Blasphemy! Seven clubs lock horns for the title after sir Alex Ferguson's retirement!

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Strolla said:
I've not got any idea for individual match tweets... but perhaps after the group stage, the club pundits do a recap of every game in the group stage, analyzing the home and away performances against each side before moving onto the next one, and then a brief overview of their next opponents. Then just individual articles after the knockout stage games. Would that work?
Click to expand...

I'll think about it for next season along other minor tweaks, is there anything else you (or anyone else) would like to suggest about the layout?
 

Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2015/16 Premier League season! It seems the race will be as tight as ever this time around and as we all know it is those direct 6-pointer clashes that play a decisive part in deciding who will fly and who will fall. For this reason we will be focusing solely on those giant games in Match of the Day. Stay with us as Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer aid me on analyzing the key aspects of what happened and why it happened for you!

Arsenal - Chelsea
1-2
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Gary Lineker: Chelsea made the short trip across London to the Emirates knowing they simply couldn't afford another title contender derby defeat after losing to Newcastle in the previous round. The Gunners were in crying need of points for their own reasons - top four ambitions were already dead and buried for them but a charge for Europe was still possible. The Blues were perhaps the better side and it showed when Neymar gave them the lead in the first half. Mangala saw a direct red card just before half time though and it gave Arsenal a lifeline. The hosts wasted little time to make numbers matter and Wanyama equalized just after the hour mark. There was a late drama to deny Arsenal any points though when the referee awarded a penalty kick for the visitors with ten minutes to go and Fabregas scored from the spot to secure a very valuable win for Chelsea.
Alan Hansen: Chelsea were in control up until that stupid red card. It was a strange thing for Mangala to do considering the hosts were way more physical about their play and got no less than five bookings - but I guess the Chelsea defender lost his nerve and it could have cost his team a lot. Once they had the numerical advantage, Arsenal became more threatening and worked hard for the Wanyama goal. It was a game of stupid mistake after stupid mistake though and the Gunners couldn't but return the favor by gifting a completely unnecessary penalty near the end when it was looking like they could go on and win the game. Chelsea wouldn't mind - they know it was a match they could have walked out of empty handed.
Alan Shearer: Wanyama was special for Arsenal, not just because of the goal - he completely bossed the midfield and - believe it or not - was the most threatening home player in terms of goalscoring opportunities. Sadly he received little support from Ramsey. Nkoulou and Pique were poor in defense, especially the latter, who made the costly mistake that lead to the penalty. Fabregas was great for Chelsea, creating the first goal and then scoring the penalty - but it was PoM for Neymar, who scored the opener and earned the penalty.
Gary Lineker: Massive result for Chelsea which allows them to move within three points of the top! Arsenal are still in the top half of the table, but they are now some 20 points off the top four - and that's twice more than what separates them from the bottom three!
 

Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2015/16 Premier League season! It seems the race will be as tight as ever this time around and as we all know it is those direct 6-pointer clashes that play a decisive part in deciding who will fly and who will fall. For this reason we will be focusing solely on those giant games in Match of the Day. Stay with us as Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer aid me on analyzing the key aspects of what happened and why it happened for you!

Manchester City - Newcastle
3-1
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Gary Lineker: The Etihad was buzzing in anticipation of defending champions Newcastle, hopeful of vengeance after the Citizens lost the corresponding fixture earlier in the season. The prize of victory for the home team was even sweeter though - cutting the gap to the top to just three points. The Magpies arrived in Manchester in good shape and brimming with confidence after just beating top contenders Chelsea on home turf. It quickly became evident they would not have the same kind of walk in the park against Man City though - Ronaldo and Modric materialized a dominating start for the hosts to carve a very early two-goal lead and the Magpies were in deep trouble. They pulled one back after the break but just as they were pushing for an equalizer Jovetic killed them off with a third to seal a spectacular win for the Citizens!
Alan Hansen: I thought the Magpies were caught off-guard by that energetic, determined start from the hosts and before they could shake it off and get into the game, the visitors were already in all kinds of trouble, trailing two goals. It was a different game from that point on and I must say the champions aren't very experienced in that type of challenge. Man City looked to hold the ball as much as possible without necessarily threatening while Newcastle were counting on pace and quick passing to counter when they managed to steal the ball. What baffled me was the lack of aggression in the visitors, especially considering they were chasing the game. Not only did they not pick a card, they committed just six fouls for the entire 90 minutes! They did put their only clear-cut chance away but it wasn't enough and I'd say we just saw the first truly poor game Newcastle played for a very long while!
Alan Shearer: No Newcastle players impressed me but I can say Krul was very error-prone in goal for them. Debuchy also disappointed and Grimm was out of his depth at such a high-profile game. Neuer and Lahm were great for City, but Pedro pulled the show, orchestrating two of the goals and picking up the PoM award.
Gary Lineker: This will be a game we will look back to when the season is over and analyze as one of the key moments. Newcastle missed on a great chance to run away and now there are three teams sniffing in their backs - the Citizens just one of them. It only underlines how competitive this league is!
 
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December Watch

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Premier League Table

The Contenders:

​
Newcastle (1st; 50pts; +40) - the Magpies racked up 16 points this month which allows them to meet the New Year topping the table - but their lead has been cut to just three points!
Player of the month: Kurt Zouma 8.02
2 Current first team injuries:
Gino Peruzzi - 5-10 days (back strain)
Hatem Ben Arfa - 6-12 days (sprained ankle)

Manchester United (2nd; 47pts; +33) - the Red Devils picked up 21 points this month and managed to overcome their city rivals by goal difference to become the contender sitting closest to Newcastle on New Year!
Player of the month: Paul Pogba 7.86
1 Current first team injury:
Nani - 2 months (torn calf muscle)

Manchester City (3rd; 47pts; +32) - the Citizens picked up 21 points this month which strangely is not enough to climb the table but they are within touching distance from the very top!
Player of the month: Pedro 7.82
2 Current first team injuries:
Yaya Toure - 2-3 weeks (twisted ankle)
Mario Gotze - 2-3 weeks (twisted ankle)

Chelsea (4th; 47pts; +29) - the Blues picked up 18 points this month and will be happy even though they slided two positions down as they are just 3 points off first place.
Player of the month: Neymar 8.12
0 Current first team injuries.

Tottenham (5th; 35pts; +15) - Spurs picked up 12 points this month which sees them maintain their position in the table but a challenge for Champions League qualification looks less and less likely.
Player of the month: Diego Costa 7.48
0 Current first team injuries.

Arsenal (8th; 27pts; +7) - the Gunners picked up 11 points this month and continued steadily climbing the table - perhaps too steadily for their fans though as Europa League qualification is the best they could hope for this season, despite their game in hand.
Player of the month: Stephan El Shaarawy 7.46
4 Current first team injuries:
Mattia De Sciglio - 6-12 days (hip injury)
Bacary Sagna - 2-3 weeks (sprained ankle)
Mesut Ozil - 2-3 weeks (pulled hamstring)
Joel Campbell - 3 weeks (fractured ribs)

Other teams to watch:​

Stoke (6th) - the Potters appear to be the most likely challenger for Europa League qualification outside the predicted top dogs.

Fulham (7th) - the Cottagers also have a chance to break in Europe but they are lagging slightly behind at the moment.

Liverpool (12th) - the promoted club climbed 2 positions in the table this month and sit a comfortable 7 points above relegation zone.

Blackburn (13th) - the promoted club slided one position in the table this month but sit 7 points above the bottom three.

Leeds, Crystal Palace and Cardiff occupy the bottom three - but any of them could get out in the next round if results go their way.

December Player of the Month:
Neymar (Chelsea)
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December Young Player of the Month:
John Stones (Blackburn)
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December Manager of the Month:
David Moyes (Manchester United)
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Leading Goalscorers:
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World Annual Awards​

2015 World Golden Ball:
Lionel Messi (Manchester City)
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2015 World Player of the Year:
Neymar (Chelsea)
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2015 European Golden Boy:
Memphis Depay (Newcastle)
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2015 World Team of the Year:
GK. Manuel Neuer (Manchester City)​
DR. Philipp Lahm (Manchester City)
DL. David Alaba (Manchester City)
DC. Raphael Varane (Newcastle)
DC. Mats Hummels (Barcelona)​
MC. Luka Modric (Manchester City)
MC. Toni Kroos (FC Bayern)
AMR. Lionel Messi (Manchester City)​
AML. Neymar (Chelsea)
AMC. Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
ST. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester City)
View attachment 412718​
 
hi kev
just read first 28 pages ( straight ) what a fab read
hope you're not thinking off giving up this story
but as i see i have lots of page's still to read you are soldiering on
great work now back to story
cheers
 
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Chelsea raid Barcelona for German defender
-
By Ray Wilkins | Last Updated: January 1, 2016 9:38am
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Hummels looking forward to working with Mourinho
Hummels signing further reinforces strong Chelsea defense, says Ray Wilkins.

Chelsea have announced the signing of Barcelona center back Mats Hummels (27) for a massive 40.0 million pounds fee. The Germany international follows the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas and Neymar to become the third player taking the trip from Nou Camp to Stamford Bridge this season. Mats spent 18 months in Spain but failed to adapt as his tremendous form from Germany dropped significantly.

View attachment 412383
Hummels agrees to join Chelsea
​

This transfer probably means Jose Mourinho will let one of his central defenders leave the club in this window as there are now five competing for two positions and it is unlikely all of them will feature between now and the end of the season.

Mats Hummels transfer verdict: 9.5/10 - incredibly solid defender who would love to work under Mourinho and will further improve an already strong Chelsea defensive line.
 
English Title Contenders Cup Watch
​
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Third Round

Saturday 2nd January 2016:

Carlisle - Manchester City 0-4
Ronaldo (29, 38), Aguero (55), Nasri (65)​
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Manchester United - Scunthorpe 5-0​
Rooney (12, 33, 80), Bale (54, 85)
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​
Northampton - Arsenal 0-4
​
Zivkovic (27), Walcott (37), Zelalem (39), Cavani (89)​
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Newcastle - Middlesbrough 9-0​
Depay (17, 25, 61), Salvio (23, 38), Cabaye (65), Santon (78), Hines o.g. (80), Donovan (pen 87)
​
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Sunday 3rd January 2016:

Norwich - Tottenham 0-3
Higuain (13), Balotelli (34, 58)​
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Monday 4th January 2016:​

Watford - Chelsea 1-5
Higdon (1); Neymar (6, 45), Caulker (33), Falcao (36, 68)​
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English Title Contenders Cup Watch
​
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Fourth Round Draw

Newcastle - Everton
Chelsea - Manchester City
Manchester United - West Brom
Arsenal - Cardiff
Blackpool - Tottenham​
 
KevinHann said:
Newcastle - Manchester City 5-0
Remy (40), Januzaj (43), Lamela (48, 52, 75)​
Click to expand...

What a game!! The Capital One Cup is proving to our best competition - whatever happens in the second leg we should be through to the final!
 
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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Tony

BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season.

​
This week he takes on British Labour Party politician and Newcastle fan Tony Blair, who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. On the day Blair resigned as Prime Minister, he was appointed the official Envoy of the Quartet of the Middle East. In May 2008, Blair launched his Tony Blair Faith Foundation which drew criticism from media and various academic and religious circles.

View attachment 412353
Lawro vs Newcastle fan Tony Blair

​
A correct result is worth ONE point. A correct score earns THREE points.

Newcastle - Fulham
Tony Blair: I expect goals galore and us to win this game. 5-1.
Mark Lawrenson: I also don't think the Magpies will have trouble versus Fulham - 3-0.

Tottenham - Southampton
Tony Blair: Spurs should be able to win this. 3-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I'll go with a surprise draw here, these two are pretty close. 1-1.

Stoke - Arsenal
Tony Blair: I'll go with a draw in this one, 2-2.
Mark Lawrenson: Can't see how Arsenal will miss to take three points in this one. 0-2.

Manchester United - Leeds
Tony Blair: This is a big derby and I can see it ending without a winner. 1-1.
Mark Lawrenson: I don't think Leeds are what they were and the Rose derby won't be much of a derby this time. 3-0.

Chelsea - Manchester City
Tony Blair: That's a big game, too and I think it will be a draw. 0-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I will back the hosts for a win in a close match. 2-1.

Last week, Lawro got two results right, with no perfect scores. His score of 2 was not good enough to match the predictions of Chelsea fan sir Michael Caine, who scored 3, managing three correct results with no perfect scores.

Total scores after Week Twenty
Lawro: 84
Guests: 70
 
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Premier League
Round 21

Saturday 9th January 2016:

Tottenham - Southampton 3-0​
Higuain (24, 49), Andre Ayew (47)
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Newcastle - Fulham 3-0
Salvio (5), Donovan (34), Depay (51)
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Stoke - Arsenal 1-2
Emanuelson (33); El Shaarawy (23), Candreva (42)
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Sunday 10th January 2016:

Manchester United - Leeds 2-1
Alba (11), Bale (34); Knowles (83)​
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Chelsea - Manchester City 0-0
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League Table:

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Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2015/16 Premier League season! It seems the race will be as tight as ever this time around and as we all know it is those direct 6-pointer clashes that play a decisive part in deciding who will fly and who will fall. For this reason we will be focusing solely on those giant games in Match of the Day. Stay with us as Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer aid me on analyzing the key aspects of what happened and why it happened for you!

Chelsea - Manchester City
0-0
View attachment 412325​

Gary Lineker: Chelsea geared up for one of the biggest games left on the fixture list as Manchester City were about to arrive at Stamford Bridge. Both sides were looking to stay within three points off the top but neither was too willing to take risks and end up empty-handed. This resulted in a goalless draw which somewhat disappointed the audience.
Alan Hansen: Chelsea were calling the shots in this encounter and they made sure they wouldn't concede, everything else a bonus. It was strange watching two sides so full of attacking talent fire so many blanks but defenses prevailed. I'd say Mourinho won the tactical duel with Klopp here but it can't be a victory if you don't score. The Blues had more possession, they had more opportunities but the usual strategy of "lock up the door and our quality up front will secure the points" backfired as all chances were missed.
Alan Shearer: David Luiz picked up the PoM award for Chelsea but Falcao was disappointing. Kompany and Thiago Silva were great for the Citizens and handled everything thrown their way - even though the captain had to come off with injury at the end. Aguero was particularly ineffective and forced Klopp to take him off at half time.
Gary Lineker: I couldn't say this result satisfied either team as they lost ground on Newcastle and Manchester United but a point is better than none and with derbies like this one it's always better to have something in the bag come the final whistle.
 
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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Dido

BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season.

​
This week he takes on British singer-songwriter and Arsenal fan Dido. Dido attained international success with her debut album No Angel which sold 21 million copies worldwide and won various awards. Dido's first two albums are among the best selling albums in UK Chart history. She was nominated for an Academy Award for the song "If I Rise". Dido was ranked No. 98 on the Billboard chart of the top 200 artists in the 2000s.

View attachment 412317
Lawro vs Arsenal fan Dido

​
A correct result is worth ONE point. A correct score earns THREE points.

Newcastle - Manchester United
Dido: I feel this one will be way too even and none of them will want to lose so I'll go with a draw, 1-1.
Mark Lawrenson: the Magpies always play it brave and I can't see them going for a draw, the question is whether the Red Devils will exploit that or crumble and I'll got for the former - 1-2.

Chelsea - Liverpool
Dido: This used to be a big game but not now with Liverpool just promoted. 2-0.
Mark Lawrenson: I'll also side with the Blues for this one, 3-1.

Manchester City - Arsenal
Dido: I'd love us to win this but I can't see it happening at the Etihad so I'll settle with a point. 2-2.
Mark Lawrenson: The only result I can predict here is a home win. 2-1.

Tottenham - Fulham
Dido: Very even London derby again, I'll go with a draw. 1-1.
Mark Lawrenson: I think Spurs will have the upper hand even though the Cottagers are tough opposition - 2-1.

Last week, Lawro got three results right, with one perfect score. His score of 5 was not good enough to match the predictions of Newcastle fan Tony Blair, who scored 7, managing three correct results with two perfect scores.

Total scores after Week Twenty One
Lawro: 89
Guests: 77
 
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Premier League
Round 22

Wednesday 13th January 2016:​

Newcastle - Manchester United 2-4
​
Alvarez Balanta (31), Hughes (46); van Persie (47), Pogba (51), Kagawa (58), Jones (60)​
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Chelsea - Liverpool 3-0​
Falcao (pen 34, 69), Wiillian (84)
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Manchester City - Arsenal 2-0
Messi (24), Modric (68)​
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Tottenham - Fulham 2-1
Benzema (3), Higuain (33); Rhodes (73)​
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League Table:

​
View attachment 412295​
 

Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2015/16 Premier League season! It seems the race will be as tight as ever this time around and as we all know it is those direct 6-pointer clashes that play a decisive part in deciding who will fly and who will fall. For this reason we will be focusing solely on those giant games in Match of the Day. Stay with us as Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer aid me on analyzing the key aspects of what happened and why it happened for you!

Manchester City - Arsenal
2-0
View attachment 412286​

Gary Lineker: The Etihad anticipated misfiring Gunners full of hope the Citizens would show something better than the goalless performance against Chelsea in the previous round. They needed a win to take advantage of the two teams above them meeting each other. Arsenal were in a much lower spirit as their crippling campaign could only offer hope of Europa League qualification but any points would have been welcome in that quest. It wasn't to be though as goals in each half from Messi and Modric gave Man City a much needed win.
Alan Hansen: There was only one team on the pitch and it wasn't Arsenal. The Gunners fielded the same formation but lack of confidence and much inferior quality limited them to desperate defense and the home crowd will be left wondering how the Citizens only scored two. I can't give much credit to Klopp for this and instead I'll focus on Wenger - suggestions his time at Arsenal is close to an end are piling up and he isn't producing enough to disperse them.
Alan Shearer: Despite this terrible performance I'd like to point out Ben Davies from the visitors - he was the only player who kept trying for Arsenal. Luka Modric got the PoM award for creating the first and scoring the second goal, he is certainly having a great season. The Citizens were awfully unlucky with various knocks during the course of the game though, both their central defenders were harmed and Aguero even had to come off.
Gary Lineker: This win is a massive boost for Man City's title hopes - they are now just two points off the top and believe me when I say it is real tight up there at the moment!
 

Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2015/16 Premier League season! It seems the race will be as tight as ever this time around and as we all know it is those direct 6-pointer clashes that play a decisive part in deciding who will fly and who will fall. For this reason we will be focusing solely on those giant games in Match of the Day. Stay with us as Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer aid me on analyzing the key aspects of what happened and why it happened for you!

Newcastle - Manchester United
2-4
View attachment 412252​

Gary Lineker: Newcastle entertained Manchester United in a clash they simply couldn't afford to lose. The Red Devils arrived at Saint James' Park knowing a win would put them on equal points with the Magpies. It didn't seem like that would be possible though as the hosts got the first goal with a powerful Avlarez Balanta header in the first half and Will Hughes added a second just after the break. What followed was a spectacular collapse - Man United pulled level in just four minutes with van Persie and Pogba goals, before Kagawa and Phil Jones added two more before the hour mark had even passed! There were no more goals until the end and the unthinkable happened - the champions lost at home!
Alan Hansen: I won't be the only one left baffled by those mad 13 minutes in the second half - let me add that Salvio missed a penalty for Newcastle when the score was 2-2. Every once in a while football will show you how unpredictable game it is and this was one of those moments. I couldn't see the Red Devils get back in the match but they did despite being outpowered and outplayed for the majority of the game.
Alan Shearer: I thought Alex Sandro was terrible at left back for Newcastle, he was literally destroyed. Lamela and Suarez also need to take responsibility for their poor performance up front, you can't afford to miss that many clear-cut chances in a game like that! Marquinhos was good for the Magpies though and Hughes really impressed me, scoring one of the goals and creating the other one for the home team. Wayne Rooney picked up the PoM award for assisting no less than three times, but sadly he limped off with an injury in the end. Pogba was also great for Man United.
Gary Lineker: This unexpected win puts Man United in with a shout for the title even though the Magpies remain top on merit of goal difference. Man City and Chelsea have also edged closer and the top four is packed up within just two points!
 
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