One of the major complaints for American soccer fans during last summer’s World Cup was the lack of goal scoring punch from the forward position.

That fact hasn’t stopped Edson Buddle and, now, Robbie Findley from drawing some level of interest from English clubs, however.

The Daily Mail, a much debated source of reliable English football news, is reporting that Wolves’ manager Mick McCarthy is considering a move for Findley, who became a free agent after four years with Real Salt Lake at the end of the MLS season. Technically, Portland owns his MLS rights – but that’s only if he doesn’t leave for Europe.

A couple of obstacles exist right now:

1. He’s apparently injured. That makes him a little tough for McCarthy to evaluate.

2. He’ll need a work permit. He has 11 appearances for the national team, which may be enough to help him reach the 75 percent requirement for the Premier League.

I’m not as down on Findley as some American soccer fans may be, but I’m not convinced he’s ready for a spot in the EPL.

He’s very fast and he works hard, but his first touch and technical ability have yet to come through on the highest level, as he has yet to score a goal in a U.S. shirt.

To me, if he doesn’t want to stay in MLS, a move to Denmark or Holland makes more sense.

He’s 25, so it’s too early to say he’ll never be good enough to play in England.

I’m just not sure he’s ready right now.

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.

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

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

Barely have you had chance to draw breath and it’s time to do it all again. There’s a full midweek programme of Premier League fixtures, game week 12 is upon us already, and it’s going to be tricky selection wise as several managers may opt to shuffle their packs.

Tie of the week has to be the Manchester derby. The Blue half of Manchester have Carlos Tevez back and the Reds back line can expect a torrid time at the hands of the annoyingly persistent Argentinean. United may still be picking up points but they are struggling and will be looking for big performances from the experienced Scholes and Fletcher. It would also be a good time for Hernandez and Berbatov to rediscover their earlier form.

Chelsea and Tottenham will be looking to bounce back from disappointing weekend results. Spurs play host to Sunderland on Tuesday, and the form is with Tottenham, the Black Cats have only won once at the Lane in 26 years. Van Der Vaart is struggling with a hamstring injury, but I think Harry will risk him. Three points here are vital for Spurs’ push for the top four, Redknapp will go all out for victory on Tuesday night so it’s time to give your Tottenham forwards a run out.

I fear Fulham could pay for Liverpool’s victory on Sunday. Chelsea need to bounce back with a win and will simply overpower Fulham at the bridge. Drogba will be all guns blazing after warming the bench at Anfield for a long 45 minutes. This could be the week to rest any Fulham defenders you have in your squad.

Aston Villa’s treatment room is full of strikers right now, which equals opportunity for one young striker and if you feel like taking a gamble then Nathan Delfouneso, who could have had a hat-trick on Saturday, will be looking to make amends at home to Blackpool on Wednesday. It could also be a good time to give two more of Villa’s youngsters a chance, midfielders Marc Albrighton and Barry Bannan are turning heads for all the right reasons and both are available for under 5 million. There are always goals where Blackpool are concerned, honours may well end up even in this one but it will be entertaining.

There are two ties this week which, in all honesty, could go either way. Wolves host Arsenal and Newcastle host Blackburn. Wolves were outstanding in defeat at Old Trafford and have been impressive all season. Arsenal, being Arsenal could stroll this one or make a complete three course meal out of it. I’m going to go for the latter. Robin Van Persie made an appearance on Sunday and I’m backing him to be the difference in what will be a tight encounter.

It would be no surprise if Newcastle followed up a win at the emirates with a defeat at home to Blackburn. Nothing would give big Sam more pleasure than a victory against his former club. Newcastle should win, which is why I’m going to back Blackburn and Jason Roberts who found his shooting boots, well shin pads, against Wigan.

West Ham vs West Brom is another fixture that could throw up a few goals. Scott Parker at 5.4 million and Frederic Piquionne available for 5.1 million are well worth considering. The Hammers won’t stay bottom of the table for long and this home tie with the Albion could be the turning point of their season.

I’ve gone striker crazy in my suggestions this week, but I sense goals in game week 12 and goals mean points. Hopefully I’ve given you plenty to think about as you tinker with your attack.

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

In some fans’ and pundits’ opinion, Manchester City appears to be the team best equipped to challenge Chelsea for the Premier League title. But last Saturday 2-1 defeat at Wolves showed that despite all the talent there are evidently a few holes that need to be filled in.  First credit must be given to Wolves who were outstanding and fully deserved their victory – coming back from a goal down after a soft penalty decision against (Richard Sterman) on David Silva, slotted away coolly by Abebayor.  I am on the side of the fence that believes Wolves play very good football and have been mislabelled as a physical football team.

Manchester City has two major concerns, in midfield and upfront.

Case 1: midfield: for all the talent it possesses, the three-man midfield last Saturday of Barry, Milner and Ya-Ya Toare were simply leaving full-backs Micah Richards & Jerome Boateng exposed again.  Two direct and talented wingers in the in-form – Matt Jarvis and Stephen Hunt – led in wide areas to provide service to Edwards and Doyle. Proof of that were both of Wolves’ goals as first Jarvis and then Hunt had enough time and space to have tea and biscuits before providing the delivery.

Case 2: Attack: This is where City are still to find the right partnership. Without Tevez, City look lightweight upfront without a real striker with the predatory instincts that he possesses.  Abebayor will have his moments of brilliance but more often than not frustrates, as with Balotelli; he is finding his feet and fitness and requires time to establish himself in the Premier League after his Jekyll (first half) and Hyde (second half) performance. Abebayor and Balotelli were not on the same wavelength for the match, running into same areas and not appearing to show a partnership together, City’s can only hope that Tevez’s return is speedy as otherwise this minor dip in form could have disastrous concequences.

I would like to see City play with two natural wingers (in Milner and Johnson), with Silva playing in the ‘hole’ behind Tevez (or at present Adebayor) to provide them better balance in wide areas and protection for the exposed areas at full backs – especially on the left, a position where City have employed 8 different team members already this season.

With some fine-tuning in midfield and upfront – something that will surely be corrected in the January transfer window – City will prove to be a side to challenge for the title, but they still have plenty to learn.

Life in charge of the world’s wealthiest football club was never going to be easy for Roberto Mancini. Ever since arriving at Eastlands last December, there has always been the sense that the Italian is a couple of bad results away from the chop. Well after City’s back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Wolves these bad results have arrived.

I’m not saying that Mancini will be getting sacked on Monday morning, but with City eight points adrift of Chelsea after just ten games; you have to feel that Mancini desperately needs to see an immediate improvement in results.

But this won’t be easy. After a tricky trip to Poland to take on Lech Poznan in the Europa League, City face the tough task of a visit to the Hawthorns and an inform West Brom side. After that comes the biggest game of all as Manchester United make the trip across to Eastlands.

By all accounts that is three very tough games for Mancini to navigate, and if City were to have fallen further away from Chelsea at the end of the Manchester derby, you have to feel that Sheikh Mansour will call the end of the Italians tenure.

Mancini though claims he does not fear the sack, but did apologise to City fans for what he called the worst performance from his side this season. He said “I do not feel the pressure, I am not worried about that [the sack]. But of course we have to win these games, because we are a very good team.

“I am very sorry for the supporters. We played very well but only for the first 15 minutes. It was not good enough but I don’t know why. I must talk to the players and find out what happened because we shouldn’t play like that. I am very disappointed but I will find out why we played so badly.”

Mancini is obviously going to put on a brave face, but his interview after the Wolves defeat really did suggest that he is feeling the pressure. I have no doubt that with his squad he can turn it around, but whether he will get given the time to improve things on the pitch is another question. Patience is a thing that is desperately lacking in football, and Mancini needs to act quickly to save his job.

What do you think? Is Mancini heading for the City exit door?

While his Wolves side weren’t able to earn a valuable victory over West Ham, Mick McCarthy was able to hit back at Danny Murphy, with a comment in a press conference summing up the universal disagreement that has followed the Fulham midfielders attack on managers who ‘encourage’ bad tackles.

When asked what he thought of no player from either side picking up a booking, McCarthy responded with a sarcastic comment. He said: “I asked the lads to go and knock seven bells out of everyone like I normally do what the hell were they playing at?

“It’s a shame because we went out and played free flowing football for 45 minutes and were rampant.”

I must admit I think McCarthy has responded in exactly the right way. While Tony Pulis defended himself and the actions of his squad with a well worded statement, McCarthy laughs off the accusations with his typical sarcasm.

For me, while Murphy’s comments may have been taken slightly out of context,  they were laughable. He was never going to achieve anything by attacking individual manages, and there was no need to name names

In reality we all know that Stoke, Blackburn and Wolves are amongst the most imposing and physical sides in the league, just look at Karl Henry’s horror challenge at Wigan. But the problem with overzealous tackles isn’t limited to these three teams, as we saw with Jack Wilshere and his desperate lunge yesterday.

Part of me feels that in years gone by there wouldn’t have been such a fuss made of these clumsy tackles and I do feel reluctant to write an article that could only add to the media storm surrounding tackles which is developing on a day to day basis.

But it is a problem which has crept in to our game. Every weekend we are now seeing a wreckless lunge by somebody. Personally I don’t buy in to the argument that this is down to poor tackling coaching.

I think the problem is down to the importance of winning in the Premier League. There is so much at stake in the Premier League at the moment in every single game; desperation really does play a big part. When players are desperate, lunges creep in and that is when injuries occur.

I think the dangerous tackle is more down to temperament rather than technique and if we are going to stamp it out, coaches need to work on the psychology of players and make sure they don’t get caught up in the emotion of games.

What do you think? Why are we seeing so many bad tackles at the moment?

Another Premier League game, another defeat and you’d be mistaken for thinking Wolves were a side struggling to play football. Oddly, Wolves have lost the last 3 league games when they probably deserved so much more for their efforts. After running Fulham so close at Craven Cottage, with two defensive slip ups gifting the hosts all three points, Mick McCarthy was honest in his criticism. His team had thrown the game away by simply switching off.

The winner goal in that match was a free kick from Dembele in injury time and it was dissected to distraction all weekend to show the wall splitting opened up the opportunity to score. There’s not much a manager can do when his defensive wall turn their backs on the free kick. As soon as they did that, they offered the chance to increase, losing all control all on the ball at that point. At least facing forwards, they have an idea where the strike may end up.

The following week, Wolves travelled to White Hart Lane, as Tottenham’s spluttering season continued. With good memories of the ground after last years 1-0 win, the visitors once again took advantage of some wayward finishing to take the lead. Spurs huffed and puffed for the best part of an hour, but it was an unusual tactical change that turned the game. Spurs brought on Alan Hutton, the attacking right back and he was involved in the penalty that gave Spurs a chance to get back in to the game.

Wolves simply couldn’t deal with the full back marauding down the flanks effectively and Spurs kept knocking, scoring another 2 goals include a rather fortuitous 3rd, score by Hutton, with a deflected loop over the goalkeeper. Another excellent display undone in 13 minutes by a lack of nous and experience.

Today continued the theme, desperate to impress the home fans in a West Midlands derby, Wolves pressed and pressed and then got undone on the counter attack. Once again they failed to turn possession in to real opportunities, with a large slice of luck allowing them to get level. It could be a concern that Wolves are taking games to sides but not being able to convert the opportunities or create enough clear cut chances to actually get the goals their performances perhaps deserve.

Similarly to Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers, Wolves have begun to seek to add some silk to the steely play they showed us last season. By employing the high tempo, pressurised game, Wolves were able to unsettle some more illustrious opponents. Now, by trying to entertain slightly more they are beginning to leave to many cracks for teams to exploit. Yet, despite losing 3 games on the spin, there is no need for hand wringing at Molineux.

The performances have been positive on the whole and should be taken with a pinch of salt. The league is still oddly tight, especially after Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester City and one win can send a side surging up the table. As Blackpool have shown, this season is nothing if predicatable. Wolves will probably win games playing a lot worse than they have in the last few weeks, so the need to keep positive is crucial for McCarthy and his players.

Gerard Houllier has Emile Heskey to thank for making his first Premier League game in charge of Aston Villa a memorable one. In a match which was very much a game of two half’s, Houllier’s side showed that they do still have plenty of quality with the powerful striker netting a late winner. But what should we be expecting from Houllier’s tenure at Villa Park?

In truth it was Wolves who had edged the second half, Villa had been on top for long periods before the break. They took the lead through Stewart Downing after excellent work from young Marc Albrighton.

The young winger is certainly making a name for himself this season, and his performance will have certainly given Houllier hope that he could have a rising star amongst his squad. Albrighton is determined and intelligent and while he has burst on to the scene out of nowhere, he has certainly made an impression.

Albrighton is very much a part of a good Villa squad, and to be honest I think it is the strength in the squad that saw Houllier leave the comfort of a job with the French Football Federation for a role at Villa Park.

The job at Villa was very much continuing somebody else’s good work. It’s not as if Martin O’Neill had left the Frenchmen with a squad that needed a lot of work. Yes they had lost James Milner to Manchester City, but with players like Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young there was still plenty of quality for Houllier to work with.

The reason why O’Neill left was because he felt he had taken the club as far as he could, but Houllier obviously feels he can take the club to the next level. While I can’t see Villa charging in to the Champions League places, I can’t see them tumbling down the league either.

I think to maintain Villa’s recent success would be an acceptable achievement for Houllier, although Villa fans might not see it that way. The fact of the matter is that while they have a good squad, to get in to the next level of clubs would take a massive investment, something that looks highly unlikely with the steady approach of club owner Randy Lerner.

Heskey did net a winner late on for Villa, but in truth a draw would have been the fair result. The two sides drew 1-1 last year at Molineux, and should have probably drawn again today. That result would have set the tone for Houllier’s tenure, which I expect to be very similar to O’Neill’s with the Villa Park pushing for a finish in the higher reaches of the league, but just coming up short.

Mick McCarthy has today insisted that his Wolves side our not dirty. The former Republic of Ireland boss was left incensed at claims his side were deploying overly physical tactics so far this season, and maintains his side are playing fair.

But after Wolves picked up a remarkable 13 yellow cars in their last two games, surely there must be something going a miss at Molineux. But there isn’t according to McCarthy who told BBC Sport: “”I’ve gone through the bookings at Fulham and there wasn’t a bad, malicious tackle, and there we are with six bookings and a sending off. We’re not a dirty team, but at the moment it looks like we are because of circumstances.

“I try my best not to offend anybody, but if that’s the way people want to perceive me and my team there’s not a great deal I can do about it. But it’s wrong, a whole pile of nonsense actually, but such is life.”

McCarthy certainly seems to have been riled by the accusations made over about his team. But in a week where a tackle from one of his players left Bobby Zamora’s leg broken, it is really only inevitable that there would be criticism in to his sides methods.

Personally I had no real issue with the tackle from Karl Henry on Zamora. Hard yes, but over the top no. However what I do have an issue with is the way that Henry had gone about antagonising Joey Barton in the previous game.

I have no issue with getting in to a players head with the odd late challenge, but the way Henry systematically went for Barton was nothing short of disgusting. To say Henry wasn’t dirty that day would be quite frankly laughable.

Why Henry opted to do that I’m not quite sure. I have no doubt that had he not been so outrageously over the top in his bid to get Barton frustrated and ultimately lose his cool than he wouldn’t of come in for the criticism he did after the Zamora challenge. Unfortunately for Henry that has very much came back to bite him and his team.