Chelsea's deadline day madness.

Chelsea were the team that came out on top of the January Transfers, Chelsea signed two top class players on D-Day (Deadline day) David Luiz who is highly rated and the world-class Fernando Torres. Chelsea now look the strongest team attacking wise with either Torres - Anelka or Torres - Drogba could that be the deadliest strike-force on the planet?.
Could this be Torres's big break he needed, only time will tell.

FA Cup 5th round draw named.

The FA Cup 5th round was drawn today and a few easy wins could be on the board for the top teams, the draw is as follows.

Fulham v Wigan/Bolton

Man Utd v Crawley

Everton/Chelsea v Reading

Leyton Orient v Arsenal

Birmingham v Sheffield Wedensday

Stoke City v Brighton

Notts County/Man City v Aston Villa

West Ham v Burnley

My favourites to win the games are Fulham then they will beat Bolton, Man Utd, as a life time follower of Reading I have to say them against Chelsea who will beat Everton, Arsenal, Birmingham, Brighton, Man City then Man City will beat Aston Villa and finally Burnley.

Man Utd get lucky again.

It looks like Man U have got another lucky draw in the FA Cup after qualifying by beating Southampton 2-1 to find out they got Crawley town must be a relief staying away from Chelsea or Arsenal untill the later stages.

Rare Matchday Programme nets £220

A rare football Matchday programme went on sale at auction in Glasgow.

The programme originally cost ONE SHILLING but sold at McTear's Auctioneers in Glasgow for £220.

The rare programme - from the Scotland v England match at Wembley in 1967  - was dubbed the "World Champions" Programme - after Scotland's famous 3-2 win.

This led to Scotland being crowned "Unofficial World Champions" as it happened soon after England's 1966 World Cup Final win against West Germany at Wembley.

This was the match in which Jim Baxter did the "keepie uppie" display.

It's always good to read about Football memorabilia ibeing sold for huge amounts of money but this sale was £220 which was a huge amount in its own right considering what is was originally priced at on matchday.

Torres sparks war!

Folowing the latest on the January transfer news, Chelsea made a bid of between 35-40 million for Fernado Torres of Liverpool which of course was rejected by Kenny Daglish and his board. Then later on in the day Torres confirmed he will play out his contract but wants a move from Liverpool which not a single Liverpool fan or member of staff is happy about. Chelsea are in top spot for the 26 year old Spainsih striker who could be back to form netting 4 in 3 games.
This news has sent Liverpool fans mad.

Blackpool Become Second Victims of E20

And I don't mean the cast of EastEnders...

Blackpool have become the latest victims of a fine from the Premier League for breaching rule E.20, which states: ‘In every league match each participating club should field a full-strength team.’ Ian Holloway made ten changes to his side for their game against Aston Villa earlier this season, but the Tangerines came within a minute of earning a point from the tricky away fixture. So why exactly are Blackpool being punished?

The Seasiders aren’t the first club to fall foul of rule E20. Last season, Wolves made ten changes for their game at Old Trafford with manager Mick McCarthy admitting even his first choice team would stand little chance of picking up points at Old Trafford. Wolves put in a decent performance on the night but were unsurprisingly beaten, and were fined £25,000 by the Premier League.

Premier League Title Race - Credentials of the top 5

The Premier League sits out this weekend as the FA Cup takes centre stage, so it's a good time to assess the title race - and the credentials of each of the five contenders.

Arsenal

Reasons to be optimistic

Arsenal sit 2nd in the Premier League, remain in both the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, and are through to the final of the Carling Cup. The latter may be seen as the least important of the bunch but the significance of winning the Carling Cup shouldn’t be underestimated. Lifting any trophy breeds confidence, something which is crucial heading into the Premier League title run-in. Their convincing victory over Chelsea was vital in proving they can beat the top sides - something often thrown at them by critics. The return of Robin van Persie and the form of Samir Nasri are other positives for Arsene Wenger’s side who remain Manchester United’s closest challengers.

Causes for concern
Defensively, Arsenal still have problems. They lack a leader in their back four - a John Terry or a Nemanja Vidic figure. Thomas Vermaelen’s return from injury will be a boost but both Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci have struggled to adapt to the Premier League, and the North London side look vulnerable when defending set pieces. Recent seasons have seen Arsenal involved in the title race but drift away as the season enters into late March/April, but Arsene Wenger will hope his side, now with more experience, can last the full season and pip their rivals to what would be their 4th Premier League title.

What do they need?
Wenger will be pleased with the depth of his squad, but may want to pick up a centre half before the January transfer window shuts. The goalkeeping area has also been subject to debate but Wojciech Szczesny has impressed in recent weeks and has probably done enough to ease Wenger’s concerns.

Premier League prediction
2nd - Having already played Chelsea and Manchester City twice, the Gunners’ only two games left against their title rivals are at home to Manchester United and away to Tottenham. Despite this, I predict that they’ll come up just short, but 2nd would reflect a decent season for Arsenal, especially if they can add a trophy or two.

Manchester City - Too Cautious?

Second in the Premier League, unbeaten in 7 and closer to the Premier League title than they have ever been in the entirety of their existence. Manchester City’s future certainly looks bright. But their performances against Manchester United, earlier in the season, and Arsenal, more recently, do leave question marks over their title credentials this season.

Of course, I have to acknowledge that City managed a draw in both fixtures mentioned, not bad results by any means against other title rivals. But in both games, City were extremely defensive, never really looking likely to score and instead looking to keep their opponents out. Some may argue the ends justify the means, but I disagree.

You will never see Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, or even Tottenham Hotspur, play with that style. Ferguson, Wenger, Ancelotti and Redknapp go into every game sending their team out to win, whether it’s at home to Wigan or away at one of their fellow title challengers. Manchester United’s recent trip to Tottenham is a perfect example - both teams going all out for the victory, and even Rafael’s dismissal didn’t stop United pushing forward when the opportunity arose. United’s record at Stamford Bridge is awful in recent years, but you can guarantee come March 1st there’ll be no signs of holding out for a draw when the two sides meet. It is the mentality of the manager and the mentality of the players - and that is where I believe City will come up short.