English Premier League Preview: Matchday 2 of the 2011-12 EPL Season

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

(Bleacher Report)The second full weekend of matches in the new English Premier League season is already quickly approaching.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal were all held to disappointing draws by Sunderland, Stoke City and Newcastle United. Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City got a not so warm welcome to the EPL, while Norwich City held their own against Wigan, showing their intent to fight for the 17th spot this season to stay up.

Manchester United have suffered an injury crisis for the time being as both of their star center-half's went down in the second half of their season opener against West Bromwich Albion. Sir Alex is expected to name his two young stars in the squad and their time to prove their worth may be coming sooner than believed.

Arsenal have a lot of questions to answer and they now have at least part of the cash required to give their fans and followers something. The sale of Cesc Fabregas has been a heated topic, but honestly, now that he has left it should allow many to just breath a sigh of relief and move on.

With so much drama already unfolding in the league I cannot wait to see what all happens this coming weekend.

So here we go with this weeks English Premier League Match Previews for Matchday Two of 2011-12......CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW.

You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my personal WebSite

Premier League Bad Boys: Predicting the Top 7 Clubs to Get Red Carded in 2011-12

Thats it, once more and you are done sir!
Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

(Bleacher Report)The sending off of players is always a hot topic the English Premier League as it is the most physical league in the world according to many different sources.

Pace, aggression and passion are the fuel to the fire of the English game and it is no secret that the physicality of the English leagues as a whole make them the most watched of any league in the world as a whole collective.

Referees like Phil Dowd pictured above hold games in the balance as their decisions are made on the spot and have the ability to change games and alter teams seasons based on a split second of brilliance or negligence.

Taking that into consideration and looking at the results from last seasons disciplinary records I have compiled a list of the top seven clubs that will most likely see Red during the season......CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW.

You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my personal WebSite

Everton Most Recent Club to Join Loan-Star Race for Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge

Raf Sanchez/Getty Images

(Bleacher Report)David Moyes and the Toffees have been lacking a true striking partnership for what seems like forever. Forward after forward rotates through but seems to not have what it takes to truly be consistent. Luckily for Moyes he has eight pretty great players always behind the front line that usually are enough to make up for the lack of a decent attack all the time.

This season he could be on the lookout for a different kind of solution to the problem. In the past he has bought and sold players but now he seems more intent on a different approach.

With limited funds having hampered any real moves for the blue side of Merseyside, unlike their rival neighbors at Anfield where the Liverpool Reds have splashed out over 100 million since January, the Toffees are a bit more economical.

So economical in fact that rather than buy his players, the shrewd Scottish manager is looking to tap into the loads of youthful talent spread throughout the league.

Daniel Sturridge looks to be his primary focus at the moment as he believes the combination of the young Chelsea player that was sensational on loan at Bolton Wanderers last season, could create a deadly front line attack with young Jermaine Beckford.

A young partnership in the English Premier League for Everton could be a blessing or a curse as the youthful vigor and cockiness could lead them to astonishing results, while their inexperience could be their downfall.

You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my personal WebSite

Power Ranking the Past 50 English League Champions 1961-2010

The Teams of Old Square off against the Teams of Yesterday

by Thomas Atzenhoffer on The Bleacher Report
April 17, 2011

Alex Livesey/Getty Image

The Past 50 years of England's top flight, whether it was the English Premier League since 1993 or the years prior as the English League, have captivated audiences worldwide. Arguably the most powerful league in the world, it has seen some of the greatest highlights, triumphs, defeats and tragedies in the world of Football.

In order to rank the top 50 teams to win the league over the years of 1961 to 2010, I had to devise a way to rank them without any form of bias. So in doing that, I developed a formula to do so. The formula also had to be able to take into account the changes in the league throughout those 50 years.

The first part of the formula is made up of three numbers. I add the number of points the team had when they won and then add the team's goal differential and the number of points they one the league by.

The second part is made up of bonus points. These are awarded for additional silver ware. 20 points for a Champions League, 15 Points for a UEFA Cup or Europa League, 12 Points for FA Cup, 10 Points for a League Cup, eight points for a Community Shield and some teams from the 21 and 20 team leagues have three to six bonus points added because of not having as many games as teams in the past.

The main changes that had to be addressed were the change over from 22 teams and 42 games down to 20 teams and 38 games during 1986-87 (21 teams) and 1987-88 (20 teams). To do so, I added two wins or six points to the end total

The other main challenge was to align the teams with the same level of points totals. Until 1981, teams earned two points for a win and one point for a draw. After that time, teams were awarded three points for a win. So to keep stats as close to possible to uniform, all teams had their records held to today’s standard. This means the point totals that will be shown are based on today’s scale and will be different than necessarily what they were at the time of winning.

The other main challenge was to align the teams with the same level of point totals. Until the 1981-1982 season, teams earned two points for a win and one point for a draw. After that time, teams were awarded three points for a win. So to keep stats as close to possible to uniform, all teams had their records held to today's standard. This means that the point totals shown will be based on today's scales and will be different than necessarily what they were at the time of winning.

So without further delay, let's get started with a head butt in the right direction courtesy from a current Championship side.....CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND START THE SLIDESHOW

FA Cup Quarter Final Match Preview - Manchester City vs. Reading

Article first published as FA Cup Quarter Final Match Preview: Manchester City vs. Reading on Technorati.
The Citizens are Slipping in all competitions as of late, but Reading are on a roll.

by Rhydon Atzenhoffer
March 11, 2011

Manchester City vs Reading

Long Is On Fire for Reading this Season

Possibly the least interesting of the four fixtures on the docket this weekend comes between the Citizens and the Royals. However, that very belief that it wont be to hotly contested is all the more reason to believe that it just might be. The Royals are on a 7 game unbeaten run including their victory over Everton in the last round of the FA Cup and are also charging for the promotional playoff spots in the Championship.

Manchester City are still surviving in the Europa League but suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Andriy Shevchenko's Dynamo Kiev yesterday. Their recent league form has seen them struggling for consistency as they chase Manchester United who is looking shaky in the lead ahead of City and Arsenal.

With the Citizens primarily still looking to hunt for the premiership and secure Champions League Football next season I look for them to field a weaker team to race the last remaining Championship side in belief that they will be roll-over opponents. Carlos Tevez will need to push his team mates to get a result.

No More Snood for Tevez as his boys are Slipping

However, I believe Reading will take it to Manchester City as they have truly nothing to loose and everything to gain in their hunt for a Cup. Claiming another Premiership teams scalp would only fuel their players to push harder to get back into the top flight and to poach a piece of Silverware from the grasp of seven Premiership clubs would be a magnificent accomplishment.

Manchester City I think will expect to win and field a lesser squad and Reading will take advantage of their great form of late. I expect Shane Long to lead the charge and give the Royals a 1-2 victory at the City of Manchester Stadium taking them back to the semi-finals for the first time since 1927.

Weekend Madness Preview in the English Premier League

Article first published as Weekend Madness Preview in the English Premier Leauge on Technorati.
Another Weekend that Could Give Ample Excitement to Top Last Weekend's Drama in the EPL

by Rhydon Atzenhoffer
February 10, 2011

Saha on Form for Everton

Could this weekend possibly top the excitement of last weekend in the Premier League. That would be hard to say, but it is possible. Last week we saw Manchester United, the only undefeated team left, fall to bottom of the table Wolves. Arsenal squandered a four goal lead to Newcastle United in the second half to suffer a shocking draw. Liverpool defeated Chelsea in a masterful display of tactical prowess from Kenny Dalglish to move the Reds to sixth place, and outside hopes of Champions League qualification. Louis Saha scored four goals for Everton as they defeated Blackpool 5-3.

Saturday saw 41 goals scored, the most in a single day of Premier League Football in history, with 2 more goals scored between the two games on Sunday. The drama thickened once again as the top sides nearly all faltered, and the entire table became even less spread. This has been one of the most evenly match Premiership's in recent memory with only nine points separating last place and 8th.

But there is no way this weekend has a chance of topping last weekend right? Wrong. The weekend starts off with the Manchester Derby, and goes from there into another weekend chock full of games that will see teams fighting tooth and nail for every point they can grab onto.

The Games

Manchester United vs Manchester City - The Manchester Derby

The first game of the weekend, and possibly to be one of the most exciting. Carlos Tevez and the Citizens go to Old Trafford to face off against his former club. The Red Devils have only been running in what looks like second gear this season as they have failed to truly take off. Is this the weekend we see Wayne Rooney finally come back to life, or will Tevez and new partner Edin Dzeko silence the Red side of Manchester?

Prediction: United 2 - City 3 - Tevez and Crew take it to his former club.

Arsenal vs Wolves

Can Doyle Top Arsenal Next

Arsenal was struck down to a draw last weekend after loosing a 0-4 lead at St. James Park. Newcastle stormed back to show everyone that the loss of Andy Carroll was not the end of time on the Toon. Wolves upset the only unbeaten team in the league in Manchester United last weekend, and now have a chance to upset another Top Four club to possibly climb out of the drop zone. Will the Gunners drop their guard like the Red Devils last week or will Arsene Wenger have a plan?

Prediction: Arsenal 2 - Wolves 1 - McCarthy's boys needed the home crowd advantage.

Birmingham vs Stoke City

St. Andrews plays host to a battle of mid table scrappers. The Blues came away with a 0-1 victory at Upton Park over West Ham, but it could have gone either way. The Potters gained ground on a faltering Sunderland thanks to their hard nosed never say die attitude. Can Tony Pulis keep them moving up the table and get them into eight, or will Birmingham move three more points towards safety?

Prediction: Birmingham 1 - Stoke 2 - The Potters play stingy defense allowing a solid victory.

Blackburn vs Newcastle

The Rovers suffered another set back as they fell relegation battling Wigan 4-3 while Newcastle showed their heart and soul in a comeback draw against Arsenal. Both teams sit level with 31 Points and only with a victory can Blackburn usurp Newcastle's hold on tenth place in the table for their own.

Prediction: Rovers 1 - Magpies 2 - Newcastle uses last weekend to inspire a second straight victory.

Blackpool vs Aston Villa

The Tangerines have been in a slump lately having fallen to 15th and just two points clear of the drop zone. Despite excellent efforts they just haven't been able to hold off the opposition. Aston Villa have been on a mission since the arrival of Darren Bent to lead the line. Despite a hard fought match against Fulham leading to a late scored equalizer, the Villains are starting to make more sense.

Prediction: Blackpool 2 - Villa 2 - Despite it all the Seasiders stave of another successive defeat.

Liverpool vs Wigan

Wigan pulled off a victory last weekend to keep their hopes alive of staying up. However, it was the Reds that managed the most impressive victory of the two with their tactically sound dismantling of Chelsea. Four straight victories and four straight clean sheets have the Reds pushing for a chance at Champions League action despite all the odds this season.

Prediction: Liverpool 3 - Wigan 0 - The Reds stay on a role achieving Five Straight under Dalglish.

West Brom vs West Ham

The Baggies and the Hammers face a must win for both teams. If the Baggies win they stay out of the drop for now, but a victory for the Hammers could see them move out of the relegation zone and put their opponents in it. Robbie Keane and Wayne Bridge need to start earning their keep if there is hope that the Hammers will survive to play premiership football in their newly appointed stadium some day.

Prediction: West Brom 1 - West Ham 2 - Keane makes it happen and Avram Grant finally gets to feel some pressure taken off his shoulders for at least five minutes till he realizes his next game is against surging Liverpool

Sunderland vs Tottenham Hotspur

Steve Bruce has been reeling in the two recent defeats of his squad as he has seen Chelsea and Stoke City take two straight from his side in the previous week. He is still holding onto seventh and a chance to see his Black Cats play across the Chanel in the Europa League despite the recent poor form. Harry Redknapp's Spurs grabbed a late winner over Bolton to stay level with Chelsea at 44 points and hold off Liverpool who are knocking at their door even though six points back.

Prediction: Sunderland 2 - Tottenham 2 - The Stadium of Light does the home team well and they hold off Gareth Bale and company to secure they hold their place one more week at least.

Bolton vs Everton

The Wanderers suffered a late loss to Tottenham thanks to Niko Kranjcar last weekend, however Daniel Sturridge gave a fine showing in his first appearance on loan from Chelsea. Owen Coyle has a knack for getting the most out of loaned in youngsters. Remember Jack Wilshere last season? David Moyes has been praising the recent contribution of believed post prime Louis Saha whom netted four goals last week and five in his last two.

Prediction: Bolton 3 - Everton 2 - The Wanderers find their lost form and edge past the Toffees at the Reebok to stay in eighth in the table.

Fulham vs Chelsea - Another West London Derby

Can Chelsea Get it Right?

After their disappointing loss to Liverpool, and the failure of Fernando Torres to make a sound contribution in his debut, the Blues will have to go back to the drawing board. Their narrow play was just not enough to break down anything at the weekend. Clint Dempsey continues to lead Fulham and their resurgence as Mark Hughes has them finally turning the corner. A little faith in their new manager has seen promise as his tactics are beginning to take hold.

Prediction: Fulham 2 - Chelsea 1 - Another defeat follows for the Blues. Didier Drogba's comments of loss of belief after last weekends loss pretty much pave the way for Ancelloti to get the sack from Roman Abromovich.

There you all have it. Two Derby upsets, a lot of possible moving and shaking in the table, maybe a manager sacking, whats not to love as we get set for another weekend of action across the pond.

FA Cup Round 4 Round-Up

Article first published as FA Cup Round 4 Round-Up on Technorati.
The 4th Round Brought Some Surprises and I reflect on the Matches to Watch and other Interesting Happenings.

by Rhydon Atzenhoffer
January 31, 2011

The road to the FA Cup gave the weekend some much needed action aside from what has been going on in the transfer window. On Friday I posted up my matches to watch, and although my predictions were not all spot on, some results were, and some were complete surprises.

Games to Watch

Aston Villa vs Blackburn Rovers
Predicted 2-2  -  Result 3-1

Former Arsenal playmaker and Premier League veteran Robert Pires got his Aston Villa career off the ground with  a goal against Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park on Saturday. The match played out to the Villans as they advance on to the 5th Round. Their opponent is not yet known as the full draw has not been completed for the 5th Round due to Re-plays.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Hereford United
Predicted 1-2  -  Result 4-1

What I thought to be a possible upset proved to be none the later as League One side  Sheffield Wednesday whom had endured a dip in recent form compared to opponent, put League Two side Hereford United to the sword at Hillsborough. Wednesday will travel to St. Andrews to face Birmingham in Round 5.

Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Predicted 2-1  -  Result 4-0


I truly thought Harry Redknapp's Hotspur would have put up more of a fight, however, Mark Hughes truly has Fulham firing on all cylinders as the Cottagers steam rolled their London rivals in this London Derby in the FA Cup. A penalty brace from Danny Murphy followed by goals from Brede Hangeland and Moussa Dembele saw the Cottagers rout 10-man Spurs after Alan Hutton and Michel Dawson, whom received a Red Card for his involvement against Dembele in the box, proved culprits to Spurs demise. That is perhaps the worst first half Spurs will play this season, if not this decade. Fulham will take on the winner of the Bolton and Wigan Replay.

Bolton vs. Wigan Athletic
Predicted 3-1  -  Result 0-0

A cagey match at the Reebok provided no goals and little excitement as the Wanderers and Latics will go at it again in their Replay. Bolton fresh of a beating from Chelsea looked to still be licking their wounds rather than back on the attack. Owen Coyle will be sure to remedy this. The winner will face Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Everton vs. Chelsea
Predicted 0-4  -  Result 1-1

The Blues and the Blues were stalemated on the night and will face a replay against one another to decide the result. David Moyes will be happy to have earned another chance to progress while Carlo Ancelloti will continue to rue this season as he looks to be out in my opinion if he doesn't at least bring some sort of Silverware back to the Bridge this season. He will at least be buoyed by his club's attempts to bring in Fernando Torres.

Wolverhampton vs. Stoke City
Predicted 1-0  -  Result 0-1

A great last 10 minutes plus stoppage time gave us the action and drama that the FA Cup is so rich with. John Carew caused problems for Wolves in his Stoke debut but did not bare fruit thanks to the efforts of Marcus Hahneman. Robert Huth headed home a free-kick from winger Matthew Etherington to give the Potters the lead with hopes of advancement on the 81st minute. However, Wolves would have their chance as Robert Milijas lined up to take a penalty on the 90th minute. But, it was not to be as Thomas Sorenson saved the shot to let the Potters advance to host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Britannia in Round 5.

FA Cup Round 4 Preview

Article first published as FA Cup Round 4 Preview on Technorati.

FA Cup Matches to Watch during 4th Round Jan 28/29 2011

by Rhydon Atzenhoffer
January 28th, 2011


The transfer window has the folks on Merseyside in a frenzy. Luis Suarez and Charlie Adam occupy the lips and tongues of those that usually stand on the Kop. Ryan Babel has flew the Liverbird coup with possible others on the tips of his wings as Milan Jovanovic and Paul Konchesky both look to possibly be on their way out. "And wishers of a nameless fear," to steal lines from Tolkien himself, would only be appropriate with the recent threat of Fernando Torres being poached away by the Chelsea Blues.

With the players fresh off back to back wins against Wolves and Fulham, Kenny Dalglish will hope the weekend can bear fruit in the transfer market just before the deadline and provide some fresh spice to his reinvigorated pass and move Liverpool offense.

However, the English Premier League and Liverpool take a break this weekend as the FA Cup resumes with round 4 action. There are 32 teams remaining including 15 sides from the Premiership. That being said there will be at the least 4 of these teams eliminated as 4 matches will put these top flight sides to test against one another.

In the spirit of keeping with my admittance to covering things aside from Liverpool, though it is difficult, it does provide me a voice for the weekend as I take the next two days off to relax and take in the cup ties from the outside as with no one to cheer for I can only hope to witness some great games from the eyes of neutrality.

Top Games to Watch

Aston Villa vs Blackburn Rovers

The Arrival of Darren Bent at Villa park has seen the Villains pull of a pair of back to back wins including a surprise 1-0 victory over Manchester City where Bent was the culprit to score on his debut. Manchester City have just loaned Rogue Santa-Cruz back to Blackburn, whom the Citizens purchased him from two seasons ago, and the arrival of on loan American Jermaine Jones has also been sparking the Rovers back to confidence.

Blackburn have been on the rise and are now in 8th place, right behind also climbing Liverpool, since the controversial sacking of Sam Allardyce and the appointment of Steve Kean. The surprise departure of Martin O'Neil from Villa in the summer saw the appointment of former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier. This looks to be a tightly contested battle between two teams searching for their identity. I look to see this game go to a replay 2-2.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Hereford United

Hillsborough was the site of perhaps the worst disaster in Liverpool's history as 96 fans were crushed to death in the 1989 FA Cup Semi-Final against Nottingham Forest. That site will be the host to this weekends FA Cup 4th round clash between nPower League One side Sheffield Wednesday and nPower League Two Side Hereford United.

Sheffield have been on a down turn in their last three matches as they have a loss and two draws from their last run of play. Hereford on the other hand have been on a tare with 3 straight victories. The dip in form from the League One side looks to allow an opening for Hereford to continue their cup run into the 5th round with a 1-2 victory.

Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur

The Cottagers though having just lost thanks to an own goal have been in fine form, and more than likely feel "Hard done by," in the words of Kenny Dalglish in the post match press conference. Clint Dempsey and Danny Murphy put in masterful performances and the former was denied on several occasions for brilliant strikes.

Harry Redknapp has his Spurs in a bit of a lag in form after two straight draws, but they will still be the favorite side in this FA Cup London Derby. Rafael Van der Vaart and Gareth Bale will hope to continue leading their side to victory. I look for a lively match if Fulham play anything like they did against the Reds on Wednesday night, and I believe they might just catch the Lilly Whites off their guard. Fulham to start brightly and carry through to a 2-1 upset in front of their home fans.

Other Matches of Note

Bolton vs. Wigan Athletic

Fresh off of a crushing defeat at the hands of Chelsea, Bolton will want to reassert themselves with revenge against a weaker opponent. Wanderers stroll to the next round 3-1.

Everton vs. Chelsea

Chelsea will want to continue their cup run, and David Moyes' faltering side will be less of a challenge this season than in the previous years. Blues cruise 0-4 in front of, and to the horror of the Goodison crowd.

Wolverhampton vs. Stoke City

Wolves need something to fight for besides not being relegated and a victory over a strong mid table side like Stoke City will to them good after their 0-3 loss to the Reds last weekend. Wolves take it in a boring drudgery of a game on Molineux's horrid pitch, 1-0.

Return of the King

Living Liverpool Legend "King" Kenny Dalglish Returns as Manager of LFC

by Rhydon Atzenhoffer
January 24, 2011

It has been a month nearly since my last post and my apologies for the delay. It was nice to take a few weeks off to reflect upon all that has been happening at Liverpool and to try and truly refocus my thoughts on the matter. It seems not only was I doing the same thing. In the passing time the Roy Hodgson Era has ended, and to many it seems long overdue. The former Fulham boss just didn’t seem to have what it takes to handle the size of the club and the ability of the players.

After nearly six months in charge Hodgson turned the Reds into what looked like a model of Fulham. Non attack minded, toothless in either offense of defense, and if we have a lead then defend defend defend. The problem for Hodgson is that sitting mid-table on Merseyside doesn’t cut it. Liverpool aren’t Fulham, they are the most successful club in English Footballing history, and needed someone that knows what that means.

Re-enter Kenny Dalglish. Appointed by Rafa Benitez to maintain the youth system before the departure of the Spaniard to Inter over the summer, The King made great statement to the love he has always held for the club, and to be a part of Liverpool once again was a dream. Now once again Dalglish has the opportunity to put his stamp on his already tremendously acclaimed Liverpool Legacy.

With only hours at the reigns it is understandable that his first game in charge against Manchester United didn’t come off with a victory and it was a shame to loose Gerard, and the match to whims of the referee. The following loss at Blackpool did not show to much either but you could start to see the players playing with a little more belief. The Merseyside Derby against Everton should have been the Reds hands down but sometimes the cards just don’t fall right. However, the tide finally looks to have turned with the defeat of Wolverhampton in what was a clinical attacking display by the Reds after the first 20-minutes of back and forth from the fighting Wolves.

Now with 4 matches under his belt, a renewed vigor instilled in his charges, a new coach running training, and 4 points out of his first three games in the EPL, the King looks to have his men firing on all cylinders, and with the last week of the transfer window looking to have loads of movement for the Liverpool giants, things are once again getting exciting, and Reds fans everywhere are screaming, "it’s about time!"