<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wolves-will-finish-in-the-top-half-of-the-premier-league-this-season-34481/fact-or-fiction" rel="attachment wp-att-34482"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-34482 aligncenter" src="/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/fact-or-fiction-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="180"></figure></div></a></p>
<p><em>“Fact Or Fiction” is a series that will be run every Friday. In this series, an assertion will be made regarding an impacting topic in the Premier League. EPL Talk writers Matt Hackenmiller and Earl Reed each offer their views on whether the statement is “Fact or Fiction.”</em></p>
<p><strong>Fact or Fiction: Outside of the Big Two from Manchester, Newcastle United has been the third best team in the Premier League so far this season.</strong></p>
<p><strong>MH: Fact by default.</strong> Newcastle has not lost yet this season and they have played fine football for the most part. They have also showed an ability to get points away from St. James’s Park. But picking the third best team to this point is a very tricky endeavor. Liverpool looked to that team early, but they have struggled of late. Chelsea has been uninspiring in their victories. Arsenal? I won’t go there. It could be Tottenham if they continue to play the way they did last weekend. At this point, I would say Newcastle United are the third best team in the league, although they could be knocked from that pedestal quite soon.</p>
<p><strong>ER: Fiction.</strong> The Magpies have been a good team thus far, a surprise given the losses of Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton over the last 9 months. The players who remain, with a few key additions, have coalesced and found some solid early results this season. But for me, their fixture list has been somewhat kind to start the season. As Matt has said, no team has stood out to clearly be considered third-best. Chelsea hasn’t always looked at ease, which might be expected with a new manager and a haunted forward. Newcastle United and Aston Villa have been draw-happy. Stoke would be a choice, but their dismantling against a reeling Sunderland is a stain on their season thus far. Compared to those teams, Chelsea has been better on a more consistent basis: three wins and their only loss at Old Trafford.</p>
<p>What do you think, is it fact or fiction that Newcastle United has been the third best team in the Premier League so far this season?</p>


Newcastle United: Third Best?

Newcastle United: Third Best? - World Soccer Talk

<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/West-Ham.jpg"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2015/02/West-Ham-600x414-600x414.webp" alt="West Ham" width="600" height="414" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-128932" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></figure></div></a></p>
<p>In a refreshing change of events, former Birmingham City owners, David Gold and David Sullivan took control of the Hammers and admitted straightaway the mess that West Ham United have been battling with. Since the crashing collapse of the Icelandic banking system, West Ham had been financially stricken and the true extent of the footballing debt is now apparent. The Hammers owe £110 million out. One Hundred and Ten Million pounds.</p>
<p>Only in November did C.B. Holdings claim that the Hammers were in debt to the tune of £38 million, misleading the fans in to thinking that the situation was nowhere near as bad as some in the media had reported. In fact it was almost 3 times as bad as they made out and the new owners/controllers made clear exactly where they debts lay. They also confirmed that the club were going to have to sell players in this transfer window, contrary to the clubs previous stance. An immediate cash injection of £8 million was needed to keep the club going.</p>
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<p>The list reads like a what not to do in football, or to put it another way, how to run a club like Leeds United. It’s as if someone wrote a business plan based on what went wrong at Elland Road and it was mistranslated into Icelandic to make it seem positive. It’s madness to see the debt and borrowing going on at West Ham over the last 3 years.</p>
<ul>
<li>£50 million owed to banks.</li>
<li>£40 million owed to other clubs for transfers.</li>
<li>The £40 million owed to other clubs, includes £20 million compensation to Sheffield United.</li>
<li>Alan Curbishley is still owed his severance deal after winning his case for constructive dismissal</li>
<li>No-one owes West Ham any money, all player transfer fees that were received paid the bank debt immediately</li>
<li>C.B. Holdings had borrowed money against the next two seasons season ticket revenue</li>
<li>There is no money for strengthening the squad.</li>
</ul>
<p>Now this paints a completely different figure to what the West Ham fans believed, rightly or wrongly what the were being told. The previous regime were filling there heads with nonsense. It is a very real prospect that relegation would have seen West Ham implode financially. No ifs, no buts, they were immediately into administration. After all the information about Leeds United, C.B. Holdings were following exactly the same route.</p>
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<p>It seems like absolute madness that not one lesson from the Yorkshire clubs demise has served to teach anyone anything it seems, as we see with the issues at Manchester United, Portsmouth and Liverpool in the last week. Regardless of the riches awash for the Premiership clubs, you still have to cut your cloth accordingly. Someone sooner or later is going to fall over the edge, which is a subject I’m going to be looking at in more depth for EPLtalk.com next week.</p>
<p>Gold and Sullivan have acted quickly in bringing in their trusted lieutenant, Karen Brady as vice chairman and she’ll be quick to install some much needed pragmatism at Upton Park. They are now going to talk to Newham council about moving to <a href="http://www.london2012.com/" target="_blank">the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympics</a>. That could be&nbsp; a challenge as Tottenham enquired about taking it over and were plainly told it was not available. The Olympic stadium is set to be reduced from its 80,000 capacity down to a pointless 30,000, for which there is neither the use nor the need.</p>
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<p>The NFL could still play a part in the stadium’s future use that could play into West Ham’s hands. The NFL have earmarked that the often mooted London franchise’s potential base could be there. It would certainly make more sense to use it as a dual sport stadium than a white elephant for athletics, which is the current plan. There is neither the inclination or support for that size of athletics venue in London, they should sell it and use the money to redevelop Crystal Palace Athletic Stadium.</p>
<p>So now, West Ham have to focus on the future and the fans will be thankful that regardless of the criticisms that could be placed at Gold and Sullivan’s door during their tenure at Birmingham City, they still have a club to support. The work is now on to bring in fresh investment to try and work off the remaining debt and crucial to that is the fact that West Ham United need to stay up.</p>
<p>Gianfranco Zola has been nothing but a gentlemen throughout this difficult period for him and he needs to make sure that he can keep his side together for one almighty relegation scrap. For a first job, he has certainly been earning his money, of that there is no doubt. In the next six games, West Ham face Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Birmingham City and Hull City. Come the end of February, Gold, Sullivan and Zola will know exactly the size of the task to keep West Ham United in the Premier League.</p>

Breaking News: Gold And Sullivan Reveal West Ham's True Debt

Breaking News: Gold And Sullivan Reveal West Ham's True Debt - World Soccer Talk

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Newcastle United: Third Best?

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Breaking News: Gold And Sullivan Reveal West Ham's True Debt