Perhaps the most famous Portsmouth fan in North America, Chuck Culpepper documented his conversion to football fan and Pompey supporter in Bloody Confused (or, in the U.K., Up Pompey). In the wake of a trying season at Fratton Park, Chuck rejoins the EPL Talk podcast to shares his views on the turmoil, talk about his experiences going back to Fratton Park, and reflect on what the melancholy times mean for his support of team and league.

Depending where you live in this crazy world, it might be almost impossible to find soccer-related gifts in your local stores whether it’s for you or your loved ones. But the Internet is a great aggregator, bringing you a treasure trove of choices. Here are ten recommended soccer items to add to your wish list whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday:

1. Inverting The Pyramid: The History Of Football Tactics. The first-ever comprehensive history of football tactics has already been critically acclaimed after being named to the short list for Sports Book Of The Year Award in England. Written by Guardian journalist Jonathan Wilson, the book is a must-read for fans interested in tactics. Order it today.
2. Boot slippers. Yes, slippers that look like football boots in the colors of Liverpool, Manchester United and other clubs and even countries like Argentina. They’re the perfect accompaniment for those early Saturday mornings when you watch the Premier League with coffee in hand.
3. England home shirt. With Fabio Capello having kicked England up the backside, now’s the time to fit yourself into a stylish England home shirt with being snickered at by those football fans who support Brazil, Italy or Argentina.
4. Bloody Confused. The book by Chuck Culpepper is fast becoming a must-have in the collections of soccer fans who follow the Premier League. Bloody Confused tells the true story of how an American sports journalist moves to England and falls in love with the fascinating game as well as an unlikely club. Order the book today. Or listen to my interview with Culpepper.
5. Fulhamerica T-shirt. With Clint Dempsey leading the charge, the number of Americans at Craven Cottage are dwindling but the American love affair with Fulham is still alive and well. Support Dempsey and the memories of Americans McBride, Bocanegra and Johnson with the Fulhamerica T-shirt.
6. Real soccer scarf. There’s something about football scarves that has more of an appeal than replica football shirts. Maybe it’s the tradition. Or perhaps it’s the pleasure of wearing something so comfortable wrapped around your neck or face in your club colors? Whatever the psychological reason, a scarf is a wonderful gift — especially those from Ruffneckwear that are high quality, made from the best materials and delivered with great customer service.
7. Worldwide Soccer Manager. Everton announced last week that they signed a deal to use Football Manager (aka Worldwide Soccer Manager in the States) to scout players, such is the value and authenticity placed on this game. Go one up on real football managers by ordering the game yourself.
8. Show your true colors. Every follower of the Premier League needs to have a replica jersey of a favorite team or a club you admire. Instead of searching around the Internet from store to store, the EPL Talk Shop offers the widest selection of Premier League shirts for all 20 EPL clubs. Visit the shop to browse the selection of shirts.
9. Slingbox. It’s incredible that I don’t hear Slingbox mentioned that many times in soccer circles. It should be on the tis of the tongues of most soccer fans. Simply, it allows you to watch your TV set from anywhere around the world. So if you’re on the road, at work, on vacation or in a different room in your house and you have access to your computer or Blackberry, you can log into your TV and watch live games as if you’re there — or watch games you’ve taped on DVR. The possibilities are mindblowing. Read my review of it from Euro 2008, or go ahead and learn more details about buying it.
10. EPL Talk T-Shirt. If you’ve enjoyed reading EPL Talk during the past year and you want to show your support, please order an official EPL Talk T-shirt. The shirt reads “For Hardcore Soccer Nuts Only: EPL Talk” and features an image of several players in a defensive wall covering their crown jewels. The shirt is 100% cotton, made by Hanes (excellent quality) and will soon be a collector’s item (only a few shirts remain before they’re all gone forever). Size L. Order today for $15.99 delivered to your door (in the United States).

Visit more holiday and Christmas gift ideas for soccer fans including stocking stuffers, gift certificates and soccer gear for you and your loved ones.

It’s a really busy but exciting time in the Premier League right now, and the same is true at EPL Talk HQ — where Hurricane Fay, now Tropical Storm Fay, is bringing a ton of rain, wind and tornadoes on us.

While we’re trying to stay dry and safe, there’s a few important updates I’d like to make you aware of:

1. BBC World News Interview. I’m scheduled to be interviewed by BBC World News at 12:45pm GMT/8:45am ET/1:45pm UK time tomorrow, Wednesday, August 20. I’ll be featured on a show called “My Games,” where the topic of discussion will be how to spot future Olympic stars. I’ll be interviewed by Adnan Nawaz. More information about BBC World News can be found here. The TV news channel is carried around the world but is typically hard to find on U.S. satellite and cable providers.
2. Yahoo Buzz. At the foot of each article, you’ll see a new button labeled ‘Buzz up!’ It’s a relatively new feature from Yahoo and works very similarly to Digg which is where they copied the idea from. If you enjoy reading the articles at EPL Talk, please click on the ‘Buzz up!’ buttons so the EPL Talk stories can go up the charts at Yahoo Buzz.
3. Setanta Sports. The Irish broadcaster has added a new feature to its website where football fans can share their opinions by uploading videos that are 90 seconds or less. I’ve posted the first one here. As a way to encourage you to post a video, the next person who gets their video published on that page will receive a choice of one of two books: “Love & Blood” by Jamie Trecker or “Bloody Confused” by Chuck Culpepper. Post your video today at http://www.bubbletestimonial.com/profile.php?id=91671375
4. New Footer. It’s usually pretty difficult to get excited about a footer, but the new one that we’ve added near the bottom of this page features all of the different categories of topics that we cover at EPL Talk. Here’s a really useful way of seeing what articles we have. Just click on any of the links to find articles pertaining to that topic.
5. New Milestone. A couple of weeks ago, EPL Talk published its 2,000th article. Three thousand here we come!