Kristian Downer

This week Jay Bothroyd went one better by receiving his first call up to the senior squad to reach a new peak in what has been a somewhat chequered career. Described by his own manager as ‘high maintenance’ the road to international has not been an easy one for the 28 year old striker who has been described by Arsene Wenger as one of the most talented strikers to play at the club.

Reading and Norwich traded blows to draw 3 – 3, whilst Burnley overcame Watford in a thrilling in a game where the lead changed hands 3 times. However the game this week that left pulses racing featured a club that is no stranger to the ups and downs of football in recent times, Portsmouth FC. They lost 3-2 to Doncaster Rovers in a thrilling encounter!

Included in this squad were seven players who are currently available for selection by Championship sides, either as part of their permanent squad or on loan deals from Premier League sides. This is a great opportunity for each of these players and shows that despite the dominance of the Premier League in high level youth development, there is still a role to be played by the Championship in this area.

Manchester United and Everton contested one of the most entertaining games of the Premier League season so far at Goodison Park this weekend. After taking the lead only to let it slip to a two goal deficit, Everton launched a late rally to score two injury time goals and earn a 3-3 draw in a […]

In the run up to the weekend, I wrote about the Non-League Football Day campaign that was launched to try and use the international break to encourage Premiership and Championship football fans to use their free weekend to support their local non-league sides. This was a fantastic idea and an opportunity to plug the finances […]

It seems impossible now to go more than a few weeks without a media story breaking that exposes the alleged infidelity, criminality or immorality of a Premiership footballer. Whilst in a utopian society every individual would subscribe to the narrow excuse for hypocritical morality prescribed in today’s modern media, this in reality cannot be held […]

The Premier League season has ground to a halt as the first international break of the season means that there will be no Premier League or Championship fixtures this weekend. Whilst only a small percentage of fans that would normally travel to watch their club play will be at Wembley to see England play Bulgaria, […]

The contrasting World Cup fortunes of Frank Lampard and Carlos Tevez have inadvertently re-opened up the debate around the use of video technology at the highest level of the game. In the space of one day of the World Cup both Frank Lampard and Carlos Tevez were affected by controversial refereeing decisions. Whilst Frank Lampard was denied […]

The offices, factories and roads of England will fall silent at 3pm GMT today as virtually the entire population pause to watch the national sides final group game of the World Cup. The nation will collectively hold its breath once more, as the hope and torment of the England national team captivates for another 90 minutes […]

With all of the different news, blog, and sport sites available on the internet, sifting through the pile for worthwhile material can be a nightmare. This is why I have, in association with The Gaffer, created the EPL Talk toolbar. It allows you to find the latest football news, blogs, and opinion quickly and efficiently […]

So the World Cup is now a week old, every team has played at least once. It is now becoming clear whether your team was a sound bet or as dodgy as a Northern Rock balance sheet. There have already been a few surprises, and those following a minnow may have had a nice surprise. Also […]

They say that you learn from your experiences and no statement is truer than with a drinking/bingo game, sadly my original effort was not realistic enough, there were not enough points scored or drinks consumed. Therefore with the Vuvela's cracking off, goalkeeping gaffes and lack of excitement in the tournament so far, I have updated the […]

The World Cup is here; there is nothing better than watching the games with friends, having a few drinks and watching a game of football. In case the football is not quite enough on it’s own to entertain you, this World Cup bingo/drinking game could possibly make things more interesting. The rules are simple watch […]

It would not be a World Cup for England without a few injury problems and general chaos. However Middlesborough born football legend Chris Kamara, or should I say Chris Cabanga, has other come up with his own strategy to propel England to glory despite the chaos. Apparently he has sought the advice of a Neuropsychologist […]

Well the 30 players named in Fabio Capello's England squad have had multiple trainng sessions and two games to earn their place on the plane to South Africa. Now is the time that this squad must be trimmed to 23 players, meaning that 7 players will soon receive the dreaded phone call ending their World […]