Quite  a funny topic this week, following the revelation that Newcastle United have sold the naming rights to St. James’ Park and for the rest of the season will be playing at the sportsdirect.com@St. James’ Park stadium. Catchy isn’t it?!

I don’t especially have a problem with naming rights (how could I as an Arsenal supporter) but I think you should go either the whole way or not at all. Either call it the sportsdirect.com stadium or stick with St James’ Park. Don’t try and force it all into one joint effort. Can you imagine the Emirates@Ashburton Grove or Aon Insurance@Old Trafford. Doesn’t work does it. Typical Newcastle though, always doing things cack-handedly.

Anyway, in terms of this week’s entry, my lack of internet meant I had to do it in Paint and Word at work. I got the opportunity to redo it below but you can see the original rubbish version on the Guardian site, not that this one is that much better. Jack is Jackie Milburn, 2nd highest Newcastle goalscorer btw.

Put sportsdirect.com@St James' Park into an anagrammer and you get this. I would think that a very dyslexic signwriter might come up with something similar.

This week’s gallery can be found here.

T.

Archive.

A quick one today as I’m writing this at work as I don’t yet have internet access in my new flat (posts maybe a bit sporadic for the next week or two).

1. It’s interesting to see Arsenal’s attack being lauded after 36 goals in just 11 games but it’s premature to think they’ll definitely break 100 goals. All their home games bar Spurs have been against sides in the bottom eight while it was the first time since the 6-1 against Everton on the opening day that they’d scored more than two away.

That said, they have been pretty awesome and you can only beat what’s put in front of you. The 4-3-3 formation suits Fabregas down to a tee and he already has nearly as many assists as last year as well as the small matter of nine goals in all competitions. Sunderland away is next but the real test comes in three weeks when Chelsea come to the Emirates. The best attack vs the best defence; something will have to give.

2. Surely if you’re 2-0 down in a game you’ll take a draw at the end of it. I jest slightly but Man City once again showed defensive frailty against Burnley and the current back four does not seem up to scratch if City are to be pushing for a Champions League spot. They may have only lost once but drawing all the time is not a recipe for success (just ask Liverpool last season). In the last five drawn games they could have instead won two and lost three but still been better off. Needing time to gel isn’t a good excuse.

3. It’s still only a matter of time before the Tango Man gets the chop at Hull. Jimmy Bullard was inspirational in his home debut (ten months after signing) but Stoke were doing fine until Faye got himself sent off. As luck would have it Hull have two more home games coming up against West Ham and Everton and I’d hazard a guess that if he loses both he’ll be out of a job.

Phil Brown

4. Man Utd were probably marginally the better team but Chelsea still found a way to win the game. That’s usually the mark of champions elect. A five point gap is not insurmountable at this stage of the season but if you take the big four clashes as the main opportunity to make up ground/build a lead, then Man Utd’s habit of losing them (just two wins from nine this season and last) makes life all the more difficult for themselves in terms of catching up.

5. I imagine missing a penalty wasn’t in Darren Bent’s list of ways to show Harry Redknapp the error of this ways.

6. Is the Premier League turning into a three-way race for the title and a four-way race for 4th place? Of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City the latter have the biggest squads but the former two have more experience of being involved in such a race. Villa were very good against a terrible Bolton team and might be better placed this season when they’re having to chase a 4th spot rather than lead from the front and collapse like last year. 

T.

After six qualifying rounds, this weekend sees the start of the FA Cup with the 1st round proper. Through the wonders of random number generators, we’ve picked Luton Town as the team to focus on in this round and in the likely event that they don’t win the FA Cup, we’ll follow each subsequent victor until the final.

Luton Town were in the top flight as recently as 1991/92 but got relegated just as Division 1 turned into the Premier League. Since then they have gradually dropped down the divisions, with financial problems in the past couple of years meaning points deductions which proved too much to overcome. They now find themselves playing in the Conference, having had their 89 year league stay ended last season following a 30 point deficit on everyone else. They did win the Football League Trophy however.

They comfortably beat Grays Athletic 3-0 in the last round and now face League Two Rochdale in the 1st round.  Rochdale have been doing well this season and lie second at the moment while Luton themselves are adjusting well to Conference life and are just outside the playoffs in fifth place, though just three points off second.

Kevin Gallen.

Looking through their squad I was surprised to see someone I recognised –  Kevin Gallen is on their books. Yes, the ex QPR man who was my cousin’s favourite player growing up (he supports QPR you see) and he has always struck me as one of those classic number 10’s who are really talented but also a bit lazy. In Gallen’s case he’s now a bit of a fatty, though thinking back to QPR games I went to with said cousin, I’m sure he was a bit chubby then too.

Anyway, he is their joint top scorer with four goals and will probably have some part to play if Luton are to beat Rochdale. Looking at the other high scorers, ex Middlesbrough youth player Tom Craddock offers pace up front while defender George Pilkington presumably offers a good aerial threat from set pieces given he also has four goals.

While Rochdale are favourites Luton did draw with them at Kenilworth Road last season and the players will also be looking to impress new manager Richard Money who has a great name and was only appointed a week ago having left the youth set-up at Newcastle to do so (probably a good idea to be fair).

Richard Mo Money Mo Problems.

I don’t have much else to say as I have to finish packing as I’m moving house but good luck to Luton today, and we’ll catchup with what happened before the next round.

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T.

So the first double gameweek came and went and I was not best pleased with Aston Villa’s attempts at getting a clean sheet. I gambled on bringing in Dunne to complement Collins but Villa decided to draw 1-1 with a team who have an injury list big enough to fill a teamsheet (Everton), and then lose to then second bottom team (West Ham).

I guess it was to be expected they weren’t to be relied on with two away games and I’m glad I took my own advice of not going for a Villa or West Ham player as captain. Our suggested choices of Fabregas or Lampard but got double figures and whilst we picked the wrong Burnley player, the thought was correct. Europa League action means half the fixtures are on Sunday/Monday this week and there’s a clash between the top two to look forward too as well.

Gameweek 11 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick approves of the score but not so much of the hair.

Defenders who score are always likely to threaten the top points scorers lists and so it proved as Burnley’s Graham Alexander scored twice, kept a clean sheet and earnt three bonus points for an excellent score of 21 points. I feel a bit sorry for Aruna Dindane of Portsmouth. Useless/unlucky (depending on who you speak to) up until now, he scores a hat-trick plus assist and three bonus for 20 points which would win Top Gun most weeks.

Elsewhere Joey Craddock was another two goal defender but the lack of clean sheet means just 15 for him, while Van Persie notched his biggest score of the season (and sixth goal in five games) with 15 in the destruction of Spurs.

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Three Captain Choices:

With Chelsea facing Man Utd at Stamford Bridge it means you should probably look elsewhere for some easier pickings. That said Drogba is perhaps the only player I’d consider from those two this weekend, and depending on who Utd play at centre back may result in another good score for the Ivorian.

1. Van Persie or Fabregas/Arsenal –  Take your pick from these two, both have been in excellent form recently. RvP has six goals, two assists and seven bonus in his last five while Fabregas has two goals, six assists and 12 bonus in his last five. Indeed the Spaniard has been man of the match for the last four games, and has recaptured the form of 06/07 & 07/08 where if Arsenal won you didn’t even have to check as you knew he’d get three bonus. Arsenal face Wolves away and whilst Mick McCarthy’s side have only let in six goals at Molineux so far, they haven’t faced anyone especially good or free scoring. Arsenal are still averaging over three goals a game and while I don’t think it will be a thrashing, either Cesc or RvP should be good for points in a 2-0 win.

2. Adebayor (or maybe Petrov)/Man City – As sure as night follows day, Burnley win at home and lose away. Man City haven’t been great recently with four straight draws but I don’t see Burnley making it five. Adebayor missed last week and is a slight doubt but by it should be clearer later today whether he’s fit. He’s only failed to score or assist in one game so far so should do well against Burnley. Alternatively Martin Petrov is the form player.

3. Dunn/Blackburn – Pompey are the visitors to Ewood Park this week and while they won 4-0 last week I don’t expect a similar outcome. Blackburn are struggling but have been ok at home. Dunn has been by far their best player this season and I would expect him to do something on Saturday.

Gets a Captain's tick

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Three Potential Transfers In:

1. Dempsey/Fulham – A pre-emptive transfer for Gameweek 13 when Fulham play twice but to be fair he isn’t a bad shout this week. Wigan away (masters of inconsistency) following two goals in two games. I like Dempsey as a player, he tends to get forward to support the strikers and takes a lot of shots. Fulham don’t score that many but he’s a better shout than Zamora who could score in five straight games (as if) and I still wouldn’t bring him in. Only masochists would do that!

2. Gibbs/Arsenal – Now that Clichy is out for at least a month (note: you should take this as Arsenal time which is usually half of real time meaning he’s out for two months at least), Kieran Gibbs gets thrust into the left back role. He’s generally impressed when coming into the team and costs just £4.5m. He’s not as good defensively as Clichy but Arsenal don’t really do clean sheets so that’s not a factor. He’s definitely better going forward though so may get an assist or two down the line.

3. Ivanovic/Chelsea – In a similar scenario to Gibbs, he’s replacing an injured full back in Bosingwa. Quite pricey at £5.6m but cheap for a Chelsea defender. They have six clean sheets already this season.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three to avoid:

1. Torres/Liverpool – Yes he’s currently top scorer but I feel it’s only a matter of time before his suspected hernia starts keeping him out of games. Rafa talking about how they have to be careful with him does not fill me with confidence. Cash in and use the money on Drogba, RvP or Rooney.

2. Clichy/Arsenal – Out for ages.

3. Burnley players – Three away games in the next four.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.

SUCCESS! Finally some reward after months of nothing at all. 2nd place was attained in this week’s Guardian gallery which wins me a copy of Championship Manager 2010. Not bad given that the two previous second place prizes were books but I’ll probably stick it straight on Ebay given that it’s not Football Manager.

Anyway, this week’s theme was new Arsenal defensive stalwart Thomas Vermaelen. I was convinced until Tuesday morning that the theme was Rio Ferdinand, leaving a bit of mad rush in the evening to knock something together for Vermaelen. Both are pretty obvious, especially the Verminator, but I guess the second one is simple enough to have got second.

His mission is to take out strikers everywhere.

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Keep his current form up and he'll soon be number one.

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More here.

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T.

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Archive.

That was the weekend that was…

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1. Robbie Keane will feel like the biggest mug after his supposedly superior Spurs squad got turned over with ease by the Gunners. Old twitchy eyes may have seen the result coming, as he went in to the game without arguably his best two players in Luka Modric and Jermaine Defoe. Nevertheless, Arsenal have their own injury concerns but showed the gulf in class. Early on it seemed that Spurs were getting all the luck, as David Bentley unbelievably managed to avoid even a booking for a rash and dangerous challenge on Vermaelen. They even managed to hold their own in midfield against Arsenal’s fluid 4-3-3. However, Arsenal were knocking on the proverbial door and only a super save from Gomes, aka rubber arms, kept it 0-0. Song made an awesome challenge at the other end to deny the bullshitter himself, Robbie Keane.

Wenger happy, Wenger dance

The game was effectively over the space of two minutes (42nd and 43rd) as Van Persie profited from some lazy defending to volley Arsenal into the lead. Then straight from kick off Spurs inexplicably gave away the ball and Cesc Fabregas went on a great run which ended in a sublime finish past Gomes. A comical third was put away by van Persie, as Arsenal profited from confusion over a foul on Diaby and a blunder by Gomes.

Such was Arsenal’s dominance that Eduardo even managed to waste two chances you would normally put money on him taking. It was a good overall team performance from Wenger’s men, with the two centre halves looking comfortable, penetration from the full backs and clinical finishing. the only disappointment was Arshavin’s limp display.

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2. Liverpool failed to follow-up their redemptive display against United. Fulham outplayed them and exposed Liverpool’s growing defensive weakness. everyone is focused, perhaps rightly so, on the injuries suffered by Gerrard and Torres. However, it is their fragility at the back which should be their main concern. Carragher was finally punished with the red he should have got against United and all-in-all, Benitez has simply failed to maintain an organised defence. Where he has allowed the likes of Johnson, Insua and Degen to provide an attacking threat, the lack of shape has been exposed. Bobby ‘I love to miss sitters’ Zamora even managed to profit, which has made me think. What is worse, conceding a goal to a beach ball or to Bobby Zamora? I think it has to be the latter.

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3. Top class Chelsea destroyed Bolton. OK, the Blues’ Carling Cup team had already disposed them in mid-week and it was 0-0 on Saturday until JLloyd Samuel deservedly got sent off. But Chelsea showed some classy football, with Drogba, Anelka, Lampard and Deco clicking in a way that reminded me of Arsenal when they had the Vieira, Pires, Henry and Bergkamp combo.  The pick of the bunch was the fourth, well taken goal  by Drogba. Phenomenal build up. Deco’s was quite special as well. If Ancelotti can sort out the Blues’ defensive frailties away from home, they should power their way to the title.

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4. Have Pompey finally turned round their season? Well, a convincing 4-0 victory against an in-form Wigan side was a good place to start. It is obvious that Pompey will ship a lot of goals but the ability to score them, especially at home, will ultimately keep you up. In Aruna Dindane and Piquionne, Paul Hart has genuine pace and quality in front of goal. Question remains whether they are consistent enough.

My name is Aruna, I am here to save Pompey with my golden boot.

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5. Man City drew for the third game in succession at Birmingham. Both sides had decent chances but it was Shay Given’s penalty save from James McFadden that ensured City got a point. Whilst it is impressive that Mark Hughes has only suffered that sole defeat at Old Trafford, it is the draws that can cost you (ask Wenger about his team two seasons ago). Lucky that he has a banker at home against Burnley next Saturday.

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6. Little Gorgon-Zola mustn’t have been able to believe his luck, as his lads raced into an impressive 2-0 lead at the Stadium of Light through Franco and Carlton Cole. Although fatty Reid pulled one back with a top-notch free kick, it still looked good for the Hammers as Kenwyne Jones was sent off for pushing over Herita Illunga. In a complete reversal of their heroics against Arsenal, West Ham surrendered two points when Darren Bent set up Kieran Richardson for the equaliser. All in all a point at Sunderland is a good result considering the form of Bruce’s team. However, Zola’s nice guy managerial style simply doesn’t seem to achieve the right results.

You may be wondering why Manchester United weren’t covered in this week’s Six Pointer. Well it was such a routine Old Trafford win that it wasn’t worth mentioning other than Berbatov had one of his best games yet for United.

Until next week!

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P.

Quick preview this week as I’m away all weekend so once again have to make an early-ish transfer. Not that it’s too difficult to decide who to bring in. The first double gameweek of the season sees Aston Villa and West Ham play twice (they face each other on Wednesday) meaning you should be targetting one of their players for your weekly transfer. More on that later, let’s see what happened last week.

Of our captain picks, only Anelka came through really though he only got five points. In our defence we did say Drogba and Lampard were also good choices and they scored 9 and 14 respectively. Crouch was our top transfer in and he did bugger all but Boateng and Petrov had alright scores.

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Gameweek 10 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick's been expecting him here.

It’s taken ages for him to get going but Frank Lampard finally came through with a big score and wins his first Top Gun of the season. His two goals, clean sheet and bonus point gave him a score of 14 points which was enough to edge out Hugo Rodallega who got 13. I was lucky enough to pick him as captain too which meant a bit of ground was gained on the leaders in my league. Lots of high Chelsea scores all round as Essien and Ballack were next with 11 points each.

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Three Captain Picks:

I know West Ham and Villa play twice but I do think it’s a risk to pick any of their players as captain. Neither team scores too many but clean sheets are at a premium too. I guess Villa have kept three this season which is pretty good and both Collins and Dunne are goal threats but I think the guys below can still outscore them in just one game. Villa are away in both games while West Ham don’t have anyone reliable beyond Cole.

1. Fabregas/Arsenal - Robbie Keane can bleat all he likes about how Spurs are the equal of Arsenal now but I’m certain the Gunners will beat Tottenham at home. At White Hart Lane, it’s usually quite close but at the Emirates it’s a different story (even last season’s 4-4 was 85 minutes Arsenal) and Arsenal should have too much for them. Spurs are still missing Modric and have been struggling without him while Wenger’s side have a 100% home record so far. I think Fabregas controls this game from midfield and maybe get himself a goal too. This usually results in bonus points too.

2. Lampard/Chelsea – Faces Bolton away and I seem to remember him scoring quite a few at the Reebok (and indeed the Bridge) in the last few years. He’s hit some form and the return of Joe Cole allows him to play a bit deeper and more effectively. Chelsea’s reserves smacked Bolton 4-0 in midweek and a similar scoreline won’t surprise me.

3. Elliott/Burnley – Burnley lost their good home record against Wigan last week but I expect them to bounce back against Hull. What better motivation than the possibility of getting Phil Brown the sack. In all seriousness though Hull have just one point away from the KC and I believe Bullard is out again. Elliott is Burnley’s top fantasy performer so if you’re feeling brave give him a shot.

Get's a Captain's tick.

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Three To Bring In:

1. Milner or Young/Aston Villa – This not only applies to this gameweek but for the next month or so too. Villa have Bolton, Burnley and Hull coming up in the next four or five games so one of these tow might be worth a speculative add to see if they can take advantage of playing against some weaker sides.

2. Stoke defenders – I imagine most of you might have Sorensen, Faye or Shawcross in your team but there’s still the option of Wilkinson or Collins if the aforementioned are too pricey. Stoke’s next three games are Wolves (H), Hull (A), Portsmouth (H). That’s at least two if not three clean sheets right there.

3. Aquilani/Liverpool – So the £20million man is finally fit. I saw him in the flesh in Wednesday’s Carling Cup match and he looked pretty tasty in the 15 minutes or so he was on the pitch. I think he could make an immediate impact, especially with Liverpool playing some organised teams in the next five. An interesting gamble at £7.4m.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three To Avoid:

1. Lucas/Liverpool - Even though he’s played the most out of all the Liverpool midfielders, I’d say his place is most under threat from Aquilani.

2. Crouch/Spurs - I retract last week’s recommendation, you can find much better options for his price range.

3. Arsenal goalkeepers – Who’s number one? Nobody knows. They don’t keep clean sheets anyway.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.

After all the fuss and furore surrounding Darren Bent’s the beachball’s winner against Liverpool, it was inevitable that this would be the theme in this week’s Guardian Photoshop comp. As we all know, it shouldn’t have been given, which makes it all the more funnier that it was! Lots of different things you could do – I went for a slightly leftfield entry as you can see below.

Seeing as there's seemingly no problem with inflatables being on the pitch, Rafa's taken the opportunity to increase the much maligned squad depth at Liverpool with a few bargain signings.

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Plenty more entries can be found in the rest of the gallery here.

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T.

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Archive.

This has been in my drafts folder for ages. It was originally meant to be posted for Wenger’s 13th anniversary at Arsenal a few weeks ago. It was then meant to be put up on his birthday last week. As you can see neither happened but better late than never. It was Wenger’s 60th birthday and what better reason for a few lists? 15 great signings, 15 poor signings, 15 memorable games and 15 great goals (plus a few extra chucked in). Enjoy!

Arsene Who?

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15 Great Signings:

1. Patrick Vieira – A relatively unknown player before he joined from AC Milan, Wenger got Arsenal to sign him before he joined himself. A decade of midfield dominance, spats with Roy Keane and the Neviller and countless trophies followed. Managed to get £14 million from Juve once his knees were knackered too.

2. Thierry Henry – 369 games, 226 goals. Best player in the Premier League for about five years.

3. Freddie Ljungberg – His red hair, his run of form in the 2001/02 season after Pires got injured, his debut goal against Man Utd, those underwear ads. A great player until his hip injury.

It gave him his power.

4. Nicolas Anelka – He left on bad terms but the money received bought Henry and Pires. The first example of Wenger buying cheap and making ridiculous profit. £22.5million profit in this case.

5. Marc Overmars - He was almost too good for Arsenal while he was there and it was no surprise to see Barcelona snap him up for £25million. Scored the winner at Old Trafford in 1998 that helped overcome a 12 point deficit and was generally very, very quick.

6. Robert Pires – His form in 2001/02 earnt him Footballer of the Year honours and he was arguably just as good in 2003/04. Scored a silly amount of goals from the wing, ran oddly, had a cool goatee strip thing  and apparently knew the French for va va voom. Always felt he left too early as Wenger wouldn’t give him a two year deal. Still doing the business at Villarreal.

7. Cesc Fabregas – Pinched from Barcelona, and will probably head back there one day but for now has developed into one of the best midfielders in the world. Perhaps the prime example of Wenger buying a young player and making him world class. Club captain at 22, the best is yet to come.

8. Andrey Arshavin – Probably the first current world class player Wenger has bought. Has already made a significant impact in his short time at the Emirates, even if he can be a right lazy bugger sometimes.

9. Jens Lehmann – He was immense in 2005/06 when battling to be ahead of Kahn for Germany. Also provided much hilarity as well as the odd moment of madness in his five years at the club.

10. Emmanuel Petit – ‘He’s blond, he’s quick, his name’s a porno flick. Emmanuel, Emmanuel.’ Had one of the funnier chants of recent times. Signed as a centre back, made a midfielder – he formed a fearsome partnership with Patrick Vieira for three short seasons.

11. Sol Campbell - You can’t beat signing your local rival’s captain on a free transfer.

12. Lauren – Hard. As. Nails. An ice cool penalty taker too.

13. Kolo Toure - Bought for £150K. Sold after seven years for £16million. Was fantastic at centre back until he got malaria and developed a fat arse.

14. Kanu – Ridiculous skills. Could do things with a ball you never thought possible.

15. Robin van Persie – Absolutely loves to blast it. As a result has scored some brilliant goals in his time at Arsenal.

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15 Not So Great Signings:

1. Alberto Mendez – Bought from the mighty FC Feucht. I remember reading Wenger could have bought the whole club for the £250K he paid for Mendez. Made no impact.

2. Nelson Vivas – Cost Arsenal the title in 1999 with his mistake for Hasselbaink’s  winner vs Leeds late on in the season. Always got booked too.

3. Igors Stepanovs – Man Utd 6-1 Arsenal is all you need to know.

4. Francis Jeffers – The supposed fox in the box managed four league goals from 2001-04, a time when Arsenal scored by the bucketload. It would have helped if he’d played more than 22 times. £8million he cost!

5. Pascal Cygan – Wasn’t that bad but I remember how I used to shudder every time I saw his name on the team sheet. If you though Vidic had a slow turning circle…

6. Mickael Silvestre – Why? What purpose does he serve? He won’t even get a link.

Just retire already...

7. Tomas Danilevicius – A headbutt in a pre-season seems to ring a bell but that might have been after he left for Dunfermline. Played twice, didn’t score. The kind of random Wenger gamble where you wish we’d just saved the £1m.

8. Jeremie Aliadiere - Still only 26, he pissed about at Arsenal for eight long years, never learning from any of the amazing strikers at the club and scoring one league goal in his time. You always knew Wenger was basically giving away a game when Aliadiere started up front.

9. Jose Reyes – A bit dim, which meant he was the victim of many a prank. Involved in the Aragones ‘black shit’ saga too which meant his Arsenal career was over before it began given that Henry hated him. Scored a great debut goal against Chelsea though.

10. Amaury Bischoff – Normally Arsenal sign midfielders and then injure them. They tried the opposite and bought someone already injured. Needless to say he left after a year. He did play a game apparently.

11. Christopher Wreh – George Weah’s cousin. The family talent had obviously been diluted. Did score a couple of important goals in the 1997/98 season to be fair.

12. Kaba Diawara – All I remember was that he never scored, hit the post several times and was then still sold back to France for half a million profit.

13. Richard Wright – Big ears, crap goalkeeper.

14. Abou Diaby – There has to be someone current. Possibly the most frustrating player I’ve seen. could be excellent. Isn’t.

15. Rami Shaaban – Just where does he find these keepers from?!

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15 Memorable Games (not all good):

1. Arsenal 1-2 Man Utd 14/04/99 – The one with everything, but especially the Arsenal missed penalty that would give Man Utd the momentum for the treble.

A good but overrated goal. Also, I didn't want to inflict the Giggs rug on you.

2. Man Utd 0-0 Arsenal 21/09/03 - The one where Ruud missed a penalty and Arsenal started their 49 game unbeaten run.

Rarrrrr.

3. Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal 17/05/06 – The one where they were 14 minutes from being Champions of Europe.

4. Arsenal 2-1 Leicester 15/05/04 – The one where they went the season undefeated.

5. Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal 21/02/06 – The one were they beat Real Madrid on their own patch.

6. Liverpool 4-2 Arsenal 08/04/08 – The one where they were robbed in the Champions League.

7. Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea 06/04/04 – The one where they dominated three of the four halves but still got knocked out.

8. Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea 04/05/02 – The one where they won their second double in four years.

9. Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal 08/05/02 – The one where they won the league in Manchester.

10. Inter 1-5 Arsenal 25/11/03 – The one where they produced the most unexpected scoreline I’d seen in years.

11. Leicester 3-3 Arsenal 27/08/97 – The one with the Bergkamp hat-trick.

12. Tottenham 4-5 Arsenal 13/11/04 – The one where we’ll score one more than you.

13. Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool 12/05/01 - The one where Michael Owen stole the FA Cup.

14. Arsenal 7-0 Everton 11/05/05 – The one with the biggest league win under Wenger.

15. Arsenal 0-0 Man Utd 21/05/05 – The one where Arsenal stole the FA Cup.

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15 Memorable Goals (in no particular order):

1. Thierry Henry vs Man Utd 30/09/00. Probably the first classic Henry Arsenal goal. He was just on the cusp of dominating the Premier League when he scored this.

2. Tony Adams vs Everton 03/05/98. Conclusive proof that Arsenal had shed their boring tag. Steve Bould chipped, yes chipped a through ball to Tony Adams who chested it before smashing a left foot volley home. The goal that sealed Wenger’s first title.

3. Dennis Bergkamp vs Newcastle 02/03/02. I remember people at the time saying he didn’t mean this. Fools.

4. Robert Pires vs Southampton 07/05/03. I think this gets underrated as it was a meaningless game before the 2003 Cup Final but few players could have done such a lob with three touches let alone one.

5. Ray Parlour vs Chelsea 04/05/02. Romford Pele scored few but when he did they were usually special. Tim Lovejoy gets slated to this day for saying ‘Oh, it’s only Ray Parlour’ just before he scored.

6. Dennis Bergkamp vs Sunderland 15/01/97. The non-flying Dutchman scored many an amazing goal for Arsenal but his trademark was opening up his body and curling one round the keeper into the top corner from about 25 yards. Like this.

7. Robert Pires vs Aston Villa 17/03/02. Any goal that makes Peter Schmeichel look silly gets the thumbs up from me. Pires was quite possibly the best player in Europe in the spring of 2002.

8. Freddie Ljungberg vs Juventus 04/12/01. I remember being at work during this match and trying to check my phone for text updates. Little did I know what a special goal I’d see when I got home. Just watch Bergkamp’s skill again and again and again…

9. Eduardo vs Burnley 08/03/09. Out for a year and he comes back with this. Quite recent but no less special for it.

10. Thierry Henry vs Spurs 16/11/02. Hmm how to wind up your rivals? I know, run 75 yards, dribbling past half the team before scoring, and then run all the way back and celebrate in front of the Spurs fans. Nice.

11. Dennis Bergkamp vs Leicester 27/08/97. One third of the greatest hat-trick in Premier League history.

12. Robin Van Persie vs Charlton 30/09/06. Trust me, he didn’t shin it. Well not on purpose anyway.

13. Ray Parlour vs Valencia 04/04/01. Back when Valencia and John Carew used to screw Arsenal over every couple of years there were many a disappointing night in Europe. This special from Ray Parlour however resulted in one of the most mental celebrations I’ve ever witnessed in pub.

14. Emmanuel Adebayor vs Villarreal 07/04/09. Yes he’s a prick but there’s no denying this was a great goal. The last good thing he did in an Arsenal shirt.

15. Thierry Henry vs Liverpool 09/04/04. Dumped out of the FA Cup and Champions League in consecutive games to Man Utd and Chelsea of all teams, Arsenal were 2-1 down at half-time at home to Liverpool with an unbeaten record to protect. Pires quickly equalised, before Henry gave Carragher the runaround for an amazing third. He’d complete his hat-trick later on and Arsenal went on to win the league unbeaten.

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Want a few more? Ok then. Pires vs Liverpool, Henry vs Inter, Fabregas vs Spurs, Henry vs Real Madrid, Kanu vs Chelsea & Henry vs Charlton.

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That was the weekend that was…

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1. Liverpool deserved to beat Man Utd yesterday but I think Fergie was right to have another moan at the ref. For me Carragher should definitely have been sent off for the tug on Owen in the second half. It can be argued that it wasn’t a clear opportunity but I think he would have got a shot away before the other defenders closed him down, they were quite far away.

His hatchet job on Carrick in the first half was a penalty – Carrick just got to the ball before Carragher and you just can’t go lunging in like that in that area of the pitch. He somehow got away with both but once more looked like the weak link in the Liverpool defence. The Vidic and Mascherano reds were both justified I reckon – I can’t believe the Serb has been sent off in three straight games against Liverpool!

It was clear that both managers had gambled with their unfit strikers and from what we saw it was clear that Torres had recovered more than Rooney. The Spaniard took his goal magnificently, both out-pacing and out-muscling Rio Ferdinand. He didn’t do much else during the game but it was enough. It’s a tough call between him and Drogba for title of best striker in the league but I’d possibly veer on the side of Torres right now. A good result for Liverpool but lets see if they can do the same away at Fulham next week.

Eats Vidic and Rio for breakfast.

Man Utd meanwhile have a few areas of concern. Both centre backs seem currently susceptible to pace (not something you’d previously say for Rio) so what chance Jonny Evans coming in for a bit? In midfield Fletcher was once more missed – the one bright note being that he and the soon to return Hargreaves will be a fearsome partnership. Up front, Rooney can be forgiven for being unfit but he has been out of form regardless. Berbatov on the other hand did his usual thing of nice flicks and passes but no real cutting edge. He doesn’t really do it in the big games does he?

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2. For the third time in a week Arsenal completely switched off in a game where they went ahead and for the second time in a week it proved costly. After getting away with against Birmingham, they conceded a last minute equaliser against AZ Alkmaar in midweek Champions League action. They’ve learnt their lesson said the players. So what should happen yesterday against West Ham? A comfortable 2-0 lead with 16 minute left and one poorly dealt with free kick and one silly challenge in the box later and they find themselves going back to north London with one point instead of three.

The free kick for West Ham’s first was soft but Mannone made the cardinal sin of palming the ball back into the danger area instead of out wide. Cole pokes it home, game on. Then with ten minutes to go Alex Song decides to clip the back of Cole’s heels in the box with no real danger. Cole went down, penalty given, penalty scored. Wenger was rightly furious with his team after the game and it is these kind of games which results in Arsenal not properly challenging for titles. For 75 minutes Arsenal dominated but once again couldn’t close it out. They won’t win anything until they learn how to.

They just never learn...

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3. Man City ensured Arsenal weren’t the only title pretenders to blow a two goal lead. Mark Hughes will be concerned at how his £24m centre back Joleon Lescott is a bit rubbish at the moment – Man City have a definite vulnerability in the air. Their form isn’t particularly good either with three successive draws and one win in five.

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4. Spurs surprisingly lost to Stoke at home and it was particularly annoying for me as I had Abdoulaye Faye’s nine fantasy football points marooned on the bench (I didn’t think Stoke would do anything). My point is that given Spurs have lost just twice at home since Redknapp took over and Stoke were winless away in their first four games, it shows just how good (and unexpected and fortuitous) a result it was for Pulis’ team. I certainly wasn’t expecting it and it confirms Stoke should be pushing for a top half finish this season.

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5. Congrats to Bobby Zamora, who I don’t think anyone will beat for miss of the season award. Wow. I know there are strikers who are lauded for their hard work rather than goals (see Heskey, Emile Ivanhoe) but that was ridiculous. To be fair he has already equalled his goal tally for last season but I reckon it’s a long time since the chant “When the balls hits the goal, it’s not Shearer or Cole it’s Zamora” was heard (not least because Shearer and Cole are retired but you know what I mean). Isn’t it now “When the ball hits your head and you’re sat in row Z, that’s Zamora”?

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6. Chelsea gave Blackburn a spanking and from a fantasy perspective it was good to see Frank Lampard return to goalscoring form with a double. I picked him as captain so was pleased with the 28 points he scored. It’s a little early to say for sure but based on that game it appeared that the return of Joe Cole helped as it allowed Lampard to play deeper and make his undetected runs.

Cole himself was excellent too and should stay in the hole behind Drogba and Anelka rather than on the left. He’s not quite at full fitness yet but I reckon Deco should be fearing for his place. I agree with what the Football Guy says – Paul Robinson is just shocking on long shots. I know he’s fat but it be that hard to shift all that body mass. On second thoughts…

Try as he might, Paul 'the beached whale' Robinson just couldn't shift himself to save the shot...

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Quite a late preview this week but still in time for the many of you who make your change on Saturday mornings. Just 28 goals last week but also only two clean sheets meaning relatively low scores all round. Our captain picks of Fabregas, Arshavin and Dunn all produced goals or assists and bonus points but Berbatov didn’t do anything against Bolton. I was slightly hampered by injuries to both Torres and Rooney but got a decent score of 57 which considering the average was just 40 was pleasing.

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Gameweek 9 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick approves of the idea that Beattie won't be here again, even if he doesn't approve of him being here this week.

The lowest Top Gun score of the season so far as James Beattie’s two goals and three bonus were good for 13 points which was enough to beat everyone else this week. He also had one of those classic performances where he did more in one week than he had all season having had just 9 points up until then. To be fair there were very few stand out performances but loads of players got one goal and scored seven or eight points. Credit to Zamora(!), Di Santo and Dunne for scoring 11 – it really was a bit of a shoddy week.

Let’s hope for something better this time round…

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Three Captain Choices:

A big game between Liverpool and Man Utd this weekend which makes me inclined to stay away in terms of captain choices. Though Liverpool have been terrible recently, I have a feeling they’ll raise their game for this one. That said, the usual potential choices of Torres, Gerrard and Rooney are at the very least doubtful which makes picking alternatives a bit risky. Let’s look elsewhere.

1. Anelka/Chelsea – As much as I think Lampard may finally be getting back into some form, I’m going to wait until he has a good goalscoring week or two before recommending him as a captain choice. With Chelsea at home to Blackburn, the choice has to be Nicolas Anelka. The Blues have won all four home games thus far while Blackburn have lost all three away. While Drogba has been scoring a plenty and is also a good choice, Anelka has 10 goals in 12 games against Blackburn and you’d have to back him to find the net again tomorrow.

2. Dunne/Aston Villa – Not someone you’d necessarily think of as a captain choice but the last two games have seen the exact same result – goal and man of the match and eleven points each time. It is a risk given he’s playing away from home but I expect them to beat Wolves and Martin O’Neill’s side have kept clean sheets in three of their four away games so far.

3. Bent/Sunderland – When a striker’s in form, you run with it and Bent is more in form than anyone. Goals in five straight games and a match against Birmingham this weekend. He’s been getting a bunch of bonus points in the last three games too. I’m not convinced Sunderland are going to win but I do think Bent will score as having watched Brum’s defence live the previous week, they are susceptible to pace and good movement.

Gets a Captain's tick.

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Three Potential Transfers In:

1. Crouch/Spurs – Obvious one to begin with but now that Defoe is stupidly banned for three games, the time is right to bring in Peter Crouch as a direct replacement. He hasn’t really done that much so far but has only started two games. The next three games are Stoke (H), Arsenal (A) and Sunderland (H) which isn’t the worst but not the best either. Still, Spurs are playing pretty well and he’s worth giving a go at £7.1m.

2. Boateng/Portsmouth – Yes,  Pompey still have the solitary win but as has been mentioned many times on the blog their performances have been better than the results. From the highlights I’ve see recently ex Spurs player Kevin Prince Boateng has been playing well and has a goal, two assists and five bonus from his five games. That’s a pretty good return for someone playing for a poor team and he costs just £5m.

3. Petrov/Man City – A player to keep an eye at least. After doing really well in his first season, Petrov was essentially injured and out of favour for most of last year. He appears to be re-establishing himself in the Man City team right now as the left wing becomes free due to Robinho’s injury. His last four games have seen four goals/assists and four bonus. He won’t play every game but when he does he usually does something. Worth a look at £6.7m.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three To Avoid:

1. Defoe/Spurs – Suspended for three games. His price is falling (100K+ transferred him out this week) so you may as well get rid of him now and bring him back when he returns.

2. Everton players - Mega injury list of about eleven players, some tricky games coming up before Man Utd and Liverpool in a month’s time.

3. Zamora/Fulham and Beattie/Stoke – Don’t be tempted by one good game.

Are you taking the mick?

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Aston Villa and occasional England striker Gabby Agbonlahor this week. Not too much you can do beyond his speed and hard to spell name. For a while I was trying to do something around him looking a tiny bit like Bubbles from The Wire where he could be running down yet another blind alley with Bubbles’ shopping trolley (slight tangent there) but it was 1am in the morning and I wanted to go to bed. So instead I did this:

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Gabby as Sleepy, one of the seven dwarfs. He does always look a bit dazed and confused as if he's just woken up.

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The rest of this week’s gallery is here.

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Archive.

That was the weekend that was…

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1. Liverpool were beaten for the third straight week and it’s starting to get a bit boring with how often we have to mention how thin their squad is. Of course any team would miss their two best players, not least when those players are Gerrard and Torres, but of all the big four sides they are least equipped to cope.

Dirk Kuyt toiled on his own up front and reminded us all why he has been playing on the right wing instead for the past 18 months. Meanwhile in the middle Jay Spearing was given his Premier League debut and looked a bit lost by all accounts.

Hilariously the jokers at the Liverpool official website gave him man of the match honours which must have been news to everyone else watching the game. Cana and Cattermole once again dominated for Sunderland and just taking a random cross section of national newspapers, Spearing was not even the best Liverpool midfielder, let alone the best player on the pitch.

The white one Jose, save the white one...

As for the beach ball goal, it shouldn’t really have stood but these things happen. Sunderland fully deserved the victory. Ironically enough it was a Liverpool fan who threw the thing on the pitch in the first place! The title challenge is over, even if they beat Man Utd next week. There is just nothing to fear with this Liverpool team and I can see them losing several more times before the season is over.

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2. Jermaine Defoe needs to keep one eye on his temperament. You can’t be taking players to the World Cup who are liable to get themselves needlessly sent off. Fall out of favour now and it’s going to be very hard to get back in, what with so few friendlies left.

Defoe’s red card also provides a good opportunity for Peter Crouch to cement his claim for a spot in the Spurs starting line up as well as the England squad as Plan B/C. Fortunately for Defoe it won’t be at his expense. For now.

Dum dum Defoe.

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3. Since James Collins was sold to Villa, West Ham have failed to keep a clean sheet. That does over emphasise his importance somewhat but when you look at Villa’s form since he joined, it does illustrates that he is a good player.

I had big concerns over Villa’s ability to replace Martin Laursen this season but to be fair to Martin O’Neill he seems to have pulled it off, mainly by signing two players in Dunne and Collins. They exposed Chelsea’s (well, Carvalho’s) set piece deficiency at the weekend and have formed a promising partnership at the back.

Back at Upton Park, Upson has been left to do it on his own (Tomkins is not the finished article yet) and the lack of defensive options has been a big reason why the Hammers have struggled so far this year.

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4. Man Utd were controlled enough against Bolton and are back top. Away games against Liverpool and Chelsea are coming up in the next three matches and we should have a clearer idea of just how good they are this season after that.

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5. David Dunn now had four league goals this season, level with Fabregas for most from midfield. Easily Blackburn’s best player, how their season evolves will depend on him.

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6. Arsenal made heavy weather of Birmingham before eventually completing the job late on. After going 2-0 up they switched to cruise control and started treating it almost like a training match. When Bowyer got one back after the traditional Arsenal goalkeeper fail under a high ball, you could see the nervousness that was so prevalent last year creeping in again.

This was after a spectacularly mis-timed jump. Almunia has taught him well.

Fortunately class eventually told and Arshavin slotted home a nice goal to wrap up the points. Even though I’m not totally convinced by the defence, Arsenal currently have so many goal scoring options in the side that they could well last the distance. In eight games, 27 goals have been scored from 12 different players.

The number of injuries suffered at the Emirates means there’ll never be a situation where everyone is available at any once but as long as four of Fabregas, Arshavin, Van Persie, Bendtner, Eduardo, Rosicky, Nasri, Walcott and Vela are fit at any given time then a sustained challenge may yet be forthcoming.

Simples. Eventually.

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It’s been a while since I updated Challenge Lawro. For those of you new to this, every week we try and see if we can do better than Mark Lawrenson at predicting the week’s Premier League games. We’re also taking on the Football Guy and at the end of the season we’ll see who’s best. It won’t be Lawro that’s for sure. Simple scoring system: +10 points for a correct result, -10 points for an incorrect result and +30 points for a perfect score.

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Week 6 scores.

A great week 6 with positive scores in eight of the ten games.

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Week 7.

An average week 7 but the lead is still good.

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Week 8 (oh dear).

It all goes very wrong in week 8 with a 100 point swing to the Football Guy and a 120 point swing to Lawro. Just two correct results…

Week 9.

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This week’s scores pre the Monday night match. Here’s hoping Fulham can at least prevent a second consecutive negative score. We’ve had no perfect scores in three gameweeks! Only a quarter of the season gone though.

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In terms of who’s doing better out of The Sportboys it’s pretty even but my three perfect scores in week 6 have me slightly ahead. I think P might be bang on the money with his Fulham prediction so it may even up tomorrow night.

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Sportboy T

Correct Results: 15 (150 points)

Perfect Scores: 7 (210 points)

Wrong Results: 21 (-210 points)

Total Points: 150

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Sportboy P

Correct Results: 19 (190 points)

Perfect Scores: 4 (120 points)

Wrong Results: 19 (-190 points)

Total Points: 120

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There were a measly 33 goals last week (down from 37 the week before) and even a couple of clean sheets! Might the entertainment be winding down?! No, of course not but I do think slowly but surely we’ll start averaging under three goals a game. While there were a few 2-2 draws, it was Arsenal’s 6-2 demolition that really bumped up the average.

I somewhat regretted bringing in Torres for Van Persie given their respective weeks (2 pts/7pts and a price rise) but while the Spaniard has a somewhat tricky run I think long term he will score more points. This week I am getting rid of one of my big two midfielders. Will it be Lampard? Will it be Gerrard? You’ll just have to wait till Saturday to find out, even though I actually made the change last Monday!

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Gameweek 8 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick approves of not having to produce a new image for Fabregas.

Yes, I was lucky enough to watch Cesc Fabregas‘ destruction of Blackburn in person but not lucky enough to have him in my team when he once again scores 22 points for most and 44 for those sensible enough to have him as captain. Let me assure you that it will be third time lucky and I will snag that next high score. I hope!

He took a different route to 22 this time via four assists, a goal and three bonus and thus wins the Top Gun award for the second time this season. I told you to get him for last week. I just wish I had taken my own advice. For what it’s worth Zayatte and Dunne were next with 12 and 11, the former achieving that rare feat of being a defender who gets taken off while keeping a clean sheet.

On to the tips…

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Three Captain Choices:

1. Fabregas or perhaps Arshavin/Arsenal – A case of after the Lord Mayor’s show? Perhaps, but that’s not to say Cesc still can’t get a good score this week. Birmingham are the visitors to the Emirates tomorrow and with their defence being pretty solid I think this may be a game where you pick a midfielder as captain rather than a striker.

Fabregas will be rested after missing the second of Spain’s internationals for personal reasons and you have to fancy him to dictate things against Birmingham’s somewhat workmanlike midfield. Arshavin is a good alternative option as his dribbling skills might be the key to opening things up. His direct opponent is Steve Carr after all.

2. Berbatov/Man Utd – With Rooney possibly a doubt due to his calf strain, the onus falls on the Bulgarian to continue his good recent form of two in two and produce a match-winning performance against Bolton. Gary Megson’s side had a good result against Spurs last week but they’ll be no match for Utd at Old Trafford. Berba scored against Bolton last season and if his reputation as something of a small game player is anything to go by he should be a good shout in this match.

3. Dunn/Blackburn – A gamble but if you consider that he has three goals in four games and faces a Burnley side terrible away from home, it’s suddenly not that far fetched that he could have a good weekend.

Gets a Captain's tick

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Three Potential Transfers In:

1. Baines or Saha/Everton – I don’t really buy Heitinga despite his two straight assists. He’s an accident waiting to happen and I would avoid him. Baines on the other hand is very much to his Wigan form of a few seasons ago and has been for a while now. He has much of the set piece duty while Arteta is still out and with games against Wolves and Bolton coming up, has a good chance of clean sheets. Similarly, Louis Saha should relish facing those teams and will look to add to his five goals. He’s a good alternative at £7.2m if Bent is now out your price range.

2. Adebayor or Bellamy/Man City – Many of you will already have Adebayor in your team so this may not apply but he could be someone to bring in if you’re concerned over Rooney’s form or Torres’ run of games. Man City’s next four games are Wigan (A), Fulham (H), Birmingham (A) and Burnley (H) and while a couple of those sides are tough to break down, I’d imagine Adebayor will be the striker to get the goal in a 1-0 win. His price has gone back down to £10m too. Bellamy too has been on fire recently and fully deserves a starting spot. Between them they should be scoring the bulk of Man City’s goals in their upcoming fixtures.

3. Geovanni/Hull – About the only player worth having from Hull (though I suppose Zayatte merits a mention) and about the only player in form for Hull. He has two goals in two games and home matches against Portsmouth and Stoke coming up in the next few weeks.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three To Avoid:

1. Wolves players – Whilst the likes of Ebanks-Blake and Kightly have been making their comebacks for Wolves, their upcoming fixtures are horrendous. Everton (A), Villa (H), Stoke (A), Arsenal (H), Chelsea (A) is not a run where you can easily identify point scoring opportunities. I’m sure they’ll score a goal or two along the way but good luck trying to predict the scorer.

2. Upson/West Ham – Judging by the 10,000 people who have got rid of him this week, it seems he is in quite a few teams. West Ham have been a shadow of the side that did so well last season and have let in eight goals in three games. This is strange considering the 4-5-1 Zola employs but with games against Stoke away and Arsenal at home unlikely to bring clean sheets for now Upson is too highly priced at £5.7m to warrant inclusion.

3. Kranjcar/Tottenham – According to Physioroom Modric is back next week apparently.

Are you taking the mick?

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Quick one this week as this is being written on Tuesday night before heading to Paris. How very glamorous. After Setanta’s collapse, the rights to England’s away game against Ukraine were up for grabs once more. As the BBC, ITV, Sky nor ESPN wanted any part of paying £3m to broadcast a meaningless match it was left to Perform to pick up the game and stream it.

Now as a regular user of somewhat legally dubious streams to Arsenal games which aren’t on Sky or ESPN I know how frustrating the experience can be. Small picture, buffering issues, foreign commentary – it can be pointless at times. It can be good on other occasions but I think ultimately both of us at The Sportboys would much rather be down the pub with the Football Guy and others. Anyway, it was quite a fun topic for which there are a couple of entries.

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After their shenanigans last week, Australia once again try to hijack England's World Cup bid with some crafty internet hacking.

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There was certainly one key which got a good workout during Ukraine v England.

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More can be found here.

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Archive.

A big night tomorrow as things get finalised in terms of World Cup qualifying. 18 teams have already joined hosts South Africa and another eight will be known by the early hours of Thursday morning. After tomorrow we’ll just have the four European and one  South/North American playoffs to get through in November before the 32 are set.

There are lots of meaningless matches now that many sides have qualified but let’s look at the interesting games that remain and see if there’s any value in betting.

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Europe

Looking through the groups only three have anything left to be decided. In Group Six, Ukraine just need to beat pointless Andorra to ensure a playoff spot so no value there. Group Two sees Switzerland needing a point to win the group ahead of Greece who will beat Luxembourg at home and otherwise join them on 20 points. The odds aren’t great but 1.8 on Switzerland to beat Israel might be worth including on your betting slip.

Group Three sees Slovakia lead Slovenia lead the Czech Republic. Slovenia will end the Czech Republic’s hopes and go top with victory over San Marino leaving Slovakia in all likelihood needing an away victory over Poland to maintain automatic qualification (their goal difference isn’t good enough for the draw). Poland have been frustratingly poor and have thrown away a good position with a draw and two straight defeats. With that in mind I fancy Slovakia to beat Poland @ 2.2.

Elsewhere I fancy Spain to complete a clean sweep of their group and beat Bosnia away @ 2.32.

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South America

Uruguay v Argentina is the main attraction here and indeed anywhere. It’s pretty simple for Diego Maradona and his men. Avoid defeat and they’re through automatically (barring a super Ecuador away win in Chile). If they lose and Ecuador don’t win, it’s a playoff against Honduras or Costa Rica. If they lose and Ecuador win, they’re out completely and Lionel Messi puts his boots up for the summer.

Looking at the form book, it seems unlikely Argentina will win, given their one away victory in qualifying and Uruguay’s one home defeat. They did win in the reverse fixture 2-1 but I don’t see a repeat. The temptation to bet on a nervy draw at 3.3 is interesting but I think it might be safer looking at over 2.5 goals @ 11/10 or even over 3.5 goals @ 11/4.

Will we see this again?

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Africa

Can’t find any odds listed on the major bookies. Shenanigans!

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North America

The USA have qualified and face Costa Rica in their final game. Despite needing a victory, I don’t think Costa Rica are capable of beating USA away so let’s go with USA win at evens.

A few bets then but nothing to really get excited over. The playoffs should be more interesting!

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Weekly Photoshop time and it’s Portsmouth manager Paul Hart this week. Something of an unknown in the grand scheme of things, he got the job after Harry Redknapp left last season. By all accounts he’s a good coach of young players (he developed many of the Leeds Champions League semi team as well as lots at Nottingham Forest) so it will be interesting to see how he does when given some money to spend in January. Simple lookalike job this week, but I think the similarity is uncanny myself.

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Paul Hart seeks vengeance after being abandoned by his wealthy owners. That or he just really looks like Penguin from Batman Returns.

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More here.

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Archive.

1. Arsenal were fantastic going forward against Blackburn yesterday and Cesc Fabregas inspired a 6-2 rout with six different scorers. Paul Robinson got his usual work out against the Gunners and has now conceded an amazing 47 goals in 16 games against Arsenal, fourteen of which have come in the last three games. I thought he actually played quite well but there was a definite strategy to pepper him with mid to long range shots.

Rovers had taken an unexpected lead twice before Arsenal hit back, Fabregas providing four assists and a goal before coming off. All six goals were of a high quality but I’d say Bendtner’s was the best. It was obvious as soon as he got the ball what he wanted to do but those efforts are now starting to go in rather then sail high and wide.

I love Arsenal and Rosicky loves me.

There was some talk earlier in the season about how Fabregas looked distracted and unhappy but I think he’s back to his best. There will always be speculation surrounding his future and I think most Arsenal fans accept he will one day play for Barcelona but at the same time it may not be for a few years yet (at least not until Wenger burns him out!). You can see what it would mean to him to win trophies with this team and if he can direct those kind of performances against the big sides then Arsenal could well have a shout for one this season.

Allardyce called Vermaelen’s foul on Dunn at 3-2 a turning point and while yes it was a definite penalty, to say it was a red card offence too is just silly. Even if Blackburn had scored, there was no way Arsenal were losing yesterday, they were just too good going forward. Maybe if Allardyce hadn’t taken off his best player in David Dunn, not played four full backs and generally shown a bit more adventure, then he might have had a point.

Blah blah blah.

The return of Rosicky has been very pleasing too and I think everyone forgot just what a classy player he was before he got injured. He’s constantly creating space and playing intelligent passes and he fits really well into the 4-3-3 system. With Nasri back sooner rather than later and Ramsey ever more impressive in his weekly substitute cameo, it should hopefully consign Diaby to the bench. I think right now his height is the only thing going for him (meaning he plays against ‘big’ sides like Rovers) but his overall play just doesn’t fit. He did very little on Saturday and can only offer potential for so long.

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2. Liverpool lost for the fourth time this season (including Europe) and each time it’s been a good side. They have become more expansive this season but with that have sacrificed much of the solidity that brought them good results. They are turning into flat track bullies who can hammer 20 goals past the likes of Burnley, Hull, Stoke, West Ham and Bolton but then struggle when facing half decent sides like Spurs, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Aston Villa. Similarly Torres can score five in two games but then waste the two presentable opportunites he had yesterday. He was well marshalled by Terry and must show that he can impose himself on a big match consistently like Drogba can.

It has been said before but Alonso is being missed with every passing week and the return of Aquilani won’t help that. Alonso sat deep with Mascherano and gave it to Gerrard or played in Torres. Aquilani is much less likely to do the same and like Lucas will wander forward, given that by nature they are both more attacking players. This leaves the centre back pairing exposed and may explain partly why Carragher has been so poor this season. Meanwhile if you rely on Torres and Gerrard so much, when they’re stopped so are Liverpool. Benitez can say they are still contenders, and of course points wise they are. But I think there are fundamental issues at which will prevent Liverpool from winning the league yet again.

Hey lads, why do you flatter to deceive?

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3. After just four draws in the opening 66 games there were four this weekend. As teams finally get the measure of each other we can expect that total to increase. Tellingly, there have been only two draws amongst the top ten and six in the bottom half. The usual scenario of nervousness at the foot of the table is beginning to creep in. How many times have we seen positive play rewarded with more wins, hence more three point gains, hence eventual safety. Something to take heed of for those playing 4-5-1.

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4. Man Utd got out of jail on Saturday evening against Sunderland with an injury time equaliser via the unfortunate Anton Ferdinand who scored an own goal. Prior to that Sunderland had fully deserved to be leading, Cattermole and Cana again holding their own against an opposition midfield. Those two have quickly become one of the better partnerships in the league and offer a nice mixture of toughness and harassment but with enough skill to allow for some creativity.

Up front Darren Bent is fast developing an impressive habit of scoring against the big sides as well as the small so it was a surprise to not see him get called up for England given the two qualifiers are essentially meaningless.

The other English striker on show Rooney (though I suppose there was Welbeck too, who was bizarrely chosen down the left) had another poor game and has yet to learn how to avoid his drops in form. Throughout his career (a bit like Defoe really) he has gone on runs where he’ll score in something like six successive games before doing nothing of note for ages and then picking up again. Now that he is the main player at Old Trafford, he can no longer afford these extended periods of goalless play.

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5. Good to see Portsmouth rewarded for their recent good form with a victory at last. They’ve been unfortunate to lose the last couple of games and it’s encouraging that despite not being paid they are still trying on the pitch. The expected suspects (+ one of two others in Fulham and West Ham) are beginning to form an orderly group in the bottom half and it was vital that Portsmouth didn’t fall too far adrift. I still think this season spells doom, unless this mystery new takeover happens to inject half a new squad in January, but to be fair at this stage last season Spurs had just points and still managed a top half finish. There’s hope yet for Pompey fans.

I think he's happy.

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6. Four straight Premier League victories at Turf Moor to go with the six at the end of last season. Are Burnley set to do a Stoke and stay up based almost entirely on their home form?

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T.

Gameweek 8 and some interesting fixtures this weekend. A big four clash, plenty of tired teams who were involved in midweek European competition and some good opportunities for the cellar dwellers to pick up some victories. There were 37 goals last weekend and some high scores fantasy wise. Here’s to more of the same.

Gameweek 7 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick approves. Sort of.

It was a battle of the strikers this time round as three players fought to win the award but ultimately if you score four goals there’s a 95% chance you’ll be top scorer for the week. Keane’s quadruple against Burnley coupled with three bonus points made for a grand score of 21 and with it the Top Gun award.

In a way this feels quite a low score for so many goals but I guess that will always be the case for strikers. Looking back at Arshavin’s four goal haul against Liverpool last season, it also brought him 21 points. It would have been 25 in his new midfielder classification.

As I was saying, two other strikers ran Keane close this week. Torres scored the easiest hat-trick of his career against Hull and also got three bonus for 17 while on Sunday Darren Bent saved many a fantasy team’s weekend by grabbing 18 points via three assists, a goal and three bonus against Wolves. I don’t think anyone was expecting that good a haul from him!

Elsewhere John O’Shea got the classic defender’s combination of winning goal, clean sheet and three bonus for 15, while Tevez, Jones, Petrov and Babel all got 12+. A mention too for Thomas Vermaelen who was the first Top Gun winner to get more than two points the following week. He kept a clean sheet for six.

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Three Captain choices:

A big four matchup between Chelsea and Liverpool on Sunday means we should probably avoid Torres, Lampard, Gerrard et al. After both teams unimpressed during midweek Champions League and with Chelsea also on the back of a league defeat at Wigan, there may well be an avoid defeat at all costs strategy. A low scoring encounter is certainly on the cards meaning we have to look elsewhere.

1. Rooney/Man Utd – The hairy, screaming one faces Sunderland at Old Trafford this weekend and is a good shout to score I’d say. Sunderland have been very average at the back despite the arrival of Michael Turner and have the sixth worse defensive record with 11 goals conceded so far. It’s their attack which has got them up to 8th. Rooney has six goals in his first seven league games and is now centrepoint of United’s attacking play. Do you really see John Mensah stopping him? Nope me neither.

2. Arshavin or Van Persie/Arsenal - The Gunners have won both home games so far and Blackburn have lost both away games. For all Sam Allardyce’s success against Arsenal over the years, I genuinely don’t see his side getting anything on Sunday. Van Persie has been Arsenal’s best attacker this season without actually getting that many goals but he did score against Fulham last weekend and Olympiacos in midweek. Arshavin too has quietly got himself three goals recently so perhaps is finally hitting some of the form of last season. I’ll be going to this match so am hoping for a few Arsenal goals.

3. Saha/Everton - The oft-injured striker has had a great start to 2009/10 and has scored five in five (he missed Fulham). Stoke are terrible away from home - for some reason they just can’t replicate the form they show at the Britannia and I expect an Everton victory here. Always back a striker when in form. Baines, Cahill or Fellaini are also good shouts in this game.

Gets a Captain's tick

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Three Potential Transfers In:

1. Fabregas/Arsenal – Yes he’s a very expensive transfer in, but my thinking is to replace Gerrard or Lampard with him. Arsenal’s next five are Blackburn, Birmingham, West Ham (A), Spurs and Wolves (A) all of which are winnable, most of which are easy. Lampard (see transfer out) hasn’t been scoring at all (goals wise not points wise), while Gerrard has to play deep for the duration of Mascherano’s absence. Fabregas has scored or assisted in his last three and should continue his good form. Just a thought.

2. Reid/Sunderland – Steve Bruce commented the other day about how Andy Reid has been Sunderland’s best player for the past month. Who am I to argue. The man who used to be really fat but is now just big-boned has three straight assists, plus a goal and three bonus in the last few weeks. He’s a bargain too at £5.3m.

3. Benayoun/Liverpool – Ok, so my attempted reverse jinx clearly failed last week as Benayoun got himself two assists for eight points. I will now attempt the opposite and start recommending him and hope he suddenly stops producing for Sportboy P’s side. I’m still not entirely sure he has the consistency over the course of a season but he is a good player capable of big games (see the 24 points against Burnley) and Rafa has at least realised that he’s a better option than Ryan Babel.

Might be worth a pick

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Three to avoid:

1. Lampard/Chelsea - As I mentioned above, I’m not convinced Lampard is a player to have right now. Let’s look at what he’s done this season. He only has one goal (a penalty) but he does have four assists which is second after Giggs. His eight bonus leads midfielders but five strikers have more than that and he lies eighth overall with 42 points.

Watching a fair amount of Chelsea this season, he doesn’t seem to be getting into as many scoring positions as last year and I mentioned in Monday’s Six Pointer that part of this may be Chelsea playing two strikers again. I’m not saying get rid of him and don’t replace him, I’m just saying that don’t think you can’t just because he’s Frank Lampard.

In his defence his overall score is good and perhaps I’m being hasty but I think in terms of value if nothing else, there are currently better players out there. Just remember Ronaldo last season where people were hamstrung by the fear of not having him when you’d actually have been better off investing in someone a fraction cheaper and spending the rest elsewhere. Looking at the transfers out, it appears 24,000 people think so, the most for a midfielder this week. One to monitor.

2. Defoe/Spurs – Another player who you might think I’m crazy for suggesting to get rid of but it might be a good time. He’s just broken his hand, his value has gone up to £9m and as the Football Guy and I were discussing, Defoe has always been a very streaky player. Six goals in six games or something similar but then nothing for ages. You realise he hasn’t scored for two weeks right? Maybe it’s already begun. Cash in.

3. Sunderland players - Man Utd and Liverpool up next.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.