EPL Prediction League 2010/2011

There wont be any prediction league this weekend due to European Championship qualifiers.

Results - Game 28 - 29 Aug 2010 EPL Prediction League 2010/2011

We have a Perfect10!!!

Congrats to 8plus1 for a perfect weekend to catchup and co-share 2nd with Mr White.

Arrenn did pretty well to top this week's table while over at the Markmens Board, it's a trio of KingMeng, Mr. White and 8plus1 sharing the honours.

Well done, lads!

Housekeeping Notes:

All of this season's tables will be kept in Flickr's photoset. Click Here.




EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) 8plus1 (28 - 29 Aug 2010)

Marksmen Board (Number of Exact Predictions)
2 Games - Mr. White, KingMeng, 8plus1
1 Game - ihawk98, Voxeros, ianrush


Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

Blogspot Blackout
The EPL Prediction League will be played here but if in the event Blogger/Blogspot servers go down, we will automatically carry on the league over to my personal blog at http://www.jaywalkonline.com. Please bookmark this or at the very least stay in touch with one of us as we will also be helping all stay in the loop via the various channels like MSN, Skype, email as well as SPUG Off-Topic Chat.

Prediction League Past Winners

Copa America 2004 - WeiMeng
EPL 2004/2005 - Friday13
EPL 2005/2006 - ianrush
World Cup 2006 - EdwinSng
EPL 2006/2007 - Voxeros
EPL 2007/2008 - Cool402
Euro 2008 - Voxeros
EPL 2008/2009 - Everton
EPL 2009/2010 - ihawk98
World Cup 2010 - Raynaldo

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Blackburn 1-2 Arsenal : Gunners Fight For Win

Sorry lads, this isn't going to be quite as formal as a typical match report.

Today's 2-1 win at Ewood Park was not an easy one. Theo Walcott's early goal was quickly cancelled out by Diouff (urgh, I really dislike that guy. And now there are two of them!!!). Blackburn really stood their ground in the first half, but I thought we did extremely well to keep possession and deprived the home team of goal attempts in the second half. You have to give it to the lads - despite letting one through so early, they didn't crumble and in fact, served up a right riposte in the form of Andriy Arshavin.

I could go on to talk about the match, and highlights, and perhaps even how Pedersen managed to annoy us all with his perpetual towel by the sidelines, but I reckon there are many more sports journalists out there beating me to that. Besides, the only thing I am thinking of post-game is the severity of Robin van Persie's injury. So, a little something different this time.

First up, Cesc Fabregas. No, I will not defend my man's poor performance. I will however, say that the accusations of him having lost his faith and dedication to the team, is a tad unfair. It's true that I can't deny the summer fiasco. However, I think the man who has done so much for the club has a little more pride and honour. Playing without heart really isn't Cesc's style. I say cut Captain Fab some slack because really, he has come back from the World Cup and he hasn't been involved in the last couple of games. Let's not forget that he did thread a few brilliant balls through in the first half. As usual though, those are easy to miss once you focus on the negative.

Yes, I love the man. But I don't think I am being unduly biased here.

Next up, Theo "Wonderboy" Walcott. He's really out to make an impression, isn't he? Four goals in two games. I hope the scoring streak keeps up.

Aside from putting them into the net, Theo's passing and crosses has improved as well. I remember a time when his crosses floated over everything and everyone. Nowadays, young Theo has developed technique that matches his vision. I am so proud of him really and how much he has grown - physically, mentally, and technically as a player. I hope he continues playing like the world class star that he is.

Now back to the topic of skipper-ship. When Cesc gets substituted, the armband goes to Almunia. You all know I love Manny and have spoken up for him on many occasions (and I may of course be very wrong when I say this), but he really doesn't seem like the most influential player out there. If based on the mere merit of possessing unfaltering team spirit, Almunia deserves it. Otherwise, I reckon it should go to someone like Vermaelen or Song. Thomas may not have been the Arsenal that long, but that lad is seriously stalwart. And Alex? I have come to see him as the new "Invisible Wall". Not crazy about the new hair though.

My point is, we need someone who can command and communicate, as well as be an excellent reader of the game. I don't mean that Almunia doesn't fit the part, I am just suggesting that we may well have better options.

We'll dissect the other players another time eh? Till, then - 3 down, 35 more games to go.

The Arsenal!

Weekend Review - 28 Aug 2010

Manchester United vs West Ham United

"It's 2 points lost rather than 1 point gained."

-Gary, 28 Aug 2010

The season is only 2 games old and we drop point. It's 2 points lost rather than 1 point gained. A missed penalty by Nani was the turning point of the game. Had it gone in, we would have secured victory.

Impressively, the league table also began to have the usual familiar names at the top of the table. Man City is in the final spot for next season Champions League. Let's see whether they will move up or maintain their league standings. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool is at the edge of the relegation zone at 17th. Even Everton is on top of them by one place. Heh.

We welcome West Ham at Old Trafford today with open arms as they have lost the first 2 games. We like to play against these teams where new managers and management are still trying to figure out what went wrong despite doing the right things. Avram Grant does not have a very impressive record against Fergie. Only 1 win since managing Chelsea, Portsmouth and now West Ham.

Man Utd Team News: Wayne Rooney, Anderson, Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves are out.

West Ham Team News: Matthew Upson, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Jack Collison, Zavon Hines and Peter Kurucz are out.

Odds and Analysis: Man Utd is giving 2 ball handicap. I would avoid this match as Man Utd take ages to get warm up to rack in goals like Chelsea and clear the handicap. An odd goal winner might just do the trick.

Disclaimer: This review is entirely on my own views and opinion. I didn’t point a gun at you to ask you to follow. If you want to bet on this game, do so at your own risk. Pls bet within limits. Good luck.

Fixture Focus - Spurs (28 Aug 2010)

Tottenham Hotspur vs Wigan Athletic

First of all, although the news is a bit old, I would like to announce that Spurs is in the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League, in Group A together with current UEFA Champions League champion Inter Milan, Dutch Eredivisie champion FC Twente and third-placed in the German Bundesliga Werder Bremen.

And now, back to League action.

In the same game during the last season, Spurs had hammered Wigan to one of the all-time season high scores of 9-1. And this season, Martinez's boys did not really start that well, conceding 10 goals with no goals scored in the first 2 games, and occupying the bottom of the table.

Spurs, currently riding on a winning momentum with the 4-0 defeat of BSC Young Boys, will look to this fixture for consolidation in the EPL standings. We would be without our first-team goalkeeper Gomes, which means Cudicini will deputise. Modric, after suffering injury in Switzerland last week, looks likely to stay out, too. Defoe has a surgery scheduled, but he is trying to see this game through.

Martinez, on the other hand, would be back at the drawing board relooking the past 2 games and hopes to prevent another rout at White Hart Lane.

Spurs will come away with this one, but not a goal fest of last season's.

COYS!!!!!

Fixture Focus - Spurs (25 Aug 2010)

Tottenham Hotspur vs BSC Young Boys
(UEFA Champions League Play-Off Stage, 2nd Leg)

OK, this will be the game that stands between us and the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. We win this, and off we go rubbing shoulders against the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and not to mention our pesky neighbours a few miles away at North London.

The Young Boys had overwhelmed us with their "shock and awe" (and their pitch) and scored 3 goals against us in the first 30 minutes of the game, though we clawed back with 2 crucial away goals later on. Spurs would have to win this at least by 1-0 in order to proceed to the next stage.

The good news for us is, all of our strikers who were unfit for the Stoke game has returned, and only Modric is unable to make it for the game, sans the rest who are on long-term injuries.

Expect this to be a tough fight as this time, the battle will be on the home front, and the visitors would want to maintain (or, heaven forbid, try to score) against us at White Hart Lane.

COYS!!!!! Onwards along the Champions League!!!!!

EPL Prediction League 2010/2011 Match Weekend 28-29 Aug 2010

EPL05: SAT 28/8 Wolves vs Newcastle at 9:55pm SIN/HKT

EPL06: SUN 29/8 Aston Villa vs Everton at 10:55pm SIN/HKT

GAME ON!
Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
Submissions after kick-off will not be admissible. (Disqualification)

Blog Blackout
This Prediction League will be played here but if in the event this blog goes down, we will automatically carry on the league over to the personal blog of Voxeros at http://www.JayWalkOnline.com. Please bookmark this or at the very least stay in touch with one of us as we will also be helping all stay in the loop via the various channels like MSN, Skype, email as well as SPUG Off-Topic Chat.

Arsenal Hit Six

It's always a rush when your first home game of the season proves to be an auspicious one.

Six goals and a cleansheet (I am quite sure I peeked Almunia sipping tea and biting on a biscotti on the other end of the field) - that's better than anyone of us could have hoped for. And in this rout of Blackpool, Theo got his first hat trick for the club, Chamakh got his first goal, and Cesc made his first season's appearance. Blardy brilliant, I tell ya.

Blackpool and their horde of fans (impressive turnout really. I feel bad they have to bear the long trip back up north in bad spirits) had a great start at the Emirates Stadium. In fact, I believe they forced the first save. But it was the Gunners who drew first blood. Theo's first goal of the game came in the 12 minute - a smarting shot that easily beat the keeper after a very useful assist by Arshavin.

As the game wore on, it looked like Walcott was in this for some real hunting. He was up front and going at the defence like a menace. Chamakh did well to draw defence away and our lads were at Blackpool like plague after Theo's first goal. There were too many squandered attempts from Chamakh, Rosicky, Arshavin and the likes, but we were in complete control.

Just after the half-hour mark, Chamakh's great run forward was halted by Evatt, who happened to be the last defender. Referee Mike Jones whipped out his red card immediately. I wonder if teams are going to worry about playing the Arsenal now. Two games and we have successfully dismissed two players. While the foul on Chamakh was absolute, the dismissal was a little controversial and in my honest opinion, a wee bit harsh. Replays showed that Evatt went in for the tackle outside the box - or so I objectively observed. Anyhow, Andriy Arshavin coolly converted the spot kick for our second.

A mere seven minutes later, a nimble Jack Wilshere sliced open defence with an awesome pass and Theo Walcott did good by putting that into the back of Blackpool's net for his second and Arsenal's third. This was shaping up to be a great hammering and this was only the first 45 minutes.

The first half ended Arsenal 3-0 Blackpool, but from the look of things, there were more goals to come. Most of the goal attempts came from Theo and Chamakh, with the former making the better use of his chances. To be honest, the game was looking lop-sided and the lack of a man on the visitors' side so early on hardly helped their cause.

Diaby killed any hopes of a comeback from Blackpool just minutes into the second half when he sent home a well-finished effort after a great run and assist from Bacary Sagna. Then only nine minutes later, Diaby was on the helping end as he gifted Theo with the pass to complete the youngster's hat trick. By now, Blackpool looked like they were praying for the final whistle. And mind you, we were still shy of the hour mark.

For the next 25 minutes, the highlight of the match (aside from way too many wasted chances) was the introduction of Cesc Fabregas into the game. Captain Fab is back! Oh, and there was that fantastic feat of control by Vela as well. He danced around three defenders who looked like lost children, but failed to place the final touch passed the keeper. Vela is a very strong player and I so look forward to his blossoming at the club.

Chamakh finally hammered the nail into the coffin in the 83rd minute when he rose the highest to nod home a Van Persie corner. The Moroccan certainly deserved one, after about a 150 tries. At the referee's whistle, we had six more goals than Blackpool and six times more goal attempts. If that's not a one-sided game, I don't know what is.

Hopefully, Chamakh's nerves have been settled now that he has his debut goal (I'm so happy for him!!!). While his finishes were far from clinical in this game, he played a huge role in pressuring and stretching Blackpool's defence. Theo, on the other hand, looked set to kill and I hope the game ball will remind him of greatness he has within him. I look forward to a season of consistently superb performances from Theo Walcott. Perhaps his time has indeed come. A Goonerette can only hope, eh?

I also want to point out that Sagna and Clichy were extremely diligent and important in this game. Their work rate improved tremendously from the last and Clichy seemed to have found his crazy legs again. It's a strange comfort also, seeing Song on the field. Our entire defensive line from midfield onwards seemed more confident to move forward. Well, either that, or it was because we were playing Blackpool who, with all due respect, didn't present the stiffest of competitions.

Surely the critics and some fans will argue that we should have gotten more. It is true that Chamakh should have gotten a few more, and probably Vela too. But when it's all said and done, we have maximum points in the first game at home and a huge boost to our goal difference.

Now 36 more games to go.

The Arsenal!

Results - Game 21 - 22 Aug 2010 EPL Prediction League 2010/2011

Congrats to ianrush for opening account over at the Marksmen Board and topping the table while at it.

Kudos to Arrenn for having the guts to go against conventional wisdom and put it down for a Newcastle win when everyone was writing them off after being thumped by ManUtd the week before. That itself yielded a reward of a joint-second spot well deserved.

Glad I picked this game to make everybody gabra.

Our regrets to Raynaldo for we cannot accept your submission for the Birmingham-Blackburn game as the time stamp showed that it was after the kick-off timing.

In future, should you find yourself minutes away from kick off and no internet access anywhere, I do wish to remind you that we do accept submissions via sms, as a second resort, which is what I had done on Sunday.

Need a number to sms? PM anyone of us.

Also, there is a change in the blackout site i.e. where do we go in the event this blog goes kaput in the middle of the season. My original blogsite is closing down and so I am shifting my blog to http://www.jaywalkonline.com. In the event of a blackout, we will shift the tournament there. Do update your bookmark. Thanks.

Housekeeping Notes:

All of this season's tables will be kept in Flickr's photoset. Click Here.





EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) [ Not Yet! ]

Marksmen Board (Number of Exact Predictions)
1 Game - Mr. White, KingMeng, Voxeros, ianrush


Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

Blogspot Blackout
The EPL Prediction League will be played here but if in the event Blogger/Blogspot servers go down, we will automatically carry on the league over to my personal blog at http://www.jaywalkonline.com. Please bookmark this or at the very least stay in touch with one of us as we will also be helping all stay in the loop via the various channels like MSN, Skype, email as well as SPUG Off-Topic Chat.

Prediction League Past Winners

Copa America 2004 - WeiMeng
EPL 2004/2005 - Friday13
EPL 2005/2006 - ianrush
World Cup 2006 - EdwinSng
EPL 2006/2007 - Voxeros
EPL 2007/2008 - Cool402
Euro 2008 - Voxeros
EPL 2008/2009 - Everton
EPL 2009/2010 - ihawk98
World Cup 2010 - Raynaldo

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Fixture Focus - Spurs (21 Aug 2010)

Stoke City vs Tottenham Hotspur

First of all, a great hello to you all from the Bedokian!

After a trying away fixture at Switzerland against the Young Boys, Spurs are going for another away fixture (first of this season) in the Premier League, travelling to the Britannia Stadium against the Potters.

However, our squad is now facing a few injuries to key personnel, notably our strike quartet Defoe, Pavlyuchenko, Keane and our young Mexcian Dos Santos, leaving Crouch as our only fit forward. Also, our main central defender King may be doubtful for this game, along with Bentley.

Stoke at the moment only had key players Jones and Whelan doubtful.

From the looks of our available player list, the pressure to win the first game of the season, and with the upcoming return leg of the Champions League, this is going to be an uphill task.

Nevertheless, COYS!!!!!

Weekend Review - 21 Aug 2010

Fulham vs Manchester United

"By all accounts, credit to the evergreen duo of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes for controlling the game."

-Gary, 21 Aug 2010

The scoreline isnt doing justice to Newcastle United even though it was the first game of the season since promotion from Championship last season.

By all accounts, credit to the evergreen duo of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes for controlling the game. Man Utd seem to be playing with only 10 men as Wayne Rooney look short of confidence and was anonymous before been subbed by Javier Hernandez.

We will make a visit to Craven Cottage where Fulham make miracles to reach the Final of Europa League last season. Although Roy Hodgson have left for Liverpool, for some reason I do believe the successor, Mark Hughes will do a better job. Provided he dont lose Mark Schwarzer by 31 August.

On the transfer front, we are linked to Rafael van der Vaart. It will be nice to have him since we cant get Joe Cole seasons ago. Lucky we didnt get Joe Cole as he went to Liverpool for free this season and had a nightmare debut when he got sent off. This is what I got from Wikipedia when i search for van der Vaart: "Currently the Dutch Press are linking Van der Vaart to Premier League side Man Utd or a season long loan move to Yeovil Town." Ouch!

Fulham Team News: Paul Konchesky, Mark Schwarzer, Diomansy Kamara, Andy Johnson and Philippe Senderos are out.

Man Utd Team News: Owen Hargreaves, Rio Ferdinand, Anderson and Patrice Evra are out.

Odds and Analysis: Man Utd is giving 1 ball handicap. Take Man Utd for the win.

Disclaimer: This review is entirely on my own views and opinion. I didn’t point a gun at you to ask you to follow. If you want to bet on this game, do so at your own risk. Pls bet within limits. Good luck.

EPL Prediction League 2010/2011 Match Weekend 21-22 Aug 2010

EPL03: SAT 21/8 Birmingham vs Blackburn at 9:55pm SIN/HKT

EPL04: SUN 22/8 Newcastle vs Aston Villa at 7:30pm SIN/HKT

GAME ON!
Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
Submissions after kick-off will not be admissible. (Disqualification)

Blog Blackout
This Prediction League will be played here but if in the event this blog goes down, we will automatically carry on the league over to the personal blog of Voxeros at http://www.JayWalkOnline.com. Please bookmark this or at the very least stay in touch with one of us as we will also be helping all stay in the loop via the various channels like MSN, Skype, email as well as SPUG Off-Topic Chat.

Fixture Focus – Spurs (CL Qualifier, 17 Aug 2010)

  BSC Young Boys vs Tottenham Hotspur      

Spurs fans have waited since 5 May 2010 for this day and it has finally arrived.  We are travelling to Bern, Switzerland for our Champions League qualifier part uno!

BSC Young Boys despatched Fenebahce to get to this stage largely with the help of defender Emiliano Dudar keeping the goals away.  Coach Vladimir Petkovic is also set to field David Degen, twin brother of former Liverpool man Philipp, who has quite a bit of pace and his runs could test Assou-Ekotto.  Young Boys also have an Ivorian midfielder named Thierry Doubai who could be a force to deal with in midfield.

From what I’ve read, Spurs have been testing a 4-2-3-1 formation in pre-season which Redknapp will employ for away European matches.  This formation reeks of a counter attacking strategy which will see Spurs soak up pressure and then break quickly with Lennon, Modric and Bale leading the charge forward to a lone striker.  The other consideration is that the Wankdorf Stadium has a synthetic pitch so I do hope the players adjust to the speed and bounce of the ball.

I have been waiting for Champions League football and we are on the brink of the it.  This is unbelievably exciting!

COYSsss!!!

Results - Game 14 - 15 Aug 2010 EPL Prediction League 2010/2011

Welcome back to another season of the EPL Prediction League! Glad to see so many of you back for another season as we embarked on our 7th year!

Anyway, also happy to see teams like Wolves, Stoke and even Blackpool back in the top division. It is starting to look like the Division 1 from the 80s. I wonder if we'll ever see QPR, Ipswich, Luton, Swansea or maybe Brighton & Hove Albion back in the top tier?

One thing I like about having new faces in the Premier League is that they come with a fresh breath of air instead of the usual suspects that keep bobbing up and down between Premier League and League Championship.

With new faces comes new unpredictability as we see Blackpool opened with an astonishing 4-0 victory. How's that for a big surprise?

Back to the league table, congrats to Mr White for taking the initial pole as well as opening the Marksmen Board account together with KingMeng and myself.

If you have noticed, we have a new name on the table and I am talking about ollopA. He is actually an old bird in disguise. Welcome back Apollo!

Housekeeping Notes:

All of this season's tables will be kept in Flickr's photoset. Click Here.






EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) [ Not Yet! ]

Marksmen Board (Number of Exact Predictions)
1 Game - Mr. White, KingMeng, Voxeros


Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

Blogspot Blackout
The EPL Prediction League will be played here but if in the event Blogger/Blogspot servers go down, we will automatically carry on the league over to my personal blog at http://jaywalk.blog-city.com. Please bookmark this or at the very least stay in touch with one of us as we will also be helping all stay in the loop via the various channels like MSN, Skype, email as well as SPUG Off-Topic Chat.

Prediction League Past Winners

Copa America 2004 - WeiMeng
EPL 2004/2005 - Friday13
EPL 2005/2006 - ianrush
World Cup 2006 - EdwinSng
EPL 2006/2007 - Voxeros
EPL 2007/2008 - Cool402
Euro 2008 - Voxeros
EPL 2008/2009 - Everton
EPL 2009/2010 - ihawk98
World Cup 2010 - Raynaldo

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Weekend Review - 16 Aug 2010

Manchester United vs Newcastle United

"..is a dream start to the new season of the Barclays Premier League 2010/2011."

-Gary, 16 Aug 2010

Right, so we won the FA Community Shield over Chelsea 3-1 with new boy Javier Hernandez scoring on his debut. Look like his name will be mentioned over a few times this season.

And we kickoff our season with a visit from Newcastle United as the last match for this week. The weekend literally started with a dour 0-0 scoreline between Man City and Tottenham Hotspurs. But after that, is a dream start to the new season of the Barclays Premier League 2010/2011 where Aston Villa, Blackpool and Chelsea trashed West Ham, Wigan and West Brom respectively.

Chris Hughton had done remarkably well when he take over from Alan Shearer as Newcastle relegated 2 seasons ago, and bounced back to Premier League at the first time asking despite backroom management problems. So with the club back to Premier League, will Mike Ashley sell the club again?

Man Utd Team News: Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves(pls sell him) and Anderson are out.

Newcastle Team News: Tamas Kadar, Leon Best, Dan Gosling, Steven Taylor, Alan Smith(he still around?!), Danny Simpson are out.

Odds and Analysis: Man Utd is giving 1.75 handicap. Traditionally a slow starter, but after seeing Chelsea trash West Brom, i think Man Utd might clear the handicap with 2 clear goals, and allowing you to win half of the punt back. Expect to see Javier Hernandez name on the scoresheet.

Disclaimer: This review is entirely on my own views and opinion. I didn’t point a gun at you to ask you to follow. If you want to bet on this game, do so at your own risk. Pls bet within limits. Good luck.

Fixture Focus – Spurs (14 August 2010)

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City      

What a cracker of a match to begin the new season of Premier League football!

After the drama of last season’s match at the City of Manchester where Peter Crouch’s header brought all Spurs fans to tears of happiness, the rubber hits the road now and we have to show the world that we serious contenders for the Top 4 every season.

This City side is packed with new signings Yaya Toure, David Silva, Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov and will be ready to avenge the defeat in May 2010.  City’s away form is impressive as they are unbeaten in their last 6 away matches.

Spurs have an equally impressive home record being unbeaten in their last 6 home matches.  In contrast to the visitors summer spending spree, Tottenham have had a quiet summer and signed just one player, Brazilian midfielder Sandro. Some fun head to head facts courtesy of BBC Sports:

• Man City have lost to Tottenham more times than they have to any other club since the Premier League's inception (19).
• Spurs have beaten Manchester City in 11 out of their last 12 matches in the league - City's only victory came at home in March 2008.
• Eight of the last 11 Premier League matches between the sides have ended 2-1.

With that said, this promises to be an excellent curtain raiser for both teams and I am cautiously optimistic that Spurs will come out of the gates running like last season against Liverpool!

COYS!

EPL Prediction League 2010/2011 Match Weekend 14-15 August 2010

Welcome back to another exciting season of the EPL Prediction League!  The first two fixtures are firecrackers with Top 4 contenders all vying to get out of the gates running.  So here we go!

EPL01: SAT 14/8 Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City at 7:45pm SIN/HKT

EPL02: SUN 15/8 Liverpool vs Arsenal at 11:00pm SIN/HKT

GAME ON!
Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
Submissions after kick-off will not be admissible. (Disqualification)

Blogger/Blogspot Blackout
This Prediction League will be played here but if in the event Blogger/Blogspot servers go down, we will automatically carry on the league over to the personal blog of Voxeros at http://jaywalk.blog-city.com. Please bookmark this or at the very least stay in touch with one of us as we will also be helping all stay in the loop via the various channels like MSN, Skype, email as well as SPUG Off-Topic Chat.

Weekend Review - 8 Aug 2010

Manchester United vs Chelsea

"A warm welcome to the new season of English Premier League 2010/2011."

-Gary, 8 Aug 2010

A warm welcome to the new season of English Premier League 2010/2011. We had 3 months of cold turkey despite having a World Cup tournament during the off season. The new season is just one week away but it has been eerily quiet on the transfer market and major news that affect English Premier League. Perhaps we have to watch on the last day of transfer market which is 31 Aug.

Man City is the only team to make waves in the transfer market, that they can form 3 to 4 teams. However a new rule imposed this season that only 25 players are allowed to play in the league. That rule could force Man City to sell or loan out players to other teams.

Liverpool has a new manager at the helm and its none other than Roy Hodgson. He did miracles at Fulham last season where they were the losing finalists of the Europa League. And now the board is expecting him to do the same to Liverpool as they enter Europa League this season, for finishing seventh last season.

And at the same time, we welcome Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool back to the Premier League.

As this match is a curtain raiser for the Premier League, I dont think I will predict the outcome. And at the same time, we are running the Prediction League this coming week. Stay tuned!