Never Captain Nicky Butt

Funny Feeling Friday: Landon Donovan

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Ibracadabra

Donovan provides an attacking spark for goal-shy Everton

He has yet to score for Everton in 3 starts for the club this month, but that won’t stop us from selecting American superstar Landon Donovan as our “Funny Feeling Friday,” this weekend. Donovan is owned by just 0.5% of fantasy managers and is featuring for an Everton team depleted by injuries and lacking any sort of offensive firepower whatsoever. At 7M, he’s 1.2M more expensive than teammate Royston Drenthe (5.8M) who has also shown flashes of brilliance in recent weeks – though his inconsistency defensively and injury problems have left him a poor fantasy selection. Donovan seems a bit on the ‘pricey’ side especially with the likes of Jon Walters (6.7M) being listed as a fantasy midfielder and taking penalties for Stoke whilst playing as a forward.

That’s the bad news. The good news? Donovan has played all 90 minutes in all 3 games for Everton. So he’s a lock to play the full 90 (barring injury) against strugglers Blackburn at Goodison this weekend. Donovan’s USA teammate Edson Buddle is set to go on trial at Everton with his former LA Galaxy (and national team) buddy from California in the coming days, so surely Donovan must be in good spirits. Oh, and did we mention David Beckham has re-joined Donovan at the LA Galaxy for the next 2 years? A further boost to Donovan’s mental and emotional state, perhaps…

But let’s be a bit more serious. Everton are struggling for goals. They’re struggling for results. And at 7M, Donovan is not a long term fantasy prospect by any means. But the on-loan midfielder / forward has taken a few corners and set pieces for the Toffees in the past few weeks, and should be able to return a goal and/or assist against a leaky Blackburn back-four – which may feature want away Captain Chris Samba – a man who wants to leave the club but may be forced to stay and play in a poor frame of mind.

I don’t have much statistical proof to back up Donovan as the FFF selection this weekend, though he did score 2 goals in 10 league games for Everton on loan a few seasons ago. That’s a goal every 5 games. And he’s played three. And scored none. So, maybe, just maybe, he grabs one against Blackburn.

There you have it. You’ve all heard of him, but you probably still won’t select him. I don’t blame you, but he’s a hard working attacker with quality playing at home against a relegation threatened side, so we could do way worse.

Landon Donovan, your beach bum turned Premier League short-term fix. The man who carries David Beckham’s luggage in LA. The speedster with the receding hairline. The face of American soccer. Your Funny Feeling Friday.

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Premier League Gameweek 22 Fantasy Preview

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Ibracadabra

Yup, that expression seems about right

I. Manchester United @ Arsenal: This is just amazing. Arsenal looking for revenge after a humiliating, fluke, 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Manchester City are at home against Tottenham in a superb Top-4 clash, but Sir Alex’s men visiting London is the pick of the bunch.

Thierry Henry is an injury doubt, though he does have 8 career goals against United. Few Arsenal players should really be owned from a fantasy footie perspective other than the man of the season Robin van Persie – the top scorer and most expensive player in the game. RVP may cost 13.2M, but he’s racked up 153 points and is a near-automatic Captain’s Armband selection week in and week out. Close to Cristiano Ronaldo style consistency.

For Manchester United, Valencia (8M) is in form and cheaper than Nani (10.4M) but don’t count out the Michael Jackson look-alike winger in the big games. Nani has scored some big goals before in big games (he’s scored in wins over Chelsea and Arsenal already this season).

At the back it is mind-boggling to me how Jonny Evans is only owned by 3% of fantasy managers. He only costs 4.5M and Manchester United keep clean sheets. He’s outscored Ferdinand, Vidic, and Smalling this season. Even if he only starts 1 out of every 2 league games (and he should start way more games than just 50%) he’s a great asset to have as a 4th or 5th priced defender. HE PLAYS REGULARLY FOR MANCHESTER UNITED AND COSTS JUST 4.5m. Should be owned by more than 3% of managers once the team can get past this tricky run of fixtures.

I don’t know if it will be Rooney, Hernandez, Welbeck, Nani or Berbatov who will grab the late winner in this one, but I think that only a standout performance from Szczesny saves Arsenal from a home loss. I think the Arsenal ‘keeper could keep it 1-1 or 2-2 in a score draw, but I’ll go against my ‘score draw’ instinct and take an away win.

Prediction: 1-2 Manchester United

II. Chelsea @ Norwich: I like Torres, Sturridge, Lampard and Mata at Norwich. Norwich concede goals, both home and away, so you have to think Chelsea can improve on their 1-0 win against Sunderland.

It will be interesting to see if Michael Essien starts from the beginning or if Ramires and Meireles continue in midfield. Essien is back to fitness now and at 6.9M is a former bonus point magnet who could make the Chelsea midfield a rotational minefield when it comes to bargain options like Ramires. Mata is the best bet for the money, though he performs better at home than on the road. Lampard is too expensive for most but is quietly putting up more points per fantasy game (5.2) than Mata (4.6M). He’s always in danger of finding himself on the bench, but at 11.1M is a penalty taking stud.

Prediction: 0-2 Chelsea win

III. Studs & Duds: Fulham are inconsistent but Clint Dempsey is a stud at home to Newcastle. Everton let fantasy managers down last week during the double gameweek but Landon Donovan and Leighton Baines have to be classified as studs at home against Blackburn. Chelsea players are studs – from the front to the back at Norwich. Aguero and Silva are on the stud-dud fence, but leaning towards studs at home to Tottenham. VDV, Bale and Adebayor can score against anyone but they are on the fence this week and leaning to the “dud” category – especially after they lost 5-1 at home to Manchester City earlier this season. Jon Walters is a stud for Stoke, on penalties, and at home to West Brom.

I have a soft spot for former Funny Feeling Friday Hugo Rodallega so I’ll place him on the stud/dud fence with a chance to put in a performance despite the road trip to QPR. Duds this week are usually reliable Swansea players, including last week’s heroes Sinclair and Dyer. I can’t see them getting too much out of the Sunderland game despite their impressive win against Arsenal. Aston Villa and Wolves players can be considered, both on the fence, neither too strong or too weak. I expect Liverpool to score at Bolton, so Bolton’s defenders are duds (Cahill is now a Chelsea player anyway) – and Gerrard is a stud.

IV. Gameweek 22 Best Eleven:

GK: Mignolet

D: G. Cahill – Baines – Enrique

M: Sessegnon – Dempsey – Gerrard – Silva

F: Torres – RVP – Fletcher

Subs: Stockdale – Bale – Kelly – Huth

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Posted in fantasy epl blog, Fantasy Premier League, fantasy premier league blog | Tagged baines, bale, dempsey, enrique, fantasy epl blog, fantasy premier league best strikers, fantasy premier league blog, fantasy premier league captain, fantasy premier league gameweek 22, fantasy premier league preview, fantasy premier league wildcard, gerrard silva, hugh, nani, rooney, sessegnon, stock dale, sturridge, torres, van persie, welbeck | 8 Comments

Papis Demba Cisse at Newcastle: A New FPL Legend in the Making?

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Ibracadabra

Will he steal Ba's limelight?

Great news for Newcastle fans but dangerous news for Fantasy Premier League managers who own (or are thinking of acquiring or re-acquiring) Demba Ba when he returns from the African Cup of Nations in just a few weeks time.

Newcastle have signed striker Pappis Demba Cisse from Freiburg. The 26 year old is also a Senegal international, so will partner Ba for both club and country. Ba is also 26 years old.

Cisse returned 33 goals in 49 games for Freiburg the past two seasons – an amazing return.

But will fantasy managers now be forced to pick and choose to see which striker is “own-able” for the remainder of the season? Will Ba’s value (15 goals and 128 fantasy points – the best value striker in the entire game) diminish with Cisse stealing some of his thunder? Or will the two feed off of each other to combine for a superb partnership where both are essentially ownable?

Much depends on Cisse’s starting FPL pricetag. Ba costs 7.4M, a figure that may drop to 7.3M or even 7.2M by the time he returns from Africa. Cisse will probably be priced in the similar range.

Last season we saw fantasy managers confused when it came to owning Manchester United strikers – should it be Hernandez, Berbatov or Rooney? In the past we’ve seen similar issues with Tottenham up front – Defoe, Bent, Keane, or Crouch? And even Liverpool (Carroll or Suarez) or Aston Villa (Bent or Agbonlahor?) at the start of the season perplexed owners.

For now, we must take a wait and see approach. Cisse’s price, both players injury status and fitness returning from Africa, and their February and March form will decide much. We’ll keep you updated.

Good luck to all managers.

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Posted in fantasy epl blog, Fantasy Premier League, fantasy premier league blog | Tagged demba ba, fantasy epl blog, fantasy premier league, newcastle, Pappis Demba Cisse | 3 Comments

Maynor Figueroa’s Hand of God

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Ibracadabra

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Posted in Fantasy Premier League | Tagged figueroa, maynor figueroa handball, wigan vs manchester city | Leave a comment

Premier League Gameweek 21 Fantasy Preview

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Ibracadabra

Bale is very serious... and very in form

FA Cup. Carling Cup. And in the meantime, Tottenham making an assault up the Premier League table. Let’s get back at it and preview the weekend…

I. Arsenal @ Swansea: This is an exciting battle, as Swansea are in amazing form at home – through the likes of goalkeeper Michel Vorm, while his Dutch counterpart Robin van Persie is ready for action after resting over the past week and letting Thierry Henry hog the spotlight…

Arsenal were lifted by an Henry winning goal in their 1-0 FA Cup win over Leeds but this game should see the French legend start from the bench. RVP, Ramsey, Song, and Arteta should pull the strings centrally. Swansea like to keep the ball but should be exposed on the counter-attack and Arsenal will look to put pressure on Chelsea and climb back into the Top 4 with a vital away win.

Very quietly, Swansea’s striker Danny Graham has 6 Premier League goals this season, and he costs just 4.7M. Nathan Dyer and Scott Sinclair are the top fantasy performers in midfield.

I think Arsenal win this one despite Swansea’s superb home form to date.

Prediction: 1-2 Arsenal win

II. Bolton @ Manchester United: Chelsea and Tottenham have winnable home games in London but Manchester United take on Bolton at Old Trafford in a game that should see Wayne Rooney and Nani really star. On a high after knocking Manchester City out of the FA Cup, fantasy managers should expect returns on both ends of the pitch.

Rooney & Welbeck are the star selections up front, whilst the cheap Evans at the back and moderately priced Valencia in the middle join Nani as studs.

Prediction: 3-0 Manchester United

III. Studs & Duds: Tottenham have Wolves at home so Adebayor, VDV, and Bale are all studs once again. Adebayor hasn’t scored well in the past few weeks but is always dangerous and may (or may not) be on penalty kick duties: VDV is the other option. Wolves are tougher at home than they are on the road and their only chance at a point in this one is the super play of GK Hennessey. Expect a Tottenham win. They’re in form.

Sergio Aguero and Manchester City take on Wigan. Aguero is a stud. David Silva is an injury doubt. If he misses out, Samir Nasri could step in, though he’s a risky long term play. Investment at the back is cheap with Lescott, Savic, and Richards all likely to play. Studs.

Steven Gerrard and Jose Enrique have Stoke at home. Liverpool players are studs then despite the 0-3 loss in their last Premier League fixture.

Yakubu and Dempsey square off in a Blackburn – Fulham game that should have goals. Both are studs, as is former FFF Ruiz.

IV. Gameweek 21 Best Eleven:

GK: Friedel

D: Bosingwa – Enrique – J. Evans

M: Nani – Bale – Gerrard – Mata

F: Rooney – Sturridge – RVP

Subs: Krul – Savic – Santon – Dempsey

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Posted in fantasy epl blog, Fantasy Premier League, fantasy premier league blog | Tagged fantasy epl blog, fantasy footie captain, fantasy premier league blog, fantasy premier league gameweek 21 preview, hart, lescott, savic | 2 Comments

Gary Cahill to Chelsea: A Fantasy Premier League Manager’s Wet Dream

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ibracadabra

Mixed form for Bolton, but has the potential to shine at Chelsea

Bolton’s star defender Gary Cahill is close to completing a switch to Chelsea and join his international teammate John Terry in the heart of Andre Villas-Boas’ back four.

Chelsea have been far from consistent at the back this season – mixed play from the likes of Bosingwa, Luiz, and even on occasion the more reliable Terry and Ivanovic sees the club miles off the Premier League title race. But with the Champions League and FA Cup still very much in play, Cahill would add some solidity in the middle. Reportedly, Alex is on his way out to QPR…

For fantasy managers, the proposed Cahill to Chelsea move is quite tasty indeed. A classic “non Top-4 player being transferred to a Top-4 team after already being priced for his non Top-4 team by the official Fantasy Premier League game” if that makes sense (and to those of you who have played this game for nearly a decade, as I have, it certainly makes sense).

Intra-Premier League transfers are always great when a ‘bigger club’ comes in for a player on a ‘smaller’ club. It didn’t quite work out for Andy Carroll (Newcastle to Liverpool) in last year’s January transfer window, but if Cahill stays fit, this is a great one for fantasy managers.

Cahill comes in priced at 5.2M and if he earns a regular starting spot alongside Terry (I don’t see why he wouldn’t), he should be universally owned by fantasy managers. Jose Bosingwa is currently the cheapest Chelsea ‘regular’ defender – at 5.5M – but he’s been in and out of the starting lineup this season. Cahill is a goal threat from set pieces – 11 in the last 3 Premier League seasons and 2 already this term, and though Chelsea aren’t as tight at the back as Manchester City or others, they will keep their fare share of clean sheets moving forward and should end up with 12-14 for the season.

There you have it. It’s not signed, sealed, and delivered just yet, but if/when the Cahill to Chelsea move gets rubber stamped, make sure to keep him at the top of your Fantasy Premier League shopping list.

Good luck to all managers.

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Posted in Chelsea, fantasy epl blog, Fantasy Premier League, fantasy premier league blog | Tagged alex to qpr, cahill chelsea, fantasy epl blog, fantasy premier league blog, gary cahill bolton transfer, gary cahill chelsea transfer, gary cahill to chelsea | Leave a comment

African Cup of Nations: Premier League Teams Suffer Absentees

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Ibracadabra

The 2012 African Cup of Nations begins on January 21st in Gabon and Equitorial Guinea, and players have just reported to their respective international squads for the tournament.

The next few gameweeks in the Premier League will be tough for teams that rely on stars like Demba Ba, Yaya Toure, and Gervinho. Fantasy managers also need to prepare for potential reserve team assets that could shine while starters are away…

ARSENAL: Chamakh and Gervinho both gone. Thierry Henry (7.5M) will be a 2-month short term replacement, but how often will he start? Will he be used as a super-sub off the bench in the 60th minute or will he start alongside RVP? We shall see…

Gervinho is a big loss. Despite his lack of finishing, his pace and dribbling has been quite threatening, especially as Theo Walcott has suffered a loss of form. Arshavin, Benyoun, and Rosicky should benefit from more minutes played.

CHELSEA: Drogba and Kalou gone. Fernando Torres has a month to shine without fear of being benched. I think he will score a goal or two, but it will be hard to justify his fantasy pricetag, especially with teammate Daniel Sturridge returning from injury soon and in-form this season.

MANCHESTER CITY: Kolo and Yaya Toure gone. Big chance for Joleon Lescott and/or Stefan Savic to slot in at CB, as Kolo Toure is gone and Vincent Kompany is suspended. Kompany has appealed and a decision is due tomorrow evening, but regardless it looks like Lescott is nailed on for the next month.

The loss of Yaya Toure is perhaps greater. Nigel De Jong could fill in, as he started basically the entire 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons, before finding himself on the bench this season. Gareth Barry has also looked good in central areas this season. James Milner can also play centrally. I think Mancini knows what he gets with De Jong, and that his appearances should increase in 2012 with Yaya in Africa.

NEWCASTLE: Demba Ba and Cheikh Tiote gone. Newcastle are the club most affected by the ACON. Their two best players are gone for a month. Danny Guthrie could come into the midfield for Tiote, while up front it looks like Leon Best, and the Ameobi brothers (Shola and Sammy) will see regular minutes over the next month. Newcastle could have a tough January.

QPR, STOKE, and WIGAN: Taarabt, Traore, Diao, and Diame gone. Taarabt was amazing in the Championship last season but has struggled in the top flight. QPR have just sacked Neil Warnock, so some changes to the lineup could be forthcoming. Traore has been very good on the left side of defense and will be missed. QPR have also just lost Alejandro Faurlin to a season-ending injury so it looks like it will be a tough month for their new manager.

Stoke lose Salif Diao to the Senegal national team. He’s made only 4 appearances this season and is a non-factor.

Wigan lose Mohamed Diame – which is a massive loss. He’s been great this year.

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Posted in Fantasy Premier League, fantasy premier league blog | Tagged acon, african cup of nations, african cup of nations fantasy premier league, chamakh, demba ba, diame, gervinho, senegal to win 2012 african cup of nations, thierry henry 7.5m, thierry henry FPL price, tiote | 1 Comment

Wayne Rooney In Form; Vincent Kompany Suspended

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Ibracadabra

Manchester United knocked Manchester City out of the FA Cup today with a thrilling 3-2 win in the 3rd Round.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were up 3-0 against a 10-man Manchester City through two Wayne Rooney goals and a superb Danny Welbeck volley before Manchester City stormed back in the second half to make the game a bit too close for comfort for United fans (Kolarov and Aguero the goalscorers).

Talking points:

VINCENT KOMPANY SENT OFF – Tw0-footed challenge on Nani in the first half and the City Captain is now suspended for three matches. From a fantasy footie perspective that means LESCOTT (and to a lesser extent SAVIC) are the natural, cheaper replacements over the next few weeks.

PAUL SCHOLES PLAYS – Scholes came out of retirement to replace Nani in the 60th minute. What a nice surprise for Sir Alex and their battered midfield crew. Scholes has been a reserve team coach at the club this season, and he looked OK in his 30 minute cameo (despite giving the ball away that led to Aguero’s goal). David Beckham looked on from a suite with a bit of envy in his eyes…

WAYNE ROONEY 2 GOALS – Rooney missed a penalty, but followed it up with a header, and also scored on another header (perfect cross from Valencia on the right) to re-gain some of his lost form. Stories swirling around the Manchester United superstar off the pitch will now be replaced by his predatory finishing on the pitch… Are we set for another Rooney-like run? 5 goals in the next 5 games? Don’t count it out.

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Posted in fantasy epl blog, Fantasy Premier League, fantasy premier league blog, Manchester United | Tagged fantasy epl blog, fantasy premier league blog, kolarov goal, kompany red card, manchester derby far up 3rd round, paul scholes, paul scholes comes out of retirement, rooney missed penalty, valencia assist, vincent Kompany red card on Nani, wayne rooney 2 goals | 1 Comment

Frank Lampard will not sign for Manchester United

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Ibracadabra

Staying at Chelsea despite a lack of regular playing time

The January transfer window is open and the rumors are swirling, but one player who will not be moving in the upcoming weeks, is Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.

The legend has scored 9 goals for the Blues this term but is frustrated at a lack of first team opportunities under new manager Andre Villas-Boas. That has led to speculation that Sir Alex Ferguson will complete a sensational move for the aging midfielder – as Manchester United suffer from long term injuries to both Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley in central areas.

But, it won’t happen. Sir Alex has denied that he’s interested.

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Posted in Chelsea, Fantasy Premier League, fantasy premier league blog, Frank Lampard, Manchester United | Tagged frank lampard to manchester united, ian ladyman, january transfer window, lampard, lampard transfer, manchester city, manchester united, sir alex ferguson | 2 Comments

Guest Post: Premier League December 2011 (and 2 Days of January) Review

Posted on January 2, 2012 by The Team

A great month for Yakubu

Happy New Year to all… A guest post today chronicling the last month in the Premier League by Griggers. Former high school and college soccer star in the United States, he’s currently completing his coaching badges and managing on the high school and club level. It’s long, but a great summary of the last month of action in the greatest league in the world!

The month of December is an incredible month for many people around the world: Holidays, friends, and family. The holiday I was looking forward to most this past December was Boxing Day. Football is my religion.

On this Boxing Day – the last one I ever spent in a house I called home for close to 15 years – my father and I had six games on the slate and nothing else planned. Thanks to DVR, DirecTV and a little patience, I watched as many games as I could, but then spent a solid chunk of time watching just the Review Shows in order to get a better feel for what was really going on. After taking the notes, here are my thoughts:

Dec 4^th Headlines

Newcastle second loss to Chelsea (3-0)
Yakubu brace against Swansea gives Rovers a 4-2 win
O’Neill in the crowd for his first game after being named manager of Sunderland
Arsenal looked wonderful against Wigan
Al Habsi is having an amazing season
Man City Wins 5-1 over Norwich, Man U keeps pace with 1-0 victory at Villa

Dec 11^th Headlines

Man City and Man United Look to Bounce Back After Champions League Exits
Man United Too Good at Home Against Wolves, Man City Loses to Chelsea
VanPersie Lifts Arsenal Over Everton with 70^th Minute Strike - “What a Goal from Robin van Persie. It’s a Goal That Belongs in Another Game”
Tottenham Stunned By Stoke
Liverpool Beats QPR 1-0
Demba Ba is a Beast for Newcastle, but Norwich Wins at Home 4-2
Sunderland Scores Late to Beat Blackburn: This was an incredible game. I was sitting with a college friend who is not a huge soccer fan. When Sunderland went level at 1-1, Martin O’Neill started jumping up and down like a kid seeing a puppy for the first time on Christmas morning. After being asked why he was so happy, I responded, “He knows another one is coming.” He thought it was DVR when the second beautiful free kick came just minutes later. Momentum proves to be an amazing thing.

Dec 18^th Headlines

Man United Travels to QPR to Win 2-0
Man City Wins 1-0 in Battle With Arsenal: I hated watching Man City last year. They were too defensive, and Mancini did a good job of winning with what he had. This year, they are too offensive for Mancini to want to play defense, and they are extremely entertaining. Aguero and Silva are incredible, and Balotelli is simply unbelievable (in every sense of the word). The onslaught came just a week after losing to Chelsea.
Wigan’s Late Home Equalizer Stuns Chelsea
Wolves’ Struggles Continue at Molineux With Surging Stoke in Town
Blackburn’s Kean Watches Stoppage Time Goal Crush Blackburn at Home
Dempsey and Ruiz on Target for Fulham in Important Win Over Bolton
Liverpool Wins 2-0 at Villa Park

Griggers’ Perspective on Premier League supporters:

Premier League fans are some of the most intelligent supporters in the world. “MAN ON” was heard loudly in the 90^th minute of an Arsenal game during the holiday. It was so loud that the announcers commented on it two different times during stoppage time. Although not all sports have the same ability to help players the way you can while watching football, it was impressive to hear more than 50,000 fans all on the same page.

December 22^nd Recap

This may have been the best group of games during the holiday frenzy. A battle at the bottom between Bolton and Blackburn made Kean’s haters even more frustrated, which was hard to believe. In other games, Man City and Man United continued to cruise with impressive big wins. Arsenal beat Villa at Villa Park, and Wigan earned a draw at home against Liverpool.

There were a couple of other impressive games during this stretch, but none was better than the Newcastle-West Brom fixture. West Brom went ahead with a 20^th minute strike from Odemwingie. Demba Ba equalized for Newcastle just 14 minutes later on a free kick to the upper right corner. It looked like the game would go into halftime tied at one apiece, but West Brom’s McAuley had other ideas with a goal at the brink to give the away team a 2-1 lead. Ba again equalized in the 81^st minute to set up an incredible final 10 minutes. Paul Scharner created the match-winner to bring an extremely high-octane game to a close. This was probably the best game of the holiday period, and Newcastle’s early season form has really changed. Ba is an incredible force, and Pardew looks smart for dumping Carroll on Liverpool for a ton of money.

Boxing Day Headlines

Man United Crush Wigan in Only Lopsided Game of the Day
Man City Held Scoreless at the Hawthorns
Six Other Draws Highlight Boxing Day Fixtures
Newcastle Beats Bolton 2-0: Ben Arfa scored immediately after coming off the bench. Demba Ba is incredible, plain and simple.

Jan 1^st Headlines

Upsets Highlight the End of 2011 and the First Day of the New Year
Blackburn Ruins Sir Alex’s 70^th Birthday; Yakubu in Incredible Form
Man City Stunned By Sunderland on the Last Touch of the Game
Chelsea Lose to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge 3-1; David Luiz Struggles
Arsenal and Liverpool Win Home Fixtures with QPR and Newcastle
Swansea Forces 1-1 Tie at Home with Tottenham
Everton Wins on the Road at the Hawthorns

Jan 2^nd Headlines

Ten-Man Arsenal Stunned by Fulham’s Two Late Goals by Sidwell and Zamora
Chelsea and Wolves Exchange Late Goals as Chelsea Wins 2-1: Wolves looked like they had snatched a point in the final minutes of the game, but Frank Lampard’s injury time goal was too much for Mick McCarthy’s men. McCarthy is one of the true gentlemen in the sport, and despite being near the relegation zone, it looks like he can keep his job. His changes to the squad though on this day were a little confusing.
Norwich Wins at QPR in Clash of Promoted Clubs
Stoke Wins at Blackburn – Supporters Give Kean Less of a Hard Time
Swansea Wins on the Road at Villa Park: Aston Villa are the true Jekyl and Hyde team of the holiday games. They sit 12^th in the table including a win over Chelsea at the Bridge, but they only scored once at home against Liverpool, Arsenal and Swansea. The Swans sit in the 11^th spot after the win. They have two wins, three draws and a loss in their last six games.

NOTE: Liverpool travels to Man City, Wigan hosts Sunderland, and West Brom heads to White Hart Lane for January 3^rd Fixtures

NOTE: Newcastle Hosts Man United and Everton hosts Bolton on Wednesday, January 4^th