Chelsea officially clinched the Premiership on Saturday lunchtime with a crushing 3-0 victory over second placed Manchester United. The Blues only needed a draw to confirm the champions status but William Gallas after five minutes, Joe Cole on 61 and Ricardo Carvalho on 73 sealed victory in style as Jose Mourinho’s side retained their Premiership trophy at 6/5.

Another crucial match in the Premiership was Portsmouth’s victory at Wigan Athletic. As predicted in the Walker’s Word column, Pompey’s win at the JJB Stadium relegated both Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion in what was a gloomy day for West Midlands football. Henri Camara gave Wigan the lead after 34 minutes, but Benjamin Mwaruwari’s first goal form the club on 63 and Matt Taylor’s second penalty in as many weeks on 71 ensured a 9/5 away win.

Birmingham City could only muster a goalless draw against Newcastle United when only victory could preserve their Premiership status until the final match of the season. The draw was available at 12/5 before kick-off.

Liverpool went level on points with Manchester United after Saturday’s 3-1 win over struggling Aston Villa. Fernando Morientes opened the scoring after four minutes but Gareth Barry levelled on 58. Captain Steven Gerrard netted on 61 and 65 minutes to ensure a 3/10 victory for Rafa Benitez’s side.

Tottenham Hotspur tightened their grip on fourth place with a 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. Aaron Lennon struck the decisive goal on the hour for the 7/10 Spurs.

Fulham won their first match away from Craven Cottage with a last gasp goal at Manchester City. Richard Dunne gave City the lead after 69m minutes but Collins John equalised for the Cottagers with six minutes left. Steed Malbranque then fired in a stoppage time winner to secure an unlikely victory at 3/1 odds.

Alan Curbishley’s last match at The Valley as manager of Charlton Athletic ended in defeat as they were beaten 2-0 by 8/5 Blackburn Rovers. Steven Reid broke the deadlock two minutes before the break while a Chris Powell own goal on 65 put Mark Hughes’ side in touching distance of UEFA Cup football.

On Bank Holiday Monday, Arsenal made sure Sunderland went the entire season without a home win with a 3-0 victory at the Stadium of Light. Arsenal, huge 3/10 favourites before kick-off, scored three goals in 14 first half minutes, with a Danny Collins own goal on 28, Cesc Fabregas on 38 and Thierry Henry three minutes before the break.

Manchester United edged one point ahead of Liverpool as they drew 0-0 with Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. United, heavily odds-on before kick-off, saw Ruud van Nistelrooy miss a penalty after 65 minutes and the match ended level at 9/2.

By: DT Walker

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The list of nominations for the PFA awards has been made and it is quite a surprising looking list. Not one single player outside the current top two have been selected and 5 out of the 6 are Man Utd players.

The PFA Award (Professional Footballers Association) is probably the highest personal award a player can receive in his career. The nominations and winner are voted by their professional peers, and as one professional player, John Terry observed, it is “the ultimate accolade to be voted for by your fellow professionals whom you play against week-in and week-out”.

There have been some other outstanding performers outside the current top two clubs, and it is strange that the votes have gone to mainly Utd players, as Utd by their own standards have not been fantastic this season. A slow start, before they found form and powered into a commanding lead at the top of the table, but lately they have been struggling again. I could understand it last season, as they were awesome, but I did expect some names from other teams too. At least from the other top flour clubs. I could also argue Everton’s Jageilka should have been included, but the list is comprised by fellow professionals making up the voting, and after all they are the real experts.

The nominations are as follows:

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – He is a fantastic player and really is the player that makes Liverpool tick. Without him, they are quite lost. Even the great Zizou believes Gerrard to be the best midfielder in the world.

Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd) – He has been a rock at the back for Man Utd alongside Rio Ferdinand (also nominated). But when Rio was absent, he looked exposed. So perhaps not so great without Rio.

Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd) – The league’s best defender, and has formed an unstoppable partnership alongside Vidic.

Ryan Giggs (Man Utd) – A legend in the game and a fantastic player in his prime,and still doing well although his appearances are becoming less and less now, which makes it strange he should be included. Especially as he has only started 12 times in the league (plus 11 subs appearances).

Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd ) – In the 2007/08 season, he scored over 40 goals for Utd, a quite magnificent feat for a player who isn’t typically a striker. He was absolutely awesome last year and although there was soem uncertainty with his future last summer and his form wasn’t as great at the back end of the year. Ronaldo has won the award twice, in 2007 and 2008.

Edwin van der Sar (Man Utd) – I guess he is only included because of the record run of blank sheets. He is a good keeper, but not the best in the league in my humble opinion. Made to look better by the partnership of Vidic and Ferdinand in front of him. It is quite a selection of world class players there, each vitally important in different ways to their teams. It will be interesting to see who will win.

By: Richard Hull

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The English Premiership football league has just commenced a new season and already football fans from all over the world have been treated to a feast of exciting games. There really is no comparison in the quality of this division compared to other leagues from around the world, the premiership truly is the best.

Just looking at the Italian premier is a good example, this country boasts some of the top footballers from around the world but the games are just so boring to watch. Channel four from the UK used to air a match every week on a Sunday from this league but it has now been taken off our screens due to a lack of viewers, that says it all.

Just last season, on the final game of the Italian league, one particular team were having to win their last home game to avoid being relegated. The problem they had was the fact that they were playing the champions, Inter Milan. This would normally be a virtually guaranteed away win but for some reason the bookmakers were offering nine to one on a Milan victory. These odds looked very generous but very few people put money on Milan to win. It was no surprise to hear that Milan had lost the game by two goals to nil, that is the Italian league for you!

Boring is something you could not describe the majority of games from the English premier league, a better description would be fast and furious. Even the most ardent of Liverpool supporters would agree that you can not beat watching Manchester United when they are in full flight, players like Giggs, Ronaldo and Rooney are just exceptional talents.

I actually support Birmingham City, this is a team that will be happy to avoid relegation this season as they have just been promoted from the championship.

I would advise any football supporter from around the world to regularly watch the matches from the English premiership as you will not be disappointed.

By: Steve Hill

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As we come up to the busy christmas period in the English Premiership, there are once again probably only four teams with a realistic chance of becoming champions Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Arsenal:

Although Aresnal have made a fantastic start to the season i worry about their strength in depth and have serious doubts whether they have enough quality to maintain their title challenge. Players like Fabregas and Gallas are quality but the test will be when they have a bad patch and are faced with injury problems.

Will they have enough to respond only time will tell but i have my doubts.

I actually think that Arsenal will finish Fourth this season. ( Fourth )

Manchester United:

United defiantley have the strength in debt and have already resonded well after a shaky start. Rooney and Ronaldo are world class and with Vidic and Ferdinand are arguebly the best center back partnership in the premiership. Wayne Rooney is back banging in goals and Cristiano Ronaldo is beginning to hit form.

Manchester United have a great team and are my favorites to win the premiership. Initially i fancied

Chelsea but since the sacking of Jose Mourinho i slightly favor United. ( Champions )

Liverpool:

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will be hoping to lead Liverpool to Premiership glory this season but in reality i can’t see it happening this season . I am a Liverpool fan myself and would like nothing more than to be proven wrong but the fact is Liverpool are lacking defensively. Daniel Agger is quality but still young JC is a good defender but would struggle to get into Man Utd, Arsenal or Chelsea’s defence at center back. Sami hyypia is to old and with out a good defense you wont win the premiership.

Saying that with Steven Gerrard, Mascherano, Alonso etc i do believe Liverpool have the strongest centre midfield in the premiership and with the signing of F.Torres things are looking bright. ( Third )

Chelsea:

I believe that Chelsea will finish runners up this season. My original favorites to comfortably win the premiership title the season will be haunted by the sacking of Jose Mourinho .
Avram Grant has made a great start to his managerial career at stamford bridge but he inherited a fantastic team from Jose Mourinho. He does how ever remain unproven as a manager at this level and its when things are going bad we will find out what he’s made of. Jose Mourinho had an absolute nightmare season last year in terms of injuries suspensions bad luck and still pushed Man Utd to the wire.

With players like Frank Lampard, John Terry and D. Drogba you will always be a force but can Avram Grant get the best out of them we will have to see. ( Runners Up )

Finally below are my final standings for the race to the premership title it should be intersting and very exciting……

Barclays Premier League : Final Standings

1. Man Utd.
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal

By: James Griffiths

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The English Premiership is the fastest, best football league in the world without a doubt, holding a large number of worldwide football stars: The Premiership currently consists of: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Blackburn, West Ham United, Newcastle, Tottenham, Reading, Middlesbrough, Bolton, Birmingham, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Fulham and Derby County.

Wherever in the world you are, you will want access to Premiership football games, if you are a huge football fan, however, you may be faced with a problem. A number of people simply do not have access to the correct channels to watch Premiership football, meaning they miss out on their favourite games.

If you do not have the channels required to watch the English Premiership, you will want another way to watch the games. I have some good news, I discovered this software when Copa America was on and haven’t looked back since. With satellite TV for PC software, it is possible to watch thousands of channels from all around the world on your PC, this will include every sport channel you could possibly want to watch, meaning you will never miss a Premiership game, all you will need is the software and a PC.

The English Premiership is the biggest league worldwide, nearly every country in the world broadcasts these games, simply because this is the league the most people want to watch. Even when I went to Malta, Morocco and China, Premiership games were on television.

Whatever team you support, you’ll never want to miss a Premiership game. I’ve been watching Premiership games since I was 5, and still am to this day, simply because this league is the fastest, best football league in my mind, especially with the big teams Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.

If you want to watch Premiership football on your PC, I hope this article has helped you. If you do not have the channels which show it such as Setanta Sports, Sky Sports or Star Sports, then satellite TV for PC is your best option, you will never miss an English Premiership game with this.

Good Luck.

By: James Compo

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As the media hype over a 39th game proposal dies down, so does the dust get stirred up again for the start of the new English Premiership season for 2009/2010, which will go live online in a couple of days.

The league is not confined to just fans in England or the rest of Britain, but it is also a favorite of many other sports fans around the world. This is due largely to the much publicized drama that often enacts itself with each passing week and as rival teams snap at each other, the tension rises and more controversy is constantly created to fuel this lure for fans.

This time for season 2009/2010, the manager from the defending champions Manchester United have already taken it upon himself to raise the stakes before the start of the first round of matches. Having endured a tough battle with Liverpool last season before winning the league by a hair’s breadth, Alex Ferguson has now written off his bitter rivals before the first ball has been kicked. He noted the departure of key midfielder Xabi Alonso who was the main fulcrum of the side last season.

With that force of a player gone, Liverpool might struggle to fill his position with a player that experienced and capable. Even if Benitez refuses to acknowledge that, which to his credit he has also not risen to Ferguson’s verbal bait, the evidence will be displayed for all to see on the football pitch once the teams start.

There will be many key games that will decide the destiny of the title this season. The main ones are definitely those that involve the traditional Big Four who consistently top the league standings each season and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. However, this season there might be a clutch of teams willing to give these four dominant sides a run for their money during the live Premiership football online. Whether the odd quartet of Manchester City, Spurs, Everton and Aston Villa can do more than excite early on before disappointing in the end, fans can only wait and see how the whole season will pan out.

Winning the league is not all that matters in the English Premiership. There is also the even more important question of which team manages to survive in what is often considered the world’s toughest football competition. Stakes are high each time a team either manages to stay up or goes down a division with the amount of money that is invested in the 10 month long tournament. Those who manage to overcome the odds and extend their participation for another season will be guaranteed millions in funds which can do so much for the smaller clubs that cannot compare with the bigger ones like Manchester United and Chelsea. It is also the reason why clubs go out of the way to ensure they stay in the top flight for as long as possible.

By: Ray Wilsone

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Soccer, better known as football in Europe (except for Italy where it’s called “calcio”), has become the world’s most popular sport. From China to Mexico and everywhere in between, professional soccer draws crazed crowds, amazing athletes and big business.

Soccer madness overseas

While soccer enjoys a devoted fan base around the globe, none love the so-called “Beautiful Game” with as much ferocity as fans in the England. In fact, footie enthusiasts in England may qualify as fanatics, rather than fans. If you think the crowds at American gridiron football games are passionate, you’d likely describe English soccer spectators as raving lunatics. This reverence explains why 80 percent of the money made from professional soccer is made in England alone.

Americans are finally catching soccer fever

Despite European fervor for the game Americans call soccer, professional soccer is a relatively new venture in the United States. Somehow professional soccer has yet to emerge from the shadows of basketball, baseball and gridiron football here. North American soccer fans will certainly hope the success of Major League Soccer will eventually make soccer the national sport. In fact, in the past twenty years, soccer has become the most popular participatory youth sport in North America.

Youth players from the U.S. head to England for training and pro careers

Inevitably, young players raised in the U.S. and Canada are growing up with a thirst for pro soccer splendor. With pro soccer still in its infancy in their own country, many are turning to study abroad soccer boarding school programs and international soccer training camps. Drawn to the sharp competitive edge of English teams and the unmatched keenness of English fans, most players will prefer to train in England.

Premiership football, the heart of soccer in England

The top teams in Europe play under the English Premiership Professional Football Club. The Premiership, as it is often referred to, is the world’s most profitable football (soccer) league, not to mention the most-watched sporting league in the history of professional sports. Aspiring pro soccer players the world over dream of playing in their midst.

The Premiership takes young international players under its wing

English soccer camps and schools mentored by Premiership teams, such as Blackburn Rovers FC and Bolton Wanderers FC, make this dream a reality for many players. The best of these programs, like those sponsored by EduKick, provide intense pro soccer development courses, as well as cultural exposure and strong high school or university level academics. In addition, soccer students training in England have an excellent chance to be noticed and recruited by The Premiership’s leading teams.

Get in the game!

If you’re a young soccer player, ready to take on the world of professional soccer, England is the place to be. You’ll broaden your cultural horizons, get the world’s finest soccer training, and have a shot at professional soccer glory. You’ve got to admit, that’s a hat trick of epic proportions.

Learn more about English soccer schools and enroll for the upcoming school year at the Edukick Web site.

By: Joey Bilotta

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This is a very difficult thing to do and it is all about opinions after all. Some of the choices will be universally approved while some would be mocked or even condemned.

Candidates for Goal keepers

1 Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United)

2 David Seaman (Arsenal)

3 Jens Lehmann (Arsenal)

4 Brad Friedel (Blackburn)

5 Nigel Martyn (Leeds United and Everton)

6 David James (Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City and Portsmouth)

7 Brad Friedel (Blackburn Rovers)

8 Shay Given (Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United)

9 Casey Keller (Tottenham Hotspurs)

10 Edwin Van Der Saar (Fulham and Manchester United)

11 Tim Flowers (Southampton and Blackburn Rovers)

My choice would be Peter Schmeichel over David Seaman.

I have gone for a 3-man defense for my first team because I could not leave out some players in the more advanced positions and had also because I do not think that there has been an outstanding right back who really stands out from the rest to warrant being in my first team.

Candidates for Defenders

1. Gary Pallister ( Manchester United)

2. Steve Bruce (Manchester United)

3. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)

4. Jaap Stam (Manchester United)

5. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)

6. Sami Hyppia (Liverpool)

7. John Terry (Chelsea)

8. Marcel Desailly (Chelsea)

9. Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)

10. William Gallas (Chelsea)

11. Martin Keown ( Arsenal)

12. Tony Adams (Arsenal)

13. Steve Bould (Arsenal)

14. Sol Campbell (Arsenal)

15. Kolo Toure (Arsenal)

16. Jonathan Woodgate ( Leeds United)

17. Dave Watson (Everton)

18. Philip Albert (Newcastle)

19. Colin Hendry (Blackburn)

The 3 defenders I have chosen for my first team are Tony Adams who has been Arsenal’s best defender and captain in the last 30 years.

He did not have the natural ability, athleticism or speed of many of the defenders on the list but he had leadership and organizational abilities which are just as crucial for a defense.

Marcel Desailly of Chelsea who had everything you want in a defender; strength, speed and leadership.

The final defender I have picked is Jaap Stam of Manchester United who like the other 2, had all the qualities you want in a defender.

Midfielders

I am not going to make a list here because I have cheated and put some players that are essentially forwards but I chosen to class them as defenders as there was no way I was going to leave any of them out for the other.

I have picked 2 genuine central midfielders who would have to be the ball winners because the other 3 are not likely to defend at all.

They are perhaps the best 2 in their respective positions and would be in most people’s list as the very best player to have played in the premiership and they are Roy Keane of Manchester United and Patrick Vieira of Arsenal.

They were not just very competitive and combative but they were also very good players on the ball as well. They were totally inspirational to their teams and led their teams to many victories.

The 3 other “midfielders” are the best players to have played for their respective clubs, in terms of technical ability and they are Eric Cantona of Manchester United who was the inspiration for their winning the premiership for the first time in 25 years when they won it in 1992/93 season.

He has arguably being the main catalyst for their triumphs thereafter. Dennis Bergkamp was just technically perfect, and as far as I am concerned the best player to have won an Arsenal shirt. Gianfranco Zola was another genius with the football and was rightly voted Chelsea’s best ever player.

Strikers

This is always going to be the most position to pick just 2 outstanding candidates out of 50 excellent choices but I have gone managed to pick 2 of the very best.

They are as different as chalk and cheese, but they had scoring goals as their common attribute. The first player I have picked is arguably the most exciting player to have played in the premiership and most would agree that it has been a privileged for the premiership to have had Thierry Henry grace it with absolute brilliance.

He is not just a goal scorer but he created lots and lots of chances for his teammates and scored so many contenders for best goal ever in the premiership. His partner is quite simply the best striker in premiership history as his goals will attest to.

Alan Shearer was just a goal scoring phenomenon who also had more to his game than scoring goals. He is still the leading scorer in the premiership history and it will take a great effort for his record to be broken. He is the only player to have scored a century of goals for 2 different clubs in the Premiership.

By: Dennis Neri

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The premiership was formed in 1992 out of the ashes of the old football league division one. Many top flight managers had long argued that too much football was played which led to the restructuring of the top tier of English football. This meant a reduction in the number of premier league clubs involved.

The popularity of English premier league soccer is not just confined to England and the United Kingdom. In recent years, the premiership has become something of a global phenomenon with football fans in countries all over the world eagerly tuning in to watch their favourite team every week.

When the premiership was created a huge amount of money came into the game courtesy of television deals. This newly found wealth enabled the clubs to attract the best players in the World lured by attractive salaries and the excitement of premiership football itself. Premiership football has now become the most watched sporting event on the planet. It is also the Worlds most lucrative football league with combined club revenues that stretch into billions of pounds per year.

One of the reasons why premier league soccer is so popular on a global scale is the high tempo which the football is played at. Fans from all over the World love to see end to end action with both teams attempting to win the game. Premiership football delivers plenty of entertainment throughout the 90 minutes in the form of goals, drama and incident.

Before the arrival of the premiership, many experts considered Italian football to be the best in the World and the preferred destination for players. Although the football in Italy is played at a much slower tempo compared to that of the premier league which makes it less attractive for the neutral fan.

Because it has become so popular, there are controversial plans to stage some premier league games abroad. This would involve the clubs playing an extra round of matches in countries as far away as China and Japan. These plans have brought much debate and widespread opposition within the game with many feeling this could be taking things a step too far.

For more articles focusing on English premier league soccer please visit English Football Blog for the latest news and comment on the premiership soccer scene.

By: Jason Towse

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The start of a new Premiership season always brings about a sense of excitement with teams hoping for a successful campaign. Unfortunately though, as exciting as the Premiership is, I don’t see it being dramatically different from previous seasons.

The big 4 will remain the big 4 and Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd will certainly take up the top positions and probably all the silverware. I also think there will remain consistency in the positions of these clubs with Man Utd and Chelsea battling it out for the title, Arsenal falling just short and Liverpool struggling to remain consistent enough.

I wonder if any of the teams in and around the top 4 can make a serious challenge to break in. The likely candidates have to be Aston Villa, Everton and Spurs but I don’t know if any of these sides will have what it takes. Its almost certain that two of these three sides will make up the fifth and sixth places but a lack of depth will restrict further success.

At the bottom, I can only see doom for the three promoted clubs. As much as I’d like to see Stoke City and Hull make a go of it, I’m not sure they have the depth or ability in their squads to compete week in, week out. West Brom probably have the best chance of survival but even they need to make some quality additions to their team in order to be competitive.

The question is, who else could get dragged into the relegation dog-fight and my instincts tell me that Fulham, Bolton and Middlesbrough could be likely candidates. The amazing thing is that these sides are good enough to play at the highest level, but the competition in the Premiership is so fierce that they will almost certainly finish closer to the bottom than the top.

My tip for success this season is Portsmouth. I can definitely see them kicking on from last season’s cup success and making an impression in the Premiership. I think a top 6 finish is definitely on the cards and who knows how far they could go, if Crouch and Defoe really start to fire up front. From an English point of view, it would be great to see these two strikers form a partnership.

Whatever the outcome of this season’s competition, Premiership football shirts will definitely be worn with pride as the league continues to dominate the world stage.

By: Thomas Baugh

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