Weather permitting it’s Gameweek 18, this roller coaster Premier League season is about to enter its crucial Christmas period. Three points going into the festivities will be a priority for all managers this weekend.

Sam Allardyce can put is feet up on Saturday and watch the club that unceremoniously sacked him take on his potential new employers. Rovers Phil Jones(4.5) is an apparent January transfer target for several clubs, the defender has picked up 48 points so far this season and could be a shrewd acquisition if the rumours bear fruit. Blackburn’s performer of the season so far is the ever consistent Morten Gamst Pedersen(5.9), a 75 point haul this season puts him 12^th overall in the midfield rankings.

Avram Grants tenure at Upton Park is hanging by a thread. He could be trading places with Big Sam come the New Year unless the Hammers can perform a dramatic turnaround. Were it not for the Influence of Scott Parker(5.4) you feel that Grant’s and quite possibly West Ham’s fate would already have been sealed. With Parker again the centre of transfer speculation it could be wise to add the playmaker to your ranks. Goals win Football matches, Frederic Piquionne(4.9) and Victor Obinna(5.5) have excited occasionally and Allardyce could be warming himself by the fire for a bit longer if the pair hit form over the festivities.

It’s time for another West Midlands derby on Sunday as West Brom entertain Wolves. The key to the Baggies success so far this season has been in the engine room. Chris Brunt(5.7) is a massive player for Roberto Di Matteo, if he’s not scoring goals he is creating them. Wide man Jerome Thomas(4.6) is performing well and steady as a rock Paul Scharner(4.5) is a reliable performer who chips in with the odd goal too. Mick McCarthy’s men deserve to be a wee bit higher up the table, if Stephen Hunt(5.3) can recapture the form of his Reading and Hull City days he will play a vital part in Wolves’ survival campaign. Wanderers will also be buoyed by the return of key men Matthew Jarvis(5.3) and Kevin Doyle(5.1).

Gameweek 18 concludes with Everton paying a visit to official title contenders Man City. Reports indicate that Carols Tevez(11.1) will be stripped of his captaincy but will play. There is a bargain to be had at multi-billion pound City, midfielder Yaya Toure is available for a mere 5.3 million. The Ivorian notched 13 points last time out, that’s value for Fantasy League money. Keep an eye on the happenings at Eastlands, a clear out is on the cards. The Fantasy League January sales will start here.

The next round of Premier League fixtures kick off on Boxing Day. I therefore wish you all a very merry and points laden Christmas. May your stocking be overflowing and your Turkey be moist and delicious. Thank you for reading every week and many apologies if you’ve followed any(and there have been plenty!) of my, shall we say, less rewarding suggestions.

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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.

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Sergio Aguero is one of the many high-profile transfer prospects on the market this summer

The World Cup will dominate the world’s football focus this summer but that doesn’t mean the usual wheeling and dealing of the transfer market won’t be in full force. Last summer saw the high profile departure of Christiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Emmanuel Adebayor trading in the red of Arsenal for the blue of Manchester City. At this point in the season transfer rumors come thick and fast with many “stories” turning out to be little more than speculation. Here’s a roundup of some of the rumors for some of the biggest stars in the world and where they may end up within the Premier League.

A quick disclaimer, some of these rumors are a little old or slightly ludicrous but the main point of this post is to generate discussion.

Franck Ribéry: The Bayern Munich midfielder has been linked with a move away from the Bundesliga for years now so these rumors are nothing new. This time Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested in the Frenchman. Ribéry, who is currently dealing with a public relations crisis due to being asked to testify in relation to a Paris prostitution ring, has promised to make a decision on his future by April 24. Chelsea seems to be the least likely of the three clubs for Ribéry to end up in and can the Blues really handle another player enveloped in a sex scandal?

Gianluigi Buffon: The Juventus keeper’s possible departure has been in the news for a few weeks now but his likely destination appears to be Manchester. There was a post yesterday discussing where the best fit for Buffon would be so I won’t rehash old material but Buffon in the EPL is an interesting proposition indeed.

Cesc Fabregas: The Arsenal captain is sidelined for the rest of the season following his Champion’s League clash with Barcelona at the Emirates back in March. Rumors have been swirling ever since that game about Fabregas’ possible return to Barcelona, his boyhood club. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood told ESPN Soccernet last week that Barcelona made assurances they would not try to sign the Spanish striker during the summer but Barcelona claims they made no such assurances. Over the past few days Real Madrid, who are always looking to compete with Barcelona over big-name talent, have rumored to be interested in Fabregas as well.

Sergio Aguero: The Athletico Madrid striker has expressed interest in a move to Chelsea during the off-season. No reports have confirmed that Chelsea has recipricated interest in Aguero but the Argentine has been a hotly sought after commodity for the past few seasons so one must think there is some interest at Stamford Bridge.

Joe Cole: The Chelsea/England midfielder has been linked with a move to Manchester City for  a four-year, £40 million contract, making him the highest payed player in the Premiership.  Manchester United has also shown interest but if City’s offer is as high as reported United will stand no shot in a bidding war.

Landon Donovan: The American forward has impressed the English public with an impressive loan stint at Everton over the winter. The Toffees attempted to extend his loan deal to the end of the season by Donovan was recalled by the L.A. Galaxy. Rumors swirled back in March about the possibility of Chelsea making a £10 million offer but that relies heavily on the future of Joe Cole.

Craig Bellamy: Never one to mince words, whether it be about John Terry or his views on his colleagues, the Manchester City forward may not be with the club next season due to reported clashes with Roberto Mancini. No word yet on his possible destination but The Independent is reporting City is having difficulty convincing Bellamy to stay.

Kevin Doyle: This is slightly less glamorous than some of the other rumors but Everton is reportedly interested in the young striker from Wolves. It will probably take a bid of £10 million or more by the Toffees to lure to Irish International.

There will always be the rush for some the higher-payed players for the relegated sides. Players such as Jimmy Bullard, Jozy Altidore, Steven Fletcher and David James may become available during the off-season. There are also clubs in desperate need of improvement, like a goalkeeper for Arsenal, a second striker for Manchester United and every position for Liverpool. There will be plenty of twists and turns once the EPL season wraps up next month. So have fun in the comments section discussing where you think these players should go, rumors I have may have missed or who your favorite club should be pursuing.

Despite what the headline in Tuesday night’s Daily Telegraph says (see above picture), the scoreline in the West Ham United against Wolverhampton Wanderers was 3-1 to Wolves, not 3-0. But it may as well been 3-0 such was the way that Wolves annihilated Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham United with three clinical goals that were top class.

All three Wolves goals were carbon copies of each other and all three were scored by different marksmen. The first was a wonderful finish by Kevin Doyle who took advantage of a dreadful back pass by West Ham defender James Tomkins to slot the ball low and hard into the corner of the net. Fernando Torres would have been proud of a goal like that.

The second goal for Wolves was again the result of poor defending by West Ham United when an errant pass was picked up by Wanderers and this time it was Ronald Zubar who slotted the ball into the far corner to make it two nil to the Midlands club.

The third goal was again a wonderful piece of skill. This time it was Matt Jarvis’s turn who got past some West Ham United defenders and kicked the ball low and hard past the reach of Robert Green.

All three goals were so superb that if they had been scored by Manchester United, you would have seen the goals over and over again as evidence of how skillful the side is.

In injury time, Guillermo Franco pulled one back for West Ham United with a cheeky lob over Marcus Hahnemann but the damage had already been done and there was no way back for the Hammers.

It’s one thing to lose at home, but it’s another thing to lose by such a large margin against a team nestled at the same end of the Premier League table. Not to take anything away from Wolves, because they were superb, but West Ham United will get relegated if they keep on defending like that.

Based on Tuesday night’s performance, Zola’s days at the Boleyn Ground are numbered unless he’s committed to turning around this team and getting them to play as more of a unit. Too many times on Tuesday night, the Hammers completely lost their shape and there were massive gaps open for Wolves to plough right through.

As for Wolves, this is a team that has enjoyed three brilliant back-to-back performances in a row with wins over Burnley and West Ham United as well as a point against Aston Villa in a game that Wolves could have won. Overall this season, Wolves has been an incredibly frustrating team to watch because any time they created a chance in front of goal they would scuff the opportunity and never seem to elevate their performance. Finally tonight they showed what they’re made of and are now on a bounce at the perfect time of the season to help keep them in the Premier League. Can they stay up? Based on performances like tonight, let’s hope so.

• Everton for the World Cup, Adam Johnson for England and Mud.

How can you not love this game, this league, the drama, the terrible state of the DW in Wigan? Forget that last one. Gameweek 27 saw Everton continue their fantastic league form as they beat Manchester United emphatically at home only ten days removed from performing so gallantly against league leaders Chelsea. David Moyes has the Toffees charging up the table while remaining involved in a competitive Europa League. The Scot surely rues the early season injuries that see Everton just in eighth spot and is left to wonder what could have been. I wonder if a Europa Cup Final featuring a red team and blue team from Liverpool is possible?

The race for L4 heated up again, with Aston Villa and Tottenham gaining 3 points confidently (over Burnley and  Wigan respectively), while the clash of two more L4 wannabes ended 0-0 in Manchester as Adam Johnson impressed again (call him Fabio). Nothing is remotely close to being decided yet as L4 is now separated by only 1 single, solitary point, with two of the four teams in pursuit of L4′s riches holding vital games in hand.

Chelsea went through the motions at Molineux, Fulham left the drama late at home, Portsmouth continue to play out a doomed season with bravado, and West Ham continue to find their foot while Hull City continue to slip. Beautiful Passing Gnomes unconvincingly disposed of woeful Sunderland while they play keepy up with their title aspirations and big Sam has Blackburn above and beyond anything resembling a relegation struggle, which of course you should know by now brings us to:

Honorable Mentions:

Kevin Doyle, Wolverhampton Wanders- Although the forward’s side didn’t win or score a goal, Doyle’s alertness off the ball impressed me. The Republic of Ireland international and Wolves best player has an acute sense of awareness that allows him to shine for a club battling relegation. Doyle’s 16th minute run with the ball at his feet was one of Wolves best scoring opportunities of the day. Doyle ran 25 yards to the edge of the box and shot across the face of Petr Cech’s goal only for the Chelsea keeper to gobble up the attempt.

Doyle continued to make a nuisance of himself and was yards away from scoring from a free kick in the 31st minute that just missed. Again in the 79th, Doyle’s shot was stopped by Cech after he spun on a Chelsea defender and struck a low shot while falling down. If Wolves are to stay up this season, they’ll need to provide Doyle with the quality service he deserves. If they don’t, Doyle could be seen in another shirt next year.

Roman Pavlyuchenko, Tottenham Hotspur-  I suppose the Russian is no longer out of favor. It seems every time he comes on for Harry Redknapp, he scores. Pavlyuchenko came on in the 73rd and scored two quality goals in his twenty minute appearance. With his opener, his first touch was quality as he brilliantly set up his second touch which was a clinical left footed, falling down strike past Chris Kirkland in the 84th. His second came only minutes later as he nicked a rebound from his saved header. Pavlyuchenko stayed with the ball and flicked over Kirkland and a Wigan defender who was laying hopeless on the ground.

What impresses me about Pavlyuchenko is that he continually performs to the best of his ability even when he hasn’t been receiving quality playing time. It would be so easy for him to sulk on the bench and phone in his late game cameos, but the Russian seems to have something to prove to boss Harry Redknapp as his brace on Sunday secured all three points for the current fourth place Tottenham.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Stewart Downing, Aston Villa- Yet again, a high flying Villain shows up among the week’s best. The boys from Birmingham will look to win a piece of silverware this Sunday when they take on Carling Cup holders Manchester United in the final to be played at Wembley. The quick left footed winger has been building on his good form over the last few weeks and seems to get better with each appearance. There’s a lot of pressure on Downing as his return to match fitness saw Martin O’Neill place Downing on the left side of midfield while James Milner moved to a central role. Downing will look to keep his current form as he hopes to force his way into Fabio Capello’s England plans.

Villa came out the winners in a 5-2 thrashing of Burnley on Sunday after a four goal second half blitz finished off the visitors. This thirteen minute onslaught of quick passing, forward movement and convincing finishing opened up the game and exploited Burnley’s weakness in defense while it highlighted Aston Villa’s fluid movement. Downing was at the forefront of the Villa attack scoring a quick brace in two minutes that all but finished off the tie and gave Villa the three points.

Downing is an exciting wing player who oddly enough was signed when he was injured. When at his best, his crosses into the box can be lethal to central defenders. Martin O’Neill sure put a lot of faith into the former Middlesbrough man and here’s hoping that faith continues to pay off.

Disagree with me? Saw a good movie this weekend? Wanna share your favorite recipe? Leave a comment below.

I have to admit if there is one name in the bottom six that surprises me by being there this season, then it has to be Wolves. Arriving back to the Premiership as Championship winners, they currently stare upward towards Birmingham City and Burnley. West Ham and Portsmouth have struggled with financial issues, Bolton Wanderers fans hate their manager which doesn’t help when you lose a local derby, Hull City are still struggling with the hangover from last season and Wigan are still coming to grips with life without Steve Bruce.

Yet, Wolves have a settled management team, strong finances, a big and vocal home support and a side sprinkled with experience and pace. They just seem to be suffering from being star struck still, a dangerous game in the ruthless world of the Premiership. 7 games have now passed since the last time Wolves garnered 3 points and a local derby on the horizon, the need to get going can not come any sooner.

What has surprised me more than anything is the lack of goals from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Only one goal in 8 league appearances so far is a strange return for a player who ran Championship defences ragged over the last three years. Along with Michael Kightly, Ebanks-Blake is struggling to get in to the swing of things due to missing pre-season training. In tandem, these two make an attacking threat that is crucial to Wolves’ hopes of survival.

The lack of sharpness that preseason gives you can never be underestimated and those two should be finally ready to deal with the demands that the Premiership can throw at players week in week out. McCarthy will know that it needs to be sooner rather than later as December will see them face away games at Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham, so victories in the next two home matches are imperative to their hopes of survival. Kightly, Ebanks-Blake and Kevin Doyle need to get an understanding working but when you’re getting ripped to bits by Chelsea, it’s hard to do.

Thankfully, we don’t seem to see any real daylight beginning to open just yet at the foot of the table, but eventually someone will get cut adrift. Just nicking points here and there is one of the aspects that sides need to have, if they want to make a fist of any chance of survival once the run in begins. After Birmingham City visit, Wolves will entertain Bolton Wanderers who apparently have lost their zip. After watching them capitulate against Blackburn, and manager Gary Megson getting the dreaded vote of confidence today, Bolton are there for the taking.

These two games are crucial for Wolves if they have any idea of being here next season and as I mentioned earlier, both games could be classed as 6 pointers already. Two wins and Wolves will clamber up and away from the foot of the table. Even four points will suffice, but anything else will be a bitter pill to swallow for the fans. The manager can’t be enjoying things too much either, after the Manchester United Carling Cup defeat, he looked fed up, but that was to be expected after playing so well and ending up with nothing.

No doubt though, at the back of his mind has to be his failure with Sunderland the last time he managed at this level, but the circumstances couldn’t be any different this time. He has a chairman that supports him 100%, they have money to spend and so far he’s made some wise purchases. I would expect them to go looking for a bit more nous in the January window, just to add to the undoubted potential the side has.

Wolves have potential to be around the Premiership for a while yet and I have a feeling that we’ll see one or maybe two sides who have clogged up the table relegated come May. Last year saw two fairly well established sides fall out of the league, so no-one from 10th down can have any foolish idea’s about being too big to go down. The Molineux faithful will be hoping that they can be part of the new order come May 2010.

As is the usual preseason prediction, the three promoted sides are always the favourites to go straight back down. Last season gave us something of a novelty in recent years, with two of the three sides that came up in 2007-2008 staying with us for another year, as close as Hull tried to throw it all away. With Wolves returning to the Premiership after an absence of 5 seasons, they’ll be keen to hang in there for more than one season.

Let’s not forget that Wolves won the title last season and regardless of what anyone says, The Championship is the hardest league in the world to get out of in the right way. Leeds United, Charlton Athletic, Norwich City, Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley have all gone the wrong way out of the league and the division is littered with sides that have big grounds, big squads and plenty of Premiership experience. Sure they faltered at the end, but not many clubs get up without a blip or two along the way. Newcastle United and Middlesbrough beware!

The 1990′s saw Wolves consistently challenge at the top of the Championship table, only to miss out in Play offs and falter in the final straight. Sir Jack Hayward, after taking over in 1990, spent plenty of money upgrading Molineux and attracting high calibre managers to the hot seat. For some reason, Wolves have a reputation as sacking club, but since 1990, they’ve only had 7 managers. Hardly the situation you would see at some other clubs in the same period who you would consider lesser sides in the scheme of things. Barnsley have had 12 managers, Sheffield Wednesday 11 and neither side has come close to returning to the Premiership this century.

The last experience of the Premiership for Wolves in the 2003-2004 season was one of gallant failure. The side was made up of aging pro’s who had plenty of Premiership experience but not necessarily the legs or skill required to keep them up finishing 6 points adrift of Everton. In the five years since they last played top flight football, the league has changed somewhat. 6 of the teams that finished above them have now been relegated, 3 of them suffering further with Leeds United and from next season Southampton and Charlton Athletic having another relegation out of the Championship.

The key factor this time around is the away form for Mick McCarthy’s men. Last time round, they didn’t manage to win a game away from home, conceding 4 or more goals 7 times and going 7 games without a win in two separate runs. The strike force of Miller, Blake and Iversen didn’t deliver and whilst Ganea, Cort and Camara tried their best once they came in, it was too little, too late.

This close season has seen Wolves smash their transfer record with the £6.5 million capture of Kevin Doyle. If they can get Doyle and the promising Sylvan Ebanks-Blake working in tandem in friendlies, that could be the relationship that keeps them up. With the promising Sam Vokes, Andrew Keogh and Stephen Ward in reserve, they need another striker who can get them goals if injury effects the first choice line up.

What he would give for discovering another Steve Bull on a bargain price from West Bromwich Albion again. Don’t forget though that Ebanks-Blake has hit 37 goals in 63 games since he joined them from Plymouth Argyle. He won the Golden Boot for being the league’s top scorer two seasons in a row, so he’s no mug and graduated through the ranks of Manchester United.

McCarthy has also added Andrew Surman, Nenad Milijas, Bobo Balde and Ronald Zubar as well as former Reading players Marcus Hahnemann and Greg Halford. I’m not surprised they went for an experienced goalkeeper, as solid as Wayne Hennessey and Matt Murray are, Hahnemann knows exactly what to expect in the Premier League. A strong character between the sticks is crucial and as highly rated as both current goalkeepers were, confidence can be shattered by a 4 or 5 goal mauling at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge.

There will be no doubt that Molineux will see Wolves and their fans celebrate wins, of that there is no doubt. Last time round, the home form wasn’t too bad all in all, keep things tight at home and go after teams like Stoke, Hull, Burnley, Birmingham and renowned travel sickness sufferers Spurs, Portsmouth and Fulham.

Don’t forget that Manchester United left with their tails between there legs after losing 1-0 last time they visited Wolves in the Premiership. Stoke City’s home support last season showed just how important crowd backing can be. It is crucial when you’re up against it and can make all the difference. If the crowd sense you’re giving 100%, they’ll match you all the way.

The other factor for Wolves now is the backing of owner Steve Morgan. Wolves have money to spend, but need quality over quantity. McCarthy had his hands tied with a miniscule budget whilst at Sunderland, but brought in too many players who simply couldn’t cope with the rigours of Premiership football. He’ll know that another striker is the crucial signing, but I don’t see Wolves struggling this time.

It’ll be tight but I think they’ll stay up. They’ve got money, passionate noisy fans, the nucleus of a hungry, keen side and the fans should be looking forward to a steady season. A couple more signings are needed but they’ll be fine and with plans to expand the stadium, Wolves could be about to enter a new era in the best shape they’ve been in since 1960.