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

Premiership Greatest XI

This is a very difficult thing to do and it is all about opinions after all. Some of the choices will be universally approved while some would be mocked or even condemned.

Candidates for Goal keepers

1 Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United)

2 David Seaman (Arsenal)

3 Jens Lehmann (Arsenal)

4 Brad Friedel (Blackburn)

5 Nigel Martyn (Leeds United and Everton)

6 David James (Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City and Portsmouth)

7 Brad Friedel (Blackburn Rovers)

8 Shay Given (Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United)

9 Casey Keller (Tottenham Hotspurs)

10 Edwin Van Der Saar (Fulham and Manchester United)

11 Tim Flowers (Southampton and Blackburn Rovers)

My choice would be Peter Schmeichel over David Seaman.

I have gone for a 3-man defense for my first team because I could not leave out some players in the more advanced positions and had also because I do not think that there has been an outstanding right back who really stands out from the rest to warrant being in my first team.

Candidates for Defenders

1. Gary Pallister ( Manchester United)

2. Steve Bruce (Manchester United)

3. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)

4. Jaap Stam (Manchester United)

5. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)

6. Sami Hyppia (Liverpool)

7. John Terry (Chelsea)

8. Marcel Desailly (Chelsea)

9. Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)

10. William Gallas (Chelsea)

11. Martin Keown ( Arsenal)

12. Tony Adams (Arsenal)

13. Steve Bould (Arsenal)

14. Sol Campbell (Arsenal)

15. Kolo Toure (Arsenal)

16. Jonathan Woodgate ( Leeds United)

17. Dave Watson (Everton)

18. Philip Albert (Newcastle)

19. Colin Hendry (Blackburn)

The 3 defenders I have chosen for my first team are Tony Adams who has been Arsenal's best defender and captain in the last 30 years.

He did not have the natural ability, athleticism or speed of many of the defenders on the list but he had leadership and organizational abilities which are just as crucial for a defense.

Marcel Desailly of Chelsea who had everything you want in a defender; strength, speed and leadership.

The final defender I have picked is Jaap Stam of Manchester United who like the other 2, had all the qualities you want in a defender.

Midfielders

I am not going to make a list here because I have cheated and put some players that are essentially forwards but I chosen to class them as defenders as there was no way I was going to leave any of them out for the other.

I have picked 2 genuine central midfielders who would have to be the ball winners because the other 3 are not likely to defend at all.

They are perhaps the best 2 in their respective positions and would be in most people's list as the very best player to have played in the premiership and they are Roy Keane of Manchester United and Patrick Vieira of Arsenal.

They were not just very competitive and combative but they were also very good players on the ball as well. They were totally inspirational to their teams and led their teams to many victories.

The 3 other "midfielders" are the best players to have played for their respective clubs, in terms of technical ability and they are Eric Cantona of Manchester United who was the inspiration for their winning the premiership for the first time in 25 years when they won it in 1992/93 season.

He has arguably being the main catalyst for their triumphs thereafter. Dennis Bergkamp was just technically perfect, and as far as I am concerned the best player to have won an Arsenal shirt. Gianfranco Zola was another genius with the football and was rightly voted Chelsea's best ever player.

Strikers

This is always going to be the most position to pick just 2 outstanding candidates out of 50 excellent choices but I have gone managed to pick 2 of the very best.

They are as different as chalk and cheese, but they had scoring goals as their common attribute. The first player I have picked is arguably the most exciting player to have played in the premiership and most would agree that it has been a privileged for the premiership to have had Thierry Henry grace it with absolute brilliance.

He is not just a goal scorer but he created lots and lots of chances for his teammates and scored so many contenders for best goal ever in the premiership. His partner is quite simply the best striker in premiership history as his goals will attest to.

Alan Shearer was just a goal scoring phenomenon who also had more to his game than scoring goals. He is still the leading scorer in the premiership history and it will take a great effort for his record to be broken. He is the only player to have scored a century of goals for 2 different clubs in the Premiership.

Premiership Betting Review

Chelsea officially clinched the Premiership on Saturday lunchtime with a crushing 3-0 victory over second placed Manchester United. The Blues only needed a draw to confirm the champions status but William Gallas after five minutes, Joe Cole on 61 and Ricardo Carvalho on 73 sealed victory in style as Jose Mourinho's side retained their Premiership trophy at 6/5.

Another crucial match in the Premiership was Portsmouth's victory at Wigan Athletic. As predicted in the Walker's Word column, Pompey's win at the JJB Stadium relegated both Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion in what was a gloomy day for West Midlands football. Henri Camara gave Wigan the lead after 34 minutes, but Benjamin Mwaruwari's first goal form the club on 63 and Matt Taylor's second penalty in as many weeks on 71 ensured a 9/5 away win.

Birmingham City could only muster a goalless draw against Newcastle United when only victory could preserve their Premiership status until the final match of the season. The draw was available at 12/5 before kick-off.

Liverpool went level on points with Manchester United after Saturday's 3-1 win over struggling Aston Villa. Fernando Morientes opened the scoring after four minutes but Gareth Barry levelled on 58. Captain Steven Gerrard netted on 61 and 65 minutes to ensure a 3/10 victory for Rafa Benitez's side.

Tottenham Hotspur tightened their grip on fourth place with a 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. Aaron Lennon struck the decisive goal on the hour for the 7/10 Spurs.

Fulham won their first match away from Craven Cottage with a last gasp goal at Manchester City. Richard Dunne gave City the lead after 69m minutes but Collins John equalised for the Cottagers with six minutes left. Steed Malbranque then fired in a stoppage time winner to secure an unlikely victory at 3/1 odds.

Alan Curbishley's last match at The Valley as manager of Charlton Athletic ended in defeat as they were beaten 2-0 by 8/5 Blackburn Rovers. Steven Reid broke the deadlock two minutes before the break while a Chris Powell own goal on 65 put Mark Hughes' side in touching distance of UEFA Cup football.

On Bank Holiday Monday, Arsenal made sure Sunderland went the entire season without a home win with a 3-0 victory at the Stadium of Light. Arsenal, huge 3/10 favourites before kick-off, scored three goals in 14 first half minutes, with a Danny Collins own goal on 28, Cesc Fabregas on 38 and Thierry Henry three minutes before the break.

Manchester United edged one point ahead of Liverpool as they drew 0-0 with Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. United, heavily odds-on before kick-off, saw Ruud van Nistelrooy miss a penalty after 65 minutes and the match ended level at 9/2.

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Premiership Manager of the Year 2009

The football season is nearly over and already clubs are beginning to cement their final league positions. Chelsea and Arsenal will finish in 3rd and 4th place respectively, while Aston Villa and Everton will finish 5th or 6th accordingly. The Premiership title is still unsettled though, with Liverpool pushing Manchester Utd all the way. The battle for the final European spot is still wide open though, and any three from five clubs could be relegated. But now is the time where managers are judged, and only one can be the Premiership Manager of the Year.

Although it can be argued, the top 10 teams managers could be considered candidates for various reasons, for me, it is a choice between just two managers, both Scots, Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester Utd and David Moyes of Everton.

Both clubs are massive. Manchester Utd need little introduction, being a massive worldwide brand and the Premierships most successful club. Everton are one of the original twelve clubs that formed the first football league over 100 years ago and are the fourth most successful club in England. But both clubs have had varying fortunes over the past 20 years, with Utd becoming one of the richest in the world and Everton, thanks to poor management in the 90's, losing their tag of the "Mersey Millionaires".

So, the reasoning behind these two being the main candidates is easy. Manchester Utd have this season already won the World Club Competition and the League Cup. They are currently on the brink of retaining their Premier League title and are also in the Champions League final, again in an attempt to retain that title too. Sir Alex Ferguson has done a stirling job in bringing together his team, after a very indifferent start to the season, despite spending millions last summer. But he is now reaping the rewards.

In contrast, David Moyes has had next to nothing to spend. He did break Everton's transfer record with the signing of Maurone Fellaini for 15 million pounds on the last day of the transfer window, but due to the clubs finances, that fee will be paid in 3 million pound installments over the next 5 years. His squad is one of the smallest in the league, and he has had by far the biggest injury list, losing key players for large amounts of time over the season.

In spite of this, and a very poor start to the season which saw them win only once at home in the first 3 months, David Moyes has led his team to 6th place in the league, with an excellent chance of finishing 5th. He has also led Everton to their first FA Cup final in 14 years, after negotiating possibly the toughest route to the final in the history of the competition. Everton have had to beat four of the top five clubs in the Premiership in order to get to the final. And now they face Chelsea on 30th May. So things have not been easy for David Moyes, and it is because of this he must be considered as Manager of the Year. 

Both are great managers. Ferguson has proved himself time and time again, but he has had large financial backing to do this. Moyes is proving to be a great manager, but has yet to win anything. Both managers this season, have had their managerial abilities tested to the limit and it will be interesting to see who officially comes out as the winner.

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English Premiership And The Fan Base

The English Premiership has become one of the best properly organized leagues in the world, due to the fact that clubs from the premiership have been able to prove to the entire world that they are clubs to be respected in the world. This is due to their performances in Europe, I mean in the champions league and the winners cup respectively.

In the last two editions of the champions' league English teams have been able to at least reach the finals. Liverpool FC was able to overcome the AC Milan team the 2006 final, while in the semi-final of the 2007, three English teams namely: Manchester United FC, Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC got to the final, and Liverpool could be said to have lost out narrowly to AC Milan in the final.

The performances of these teams have not only endeared them to the hearts of fans world wide, but Africans, have developed a fanatical system of support for the premiership teams. This is not to say that other leagues such; Laliga with Barcelona FC and Real Madrid FC being the most popular because of football stars such as Ronaldinho, Robinho, Deco, Samuel Eto, Raul Gonzalez just to mention a few.

But the English Premiership is so popular in Africa due to the presence of Africa football stars in the league, when you talk about football stars you will mention the African footballer of the year 2006, Didier Drogba of Cote de voire and Chelsea and also Solomon Kalou, which guarantees a total fanatical commitment from Ivorians, also the presence of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboe guarantees that Arsenal also have the required followers, same thing goes for other premiership teams that have African Stars in their folds such as Michael Essien of Ghana, Emmanuel Adebayor of Togo and others.

The greatest fan base or followers that I am aware of can be found in the most populous black nation of the world, Nigeria. It is in Nigeria that you have an extension of the English premiership. In the situation mentioned in the first few paragraph, you will notice that some of the followers or fans of English premiership in the countries mentioned above, are fans because one or two stars of such country plays in the premiership team. But in Nigeria, you will find committed and faithful fans of premiership teams in the following categories; professors, lecturers, newspaper editors, TV programme hosts, students, male, female, young and old and even politicians and TV stars are involved in the Craze for premiership football, regardless of whether the teams have a Nigerian or not, not to talk of the team having an African in their fold.

I can authoritatively state that Arsenal FC and Manchester United, have the greatest fan base in Nigeria but, amongst the two teams there is no single nigerian footballer playing for them. Since the creation of the premiership, I have never witnessed such a wild and unrestricted support these two teams are enjoying in Nigeria.

I want to suggest that if the teams in the premiership requires an additional means of generating revenues in Africa through sales of souvenir, I think they should start with fans in Nigeria. You need to visit viewing centres in nigeria whenever a premiership match is going on. You will see the various supporters of the team in their team Jerseys and other souvenirs rooting for their team. Despite all the negative publicities given to Nigerians by the Western media, I still believe that the Nigerian market is the largest market for the highest sales in sports.

African is the home of football, the highest and committed number of fans is based here and it does not matter which team is playing, there will always be a fan base following the teams as they progress every season.

This is therefore an invitation to sport marketers, betting companies and other sport promoters, to creat programmes that will include the whole of Africa. Programmes that will erase discrimination among the African countries and I assure you, you will smile all the way to the bank. The premiership has started and bets are going on, forum are springing up and new programmes and being created by TV stations for sport. There is money in sport marketing.

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Chelsea Adds FA Cup to Their Premiership Title

Chelsea FC yesterday afternoon defeated Portsmouth FC by a lone goal to lift the FA Cup and complete the doubles having won the league title the previous weekend. By this feat they have proved wrong those critics who never believed they could win anything this season. The Blues have now proved they are a force to reckon with as far as the premiership is concerned.

Carlo Ancelotti has also shown that he has what it takes to be a great coach. This is just his first season in the English premiership and he has won three silverwares. That is no mean feat; only great coaches are able to achieve such enviable record in such a short period of time. I think Ancelotti should be allowed to bring his wealth of experience to help Chelsea win the UEFA Champions' League that has so far eluded her.

Yesterday's FA Cup final match was tension-soaked as both sides were in such a hurry to win the title. Chelsea needed to add it to their haul this season while Portsmouth needed it more as it was their only hope of staying in the premiership, having been confirmed relegated to the lower division much earlier.

Chelsea had full control of the game, attacking ceaselessly but Portsmouth kept defending gallantly. A lot of mistakes were made and several chances wasted as the Blues obviously wanted to seal victory within few minutes. Salomon Kalou hit the crossbar in the 26th minute of the first half after Goalkeeper David James was displaced. It was John Terry who again hit the crossbar in the 29th minute as he failed to utilize Didier Drogba's free kick. Kelvin Boateng received a yellow card after a rough tackle against Michael Ballack in the 35th minute. The resultant free kick was taken by Drogba and it hit the upright post again. The first half eventually ended in a barren draw, with Portsmouth having their God to thank for not conceding as much goals.

The second half saw some attacking and counter attacking football. It was Kelvin Boateng who posed the first threat as he almost netted a goal against Chelsea but unfortunately he shot wide. In the 55th minute Dindane was brought down by Belletti and the centre referee pointed to the spot for a penalty kick. The penalty was taken by Boateng but was saved by goalkeeper Petr Cechs. However, in the 59th minute Didier Drogba broke the jinxed as his superlative free kick beat goalkeeper David James hands down for the only goal of the match.

Some changes were made on both sides to add more bite to the attack but the result remained 1-0 till the end of the match. John Utaka and Kanu Nwankwo were brought in to help turn the tables against the Blues but nothing changed. Frank Lampard was brought down in the 87th minute but he failed to convert the resultant penalty.

Chelsea fans were full of praises for their players as the game ended 1-0 in their favour. Didier Drogba once again made the difference. He has shown himself to be Chelsea's reliable point man, having scored 29 goals in the just concluded league.

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Worst Ever Start To A Premiership Season For Manchester United

It is officially the worst start to the season that champions Manchester United have made since the creation of the Premiership, and you have to go back to 1992 to find a worse start to the season ever.

As Man Utd sit currently 4th from bottom in the table, you can't help but feel a little sorry for them after the out-and-out success of last season. They currently have 3 international class strikers injured with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Luis Saha and now Wayne Rooney out for long lengths of time with serious injuries. They also have arguably their best player (obvious best player of the season last season) sat watching from the stands for 3 games after being sent off over a nothing incident. And to make things worse they have drawn their first two matches and lost their third.

Meanwhile their closest rivals last-season Chelsea have won their first two matches (admittedly against lesser-opposition) and have drawn their third - a very respectable point gained playing at Anfield against Liverpool. However some believe that Chelsea will suffer a similar fortune to that of Man Utd, when the African Cup of Nations kicks off which will see Chelsea lose a host of their stars including the likes of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Soloman Kalou.

Manchester United star Wayne Rooney broke his foot on the first game of the season against Reading, who performed well defensively at Old Trafford to gain a share of the points. However Rooney injured himself in a seemingly low-key challenge with Michael Duberry, and Wayne could now be out for a couple of months. With the recent addition of Carlos Tevez you could say United have been handed a lifeline, but it looked like a tough ask after seeing him perform up front by himself against a rejuvenated Manchester City team.

Tevez looked tired and understandably so, after he has had a long season and then no real pre-season at Manchester United - he has simply been thrown in at the deep end by Sir Alex, who has had little else choice. The Argentine striker performed well against City although he missed a few chances, and was unable to prevent United losing to a deflected Giovanni goal after the away side dominated the proceedings throughout the match at the City Of Manchester stadium.

Manchester United will now hope for their first 3 points of the season when they go to face Tottenham Hotspur in a week's time. The spurs manager is under pressure already, with rumours circulating that Tottenham have approached Seville manager DAVE SMITH. Ironically, spurs thrashed their last opponents Derby 4-0 at White Hart Lane, but this tantalising display doesn't seem enough to prevent Martin Jol becoming the first Premiership casualty. United and Ferguson will feel as though the pressure is off when they travel to North London for the match, and will be desperate to gain their first win of the new Premiership campaign.

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How Man United Won The English Premiership Title

So Man United could not complete the Double by losing 0 - 1 to hated soccer rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. But I guess hardly anyone in the United camp is complaining as they have won the Premiership title for the first time since 2003 - by dethroning two-time champions Chelsea.

"It was a difficult task given the amount of money Chelsea have," Sir Alex Ferguson said of his ninth Premiership title. "They were also the most resilient opponents we have ever come across." Indeed, humble words for someone who has now won 20 major trophies in his 20 years at Old Trafford.

Despite being 65 years old, it remains difficult to quench the insatiable winning mentality of the sporting and affable Fergie. In any case, for the sake of posterity, here's a blow-by-blow account of how the mighty Reds convincingly won the 2006 - 2007 season title:

1) August 2006

Soccer pundits predicted that after selling top goal poacher Ruud van Nistelrooy to Spanish rivals Real Madrid, Man United would blunt their attacking prowess. Defying the odds, by the end of August, the fortunes of the Reds read: 3 wins out of 3 played with 10 goals scored. Chelsea, on the other hand, fumbled to a 1 - 2 lost to mediocre Middlesbrough in only their second soccer match.

2) September 2006

Good times hardly last. Arsenal stole the thunder by defeating Man United 1 - 0 at Old Trafford and thereby ending United's perfect start to the season. This allowed Chelsea to regain top spot but cracks in their title defence surfaced when they could only draw with another mediocre team, Aston Villa. Meanwhile, eternal soccer rivals Liverpool succumbed to their third successive away defeat at Bolton. Things were shaping up for a two-horse race for the Premiership title. September ended with a superlative solo goal at Reading by the irrepressible Cristiano Ronaldo.

3) October 2006

Hitting a rich vein of form, main United striker Wayne Rooney struck a hit-trick to condemn bogey team Bolton to a crushing 4 - 0 defeat. This ensured that United kept pace with Chelsea while Liverpool's title hopes all but evaporated when they fell 0 - 2 at Old Trafford. Chelsea were dealt a massive blow when their first-choice goalie Petr Cech fractured his skull after a nasty tackle at Reading. As of this writing, he wears a reinforced rugby skull cap during soccer matches as medical specialists cannot guarantee that another blow to the skull will not result in irreparable brain damage.

4) November 2006

In the bitter cold, Man Untied outplayed Chelsea at Old Trafford but still had to settle for a 1 - 1 stalemate. Beaming with delight, Chelsea's Jose Mourinho proclaimed that United blew a "big, big chance" to open up a six-point gap at the top. Big words, I would say. Careful - pride before fall.

5) December 2006

The full force of winter was felt as much as Chelsea's mounting list of walking wounded. Without the ultra-reliable Cech still out injured, Chelsea could only secure draws at minor clubs Reading and Fulham. The pathetic Arsenal, meanwhile, wrote their doom script by losing to a single goal at struggling Sheffield United.

6) January 2007

New year, same relentless march by United, as they retained their six-point advantage at the top. Things took an interesting turn when a day after Chelsea fell 0 - 2 to Liverpool, Man United foolishly conceded two late goals to lose 1 - 2 to Arsenal. Chelsea's injury problems complicated when it was rumored that Mourinho was denied funds to bring in a new centre-back during the January transfer window.

7) February 2007

Despite bagging the League Cup and boosted by captain John Terry's return from injury, Chelsea were unable to cut into Manu United's lead. A jaded United took on Fulham at Craven Cottage but were still able to bag full points, thanks to superb solo effort by Player of the Year Ronaldo. Undeniable resilience. Man United: Champions in the making?

8) March 2007

Man United's Irish utility man John O'Shea scored a priceless last minute winner against Liverpool. This win boosted their title aspirations by defeating a major soccer rival. With Man United facing injury problems of their own, Chelsea quietly kept up the pressure by winning.

9) April 2007

With two uncharacteristic blunders made by United goalie Edwin van der Sar, United conceded 1 - 2 to Portsmouth. On the same day, Chelsea beat a resurgent Tottenham 1 - 0 to put their title challenge back on track ... only to be derailed at end-April. Then, United scored four goals in the final half-hour to turn over a two-goal deficit at Everton, while Chelsea could only manage a home draw to Bolton.

10) May 2007

United needed four points form their last three games to be crowned champions. Ronaldo's dubious penalty at the Manchester derby cut the target to a solitary point. On 6 May 2007, Arsenal did United a massive favor by holding Chelsea to a 1 - 1 draw. This gave United an unassailable seven-point lead with two matches remaining.

And there you have it, Chelsea failing to live up to their favorite's tag billing after splashing out last summer to sign Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack. On the other hand, Man United captured the title despite making only one major signing in quiet workhorse Michael Carrick. Indeed, success need not necessarily go to the super-rich.

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