized it. I do recall a cushy 4-1 win at Carrow Road and an oh, so easy, 5-1 at Portman Road, leaving Ipswich now being known as Holt’s cannon fodder but we best not say no more as it’ll only upset them.

So fresh in the start of a new season, there is really no better way to get your passion cycling and your love for football going, a derby is a day to be cherished, not to mention that both teams are full of talent and excitement. Just three games into the championship and Norwich are already firing on all cylinders, aiming for the top flight once again and I can’t see them halting at nothing.  The start to the season wasn’t ideal but Adams has some how managed to make the starlets pull their fingers out and getting to work by bouncing back with two straight wins. Lets not forget the signings they have made of recent, bringing in another profound premier league striker Cameron Jerome and experienced defender Carlos Cuellar. It’s clear as day that the boys in yellow are looking to make movements and I’m predicting a speedy recovery to premier life. Judging the home team and Ipswich give off a slight hit and miss scent; one won, lost one, drawn one, you can’t really take much from that. All that aside and McCarthy’s men will be running of home ground spirit which could see them stab a slight advantage and I must admit in the first game of the calendar, they were quite a fruitful squad. Murphy gave of signs of real promise upfront but will he be able to cope with the Pirlo reminiscent Bradley Johnson and the brick like Martin at the back.

Make no mistake about it, whether you’re from East Anglia or you just love football you should be watching this game. The tackles will be meaty, goals will be a plenty and who knows you might even see a red card or two. Pull up your socks, head down the pub or switch on your goggle box because this is some classic football action. An East Anglian Derby so unbearably overdue I can’t even contain myself. Without further or do… come on you yellows.

My Prediction…

Ipswich 1-2 Norwich City

Lewis Grabban 1^st Goalscorer

Premier League Preview

Premier League Preview for 23/08, 24/08 & 25/08

What a week for football, chaos has erupted all over our nation of soccer and we are absolutely loving it. The spawn of this years season kicked off last weekend with some spectacular matches stealing the headlines not forgetting to mention the rise of a few, clear new clubs to look out for in the coming year. Newcastle, Palace and Southampton certainly gave off promising signs which is stunning seeing with the state these clubs have showcased in previous years and even bouncing back from selling out in this summer window. All football aside, my favourite trend of the week has to be the ALS ice bucket challenge; so simple but what entertainment. We've seen heroes from Sky Sports' Jim White to all time great David Beckham being nominated and drenched in ice water all in the name of raising money for charity; one word, brilliant. Talking transfers and its all getting rather warm towards the end of the market, with little under two weeks to go the premier league totaliser has already smashed last years transfer millions and it definitely isn't going to hold up. After last weeks shenanigans Manchester United surely looked as though they needed to tighten up the back line so the signing of the Argentinian Rojo should help them severely, then you have Liverpool. The red side of the Mersey have added depth to their squad this summer but are still needing to fill that hole up top left by Suarez. Will the deal with Balotelli go through? and can the Italian Stallion do the business for Brendan Rodgers?.

Punting in on Saturday's lunchtime crunch time, we have a game where Paul Lambert's Villa welcomes in the Toon Army for a match that won't be short of picturesque highlights. Newcastle put up a prominent, brave battle last weekend against the champions but unfortunately they didn't quite have enough to stop them sneaking through although this being said it genuinely seemed as though they've made signings of the summer in Cabella and Riviere. Villa on the other end, pulled through and snuck in a one goal win against a, normally solid, Stoke side. All in all these two are full of confidence, which is enough fuel for another top flight cracker but after last weeks flip turn performance Newcastle are undoubtably a new team giving them the advantage. The next highlight on another beautiful soccer Saturday is Chelsea's luck of the draw being against another newly promoted side in Leicester. Monday night was the birth of the Blues title bid and the Londoners were gifted a premier league opener against Burnley which they bossed 3-1. Diego Costa bagged then and now he has the chance to do it again but this time on home turf; surely everyone is going with a Chelsea win over Leicester here? unless the midlands men can cause a London a tear jerking upset. Finally the last of Saturday's fixtures is a spicy encounter between Everton and Arsenal. It was all so close, but yet so far for the Toffees last Saturday as they only managed to reel in a draw against newbies Leicester and Arsenal didn't look too much to write home about either. Wenger forgot to park his Wenger bus leading to Crystal Palace snatching the lead but lucky for the Londoners they managed to pull the game back and take all three, valuable points. A toughie to call but I'm going with an away win purely because Everton don't seem a shadow of there previous selves. 

Super Sunday is treating us hardworking football lovers to three fixtures for our long bank holiday weekend and they'll certainly be appreciated. Only one of the three catch my beady eye however and that is the four o'clock kick off where Sunderland host Manchester United. Louis Van Gaal took a massive shock to the system at the hands of Swansea in the week previous and to be honest he's toned down a lot since reality has hit home. It's clear to see that he definitely wasn't expecting that start and now has to prove his mustard otherwise he'll be getting a one way ticket down Moyse Street. Unquestionably the Manchester men needed to buckle up and buy some players and with Rojo now touching down at Old Trafford they may just have that extra strength they need. Take nothing away from Sunderland but it would seem Manchester United already have something to prove so I'm expecting a serious romping; easy away here. 

Where do I begin here? the second monday night football of the year and already we have a fixture such as Man City and Liverpool to feast our eyes upon. I can't hide my excitement for this,  my blood is pumping, my reminder is set, I'm just like a fat kid at a buffet. Last years first place and second place are  locking horns in what will be one of the games of the season, who knows, it may even decide the title so early on as now. Imagine if Balotelli were to sign in time for this one? The big, bad Mario, returning to the Eithad only to don a Liverpool jersey and leaving his old captain stuck in the grass; you can just picture it now and can see the papers racking up the headlines. Back to reality and these titans are going to go at it no holds barred, Man City so superbly strong in defence with the ability to turn nothing into a goal face the pass masters and speed in Liverpool squad. It's the new SAS versus Kompany and Co. and both teams are truly going to be battling for the title; buckle up because this ones going to heart pounding. Final result... Liverpool win.

WEEKEND PREDICTIONS:

Saturday 23rd August...

Aston Villa 1-2 Newcastle 

Chelsea 3 -1 Leicester

Crystal Palace 1-0 West Ham

Southampton 2-1 West Brom

Swansea 1-1 Burnley 

Everton 0-2 Arsenal

Sunday 24th August...

Hull City 0-0 Stoke City

Tottenham 1-0 QPR

Sunderland 1-3 Manchester United

Monday 25th August...

Man City 1-2 Liverpool

WORTH A PUNT:

Liverpool to beat Man City 2-1, 12/1...

The new big spenders are in town and they are seeking a revenge on last years title robbery. Oh, so sore, the agony has been left and the wounds of every man associated with Liverpool football club have freshly healed meaning they are ready for war once again. On Monday night the mighty reds keep the revival up and travel to the Etihad in search of the victory that can prove they are the better team. It's undeniable Man City won't just roll over but I feel the passion steaming in from Anfield can knock City for six, giving them the all in important three points. Rodgers and his boys are steaming off the back of a win and I'm expecting another, 2-1, have a bang on that and settle yourself a couple of extra quid for a few bank holiday beverages.

Premier League Preview

Premier League Preview for 16/08,17/08 & 18/08

Ein, uno, one. So it begins, the first week of what is set to be a sparkling premier league season hits us up this Saturday and my oh my, do we have toe tingling fixtures that will make your soccer cravings water. The championship has brought us meat fresher than from the arbetoir in the form of the three promtee's but it's no doubt that they'll have a rough weekend; Leicester, Burnley and QPR are all seeking to kick start their top flight life with a win. So much speculation and mind games have flown in already this week on the league winner predictions but nearly every manager has modestly mentioned that six teams can lift this years trophy; Everton and Tottenham were stamped with the belief of that ability. Without further or do, who will it be? Can a new team lift the trophy or will the top four dominate once more?. 

A new look Liverpool take to the stage at Anfield this weekend, only to host the team that they bought most of in the transfer window. Sterling and co. are still feeling the bruises from last years brutal ending meaning they are going to be relentless against The Saints on Sunday. A sure shot for a home three points. One to look out for this year is the revival of the Red Devils as Louis Van Gaal has seemedly put the Moyes Murder to bed and dragged United through the rough, then coming out the other end like a burning phoenix. They kick off the whole season this weekend in the 12:45 Saturday showdown against Swansea in a game where I'd expect an easy win for the Manchester men. 

What a way to introduce Burnley to the big time, an overlooked championship team so tender and unrated, pushed in the deep end in a game against the title favourites, Chelsea. Monday night football is back and so is the banter between the pundits which is going to be as funny as the full time result, let's just hope Gary Neville is on form. Diego Costa, Fabregas and the returning Drogba are going to feast on the feeble defence of Burnley and a goal buffet it's going to be served; unlucky for the newbies but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. The final match highlight I want to address is the bone crunching Sunday funday match between the Toon Army and Man city. After doing more business than a food truck outside an American school, Newcastle look refreshed. They have infact, finally got over the French Revolution and began to sign more players from around the globe having currently signed the most players for any club in the prem this summers window. Man City on the other hand are just bouncing back from a rather poor, rather weak pre season and by the looks of it, the title will slip their grasp this year. The players might be signing new contracts but the team hasn't moved mountains so I'm expecting a score draw from this game. 

WEEKEND PREDICTIONS: 

Saturday 16th August...

Man United 3-0 Swansea

Leicester 1-2 Everton

QPR 1-1 Hull city

Stoke City 2-0 Aston Villa

West Brom 0-1 Sunderland

West Ham 2-2 Tottenham

Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace

Sunday 17th August...

Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

Newcastle 1-1 Man City

Monday 18th August...

Burnley 0-4 Chelsea 

WORTH A PUNT: 

Diego Costa to Score a Hatrick - 18/1...

This Spaniard may have one of the worst world cups to date, but let's be honest, he's one of the main reasons Atletico Madrid snatched La Liga last year. After reeling him in during the summer transfer window, Mourinho has had the chance to mould his team around Costa during pre season and he's certainly mustered up some magic with the striker nailing in a bag full of goals. Place a golden nugget on him to score a hatty and pocket yourself a tidy £18 in return; not a bad bet considering the boys in blue are only playing Burnley. 

The Futures Bright, The Futures Yellow

Norwich City FC 2014/15 Season Predictions. 

To the tune of Michael Jackson, blame it on the boogie... Don't blame it on Gaz Hooper, Don't blame it Big Leroy, Don't blame it on Russ Martin, Blame it on Chris Houghton. After a fabulously disgraceful final season in the premier league, the canaries are finally back in the championship where I reckon we'll see more exciting times ahead. Not only can we now compete against every team in the league but we'll also witness some goals brought back in the Carrow Road nets. With the capability to compete for top places and a trophy an incentive to win will be rebirthed and let us not forget we have to chance to showcase why we are East Anglia's best. Adams has taken charge, signed some prestigious championship strikers and is looking to succeed so expect the canaries to bounce back with a bang. 

The Derby...

Kicking starting the article, I'm going to touch on a passionate point for all followers of the yellows, an element so rare that we haven't forseen the spark for three whole years; the special event I talk of is the East Anglian derby. Oh my have we missed it, the blood pumping tackles, the adrenaline, the winning. You can already feel the tension in the air as the fans banter each other online, it's as though this is all East Anglian football has wanted for the past few seasons. For fans and neutrals alike, derby days are fuelled by nostalgia and patriotism so let's pray that this can juice the boys up for the rest of the season, leading to a few more victories. When the question begs as to who will win this game, it's obvious isn't it? Norwich. 

League Finish...

As I said in the intro, Norwich are back in a league where they can realistically make movements and progress as a team; peaking at teams around the championship is obvious to see why. The clubs diversity in the ranks will claw away at teams with a stern ability to change up the tactics throughout; for example they have youngsters like Redmond with pace to burn and a veteran like Russell Martin who can prove brick like in defence. Attacking or defending, youth or experience, the canaries have it all and my mystic ball is showing wins. Few teams that might pose a problem for the boys in yellow in the championship are Derby, Forest, Wigan, Cardiff, Middleborough and Fulham as they have that similar ability to the East Anglian men. Overall I'm not seeing a stroll through Chapelfield gardens to get to promotion but it's got to be second or at least a play off place. 

Top Goalscorer... 

Lafferty or Grabban, it's got to be. Now that the Wolf has left the den, I don't think he'll be coming back and as an honest fan I think it's for the best. Fear not though because pre season has made our new striking signings look like a plan straight out of mastermind. Lafferty posses as a keen goal snatcher where as Grabban is more of a poacher likely to snatch up lose balls, either way they are both goalscorers looking to top a tally. Hooper on the other end of the spectrum is doubtful to get a look in and rightfully so after last seasons limp flop, he could do us a job in the championship but will he start?. Take your pick out of my two choices as I foreshadow at least double of last years goal difference and an unbelievable improvement on the attacking game. 

Player of the Season...

One man, a man who everyone thought would be flying off back to the top flight, a young speedster who has the a huge future... Nathan Redmond. The England under-21 was one of Norwich's better players last season in the premier league and could have easily left in the transfer market to return, however, the baller stayed. His blistering pace will cause denfences nightmares and I'm predicting all the opportunities will come through this man; tearing up either wing, shredding turf, thunderous shots and curessed crossing all come easy to him. In preseason he's scored a few and created a shed load of chances, not forgetting to mention his sublime summer for England where he even scored a hatrick. Redmond can cause some serious damage and will be a diamond in the City squad next season, this young starlet will smell blood and absolutely thrive off of weakness in the opposing defence. 

Premier League 2014/15... Ones to Watch

Part Two of a Series of Articles

Premier League And Norwich City 2014/15 Analysis And Predictions.

It's not hammering a champion that determines who's the best from the worst, it's the sheer ability to gain a result week in, week out against the weaker teams and all around averagely skilled squads. Every year in the highest English league we feast our boggled minds upon grown underdogs who prove to be tough opposition for even the most capable clubs; the type of teams that you know aren't going to roll over without a severe workout. After a lengthy brainstorm I've penciled down a few of the footballing places that I believe will be showcasing soccer brilliance and can guarantee to cause a number of upsets this coming calendar. As a collective I'm going to name these squads the "acca crackers" because of the amount of money bookies will be taking up from their results. So without further or do, these are the lads you need to watch for.

Everton FC...

Is there ever a season that goes by where the Toffee's don't manage to raise an eyebrow or two?. As the blue, more overlooked side of the Mersy, Everton have always lived in the shadow of the giants but don't go mistaking them for an easy three points. Last year Martinez took Goodison by a storm and so nearly lead them to a long awaited champions league spot; after Moyes flew the nest for bigger bucks fans from all over were worrying they wouldn't succeed but how wrong were they. In 2014/15, Ross Barkley and John Stones will be carrying a confidence in experience under their belts and being with the highly seasoned Gareth Barry the team boasts big diversity. As far as strengthening goes, the Meryside men have finally signed up the next Drogba in Romelu Lakakua and not to mention they still have the ultimate left back being Leighton Baines. Perfectly rounded and a great goalscoring squad, the boys in blue will without doubt be ones to watch and have promise to rewrite the footballing scripts all year round. 

Queens Park Rangers FC... 

I know what everyone will be thinking, another year promoted and more stupid signings that will just lead to the same scenario ending... Relegation. Hold the boat though as I reckon Harry Redknapp has it nailed this coming season. After taking the not so easy route into the premier league, QPR have had to work that extra bit harder to prove their pudding and they'll pump that growing spark incentive into their games meaning more points may be going their way. Comparing these to the other newcomers, it's obvious to see they have so much more experience and are making serious moves to generate the memories in the premier league they will want to remember; examples of this are the solid signings of the defending veterans Rio Ferdinand and Steven Caulker. Also the play off champions have the superb Julio Caser returning between the sticks giving opposition a world class keeper to take a pop at only spelling certain clean sheets all year. I'm not expecting mass points but a guaranteed improvement on their last premier spell is a cert and if Loic Remy were to stay, it's goals a pleanty. 

Crystal Palace FC...

The team I hate to love. For some strange reason I have a loving soft spot for Pulis and his boys; it could be the way they play, their bounce back ability or just the factor that some of their players are simply magnificent. Last year they caused one of the biggest, most crushing comebacks in a three a piece draw with Liverpool, breaking hearts but at the same time leaving fans motionless at the faultless, never say die attitude. Players I highly rare in the squad are the Aussie captain Miles Jedinak because of his battle axe solidarity and leadership mentality not forgetting Bolaise who has pace and strength to burn. Young Dwight Gayle really proved himself as a super sub last year banging in goals from the bench, I just wish that Tony Pulis would play him more as he brings such a spark to the front line, with him up top we could witness many top rated defenders tied in knots. Palace haven't spent a shed load but the years behind the men they have signed is priceless; Hangeland for one is like a central wall, left standing for seasons. Again, I forsee a heafty improvement on last calendar. 

Hull City FC... 

Looking back on the start of the 13/14 premier league, I highly fancied Hull to drop like a ton of bricks... Steve Bruce picked up them bricks and threw them back at me with conviction. Not only did they survive the bottom three but the Tigers went on to get into an FA cup final which sling shotted them into a Europa league place, this forcing to a mass build. Now a few months on, Brucey and his boys are looking solid and better than ever after signing superiors like Norwich's Scottish talisman Snodgrass and England's bright future, Tom Ince. That mingling in together with Huddleston, Livermore and Davies makes for some serious midlands magic and a tough game for any traveling team. Europe may take some of the squads energy but it can improve them also creating a driven, diversity in playing style. Look out for the Tigers, it's likely they'll bite.