Chelsea Top Premier League Wage Bill

Chelsea Football Club now reportedly have the biggest wage bill in the English Premier League. The annual wage bill of £172 Million does not include new signings Fernando Torres, who has reportedly signed a contract worth £200,000 a week and £25 Million signing David Luiz, who both joined the club this week.

Premiership wages have been notoriously high in recent years and Chelsea's wage bill is £40 Million above closest big spending rivals Manchester City. A more important consideration is the percentage of a clubs turnover which is spent on players wages. Chelsea spend a reported 82 percent of their turnover on wages, while Manchester City spend 106 percent, this is in stark contrast to other top clubs such as Manchester United, who spend 46 percent of their turnover on wages, while Arsenal spend 49 percent.

Chelsea

Several big name players left Chelsea during the summer of 2010, the departure of Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Joe Cole saved an annual £20m in wages and generated around £15 million in transfer fees. Despite this saving Chelsea have recently reported losses of £70.9m which was up £26.5m from the previous financial year, the addition of Torres and Luiz will add to significantly to their wage bill.

Under the new UEFA Financial Fair Play rules, which come into effect from the 2011-12 season, clubs must only spend on wages and other expenditure what they earn in ticket sales, merchandising and other commercial income. Effectively the club's books will have to balance, failure to do so could ultimately lead to disqualification form European competitions such as the Champions League.

A potential safety net exists within the rules, any players whose contracts were agreed before 1 June 2010 will be exempt, if these rules were applied to Chelsea for the last financial year they would have actually been shown to make a financial profit. The rules won't be tightened until 2016 when all players wages will be taken into consideration, even then if a club is making a financial loss and they can prove there is an improvement in the trend of their finances, they may escape punishment by the governing body.

Chelsea Top Premier League Wage Bill

Premier League Match Time: Newcastle Vs Chelsea

Premier League match time arrives at St James' Park as Newcastle United get set to host champions Chelsea in match week 15 on Sunday, November 28.

A few weeks ago, Newcastle stunned Sunderland 5-1. Match week 14 witnessed a repeat of that score, except that Chris Hughton's squad were on the receiving end, with Bolton the beneficiaries. Despite the loss, the Magpies are in the top half of the points table, but in an extremely tight league, they are just four points adrift of 18th placed Wigan.

Chelsea FC

Carroll, as ever, was outstanding, though in a lost cause, and got a second half goal to reduce the margin. The absence of both Barton and Tiote was a double blow for Hughton's men, who would also be justified in considering themselves as having been subjected to some harsh refereeing. Coloccini was a weak link in Magpies' defence, and he did not have any clue about how to handle Elmander's pace and the Bolton striker made the most of the opportunity by scoring a brace.
Chelsea are coming off a 1-0 away loss to Birmingham, their third in four games. Ancelotti's side began the season with a run of wins and a barrage of goals. Their campaign has lost its early steam, and with a long list of injuries, the Stamford Bridge squad's weak bench stands exposed.

Contrast this with the performance of their rivals at Old Trafford. While Manchester United have trailed Chelsea, their saving grace has been their unbeaten record. They have shown the kind of resilience we expect to see in champions, even when below their best.

The latest blow for Chelsea -- John Terry laid low for some weeks - has been the hardest to bear. The team's early season performance bore the stamp of Terry's leadership and character. The defence is vulnerable without him, as is the midfield without Lampard.

Head to head In their last twenty league encounters, Chelsea have won 13 while losing just 2, with the remaining five drawn. Both of Magpies' wins have come at home, with the last one registered in April 2006.

Ahead of the game against Chelsea, Newcastle will be buoyed by the return of Tiote.

Newcastle had the following men in their starting eleven against Bolton: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Guthrie, Nolan, Smith, Gutierrez, Carroll and Ameobi; the Magpies employed Routledge, Lovenkrands and Campbell as substitutes.

The following men comprised Chelsea's starting eleven against Birmingham: Cech, Ferreira, Alex, Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Malouda, Anelka, Drogba and Kalou; the substitutes who featured were Bosingwa and Sturridge.

Premier League Match Time: Newcastle Vs Chelsea

Premier League Preview: Chelsea Vs Manchester United

Premier League match time returns to Stamford Bridge, when Chelsea host Manchester United, in a first leg game on Tuesday, March 1, a match that was originally scheduled to be played on December 19, and got postponed owing to inclement weather.

Chelsea's match against Fulham was meant to be all about Torres, who replaced Drogba in the starting eleven as the prime striker for the Stamford Bridge squad. While preferring Torres to Drogba gave Chelsea greater control in midfield. Fulham were resolute as ever in defence, and Chelsea failed to convert the half-chances they had to show for all of their superior possession.

Chelsea

David Lutz used the game to showboat his considerable skills. The Brazilian had more creativity than the whole midfield combined, and his only flaw was a lunge on Dempsey in injury time that resulted in a penalty for Fulham that Dempsey himself took. And Cech made a brilliant save to prevent Lutz's solitary error from taking away from his great performance. The loss of two points has made Chelsea's title defence an impossible mirage.

In their game against Wigan in match week 28, United were off-colour, till Hernandez put them ahead, on 17 minutes. During the interim, Wigan created a few scoring chances, and the Old Trafford squad have Van der Sar to thank for not allowing Wigan to convert any of them.

Rooney was lucky that he didn't get sent off for what looked like a deliberate elbowing of James McCarthy, in the 10th minute. The iconic striker had a hand in 3 of the 4 goals, the third of which he scored. The first goal transpired after his pass to Nani (absolutely brilliant on the day) on the right flank was relayed to Hernandez who converted. Hernandez got a second goal on 74 minutes; Rooney made it 3-0 on 84 minutes, and three minutes later, Fabio completed the tally with United's fourth goal of the game. The result has put United 4 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table, and 15 points adrift of Chelsea, who are in 5th place..

Head to head, of the last league games between Chelsea and Manchester United, the Stamford Bridge squad have won 3, while United have won 2, with the remaining game drawn.

In their last 6 league games, Chelsea have registered 3 wins, 2 losses and a draw, while Manchester United have 5 of their last 6 matches, while losing the remaining one. Chelsea have won 8 of 12 home games this season, while losing and drawing 2 each. Manchester United have 4 an lost 1, while drawing the remaining 8 of 13 games on the road.

In their last Premier League match, Chelsea drew 0-0 away at Fulham, while Manchester United's last match, away at Wigan, ended 4-0 in their favour.

In the defending champions, Manchester United can expect tougher opponents than cellar team Wigan. But on current form, it would be a steep challenge for Chelsea to take away full three points from Tuesday's game.

Chelsea's starting eleven against Fulham comprised: Cech, Ivanovic, David Lutz, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Anelka, Torres and Malouda. Drogba and Kalou featured as substitutes.

Manchester United had the following players in their starting eleven against Wigan: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Hernandez and Rooney. Berbatov, Da Silva and Gibson were used as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Chelsea Vs Manchester United

Premier League Review - Chelsea Beat Bolton

Chelsea secured their first Premier League win in seven games as they beat Bolton 1-0. The Blues worst run of form for more than ten years was brought to an end, as they continue to pursue Manchester United in the race for the Premier League title.

There was little evidence of their former glories, as Chelsea were made to fight for every ball, had their normal flowing play disrupted and they will probably consider themselves fortunate to have secured all three points.

Chelsea

Florent Malouda was on hand to score the only goal of the game, and his first goal in the league for two months, which was enough to send the Blues back to fourth place in the table. The Blues are now four points adrift of leaders Manchester United and City, and two points behind Arsenal, who beat them 3-1 a few days previously. In what could conspire to be one of the closest title races for many years, Chelsea, who top the league by five points a few weeks ago, could already be home and dry had they not endured such a woeful spell of form.

On a rain soaked pitch, Chelsea again struggled to find their free flowing game and they failed to secure one shot on target during a miserable first half. Bolton on the other hand were competitive and strong in the tackle, showing a resilience that the hosts would have welcomed themselves during the last few weeks.

Bolton started to look like the side more likely to score and some desperate defending from John Terry and a few near misses denied the visitors. A section of the home crowd booed their team off at half time, growing increasingly frustrated by the lacklustre display.

After a slow start to the second half, Chelsea suddenly sprang into life and a fantastic pass from Lampard, who has been badly missed this season, set Drogba free and he hit the inside of the post with his shot.

The Blues could sense a goal and they increased the pressure on the visitors, which finally paid off in the 61st minute as Malouda scored his goal, which was followed by jubilant celebrations by both players and fans.

Bolton, determined as ever, made every attempt to score an equaliser, on another day they may have been successful, some desperate defending and a goal line clearance from Drogba was all that spared Chelsea, who did have opportunities to extend their lead late on in the game, and Essien had a goal ruled out for offside.

The win just about keeps Chelsea in the title race and will ease the pressure on manager Carlo Ancelotti, although the performance overall did leave much to be desired.

Premier League Review - Chelsea Beat Bolton

Premier League Match Time: Chelsea Vs Fulham

It's Premier League match time at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday as Chelsea host Fulham in this season's 12th round of matches.

Chelsea are back from an away loss to Liverpool, only their second this season, where Torres celebrated a glorious return to form with two precision strikes that brought the Merseysiders back into the reckoning.

Chelsea

After the game, Ancelotti would have mulled over his team selection at Anfield where he opted to bench Didier Drogba. In the circumstances, the Blues found themselves with a two goal deficit at the break, and the Ivorian eventually replaced Salomon Kalou in the second half.

Drogba got an opportunity in the form of a free kick that he shot wide. Liverpool's early strike dictated the rhythm of the game,and it gave the Merseysiders the confidence to call the shots in the first half. But the Reds appeared to lose nerve with about 25 minutes left in the game, and a strike by Chelsea at the time could have turned the game.

Anelka's shot got under Raina and bounced up and rebounded off the underside of the crossbar in what was the closest Ancelotti's charges came to scoring. Ramires, Zhirkov and Malouda also had chances go abegging, with Reina having a great day between the posts for Liverpool.

Chelsea need a fully fit Drogba in their line-up if they don't want to burn out before the season is through. Also, Ancelotti must be looking forward to Lampard's return to match fitness. In Lampard's absence the lack of creatuvity in midfield is palpable. The likes of Ramires and Zhirkov are not good enough against quality opposition.

But Lampard is likely to be rested against Fulham as the Blues' manager would want the midfielder fully fit for the Sunderland game.

Fulham have not won much after Mark Hughes became their manager. But they haven't lost many either. The squad have become draw specialists, and they lived up to this reputation against Aston Villa when a late goal from Hangeland helped staved off what would have been the Cottagers' second defeat of the season and salvage a point. Fulham have won just two matches this season and that places a question mark about their capacity to handle the better teams.

There was not much positive energy on display from Fulham in the Aston Villa game. Against Chelsea, they are likely to miss the absence of Zamora. While Chelsea have lost to their biggest rivals of the season thus far, in Manchester City and Liverpool, they have been clinical against lesser sides. The game against Fulham is likely to be no different.

Chelsea's starting eleven in the Liverpool game comprised: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Zhirkov, Kalou, Anelka and Malouda; Sturridge, Bosingwa and Drogba played as substitutes.

The following players were in Fulham's starting eleven against Aston Villa: Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Davies, Greening, Murphy, Gera, Dembele and Dempsey; Johnson, Kelly and Duff featured as substitutes.

Premier League Match Time: Chelsea Vs Fulham

Premier League Review - Chelsea Stun Manchester United

Chelsea blew the Premier League title race wide open again when they came from a goal behind to beat Manchester United, with ten games of the season remaining. Chelsea still have a mathematical chance of retaining the league title themselves, although they would have to win the majority of their remaining games while relying on other results to go in their favour.

United who started the game on the back of an impressive run of form, had amazingly not beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge since 2002. Chelsea however who have their worst run of form for many seasons were a huge fifteen points adrift of United before the start of the game.

Chelsea

The Blues, who left Didier Drogba on the bench in favour of a Fernando Torres and Nicolas Anelka strike partnership, started the game brightly, but the visitors soon found their stride, with crisp passing and fluent football.

Wayne Rooney, who controversially escaped a ban following his clash with Wigan's James McCarthy at the weekend, was jeered by the home fans every time he touched the ball. It was Rooney, however, that silenced the Chelsea fans after 29 minutes when he sent a long range shot into the Chelsea goal before celebrating in front of the Chelsea fans.

The Reds, who started with their first unchanged team for 165 games, continued to dominate play during the first half and prevented any real threat from the hosts, although a fine save from Edwin Van der Sar from a Frank Lampard free kick, six minutes before half time, should have set alarm bells ringing and reminded United of the nemesis that Chelsea have been over the last few years.

Chelsea's hero on the night proved to be David Luiz, who's arrival from Benfica in the January transfer window was somewhat overshadowed by the £50million signing of Fernando Torres. Luiz was impressive throughout the game and it was his unstoppable shot in the 54th minute that levelled the scores and threw the game wide open.

Both managers made positive, attacking substitutions, with Drogba replacing Anelka for the Blues and Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs coming on for United, which was a record 606th appearance for Giggs at the club where he began his professional career twenty years ago.

Neither side seemed happy with a draw and both teams went in search of a winning goal, the play and tackles were furious at times as both teams seemed to be playing for pride as much as the three points. After Chris Smalling made a clumsy challenge on Zhirkov in the 80th minute, Frank Lampard, whose impressive penalty record has wavered of late, made no mistake this time as he smashed home the spot kick to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead. Zhirkov nearly added a third goal for the Blues moments late but his shot was deflected onto the post.

To compound United's misery Vidic was sent off during injury time for a second book able offence, which means he will miss the important trip to Liverpool and the dismissal could leave United defensively weak.

The main beneficiaries of this game would appear to be Arsenal who are now just four points behind the leaders and have a game in hand, while Chelsea have consolidated their quest for a top four Premier League finish and entry into next years Champions League.

Premier League Review - Chelsea Stun Manchester United

English Premier League - Manchester United Beat Chelsea in Weekend's Big Match

Manchester United and Alex Ferguson sent a message to the rest of Premier League yesterday and, I would suspect in particular, to the Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. Man Utd beat Chelsea easily 3 - 0 at Old Trafford on Sunday in the English Premier League's big game of the weekend. Ferguson, if he didn't already, now believes his club can catch Liverpool and retain the title by beating the other teams at the top of the table.

This was Man Utd's and Ferguson's, first win over the other potential title contender this season. Earlier in the week Ferguson had, somehow, unsettled Benitez, the Liverpool manager. So much so in fact, that the Spaniard launched into a pre-meditated diatribe against Ferguson in his Friday press conference about his alleged influence over officials. In reply to what the Liverpool manager's attack, Ferguson said after the game yesterday, "I think you have got to cut through the venom of it and hopefully he will reflect and understand that what he is saying was absolutely ridiculous. He is an angry man and I think he was disturbed for some reason or another -- that is all I've got to say about it."

Chelsea

Ferguson is certainly the master of the mind games and it would appear that he has certainly won one over on Benitez. The Premier League game between the two famous rivals at Old Trafford in March will be interesting to see how the two react with each other, never mind the fact the result of that game could go along way to deciding the final destination of the Championship.

Anyway, so far this season Utd have already drawn 1 - 1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in September, drawn 0-0 at Villa in November, and lost away to both Arsenal and Liverpool. However, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal all still have to visit Old Trafford and it looks like Man Utd are starting to time their push for the top with perfection again.

It was Man Utd's central defender Vidic who headed the opener just before half-time then strikers Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov scored one each as United. The win now means that Utd are only one point behind Chelsea.

United now have 41 points, which is still five behind Liverpool, but the current champions have two games in hand over their rivals. United can therefore move into first place should they beat Wigan and Bolton later this week.

However, back at Old Trafford it was a poor day at the office for Chelsea and their boss Phil Scolari who had previously said this match was absolutely crucial to his team's chances of regaining the championship they last won in 2006. Perhaps he put too much pressure on his players as Chelsea failed to get a single shot on target, even playing with three strikers for the final 10 minutes.

Scolari has seen his future come under increased speculation in the British press in recent weeks with some poor results. His team has stumbled against the backdrop of alleged unrest in the dressing room, as well as financial restrictions in the transfer market during the January window due to the current financial crisis.

Scolari said, "Now is the time for me and my players to think about our future: have we lost everything or are we men and do we improve? It's only this way or the second way is death.

"We know, all the fans know and the press knows if we play like the second half we won't arrive." His English still isn't too good but you can certainly understand what he means.

Chelsea have only won one of it's last five Premier League games, which is hardly championship form. Chelsea's next game is in just three days when they visit Southend in an FA Cup 3rd round reply. Should Chelsea lose that game, the alarm bells will certainly be ringing in south west London!

There was also a very interested spectator at Old Trafford yesterday. Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, now the coach at Inter Milan was sat in the stands. Inter of course are due to play Man Utd next month in the last 16 of this season's UEFA Champions League. He must have been glad he wasn't still in charge of Chelsea however, Man Utd's performance will certainly have given him something to think about ahead of his return with Inter.

English Premier League - Manchester United Beat Chelsea in Weekend's Big Match

English Premier League - Season 2009/2010 - Chelsea Win Premiership Title on Last Day

Chelsea are Champions of England. In the final day Chelsea had to win their home game against Wigan. They did it style winning it by 8 goals to nil. What a tanking that was. I think Wigan should next time just forfeit the game and take a nap. Perhaps that's what Wigan did in the second half. Chelsea were only two goals up at the break. Then a Dider Drogba second half hatrick sealed Chelsea's first title in 4 years. Carlo Ancelotti has managed to take essentially the same team that didn't perform to its best under the Phil Scolari reign to the top of the premiership.

Carlo Ancelotti basically went back to the 4 4 3 system that was so successful under Jose Mourinho. With Dider Drogba scoring 29 goals this season in the premier league. Frank Lampard contributed is regular 20 plus goals. Between these two players Chelsea have scored 50 goals. These two players managed more that the total number of goals scored by Portsmouth. Under Ancelotti, Chelsea have handed out 7 goal thrashings to Sunderland, Stoke City and Aston Villa. And in their final game of the season 2009/2010 they went one better. Chelsea have managed to score 103 goals in the 38 league games. This is a premier league record.

Chelsea

With this premiership win Chelsea have won their 4th title. They can now look forward to claiming the FA Cup on Saturday against relegated Portsmouth. Whether Portsmouth can even managed to field a decent first 11 will be a challenge. I can safety say I will eat my hat if Portsmouth actually win the final. Three cheers for Chelsea. At least the stopped Manchester United from over hauling Liverpool's 18 title record. Just hope that Torres stays and scores 50 goals next season.

English Premier League - Season 2009/2010 - Chelsea Win Premiership Title on Last Day

Premier League Review - Manchester United Storm To The Top

Manchester United stormed to the top of the Premier League as they scored seven goals against a hapless Blackburn Rovers side at Old Trafford. United who were second to Chelsea only by goal difference were ahead after only 72 seconds of the game and 3-0 in front by half time. Dimitar Berbatov scored five goals, as he equalised the Premiership record for the total goals scored in one match. Blackburn scored a late consolation goal, as the 7-1 victory now sees United lead the Premier league by two points, and having significantly increased their goal difference. United are now unbeaten in 15 league games this season, their best league start since 1985.

Chelsea were again disappointing as they could only manage a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United in Saturdays evening game. The Blues have now dropped 11 points out of a possible 15 after only winning one of their last five Premier League games. Chelsea's Alex awful back pass gifted Andy Carroll an early Christmas present as he put Newcastle 1-0 in front after only five minutes, Salomon Kalou scored a deflected equaliser before half time. Chelsea enjoyed a better second half, but the goals that were flowing earlier in the season now seem to have deserted them.

Chelsea FootballClub

Arsenal secured a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa despite a spirited fight back from the hosts. After conceding a two goal lead the previous week against Spurs, which ended in a 3-2 home defeat. Arsenal looked impressive, but must certainly tighten up their defence if they are to pose a serious challenge for the league title this season.

Tottenham staged another amazing come back after trailing at home to Liverpool. Aaron Lennon scored two minutes into injury time as they beat the Reds 2-1, after Martin Skrtel had first scored for his own team and then scored an own goal to level the score. Jermain Defoe also missed a penalty for Tottenham who are now in 6th place. It is now the fifth time this season Spurs have trailed in a game and fought back to win.

Manchester City dropped more points as an injury-time goal from Matthew Etherington ensured a point for Stoke in a very closely contested game, City remain in 4th place, five points adrift of leaders Manchester United.

In the other games, West Ham secured three much needed points with a 3-1 victory over Wigan, which eases the pressure on under-fire manager Avram Grant, West Ham remain bottom of the league, however, as Wolves secured a 3-2 victory against Sunderland.

Everton are left just two points above the drop zone, after a 1-4 home mauling by West Bromwich Albion, Everton now face Chelsea in an away game next week.

December now looks to be a pivotal month in the Premier League as United, Arsenal and Chelsea all play each other and the results could decide who are the front runners for the League title as the Premiership race enters the New Year.

Premier League Review - Manchester United Storm To The Top

European Premier League Football Tops - Perfect for Football Fans

When it comes to supporting your favourite football team, you already know that there is no better way to go about it than to make sure that you have the best tops that show off your football allegiance. For many people, however, this is out of the question. Sure, they might keep one top or two, but they don't go out and buy the tops they really want. The reason for this is simply that they don't have the money. This might sound strange, but if you have seen the prices of tops in the stores and at the big matches, you realize that buying more than one top can be an investment. No one wants to spend this kind of money. The good news is that you don't need to spend this kind of money. Now you can use the power of the internet to get low priced, high quality European premier league football tops.

When you are looking online for European premier league football shirts, you will want to make sure first of all that you can get any kind of top you want. In other words, you are going to want an online service that will do for you what you want. This is all about deciding on a way to show your allegiance with your favourite football club. When you are in the pub watching a game or having a party with friends, you are going to want to show off your new top. You will want to look the best in exactly the kind of football top that you have requested. You can even get it custom designed so that no one else will have the same exact top.

ChelseaFC

If you are looking for gifts, the European premier league football shirts from the best online service will be a great idea. Once you use this service, you are going to realize how easy and affordable it is, and you are going to have no problem going back for gifts for your friends. When it comes to birthdays, there is no better gift for an avid football fan than that perfect top that truly shows where his or her allegiance is. You can get tops for French clubs, Spanish clubs, and even African and South African teams. The choice is yours.

If you are looking for the best European premier league football shirts service, you are going to want to make sure that they will do whatever you want to that top. You will appreciate the control you have when you are shopping for the tops online. You will also appreciate the convenience of not having to fight crowds in the stores.

European Premier League Football Tops - Perfect for Football Fans

Premier League: Liverpool To Lose 9 Points Owing To Ridiculous Rule

Why should players be penalised for no fault of theirs? Liverpool FC face the unwelcome prospect of being docked 9 points in the Premier League, thereby pushing them into possible relegation.

This is what is likely to happen if Kop Holdings the company that owns the club goes into administration, an event that looks increasingly likely to happen after the Premier League's approval of the club's sale to New England Sports Ventures (NESV).

Chelsea FC

NESV, the owners of Boston Red Sox have made a bid to buy the troubled Anfield outfit for 300 million pounds. The Premier League has approved the sale in the face of opposition from the current American owners who consider said offer an undervalued bid, and are holding out for double the amount, at 600 million.

George Gillett and Tom Hicks bought the club in 2007 for 174 million. The debts of the club which stood at 40 million when the American duo bought Kop Holdings have risen to 240 million, apart from another 40 million payable to Royal Bank of Scotland, the creditor.

To foil the bid, the American owners sacked the chairman and another director and tried to foist their own candidates in their place. But the move came after the directors had approved the sale to NESV.

The Premier League is run as a corporation, with each of its 20 member clubs owning a share. With the Premier League in its turn approving the sale, it is in the club's interest to have their owners in place by October 15, to avoid having to pay an additional 60 million to RBS as penalty for defaulting on the loan repayment.

In case the sale doesn't go through by the October 15 deadline, RBS has the option of extending the deadline till the sale transpires, following due process of law. Such a move would absolve the new owners of having to pay the 60 million pounds in penalty to RBS.

Gillett and Hicks are likely to try and block the takeover of the club by NESV, in the High Court, an action that would automatically push Kop Holdings into administration.

Irrespective of what happens, in the High Court, the poor players of Liverpool FC would still have to pay for the board room wrangles at Anfield.

In case the holding company Kop Holdings goes into administration, the club would be penalized nine points. Liverpool have just six points from seven games and are currently in 18th position on the Premier League points table.

Incidentally, Portsmouth were the first Premier League squad to receive the nine-point penalty and consequent relegation, last season, after the club went into administration. Liverpool look set to follow in Portsmouth's footsteps.

Premier League: Liverpool To Lose 9 Points Owing To Ridiculous Rule

Who Will Win the FA Premier League in 2011

Here are some predictions for the top five places in the premier League and why, in the order they will finish. Each of the teams have made some changes, as they do each season and I assess the impact of the new recruits and the players who have left the club.

1 - Manchester United
Despite losing out to Chelsea in the last game of the season, Man United, must be favourites once again this season. With the addition of a proven goal-scorer in Javier Hernandez and the Fulham defender Chris Smalling they will win the league this time. Alex Ferguson will be doubly keen to do well, especially as his reign will be ended soon.

Chelsea FootballClub

Transfer Rumours: Joe Cole, Karim Benzema, Wesley Sneijder, Luis Suarez, Jack Rodwell, James Milner

2 - Manchester City
Once again City are expected to do well. They missed out on champions league football in almost the final game, but have added some experienced quality players who know how to win. What Mancini must do this season is to mould the new and old players into a winning unit, and give them belief. The recent aquisition of David Silva will give them the needed fire power up front and make them a very close bet.

Transfer Rumours: Fernando Torres, Edin Dzeko, James Milner, Joe Cole, Zlatan Ibrahimovic

3 - Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti proved to be a good manager, winning both the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first season, though with the arrival of Yossi Benayoun from Liverpool, replacing the fans favourite Joe Cole, and the departures of Ballack and Beletti, he will struggle to get the same level from this team. Expect Junior players to be brought into the squad this season. Chelsea also seem very keen on Fernando Torres, which would be an interesting purchase, as he has struggled in this league to produce his best form, and only performs well in odd games.

Transfer Rumours: Fernando Torres, Neven Subotic, Kaka, Franck Ribery, Sergio Aguero, James Milner

4 - Arsenal
Arsenal once again had an indifferent season by their standards, having done well against the weaker teams but struggling against the big boys. They have brought in a couple of French players, one being a centre back to replace William Gallas and Sol Campbell. Expect Arsenal to be in the hunt come the end of the season, Arsene Wenger knows what it takes to get them playing despite the recent unrest, they will be challenging once again. Wenger is a master of bringing youth into the team and expect the same this season.

Transfer Rumours: Joe Hart, Hugo Rodellego, Joe Cole, Felipe Melo de Carvalho, Mark Schwarzer, Gary Cahill

5 - Tottenham
Spurs did remarkably well to make the final Champions League place, being the surprise package in the league. This term though teams will know exactly what to expect from them and their path to the top seats in the league will be that much harder this season. Harry Redknapp has a reputation of being a player wheeler dealer, but so far in this transfer window there has been no activity, though the rumours that Joe Cole will join on a free transfer still persist.

Transfer Rumours: Steven Peinaar, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Joe Cole, Connor Wickham, Craig Bellamy, Diego Forlan

Other teams who might break into the top for are Everton, Aston Villa and Liverpool. I really expect Manchester City to push the other top teams this season with Mancini having a season under his belt. It also pleases me to see them doing well making the Premier League that bit more competitive.

Who Will Win the FA Premier League in 2011

Which Team Will Win the Premier League in the Season 2008-2009?

Manchester United have recently been crowned Premier League champions in England. It is the tenth time that Sir Alex Ferguson has led United to this prestigious title, quite an achievement. T the team is now heading to Russia hoping to add the Champions league trophy by beating an in-form Chelsea. What about next season, who will end up as champions of the Premier League next year? Will it be Man Utd again, Chelsea, Arsenal or even Liverpool?

Liverpool have some amazing players. Steven Gerrard would get into any team in Europe and could have sealed a move to Chelsea a couple of years ago. He is a red through and through but at times must become frustrated with the rotation system that Benitez seems to insist on using. Rafa is a decent manager however this rotation system sure does annoy the fans.

Chelsea FootballClub

Arsenal are a superb team to watch, they play the game in the right way and have some silky players. Arsene Wenger is a great manager however a trip to Specsavers could well be of benefit. Football fans in the UK will understand what I mean! Arsenal just ran out of steam this season and I am sure Arsene had wished he had signed more players in January.

Which Team Will Win the Premier League in the Season 2008-2009?

Chelsea seem to have become a real team again under the guidance of Avram Grant but are very boring to watch. Despite having a number of English players I must say that they are a real turn off.

I personally believe that Manchester United will win the Premier League yet again. Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez will be unstoppable.

I am also hoping that my team, Birmingham City, can win promotion back to the Premier League.

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Premier League: Drogba, Malouda, Berbatov Head Golden Boot Roster

Didier Drogba's goal for Chelsea against Arsenal on Sunday was his sixth of the ongoing Premier League season, and the strike helped the Ivorian draw level with teammate Florent Malouda and United's Dimitar Berbatov as joint top-scorer in the competition.

Drogba got the first hat-trick of the Premiership season on its opening day playing at home against West Brom. Chelsea won that match 6-0. Thereafter, the Ivorian has had three goals in six matches, in all of which he started for the Stamford Bridge squad.

Interestingly, all of Drogba's goals have come in home matches, one each against Stoke City, Blackpool and Arsenal, games that Ancelotti's squad won 2-0, 4-0 and 2-0, respectively.

Like Drogba, Malouda opened his scoring account in Chelsea's season opener against Albion, in which he found the back of the rival net twice.

But unlike Drogba, Malouda has not restricted his scoring to home matches. His third goal came in Chelsea's 6-0 away win against Wigan, his fourth came in the home match against Stoke City, his fifth and sixth in the home game with Blackpool on September 19.

Also, unlike Drogba, Malouda has not been in the starting eleven in every match. In fact, in the West Ham match on September 11, the Frenchman came on as a late second half substitute in the 84th minute.

Berbatov has been Manchester United's saviour this season, with Wayne Rooney's truancy giving the Bulgarian an opportunity to prove that the Old Trafford squad are not a one-man outfit, centred around Rooney.

Berbatov began his scoring, with a strike in United's opener at Old Trafford against Newcastle on August 15. He did not add to his tally, in the next game with Fulham, played away at Craven Cottage. The Bulgarian striker's second goal of the season came in his team's 3-0 win at home against West Ham, on August 28.

Berbatov's next goal came in the away game against Everton, that ended in a 3-3 draw, followed by a hat-trick against Liverpool. His third goal came in injury time, ensuring that United banked full points from that match.

Berbatov's exclusion from the starting eleven in the away match against Sunderland has raised more than a few eyebrows. But following Sir Alex's refusal to talk to the media after the Liverpool match where the media went to town over the United manager's comment on Torres, nobody is able to discuss the rationale of Fergie's team selection, with the big man.

Sunderland's Darren Bent and Manchester City's Carlos Tevez have both scored five goals each this season, and are hot on the heels of the top three, in contention for the Golden Boot.

Premier League Preview: Wigan Vs Wolves

Wigan will play host to Wolves in a lunch-time kick off on Saturday.

The Latics had the worst of starts to their Premiership campaign, losing by big margins in home matches to newbies Blackpool and champions Chelsea. But thereafter, they have turned things around, for which no small credit is due to manager Roberto Martinez.

In their last five games, the Latics have lost just one, while also ensuring an entry into the fourth round of the tournament after a Carling Cup victory over Preston North End.

Wigan desperately need a win at the DW Stadium if for no reason but to attract home supporters to watch the match as the stadium has not seen a full house in recent times.

Quite ironically, Wigan owe it to their good performances at home, last seaosn, for managing to stave off relgation. This season, they have just 3 draws and a loss to show for four home matches in six, the highest among all teams in the Premiership.

When Wolves visited the DW Stadium last season, Andy Keogh put the Wanderers ahead early in the match, and the visitors hung on to prevail 1-0. This was just one of six home losses last season.

Martinez will definitely be hoping for a better result this time round, and he will be helped by the fact that all his major players are available, barring Tom Cleverly and Gary Caldwell, and Franco Di Santio could start in spite of an injury suffered against Birmingham last weekend, a game that ended in a goalless draw.

At 17th place, Wolves are just one rung above the Latics on the points table. Mick McCarthy's squad began relatively well, with five points garnered from their first three matches of the Premiership season. The three losses that followed in as many matches have seen wolves plummet down the ranks to join in a relegation battle.

The Wanderers will be smarting from their 2-1 loss at home in a Midlands Derby against Aston Villa, last weekend. And they should be buoyed by the prospect of playing Wigan, who represent their best opportunity to atone, under the circumstances..

Despite their good showing at the DW Stadium last year, Wolves recent record on the road does not inspire optimism. In three away matches against Everton, Fulham and Tottenham, the Wanderers have banked just one point.

Both teams have been inconsistent, but taking everything into account, I would give a slight edge to the hosts.

New Sponsors for the New Season 2010-11 Premier League Jerseys

It goes without saying that running a modern football club these days costs a lot of money. To be able to keep a team competitive means paying ever higher wages for players, coaches and other supporting staff. It is for this reason that revenue is vital in the running of a football club. An important contributor to  a steady stream of revenue is having a wealthy financial backing in the form of sponsorship, especial shirt sponsorship.

The Premier League alone boasts £100m worth of Shirt Sponsorships for the 2010-11 season, seeing an increase of £28.11m from 2009-10.

This season there are a record five teams which have signed new deals with a new sponsor; Topping the revenue charts are Liverpool and Manchester United who both have signed new deals of £20m per year. Liverpool ended their 18 year affiliation with Carlsberg after agreeing a new deal with Standard Chartered Bank whilst Manchester United agreed a deal with AON, after they terminated their deal with AIG. Liverpool's deal with Standard Chartered will see them gaining an extra £12.55m per season when compared with their previous deal with Carlsberg.

Aston Villa and Fulham both agree a new deal with Forex trading. Aston Villa agreed a deal with FxPro after having their shirt sponsorship given to charity organization Acorns during previous seasons. The new deal with FxPro will see them earn £5m per year. Fulham also signed a deal with Forex Trading seeing them earning around £1m more than their previous deal with LG.

Blackpool, which is at the bottom of the list regarding sponsorship revenue have also signed a new deal with Wonga worth just half a million. This however still represents an increase of £300,000 from their deal with Carbrini last season.

Some teams in the premier league this year however will not see a change in the sponsors you will see on their shirts and in some cases such as Newcastle United and  Sunderland they have actually seen a decline in revenue stream from their sponsors. Newcastle's deal with Northern Rock fell from £4.8m to £2.5m whilst Sunderland agreed a deal with Tombola which will earn them £1.5m less than the previous season.

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English Premier League Season 2008 - 09 - Which Teams to Watch For?

EPL has started for the third week so far.... Have you had any clue that which team will dominate this season? Is it going to be Chelsea who have a red hot start at the early stage of the season, or Manchester United who have yet to show their real strength, or Young Arsenal team who have lost one match last weekend but relived almost immediately after the young players were given a stern words from their coach.

From the immediate rebound performance of Arsenal, I am very positive that the young players are surely the hot contender for the English Premier Title this season. The young age and energy are the strength of this young team. They can beat any team in the league at their good form. However, they have to be focus which is their weakest link. Most of the players have played together for quite sometime and can gel well. After the loss to Fullham last week, they have learned the lesson well and beaten Twente in Champion League Group match during the mid week followed by a emphatic win over New Castle 3 - 0 this weekend.

Chelsea, on the other hand, has shown sign of fatigue after three matches. The first match was a fantastic one with 4 -0 win over Portsmouth, followed by another win 1 - 0 at Wigan but they only managed to draw with Tottenham 1 -1 at home this weekend. Well, thing will not look good for them if they continue to lose point like that at home.....

Manchester United has to decide their emphasis on which title they want....The mid week result did not go well for them when they lost to St. Petersburg 1 -2 in their Champion League Group match. It is not going to be easy to get the double titles again in this season.

At this early stage, it is still too early to predict which team will be the winner for EPL this season. However, if I have to pick one team it has to be Arsenal to win this season!

Be my guest and place your prediction. Visit my blog at the link below.

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Can Chelsea Win the British Premier League This Year?

Chelsea are quite rightly considered one of the strongest teams in the British Premier League, Europe and the world. They have a squad that would be the envy of almost any club except maybe Real Madrid. They have a squad that is full of international players and could arguably field two teams of internationals except for the goal-keeping position where they have Ross Turnbill and Hilario as back up. They have Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Mikel, Deco just to name a few of their plethora of international midfielders.

With a squad like this to choose from you can see why many football pundits are tipping them to win the British Premier League. If you see the odds that the bookmakers are putting up for Chelsea you can see that they too believe Chelsea are true title contenders and we know that the bookies are very rarely ever wrong.

There only contenders to Chelsea are the other three of the "Big Four" of the British Premier League who are Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. Manchester United are the title holders from last year and have a great squad, The biggest question is whether they can overcome the loss of Ronaldo who is arguably the best player in the world and was also the top scorer for Manchester United for the last two years. Then there is Arsenal who play irresistible football going forward but still have questions about their defense after losing Kolo Toure to Manchester City. Chelsea have a great chance to win the British Premier League this year and will be in the race till the very end.

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The Premier League - The Best League in Europe

Season 2007-2008 saw three of the four semi finalists of the Champions League come from the English Premier League. The other team that was represented from the Premier League was knocked out at the quarter final stage but only by Liverpool, a team from the Premier League! This surely is the proof that the Premier League is without doubt the best league in Europe.

In England people are even stating that as many as six teams from its Premier League should be able to enter into the Champions League as they believe that the majority of the top teams from the rest of Europe would struggle to compete in the Premier League. Where would teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Porto finish in the Premier League if they were to be admitted next season? I would predict that at least one of them would be relegated.

It is not all rosy in the world of English football. The national side has failed to qualify for the upcoming European Football Championship which is a great shame. In a strange way it could actually turn into an advantage as it will give the team longer to prepare for the more important World Cup of 2010. I personally would prefer to be able to watch England this summer as I am confident that the team would be one of the favourites to win the tournament. Poor management from the previous coach Steve McLaren and his backroom staff certainly cost us dear.

The Premier League is likely to only become stronger in the future however managers of the likes of Jose Mourinho (Inter Milan) are sure to want to make an impact.

Teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton, Tottenham, Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa would prove too strong for many of the major teams from other European countries.

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English Premier League to See Changing of Guard

In the past decade, the English Premier League has been largely been dominated by three main clubs - Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. While Liverpool have often been bandied together as one of the Big Four, it has usually been the former three who have contested the title. Apart from a period when Jose Mourinho arrived to blaze a trail in English football, it has been Manchester United who have won most of the titles at stake since the advent of this elite division. Under the watchful eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils have been the undisputed masters of the domain in which they are competing in.

Yet the stranglehold the three clubs have held over the rest of the field could be under threat with fresh financial investment pouring into the coffers of other clubs. While self sufficiency and sustenance is still a subject of much debate in the Premier League owing to recent situations with clubs like Portsmouth, there is no stopping the rich businessmen and individuals who have decided to make the league their playing ground. Ironically, it was Chelsea who set the wheels in motion when years ago, Russian billionaire rolled into town and fueled the club with his billions on their way to success.

This time, it is the group of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and to a certain extent, Aston Villa, who are raising the markers in laying down their challenge to the old guards of the Premier League. The Eastlands club are the most extravagant of the lot - splashing out millions of pounds in order to force their way into the elite and hoping to displace United as the top club not only in Manchester, but also in the world. While Manchester City enjoy the greater support domestically compared to the Red Devils, their achievements have paled in comparison. City are also often the butt of jokes and the self deprecating nature of their fans reflect this - so used are they to the stumbles their dearest team have made a habit of creating for themselves.

Since Middle East businessman Sheikh Mansour took over last year, City have made bold statements of intent by snapping up world class players on huge transfer fees. Their highlight so far must have been the signing of Carlos Tevez from their city rivals United last season in a controversial move that ultimately brought results in the form of a 20 goal season from the Argentinian. The club is also constantly in the headlines for tabling sky high bids for the best players from other clubs and this summer will certainly not be the last in which they will throw money around in order to build an invincible team. The Premier League title will be their main objective next season and City are ready to back their ambitions with cold hard cash.

Tottenham Hotspur, or Spurs as they are popularly known, may not have the deep reserves that Manchester City enjoy, but they are still generously bankrolled by club owner Joe Lewis. While they may not have been able to attract the biggest stars, in Harry Redknapp they have a manager who consistently brings out the best in every player he takes under his wings. The club has also focused on signing some of the most promising youngsters in both British and European football with the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon now flourishing at White Hart Lane. Their tussle for the fourth Champions League spot with Manchester City highlights the progress they have made under Redknapp and most importantly, a critical mental hurdle they may have finally overcome under his charge. Previously, Spurs were often the poorer neighbours of Arsenal as they fail to figure amongst English football's biggest prizes despite being one of the best supported clubs in the country.

Aston Villa certainly do not rank amongst the richest clubs in the Premier League but they have consistently picked out the best bargains from the talents left behind by the other top clubs. In Martin O'Neill, they also have a coach who is capable of forging a team that is always strong on teamwork and unity. That ethos carried them to the brink of Champions League football this season although the Midlands club fell short once again. It could see the club slip into the shadows of anonymity or the opposite effect could result. O'Neill is certainly a fighter and owner Randy Lerner is nevertheless an ambitious one. Investment could still pour into the club in the summer and they would certainly continue to figure as one of the clubs pushing the established order.

With Liverpool fading into obscurity as a result of continuing boardroom chaos and no lack of rebuilding in store for Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea when the Premier League season ends, the momentum could slowly shift in the direction of Manchester City and Spurs, and perhaps Villa if they manage to retain their core squad. While many in football maintain that money cannot buy success overnight, City and Spurs have certainly showed that it can turn sleeping giants into active ones. If the two clubs can balance headline grabbing transfers with results on the pitch, who is to say that the Premier League Big Four could be significantly different a few seasons down the road?

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