Saturday:
Arsenal v West Brom

Bolton v Stoke

Everton v Blackburn

Hull v Fulham

Middlesbrough v Tottenham

West Ham v Wigan

Sunderland v Liverpool

Sunday:
Chelsea v Portsmouth

Aston Villa v Man City

Man Utd v Newcastle

image via Soccerlens 

“Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America’s Forgotten Game” by David Wangerin is available August 4th. I just read a very interesting review of this book here .

“Bloody Confused! A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace in English Soccer“, by Chuck Culpepper, is available August 5th. I love this description: “After covering the American sports scene for fifteen years, Chuck Culpepper suffered from a profound case of Common Sportswriter Malaise. He was fed up with self-righteous proclamations, steroid scandals, and the deluge of in-your-face PR that saturated the NFL, the NBA, and MLB. Then in 2006, he moved to London and discovered a new and baffling world—the renowned Premiership soccer league. Culpepper pledged his loyalty to Portsmouth, a gutsy, small-market team at the bottom of the standings. As he puts it, “It was like childhood, with beer.”” Yeah, I love that!

Image via Amazon

I’m no economist, but it is no secret that the economy (and not just here in the US) is in a world of hurt. With people keeping an eye on their pennies, pounds and euros just a little bit closer, how will this effect the world’s game? Well, according to Arsenal Chariman Peter Hill-Wood, even the players are going to be affected by the credit crunch.

(more…)

“It’s the old story. You’re at a football match and desperate for a half-time pie and Bovril – but Osama Bin Laden’s at the front of the queue counting out a load of loose change.

Far fetched? Nothing like it. Yesterday we revealed how The Queen is a secret Arsenal fan. But the Gooners aren’t the only football club in Britain who have big name supporters.Here DEREK BROWN presents the weird, weird world of unlikely soccer superfans . . .”

Image via TheSun

Only one more to hoist.

Wonder if winning Champions League will make up for the fact that the English won’t be at the 2008 Euros?

If you’re a United States Soccer Supporter, then that man is the one you want to kiss right now after his goal secured Fulham FC/USA’s Premiership status for the 2008/09 season, and so far has kept 5 Americans (and one Kiwi named Simon Elliot) in England’s top flight.

Danny Murphy’s 76th minute winner at Fratton Park (the team’s first) was enough to secure goal differential over Reading, who drubbed Derby away at Pride Park 4-nil.

Hahnemann, Convey, Lewis and Feilhaber as of now are set for relegation to the Championship and a decent little golden parachute.

As of now you ask? Think Seattle (big name signing), D.C (old team), San Jose (old, old team) or L.A. (home town & college) might be looking to make some adjustments?

Some of these guys might have a little stipulation that changes contract status if the team was relegated.

image via Fulham FC

With all the focus turned towards Fulham USA and their match tomorrow against Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth, the Daily Mail has a great read about Reading’s Marcus Hahnemann.

A big win at Derby for the last match of the season might not even make a difference with Fulham holding the a +6 goal differential over Reading, even though both teams could be even on points tomorrow evening.

Fulham up or down?

image via FirstTouchOnline

 UPDATE - Looks like Sepp’s been shot down once again after the European Union flatly rejected Blatter’s plan for Foreign Player quotas.  The final voting numbers were 518 Against and 49 for.

[Via Soccernet] 

“UEFA says Blatter’s proposal is unworkable in the EU because it contravenes the bloc’s laws on the free movement of workers and could lead to costly legal challenges - a view echoed by the EU assembly.

‘Unfortunately the 6+5 rule is not compatible with the free movement of persons in the EU. The European Treaty is very clear on this point: discrimination on the basis of nationality is not allowed and this also counts for football,’ Belgian MEP Ivo Belet, author of the parliament’s report on the future of professional football, told the assembly. ”

Whether it’s been his decision to investigate on his own or his desire to see Women Internationals in Volleyball shorts, Sepp Blatter has never been one to mix words. But one of his latest plans has drawn some heavy criticism once again.

With a plan to reduce the number of Foreigners in the Barclay’s Premiership, Blatter failed to realize that by trying to force Premiership sides to play at the very least 5 English nationals, he was going against one of the biggest ruling in the history of the game, The Bosman Ruling.

To quote the EU Sports Commission;

“The EU’s employment law holds the principle of freedom of movement of workers, which allows EU soccer players to have equal status regardless of which member nation they played in.”

Back to the drawing board my son, back to the drawing board.

image via AdGoog

US National Team stud Clint Dempsey has just re-upped his Premiership contract with Fulham through 2010.

After making his initial transfer in January 2006, Dempsey kept the Cottagers in the Premiership last year with his winner at Liverpool and might have the chance to do it again this weekend as Fulham faces Portsmouth and are just out of the Relegation Zone by Goal Differential over Reading.

Dempsey has scored 6 Premiership Goals this season in 28 matches.

image via DailyMail

It was only a matter of time before it was confirmed, but Cristiano Ronaldo was today named the PFA Player of the Year.

With an astonishing 38 goals on the season so far, Ronaldo headlines the team of stars which surprisingly didn’t have one Chelsea player named.

Courtesy of DailyMail

PFA TEAM: James (Portsmouth), Sagna (Arsenal), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Vidic (Man Utd), Clichy (Arsenal), Gerrard (Liverpool), Fabregas (Arsenal), Ronaldo (Man Utd), Young (Aston Villa), Adebayor (Arsenal), Torres (Liverpool)

UPDATE - Cristiano was just named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writer’s Association for the second year in a row.

The last man to recieve back to back Footballer of the Year Awards was Thierry Henry in 2003 and 2004.

image via MachoChip