Merry Christmas one and all and welcome to Gameweek 19. Blackpool Vs Liverpool faces a late pitch inspection, otherwise it looks set to be a full line up over the festivities. There will be plenty of action to enjoy as you tuck into your Turkey sandwiches and polish of the last of the sherry.

Tottenham travel to Villa Park in Sunday’s late game, playmaker Rafael Van Der Vaart(8.2) may not be relishing the holiday fixtures but he is back to full fitness and sure to feature. The Dutchman has been hugely influential all season and Harry Redknapp will be delighted to have him back as Spurs look to keep up with the pack. Robbie Keane is destined for the exit door at White Hart Lane in January. The frontman is currently available for a cut-price 4.8 million. Provided he switches to another Premier League side that could be one hell of a deal.

It’s all gone a bit wrong for the Villa since their draw with Man Utd. If Emile Heskey(5.5) can regain his early season promise it could turn the tide for Gerrard Houllier’s men. Winger Stuart Downing(7.1) has also been a bright spot in a so far lacklustre season, the wingers influence could be even more crucial with fellow winger Ashley Young likely to sit this one out with a knee injury.

Chelsea have an excellent record against Arsenal so their trip to the Emirates could be a perfect opportunity to get their season back on track. Didier Drogba(12.5) probably can’t wait for Monday night, the obscenely gifted cry-baby has put 13 goals past the gunners in 13 matches.  The Blues also welcome back the very sorely missed Frank Lampard(12.6) to their starting line up. It is sure to be a keenly contested game that could provide a few goals. Arsenals twinkled toed Samir Nasri(8.4) could well be staking a claim for player of the season and it’s no surprise that he is currently in 32.5% of Fantasy League Teams. If you want to add a bit of Arsenal flair to your squad but are on a tight budget then you can always treat yourself to star of the future Jack Wilshere. The midfielder has picked up some serious game time this season, he will undoubtedly add to his current points total of 35 as his confidence grows and is yours for a cool 4.9 million.

Gameweek 20 will be upon us in a blink of an eye so that’s your lot for this week. 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

Phew!! Well what can I say? If it hadn’t been for the antics of Nani and the reliable consistency of Charlie Adam, last week’s effort would have been disastrous. This could end up being a cryptic tips column where doing the exact opposite will prove the most rewarding! I have always been taught to hold your hands up and admit when you are wrong, well my arms are aching having been raised apologetically all week.

My quest for redemption begins at the back where there is a definite bargain to be had. Jose Bosingwa is fit again and available for 5.6 million. He may not have forced his way back into the Chelsea starting eleven yet, but he will, and if you have space to add to your squad I recommend you snap him up before his value increases.

There are more defensive bargains available. Liverpool’s Sotirios Kyrgiakos may play havoc with most spellcheckers but is a snip at 5.1 million. The Greek is proving to be a rock at the back for the Reds and a threat going forward at set pieces.

White Hart Lane’s current hot topic is marauding down the left wing, but if you cast your eye to the opposite flank you will see that Alan Hutton has slotted in very well at right back. He is a rampaging attack minded full back and is excellent value at 4.8 million.

Now that I’ve mentioned it I can’t ignore it. Gareth Bale has the World at his feet after having had Maicon on toast, and remarkably the Welsh wonder is currently available for 6.7 million. How the likes of Man Utd, Barcelona, Inter Milan et al must wish that Fantasy League transfer fees translated directly into the real world.

If you don’t feel like hopping on board the Bale bandwagon then for the same price you can pick up Fulham’s goal getting midfielder Clint Dempsey, or for an extra million you can opt for Arsenal’s Samir Nasri. Both are locked on 47 points and are both are bang in form.

Last week’s big tip Emile Heskey won’t be kicking any balls for a while, no, he hasn’t rediscovered his World Cup form, the big striker has picked up a knee injury. I’d look to Blackpool’s front line to fill the gap, Luke Varney and Gary Taylor-Fletcher, 4.6 and 4.5 million respectively, are performing well and confidence will be high after picking up their first home win of the Season.

I can’t leave without mentioning Newcastle, after a barnstorming derby win against Sunderland Messrs. Nolan, Barton, Carroll and Ameobi will be looking to capitalise on Arsenals disappointing showing in the Champions League. The exciting thing about Newcastle this season is their total unpredictability, Sunday’s lunchtime clash at the Emirates could be a high scoring classic.

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

Hello and welcome to EPL Talk’s new weekly Fantasy League tips column. If you are constantly experiencing selection problems ahead of the weekends fixtures this is the column for you (hopefully!). Every week I will do my best to not only pick out the weeks potential points grabbers but also suggest who might benefit from a weekend of bench warming.

Kicking off in controversial style, my first tip is Emile Heskey. The Villa front man may have all the grace of a concussed Bambi on ice but he is shining once again under the guidance of Gerrard Houllier. It’s the second City derby this weekend and I can see a resurgent Heskey being more than a handful for the Birmingham back four.

Looking for someone to Partner big Emile upfront? Look no further than Man Utd’s part owl goal machine Javier Hernandez, the rubber necked Mexican grabbed two at the weekend and came off the bench midweek to help overcome Wolves in the Carling Cup. Come Saturday he’ll find himself up against a Spurs side that, when it comes to keeping clean sheets, are about as successful as “Chicharito’s” absent team mate Wayne Rooney. There are points to be had at Old Trafford and Nani will be looking to get in on the action too. The winger’s toes are beginning to twinkle as brightly as his winking predecessor, seeing him currently sit second overall in the midfield rankings.

Be sure to bolster your engine room with Blackpool’s star man Charlie Adam. Like a pair of Day-Glo hot pants The Tangerine’s are far from fashionable but they certainly catch the eye and Adam is reaping the benefits of Blackpool’s free flowing approach. They host West Brom this weekend in what promises to be an open game. Having notched up a respectable 46 points so far this season, the Baggies Chris Brunt is well worth a look too.

If you’re in the market for a bargain then you may want to cast your eye over Sunderland’s Ahmed Elmohamady (I’d never heard of him either). The Egyptian has so far accumulated 44 points and looks a snip at 5 million. Another potential steal available at the Stadium of Light is goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The stopper has 35 points on the board and is available for a cool 4.1 million.

It’s not just about who to add it’s also about who to axe. If you have any West Ham players in your squad now is the time to give them a rest. On the back of a Carling cup tie that went to extra time the last place you want to visit is the Emirates Stadium. The Hammers defensive unit will be coughing up lungs and seeing double after 90 minutes of chasing Arsenal shadows.

Finally Manchester City’s barrel-chested nuisance Carlos Tevez is very doubtful for their trip to Wolves with a thigh injury. I’d follow Mancini’s lead and reward wee Carlos with a weekend off.

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

Frozen out towards the end of Martin O’Neill’s reign at Aston Villa one man who would have been delighted to see Gerard Houllier return to the Premier League is former England international Emile Heskey.

The Frenchman took Heskey to Merseyside back in 2000 for £11 million where the powerful striker enjoyed some of the best times of his career forging a good partnership with Michael Owen and breaking into the national side. While at Anfield his goalscoring wasn’t prolific but he played a big part in a successful Liverpool side and Houllier certainly appreciated that.

Since arriving at Villa the Frenchman has stuck with what he knows and brought Heskey straight back into the side in place of Norwegian John Carew. Heskey repaid this faith with the winner away at Wolves last week with a fantastic header. He will not go on and score fifteen goals this season but his game is about more than that. He will hold the ball up, win headers and prove an outlet for Villa when they have been under pressure. Houllier got the best out of Heskey at Anfield and if he manages to do so again at Villa he could just prove a very shrewd appointment. Even if the Villa fans still need to be convinced about both of the men in question it could prove to be a match made in heaven.

It’s not often a regular 20 goal a season Premier League striker isn’t seen as a regular for the England side, but Darren Bent has bucked the trend with his continued failure to break through on to the international scene.

Since arriving at Sunderland last summer, Bent’s goal scoring record has been nothing short of sensational. The former Tottenham forward has scored an incredible 29 times in just 44 appearances.

But 24 of these goals last season were not enough for Bent to go to South Africa with Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad. It does pose the question of what more Bent can do to persuade the Italian that he is the answer to England’s inevitable problems upfront.

Bent must be praised for his bold decision to leave the comfort of a fashionable club to try and get the games, and goals to persuade Capello he was worthy of a place in the World Cup squad. But unfortunately for Bent, who did everything in his power to get selected, Capello opted for the experience of Emile Heskey instead.

To his credit the Italian did include Bent in his squad for the opening  Euro 2012 qualifiers, and the likeable forward responded with a well taken goal in the 3-1 win over Switzerland in Basel.  Now after three goals in his last three Premier League games, is Bent sent to be a mainstay in not only the England squad, but the England side as well?

I certainly hope he gets his chance, because he has earned it. The likes of Paul Robinson and Wes Brown retired after been left out of the World Cup squad, but Bent got his head down, and set about forcing his way in to the side.

Given the chance I have no doubt that Bent could become a prolific scorer at international level. He has an instinctive goal-scoring nature. Yes he may require several chances to score goals, but the fact of that matter is that more then often he does find the back of the net.

That sort of quality doesn’t change no matter what level you’re playing at, and in my opinion Bent just need a series of chances to prove himself. The only remaining question is, will he get these chances?

So after a somewhat belated start to his managerial career at Villa Park, Gerard Houllier will need little time to assimilate himself back in to the rigours of English football. His six year stint at Liverpool is still fresh in the memory for many, especially for landing us with El Hadj Diouf for the last six years. Despite that, Houllier has managed to keep himself involved in football in France but it was still something of a left field appointment for Villa to turn to the Frenchman.

His time at Anfield was something of a continual failure to turn potential in to real league success, culminating in his final season, 2003-2004, seeing them finish in 4th but 30 points behind Premiership winners Arsenal. 6 trophies in his time there perhaps gave something of rose tinted view to his tenure at the helm, but trophies are trophies. Similarly to Benitez, Houllier managed to get Liverpool to finish as runners up but failed to build on that good work with some unusual and ultimately unsuccessful transfers.

He inherits a side that have continually challenged for European places over the last 3 seasons but a fractious relationship between the previous manager and owner has left a side in a state of limbo. Aston Villa have so far been a Jekyll and Hyde side in this campaign, the 6-0 hammering at Newcastle clearly a low point in the clubs start to the season. Yet the transfer kitty was boosted by the sale of James Milner, so at least there is the option of strengthening in January but the loss of European revenue is a bitter pill to swallow for the Villa faithful.

It’s the lack of options up front for me that holds Villa back from pushing on from where O’Neill kept them. With 3 main strikers, the lack of a 4th option of proven quality has been there undoing in the last couple of seasons. Heskey’s work rate is unquestionable, but his dreadful goal return well documented. Carew is still so widely inconsistent, a trait he has never been able to shift from bursting on to the scene with Rosenburg and then Valencia 10 years ago. Of course, Houllier signed and then sold the striker during his spell at Lyon. How that relationship starts could be crucial for both sides.

Gabriel Agbonlahor is another one who’s potential has yet to be completely tapped into and Houllier often likes to build his sides around pacey strikers. The striker certainly falls in to that category but seems to still snatch at chances when it seems easier to score. Villa also have the option of using Ashley Young in a striking role, but he often drifts out of games, a frustrating side of his game with his quality of passing and blistering pace.

Villa have not had the worst start to the season, the hammering at Newcastle aside and against Stoke City were the better side for almost an hour but still contrived to lose the game to an injury time Robert Huth winner. What is crucial that Houllier can try and move on from the defensive counter attacking tactics that began to unravel his relationship with the Liverpool faithful. Perhaps somewhat, his spell at Lyon is sometimes overlooked, due to the squad he inherited and the financial strength the club had when he joined them.

As is often the case with these things, Houllier may be viewing the fixture list through gritted teeth, with derbies against Birmingham City and Wolves, trips to Tottenham and Sunderland and the chance to try and stifle free scoring Chelsea in October too making up his first 5 league fixtures. A tough Carling Cup tie at home to Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday is not the easiest game to make your managerial bow at your new club either. At least he’s been through it all before and forewarned is forearmed.

After a successful, if occassionally indifferent 4-0 win over Bulgaria on Friday, England have won 11 successive home games. Before this game, the British tabloids were ready, knives sharpened, to cut England’s manager to pieces. In his England-Bulgaria preview last week, titled ‘Fabio Capello has lost his players and now he will lose his job’, The Mirror columnist Oliver Holt cites Fabio Capello’s body language as proof that he has given up. ‘It’s obvious from his body language’, he writes, ‘…he didn’t celebrate when England scored.’ There are so many instances of the punditocracy fancifully leaping to conclusions on negligible evidence that it would take a million monkeys writing on a million laptops for a million years to come up with them all, but this laughably unsubstantiated claim takes all the biscuits. Capello should be judged on his results, rather than any apparent lack of enthusiasm when England score, and on this score he has been quite magnificent.

Appointed in 2007, Fabio Capello has the highest win percentage of any England manager ever. Ever. Out of 30 matches since taking over the post he has won 70% of them, nearly 10% more than Sir Alf Ramsey, who actually won the World Cup, and over 20% more than Sir Bobby Robson, who led England to a World Cup semi final in 1990. His bravery – playing Theo Walcott in Zagreb when every other pundit wanted (and expected) David Beckham to play – led to an historic 4-1 victory. His team topped a fairly tough qualifying group ridiculously comfortably, leading Jonathan Wilson to write ‘England have more realistic hope of winning the World Cup than at any point since 1970′. Rather than the disjointed, egotistical, blathering nothingness of the Eriksson era, England (in November 2009) actually had a good team who played good football. England, as usual, expected, and England’s best players, whether due to a lack of fitness, loss of form or both, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard and Aaron Lennon – essentially England’s six best players in the qualifiers – failed quite miserably. To blame Capello completely for England’s failure in these circumstances is absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps only Spain could cope with six of their best players completely unfit or misfiring. England quite clearly couldn’t.

That is not to say he hasn’t made mistakes, and he made plenty in South Africa. Picking Ledley King, Terry, Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher and Matthew Upson as his centre back options for the World Cup was a disaster waiting to happen (and it did). The mythically well-stocked English centre back cupboard was a little bare, but picking Joleon Lescott – indifferent at Man City, but surely no worse than the horrific Upson at West Ham – or Phil Jagielka would surely have been a safer option. Upson and Terry were brutally exposed as the sham they were against Germany, where, without the guidance of a more tactically aware (or even quicker) centre half, Terry and Upson leapt around to prevent Klose (yes, that 300 million year old Miroslav Klose) turning, when it really created space behind them that neither had the pace to fill. The centre backs had made mistakes (such as playing offside at a goal kick), but Capello was stuck with them and had stuck himself to them. His reluctance to play Joe Hart, despite the limits (age and talent-wise) of his other options, David James and Robert Green, is also a mistake which looks even more unfathomable with hindsight.

Moreover, whilst England managers have picked injured players to play at the World Cup since the dawn of time, having a palpably unfit Gareth Barry as the squad’s only holding midfielder (he doesn’t even play there for his club), thus leaving Scott Parker and Phil Neville at home, was naiveté to the point of idiocy. His substitutions against the USA and Algeria were fairly uninspired, and bringing on Emile Heskey for Jermain Defoe against Germany was always going to play badly with an English media obsessed with Peter Crouch’s height. The much criticised system, an ‘ancient 4-4-2′ in The (riotously hypocritical) Sun (there is something so curious about Harry Redknapp criticising a manager for playing a 4-4-2), but a ‘modern, continental 4-2-3-1′ for the whole of qualifying, only held England back because of the players invovled. Someone has to tackle in the centre of midfield, and Barry was never going to do that when unfit – so England often couldn’t get the ball back when Germany, Slovenia or Algeria attacked. This failure again is only really damned with 20-20 hindsight, such was the mood of arrogant euphoria before England set off.

Despite these problems and errors on his part, England still reached the last 16 of the World Cup. Their group, rather than being EASY was deceptively tricky. Not only the Confederations Cup Finalists, but the fourth placed team in the African Cup of Nations, and a team who knocked out Russia over two legs – and all three were known for their organisational abilities. England could still have done better, but to dismiss their opponents as muppets would be a disservice. Once in the last sixteen, they were a television replay away from 2-2 having been 2-0 down, and the typical lack of craft and calm when behind the second half was something not even Capello could beat out of English players.

Moreover, since South Africa, England have won twice against sides who performed creditibly in the last qualification period. Hungary threatened to knock out Portugal, while Bulgaria only failed to qualify because of their phalanx of draws. Both were fairly limited opponents, but creditable scalps by anyone’s standards. And there are further successes: Ashley Cole, largely indifferent under Capello’s predecessor, is playing like the player he almost was at Arsenal; Capello has shown that he has learned from many of his mistakes – Hart is in, Upson is out (for now) – and deserves to keep his job at least until the Euros. Rooney and Defoe as a partnership may well struggle against teams who don’t give England early goals, or who can mark Defoe out of the game, but Capello remains very much in credit, whatever the tabloids say.

(feel free to drop me a tweet on http://twitter.com/mickyscallon )

It’s no longer new news, but England will now be without their second or third choice striker Emile Heskey as he’s recently announced his retirement from international football. But my question to you the readers of EPL Talk is: will he be missed?

By examining Heskey’s numbers one will find that he’s had a respectable run of service with the England national team appearing 62 times yet has returned a poor goal scoring record having netted only seven. Often described as a classic number 9 with every attribute except prolificacy in front of goal, Heskey embodied a striker that could create space for those around him with his pace, power, strength, touch and his ability in the air.

When partnering an out and out goal scorer like a Michael Owen in his prime, Heskey’s ability to create space with his movement and ability to hold up the ball resulted in one of England’s most famous victories of their footballing history, the 5-1 demolition of Germany in Munich. On the night, Owen recorded a hat trick while Heskey added a goal on way to the famous route.

On his day and in the right formation, Heskey is a valuable player. ‘He’s a top professional and hard worker’ according to his current Aston Villa teammate Brad Friedel who spoke about Heskey’s retirement on the 5 Live Football Daily podcast. Friedel went on to discuss how he understands that there can be a difference of opinion concerning Heskey yet supports him anyway because of his professionalism and dedication to his team. Heskey’s appearances in the World Cup were lackluster to average at best, although the same can be said for that of other England players also.

The time does in fact seem right for Mr. Heskey to focus on club football with Aston Villa. They’ll need his experience either coming off the bench or leading the line more than the England team will. As the continental brand of football led by the emerging 4-2-3-1 formation (the teams that finished first, second and third in the World Cup all implemented this formation) continues to evolve, starting spots on national teams for players like Heskey will soon start to become few and far between.

On a side note, England’s failure to deal with Germany’s 4-2-3-1 v their 4-4-2, was largely the reason England were overrun in midfield. The 4-2-3-1 allowed the Germans an extra man in midfield higher up the pitch which allowed players like Mesut Ozil to find Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and others who would drift into space created by Germany’s width. I digress, so surely an idea for a future post.

So what say you EPL Talk readers, will England miss Mr. Heskey’s ability to hold up the ball and drag defenders out as Wayne Rooney blitzes in on goal? Or, will the next round of England qualification matches go on as if Heskey was simply a fading breeze in the memory of England fans?

English footballer Emile Heskey did the noble thing this week by announcing his retirement from international football. Despite lots of criticism, Heskey was a stalwart for England, making 62 appearances for his country between 1999 and 2010 and contributing a large number of assists and seven goals. He’ll be remembered as a man who always gave his most for his country and has nothing to be ashamed of.

For England to turn a new leaf and begin building a squad that will mark a new generation of English international footballers, it’s imperative – in my opinion – for some of the current England team to also retire. This will then allow new players to come up through the ranks and gain necessary playing time at the highest level.

I’ve often said that the England u-21 side has, for a long time, played much better than the full international squad. The u-21 team has shown much more pace, better technical ability and, most importantly of all, play better as a team than the group of individuals that the England national team play like.

So to give players a chance to compete at the national level, footballers such as Jack Rodwell, Lee Cattermole, Jack Wilshere, Chris Smalling, Andy Carroll, Daniel Sturridge and others, here are my recommendations of which current England national team players should consider retirement:

None of the above players should be ashamed if they retired from international football at this stage in their career. Each has performed well for his country, but it’s time for them to move on. It’s time for a new breed of England national team players to come through the system. It’s time for a transitional period in the England national team structure. It’s time for new blood.

Do you agree or disagree with the above choices? Are there other current England national team players not listed above that you feel should retire? Click the comments link below and share your opinion.