On day three of cleaning out my garage, I found a pleasant surprise in a 1962 collection of 25 cards entitled “Football Clubs and Badges” from a company named Lamberts Of Norwich.

The cards were included in packets of tea from Lamberts. Each card features an English club with the club’s name, football kit, crest and kit colors, which are all beautifully designed. During the 1961-62 season, there were 22 clubs in the top flight. In the 61-62 season, Ipswich won the title, while Everton won it the season after.

The quality of the cards is exceptional. Click on the above image to get a larger view of the front of the cards to see the detail. It’s interesting to note how plain the Manchester United crest looks, how intricate the one is for Ipswich, the odd character emblazoned on the Nottingham Forest card (a forester, which is one of Nottingham Forest’s many nicknames), and the sad looking cockerel of Tottenham.

You’ll notice that there’s no Liverpool. The Reds were in the second division in the 61-62 season. And how about the surprise inclusion of Colchester United, who were in the Fourth Division at the time. Each of the cards contains a short history of the club, and the back of Colchester’s card mentions how their best season was in 1956-57 when they finished third. I can only presume that Colchester was included in the set of 25 cards because of its proximity to Norwich.

Eagle-eyed readers may notice that there are only 24 cards featured. The one that’s missing, which I do have, is the one for Luton Town.

See any other interesting observations about the cards? Share them in the comments section below.

Who knew that Arsene Wenger, Roy Hodgson and Roberto Mancini were not only rock stars, but rock musicians? Enjoy the following videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5DrdPrPpMU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2mqZHSPw4E

H/T 101 Great Goals.

Here is what the Premier League clubs are wishing for in 2012:

Arsenal: Gunner fans are wishing that scoring machine Robin van Persie continues his torrid streak.

Aston Villa: That Alex McLeish has a method to his “managerial tactic” madness.

Blackburn: Steve Kean is renting and not buying.

Bolton: Club officials are wishing the F.A. will bring in two more clubs into the Premier League in hopes that Bolton won’t be relegated.

Chelsea: Andre Villas-Boas decides on the correct starting eleven for his club so that they can make another run at the title.

Everton: That Landon Donovan can breathe some fresh air into the Toffees offensive attack.

Fulham: Hopefully Martin Jol can unite his squad to make another run at a Europa spot next season.

Liverpool: Luis Suarez starts to be known for his play and not for his antics.

Manchester City: That the club continues their blistering pace.

Manchester United: Alex Ferguson uses his genius to figure out the midfield problems.

Newcastle: Demba Ba decides to stay with the club through the January transfer window.

Norwich City: That the club can continue their steady pace and enjoy a second season in the first division.

QPR: The Rangers magically figure out how to score more goals at Loftus Road.

Stoke City: To make sure that an away trip to Britannia Stadium remains a difficult test for opposing clubs.

Sunderland:  That the likes of Sebastian Larsson and Nicklas Bendtner give the Black Cats an offensive identity.

Swansea City: The Super Swans wish that Michel Vorm continues his ridiculous form at goalie.

Tottenham: That the Spurs finish in the top four and qualify for next year’s Champions League.

West Brom: The Baggies wish that Shane Long and Chris Brunt can continue to inspire their teammates in hopes of finishing in the top half of the table.

Wigan: That Victor Moses keeps playing with flair and goalie Ali Al Habsi remains one of the best keepers in the league.

Wolverhampton: Wolves wish that Bolton, Blackburn, and Wigan remain below them in the Premier League table.

Note: Readers can follow Matt on Twitter @thehackreport

Shane Long went on air after West Brom’s victory this week to say “I didn’t receive any apology over the [Alan Hutton] tackle.” To me this is disgraceful. Shane Long has been out for a month. And after that particular tackle from Hutton, surely he deserved an apology.

The Hutton tackle was an outrage. It was a tackle that could easily have ended in a red. Hutton was one lucky man to stay on that pitch especially when he had already committed numerous fouls and on top of that his fouls continued throughout the game, until his substitution in the 41st minute.

Long was always going to be injured before his enforced substitution he had already been fouled 2 or 3 times. Aston Villa had been sent out to target him, even Shane himself felt this he said “I can’t really say that (I was being targeted), but it felt like it anyway”. Now what I have a problem with is not that they were sent out to keep Long quiet, as West Brom’s danger man it would be common practice. However to target him by giving away foul and foul and eventually injuring Long, that just isn’t right, and for me the fact that Villa did not even apologize is disgusting.

Shane Long also went on to miss his home nation of Ireland’s most important matches in an incredibly long time. To have caused this injury ruling Long out of a match such as this and to not even apologize – I don’t need to say it again – but I feel it is completely unsportsmanlike. Could Hutton not have just sat down with Long at the end of the game or in the coming weeks and say ‘sorry mate’. It is not a particularly difficult request.

I feel football is a great sport and the best thing about it is the competitive nature of it, especially in the English leagues and I would not like to see the competitiveness of the game disappear. However I feel that to intentionally go out to injure someone is too far. I also think it seems obvious that if you have injured someone you apologize. To me Shane Long has got it right he is willing to leave what happened to him in that match on the pitch. Despite the fact he has no reason to forgive Aston Villa or Hutton. No one wants to relive the malicious and unforgiving nature of the Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland feud (where Haaland fouled Keane and Keane 5 years later intentionally fouled Haaland and damaged his knee leading, eventually to Haaland’s retirement). That is not the way football should be played.

Long was injured by Hutton, regardless of intention he should be apologetic for that. Footballers playing in the Premier League are role models for many young children these children don’t just copy players ability on the pitch but also the attitude if the pitch.

We can only hope that the follow the example of players such as Shane Long and not Alan Hutton.

West Brom are clearly recognised by most Premier League fans and pundits as the yoyo team of the division. Over the last 10 years they have been promoted to the Premier League four times and relegated three times. Even their now classic BOING BOING celebration sort of represents their predicament as the perennial yoyo club. However West Brom now have the chance to finally get a firm footing in England’s top flight.

In the last ten years West Brom have kept getting relegated back to the Championship for a few reasons. First chairman Jeremy Peace has refused to spend big when going into the Premier League. He has wanted the Baggies to stay strong financially by spending within their means and not spending too much money in desperation to stay in the “promised land” of the Premier League. We have seen clubs such as Hull City and Portsmouth very recently spending a lot more than they could really afford in the pursuit of safety but they still both got relegated and ended up in serious financial trouble when relegated to the Championship. West Brom have not done this and they have been able to keep the core of their team, thus leading to more harmony — and more loyal players willing to play and compete for the Baggies in both the Championship and Premier League.

Also the Baggies attacking style of play, typified by the team under Roberto Di Matteo, has led to their title of the yoyo team. Their attacking free-flowing football has always seemed to work for them in the Championship with promotion coming quickly but it has typically been part of their downfall in the Premier League with teams not allowing them to play their style to their full potential.

Now though, West Brom with Roy Hodgson as manager have a real chance to establish themselves as a mid-table Premier League side. After the controversial sacking of Di Matteo in January, Hodgson was brought in to keep West Brom up which he did with ease. Now with Hodgson’s tactical awareness and some spending in the summer transfer window, West Brom should be able to push on.

The signing of the impressive Shane Long shows intent from the Chairman to try and stay in the Premier League for a sustained period. Long has impressed already this season and West Brom are already in 12th place after a slow start.

The Black Country outfit now have a very solid spine to the team with international goalkeeper Ben Foster, strong midfielders in Josef Mulumbu and Steven Reid along with the impressive strike partnership of recent addition Long and last season’s top scorer Peter Odemwingie. With Hodgson instilling a good balance between attack and defence, as emphasised by the last half of the previous season, it now means the Baggies look very strong. The defence looks stronger with three clean sheets already this season and with the strike force along with creative wingers/midfielders in Jerome Thomas and Chris Brunt it looks as if West Brom should have no problem scoring plenty of goals this season.

Of course there is the possibility of the fabled “second season syndrome” setting in for West Brom. It certainly did set in for the likes of Reading and Hull recently. However this season is the chance for West Brom to really start to prove themselves as a Premier League team because they’ve now definitely got the people, the resources and know-how to do so.

About  two weeks ago Roy Hodgson said that West Bromwich Albion’s deal for Shane Long was “potentially the bargain of the season.”

Shane Long moved from Reading in the Championship to the Baggies for a fee of £4.5 million (potentially rising to £6.5million). Although this may be a small sum for many of the top teams, it was rather a lot by West Brom’s standards to spend on one player. For proof, look at the other signings West Brom made last transfer window: a free transfer for Billy Jones and another free transfer for Gary McAuley. Hodgson is not a man to fork out the cash and the Baggies aren’t a club with excess money to spend.

One important thing to remember is Shane Long’s age, only 24. Long is a young player just coming into his physical prime and West Brom have him tied down on a three year deal — straight through his best years. Unlike the Baggies star signing last year in Peter Odemwingie, now 30 years old, Long is a player on which they can build for the future. Should Long perform in the top-tier of English football, West Brom will have secured a brilliant long term signing.

However, is Shane Long still a bargain? The initial signs were good: a goal on his debut against title holder sMan United and another the following game against ever-strong Chelsea had the Hawthorns immediately chanting his name.

However, following that burst at the start of the season, Long seemed to come off the boil a little. Great chances came his way against Swansea but Long failed to put his name on the scoresheet. After a quick goal against Sunderland, however, Long has come back to life.

Against Wolves this past weekend Long played out of his skin. His name may not have been on the scoresheet but his general play was outstanding. This fact was recognised by the poll on the WBA webpage voting Long as man of the match. A reward he very much deserved. He used his pace to terrorize the Wolves defence, chasing down what most people would consider impossible balls. He made Roger Johnson look downright slow at times. His ability to hold the ball up was also outstanding, showing an upper body strength that doesn’t seem to match his incredible speed. The ball would be cleared long by the Baggies defense and almost without fail Shane Long would be there to collect it and use it; a valuable attribute indeed.

Shane Long’s display earned him credit from the fans, manager and pundits alike. However is he the bargain of the season? I guess we will have to wait and see. However if he continues at this rate he may well surpass team mate Odemwingie’s brilliant first season in the Premier League. If he continues at this rate he could be the signing of the season. After all, £4.5 million is not too much of a debt to pay back to his club. Having said that, we will have to wait and see. The English Premier League season is a marathon, not a sprint.

William McGregor, founding father of the Football League in 1888

The focus for a long time was on the “big four” of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. Tottenham and Manchester City made enough inroads to turn that into the “Sky Six” temporarily. To be honest, most of the noise generated by the media, which drives the fans is about a handful of clubs. If it weren’t for the negativity about Arsenal, you’d be likely to think there are really just two teams in the league this year: United and City.

Fans eagerly allow this media bias to help form their opinions about other clubs, often calling them “small.” That’s not to say there aren’t smaller or bigger clubs in the Premier League currently. Based on grounds or history, obviously Wigan or Swansea are smaller than United or Arsenal. But they aren’t that small. And it doesn’t mean they are without history and accomplishment. In fact of the Sky Six, do you know how many are founding members of the Football League? None. But that was in 1888, so obviously those clubs no longer matter. Nope! Seven of the 12 founding members are in the top flight today and Derby Co. and Burnley have been back in recent seasons.

For the record, the 12 that started all of this are Accrington (the only one to fold), Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That means that seven clubs in the EPL already have a deeper story than the media would have you believe. The next time somebody calls Blackburn or West Brom a small club, it would be wise to remind them that they won their first F.A. Cups in 1884 and 1888 respectively, before Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool even existed. And if somebody asks “Who is Stoke City,” then the answer is Notts County’s only contemporary.

This isn’t an indictment of the Sky Six, Big Four or the City/Chelsea petro-era. This is a plea to respect all clubs because in the league there is only one club that was born post WWI (Wigan Athletic) and only a few that have no major silverware. This is a list of all 20 EPL clubs and their honours by year of birth:

1863
Stoke City (as Stoke Ramblers or Stoke FC until 1928) are the second oldest football team in the world. They do not have as many honours as most clubs but they did come in second in the First Division in 1947 and made the final of the F.A. Cup last year. But mostly, they have been around much longer than your club.

1874
Aston Villa have won the First division seven times, the F.A. Cup seven times and a European Championship in 1982. They have played at Villa Park since 1897 and were once considered the most successful side in England bar none.

Bolton Wanderers (as Christ Church FC until 1877) have won four F.A. Cups and were an early power of English football. While they seemed to have fallen from grace in the 1960′s, they returned to the league in 2000 and have have been a mid-table staple since. They were the first team to win the F.A. Cup at Wembley.

1875
Blackburn Rovers have won three top flight titles and six F.A. Cups. They still hold the longest undefeated F.A. Cup run at 24 and had Jack Walker to thank for their last title.

1877
Wolverhampton Wanderers (St. Luke’s until 1879) have won three First Division titles and four F.A. Cups.  They have played at Molineux since 1889 and the name Stan Cullis should be in every fan’s knowledge base.

1878
Everton (St. Domingo’s until 1879) has only been relegated twice since joining the league at the beginning. They have won nine First Division titles, five F.A. Cups and a Cup Winners Cup. Everton’s current financial crisis goes back to Heysel and the loss of brand recognition that the incident cost them due to the European ban.

West Bromich Albion have won one First Division title and have been runners up twice. They have won five F.A. Cups as well. The 1953-54 side that nearly won the double was once named the “Team of the Century” by the media. Their nickname of the Baggies was once a derogatory slur used against them.

Manchester United (Newton Heath until 1902) started life as an awful club. After a change of ownership and name in 1902, they have gone on to win 19 league titles, 11 F.A. Cups, a Cup Winners Cup and three European Cups. In fact, with each new owner United has grown bigger and won more, but United fans seem to long for the days of solid second division obscurity. Makes you almost hope they achieve it.

1879
Fulham lack honours but they are the oldest London club. Their current period in the top flight is by far their best. They were runners up in the 1975 F.A. Cup and 2010 Europa League. They were denied a piece of the legend of the 1966 World Cup due to a car accident that stymied the career of Johnny Haynes, who had captained the Three Lions 22 times.

Sunderland have won six First Division titles and two F.A. Cups. A massive financial scandal in 1957 involving over-payments of players led to them being relegated for the first time a year later.

1880
Manchester City (as St. Mark’s or Ardwick until 1894) were a founding member of the Second Division. They have won the First Division twice and the F.A. Cup five times. Like Arsenal’s WM and Tottenham’s Push and Run, they have a tactical plan to their name, called the Revie plan. And they won the Cup Winners Cup in 1970. But since they have so much money, we need to remind them that they were in the third tier of English football in 1999 :p

1882
Queens Park Rangers formed when two clubs known as St Jude’s and Christchurch Rangers merged. They were a lower tier club until 1967, when they won a League Cup, got promoted twice in succession and came second in the league in 1976. They lost a F.A. Cup final in 1981 and have been a yo-yo club since. They were also the richest club in the world for a short while.

The Modern Era of Football starts with the formation of Tottenham Hotspur (originally Hotspur FC) in 1882 on the Hackney Marshes. They are the only non-league side to win the F.A. Cup (in 1901) and have won it an additional seven times. They were the first side to win the double in 1961 to add to their title in 1951. Any mention of the number of titles since 1961 will not be authorized in the comment section They have also won four League Cups and two UEFA Cups.

1886
Arsenal (originally Woolwich Arsenal) were formed in South London. They have taken up temporary residence in North London since 1913. They were the first southern club in the league and have been managed by two men who changed the English game for the good in Arsene Wenger and Herbert Chapman. They have won 13 league titles, ten F.A. Cups and a Cup Winners Cup.

1892
Newcastle United were formed from the merger of Newcastle East End and West End and have played at St. James Park since then. They have won four First Division titles, six F.A. Cups and the 1969 Fairs Cup. They have the dramas of Kevin Keegan and Mike Ashley to draw upon in the recent past and the near double in 1905 to draw upon in the distant.

Liverpool split off from Everton over a grounds issue with a board member. They were promoted in 1894 and have won 18 titles, seven F.A. Cups, three UEFA Cups, and five European Championships. The names Heysel and Hillsborough have given this club more drama than any club needs.

1902
Norwich City were founded in 1902 as well. Unfortunately it took them 70 years to get to the First Division. But still have two League Cups and have been in the top flight a number of times. So “Let’s Be ‘Avin Ya.”

1905
Chelsea have won four titles, six F.A. Cups, four League Cups and a Cup Winners Cup. They have a strong link to the hooliganism era and were robbed of entry to the first European Championship by the league.

The last two are the two with the least history and honours, but we must respect that the work done to make these clubs has been done in staunchly rugby towns.

1912
Before this year, Swansea City have played two seasons in the top flight. They hold the record for the fastest rise from the Fourth Division to the First jointly with Wimbledon. They both did it in four years but the Swans did it first. Their reserve team has won the Welsh league 12 times. The Gaffer told me that they are the only team Pele feared, but I think that might be a lie.

1932
Wigan Athletic were the fourth attempt to raise a club in Wigan. They didn’t make the league until 1978 but in 1995 Dave Whelan took over and they made it to the First Division in 2005 and lost to United in the League Cup final in 2006. They also have two Johnson Paint trophies.

So as you can plainly see, no team is small. No team lacks history or drama or even honours. There are bigger clubs and smaller clubs, but that is always relative to the era. So let’s try to respect all other clubs rather than using derogatory terms based on their attendance, their traveling support, their last trophy or their current financial malaise. And remember, the lower divisions are littered with great teams such as West Ham, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Derby County to name but a few. Your team could end up there with a bad season, and then you might be called small too.

West Bromwich Albion have unveiled their home shirt for the 2011-12 season of the Premier League.

The Baggies feature their famous dark blue and white stripes on their kit, which has been a prominent feature since the first time they wore dark blue stripes in 1920. West Brom’s new home shirt is designed by Adidas and follows the same template used by Stoke City, Swansea and other clubs. The West Brom home shirt also features their new shirt sponsor, Bodog, on the front of the jersey.

What do you think of the design? Personally I would prefer the dark blue stripes to run all the way up the chest instead of the shoulders being white. My favorite WBA design was the one used in the 2009-10 Premier League season when they wore a shirt by Umbro.

What do you think of the new design? Share your opinion in the comments section below. And don’t forget, for the largest selection of Premier League shirts for all 20 clubs, visit the EPL Talk Shop.

West Bromwich Albion have revealed their away shirt for the 2011-12 Premier League season.

Designed by Adidas, the new West Brom away shirt is cyan with a dark blue trim. The shirt design have subtle hoops across the chest that are a bright, shiny cyan in color. The shirt also features new sponsor Bodog, who announced a deal with West Brom this week.

What do you think of the new design? Share your opinion in the comments section below. And don’t forget, for the largest selection of Premier League shirts for all 20 clubs, visit the EPL Talk Shop.

It’s that time of the season for reflection, to look back on the 2010-11 Premier League season and to determine which players, if any, you would like to see leave your club in the summer. The saying goes that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And that’s definitely true in soccer where a player who couldn’t hit the target at one club goes on to become a star elsewhere.

But sometimes it’s worth getting rid of a player who is at his highest value so that the club can then go out and buy two or three players with that money. Fernando Torres’s move from Liverpool to Chelsea is a perfect example of that, where ‘Pool were able to get Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.

So, take a minute and reflect on your club’s season, and then share your suggestions in the comments below of who you’d like to see depart your club this summer.

Here’s my list of players who I think would leave their respective clubs:

Arsenal:
Andrei Arshavin (he’s lost his mojo and needs to return to Eastern Europe)
Manuel Almunia (he deserves first-team football week-in week-out somewhere else)
Nicklas Bendtner (he’s not good enough to be at Arsenal)

Aston Villa:
Ashley Young (time to sell the player for as much money as possible)
Emile Heskey (time to return to the Championship)

Birmingham City:
Alexander Hleb (did not live up to his potential)
Michel (it’s time for a permanent transfer away from St. Andrews)

Blackburn Rovers:
Michel Salgado (doesn’t have the pace for the Premier League)

Blackpool:
Marlon Harewood (he’s not good enough to play in the Premier League)
Matt Gilks (if Blackpool stays up, they need a more qualified first-team goalkeeper)

Bolton:
No changes necessary

Chelsea:
Fernando Torres (Chelsea’s only hope is for a Spanish club to come in for Torres, but who can afford him?)
Mikel (too inconsistent; Chelsea needs a more creative midfielder)

Everton:
Jack Rodwell (it’s time for Everton to cash in on this player so they can get much-needed transfer funds)
Jermaine Beckford (frustrating player with natural talent who has been unable to translate that into many goals)

Fulham:
Danny Murphy (time for the midfielder to hang up his boots, or take a step down the league)
Eidur Gudjohnsen (hasn’t been able to fit in with any of the clubs he’s moved to since Barcelona)

Liverpool:
Paul Konchesky (time for him to go back to Fulham or another club where he can get first-team football)
Joe Cole (don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Joe)
Milan Jovanovic (didn’t fit in at Liverpool at all)

Manchester City:
James Milner (time for him to go back to a Newcastle or similar club where he’s guaranteed a starting place each week)
Shay Given (the Irish goalkeeper deserves to be starting each week in the Premier League; time to move on)

Manchester United:
Owen Hargreaves (time to retire)
Dimitar Berbatov (needs to move to a club where he can play week-in week-out)
Gabriel Obertan (not good enough for Manchester United)

Newcastle United:
Sol Campbell (time for him to retire or move down the ladder)

Stoke:
No changes

Sunderland:
Cristian Riveros (not good enough for this level)

Tottenham:
Heurelho Gomes (not consistent enough at this level for Spurs)
Rafael van der Vaart (the footballer, no matter how brilliant he is, doesn’t fit into this Spurs squad)
Jermain Defoe (needs to move on to a club where he can play every game)
Roman Pavlyuchenko (we love your spirit, but you’re simply not good enough, Roman)
Ledley King (time to hang up your boots, son)
Jonathan Woodgate (you too mate)

West Brom:
No changes

West Ham:
Scott Parker (needs Premier League football to advance his England career)
Carlton Cole (needs to start with a fresh new perspective at a different club where he can regain his form)
Frederic Piquionne (deserves to be playing at a higher level)

Wigan:
Charles N’Zogbia (time to cash in on a superlative player who should fetch a high transfer fee)

Wolves:
Marcus Hahnemann (a transfer back to Major League Soccer to finish his career would be the ideal decision)

Share your suggestions in the comments section below of who you think should leave your club. And if you disagree with the suggestions listed above, tell me why below.