Gameweek 21 kicks off on New Year’s Day, the perfect time to have a quick recap on some of the season’s best performers so far.

Starting between the sticks we have Manchester City’s Joe Hart, the Blue half of Manchester are serious title contenders and much of this is due to the brilliance of their young stopper. Points wise Hart is head and shoulders above all other Goalkeepers with an impressive total of 95. If his 6.8 million price tag puts you off, there are cheaper alternatives. Birmingham’s Ben Foster(5.1) 81 points and Blackburn’s Paul Robinson(4.6) 72 points provide excellent value for money.

There is a reason Nemanja Vidic(8.0) is at the heart of 32% of Fantasy League defences, well actually there are 87 reasons. Man United’s rock at the back is top of the defensive pile going into the New Year. Following closely behind are Chelsea’s Ashley Cole(8.3) with 86 points and Everton’s Leighton Baines(7.5) 85 points. Sneaking into the top ten defenders is Sunderland’s Ahmed Elmohamady(4.8) with a 68 point return. Just one point behind Elmohamady is Baines’ team mate Seamus Coleman(4.9). Directly below Coleman you will find Patrice Evra(7.3) and John Terry(7.0), even further down the list is Man City’s Kolo Toure(6.4). It just goes to show that you don’t always get what you pay for.

Moving into midfield we start to find members of the 100 club. Rather surprisingly Everton’s Tim Cahill(9.3) leads the way with 106 points. Not only does the Australian run the midfield he often finds himself thrust upfront and has tucked away nine league goals in the process. Man United’s Nani(9.6) is just 2 points behind Cahill. The winger has been showing real quality throughout the campaign. Like Ronaldo before him Nani looks to have learnt that the tricks, however pretty they may be, do not win you Football matches and has vastly improved his all round game.

Special mention goes to Stoke City wide-man Matthew Etherington(5.9). Normally any left footed Englishman with an ounce of talent is treated like the second coming, however Etherington has quietly gone about his impressive business, three league goals and numerous assists place him ninth overall in the midfield rankings with 85 points.

Leading the way upfront is Newcastle’s Andy Carroll(6.5). They love a number 9 at St James Park and Carroll is no disappointment, the lanky striker has bagged 11 league goals this season and has 113 points to show for his efforts. It’s no surprise that the young Magpie is in 55% of Fantasy league teams.

Hot on Carroll’s heels is Carlos Tevez(11.3). The Argentine has 12 goals to his name and now that his Wayne Rooney style transfer tantrum is done and dusted he can get back to doing what he does best. A note of caution on wee Carlos this week as he is a slight doubt with a thigh injury.

And finally, I can’t go without singing the praises of Bolton’s front two. Johan Elmander(6.5) and Kevin Davies(6.5) have 191 points between them. Owen Coyle’s team are enjoying a cracking season so far and are the only team to have two strikers in the top ten.

That’s all for 2010 folks, I sincerely hope you all have a very Happy New Year.

If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleaguem.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

The big freeze and the dismal failure of England’s 2018 World Cup bid will not stop the Premier League from rolling on. Its game week 16, time to forget the disappointment, put the heating on and enjoy another weekend of Football.

Spurs enjoyed a much needed rest midweek and will be hoping to capitalise on any signs of a Birmingham hangover following their Carling Cup exploits. Both sides are on a good run and Harry Redknapp will be desperate to keep the pressure on the teams above them. The Blues have a fantastic home record but I have a feeling Tottenham are going to leave with all three points.

Birmingham will be relieved to see that Rafael Van der Vaart is once again doubtful, but Jermain Defoe(8.6), Aaron Lennon(7.5) and Luka Modric(7.2) are looking good, and they will need to be on their game if they are to breach a Birmingham back line that boasts some impressive points tallies. Ben Foster(5.0) 71 points, Liam Ridgewell(5.8) 65 points and Roger Johnson(5.2) 56 points, are in the top five points scorers so far this season in their positions. “If you score two we will score three” seems to be Spurs attitude, so there will be chances at the other end too. Cameron Jerome(5.7) and Nikola Zigic(5.3) are the cheaper alternatives in a match that promises goals.

Man Utd have been on the receiving end of a fair amount of criticism this season, yet they are undefeated and top of the Premier League table. United are off to the seaside Saturday evening and a certain Wane Rooney(11.5) will be desperate to get back in the goals after failing to get on the score sheet during the massacre of Blackburn Rovers last week. A special mention this week for Rooney’s team mate Nani(9.3) for reaching the 100 points mark this season.

Game week 16 concludes with a slightly rejuvenated Liverpool hosting a Villa side that are on the slide. The Reds are still missing inspirational Captain Steven Gerrard but the usually ineffective Lucas has added some steel to Liverpools midfield. The Brazilian is available for a mere 4.5 million and could be a shrewd acquisition in Gerrards absence. Jamie Carragher is facing three months on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder against Tottenham. It could mean a recall for Sotirios Kyrgiakos(5.1) and the Greek will be hoping to recapture his early season form.

Villa rallied well in the second half against Arsenal but they are struggling without Marc Albrighton, skipper Stiliyan Petrov and punch-line Emile Heskey. Robert Pires(5.0) who has a wealth of experience and young Ciaran Clark(4.5) could prove to be important players for Gerard Houllier in the run up to Christmas.

That’s your lot for this week. If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

If you read last week’s post and failed to believe me, then just maybe because of this weekend’s matches and results you’ll start to realize that this league isn’t one that falls into the cliched colloquialisms that tend to surround themselves with the Premier League.

Supporters of both Manchester clubs will emerge from the weekend most happy while Tottenham fans are likely still too delirious to realize how ecstatic they actually are after winning away to Arsenal. For all its plaudits, this season’s first North London derby in the league truly was an epic taste of Premier League glory as Spurs came from two down to win 2-3 against all odds.

Arsene Wenger seems to give Premier League fans two or three great moments each year as his frustrations get the better of him. Last season, with arms spread out in a moment of disbelief and dishevelment, Wenger found himself in the Old Trafford stands without a seat.

Saturday’s capitulation by Arsenal at the hands of Tottenham will be remembered by the water bottle that was hurled to the ground in a petulant fit of rage, it’s remnants covering Pat Rice without the slightest hint of remorse from Wenger. For all the joy Wenger brings to the neutrals, something dreadfully important remains elusive as it pertains to this Arsenal side.

Honorable Mentions -

Ben Foster, Birmingham City – The Manchester United throw away keeper has found his best form at Birmingham City this season quite like Joe Hart did last season while on loan at St. Andrew’s. Although Foster is a Blue to stay and Hart is back with his parent club, there seems to be something in the water in Birmingham that young England keepers are drinking to reach their full potential.

Foster was solid on Saturday for the Blues in their 1-0 win over Chelsea who continue their recent run of bad form. For all their inefficiencies, Chelsea still tested Foster in goal multiple times over the course of the full 90 yet Foster stood tall to produce a myriad of good saves in a man of the match performance.

Morten Gamst Pedersen, Blackburn – Pedersen’s free kick exploits in the last few weeks have produced a couple of moments of pure quality – stunning in their own right while seemingly defying the laws of physics at the same time. Most recently, the Norwegian midfielder/attacker curled an impressive free kick from an impossible angle past a flapping Brad Friedel just before the half to open the scoring in Sunday’s eventual 2-0 win at home.

The perfectly struck free kick tugged and teased Friedel out of the Villa goal only to dive in at the precise moment in which Friedel stood no chance to recover. The swinging arm of Friedel could only get the slightest of touches before the ball found the back of the net and Pedersen celebrated his goal while Blackburn soon took a slim lead into the interval in a match where the first half didn’t impress.

Pedersen then added a second for Blackburn to double Rovers’ lead when he flicked in Ryan Nelsen’s well struck ball across the face of goal. It was equal parts right place/right time and intense moment of precise timing and skill to slot home his second of the day.

Carlos Tevez, Manchester City – Is Tevez the Premier League’s best player? That question may have an answer on another day, but on Sunday, the little Argentine was yet again at his best as his former national coach Diego Maradona looked on at Craven Cottage. Maybe just a step offside but incredibly close to being level, Tevez scored City’s first when he held off Carlos Salcido and finished well past Mark Schwarzer low and to the corner. Tevez set up Yaya Toure for City’s third with a well timed ball directly into the path of the midfielder who took a great first touch and finished into the same corner as Tevez before him.

Continuing his brilliance, Tevez scored a cheeky second (City’s fourth) when he knew exactly what he was doing by flicking on a Pablo Zabaleta shot with his back to goal past Mark Schwarzer to end any idea of a Fulham comeback. For City, the 1-4 performance was one their fans have wanted to see for sometime as the 0-0′s started to pile up. Tevez, alongside David Silva, remains the catalyst for City’s attack and overall performance. When the Argentine is at his best, others perform to his standard which is greatness personified.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Johan Elmander, Bolton – If you’ve not been watching Bolton this season then you should change that soon and enjoy a match or two of their efficient, organized and highly energized brand of attacking football. Owen Coyle sets up Bolton in a 4-4-2 formation with Elmander and Kevin Davies up front – two strikers who work brilliantly together, a midfield with plenty of width through the in form Chung-Yong Lee and Matthew Taylor, and a very balanced central midfield comprised of Stuart Holden and Fabrice Muamba – Holden often getting up front in a forward role while Muamba holds in a defensive position.

The big Swedish striker scored a brace in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Newcastle and while a two goal performance will always warrant a mention, it was the way in which both of Elmander’s goals were constructed and executed in such a manner that defined Bolton’s play this season that initially caught my eye and prompted me to recognize Elmander as the weekend’s best player.

Elmander’s first was a brilliant one-two punch with strike partner Davies but was the result of some fine individual brilliance from Elmander himself when he side-stepped Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal to finish. It was Bolton’s third of the day but maybe their most impressive of the season and a perfect example of what has made them so impressive thus far this season.

Elmander’s second was equally as impressive but a better example of Elmander’s individual brilliance – his strength, desire and at times his ability to create something a bit special out of nothing. In the 72nd minute, Bolton’s Matthew Taylor found Elmander with what was essentially a clearance out of Bolton’s half and into an area of safety. Elmander took Newcastle’s Fabricio Coloccini one v one, won the waiting ball, out-muscled Coloccini and plowed forward towards goal to finish past Krul again. It was another great goal from Elmander who is now level with Andy Carroll as the Premier League’s leading goal scorer with eight.

It’s been a busy week in the Premier League and the fun just doesn’t stop. Game Week 13 is here already and we have another full fixture programme to look forward to.

It’s at the foot of the table where the excitement and the points are to be had this weekend. The bottom three are all at home and these fixtures would have been double underlined in red as winnable at the start of the season.

West Ham play host to the still free scoring Blackpool. Piquionne and Parker did the business Wednesday and will be looking for a repeat performance on Saturday. If recent form is anything to go by it will be a goal fest at Upton Park.
Wolves – who, if points were awarded for pride and guts would be top of the league – entertain an in form Bolton. Mick McCarthy’s men need to shut down not only Kevin Davies but also Johan Elmander. The big Swede has finally worked out the difference between a set of goal posts and the side of a barn, the reward for this realisation is 62 points for the Trotters front man. Wolves will be relying on the likes of Matthew Jarvis (5.3), Stephen Hunt (5.3), Kevin Doyle (5.1) and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (5.0) to breach Wanderers stubborn back line. Wolves will edge a narrow victory here.

Wigan are in desperate need of a win, so far their season’s star performers have been Hugo Rodallega (5.8) and Charles N’Zogbia (5.5). Another big performance from this pair is required against West Brom. All things good for the Latic’s seem to come from these two, take a gamble and give them a run out this game week.

Stoke are hovering above the drop zone and Welcome a rejuvenated Liverpool side. Stoke at home are always a difficult prospect. Big Robert Huth is a mountain at the back and a genuine goal threat going forward, a 4.9 million price tag has returned 37 points so far. Striker Ricardo Fuller weighed in with 9 points in the last game week and is available for a mere 4.8 million.

Manchester City will be looking for a positive reaction after a dishwater dull Manchester derby. Chelsea are beginning to pull away at the top and the Eastland’s outfit cannot afford to lose anymore ground. Birmingham could well find themselves on the wrong side of a City backlash. Blues keeper Ben Foster (4.9) could be in for a busy afternoon.

Last special mention this week to Blackburn stopper Paul Robinson – sitting 4^th overall in the goalkeeper table having so far amassed 49 points – is yours to buy for 4.6 million. An absolute bargain if you’re looking to generate some cash to strengthen other areas of your squad.

If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/  the code you need to join is 13413-5300

As the Community Shield approaches this weekend to officially kick off another ten months of Premier League football, here are a few non big four yet solid and exciting players to watch this season. For those more interested in big four teams, watch this space for more preview posts to come before the opening weekend.

Thomas Hitzlsperger – West Ham United: No stranger to the Premier League, the German international acquired from Lazio on a free, Thomas ‘the hammer’ Hitzlesperger returns to England with his famously powerful left footed shot for Hammers supporters to admire. The midfielder who’s most comfortable shooting from outside the box left Aston Villa in 2005 as a fan favorite and will likely gain the same admiration from the Upton Park faithful early on in the season if he can find his goal scoring form in East London.

As West Ham narrowly avoided relegation last season, Hitzlsperger’s experience in the center of the pitch and goal scoring abilities will be greatly valued by West Ham fans. Owner’s Gold & Sullivan made a great move for the club by picking up ‘the Hammer’ on a free and also by appointing experienced Premier League manager Avram Grant to the helm. With new addition Grant, West Ham supporters will want to put the results of last season’s campaign to rest as soon as possible. In Hitzlsperger, West Ham fans can expect a player with the ability to score crackers from midfield and with players such as Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Frédéric Piquionne to compliment Grant’s leadership, West Ham look to be on the right path.

Jermaine Beckford – Everton: After the ‘will he, or won’t he’ saga finally ended in the favor of ‘he did’, the former Leeds United striker now has his shot in the Premier League with Everton as the recently promoted Championship side Leeds United ended up with naught for Beckford as Everton secured his services on a free transfer. Most Premier League fans will remember Beckford for his famous goal v Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup last season, and while his qualities were on display last winter in that match, it shouldn’t be over looked that he’s a complete striker who possesses a good first touch, classy footwork and strong finishing abilities.

Beckford scored goals for fun in League One, but Premier League defenders aren’t League One defenders, so Beckford will have to prove he can create space and score goals v the best in a new and challenging league. Everton are a good side that will look to avoid the slow start they experienced last campaign when the squad was riddled with injury. The Toffees have options up front such as Louis Saha and Yakubu, but Beckford will get his chance to shine. Will he grasp it?

Ben Foster – Birmingham City: Having left Manchester United with his tail between his legs, Foster now has his chance to be the #1 for City, an ambitious goal while at United, but an unlikely occurrence for the former England keeper who fell out of favor with Sir Alex Ferguson. Riddled with injury after his brilliant on loan spell at Watford, Foster languished mostly on the bench over the course of the last few years at Old Trafford behind Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak.

As Birmingham City ready for the upcoming season, they’re still coming down from cloud nine and their best finish in the league, a hard fought ninth, since 1951. Once touted as the next England #1, Foster has slipped miles behind the man he’ll be replacing at St. Mary’s and the now realistic choice as England’s best keeper, Joe Hart. Now though is Foster’s time to shine and to get his club career back on track. The international accolades will follow, if he’s worthy.

Jerome Boateng, Manchester City: Although they want a top four finish at Eastlands so bad they can taste it, the Mancunians will have to settle for Europa League football this season having come oh so close last term in finishing fifth. No strangers to picking up world class talent whenever they can, I believe it will be the quiet roll players for City that will make or break their next attempt at qualifying for the Champions League. Boateng is just that role player.

The German left back who can play any position at the back will be a vital addition to a City defense who were good without being great last season. As Manchester City look to be once again loaded in attack, Boateng can provide assistance on the wing to support attacks while holding his own as a defender. Manchester City will need solid performances from players just like Boateng to make that crunching tackle or deflection so the David Silva’s of the world can do what they do best. At 21, Boateng was one of the best young players at this summer’s World Cup for a great German side. Manchester City like Germany will hope they can get the best out of the talented defender.

The halcyon days of the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s were apparently a boom time in England’s glorious history of great goalkeepers. From the benchmark that was the great Gordon Banks and his understudy, Peter Springett, to the rotation of Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton in the 70′s and early 1980′s, England always had a top class goalkeeper.

As Chris Woods and then David Seaman continued the tradition, despite every other pundit claiming the English goalkeeper was a dying breed,  but until Seaman’s retirement from England duty in 2002, that looked an empty prediction. Since then England’s number one has rotated between David James, Paul Robinson, Scott Carson, with sporadic appearances from Robert Green, Ben Foster, Chris Kirkland and Joe Hart. An unusual situation after decades of stability between the sticks, which clarifies a pressing issue for Capello. Just who can he trust with the number one shirt?

The obvious choice is David James, but the situation at Portsmouth has had far reaching consequences. James found himself in a situation were Portsmouth wouldn’t play him as it would trigger a clause in his contract rewarding him with an extension. Of course, being the goalkeeper of a side marooned at the foot of the Premiership table and with a worrying tendency to implode under pressure, is James really the best English goalkeeper?

Euro 2004 saw James’ performances came under criticism after admitting he hadn’t studied French set pieces, when England were undone by 5 minutes of madness in the opening game of the tournament. A penalty from Henry and a free kick from Zidane saw England collapse and ultimately end up with the harder run of the tournament.

Yet since those rickets, consistency has returned to his game and as one of English footballs more eloquent footballers, James would be one of the three goalkeepers for me and probably keep the No.1 shirt unless his form completely collapses before the end of the season.The other two places are realistically up for grabs.

To all intents and purposes, the stand out English goalkeeper of the Premiership season has been Joe Hart and what a season. He’s certainly been one of the key reasons that Birmingham City have had such a successful season so far. In fact,I was stunned that Hart didn’t make his second appearance for England in Wednesday nights friendly against Egypt. I’ve been very impressed with his form throughout the season and felt for him when Manchester City splashed out big bucks to bring Shay Given to Eastlands in January 2009.

One criticism that seemingly comes Hart’s way from some quarters is his age. It seems a perennial English trait that players are perpetually too young to play for their country. Hart has plenty of international experience, with his time with the Under-21 squad even scoring a penalty for his country. Yes, it may not be the same level of intensity, but competition experience is invaluable, what ever level it is achieved at. The future England custodian of the gloves for me and a shoe in for the second goalkeeping place.

The final place is the one that several people have a real chance of grabbing, but I’ll rule out the three who I wouldn’t consider. Poor Scott Carson, another one who was touted as the future of English goalkeeper until a wet night at Wembley in 2007 that saw the end of the dreadful Steve Mclaren reign. Critics blamed the pitch, oblivious to the wonderful football that Croatia played. Tactically inept and with his powers of spin unable to cover his failings, Mclaren went down taking Carson’s England career with it.

He’s never recovered and several high profile mistakes last season saw his hopes of an England recall all but disappear. Carson simply hasn’t had any luck with certain mistakes perhaps over analysed in the media but I think this World Cup has come too soon for him. Add to that with him not playing Premiership football as well  coupled with not being the best English goalkeeper in the Championship and it’s doubtful he’ll get a sniff unless bubonic plague strikes the England goalkeeper set up.

Chris Kirkland is another that time has not been kind to. Touted as the next great England keeper,  injuries stalled his career development and it is only in the last couple of seasons that he has managed to get a consistent level of appearances together. The irony of goalkeeping was shown in no clearer light than on November 22nd when Kirkland conceded 9 goals in Wigan’s mauling at the hands of  Tottenham.

Remarkably, without Kirkland, Spurs would have probably scored more, he saved a further 7 shots on target. Classed as injury prone, despite playing over 80 league games in his last 3 seasons, Kirkland has fallen behind Hart and would currently be 5th in my opinion. At 28, time is certainly not against him, but it’ll be a major surprise if he gets back to England duty.

Ben Foster currently can’t get on Manchester United’s bench which says it all and he is a real pickle at Old Trafford. Bags of potential but I don’t care how good you are, playing for Manchester United reserves occasionally isn’t anywhere near the level of getting in to the England set up. I’ve a real fear that he could disappear like Richard Wright did after joining Arsenal and then a disjointed spell at Everton. Now back at Ipswich Town, his is a career of real missed chances.

Which brings me to my final two choices. Paul Robinson and Robert Green.  Last night Capello seemed to give Green the chance to prove he could be part of the squad by playing the whole 90 minutes of the friendly. This seemingly would draw a curtain on Paul Robinson’s chances of making the squad unless James, Hart or Green falls injured.  Green didn’t really have much to do and he has certainly been fairly consistent over the last 3 seasons at West Ham United.

So overall I think Capello will pick James, Green and Hart with Robinson as 4th choice on stand by. The wild card would be Chris Kirkland but overall, I think Fabio will stick with the devil he knows but what do you think??

For me, there is only one English goalkeeper that can be England’s number one for South Africa next summer and that man is Paul Robinson. After being so badly treated at Tottenham under Juande Ramos and unfairly blamed for giving away a soft goal for England against Croatia, Robinson has finally got back to his best. He was hung out to dry by Steve Mclaren after Gary Neville’s wayward back pass bobbled over his foot.

Everyone conveniently forgot the string of saves Robinson had made to keep England in a game they were a poor second best in that night. Right now, he is playing better than any of his counterparts, with probably the exception of Steve Harper at Newcastle United and Joe Hart at Birmingham City. Forget the Robert Green argument, he’s nowhere near good enough.

Of the goalkeepers available to Capello, Robinson is head and shoulders above all others and has been for the best part of a year. David James is injured and playing for a team in free-fall, both on and off the pitch. Robert Green is bang out of form and consistently makes mistake after mistake. He also has a tendency to try and deliberately foul players whenever possible.For all his bravado and wearing “England’s number 6″ on his gloves, he’s not good enough. He’s always been poor coming off his line and his aerial ability is not the best.

Poor old Ben Foster has suffered from some rather unnecessary criticism but still can’t shift the dreadful Thomas Kuszczak from between the sticks at Old Trafford.There is no doubt that the lad can go a long way in the game, but he’s suffering from a crisis in confidence at the moment, but he’s still a better goalkeeper than Kuszczak.

Scott Carson still suffers from a lack of concentration at West Bromwich Albion and still seems to bear the scars from the defeat to Croatia in November 2007 at Wembley. For all his shot stopping ability, Carson can still make some all mighty howlers from out of nowhere and seems to have fallen away from anywhere near the England team.

Poor old Chris Kirkland simply can’t keep fit, whenever he gets on a great run of form, his long standing back injury seems to flare up and take out of the side. Despite the 9 goal mauling Wigan Athletic suffered at White Hart Lane, it’s no exaggeration to say it could have been twenty if it wasn’t for Kirkland. He showed such promise at Coventry but injuries blighted his time at Anfield and he’s never been able to shake the tag of being injury prone.

Other than Robinson and Hart, the other stand out candidate for the three places in South Africa for me is Steve Harper at Newcastle. He’s now getting the opportunity to show just how good a goalkeeper he actually is week in week out after Shay Given left last January for Manchester City. Whilst most people would have been itching for a move, Harper has shown incredible loyalty to Newcastle over the years.

After 16 years service, with 12 of those as Given’s back up, he’s incredibly only played 151 games for Newcastle, with 86 of those appearances coming in the last four seasons. He has constantly served the club with pride and is now in the form of his life. Whilst others may have viewed Given’s depature as a real blow, having a player of the ability of Harper would certainly soften the blow.

Whilst some people seem to point out that you need a great goalkeeper to win the World Cup, with the exception of Buffon in 2006, you have to go all the way back to 1982 to find a team with a world class goalkeeper that won the World Cup. Every other winner since then has had good, and in some cases distinctly average custodians between the sticks. Paul Robinson is far better than average and Capello would do well to welcome him back into the fold.  With Harper and Hart, that would be a dependable and quality set of goalkeepers to choose from.

Apple’s iPod is a magical little device. It has disseminated knowledge, has alleviated boredom, has provided a personal soundtrack and, most crucially, has eliminated virtually the mutually dreaded “stop and chat” with awkward acquaintances.

After last weekend’s rocking Carling Cup final, the iPod can help a goalkeeper save penalties. Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster admitted watching previous Tottenham penalties on a specially prepared iPod.

“Just before the shootout I was looking at an iPod with goalkeeping coach Eric Steele and it contained images of Tottenham’s players taking penalties,” Foster said.

“They told me for Jamie O’Hara I should stand up and be strong and he would probably go the way he did. I have done a lot of research before but this is an innovation we have brought in at the club.”

The question for the future is not whether the iPod should be legal, but why is the now ubiquitous technology not used more extensively?

Major League Baseball has employed video iPods since their creation.

Batters receive pods uploaded with every at bat. If the St. Louis Cardinals are facing the New York Mets, Albert Pujols can search his iPod by club “Mets” and by player “Johan Santana” to watch every at bat against Johan Santana, to understand how he may try to approach him.

The new generation of 120GB iPod classics can hold an entire career’s worth of at bats.

Though not as straight forward for football, this technology could easily be imported into Premier League.

Goalkeepers could extend the practice from penalties to free kicks or even to strikers’ preferred moves when one on one with the keeper.

Both defenders and attacking players could receive crucial insights about opposition tendencies. Knowing that Cristiano Ronaldo always makes a move after the fourth stepover or that John Terry always closes down on aerial balls to his left could make the difference on a goal and, consequently, a result.

The iPod could revolutionize the way Premier League teams prepare for matches.  It would at least be better than ketchup and a pat on the ass from Harry Redknapp.

However, considering these are the same people who would rather pay an agency to hunt down YouTubers than generate income from online interest in their product, widespread use may take some time..

Tuesday and Wednesday bring a full slate of Premier League action to us as the reverse fixtures of the opening weekend are played. Tonight I’ll preview Tuesday’s action, tomorrow night I’ll preview Wednesday’s action. Remember all times are Eastern.

Portsmouth v Chelsea (2:45 pm live on Fox Soccer Channel). Portsmouth have had plenty of time to prepare for Chelsea after having a ten day break. Pompey will have seen Chelsea barely scrape by Juventus and Wigan Athletic. They will have heard Guus Hiddink say that Chelsea need to find a killer instinct. The last three Chelsea performances have proven that they can be had in the second half. The question is can Portsmouth take advantage? I don’t think so, but not for a lack of trying. Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 1

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal (2:45 pm live on Setanta Xtra. On Setanta Sports 5:00 pm). The two sides who probably at present have the most in common. Plenty of ‘pretty passing’, but no goals to show for it. Arsenal have certainly had their chances, West Bromwich Albion not so much. Both sides are desperate for points for their own individual reason. The one thing that Arsenal have going for them is the fact West Brom leave massive gaps at the back. I just don’t think they can exploit them. Yes until Arsenal can prove they can score goal for two consecutive matches, my prediction for their matches set themselves. West Bromwich Albion 0 Arsenal 0

Liverpool v Sunderland (3:00 pm live on Setanta Sports). Liverpool will be without Fernando Torres  and Alvaro Arbeloa, but will be looking to respond after their horrific performance against Middlesbrough. Sunderland have had plenty of time to prepare for Liverpool, but right now I don’t think it matters much. Liverpool will be looking to take out their bad performance against Boro on somebody, Sunderland will get to face the brunt of that revenge. This one won’t be pretty. Liverpool 3 Sunderland 0

Other Stories
So the story that seems to be getting the most legs tonight is Guus Hididnk’s pledge that he will chase Manchester United until the end of the season for the title. Well he’s right in one thing, it’ll be an uphill battle. As a Chelsea fan, I know this title race is over. There will be no repeat of what happened last season.

Sol Campbell feels that clubs that continue to see racial abuse towards players should see points deductions. That’s a start.

Brad Friedel is comparing Aston Villa’s remaining schedule as ‘11 cup finals‘. Talk about strong talk for a side just looking to get into the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo is saying that Chris Foy wrongly booked him for diving in the Carling Cup Final. From my eyes watching the game, it sure looked like he got it right.

Speaking of the Carling Cup Final, Ben Foster will not have any action taken against him after it was revealed he used his video iPod to watch Tottenham players take penalties during the break between extra time and penalties.

And finally, David James warns there is still plenty of work to do in order for Portsmouth to avoid the drop.